NOVEL NEXT Chapter 122: Ghoul
I look at my mother. I should say I'm surprised it's her. I had many assumptions, and while she was in some of them, it was never guaranteed for various reasons.
"So, Esther has something to tell me?" Ecatherine says in a sharp tone, without beating around the bush.
'...She's my mother...' This is... unpleasant. I didn't really want her to be my mother. Her authoritarian ways are well-known among the nobles, and if she even thinks about trying to control my life, I'll make a point of killing her.
"I believe not. After all, what I've done, do, and will do with my life no longer has any connection to you." When I give that answer, an uncomfortable silence falls before she gives a small smile.
"I see... I believe it's better this way. I heard about your achievements and I congratulate you... although... I don't understand why exactly you chose that girl... the Demon King implied that you were the one who chose her." She says, referencing the conversation I had with the Demon King.
'...'
"It's true, I did, in a way, choose her..." As far as I know, Ecatherine has some problematic history with the noblewoman who is Evelyn's mother. I had no way of knowing that, but it also doesn't matter.
Because I know Ecatherine, and I know that... she's just like everyone else... This disappoints me greatly. I thought that perhaps my mother would be like me, but from what I know of Ecatherine, she is exactly like any other.
'It seems Evelyn and I are... unique...'
"She is the best choice. I gain more power, and she is easy to control." I say this more as an excuse, since my real motivation is just to have her close by and be able to observe her.
"..." She seems to be thinking something, and just then I lunge at her with a punch, which she catches without much trouble.
"...Good instincts." She says, showing me her hand. I see a dagger coated with poison.
"You were going to..."
"No need to say anything, daughter. This poison wouldn't kill you. After all, you are a Ghoul, just like me. I was just testing your reactions." She says, dropping the dagger on the floor.
"That dagger has a poison mixed with blood. If you hadn't noticed it, I would have considered that a major failure... but I see you've inherited my genes well." She says mechanically while staring at me.
'This conversation is so... strange...' It's obvious she doesn't quite know what to do. I'm already an adult, so she can't order me around, just as she also has no obligation to take care of me. In short, beyond the blood connection, we have nothing linking us.
"...Daughter... calling you that feels very strange... but I believe I have to explain a few things. I'll be direct. I have no way of controlling your decisions, so I will only teach you what needs to be taught." She says as I nod in agreement.
"You are a Ghoul, and as a Ghoul, there are certain conditions that, if met, can make things problematic... It seems you haven't yet reached the most important condition, but I need to inform you of it." She walks to a chair and sits down, and I do the same, sitting across from her.
"What about my race?" I ask, glancing at my system and seeing that my race is now listed as [Pure Ghoul] because I now know what I am.
"Daughter, I want to be brief about this. I believe dragging it out is unnecessary. And since I can't exactly be the present mother who could have trained you, I can only be the mother who now explains your race to you."
"I am... proud of everything you've accomplished. I know, I researched your life, once every two years, to find out how your progress was, even though I couldn't intervene."
"That's why I know you would have been a great heir for me if you weren't competing for the throne. And thanks to that, I also know that you have never tasted the flesh of other demons." When she mentions this, I become slightly confused.
"..."
"Ghouls have a diet consisting mostly of things that are still alive or have just died. Many cannot control their instincts and attack people. That's why you don't see ghouls walking the streets easily, as most stay within my territory."
"Similar to vampires who need blood, Ghouls need raw flesh from something still fresh, although weaker Ghouls can also sate themselves with rotten meat."
"Naturally, the superior versions of many races tend to overcome weaknesses. For example, vampires grow weaker in sunlight, but noble vampires or pureblood vampires don't have that problem."
"However, Ghouls... are the opposite. The purer your blood and your race, the worse the craving for flesh becomes. Naturally, I am a Pure Ghoul from the purest lineage... which prevents me from staying outside my territory for too long."
"You must have heard stories about me killing nobles after spending too long outside my territory. Those stories are true because it's not always possible to control..."
"My territory has magic and means to reduce these racial instincts to a minimum, making it a refuge where Ghouls can live civilly..."
"But this is where the main point comes in... you are a hybrid. Despite the purity of your race, your magic is still a mix of two different demons... which apparently has allowed you to live without the craving for flesh..."
"However, daughter, this likely won't last very long. If one day you taste the flesh of something still alive, you probably will never be able to rid yourself of the craving for it."
