THE HERO'S SON IS A MONSTER-Chapter 46: Sleeping Coffin

In the moving castle, Eresheb walked down a corridor bathed in soft, dim light. The stone walls, engraved with intricate patterns, seemed to absorb the silence, lending the place an atmosphere both peaceful and mysterious.

She moved forward, deeply immersed in her thoughts. Earlier, she had left what she considered to be Ariane’s latest experiment in her room, placing it gently on the bed.

The child had remained quiet, neither crying nor speaking. Since it was obvious she wouldn’t sleep, Eresheb saw no point in singing a lullaby or forcing slumber upon her.

The best course of action was to focus on her mission. And so, she made her way to where Ariane was.

At the end of the corridor, she arrived in front of a control chamber. A golem stood there, motionless. It was massive, square-shaped, devoid of any unnecessary ornamentation.

It’s appearance resembled a colossal brick, a raw creation without arms or legs, designed solely to fulfill its role as the concierge of this level of the castle.

The golem hovered slightly above the ground, exuding an imposing presence. Its massive body, with rough, time-worn edges, seemed forged from metal.

Two glowing slits suggested piercing eyes, surveying its domain with authority.

Its voice, when it spoke, echoed deeply against the walls of the level it governed.

An inflexible overseer of this section of the moving castle, it imposed order through its mere presence, leaving one to wonder about its true nature: was it merely a guardian, or an entity fused with the very architecture of the castle?

Eresheb approached the chamber and, in a neutral tone, asked:

"I would like to know where Lady Ariane is."

The golem stirred, its cold, mechanical voice breaking the silence.

"Eresheb... Ariane is located in Sleeping Coffin number 3..."

If this weren’t one of Lady Ariane’s creations, I would have destroyed it, Eresheb thought irritably. Why had she brought such a disrespectful entity into existence—on "legs" no less?

She paused. The golem had neither legs nor feet. It was literally a brick. An animated brick, but a giant brick nonetheless.

"Would... you... like me to announce you?" it asked in its monotonous tone.

Eresheb was not one to care about protocol, but this time, it was not an unannounced visit. She preferred to be announced to avoid interrupting Ariane if she was engaged in her work.

"Alright... You have been announced! Ariane is expecting you in the lobby of the Sleeping Coffin..."

"A ticket... Will... Be... Generated... You... Will be... Escorted... To... The Sleeping... Coffin..."

As soon as the sentence was spoken, the inter-level transportation system of the moving castle activated, and a door materialized at the far right of the chamber, where the golem stood.

The door functioned based on the golem’s command. The same door could lead to different places within the castle, depending on the directive. This time, the destination was the lobby of Ariane’s Sleeping Coffin.

Eresheb firmly grasped the handle and turned it. Upon stepping through, she was no longer in the long corridor but in the entrance hall of the Sleeping Coffin.

In front of her was an enormous sofa—so large that it could even serve as a bed. Reclining on it was the mistress of the domain, a high-ranking vampire, Ariane.

She lay in the posture of someone asleep, though, of course, she was not. She simply had no desire to make the effort to rise.

"So, Eresheb!" she said in a disinterested tone. "What do you think?"

Eresheb approached the sofa, stopping a meter away before speaking.

"Well, as usual, Lady Ariane has exotic tastes. But this new creation of yours is somewhat different from the others. I fear something may be amiss with it."

Ariane did not change her lounging posture, showing no particular reaction. Without any hesitation, she cut off Eresheb’s reasoning.

"I did not create it. It is something the Ruler of Pandemonium brought."

Eresheb’s expression shifted at the mention of that name. The Ruler of Pandemonium. Of course, Ariane, even without looking at her, had noticed the change but paid it no mind.

"Oh, that person...!" Eresheb caught herself, often feeling uneasy whenever that title came up in a conversation with Ariane.

"I see... The Ruler of Pandemonium." She remained calm, contemplating what to say next. Conversing with Ariane was always a difficult task—Ariane’s lack of interest meant their discussions often felt more like question-and-answer sessions.

Though Eresheb had grown accustomed to it, she knew that if she said nothing, the conversation would likely end there—unless Ariane herself wished to know something.

"If that’s the case, then I would like to report something..." She wanted to mention the strange behavior of the child she had just looked after.

"Speak..." Ariane, once again, did not change her posture.

So, Eresheb began recounting everything that had happened up until now, detailing every aspect—the child’s condition, behavior, and the specific words she had used.

She noticed that, as she spoke, Ariane’s posture shifted ever so slightly. Something had clearly piqued her interest. A complex mixture of emotions stirred within Eresheb, but she continued her explanation to the end.

"I see..."

And then, silence fell once more. Eresheb stood there like a statue. She wanted to report on her current mission as well, but she feared it would be less interesting. Losing Ariane’s attention was unbearable.

But, surprisingly, it was Ariane who broke the silence this time. It was, in truth, becoming awkward even for her. She had assumed Eresheb would first discuss her new experiment and then move on to the mission assigned to her.

But who would have thought she would stop speaking right after talking about the child? Situations like these were a nuisance to Ariane.

"And your mission?" Ariane asked. "It seems it has been delayed because you forgot something!"

The light in Eresheb’s eyes reignited, and the heavy silence vanished as if it had never been there. She resumed speaking, though she lamented that it was to address her mistakes. But as long as she could interact with Ariane, she was content.