《A Soul's New Home》


 A Soul and Its Vessel 1

    When I woke up, I found myself in endless darkness. One would think that they''ve died, is what I imagine but there''s something odd about this situation that I just can''t think of it like that.


    First off, I don''t remember having done anything that would lead me dying.


    Or rather, it''s what I like to think.


    In fact, I don''t remember anything. I''ve forgotten who I am even. It''s just that the concept of death is the first thing I thought of, even though I''m not sure what death even is. It''s certainly strange but I''m not panicking nor do I even feel it''s even necessary to panic.


    I just feel... Nothing.


    Maybe this is that thing called limbo? Or maybe I''m just a spirit wondering about?


    In any case, I have no power to change this state of mine.


    ???


    Time passed and I''m still alone with my thoughts.


    For some reason, I know how much time has passed. 500 years, 3 months and 7 days. As for why I know this system of time in particular, I don''t know.


    But even though I know that system, I have no way of knowing if that time is a very long time or not.


    After all, I''m in this endless space where time doesn''t seem to move, I only imagine it to move.


    And as another 500 years had passed, there have yet for anything to happen.


    Now, after a long or short time has passed, I''m feeling very bored. I wish something were to happen soon. I could wait for another 500 years if I have to.


    Then suddenly, as if granting my wish, I bright white light engulfed my ''vision''.


    [You have waited for a long time. Forgive me.]


    I heard a voice that shook my vision with every letter.


    I don''t know who this voice belong but something tells me that they''re someone important.


    [If you think I am important, then believe so.]


    Did you hear my thoughts?


    [Of course. A spirit''s means of communication is through thoughts only, so it''s natural that I should know how to read your thoughts.]


    That''s nice. I finally have a conversation partner. Will you stay with me? At least for 1000 years?


    [My apologies. I can''t give you my attention for that long.]


    Ah, seems like 1000 years is a long time. Then what about 100 years?


    [I can''t be with you for that long either.]


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    Bummer.


    [Cheer up. You will have many conversational partners soon.]


    Really!?


    [Yes. I will be sending your soul to a world that I manage. Of course the vessel for your soul, you''ll be the one to choose.]


    A vessel?


    [Right. You see, the residents of my world have something called a ''body''. This ''body'' can interact with many things in my world but it could also be harmed.]


    Would that also apply to my soul?


    [No, just the body.]


    Hmm... The part where I could interact with ''things'' seems attractive but not the ''getting harmed'' part. Could my ''body'' be invulnerable?


    [That I cannot do. A soul cannot control such a body and for that, you''ll be stuck in the body forever. You wouldn''t also be able to interact with things as well.]


    Right. Scratch that.


    [Of course, there are species in my world that have a tough body. Maybe you could use that.]


    That seems promising. Then I''ll have the one with the toughest body.


    [For that, it would be the species called dragon. Conqueror of the skies and hoarder of treasures. One of the long-lived species that could live for a thousand years.]


    Only a thousand years. That''s such a short time.


    [Maybe for you, but for them it''s a long time.]


    Having ''lived'' for a thousand years myself, I found it short.


    [Then could any other long-lived species suit your needs?]


    What are they though?


    [After the dragon, there are the demons. Capable of living up to 5000 and the second toughest body. Although they''re the enemies of most species.]


    Pass. I''d rather not be targeted by the other denizens of your world.


    [Thought so. Then the next one is the mythical beasts. Capable of living till they''re 10000 years old. They''re treated as gods by some races.]


    I''d rather not be treated as a god. I just like to interact with things and have conversations with the residents of your world.


    [Then the fae. The oldest one of them is currently 13000 years old. They''re mysterious to the other races and the protectors of the forbidden places. They''re small but long living ones had grown to the size of an average human.]


    Sounds like something that couldn''t interact with other people. Also, what''re this human species?


    [They''re the most abundant intelligent species in my world. Although their lifespan is short and their body is one of the weakest, they have a very high birth rate.]


    The fact that there''s so many of them means that I could interact with them if I''m a human as well. I''ll have many conversational partners!


    [It isn''t only the humans that could interact with themselves. Other races could talk with humans, so long as they know their language and culture.]


    Humans are the most viable choice, if not for their weak body and short lifespan...


    [Then how about the longest living species then?]


    What is it?


    [This species is called a vampire. Their lifespan is eternal and their body is as vulnerable as that of a human but they could regenerate their body at an incredibly fast rate. They are able to regenerate whole bodies in at most a decade, if their vital organs didn''t receive a mortal wound.]


    Aren''t they actually immortal!?


    [Yes, they''re a species that would disrupt the order of the world so I gave them weaknesses. One of them is the weakness to sunlight and fire. They''re also hunted down by humans in the past so there are very few left. But now, it is believed that vampires are extinct and only a few of the long-lived races know the vampires.]


    Then if I were a vampire, no could recognize me?


    [Yes. They also look like a human, and their pale skin is the only difference.]


    But the weakness in sunlight and fire... It sounds troubling.


    [Worry not. I could remove those weaknesses.]


    But wouldn''t that disrupt the order of the world?


    [If it''s you, I''m not worried about that.]


    You seem to trust me a whole lot. What am I to you?


    [That I cannot say. You can figure it out for yourself if you wish.]


    Now that just makes me curious.


    [We can have that conversation later. So, do you want to become a vampire?]


    If you would remove the weakness in sunlight and fire then I''m on board. But what about the other weaknesses? Depending on how troublesome they are, could you remove them as well?


    [Then, vampires have a weakness to silver. They prefer blood than anything else for food and if a vampire does not drink blood for an extended period of time then they will go berserk. It is also one of the reasons why they''re hunted down in the past. That and the fact that they''re believed to be undead and unholy due to their cold body temperature.]


    But practically no one knows about that, right?


    [Yes.]


    Then I''m safe.


    [As for the other weaknesses, they''re very small so I''d rather not bore you with that.]


    Well, just having someone to talk to makes me happy.


    [I''m glad to hear that. Then, the specifications of the body. Do you have any preference?]


    Um... I don''t have any reference on what''s nice and so...


    [Oh right, my apologies. Then why don''t you just say what you want your body to be.]


    Maybe make my body something appealing to the residents there. In particular, to the humans. And not just appealing. A form captivating enough that humans wouldn''t even think of hurting my body. Something like that.


    [Then, in short, your body would be cute?]


    Although I don''t know what''s cute and what''s not, so I''ll leave it to you.


    [How about the sex of the body?]


    You mean if I would be the one to give the seed or carry the offspring? Then I don''t have a preference. I''ll leave it to you as well.


    [And with that, we''re done. All that''s left is to grant you my blessings. The negation of your weakness to sunlight and fire, as well as an ability to help you learn more about the world.]


    Oh, thank you.


    [You''re very welcome.]


    After he said that, my soul began to glow in a beautiful yellow light. It seems he''s transferring my soul to my new body.


    Hmm. Although I am very grateful, I have this feeling that you don''t usually do this kind of thing. Giving a soul preferential treatment, I mean.


    [You''re right.]


    ...What am I to you? At least give me a hint.


    [I suppose you''re right.]


    My soul begins to fade as if I''m being engulfed by the yellow light.


    Hey, quickly tell me. I might disappear before I could even hear it.


    [You''re the soul of¡ª]


    But before I could even hear his last words, the white light disappeared and my vision was filled with the darkness that I''m so familiar with.


    But this time it''s different.


    I can feel now.

 A Soul and Its Vessel 2

    When I opened my eyes, I found myself inside some sort of building. The building itself looks to be old and ruined.


    Although the inside of the building is dark, the light from the sun shines through the many cracks in the roof and windows so I''m able to see.


    But regardless if there''s light or not, I''m still capable of seeing.


    Is this one of the vampire''s power?


    At my front, there are 2 columns of benches and each column has 8 benches. Some are destroyed though and some have mushrooms growing on them. At the very end of the building, is the door which seemed to have been tightly shut by a plank. The plank itself looks old as well.


    As I looked behind me, I saw some sort of statue of someone. Must be someone important then. I wonder if that ''guy'' has a statue of his own.


    Surveying the place a bit further, I spotted a mirror. I guess I should check my body then. But as soon as I tried to stand up, I immediately lost balance. I need to get used to this...


    So these are my feet huh? It''s odd to only use two limbs.


    But what''s even odder is why I even know of this?


    It''s like when I look at something, I immediately know what they are. More specifically, their name and their purpose.


    Like, when I looked at my legs, I immediately know that they''re legs and that they''re used for walking, even though I only saw them for the first time.


    This also applies to the windows and benches.


    This must that tool that that guy mentioned.


    Although it seems to only say what something is and nothing more.


    For example, when I saw the statue, I only know that it''s a statue. I don''t know who it''s based on or its creator.


    But enough of that, I need to see myself first.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Since I''m having difficulty walking, I used my hands as well.


    This seems to be the standard for how humans walk, by utilizing all four limbs, since it''s easier to do it this way, at least, its what I think.


    When I finally stood before the mirror, I tried to stand up to get a better look at myself.


    Standing up is a lot easier than walking but it''s still a struggle. As I thought, using all four limbs to walk is the right choice. This method seems to be only used when you''re grabbing something up high.


    Anyway, my body.


    I have a head and a torso as well. How nice.


    The top of my head is filled with this thing called hair. It''s really long and black. Upon looking closer, I also have eyes which are faintly red. This thing must the ones responsible for sight. I should take care of them. I''d rather not return to those dark days.


    I also have 3 holes on my face. The big one''s the mouth and the two little ones are from the nose. And inside my mouth, I have two white protruding things. I just learned that they''re called fangs.


    Next is my torso. The part of my body where all my limbs and head are attached to. A very important body part. I should protect it as well.


    There''s also something squishy attached to my torso. These things seem to be called breasts and the protruding parts on the breast are called nipples. Their purpose is for breastfeeding? Not like I know that anyway.


    Then to my arms and hands. This limb is quite dexterous so it isn''t only used for walking. The hand as well as these things called fingers attached to it. It looks like it''ll be useful for interacting with things.


    Then below the torso is the waist. Where the legs are attached to. And in between the thighs is the thing called the vagina. Ah, this is the organ of the females. So I''m a female, huh? So this is where babies go out of... These babies must be small.


    Maybe I should try it in the future. Reproduction, I mean.


    Last would be my legs. The first impression, they''re pretty useless. The only use I found with them is for walking. And for crushing things it seems.


    Alright, this humanoid body seems alright. As for my overall appearance, I can''t really tell if I''m cute but that guy said I am so maybe I am?


    ...I can''t keep calling him ''that guy'' right? I should give him a name.


    For now, Lacorte seems just right.


    Well then, let''s head off to the outside.


    Smashing the plank that''s been keeping the door shut with my right leg, I set my limbs outside.


    The outside is filled with sunlight... If I were a normal vampire, I would''ve died. Good thing I had those weaknesses removed.


    So, this is the outside, huh? It''s filled with ''trees'' and ''plants''. How green.


    I could also somehow smell creatures called animals as well. These animals also have this blood thing that Lacorte mentioned before.


    I''m not the hungry at the moment so I''d rather refrain since getting this blood would result in the animal dying.


    For now, I should travel around and see where I am.


    ???


    After traveling for a couple of hours, I finally felt something inevitable.


    I''m hungry.


    And the only available food source here is blood. More specifically, animal blood.


    I don''t know what other food sources there are but the only thing I know is blood.


    Frankly, my throat is parched and I don''t think water would solve the problem.


    As such, blood is the answer.


    I could somehow sense nearby animals and more or less determine their size. Must be another power of vampires.


    Although the fact that I can tell that is through the smell of their blood that they faintly leak out, is making an organ inside me rumble.


    Hmm... Would a small animal suffice?


    Thinking that I pounced towards the nearby bush and caught a long-eared animal.


    A rabbit.


    Cutting off its head in a flash, blood gushed out from its neck.


    It''s like a blood eruption. To not let a single drop go out waste, I simply placed its neck inside my mouth. The fur isn''t helping though.


    After a few minutes, the gushing of blood now turned into a trickle. I guess it ran out. It''s a bit lacking but this will have to do. Next time, maybe I should aim for a larger creature.


    Wiping off the blood from my mouth and cheeks, I looked at the sun.


    It seems to be getting darker every second. Not like it matters to me. The moonlight is just enough for me to keep going.

 A Soul and Its Vessel 3

    One would assume that if there''s a structure made by humans, the humans themselves should be close, regardless of how old the structure is.


    Well, seems that assumption is wrong. I still have yet to see any human in my journey. All I''ve seen are animals, trees and plants. Oh and some large rocks as well.


    The animals themselves seem to be quite diverse. I saw some with wings, which are called birds and one with a large body and horns protruding close to its nose. A boar. I also found a few of those little creatures as well. The rabbits.


    And among the animals that I''ve fed on, rabbit''s blood is the most delicious but it''s still a bit bitter and has a strong smell.


    Also, I found out that leaving the carcass of the animals that I''ve fed on would attract predators like those wolves. And among those discoveries, I found that using my fangs to feed is a lot more satisfying so that became my default method to feed.


    There''s also these strange green looking creatures called goblins. They''re a head smaller than me and they have a cloth covering their lower half. At least some of them. They''re also holding dead wood for some reason.


    Upon seeing my body, they salivate like crazy. Even when I just saw it for the first time, I knew they want to eat me. Those guys are scary so I''ll avoid them as much as possible.


    Their blood also tasted bad.


    Three days had passed and there still no sign of a human settlement in sight. Maybe I should have mentioned where I want to be before I was sent here...


    And unlike being a spirit, having a body makes me more bored and lonely. The diversity in animals and plants is nice but I want someone to talk to. It''s one of the reasons why I picked a body with humanoid features.


    There''s also the need that I have to do this activity called sleeping. Though I can sleep anytime I want, my body seems to prefer to sleep in the day so I went with that.


    I tried befriending the animals here but they all seem wary of me. Maybe the blood on my body is the reason...


    In any case, the animals hate me, I can''t talk to plants, there''s no human in sight and a smell like blood which makes me hungry more frequently.


    After another few hours of eventless walking, smelled a faint scent of blood.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Although it could just be regarded as the faint scent of blood that I smell from the animals here, this one is different. Somehow it''s sweeter.


    I should go and take a look.


    I sped across the trees and shrubs, evading the animals as I go on all fours.


    As get nearer and nearer, the smell of this sweet blood is getting stronger. It''s making me all the more thirsty.


    Then I started to hear a loud voice. It sounded like a scream.


    Wonder what''s that for...


    Finally, I arrived and it seems my hunch was right. There are humans!


    And what''s better is that they''re 6 of them!


    The other 2 are dead though, unfortunately.


    The other 4 seems to be wearing those cloths that the goblins wore, although it''s a lot less shabby looking and they wore it on both upper and lower half of their body. I guess they''re called clothes?


    Those 4 is also holding onto a metal thing. A sword? It must be meant for doing harm.


    And they''re also walking using only legs. They''re definitely weird and scary. It might be best not to approach right now. I don''t think they''re up for a conversation.


    As for the other 2 that are still alive. Both of them are female. They''re squishing each other it looks like. I think Lacorte implied that humans are warm. Maybe they''re cold and they want to warm up? It isn''t chilly though.


    [????????!]


    [!? ???????????]


    [?????????????????!]


    Oh? They''re talking although I can''t seem to understand.


    But for the females, they seem to be afraid.


    Ah... This might be more serious than I thought.


    The 4 males have that wide grin on their faces as well. It reminds me of those goblins.


    ...


    Are they planning to eat them? Strange.


    As the 4 males get closer, the females dragged their bodies back further until they hit the trunk of a tree, cornering them.


    Now the males are actually salivating.


    Should I help them? Maybe this is some kind of culture for humans.


    ...


    I guess I should make my appearance first. Maybe they''ll target me instead. If they hurt me, I can just heal my wound instantly anyway but the pain that would follow that would not be good.


    I would, of course, retaliate as well. I might accidentally cut their throats in the process. But it''s not like that will happen. Lacorte said that my form should be ''cute'' for humans so maybe there''s a chance that they won''t even think of trying to attack me.


    I definitely don''t want to drink their blood. That''s not my goal here. It just smells like trouble and I''m here to intervene.


    And so, I dropped in between them.


    Ah, they''re surprised. I guess that''s expected.


    [???????????!?]


    This one guy then shouted some words at me. Then few of them said something to the man that shouted. Not like I can understand what they''re saying.


    Then when I didn''t respond, he rushed at me.


    This is purely self-defense now.


    Before his sword could even gain momentum to swing at me, I lunged at him and cleanly beheaded him using my hands.


    [???????!]


    [???????!]


    Then the other 3 came at me. I beheaded them as well in the same fashion. They almost hit me with those sharp things but it was a good thing that I was faster than them.


    I might have done something I shouldn''t have thought. I thought that my appearance would at least make them hesitate on attacking me.


    It''s a bummer that I have to kill the first humans I met.


    But a least I get to have this feast! I can''t believe human blood would be this delicious. It''s smooth and tangy with a sweet aftertaste. It''s also a bit sour but I can ignore that.


    Those animal blood just can''t compare.


    This might be a problem if I want to interact with humans. I might just see them as food...


    Then I guess I should limit myself. I can''t get too addicted to this stuff.


    For now, I''ll just drink the blood from one of them and save the rest for later.


    And right, there are those female humans as well.


    When I looked back, the one with the yellow long hair and large breast is unconscious and there''s a smelly yellow liquid coming out from between her legs, while the other one is visibly shaking while tightly hugging the other.


    ...I might have done something I shouldn''t have.

 A Soul and Its Vessel 4

    In this world, there is a thing called ''consequence''.


    Every action done is paired with a responsibility. If you want to do something, you have to face that responsibility.


    I just learned that first hand.


    I hadn''t thought it through properly and now I might have done something outrageous.


    From the expression of the two female humans that I saved, what I''ve done is clearly not normal.


    Now, what should I do...? Clearly, they''re afraid of me and if I leave now, they might warn other humans from me which makes it harder for me.


    And who knows when I would be able to find other humans. They also have this delicious blood... I would most certainly crave for this taste again. I might go berserk like what Lacorte told me.


    Right... I could threaten them...


    ... Bad idea.


    Ah, seems the one with the yellow long hair and large chest is awake now.


    Maybe I should let them run away, then follow them? They could lead the path towards where other humans might be.


    ...good idea.


    Then I''ll just sit here then and wait for them to go away. I''ll finish up the rest before following them. They have a scratch here an there so I may be able to track them even if they''re far away by the scent of their blood.


    But even after an hour has passed, they''re still here...


    They just simply sat there, squishing each other and staring at me with stiff expressions. The one with the black short hair looks to be trying to hide the yellow long haired one.


    They still seem to be wary of me.


    After a couple of minutes more, I''m finally done feeding off of this body here. I dug a hole for the three bodies so those wolves won''t be able to snatch them.


    But for these two... I don''t know what to do with them and I don''t know what they want. I wish they could be less wary of me if they''re just going to stay here.


    Even when I just glanced at them, they''ll immediately flinch. Is killing a member of their own species in front of them just that scary? I''ll have to take note of that.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Ah... I only noticed now but it seems to be getting dark. I doubt humans can see well with little light.


    ... Maybe I could make a fire? I''m not weak against it now that Lacorte removed it so it should be perfectly safe to make one.


    But how do you make one exactly? Can I even make it? Maybe it''s supposedly something naturally occurring.


    When I looked back at the two again, I noticed they''re shaking. It''s a different kind of shaking. One that wasn''t caused by fear but rather one caused by a change in temperature. They must cold right? I guess it''s getting dark. Then all the more reason why I need that fire.


    Wiping off the blood from my mouth and cheek, I immediately went off to work.


    More specifically, I looked into the box thing that they have. I believe it''s called a carriage? A thing for transportation? That makes sense then to why they''re here. Using this thing to travel from where they came from to somewhere they want to go to. Then something happens that made them halt their progress.


    If I''m reading it right, then maybe those males I killed might be the one responsible for that halt? Then somehow those males have a culture of eating females? It could be or maybe I''m wrong.


    Quite an unappetizing thought but as if I can talk though. I just recently drained the blood from one of them.


    For now, I should search the inside of this carriage.


    As expected there are a lot of unfamiliar things inside. Rather a lot of this single type of thing. Books.


    I learned they''re for ''reading'' but it''s not like I can understand what ''reading'' even is. Would reading involve this strange symbols? Letters are what they''re called.


    When I grabbed one of them, the long-haired one suddenly stood up rush at me while the short-haired one stopped her.


    This might be something important to her then. I don''t want to needlessly cause more trouble than I currently did.


    Then, a sudden gush of wind hit us. The long-haired immediately sat down and try both huddled together once again, visibly shaking.


    Right. They''re definitely cold. Nighttime is certainly cold and personally don''t mind that coldness but for these humans, who are in the warm side of the spectrum naturally, they might think otherwise.


    I should get that fire started quickly.


    There must be something here that I could use.


    After rummaging around for a moment, I finally found something. A rolled up piece of paper with an ominous feeling.


    It''s called a scroll apparently and it emits this strange aura that screams danger and fire. Is this fire? I don''t see any correlation of it being related to sunlight whatsoever.


    Maybe those two humans might be able to do something.


    Since they''re wary of me, I''ll just throw the scroll thing towards them and have them figure something out.


    Tossing them the scroll they looked at me confused. They then glanced at each other and then back. Repeating that a couple of times, they stood up and headed for somewhere. Have they thought of something? They''re pretty skilled at walking while only using their legs. Maybe that''s the standard?


    After a couple of minutes, they came back while holding onto some branches that look to be freshly pulled off from a tree.


    They then place these branches in an orderly fashion, stacking them with one another until they formed a little structure.


    The short haired one then pulled out the scroll and pointed the side with strange symbols written on them towards the structure that they made.


    [????????.]


    After saying something, suddenly, a bright red ball came out of the paper and hit the structure, lighting it on ''fire''.


    So this scroll is able to produce fire, huh? That''s why the scroll screams fire when I get close to it. A fire capable of lighting things on fire.


    Fire is really odd. It dances around in the air as it flickered. So this is my supposed weakness? It''s quite enchanting.


    While I was staring at the fire, long-haired one said something at me with a smile on her face for some reason. While the short-haired one said to her of what sounded like her refusal, she just rubbed the short-haired one''s head.


    I don''t know what they''re telling me to do. I should have asked Lacorte to give me some kind of power to understand the humans in this world...


    Then, the long-haired one stood up and approached me. She then held out her hand towards me for some reason. Is she saying that I could drink her blood? No no, I don''t believe that''s the case. They were pretty scared when I drained the blood of that guy so I don''t think she would willingly give her blood to me.


    So what is this ''action'' supposed to mean?


    When I didn''t respond, she grabbed my hand instead. So this is how you respond to that.


    She then dragged me towards where they''re sitting.


    Or is she? Is she planning to drag me towards the fire? Did she realize that I''m a vampire!? Probably not.


    Though, the fire feels nice. Can''t believe that vampires are weak against this. Although, I have this lingering fear of it.


    It seems like the short-haired one is against me being here.


    I guess it''s understandable. Although I don''t know much about the residents of this world, their culture and how they treat each other. I wish to learn it all in the future. Maybe if I learned that, they''ll be less afraid of me.


    And even though I couldn''t exactly communicate with them, just being close to someone like this feels nice. Definitely beats my time of having to spend a thousand years alone.

 A Soul and its Vessel 5

    After that whole ordeal, the two humans that I''m with talked to one another while glancing at me from time to time as I just stared at them.


    The long-haired one, in particular, has a nice expression, while the short haired one still seems to be wary of me.


    Maybe I should give them temporary names for now until I learned their true names. It should make it easier to address them then.


    So the name that I''ll be giving the long-haired one would be ''Sun'' while the short haired one, ''Night''.


    I think its appropriate since Sun is the one that gave me a chance to feel what a pleasant warmth feels like and Night is someone that I feel would be overprotective of Sun. Like how the night hides the sun every half of the day and lets it rest.


    After a few hours, they fell asleep. Though, Night only slept after 20 minutes after Sun did. She''s still wary of me it looks like. These two likes to squish each other, even when they sleep.


    And I guess her suspicion is right. Frankly, I''d like to taste their blood, even just a little yet for some reason, I don''t have that strong of a drive to do that right now. Plus, if I did that, I don''t think I would get another chance to get close to them like I just did a while ago.


    Right, the only thing that''s getting in the way of me tasting their blood right now is the fact that I don''t have much of a drive to do it, though I do desire it. Must be because I''m still full from before.


    Yeah, that must be it.


    I''ll just wait for a while until I''m hungry again, and then if they ''accidentally'' get Injured, I''ll have a taste. I won''t do anything to them, of course. I feel that wouldn''t be right.


    At least not directly that is.


    But speaking of doing something to them, their warm bodies are very inviting. They wouldn''t be upset or scared if I squeezed myself in between them, right?


    ???


    When morning came, my warm beds woke up.


    They were very surprised by what I did but they didn''t get scared of me it looks like. They''re just surprised. More so, Sun is talking to Night as if she''s happy about something. And as always, Night is making a contorted expression while replying to her.


    They''re quite close.


    When they noticed I was staring at them, Sun made a delighted expression and ran towards the carriage.


    After a short while, she came back and she brought with her one of those clothes that they wear.


    However, this one is very thick and large. It looks to be made from the skin of those boars that I saw. It''s tougher than I remember and doesn''t smell. There''s also the fur of those wolves attached to the part where the neck would be if one wore it.


    While I was thinking that, Sun made me stand up and placed the coat on me. It''s very warm. I like it.


    "Thank you."


    I know they won''t understand what I said but I should still say it.


    And as I thought, they''re confused to what I just said.


    So this must be a culture of humans. Wearing clothes is the norm, and standing using only the legs. I might have been doing it the wrong way the whole time then.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    From now on, I''ll practice walking with using only my legs.


    If I get to a place with lots of humans, I need to be able to do this much or else I might get looked at as being strange.


    And I think these two think of that as well. They''re giggling when they saw me walking but when I looked at them, they immediately stopped. Even Sun did.


    Did I do something scary again? Is my walking that scary? As I thought, walking is a major part of human culture.


    Maybe this walking thing''s difficulty depends on one''s height. I''m apparently one and a half heads smaller than Sun and two heads smaller than Night. For some reason, this height difference makes me feel depressed.


    After that, they made some preparations to leave. They poured water on the weakening flame, collected some of their belongings and dug two holes for the body of the two who died. As for me, I watched them do all that.


    I also tried to drink the blood from those three bodies that I buried but their taste isn''t that good anymore. They also have an added taste of dirt. As such, I buried them again.


    When those two saw me doing that, they both have an awfully stiff expression and Sun, in particular, looked pale. When I looked at her, she stiffened up and smiled wryly at me.


    ... Seems like drinking blood from corpses in front of them would be a bad idea. From before, I just thought they''re scared of me because I killed those humans but it looks like it''s also because of the fact that I drink blood.


    This must be the reason why the humans hunted vampires till there''s only a few left.


    I''ll be careful of my actions in the future.


    ???


    2 days have passed since then and nothing noteworthy had happened.


    Currently, I''m pulling their carriage. It isn''t really much of an effort for me but for them, they can''t pull it even a little bit. They were troubled about what to do so I volunteered, much to Sun''s refusal to the idea. But in the end, she gave up and let me do it.


    Needless to say that they were shocked when they saw me being able to pull the carriage easily.


    Looks like the books and papers in there are important to them.


    And since then, they seem less wary of me now. Sun even engaged with a conversation with me even though I don''t know their language.


    I''m sure she knows that fact yet she still talks to me. What a nice human.


    Although, Night still doesn''t seem to trust me that whole lot. That''s fine, I''m not forcing her to, and I understand why she''s still suspicious of me.


    I don''t trust myself as well. The urge to drink their blood is steadily increasing as time pass. I really want to know what their blood taste like and there isn''t any good opportunity for me to do so. I could use my fangs to drink their blood while they sleep but I''m sure that would result in them waking up and the sight of me biting their necks would cause them to panic.


    Fortunately, I can still control myself. Also, we''re still quite close to the cluster of trees called ''forest'', which is a word I just recently learned. I also learned a few more names during these two days.


    On a side note, I learned of their names in their language. Sun''s name would be Lilia and Night''s name is Roosevelt. Would I change the way I address them? No, I won''t. And adding to things that I learned, I can now walk using only my legs and feet. Now I can completely blend in with humans.


    I also learned what humans eat. They''re called dried meat, bread, and water. So, the meat from those animals I''ve killed can also be used for sustenance if the proper preparations were done. As for the bread, it looks strange. I learned that it''s made of wheat but I don''t know what that is so bread is still mysterious for me.


    I also tried tasting them. Honestly, the taste is really bland, it''s disappointing. I''d rather drink goblin blood than this.


    In our breaks, I''m hunting rabbits for their blood and I gave them what''s left of it. Of course, I drink the blood somewhere they couldn''t see.


    To what they did with the rest of the rabbit, when nighttime comes and when they started a fire, they''ll burn the body of the rabbit and eat it. I tasted it as well and it tastes like a more edible version of dirt. Definitely not going to try that again.


    And as for rest, I sleep in the carriage for 4 hours in the afternoon while they sleep 3 hours before midnight for 7 hours or so while I continue to move the carriage. In between those times, we either eat or continue walking.


    That''s basically how our days went.


    Anyway.


    I didn''t expect that we''ll find plain land in just a few hours when we departed. Actually, I didn''t expect that plain land even existed. I thought this world is covered in trees.


    And in this plain land, there''s this human-made path called ''road''. It''s meant to be used by ''vehicles'' like carriages. Although, I''m a bit disappointed to know that carriages needed something to pull them.


    As for where we''re going, I don''t know. I''m just following them. They must be headed to a place filled with humans. I think they understood as well that I want to come with them.


    Anyway, the plains are really fascinating. Since there aren''t any trees to obstruct my vision, I could see more of the world.


    I learned a bunch of things when I got here as well. The mountains that I could hardly see, is now in full view here and I could see how the birds could fly so up high. It really makes you envious.


    After an hour of walking, I noticed something.


    The scent of a human. Multiple of them and I reckon they''re all male. There rising behind the thick cluster of plants and grass, just behind the trees to our right.


    I wonder what they''re doing there. For now, I think I should warn them.


    Stopping the carriage at the side of the road, I pulled on the sleeves of the two and pointed to the direction where I sensed the humans. Night looked at me dubiously but Sun seems to get what I want them to tell. At least I hope so.


    Whether they think it''s an animal or a human, I don''t know. I''d rather have them be alert. If it''s something dangerous, then I don''t want them to die.


    If they''re going to die, thenthey should do itafter I''ve tasted their blood.


    Now that I think about it, wouldn''t this be a perfect opportunity for them to get wounded without me doing it and risk losing their trust and have them return to being afraid of me again?


    A good idea if I do say so myself!


    Of course, if it gets dangerous, I''ll step in and help. I''ll just make a scenario for myself that would excuse of not being able to help them immediately.


    But this plan would only happen if the humans hiding intended to do harm in part with their culture, like those 4 before.


    As for the two, after talking for a bit, they decided that Sun should stay in the carriage while Night takes out a sword and placed and attached the scabbard on the belt around her waist. Night also locked the carriage door for added protection for Sun.