"The reason you're fine isn't because you lack the instinct, but because it lies dormant within your body. However, once it awakens, you will have no way to get rid of it."
"Likely, it will be a minor craving at first, but still persistent and capable of causing you problems if you don't sate your hunger... and it will grow over time." She lists all these things, but it seems there's more.
"Why are you telling me this first? I've lived 18 years without eating anything that awakened this instinct. Why do you think I'll eat something like that now?" I ask, interested.
It's not like I enjoy eating raw things. I prefer very specific foods when I order something to eat.
"Because you are going to get married. Esther, tell me, have you never felt a desire for blood when you killed someone? Never found the sight of a body something... tasty?" She asks as I think.
'...'
"...Perhaps..." I can't say for sure, because I usually don't like being near dead bodies. Not because I'm disgusted, but because fresh corpses give me a strange feeling of adrenaline.
"Ah... actually... I always enjoyed taking hunting missions for the Demon King..." I always loved the feeling of hunting someone who was running away from me, of torturing them painfully until I saw the life draining from their eyes.
I always attributed it to liberation—the only moments when I could use my power without having to hide how strong I really am... but what if in those moments, that feeling wasn't just freedom.
"..."
"I see you're quite perceptive... Yes, that is likely a Ghoul instinct, seeking something alive to eat." She says, which only makes me more confused about what my marriage has to do with this.
"Tell me, what does my marriage have to do with my potential craving for flesh?"
"Do you plan on having relations with your wife?" She asks an invasive question as I ponder.
'Relations with Evelyn...'
"Perhaps." I'm not sure. I never thought about it in that way. After all, it's more interesting to observe her. However, since we will be married, it would be natural for me to experience her body, given that she is my wife. Furthermore, I will likely have to at least take her virginity on our first night together.
"Tell me, Esther, what do you think will happen when you bite that girl? What do you think will happen when you taste her blood, when you deflower her and see her blood trickling onto the bed? Do you think you can spend an entire night in that state, smelling blood?" She asks a question I have no answer for.
'...'
"But when I fought on the battlefield, I spent days amidst blood and corpses. I never felt the desire to..."
"Did you taste blood?" She interrupts me.
"...No."
"Adrenaline... the feeling of adrenaline serves to suppress the desire to eat. That's why on a battlefield, a Ghoul isn't always hungry, because the adrenaline is enough to trick the stomach."
"Just like coffee, sugar, and anything that increases bodily 'activity' helps to trick the hunger. That's why I suggest that if the craving for flesh emerges, you start consuming more coffee and sweets to stay stable, although this is only a temporary measure until you actually eat." She says, looking directly into my eyes.
"And what do you expect me to do, Mother? Do you expect me to live without touching her? I won't be cowed by some supposed instinct." When I say this, she gives me a scornful smile.
"Esther, how foolish you are being. You have never felt the hunger... that painful hunger that seems to completely cloud any rational thought... If you think it's so easy to deal with, then I hope you have better luck than the thousands of Ghouls who succumb to the hunger daily."
"I'm not warning you because I want to help you. Don't mistake my intentions, Esther. I am merely passing on the knowledge that I, as a mother, must give to a daughter."
"If you end up tasting that girl's flesh, I don't care. However, don't say I didn't warn you. If you taste her blood, you might not be able to control yourself enough..."
"Besides... the blood of those we care for is the most addictive." She gets up to leave with just that.
"Who said I care for her?"
"Fate is ironic... I'm not stupid. I won't believe you chose that girl just for more status and advantages for the throne, because you were already a solid candidate to obtain the position of Demon Queen."
"Esther, if you chose that girl, then you must have some real interest in her. Don't underestimate your mother. I have lived more than 20 times your age. I truly hope you take my warning responsibly, or... you might wake up with that girl's half-eaten corpse beneath you."
"I believe our conversation ends here, Esther. You are already responsible for yourself. You don't need me telling you what to do or meddling in your life."
"My duty as a mother was fulfilled the moment I warned you about the biggest problem of our race, and my duty as a noble was merely to meet you in person, and I did that the moment I entered this room."
"You have my blessing. Do whatever you want as long as you don't bring shame upon me. I'll see you at your wedding." She disappears through the door, leaving me with this unpleasant feeling of anger.
'Disgusting... You know nothing... I am not like you... and I would not lose to a mere instinct like some wild beast.' She is the kind of woman that fills me with this unpleasant repulsion, the kind who thinks her mere presence is enough—an extremely arrogant person.