Part 2 of 8
The old man strolls away with his soldiers in tow.
I watch them leave in silence.
It was surprising enough to run into soldiers of the Word of God, but this is even more of a shock.
Without using Appraisal, I cannot know that man’s stats for certain.
However, my instincts tell me that they would be nothing special.
If it came to a fight between that man’s group and myself, I would win for certain.
But there was something about the old man that put me on edge.
Something beyond mere stats.
“Who was that old guy?”
“It’s better that you do not know.”
Nothing good can come from associating with such a mysterious figure who clearly holds sway at the highest level of authority within the Word of God religion.
What would someone so influential be doing in a place like this?
Clearly, whatever happened in this mansion was very much out of the ordinary.
I wait a long while after the old man leaves before I enter the mansion, but just as he claimed, I find nothing.
However, I do notice faint traces of a battle, as well as parts of the wall and floor that have been excavated to hide them.
That, and the unusually weak flow of magic energy in the place, makes it clear that something occurred here.
But in the end, I am unable to find out what.
“Hrmmm.”
I came all this way to a place that I cannot even teleport to from the Empire, but I have yet to find a single piece of information regarding that great being’s whereabouts.
This may be the end of the road.
The only fruit of my efforts is a chance encounter with the pontiff of the Word of God on the first day of my search.
And since Tiva has been monitoring my actions around the clock, I cannot even move freely.
There may be no point in my staying in this town any longer.
Perhaps I should go back to square one and return to the place where I first encountered that being?
If so, now would be the perfect chance, while Tiva isn’t watching!
“Aurel. I am going to visit a rather dangerous place now. You stay here and continue to gather information.”
“Huh?! You’re gonna leave me alone in this smelly old place?! Besides, Mister Tiva told you not to leave town!”
Ignoring Aurel’s complaints, I activate Teleport.
My destination is the largest labyrinth in the world: the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
There, I would soon learn that I was half-right and half-wrong.
FORTUNE, MISFORTUNE
My first impression of the person called Hiiro Wakaba was that she was “winning at life.”
My nickname in my old life was Rihoko.
It’s short for “Real Horror Girl.”
No creativity. No appeal. Just a nickname concocted purely to make fun of me.
That was my nickname in high school, by the way. In middle school, they called me “the vampire.”
Maybe those nicknames were just easier to remember than my real name, Shouko Negishi.
At any rate, I think it was inevitable I’d get called things like that.
My old appearance couldn’t be considered attractive by any standard.
Extremely pale skin.
A scrawny, bony body.
When I looked in the mirror, I was greeted by a deathly face with sunken cheeks and vacant eyes.
My teeth were crooked and uneven, with a single canine tooth prominently jutting out.
I was ugly, plain and simple.
In that life, I hated the way I looked.
Wouldn’t you?
I hadn’t done anything to deserve it, and yet I was constantly bullied or the target of some gossip solely due to my awful appearance.
For someone like me, a girl like Hiiro Wakaba seemed blessed beyond belief.
Namely, her looks.
The first time I saw her, I was amazed that someone so beautiful could actually exist in real life.
That’s how pretty she was.
That’s why she was “winning at life.”
At the time, I thought if only I looked like that, I’d have it made for the rest of my life.
I was jealous, to be honest.
This girl had everything I didn’t, at least in terms of good looks.
And so, I spent a lot of my high school days watching her.
She hardly ever spoke a word.
She never said anything unless it was absolutely necessary, and she certainly didn’t make any attempt to communicate voluntarily.
So conceited, I thought.
It wasn’t really fair of me to think that, but compared to how others avoided me because of my appearance, her case was more like she wouldn’t let anyone near her.
The end result was the same but for completely opposite reasons.
People bullied me from a distance, but they seemed to worship her from the same distance.
Perhaps you could describe her as “aloof”?
Whatever you want to call it, she had a certain air about her that made her easy to admire but hard to approach.
The main difference between Hiiro Wakaba and me was our appearance.
But that one factor was enough for people to treat us totally differently.
The better you look, the better people will treat you.
The worse you look, the worse people will treat you.
It’s a disparity we’re all born into, a distance between our starting lines that can’t be changed with any amount of effort.
Hiiro Wakaba was born with all the blessings I lacked, yet for some reason, she always seemed bored.
I don’t know what was bothering her, but not once did I ever see her look like she was having fun.
She always wore the same unimpressed expression.
It was as if those inscrutable eyes weren’t staring at the world around them.
Yet despite this apparent detachment, her gaze seemed to pierce right through everything.
As much as it galled me, I understood why everyone worshipped Hiiro Wakaba.
There was something about her that was beyond any normal person’s comprehension.
Coupled with her good looks, it gave her a certain mystique in everyone’s eyes.
Hiiro Wakaba had all kinds of things I didn’t.
I nursed a one-sided jealousy toward her and, at the same time, hated myself for feeling such an ugly emotion.
But how could I help it? What should I have done? If I had a pretty face, would my life have been different? Does that mean my life was on the wrong path from the moment I was born? Being ugly on the outside makes you ugly on the inside, if you ask me. That’s just how life goes.
If you have good looks, then you’ve already won at life.
That was my conclusion.
“Okay, we’re gonna spend the night in that town. You wait around here, ’kay, White?”
Yet my prime example of a winner—Hiiro Wakaba, now known as White—is currently shouldering some heavy misfortune herself.
