Vamp!

Vamp! III - Chapter 3 A

Chapter 3 - Evil Incarnate Puts on a Smile, and...
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Waldstein Castle.
Ishibashi said many things as Valdred and Selim led him through the halls of the castle.
He told them that Melhilm had come to this island with a pair of Eaters and a vampire who was particularly difficult to deal with, with his sights set on Relic.
'Mr. Melhilm, huh. I heard Shizune devoured him, but I guess he managed to survive somehow.'
Melhilm Herzog.
It was not a name Valdred was particularly happy to remember.
Melhilm was the first vampire to have appeared before Valdred after his realization that he had been produced as a result of a series of experiments. He was also Valdred's creator.
Having been born from a mixture of multiple characters and memories, Valdred could not accept the concept of 'parents' on a personal level, in spite of his knowledge of the idea. Because he did not even have a stable sense of self, he was also repulsed by the word 'creator'. In fact, even to this day Val was not certain of the sensation of having been 'born'.
'And besides...'
As he continued to walk in silence, he remembered the first words he had heard during his short life as 'Valdred Ivanhoe'.
"A failure."
Two simple words. Though he had only just been born, even then he knew the purpose for which he had been created. Melhilm's comment essentially spelled an end for his reason to exist.
"But not to worry. I do not destroy vampires for the sole reason of being failed experiments."
And so, Val was sent to Melhilm's then-subordinate, Watt Stalf. In exchange for an identity to call his own, he had received freedom.
At this point, Val had no intention of resenting Melhilm for calling him a failure. But what he had said afterwards remained lodged at the back of his mind all this time, echoing through his thoughts over and over again.
"I suppose the saying 'once burned, twice shy' holds more than a grain of truth."
'I wonder if something happened to Melhilm before I was born.'
In the end, Val was led to believe that he would never learn the truth behind Melhilm's self-deprecation. And even now, when he knew that Melhilm was alive, he continued to think he would never know. In fact, if Val were to go to Melhilm to speak with him in person, being called a failure would be the least of his worries--he might be branded a traitor and killed on the spot.
As he imagined the moment of his own murder, Val remembered what Doctor and Professor had told him earlier.
"In other words, as a result of our examination, we found that your watermelon body has no physical function whatsoever. To be blunt, if you choose to believe, you would be completely unharmed even if someone should smash that watermelon."
Even if Melhilm were to destroy his main body--the watermelon--Val's consciousness would persist unharmed.
In other words, he was closer to immortality than other vampires.
'What in the world am I?' He wondered to himself once more with a melancholy sigh. 'I can't live on without a vessel. Even if it's a watermelon...'
"Um... Are you all right?"
"Huh?"
Val snapped out of his reverie. Selim was looking at him worriedly.
"Is there something bothering you, Val?"
"Um, no! Sorry. I... I was just thinking about some stuff." Val replied with a grin. Selim sighed in relief and smiled. It was such a sincere expression of joy that Val was beginning to feel embarrassed.
'Selim said before that she took on human form because of admiration and her dreams.'
Reminding himself that he had many things to ask of her later, Valdred turned over the two words in his mind.
'I think... I think I admire humans. But that's not how the watermelon me feels. It's the human character that's been transplanted into me wanting to go back to human form.'
Refusing to break himself out of his negativity, Val sighed loudly.
'Dreams, huh. I don't think I've ever thought of having one.'
As Val continued to contemplate thoughts about himself, they reached their destination.
"Um... I think you'll find the viscount here." He said to Ishibashi.
"Thank you."
The door to the room was majestic in nature, even in comparison to the grandeur of the castle. Val stood directly before it as he looked up at the Asian man. He took hold of the doorknob and shook it.
Nothing happened. Val wondered if there was no one inside, but they soon heard a set of footsteps approaching. The door opened halfway, and a maid poked her head outside.
"Oh! Val and Selim. What brings the two of you here?"
The maid looked relieved to see the children, who stood huddled together, but the moment she took notice of the Asian man behind them, she quickly grew cautious.
"...And you, sir?"