    How overprotective of her.


    She gestured at me to continue moving. And just a few moments when we started, several human males wearing both metal and leather garments appeared from the thickets.


    Now for my little scheme to play out.

 A Soul and Its Vessel 6

    Several human males appeared from the thicket. They possess clothes made with the same material that I''m wearing and several pieces of metal things located in certain locations of their body. Their shoulders, knees, and arms are some parts that some of them cover.


    Although some of the human males only have one piece of armor. Most likely it''s because they don''t have enough of this armor.


    These metal things are called metal armor. Their purpose is to protect the body of the wearer it seems. From looking at it, it definitely looks very hard.


    It''s also made with the same material that the sword is made of to which they''re hanging on their waists.


    I''m guessing that this is most of them then. 13 of them appeared but there''s still 4 more of them that has yet to come out. What are they waiting for?


    And also, one of them is wearing an armor that covers his whole torso along with other metalprotection to cover other areas of his body. He also has a bigger version of the sword that Night and the other males uses placed on his back. It''s practically half as wide as his back and it''s length reached from his shoulders down to his thighs.


    This one must be someone important. He looks strong as well.


    He''s also wearing an ear-to-ear grin on his face.


    Looking at Night, she looks frightened for a while but she then put up a fearless expression. Quite brave of her, that is if you remove the part where she''s shaking.


    The guy with torso armor shouted something at Night, making her expression contort a bit. She then replied back, shouting while pointing her sword at him.


    Then the guy shrugged his shoulders and replied back. It seems to have provoked Night considerably so it must be some nasty remark.


    I noticed how Night''s grip on her sword tightened.


    It looks like the armor guy noticed this as well and said something that further provoked Night.


    It seems Night couldn''t contain her irritation anymore and she rushed at him, sword at hand.


    Despite Night''s actions, the armor guy stood there, doing nothing.


    As Night was about to slash at his abdomen, the armor guy, grabbed the blade of the sword, effectively stopping her attack.


    Blood trickles down from the wound he got from the blade but he didn''t even flinch.


    I for one got to feel pain myself in my lonesome before I met these two. It''s a sensation I couldn''t get used to and I''d rather not want to experience it if I could avoid it, even if my body is essentially immortal. So for him to just ignore pain like that, he''s definitely something else.


    While being unable to comprehend what just happened, Night stood there for a moment. And at the moment, armor guy pulled the sword towards him and punched Night''s face, sending her flying a good distance away.


    Her body touched the ground shortly but she didn''t stop immediately. Her body dug up the ground beneath it as it continued to go forward from the force of the armored guy''s fist. She eventually came to a stop when she crashed into a nearby large rock.


    Upon impact, blood escaped from her mouth. Her chest visibly heaved heavily.


    Just then, a loud banging came from the carriage door. After a few thumps, the hinges of the door flew off, with Sun going with it.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Roosevelt!" She shouted as she forced herself to stand up.


    I didn''t expect the guy to put out that much power. Night''s still alive. At least barely and her blood isn''t leaking not just from her mouth and nose but also from the wound on her neck.


    This might be more serious than I thought.


    Before I even noticed, Sun had limply walked towards me and had grabbed my shoulders. She then said something to me. All of it was gibberish but there are some words that I can understand. The name of Night. Roosevelt.


    She said her name along with some words to accompany it. I don''t know what she''s saying but I think I know what she means.


    I used my finger to wipe away the water coming out from her eyes. This water seems to be called tears. Its purpose is to help ease the mind in case of an extreme emotional distress.


    Is what she''s experiencing currently an emotional distress? An emotional distress caused by seeing someone she knows get hurt.


    I think I could understand it a little. If Night were to get killed, I think I would feel an emotion akin to something like ''how regrettable'' or ''what a waste''.


    Although I know that it isn''t the same as to what Sun is feeling right now, I''m sure it has some resemblance. Regarding the difference to how we would feel towards Night getting injured, maybe it''s because of the difference in our relationship.


    I''m sure Night and Sun know each other for some time now and as for me, they only knew me for only a few days at most.


    I also didn''t make the best first impression and I couldn''t even communicate with them so getting to know each other would be hard.


    There''s also the fact that I see them as a walking delicacy. Of course, I would still see them like that despite all this.


    And so, the difference in how we feel isn''t all that surprising. And yet even after knowing all this and knowing that these things are something that I couldn''t do anything about, I still feel bad.


    Maybe I''m feeling bad because I feel something different from Sun, or maybe I''m feeling bad because I know so little about these things.


    In any case, it is a fact that I feel bad and I would like to remove this nasty feeling.


    So, I don''t see any point to hesitate now. Surely if I helped now, I would have a better relationship with them than when I help after Night already has an open wound. I should also remember the fact that humans are many times more fragile than I am.


    Right. Then I made up my mind.


    During the time when I and Sun were having this ''exchange'', Night has already stood back up. She balanced herself with her sword but from the looks of it, she could barely stand back up.


    For now, I tell Sun that I''m willing to help. I don''t know what gesture it is to say ''yes'' in this situation so maybe a smile could work.


    Oh, it worked. Sun stopped talking and shaking. Her tears also stopped coming out. That''s good. That must mean that she isn''t emotionally distressed anymore.


    Though her face is redder than usual. It''s a bit worrisome but it does give off a nice aroma. If it isn''t something bad, then I hope her face would do that more often.


    I''ll have to think about that later on. I looked over the situation again.


    It looks like the armor guy has pulled out his sword.


    He then said something to Night most probably more provocations.


    Night''s face twisted from both the pain and from anger. She tried to stand up with her own two feet but she ended up relying on her sword to stand up again just a few seconds later. The guy chuckled at this.


    She''s obviously not fit to fight with this guy.


    It still puzzles me why these human males wants to kill them. What reason do they have? Could it be that they''re just the same with those for that I killed before? Another group of humans with the same culture of killing one''s kind.


    Then they''re no better than them so I''ll just have to kill them all to get this over with.


    Kicking off the ground using my right foot to start, I sped across the ground and managed to reach the armor guy in a few seconds.


    As I came close to him, I launched myself towards him, ready to stomp his head to the ground.


    Although suprised by my sudden action and speed, he nonetheless managed to get his sword in a position that would render my attack useless.


    Instead of his face, due to the sword getting in the way, I hit the sword instead. To keep my balance, I used the sword as platform and kicked off again to get a bit of distance between him and me.


    It looks like I hit his sword hard enough that he didn''t managed to resist it much and the sword hit his face.


    After massaging his nose for a short while, he then pointed his sword at me and said something. Most likely it''s provocations but since I can''t understand him, I simply tilted my head.


    That action seemed to anger him though so this time, he''s the one who went after me this time. He placed the large sword on his back, both his hands is gripping on it''s handle. After coming close enough, he jumped off and he swung the sword forwards, intending to cut me in half.


    I fell that I would definitely be cut in half if I hadn''t dodged it.


    Upon him reaching the ground, I went and jumped up myself and landed a hit using my the heel of my foot on his back. The armor got in the way for a direct attack but I managed to sent it.


    Looks like I used a bit too much force on my hit as his legs gave out. Seeing this an opportunity, I landed a clean hit to his head, making his whole body arch upwards.


    I then spun and used my other foot to force him down, stomping on his head to the ground. From he twitches, he should still be alive but I guess I''ll leave it there. I doubt he can move at all.


    The surrounding humans are oddly silent. I didn''t think they''d expected me to do this. Even Night and Sun have their mouths wide open.


    As I was thinking that, this guy managed to muster enough strength to grab my legs and throw me off of him.


    I got too distracted, huh?


    After stomping on his face, he''s face is horribly disfigured. I''m sure that the nose normally wouldn''t bend in that direction.


    [?????????????...!]


    Even still, he he managed to shout with his all. Although he sounded as if he said it wrong due to his broken jaw, the other human males snapped out from their shock and understood what he just said.


    I should have killed him immediately if I knew this would happen. I can''t possibly handle this many humans at once. No, I''m sure it would come to this as well even if I killed him.


    They had an obvious aim from the start and it''s to kill these two.


    They''re the first humans that I''ve met and they seem nice enough to let me accompany them. They will lead me to some place with lots of humans. I can''t possibly let them die.


    Plus, I still haven''t tasted their blood. Maybe if I asked, they''ll give me at least a drop. As for Night, maybe she can let me lick her face for a bit.


    When I glanced back at them, Sun has already cleaned out the blood from Night''s face and put long cloth things over the wound.


    Ah... What''s waste. The blood''s somehow became one with the thing that she used to clean the blood with. I can''t possibly drink that.


    Anyway.


    I guess I''ll stay and fight.

 A Soul and Its Vessel 7

    Firstly, analyze the situation.


    There are 12 humans with varying kinds and numbers of armor placed on varying places on their bodies. All of them have a sword. There''s also 4 more hidden behind the thicket. It should be fine to ignore them.


    There''s also the big armor guy who I just recently injured. It''s safe to assume that he won''t be fighting this time. Plus, he''s already at the verge of death. Or not.


    All of them seems to have the intent to kill us but they''re all keeping their distance. Probably because they''re cautious.


    I don''t know what other abilities that humans have. Lacorte didn''t say anything of the sort though so maybe it''s fine to not suspect anything.


    Alright, from how I easily beat this big human, and as well as those 4 humans before, it should be plainly obvious that I''m stronger than any of them.


    Maybe I can beat them after all. But still, it''s best to be cautious. I''d rather not get injured. I don''t like pain, I regret not having that part removed.


    One came forward to attack me. A simple swing over the head like the big human did.


    Easily, I dodged it and then I grabbed his clothes and kicked him towards the others.


    I managed to to get 2 of them. They''ll take time stand up again.


    Then, 4 of them came at me at once as the rest advanced forward. I punched the closest one in the face but he barely managed to dodge it. My fist grazed his cheeks though so he still lost his balance and fell down.


    The other 3 attacked me after that. All three of them aimed to attack different areas. One aimed at my head, the second at my torso, then the their at my legs.


    I could simply use a bit of strength to move myself a fair bit distance backwards. But maybe I should just block it using my arms, just to see how painful it is to get hit by one of those swords.


    Even though I said that I''d rather not get injured, this might be a good opportunity to feel know how painful it is right now so I wouldn''t get surprised by the degree of pain later on.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Prioritizing my head and torso, I held up my arms to block it, leaving my legs exposed.


    Two words slashed at my arms and it didn''t feel pleasant at all. I could tell that the wound it left is deep, with blood pouring out of them. The other sword hit the shin of my legs which had almost made me lose balance.


    This sensation is definitely something that I won''t forget.


    Still, I''m sure this kinds of wound should have felt more painful but oddly enough, they didn''t hurt as much as I would have expected them to. Of course it''s still really painful.


    Using this brief pause in their action, I spun around and kicked the head of the one who hit my leg, sending him flying.


    I continued the spin and used it to bring myself forward to the other one right in the chest. He wheezed in pain as he toppled backwards. The last tried to strike me again with a horizontal swing but I managed to dodge it and brought my left foot on his jaw, bringing him down.


    Then the one I barely managed to punch had stood up. He still looked fazed so I easily brought him down again.


    I didn''t think I''ve caused the four anything that fatal but they didn''t move after that so maybe they died.


    And as expected, my wounds had healed significantly after just a few seconds.


    When I looked at the other 8 humans, they stopped their advance. One of them blew an irritatingly loud sound.


    Then four fast moving things came out from the thicket. Most likely it was fired by the ones hiding behind the thicket. I narrowly dodged them but I''m sure the next one''s won''t have any chance to hit me now that I am aware of them. Unless they increased the amount.


    I really hope that these humans are a special case and that most humans aren''t like this. If most of them are as aggressive as this then I would rather talk to a boar than with humans then.


    Looks like they couldn''t throw those things at me consecutively.


    After that, the remaining 8 human males rushed at me.


    Even if they''re weak individually, I''m not so sure if I can handle 8 of them. In this case, I should properly go for the kill.


    Using the same thing I did to the first four humans that I''ve killed, I beheaded the first one that attacked.


    I tried to retaliate towards the next one but another one hit me from behind. I flinched from the pain but still managed to hit another one, but my hit wasn''t fatal. The armor on his head blocked my attack.


    He then counterattacked by reflexively thrusting his sword. By then I was trying to dodge out of the way of another sword swing so I was hit right on my chest.


    The sword pierced at the side of my stomach. This isn''t good. No matter how good a vampire''s regeneration is, if my head or heart get destroyed, I''m done for!


    I used all my strength to get me out of the encirclement, taking a human with me, to which I snapped the head of shortly after.


    I then threw the body towards them, strong enough to knock them off their feet.


    But right after I just did that, those annoying flying things, which are called arrows it seems, suddenly zoomed past my face.


    Before I could even react to the next arrow, it had already embedded itself inside my head.


    The pain came afterwards but I couldn''t really feel it all to well. I lost my vision, then my hearing, then soon after, sense of smell came after.


    I could still feel blood flowing out of my skull. I could feel the pool of blood that I''m lying on. I could feel it increasing in area.


    I couldn''t believe it. It happened so suddenly.


    I was careless there. I knew that there are arrow-shooting humans with them but I completely forgot about them in most crucial point. No, I don''t think it''s because of that.


    Even if I didn''t forget about them, I would surely still get hit by an arrow. Those humans must have planned this all along.


    It was me who underestimated them.


    In the end, I couldn''t save those two. I''m sure those humans would''ve killed them by now.


    Ugh... I couldn''t believe this. I didn''t even last a month in living in this world.


    I''m sure I would''ve disappointed Lacorte...


    I''m sure that I...


    I''m...Tired.

 A Soul and Its Vessel 8

    In her childhood, Lilia Suntory is a lonely child. Born as a merchant''s daughter, she saw many people coming and going in their shop, she also met and acquainted with many people because of this but in all of that, she was never allowed to go outside on her own.


    Lilia was curious as she was active. The regular customers of their shop greet and talks with Lilia, and even play with her. But she wasn''t satisfied with that just that.


    Her father as well always dotes on her daughter whenever he has free time. But the affection of her father is just not enough. Or rather, there''s was something missing.


    Those who go to their shop are almost always adults. Rarely do children come in their shop, even though they also sell candies, toys and other commodities that children would like.


    She knew of some children too but she rarely gets to meet them and even when they managed to meet up and play, it always turns awkward. One of those children even forgotten about Lilia until she reminded them.


    Lilia wanted someone her age. There was just something from adults that made them hard to get along.


    Lila wanted someone that would play with her. Adults are just always busy with things that she didn''t understand.


    Lilia wanted someone to understand her. Not even her father could understand every bit of her feelings.


    Lilia wanted someone she can play with frequently. Her father is an adult so he didn''t qualify.


    It was selfish and she knows it. She understood why her father never wanted her to go outside alone.


    Misfortune befalls their family, is what her father believes. His father had lost his mother, his only parent, and his wife to whom she loved dearly. Lilia is the only family he has and he intends to protect her even for the cost of her childhood.


    Not leaving the house without her father meant not going to school either. Normally, only wealthy families could send their children to schools and those children only consists of males. Rarely do girls would get proper education since it''ll just be a waste.


    The girls would be married off in the future so giving them proper education is pointless. As for boys, they would be able to help in their parent''s business so there''s some merit in sending them to schools.


    But Lilia''s father isn''t like that. Her father tutored her from a very early age. Because of this, she knew how to read, write, and basic arithmetics. She also knew a little about history and geography, and as well as the trade and such.


    She was thankful for that but she couldn''t really be happy about it. As she reached 5 years old, Lilia''s loneliness just grew. She couldn''t smile on the day of her birthday, she rarely left her room and she would throw tantrums more frequently.


    Her father grew concerned. He knew why she''s like that but he can''t afford to risk his daughter''s safety. Even going out more frequently wouldn''t reallyhelp much as he still needs to manage his shop and he didn''t think that Lilia''s loneliness would disappear just from that.


    Then he got an idea.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    A week had passed and just when Lilia went downstairs to greet his father, she saw a little girl.


    She''s wearing something odd. She recognises it. It was what they would call a maid uniform.


    For a child to wear a maid uniform, what is his father intends on doing? Surely he wouldn''t make her become a worker here. Wouldn''t it be wiser to hire someone older? Lilia thought to herself.


    She saw her father having an oddly wide smile as well. She began to feel more suspicious, and strangely excited about this.


    "Come closer, Lilia." Her father said in a cheerful voice.


    Uneasily, she walked over.


    She then saw the girl up close. The girl has short black hair and droopy brown eyes. Her mouth formed a straight horizontal line. Her complexion is slightly brown in color as if she''s been in under the sun frequently.


    Lilia is confused about all of this. She then looked at his father inquisitively.


    "Meet Roosevelt. She''ll be your personal maid from now on. Please get along well with each other."


    Personal maid?


    She heard of maids before from her father. They''re people hired by rich families to clean their golden mansions. They''re also super expensive to hire so how could father managed to hire one, and why a child?


    Seeing her daughter is still confused, he then explained how he managed to hire someone like her.


    To put it shortly, her father helped a family that he''s acquainted with pay off their debt to a loan shark in exchange for their daughter to work under her as a maid. Of course, he also allowed the family to visit their daughter and vice versa, and he would even offer them financial support every 3 months.


    The debt itself is pricey and would certainly lighten his wallet but little do Lilia know, he was saving up large amounts of money in the years he''s been in business, only spending his profit on what''s necessary so Lilia thought that they don''t have much.


    The family was thankful for the offer but they didn''t want to part with their daughter. So what Lilia''s father did is that for a week, their daughter would work under him as a personal maid for Lilia as a trial. If she didn''t like Lilia then she would be returned to them and their debt paid as well, and if Roosevelt thinks that she wanted to serve Lilia then the deal goes as normal.


    From that, they agreed.


    However, Lilia and Roosevelt weren''t informed on that last bit.


    The first thing that she made the little maid do is to play with her.


    Upon arriving in Lilia''s room, the little maid was astonished. The room wasn''t what she expected. Rather than piles of toys, the walls are covered by shelves filled to the brim by books of all kinds.


    "Sorry, I don''t have many toys," Lilia said in embarrassment.


    "No, it''s wonderful."


    To Roosevelt, it was like a small personal library. Her family could hardly buy even a single book but this room has at least a hundred of them.


    Her family is really rich, Roosevelt thought.


    She began to feel even more nervous. Unpleasant thoughts ran through Roosevelt''s mind. What if I somehow disrespect her, what''ll happen to me? If I broke something here, would my family pay for it? I don''t even know how to do chores properly, how could I serve someone like her? She began to ask herself such things.


    Lilia noticed Roosevelt''s nervousness. She didn''t know why.


    "What''s wrong?" Lilia asked in the most concerned voice that she can make.


    "O-oh, it''s nothing, miss Lilia." She said. Her voice cracked at the end.


    "Miss? Don''t call me that. Just call me Lilia."


    "But I couldn''t possibly do¡ª" Roosevelt tries to say but was cut off.


    "Nope. Just call me Lilia. It feels weird if you add miss. It feels like I''m an adult. I don''t want that." Lilia said in a demanding tone.


    "T-then Lilia..." She said as she cast her gaze towards the floor.


    "Good!"


    She nodded exaggeratedly.


    She couldn''t help but see Roosevelt as a shy cat that was thrown off in an unknown land. She chuckled at the thought.


    Of course, she can''t have her acting like that towards her forever. She knew she has to get Roosevelt used to all of this. She didn''t know why her father hired her in particular and she doesn''t know anything about Roosevelt. That''s why the first thing on her agenda would be to get to know Roosevelt. If she knew about her then it would make it easier for her to get along with Roosevelt.


    She was the very first person that is the same as her age that she has a guarantee that would be with her all the time. How could she not get every single chance to get closer to her.


    The thought of playing with her while the two of them laughing in joy makes her excited.


    She didn''t even see Roosevelt as a maid.


    She could only see a potential friend. For the lonely Lilia, it was the best gift she could ever have.

 A Soul and Its Vessel 9

    13 years had passed since then.


    Lilia grew to be an upstanding young lady.


    With her father''guidance, she became a great merchant herself. She helped her father expand their business in many areas in the city and as well as trading goods with other countries.


    Although her father still forbids her from going out on her own. So, he hired his daughter two personal guards. Whenever Lilia goes outside, those two would always be beside her.


    As for Roosevelt, she decided to serve Lilia in the end. Once the week had passed she was immediately sent for training as a maid Lilia''s father''s old friend''s home. With her consent of course.


    There she learned proper etiquette and how a maid should act towards their master, how to properly greet and treat a guest and so on.


    She stayed there for 2 months. Needless to say that Lilia felt lonely in those two months. So when Roosevelt came home, she was jumped by a crying Lilia and forced to play with her for a few days after that.


    For the 9-year-old Roosevelt, the training she had gone through didn''t properly sink in yet but as she grew older, her behavior became more mature and elegant, befitting the behavior of a maid. Or rather, that''s what Lilia''s father thinks.


    Lilia didn''t dislike this change but she misses the old shy cat Roosevelt she met back when she was still a child.


    During those 13 years, her father continued the investigation of his missing family members and just recently did he get a clue regarding the incident.


    Further investigation revealed that the one who''s behind it was none other than the 3-time consecutive mayor of the city.


    In his anger, he accused the mayor of being responsible for the kidnappings in the past 15 years.


    He possesses solid evidence that even someone in favor of the mayor would immediately change their mind. He was confident of his victory.


    But unfortunately, the mayor was found not guilty due to the evidence being so outstretched, or so they say. Lilia''s father found it ridiculous. He had never heard of such a thing. Upon looking at the other''s reaction, they didn''t look like they found anything wrong about it. He has a bad feeling about this.


    Days later after that, he learned that he was accused by the mayor of slander.


    From that, his fears became real. Corruption had taken root in the government. It went so deep that even if the mayor were to kill a bystander on the street in the middle of the day, the court would rule it as the bystander being a long time serial killer or something and the mayor simply doing justice.


    And if any opposition were to arise, Lilia''s father is sure that he would be able to shut them up.


    Lilia''s father is sure that this case wouldn''t just result in him being thrown into prison.


    From the things that he learned in his investigation, what the mayor orchestrated wasn''t simply kidnapping for ransom. It went much more horrid than that. The ones who were kidnapped were sold as slaves on the black market. Even worse, these slaves'' soul was bounded by a curse. This curse prevents them from going against the one who claimed ownership of their soul.


    Two of these slaves were Lilia''s father''s mother and wife. From the investigation, he found that they were sold to a wicked noble in another country with a habit of dismembering slaves. After only 9 days have passed since the two were sold to the noble, they were found dead and disposed of according to the report. This happened 14 years ago.


    This time he couldn''t get angry but simply afraidfor his daughter''s safety. If he gets throwninto prison then a fate worse than death would befall on his daughter and Roosevelt.


    Because of that, he sent them out of the city and told them to head to the capital. In the capital, Ronoa, they could safely report the mayor and the others that are involved out of the mayor''s corruption''s reach.


    But along the way, they were hunted down by a group of assassins. Lilia''s two guards whom she had been together with for 5 years had fallen easily from the assassins'' blade.


    But just when their hopes are lost, a girl with long black hair and ghost-like pale skin had swooped down between them and the assassins. They couldn''t muster up the voice to tell the girl to run away so they simply kept quiet, waiting to see another person get killed in front of them.


    But contrary to their expectations, it wasn''t just one that was killed but four. The four assassins, which they feared for, had their heads detached from their bodies. A fountain of blood spurted out from each of their bodies.


    It was an unbelievable scene. A girl smaller than them had dealt with those assassins in a short time. But what was more unbelievable was the fact that the girl drank the blood from one of the bodies.


    She''s a monster, they thought. It''s obvious that they''re next.


    But even after an hour has passed, the girl didn''t do anything to them.


    It''s as if the girl is waiting for them.


    Then the sunset came and from that point, the girl moved from her position and headed for their carriage.


    Could she be aiming for the evidence all along!? That thought raced through in Lilia''s head and instinctively tried to stop the girl from going any further, but Roosevelt held her back.


    Roosevelt believed that this girl would sooner or later kill them. She''s merely toying with them now so they had to find a way to escape without the girl knowing.


    Such suspicious thoughts jumbled in their heads but contrary to their suspicions, the girl is simply trying to find something to light a fire with.


    The girl then tossed them a fire scroll. Both Roosevelt and Lila are confused as to what''s going on.


    When Lilia looked up the sky, she finally realized that it was beginning to turn dark.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    She finally understood what the girl meant. It''s to make a fire because it was turning night.


    Once the fire was made and the cold night became closer, Lilia invited the girl. For obvious reasons, Roosevelt was against the idea.


    But the girl didn''t do anything. Not even when they fell asleep. The girl simply laid between them and that was all.


    The girl came with them as well. Not only did she pull the carriage single-handedly, but she would also hunt down small rabbits for them to eat.


    Lilia thought that she was a good child.


    Her background is a mystery and as well as to what race she belongs to. Her pale skin cancels out many other possible candidates. But from what they''ve observed, she is simply a child. Curious about the world.


    For Roosevelt, her top priority is the safety of Lilia. It wasn''t because of her responsibilities as her personal maid but it was because Lilia is simply an important person to her.


    So for the time they''ve been together, she''d been quietly observing the pale girl. Looking for any signs that indicate her hostility towards them but she found no such signs from her. The most the child did was to stare at them for long periods of time and the fact that she would snuggle between Lilia and her at night.


    From the last bit, when she thought of it, she guessed that Lilia might have been right. That she''s simply a little girl, wanting to have someone that she can be with.


    She then thought of the time when Lilia and she were still children. Maybe it was like that, She thought.


    Then, another group of assassins came after them. No, they were more like bandits than anything.


    A tall muscular man stepped forward, pronouncing to them that he was the leader. As expected, this group was hired by the mayor.


    There was no way they would be able to get out of here. The moment when the pale girl had saved them, it was simply on a whim, she convinced herself.


    There was no way that the girl would save them again. Even if she did, surely she wouldn''t be a match with these so many of them.


    Roosevelt knew she had to fight. Just long enough for Lilia to escape. Maybe the girl would come with her and maybe she would protect Lilia for her. She resolved herself.


    She asked for Lilia to run away with the girl but she strongly refused. She refused to have her fight alone but she couldn''t simply ask for the girl to save them again. They couldn''t even communicate with the girl.


    When Lilia demanded that she should fight along with her, Roosevelt refused. When Lilia persisted, Roosevelt had to lock her in the carriage. It was simply for her safety.


    She hoped that the pale girl would save at least Lilia''s life from this. She was obviously not human and she didn''t know what she was thinking. There may even be a chance that the girl would just run off on her own but that was still one of the good endings she could think of.


    But whether the girl would save them or not, it didn''t sway her decision. She had to fight. Maybe just enough time until the girl would come to a decision.


    Roosevelt was trained for self-defense so she has a bit of confidence in fighting the man. That''s what she thought. That''s what she convinced herself with.


    She asked for a one-on-one match. The leader accepted.


    Then when the fight starts, she immediately rushed in. She knew that those who could make the first move would have the advantage. But little did she know of how large of a gap their skills and experience are. She didn''t expect to win at all but the enormous gap in their strength surprised her.


    In just one punch she flew at least 10 meters away until a large rock and stopped her momentum. For a moment she thought she died. She bled profusely from the wound she had gotten from hitting the rock with her head, as well from her nose and the several cuts that she had gotten from her body getting dragged on the ground.


    She resolved herself to die yet she never expected to die so early on. She couldn''t even last a minute and when she glanced back at the carriage, they still haven''t left.


    Rather, Lilia is out of the carriage and the girl is nowhere to be seen.


    "Argh...!"


    Then a loud scream of pain entered her ears. She turned her head towards where the sound came from and she saw the girl had beaten the large bandit easily.


    She felt a sigh of relief. It looks like the girl had made her decision and it was to help them.


    Then Lilia came over to heal her wounds.


    Lilia discovered that she could use restoration magic when she was 7 years old but she wasn''t very proficient at it. For common scratch, she could heal it in a minute but for a wound that Roosevelt currently has, it would take a few days to fully heal, if she constantly applied healing on her non-stop.


    It wasn''t much but it was better than nothing.


    Once she''s able to partially stop Roosevelt''s bleeding, she gave her a good slap.


    Surprised by the sudden action from Lilia, she looked at her uneasily.


    She expected her to have an angry expression. Angry that she didn''t obey her and that she locked her inside the carriage but all she saw was a crying Lilia.


    "You idiot! What are you thinking, trying to get yourself killed!?"


    "But I¡ª"


    "No buts! I don''t want to hear it! Did you really think that I would be able to forgive you for trying to get yourself killed!? *Hic*"


    Roosevelt knew that what she did was pointless. From the very fact that her opponent was a huge male, she knew she didn''t have a chance to win. She knew that her swordsmanship was at an amateur level at best.


    What she was doing wasn''t about buying time or distracting the opponent so Lilia and the girl could get away. Even when the girl suddenly stepped in and done in the leader, she expected that. It was plainly obvious that the girl would because she was oddly attached towards Lilia for some reason.


    They were all simply excuses that she convinced herself to believe in so that she can have a reason as to why she''s doing what she''s currently doing.


    She didn''t want to feel worthless.


    The reason why she immediately jumped on the idea of spending weeks to train as a proper maid. Why she changed herself, so she wouldn''t be such a shy girl anymore, why she acted like a proper maid for Lilia even though she knew she didn''t really like that. It was so she wouldn''t be a burden for her and prove to her that she was useful.


    She took the opportunity to ''buy them time'' to show to Lilia that she can do something like this as well and not be afraid. To not be afraid to throw her own life in order to save her dear master.


    But all she''s done is to give her grief. She made her cry even more than how she cried for her father.


    She forgot one, very important thing. That Lilia is someone who hated being alone the most.


    She was all that Lilia has now and she only realized it now.


    And all she can say for that is...


    "I''m sorry..."


    Lilia silently continued her healing until it looks to be partially healed and the bleeding stopped. It would take a few days for it to fully heal but until then, she would Roosevelt to be careful.


    Roosevelt''s heart had calmed down a bit after that. However, she didn''t think that the drive to prove herself worthy to be something detrimental. All she had to do is keep herself in check and all will be good.


    Although that calmness only lasted a second when she realized that the pale girl was fighting with several armed men.


    Lilia''s expression became stiff from this for a while now. From the looks of it, the girl is having a hard time. And her heart aches from the guilt for having to selfishly ask her to do something like that.


    The girl didn''t understand their language, it was plainly obvious but the girl understood her despite that.


    Had she sent the girl to her death? Such thoughts like that went through her mind.


    With every second passing, she felt more and more guilty.


    To make matters worse, she can''t do anything at all to stop it. The stronger between the two of them was Roosevelt but Roosevelt is currently too injured to even walk. There is absolutely nothing she could do but simply watch.


    Every time the girl gets injured, she felt her heart sinking and her grip on the hem of her clothes gets tighter.


    The girl gets cornered and she saw her injuries increase even more.


    Such thoughts like ''Because of us, this girl will die''. Regret filled her mind. She didn''t want to have somebody to die because of them again. She had to stop this somehow.


    But her fear blocked her voice from speaking out her desire.


    Then arrows appeared from the bushes. Fortunately, the girl dodged it but then when another one was released, this time she wasn''t so lucky.


