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Chapter Text  正文

The rustling of leaves in the wind. Birdsong. Warmth.
风中树叶的沙沙声。鸟鸣。温暖。

Sensations came first, slowly filtering in like someone was painting a picture stroke by stroke. He heard before he could feel the sun on his face or the earth beneath his feet, was aware of the air on his skin before he could smell the loam of a forest and the unidentifiable, indescribable coolness that hinted at stone or mountains.
知觉最先苏醒，如同有人一笔一划地描绘着画面。在感受到脸上阳光或脚下泥土之前，他先听见了声响；在嗅到森林腐殖土与那种难以名状、暗示着岩石或山峦的清凉气息之前，他先感知到了拂过肌肤的空气。

And then he could see, and his furious roar of "ALUCARD!" as he brought bayonets to both hands shook the nearby birds from their song as they fluttered off into the sky in an explosion of feathers, calling shrilly in panic.
随后他恢复了视力，伴随着一声震怒的咆哮"阿卡多！"，他双手同时亮出刺刀的动作惊飞了附近枝头的鸟群。鸟儿们尖叫着四散逃窜，在漫天飞舞的羽毛中冲向天际。

So far as he could tell, he was standing, alone, in a grassy clearing in some kind of forest. The knee-high grass and the leaves on the trees were all a lush green, indicating that this was either summer or late spring, and though he couldn't identify the trees specifically, he had been in enough places to judge that this forest was closer to one of the two poles than it was to the equator.
就他所能判断的，此刻他正独自站在一片森林中的青草空地上。齐膝高的野草与树上的叶片都呈现出浓郁的翠绿色，表明此时不是盛夏就是暮春时节。虽然无法具体辨认树种，但凭借丰富的游历经验，他能断定这片森林更靠近两极而非赤道。

Alexander ground his teeth furiously, trying to think. Given the slow fade-in of sensation, this probably wasn't totally real, and that understanding was only furthered when he glanced down at one of his bayonets, tilting it up to look at his face. The polished metal wasn't concave, so it should have reflected a wedge of him clearly, and yet it did not: his features were vague and swam in and out of focus like he was tilting a fogged-up spoon rather than steadily holding a flat blade.
亚历山大愤怒地磨着牙齿，竭力思考着。从感官逐渐恢复的迟缓过程来看，这里很可能并非完全真实——这个认知在他低头检视刺刀时得到了进一步印证。当他倾斜刀刃想看清自己的倒影时，抛光的金属平面本应清晰映出他的面容，然而镜面中只有模糊的轮廓，如同凝视起雾的汤匙般忽隐忽现，完全不像平整刀锋该有的稳定成像。

So. Wherever, whatever this was, it was a construct, and not an actuality.
看来。无论此处是何方，无论眼前为何物，都不过是虚构的造境，绝非真实世界。

Still, there were constructs and then there were constructs. Looking around, he saw that the wind blew with unnatural regularity, ruffling leaves in the exact same way every time, and when he listened, the faint, infrequent birdsong was as repetitive as clockwork.
然而，人造之物亦有高下之分。他环顾四周，发现风的吹拂带着不自然的规律性，每次都以完全相同的方式拂动树叶；侧耳倾听时，那零星断续的鸟鸣声如同发条装置般循环往复。

Right.  好吧。

Well, if this was the finalized product of that fragmented ritual, he didn't understand it. Saint Anthony was the patron saint of lost things, as well as travelers, seekers, and several countries. If the vampire had been looking for something, or trying to turn back her own time, it was doomed to failure: this wasn't the right saint nor the right type of result for such a ritual.
若这就是那个残缺仪式的最终产物，他实在难以理解。圣安东尼是失物、旅人、追寻者以及数个国家的守护圣人。倘若那个吸血鬼在寻找某物，或是试图逆转自身时间，这注定徒劳无功：既选错了守护圣人，这类仪式也根本不可能达成那种效果。

She had probably been looking for something –he vaguely remembered Maxwell muttering something about Hermetics and alchemy scripts in the materials she had stolen before fleeing to Italy. It couldn't have been the Philosopher's Stone, as that was made and thus not "lost," and he wasn't familiar enough with Hermeticism to describe what else she might have been looking for, except perhaps the Emerald Tablet. It had been supposedly written by the fabled founder…
她当时很可能在寻找某物——他依稀记得马克斯威尔嘟囔过，说她偷走的材料里有些赫尔墨斯学派和炼金术手稿，之后便逃往了意大利。不可能是贤者之石，因为那属于人造物而非"遗失物"，而他对赫尔墨斯学说了解有限，除了传说中的翠玉录外，也说不出她可能追寻的其他目标。据说那石板是由学派传奇创始人亲笔......

But that had been lost in Egypt, so far as he could recall, and wherever this place was supposed to be, or rather be a reflection of, it was nowhere near Egypt.
但据他回忆，那东西早已遗失在埃及。而无论此地是何处——或者说映射自何处——都绝对与埃及相距甚远。

Speaking of which, where was Alucard? Alexander knew the vampire had been caught up in –whatever this was– with him, he had seen the light take Alucard as well, but so far as he could tell, he was utterly alone. There was only the breeze, birdsong, and…
说到这个，阿卡德去哪儿了？亚历山大清楚地记得吸血鬼和他一同被卷入了这场——无论是什么的变故——他亲眼看见光芒也吞噬了阿卡德。但就目前所见，这里只有他孤身一人。唯有微风、鸟鸣，以及……

Hoofbeats.  马蹄声。

Perhaps he was not so alone.
看来他并非完全孤独。

Alexander deliberated for a moment, before deciding that more information was needed before he committed to a course of action, and withdrew his bayonets back into his sleeves, starting towards the approaching noise. If it was an enemy, it wasn't as if he couldn't summon his blades again, and surprise may be a key element in any future encounter –if this wasn't some strange ploy by Alucard.
亚历山大略作思忖，决定在采取行动前需要更多信息，便将刺刀收回袖中，朝声响处走去。即便是敌人，他也能随时唤出刀刃，何况突袭可能成为未来交锋的关键——只要这不是阿卡德设下的什么古怪圈套。

As he walked, he noticed with some surprise that the wind was becoming more irregular, as were the faint chirps and tweets from the forest around him. The temperature became a touch more… real, more believable, rather than a generalization imposed on his mind.
行进间，他略带诧异地注意到风势变得飘忽不定，周遭森林传来的微弱鸟鸣也时断时续。温度感知愈发真实可信，不再是被强行植入意识的模糊概念。

More scents grew on the wind, like this strange world was filling in its corners –dust and the myriad scents of horses and their leavings, and a scent so faint that he could only identify its familiarity and that it made him feel both uneasy and slightly queasy. Flowers, too, and more of the scents that he would associate with a forest and its many diverse plants. The air itself became sharper, somehow more intoxicating, and he noticed that he was approaching a dirt road, broad in its way but nowhere near as smooth or large as the paved roads he knew.
风中混杂的气息逐渐浓郁，仿佛这个奇异世界正在填补细节——扬尘、马匹与马粪的复杂气味，还有一缕淡到仅能辨认出熟悉感的异味，令他既不安又隐隐反胃。花香也随之浮现，更多属于森林的草木气息在空气中交织。此刻的呼吸竟带着锐利的醉意，他发现自己正接近一条土路，路面宽阔却远不及他所知的柏油马路平整。

This, then, was probably the source of the hoofbeats, and Alexander lingered at the edge of the forest, noting that the ground seemed to slope sharply upwards on his left, like this road wound its way up a mountainside. From the right came the sound of approaching horses, however –the jingle of tack and the thud of their hooves on the hard dirt road– and Alexander turned fearlessly to face the oncoming party.
蹄声的来源想必就在此处。亚历山大驻足林缘，注意到左侧地势陡然攀升，这条道路似是沿山脊蜿蜒而上。而右侧传来的銮铃声响与马蹄叩击硬土的闷响，宣告着马队正在逼近。他毫无惧色地转身，直面来者。

A young man in ragged chain mail came into view first, eyes alert and scanning the forest on every side. He spotted Alexander and pulled up short, hailing him in a language that Alexander didn't understand.
最先映入眼帘的是个身着破旧锁子甲的年轻人，他目光警觉地环视着森林四周。发现亚历山大后猛然勒马，用一种亚历山大听不懂的语言向他呼喊。

Oh, wonderful.  哦，真棒。

Still, the fact that reality had steadily grown in clarity the closer he got to this road indicated that whoever –or whatever– was the centerpiece of this vision was here: in such situations, reality was sharper in the immediate sphere of the vision's focal point, then grew steadily less solid the farther away from it you traveled. In theory, once Alexander got past a mile or so, the world would probably fade out until he turned around and went back.
不过，随着他靠近这条道路，周遭景象逐渐变得清晰的事实表明，这个幻象的核心——无论是什么人或什么东西——就在此处：在这种情境下，幻象焦点附近的现实最为鲜明，离得越远则越模糊。理论上说，只要亚历山大走出约一英里外，这个世界很可能会逐渐消失，除非他调头返回。

In the few seconds he had before the man –who was obviously a scout of some kind– became alarmed, Alexander studied him. The chain mail and the general look of his clothing indicated that this was not the vision of a modern man, but he wore no livery and had no obvious markers of allegiance or identification, aside from a clumsily-carved wooden cross around his neck.
趁着这个显然是某种侦察兵的男人尚未警觉的几秒钟里，亚历山大仔细打量着他。锁子甲和整体装束表明这不是现代人的幻象，但他既未穿着制服，也没有明显的阵营标识，唯有脖子上挂着一个雕刻粗糙的木制十字架。

Hmm. A Christian.  嗯。一个基督徒。

Alexander raised his hands in a peaceful gesture, stepping away from the shelter of the trees and the hypothetical possibility of any bandits or raiders concealed therein. Thankfully, a priest's cassock had not changed much over the centuries, and despite the man's obvious wariness and the likely dangerous surroundings of whenever this was, the fact that he was a holy man in a Christian country would bring him some small measure of trust.
亚历山大举起双手做出和平姿态，从树丛的遮蔽处退开——那里可能藏着土匪或劫掠者。所幸几个世纪以来神父的法衣并未有太大改变，尽管对方明显心存戒备，且无论身处何时何地都危机四伏，但在这基督教国度里，身为神职人员的身份总能为他赢得些许信任。

Counting against that, of course, was the fact that Alexander was a man who regularly fought monstrous foes and he had a body sculpted to match. He looked like a warrior, and the scout would be a fool to miss that. Given the danger the scout's very existence implied, Alexander could very well be some kind of bait or distraction so a larger, concealed force could attack.
当然，不利因素在于亚历山大是个常年与怪物作战的男人，他的体魄也与之相配。他看起来就像个战士，侦察兵若看不出这点就太蠢了。考虑到侦察兵的存在本身暗示的危险，亚历山大完全可能是某种诱饵或干扰，以便让一支隐蔽的大部队发动袭击。

"I am a priest from Rome," he said in careful Italian. "I mean you no harm."
"我是来自罗马的神父，"他用谨慎的意大利语说道，"我没有恶意。"

The man looked at him without comprehension, but he also seemed less tense. Still, if this was sometime in the medieval ages, Alexander would have less chance of success if he spoke Latin –another clergyman would be able to understand him, but common laymen wouldn't be able to for a few hundred years.
那人困惑地看着他，但似乎没那么紧张了。不过，如果这真是中世纪时期，亚历山大说拉丁语的成功率会更低——其他神职人员或许能听懂，但普通百姓还要再过几百年才能理解这种语言。

An imperious command came from beyond the turning, and the man winced, a brief expression of fear crossing his face –oddly enough– before he shouted something back, not taking his eyes off the priest by the side of the road. From the clopping of hooves that followed, Alexander supposed that he had been cleared as an immediate threat, and his eyes slid sideways to watch the approaching group.
转弯处传来一道威严的命令，那人瑟缩了一下，脸上闪过古怪的惧色，随即头也不回地喊了句什么，目光仍紧锁着路边的神父。随着马蹄声渐近，亚历山大猜想自己已被判定为暂无威胁，他侧目望向逐渐逼近的那队人马。

In the middle of the ring of horses, well protected by men on either side, rode a man who was the obvious commander of the party. Unlike the others, he wore a full suit of expensive plate armor, made from overlapping metal strips –though he lacked a helmet of any kind– and an ornate-handled broadsword hung on his hip. His hair hung loose to his shoulders, rippling like darkened water, and a cape flowed behind him, black and somber. The man's face was set in a stern, cold expression, and an air of ruthless authority hung about him as comfortably as his cloak.
马队中央被两侧士兵严密护卫着的，正是这支队伍的统帅。与旁人不同，他身披由金属鳞片缀成的华贵板甲——虽未佩戴任何头盔——腰间悬着柄雕饰繁复的阔剑。乌发如暗流般披散至肩，黑沉沉的斗篷在身后翻涌。男人面容冷峻，周身散发的铁血威仪与那袭披风同样浑然天成。

Alexander stiffened.  亚历山大僵住了。

It was Alucard. Oh, he didn't look like the vampire Alexander knew –less tall and more muscular, a neat mustache and careless stubble replacing his younger, unshaven face– but something about his appearance was unmistakable. Even though the vampire's face looked markedly different, older, perhaps more ragged, there was something in his expression as he looked down upon a scowling Alexander that reminded him irrefutably of the vampire.
那是阿尔卡特。噢，他的模样与亚历山大记忆中的吸血鬼并不相同——没那么高挑却更健壮，整齐的胡须和随意的胡茬取代了年轻时未刮的脸——但某些特征依然无可辩驳。尽管吸血鬼的面容明显不同了，更苍老，或许更沧桑，当他俯视着皱眉的亚历山大时，那表情中有什么东西无可争议地让他想起了那个吸血鬼。

Bloody hell, of course the arrogant bastard had been some kind of ruler.
该死的，这个傲慢的混蛋果然曾经是某种统治者。

"Cine ești tu, care nu îngenunchează în fața domnul tău?" he said imperiously. The voice was absolutely unmistakable –it was Alucard– but the words made Alexander blink. Alucard was acting like he was… completely… immersed… in the vision…
"汝乃何人，竟不向汝主跪拜？"他威严地说道。这声音绝对错不了——就是阿尔卡特——但话语却让亚历山大眨了眨眼。阿尔卡特表现得仿佛......完全......沉浸......在幻象中......