We’ve been avoiding drawing human attention to ourselves for various reasons, but we can keep that up for only so long.
Thus, we’ve decided to stop in the nearest town to buy food and miscellaneous supplies, but White can’t go in because of her current form.
So we’re leaving her behind out here.
Let me be frank about my feelings at the moment.
Serves her right!
No matter how pretty you might be, obviously a nonhuman can’t go into a town!
You see, Hiiro Wakaba isn’t a human anymore.
Aside from being pure white, her upper half looks pretty much the same, but her lower half is the body of a spider.
In other words, she’s a monster called an arachne.
I’ll admit, I always wondered (rather rudely) whether she was even really human in our old world, but I never expected her to actually stop being one.
Although it’s irritating that she’s somehow still as beautiful as ever.
But that’s not the reason I’m gloating over her misfortune now.
No, my issue is how she’s been treating me on this awful journey!
I’m still a baby, you know?!
I shouldn’t be able to stand, let alone walk, so why does she have to force me to hike along these mountainous paths?!
Doesn’t that seem wrong? It seems wrong to me!
If Ariel hadn’t explained the reasoning behind those little training exercises, I probably would’ve snapped by now.
But according to her, it’s to increase my skills and stats.
This world has a strange setup where things like skills and stats actually exist, and the more you train them, the stronger you become.
Ariel says that White has been putting me through the gauntlet to improve my skills and stats.
Supposedly, she’s thinking of my future, but I don’t know if I buy that.
Incidentally, the nickname “White” came about after the following exchange:
“Why don’t we call you ‘Princess’? Do you want me to put a ribbon on you? You won’t be able to transform into a magical girl, though.”
“No.”
“How about ‘White,’ then? Although that one kinda sounds like a pet cat.”
“…Do what you want.”
If you ask me, “Princess” is a much better name, but whatever.
And what was all that about a ribbon?
There was a lot to unpack in that little conversation, but at any rate, Ariel really did start calling her “White” after that.
I’m pretty sure Ariel picked a weird name on purpose just to annoy her, but her would-be victim doesn’t seem to particularly mind, so even Merazophis and I have jumped on the bandwagon and started calling her White.
Considering how she’s treated me so far, I like to think I’m allowed to be a little petty.
“Awww, poor White. You won’t get to eat any tasty food at the inn or sleep in a nice comfy bed. It sucks, but what choice do we have, right? But don’t worry! I promise I’ll enjoy it twice as much in your honor!” Ariel grins, clearly aiming to add fuel to the fire.
White is expressionless as always, but she’s exuding even more intimidating energy than before.
There are practically sparks flying between these two.
Scary.
Just like that, my dark little “Serves you right!” celebration is over.
This is it.
This is why I can’t stand up to these two, no matter how unreasonable their actions get.
They both hold overwhelming power.
Either one of them could probably take on a whole army alone.
That strength is granted to them by stats, a concept that would be unthinkable in our old world.
Merazophis and I aren’t even close to comparable.
Whenever I think about what would happen if I made one of them mad enough to turn that power against me, I can’t help but go along with whatever they say.
“That is quite enough, you two. You are upsetting the young miss.”
And yet, Merazophis tells them off without a second thought.
“Oopsie daisy! Sorry about that. All right, let’s go. Don’t sulk too much, White. I promise we’ll bring you back a souvenir.”
Ariel’s overwhelming aura disperses at once, and she waves lazily as she turns to walk away.
Watching her leave, White emits a small sigh before sitting on the ground.
Flanking her on either side like guards are two puppet taratects, mannequin-looking monsters summoned by Ariel.
“Now then, excuse us.”
As I absently gaze at White and the puppet taratects, my body is gently lifted into the air.
Looking up, my eyes meet with Merazophis’s under the shadow of his hood.
Since White’s been forcing me to walk all this time, it’s been a while since Merazophis carried me like this.
Right, I suppose it’s more natural if he holds me when we go into town.
I was about to try to follow after Ariel on my own two feet. Maybe this indoctrination is really starting to get to me.
Merazophis quickly catches up to Ariel.
Since she’s so short, especially compared to Merazophis, it’s an easy feat for him.
My legs might not have been able to catch up at all.
“Are you certain it is wise to provoke her like that?” he asks, matching her stride a short distance behind her.
I don’t know how Merazophis can speak so boldly to such frightening characters.
He very strongly protested the way White was treating me at first.
Although she silently directed such a murderous glare at him that he was forced to shut up pretty quickly.
“Hmm. I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings toward White myself, y’know. Can’t I be at least a little unfriendly toward her? Don’t worry, though. It’s not like we’re actually gonna start trying to kill each other or anything. Neither of us would be that stupid.”
I understand that Ariel and White have a complicated relationship.
Whatever she might say now, they really were trying to kill each other not too long ago.
They agreed to a truce when they realized that neither of them stood anything to gain from fighting anymore, so now they’re supposedly allies, but that doesn’t mean they’re suddenly going to be super-close friends.
Apparently, Ariel still has a grudge against White for killing a bunch of her subordinates, and White still seems cautious of Ariel’s immense power.
If anything, things are so tense between them that it’s a miracle they can work together at all.
Then there’s Merazophis and me, stuck in the cross fire.
Traveling in such a strained mood is rough, if I’m being honest.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, there are times like before when their efforts to intimidate each other affect me, too.