    It landed right at her forehead. From the very moment, Lilia felt the world turned dead silent. She just couldn''t believe it.


    The assassins cheered loudly. They too didn''t expect the girl, who had killed the best of them and several more.


    For Lilia and Roosevelt, their mouths were agape. But before any tears were to appear, something happened to the supposed corpse of the girl.


    Her blood, that she spilled and made a pool of, suddenly rushed back into her body.

 A Soul and Its Vessel 10

    When I came to, I found myself surrounded by blood and human internal organs. Several decapitated heads and cut off limbs were lying around in the vicinity.


    There, in the thicket, I could see 4 dead bodies as well. All of which lacks a head.


    I then looked at myself. The clothes that Sun gave me is now only strings stained with crimson blood, with human flesh hanging from those strings. For my body in general, it''s like I jumped in a pond filled with blood. Barely any part of my body is not covered in blood.


    And this smell of blood still makes me hungry.


    I''d like to believe that I didn''t do this mess but all the evidence points towards me. I know for sure that when that arrow hit my head I fell unconscious, so there''s no way that I could''ve done this. At least while conscious.


    Then when I lost my consciousness, I did this? Lacorte didn''t mention anything about this. Is this another ability of vampires? It''s scary.


    Maybe this must be what Lacorte said about going berserk. But it seems to have been triggered by something other than not drinking blood for a long period of time.


    Tearing off the clothes from a nearby devastated body, I wiped the blood off of my body.


    If I did this, then shouldn''t I be full now? Why do I still feel hungry?


    Or more importantly, if I became like this and killed every single person in sight then that means...


    When I looked back, I saw the carriage is also a bloody mess. They aren''t there?


    Then I looked towards where they were when I last saw them. And they were there.


    Compared to the bodies of these human males, their body is still intact. That should be good but it wasn''t all that.


    There''s blood flowing down their throats.


    No, I don''t believe it. I didn''t do this.


    After all that, I''m still the one who killed them...? Like I''ll believe that!


    Wait, maybe they''re still alive? No, they are alive, I''m sure of it.


    I went towards their bodies and checked if their heart is still breathing.


    Yes! There''s still something beating in there but its pace is abnormal.


    Their necks have the fang marks that I make when I bite into something so this is definitely my doing. They''re still blood coming out of those two small holes so I covered it up with the cloth.


    Judging from how much blood had stained their clothes, I''m confident that they''ve lost a lot of blood.


    From what I saw from those animals, living things need blood to survive and when they lost too much, they die. The 56 rabbits that I''ve killed can confirm this.


    It looks like they didn''t lose too much blood to the point that they can''t sustain their bodies anymore, but I judge it to still be an amount that should risk losing their lives.


    Their bodies are colder than usual as well. I can''t use them as a sleeping tool if they''re this cold.


    I can''t let them die. They''re the first friendly humans that I know and I''m not sure where or when I would find humans like them. I''m not even sure where I would be able to find any humans at all.


    There must be something that I can do. A method to replace their lost blood... And I don''t think that trying to put blood inside the two small holes would work.


    That is if you just use your hands or something.


    Then I got an idea.


    If my fangs could suck in blood, maybe they could also pour out blood as well?


    I don''t think that I could do it but I don''t see what I would lose if I tried.


    But there''s a hurdle to this. When I get closer to them, the scent of their blood is incredibly captivating.


    I learned that human blood smells delicious but this is on another level.


    So firstly, I wiped it all out. If I tried to taste it, I don''t think I could control myself. The very moment that I sink my fangs into their necks, I could already see myself pleasurably drinking their blood.


    I''d like to try that but I can''t have them dying so I need to refrain. Maybe I''ll get a chance in the future.


    After wiping off the last bit of blood on their necks, I started off with Night since she lost more blood because of her injuries, and because of me.


    As I sank my fangs in, the feeling of her blood touching the tip of my fangs is inviting me to suck her dry until she''s a bloodless corpse.


    And for a second I lost a grip of myself and actually took in some of it.


    It was a step above the taste of those human male blood. It''s smoother and sweeter than any blood that I''ve tasted until now. A part of me just wants to go on but there''s also another part that tells me that if I killed her, I would greatly regret it later.


    If I just killed her, then when Sun wakes up and she sees Night''s pale corpse, she would surely hate me. Then I would have to kill her as well, which would then result in me being alone again.


    I don''t want that conclusion, definitely not! I want to meet with humans and interact with them.


    So before it could get any worse, I stopped my fangs from taking anymore and focused on how to give my blood to her.


    I paid my attention towards the flow of the blood in my body and tried to consciously channel it out of my fangs.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    It took a good minute before I got it to work.


    I continued to do this until the smell of blood coming out of her is as strong as when I remembered her having.


    When I parted my fangs from her neck, the small holes that I made seemed to disappear almost instantaneously. I then opened up the cloth that I wrapped around her neck to see that the two small holes that I made with my fangs when I went berserk.


    Why did the one that I made just now healed so quickly but this other pair is still there? Does the fact that I''m not berserk have to do something about this?


    I tested out my theory by licking the wound and it seemed to work. It looks like my saliva has healing properties. Since my fangs were coated with my saliva, the moment I removed my fangs, the wound healed immediately. But it seems that that isn''t the case when I was berserk. It''s either because my fangs weren''t coated in saliva when I went berserk or the healing properties of my saliva just don''t work at that time.


    In any case, my saliva has healing properties right now and that''s all that matters. I also tried to lick the wound on her head but it didn''t seem to work. I tried it on the smaller cuts on her body and it worked fine. I concluded that my saliva only works on small wounds then.


    When that''s done, I moved on to Sun. This time, there was no issue. I managed to control myself.


    After implanting my blood into them, I found myself really sleepy and very hungry. Since I''m afraid that I might do something when I''m close to them, I satisfied my hunger by feeding on the blood of those corpses lying around.


    When I was done, I feel more sleepy than before so I carried the two back to the carriage.


    The inside of the carriage looked relatively clean, with only a few drops of blood here and there but the outside wasn''t. The door is broken so that''s unfortunate but I can''t be bothered with it.


    I placed their bodies next to each other and I positioned myself between them. They feel warm now so I''m sure they''ll be okay.


    There and then, I ended the day, relieved to know that my human escorts are still alive.


    ???


    Afternoon came and I found my two warmers wake up.


    Night woke up first and from her sudden action of trying to move away from me in the shortest time span, Sun woke up next.


    Her eyes were wide open when she saw me then she immediately checked the side of her neck. She then became even more surprised to find out that the bite mark is gone.


    It was my fault to begin with and I don''t expect them to forgive me for what I''ve done.


    Of course, I thought about this. Shocked to see the very being that almost killed them suddenly sleeping beside them. They would surely be surprised. Then, they would revert their attitude towards me back to when we met. Afraid and wary.


    If ever that happens, I would distance myself from them.


    Following my plan before, I would follow them regardless if they''re afraid, angry, or suspicious of me.


    I''m just genuinely glad that they''re alive. Or else I wouldn''t have any more human to be with.


    Without being able to communicate, just being with a human is enough. I feel like I can learn more things than if I''m just alone.


    The two humans talked to one another. I couldn''t understand a word they said but judging from their tone, I believe that Night is still wary of me. And oddly, Sun is saying something with a cheerful smile on her face.


    After exchanging a few words, Night sighed for some reason and Sun looked at me, wearing her smile.


    Confused, I tilted my head and she just giggled at it. She then reached out and rubbed my head. It feels nice but I''m still confused.


    Shouldn''t she be afraid of me now? I think that''s how it goes. Or did Sun simply not get what I just did to her. I couldn''t remember it myself when I attacked her but I''m sure she did.


    For Night, she has the normal expression that I''m¡ªwait, why is she smiling too? I don''t understand...


    ???


    Twilight came and a bonfire was lit.


    But rather than being made of wood, it consisted of human bodies.


    The horrid smell of burning corpse spread throughout the area. Nearby animals, disgusted by the smell fled away to find other places to sleep.


    Lilia looked on the burning corpses, not minding the smell. One of the corpses belonged to a huge man. His identity was unknown but it was definite that he was hired in order to kill her and Roosevelt.


    From him, she heard of his father''s fate.


    Framed as a criminal for committing slander, he was publicly shamed in the plaza. All his hard work gone in a single sentence. His assets taken as compensation and his house, her house that she grew up in, burned to the ground.


    Upon hearing that, she felt as if a thorny stem had wrapped around her heart. It was such a shock that she couldn''t even get angry or cry.


    But of course, there was always the chance that maybe, he only said that to provoke Roosevelt. But for something like that to happen, it was just all too plausible so she couldn''t get it out of her head and she guessed that it''s the same in Roosevelt''s mind as well.


    To cut that frame of mind, she turned her gaze towards the pale child, illuminated by the fire.


    The child was sitting near the fire and watching it in awe. For someone like her with a cold body temperature, she''s oddly fond of warmth.


    Lilia chuckled at the thought. Despite the horrific display that the girl had shown them just a few hours ago, seeing her like this, she couldn''t help but think of her as just a curious child.


    It was something that they''ve never seen before, or by the world no less. Just when they thought that the girl had died, her blood seemingly reverted to where it was. No, it was more accurate to say the time has been reversed for the girl.


    The blood that was spilled poured into her body once again and her body, that was motionlessly lying on the ground, suddenly stood up in such an uncanny way.


    Both her and Roosevelt''s mouth was wide open and they didn''t dare let out a single sound.


    Then, with supernatural speed, even faster than what the girl had displayed before, she zoomed in and took down one assassin at a time. Heads rolled every second but then the girl came to a stop after killing her 5th victim.


    Suddenly, she glanced their way and made her way towards them. They didn''t run away, or rather, they couldn''t as their legs were frozen in fear.


    The girl looked at Roosevelt first and she brushed her hand against her neck. Then the girl plunged her teeth down towards Roosevelt''s neck. Blood trickled down her neck with every passing second. And from what seemed like an eternity.


    When she thought that the girl was satisfied with that, she was gravely wrong as her turn came next.


    The initial pain from the bite dissipated as more and more blood had been sucked out of her. A little later, she began to feel tired. Her eyes grew heavy and then before she noticed, the girl was done feeding on her and she saw her walk off towards the rest of the assassins who were trying to run away.


    From there, she fell into a deep slumber.


    The slumber didn''t even feel like she slept at all. Her mind just went black and she suddenly found herself sleeping beside the girl and a panicked Roosevelt inching away from here.


    From then on, she felt different. It was strange but she didn''t really see the girl as something dangerous. She didn''t understand it herself either.


    She knew that the normal reaction would be like Roosevelt''s. Trying to get as far away as possible from the dangerous thing.


    But Roosevelt''s reaction didn''t seem to be caused because of fear but rather just plain surprise.


    Then she remembered the face of the girl from that time just a while ago. Clearly, she was regretting what she''s done. And wouldn''t it be just pitiful to leave this child alone in the middle of nowhere?


    So she suggested that they should still bring the child with them despite that actions that she''d done to them. As always, Roosevelt refused at first, saying that she''ll just carry all of the evidence, leave the carriage and be on their way, leaving the child.


    Roosevelt sounded quite hesitant when she said that but Lilia convinced her otherwise. Lilia told her that it would weigh in their minds if they just left while leaving the child out here alone, even though they clearly knew that the child would survive on her own. Roosevelt was convinced all too easily.


    Lilia knows that Roosevelt is always strict regarding her safety so she found it odd for her to agree to something so easily.


    Roosevelt only agreed to bring the girl with them as the girl doesn''t seem to have any ill intentions against them. There''s also the fact that they helped them in their travels immensely.


    But for whatever reason this time, despite seeing how dangerous the girl is, she didn''t complain. Lilia found it to be very fortunate.


    But it wasn''t just Roosevelt that changed but Lilia as well. Whenever she looked at the girl, she only sees her as a child and only just that. Her fears from before had somehow vanished and what replaced them is a strong desire to take care of the said child.


    The thought of raising the girl with just her and Roosevelt made her grin from ear to ear, but before that, she has to do something first.


    And it was to avenge her father.

 A Soul and Its Vessel 11

    We ended that certain day by burning all of the corpses. It was quite a sight. There''s just something mesmerizing about seeing a huge fire flicker around. Though the smell is incredibly bad.


    Burning the bodies wasn''t my idea. It was Night''s, I think. I do think that getting rid of the bodies is a good idea but, you know, it''s troublesome to bury all of them...


    So I for one thought of just leaving the bodies there and have those wolves, goblins, or those black birds to eat them but Night took initiative and started to stack the bodies together.


    For the items of those bodies, we removed them and placed them in one spot. We didn''t remove their clothes because it seems hard to do so only their armor, weapons and other items. Although we did take a couple of shirts for clothing purposes.


    But before we burned them, I took some blood from them and stored it in one of their water containers. I filled up about three water containers.


    Sun and Night also took some things from the pile of items. To name a few of those items, they were a couple of shiny round metal things called coins, several water containers, a few metal rods, a paper thing with shapes drawn on them, a round thing called a compass and other things.


    It was quite a lot so it was hard trying to fit everything inside the compartment under the seat of the carriage. When morning came, I went and hunted two rabbits, to which Night burned them and the two ate them. I tried some and it tasted horrible. Definitely not going to try that again.


    A little later that day, we left the place and headed off to where the two are trying to get to.


    I also asked them to teach me their language to which Sun happily complied. She first taught me simple words, then she taught me how sentences are structured and where certain words go and other things.


    It seems that I learn fast, is what Sun told me. I don''t know how fast one normally learns the language of humans but it took me three days to somewhat understand what they''re saying and another day to speak their language. Overall, 4 days.


    "My~! You''re quite a fast learner, aren''t you?"


    Sun complimented me and held me against her large chest when I managed to say "I love you" in their language. Her chest is warm so I liked this having been done to me.


    Night also rubbed my head, which is nice.


    When I managed to learn their language, they asked me what my name was. I don''t think I have a name so I told them that. They then named me Snow. It sounded nice so I liked it.


    During those 4 days, Night''s head wound had also healed completely. They told me that it''s because of the magic of Sun but I don''t really understand that.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    We also encountered a long, flowing body of water called a river at the side of the road. From there, we washed ourselves. My hair, that turned into a tangled mess, returned to how it was initially, at least somewhat.


    I like this concept of bathing. I''ll be sure to keep an eye out on any more bodies of water that we may encounter on our way.


    After that, we didn''t smell like blood anymore which is both fortunate and unfortunate, for me at least.


    Sun and Night also washed their clothes in the river. From what I saw, they have two sets of clothes.


    For Sun, she has the frilly dress with blue and white color combination to which she wore once when I met her and the one she''s wearing now which is something like what human males wear with the difference being on what she wore to cover her lower part, which is something called a skirt.


    For Night, her dress is something, to which she described as being maid clothes. Now, she''s wearing her other clothes which are the same as Sun''s clothes.


    As for me, Sun gave me something that she made using the clothes of those human males. It''s a grey one-piece dress.


    "It suits you well, Snow."


    "Right!? She''s really cute wearing that dress!"


    "Comfy. Thank you."


    This clothing doesn''t keep me as warm as the previous one that Sun gave me, but it is lighter and easy to wear.


    After that''s all done, we washed the blood off of the carriage. It seems that when blood dried, it''s not a liquid anymore and it even seemed to have stuck on the surface of the carriage, making it harder to remove. In the end, we didn''t remove them all but at least it isn''t that obvious. Removing the blood stains is important after all so that other humans won''t be scared of us.


    As for the door, we couldn''t reattach it so we went on without it.


    When I ran out of human blood, I hunted more of those rabbits to refill my blood containers but Night scolded me for hunting way too many. She said that it would disrupt the ''ecosystem'' of the forest.


    So I decided to hunt at night when they''re all asleep. Did I try to drink their blood while they''re asleep? Of course not. They would wake up when I do that and I don''t know how to explain myself if I get caught.


    I don''t really know what their opinions on having their blood sucked, but I''m sure they wouldn''t like that so I refrained from doing that, until they agreed to it that is.


    They told me about that ''scroll'' things that they often use when starting a fire. According to the explanation that Night gave me, the scrolls use something called mana to activate the symbols written in the paper in order to produce fire. This also uses the same concept on the magic thing that Sun used on Night''s head injury apparently. I don''t really understand it so I just nodded along with her explanation.


    Night would also often head in the forest and pick ''berries'' and ''fruits''. These ones taste way better than those burned rabbit meat but it still doesn''t beat the taste of blood. I''d say it''s better than boar blood.


    And concerning our sleeping schedule, it''s typically me sleeping in the afternoon and them sleeping at night. Anything in between is traveling. Though at night, they insisted that I sleep with them. I''m not particularly tired at night so I only stayed with them until they fell asleep and continued to pull the carriage.


    And at night, the plains are really interesting. Sparkling dots of light filled the night sky, with a huge round bright thing called the moon that would slightly change shape every day.


    There''s also the occasional visit from one of those wolves and goblins. They weren''t exactly peaceful when they came so I ripped off their heads for them. Of course, they don''t only visit at night.


    At one point, Sun questioned the fact as to why we weren''t attacked at night since she heard stories of travelers getting attacked by monsters at night. I decided not to answer that.


    We passed our days like that and in a blink of an eye, which is true when compared to the time when I was just a soul, we saw several structures on the horizon.


    Judging from the reaction of Sun and Night, I guess we arrived at something of interest.

 Interlude: The Boring Life of a Vampire

    When I looked out of the window, I saw the very same grey clouds looming over the sky. The sun''s rays never hit this place so it''s eternally dark.


    It''s quite depressing. Even though I''m the one who caused this in the first place.


    Although, for an illusion, I''m surprised that it''s able to hold up for a millennium.


    "Mistress Lilian, happy 1345th birthday."


    The one who said that was my butler, Olbedo. His white hair and blue eyes are the first things you would take notice when you looked at him and although he''s an old man, you could sense a great deal of dignity from him despite his age.


    Well, he''s a vampire now so his physical features wouldn''t grow older than they are now.


    "Good morning Olbedo."


    "Yes. Good morning mistress Lilian. Shall I report the plans for today?"


    Even without him telling me, I already know what my plans are for today.


    The first thing on the list isn''t really that major if you think about it. But for me, it''s major enough to be on the list and it''s to eat breakfast. Or rather, drink breakfast.


    A virgin maiden''s blood tastes exquisite and I just couldn''t get bored of it after all these years. And that maiden would be my attendant, Risa. She''s a young human at the age of 19. Although our age gap is tremendously big, she''s still taller than me which sort of irritates me. She''s also big in another place.


    But her puffy face, short brown hair, and brown eyes make her look like a dog.


    She''s been my attendant for a year now and her blood has served me well by being my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A really obedient child, she is. Sort of like a dog.


    The next one would be to travel around the villages on the island. I can already see how those humans would react.


    The same old groveling-under-my-feet thing. It''s getting boring having to see that each and every time I visit their village.


    This visiting thing would take up most of the day and after that, everyone is invited to a party at my castle.


    This is the most fun time for my birthday but, you know, it''d gotten really dull. I don''t even want to attend the party. All the humans do is just cower in fear whenever I''m present, even though I''m giving them free food... Which they themselves have grown in the first place...


    Hey, I was the one who invented a way to grow crops without sunlight so I have the rights to it.


    Well, the first few parties a thousand years ago were pretty fun. I remembered playing a game where I try to spot the ones who looked at me and have them run around the place in a futile effort to save their life. In the end, all of them died. No one on this island could run faster than me anyway.


    I especially like the ones who just gave up without even trying. They''re boring since they didn''t even try to run but the faces they make when they know they''re about to die are pretty interesting.


    I still do play that game from time to time but it isn''t as fun as how it used to be.


    Also, the humans might go extinct on this island if I kept doing that every year.


    After that, came night. The last event would be for the villagers to fill in this huge chalice with their blood. It isn''t like I''m going to drink it, at least all of it. It''s just some kind of rite of sorts. It''s like pledging their loyalty to me, something like that.


    I don''t really care about that but Olbedo said that it''s necessary to keep the humans submissive.


    Anyway, it''s the same every year. Some years I even just skip it all and just slept throughout the day.


    But it''s also the least boring day in the whole year, believe it or not. There''s nothing to do in this castle of mine and I can''t really leave this island. If I did, things will become chaotic and the others would hate me for it.


    I often just play around in the village. The kids there, in particular, are pretty fun to be around. But they''re also the most afraid of me but that couldn''t be helped.


    "... Mistress Lilian?"


    Oh right, Olbedo is still here.


    "Nah. I''ll just skip this time as well," I said and waved my hand at him to shoo him off.


    "You''ve already skipped your birthday party for the last 25 years already. Your subjects need to see you or they might assume that your dead."


    "Let them. And this birthday party thing doesn''t mean much to an immortal like me anyway. I''ll skip it if I wanted to skip it."


    Olbedo sighed. I can understand why. We had this same conversation on the same day for the last 25 years after all.


    "Then for the annual report on the events of the world."


    Now, this is something that I look forward too. The only new thing around here is the news about the world.


    Being isolated for more than one thousand years is making me go crazy after all. This sort of stuff is my saving grace.


    I jumped towards my bed and made myself comfortable.


    I also called for Risa as well. It''s nice to hug someone warm while listening to this.


    I rang the bell on top of the counter beside my bed.


    A few seconds later, I heard footsteps on the other side of the door to my room.


    Then the door slammed open and there came Risa, my do... I mean, my attendant.


    "Master! You called for me!?" Risa said with rough breaths.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    For a human, she has very sharp ears. My attendants in the past needed a few chimes of the bell before they could hear it but in Risa''s case, it''s always just one chime and she''s immediately here.


    As for how could humans even hear the bell in the first place even when they''re very far away, the bell is a magical tool designed so that whenever it chimes, the one whom I connected the bell to would be able to hear it, although faintly.


    "I told you many times not to rush. You''re making a ruckus."


    "I-I''m sorry! Please punish me, master!"


    From looking at her expression, it seems like punishment is the same as a reward for her...


    "Later. Sit here."


    I pointed to the spot besides me. Seeing this, Risa, went ahead and brisk-walked her way towards me and sat where I had pointed. She did this without excusing herself as to when sitting, to which I''ll need to punish her later.


    I hugged her from behind and let myself experience the warmth of a human.


    "M-master... I''m ticklish there..."


    "Don''t get tickled then."


    Since Risa is always blushing whenever I''m around, she''s always really warm.


    I gestured towards Olbedo to go on with the report.


    "Very well then. Starting from the end of last year..."


    To summarise, Olbedo told me about a bunch of politics regarding the human race that I don''t really care about but listened to anyway.


    Those bastards are always in a scramble every freaking year. They always make mountains out of molehills with their petty reasons.


    There''s this incident in one kingdom where the king there was revealed to have been selling his citizens to slave traders. This incident then caused a civil war apparently.


    Welp, I already knew that things would lead to this.


    I heard from last year that this King, who was recently enthroned at that time, has shady background. Apparently, he doesn''t even have any royal blood in him so him claiming to be a distant relative of the previous royal family, who were killed a few weeks prior conveniently enough, is absolute horse crap. There''s also the fact that he was enthroned so easily. They didn''t even do any background checks.


    They also fabricated a fake story of how heroic he was and stuff like that.


    From that, I could already smell the scent of bribery.


    Then this and that happened and how it came to be that he was actually involved in illegal slave trade.


    Typical story. I already heard something like this happening a couple of times in the past. There were differences of course but all of them stemmed from human greed.


    That kingdom is doomed, at least until they find a decent King.


    Anyway, came next are just more political junk that I don''t really care about.


    There isn''t a single news about that petty church this time as well. I really hope they had already gone extinct after a thousand years. That''ll be a massive relief on my part.


    But for now, I can''t really do anything until I find evidence that they really are, 100%, extinct and that there are no longer idiots who follow that religion. For now, I''ll just continue having that matter investigated as per usual.


    The next news is about the other races. There''s news about wars and such but I don''t really care. I''d much rather hear about the middle continent exploding or something than hearing about the petty rivalries of cats and dogs.


    For the elves, it looks like their xenophobia has increased many folds yet again since they have now developed a large scale mana shield that is able to sustain itself for a few weeks when it''s activated.


    The dwarves seem to have found a new leader for themselves that is capable of hitting metal better than anyone else.


    The dragons are still in their deep sleep period. These lazy lizards had been sleeping for the last 10 years. I hope they''ll wake up soon. It''s been a while since dragons have visited this island.


    "There''s also the matter of regarding the fairies. It seems that they are¡ª"


    "Don''t want to hear it. We lost yet another group of subordinate vampires from those pesky fairies for getting too close to their territories, right?"


    "Not quite."


    "Oh? Have they finally gotten tired of our meddling that they now allowed us to peek inside one of their forbidden places?"


    "Close mistress. Among the 37 forbidden places that we know their guarding, they have abandoned one of them just recently."


    "They just left on their own!? Nobody raided the place?"


    Those fairies? Abandoned a place their guarding? In my years of living in this boring world, that''s the first time I ever heard of fairies leaving a place they''re guarding voluntarily.


    "What place is it?"


    "It''s the abandoned church of salvation."


    Oh, that.


    I honestly don''t even know why those fairies are even guarding that place. Due to the magic of those fairies, we couldn''t really see much in that area except for the silhouette of the church with their trademark star symbol on top of a spire.


    The church is also in the middle of the Great Forest.


    The Church of Salvation doesn''t really have many followers, to begin with so it isn''t strange for them to have churches in strange areas but in the middle of the Great Forest, that''s just going too far. That''s about the only thing that''s strange about it that could warrant those fairies on guarding the place.


    They''ve been guarding that place for at least a thousand years now and the church of salvation is long gone. They might just be guarding it for the sake of preserving the place.


    Who knows, right? Nobody knows what those darn fairies are thinking.


    "Have you checked inside the church?"


    "Yes, mistress. The ones who entered reported it to be just an abandoned church like any other. The only difference being is that it looks like it was only left alone for at most a hundred years rather than its actual age.


    As I thought, those fairies were just preserving the place.


    Still, I feel like we''re missing something...


    "Anything else?"


    "Nothing more, mistress. The church''s layout is just like the other churches that we found in the past. There''s also no other traces of magic other than light magic that those fairies use."


    Then it really might just be just a regular church then. But...


    "Risa, what do you think?"


    I asked the dog with a flustered face who is currently rubbing her cheeks against my neck while making moaning noises.


    Hearing what I asked, she immediately straightened her back.


    "Y-yes! Master, I believe that the fairies left because there''s nothing to guard anymore...?"


    "Hm? What do you mean by that?"


    When she just looked at me with a giant question mark plastered on her face, I caressed the side of her neck and whispered to her that I won''t be sucking her blood today if she didn''t answer.


    "I-I''m sorry! Mmm-maybe it wasn''t the church they''re guarding but rather, something inside it? I think theytook the thing that they were guarding with them..."


    "Oh? That might be plausible. Smart girl."


    "Yes! Thank you for the compliment master!"


    That might actually be it. This could also explain the lack of anything inside the church.


    Whether they did bring the thing they''re guarding with them or not is still up to debate. The thing might be capable of locomotion for all we know.


    "Olbedo, have them survey the area around the church and report anything out of place. Whatever it is, bring them to the island so I could get a look at it."


    "As you command, mistress Lilian."


    After saying that, Olbedo left the room.


    Things are getting interesting.


    Forbidden places are always heavily guarded. Many different beings, be it humans, elves, dragons, and even vampires have tried to raid a forbidden place but all of them resulted in deaths.


    There was one case that almost went successfully. Those giants managed to drive away the fairies even but they were killed shortly after when the reinforcements arrived.


    No one knows if they actually saw anything worthwhile in there, or if they saw anything at all. They all died there so they couldn''t really tell anything to anyone.


    This time, those fairies have left a forbidden place for some reason. Like what Risa had said. The fairies might not be guarding a place, but rather an object or a life form. It''s still a mystery if they actually brought it with them or not.


    If they did, then there''s nothing I can do about it.


    But if they didn''t and it just so happens that it''s capable of locomotion...


    I would be the first one to find it, one of the secrets of those places. I doubt anyone other than me is aware of this. After all, I was the only one that was able to find that forbidden place before I was forced to leave the major continents.


    Although I did just found it by accident, still, that doesn''t change the fact that I found it.


    I''m sure that whatever it is would be interesting. I could even use it as a toy for years to come until I can return to the major continents.


    "Um... Master...?"


    Oh right. I forgot that Risa was still here.


    "... I''m sorry that I said this so late but... Happy birthday."


    Birthday, huh...?


    This news might just be the best birthday gift that I''ve gotten in years.

 A Stay in a Village 1

    After 10 days of traveling together, we saw structures that resembled the man-made structures where I first woke up in.


    And these discoveries seem important as well, judging from the reactions of the two.


    "Roosevelt, look! There''s a [village]! And here I thought that we might have been lost. That map had been pretty handy." Sun said excitedly as she hoped off from the carriage.


    "Maybe there we can rest for a bit. We''ll ask the [chief] of the [village] if we can rest there for a while." Night said next and then she hopped off the carriage.


    So those cluster of structures is called a ''village''? And the ''chief'' would be some important person living in the village. Then that would mean that a lot of humans would be living in that village then!? That''s pretty exciting.


    Night says that we can rest there? Aren''t we resting enough while we were traveling? Why would we need to stop there in the village and rest?


    I stopped moving the carriage for a short while and I pulled on Sun''s sleeve to ask about it.


    "Why we need to rest? Well, even if we''re physically fine, wouldn''t it''d be mentally exhausting to keep traveling? I''m sure you would be the most tired of all of us since you''re the one who keeps pulling the carriage."


    Is what she said.


    Honestly, I''m not tired. Both physically and mentally.


    I already learned that vampires are physically more superior than humans so something like this feels nothing if I''m able to drink my daily dose of blood and get an afternoon rest. And I''ve also stared at the darkness for 1000 years with only my thoughts so the fact that something is actually happening in front of me, no matter how meager it is, would do the opposite of making me tired mentally.


    I could stare at the trees sway from the wind for years and I wouldn''t get bored or tired. But I would die so...


    The point is, I don''t really get tired from all of this. But if they wanted to rest then I won''t stop them.


    "I think we should rest for a week in the village before we resume traveling." Night said as she removed Sun off of me when she suddenly hugged while I was unaware of it.


    "It''s not like we need to rush, right? It''s not like Ronoa''s Court of Justice would suddenly move away or disappear." Sun commented.


    From what I gathered, Ronoa is the name of where we are headed. They didn''t tell me the specifics since I never asked to begin with.


    "Oh, and wouldn''t it be the perfect opportunity for Snow to meet other people!?" Sun suddenly thought.


    "Isn''t that great, Snow?"


    I nodded enthusiastically.


    I know that heading towards a place with lots of humans would be great but when I thought about it, I''m having doubts if I would be able to be on good terms with them.


    I learned from Sun and Night that sucking the blood from a dead body isn''t the best way to give the other person a good impression. Although it did end in us traveling together but I should assume that Night and Sun are a special case.


    The problem would be the fact that I don''t know anything about human culture apart from what I observed from Sun and Night. I know they eat burnt meat and strange tasting plant products but considering making first impressions towards humans, I don''t know how to act.


    Should I just talk to them? Ask them questions? Of course, asking them to let me drink their blood is out of the question.