Damnit.  该死。

Well, Alexander had clearly found the focal point of the vision itself: Alucard was the one whose blood had made contact with the relic, and it was Alucard who was speaking in a language Alexander hadn't the faintest knowledge of and was looking at him without recognition.
显然，亚历山大已经找到了幻象的核心所在：正是阿卡德的血液触碰了圣物，此刻说着他完全听不懂的语言、用陌生眼神注视着他的也正是阿卡德。

"I can't understand your language. I am a priest from Rome," he said, now in Latin, since Alucard was obviously some kind of high-ranking knight and thus had at least a slightly better chance of understanding him.
"我听不懂你的语言。我是来自罗马的神父，"他改用拉丁语说道，既然阿卡德显然是位高阶骑士，至少应该能稍微理解这种语言。

The vampire's eyes widened slightly, before they narrowed in thought.
吸血鬼的双眼微微睁大，随即若有所思地眯了起来。

"You have come to Wallachia without knowing our tongue," he replied in somewhat stilted Latin of his own, looking at Alexander with mixed suspicion and interest. "Why?"
"你来到瓦拉几亚却不通晓我们的语言，"他用略显生硬的拉丁语回应道，目光中混杂着怀疑与兴趣打量着亚历山大，"为何？"

Wallachia, hm? As far as Alexander could remember, this was the region that was the precursor to modern Romania, which meant that Alucard and the others were probably speaking medieval Romanian of some kind. Since Alexander hadn't a hope of understanding even the modern equivalent, he supposed this conversation would have to continue in Latin despite Alucard's obvious inexperience with it.
瓦拉几亚，嗯？据亚历山大所知，这片区域是现代罗马尼亚的前身，这意味着阿卡德他们说的可能是某种中世纪罗马尼亚语。既然亚历山大连现代罗马尼亚语都一窍不通，他猜想这场对话恐怕还得用拉丁文继续下去——尽管阿卡德明显对这种语言并不熟练。

Medieval Balkans meant the Ottoman Empire, however, which gave him exactly the opening he needed.
然而中世纪的巴尔干地区意味着奥斯曼帝国的统治，这恰好给了他所需的机会。

"I travel to protect the children of Christ," he said honestly, though he winced a little on the inside. If Alucard was playing some kind of game with him with his lack of recognition and heard those words spoken earnestly…
"我四处奔波是为了保护主的子民，"他诚实地回答，尽管内心微微刺痛。如果阿尔卡特是在用这种视而不见的态度和他玩什么游戏，又听到这番真挚的言辞……

The vampire grinned broadly, however, and announced something to his men, who all reacted with pleasure. Alexander's attention, however, was arrested by what he had seen when the vampire had grinned –or rather, what he hadn't seen.
然而吸血鬼却咧开嘴露出夸张的笑容，向手下们宣布了什么，众人闻言都露出欣喜之色。但亚历山大注意到的是吸血鬼咧嘴时他所看见的景象——或者说，他没能看见的东西。

Alucard had normal human canines.
阿尔卡德有着普通人类的犬齿。

"So you, too, are a warrior and a shield of the faithful," the not-currently-a-vampire said with a pleased, almost vicious smirk, looking down on Alexander from his horse. "What is your name, Father?"
"看来你也是信徒的战士与盾牌，"此刻并非吸血鬼的那人带着愉悦而近乎残忍的冷笑说道，从马背上俯视着亚历山大。"神父，你的名字是？"

"Alexander Anderson."  "亚历山大·安德森。"

"Then know, Alexander Anderson," Alucard said haughtily, "-that you have come into the land of Wallachia, and that I am its voivode, to whom all these peasants owe their allegiance and protection."
"那么记住，亚历山大·安德森，"阿卡德傲慢地说道，"你已踏入瓦拉几亚的领土，而我正是此地的总督，所有农民皆需向我效忠并受我庇护。"

Alexander blinked. Voivode –a warlord, not quite a king, but in many ways the undisputed ruler of a territory. It was a term largely used from the start of the tenth century, with roots in the Slavic languages.
亚历山大眨了眨眼。Voivode——军阀，并非真正的国王，但在许多方面是领土上无可争议的统治者。这个术语主要从十世纪初开始使用，词源可追溯至斯拉夫语系。

Alexander knew he should probably be more focused on grabbing Alucard and shaking him until he snapped out of it, but the allure of learning more about Alucard's past as a human –ancient past, apparently, since he was a medieval warlord who faced the Ottoman Empire– was a powerful temptation.
亚历山大清楚自己本该更专注于抓住阿卡多把他摇醒，但了解阿卡多人类时期的过往——显然极为久远，毕竟他曾是直面奥斯曼帝国的中世纪军阀——这个诱惑实在令人难以抗拒。

Alucard had paused however, and Alexander stiffened a little as he realized what the man was waiting for.
然而阿卡多停下了脚步，亚历山大因意识到对方在等待什么而略微僵直了身体。

"I have only met princes of the church," he said, somehow getting the sense that outright defying Alucard-as-he-was-now would not be a good idea. There was a spark of cruelty shimmering beneath his odd-colored eyes, now hazel, now green, and his own men were clearly nervous of giving him any reason to be angry. "What greeting should I use for you, voivode?"
"我只见过教会的主教们，"他说道，隐约觉得直接违抗眼前这个形态的阿卡多并非明智之举。那双异色眼眸深处闪烁着残忍的火花，时而呈淡褐色，时而转翠绿，就连他自己的部下都明显紧张于任何可能激怒他的举动。"我该用怎样的敬称来问候您呢，总督大人？"

"Ordinarily, you would remove your hat," Alucard said, glancing wryly to Alexander's bare head, "-and greet me with the reverence due to my honorable position, but I shall allow a brief lapse in a holy man who has clearly traveled so far to defend Christiania."
"按惯例，你该脱帽致意，"阿卡多说着，戏谑地瞥了眼亚历山大光裸的头顶，"——以符合我尊贵身份的礼仪向我问候。不过对于一位远道而来保卫克里斯蒂安尼亚的圣职者，我可以暂且宽容这种失礼。"

It wasn't Alexander's imagination that all the soldiers around him relaxed as Alucard said that, rather than giving them an order to seize this insolent stranger.
当阿卡多说出这番话而非下令逮捕这个无礼的陌生人时，周围士兵们明显松了口气——这绝非亚历山大的错觉。

Still, the idea of Alucard as a human trying to harm him was almost enough to make him smirk, if not for the fact he had to control his expression so as not to upset the obviously volatile ruler. Unable to regenerate, unable to match the speed of a trained vampire hunter –Alexander could probably decapitate him so quickly Alucard would be able to watch the rest of his body die as his head fell to the ground.
然而，阿卡德以人类之躯试图伤害他的念头几乎要让他露出讥笑——若不是他必须控制表情以免激怒这位明显喜怒无常的统治者。无法再生，无法匹敌训练有素的吸血鬼猎人的速度——亚历山大大概能快得在他脑袋落地时，让阿卡德亲眼看着自己无头的躯体走向死亡。

The only reason that he hadn't already done that was that this vision was clearly tied to Alucard in some way, and if he killed the focal point, there was an equal chance of him being returned to reality or ceasing to exist.
他之所以尚未动手，唯一的原因在于这幻象显然与阿卡多有着某种联系。若他杀死这个核心人物，既有可能重返现实，亦有可能就此湮灭。

It all depended on the nature of the vision: was Alucard the focal point because some action needed to be fulfilled on his end, or was this a vision tied to his essence?
一切取决于幻象的本质：阿尔卡特成为焦点是因为需要他采取某种行动，还是这幻象本就与他灵魂相连？

If it was the former, Alexander could possibly get away with killing him, since Alucard was not actually human at the moment, just envisioning himself as his human self (complete with mental and physical limitations), but if it was the latter, killing the vampire would essentially be like detonating a bomb while standing right next to it. Sure, the threat was destroyed, but the immediate consequences were inescapable.
若是前者，亚历山大或许能全身而退——毕竟此刻的阿卡多并非真正的人类，只是将自己幻想成拥有人类躯壳的模样（包括心智与肉体的全部限制）。但若是后者，杀死这头吸血鬼就如同紧贴着引爆核弹。威胁固然消除了，但随之而来的毁灭性冲击根本无从躲避。

"Thank you, voivode," he said to buy himself time. Alucard had only given him his title, and Alexander didn't know nearly enough about Wallachian terms of respect –or how they would translate into Latin– to address him as anything else. "May I ask where I am? I have been… traveling, for some time."
"谢谢您，大公，"他说道，借此为自己争取时间。阿尔卡特只透露了自己的头衔，而亚历山大对瓦拉几亚的尊称知之甚少——也不知该如何用拉丁语转译——只能用这个称谓来称呼对方。"请问这是哪里？我已经...旅行了相当长一段时间。"

"You are near Cetatea Poenari, my home," Alucard said imperiously, folding his hands in his lap. Though he spoke Latin, he gave the Romanian pronunciation, foiling any attempt by Alexander to understand the actual location. He would guess Alucard meant a keep or a citadel, since the title of voivode did mean warlord and Alucard was clearly fulfilling his titular responsibility, what with having a group of guards while riding outside his own home and being at odds with the invading Ottomans.
"你正靠近波耶纳里城堡，我的居所，"阿卡德傲慢地说道，双手交叠置于膝上。尽管他说的是拉丁语，却刻意用罗马尼亚语发音，让亚历山大无从推断确切位置。从"大公"这个意味着军阀的头衔，以及阿卡德显然在履行其职责的表现——带着卫队巡视领地边界、与入侵的奥斯曼人对抗——他推测对方所指的应是某座要塞或城堡。

Alexander's mind raced. Alucard was immersed in the vision completely, and as satisfying as it might be to slaughter his guards and beat the damn vampire until he saw sense, it was probably wiser to wait and see. Just because Alucard envisioned himself as human right now didn't mean he was helpless, and the fact that they were near Alucard's keep probably meant that there were more guards or soldiers in the area.
亚历山大的思绪飞速转动。阿尔卡特完全沉浸于幻象之中，虽然屠杀他的守卫、痛揍这该死的吸血鬼直到他清醒过来或许很解气，但静观其变或许是更明智的选择。此刻阿尔卡特将自己幻想成人类，并不意味着他毫无还手之力，况且他们身处阿尔卡特城堡附近，很可能意味着该区域还有更多守卫或士兵。

Alexander could kill a whole army of medieval peasants, but doing so would be very much in the way of trying to get Alucard to snap out of it. Also, in theory, Alucard's memory of "his human life as it was" could call up the guards again after Alexander defeated them, making things a pointless, enduring slog.
亚历山大能轻易屠戮一整支中世纪农民军队，但这只会妨碍他唤醒阿卡多的计划。更何况理论上，即便他击败了守卫，阿卡多记忆中"作为人类时的过往"仍会不断召唤出新的守卫，让这场战斗沦为一场无休止的徒劳苦战。

He needed to somehow find a way to talk to Alucard alone. Alexander was sure he could beat some sense into him, perhaps literally, but he would actually need to have a conversation away from all these visions of Alucard's people, who were still real in their own way and could act and influence Alucard's thoughts just by their reactions. Being locked up in a cell for madness or witchcraft would not help him convince the vampire at all.
他必须设法找到与阿卡德独处的机会。亚历山大确信自己能揍醒对方——或许真得用拳头——但他首先得避开那些阿卡德族人的幻象进行对话。那些幻影虽为虚妄，却仍能以自身方式存在，仅凭反应就能左右阿卡德的思绪。若因疯癫或巫术罪名被关进牢房，可完全无助于说服这位吸血鬼。

