Vampire and Chocolatier 〜The genius alchemist’s sweet quest〜

The next day at noon, Alfred visited the Royal Academy for the first time in several days.

Except for the clock tower, which has become a symbol of Ruviria, there was nothing much to see in the typical building made of red bricks. But the scale was still one of a kind, fitting for the highest academic institution of the Kingdom of Sablé.

The school buildings for various disciplines, including political science and economics that will shape the future national politics, as well as history, mathematics, and the various specialized sciences derived from alchemy, were lined up in a way that they were nestled close to each other, sometimes even facing one another. The alchemy department was located the farthest from the entrance, on the left-hand side of the rectangular site. The reason for that placement was that, in the case of an experiment going awry and the building exploding, other students would escape damage – that is to say, to represent the chaotic nature of alchemists.

The school attracted talented people from all over the world, so there were many international students and a variety of ethnicities. There were oriental-looking male students in open-fronted, fluttering clothes, and female students from southern island countries who walked around nearly half-naked even in winter. Most of them are acquainted with Alfred.

They stopped to exchange greetings and small talk, but it seemed that rumors of his death had circulated, perhaps due to his questionable behavior or the doings of the Goldoc Company. Everyone made surprised faces and asked, “Are you alive?”. That kind of calm conversation could perhaps only take place in Ruviria, where having ghosts as roommates was not all that unusual. 

When Alfred became used to referring to himself as the cattle of a vampire in an act of self-depreciation, he arrived at the reference room at the back of the school building. Professor Lyall, librarian, and renowned alchemist, did not look surprised to see Alfred. He greeted him with a smile as fresh as new green leaves, not betraying his old age at all. 

“I thought it was about time you showed your face. Would you like some coffee?”

“If it’s not poisoned, by all means.”

“A reply fitting for an alchemist. As amusing as ever.”

Alfred sat down in a chair and looked at the professor facing him. That man was somewhat resembling Sin. His hair was white, eyes jade green, obviously losing in the beauty department, but his figure, or rather the atmosphere surrounding his body, was similar. That he looked kind, but was strict with students who fell short, was similar, too.

“I want to learn about chocolate and Leonardo the Foreigner.”

“Ah, I see. You met that nobleman.”

Alfred startled. Not only because of the professor putting it all together but also how he peered into the heart of the matter. Professor Lyall was a cunning man, after all.

Firstly, Alfred explained the details. The professor listened with a blank expression until halfway through, but when it came time to talk about Sin’s request or rather the terms of their agreement, he clapped his hands on his knees.

“I’m so envious! To be granted recognition by the ruler of Ruviria!”

“For my part, if I could be replaced by you, I’d do so in a heartbeat.”

“Hahaha. Fire is best watched from the other shore, my dear fellow,” professor Lyall said timidly, then handed out the key to the door to the archive. The books from that place were not allowed to be taken off the premises nor accessed by the exchange students. 

“Thank you very much. If you always make such efforts for the students, I feel like I can honestly respect you.”

“A youngster who remains unruffled even when attacked by werewolves will be crushed sooner or later, you know.”

Professor Lyall Goldoc was apparently as incapable of irony as a vampire.

But it was still better than dealing with someone who wanted to kill him. As Alfred thanked him and turned to leave, the serpentine man added, “I have high hopes for you. If you succeed, Ruviria will be ours.”

“…What do you mean?”

“It means that nothing truly perfect exists in the world.”

At the time, Alfred had no idea what the words meant. But after a quick search in the back of the archive, he realized what he was trying to do.

It was not only about making chocolate.

It was the antithesis to the alchemical thesis – a bad joke of research.

　◇

After nightfall, when Alfred returned to the mansion’s workshop, Sin was there waiting for him with the food he made. It was tomato soup with an abundance of seafood from Ruviria and freshly baked bread – really reasonable in the sense that both could be made to be delicious without the need for ingenuity.

“I figured you’d be tired after being out all day. I’m such a good wife.”

“Oh, yes, you are. I’m hungry, I’ll have some right away.”

The vampire looked unsatisfied at the obedient reply. It was the reality that he was hungry and tired, and he didn’t want to waste his energy with the mountain of tedious talk ahead of him.

When the meal was over, Alfred quickly got back down to business.

“I want to be free, so I’m making chocolate. I want to experience the taste like that which Leonardo made again. I also want to challenge myself as an alchemist. In either case, it’s all for me.” 

“What’s that, all of a sudden?”

“The only thing I don’t have is the will to serve you. But I will comply with the client’s request. It appears contradictory, but this is the way an alchemist should be.”

Alfred cut his words there. He didn’t know why he was so irritated. He wasn’t angry, just kind of unhappy. 

“So, I need to know what you really want and what are you trying to do right now. It’s not fair that you keep blurring out the important bits.”

“I see. So you did manage to obtain his recipe without problems.”

“Also, about the stories of vampires. …I didn’t know there were others like you. I bet the Ruviria of old was a lot livelier.”

“You are right, in a sense that there are others with the same standing as I. The ones that can withstand sunlight, holy water, blessed weapons, or silver bullets. The blood-sucking, undying, special vampires – the old three rulers of Ruviria.”

“But now, there is only you left. What happened?”

Sin crossed his legs in his chair with elegance. Then, he urged Alfred to continue with a move of his hand.

“You are not completely immortal. You can be killed by human hands.”

The vampire looked as if he was eagerly awaiting what would come next, just like the first time the two of them met. In the end, whatever Alfred would do, it would only amuse this man. 

“According to folklore, Grinden was pierced by the spear of the saint Aniela and turned to ashes. It would stand to reason that a dragonslayer’s weapon could destroy the rulers, but that did not apply to you at all.”

“She was a woman with no sense of humor. She didn’t understand Grinden’s heart, and in the end, I beheaded her.”

“I didn’t know what to make of Mariu at first. He slowly disappeared into ashes while looking at a painting by the great master Zensen. The way he died, one would think that he had simply reached the end of his life, but I found out later that this was not the case. Thanks to reading Leonardo’s manuscripts.”

“What did he say?”

“Nothing ground-shattering. The manuscript was coded, but I could decipher it since I knew it was about chocolate. It was so easy to get the recipe that I wished I had gone looking for it straight away. There was just one part that stuck out to me, and the more I thought about it, the more clear the answer became.”

Alfred exhaled a breath.

A bad, crude joke made by an alchemist two hundred years ago.

“The name given to the recipe was Sweet Poison. I thought it was a metaphor or genius humor. But apparently, this one means exactly what it says.”

Sin spread his hands, as if in contemplation.

Then, just like a man putting chocolate in his mouth, he spoke. 

“That’s right. I can be killed with just one piece of chocolate.”

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