"Oh, this is..."
"My name is Ishibashi. I am a member of the Organization with which Viscount Waldstein was once affiliated."
Ishibashi introduced himself before Val could. The maid reflexively gave him a deep bow.
"I understand, sir. I take this to mean that you are a companion of Miss Dorothy Nifas?" The maid asked. Ishibashi glanced into the room and found a familiar white figure waving at him.
"Yes. ...I suppose this means that the viscount is aware of the current situation."
The maid took a step back in stead of an answer.
Ishibashi bowed at her once more, and walked into the middle of the room. Dorothy was already there, but the viscount was not. Instead, a bespectacled man dressed like an office worker glanced at him curiously, perhaps because he was also Asian.
As Ishibashi looked around in search of the pool of blood, one of the maids said plainly:
"Our apologies, sir. The Master is currently occupied with other business. We believe he will be back shortly; please feel free to take a seat."
Ishibashi headed for a sofa in the corner of the room. But he suddenly stopped and turned towards Val, who stood stock-still at the entrance.
"I'm sorry again for interrupting your date." He grinned. Val shook his head in horror.
"I-I told you, we're not on a date!"
"Heh. Anyway, thank you."
Ishibashi waved and flashed a reliable grin at Val and Selim, taking a seat at the edge of the sofa.
Valdred had been expecting to hear more about Melhilm from the viscount. But as long as the viscount was away, he had no reason to be here.
Though Relic was not a stranger to Val, they were not so close that Val would go to any lengths for his sake. He had no business, he felt, taking part in this particular conversation.
Trying to fight off the unpleasant feeling in his gut, Val turned to Selim.
"Heh heh heh... Sorry about the weird misunderstanding."
"Not at all. I... I'm... I'm very happy."
"Huh?"
Val did not expect such an answer from Selim.
But not even looking at his comical expression, the alraune smiled gently and repeated herself.
"I... I'm so happy."
'Huh. Huh?! Wait. We just met today! Uh... Is this what it means to fall in love at first sight?! Did she fall in love at first sight... With me?! Wh-what am I supposed to do...?! How am I supposed to respond?!'
Val flailed bashfully, red as a tomato. But Selim's explanation turned his embarrassment into curiosity.
"I'm sure she would have loved to hold hands with a boy, just like this..."
'"She"?'
The conversation took a sudden turn for the unexpected. Who was this third party, Val wondered.
"Who's-"
"HEEEEY! I found more of Doctor's friends!"
Val was cut off, however, by an excited shriek. He saw the jester running over form the end of the corridor, followed by the vampires that they had met inside the caverns.
"Hey Val? Val? Is the viscount inside?"
"Not right now. I think he's got a bunch of important visitors, though."
"What?!" The jester squawked. But she took a moment to compose herself and turned to Val.
"Hey Val? Selim? Sorry for butting in on your date, but please help us find Doctor!"
"Doctor? I just saw him earlier..." Val said without much thought, but the jester's eyes narrowed as she began to press him.
"Really?! Where?! Where?! Where'd you see him, Val? Please tell us!"
Val backed into the wall without even thinking, intimidated by the jester's excitement.
'What's going on?'
The jester had yet to explain a thing, but the flow of the conversation was nurturing an ominous feeling in the pit of Val's stomach.
Melhilm's arrival on Growerth.
The viscount's guests from the Organization.
His sighting of Doctor outside the castle.
The first two points seemed to have nothing to do with the third. And though Val did not know the specifics, perhaps Doctor really had just left the castle to go on a walk.
But strangely enough, Val felt as though these seemingly unrelated events were actually connected by a single thread. An indescribable sense of fear began to well up in his heart.
Though it was yet unbeknownst to him, Val's fears were being made a reality.
The chilly air surrounding the island loomed overhead, dark clouds threatening to devour everything underneath.
Valdred Ivanhoe, standing at the eye of the storm, had yet to understand.
The storm clouds would soon give way to rain.
The water would break down all in its path, both tragic and comedic.
As though washing away the future with the currents of the past.
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