"May I ask for your hospitality during the night?" Alexander said, finally lowering his hands. "I have no place to stay otherwise, and I don't know this land."
"能否容我在此借宿一晚？"亚历山大终于放下双手说道，"我无处可去，也不熟悉这片土地。"

Alucard considered him for a moment.
阿尔卡特端详了他片刻。

"You may," he finally said. "The ride to the castle is long, however, and we have no extra horse."
"你可以同行，"他终于开口，"不过去城堡的路途遥远，而我们没有多余的马匹。"

"I can keep pace, as long as you don't gallop," Alexander said, unable to stop the flash of challenge in his voice or expression. Alucard raised his eyebrows as the men around him shifted nervously, unable to understand Alexander's words but very clearly understanding his tone.
"只要你们不策马狂奔，我就能跟上，"亚历山大回答，声音和表情里不自觉地流露出一丝挑衅。阿卡德挑起眉毛，周围的士兵不安地挪动着脚步——他们虽然听不懂亚历山大的话，却对他的语气心知肚明。

"Up the slope of a mountain?" Alucard asked slowly, a hint of challenge in his own voice as a smirk flittered across his face.
"要爬上山坡？"阿卡德慢悠悠地问道，嘴角掠过一丝挑衅的笑意。

"Yes," Alexander said without hesitation, holding his gaze.
"是的，"亚历山大毫不犹豫地答道，目光坚定地与之对视。

Alucard laughed, and then said something dismissively to his men, waving them forward, before looking at the priest. "Walk with me then, Alexander Anderson, and we shall see."
阿尔卡德大笑起来，漫不经心地对手下说了几句，挥手示意他们前进，随后将目光投向神父。"那就陪我走走吧，亚历山大·安德森，让我们拭目以待。"

Alexander moved to let the scout and the first few outriders trot past him, then turned and began to walk beside Alucard's horse, watching the guards begin to split their attention between him and the forest, wary of someone so close to their leader but also not breaking discipline in a potentially hostile environment.
亚历山大侧身让侦察兵和先头骑兵从身旁小跑而过，随后转身与阿尔卡德的马匹并肩而行。他注意到卫兵们的注意力开始在他与森林之间分散——既警惕这位突然接近首领的人物，又不敢在潜在敌境中破坏军纪。

"You claim to be a warrior, and yet you carry no sword," Alucard noted, glancing down at him. Alexander debated showing him how he could summon his bayonets, but decided against it.
"你自称是战士，却连佩剑都没有，"阿卡德低头瞥了他一眼，评论道。亚历山大犹豫着是否要展示自己召唤刺刀的能力，但最终决定作罢。

"I was forced to sell my weapon to make it here," he replied instead, and Alucard hummed softly.
"为了能到这儿来，我被迫卖掉了武器，"他如此答道，阿尔卡特轻声哼了哼。

"Within Wallachia?" he said with an odd, cold, dangerous expression. "Perhaps I shall have to visit those people and educate them on what a sword means to a crusader."
"在瓦拉几亚境内？"他说道，脸上浮现出一种古怪、冰冷而危险的神情。"也许我该去拜访那些人，让他们明白一把剑对十字军战士意味着什么。"

Alexander felt briefly uneasy for some reason, but brushed it aside.
亚历山大莫名感到一阵不安，但很快将这种感觉抛诸脑后。

"It went to a good cause," he said. "Helping a Christian man defend his home."
"这是为了崇高的目的，"他说道，"帮助一位基督徒保卫家园。"

Alucard rumbled low in his throat, but didn't say anything for a moment.
阿卡德喉咙里发出低沉的咕哝声，但一时没有开口。

"So, you are from Rome?" he said as the group of horses turned to begin a switchback up the mountain. "I have asked the Holy See many times for more men. Have they finally answered my call? Are there others that come with you, or are you alone?"
"那么，你来自罗马？"当马队转向开始沿山路盘旋而上时，他问道，"我曾多次向教廷请求增派兵力。他们终于回应了我的召唤吗？还有其他人跟你一起来，还是就你独自一人？"

Alexander winced. He wasn't even real, he wasn't even here, and here wasn't real –but the strained hope in Alucard's voice was genuine. This was not a man who showed fear or hope or weaker emotions easily, which meant that the feral desperation in his voice, his posture, even the implicit existence of his guards was all the more painful to witness.
亚历山大瑟缩了一下。他甚至不是真实的，甚至不在这里，而这里也并非真实——但阿卡德声音里那份紧绷的希望却是真切的。这个男人从不轻易流露恐惧、希望或任何脆弱情绪，正因如此，此刻他声音里野兽般的绝望、紧绷的姿态，乃至那些守卫的隐晦存在，都显得愈发令人揪心。

"I came alone," he said. "I… couldn't stand idly by while we were threatened."
"我独自前来，"他说道。"我……无法在面临威胁时袖手旁观。"

Alucard spat something in Romanian that was probably a curse. "I cannot protect all of Europe against the Ottoman hordes with a force of mere peasants and volunteers!" he continued furiously in Latin. "I am holding a flood back with a dam of twigs and they send me nothing! Do they expect others to hold as long when I have been defeated!?"
阿卡多啐出一句罗马尼亚语，多半是句脏话。"我怎能仅靠一群农民和志愿兵就抵挡整个奥斯曼帝国的铁骑！"他继续用拉丁语愤怒地说道，"我这是在用树枝筑坝拦洪，他们却连援军都不派！难道等我战败后，还指望别人能比我坚守更久吗？！"

"I… left Rome some time ago," Alexander said hesitantly. He had never been in Rome, or rather, the Rome of whatever age this was. "Opinions may have changed."
"我...已经离开罗马多时了，"亚历山大犹豫地说。他从未去过罗马——或者说，不属于这个时代的罗马。"那边的想法或许已经变了。"

Alucard sneered. "The princes of the church have grown decadent and corrupt, safe in Rome and far away from the brutality of this war," he spat. "Do they risk their lives by coming to do their duty towards all the faithful? Do they even so much as risk their purses by sending food or supplies to those that do? No. It is men like you and I, Alexander Anderson, that protect the lands and people of Christ now."
阿尔卡特嗤之以鼻。"教廷的亲王们躲在罗马养尊处优，早已堕落腐败，远离这场战争的残酷，"他啐道。"他们可曾冒险前来履行对信徒的职责？可曾哪怕掏空钱袋为前线将士送去粮草补给？没有。如今守护基督土地与子民的，正是你我这样的人，亚历山大·安德森。"

Alexander hummed uncomfortably. Hearing Alucard, Alucard of all people, righteously proclaim his faith was more than a little odd. He'd never really thought of what the vampire must have been like as a human man, and being confronted with it –quite literally– was a strange experience.
亚历山大不自在地轻哼了一声。听到阿卡德——偏偏是阿卡德——义正词严地宣告他的信仰，这感觉实在怪异至极。他从未真正思考过这个吸血鬼身为人类时的模样，如今这般直面真相——几乎可说是字面意义上的直面——实在是种奇特的体验。

He wondered what strange twist of fate had brought this proud, fierce warlord riding beside him into contact with a vampire, and what had kept the zealous man from destroying himself when he realized what he had become. This was Alucard, and the vampire had lived for centuries after what this vision recalled. What had changed, beyond the endless stretch of years? What had turned this into the Alucard he knew?
他想知道是怎样的命运转折，让这位骄傲而凶猛的军阀与他并肩骑行时接触到了吸血鬼，又是什么让这位狂热分子在意识到自己变成什么之后没有自我毁灭。这是阿尔卡特，而吸血鬼在这个幻象所追溯的事件后又存活了数个世纪。除了无尽岁月的流逝，还有什么发生了改变？是什么将他变成了如今所熟知的阿尔卡特？

Unless the visions showed him more, though, that was inane speculation, and Alexander's attention sharpened as the faint scent he had been aware of earlier began to grow in strength the higher they went and the thinner the trees became. It was vaguely sweet, but somehow unwholesome, and instinctively made his hackles rise. Alucard and the guards did not react to it.
然而，除非幻象能向他揭示更多，否则这种猜测毫无意义。随着他们不断攀高、林木渐疏，亚历山大先前察觉的那缕微弱气息逐渐浓烈起来。那气味隐约带着甜腻，却透着病态，本能地令他毛骨悚然。阿卡德与护卫们对此毫无反应。

Alucard had not been lying when he said this path had led up a mountain –even when he was in peak physical condition, Alexander was beginning to feel tired and hot as the horses trotted easily upwards around him. He was not going to give Alucard the satisfaction, though, even an Alucard that didn't know him, and concealed any sense of exhaustion or strain as he continued to stride powerfully beside the voivode's horse.
阿尔卡德所言非虚，这条小径确实通往山巅——即便处于体能巅峰状态，当马匹轻快地绕着他小跑上山时，亚历山大也开始感到疲惫燥热。但他绝不会让阿尔卡德称心如意，哪怕是个不认识他的阿尔卡德，于是继续在总督大人的马旁有力地迈着步子，将任何疲惫或吃力的迹象都隐藏起来。

His unease grew with that strange scent, however, until training and memory kicked in and he finally recognized the faint odor that wafted by on the occasional breeze.
然而，随着那股怪异气味的弥漫，他的不安逐渐加剧，直到训练有素的记忆终于被唤醒——他辨认出偶尔随微风飘来的那缕若有若无的气息。

"There are corpses ahead," Alexander told the group, stiffening.
"前面有尸体，"亚历山大对众人说道，身体绷紧了。

Alucard looked down at him as he continued to ride, and the smirk on his face was so very reminiscent of the Alucard that he knew that Alexander tensed and readied a blade in his mind.
阿卡多低头看着他继续骑行，脸上那抹讥笑如此熟悉，让亚历山大瞬间绷紧神经，在脑海中已备好刀刃。

"I know," Alucard said simply. "You shall see them soon."
"我知道，"阿卡德简单地说道。"你很快就会见到他们。"

It seemed that Alucard-as-he-was was not interested in giving the remains of his enemies any kind of burial, which fit somewhat with the cruelty Alexander sensed behind his courteous demeanor. He wondered if he displayed them in some way…
看来阿尔卡德的本性并不打算给敌人的残骸任何形式的安葬，这与亚历山大从他彬彬有礼外表下感知到的残忍颇为吻合。他暗自思忖，对方是否会用某种方式展示这些战利品……

Alexander's thoughts trailed off as they crossed the line of cleared trees and the mountain opened up before him, an empty slope rising to the peak –but the mountainside was still forested in its own way, as dozens of corpses hung and dangled in the summer air, impaled on wooden poles that surrounded the bulky castle situated on the mountain's plateau. The path the horses were on wound right through it, all the way up to the castle's door.
亚历山大的思绪在穿越树林边界时戛然而止，眼前豁然展开的山峦呈现出一片空旷斜坡直通峰顶——然而这面山坡仍以独特方式保持着"森林"形态，数十具尸体悬挂在夏日的空气中，穿刺在环绕山顶平台那座笨重城堡的木桩上。马匹行进的小径蜿蜒穿过这片尸林，直抵城堡大门。

No way.  不可能。

No fucking way.  不可能。

"You seem surprised," the man beside him said after a moment, looking down at him keenly. "Most react with horror."
"你看起来很惊讶，"身旁的男人片刻后说道，目光锐利地俯视着他。"多数人的反应都是恐惧。"

"This isn't the first horror I've seen," Alexander replied automatically, his mind racing. "You're Vlad the Impaler."
"这并非我目睹的第一场恐怖，"亚历山大机械地回应着，思绪飞转。"你是穿刺公弗拉德。"

"Did you not know of me before you came?" Alucard drawled, smirking. "But it is true. I am Vlad III Dracula, son of Vlad II Dracul, Voivode of Wallachia and scourge of the Ottoman Turks."
"你前来时竟不知晓我的名号？"阿卡德拖长声调，嘴角噙着冷笑。"但确实如此。我乃瓦拉几亚大公弗拉德二世之子——弗拉德三世·德古拉，奥斯曼土耳其人的灾星。"

He then gave a hearty chuckle, murmuring to himself. "The Impaler –an interesting sobriquet. I shall have to remember that one for the future. You are most amusing, Alexander Anderson."
他随即发出爽朗的笑声，低声自语道："穿刺公——这个诨名倒是有趣。我得记住这个称呼，以后用得上。你可真有意思，亚历山大·安德森。"

Alexander was still trying to come to terms with the ridiculous fact that Alucard was Vlad the Impaler. Oh, sure, it explained the cruelty and the brutality underlying his every word and action, but the name had become so synonymous with the fictional Dracula that it was like finding a demonically-possessed child's name was Damien. Incredulity meshed with popular culture in a way that even an experienced vampire hunter like himself was ill-prepared to deal with.
亚历山大仍在努力接受阿卡德就是穿刺公弗拉德这个荒谬的事实。当然，这解释了他言行中透出的残忍与暴虐，但这个名字早已与虚构的德古拉伯爵密不可分，就像发现某个被恶魔附身的孩子真名叫达米安一样。流行文化带来的难以置信感如此强烈，连他这样经验丰富的吸血鬼猎人都措手不及。

