The Weight of a Curse

Chapter XI

The Weight of a Curse

They ate in silence. This time, the only people dining were Galakei, Elpinia, and Enji. Only one of the maids served them.

Galakei didn’t seem to be in a good mood, or perhaps she was feeling ill, since she grumbled her replies when asked about anything. After Enji had the sudden inspiration in the morning, he curtailed his excitement. He spent most of the day thinking about his theory, planning to discuss it with Galakei before dinner. However, she left the workshop early, and now he was hesitant to interrupt her dinner.

Galakei, after finishing her meal, excused herself, stating she needed rest, and left for her room. She had already left instructions with Enji to study the notes she had prepared for him earlier. Enji wasn’t entirely disappointed; he still wanted to reflect on the spell’s structure similarity with programming languages. Man, I wish I had my computer manuals with me. Just like the manga books he usually carried, he left the manuals at home to make room in his backpack for the computer he was going to buy.

“More juice, Lord Enji?” Skia asked in a monotonous voice.

The voice of the vampire maid brought him back from his thoughts. “Yes, please. But I have said it before, I don’t belong to nobility.” To Enji, Skia was more than cute. Her silver-white hair framed a delicate face, although pale, with rosy lips and big red eyes.

“Irregardless of whether you are a noble or not, we still must treat you with reverence because you have a family name,” Skia said. She had a velvety voice, but it was too mechanical, as if she were bored with everything. Enji was learning to differentiate between the three very similar sisters. Lia and Maka were almost identical, despite not being twins; He heard that they were a year apart in age, and Skia was the oldest of the three. He believed her to be in her mid-twenties.

“Enji, what does your name mean?” Elpinia asked. He had found out that she indeed belonged to nobility; however, she didn’t seem to mind those around her, not using honorifics with her.

“My family name, Hasegawa, means long valley river, and Enji is dark-red.”

“But you don’t have red hair or eyes.” Puzzled, Elpinia tilted her head to one side.

Enji shrugged his shoulders. “My parents came up with it. I don’t know the reason I was named Enji.”

“Oh. It is the same as I. All I know is that Elpinia comes from the ancient language of my people, and I have never known the meaning. The family name, Whitevalley, is self-explanatory.”

Enji marveled at the eloquence of the twelve-year-old. Wait! Is she twelve? He thought of the long-lived vampires of legend, undead and never aging.

“Sol doesn’t have a family name, but he belongs to an important clan and has the title of [Silai].”

“You get along well with Sol.”

“I love him!”

Enji almost choked on his juice. He wasn’t expecting such a direct admission from her to someone who, just two days ago, was a complete stranger. Is she really twelve? Enji didn’t know what to say, so he decided to change the topic.

“I don’t know much about the races that inhabit this part of the world. Are vam—How did your people come to be? Do they become infected after being bitten?”

Elpinia stared at him, confused. Finally, she looked at Skia, asking silently for help.

“Excuse me for butting into your conversation, Lord Enji. It seems that you are making the erroneous assumption that our racial peculiarity is something acquired or transmitted like a disease. We are what we are, just as you are. We are born this way since our parents passed it to us,” she stated matter-of-factly without much inflection in her voice.

Enji apologized. They reassured him that they took no offense, as many people in the area feared them due to misunderstandings and the ill intent of a few. He remembered the way Silma had reacted at the sight of the vampire girls; someone must be waging a propaganda war against the vampires.

After some more light talk, they all retired from the dining room.

Enji went to his room instead of the workshop. He wasn’t making progress in casting any spells; therefore, he didn’t need to be in the workshop.

He went over the notes that Galakei had left him. Some of the incantations had terms entirely foreign to him; others seemed too convoluted to make sense.

He raised his eyes to the door when he heard a soft knock; a voice followed, “Lord Enji?”

“Come in.”

Ulua stood by the doorframe. “The Mage has requested you.”

“Alright.” I wonder what she needs. Enji followed the head maid to Galakei’s bedchambers.

When they reached the door, Ulua ushered Enji inside and left them alone.

Galakei lay in bed with her eyes closed. Her breathing seemed labored, and sweat covered her brow. Is she okay? Enji got closer to the bed. “Lady Galakei, do you need something from me? Are you feeling sick?”

The mage slowly opened her eyes and moved her head to focus on the boy. “Don’t be too concerned about the condition I’m in. It is something that comes and goes. I’ll be up and around in no time.”

“You mentioned a curse.” Enji looked at her, concerned. She didn’t look good, even for a virtual skeleton.

“It could be called that. This illness is due to my ineptitude, and my body is in the state it is now as a result.” She gestured with a hand. “Approach, help me sit up.”

He propped her up to a sitting position and was surprised by how little she weighed. Then he placed several pillows on her back. She smells good.