    There''s also the possibility that they might be just like those human males before. Suddenly attacking us for some reason. Those kinds of humans aren''t really the type that I can get along with and I don''t really want to get my head pierced again.


    So I asked Sun for her opinion on this.


    "Am I strange?"


    I believe that I should know if I''m strange to other humans or not. If I am then I might not be able to get along with them. There might be a chance that the reason that Sun and Night were afraid of me at first would also be because of another factor.


    "Strange? You are but every human has certain aspects about them that are strange as well. The strange thing about me is the fact that I have larger breasts than Roosevelt even though I''m younger."


    "Hey..."


    "For Roosevelt, um..."


    For some reason, she moved her mouth close to my ear and said her next words in a really quiet voice.


    "She has a [mole] on her butt. Oh and don''t tell her that I told you that."


    I don''t really know what a mole is but it seems to be something that Night would be angry about when discovered.


    "What about me?"


    I turned the conversation back on topic.


    "The strange thing about you is... Your pale skin? That''s right, your pale skin! You would look like someone who hasn''t met the sun for a long time and that''s certainly strange. But don''t worry, eventually, people would accept that strangeness about you, just like me and Roosevelt, and you''ll get along with them."The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I guess it''s my skin then.


    Lacorte did say that I resemble human looks, excluding the skin color. So far, I''ve never seen any pale looking humans. Of course, I''ve never met many humans and there''s also the possibility that there might be other pale looking humans that aren''t vampires but I''m guessing they won''t be abundant in amount, or none at all unless they''re dead.


    I hope that Sun would be right. That if humans saw my pale skin, they would accept it as a strange aspect about me and we all get along.


    Well, it''s all just speculations. I wouldn''t know till I''ve experienced it. And of course, I wouldn''t show any other human that I drink blood since that isn''t really normal in the eyes of humans.


    "It''s getting dark. We should set up camp for the night and head for the village early tomorrow." Night announced.


    It''s not strange for us to camp for the night but it''s definitely odd as to why we need to camp at all when we can rush towards the village before midnight. That way, we could rest in the village and do the meeting-with-people part tomorrow.


    And so I asked.


    "Not continuing...?"


    "Hm? If we continue now, Snow, the villagers would be asleep by the time we arrive."


    Oh, obviously. Humans sleep at night.


    Night then turned to Sun.


    "We should gather some firewood before it gets too dark."


    "Then I''ll¡ª"


    "I''ll go." Before Sun could finish her sentence, I cut her off.


    The two looked at me in surprise. I was never the one to gather the firewood and they never asked me to gather any to begin with.


    "You don''t have to do that, Snow. We''ll gather the firewood. You just rest." Sun said and caressed my head. Although it feels nice, I won''t be dissuaded.


    I also have a good reason for this.


    I took out the blood container and showed it to them.


    "Empty."


    For some reason, their face flushed and looked at me anxiously.


    Their face getting red isn''t really weird. Night would often do that when Sun is telling me some embarrassing stories of Night when they were a small human or the times when I would flip their skirts to see if they really have a vagina like me.


    The weird part is the fact that their face is flushed without any embarrassing stories or apparent embarrassing situations and the scent that they give off is entirely different.


    It''s really delicious.


    This wasn''t the first time this happened and I noticed that it always happen when I mention anything close to blood. Their face would turn red and they would give off an alluring scent.


    Of course, I controlled myself. Unless they tell me to, I won''t try and drink their blood. I can satisfy myself with rabbit''s blood just fine so I don''t necessarily need human blood.


    Then again I really want to have a taste...


    In particular, Sun''s blood. I never tried hers before. I knew I should have licked her neck before wiping away all the blood. But at the time, if I tasted heir blood, I might not be able to control myself.


    And if I tried to feed myself before giving them my blood, they might die in the meantime so I couldn''t really do that.


    "Is that so? Then I''ll leave it to you then."


    The one who broke the awkward silence was Night.


    "Okay."


    After saying that, I left them and headed towards the forest.


    There are multiple reasons as to why I volunteered to gather the firewood this time. The main reason is the scent of goblin blood. A lot of them.


    I wouldn''t care if I could only smell about 20 or so goblins but this time, I literally couldn''t ignore it, even if I lose my nose.


    This might also be the reason why there''s a lot of goblins coming to us at night. Or rather, it''s nothing but goblins recently. I''ve never seen a wolf in this past couple of days.


    There''s also the odd disappearance of the common animals like rabbits. It''s also the reason as to why I have a low blood supply right now. If this continues, I might just resort to using bird blood, which is troublesome to get.


    I''ve already known the fact that goblins are really hostile and creepy and now they seem to be gathering in one spot since their stench is concentrated in that spot.


    The area isn''t that close to where we are. I''d say the area is more close to where the village is.


    I have a bad feeling about this...


    Well, there''s nothing I can do about it. I''d like to not overestimate my strength and just believe that fighting that many goblins is suicidal.


    After catching a few birds and collecting enough dry wood that my arms can''t carry anymore, I returned to Sun and Night.


    Although on my way back, I saw Night picking blue berries in a bush.


    Not only is she carrying the bunch of blue berries that she has picked in her basket, but there''s also a bunch of potatoes and carrots in there.


    Her basket is also made up of the large leaves of a tree that produces those long and yellow fruits.


    Now regarding those ''vegetables'' as they would call it, they taste horrible. They''re really bitter.


    "Oh, Snow. You brought back few too much firewood." Night said when she saw me and the armful of twigs and branches that I pulled off.


    "Bigger fire. Better."


    "Let me help carry some of those."


    Night took about half of the twigs from me and then we ended back to where Sun is.


    It seems she''s rummaging through the box where she keeps those important papers. When she saw us, she took out a fire scroll and leaped off the carriage.


    Now that I think about it...


    "Why so many fire scrolls?"


    I noticed that every time we start a campfire, they would always use a fire scroll. Last time I saw them, there was only 5 rolls of them left and that''s 12 days ago so how come they still have more?


    "We''ve been making them. Translating a simple fire magic into a written form is easy." Night answered.


    She said easy but I don''t see anything easy in the paper. All I see are just scribbles. They''re even harder than the written language of humans.


    And so, without minding the situation with the scroll any further, Sun then made the structure for making a campfire.


    She then held the scroll towards the structure of twigs and branches and with a simple chant of ''fire'', a small fire burst forth from the paper and hit the pile of wood, knocking down a few sticks in the process. With just that, fire is born.


    It''s always amazing every time I see it. I also tried to use the scroll before but nothing happened. I don''t know what it requires for one to use a scroll but it seems that I don''t have it.


    After burning the birds that I had caught and ate them, Sun and Night slept early today so as to wake up early in the morning tomorrow.


    Of course, I positioned myself in between the two heat producing humans.


    I savored their warmth but I didn''t sleep. I stayed awake to keep guard from those goblins.


    And as expected, a few of them visited us late at night. I took care of them quickly and buried their bodies as to not attract meat-eating animals.


    But these batch of goblins didn''t seem to have been that afraid of me, oddly enough.


    In all of my encounters with these monsters, whenever I halved their numbers, they would almost always run away in fear. But these guys didn''t.


    That isn''t weird in it of itself but that should only apply when they''re only about 3 or 4. These batch that came at us with 9 goblins. Not one of them ran away despite the fact that they were stricken in fear. This is also the largest group of goblins that I''ve ever fought. The largest group of goblins that I''ve fought before this one only consists of 6 goblins.


    There''s a bunch of guesses that I could think of which explains this behavior. For one, maybe a high number of goblins in one group restricts them to never running away, as part of their culture. For two, maybe they don''t have a choice but to come here and attack us. Actually, I don''t even know if their goal is to attack us at all. I just killed them because they''re goblins. There might be something more menacing from where they came from.


    And for three, the goblin gathering thing that''s happening has something to do with this. As to how, I don''t know. It''s just possibility.


    Well, again, I can''t really do anything about it. Dying from those filthy things is something I can''t accept.


    After 6 hours, the two warm creatures woke up and then we continued to make our way towards the village.

 A Stay in a Village 2

    It was almost noon when we finally reached the village.


    The scent of humans in this place is really strong so it really is the place where humans live. I could even see some walking here and there.


    It doesn''t seem that anybody has noticed us.


    "Right. Snow, leave the carriage here." Night said as she gestured me to follow her.


    She leads me towards the edge of the forest and told me to place the carriage behind the trees.


    She''s obviously trying to hide the carriage but I don''t know the reason.


    "Why are we hiding the carriage?"


    But before I could even ask, Sun asked her before I could.


    "Wouldn''t it be strange for a small girl like Snow to walk around, pulling a carriage?"


    Is it really that weird? I guess normal humans wouldn''t be able, or at least find it hard, to pull a carriage on their own so I think it''s reasonable.


    "Oh, that''s right. Then we''ll carry the rest of our stuff then."


    They then grabbed everything that is essential. Clothes, papers, scrolls, water containers, those metal rods that they use to stick the animals to burn them in fire and some other things.


    They then wrap those things inside a cloth and carried them on their backs.


    I tried to help them carry some but they refused.


    Instead, they asked me to put on this really big cloth that they use to lie or sit on the dirt with. They always clean it after they use it so it isn''t dirty.


    But I don''t know what it''s for.


    When I asked, Sun said that it''s to hide that I have pale skin.


    My pale skin is the only apparent difference that I have with humans so they might think of me as strange if they saw it.


    I just wish I wouldn''t hide it like this the whole time we are in the village.


    After a couple of minutes walking, we finally reached the entrance of the village.


    There, we saw a gathering of a few of the villagers.


    The humans here have different shapes and sizes. Some are as small as me, some are as big as Night or Sun, some are as small as me but have clearly weak bodies.


    For the third type, there''s three of them.


    The one that seemed to be a male, noticed us and approached us and then the others followed him including the other two with the weak bodies. They''re females by the way.


    "Who are you, people?" The weak male human said.


    As expected, his weakness is showing in his voice as well. Although it''s loud and somehow has a bit of dignity in it, it''s clear that he''s just trying to look strong.


    "We''re just mere travelers. We''ve been traveling for... two months now and we wanted to rest in your village." The one who answered was Night.


    Then Sun followed up.


    "We don''t need any special treatment. Simply being inside the village is just enough. We can simply set up a tent for us to sleep. We just want a secure place to sleep to ease our minds."


    The weak human thought about what Sun and Night said and after looking at the two of them, his eyes landed on me.


    "A child?"


    When Night heard that, she moved a little to cover me.


    "Yes. We found her in the forest so we took her with us." Night said.


    "What''s your destination? Is it the capital?"


    "Yes, you are correct."


    "The capital, is it? And two months... Did you perhaps rode a carriage or a horse?"


    "We used a carriage half way but we were attacked by bandits. Thankfully we escaped with our lives but the horse and the carriage as well were taken so we had to continue on foot."


    "Then you two must be from the south. Teltorte is it? You two must be taking refuge from the [civil war]?"


    Civil war?


    "Huh? Y-yes, we are..."


    Looks like Night isn''t too sure of this ''civil war'' as well.


    "We heard all about it. It''s really saddening how the citizens there are treated. But here in Ronoa, you''ll be safe. [Slave] trade isn''t legal in this country so many take refuge in the capital. But I advise you stay away from the capital for a while. It had gotten a bit too crowded there you see."


    The weak human''s tone turned softer when he started to speak about things that I don''t understand.


    Sun and Night don''t seem to understand what he said as well. Or rather, it''s more like they''re surprised.


    I don''t care anymore. I''ll let the worrying part to Sun and Night.


    "Then, can we stay here in the village for a while?" Sun said, returning the conversation back on track.


    Then the weak human male turned towards the other weak humans and talked about something.


    After a few words were exchanged, they seem to have reached an answer.


    "We would welcome you in our village and let you stay here as long as you want but... we have a problem here." The weak human said grimly.


    "You see, we have a bit of a monster problem. A few days ago, the goblins in the forest have started to raid us at night. Although we managed to put a stop to them at first, their raids had escalated in strength each day. Last night''s raid resulted in two of our men getting serious injuries." The weak human continued.


    "Have you reported this matter?" Night replied in worry.


    "Yes. The subjugation team should be arriving a week from now. Right now, we''re discussing how to survive until then. Right now, I think you should just head to the village north from here."


    "No, we''ll take our chances and rest here. After traveling for two months nonstop, we''re very exhausted." Sun said in refusal.


    In the end, we are allowed in the village. It looks like the weak human is going to lead us to where we would be staying. I''m guessing that it''s going to be like one of those houses. How exciting!


    Tons of humans that I could meet. Maybe I could learn more about their culture. There''s just so much that Sun and Night could show me. With this, I''ll learn even more things!


    Although the gazes of the humans here aren''t really welcoming. Some looked at us with pity and some looked at us as if we''re really dumb.


    So those goblins are attacking this village as well. From how the weak human said it, this doesn''t seem to be something normal. Although goblins are hostile, they are afraid of things strictly stronger than them.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Humans are stronger than goblins so it''s natural that they don''t attack this village. At least not that often I assume.


    There''s also the fact that they often attack at night. Even when we''re traveling, not one of them ever attacks during the day. They don''t seem to be nocturnal creatures as well since I saw a few of them walking around at midday in the forest a few times.


    My guess is that they know that humans sleep at night so they attack humans at night to catch them off guard. It seems plausible and it might be the actual reason. But of course, there might be other reasons as well.


    And speaking of attacking, the weak human said that they attack every night, and each day, their attacks grow stronger than the last. That would mean that they increase in number each day.


    And it seems that the humans in this village are able to fend them off which would mean that the humans here are pretty strong as well. At least, they''re stronger than the raids that those goblins had sent out towards the village.


    So in that difference in strength, why didn''t they just save up their goblins and attack in one night with many goblins to raid the village? It would be more effective and they wouldn''t suffer many deaths as well.


    Could there be a reason why they don''t do that? Or are they just dumb?


    Well, I guess it''s fortunate that they didn''t do that. I would prefer to visit a village filled with humans that are alive than a village where the humans are dead.


    While I was thinking that, we finally reached where we would be staying. The house looks to be in a little bit in a worse condition than the other houses.


    "My apologies, this is the only house that isn''t occupied. You could also stay at my home if you want."


    "Ah, no no! This is more than enough! We can''t possibly intrude in your home. Thank you for letting us stay in your village." Sun said in a fluster.


    "Well then. Please be careful at night." After saying that, the weak human left and headed off somewhere else.


    Once he''s out of sight, I pulled on Sun''s sleeve.


    "Who''s that?"


    "He''s the village chief. The one who leads the whole village."


    So he''s actually important but there''s still something I don''t understand.


    "He''s weak. Why listen?"


    They seem to be a be a bit taken aback by what I asked.


    Did I say something weird?


    "You see, Snow, the village chief might look weak but since he''s old, he knows a lot. Leadership isn''t only measured by someone''s strength. Their knowledge and intelligence is also a big factor." Night explained.


    Is that so?


    I don''t know much about leadership but I assumed that the strong is always followed because if you don''t have the strength to show to your followers, they wouldn''t listen to you.


    I can see how a smart leader would also be good.


    Ending that thought there, we headed inside the house.


    The house is really spacious compared to the carriage. There''s a couple of things here that I''ve seen for the first time.


    In the first room, there''s things like ''table'', ''chair'', ''pot'', ''cauldron'', and some other things. There''s also several window-like holes on the wall as well as several chopped tree pieces in one of the corners of the room.


    Sun and Night headed towards another room, to which it headed towards next. The room that Sun and Night went in is smaller than the last one but this one has something called a bed.


    It''s a large soft thing that is meant for sleeping on. Just looking at it, I felt sleepy. But now is not the time to do that. I still have some exploring to do here.


    Leaving the two there with whatever they were doing, I went back to the room before.


    The room with the bed is left from the room with the table. On the right is simply a door that leads to the outside, the back of the house.


    I exited the house though there and saw a small structure thing close to the house. I''d say it''s half the carriage''s area. There''s also an awfully pungent scent of human waste in there. I decided not to get near there.


    When I went back to the house, I saw that Sun and Night are done doing whatever they were doing in the other room and took out the cauldron thing.


    "What''s it for?" I asked.


    "We''ll be cooking." Night answered with a smile.


    They then placed it on top of two rectangular hard stone, leaving a gap in the middle. After that, they put in a couple of pieces of wood in the gap.


    "... Next would be water... Could you two draw some water from the [well]?" Night said to me and Sun.


    Well?


    "Alright. Let''s go, Snow."


    Sun held out her hand to which grabbed promptly.


    Our destination should be towards where this well is.


    With us are two bucket things to hold the water with.


    From I gathered, this well should be a place where water can be collected from. I don''t see how that would relate to anything that Night is doing.


    The cauldron thing is too small for bath use so that possibility is out. Maybe it''s to heat the water for consumption? I think Night mentioned that one of the reasons why they burn meat before eating them is for sanitation.


    She explained how that works but I couldn''t really comprehend it.


    I''m sure I wouldn''t arrive into any worthwhile assumptions in this so I decided to ask Sun.


    "What''s Ni¡ªRoosevelt doing?"


    "Oh right. You''ve never seen us doing it during our travels. It''s called cooking. Essentially, it''s using other foodstuffs, which is called ingredients, mix them together in a certain way to make a more delicious meal."


    "Mix flavors?"


    "That''s right. Would you like to try it after its done?"


    Mixing foodstuff... That would involve those bitter carrots and potatoes then. Would that be alright? Could blood be added on that cooking?


    A little later, we found the well that Night was talking about.


    This well is a really deep cylindrical hole surrounded by stone barriers to prevent anyone from falling into them, I assume. There''s also a long object made up of a bunch of hair-like materials tied together in a spiral manner.


    It''s called a rope it seems.


    Attached to this rope is a bucket like me and Sun is carrying, only smaller.


    "How it works?"


    I asked Sun regarding how we can take the water from the deep hole.


    "It''s simple. You throw the bucket in the well and have it catch the water. After that, bring it up again and pour the water from the bucket to the bucket we''re carrying."


    Sun explained as she demonstrated how it works.


    It really is simple but it''s also apparently a lot of hard work to do. Water is quite heavy in large amounts.


    "I help."


    "No need for that, Snow. Let me show you that I can handle this much."


    I got refused yet again.


    So now, I just sat there and watch Sun struggling to pull up water, pour it in our buckets and do it all over again.


    After a while, she''s finally done. Due to the sun being just overhead of us, it had been quite hot. From that and the fact that Sun had been doing some strenuous work for a human, she''s now covered in sweat.


    For some reason, I don''t sweat myself.


    "See?" Sun said with quite a radiant smile.


    Her breathing became rough after that. She really did a lot of tiring work.


    I think I know what to say in these situations...


    "Good work."


    With a smile and a ''thumbs-up'' to go along with it.


    Upon seeing Sun''s blushing face told me that complimenting her is the right choice. I feel like I''m getting closer to understand humans now.


    Complimenting someone after they did something tiresome would make them happy.


    I should say a good job to Night as well later.


    After that, we returned to the way we came from. The distance between the house and the well wasn''t really that long, but it was far enough that carrying two water-filled buckets is tiring.


    For Sun that is.


    I tried to help, of course, but Sun refused again. She said to leave it to her.


    But we aren''t even halfway there and her arms look like they''re about to fall off.


    That''s when I forcibly took a bucket from her hand and held it with both my arms. The bucket is certainly heavier than before but for me who managed to push around something like a carriage, this is nothing.


    Such is the strength of a vampire.


    Still, she could have relied on from the start. No need to tire herself. They did that with the carriage so why didn''t Sun want to rely on me on these things as well?


    ...


    Let''s end that thought there. It''s making me feel bad.


    With me carrying a bucket, our travel time has gone faster now and we arrived at the house in a few short minutes.


    There we saw Night cutting up a carrot into small pieces with a sharp tool which looks similar to a sword, but shorter.


    It''s a knife.


    Sun and Night poured half a bucket of water in the cauldron and lit the firewood below it using a fire scroll.


    Then, Night continued cutting up the vegetables with the help of Sun this time.


    "You can watch us if you want, Snow."


    Night told me but I''m already doing that.


    After the carrots and potatoes, they took out the leftover raw rabbit meat that they''ve been saving their afternoon meal and cut that up as well.


    After a lot of cutting, Night threw them in the cauldron with the hot water. She threw in the rabbit meat first and then scooped away some white stuff that suddenly floated up on the surface of the water.


    Next, she threw in the vegetables and some powder thing. When I asked what it is, they said it''s salt and herbs. They explained that they are seasonings and that they make things tastier.


    That''s quite fascinating. The salt is... Salty and the herbs have a differing taste but they all taste bad when tried alone. This cooking, it seems like, has the ability to combine all these not so pleasant tasting ingredients into something appetizing.


    At least that''s what I thought. I still haven''t tasted it yet.


    A couple more minutes later, Night announced that it''s done.


    I''ve got to say, it does smell pleasant. Night said that this one is called a stew. She also said that through cooking one could create many more different dishes.


    This cooking is really quite practical, huh?


    I''m sure for a human, who isn''t capable of drinking blood for sustenance, cooking would be a great thing.


    But, time for the taste.


    Night poured the water part of the stew and added some meat and carrots inside this thing called bowl. More specifically, earthenware bowl.


    She also passed me an object called a spoon. It''s meant to make eating easier. Sun taught me how to use it for a bit.


    Now then. Let''s taste it.


    Upon taking a mouthful of this stew, it''s really hot but more than that, it''s quite delicious. The mix of all the flavors of the ingredients is really good.


    And here I thought humans are really unfortunate to not be able to appreciate the taste of blood. If they have something like this, then I can rest easy.


    It looks like the things that Sun and Night are eating during our travel is simply the result of a lack of equipment.


    Then now that we have these, I''m sure that they wouldn''t resort to eating burned rabbit meat and burned potatoes again.


    "Is it tasty?"


    Night asked me and I gave her a solid nod. It''s quite surprising how delicious it is. I''d say it''s better than boar blood or even rabbit blood.


    "Very delicious. Good job."


    I also complimented Night. It looks like she''s happy from that.

 A Stay in a Village 3

    "...So something crazy is happening in Teltorte." Night said in the middle of our meal.


    "I read in father''s documents that that''s where mom and [grandmother] was [sold] to. It was fortunate that that [bastard] of a [king] got caught."


    Sun''s tone of voice is rather un-Sun-like...


    "Indeed. Assuming that everything goes well, we may not even need to present Master''s evidence to the [court]."


    "No. Regardless if the filthy pig got caught or not, we''ll still deliver it to the [court]."


    There''s a bunch of things I don''t understand in their conversation but it isn''t really the right time to ask.


    And their talk involves Sun''s mother and ''grandmother'' as well. They never fully explained to me what a mother is and especially what grandmother is but from what they told me, it''s simply a person that cares for you.


    Sun would often ask me to call her mom whenever she''s hugging me but whenever I do call her that, she would immediately blush and her scent would grow stronger as well. When she or Night blushes, I feel an itch from my fangs to suck their blood so I never called her that again.


    But it''s true that Sun would be like my mother then and Night as well. Regarding what she said, her mother and grandmother getting sold seem to be a bad thing.


    "Ah! I''m sorry Snow. We shouldn''t really be talking about that in front of you."


    Now Sun''s tone became Sun-like again.


    Although, I don''t see the reason why they shouldn''t talk about that in front of me.


    Now that the gentle Sun is back, I could ask about the strange things they''re talking about.


    And so I asked.


    To summarise, Sun said that the King is a person the rules a place called a kingdom. A kingdom is a country ruled by a king. It''s many more times larger than this village, she described.


    Then she said that the King of Teltorte did something bad to his people which caused those people to get angry.


    She obviously toned down some parts but from what I heard from the village chief, this country is having a civil war or an event where people get really mad due to the things that the King had done.


    But...


    "What''s a slave?"


    The village chief mentioned the slave trade. I understand that it''s an exchange using slaves but I don''t know what slave is.


    Before answering, Night and Sun looked at each other before turning towards me.


    Sun answered.


    "You''re too attentive Snow... Slaves are people that serve other people. But it''s different from the sense of someone working for someone. Slaves simply don''t have a choice but to obey the person that owns them. It''s something horrible like that."


    Then Night continued.


    "They''re often mistreated and forced to do manual labor every single day without rest or they''re experimented on by some wicked people. For female slaves, they''re often... Actually, nevermind that."


    Slaves are unfortunate, huh? Human culture is really strange. To even treat their own kind like an object... I don''t see how they can even come to that conclusion.


    I know that there are mean humans as well. If it''s exclusive with the sex of the human, I''m not too sure. All the mean humans that I''ve met have been male.


    There are also male humans that are nice as well. As the males in this village, they didn''t attack us and the village chief, he even gave us a house to stay in. But I digress.


    Some humans are mean and some are not. And the especially mean ones would be the ones that mistreat humans and the ones that try to kill humans.


    The humans seem to have a disparity between them. It isn''t really a disparity between physical features, I''m sure, but rather how they see each other.


    The slaves simply are the lowest ones in that view.


    And this King, the leader of the humans, is involved in this.


    I''d say he''s worse than a goblin.


    And Sun''s mother and grandmother are sold as slaves as well... Someone that cares for Sun destined to be mistreated by other humans, just hearing that makes me feel some nasty feelings.


    Anger? Or do I simply find the whole thing unpleasant, even worse than burned meat?


    Whatever the feeling is, I don''t like it. It makes me think of dangerous stuff. Like killing the King.


    Before that goes any further, I asked the next one.


    Regarding the documents, which I assume to be the one that Sun always look at in her free time, and what this ''court'' thing is.


    "These documents are the very reason why we''re traveling to Ronoa. The documents contain something that would expose someone in the place that we grew up in his involvement in the slaves as well."


    Night explained.


    And to expose this certain person, they needed to give the documents to the court thing.


    The court thing is somewhere where people can file a complaint to a person, or a group of people. Night also mentioned that whatever the person or group did must be a violation of the law. In other words, an ''illegal'' deed.


    This person is also the one responsible for the enslavement of Sun''s mother and grandmother.


    That must be why Sun called that person a filthy pig.


    "It''s what my father requested of me to do. His last request..."


    Sun''s father? I think that''ll be the male version for a mother.


    I could tell that Sun is troubled by telling me this. I bet she''s recalling some sad memories in the past.


    I still haven''t made any sad memories myself and I hope that I won''t make any in the near future.


    Although the concept of sadness and happiness is still rather vague to me, I know that sad is bad and happy is good.


    For Sun''s still expression, her eyes definitely tell something on the contrary.


    What sort of phrase should one tell in this sort of situation...?This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I guess this can do.


    "It''s okay."


    Would this be fine? I even added a smile to go with it.


    "Yeah. I shouldn''t let it get to me. sorry Snow, I just recalled something unpleasant." Her strained voice gone now.


    She then reached out her hand and rubbed my head.


    I guess Sun is back.


    I should be careful about what I ask in the future as well. Sun wouldn''t have to recall those memories if I didn''t ask about it.


    Or maybe it was simply inevitable that she''ll recall these memories in the first place? They were talking about a rather complicated subject after all.


    After we''re done with our meal, Night and Sun cleaned up and I watched the whole process yet again while sitting on a chair...


    "It''s still a bit early. Why don''t you two go out and explore the village? I''m sure Snow would like that."


    Is what Night proposed after their done cleaning up.


    "What about you?"


    "Just to remind you, I''m a maid. It''s my job to clean up the house while the masters are out."


    Sun''s cheeks puffed up from that.


    "I don''t think that that''s important in our situation."


    "And I think it is. Don''t worry about me, you two have fun."


    "I''m not a child you know."


    "I didn''t say that. Think of it as accompanying Snow then."


    Sun looked at me for a second with faintly red cheeks before turning towards Night again.


    "... That''s not the problem here. Alright, we''ll go out for a bit."


    With that, we went outside.


    This is pretty exciting.


    Compared to the time where we went towards the house and the time where we went to the well, this time we''ll be going around the village with the intention to explore.


    "What do you want to do, Snow?" Sun asked me as she placed the cloth from before over me.


    "Meet people?"


    "Sure, let''s do that."


    With Sun''s reply, we head off.


    Firstly, we head towards the place where most of the humans are located.


    It''s a fairly large area with a lot of little humans running around in with a couple of normal-sized humans standing around, talking to each other and other activities. There''s also a bigger well in the very center.


    When the little humans saw us, they began to murmur to each other and for some reason, distanced themselves away from us.


    Although it could be assumed that they''re afraid of us, but it wasn''t actually the case.


    More like they''re curious? Or rather just interested in us.


    On a side note, the smell of blood from these little humans aren''t as tasty smelling as Sun, but I could tell that theirs are fairly smooth and easy to drink.


    "What are they?" I asked Sun for the identity of those small humans.


    "They''re children like you."


    I don''t see the resemblance... Aren''t I taller than them? Clearly, there''s a big difference between me and them.


    "Are you shy? I''ll introduce you to them then."


    Sun seems to have misinterpreted my silence for being shy, which is definitely not true.


    Sun dragged me then to the human children. When she did, they didn''t move away from us like what I expected them to.


    "Hello everyone," Sun said to them.


    The children didn''t react much from this. Seeing that, she continued.


    "We''re going to stay in your village for a little while. I hope you treat us well. And this is Snow, can you all play with her?"


    The human children looked at each other for a bit, then one of them stepped in and replied.


    "Alright."


    The one who stepped in is a male human. Black hair like mine and grey eyes that seems to be drooping down at the ends. He gives off an aura similar to the village chief. He must be the leader of these little humans.


    "My name''s Chris. Nice to meet you, Snow."


    The child named Chris told me and presented me his palm for some reason.


    This seems like a kind of gesture that humans do to each other but I don''t know how to respond to this.


    Seeking some answers, I turned towards Sun.


    As expected of Sun, she understood what I want to ask. She then leaned close to my ear and whispered what I have to do.


    She told me to ''shake his hand'' by grabbing it and moving it up and down.


    And so I did.


    I shook his hand up and down as I was told.


    "Um, Snow that''s too much. That''s enough..."


    "Ah... Okay."


    These human gestures are so strange. I don''t see the symbolism in shaking another person''s hand. I''ll have to ask Sun about it later.


    "P-pleased to make your acquaintance." The boy said wryly.


    For some reason, his face turned faintly red. Or did I just imagine it?


    "... Yes."


    I think the only one who is smiling genuinely here is Sun. I''m sure she noticed the uncomfortable atmosphere surrounding us.


    "Well then, I''ll be heading off for a bit. I''ll leave her to you. Snow, please behave yourself."


    What does she mean by that?


    After whispering to me, "Have fun~", she then head off somewhere.


    Didn''t Night say that she should be accompanying me? Well, whatever.


    Now that Sun is gone, the other children then came closer and stared at me with appraising eyes.


    There are three children in total. The one who introduced himself earlier is named Chris, he''s also the tallest one among them.


    "Wow! Your skin is so pale!"


    The one who said that on astonishment is a female human child. She''s also the second tallest child among them.


    Her brown eyes seemed to sparkle as she stared at me and her short brown hair looks bouncy.


    "You''re even taller than big brother!"


    A miniature version of Chris was the last one to talk. Like his big brother, he too has black hair and grey eyes. Although his eyes seem to droop off the side. It makes me think of him as a small wolf.