If he found a woman that looked like Seras Victoria and Alucard said she was his wife, Alexander was going to laugh. Or groan and smash his head against the nearest wall.
要是他真遇到个长得像塞拉斯·维多利亚的女人，而阿卡德还声称那是他老婆，亚历山大绝对会笑出声来。或者干脆呻吟着把脑袋往最近的墙上撞。

Well, at least now he knew why Alucard called himself "Alucard" when the name was so obviously a reference to the archetypal vampire. The Hellsing family –or Alucard himself– had likely thought it amusing to harken back to his human life in such a way, not to mention intimidate inexperienced targets with the implicit threat of the legendary vampire.
至少他现在明白为什么阿卡德会自称"阿卡德"了——这个明显影射典型吸血鬼的名字。想必是海尔辛家族——或者阿卡德本人——觉得用这种方式呼应他的人类生涯很有趣，更不用说还能用这个传奇吸血鬼的隐含威胁来震慑那些经验不足的目标。

Alucard was more than powerful enough to back up such threats, after all: assuming historical records were true, he had died at some point in the late 1400s, which meant that Alucard was over 500 years old.
毕竟，阿卡德完全有实力兑现这些威胁：如果历史记载属实，他死于十五世纪末期，这意味着阿卡德已经活了五百多年。

Christ.  天啊。

"Other priests have offered censure when they saw this," Alucard –or rather, Vlad– noted as he looked down on Alexander, the group continuing to ride towards the macabre sight. "What say you?"
"其他神父看到这个都会谴责，"阿卡多——或者更准确地说，弗拉德——低头看着亚历山大说道，队伍继续朝着那骇人的景象前进。"你怎么说？"

Alexander looked at the dangling corpses, the oozing slide of half-rotten entrails and the thick streams of ichor that spattered both bodies and the ground beneath the stakes, the murmuring buzz of flies and the sickening scent of decay.
亚历山大凝视着那些悬吊的尸体，看着半腐烂内脏缓缓滑落，浓稠的腐液溅满尸体与木桩下方的地面，苍蝇嗡嗡低鸣，空气中弥漫着令人作呕的腐朽气息。

"You said that your army is small, and not many of them are trained soldiers," Alexander said after a moment. "Fear is an effective tactic."
"你说过你的军队规模很小，而且没几个受过正规训练，"亚历山大沉默片刻后说道，"恐惧是种有效策略。"

Vlad grinned. "You see this through the eyes of a warrior, and not a man of God," he said with interest. Alexander shrugged.
弗拉德咧嘴一笑。"你是以战士而非神职者的眼光看待此事，"他饶有兴致地说道。亚历山大耸了耸肩。

"Violence is the only way in which I can serve the Lord," he replied calmly. "I'm a man of God before anything else, but I'm more of a paladin than I am priest. There are those that can serve the faith through leadership, by example, or by generosity and charitable works, and I am not one of them. Combat is my only skill."
"暴力是我侍奉上帝的唯一方式，"他平静地回答。"我首先是上帝的子民，但与其说是牧师，不如说更像圣骑士。有人能通过领导、以身作则或慷慨善举来侍奉信仰，而我并非此类。战斗才是我唯一的技能。"

The other man looked approving.
另一人露出赞许的神色。

"And so you use your brutality to defend the faithful who cannot defend themselves," he hummed, then looked ahead. "I, too, am the same. Strange to meet a kindred soul from so far away."
"所以你用你的残暴来保护无力自卫的信徒，"他低声应和，随后望向远方。"我也同样。能在如此遥远之地遇见灵魂共鸣者，真是奇妙。"

"Hmm," Alexander grunted. He hoped that Alucard didn't remember this conversation later: what he said was very true, of course, but Alexander wasn't sure he liked being equated to the vampire… doubly so when Vlad actually had a point.
"嗯，"亚历山大咕哝着。他希望阿卡德之后不会记得这段对话：虽然他说得确实没错，但亚历山大可不喜欢被拿来和吸血鬼相提并论——尤其是当弗拉德的观点确实有道理的时候。

The both of them were members of the faith, and as Alexander had said, they both had talents in war and destruction that would be ill-fitting in the church hierarchy. So they both, in their own way, harnessed their unsuitable skill to serve and protect the only way they could, an experience that left them both exalted and isolated within their communities.
他们二人皆是信仰的追随者，正如亚历山大所言，两人在战争与毁灭方面天赋异禀，这种才能与教会体系格格不入。于是他们各自以独特的方式，将这份不合时宜的才能转化为唯一可行的奉献与守护之道。这番经历既令他们在群体中获得崇高地位，却也使他们在社群中倍感孤立。

Alexander shook off those thoughts with a shiver. He was not like Vlad the Impaler.
亚历山大打了个寒颤，甩开这些念头。他可不是穿刺公弗拉德那种人。

"It is as you said before: I use terror alongside my army in defending this land from the Turks. Since they do not fear God, I shall become the Devil to plague them," Vlad said, with an odd, almost hungry look in his eyes as he gazed at the forest of the impaled. "One shall die for one hundred, one hundred shall die for ten thousand, and even if for the billion lands of Christiania my small world burns and collapses, I know I shall have done my work well. That is the Jerusalem at the end of my prayers."
"正如你先前所言：我率领军队以恐怖手段抵御土耳其人入侵这片土地。既然他们不畏惧上帝，我便化身为魔鬼折磨他们，"弗拉德说道，凝视着那片穿刺森林时，眼中闪烁着怪异而近乎饥渴的光芒。"一人之死可换百人生，百人之死可救万民命。纵使为了基督教世界的亿万疆土，我的小小世界焚毁崩塌，我也深知自己已恪尽职守。那便是我祈祷尽头应许的耶路撒冷。"

"Do your men see as you do?" Alexander asked quietly, and Vlad was silent for a moment.
"你的部下也和你所见相同吗？"亚历山大轻声问道，弗拉德沉默了片刻。

"They fight because I command them," he said at last. "They fight because they have no other choice."
"他们战斗是因为我下令，"他终于开口。"他们战斗是因为别无选择。"

He reached down from the saddle, and Alexander tensed a little as Vlad rested a gauntleted hand on his shoulder.
他从马鞍上俯身，当弗拉德戴着铁手套的手搭上他肩膀时，亚历山大微微绷紧了身体。

"But now that I have another man of the faith to fight alongside, perhaps their confidence will be restored."
"但如今有另一位信仰之士与我并肩作战，或许能重振他们的信心。"

Watching a medieval castle at work was a somewhat novel experience. Servants rushed everywhere on errands, and everything was somewhat primitive, but at the same time, there was a constant undercurrent of human ingenuity that Alexander respected.
观察一座中世纪城堡的运作是种颇为新奇的体验。仆役们四处奔走执行差事，一切都显得原始简陋，但与此同时，亚历山大能感受到那股他始终敬重的人类智慧暗流。

This was a vision of a time with technology far behind his own, and yet the people reflected in it were industrious and resourceful, working with what tools they had to the best of their ability. The scent of linen and harsh soap filled the air, accompanied by the omnipresent whiff of horses, mixed with the smell of wood and stone, metal and leather. Many wore flowers or sprigs of pine near their collar, probably to block out the occasional gusts of rot that blew over the walls.
这景象呈现的科技水平远落后于他的时代，然而其中忙碌的人们却展现出勤勉与机智，竭尽所能地利用手头工具。空气中弥漫着亚麻布与粗制肥皂的气味，混合着无处不在的马匹气息，还有木材、石料、金属与皮革的味道。许多人衣领附近别着鲜花或松枝，大概是为了遮挡偶尔飘过城墙的腐臭气味。

Alexander noticed a lot of the citizens of the castle were looking at him as they went about their tasks, and wondered if it was because he was standing beside their lord or because he looked out of place. Glasses were not common in this age, and just because the priestly uniform hadn't changed much over the years didn't mean that it hadn't changed at all.
亚历山大注意到城堡里许多居民在忙活时都盯着他看，不知是因为自己站在领主身旁，还是这身装束显得格格不入。这个年代眼镜并不常见，虽说神父制服多年来变化不大，但终究不是分毫未改。

It was also strange to think that this had been Alucard's idea of normal, once upon a time, as Vlad relayed orders in brisk, curt Romanian to his people, sending them swirling off in new directions. Unlike the arrogance Alexander had grown used to, this was somehow a more… inexperienced aura, pride without as much strength as usual, an arrogance born from someone who was accustomed to ruling and expected to be obeyed on the spot, rather than someone whose confidence in his abilities was so great that he could not imagine an actual threat.
想到这曾是阿卡德一度习以为常的生活场景，确实令人感到怪异——弗拉德用干脆利落的罗马尼亚语向部下传达指令，遣散他们各自执行新任务。与亚历山大早已习惯的那种傲慢不同，此刻笼罩着某种更为...生涩的气场，那种惯于发号施令者与生俱来的、期待被即刻服从的倨傲，而非源于对自身实力绝对信任的睥睨——那种足以让人忽视任何真实威胁的绝对自信。

"I'm impressed that you managed to make good on your bold claim of keeping up with our horse," Vlad finally said in Latin, turning to him. He raked his eyes over Alexander's body appreciatively. "If all my men had a physique such as yours, I might have no need of peasant levies."
"你竟真能兑现与我们的战马并驾齐驱的豪言，实在令我刮目相看。"弗拉德终于用拉丁语开口，转身打量着他。他的目光带着赞赏扫过亚历山大的身躯，"若我麾下将士皆有你这般体魄，或许就无需征召那些农民兵了。"

Alexander felt his face warming. He wasn't used to compliments on his appearance –he was a priest and most people didn't think it appropriate to give them. The few times someone did comment on his appearance, well, it was usually some kind of monster trying to seduce him into lowering his guard, so he didn't pay attention anyways.
亚历山大感到脸颊发烫。他向来不习惯别人称赞他的外貌——身为神父，大多数人认为这类恭维并不恰当。即便偶尔有人评价他的容貌，通常也是某种试图诱使他放松警惕的怪物所为，因此他从不放在心上。

There was also a certain element of discomfort when it was Alucard praising him, especially when Alucard didn't actually know it was him and was giving this comment genuinely, out of ignorance.
当阿尔卡特称赞他时，总带着某种令人不适的成分——尤其是当阿尔卡特其实并不知道对方身份，纯粹出于无知而真诚给出评价时。

"Regardless," Vlad continued without either noticing or caring about his discomfort, waving a hand. "I have ordered that baths be drawn before we dine. I look forward to discussing more with you later."
"无论如何，"弗拉德继续说着，既未察觉也不在意他的不适，随意摆了摆手。"我已命人备好餐前沐浴。期待稍后与你深入交流。"

That was as clear a dismissal as any, especially when Vlad had waved a servant forward with the same gesture, and Alexander nodded to him politely before following the servant off to whatever rooms he had been assigned.
这已是最明确的逐客令了，尤其是当弗拉德以同样的手势召来仆人时，亚历山大礼貌地向他点头致意，随后跟着仆人前往分配给他的房间。

It was breathtakingly fascinating to be within a medieval castle, even if he had to bend sometimes to get through doors and claustrophobic hallways, and Alexander would be enjoying this experience a lot more if not for the fact that he had gotten caught up in this vision to begin with and it seemed to be focused on Alucard.
置身于中世纪城堡令人屏息神往，尽管他偶尔需要弯腰穿过低矮的门框和逼仄的走廊。若非莫名其妙被卷入这场幻象，且幻象焦点似乎集中在阿卡多身上，亚历山大本该更享受这段奇妙体验。

How was he going to get through to him? Alucard seemed entirely subsumed by this vision, whatever it was and whatever purpose it had been intended for. The vampire was living as his human self, and Alexander knew more than enough about this period of time to know that getting the rightfully-paranoid ruler alone, even in his own castle, was going to be challenging.
他该如何才能让对方明白？阿卡多似乎完全沉浸在这个幻象中，无论它是什么，无论它原本的意图为何。此刻的吸血鬼正以人类之躯生活着，而亚历山大对这段历史了解得太清楚——要让这位本就多疑的统治者独处，即便是在他自己的城堡里，也将是场艰难的挑战。

The ragged pride that Vlad exhibited, the underlying current of being beset on all sides beneath his veil of courtesy, the fierce, adamantine will to save his people –this was probably the second and longest of his three reigns, which ended in 1462.
弗拉德展现出的那种破碎的骄傲，礼貌表象下四面楚歌的暗流，以及拯救子民的钢铁般坚定意志——这很可能就是他三段统治时期中历时第二长的那段，终结于 1462 年。