Really, this trip is bad for my heart.
We were able to get into town without a problem simply by paying a toll.
I was worried there might be some trouble, what with Merazophis’s appearance, but nothing happened.
Right now, Merazophis is completely covered from head to toe in a robe to keep away from the sunlight.
The hooded robe, which White made especially for him, makes anyone wearing it incredibly suspicious.
However, since people in this world fashion equipment and armor from monster parts on a regular basis, this sort of getup is more common than I thought.
In fact, it might be a perfectly acceptable outfit, and it seems suspect to me only due to memories from my previous life influencing me.
Whenever I experience a discrepancy like this, I realize all over again that I’m still not accustomed to this world.
Maybe that’s why, in spite of the circumstances, it doesn’t feel real enough for me to be sad about what’s happened.
I’ve lost my parents, lost my home, and have now been forced to basically live on the run, yet I don’t seem to feel a thing.
In this world, I’ve been blessed.
I was born into a high-class family, so while some day-to-day things weren’t as convenient as they were back in Japan, my quality of life was comparatively high for this world.
And most importantly, my parents were both good-looking.
Good looks equals “winning at life.”
I continued to hold on to this theory from my old world.
Since both my parents were good-looking, their child—me—was bound to be good-looking in the future, too.
In that case, my new life should have been happier than my old one.
Yes, I really did think that.
However, part of me felt like I had no choice but to hang on to my old ways of thinking.
After all, I suddenly woke up as a baby in a different world, you know?
I had to be optimistic if I wanted to go on.
There was an awful lot of inner turmoil to deal with before I managed to reach that point, but let’s not talk about that.
In the end, despite my resolve to be optimistic in my new life, everything fell apart in the blink of an eye.
The happy future I’d imagined for myself crumbled away.
All I have left is this body of mine and Merazophis.
My new parents who showered me with affection, that elegant mansion, the social status, wealth, political power…all gone.
Honestly, it’s such a complete fall from grace that you almost have to laugh.
But I think the reason I don’t have the capacity to react to what’s happened is because I’ve already died and lost everything once before.
It’s true that a lot was taken from me this time as well, but compared to my previous life, I wasn’t nearly as emotionally attached.
I spent far longer in my old world than I have in this one, after all.
If you ask about my parents, the first people who come to mind are my original mom and dad.
My parents, who were as dull-looking as I was, who had only their kind natures going for them.
My dad, eternally stuck in his dead-end job.
My mom, a housewife who totally sucked at cooking.
Sure, my parents in this world were superior in pretty much every way, but I still feel more affection toward my previous life’s family.
I mean, they always treated me with love and care, even when I grew up to be a sullen and twisted person.
I cursed them out for making me look the way I did, yet they only became even more tender and gentle.
That kindness was the only thing about them that deserves praise, but to me, that’s what was worthy of admiration.
By comparison, I never quite managed to accept my parents in this world as my real family.
They also showered me with affection, but death came for them before we could form a real parent-child bond.
Maybe it’s more that I never fully accepted that I would be living in this new world now.
There’s just so much that I never managed to let go, both in my old life and this new one.
We pass through the gate, enter the town, and secure a room at the inn.
After that, Ariel and I stay in the inn while Merazophis goes out to buy supplies.
We came to this town for the sole purpose of buying things we need for the journey, so once Merazophis is finished, we could theoretically leave without a problem.
I have no doubt that we’re staying at the inn only out of Ariel’s spite toward White.
Although I can’t say I have any complaints about getting to relax for a night.
As I sigh quietly, Ariel rolls around happily on the bed.
…She really is enjoying herself, just like she told White.
This behavior wouldn’t be that unusual for a young teenager, which is exactly what she looks like, but isn’t this person actually a demon lord?
She’s quite the mystery.
“Hmm? What is it?” Noticing my gaze, Ariel half sits up on the bed.
“Oh, nothing…” I falter, since I obviously can’t tell her what I was actually thinking.
“Not what you pictured, huh?” She manages to guess what’s on my mind anyway. “Yeah, I’m sure it’s hard to believe that a little girl like me is a demon lord.”
I panic on the inside, but she smiles as if it doesn’t bother her at all.
Her smile makes me waver a little.
Ariel never stops smiling.
She’s always cheerful and sociable, and she’s been looking out for Merazophis and me throughout our journey.
Not only that, but she even covers for White, who barely speaks.
To be honest, I don’t think we’d have been able to go on for long without her.
It’s true that her thoughtful, considerate nature doesn’t exactly fit my image of a demon lord.
“It’s not the easiest thing to get used to. I would’ve imagined a demon to be more of a creepy and terrifying sort. To be completely honest, a nice person like you being a demon lord is a little hard to swallow.”
“Thought so. Though I dunno if I’m all that nice or not.”
Ariel nods in response to my honest assessment.
“Personally, I’m pretty aware I don’t exactly fit the part. Especially looking like this.” She shrugs.
“I suppose your appearance is part of it, but I think it’s your personality that seems out of place for someone with that title. You’re very kind, Miss Ariel.”
Again, that’s my honest opinion.
It’s true that her appearance isn’t what I would have expected, but it’s what’s on the inside that seems especially unfitting for a demon lord.
A demon lord is supposed to be a being of pure evil who doesn’t bother with the concerns of others.