    "H-hey guys, introduce yourselves."


    "Sorry about that. The name''s Trish by the way."


    "I''m Leo!"


    Ho ho, I like this smaller child. Not only does his blood smells like a purer form of Sun''s and Night''s blood but he also incites a desire in me to want to cuddle him up.


    Is this what Sun always feel? Then this little child must be what they call cute then.


    "Was that your mother, Snow?" Chris asked.


    "... Yes."


    Sun always wants me to treat her like a mother anyway. Night doesn''t really say anything to the matter but I guess I also think of her the same.


    "She seems nice," Trish commented.


    "She''s really pretty." Leo then said.


    They then asked me about where I came from and why are we visiting their village.


    I honestly wish that Sun was here so she would handle all these questions. So I ended up making up a bunch of stuff to answer all of their questions.


    I ended up saying the same story that night had told the village chief before we entered the village. That we''re from the south, the fact that I was found in the forest, and regarding the cloth covering my body, I said that my skin is really sensitive to the sun.


    Regarding how I survived in the forest, I told them that I stayed in a nearby abandoned house and go out at night to look for food. As for how I ended up in the forest in the first place, I just told them I don''t remember.


    Also, while I was telling them about those things, we ended up sitting on the ground.


    "You''re pretty weird, Snow. And also really amazing." Trish said.


    "Yeah. For a girl like you to be living in the forest is a bit... I mean, I couldn''t do that. And looking for food at night, you''re really brave." Chris commented.


    "Were there a lot of wolves in the forest?" Leo then asked.


    "Un. There''s a lot of wolves there."


    Also, regarding my story, I didn''t say anything about being attacked by the animals there or those goblins. Or the fact that I saw Night and Sun getting attacked by humans when I met them, and the fact that it happened twice.


    I feel that these children would be scared by that.


    There''s also the fact that they didn''t seem to have minded my pale skin as much as I would''ve expected. Did my story regarding my sensitivity to skin was responsible for that?


    "That''s right! Snow, want to see something amazing!?"


    As if remembering something incredibly, Chris suddenly stood up and hit the palm of his hand with his fist.


    "You mean that shabby place?" Trish followed, disinterested.


    "I think it''s cool."


    "See Trish? You''re the only one here who thinks that it sucks so it doesn''t count."


    "Whatever."


    Something amazing huh? If he said it''s amazing then I''m sure it is.


    Whether or not it''s amazing doesn''t really matter though. I still want to see it because I''m interested.


    I nodded at his proposal and Chris looked at Trish with triumph.


    Chris then led the way towards this amazing place he''s talking about. He lead us to the outskirts of the village and inside the forest. The place he lead us wasn''t that far off from the village so very little animals where there.


    I could smell that the scent of goblins, wolves, boars and other dangerous creatures like that are far away enough that it should be safe for us to enter.


    We navigated through the forest until we reached a place with cloth covering a section of the place.


    The cloths were tied to the branches of the trees and when they didn''t reach, a string was used instead.


    "Impressive right?"


    "Is this a camp?"


    Sometimes, Sun and Night would tie a cloth on the branches of the trees in the forest as shade for the sun when we''re taking a break.


    "Pfft! Hahaha! You look so proud of it when Snow didn''t even get it!"


    "Shut up! It just needs a bit more fixing..."


    "Did I guess wrong?"


    "W-well, yeah... This is actually my hideout. Normally girls aren''t invited by you''re an exception, Snow."


    "Hey! That''s discrimination!"


    "Who said that my hideout is shabby!?"


    The two bantered like that for quite a while.


    For the time being, I turned my attention towards Leo who was looking at a trail of ants marching their way towards a small hill.


    He noticed me looking at him so i decided to talk to him for a bit.


    "Ants are interesting."


    "Yeah. Do you want to be an ant, big sister?"


    "No. I''ll die quickly."


    I proceeded to give him a demonstration of the fragile body of an ant by squeezing one of them on the ground.


    "I don''t want to be an ant either."


    "Un."


    A couple of minutes later, the two have finally stopped arguing. From their faces, it was pretty obvious who won that argument.


    "Sorry for leaving you like that Snow... Ahahaha. Shall we go see the inside of the hideout then?"


    I nodded in reply.


    A moment ago, Chris had said that females aren''t allowed.


    But this time, Trish is coming along with us.


    He''s quite easily swayed, huh?

 A Stay in a Village 4

    When we arrived at the front of the hideout, Chris pulled the cloth aside and gestured us to enter.


    Like what Trish had said before, this place is pretty shabby. It didn''t look very organized.


    Items were placed in an indiscernible pattern. Table-like objects where made using rotting wood planks and on top of them are a bunch of human items that I couldn''t even identify what their purpose is, no less their names.


    Cloths of all sizes were at the top of the hideout, acting as another shade aside from the canopy of leaves of the tall trees.


    There are also stones arranged in a circular shape and inside the circle is an arrangement of dry wood, making a cone shape.


    As I thought, it''s pretty interesting.


    I''d say this place would be pretty comfortable to stay in. The cloth that covered the whole hideout from the outside would be a useful thing to stop any pesky goblins trying to kill you at night and the campfire in the middle would give warmth to everyone here in the cold night.


    The cloth up top would block the shiny night sky so if it were up to me, I''d remove those.


    Chris then turned to me and snorted.


    "Pretty great, right?"


    "Mm. Pretty cozy in here."


    "R-right. Come here for a sec Snow."


    He then pulled me towards one of those table-like things and presented me the item on top of it.


    "Do you know what this is?"


    The item in question is a crude round metallic thing with a few dents and scratches on the surface.


    So I simply replied, "No."


    Chris rubbed his nose with a rather proud and snorted.


    "This here is a treasured piece that I''ve acquired from one of the goblins that I slew. By myself."


    "You mean the goblin that you found dead outside the forest." Trish retorted.


    "Shut up."


    I could smell a faint scent of goblin on the metal thing so what he, or rather Trish said might be true.


    But still, I don''t know what this is.


    "What''s this?" I asked Chris.


    I leaned in closer to the metal thing to take a close look.


    "Like I said, a treasured piece."


    "More like a piece of junk."


    "Shut up."


    Ignoring the two, I examined the piece a bit closer.


    The way it''s bent and how the metal was cut reminded me of something.


    Can''t this be a piece of armor? That could be a possibility.


    But why would he be so interested in this piece of armor?


    And so I asked.


    "Doesn''t it fascinates you to know that something like this has a history to them?"


    Is what he answered.


    "I think you''re the only one here who is interested in this sort of thing," Trish said.


    "Hey, don''t just assume that. I''m sure Snow is interested in those things too."


    "Not really."


    "Hahahahaha! Snow thinks it''s just a piece of junk too!"


    "Shut up!"


    These two banter a lot. Do they hate each other or something?


    Just like Leo had been doing, I decided to inspect the weird things that Chris has put on display.


    All of them are just pieces of something. The things ranged from clothes, armor, bloody clothes, bloody armor, splinters of wood, bent coins and there''s even a rusty sword.


    Chris mentioned how he got them and the story behind them while Trish points at the actual anti-climactic side of the story.


    It got to the point that I''m more interested in the difference in the story that the two told me than the actual item.


    Although for Leo, it seems he found wonder in all of these random items.


    This whole thing took quite a while so we decided to rest here for a bit before going back to the village.


    There''s still no nearby dangerous creatures so I think it''s fine.


    "This place is pretty cool, right Snow? Not only is it a place to hang out in but it''s also my personal [trophy] room." Chris asked me.


    "Trophy room?"


    Before Chris could even answer, Trish answered first.


    "It''s a room where he dumps his junk in."


    "... This is why I don''t want to invite you here."


    "I don''t even want to in the first place. I''d rather just continue playing stones, [axes] and [parchment]."


    "Then why did you enter in the first place!?"


    "I have this uneasy feeling that you would do something to Snow when I''m not around..."Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "W-what the heck!? I won''t do anything!"


    And here I thought that they''re already tired of talking...


    Ignoring the two until they calm down, I beckoned Leo to me.


    When he saw me calling him, he stopped whatever he was doing and sat beside me.


    Of course, my reason for calling him was to feel his warmth.


    I stood up, sat and hugged him from behind. For a small child like him, his body temperature is slightly higher than Night''s or Sun''s. It feels comfy.


    Leo didn''t seem to mind my sudden action as well.


    Perfect.


    "... Were you lonely?"


    Suddenly, he asked.


    "Lonely?"


    "When you were alone in the forest."


    "Ah... I don''t really feel lonely."


    From that time, I don''t know if I feel lonely or not. It was definitely more exciting to be with Sun and Night but I don''t exactly know if I feel less lonely.


    I never really felt anything different after all so maybe I was never really feeling lonely from the start.


    "Hmm... For me, if big brother and Trish weren''t around, I''ll be lonely."


    "..."


    "I would still have grandfather and daddy but... It wouldn''t be the same."


    It wouldn''t be the same...


    If ever that happens to me, I''m sure I would feel the same as him.


    I then changed the subject to something that has been on my mind for quite a while.


    "Those two, are always arguing?"


    "Yeah..."


    "Oh."


    "Big sister, you''re really cold."


    "I guess. I feel cold when I don''t get hugs."


    "Then I''ll hug you every time! So you won''t feel cold anymore!"


    "Hoo~ good idea."


    I finally have a substitute warmer for when Sun and Night are not around!


    Maybe I could convince those two to be my warmers as well...


    ???


    After their usual banter, Chris lead us back towards the village. We took the same route as before and left the forest with no problems.


    As for what we''re going to do now, Trish had invited us over to her house.


    It was originally only me who she invited but the two pestered her for them to come as well. Thus it ended in this.


    Especially Chris. She pestered her non-stop until she gave in.


    I''d say his goal on doing that is just to annoy her.


    These two must really dislike each other. I wonder why they''re even together like this.


    We also returned back to the place where we found these three. Trish said that it''s a plaza when I asked.


    When we arrived there, surprisingly, we saw a panicking Sun holding onto a fairly large box, looking around the place.


    Eventually, her eyes turned to our direction and she immediately sprinted towards us.


    "Snow! Where did you go!?"


    And she runs quite fast that it even surprised me.


    Due to her suddenly hugging me and lifting me off the ground, the cloth that I was using to cover up skin almost fell off.


    I can''t have those three see me be completely fine under the sun when the cloth is removed so I immediately corrected it''s position and held on to it.


    Hey, is she alright?


    "We... Went to Chris''s hide¡ª."


    "S-snow, that place a secret, shh!" Hushed Chris, cutting me off mid-sentence.


    Sun noticed Chris''s not-so-silent shush at me and she finally loosened her grip on me, somewhat.


    "You went with your new friends, is that right?"


    It looks like Sun has calmed down now.


    I simply nodded in response.


    "My! My little Snow made some new friends!"


    She again embraced me tightly.


    It was quite warm so I didn''t mind.


    Since I''m close to Sun''s ears, I decided to inquire her about her leaving me all alone earlier.


    "Mmmm... Why did you leave me alone earlier...?"


    I said it quietly enough that the three wouldn''t be able to hear it.


    I felt Sun''s body jerking slightly.


    "You see, I got a little bit excited and asked Roosevelt to make some snacks for you all but then I found out that you all weren''t in the plaza so I panicked a little."


    What''s there to be excited about me getting friends?


    Leaving Sun''s odd trigger for excitement, Night made snacks?


    We had snacks back when we were traveling but they were all just a mixture of berries that we found in some bushes in the forest.


    Now that they''re capable of utilizing their human cooking skills, I''m sure they made something more delicious than that. Even better if they added some of their blood in it.


    Sun noticed me react to snacks which made her grin from ear to ear.


    Although I''m sure she misinterpreted that as me being excited about the snacks.


    She beckoned the three under the shade of a tree in the plaza.


    She then finally put me down and took out a wide cloth and laid it on the ground and placed the box in the middle of it.


    After that''s set up, she sat down in one spot of the cloth and I sat down next to her.


    "You guys should sit down as well. No need to be shy~."


    With Sun''s invitation, the three reluctantly sat down as well.


    Then, Sun opened the box. It was needless to say that I''m expecting something amazing.


    What Sun had brought with her is...


    Fried potatoes.


    ...


    It does smell more appetizing though and it isn''t as burned as the ones we, or should I say, they had before.


    It''s cut in sections, resulting in a bite-sized circle shaped form.


    "I used some of the rock salt that we have in these. Please try it."


    The three are more or less have a ''wow'' expression on their faces and each took a piece.


    Sun also fed me one which I ate with reluctance.


    "Salted fried potatoes! It''s been a while since I had one of these!"


    Chris exclaimed as he shoved another one inside his mouth.


    "So good!"


    Trish said with a satisfied expression on her face.


    "!" For Leo, his face has the word ''tasty'' plastered on his face.


    "I''m glad you liked it."


    Human taste is weird.


    For me, I don''t really see the goodness in this. Though I had to admit that this is certainly snack worthy. On its own at least.


    There''s just something missing.


    Thinking that I took out the water container that I have hidden on me and took a sip from it.


    The slightly sweet and sour taste of a bird''s blood made the potato inside my mouth ten times more delicious.


    The salt in the potato didn''t mix that well with the taste of the bird blood but I like it nonetheless.


    Sun looked uneasy when she saw me drinking blood while chewing fried potatoes but that only lasted for a short while.


    Her face soon flushed red as she inched closer to me.


    This is bad. For me to simply drink blood in front of her, I didn''t think she would get affected by it.


    I don''t even understand why she''s like that. The same goes for Night as well.


    It must have had to do with when I poured my own blood into them to keep them alive.


    It''s needless to say that a blushing human close by is making me hunger for blood. Even more so when Sun and night were the ones who are blushing.


    And Sun especially, I''ve been wanting to taste her blood for a long time now.


    I have to somehow distract myself so I could put these dangerous thoughts aside for the moment.


    And thankfully, Leo had done me a great save.


    Although it wasn''t the kind of save that I am expecting. Rather, it might even make things worse.


    "Big sister, what''s that red thing?"


    Leo pointed towards the water container where I store blood in. I didn''t notice that some of the blood was on the brim of the container, and there was some on my lips as well.


    Due to Leo mentioning it, the other two stopped eating for a moment and looked this way.


    Quickly, I wiped away the blood from my lips and the brim of the container before they could see.


    This might bed... if I don''t have something prepared in a time like this.


    "It''s medicine for my sun-sensitive skin."


    Even though I said that I prepared something, I actually only just thought of it at the moment.


    It seems they believed it as they resumed eating.


    Even Sun was a little bit surprised to hear what I said.


    "Are you actually sensitive to sunlight?"


    She whispered to me.


    Did she actually believe that?


    "No. It''s made up."


    "Is that so?"


    Sun paused for a second as if thinking about something then her eyes lit up.


    "Ah...! I get it! It must be the reason that you said to them to explain why your skin is so pale. Right? That''s so clever of you Snow~!"


    I somehow managed to get a rub in the head and a compliment from Sun.


    Perfect.


    And it looks like Sun''s somewhat back to normal.


    More perfect.


    I hid the water container then and there to prevent Sun from getting blushy again and endured eating the salty potatoes without and added tasty blood.


    I should ask them what they feel when they see me drinking blood.


    We eventually finished the snack had brought and we helped clean up.


    It wasn''t much so it was done pretty quickly.


    After all, that''s done, Sun asked me;


    "Snow, are you still going to play or do you want to go back together?"


    It is afternoon right now and I wanted to sleep but I don''t what to back out something that I agreed with.


    I looked back towards Trish to know if it''s okay or not.


    "It''s okay, snow. Let''s do it some other time when it''s just us girls."


    "Hey, how come we''re not included?"


    Trish leaned in closer to Chris and whispered something in his ear.


    "F-fine..."


    It looks like she had more or less convinced him.


    With that, I head back to the house with Sun.


    And nothing of note had happened along the way.


    At least at the start.

 A Stay in a Village 5

    As we were making our way back to the house, Sun is oddly fidgety.


    As usual, she''s holding on to my hand but for some reason, her hand is slightly wet. This isn''t normal.


    Of course, the reason might be that she just touched something that''s wet but her hand wasn''t this wet when we started holding hands.


    No other cases were like this in the past as well.


    The other reason might be that she''s sweating. It''s something that a human does after all.


    Sun and Night are awfully sweaty when they''re sleeping, or when it''s more hot than usual. Sweating is normal for humans, is what I concluded.


    And sweating might be the reason.


    Except that it doesn''t make sense.


    The clouds are covering the sun right now so it isn''t as hot. My body temperature is cold so my body heat can''t be the case for Sun''s hand to be sweating.


    Her hand never sweats when we hold hands before, mind you.


    And it had been only about a minute and a half when Sun''s hand became all wet.


    And even if her hand just begun to sweat for no apparent reason, there''s also the fact that Sun''s eyes are moving around about too much than usual.


    Clearly, she''s wary, or nervous about something.


    I don''t see or smell anything in particular that could be a cause for that.


    Thinking about this further wouldn''t really result into anything.


    So I just decided to ask her.


    "What''s wrong."


    Upon asking her that, her back straightened up in shock.


    "D-don''t worry about me. I''m fine."


    Then why are you blushing?


    Ugh... I''m not even drinking blood right now. What''s her reason for blushing?


    The sweet scent of her blood seems to tickle my nose as it entices me to come and have a taste.


    I reflexively looked at Sun''s nape and it''s oddly inviting.


    This isn''t good. I want to get away from her as soon as possible.


    But I can''t really let go of her hand without reason.


    So what kind of reason should I make up for her to leave me be for a bit?


    A few short seconds later, an idea popped up in my mind.


    "I have to pee."


    Pee. Human activity to relieve themselves of liquid bodily waste. I, for some reason, despite drinking that much blood as I had, don''t need to do this activity, even though I have the organs to do it.


    And yes, I looked into Sun''s and Night''s as well to be sure that our female vagina is the same.


    They were pretty embarrassed in the end.


    But anyway, I saw that Sun and Night don''t like me staring at them whenever they''re peeing.


    She should assume the same for me, right?


    Sun would give me some alone time to do my peeing and then when Sun and I had finally calmed down, we''ll continue our way back.


    I''d say this plan, it''s pretty perfect.


    Sun thought about it for a bit and then replied;


    "But Snow, you don''t seem to need to pee. At least I never saw you do it before."


    Of course, I thought that she would be asking something like that.


    "I pee in the forest when looking for rabbits."


    With this, she can''t possibly tell if I''m lying or not.


    With no visual confirmation, all you can do is mere speculation on what exactly has happened. She has no choice but to accept it as being true.


    But when I said that, she didn''t react as I was expecting. Rather, her face became redder.


    "When you were hunting rabbits, huh? Mm... Just to get their blood, you hunted rabbits... Ha..."


    She muttered softly so I couldn''t quite hear it clearly, but I could make out some words here and there.


    It''s not good.


    What''s this about me hunting rabbits? They never said it was strange so I''m sure that the act isn''t a problem here.


    "Rabbits... Blood..."


    Right. It''s definitely the part about blood.


    I think I said something I shouldn''t have. This just made it worse.


    Argh...! Her scent is getting stronger! I have to get away from her or I''ll lose control of myself!


    "L-Lilia... Pee?"If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Oh, that''s right! I''m sure there''s someplace you can pee in."


    Thankfully, she got a grip on herself.


    But I think I won''t be able to soon.


    After a little bit of searching, I''m reaching my limit.


    Why is she still blushing? There''s no reason to!


    We''re just walking aimlessly around the village. I can''t even spare a thought on appreciating the culture of how humans work because of what I''m feeling right now.


    "Lilia... I need to pee..."


    I requested once again with a more pitiful cry. I even squeezed the area between my thighs to make it more convincing.


    "Don''t worry, we''ll find one soon~!"


    Why is she happy about that?


    In the end, we settled in between two houses in a place where there doesn''t seem to be many humans around.


    What''s bad about this is the fact that there''s no cover, no place to run to, and no privacy what so ever.


    It''s simply a narrow space with two wooden walls at the side to cover us.


    If I''m going to pee here, aren''t I basically in full view? Isn''t there supposed to be privacy, as what Night had said when peeing?


    And thus I looked at Sun with a questioning look.


    "Don''t worry about me. Go ahead and pee."


    "Privacy..."


    "Sorry Snow. This is the only place we can find at the moment. Usually, there''s a public toilet in villages but this one doesn''t have any."


    I''d like to ask how many villages are out there but it isn''t the time to ask that.


    More importantly, I''m in quite a bind.


    I can''t really pee. Either it is physically, because I''m a vampire, or I don''t have anything that I would need to get rid off, thus no yellow liquid.


    But I can''t really tell her that I don''t need to pee after all. She''ll most likely ask why I lied in the first place and I can''t think up of a good made up reason to answer that. It''ll also probably lead to something I didn''t want to lead towards.


    What should I do...?


    "What''s wrong Snow? Don''t you have to pee?"


    "... You''re looking."


    "Oh, I''m sorry. Then I''ll look away."


    As she said, she turned around and looked in the opposite direction.


    I guess this is better but how do I make pee sounds?


    I don''t have any yellow water and all I have is blood.


    I don''t want to waste blood and even if I used that, the smell and color will give it away. It''ll still be pointless and I won''t have any more blood.


    In the end, I''m still in a dire situation.


    And yes, Sun is still giving off that alluring scent. We''re a bit more far apart but that doesn''t help at all. I need to get a lot farther than this.


    Should I just run away?


    I can just explain myself later on. I''ll tell her that I found something nearby or something.


    But as I was about to leave, Sun suddenly said;


    "You''re lying, aren''t you, Snow?"


    Her words weren''t something I''m happy to hear but her voice is oddly happy. No, it''s more like she''s excited.


    She then turned around and slowly approached me.


    "But it''s okay. I''ll forgive you."


    Her face is practically red now and as she approached, I couldn''t move at all. It''s not because she did something but it''s because of something I''m feeling.


    She''s inviting me. Something inside me is saying that if I bite on to her neck, she wouldn''t mind. She''ll be glad I did it even.


    But I can''t do it. I at least have to resist.


    As I was standing there, unable to move, she''s finally right in front of me. Her rosy red cheeks smell so good that I could feel my mouth water in anticipation. My fangs throbbed in pain as I desire more and more to suck her blood.


    Dangerous thoughts like wanting to suck her dry appeared but I immediately tossed it away.


    That''s the last thing I want to do in a place like this.


    But even when I think that I don''t genuinely think it''s a bad idea.


    She then lowered herself to my eye level and looked into my eyes intensively.


    "Hey Snow¡­"


    Every letter she spoke felt like something is caressing the insides of my ear.


    This is really dangerous. I''m seriously nearing my limit.


    "... Can I ask you a favor?"


    "What is it?" Is what I''d like to reply but the words seemed to have been stuck.


    I''d like to run away as far as possible from here but my body refuses to.


    This is a really big defect. I''ll have to tell Lacorte about this.


    Seeing my unresponsiveness as an answer, she continued.


    "¡­ can you drink my blood?"


    "¡­!"


    She said it! She really said it!


    That''s it, I''m at my limit! I can''t resist anymore!


    That''s right! What''s the point of resisting!? Now that I think about it, there''s just absolutely no reason in the first place.


    The instant she finishes her sentence, I immediately pounced on her, throwing her on the ground.


    "Drink as much as you like¡­"


    I think she said something but I didn''t pay attention to it.


    My full attention is directed at Sun''s neck, just at the curve at the top of her collarbone.


    I touched it as if confirming if it''s actually real or not.


    Shortly after, I plunged my fangs into her neck.


    Blood rushed immediately through my fangs and it felt amazingly good.


    For a soul with only its thoughts for a companion, I didn''t think I would ever feel something this amazing.


    This feels even more amazing than when the time I accidentally drank Night''s blood.


    It''s a whole other experience.


    And I don''t think it''s because it''s Sun that I''m sucking blood from. I feel that I would feel something like this with Night as well.


    It''s just that, this time, there''s something different about it. Maybe it''s due Sun''s alluring smell of blood that I kept smelling throughout the day or the fact that she''s the one that invited me in the first place.


    Whatever it may be, I don''t know and I don''t want to care about it for the moment. I simply wish to savor this experience and embed it deep into my memory.


    Not even 5 seconds have passed and I could hear Sun panting.


    Her rough breaths seem to tell me to keep going.


    She then pulled me closer, as if asking for more.


    After a while, I was finally satisfied.


    I removed my fangs of her neck and let her lie on my thighs for the moment.


    "Hey Snow, you bit me before, right? Please don''t heal it. I''d like to keep it."


    "¡­"


    My fangs were covered in my saliva which has healing properties so the moment that I removed my fangs from her neck, it immediately closed, leaving Sun''s neck flawless as before.


    Should I just say that it had already healed?


    But looking at Sun''s expression right now, I feel like it''s something that will make her very happy.


    I guess I have to improvise.


    In order to leave a wound that wouldn''t heal, I simply wiped the saliva off of my fangs and bit her once again.


    Sun seemed to be confused as to why I did that but decided not to ask.


    "Eek!"


    As I bit her again, she yelped in pain.


    The bite mark this time didn''t heal immediately but the bleeding did stop.


    It must be the work of the leftover saliva that I didn''t manage to wipe off.


    Sun used her fingers to examine it, to which he nodded in satisfaction after.


    "Thank you, Snow."


    "Un."


    After that, we continued our way back to the house.


    This time, no annoying desire to drink Sun''s blood.


    I feel completely calm.


    During the way, we didn''t talk to each other but I felt that it was just fine.


    Sun and I held our hands together and she didn''t blush a single time. And even if she did, I don''t think I''ll get enticed that easily.


    Although Sun kept rubbing the bite mark I just made.


    Does it hurt after all?


    I asked about it but she didn''t say that it was.


    Instead;


    "I''m just happy."


    I guess that''s fine. If she''s happy then I''ll just leave it at that.


    And I''m glad I didn''t suck that much blood from her as well.


    I felt that if I tried to drink her blood, I wouldn''t be able to stop myself but that wasn''t the case at all.


    This time, I''m more in control. It must be because I''m not that hungry anyway.


    After a few minutes of walking, we finally arrived at the house.


    Now that we''re here, I could smell Night''s distinct smell of blood, strangely strong.


    After just recently feasting on Sun, I don''t have much urge to drink any more blood for now but it does smell rather delicious.


    When we entered, we saw an unusually sweaty Night coming out of the room with the bed.


    Rather than her more comfortable clothes, she''s wearing the maid clothes that she showed me before.


    Her face is quite flushed as well.


    "W-welcome back!"


    She greeted with rough breaths. She wiped away the sweat of her forehead as she put out a stiff smile.


    "We''re back~."


    Sun seemed to have an idea as to why Night is like that, judging from her mischievous grin.


    Then Sun approached her and whispered something in her ear, making her face redder even more.


    With that, the whole room is filled with the delicious aroma of Night''s blood.


    These two had been unusually blushy today.

 A Stay in a Village 6

    "So how was the snack I made for you and your friends, Snow."


    "They said it''s delicious."


    "Is that right? I''m glad."


    Currently, we''re in bed and I''m sitting on Night''s thighs as she questioned me about my day.


    With the cloth thing removed, I could effectively feel the warmth of Night who is right behind me.


    And regarding their questioning, I don''t think it''s that interesting, at least for them, about my day. I''m sure they''ve experienced something more fun than what I had.


    I don''t get why they wanted to hear how my day was.


    But contrary to my obvious confusion, the two seemed to be genuinely interested.


    Sun has been smiling for a while now as if she''s waiting for something while Night is red as blood and uncharacteristically huggy.


    Of course, not like I mind the hugging part. I quite like it after all.


    The problem is that Night is blushing.


    Although I''m more used to it by now, you know, it''s making me feel as if my head is flying up the sky.


    Thankfully, I''m not that hungry right now so I don''t think that I''ll be pouncing on her any time soon.


    ¡­ unless if she did something inviting.


    "What about you, Snow? Did you find it delicious?"


    "It''s okay."


    "Mmm¡­ if we get to the capital, I''ll make better tasting food for you."


    Oh¡­!


    That sounds promising. Human food, if cooked decently, could rival that of rabbit''s blood.


    And I know that what Night did isn''t the pinnacle of human cooking as well. I''m sure that I can safely hope that this capital place has better tasting ingredients.


    But they could always just add blood and it''ll taste a hundred times better.


    Well, that''ll depend on the taste of the individual, I guess. Humans will never understand the greatness of blood.


    While I was thinking that, Sun mentioned something outrageous.


    "Rather than the quality of the ingredient, I think Snow just found it disappointed that it lacked something."


    She isn''t really making anything up.


    I did find something lacking in the fried potatoes but I didn''t expect that Sun would point it out just like that.


    "S-something lacking¡­?"


    "That''s right~!"


    Then Sun moved her shirt to show Night the bite mark I made earlier on her neck.


    "!¡­ Snow bit you!?"


    "Yup! And it felt reeeeally good."


    I could see Night''s throat moved as she gulped down her saliva.


    This might be bad. What has gotten on Sun? Did me biting her changed the way she thinks?


    I should be careful. I''ll have to think about what it does to the other party as well.


    Then suddenly, Night held me close to her.


    "U-um¡­ what does that have to do with the potatoes?"


    "It doesn''t have blood. Isn''t that right, Snow?"


    I simply didn''t respond. Something is happening and I''d rather not help stir whatever that something is.


    And it seems that Sun had found out about my reason for my dissatisfaction about the potatoes.


    I guess it was obvious when I look back on it.


    Night looks to be troubled by what Sun had said.


    She then directed her attention to me.


    "Would Snow prefer it if I added blood?"


    "¡­ yeah."


    I can''t lie about this after all. It''s something I truly desire.


    "... Then would my blood suffice?"


    When I agreed that I preferred it, I didn''t mean that it should be Night''s.


    But then again, I could get to taste Night''s blood in the food that she makes.


    So I nodded as a reply.


    Night expression turned stiff upon hearing my answer. Her face got even redder and her lips closed shut. Night''s fragrant scent wafts through the air and entered my nose as if gently inviting me over.


    Is this a chance? Though I''m not that hungry, I would still like to try Night''s blood.


    I tried it before and it was great. It''s a taste that I''m simply craving all this time. And now, I may have a chance to taste it again.


    I reached out and caressed the side of her neck as a test if she really wanted to or not.


    And Night replied by closing her eyes and rubbing her cheek on my hand.


    Is this the go signal? Did I get her permission? Human body language is weird so I don''t know.


    Upon seeing my confused face, Night giggled softly and answered the biggest question I have currently.


    "... It''s fine, Snow."


    With that, I plunged my fangs into the side of her neck, just above the collarbone.


    Night''s warm blood entered my fangs.


    The feeling of drinking blood from a human like this is simply pleasurable.


    As it thought, Night''s blood is really delicious.


    If I have to pick between Sun and Night, I don''t know what to choose. I like both.


    Like Sun before, soon after I started to suck her blood, Night began to pant. Her warm rough breaths hit my ear which made this experience all the more enjoyable.


    " ¡­ eep! S-snow¡­"


    I heard her say but she didn''t sound to be in pain so I kept going.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    When I''m satisfied with the amount I drank, I pulled out my fangs.


    "¡­ Snow... Do the same thing to me..."


    I assume she means leaving my bite mark on her like Sun?