Vlad would be betrayed and imprisoned by Matthias Corvinus, the current king of Hungary, in November of that year, and held captive before being released in 1475 to wage war against the Ottomans once again, before he was killed in battle at some point between 1476 and 1477. The place of his death and burial remained unknown, which now made perfect sense, given as Vlad had become a vampire and had no grave in the traditional sense at all.
弗拉德将在同年十一月被匈牙利现任国王马加什·科尔温背叛并囚禁，在 1475 年获释前一直身陷囹圄，随后他再度投身对抗奥斯曼帝国的战争，最终在 1476 至 1477 年间战死沙场。他的死亡地点与埋葬之处始终成谜——如今看来这完全合理，毕竟弗拉德已化作吸血鬼，传统意义上的坟墓自然不复存在。

That kept niggling at him. Hadn't Vlad the Impaler been married twice and had multiple children? How was he supposed to have become a vampire? True, there were historical records that hinted at the possibility of transforming without a sire, but almost all of those records were thousands of years old and their accuracy was debatable.
这件事一直困扰着他。穿刺公弗拉德不是结过两次婚，还有好几个孩子吗？他怎么会变成吸血鬼的？诚然，历史记载中确实暗示过无需血亲转化就能成为吸血鬼的可能性，但那些记载几乎都有上千年历史，其准确性值得商榷。

Plus, how would a Romanian warlord have gotten ahold of them, never mind understood them, and doubly never mind decoding the cryptic instructions inside! The records were mostly ancient Sumerian and Egyptian, which even modern scholars were hard-pressed to translate, and the contents were so highly esoteric as to be useless –talk of "destroying all" for "gaining nothing" and other such cyclical, obscure comments.
更何况，一个罗马尼亚军阀怎么可能弄到这些典籍，更别提理解它们，还要破译里面那些晦涩难懂的指示！这些记录大多是用古老的苏美尔语和埃及语写成的，就连现代学者都难以翻译，内容更是玄奥到毫无实用价值——满篇都是"毁灭一切"却"一无所获"这类循环往复、晦涩难解的论述。

Still, it was worth looking into. Disregarding old texts was a bad idea, no matter how strange they might be. It was something he would have to take care of later, though, once he managed to escape this fantasy. Now that he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what Alucard's human identity had been, Alexander could work backwards and uncover, perhaps, enough to finally beat the elder vampire beyond a shadow of a doubt –or hope of recovery.
不过，这仍值得探究。无论古籍多么离奇，弃之不顾绝非明智之举。当然，这得等他先逃离这场幻境再说。既然已确凿无疑地知晓了阿卡多的人类身份，亚历山大便能逆向推演，或许能揭开足够线索，最终彻底击败那位年长的吸血鬼——让他再无翻身之机。

The thought made him grin, which he dropped as the young woman looked back at him and then quickly glanced away. Adjusting to the other components in the vision was somewhat difficult, especially as the servant was starting to blur at the edges. It was odd to remember that this was a reflection of a person, a human and an actual personality that had once existed, rather than a mere construct born of the relic's power, like the world around them both.
这个念头让他咧嘴一笑，但当年轻女子回头看他并迅速移开视线时，他收起了笑容。适应视野中的其他元素有些困难，尤其是当那位仆从的身影开始边缘模糊时。奇怪的是要记住，这是一个人的倒影，一个曾经真实存在的人类与人格，而非像他们周围的世界那样，仅仅是圣遗物力量构建的幻象。

Reality was sharper in the castle than it had been outdoors, which made sense, since these corridors and the castle itself was something Alucard/Vlad was more closely tied to and familiar with. It was even possible that this was the castle he had forced enslaved boyars to rebuild, which meant, Alexander felt grimly, Vlad would be very familiar with it.
城堡内的现实感比户外更为锐利，这很合理——毕竟这些回廊与城堡本身，正是阿尔卡特/弗拉德与之联系更为紧密且熟悉的存在。这座城堡极有可能就是他当年强迫被奴役的波雅尔贵族重建的那座，亚历山大阴沉地想，这意味着弗拉德对这里会熟悉得可怕。

The room he was escorted to was small and tight, which was typical of medieval keeps, and the "bath" Vlad had ordered was a steaming wooden bucket with a rough towel hung beside it, alongside a bar of soap. Still, Alexander had been in enough historical monasteries to know that the fact he had his own room and bed was extremely luxurious by the current standard, as was the fact that the water in the bucket was warm.
他被领进的房间狭小逼仄，这在中世纪城堡里很常见。弗拉德吩咐准备的"浴缸"不过是个冒着热气的木桶，旁边挂着条粗布毛巾和一块肥皂。但亚历山大住过不少历史悠久的修道院，深知按当下标准，能拥有独立房间和床铺已是极度奢侈，更别提桶里的水还是温热的。

He nudged it with his foot, and watched as the water inside sloshed and oozed from side to side, creeping up the side of the bucket in slow motion before apparently remembering the laws of physics and plopping back down as irregular ripples spread across the surface, sloshing around to the other side more like Jell-O than actual water.
他用脚尖轻推水桶，看着里面的液体像果冻般缓慢晃动，黏稠地沿着桶壁爬升，仿佛在慢镜头中违背重力法则。直到物理定律突然苏醒，那团胶质才啪嗒落回桶底，激起不规则的涟漪。水面波动着涌向另一侧，与其说是水，不如说是某种颤动的胶状物。

Damn vision. Damn vampire.
该死的幻象。该死的吸血鬼。

Well, it wasn't like he was actually worried about cleaning up for the vampire and his nonexistent entourage. Vlad was technically the only other personality within this sphere of reality, and his approval was a nonfactor. Alexander was far more concerned with somehow negating the hold this vision had on him, and thus hopefully getting them both out.
其实他并不真的在意为那个吸血鬼和他根本不存在的随从收拾残局。弗拉德严格来说只是这个现实领域中唯一的另一个人格，而他的认可根本无关紧要。亚历山大更关心的是如何摆脱这个幻象对他的控制，这样或许他们俩都能脱身。

Well, get himself out at least –the vampire was welcome to dream away about his past all he wanted.
至少他自己得脱身——至于那个吸血鬼，大可以尽情沉溺在往昔的梦境里。

The best way to deal with this was probably something to do with either Seras Victoria or Sir Hellsing. Both women were inextricably linked to Alucard's soul, though both in different ways. So far as he knew, Seras Victoria hadn't yet accepted Alucard's blood and become a fully-fledged vampire in her own right, which meant that her essence was still deeply tied to his. The Hellsing woman, of course, wielded the control formed by her family's seals, which meant that she in turn also had a hold on Alucard's soul.
处理此事的最佳方式或许与塞拉斯·维多利亚或海尔辛爵士有关。这两位女性都与阿卡德的灵魂有着密不可分的联系，尽管方式各不相同。据他所知，塞拉斯·维多利亚尚未接受阿卡德的血脉，尚未成为真正意义上的完全体吸血鬼，这意味着她的本质仍与主人紧密相连。至于那位海尔辛家的女人，自然掌控着由家族封印形成的制约力，换言之，她也牢牢攥着阿卡德的灵魂命脉。

Alexander's problem was leveraging that somehow. He wasn't a magician, so he had no way to tug on the spiritual threads he was certain were there to essentially remind Alucard that he had them to begin with, which would almost certainly snap him out of this vision-induced memory loss. The best Alexander could do would probably be to remind Alucard of them verbally, which he wasn't sure would work.
亚历山大的问题在于如何巧妙利用这一点。他并非魔术师，无法拨动那些他确信存在的精神丝线——那些本可以唤醒阿卡德记忆的灵性纽带，让他从幻象导致的失忆中挣脱出来。眼下他最多只能通过言语提醒阿卡德这些羁绊的存在，但连他自己都不确定这能否奏效。

Alexander was not going to just sit and tamely wait. The power of the saint's relic had sent the both of them into this stilted plane of reality, and there was a possibility that he would be stuck here for as long as Alucard's life played out if he wasn't careful.
亚历山大可不会乖乖坐以待毙。圣徒遗物的力量将两人都卷入了这个扭曲的现实层面，稍有不慎，他很可能要被困在这里直到阿尔卡德生命终结。

500 years. Absolutely not, especially considering that that time may pass in the real world as well.
五百年。绝对不行，尤其考虑到现实世界可能也会流逝同样的时光。

Unsurprisingly, cornering a warlord in his own keep was rather difficult. Alexander didn't know it half as well as Alucard did, and being unable to speak the language left Alexander isolated and unable to ask questions. He walked over the battlements, ignoring the reek from the forest of rotting corpses, and was unable to spot Vlad on the slope, suggesting that he didn't plan to eat among them as so many woodcuts suggested.
不出所料，在军阀自己的堡垒里围堵他相当困难。亚历山大对城堡的了解远不及阿卡德，语言不通更让他孤立无援，连问路都成问题。他沿着城垛行走，无视腐尸森林散发的恶臭，却始终没能在山坡上发现弗拉德的身影——看来这位血族领主并不像众多木版画描绘的那样，打算在尸堆中享用晚餐。

Perhaps he felt vulnerable eating outside his walls even on this steep mountainside –Alexander didn't know enough about medieval Wallachian borders to know how close this castle was or was not to Ottoman lines. The position of voivode was precarious and ascension and ongoing rule were often tumultuous at this point in history, too, with various countries and factions within said countries playing off of one another in order to seize power or gain revenge for prior –often bloody– coups.
或许在城墙外进食让他感到不安，即便身处这陡峭的山坡——亚历山大对中世纪瓦拉几亚的边境了解有限，无从判断这座城堡距离奥斯曼帝国的战线究竟有多近。此时正值动荡年代，大公之位风雨飘摇，权力的更迭与统治往往伴随着腥风血雨。各国势力及其内部派系彼此倾轧，为夺取政权或报复先前——通常充满血腥的——政变而明争暗斗。

Just in Vlad's life, if Alexander remembered correctly, his eldest brother Mircea was captured by boyars, blinded with a red-hot poker, and then buried alive, with Vlad's father (also called Vlad) being captured and killed shortly afterwards. Some of the brutality Vlad the Impaler showed to his boyars afterwards was out of vengeance for their deaths, and he would later find himself facing off against his own younger brother, Radu, who had sided with the Ottomans.
在弗拉德的生命中，如果亚历山大没记错的话，他的长兄米尔恰曾被贵族们俘虏，用烧红的烙铁弄瞎双眼后活埋，而弗拉德的父亲（同样名为弗拉德）不久后也遭俘遇害。后来穿刺公弗拉德对贵族们展现的部分残暴行为，正是为他们的死亡复仇。他还将面对投靠奥斯曼帝国的亲弟弟拉杜的对抗。

This was a violent time, and despite –and sometimes because of– his vicious methods of ruling, Vlad's place as ruler was not secure. The boyars he tormented would eventually betray him –multiple times, if Alexander's memory was correct.
那是个动荡的年代，尽管——有时恰恰因为——弗拉德残暴的统治手段，他的王位并不稳固。那些被他折磨的大贵族终将背叛他，如果亚历山大的记忆没错，甚至不止一次。

Knowing what he knew, even if it was only vague notes from various historical lectures on vampire history –Vlad the Impaler and Dracula were both covered in the "foolish assumptions newcomers make about vampirism" area of study– Alexander's next guess was that Vlad was doing something in regards to his army, or perhaps planning his next attack. He didn't seem like he had a lot of patience for other tasks, and Alexander set off through the castle in search of what might be some kind of a command center.
根据他所掌握的信息——尽管只是吸血鬼历史课上零散模糊的笔记（"初涉此道者对吸血鬼的愚蠢误解"课程模块确实讲过弗拉德三世与德古拉）——亚历山大推测弗拉德可能在调遣军队，或是策划下一场袭击。这位血族领主显然对其他事务缺乏耐心，于是亚历山大穿过城堡长廊，试图寻找类似指挥中心的场所。

After a while of passing by blurry servants –some of whom didn't even have proper faces– Alexander noticed that everything was becoming sharper, clearer again, like the world had been brought into focus. He followed that and the sound of loud thuds to a courtyard, where it seemed the voivode had removed his armor and was practicing his swordplay in breeches and a tunic.
经过一连串模糊仆从的身影——其中有些甚至没有完整的脸——亚历山大注意到周遭的一切又开始变得锐利清晰，仿佛世界突然对上了焦距。他循着这种变化和沉重的敲击声来到庭院，发现那位总督大人已卸下铠甲，只穿着马裤与束腰外衣在练习剑术。

With the way the tunic clung to his chest and shoulders, he had been at this for a while, and Alexander saw that his first assumption had been correct –in addition to being somewhat shorter, Vlad was also more muscular than the form Alucard typically wore. It made sense that his body had shifted over the years –a vampire had no need of muscle mass, with even the most thin, childlike of undead capable of tossing a grown man through a brick wall if they were well-fed enough.
那件束腰外衣紧贴着他的胸膛与肩膀，显然他已维持这般姿态多时，亚历山大意识到自己最初的猜测没错——弗拉德不仅比阿卡多惯常的形态稍矮，体格也更为健硕。吸血鬼本无需肌肉力量，即便最瘦弱的孩童形态不死者，只要吸饱鲜血也能将成年男子掷穿砖墙，这些年来他形体的变化倒也在情理之中。