“If it weren’t for my mother’s race, I would have surely perished already.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sit here.” Galakei patted the bed. Enji did what she asked. She pointed to her face and said, “As you can see from the color of my eyes, I belong to the blood drinkers’ kin. However, only my mother was one; my father was a Tilek human.”

He wondered what Tilek meant. The way the translator had rendered the word, it probably meant that it referred to a place or a race. He refrained from asking for the moment.

“One peculiarity of the blood drinkers is rapid regeneration. My body is in a constant state of almost dying and continuous recuperation. And it’s very tiring.”

“How did you get this way?”

“I was casting an ancient spell, and it went out of control. I was fortunate to survive, although in this gorgeous condition.” She chuckled. Enji forced a smile. She seemed to accept her fate and made light of it. “Nevertheless, the reason I called you here is that I require a favor of you.”

Enji’s heart accelerated. Since she revealed that she was a vampire, he began to suspect why she had called for him. “Do you want to drink my blood?”

Galakei stared at him for a moment, then she yelled, “Are you a moron?! I don’t always drink blood, and when I do, blood from an animal would suffice!”

“I-I apologize. I didn’t know.” He bowed.

She calmed a bit. After taking a long breath, she continued, “What I need from you is to keep Elpinia’s company. I wish Sol would devote more time to her, but he has his duties with Eithea. From what you told us, you originated from distant lands; I’m sure you have many tales to tell. She’s very curious and restless and would love to hear your stories, and... she doesn’t have any friends.”

“I’ll do my best.” Enji scratched his cheek.

“You have my gratitude. Tomorrow, if I’m feeling well, I shall remove that collar from your neck. You may now leave.” Galakei made a small gesture with her hand.

Enji rose and bowed. He gave the mage a last glance before closing the door behind him.

***

In the morning, on his way to the workshop, Enji heard what sounded like metal clashing and looked down from the window to the courtyard. Lia and Maka were engaged in a mock battle. Probably, part of their training. It made sense, since Galakei had introduced the three sisters as warriors. Curious, he decided to watch them closer. He took the stairs and inconspicuously positioned himself under the entryway arch to avoid disturbing the two girls.

“Are you interested in sparring?”

Surprised, Enji turned around. Elpinia and Skia had approached from behind without him noticing.

“Good day, Lady Elpinia and Skia. It would make a poor spectacle; I’m nowhere near that level.” Enji pointed to the two vampire girls in the courtyard.

“Call me Pinia without any deference.” She turned to Skia. “Why don’t you spar with Enji. I want to see how good he is.”

“As you wish.” Skia bowed to Pinia, then she turned to face Enji. She didn’t seem too keen on the idea, as evidenced by the look on her face. “Come, let’s fight.”

“Hey! Wait! I didn’t say that I would...Ouch!” His wrist was encircled in an iron grip, and he was dragged to the yard by the girl who ignored his protests. With embarrassment, he looked back at the burrowed tracks left on the ground by his heels. This is crazy! Lia and Maka stopped their training and waited for the newcomers. Once Enji was in position, Maka shoved a sword into his hand and moved a few paces away from the fighters. Skie already had Lia’s sword in her hand.

He gawked at the sword in his hand, which, like hers, was made of metal, even if its edges weren’t sharp; a blow from it would shatter bones and kill. For sure, I’m going to die. Cold sweat cascaded down his back and brow.

“Go easy on me,” Enji pleaded.

“Ready!” Immediately after saying it, she propelled herself at a blinding speed. He parried her forward thrust by pure luck. But before he breathed in relief, she relentlessly attacked him. It didn’t matter how much he tried to block her swings and thrusts; she always hit an unprotected part of his body. Finally, it was over. He found himself staring at the sky with his back against the ground and aching all over.

“How was it?” Elpinia asked Skia.

“Mediocre at best. There was a hint of Sol’s and Nilsei’s swordsmanship, nothing to be proud of.”

Not only did she kick my behind, but she’s also dragging me through the mud. Enji lamented internally. Anyway, he was too hurt to voice anything aloud, let alone to move.

Elpinia kneeled next to him and began chanting a spell. “Don’t be discouraged. In addition to our physical strength being superior to that of humans, Skia had been training for twelve years with the sword.”

Enji felt relief from the pain once the magic began to take effect. “How old was she when she started?” he asked the girl beside him.

“I was six,” Skia replied instead in her characteristic tone.

“I see—Wait! You are eighteen?!”

“There shouldn’t be anything wrong with my age.” She seemed annoyed. “My sisters’ ages are sixteen and fifteen. Lia is the youngest.”

“All done. You should be able to move now.” Elpinia rose to her feet.

“Pathetic.” Skia gave him a disdainful look.

