Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

Tyrkanzyaka’s villa was built atop a towering cliff overlooking the coast. As befitting a vampire, it lacked practical amenities like a fireplace or a dining hall. Instead, the structure was designed solely with scenery and light-blocking in mind.

The moment I stepped past the villa’s walls, I was greeted by the sight of the setting sun stretching endlessly toward the horizon. A vampire wouldn’t appreciate a sunrise, but even without the light, the grandeur of the view was undeniable. Feeling a sudden sense of nature’s majesty, I clenched and unclenched my hand.

This was not the power of nature.
This was not the great principle of the world.
This was mine alone.

And yet, I found it odd. Even if I had lost my strength, I was still the King of Humans. That meant I could only wield the power available to humans. I shouldn't be able to use personal forces like innate magic or qi.

Strange. Is this another side effect of losing my strength? What exactly is happening to me?

That’s why I’m searching for the Demon God in the first place.

Ah, whatever. I’ll think about it later. For now, I need to escape.

I scanned my surroundings, searching for an escape route—

“...Huh?”

Something felt off. What was it? As I mulled over the discomforting sensation, I suddenly realized—the view before me was perfectly clear. I frowned.

There was no mist.

A faint sea fog lingered, but it was the natural amount one would expect over the ocean. The horizon was faintly visible, a sight unfitting for the Mist Duchy.

Was it because Tyrkanzyaka had gathered all the darkness to herself? That could be a factor, but it wasn’t the only reason. The clouds and mist were peculiarly sparse.

Almost as if the Sea Calamity in those waters was holding its breath.

Realizing this, I murmured to myself.

“Come to think of it, the Crimson Duke did gather all the humans into the castle as a precaution.”

I hadn’t given it much thought at the time, but looking back, it was rather peculiar. He acted after hearing the Regressor’s warning about the Great Tide. He predicted the disaster in advance, yet didn’t that mean the Regressor had practically revealed themselves as a prophet or a time traveler? Well, I suppose that wouldn’t matter. If they regressed, they could just do it all over again.

But that’s not the point here!

More importantly, why had I never thought about the Great Tide even once before? Even when I was with Tyrkanzyaka, even when discussing major events, I hadn’t considered it at all! If someone had merely avoided mentioning it, I could have assumed they were hiding it. But for it to not even cross my mind? How was I supposed to know?

A disaster of that magnitude should’ve been something I remembered!

Regardless, I had yet another reason to leave the duchy. I descended along the path on the opposite side of the cliff.

Thanks to Vladimir gathering all the humans into the castle, the normally bustling coast was eerily empty.

This should make my escape easier. I should probably regroup with Hilde first—

Just as I was thinking that—