That’s how humans here conceptualize demon lords, too.
A king of demons, determined to destroy humanity at all costs.
But here Ariel is, blending into the crowd while visiting a human town, and she doesn’t seem terribly evil, either.
“Ah-ha-ha, I guess. But I’m on my best behavior right now, y’know. And I guess I’m being kind to you partly out of sympathy, but it’s also out of self-interest, Sophia.”
Her tone is indifferent, but her words catch me by surprise.
“Looking out for you guys will help me get on White’s good side, right? I dunno how things are gonna turn out in the long run, but I’d rather earn some points to stay in her good graces. And no one can live as long as I have without learning a thing or two. Playing the part of a nice person or mingling with humans is no sweat.”
At this point, I’m openly gaping at her.
I already knew that Ariel is a lot older than she looks, so it stands to reason that she has enough experience with human interaction to put up a good front, but should she really be admitting that so readily?
I would think she’d make a better impression if she didn’t come out and say it.
“Um, are you sure you should be telling me this?” I can’t resist asking.
“Heh-heh, might as well. I figure people will be suspicious of any kind of free service anyway. Your people even have a saying about it, don’t they? ‘Nothing in life is ever free.’ Isn’t that right?”
Ariel looks over her shoulder.
Merazophis is standing in the doorway, having returned from his errands.
“Welcome back.”
“…Thank you.” He responds to her greeting stiffly.
Judging by his demeanor, I’m guessing that last part was directed at him, not me.
Which means Merazophis already suspected there was some ulterior motive behind Ariel’s kindness.
Not that he could do anything about it regardless of the truth, considering her strength.
Honestly, even though she just claimed otherwise right to my face, I can’t help thinking that she really is helping us out of kindness.
“You guys get my help, so that’s a win for you. And being nice to you makes White think better of me, so that’s a win for me. It’s a win-win for everyone involved, so what’s the problem?”
Merazophis still doesn’t look happy.
I suppose I can’t blame him.
She’s saying it’s a win-win, but we get a lot more out of this deal than she does.
She wouldn’t look after us like this if her only goal was to improve White’s opinion of her.
The only explanation I can think of is that she’s helping us out of the goodness of her heart, not because of whatever advantages it gains her.
Merazophis, perhaps coming to the same conclusion, sighs in exasperation and seems to put his doubts aside.
I’m sure that even if he understands Ariel’s actions, he still feels that he has to stay on guard to keep me safe.
And I think Ariel realized that, which made her go out of her way to say those things for his benefit, to let him know that he doesn’t need to be so cautious of her.
Being on guard all the time has to be exhausting.
That’s why Ariel came up with an excuse that would assuage his suspicions.
And Merazophis is accepting her words.
I think that’s what happened during that short exchange.
I suppose she really has learned a thing or two in her long life, like she said.
How else would she be able to handle a situation like this so delicately?
But Merazophis still has one last barb.
“If that is the case, then should you not be kinder toward Lady White herself?”
“Ah! It hurts! Don’t point that out; it’s too painful!”
Ariel reels back dramatically, slapping herself on the cheek.
Although she’s being playful about it, I think I caught a glimpse of more complicated emotions in her eyes.
Maybe even Ariel, for all her expert understanding of other people’s feelings, can’t navigate her relationship with White so easily.
THE SERVANT’S HESITATION
I can hear the young miss’s quiet, steady breathing as she lies on the bed.
Though she may be a nocturnal vampire, no doubt the journey thus far has tired her greatly.
Now that she can finally sleep in a proper bed again, falling into a deep slumber is only natural.
This comes as no surprise to me.
As a reincarnation, the young miss has a mind that’s older than she seems, but her body is still that of a young babe.
Truth be told, she should not be able to endure the journey we find ourselves on.
At her age, she should be under the care of her parents, sleeping safe and sound like this every day.
How did it come to this…?
Merely thinking about her late parents devastates me, though I do not shed tears.
I take a deep breath, trying to bring out the hellish depths of my despair and rein in my feelings.
No amount of mourning will bring them back to life.
Instead of growing despondent over the past, I should be thinking of the young miss’s future.
Although that depends on her wishes, of course.
No matter what choices she might make, I will simply continue protecting her with everything I have.
That was my lord and lady’s final request to me, after all.
Since they are gone, I must look after the young miss in their stead.
And yet, in order to do so, there is a certain obstacle I must surmount.
Quietly, I withdraw from the young miss’s side.
When I step out of the bedroom, I find Lady Ariel relaxing in a chair in the living room.
“Is little Sophia asleep?”
“Yes. Given how much time has passed since she last slept in a proper bed, it is only natural for her to be sleeping soundly.”
“That’s good. So you’re going back out now, right?”
It takes me a moment to realize the meaning implicit behind her casual remark.
“Huh? Wait, you’re not? Don’t you need blood?”
At that, I freeze in place.
I can sense that my face has tensed up.
Lady Ariel is telling me to go acquire blood.
In other words, she is telling me to attack humans.
“I mean, it’s no skin off my back if you don’t go, but won’t that be a problem for you? Since Sophia’s a Progenitor, she doesn’t need to drink blood, but I’m pretty sure you do, don’t you? If you don’t get some soon, you’re gonna be in trouble.”
No words are forthcoming as she prods at my painful secret.
I became a vampire when the young miss drank my blood.