Alexander studied the man as he swung, noting the power and skill in his movements. Apparently –if Alucard had actually retained this ability over the years– the vampire was more than just a gunslinger, which made the priest wonder why he had never tried to fight with blades. What with how much they both enjoyed their clashes, the vampire would probably be overjoyed to face him in an actual sword fight, like some ancient duel of honor.
亚历山大注视着那人挥剑的姿态，注意到他动作中蕴含的力量与技巧。显然——如果阿卡德这些年来确实保留了这项能力——这位吸血鬼远不止是个神枪手，这让神父不禁疑惑为何他从未尝试过用刀剑战斗。考虑到他们俩都如此享受彼此的交锋，吸血鬼大概会欣喜若狂地与他来场真正的剑术对决，就像某种古老的荣誉决斗。

"There is an extra blade on the rack," Vlad said in Latin without turning around, making Alexander blink. The man's perceptional awareness was impressive, given that he wasn't a vampire hunter.
"架子上多了一把刀。"弗拉德用拉丁语说道，头也不回，这让亚历山大眨了眨眼。考虑到对方并非吸血鬼猎人，这份感知力着实令人印象深刻。

Unfortunately, Alexander couldn't turn that to his own ends –the blurry features and the breakdown of the world happened away from Alucard's area of attention, which meant that making him look at anything automatically sharpened its reality.
可惜亚历山大无法将这一点为己所用——那些模糊的轮廓与世界崩解的景象都发生在阿尔卡特视线边缘地带，这意味着只要让他注视某处，该处的现实就会自动变得清晰起来。

"You assume that I came here to practice," Alexander said, but he was already heading over to the rack anyways. The temptation to cross swords with Alucard's human self was just too powerful.
"你以为我来这儿是为了练习，"亚历山大说道，但他已经朝武器架走去了。与阿卡德人类形态比剑的诱惑实在太过强烈。

He picked up the wooden sword and idly swung it through the air, testing its weight and balance. It mimicked the current knightly sword, being two-handed and double-edged, which was a deviation from his usual one-handed single-edged bayonets. Still, just because they were his preferred weapon didn't mean he didn't know how to wield-
他拾起木剑，漫不经心地凌空挥舞，测试其重量与平衡。这把剑仿制了当代骑士剑的形制——双手持握的双刃设计，与他惯用的单刃刺刀截然不同。不过，尽管刺刀才是他的心头好，但这并不意味着他不懂得如何驾驭——

Reflexes honed by a lifetime of hunting monsters made him whip around, throwing up his guard, and he narrowed his eyes as Vlad's sword crashed into his, the other man grinning as they went into a bodylock.
一生猎杀怪物磨砺出的本能让他猛然转身格挡，当弗拉德的剑刃与他相撞时，他眯起眼睛，两人角力间对方脸上挂着狞笑。

"Impressive," Vlad said. "Very, very impressive. Not many can move so fast, Alexander Anderson."
"令人印象深刻，"弗拉德说道。"非常、非常令人印象深刻。能移动得如此之快的人可不多，亚历山大·安德森。"

"I've been well-trained," Alexander said, his eyes falling to the small silver cross that dangled on a cord around Vlad's neck. He had been wearing it earlier, over his armor –he seemed to never take it off.
"我受过良好训练，"亚历山大说道，目光落在弗拉德脖子上悬挂的小银十字架上。早些时候他就戴着它，覆在盔甲之上——似乎从不曾取下。

This man would eventually become a vampire. As bloody as his deeds may be, Alexander felt a faint stirring of pity for him.
这个男人终将成为吸血鬼。尽管他的所作所为血腥残忍，亚历山大心中仍泛起一丝微弱的怜悯。

"Well-trained indeed." Vlad pulled away, but it wasn't a concession –he was drawing Alexander into the open space of the courtyard, inviting him to a better place for sparring. "But have you experience in battle?"
"训练有素，确实。"弗拉德抽身后退，但这并非让步——他正将亚历山大引向庭院开阔处，邀他前往更适合切磋的场地。"不过，你可有实战经验？"

"Of course." Alexander thought he saw an opening and stepped forward, only for Vlad to twist out of the way by a hairsbreadth as their swords met and clashed again. He wasn't as fast as a vampire, but he was plenty fast for a human, and more than that, cunning.
"当然。"亚历山大以为抓住了破绽，向前逼近，却见弗拉德以毫厘之差旋身避开，双剑再度交锋。他虽不及吸血鬼迅捷，但在人类中已属顶尖，更胜在诡计多端。

Alexander caught a glint of determined, almost deranged fervor in his eyes and sensed that Vlad was not going to concede: Alexander would have to beat him into a bloody pulp before the other man accepted defeat, even though this was a mere spar, and even then, Vlad would probably plot some kind of vengeance. The best he could hope for was a stalemate.
亚历山大从他眼中捕捉到一抹近乎癫狂的决绝，意识到弗拉德绝不会认输——除非自己把他揍得血肉模糊，即便这只是一场切磋。而即便如此，那家伙八成也会谋划某种报复。他最多只能指望打个平手。

Alexander bared his teeth in a grin, this time not caring about who might see. He was more than used to dealing with opponents who would not bend, only break.
亚历山大龇牙咧嘴地笑了，这次毫不在意谁会看见。他早已习惯对付那些宁折不弯的对手。

Vlad returned his predatory grin, and they moved together again, feinting and slashing, circling each other like wolves. Alexander was considered the finest agent in Iscariot for a reason, but after about five minutes of breathless combat, he had to concede that as far as swordsmanship went, Vlad was on his level. Even though he shone with sweat and his clothes clung to him with his prior exertion, Vlad seemed as fresh as Alexander, and the strength behind his blows never lessened.
弗拉德回以掠食者的狞笑，二人再度交锋，虚晃劈砍间如狼群般相互周旋。亚历山大被誉为伊斯加略最杰出的特工自有其道理，但经过约五分钟令人窒息的激战后，他不得不承认——就剑术造诣而言，弗拉德与他旗鼓相当。尽管汗珠在亚历山大身上闪烁，先前的剧烈运动让衣物紧贴身躯，弗拉德却始终保持着与他同等的精神状态，每一次挥剑的力道丝毫未减。

Alexander thought, between rapid blows as the two of them whirled and snapped across the ground, that he might grow to respect this man. The indomitable will in Vlad was impressive, every minor defeat or deflection only spurring him on, and it made Alexander's traitorous pity twinge again when he remembered the man's foul end. Vlad would become a vampire. His faith, the well of strength that drove him now, would be unfulfilled.
亚历山大在疾风骤雨般的交锋中思索，随着两人在地面上旋转撕咬，他或许会逐渐对这个人产生敬意。弗拉德身上那股不屈的意志令人惊叹，每次微小的挫败或偏转都只会进一步激励他。当想起此人可悲的结局时，这种认知又让亚历山大那不合时宜的怜悯隐隐作痛。弗拉德终将成为吸血鬼。此刻支撑着他的信仰与力量源泉，将永远无法得到圆满。

But damn, it was satisfying to fight him. Vision or not, Alexander could feel his blood pumping hot through his veins as he and Alucard's past self circled each other, looking for an opening, before surging together like two opposing tides to clash furiously again. It wasn't quite as exhilarating as fighting the vampire in his modern form, but in a sense, limiting himself to what a human could do –no regeneration, no summoning his bayonets– was oddly relaxing.
但该死的，和他交手实在痛快。无论视力如何，亚历山大都能感受到热血在血管中奔涌，他与阿尔卡德的过去之身相互周旋寻找破绽，随后如两股相逆的潮水般轰然相撞。虽不及与现代形态的吸血鬼对战那般酣畅淋漓，但某种意义上，将自身限制在人类范畴——无法再生，不能召唤刺刀——反而有种奇特的放松感。

It was just him and just Vlad, just two men doing their competitive best to beat the other into the ground. Almost normal, in a way: something any other man could do, something any human could do, something that flicked his occasional insecurities about being more than human away.
只有他和弗拉德，两个男人竭尽全力想要将对方击倒在地。某种程度上，这几乎算得上正常：任何其他男人都能做到的事，任何人类都能做到的事，这让他偶尔对自己超越人类身份的不安烟消云散。

A querulous question in Romanian made them both pause and look towards the door, where a servant was watching them nervously. Abruptly, Alexander realized that the sun had begun to sink in the sky, and beneath his bright-eyed fervor, Vlad looked exhausted. Had they really been fighting that long?
一句带着抱怨的罗马尼亚语疑问让两人同时停下动作，朝门口望去——一名仆人正紧张地注视着他们。亚历山大猛然意识到，夕阳已开始西沉，而弗拉德那双炯炯有神的眼睛底下，分明藏着疲惫。他们竟真的打了这么久？

Vlad replied to the servant, then laughed and looked at him, lowering his sword point to the ground and clapping Alexander on the shoulder with one hand.
弗拉德回应了仆从，随后大笑着看向他，将剑尖垂向地面，同时用一只手拍了拍亚历山大的肩膀。

"Well-fought!" he said. "I recant what I said earlier. If all my men were like you, I would have sacked the walls of Constantinople by now!"
"打得好！"他说道，"我收回之前的话。若我的部下都如你这般勇猛，君士坦丁堡的城墙早就被我攻陷了！"

It was very, very odd to feel Alucard grab him and feel warmth coming from the man's hand.
阿尔卡德抓住他的那一刻，从那人掌心传来的温度让他感到无比、无比怪异。

"I take it dinner is ready?" Alexander asked, ignoring the compliment as he cracked his neck slowly. He rolled one sore shoulder, where Vlad had gotten a lucky hit in earlier.
"我猜晚餐准备好了？"亚历山大问道，无视了对方的恭维，缓缓活动着脖子。他转动着酸痛的肩膀——那是弗拉德先前侥幸击中的部位。

"Indeed," Vlad agreed, saying something additional to the servant, who scurried off. "Did you come in search of me for a reason, or were you looking to keep your skills sharp?"
"确实，"弗拉德附和道，又对仆人吩咐了几句，后者便匆匆离去。"你来找我是有事相商，还是单纯想保持身手？"

Ah.  啊。

Right.  对。

The vision they were both stuck in.
他们共同陷入的幻象。

Alexander felt his face warming as he realized that, with the thrill and release of combat, he had completely forgotten about the fact that this had been a prime opportunity to try and snap Alucard out of this illusion.
亚历山大感到脸颊发烫，他意识到在战斗的刺激与宣泄中，自己完全忘记了这原本是个让阿卡多摆脱幻境的绝佳机会。

He groaned and pulled a hand down his face, lowering his sword as well.
他呻吟着用手抹了把脸，同时垂下了手中的剑。

"I had… something I wanted to discuss with you in private," he mumbled, shaking his head at himself and walking over to return the sword.
"我有件事...想私下和你谈谈，"他低声嘟囔着，摇着头走向前去归还那把剑。

"Really?" Vlad sounded amused. "Why in private?"
"真的吗？"弗拉德听起来饶有兴趣。"为什么要私下谈？"

"It would be a long conversation," Alexander said, which was the most honest answer that would avoid setting off Vlad's paranoia.
"这会是个漫长的谈话，"亚历山大说道，这是最诚实的回答，能避免触发弗拉德的偏执。

"Well, perhaps you can begin it at dinner," Vlad said as he set down his sword as well. "I would have you join me at the high table."
“那么，或许你可以在晚餐时开始讲述，”弗拉德放下手中的剑说道，“我希望你能与我共赴主桌。”

Alexander sighed. "Wonderful."
亚历山大叹了口气。"妙极了。"

The visions of Vlad's people were staring.
弗拉德子民的幻象正凝视着。

Even though they were only visual echoes of the past, even though they were mere constructs formed by Alucard's mind to completely immerse himself in this illusion, Alexander still felt needlessly exposed and vulnerable, sitting beside the voivode as they ate. It wasn't because he was dirty –Vlad had ordered more buckets and they had both stripped down to clean themselves off, since the water was actually acting like water in the presence of the vision's focal point and Alexander did not enjoy being sweaty and reeking.
尽管那些只是过往的幻影，尽管它们不过是阿卡德为彻底沉浸于这场幻境而构筑的心象，亚历山大仍感到一种无谓的裸露与脆弱——当他坐在总督身旁共进晚餐时。并非因为肮脏（弗拉德命人送来更多水桶，两人都脱去衣衫清洗身体，毕竟在幻境核心的影响下，清水确实如常发挥着作用，而亚历山大实在无法忍受浑身汗臭的黏腻）。

