Chapter 44
#044
1.
One small consolation.
Sector C is an unlucky Chinatown.
There was even a place near Yahwawon that sold glutinous rice cakes.
But in Necropolis, anything that looks edible turns obscenely expensive.
“Three rice cakes for 5,000 Vios?”
Who the hell would eat that? Usually high-end brothel courtesans or guys who hit the jackpot at the casino do.
Anyway.
On the way home, clutching rice cakes while my blood-starved head spun.
I'm torn.
“What am I supposed to do~?”
Come to think of it, maybe Jinjo's blood alone would have been enough.
As they say, too much of a good thing. Picking up Jinjo herself was overkill.
Way, way too much.
“I wanna refund it, disown it, return it, dump it....”
If word gets out that Jinjo disappeared, Geumriga or Twilight Resource Development will make a move.
No. Maybe both of them already have.
It's too big a problem for me to handle.
A dragnet is going to be cast over a Necropolis with nowhere to run.
They're hunting a deposed 7th-tier mage, after all.
Real mages, not some random nobodies, will be moving.
Can I really deal with this?
While controlling a True Ancestor who looks like she has zero cooperation or flexibility?
Should I call for help from Yiming-hyung?
Or maybe Ceres mama?
“You are weak, Cedric.”
I shook my head.
There I go again, trying to trust someone else, Cedric.
The only thing I can trust in this city is myself.
Once something as serious as Jinjo is involved, even Ceres mama and Yiming might react in ways I can't predict.
You still have plenty of lives left, don't you?
What I need to prioritize is securing as many cards as possible for this run.
If reviving Arbel through Jinjo proves difficult, then in the next run I can just go after the blood.
“Tadaima!”
“Even a maggot would be faster than you.”
Jinjo greeted me, legs crossed and toes idly flicking, dressed in a pantyless qipao.
Mm-hm, yeah yeah. I wasn't expecting an okaeri anyway.
Arbel was still fast asleep.
After I fed her and went out, it seems she didn't pick up and eat just anything.
“I apologize. I couldn't just choose any mochi to present to Master, so I agonized over it for quite a while.”
I crawled up on my knees and respectfully offered the mochi with both hands.
Jinjo snatched the rice cake and munched on it.
“What about matcha?”
They didn't sell any.
So I prepared something else.
“Matcha is nice, but how about this? It's a rare drink from my hometown. Something you can't get in Necropolis.”
Not a lie.
I cracked open one of my precious energy drinks, one of the last three cans I had, and handed it over.
Jinjo inspected the can with a cold gaze, turned it this way and that, then tasted it....
“Is it to your liking?”
“Not bad.”
Apparently pleased, she alternated between the mochi and the energy drink.
She really does eat with style.
Those three expensive mochi and a drink you couldn't buy with money were gone in an instant.
After waiting for snack time to end, I rubbed my palms together and asked.
“Um, Master.”
“I don't recall giving you permission to speak.”
Ha, this is fucking exhausting....
She's got the kind of pettiness that could go toe-to-toe with the worst nuisance complainant at the district office.
And if things go south, it won't end with just a complaint.
“Of course, but.... As your servant, may I have permission to ask you a few questions?”
“I grant it.”
Because I asked so politely, it got long-winded, so to put it briefly.
Q. Why the hell did you come out from there? What were you doing in there? Weren't you locked up in Twilight Resource Development?
“Must I report even that sort of thing to you in detail?”
I failed to get a proper answer.
Just as expected. No need to be disappointed.
Next question.
Q. So what are you going to do now? Go out and make a scene?
“I will focus on regaining my strength. For a while, I shall remain here and have you attend me, so consider it an honor.”
Q. What if you recover all your strength?
“I will seek out the rabble who brought me down and make them pay what they owe.”
That's a relief.
At least that means she won't go charging out right now, draw every possible bit of aggro, and make herself a target for both major corporations, right?
If she had, I'd have grabbed Arbel and run.
“A lowly servant is grateful and humbled beyond words to be allowed to serve Master. If you would be pleased with that devotion, may I beg for just one favor—only one?”
“Speak, but I shall decide yes or no after hearing it.”
And this was the most important question.
“Could you bestow one drop of your blood upon my sister?”
“You mean you want me to turn her into a familiar? What a presumptuous request.”
She laughed as if it were an absurd request.
“I shall judge your sincerity. Make an effort.”
Huh?
She agreed easier than I expected.
Was this nothing much to a True Ancestor?