I have no regrets about that.
That was the only way the young miss and I could have survived that situation.
However, while I do not harbor any regrets, I do have concerns and certain difficulties.
Namely, the weaknesses of vampires.
Now that I am a vampire, my body cannot survive without consuming blood.
Not only that, but my skin burns when exposed to the sun, among other weaknesses.
As a Progenitor, the young miss does not suffer from any of these.
But I, her servant, do not possess the same level of resistance.
On the journey thus far, I have avoided the light of day by donning the robe Lady White made for me, and I have subsisted on the blood of any monsters Lady White hunted.
However, monster blood does little more than delay the inevitable.
What my body truly craves can be found only in humans.
Monster blood can likely sustain my life, but it will not give me the strength I need in the event of a crisis.
As it stands, my body is already becoming heavier and my senses are growing weaker with each passing day.
Becoming a vampire has increased my stats greatly, but if I do not partake soon, I will likely become as weak as my human self, if not even more so.
I cannot protect the young miss like this.
I know this, but I cannot help shrinking back from the idea of attacking someone and drinking their blood.
The terrible conflict between my sense of duty to protect the young miss and my revulsion toward what I must do to fulfill my duty has left me at a standstill.
“If you’re not gonna go, I dunno why we stayed in this town to begin with…”
Lady Ariel’s grumbling strikes my ears painfully.
I had already suspected that she brought us to this town so that I could supply myself with blood.
Even the goods and supplies I purchased were a detour, since this has always been the main objective.
It certainly did strike me as strange.
Both Lady Ariel and Lady White can acquire food on their own, and given our situation, there was no need to risk entering a town.
But Lady Ariel insisted on it, and it was really for my sake.
“But to attack an innocent person…”
Even knowing that she has done all this for me, I still cannot be decisive.
“Hmm. I guess I kinda get how you feel, but you gotta grit your teeth and get down to it or it’s only gonna get worse, y’know? The more you put it off, the harder it’s gonna be in the long run, right? Better to just get it over with.”
Lady Ariel is right, of course.
If I keep dragging my feet, I will never be able to move forward.
I am not human anymore.
I am a vampire, and I must live as one from now on.
Lady Ariel has been kind enough to guide me out of genuine concern for my well-being.
But the conscience I carried with me as a human being rejects a vampire’s way of life.
This stubborn feeling that I cannot quite dispel is refusing the generous guidance of Lady Ariel.
If I open my mouth, I fear I shall say something I do not mean. Instead, I flee into the night, my mind still in turmoil.
I wander aimlessly through the dark village.
How pathetic I am.
Despite my resolution to watch over the young miss, I have been preoccupied with my own misgivings all this time.
I am in no state to protect anyone now.
Not only that, but both the young miss and I are now being kept safe by Lady Ariel and Lady White.
I have sworn to protect her, and yet it is I who needs to be cared for.
And that burden has not fallen on only our two companions.
Even the young miss herself has protected me.
Not becoming a vampire would have meant dying that day.
I cannot have any regrets about that.
To do that would be tantamount to being ungrateful for staying alive.
Besides, if I reject myself for being a vampire, then I would be rejecting the young miss as well.
That is the one thing I will never do.
No matter what anyone else says, I must always support the young miss.
That is part of my duty if I am to watch over her as her parents asked of me.
I must protect not only her body but her heart and mind as well.
There is no path forward besides accepting that I am a vampire and living accordingly from now on.
Even if that means committing blatantly criminal acts like assaulting someone and stealing their lifeblood.
Right as I harden my resolve, a woman passes by before my eyes.
She is young.
Even as she walks in the dead of night, there is no fear in her stride, only confidence.
At her waist is a sword that, at a glance, seems to be well used.
Judging by her garb, she must be an adventurer.
And she has the air of an experienced fighter, far removed from a mere novice.
She walks unhurriedly down an empty alleyway.
Without even thinking, I follow behind her.
My throat swallows, catching me by surprise.
Whether I like it or not, I am already thinking of her as my prey.
The realization shocks me, but I do not stop.
My instincts are telling me that this young woman’s blood is of the highest quality.
The sight of her healthy neck, tanned by the sun, makes me want to sink in my fangs and drink deeply.
The impulse is overpowering.
But my sense of reason fights against those urges.
That would be criminal, it tells me.
However, a separate, calmer part of me is whispering over all that.
It says that my conscience is nothing but a remnant from when I was human.
If I am to commit to living as a vampire, I must not let human morals hold me back.
“Excuse me.”
Pushing down what little conflict remains inside me, I speak to the girl.
“What is it?” She turns around calmly, evidently aware that she was being followed.
Though her attitude is casual, her hand is ready to draw her sword at any moment.
…How foolish can I be?
To choose an obviously seasoned fighter as my first prey goes beyond recklessness.
I seem to have gotten ahead of myself.
However, I cannot turn back now.
If I do, I doubt I will ever be able to attack another human.
I look her squarely in the face and activate Magic Eye.
Magic Eye is one of a vampire’s powers that applies a hypnotic effect; anyone who makes eye contact when this is activated will temporarily do whatever the user says.
“What the—?! You’ve got some nerve, attacking me out of nowhere like that!”
Unfortunately, the woman quickly looks away, shaking off the effect of Magic Eye.
Not only that, but she draws her sword and slashes at me.