At least he had some privacy, since Vlad was not paying a lick of attention to him, though Alexander had glanced over curiously to see the old wounds peppering his muscular chest. It was odd to think that no trace of them remained despite Alucard technically having the same body, since Alexander had ripped him open like a macabre present more than enough times to see muscle reform into flawless skin.
至少他还有些隐私可言，毕竟弗拉德根本没正眼瞧他，尽管亚历山大曾好奇地瞥见过对方肌肉虬结的胸膛上星罗棋布的旧伤。想到这些伤痕在阿卡德身上毫无踪迹就令人费解——毕竟从技术层面而言他们共用同一具躯体——亚历山大早已记不清多少次像拆解恐怖礼物般撕开过那具身体，看着血肉重组为完美无瑕的肌肤。

His eyes had swiftly jerked away when Vlad reached for his belt, though, heat rising to his face.
当弗拉德伸手去解腰带时，他的目光却迅速别开，脸上泛起红晕。

Anyway, it wasn't like either of them were any less presentable than the other guests, a fact that was making Alexander increasingly uncomfortable as women glanced at him and then whispered to each other.
反正他俩的打扮比起其他宾客毫不逊色，这个事实却让亚历山大愈发不自在——女人们频频偷瞄他，又凑在一起窃窃私语。

"Why do your people keep… looking at me?" he finally asked, not wanting to give the volatile overlord a chance to practice his favorite occupation even if these "people" were merely trace memories.
"为什么你的人总是……盯着我看？"他终于忍不住问道，尽管这些"人"不过是残存的记忆碎片，他也不想给这位喜怒无常的霸主任何机会来实践他最热衷的消遣。

Vlad looked at him with surprise, then swept his eyes across the hall, and smirked.
弗拉德惊讶地看了他一眼，目光扫过大厅，随即露出讥讽的笑容。

"I see you truly have kept to your vows, Alexander Anderson," he said with amusement, making Alexander frown.
"看来你确实恪守了誓言，亚历山大·安德森，"他饶有兴致地说道，让亚历山大皱起了眉头。

"Of course I did," he said indignantly. "Sexual immorality may be a –an epidemic during this time, but I have never engaged in such behavior!"
"我当然做到了，"他愤愤不平地说道。"虽然这个时代淫乱之风盛行，但我从未参与过如此行径！"

Vlad looked at him approvingly. "Too few of your compatriots feel the same, alas," he agreed. "Which is amusing, as there are no doubt several women in this hall considering an infidelity with you right now."
弗拉德赞许地看着他。"可惜你的同胞中抱有同样想法的人太少了，"他赞同道，"说来有趣，此刻这大厅里无疑有好几位女士正考虑着要与你共赴云雨呢。"

Alexander went red, sputtering incoherently for a moment.
亚历山大涨红了脸，支支吾吾地嘟囔了一会儿。

"W-what?!" he finally choked.
"什——什么？！"他终于呛声道。

"You are a handsome stranger, a warrior of god that has traveled across Europe to defend our land," Vlad drawled, continuing to smirk and chuckle as he swirled the wine in his goblet. "Were you not a priest, you would probably have several marriage proposals by the end of the night."
"你是个英俊的陌生人，一位穿越欧洲来保卫我们土地的神之战士，"弗拉德拖长声调说道，继续晃动着高脚杯中的红酒，嘴角挂着讥笑。"若不是神父身份，恐怕今晚结束前你就能收到好几份婚约。"

Alexander groaned in embarrassment, covering his eyes with one hand as Vlad laughed louder.
亚历山大尴尬地呻吟着，用一只手捂住眼睛，而弗拉德则笑得更大声了。

"It is good that others of the faithful are finally answering my call," he finally said after he calmed down a little, his smirk fading into sobriety as he took a drink of his wine. "It is exhausting, trying to hold off the Ottomans on my own."
"终于有其他信徒响应我的召唤了，这是好事，"他稍微平静下来后终于开口，抿了一口葡萄酒，脸上的讥笑逐渐转为严肃。"独自抵挡奥斯曼人实在太耗费精力了。"

Alexander nodded in uncomfortable agreement, looking away as he tapped his fingers against the wooden table.
亚历山大不自在地点头表示同意，手指轻叩着木桌，目光却飘向别处。

"I am doing everything I can, but it is not enough," Vlad continued in frustration. "Every step I take is hampered by a thousand fools holding me back. They say they cannot give me troops, so I levy my own, but I cannot empty Wallachia of all its people!"
"我已竭尽全力，却仍远远不够，"弗拉德挫败地继续说道。"我每迈出一步，都有上千个蠢货拖我后腿。他们说无法给我军队，我便自行征召，可总不能把瓦拉几亚的人都征光吧！"

His fist clenched around the goblet, the wine inside trembling just a little.
他攥紧酒杯，杯中红酒微微震颤。

"I spread fear and I am proud to spread fear, for how else would I be able to keep peace?! The boyars and Saxons are leeches upon Wallachia –every measure I take is to drive the Ottomans from our land, and still those worthless fools impede me."
"我散播恐惧，并以此为荣，若不如此，何以维系和平？！那些波雅尔与撒克逊人如同吸附在瓦拉几亚身上的水蛭——我所采取的每一项措施都是为了将奥斯曼人逐出我们的土地，可那些无能的蠢货仍在阻挠我。"

He drained his wine with a swift jerk and then all but slammed it against the table, breathing heavily for several moments.
他猛地一仰头灌下杯中酒，随后几乎是将酒杯砸在桌上，粗重地喘息了好一会儿。

"I am tired," Vlad finally said, quieter. The fury in his eyes had burned out, leaving them hollow as he looked at Alexander. "My duty wears on me, as righteous as it is. I stand alone with an army a tenth of the size of my enemy's, made of peasants and children. How could any one man hope to stem the tide of the Ottoman Turks for long with what I have now? I cannot build a palace from mud, and though I can become the Devil to plague my enemies, I am, in the end, only a man. I am fallible. I am trapped between the sultan and the lands I protect, and they will not protect me in turn."
"我累了，"弗拉德最终轻声说道。他眼中的怒火已然熄灭，只剩下空洞，当他望向亚历山大时。"我的职责压得我喘不过气，尽管它正义凛然。我独自率领着仅有敌军十分之一规模的军队，由农民和孩子组成。以我现在的力量，任何人又怎能长久抵挡奥斯曼土耳其的洪流？我无法用泥土建造宫殿，尽管我能化身为魔鬼折磨敌人，但归根结底，我终究只是凡人。我会犯错。我被夹在苏丹和我所保护的土地之间，而他们却不会反过来保护我。"

"You aren't the type to give up," Alexander replied.
"你不是会轻言放弃的人，"亚历山大回应道。

"Oh, I am not," Vlad said with a crooked smile. "I will struggle to the bitter end, regardless of the aid I may never receive. I will make them pay in blood for every step they take on Christian soil, and if I am killed in turn, so be it. I will die knowing I have given my life to protect the children of Christ, and that shall be enough."
"噢，我并非如此，"弗拉德歪着嘴笑道。"即便永远得不到援助，我也会抗争至最后一刻。我要让他们每踏上基督土地一步都付出血的代价，若我因此丧命，那便如此。我将含笑赴死，因我已知自己为守护基督的子民献出生命，这就足够了。"

He almost sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that, and Alexander exhaled.
他的语气几乎像是在试图说服自己相信这一点，亚历山大叹了口气。

The man Alexander was talking with was hundreds of years dead, body and soul. There was likely nothing left of Vlad within Alucard, and if there was, it was likely only embers. He should not pity him. It wasn't worth it.
亚历山大与之交谈的男人早已死去数百年，形神俱灭。阿卡德体内恐怕连弗拉德的残影都不复存在，即便有，也不过是零星余烬。他不该怜悯对方。这不值得。

That didn't stop him.  这没能阻止他。

However, whenever Alucard had died, he had not died with faith, as evidenced by the very fact that Alexander knew him, hundreds of years in the future. If Alexander had been caught up in this vision as well, immersed in it and forgetting both the past and the future, seeing Vlad as an isolated man without knowing his history, Alexander would probably admire him, his faith and resolve, his ironclad determination and his adamantine will.
然而，每当阿卡德死去时，他都不曾带着信仰赴死——数百年后亚历山大仍能与他相识的事实便是明证。倘若亚历山大也被卷入这场幻象，沉浸其中忘却前世今生，将弗拉德视为不知过往的孤绝之人，他或许会钦佩对方，钦佩那份信仰与决绝，那钢铁般的意志与磐石般不可撼动的决心。

As it was, he was only saddened to think of what this man would become.
事实上，他只为这个人的未来命运感到悲哀。

"You also don't seem like the type to divulge these sorts of things," Alexander said after a moment, making Vlad let out a startled chuckle.
"你看起来也不像是会透露这种事的人，"亚历山大停顿片刻后说道，引得弗拉德发出一声惊讶的轻笑。

"I am inclined to trust you," he hummed. "There is a strange comfort in your presence."
"我倾向于信任你，"他轻哼道。"你的存在有种奇异的慰藉。"

Alexander snorted softly. His brief hope that Alucard was coming out of it on his own was certainly dashed at those words, which were the complete opposite of anything the vampire might say.
亚历山大轻轻哼了一声。他短暂的希望——阿尔卡特能自行清醒过来——在这番话面前彻底破灭了，这些言辞与吸血鬼可能说的任何话都截然相反。

"That's because you know me," he said, finally giving up. To hell with all of this –he was rapidly getting tired of playing along with the vampire's memories, not enjoying how they made him feel. "Just as you know Sir Integra Hellsing, and Seras Victoria."
"那是因为你了解我，"他终于放弃抵抗说道。去他的这一切——他很快就厌倦了配合吸血鬼的记忆游戏，也不喜欢这些记忆带给他的感受。"就像你了解因特古拉·范布隆克·温盖茨·海辛爵士和塞拉斯·维多利亚一样。"

Vlad gave him a strange look, and opened his mouth, before a trace of confusion marred his features and he closed it again.
弗拉德用古怪的眼神看着他，张了张嘴，脸上掠过一丝困惑后又闭上了。

"Those names are familiar, aren't they?" Alexander said, turning to look at him. "You know them."
"这些名字很耳熟，不是吗？"亚历山大转头看向他，"你认识他们。"

"Is this the private conversation you wanted to have?" Vlad asked, a dangerous glint coming to his eyes.
"这就是你想私下谈的事？"弗拉德问道，眼中闪过一丝危险的光芒。

"What day is it?" Alexander returned, narrowing his eyes. "What year? What were you doing before you came across me in the forest? Why does everything you've done today feel familiar?"
"今天是几号？" 亚历山大眯起眼睛反问，"哪一年？你在森林里遇见我之前在做什么？为什么你今天做的一切都让我感到熟悉？"

Uncertainty flickered across Vlad's face, before he inhaled sharply, mastering himself.
弗拉德脸上闪过一丝犹疑，随即深吸一口气，稳住了心神。

"We will talk in private, Father Alexander Anderson," he said with icy control in his voice. "And you will have an explanation for this."
"我们私下谈谈，亚历山大·安德森神父，"他的声音带着冰冷的克制。"你会为此给出解释的。"

"Does the name Alucard mean anything to you?" Alexander said without preamble, once they had retreated to what was probably some kind of private room for the ruler of the keep. It seemed like Vlad used it for an office, but in an age with such sparse literacy, Alexander wasn't sure if he had enough paperwork to need one. The voivode had taken a seat behind the desk, but left him to stand. Of course.
"阿卡德这个名字对你有任何意义吗？"亚历山大开门见山地问道，此时他们已退至城堡统治者专用的私密房间。这地方看来被弗拉德用作办公室，但在识字率如此低下的年代，亚历山大不确定他是否有足够的文书工作需要专门空间。这位总督已在书桌后落座，却让他站着说话。果然如此。

"It seems familiar," Vlad said, frowning. Alexander groaned.
"似曾相识，"弗拉德皱眉道。亚历山大呻吟了一声。

"Stop playing games with me already, vampire," he muttered under his breath in English.
"别跟我玩这些把戏了，吸血鬼，"他用英语低声嘟囔道。

"I am not playing games-" Vlad began righteously in Latin, then paused, a flash of confusion on his face. "I-"
"我没有在玩把戏——"弗拉德用拉丁语义正言辞地开口，却突然顿住，脸上闪过一丝困惑。"我——"

"Your name is Alucard. You serve the Hellsing Organization based in London, England, and you have never been so infuriating as right now!" Alexander snapped, again in English as he slammed his hands down on the table. "Snap out of it already, you damn bastard! I've been skulking around all day, watching you parade around within visions of your past, and I'm sick of trying to understand why or how you were the only one affected by the ritual and why its put us both into a vision of your human life!"
"你的名字是阿卡多。你效忠于位于英格兰伦敦的赫尔辛组织，而此刻的你简直令人火冒三丈！"亚历山大用英语厉声喝道，双手重重拍在桌面上。"快他妈给我清醒过来，你这该死的混蛋！我整天像幽灵般徘徊，看着你在往昔幻象中招摇过市，受够了一直试图理解为何只有你受到仪式影响，又为何将我们双双拖入你人类时期的幻境！"