    I don''t mind but I don''t understand why she wanted to.


    Like Sun, since the one I made had healed, I bit her again after wiping off the saliva off of my fangs.


    The two small wounds healed enough that it stopped bleeding but it didn''t heal all the way.


    That should be fine.


    When I tried to remove myself from her, Night suddenly pulled me back closer to her into a hug.


    It''s warm. It''s fine. But why?


    "Let me stay like this for a while¡­"


    Is what Night said.


    Then I guess I should indulge myself with Night''s slightly high body temperature.


    But then...


    "Hey, Roosevelt, that''s unfair!"


    "Ho? Then join us."


    For some reason, Sun hugged me as well.


    The feeling of being surrounded by two warm bodies¡­ it feels like I''m floating.


    And coupled with Sun''s large breast squeezing behind me and Night''s smaller pair at my front, the comfy degree is in a whole other level.


    It definitely feels a lot better than just squeezing myself in between them while they sleep. Being squeezed intentionally, it''s simply amazing.


    "Mmm¡­"


    I let out a moan from just how good I was feeling right now. Truth be told, I''d like to stay like this for a thousand years.


    But soon after that moan, came a yawn.


    I think it''s afternoon right now, after all.


    Just remembering the time made me sleepy, and combined with this same sensation, I couldn''t fight the sleepiness no matter how much I try.


    And before I knew it, I dozed off.


    ???


    The fact that when I opened my eyes, there''s no bright light entering my eyes nor any light at all in the room must mean that it''s night already.


    Due to my vampiric descent, I could see quite well in the dark.


    And with that vision, I saw that the strangely acting human warmers from before are gone.


    They must be doing something else.


    I exited the room and I saw Sun sitting on a chair, papers laid out on the table and an object with a fire inside, lighting the whole room.


    A lantern? It sounds like the name of a person.


    Noticing my footsteps, Sun looked up towards me and smiled at me softly.


    "Good evening, Snow."


    "Un."


    It looks like Sun had calmed down now. She was rather weird earlier after all. The two of them that is.


    What Sun is doing currently is she''s writing something on a paper at the top of the stack of paper, bound by a string.


    Is this what they meant when they''re making scrolls?


    So I asked, but that didn''t seem to be the case.


    "I''m making a [summary]."


    "A [summary]?"


    Sun looked up at the ceiling for a moment before answering.


    "It''s a shortened version of these papers."


    I think I get it.


    The bunch papers that Sun had brought, there''s a lot of human words in them after all. If she''s making it a shorter version, then I can understand why she would do that.


    I came closer to take a better look at what she''s doing, being careful not to disturb her.


    I simply watched her silently like that.


    When I got tired of standing, I sat down on the chair next to her and continued to watch her like that.


    There''s something fun about watching someone do something. It''s something like an activity where your eyes and ears are the only things that are needed. It''s something relaxing.


    After a couple of minutes passed, Sun turned to me.


    Her expression is hard to read.


    "Have you ever been lonely, Snow?"


    She asked me in a kind of voice that I associate to being motherly.


    Thinking about her question a little bit more, I arrived in the same answer that I said to Leo.


    "No."


    "Oh? For me, I feel lonely whenever I look at these papers."


    Her smile didn''t disappear but I could feel that Sun is thinking about something sad again.


    She would often think like that whenever she looks at the papers when we were traveling.


    I still haven''t felt sadness before, yet I know what it is.


    It doesn''t make sense.


    "It''s something precious, like that. But it''s okay now. I still got Roosevelt, and you."


    Sun perked up as she returned her gaze towards me as if her earlier expression was all a lie.


    "Even though we''ve just met just recently, I feel like wanting to devote my whole life to you."


    Sun is becoming that again.


    The same look in her eyes from before, where she''s all clingy and wanting me to bite her.


    She then leaned closer to me and caressed my left cheek with her right hand. Her obvious excitement is apparent but I could feel that there''s an underlying sense of nervousness from her.


    "Will you let me, Snow?"


    I reflexively nodded at her sudden question of approval.


    I felt like I was just suddenly taken in by Sun''s gaze for a moment. Like something controlled me and made me agree without my consent.


    After seeing me agree, her eyes lit up and suddenly hugged me out of nowhere and begun to thank me repeatedly for some reason.


    Since she''s all happy like that, I don''t think that taking back what I said or nodded on would be a good thing to do so I let it be.


    Then she placed me on her thighs, saying that with this, I could get a better view, and continued what she was doing. This time, with a big grin on her face and slightly redder cheeks than before.


    Since she smells so delicious, I leaned closer to her and buried my face on her neck.


    Needless to say that she was rather surprised about that but she let it be and gently caressed my head, her fingers fixing my hair bit by bit.


    Although, now that I think about it, I think Sun said some not-normally-said words.


    ¡­


    But I''m sure it''ll turn out alright in the end.


    Whether it is something normal for humans to devote their lives to another person in a non-slave like a manner or not doesn''t matter to me.


    If Sun wanted it then what''s wrong about it.


    A little later, Night came and she seemed to be quite angry at something. Judging from where she is glaring, it''s pretty obvious who''s the subject of her anger.


    "I''ll get to hug Snow tonight."


    Is what she demanded while puffing her cheeks


    And why am I involved in this?


    "I should say this now but it was Snow that wanted this."


    Since when did I say that? These two had been saying some untruthful stuff lately.


    With a ''fu fu fu'', Sun then continued with her greeting.


    Night simply sighed to that and begun to place the things that she had brought on the unoccupied side of the table.


    There''s a couple of things in the basket that she brought.


    There''s a green vegetable that looks to be made out of large leaves, rolled together in a ball, a weird yellow elongated oblong thing covered in yellow squares, a red thing with a seemingly watery content, and another red thing with a harder surface.


    Their names seem to be cabbage, corn, tomato, and apple, respectively.


    There are also the ones that I''m familiar with; Carrots and potatoes.


    Is Night going to make a stew from all of these?


    Seeing me eyeing the foodstuff that she brought, Night offered me an apple.


    "Do you want one, Snow?"


    "Is it okay?"


    "Of course."


    Since she offered, I couldn''t really refuse.


    But upon having a hold on it, there''s a slight problem.


    This apple feels hard. Can I really eat this?


    "Roosevelt, can I have a knife?"


    Upon Sun''s sudden request, Night gave her one of the smaller knives that we have.


    After saying her thanks, she took the apple and begun to slice it in half.


    Inside the apple is a white flesh, with sweet-smelling liquid dripping from the surface.


    Sun then cut it up in smaller pieces until it''s bite-sized.


    "Here, open your mouth, Snow~."


    As she asked, I open my mouth and Sun fed me the apple slices.


    As I expected, it tastes sweet. I like it.


    It''s certainly not up to par with blood, obviously but this is good enough.


    I''d prefer this as a snack.


    With vigor, I ate it all in a short time. For the next apple, I''m the one who fed Sun. I''d like for her to try it as well.


    Although Sun''s cheek turned red because of it, she accepted me feeding her nonetheless.


    After a short while, Night is finally done with the thing that she''s cooking.


    Like before, it''s a stew, but this time, it contains more ingredients and it''s more complex looking.


    But compared to before, there''s no meat. Should I hunt some rabbits in the future?


    "Please clean up the table, we''re eating."


    "Alright."


    After sun put away all the papers, Night served us our portion.


    Mine looks different though.


    Its broth is more red looking. And something about it smells familiar.


    I pulled on the hem of Night''s clothes to get her attention.


    "It looks redder."


    "That''s because I added my own blood on your portion, Snow."


    So she did.


    That''s why it smells like there''s blood mixed in it.


    But of course, it''s not that I''m not happy but if she did that, she had to injure herself, right? And it didn''t have to be just Night''s blood either. It could just be some other animals blood like rabbits.


    Although I did say that, I would prefer having Night''s blood in my food. I guess it''s partly my fault?


    I can''t have these humans go around, having open wounds on their bodies. They can''t heal quickly after all.


    And so I inquired.


    "Your wound, show?"


    Night was confused as to what I meant at first but she soon understood.


    "Ah, okay¡­"


    She shyly showed me her wrist which has a cut wound. The bleeding wasn''t much now but the area around it is getting all red, and it doesn''t seem to be because of her blood.


    I licked the wound, all the while ignoring Night''s embarrassed face and after a short while, it had started to heal.


    It didn''t heal all the way through. Probably because my saliva is only capable of that much so I asked Sun to heal the rest.


    I didn''t like the fact that she needed to injure herself to do this but since I could finally have Night''s delicious human blood mixed in the food that I eat, which is also pretty good, I refuse to end it all because of that.


    So rather asking her to stop, I instead said: "I''ll heal you after so only make small cuts."


    I''m guessing that the healing properties of my saliva are capable of only healing small wounds like the wound I leave when I bite creatures. So if Night cut herself lightly, my saliva should be able to heal it all without needing Sun''s healing thing.


    Since it was still a small wound, Sun healed it in a couple of minutes.


    And also because of all that, the food that Night made had become slightly cold.


    Thus, we started eating soon after.


    As expected, the stew this time tasted amazing. With Night''s blood in the mix, the tastiness of the dish became a hundred times better.


    Night seems to be happy as well that I''m enjoying my meal but Sun looked at it differently.


    "Next time, we''ll be using my blood!"


    "Nope. I was already assigned to this role."


    Sun''s cheeks puffed up from seeing Night''s provoking smile.


    Seeing this reminds me of another pair.


    I should see them tomorrow as well.

 A Stay in a Village 7

    After finishing our meal that night, I watched Sun continue doing her summarizing while I''m sitting on her thighs.


    Or should I say lap, is what she called it.


    Night joined as well, helping Sun out while feeding me slices of an apple.


    I also took this opportunity to ask her about where she had gotten those other unfamiliar ingredients that she brought. I especially emphasized the apple fruit.


    She told me that the villagers are growing them and that some of the trees around here have apples growing from their branches.


    I don''t know how plants do that but it sounded pretty amazing. Only now did I realize how amazing plants are, to grow food like that.


    I asked her about how they do that and she said that these plants are blessed by the Goddess of Nature.


    It seems to be the main belief regarding how plants make fruits and vegetables.


    After all that, we retired for the night.


    Today, we, or at least, they slept a little earlier.


    Before going to bed, they said to me to wake them up if I hear about a goblin attack and that I should never ever go out and kill them.


    When I asked the reason why, Night said that if the humans, who are guarding for the night, were to see me fighting those goblins in the manner that I do, they will think of me as a monster as well.


    I can understand that. After all, Sun and Night were afraid of me when I saved them that time.


    So, rather than killing those pesky goblins in front of the humans, why don''t I just kill them before they even arrived in the village?


    Sounds like a perfect plan to me and no, I will not wake them up like they said I should. It feels like they''ll stop me if I do, considering what they suddenly became today.


    As I was appreciating the warmth while I''m inside Night''s embrace, I could faintly smell some goblins approaching the village.


    Form how silent it is from the outside, I assume that the human guards hadn''t seen them yet.


    Thus, after carefully removing myself from Night as to not wake her up, and getting out of the bed, I headed towards where those goblins are.


    After a short sprint, I arrived inside the forest.


    They are still in the forest but they''re fairly close from getting outside.


    From the smell of their rotten blood, I could estimate that their numbers exceeded ten. More than what I had fought before.


    On a side note, I also removed the clothes that I was wearing before. I placed it hanging on a nearby tree. Don''t want that to get stained with goblin blood. That also means that I''m naked right now.


    Now on to the situation.


    As expected of goblins that attack at night, even though we''re still far away and that there''s barely and moonlight entering the forest due to the canopy of leaves, they still noticed me and begun to approach my direction.


    I readied myself and run towards them.


    Using the momentum that I''ve built up, I jumped up and landed a kick on one of them, and sent that goblin flying away until he crashed on the nearby tree.


    I suspect that he died or just fell unconscious when it didn''t move.


    With this, the goblins had gotten angry and they all attacked at once.


    They formed a circle, with me in the middle and begun to come closer to me with caution.


    I learned my lesson from this. If ever I get in this position, I should immediately get myself out of it. It''ll only end in me getting killed.


    Before they''re able to completely cover me, I kicked off the ground and sent my fist to the part of the circle with the least goblins in.


    I did manage to hit the goblin and force myself out of there but the goblins next to the one I kicked managed to hit me with its sharp fingernails.


    I heard that goblin give out a disgusting chuckle so I threw the body of the goblin that I kicked towards him, knocking it down to its feet, along with the one behind it.


    After I did that, a goblin tried to pounce at me, its claws pointed at my direction. Seeing that, several other goblins did the same.


    Before they could even get to me, I managed to hit three of them from the air but the other two had latched on to me and started to scratch at my skin.


    It hurts a ton so I desperately detached a goblin off of me and threw it to the others but those who I didn''t hit rushed at me, doing the same thing.


    With another one still clinging to me, I''m afraid that I wouldn''t be able to shake them off with that many of them.


    And it hurts.


    Perhaps I shouldn''t hold back here. I was thinking of doing this cleanly with fewer body parts scattered around since that''ll scare the humans if they saw it but right now, it couldn''t be helped.


    Crushing the skull one that''s clinging to me with my right hand, I blocked the first goblin that pounced at me and crushes its skull as well.


    With the two bloody goblins on my hands, I threw towards the rest.


    I managed to stop a few but the others still reached me.


    I simply kicked them with more force this time, making a bloody splat on the trunk of the nearby trees.


    Blood and internal organs scattered out of their squashed bodies.


    Needless to say that I got hit by blood as well.


    Obviously, the remaining goblins are terrified but they didn''t run away. More so, they became more desperate in their attempt to kill me.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Because of that, they blindly rushed at me, not even doing it as a group so it was easy to defeat them this time.


    After a short while, I managed to defeat them while suffering meaningless injuries that had already healed while I wasn''t aware.


    I also became hungry from all of this.


    Of course, I wouldn''t be drinking the goblins blood. Too bitter and smells bad.


    I have two humans that''ll provide me blood if I asked back at the house after all so there''s no reason.


    But before I get to taste any of that, I first have to deal with my situation here.


    The piles of goblin corpse look troublesome to deal with and there''s also the fact that their blood and organs are scattered everywhere.


    And there''s also the state of my body. Although vampires have amazing regeneration, they still get dirty.


    Before I might not just care about it but by being clean for a few days now, I feel uncomfortable by having blood covering my skin.


    I feel as if I''m becoming more and more like the humans in this world by acknowledging this fact.


    With that happy thought, I decided to stack their bodies and deal with it later.


    My cleanliness is the main priority.


    ???


    Before I knew it, the sun was already rising.


    The same orange scene that I saw every day, swept across the horizon and illuminated the sky.


    Upon a seeing the sunrise like that, I became a bit tired.


    After disposing the last body of those goblins into the large hole that I dug, I stretched my arms upward and let out a long sigh.


    I worked too much. It would''ve been better if I just burned them but the human guards would see it.


    There''s also the fact that there''s a lot of trees around. As I learned, the dry wood from the trees is flammable and thus, if licked by a fire, the trees themselves would burn and it would spread from tree to tree.


    Basically, it won''t be good.


    So instead, I just buried the corpses, along with their internal organs.


    It took quite a while. About 3 hours.


    After all that, I would like to rest, surrounded by body heat, on a soft, comfy bed.


    But before all of that, I have to clean myself again in a nearby pond here in the forest.


    When I went back to the house, I saw a panicking Sun and a cooking Night.


    Upon seeing me, Sun immediately rushed at me and lifted me up in the air, hugging me.


    "Where did you go, Snow!? I was so worried!"


    "Outside¡­?"


    I think I hear a sigh coming from Night''s direction. The way she''s cutting the carrots is making a tapping sound on the wooden board so I''m not too sure.


    "See, Lilia? She''s perfectly fine."


    "Why aren''t you a little bit worried!?"


    "Snow''s way stronger than us after all."


    "Did you forgot that Snow almost died before!?"


    "I''d say she almost got killed because we''re there. If she''s alone, I can''t imagine her dying."


    I think Night''s overestimating me a tiny little bit.


    I know for a fact that my fighting style is sloppy. With someone as strong as me, to garner injuries from goblins, I''m sure that isn''t normal.


    I have to get better at it but right now but I''ll save that thought for later.


    Since Sun is letting me go for a while now, I rubbed her head like she did to me before and whispered to her ear that I''m perfectly fine.


    Her cheeks were then coated by a red tinge as she let me go.


    A little later, the food is done and Night served us our portions.


    Of course, mine is mixed with blood for extra deliciousness.


    I had Night show me the part where she cut herself and I licked it. Since the cut is shallow like I told her to do, it had healed completely.


    As expected, it was delicious. Blood is the missing ingredient after all. When that''s added it, any meal would taste amazing. And better yet, it''s a humans blood.


    While we''re having our meal, I heard a knock coming from the door.


    "Who could that be?"


    I have the same question as Night.


    Why would they even hit our door, to begin with?


    I could smell that they''re still outside. There''s about three of them out there.


    Their scent is sort of familiar.


    When the three knocked again, Night stood up and opened the door.


    It revealed three smaller humans with varying sizes. The three of them are about above half of Night''s height and their tallest member is half a head shorter than me.


    As I had guessed it, it''s them.


    Chris, Trish, and Leo.


    What are they doing here, hitting on other people''s houses?


    "I''m sorry for disturbing you so early in the day but um..."


    That voice seemed to belong to Chris.


    "Are you looking for Snow?"


    "Yup, we are. Is she up now?"


    With Trish''s question, Night moved out of the way to let them see me.


    Oddly enough, they were surprised seeing me.


    And so I asked;


    "What''s wrong?"


    They stayed silent like that and Sun''s head tilted to the left slightly.


    The first one to break the silence was Chris.


    "It''s just¡­ it''s the first time we saw your face clearly."


    Is what he said and his cheeks slightly red for some reason.


    No, it''s not just Chris, but also Trish that is blushing. For Leo, he''s just simply finding my face as something amazing.


    Is my cuteness at work here? Or have they sensed something else?


    Whatever that something, I don''t know of course.


    "Wow¡­ you''re ten times cuter than before when you had that cloak thing on, Snow! Let''s go play in my house for a bit. Let''s leave these guys for later!"


    Trish proposed to me something interesting.


    "W-wait! What''s that about leaving me and Leo!?"


    But it looks like Chris is against it.


    "Then Leo will come with us. You can just hang out in your hideout by yourself."


    Then Trish replied to Chris smugly.


    I have a feeling that this''ll take a while so ignored their usual bantering for a moment and ate my half done meal.


    After that, I asked permission from Sun and Night if I could go out with them.


    Though I feel like a hypocrite for doing this since I just went out last night without their permission.


    Thankfully, Sun and Night ignored that fact and gave me permission.


    As for why I even need to ask permission, it''s because Sun mentioned that mothers are just those people whom you should ask for their permission first before doing anything.


    It''s also my first time asking for permission on anything. It''s quite a unique experience.


    After grabbing the large piece of cloth I use to cover my body, I finally said to the two; "Later" and headed off.


    I also heard Sun saying something about me not getting my daily dose of blood in a depressed tone but I think that was just my imagination.


    Although it is true that I still haven''t drank any blood today. It completely slipped my mind about doing that upon coming back to the house.


    ¡­


    It''s fine. I''ll just take double the amount later to compensate.


    ???


    As to what we''re going to do today, we''re going to Chris'' hideout to play a game that Chris invented and later, head towards Trish''s house with only just me and Trish. Oh and also Leo, acting as my personal warmer.


    Chris was rather upset when Trish said it has to only be just me and her but he begrudgingly accepted it when Trish whispered to him the reason for that.


    As for what that reason may be, I don''t know.


    I also suggested that we should bring Leo, to Trish''s surprise.


    My reason for that is absolutely not because I want to hug him. Definitely not.


    And because I suggested that, Chris looked more upset than before.


    I don''t understand why at first but thankfully, Leo explain it to me as to why that is.


    "Big Brother would feel lonely if he''s left out. Can''t we bring him?"


    Ugh¡­ cuteness is dangerous after all. And Lacorte said that I''m like this as well, I may possess something more powerful than my vampiric abilities.


    Not really but cuteness is something hard to refuse.


    And it looks like Trish felt the same way so she agreed anyway.


    But Chris refused the invitation, saying it''ll be awkward and weird. Though he did demanded that for tomorrow, we''re going to play at his hideout all day.


    Anyway, back to the current situation.


    After taking the route that we took yesterday, we arrived at the hideout.


    But, there''s something wrong.


    I could smell traces of goblin blood around here.


    It''s incredibly faint but I detected it nonetheless due to how strong smelling their blood is.


    There doesn''t seem that any is nearby so I decided not to tell them.


    Upon opening the entrance to the hideout, Chris was quite shocked to see the state inside.


    The neatly(?) arranged pieces of indiscernible items placed on square tabletops was gone. Not just that, the cloths that were acting as the walls of the hideout was ripped here and there. Some even missing.


    Did those pesky goblins do this?


    "Woah¡­ it looks like this place is raided."


    Trish said the same thing that I was thinking.


    Those goblins raided this place.


    The goblins do seem likely to be the one responsible for this after all. Aside from their traces of blood smell, those goblins always have weird things with them. Most likely stolen.


    "No! My trophies! They''re gone!"


    While we were looking around, Chris suddenly fell on his knees and begun screaming.


    To be honest, I don''t see why he would get upset by having those things stolen from him.


    I mean, yeah, they have some history to them but at the end of the day, they''re simply random things that he has picked up.


    Leo went and rubbed the head of Chris as if consulting him.


    I''ll ask Leo later to do the same thing to me¡­

 A Stay in a Village 8

    Regarding the incident to the hideout, we concluded that the goblins are responsible for it.


    I already knew that from the start but they concluded this on their own.


    "Uwah... What should I do now?"


    "If they''re taken by goblins then there''s nothing we can do about it."


    "But they''re very important to me¡­"


    Trish simply sighed with his answer.


    Trish and I may be thinking the same thing. What the goblins took were just those random items after all. I don''t see any worth in them.


    As for what we''re doing currently, or rather, what Chris is doing currently, he''s searching around the hideout, looking to see if there''s any left that the goblins didn''t take.


    Me, Trish and Leo are sitting in one corner of the room, watching him.


    He was pretty upset when we did that first and said that we should help him and so we did. But a little later on, we found it pointless and just sat here for the moment until Chris stopped searching.


    By the way, Leo is sitting on my lap in my request.


    He''s pretty warm so I decided to hug him to gather more warmth from him.


    "Big sister is really cold, huh?"


    "Yup. So keep hugging me from now on."


    "Okay!"


    Ho ho~ as expected of my mini warmer.


    I noticed that Trish had been looking at us for a while now.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "¡­ since when did you two became so close like that?"


    "Yesterday¡­?"


    Is that something so surprising?


    They were busy bantering so I guess they didn''t notice Leo''s conversion to being my cute and small human warmer.


    Hmm? This could be a chance, right?


    Should I go and ask her ''that''?


    Putting on a smile, I asked Trish a proposal that she could never ignore.


    "Want to hug too?"


    "Wha¡ªof course, n¡­ fine."


    With a flustered face, Trish had finally given in to the hugs.


    Rather than me, she''s the one that hugged me from behind.


    That was easier than I thought. Maybe I could get an opportunity to pull in Chris as well?


    It''s just a shame that this piece of cloth is getting in the way. I''d like to hug someone wearing nothing at all. I feel that that would be amazing.


    "Wow¡­ Snow, you''re really cold."


    "Yeah."


    "That must be why you like hugs."


    A few moments later, Chris is finally tired of searching around and finally paid attention to us.


    He was pretty confused when he looked at us.


    "Want to hug as well?"


    I tried inviting him but he hesitantly refused.


    ???


    While sitting on my lap, Chris spoke of his plans.


    "Why don''t we go and kill those goblins ourselves!?"


    "That''s a horrible idea."


    I definitely think so.


    If he did that, then it wouldn''t surprise me if he gets killed by a single goblin.


    I hit his head to convey my objection as well.


    "Ow¡­ But even still¡­ they''re just goblins, aren''t they?"


    "Are you serious, Chris? Aren''t you forgetting the fact that they''re attacking our village at night? Some were even injured just the other day."


    "Of course I''m not thinking of taking on all of them. Just the one that stole my trophies."


    I heard Trish click her tongue from his reply.


    "Well, the goblin must have already gone back to wherever they''re staying at. You''ll still be taking them all on."


    "But still, my trophies¡ª"


    "Chris! They''re not that important, alright!? They''re all just pieces of junk! Don''t even think about getting them back!"


    Trish became rather furious suddenly and I felt Chris jolt from shock.


    Even Leo is shocked to see Trish suddenly getting angry.


    Although I couldn''t understand how Chris would care so much about those items, I also couldn''t understand what made Trish become that angry so suddenly.


    No, I actually have a clue as to what the reason might be but I''m not too sure if I''m correct. It is something that I''ve observed from Sun and Night.


    Whatever the reason may be, because of Trish''s sudden outburst, the air around us had turned heavy.


    I should say something, shouldn''t I?


    "She''s right. It''s dangerous. You''ll get killed."


    I''ve stated my opinion on the matter.


    I feel like Chris would actually do what he said. For that, I should warn him as well.


    If he died, it wouldn''t feel right to me after all.


    "You too, Snow?"


    "Yup. Me too."


    He seemed like a little upset so I consoled him like what Leo did before.


    Gently rubbing his head, that is. It''s something that Sun often do to me and it makes me calmer.


    "Ugh! Alright, fine!"


    It seems that it''s rather effective on him too.


    I''m glad to hear he''s given up on the idea. Don''t want him to die after all.


    Soon after that, we went to Trish''s house. At least, me and Trish went to her house.


    The two parted ways without telling us when we''re heading back.


    Trish didn''t comment anything about it. She''s still pretty angry, huh.


    Shortly after, without saying anything to each other, we reached a certain house made of wood in the outskirts of the village.


    It looks to be larger than the house that was given to us as well.


    When we entered, I noticed the more abundant number of things that this house has. A bunch more things that we have and a bunch more things that we don''t have.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    A larger and longer table, more chairs, more windows, a large metal bowl that seemed to be called a wok, more spoons, more storage spaces, and some other things.


    There''s also a female human that''s currently preparing something on the table.


    No, actually I think we have that.


    "My, back so soon?"


    The larger human, about the size of Night, asked Trish when we entered the house.


    "Yeah¡­ I brought a friend. Can we play in the bedroom?"


    "A friend?"


    Hearing that, her gaze fell on me. She looked at me with appraising eyes and it seemed she concluded on something.


    "Are you with the visitors from yesterday?"


    "Yes."


    "That''s why I couldn''t recognize you!"


    The female human exclaimed and hit her palms together in a cheerful manner.


    "Sorry, I''m Trish''s mother, Reya. Despite the current situation that our village is in, I hope you enjoy your stay here."


    This female human seems to be a nice


    Like Trish, she has brown hair and brown eyes, although her hair is longer than Trish. Just at the shoulder blades.


    She gives off the same aura as Sun. A motherly aura, I''d say.


    Since she introduced herself, I should introduce myself as well.


    "I''m Snow. Nice to meet you."


    "Nice to meet you too! But, why are you wearing a cloth over your body? Are you cold?"


    "No¡­ my skin is sensitive to sunlight. Can''t go outside without this or else it''ll start to hurt."


    "Is that so? I couldn''t imagine a life with such handicap. If there''s a way, I hope you''ll find a cure for your condition."


    I feel kind of bad for hearing her sympathetic words. I basically just made up that whole thing after all.


    Well, it does make for an easy excuse as to why my skin is pale so I might as well make it my usual story whenever someone asks.


    "Well then, I shouldn''t keep you two. Go and have fun."


    With that, we headed off to the bedroom.


    As expected, the bedroom is more spacious than ours. There are even two beds inside here, albeit they''re smaller than ours.


    And other than two beds, there''s a large wooden thing called a closet with two doors and a large standing mirror held by a wooden frame.


    "Make yourself at home, Snow."


    Trish said to me with a smile. Though I feel that her smile is a little bit stiff.


    I decided to remove the cloth since there''s barely any sunlight coming in from the windows. As long as I avoid the parts where the sun shines on, it should be okay.


    As she said, I made myself comfortable in one of the bed.


    Like the one we have, it''s bouncy and comfortable feeling. It does smell like Trish. Just a little bit.


    The beds also have this smaller square beds on them.


    It seems they''re called pillows. It''s meant to make sleeping a lot more comfortable.


    I''d like to have one of these back in the house.


    "Um¡­ listen Snow¡­"


    While I was inspecting this pillow thing, Trish suddenly spoke.


    "Hm?"


    "¡­ about before..."


    "?"


    Won''t she get to the point? She''s awfully fidgety.


    Her lips made a straight line and she''s holding on to the hem of her clothes quite tightly. Her eyes are awfully wet as well.


    "I''m sorry about before¡­"


    She said that in such a quiet voice that I could barely make it out.


    And she''s apologizing to me? What for?


    So I asked.


    "Why are you apologizing?"


    I even tilted my head while asking that.


    Looks like she''s surprised to hear what I just said. Did I miss something?


    "Ah¡­ I mean, the time when I got angry, I''m sure I scared you. I don''t usually act like that¡­"


    Oh, that''s why.


    "I''m not really scared. I was just shocked. "


    "?"


    "And I think I understand a little as to why you got angry."


    "¡­"


    "From what I can tell, you just want Chris to be safe. Wishing for someone to be safe, especially if that person is important to you is only natural, I think."


    That''s how Night acted at the time when those rough looking humans attacked us before and that''s also why Sun was worried when I was gone in the morning.


    Since I''m a vampire, I couldn''t easily die but for little humans like Chris, they wouldn''t stand a chance against a goblin. That much is obvious.


    I''d say, she''s simply stating the obvious truth of the matter in regards to the unreasonableness of Chris'' idea.


    "¡­ that''s not really the reason..."


    Unexpectedly, or expectedly, Trish denied what I thought.


    I guess I was wrong? Is it not because she didn''t want to keep him safe? I thought I''ve grasped how humans think in situations like this but apparently not.


    Although I did say that I might be wrong so I''m not really upset about it.


    Surely enough, there''s a deeper reason behind it.


    I''d like to observe a bit.


    "... But I guess it''s half the truth."


    After saying that, Trish formed a stiff smile and although stiff, it does seem that she''s in a better mood than before.


    That''s good.


    But more importantly than that¡­


    "What''s the other half?"


    When I asked, Trish looked away and I could smell the familiar scent of human blushing.


    "Not telling."


    "Why?"


    "It''s a secret."


    I guess I''ll have to figure it out myself¡­


    "A-anyway, that''s not important! Let''s do something fun!"


    In a fluster, Trish changed the subject to something we originally should have been talking about.


    She never mentioned what we were doing in the bedroom. Surely, it isn''t sleeping and it''s definitely not because she wanted me to bite her, right? So I wonder what kind of human activity she had planned for us to do?


    "I know I saw it before but seeing your pale skin clearly, it really does remind me of [snow]."


    She mentioned ''snow'' but I don''t think she''s referring to me.


    "There''s a ton of clothes that my mom bought that I never found the opportunity to try. But I''m sure it''ll look good on you so please try wearing them~!"


    Oh! Clothes!


    What she showed me behind the closet doors are an assortment of different kinds of clothes with different kinds of designs and colors.