I quickly dodge to the side, but my body moves faster and farther than I expected, sending me crashing into a wall.
Damn it all!
I’m still trying to move as I did when I was a human!
Now that I am a vampire, my stats are far higher than they once were. If I jump with all my strength, as I might have when I was a human, of course it would end up like this.
“Guh?!”
As I panic, the sword pierces my shoulder, effectively pinning me to the wall.
“What’s up with you? Your movements are all over the place—but for some reason, my gut is telling me you’re big trouble. I don’t get it.”
She twists the sword in my shoulder.
Pain assails my senses, but I don’t take as much damage as I expected.
But of course.
I am a vampire.
I can regenerate far faster than humans.
“Huh?!” the young woman cries in surprise.
Still pierced by the sword, I take a step forward to reach for her neck.
She likely thought me trapped, but of course she did not expect me to come at her if it meant pushing the sword farther into my own body.
She quickly lets go of the sword and tries to back away, but my hand reaches her neck first.
Grabbing hold of her, I whirl around.
Now I am the one holding her against the wall.
Seizing the opportunity, I look into her anguished eyes.
“Wh…ah?!”
I use Magic Eye at full force, at the same time tightening my hold on her neck.
The girl tries to resist, but the pain of being strangled combined with the hypnotic power of Magic Eye is too much for her to fight.
The light of reason vanishes from her eyes.
Upon seeing that, I sink my fangs into her neck without a moment’s hesitation.
“Welcome back.”
Lady Ariel greets me, but I have not the willpower to respond.
The most I can manage is a silent nod as I keep walking.
“Good work out there,” she murmurs as I walk by her.
I cannot answer that, either. Instead, I flee silently into the bedroom.
The young miss is still sleeping peacefully on the bed.
As soon as I see her, all the strength drains from my body, and I slump to the floor.
Without rising, I clasp my trembling hands as if in prayer.
My lord, my lady, Goddess.
Please watch over the young miss.
And please forgive me for the sins I must commit to protect her.
My first taste of human blood was intoxicatingly sweet.
I was nearly overwhelmed by the urge to drink every last drop.
When I pierced my fangs into that woman, I felt the dark thrill of having total power over her.
I managed to control myself, but I shudder to think what might have happened if I had given in to my instincts.
I am afraid of myself.
While the young woman was still in a daze from having her blood taken, I used Magic Eye to induce her to forget what happened tonight, but I did not stay to find out whether that worked.
All I could think of was getting away from that place as quickly as possible.
If I had stayed, I might have succumbed to the urge to drink her dry.
My hands are shaking. No, the trembling is coming from my entire body.
This is how a vampire is meant to live.
Attacking humans, drinking their blood.
I have no choice but to live that way from now on.
Am I really capable of that?
I have no regrets about becoming a vampire.
Not a single one.
I must force myself to have none.
Otherwise, I cannot save the young miss.
No one else can keep the young miss safe.
I must be the one to protect her.
I will never break that vow, no matter what.
However…just for this one night, please forgive me for showing weakness.
As my body trembles, I continue to pray.
THE CLOTHES MAKE THE SPIDER
Leeeft alooooone, ooon my ooown.
Whaddaya know—I’m a poet.
Damn that Demon Lord, though.
The rest of them get to relax at an inn while I’m stuck sleeping outside?
Right now they’re enjoying nice soft beds and, most importantly, a proper meal!
Unbelievable!
Dammit! I want some home cooking, too!
Hmph! Whatever. I’ll have a monster-meat party all by myself.
I take out a whole bunch of meat, grilling and eating the pieces one after another.
Between my human mouth up top and my spider mouth down below, I can eat twice as fast!
The two puppet spiders sit quietly, watching me stress eat.
The Demon Lord summoned them to keep an eye on me. But is it just me, or do they look super-jealous of my one-man meat-eating contest?
The puppet spiders are mannequin-shaped monsters that are actually controlled by a palm-size spider inside.
Of course, they literally look like dolls, so their expressions don’t change or anything.
Still, I can kinda tell somehow.
Using Clairvoyance, I examine the spider inside the puppet and wave a piece of meat back and forth experimentally.
The puppet’s head doesn’t move, but the real body, the spider, shifts back and forth in time with the movements of the meat.
Interesting. You want some, too, huh?
Hmm. Well, we did get left out in the cold together.
I suppose I can be generous enough to share some of my food.
I hold out some meat to the two puppet spiders.
They seem excited, but they don’t reach for it right away, apparently torn.
Maybe they want the meat, but they’re not sure if they should accept a gift from the person they’re supposed to be monitoring?
Come on! I’m trying to be nice here. Take it already.
I push the meat into their hands.
The puppet spiders still remain frozen with uncertainty, so I leave them alone for a while, making a show of eating my own share.
Delicious.
By draining the blood from my kills and being mindful of how I store it, I’ve been able to enjoy meat far tastier than any of the unprocessed stuff I used to eat.
The Demon Lord taught me these techniques.
She’s lived for a long time, so she has a lot of knowledge about all sorts of things.
It had never even occurred to me to drain the blood before, but now that I think about it, that does seem pretty standard.
I used to eat those monsters straightaway, so it’s no wonder they always tasted gross.
Although even with this method, I can’t say the monsters I hunted in the Great Elroe Labyrinth are all that delicious.
Most of them are poisonous, for one thing.
