We Are A Family

"...Viktoria," Klaus called the Keeper's name.

"...The Draugr is certainly dead. You'd defeated it," she assured him. "Honestly, if it wasn't for that sword you have, even after you ascend, your chance of defeating it could be slimmer."

"...Yeah."

Klaus didn't argue with her. His sword exploited the loophole in that Draugr's ability. After all, its increased strength and immunity only helped in deflecting and countering attacks of limited variety. For example, a gunshot would not induce even a scratch on the Draugr when it had its ability active.

However, an attack of a different nature completely could overcome that thick skin. The weapon excelled in that regard due to its ability to consume the mass of anything its blade cut into. This ability defied the reality that the Draugr had an impregnable body, and thus, became Klaus's trump card in the fight.

Simple, was it not?

"..." Klaus breathed a sigh. "What's going to happen now?"

He had eliminated the greatest threat he'd yet faced in his entire life. After everything was said done, should he head back and step out of this Personal Dimension?

"The Succession process is still ongoing. I suggest you wait until it is completed before you go," said Viktoria in his mind.

"Oh, right. You mentioned that there are four stages of Succession. You had yet to explain what the third stage, err, imposed on me."

Viktoria was silent for a few moments before she let out an exasperated sigh, for reason unknown to Klaus.

"...Um, if you don't want to explain, then I won't force you," said Klaus as he willed his weapons to disappear.

"You're not forcing me at all. You don't have to worry about that. It's just that I was relieved that vile creature is no longer alive."

"Quite callous of you to say that, but... I would be lying if I say that I don't share the same sentiment."

"Anyway, before I explain everything else, you might want to claim that loot the Draugr dropped."

Klaus blinked a few times. Of course! A defeated Draugr would drop loot, but he had forgotten about it. Quite a blunder on his part.

He strode towards the remains of the Draugr as they turned into dust. He tilted his head to discern the location of a foreign object of some sort somewhere near the body. It didn't take long for him to find an accessory akin to a necklace lying on the floor, gleaming like an untouched gem.

"This is..."

"A loot that the Draugr dropped," Viktoria finished Klaus's sentence with her own words. "What a strange motif. A twin-headed snake coiling around the black pendant, like a predator, constantly cornering its prey, instilling eternal fear in them."

"..."

Klaus ran his thumb along the surface of the obsidian-black pendant. The silver chain was plain and gave off a conspicuous aura that it was made up of cheap materials. Of course, that logic didn't apply to an object born from the remnants of a supernatural being, but he had to point that out.

The square pendant had a noticeable weight. He tried to pry the pendant's lid open, but his effort proved to be futile, even with his revamped body. The entire loot vanished in dots of light seconds later in his grasp.

"...Oh, right. Do these loots have a name?" Klaus asked out of the blue.

"I recall it has a universal name. Ah, yes... One would call them, Lohengrins."

"...Lohengrins?"

"A loot from a defeated Draugr is called a Lohengrin. If you are referencing more than one loot, call them Lohengrins."

"...Quite sophisticated."

"How so? I was merely stating the facts. Everything has its own name. I don't want to correct you in the future, that's all."

"Go back to the previous topic, Viktoria," urged Klaus.

"Hm? Before that, I haven't permit you to call me by that name."

"Eh? Are we arguing about it now? That can wait for later. Though, if you're against me calling you by that name, then I'll stop."

"..." Viktoria didn't say a word.

"I don't have the indulgence of a pious man to stretch such a trivial matter into a lengthy argument in the first place," added Klaus in the end.

"...I don't have that kind of intention to begin with. Moreover, I want you to call me by a different name."

"Ah..." That meant she had already come up with a name in mind. "And that would be...?"

"Euryanthe."

Klaus frowned when he heard the name. "Say again...?"

"Euryanthe. The tragic heroine in Carl Maria von Weber's opera. A noble who protested her innocence to her beloved and saved his life. A loyal fiancée, caught between a woman's l.u.s.t and a man's strife for love."

"...That's oddly specific and somewhat random."

"I'm a part of you now, so I have access to your memories."

"Wha—"

"You'd read an article about that German opera, Euryanthe. When you finished reading it, you couldn't help but despise the heroine for confiding her beloved's secret to a stranger. In other words, you hate the woman."

"...So why chose that name?" Klaus decided to brush off what she said about her being able to look into his memories. It wouldn't change anything anyway, even if he voiced his retort.

"Because the one who composed the opera is Carl Maria von Weber. He had the same surname as you, hence why I picked the name Euryanthe."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"I haven't finished explaining," said Euryanthe with a discernable sharpness in her tone. "Carl Maria von Weber's Euryanthe sent ripples in the history of German opera. There was little to no dialogue in the opera, and yet, the story flowed well and grasped the audience's attention like no other."

"...So, to honor that man's finest work, you want to be named after the heroine of the story?" concluded Klaus.

"Precisely," Euryanthe gave a curt reply. "With that said, you're also a Weber like him. That means you view me as a heroine in your story, right? I shine the brightest in your mind compared to other women you'd met in your life, right?"

"Now that's an exaggeration and utter nonsense. Just because Weber is in my name, it doesn't mean I view someone named Euryanthe in a completely different light."

"...I was joking. You're being too serious."

"..."

"Call me Euryanthe from now on. There, end of the conversation."