    The clothes that Sun has is like these ones, just bigger.


    These ones here seem to be just right about the size of Trish.


    At first, I didn''t understand the reason as to why humans would make designs such as this on clothes where its main purpose is keeping someone warm and covering their body but I think I can understand a little as to why that is.


    Looking at these clothes sort of excites me in a way. They''re all different and I''m interested in how they feel if I wear them. It''s something like that.


    Trish took them out and she placed it flat on the bed. There are five clothes with a design like Sun''s other clothes.


    Actually, from what Sun told me, these are called dresses.


    Something meant to impress? I guess there''s that reason.


    "Pick one that you like and let''s have you wear them."


    Trish is rather cheerful this time. I guess wearing clothes is just fun for her, for whatever reason.


    Since she let me pick what I want to wear, I picked the one with a white color.


    It''s just like what Sun has. It''s a dress with a frilly design at the waist down and gives off a wavy look.


    Like the one-piece dress that I''m wearing it''s sleeveless and backless as well.


    Other than the bottom part, it''s not that warm to wear but I don''t think that''s the point.


    "So you want to wear this? It''ll definitely look great on you!"


    With that, Trish helped wear the dress.


    When she helped me remove my clothes, she was shocked and flustered to know that I''m not wearing ''panties'' as she would call it. Not like I know what it is anyway.


    So for the moment, she let me borrow hers.


    She said that I should ask my mother to go and make one for me or it''ll be dangerous for me in many ways.


    I didn''t get what she said but I did keep it in mind.


    These panties are supposed to go in the crotch area where the vagina is located.


    With the purpose of covering the vagina, it''s made with a kind of cloth that feels comfortable.


    After the troubles regarding the panties are done, we finally put on the dress on me.


    The part where we put the dress on me didn''t really need any help from Trish but since don''t know how the locking mechanism of this dress works, she helped me there.


    After that''s done, I looked in front of the large mirror in the room.


    Since I''m a head taller than Trish, I thought that the dress wouldn''t fit me right but that didn''t seem to be the case. It fit me perfectly.


    "Wow! You really do look pretty and cute! I can''t believe you lived in a forest your whole life. You must have come from a [rich] family, right?"


    With her use of an unfamiliar word, I simply tilted my head.


    Taking that as an answer, Trish concluded on something and carried on.


    "Hmm¡­ your face is really cute and I think your hair will be beautiful if you fixed it up... Yeah, if you fixed your hair, you''ll look just like a [nobleman''s] daughter! Or even a [princess]!"


    Again, what?


    Please don''t use strange words.


    Although what she said on the hair part is true. I did wash in a pond earlier today, I didn''t tend to my hair that thoroughly so it still has bits of dirt on them and it looked all over the place. I only focused on removing the blood from my body after all.


    "So maybe that''s why he¡­"


    "What''s wrong?"


    For a while now, Trish is making a sad expression while looking at me in the mirror and I think Trish murmured something but it was quite enough that I couldn''t understand it.


    "Oh, it''s nothing. I''m just thinking how popular you''ll be with the boys with a look like that."


    "? Okay."


    I didn''t quite understand what she meant by that but I guess it''s something great.


    After that, Trish had fun dressing me up in different kinds of clothes.


    And among the five of them, I really like the first one.


    Trish seemed to agree on that too.


    For now, since Trish''s mother came into the room to give us some apple slices as snacks, we took a break.


    To what object she put the apple slices in, it seems to be called a plate. A wooden plate specifically.


    We sat on the bed and placed the plate of apple slices between us.


    We simply sat there, eating apples in silence.


    And then Trish suddenly spoke to break the silence.


    "You were really pretty in every single one of them, huh?"


    I just nodded in reply and silence took over once again.


    Every dress that I tried she told me I was pretty and cute.


    It was a compliment but somehow, a part of me told me that it didn''t really sound like one. Because every time she says it, she''ll make a sad expression soon after.


    It wasn''t obvious, of course. But she''s clearly hiding it with her cheerfulness on complimenting me.


    It was as if she''s only saying that to ingrain it on her mind.


    But there could also be the chance that it isn''t really the case. Maybe the fact that she got angry at the time is still causing her some stuff.


    And I''d like to believe in the latter so I decided not to ask about it.


    I mean, she did look like she had fun. And as for me, I found it fun as well to try out new things like this.


    I would also like to do this again sometime.


    Once we were done on the apples, Trish placed the plate aside, moved closer to me and leaned on my shoulder.


    As I thought, that earlier matter must be troubling her still.


    In cases like this, the rubbing-the-head thing has been proven to be effective so I did it on her but she seemed dissatisfied by it.


    Did I do it wrong, perhaps?


    "Hm¡­ hey, Snow. Hug me from behind."


    Oh? Even better.


    So I did.


    After positioning myself behind her, I wrapped my arms around her waist.


    The warm bodies of humans make for a cozy bed partner. In fact, I want to sleep now.


    "Hey Snow."


    Before that thought could develop any further, Trish suddenly asked for my attention.


    "Do you think that he''ll forgive me? I did say some mean things after all."


    Well, I don''t know.


    This is the first time I encountered something like this.


    I could think about it for a bit but I don''t think I''ll arrive into anything close to a conclusion since I''ll just be forming guesses.


    Considering my options on what to reply to this, I went with the safest option that wouldn''t give me any responsibilities on whatever happens.


    "Maybe he will."


    Trish didn''t seem to like that reply.


    Sorry. I don''t really know.

 A Stay in a Village 9

    Since Trish had been moody today, I forced her to wear the dresses too. And as expected from the owner of these dresses, it fits her perfectly, even more than me.


    Though the faces that she makes are quite ''cute''. As I thought, I''d like to do this again, purely just to see those embarrassed expressions again.


    It''s not like I enjoy teasing her, it''s definitely not that. It''s purely for the faces.


    Needless to say that Trish got angry at me. Was I worried that she''ll suddenly shout at me? Of course but thankfully, Trish only pouted.


    Has she calmed down now? Looking closely, she became more lively than a few minutes before.


    I mentally took note that embarrassment is a sort of solution as well.


    Reya, Trish''s mother, saw us off when we went outside. Why are we going outside, you ask? It''s because it''s time I get back and she''s here with me to come with me on the way.


    I don''t see the need but she insisted so I gave in and accepted her offer.


    The sun was on the other side of the sky before I realized. It was still bright out but you could tell that night is coming.


    "Thanks for playing with me today. I''ll walk you home."


    Trish said to me as we were walking towards the house where we are currently staying.


    "Okay."


    Trish was slightly confused as to what I just said to her but she didn''t ask anything about it. I was about to say ''Your welcome'' but I didn''t see anything that would warrant me for being thanked.


    A little later, we finally arrived at the house and I saw the village chief talking with Sun and Night.


    I wonder what''s it about.


    And there''s also someone familiar with him.


    It''s Chris.


    Why is he here?


    "Oh Snow, welcome back!"


    Sun greeted me when she noticed I was there while Night waved at me with a smile.


    As for the village chief and Chris, they looked towards my direction. But Chris in particular, upon seeing Trish, averted his eyes. Trish averted her eyes as well.


    Their relationship is quite strained still.


    I do hope they get along soon.


    Seems like I''m the only one who noticed this as the three continued their conversation.


    "I''m sure that you all have something important to do so we''ll be taking our leave."


    "Yes, thank you for letting us stay here again."


    The chief nodded and left.


    Chris glanced at me and Trish before following the village chief. Shortly after that, Trish left as well, refusing Night''s invitation for an afternoon snack.


    I frowned while staring at her shrinking back as she walked away back to where we came from.


    My first impressions of Trish is that she likes to argue with Chris in every single moment and now seeing that they aren''t doing that, feels like I ate a couple of sharp-edged rocks.


    "Is something the matter, Snow?"


    Sun asked me in concern while I was looking at Trish.


    I don''t know if there is or if there isn''t. In particular, the feelings that I have now, I don''t know if it''s a problem or not. If it''s something to be concerned about or something natural.


    It''s a strange unease.


    "No. I''m fine."


    I decided not to tell her.


    It didn''t look like Sun is convinced but really, I don''t think it''s anything concerning. It''s akin to uneasiness but it''s not something extreme. A little sad, maybe? But definitely not something urgent feeling.


    That''s what I feel about seeing them.


    ???


    "Fuwaaaah~!"


    As planned, I took my fill of Sun''s blood.


    The amazing taste, and coupled with Sun''s slightly higher body heat than usual had put my mind at ease.


    It also made me think a bit more clearly about Trish and Chris.


    I''m sure that they''ll get along again. It''s only a matter of time so I shouldn''t get too concerned about it. And convincing my mind with that thought, I feel relaxed already.


    After finishing, I rubbed my head against her cheeks just because.


    And Sun giggled at my unusual behavior.


    "Are you fine now?"


    "?¡­ yeah, I''m fine now."


    Really, Sun somehow always understands what I''m troubled with. Could this also be a trait of a mother?


    Is this also how Trish''s mother act towards her? She seems kind like this so I''m sure she''s a proper mother to Trish.


    I stayed there, sitting on Sun''s lap while I rested my body weight on Sun''s pillow-like breasts until Night finished cooking ''dinner'', as she would call it.


    This time, our meal isn''t stew but instead, a piece of meat cooked in a slightly less burned way with vegetables on the side, placed on a plate.


    Mine has a red liquid smeared on top of the meat. Most likely, it''s Night''s blood.


    After letting me lick her wound, we started to eat. This time around, it didn''t feel like I was eating a dusty piece of wood but instead a slice of proper meat. Though the only thing that I could compare this to is the soft meat that Night cooked in a stew.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    The difference that this meat has with the stew one is that it contains a lot of strange flavors that I''ve only tasted just now, and of course, amplified by the taste of Night''s fragrant blood that made its way into the innermost part of the meat.


    It''s also as soft as the stew one somehow so it made it all the easier to eat. This is enjoyable as well. It''s a bummer that my portion is smaller than them though.


    I can''t help but think that it has something to do about me being more younger looking than them. It''s unfair but I didn''t voice that out.


    But there is something I''m curious about.


    "Where did you get the meat? I didn''t hunt any rabbits or birds?"


    So I asked Night.


    Hearing my question, she has a proud expression on her face.


    "It''s something I caught using some [traps] that I learned to make from one of the villagers while I was helping them out in their chores."


    I tilted my head at the certain word in her explanation.


    Traps? I know the word but I think she''s referring to an object. Is it another human-made thing again?


    Chuckling a bit, Night explained to me that it really is human-made. The traps that she mentioned is actually named as snares. Something to catch small creatures that either got lured in by the bait or just got too close to it.


    All I can say is ingenious. A method to hunt without doing anything, I''d like to learn how to make one myself.


    But¡­


    Did she just say in the forest? Didn''t the goblins become abundant in the forest? Chris hideout was stolen from by goblins just today.


    Isn''t what she did dangerously?


    "Don''t worry, Snow. I asked around and they told me that for some reason, the goblins only appear and attack at night so I was relatively safe."


    Woah... did she just read my mind?


    "You''re expressions are easy to read, Snow."


    Night giggle mischievously.


    Is my expression really easy to read?


    "But talking about goblins, it''s actually what the village chief had talked to us about. There''s were no goblin attacks last night I heard and that he had guessed that the goblins are preparing for a big all in attack on the village."


    No, it was actually me that intercepted the goblins before they could reach the village¡­


    "And I''m sure that you heard and saw this yourself but the place where the village chief''s grandson''s secret base inside the shallower parts of the forest was actually stolen from by goblins. Please be careful for when you enter the forest, Snow. Can you promise me that?"


    I nodded at her request.


    "Good girl."


    Night smiled at me, satisfied at my simple nod as an answer, and rubbed my head.


    It''s not like I''ll get suddenly attacked by goblins. Since they''re so smelly, both their blood and their body, I could tell if any are nearby reliably enough.


    But I didn''t tell them that. I feel that that would ruin something precious going on here.


    It feels nice to have someone worry about you, especially someone as warm as Night. Surely this must be the feeling that Chris should have felt when Trish warned him.


    This is what he was supposed to feel but he felt something different.


    It really is how it was said.


    I should suggest to Trish tomorrow that she should say it again but this time, in a nicer way. I''m sure it''ll turn out differently.


    ???


    The day ended with nothing to note off. Other than Night requesting that I should suck her blood as well, we slept off soundly on the same bed so it was cramped.


    Yes, I also slept as well. I was tired after all but it only took about 4 hours of sleep to keep me going.


    But did I actually do anything when I woke up? Of course not! I would spend this time savoring the gentle embrace of these two humans.


    At least that was the plan.


    Those annoying goblins have returned once again, with a thicker smell of blood accompanying them. That just means they''ve increased in numbers from yesterday.


    Really, there''s so much of them that it''s unreal.


    I guess I''ll have to go and kill them off or else those guards will definitely die.


    Stealthily slipping my way out of their arms, I went ahead and grabbed the usual cloth that i wear every time I go outside.


    Only just that. I left the grey one-piece dress that I always wear back at the house.


    After a moment, I arrived at the place where those goblins should be in a few minutes. I could see them a distance away, scurrying towards here in a hurry.


    Are they being chased?


    Sniffing the air once again, I can''t detect anything different or larger than the goblins.


    But that could be because it''s either the goblin''s smell has masked the smell of who or whatever is chasing them or there isn''t anything there in the first place.


    And as they got closer, it seems the latter is right.


    They''re simply running away from nothing, I guess.


    Nothingness could be scary but it shouldn''t scare them like that, right?


    After they finally noticed me, they switched direction and headed for me truly.


    I removed the cloth and placed it on somewhere where blood shouldn''t be able to reach.


    With that, I''m ready to fight. It feels lighter to fight naked after all.


    When they''re that close, I could see that there''s maybe more than 20 of them there, and almost all of them naked as well. There''s two that have that cloth thing covering their groin area but that''s about it.


    As the first goblin finally reached me, I kicked it off towards the others, this time not holding back so it was more powerful than I expected.


    At least 3 of them died from just that.


    Another pounced at my face and upon looking closely, they have this expression that they badly want to eat me up.


    The same goes for the group yesterday as well.


    If I just get my face a little bit too close, they''ll most likely lick my face until it''s covered in their saliva.


    Not something I want.


    Anyway, I crushed that particular goblin''s skull and threw it to the others still catching up. Then came another than tried to pounce at me. I did the same to it and threw it to the others as well.


    But some had other ideas and settled with pouncing towards my legs. I kicked some away but still, some got through and cling on my legs which obstructed my movement for quite a bit.


    Of course, not all of them did that and some just started hitting me with torn off branches.


    And thus, I started kicking them all without care, even if some are still clinging on my legs using their sharp fingers.


    When any one of them got too close, I caught their heads with my palm and used their body to any other who got too close as well.


    It''s such a sloppy way of fighting. I know that if I were fighting humans, I wouldn''t stand much of a chance. With or without arrows.


    Now that I think about it, this might be a good practice.


    I can''t possibly die from these goblins because the damage that they do to me, although it''s quite painful, are simply insignificant since I could heal it a matter of seconds.


    Eventually, I managed to defeat all of the goblins that came this time.


    I have a feeling that this should be really easy but it took longer than expected. I should focus on improving my fighting capabilities.


    If I ever encounter something the same or stronger than me, no matter how great my regeneration is, I would simply die if I receive a mortal wound.


    And even if that didn''t happen, if I can''t fight properly then I wouldn''t be able to defeat that enemy and it''ll come down to who can last the longest.


    I''d like to avoid that if possible.


    And there''s also the problem if how painful it is to use my own body parts as a weapon. When I constantly do it, it starts to get really painful. I''d like something to use as a weapon other than my own limbs. Like a sword.


    "Phew¡­"


    I let out a sigh as I look at the devastated portion of the forest.


    Bodies were thrown about and not a single one of them are intact. I resorted to cutting their heads at some point but due to how small goblin necks are, it''s not really easy so I sometimes end up smashing their skulls open instead, which made even more mess.


    Just thinking about the dealing with all this mess is making me feel tired. It looks more troublesome last time because there are more bodies to dispose of.


    This part of the forest is far off from the village.


    Knowing that fact, can I just leave this be?


    It shouldn''t bother the village if ever this place attracts something.


    And if the goblins were to see this, they might stop whatever they''re trying to achieve.


    I''d say the good thing about leaving this be is that it could potentially ward off other goblins, free food for the forest residents, and doesn''t involve cleaning.


    As for the bad thing, this should spawn is basically nonexistent.


    Yup! Let''s leave this be. Now off to go and wash myself.


    After that, I put on the cloth over my still damp body and made my way back to the house.


    Since it''s still in the middle of the night, Sun and Night should still be asleep.


    Perfect.


    I could still very well enjoy the warm space between them for a while longer.


    I navigated through the dark forest with no problem and quickly arrived at the house.


    But when I arrived there, I saw two villagers standing at the front of the house.


    It seems they''re talking about something.


    For now, let''s listen in.


    "Are you sure it isn''t just your imagination, Connor?"


    "Like I was tellin'' you, Dave! I saw it clearly! Somethin'' came out from this house. It was wearing a cloak or somethin'' and it''s dark so I couldn''t make it out."


    Ah¡­ That must be me.


    I think I also didn''t lock the door when I left¡­


    Oops. I was careless.

 A Stay in a Village 10

    Since it was night, I didn''t expect anyone to see me.


    There are those nocturnal humans in the village but I''m sure they have better things to attend to. Like looking at the forest.


    So, of course, I wouldn''t have to know that one of them saw me leaving the house.


    "Isn''t that the house where those travelers are staying?"


    The human male, whose name is apparently Dave, spoke of the obvious.


    "Yeah. That cloaked monster must''ve somethin'' to do with those foreigners."


    To assume I''m a monster already¡­ isn''t that a little hasty?


    "This ''cloaked monster'' you''re talking about, you said they came from the door?"


    "Yes! Were ya even listening!?"


    Dave didn''t reply and instead reached for the door and tested it.


    Expectedly enough, it opened.


    And no, it''s not my fault. It''s the door''s fault for not locking itself.


    "Woah¡­ you might be darn right, Connor¡­ the door''s not locked."


    "See!?"


    "No, let''s not jump to conclusions. Maybe they just didn''t lock it in the first place."


    "Geez! Alright, fine. Being careful is just like you Dave."


    "Let''s ask them for now."


    Dave then proceeded to knock on the door loudly with the intention of waking up Sun and Night.


    And a few moments later, I heard a loud scream coming from the house. It seems to be that Sun was the one who screamed.


    There''s a couple of reasons I can think of that would be the cause for that scream and one reason, in particular, stood out the most.


    "Where''s Snow!? Where is she!?"


    "Calm down, Lilia! We''ll look for her so calm down for the moment!"


    Ah¡­


    No, it''s not my fault¡­


    "M-miss!? Is everything alright in there!?"


    Hearing the commotion happening inside, Dave didn''t wait for permission and forced himself inside the house in a panic. Connor then followed suit.


    From this point on, I couldn''t see what''s happening inside the house.


    "W-who are you people!?"


    Night asked the two guards when they suddenly entered the house.


    "Don''t worry, we''re just the guards assigned for the night shift. I heard a commotion here and wondered what was happening."


    "Is that so¡­?"


    With Dave''s explanation, Night calmed down a little.


    But that didn''t apply for Sun.


    "You two, did you see a little girl? About this big, pale skin and black hair with a really cute face, did you see her!?"


    "Calm down, Lilia!"


    I''m really sorry¡­


    I knew it, I should have asked for permission to kill goblins at night. If I did that, maybe Sun wouldn''t be so worried.


    "No, we didn''t see her but Connor here might have seen someone else."


    "Someone else?"


    "That''s right! Saw some cloaked figure comin'' out of the house!"


    "But we locked the door so there couldn''t possibly be any chance anyone entering¡­"


    "Well, somehow, that one did. It even left the door unlocked so we were able to enter."


    After that, I heard a series of footsteps tip-tapping on the wooden floor.


    "Roosevelt, it''s not here! The cloth that Snow often used to go outside is not here!"


    "Huh? Then could it just be Snow taking a late night walk?"


    "If so then why is her dress still here then!? Even if we found her naked in the forest, she didn''t seem to be the type to go out of her way to take walks with only a piece of cloth as her only cover!"


    Somehow, hearing Sun say that make me feel more guilty than I already am.


    "If it isn''t Snow, then¡­ could it be?"


    Night, as if she had concluded on something, requested the guards to look for me in the forest.


    "We''ll do but don''t expect much. Due to the incidents with goblins lately, we''ll have to take safety measures so we wouldn''t be able to search very far."


    "That''s fine but just please look for Snow."


    The two guards didn''t say anymore and left.


    I saw them go in the direction where the rest of the guards are located.


    I''d like to see what these humans would do when they''re searching for someone and about these measures, Dave spoke of but that isn''t my primary concern right now.


    "Roosevelt?"


    "What¡­ what if Snow was kidnapped?"


    "Kidnapped?"


    "Yes! By those assassins that the mayor sent! It could have been like this... When Snow was going out for a late night walk, she was suddenly kidnapped by them and who knows what they''ve done or what they''re doing to her¡­"


    "Roosevelt, that doesn''t make sense¡­"


    "I know! But¡ªbut what if!?"


    "I¡­ I don''t know¡­"If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "It''s my fault¡­ Snow wouldn''t have to fight and she wouldn''t have almost been killed at that time if I was just strong enough or if I made a better choice at that time. And this time, she was so close to me and I let this happen... I''m not qualified¡­ I''m useless¡­"


    "Roosevelt¡­ that''s¡ª"


    "¡­ I''m not¡­ I''m not... Uuurrrr... *Sniff*"


    ¡­


    This feeling, it doesn''t feel nice. Guilt doesn''t feel nice at all.


    I have to apologize to them.


    No matter where I look at it, it''s my fault why they''re so worried like this.


    Quickly, I sprinted towards the house with the thought of wanting to ease their minds even a second early. I don''t like to be the cause for heir sadness.


    Sun is already feeling sad from the losing people important to her.


    I don''t want to add to that.


    And Night feels way too responsible for everything when it''s actually me that should be responsible.


    Upon arriving, I quickly opened the door and I saw Night kneeling on the floor, covering her face with her hands and Sun behind her, covering her mouth with tears flowing down from her eyes to her chin.


    Uuuhhh¡­.


    "¡­ I''m sorry¡­"


    "Snow¡­?"


    "I''m sorry¡­ I''m sorry¡­ I''m sorry¡­"


    ???


    "...So you were doing that?"


    "Yes."


    I decided to confess what I''ve been doing just now and the other night. From the smallest details.


    I didn''t hide anything at all.


    I don''t think that some parts are necessary but I said them anyway.


    It''s something that I simply did to erase the guilt that I was feeling.


    But I only limited to what I did this night and the other night. Aside from that, I kept my other secrets, including the fact that I''m a vampire since I''m not particularly guilty for hiding that anyway.


    Currently, I''m sitting on Sun''s lap while she''s sitting on a chair. She also has her arms wrapped around my stomach.


    Night is also sitting on a chair positioned parallel to us.


    After I laid down everything, the room was then filled with silence.


    They were making complicated expressions and the mood in the room is uncomfortable. If I had to say, it''s suffocating, especially since I''m the reason why it''s like that in the first place.


    But thankfully, Night put a stop to this by speaking. Though her words were odd.


    "Do you know what you did wrong, Snow?"


    Her voice was calm but accusatory. And it almost made me think that the expression and voice that she showed us before was simply our imagination.


    But her eyes do look a bit wet.


    "Yes."


    "What do you think it is?"


    "That I didn''t tell you what I was doing."


    Night nodded to that. Her eyes moistening even more.


    "And you also didn''t listen to our warnings about going out and killing the goblins."


    I nodded simply.


    It was true that I didn''t.


    "And you made us worry Snow¡­"


    Suddenly, Night started to cry.


    Like I learned before, someone only cries when they''re having an emotional distress.


    And in this case, it''s caused not because she saw someone get hurt but because of worry. Although it''s not much different from the time that Sun cried for Night because she was getting beaten, but it''s close to that.


    And seeing this, Sun squeezed me tighter in her arms.


    I couldn''t say anything about this so we simply let her continue.


    After a few minutes have passed, Night sniffed one last time and wiped her tears. But she didn''t look at us and instead, she continued looking down at the floor.


    "I''m being very dumb, aren''t I? I mean, Snow is very strong and she saved us twice already¡­ and here, I''m lecturing her about making us worry¡­ isn''t it dumb?"


    ¡­ no¡­ why is she blaming herself¡­?


    "It doesn''t make sense why I should be worried about Snow¡­ she''s strong like I said... A few goblins shouldn''t faze her and without us there, she would''ve done even better so she couldn''t have died¡­ yet¡­"


    Her tears came again but this time it wasn''t as intense.


    But it quickly stopped, only letting a few years out. Then, as if realizing something, she looked at her hands.


    "I didn''t feel like this before¡­ only now did it came¡­ I wonder why¡­ is it because¡­ yes, that might be it¡­ it''s because Snow''s life is something important for me."


    Then, Night looked up to us with a soft smile on her face.


    I''ve seen Night smile many times before but this one, I feel that it''s somehow filled with pure, genuine happiness.


    Night then wiped her tears once more and moved her chair closer to us. She then reached and touched my lips with her thumb, slowly revealing my teeth, my fangs.


    "It''s because of this, isn''t it Snow? This made me realize something really important¡­ and it''s that your life is more important than mine~! Just hearing about Snow getting injured felt as if I''m getting injured myself¡­ actually, it felt even worse than that."


    Nights cheeks turned redder every single second that has passed and soon, the room is filled with a pungent smell of Night''s blood.


    But it wasn''t the normal scent that I always smell from her. For some reason, it''s stronger than before. It''s even more tempting.


    Sun squeezed me even tighter than before that it sort of hurts now and I noticed that she''s been panting really hard lately. Her rough breaths entering my ear; it''s exhilarating.


    "¡­ Snow, bite me once more¡­ let me feel your fangs inside me¡­


    As if an invisible force is controlling my body, I went ahead and did as she requested.


    I pulled her neck closer to my mouth. Then, I pierced my fangs through her skin and proceeded to take in her blood, little by little.


    "Fuwah¡ª!"


    Maybe it''s because of the air around us, or the strange mood that I''m feeling right now but Night''s blood is better than before.


    So with that, I savored every little blood that entered my fangs.


    But even with this wonderful taste, I decided to only drink a little.


    With the last bit of control over myself, I stopped from going too far and removed my fangs from her.


    The mark I made healed almost instantaneously though I licked it anyway.


    There was a small amount of blood around the area where I bit her and yet when I licked it, I still tasted it fully.


    But since it was such a small amount, it''s was as fit only teased me into wanting more.


    Since I only just drank from Night, it wouldn''t be right to drink from her again so I looked at the other human in the room. The one I''m currently sitting on.


    Noticing my gaze, I felt Sun jolted before looking away.


    "¡­ Help yourself, Snow."


    Somehow, Sun turned meek but I couldn''t be bothered to think about the reason for that now. I want to taste Sun too.


    Plunging my fangs into her, her blood Immediately entered my fangs.


    As expected, it was delicious. Even more so than before.


    It felt smoother somehow. Like her blood is willingly letting themselves be drank by me.


    "S-snow, slow down¡­"


    And because of that, I ended up drinking far quicker than I should.


    I slowed down for a bit and a couple of seconds later, I pulled out, leaving a satisfied Sun.


    When that was done, Night gently turned my head to face her and told me the same lines that Sun had said to me before.


    "Snow¡­ I''d like to devote my life to you. Will you let me?"


    I nodded my head as if it was natural to agree.


    "Um... I know I''ve said it before but I''d like to say it again¡­ Please let me offer my whole being to you, Snow."


    Sun followed in a fluster.


    I nodded to that as well.


    And now, these two had offered themselves to me for some reason. But if they wanted it, then I''ll let them. I don''t see it being bad in the end anyway.


    More so, if they devote their lives to me, I''ll have company until the day they die.


    ¡­ I shouldn''t think about them dying though. It makes me feel sad.


    The mood around us as well seemed to have returned to normal. I didn''t know what caused it in the first place or if it''s just my imagination.


    But it didn''t look like the two minded it so it shouldn''t be a problem.


    "¡­ although even though we said that¡­"


    Night suddenly said and pausing for a brief period to correct her sitting position.


    "¡­ we were really worried for you, Snow. Maybe it''s not for us to say this but, will you promise us that you won''t do something reckless like that again?"


    When she asked me that, I couldn''t help but nod in agreement.


    ???


    After all of that, we headed off to bed. Though this time something is clearly different.


    They''re hugging me but it wasn''t the hug that I was expecting. Rather than a comfortable hug, they''re hugging me as if to prevent me from escaping.


    I could escape easily if I want to but that''s not something I should tell them. Other than that, there''s also the fact that my slightest movement wakes one of them up.


    But that only applies in the first few minutes after they''ve slept. After that, I could slip myself out of their embrace without waking them up.


    But I decided not to. I''m not so dumb that I wouldn''t understand why they''re trying to prevent me from getting out of bed after all of that.


    And it''s not like I hate this. It''s warm and that''s all that matters.


    After a few hours of being a hug pillow, Sun and Night woke up and the day started as usual.


    Night would make something to eat while Sun hugs me affectionately, all the while drinking her blood.


    Though more clingy than usual but I don''t mind.


    After that, I went out, wearing the cloth, covering me.


    What will I be doing? Going to look for Trish of course. I''m planning on telling her my suggestion for her and it seemed that I''m the only one she''s willing to talk to among the four of us.


    But as I headed towards the place where her house is, I saw the two brothers.


    Leo and Chris.


    They looked panicky when I saw them. Aimlessly looking around all over the place, shouting Trish''s name for some reason.


    "Chris! Leo!"


    When I called out to them, they immediately turned their heads and the way they turned them, they were clearly surprised.


    "Snow!"


    "Big sister!"


    I heard Chris and Leo shout.


    Since we can''t have us shouting while having a conversation, I approached them.


    But before I could reach them, they reached me first.


    "Snow! This is... Bad!"


    With rough breaths, Chris spoke while slouching and taking in large amounts of air with each breath.


    When he finally calmed down a little, Chris told me something I couldn''t possibly believe.


    "Snow, it''s Trish. When I came to her house to apologize, she wasn''t there!"


    "Huh¡­?"

 Interlude: Among The Cursed Ones

    "Damn beast! Watch where you''re going!"


    "I-I''m sorry!"


    In the unusually more crowded streets of the main streets, I again bumped into another person.


    With this many people, it couldn''t really be helped if you bump into a person while running but I was just walking and I still managed to bump into one. I just can''t seem to walk straight nowadays. Like, the people look farther than they actually are.


    But it could have just been because I only have one eye. Then if so, I guess I''ll have to wait for a while to fix this little problem of mine. My father had ordered a magical potion that''ll heal my left eye in an instant! I''ll just have to endure it for now.


    And my depth perception shouldn''t be a problem for long today as I''m very close to my home now.


    Heading right into an alleyway, on the other end of it is like a whole other world. Compared to the neat and clean place where I came from, the other end is like as if garbage was smeared all over the streets.


    It smelled putrid here as well. Like there''s poop following you everywhere.