By comparison, the meat of monsters living outside is far tastier.
It’s delicious even without additional processing, so if you take the time to do that, it only gets better!
Draining the blood gets rid of the smell, and if I set up the environment in Spatial Storage to preserve it just right, I can draw out the meat’s best flavors.
All this time, I had been using Spatial Storage’s default settings without customizing anything. In fact, I didn’t even realize that on top of keeping things in a separate dimension, you can actually change the conditions of that dimension.
Since I’m storing stuff in there, it makes sense that sometimes changes are needed.
After learning how to change the temperature, humidity, and other settings to appropriate levels for storing meat, I can slightly cure whatever I put in there!
Only slightly, though.
If you’re not careful with the temperature, the meat can go bad, so don’t expect an amateur like me to do anything too fancy.
Just maintaining Spatial Storage’s settings on anything other than the default is already kind of a pain.
But the results are totally worth it!
My catches are so tasty now, I don’t even want to think about the old stuff!
I’m currently whole roasting some meat over a fire.
Once it’s ready, I grab the cartoony piece of meat by the bone, slather it in seasoning, and dig right in.
Ahhh, this is what it means to treat yourself!
And it cost me a grand total of zero yen.
Cheap, delicious, and plentiful—this grilled meat hits all the right notes!
I wouldn’t want to eat this masterpiece in front of someone on a diet, but right now it’s only two puppet spiders and me.
Plus, it’s not like I have to worry about getting fat.
Cook and eat, cook and eat. I repeat the process over and over.
Finally, unable to simply stand by and watch any longer, one of the puppet spiders starts eating, too.
Right as I’m wondering how exactly it’s going to do that, it unhinges around where its jaw would be, then shoves the hand holding the meat up to the elbow into the puppet’s mouth so that it reaches the spider within.
It’s a little scary to watch, to be honest.
Seeing how its friend has surrendered to the meat’s temptation, the other puppet spider is quick to raise the white flag, too.
This one opens its mouth timidly, then stuffs the meat inside like the other one did.
…Why do I suddenly feel a strange sense of defeat?
Seeing a doll-like creature open its mouth unnaturally wide to shove its own arm into its mouth is surreal, but up until that point, they were actually pretty cute.
Are these things more girlie than I am?
Damn. That’s quite a feat, since they don’t have anything that even remotely points to a specific gender in the first place.
Now that I think about it, they must have been made by the Demon Lord’s Egg-Laying skill, right?
The Egg-Laying skill is essentially asexual reproduction, so it’s more like making inferior clones rather than giving birth to children. I guess they’re probably female like the Demon Lord.
Still, they can use weapons and stuff, plus they can understand and obey the Demon Lord’s orders, so I assume they must be pretty smart.
I shouldn’t have let their appearances fool me. These two are the ideal maidens!
I never expected to lose to them in terms of feminine appeal.
Oh come on! I can’t help it!
I put in some effort whenever I left the house in my old life, but at home I was always just lounging around in whatever was comfortable!
And I wasn’t exactly concerned about my appearance after I was reborn as a spider, so you can’t blame me for being a little behind!
If I wanted to, I could totally look not-half-bad, I bet, maybe!
Okay, so what should I do first?
I chomp away at my meat as I start formulating a plan to be cuter than the dolls in front of me.
Yeah, I’m not gonna win with my table manners, that’s for sure.
Greedily shoving meat into my mouth isn’t exactly cute, and it’s not like I’m going to stop now.
So I just have to win with my appearance!
I look down at myself again.
All I’m wearing is a pathetic scrap of cloth around my chest, like some kind of Neanderthal.
Gah! I mean, I might be able to go the sexy route with this, but if I’m not careful, I’m just gonna end up flashing someone by mistake!
I gotta do something about this, and fast!
Gobbling up the rest of the meat, I quickly clean things up.
The puppet spiders have finished eating the meat I gave them, too.
I wasn’t sure if one piece would be enough for them, but I guess the spiders themselves are only about the size of my palm. They probably can’t eat that much.
If anything, I guess the real surprise is that they managed to polish off chunks of meat the size of their own bodies.
Must be nice, being small enough that you don’t need to gather much food.
Forget “bigger is better.” These days, it’s all about miniaturization.
Hmm…? But didn’t I used to eat a lot even before I evolved, back when I was smaller?
Forget it. Not worth thinking about.
Gotta leave that all behind and move on to the next plan.
Namely: making myself some clothes!
I produce some thread and use Thread Control to weave it into cloth, using my human hands to cut it into the shape of clothing.
Normally, you wouldn’t be able to do this kind of thing without tools, but this material is thread I made myself.
With Thread Control, I can shape it however I want.
Plus, I’ve maxed out the Divine Thread Weaving skill.
That means making clothes is a piece of cake!
In fact, I could probably break into the fashion industry with skills like this.
Mother even used this skill to give her thread camouflage that blended in perfectly with the labyrinth walls and floor, if I remember correctly.
Now I’m using that incredibly grand skill to create a single piece of clothing.
Talk about a waste of talent.
Anyway, once I’m done wasting that talent to make my clothes, they’ll be way better than any old scrap of fabric.
In no time at all, I’ve completed a simple one-piece dress.
It’s white, without much in the way of frills or decorations.
Sticking with the KISS principle, I kept the sleeves and waist tapered while leaving the bust loose enough that it won’t emphasize my chest too much.