Vlad's eyes widened as a medley of emotions crossed his face, and Alexander blinked, drawing back a little. Was it really that easy…?
弗拉德瞪大眼睛，脸上闪过一连串复杂情绪，亚历山大眨了眨眼，微微后退。真的就这么简单……？

"Alucard?" he asked, and Vlad frowned.
"阿卡德？"他问道，弗拉德皱起了眉头。

"I don't- I am not sure," he said carefully in Latin. "I remember things I should not remember, but it is… blurry."
“我不——我不确定，”他用拉丁语谨慎地说道，“我记得一些本不该记得的事，但那些记忆……很模糊。”

"Hmm," Alexander grunted, relaxing a little more and readying his fist to slug the vampire right in the face. "So you're back?"
"嗯，"亚历山大哼了一声，稍微放松了些，攥紧拳头准备给那吸血鬼脸上来一记狠的。"所以你回来了？"

"Yes. No. I don't-" Vlad shook his head, looking down at his own hands in frustration, flexing his fingers as though they held the secrets of what puzzled him. "It's hard to explain."
"是。不是。我不——"弗拉德摇着头，沮丧地低头看着自己的双手，手指屈伸着仿佛那上面写着他困惑的答案。"很难解释清楚。"

"Try anyway," Alexander said without sympathy.
"尽管试试看，"亚历山大毫无同情心地说道。

"I know that I know you. I know that I know those women you spoke of. I know that what you say is true and this… is not real. That this is a memory, or a vision, or both," Vlad said. "But that is all."
"我知道我认识你。我知道我认识你提到的那些女人。我知道你说的是真的，而这一切……并非真实。这是一段记忆，或幻象，或两者皆是，"弗拉德说道。"但仅此而已。"

Alexander blinked. "All?"
亚历山大眨了眨眼。"全部？"

"I do not know how I know you. I do not know what there is for me outside this… vision," Vlad said slowly. He looked up at Alexander as something of fear flickered in his eyes, like a candle being lit. "You said that this is my "human" life."
"我不知道为何会认识你。也不明白在这幻象之外，还有什么属于我。"弗拉德缓缓说道。当他抬头望向亚历山大时，眼中闪过一丝恐惧，如同被点燃的烛火。"你说这是我作为'人类'的一生。"

Alexander winced and looked away. "You don't need to worry about that right now."
亚历山大瑟缩了一下，移开视线。"你现在不必担心这个。"

"I am still a voivode, Alexander, and I can and will have you flogged," Vlad said, quickly regaining his imperious demeanor as his eyes narrowed in warning, making Alexander glare at him.
"我仍是瓦拉几亚大公，亚历山大，我完全可以命人鞭笞你，"弗拉德说着迅速恢复了威严神态，眯起的眼睛里透着警告，惹得亚历山大对他怒目而视。

"I can and will rip your soldiers apart before they try," he said back, and the corner of Vlad's mouth twitched.
"我能在你的士兵动手前就把他们撕成碎片，"他回敬道，弗拉德的嘴角抽搐了一下。

"Yes, but doing so would inconvenience you, or you would've done so by now," he said dryly. "And I am not above making your life difficult."
"没错，但这么做会给你添麻烦，否则你早就动手了，"他干巴巴地说道，"而我不介意让你的日子更难过。"

"Don't I know it," Alexander muttered to himself, drawing a hand down over his face. "I don't suppose you know anything about rituals that involve saints' relics?"
"我还能不知道吗，"亚历山大自言自语道，用手抹了把脸。"你该不会碰巧知道关于圣徒遗物仪式的线索吧？"

Vlad looked annoyed at being put off, but answered anyways. "Some. I remember a skull and blood?"
弗拉德对被敷衍显得有些不悦，但还是回答道："记得一些。我好像看见骷髅和血？"

"Jaw, not skull," Alexander corrected, straightening back up. "The relic of Saint Anthony of Padua came into contact with your blood after being charged for an unknown ritual by a vampire."
"是下颌骨，不是头骨，"亚历山大纠正道，重新直起身子，"帕多瓦的圣安东尼遗物在经吸血鬼施法用于某种未知仪式后，接触到了你的血液。"

Vlad went very, very still. Alexander noticed this and eyed him with expectation.
弗拉德突然僵在原地，纹丝不动。亚历山大察觉到异样，用期待的目光注视着他。

"Saint Anthony is the saint of lost things. Lost souls," Vlad said quietly, the fear in his eyes flickering brighter. Alexander's prior wince became a cringe as his eyes darted away again, and Vlad exhaled softly, as though that confirmed his suspicions.
"圣安东尼是失落之物的守护者。迷失的灵魂，"弗拉德轻声说道，眼中的恐惧闪烁得更加明显。亚历山大先前畏缩的表情变成了退缩，目光再次游移不定，而弗拉德轻轻呼出一口气，仿佛这证实了他的猜测。

"That has nothing to do with the ritual," Alexander said uncomfortably. It wasn't so much that as it was that this version of Alucard didn't need to know what he was, what he had become.
"这与仪式毫无关系，"亚历山大不自在地说道。与其说是这个原因，不如说他不想让眼前这个版本的阿卡德知道自己真正的身份，以及他究竟变成了什么。

There was a long silence, as Alexander fixed his eyes on the red-orange sheen of the setting sun that streamed through the window and fell against the stone, and Vlad watched him like a hawk watching a mouse.
长久的沉默中，亚历山大凝视着窗外流泻进来的落日余晖，那红橙交织的光晕在石墙上投下斑驳光影，而弗拉德如鹰隼盯梢猎物般注视着他。

"I am something cursed, aren't I?" Vlad asked softly.
"我是个被诅咒的存在，不是吗？"弗拉德轻声问道。

The words fell into the deafening, ringing silence that surrounded them as Alexander closed his eyes in resignation. He didn't say anything.
当亚历山大认命般闭上双眼时，话语坠入了令人耳鸣的沉寂之中。他什么也没说。

"How long has it been?"
"已经过去多久了？"

"Does the phrase "curiosity killed the cat" mean anything to you at this age?" Alexander finally snapped, looking back at him with a scowl. Vlad's expression was deadly serious, any trepidation hidden behind a mask of solemnity.
"‘好奇害死猫’这句话在你这个年纪难道没听过吗？"亚历山大终于忍无可忍地厉声道，拧着眉头瞪向他。弗拉德的神情肃杀至极，所有不安都掩藏在庄重的面具之下。

"I deserve to know," Vlad told him, eyes holding his. "Satisfaction will bring me back."
"我有权知道，"弗拉德直视着他的眼睛说道，"唯有真相才能让我安息。"

"You became a vampire," Alexander said after a moment, watching Vlad's hazel eyes widen slightly. On instinct, the other man's hand flew to that small, dangling silver cross that he so seemed to cherish, clutching it in a protective, fearful motion. "And you live for five hundred years after you die."
"你变成了吸血鬼，"亚历山大停顿片刻后说道，看着弗拉德那双淡褐色的眼睛微微睁大。对方本能地抬手抓住那枚珍视的银制小十字架吊坠，保护性的恐惧动作让指节发白。"然后在死后继续活了五百年。"

There was another long, long silence.
又是一段漫长、漫长的沉默。

"How?" Vlad finally rasped. Alexander frowned and shrugged.
"怎么会？"弗拉德最终嘶哑地问道。亚历山大皱起眉头，耸了耸肩。

"I don't know. I doubt anyone knows, in my lifetime at least," he admitted. "I didn't even know that you were Vlad the Impaler when you were alive, much less how or why you became a vampire."
"我不知道。至少在我有生之年，恐怕没人知道，"他承认道。"你活着时我甚至不知道你是穿刺公弗拉德，更别提你如何或为何变成吸血鬼了。"

"Vlad the Impaler," the other man murmured. "So that is how people remember me?"
"穿刺公弗拉德，"另一个人低声说道。"人们就是这样记住我的？"

"You're somewhat infamous," Alexander said with a brief smirk, before it faded. "Your people mostly revere you as a folk hero, if that helps."
"你算是恶名昭彰，"亚历山大短暂地咧嘴一笑，随即收敛。"不过你的子民大多把你奉为民谣英雄，如果这能让你好受些的话。"

"Mostly?"  "大部分？"

"You stuck people on spikes, Alucard."
"你把人们串在尖刺上，阿卡多。"

Vlad huffed in amusement at that one.
弗拉德对此嗤之以鼻，觉得颇为有趣。

"I stand by what I said earlier," he replied. "The traitors of my country obey me because they fear me, and I wage war against the Turks by using that selfsame fear."
"我坚持之前说过的话，"他回答道。"我祖国的叛徒们服从我，是因为他们惧怕我，而我正是利用这份恐惧向土耳其人开战。"

"Whatever." Alexander waved it aside. However bold and careless Vlad acted, Alexander could tell that the news had shaken and disturbed him deeply. That made him feel guilty, and he didn't like it. "In any case, you said you know a little about rituals. How do we –move on, escape, break it, whatever the appropriate term is?"
"随你怎么说。"亚历山大挥了挥手。无论弗拉德表现得多么大胆和漫不经心，亚历山大都能看出这个消息让他深受震动和困扰。这让他感到内疚，而他并不喜欢这种感觉。"总之，你说过对仪式略知一二。我们该怎么——继续前进、逃脱、破除它，或者用任何合适的术语来说？"

Vlad was silent for a long moment, considering, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.
弗拉德沉默良久，眉头紧锁地思索着。

"Saint Anthony is the saint of lost things," he said at length. "He is also the one that finds them."
"圣安东尼是失物之主保圣人，"他最终说道，"也是寻回失物之人。"

"Lost and found," Alexander hummed. "You think this ritual had something to do with seeking something in the vampire's past?"
"失而复得，"亚历山大低声哼唱道。"你觉得这个仪式和探寻吸血鬼过往中的某样东西有关？"

"Perhaps reviewing their memory, if it was long enough," Vlad said, thumb rubbing over his cross, then frowned again. "If that is true, you may have to pass through other stages of my memories."
"或许重温他们的记忆，如果那段记忆足够漫长，"弗拉德说着，拇指摩挲着胸前的十字架，又皱起眉头。"若真如此，你可能还得经历我记忆的其他片段。"

Alexander winced. "I hope not."
亚历山大瑟缩了一下。"希望不会。"

"As do I, since we will probably go through them together and I can't say I enjoy the idea of someone else raking through my mind," Vlad said, eyeing him with disfavor, before he smirked a little. "Though perhaps you are a holy agent of God, sent to reclaim my soul, in which case I can only encourage it."
"我也一样，毕竟我们可能要一起经历这些，而我可不乐意让别人随意翻检我的思想，"弗拉德说着，不以为然地瞥了他一眼，随即又勾起一抹冷笑，"不过说不定你是上帝派来拯救我灵魂的圣使呢，要真是那样，我倒求之不得。"

Alexander sputtered, making Vlad's smirk widen, even though there was a sharp edge of something fearful, melancholy, desperate behind it.
亚历山大结结巴巴地说不出话，弗拉德的笑容因此加深，尽管那笑容背后藏着某种锋利的东西——恐惧、忧郁、绝望交织的情绪。

"In any case, I would assume that my blood being spilled was the trigger, which should mean we only have to spill it again," he continued, eyes flicking around the room. "We'll have to find a sword-"
"无论如何，我猜我的血液外流就是触发条件，"他继续说道，目光在房间里游移，"这意味着我们只需要再次放血就行。得找把剑——"

He fell silent as Alexander summoned a bayonet, eyes widening slightly.
当亚历山大召唤出一把刺刀时，他微微睁大了眼睛，陷入沉默。

"Here." Alexander flicked it around so that the handle was offered to Vlad, who took it slowly.
"给。"亚历山大手腕一翻将刀柄转向弗拉德，后者缓缓接过。

"You really are a very interesting man," Vlad said, looking up at him, before glancing down and flicking the blade across his palm without a wince. Blood welled thickly to the surface, and Vlad gave him a measuring look, before curling his fingers and flicking them outwards, spattering some of the droplets on Alexander's chest as he made a face.
"你真是个非常有趣的男人，"弗拉德说着，抬眼望向他，随后低头面不改色地用刀刃划过掌心。浓稠的鲜血立刻涌出表面，他带着审视的目光看了对方一眼，接着蜷起手指向外一弹，将几滴血珠溅在亚历山大的胸前，后者顿时皱起了脸。

"You couldn't find a neater way to do that-" he began, only to stop as they both started glowing with the same light as the relic.
"你就不能找个更利索的法子——"他刚开口，却见两人突然与圣遗物同时泛起相同的微光，话语戛然而止。

"Blood from me spilled on you," Vlad said with satisfaction. The smugness on his face was so insufferably like Alucard's that Alexander scowled at him as they went, not offering any final words of consolation to the lost soul before he was gone.
"我的血溅在你身上了，"弗拉德满意地说道。他脸上那副自鸣得意的神情简直和阿尔卡特如出一辙，令人难以忍受，以至于亚历山大一边走一边对他怒目而视，甚至没给那个即将消逝的灵魂留下半句临终慰藉。