Or was she in such a weakened state that she desperately needed my help?
Or maybe she never intended to do it in the first place and was just throwing me a blank check?
“I am deeply honored.”
If you don't know, just bow your head first.
If I screwed it up, I could use this run's information to plan the next one.
Either way, the goal was set.
About nine days remained until the Premium Route ended.
Jinjo kept talking about 'once I'm fully healed~,' but I don't have that kind of luxury.
At the latest, within eight days, I set my goal as becoming Jinjo's personal lackey and somehow reviving Arbel.
And so.
“Wake up.”
“Uuuh...?”
“For some reason, I can't sleep.”
“...Eh?”
“I am terribly bored. Do something.”
“It's 4 AM right now....”
“So?”
My cohabitation with the qipao-clad True Ancestor began.
2.
Premium Route, Run 1: 15 days elapsed.
It's the morning of day 5 of my dangerous cohabitation with Jinjo.
To explain the past few days step by step....
A pursuer suddenly appeared and killed everyone!
That sort of development did not happen.
And this was even though the True Ancestor had disappeared, of all things.
If anything, the silence and stillness were what sent chills down my spine.
Aside from that awkward bit, my life as Jinjo's caretaker was going smoothly.
So how was it smooth, exactly....
Let's start with the morning routine.
-Rattle rattle
-Wham!
The bag snapped open like a clam shell.
Haaam....
The sleepy-eyed True Ancestor, real name 'Shion Tsukimiya,' popped out in a poof.
For all her vampire airs, she always sleeps crammed into a cramped bag instead of a bed.
As for me, I get to keep sleeping in the same bed as Arbel, so it's a good thing.
Have you awakened?
Water.
As soon as I hurriedly offered the glass of water I'd prepared in advance, Shion gulped it down.
Food.
Yes, today's menu is vintage blood aged at low temperature for two days. During the aging process, the plasma loosens up, giving it a clean finish.
I lifted the blood pack with a bright grin.
For the record, I bought this from Isis because I figured I'd shrivel up and die if this kept up.
....
But Shion ignored me and pointed at me with her fingertip.
Fuck.
If she drinks my blood, I'll be dizzy all day.
Can't you please eat something else today?
“A fine choice, but today's recommendation is....”
“You talk too much.”
“...Cedric Fresh is also a good choice. With its crisp metallic tang and a bit of stress-induced adrenaline, it'll be ridiculously full-bodied.”
I gave in.
She's old enough to know better, so why is her food pickiness this fucking bad....
“Haaah.”
Shion bit my neck and latched on.
Lifting her sleepy eyelids, she did look pretty as she suckled at my neck.
I really do like pretty girls....
But every time I see this bitch, I want to smack her forehead as hard as I can.
Shion let out a tiny burp.
She always looks for dessert after a meal.
“What about the mochi and Red Bull?”
“Of course I prepared them.”
After she'd neatly polished off the mochi and energy drink, next came...
“I have the bathwater ready. I set the temperature to 42 degrees again, so please enjoy it at your leisure.”
You're asking whether this studio apartment had a bathtub?
Ta-da! There it is.
An old-fashioned portable bathtub, enclosed by a makeshift tent in the corner of the room.
Pretty petals floated on the steaming water.
I got it for Shion, who was throwing a fucking fit about needing to bathe no matter what.
The hot water was filled by me, after I got up at the crack of dawn to boil it.
Hmmm....
Shion's silhouette as she loosened her clothes. Splash-splash, the water could be heard.
You know what this bitch really has no conscience about?
She tells me to prepare the bathwater, but absolutely never tells me to wait on her while she bathes.
Anyway, once we get this far, the morning routine is over.
In other words, this is where it begins.
Shion knew it was dangerous to go outside carelessly.
So she works Cedric like a wicked stepmother bossing around Cinderella....
And the things she asks for are a sight to behold.
Give me blood. Bring me mochi and Red Bull.
I feel gross and want a bath. I'll bathe twice a day. What's this bathwater temperature? Refill it. Sprinkle some petals too.
And that's not all!
Serve me a delicious meal. Come here and taste it for a second. Is this what delicious food tastes like to you?
Buy snacks. Don't bring them in dribs and drabs—bring more. Buy them again, one of each kind.
Bring me underwear. They're uncomfortable. Buy them again. Put that crap on your sister. I'm not wearing it.
I need accessories. Bring me a silver hairpin.
My hair's tangled. Do some combing. If a hair breaks, your throat breaks too.