Pretty impressive work, if I do say so myself.
I also pumped in SP and MP while I worked, giving it more defensive power than the design might suggest.
Maybe that’s why it has a certain mystical air about it.
Anyway, I try it on right away and promptly show it off to the puppet spiders, who applaud with all six of their hands.
I know, pretty impressive, right?
That’s right—keep it coming. I enjoy praise.
I get the feeling they’re applauding how quickly I made the dress rather than complimenting how I look wearing it, but whatever!
They’re staring at my clothes in clear admiration, so it’s all good.
I keep posing for a while, but one of them is starting to look fidgety.
It’s the one who ate the meat first.
Then, unable to resist any longer, it starts imitating me to make clothes of its own.
The other one watches on hesitantly for a bit, then starts doing the same thing.
Despite being of the same make and model, they seem to have different personalities. The one who started first is definitely more proactive.
The two puppet spiders keep making clothes, but their work’s going a lot more slowly than mine did.
Their real bodies might just be palm-size spiders, but since they use their thread to manipulate the puppet from within, their thread-related skills are up there.
Still, they haven’t reached Divine Thread Weaving just yet, so their abilities fall short of mine.
Thinking it might help them out a little, I start making another piece of clothing. This time, though, I do it slowly enough for them to follow along more easily.
Since the puppet spiders have six arms, I choose a design without sleeves this time.
Slowly, with occasional help from me, the puppets embark on their own fashion journey.
Eventually, rather late into the night, they wrap up.
With obvious excitement, the puppet spiders try on the clothes that took so long to make.
Well, shoot.
They’re still just mannequins, but wearing clothes makes them immediately cuter.
After adding a dress to their genderless bodies, they’re perfectly ladylike now.
What is going on?!
I thought clothes just made the person wearing them look better.
For someone who already looks good, what they wear wouldn’t make that much of a difference.
But now I see how wrong I was.
Those lifeless-looking mannequins have been totally transformed by putting on clothes!
Maybe I was too dismissive of clothes and fashion as a whole.
But now that we’ve come this far, it makes me want to fiddle around even more.
Sure, putting clothes on them changed their overall impression quite a bit, but they’re still mannequins.
As things stand, at best they resemble a display in the window of some department store.
But wait just a damn minute!
If simply adding clothes changed them this much, couldn’t we make them even cuter and more feminine with some more adjustments?
I want to test my theory.
No idea why, but I’m super into this idea.
And there’s no time like the present.
Luckily, the puppet spiders and I all have Status Condition Nullification.
It’s an evolution of the Exhaustion Nullification skill, which means we can get by on zero sleep without a problem.
Our night is just getting started!
“Well, that’s weird. Did we always have this many cuties in our party?”
The Demon Lord is the first to speak when the others return from the village.
The baby bloodsucker, too, is staring in bemused wonder.
Only Mera, holding the baby, looks relatively indifferent.
I’m a little disappointed at his lack of reaction, but it was all worth it to see the Demon Lord looking completely flabbergasted.
Of course, she’s talking about the puppet spiders.
They’ve transformed overnight to the point of being nearly unrecognizable.
In addition to their new clothes, they’ve got cute hairstyles now, and their new lifelike faces help them seem more human.
The hair is actually thread made to replicate the look and feel of real hair, which I mass-produced and affixed to their heads.
That was the easy part. It was everything else that really gave me trouble.
If I wanted to take it any further, I would have to rebuild their very bodies.
I mean, their puppet bodies are clearly just that: puppets.
To make them more feminine, I would have to do some touch-ups on their figures.
That sure as hell stumped me, let me tell you.
But that didn’t stop me, and when I carefully Appraised the puppet spiders’ mannequins, I realized that the puppets themselves are constructed from thread.
I had assumed that it was wood or something, but it turned out to be layers of super-fine thread wound together, hardened, then shaped into parts before finally being connected together to form the puppet spiders’ bodies.
Man, thread is amazing.
And if the puppet bodies are made out of thread, that opens up a world of possibilities, right?
I mean, I’ve got the super-pro Divine Thread Weaving skill.
There’s practically nothing I can’t do with this stuff!
So, after a ton of trial and error, I managed to create thread that comes insanely close to the feel of human skin.
I mean, all matter in the world is a bunch of atoms lined up in a particular way.
From that perspective, it should be possible to replicate just about any matter with thread.
And since Divine Thread Weaving allows me to create and manipulate thread however I want, theoretically, I have the ability to re-create any substance.
Thus, by twisting this rather dubious theory and forcing my way through, I managed to accomplish my goal.
Now that I’ve done it, I can’t exactly take it back.
Thread really is amazing.
Once it was finished, I also stuck some of the skin-like cloth over their faces and attached some facial features while I was at it to make them look extra human.
Still, they’re far from perfect.
Their noses don’t actually have nostrils, and their eyes are basically glassy balls that I developed while trying to make skin out of thread.
And I can’t get the lips right at all. I have a long way to go on the details.
Plus, their skin might feel like a human’s at first, but since it’s really just stuck on the surface, pressing too hard makes it very obvious it’s not real.
If I want to improve that, I would have to literally create new bodies from scratch, redoing everything that should be under the skin.
But if all I do is dwell on minor imperfections, there’ll be no end to it.
Part 2 of 8