Enji stood up, ignoring Skia’s muttered remark. He stretched, moved his arms, and jumped in place to check if anything was amiss. Having someone who could cast healing magic was a great advantage. But her casting felt different... He was comparing the wording of Elpinia’s chant to what he remembered hearing from Silma.

“What will you do now?” Elpinia asked.

“I’m going to the workshop; you are welcome to tag along if you want.”

“Can I?” Her eyes shone brightly.

“Yes. I heard that you like stories.”

“Yes! Yes! I want to hear a story!”

The three of them headed to Galakei’s workshop.

***

Enji had entertained Elpinia with fairy tales and stories from his childhood. To her, everything that he told was new and wonderful, even mundane things from school; she listened mesmerized. But he was running out of things to talk about. Games. We need games. He considered making board games, but the materials, tools, and skills required were too much for him to handle. Either chess or shogi would require carving each of the different pieces. Checkers would be easier if he could find something similar to bottle caps. Reversi and cards were out of the question. Finally, they played tic-tac-toe on the wooden tablets they used for studying.

Once Elpinia discovered that whoever put their mark on the center square would surely win, she grew tired of the game and stopped playing. He took the tablet and placed it alongside the ones on which he had previously written the spells. His eyes were drawn to the word ‘sug,’ which still eluded his understanding.

“Pinia, what is the ‘sug’ to you?” He needed a different opinion from what Galakei had told him.

“The [sug]? I don’t know. It’s just there when you want to use it.”

“Can you feel it? Or more importantly, how can I make use of it?”

“I can show you how it feels. Take my hand—”

“Elpinia [Kilai] Whitevalley, you are not allowed to touch a human man.” Skia had her hand on the pommel of her sword, and Enji was sure that if he had dared to touch the girl, his hand would have been cut off, or perhaps even his head.

“Apologies, sometimes I forget.” Elpinia lowered her head, dejected.

“Hey, no problem. There are a lot of customs I’m not familiar with.” Enji didn’t know what to make of it, so he tried to cheer Elpinia up.

“It had nothing to do with customs,” Skia stated, her red eyes glowed with intent to kill. “Tilek humans attacked our village and killed her parents and many more of us. As the heir of House Whitevalley, she has the duty of avenging the dead. She made an oath on her parents’ remains that she would despise all humans.”

“Oh...” Enji was shocked. He recalled that Galakei had said that they were fleeing when she found them. Who the hell are the Tileks? Didn’t I hear that name before? He realized now why Skia treated him the way she did. She just hated him. “I’m sorry about your parents.” Enji bowed, not knowing what else to say or do.

“It’s not your fault,” Elpinia replied.

An uncomfortable silence followed. Enji took one of the tablets and began scribbling on it. He did it more as an escape from having to face the awkward atmosphere. Elpinia took some gemstones lying on one of the benches and began sorting them by color.

Skia, indifferently, unsheathed her sword and began polishing it with a rag. They could have remained that way all day if Elpinia hadn’t found the courage to speak first.

“Skia, would you show Enji how magic flows?”

“What!!” She almost dropped her sword. “T-touch... that... that... useless worm?”

“Indulge me.” Elpinia smiled at her. To Enji, the smile seemed devilish.

“As you wish.” Skia shot him a murderous look.

“Ah. Skia-san, you don’t have to. I’m perfectly fine not knowing—”

“Are you declining Lady Elpinia’s generous offer?” She cracked her knuckles.

“No, Not at all!” I have to watch my back from now on. It wouldn’t surprise him if his body were found floating in a canal.

Skia stood before him and extended both her hands. Enji reluctantly placed his hands on her palms.

“Arghhh!” He fell on his knees, his hands firmly clasped in Skia’s.

“Skia.” Elpinia scrunched her lips.

“Apologies, my lady. Sometimes I forget to curb my strength.”

The hell you forgot! Enji rose slowly to his feet, still holding the girl’s hands.

“I’ll commence now.”

“Right.” Enji braced for a brutal release of magical energy, but nothing came. He was about to ask when he felt a familiar sensation. He remembered playing with his friends in his middle school science class with a DC generator. One of those you manually cranked to produce electricity. They took turns holding the wires to see who could last the longest while someone furiously cranked the thing up. Is the ‘sug’ electricity? The next sensation was one of pleasant internal heat, not unlike that of eating hot ramen or soup.

Skia released his hands. “Done,” she said.

“Huh? That’s it?” He stared at his hands in disappointment.

“Of course, magic will evade such a low insect like you.”

“Come on, give me a break!”

At that moment, Lia announced from the door, “Sol is back! Also, Lord Enji, Lady Galakei summons you to her room.”

Elpinia darted out of the room, followed by Skia. For a split second, before Lia left, she gave Enji a pitiful look.

“Don’t look at me like that!”