Guilty All The Same (English)

29 - Fatal error

Ferid's awakening had not been the best. Or rather. He was quiet next to Yurika, everything was going on as usual until he arrived at his study and his day took an interesting turn.

He had received a call from Krul. Even before answering, he had imagined what the motives might be. There had not yet been an official declaration of war against the humans, but he had realised from his last conversation with the queen that the time had come. War with the humans was inevitable, there was nothing that could be done. What amused him most was the superior attitude that dear Krul seemed to have taken on. He was sure she wasn't the only one who saw an easy victory on the horizon.

Because the vampires were stronger, the humans were reduced to the bone and easily subjugated. He couldn't wait to savour the fateful moment when the vampire realised the mistake she had made. Then there would be a good chance of seeing movement from the vampires of the rest of the world. He couldn't put his finger on it yet, but he could hope.

"So, my beloved queen. To what do I owe this call? We met a short while ago, you don't mean to tell me that you are intent on finally confessing your love for me?" "Stop talking nonsense, Ferid Bathory. You know perfectly well that I require your presence only when strictly necessary. You are the strongest vampire after me, I cannot ignore you. It seems a group of humans have captured some of our test subjects. You must go and show those filthy humans who's boss." "Uh, a little fun. And tell me, is your seraph coming too?" "Stop calling him that." "I'm describing things as they are, you know perfectly well too. And you also know how much Mika loves my company! Almost more than our queen does!" Krul didn't fail to notice the vampire's mocking tone. It would only have taken her a moment to counter.

Asking him about the human he was keeping. She would have liked to do so, but bringing it up risked bringing out his interest and blowing her whole plan. She wanted to see how far the seventh progenitor had come. Was it once again a toy or was there more to it than that? She wanted to find out. And to investigate she needed to keep Ferid away from the mansion. Then she would act.

"I expect you to join the army tomorrow to settle this. Understood?" "You know you can always count on me." The vampire smiled and closed the communication. The vampire sighed. His absences would probably become more and more frequent because of this. It was one more element that was going to colour his days.

"You have to fight the Moon Demon Company?" Yurika asked with a twinge of apprehension, not quite sure if she was just worried about Ferid or something else. It was true that it was hard for her to consider the army as a real family, but it was inevitable that she would get anxious. She thought back to Guren and Shinya, perhaps the only ones with whom she could say she had any sort of bond. She remembered those fateful fights against Ferid when he had kidnapped her and shuddered. She thought back to Shinoa and those kids who had just joined up. How would she react if something happened to them? What if their eventual death was at the hands of the vampire?

"Yurika, nothing will happen to me..." "I know no one will hurt you..." She whispered with a hint of a voice. "But what if something happens to the others?" "I didn't think you were so close to those people." Ferid replied brusquely. "But... I've spent my life with them... I can't completely give a damn..." "I can't promise you anything. You know I won't be the only one fighting. Some loss may be inevitable."

Yurika shuddered. "Is this about something bigger?" she asked hesitantly. "A war is coming. It's inevitable by now. The queen has not yet spoken explicitly about it, but her intentions seem clear enough. An actual declaration is not long in coming." "Ferid, you... had you hoped for this?" "A war is always exciting for a vampire, but here I think things may go quite unexpectedly. You humans have developed weapons that can put the vampires in serious trouble, and if that happens, I don't rule out the possibility that the vampire council might intervene in Japan."