Clean the house a bit. Why is there so much dust when you clean?
This room is too dreary. Buy a painting.
“Ha....”
There were more than a few times I wanted to shout, 'There's a True Ancestor in our house!!!!' no matter what happened afterward.
Still, after enduring it for four days.
I had a remarkable result.
“You did well. It is not fully to my taste, but considering the situation, it deserves praise.”
“Serving Master is my joy and honor.”
With my all-out hospitality, I could now even draw out a satisfied little nasal hum.
And I'd also firmly secured the promise that she'd save Arbel.
“But Master, my sister... when might it be possible to turn her into a familiar?”
“Wait.”
“So, until when...?”
When I kept pestering her, Shion said as if annoyed.
“Very well. Set the date for three days from now. That day is auspicious.”
“Thank you!!!”
I immediately made a mental note of it.
So eight days after waking, she'll be recovered enough to make a familiar, right?
3.
Shion cost an outrageous amount to keep.
She eats an entire week's food budget in snacks in a single day, you know?
Leaving behind the mosquito bitch whining about where I was going and why I was leaving her alone.
I came out to Chwihong Pavilion after a long while to earn money for formula.
“Brother, I'm here.”
Yiming greeted me warmly as soon as he saw me.
“Rowen, my brother! It's been ages! I thought you'd gone somewhere and kicked the bucket.”
“Aw, come on, brother. Didn't I contact you every day on the pager?”
“Still, you punk. You should at least show your face to your brother.”
“Sorry.”
“Kid, it's fine. What're you apologizing for now? But why do you look so gaunt?”
“I have my reasons.”
Yiming wasn't exactly a guy I liked to begin with.
But after being tormented by some leech bitch for four straight days, Yiming looked like a truly exemplary senior.
“Rowen, since it's been a while... shouldn't we have some tea together?”
“In Sector H?”
“That's right! You're my little brother, after all.”
Scratch that.
No way. This bastard's the same too....
Why is there not a single human being around me?
“Ah, brother. About the errand you last had me do.”
“Huh? Ah, that?”
“That was a total bust. When I got there, there was nothing at all.”
“Really? Tsk. I thought I'd hit pay dirt for once; that's a shame.”
It had been a few days since I came in, but Yiming nodded without any real suspicion.
He didn't seem like he was even listening in the first place.
I guess he wasn't expecting much.
“Ah, and Rowen. I sorted the Jinjo-related documents you asked for.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Come to think of it, I had asked for this too.
Looking through it might tell me why Jinjo had been left there all alone.
“...Wait....”
A flash of inspiration ran through me, and I shuddered.
Could she have been abandoned because her personality is fucking awful?
If so, I'd be able to stand in solidarity with everyone who made that decision.
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.
And so we moved to Yiming's bunker.
It was the usual Sector H extracurricular activity time.
While Yiming, who had put unusual effort into his makeup, changed clothes.
I looked through the Jinjo-related materials he had given me.
“Hmm... they look the same.”
Though I was almost certain, the face of the Shion I'd picked up was stamped on it plain as day.
There were various bits of information listed, though the masking here and there was irritating.
Personality assessment—extreme arrogance, ferocity, selfishness, and a verdict of impossible to negotiate with. A deeply relatable assessment, honestly.
Or that a True Ancestor's blood was actually a living mana circuit at its core.
“Hm?”
Among them was a page that especially caught my eye.
It seemed to be a document extracted from Twilight Resource Development.
[ Clinical Analysis of Familiar Creation Through a True Ancestor's Blood ]
[ Department: D-1 Advanced Resource Research Institute ] | [ Security Level: Level 1 (No external leaks)]
Record: Before being sealed, Jinjo had never once taken anyone else as a familiar. Unlike the usual ecology of the Tsukimiya family, which expanded its power by multiplying blood relatives, Jinjo maintained dictatorial rule by slaughtering family members with overwhelming force.
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Clinical observation: When reagent Z-2 is injected into the test subject, the host's cells reach the stage just before becoming a familiar. An unknown rejection reaction occurs, and the process is forcibly halted. It is presumed that the host's ego clashes with Jinjo's ██ and degenerates into a ghoul.
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Conclusion: Jinjo's ██ is presumed to, by nature or by intent, exclude the birth of new kin. Without Jinjo's cooperation, experiments using a living human as the medium are meaningless. Also, Jinjo's likelihood of cooperating with experiments is zero.
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Proposal: Pre-implant the factor into cultured ██ and bypass the ██ conflict.
Something's off.