    Though it is true that there''s poop in some corners here and there and the dirt ground is always damp even if there''s no rain so if you walk here, your shoes will almost always get dirty in the first 10 seconds.


    I''m sure that other people would certainly find this place disgusting and I can see why but for me, who had grown up in this kind of place in all my life, I''d say it''s okay.


    Actually, I find the neatness of the main streets outside the slums a bit unnerving. Being here has this calming effect on me.


    Though, you could never get used to the faces of the people in here. They''re always depressed and stuff. Rarely do they smile.


    I can understand why but it wouldn''t kill them to smile more often, you know?


    And even when I say that, it''s not like my family is better off than anyone here.


    Due to the high taxes here in Teltorte, we would always need to work our butts off to make ends meet and only little can we save. It doesn''t give much to relax but I still found it fun I guess.


    "Hm?"


    As I was walking down the damp street, I saw two hooded figures taking shade from a nearby withered tree. I often see them even in the main streets. I wonder what they''re trying to do.


    Maybe they''re just a sort of secret organization or something? Like the ones that the puppeteers that come in the slums a few times every year include in their stories.


    I think it''ll be cool if they''re somehow like in the one story where the secret organization is actually a charitable organization that donates the money they stole from the evil nobles to the poor people.


    It''ll be cool if it were like that.


    But I still haven''t seen them do something that is hero-like like the one in the story so maybe the secret organizations in real life aren''t so exciting.


    Pouting a bit with that disappointing thought, I headed straight back to my home.


    "....you bitch... ere''s the money...!"


    As I came closer to where my house is, I heard shouting in there. But it wasn''t unusual. It''s something normal for me to hear already.


    And since it''ll be bad if father saw me right now, I went and hid under the chicken pen that I''ve already claimed as my own little secret base.


    It was a little small for me since I wasn''t a chicken but it was a comfy kind of small.


    In here, I was somehow able to not hear all the shouting inside the house even though I''m so close.


    It''s mysterious. I wonder why?


    Leaving that mystery aside, what the heckers am I supposed to do in here, you might ask. It seems really boring to just stay inside in here, waiting, without anything to do.


    I, of course, have a solution for that!


    In here, I have a bunch of materials to make dolls!


    Grass dolls, dirt dolls, wood dolls, hair dolls, I have all of them and I have no intentions of stopping their production.


    Currently, I have about 3 of them each except for the hair doll who I only have one of. Since mother''s hair could only grow so long and so fast so I don''t have many materials for that.


    But since father is home, I think I''ll get a fresh batch of hair, ready to be made into a doll!


    Though, even if I very much treasure every doll that I make, there''s is just one doll that I''ve made that I could call a masterpiece.


    It''s none other than... Eye doll!


    Using my very own eyes as material as well!


    Its body is made from mother''s hair and stuck together using some kind of adhesive that I found on the streets. And the shape of its body is like a ball. My eye in the very center of it so there''s no head.


    It''s like a monster though but it couldn''t be helped and it seems that the eye is already rotting...


    ...I love this doll nonetheless.


    Anyway, I should stop admiring my dolls for the moment and work on the doll I''m in the progress of making.


    After an hour has passed, I got tired of making dolls and poked my head out to see if they''re done. Since I didn''t hear any shouting or sobbing for 3 minutes, that''s a sign that they''re done.


    Brushing off the dirt on my one-piece pink dress that my mother bought for me in my 5th birthday using our savings, I went ahead towards the house entrance.


    When I listened in again, I couldn''t hear anyone talking. So with that, I entered the house.


    The door was a bit squeaky and it seems to be falling off too but father said that he''ll fix it if I''ll be a good girl and work hard to make(steal) money. Since it wasn''t fixed already, then that''s proof that I''m not working hard enough. I''ll have to work harder.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    I then entered the room that I always enter when I came home like this.


    It''s the room where mother is.


    "I''m back!"


    Mother, who is lying on the floor, motionless, looked up towards me and answered back.


    "... Oh... Hana... Welcome... Back..."


    Mom then coughed a few times after speaking.


    Poor mother... It might be because it''s so dusty here again that she''s coughing like that... But she seems more Ill than usual today. I should buy her some medicine tomorrow.


    But first, I have to get mother off of the floor and place here into something more comfortable.


    Since I''m still just a child, I''m not so strong but mother is so light that it doesn''t really matter that much.


    So I helped her stand up and guided her towards the sofa.


    She coughed a few times after sitting down.


    "Here mother, the money I''ve gotten today!"


    I then presented to her the pouch quarterly filled with rusty coins.


    Hearing how much sound the pouch made when I jiggled it, mother formed a weak smile.


    "My... You... Made... A ... Lot..."


    Then she reached out and patted my head.


    Hehe, it feels nice~.


    With her smiling like that and feeling proud of me, she''s really beautiful, despite how weak she had gotten.


    Her fluffy golden hair is like stars twinkling in the night, her gentle emerald green eyes always seem to calm me down every time I see them. Her face, although sunken a bit, is well proportioned as well. Like the few nobles I saw in the main street, she looks like them, or maybe even better!


    Her soft skin that doesn''t seem to deteriorate in the last five years when mother is in her most beautiful and her very soft, although strained voice, I love them all!


    Including her furry ears on top of her head and her fluffy tail behind her that other people seem to hate, I love them as well.


    Father is cool too but he''s rarely home...


    So if I have to pick, I love my mother the most!


    After she''s done patting my head, I then asked mother a question.


    "Mother, how much did you make today!?"


    See, we''re having a contest, or at least in my mind, we are, on who gets to make the most money every day. Mother would always make the most money and father always get angry whenever I ask so he''s always in third place because I don''t know how much he makes.


    So that means that I always get 2nd place every time. But what mother said surprised me.


    "I... I didn''t... Our money was... Stolen by my... Costumer..."


    "Eh!?"


    Stolen!? What the!? They''re so mean!


    "I''m sorry... Hana..."


    Uuuuhh... Mother is being sad again...


    "Don''t worry about that, mother! We''ll make it all up! We''ll just have to work hard!"


    Phew, mother''s beautiful smile returned once again!


    "Yeah... Let''s work hard... Hana..."


    After saying that, mother went to sleep. Her breathing is a bit off though...


    It must be because of all the dust.


    Then I''ll just have to clean up around the room then and mother will get better!


    Yeah... It''ll be fine in the end.


    ???


    Night came and mother is still having a coughing fit and is too weak to even stand up.


    Her cheeks became more sunken as well.


    This has never happened before. Usually, when mother gets sick, it''ll only come down with a light cold and the next day, she''s fine.


    Though she often gets sick, she always heals fast. But this time, it looks like she caught a very terrible cold. But since mother is so used to getting colds, I''m sure her body will be able to fight it off!


    "Hana... *cough*... Get me some water..."


    "Alright!"


    Yeah, mother just needs time to recover, she''ll be fine in a day or two. I''ll just have to nurse her for a bit and she''ll get back on her feet.


    With that thought, I head towards the kitchen in order to get some water that we stored in there. But when I opened the lid off of the barrel, I saw that the water is murky with really strange colors that clean water shouldn''t have.


    This won''t do. It''ll just make mother even more sickly.


    I''ll have to get some clean water so that mother can drink.


    "Mother! I''ll head off for a bit to get you some water!"


    "..."


    Mother didn''t say anything to what I said. Must be because she''s just sleeping.


    Yeah, it''s just that.


    When I opened the door, I saw the dark sky of the night, filled with countless shining stars. Mother would often accompany me every night just to see the stars but that was five years ago.


    I wish she would do that someday in the future.


    But that''s a matter that I should think about when mother is alright now.


    Now, where is the well again?


    Ah! There was no well in the slums, I just remembered. I''ll have to get to the main streets in order to get clean well water.


    Holding the moldy bucket tightly, I head off towards the direction where the main streets are.


    But on my way, the streets in the slums are very dark so I often trip up and fell so I got pretty dirty in the end.


    But no matter! I''ll be able to clean myself when I get to where the well is!


    Although the dirt on my ears and tail feels slightly uncomfortable due to how sensitive they are I can ignore it for now.


    I only noticed it now, but it looks really barren here.


    I could see a few familiar faces but other than that, no one is here. Just yesterday, there were a lot of people outside, doing a bunch of stuff. Like drinking from bottles and shouting a lot.


    It was the same as well even before yesterday as well.


    Only now did the slums became so quiet.


    I wonder why that is.


    Eventually, I''ve arrived at the main streets and it''s also very quiet.


    There were a few people walking in the streets but compared to when it was at day, it difference is very big. Even though it had only recently just turned night, it had become like this.


    It''s a little unnerving but I''m sure there''s a plausible explanation for this. Like maybe they''re having a party or something, and that in this party, they''ve even included the people in the slums.


    That sounds nice.


    I sure hope that that''s the reason.


    Well, even if it was, I can''t go there and have fun. I have to get mother some water first.


    I then continued my way towards the public well is.


    But as I expected, I bumped into a number of things on the way since it was so dark and the fact that I only had one eye.


    So because of that, I took me longer to get to the well that normal.


    Though I did manage to arrive at where the well is and after pulling up a few piles of water, I finally filled up the bucket that I was carrying.


    The bucket was small so it wasn''t heavy but I do need to carry it with both my hands so I could carry it comfortably.


    With this, mother would be a little bit better. I should hurry up so I wouldn''t have to make her wait any longer than needed.


    But as I was about to head back, two people with black cloaks over them approached me.


    "Um... Hello?"


    When I asked, they didn''t respond. This is making me nervous...


    Without waiting to see if they''ll actually respond or not, I just walked off at a fast pace, trying to get out of here with the least time that I can.


    But one of the cloaked people suddenly grabbed my shoulders.


    "He¡ªOW! Stop! That hurts...!"


    The person''s grip was really strong. It felt like my shoulders were being stepped on.


    Because of how sudden he grabbed my shoulders, I dropped that bucket fillers with water that I was holding on to.


    "Shut the hell up!"


    Wh¡ªwha...!


    His voice is really loud and intimidating that i couldn''t even scream.


    What''s happening...!? I don''t understand...!


    "Oi, you quiet your voice."


    Then the other person, which sounded like a man, scolded the one who is holding my shoulders really forcibly.


    "Who the hell would care anyway? The whole kingdom''s gone ka-bust! We should take what we can and head south."


    "That''s not the reason. It''s just needlessly annoying. We could just do this silently, you know?"


    "Whatever. Just chain this brat and let''s go to the others before the people here could completely leave."


    The other man who isn''t holding on to me took out a pair of bracelet-like metal things with chains connecting the two. Then the man put it on both my wrist.


    "Ow, ow, ow!"


    He didn''t seem to care as well on how he put it on me. He did it so roughly that it scraped a bit of my skin.


    "Let''s go, you brat!"


    "W-wait! W-w-where!? I-I have to get back home!"


    "You brat! You''re our merchandise now! It''s your fault for going out at night!"


    "Again, quiet down..."


    "Shut up."


    The man who was holding on my shoulder previously yanked the chain really hard that I almost lost balance and hit the ground, face first.


    But, really, wait!


    "My mother is still sick! I still haven''t given her any water yet! Please! Please let me¡ªack!"


    Suddenly, the man who is pulling the chain punched me in the face.


    The force is enough to send me flying a few meters back but the chain held me so my hands were painfully pulled on.


    "Shut the hell up!"


    "B-b-but my¡ª"


    "I said shut up! You want to get punched again!?"


    "Uuhh..."


    "Good."


    The man then pulled the chain again, urging me to walk. And when I didn''t, he pulled again with much more force this time that it tripped me up and I fell on the ground face first.


    But he didn''t care and kicked me while I was still on the ground until I forced myself to get up because his kicks were so painful.


    I couldn''t even say anything to them or else they might punch me and even if they don''t, I don''t think they''ll listen.


    ... Mother, I''m sorry...


    I never got you your water in the end.

 How and What They See 1

    On the way to Trish''s house, I encountered a panicked Chris and Leo, aimlessly looking around the place. There''s also a large number of humans here as well.


    It could be some kind of human gathering culture. And since Chris and Leo are here, I might as well call out to them and join them to whatever they''re doing.


    But upon doing so, Chris looked at me with wide eyes and ran towards me.


    There''s certainly something urgent that''s going on here.


    After pausing for a second, Chris then said to me what he wanted to say. Though I think I just misheard it so I asked again.


    "Hm?"


    "It''s Trish, she wasn''t in her house when we visited her!"


    I''m sorry? I don''t see the problem here.


    Wouldn''t that be normal? I mean, there are humans waking up early in the morning as well so...


    "Why are you tilting your head for!? She''s missing!"


    Somehow, Chris got angry at me...


    "Um... Wouldn''t Trish have woken up early? And went out?"


    "Trish never wakes up early. Never. Whenever we visited her home early, she refuses to wake up like a [bear] hibernating."


    He nodded vigorously when she said that as if telling it''s something very important.


    Then if she never wakes up early in the morning, why is she gone? There''s still a couple of things missing here.


    "What did her mother say?"


    "I don''t know... She wasn''t there when we got there... But strangely though, the door wasn''t locked. Yeah, isn''t it strange that she wasn''t there either? I saw Trish''s mom up early in the morning as well in the past so I didn''t find it suspicious... But could it be, she also..."


    This is more serious than I initially thought...


    "Did you ask the village chief?"


    "You mean my grandfather? Yeah, he said they''ll look for Trish as well but he said that... Wait, he said that you were missing last night as well!? What happened to you!? Are you hurt!?"


    Ugh... Not him too...


    No, Leo, don''t get needlessly worried like Chris as well!


    "... Lily and Roosevelt were just too wor¡ªno, it''s because I did something wrong that they were worried like that."


    I looked at away at Chris'' worried eyes. It''s somehow embarrassing and guilt-provoking if he stared at me like that. Though, unlike Chris, Leo''s look isn''t so.


    It just looks like a normal sad face that''s on the verge of crying.


    "I don''t think I understand but I''m just glad you were alright."


    Sensing the mood turning into an unpleasant direction, Chris made a relieved smile as a way to console me.


    I appreciated that he didn''t ask for details.


    To follow up with that, I turned the conversation back to the original topic.


    "Then, what now?"


    "Ah, that''s right. We should inform grandfather that you were found so they could focus on finding Trish and her mom as well."


    Hurriedly, Chris grabbed my wrist and headed towards where the village chief house is, which I presume to be the house where Chris is living in as well.


    The house is much, much larger than any other house that I saw in the village. It''s as large as three houses that Sun, Night and me are staying in.


    But I didn''t get to inspect it much as Chris impatiently pulled me in the house.


    In the house, we saw a rather surprised old human male discussing something with a couple of humans which looked like the village guards.


    When the old human, or rather, the village chief saw Chris and Leo, he didn''t react much as if he expected this but when his eyes landed on me, he was very surprised.


    The two guards as well, after following where the village chief is looking, they were surprised as well.


    "Chris, Leo, you found Snow?"


    "... N-no, she wasn''t lost in the first place."


    "Big Sister was safe!"


    "Is that right? I''m glad but I presume you urgently came back with something to tell me?"


    Chris meekly nodded.


    "Ah... It''s not good news, is it?"


    After exhaling deeply, Chris began to tell the village chief about the added worry.


    "It''s Trish''s mom... She wasn''t there either. I only realized it just now. We need to search for her too."This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "We already know."


    "Huh?"


    Oh? Did the village chief notice it as well?


    "If Trish''s mother wasn''t missing, then she would have reported her own daughter''s disappearance, it shouldn''t have been you. So we''re already working on her case as well."


    After groaning for a bit, the village chief continued.


    "It''s strange... You said that the door wasn''t locked? It seems it''s not just that. Did you notice the back door broken as well?"


    "Broken? No, we didn''t check... We just hurried to tell you."


    "Well, that broken door is a big clue. It wasn''t because They didn''t forget to lock the door, it''s that it was opened from the Inside. And through that broken back door is where our [kidnappers] entered."


    I assume the term kidnapper is what people call the ones that take away people for whatever reason.


    And if that is the case...


    "Wouldn''t the kidnapper be a villager?"


    I intruded in their conversation.


    It''s something that I asked just to confirm and it seems to be the most likely but what the village chief said was unexpected.


    "No, I don''t think it''s the village''s residents, Snow. We asked everyone already and searched their houses. Not a single one of them has a clue and no one was missing either. So we suspect that it was someone that isn''t in the village but the guards haven''t seen any [bandits] nearby so it''s puzzling. And even if they are [bandits], I just can''t see what they could gain from kidnapping a mother and a daughter."


    "Bandits?"


    "? They''re the people that live dishonestly and steals from people often in groups. They''re also a big pain for us as well as sometimes groups of bandits try to raid us."


    So bandits are one of the bad humans then? And they didn''t seem to be a candidate as a suspect.


    Someone outside the village and isn''t bandits... I can''t think of any.


    I don''t have enough things to base on. I''ll have to check the actual place if I can find anything that they still didn''t know.


    "Can we check the house again?"


    So I requested and they were confused at first but the village chief gave me permission while Chris and Leo went with me back to where Trish''s house is.


    Upon arriving, I saw a few humans looking around the area of the house.


    They must be here to investigate as well.


    "Why do you want to check the house, Snow?"


    "To see for myself."


    Chris seems to doubt me.


    Doesn''t he think that they may have missed something?


    And so we entered.


    I went and looked at every room and every corner of the house.


    I searched around the room of Trish to see if there''s anything I can find there, and as well as the under the ''furniture'' as Chris called it.


    And all I found in those corners are just dust and a few items in them.


    At least that''s what I found that could be seen.


    There''s also the lingering scent inside the house.


    Ignoring the many scents of humans inside the house, I''ve also picked up an extremely faint scent of goblin blood as well.


    Specifically, I found it still lingering on the broken door.


    From this, I can infer that the goblins have broken in the house and somehow took Trish and her mother to somewhere.


    The goblins must have scratched their way in, evident with the numerous scratch marks on the fallen big pieces of the door, and while scratching, they must have cut their fingers or something, leaving behind a few drops of blood on the door.


    There''s also the fact that I found the scent in the air around the door as well. It was very very faint so I''m not too sure but assuming if I''m right, those goblins had been breaking their way inside the house through the door that is still locked for at least a few hours.


    Though I can tell why they didn''t suspect goblins for this as well.


    And to confirm my assumption, I asked Chris on his opinions.


    "Goblins are the ones that broke in? I can''t see it. Isn''t the hole that they made on the door too big for those small goblins? And it isn''t like them to make any effort at all just to get to two humans, you know? They''re really lazy after all."


    I asked around the ones that are investigating the matter as well and they said the same thing.


    It couldn''t be caused because the hole is too big, it isn''t in their nature to break down the door just to get inside a house. Goblins would rather look for a way to sneak in instead and if they can''t find any, they''ll give up and look for another house.


    There''s also the fact that there doesn''t seem that anything was taken in the house as well, which shouldn''t be possible as those goblins are ''kleptomaniac''(?).


    There''s that.


    They all seem plausible reasons and I can''t blame them for not suspecting goblins for this.


    But what I smelled on that door is the real thing. I even confirmed it a few times by sniffing the damages in the door really closely, much to Chris'' and Leo''s confusion.


    When I did that though, I found something peculiar in the smell. It''s definitely the smell of goblins, no doubt about that, but it smells different than usual.


    I guess it smells stronger? I can''t really describe it any more than that. It''s more disgusting smelling. It''s something like that.


    And I also tried to trace where they went with Trish and her mother but I wasn''t able to pick up any other than from the door.


    I suppose my nose isn''t strong enough?


    It couldn''t be helped then.


    Like that, we spent about most of the day searching around.


    It was now afternoon and I saw Sun coming with a small box on hand.


    "Oh Snow. What''s with all this commotion?"


    She asked me, though seemingly uninterested as well.


    "Trish was missing and her mother."


    "My! How horrible! If I remember correctly, Trish is your girl friend, isn''t she?"


    I nodded in response.


    "You must have been really worried then, for your friend?"


    Odd. Why does Sun look so happy about all of this?


    I ignored that for the moment and answered her.


    "Yup. We''re searching to see who did it."


    "If it''s you, Snow, I''m sure you already know who did it by now~."


    With Sun''s misplaced cheerfulness, I looked at the two who just went towards us to see what''s going on.


    It''s Chris and Leo of course.


    With them here, I said my conclusion.


    "I think it was the goblins."


    "Huh?"


    As I thought, Chris still thinks that the idea is wrong.


    "Isn''t all the evidence says the opposite?"


    I nodded at that.


    I already know that but I''d like to believe what I smelled is right here.


    But I can''t really make Chris believe me. As he said, all evidence points towards the contrary. I have no solid proof from claiming that it was goblins in the first place. I only have the thing that I smelled and I can''t really present that to them as evidence.


    So instead...


    "I''ll show you."


    "Huh?"


    Chris and Leo tilted their heads.


    "I''ll show you that the goblins captured Trish and her mother."


    "Um... But do you know where it is?"


    "No. That''s why we''ll go look for it, in the forest."


    "Snow."


    Sun suddenly called for me. Her voice is strangely cold to belong to Sun.


    And when I turned my head to face her, I saw her brows furrowed and her eyes seem to scream disapproval.


    It''s seriously scary. Especially when Sun is making such an expression.


    It seems that Chris and Leo sensed the chilly air coming from Sun as well as they momentarily became silent.


    "Please don''t spout dangerous ideas."


    Her voice now back to the usual calm voice I always hear from her but I could still tell she disapproves my idea of going into the forest.


    She also lowered herself to meet my eye level.


    When I didn''t say anything back, she continued.


    "We already discussed this just recently Snow, and you promised us as well."


    "But it''s not really¡ª"


    "Even so! You might get hurt!"


    If you make that kind of expression, I can''t possibly...


    "... Alright, I won''t."


    When I said that, her tearful eyes seemed to shine in relief.


    "I''m so glad! Such a good girl!"


    I don''t want to make them worried again or else I''d feel guilty again.


    And the thought of them crying like that again pained me even more than the news of Trish suddenly missing.


    And I don''t think it''s reasonable if I compared the two. Trish''s life and her mother should weigh more in my mind than the thought of upsetting Sun and Night.


    But it''s just what I feel. I''m sure that it''s because they''re my mothers.


    That must be it.

 How and What They See 2

    With the thought of upsetting Sun and Night again and the life of my female friend and her mother, it''s somehow making me conflicted and indecisive on what to prioritize.


    Or rather, I just want to do both.


    A way to find Trish and her mother without worrying Sun and Night.


    It''s a plan like that.


    But every plan that I thought of has an underlying chance of being dangerous.


    I know those goblins are hostile and they don''t seem to care about their lives as well for some reason so that fact made them dangerous even more.


    Trish and her mother are captured by the goblins. That is what I believe. And they obviously have sent them to the place with a concentrated amount of goblins.


    The distance isn''t to the point that simply wandering in the forest would lead one to it but it''s close enough that groups of goblins go to the village in an attempt to raid it. And this happened recently.


    I could think of several reasons as to why they''re trying to raid the village and the most likely reason would be food.


    Since there''s so many of them in that place, they must have a shortage of food so to help with that, they send goblins to their deaths in an attempt to secure food from the village.


    And only recently did they have this shortage of food as well, which explains why they only recently tried and raid the village.


    But since that didn''t work, they decided to just sneak into the village and kidnap Trish and her mother. Probably to eat them.


    As for the group of 20 and up, they''re probably just a distraction so that they could execute their plan without issues.


    Of course, I might be wrong. It''s simply my hypothesis on the matter. But if it is what I think it is, then the goblins are far more clever than I thought.


    I shouldn''t treat them like dumb rocks with the ability to move. And there''s also this uneasy feeling that there might be something more to it than I thought.


    But I shouldn''t trouble myself for thinking about those unconfirmed things.


    My objective right now is to save Trish and her mother. That is, if they''re still alive right now and if they aren''t, at least retrieve their corpse. And maybe taste their blood while I''m at it...


    Oh, of course, I''m not that serious about the last part. I think that that''ll be disrespectful in a way.


    But my intention to find them still doesn''t change.


    The problem would be on how to do it in a less dangerous way.


    "Snow?"


    "It''s nothing."


    Currently, I''m sitting on Sun''s lap and eating the food that Night made while I''m pondering over this.


    And as to what I''m eating, it''s two bread with meat in the middle and a couple of green and red vegetables. There''s also Night''s blood coating the meat as well.


    Sun called it a ''sandwich''.


    Even though it doesn''t have any sort of connection with sand.


    And as for the two brothers, they went back to the village chief''s house to eat as well before they continue to search for Trish.


    Though their cheeks were puffed up when they did that. It might be because I didn''t give them any of my lunch.


    Which I couldn''t of course. There''s blood in it. They''ll most likely get shocked and creeped out or scared when they knew I have blood on my food.


    And while I''m enjoying my sandwich, Sun spoke.


    "Is it delicious?"


    "Mhm."


    "That''s good to hear."


    Then Sun wrapped her arms around my stomach and pulled me closer to her. She then nuzzles herself into my neck.


    Usually, she would do this during our free time but it''s the first time she did this while I was eating. It''s nothing unusual but I felt that this might be something different.


    Did something trouble her?


    "...Snow?"


    "Hm?"


    "What''s wrong?"


    Huh? Shouldn''t I be the one asking that?


    "C''mon, you can tell me. I''m your mother right, Snow?"


    "Um... There''s nothing wrong?"


    Sun pinched the tip of my nose when I said that.


    "Don''t lie to me now. Like Roosevelt said, your expression is really easy to read. And you looked troubled about something."


    My expression really is easy to read...!The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    I don''t really think that I''m that expressive though. Have my facial muscles been moving around without my knowledge?


    "It''s not serious."


    Sun then turned my body to face her and stared at my face very closely with a very serious expression.


    Then her eyes lost light when she found out something.


    "... is it because of what we made you promise? About you not doing anything reckless like that?"


    "N-no... It''s not¡ª"


    "I''m sorry Snow but I don''t have any intentions of giving you a free pass regarding that. After all, your life is so precious that I can''t live without it."


    "Su¡ªLilia?"


    "Ah! I''m sorry for scaring you! I didn''t mean to scare you!"


    For a second there, Sun has gotten a bit scary but it seems like it''s just her being protective of me.


    And it doesn''t seem that I have any say in that promise either.


    It feels like if I gotten myself injured, Sun and Night might do something unexpected.


    So I really need to save them somehow without getting myself in danger.


    Hmm...


    ...A method to do that without getting myself into danger...


    "How can I save Trish and her mother without getting myself in danger?"


    I found myself asking Sun on the matter and she seemed to have thought about it seriously as well when I asked.


    "Of course you''ll find your friends to be something precious to you but a way to save her... Why not just leave it to the adults?"


    "?"


    "If you left it to the adults, you wouldn''t put yourself in danger."


    I''ve thought about that as well but it''s not something that I feel comfortable doing.


    Just leaving it to the village''s residents to save someone I know, I''ll feel pathetic if I did that.


    "I can''t just not do something..."


    Sun shakes her head left to right as if telling me that I''m missing something.


    "Do you remember what I said about the village chief?"


    I nodded in response.


    "Didn''t you say that he looks weak? Then I said that he doesn''t need to be strong to lead people. It''s simply the same principle, Snow."


    "... Then, I should lead the villagers to save Trish?"


    "That''s right. Since you already know who took Trish, it''s only the matter of leading them to where it is and if you did that, you''ll be doing a very major contribution. You''ll be doing something."


    I get it, but there are some problems with that as well.


    "But they won''t believe me that the goblins did it in the first place and goblins are strong when there''s many of them."


    "Then we''ll convince them for you and you''ll just have to lead them in a way that you wouldn''t have any problems with that! Did you know, Snow, that there''s a [General] that managed to defeat an army with a thousand [soldiers] with only a hundred? You should just do the same thing! If it''s you, Snow, I''m sure you''ll be able to do it."


    Uhhh... Sun, you''re overestimating me...


    But I guess she has a point.


    Lead the villagers in such a way that they''ll be in the least amount of danger.


    It''s easy to say it but in actuality, it''s really hard.


    And I also still have my reservations regarding involving the villagers as well. It doesn''t sit right with me to use other lives for this but if they have the same goal as me then maybe they''ll be willing to do it anyway.


    There''s also the matter that it''s my very first time to lead something. I''m sure that the village chief is better at doing the leading than me. He''s old in human standards after all so he must know a lot.


    But if it came to that, then...


    "Have confidence in yourself, Snow."


    Have confidence in myself...


    Alright, I''ll make it work somehow.


    ???


    A little later Chris and Leo returned and Sun went back to the house as well to continue her summarizing thing.


    As the two slowly approached, I did the wave gesture thing at them and they waved back as well.


    "Did your mother returned already?"


    "Yeah."


    "Did you already saw what you want to see in the house?"


    "Yeah."


    Then, with a "Let''s continue searching for her then," we walked off.


    Though when Chris said about searching for Trish, all they did is to shout her name as we walk in the village.


    Honestly, it wasn''t really helpful at all. I don''t even know why they wanted to search around the village as well. But since Leo is doing it so vigorously as well, I couldn''t say my protest.


    But the walk was enjoyable in its own right. I get to see what Night meant when she said that this village is growing the ingredients that she brought before.


    Just at the opposite end of the village, there''s a really wide flat area with lots of plants planted, positioned in neat rows.


    There''s also humans tending to those plants and some of them, cutting them off of the ground. Probably collecting them.


    I told Chris that we should check out this wide area for a bit and examine the plants but he refused.


    "We can''t play around, Snow. We need to find Trish quickly. Who knows what she is experiencing right now."


    With Chris'' scolding, I reluctantly followed along with them.


    But I did make a promise to myself that I would definitely go back to this place after everything is done.


    An hour later, they thankfully got tired and we took a rest back in the plaza.


    There they took out some water from the well to drink.


    I insisted that I should be the one to pull the bucket up but Chris didn''t want to for some reason. So I stayed there, sitting on the ground under the shade of a tree while Leo is in between my legs as I wrapped my arms around him.


    And it seems that Leo interpreted my action as me being really worried about Trish.


    "It''s okay! Well definitely find Trish!"


    Oh Leo, your encouraging words almost made me think that these useless yelling and roaming around is actually effective.


    Of course, I didn''t say that to him.


    "See? I told you I can do it."


    Chris said as he returned to where we are, hugging a large wooden bucket.


    He then places it in front of us, spilling a few drops of water in the process.


    It was impressive though. For him to lift something like this. Sun had trouble lifting the same amount as well and she''s a few years older than Chris at that.


    And once the bucket filled with water was put down, the two took turns scooping up water with both of their hands and slurping from it.


    Chris looked at me as if saying "Not drinking?" but I shake my head.


    As they were drinking, I realized that this is a good opportunity to talk about that.


    "Chris."


    "Hm?"


    "I''m serious about the goblins, taking Trish."


    After hearing me say that, wiped her mouth with his wrist before speaking.


    "It couldn''t be goblins, you know? We''ve already confirmed that."


    "It''s the goblins."


    "Like I said¡ª"


    "It''s the goblins."


    Chris looked at me dubiously went I cut him off.


    Since I can''t really prove why I think it''s the goblins, maybe I can convince him with my seriousness on the matter.


    "How do you know?"


    "I just do."


    "..."


    We continued to stare at each other like that while Leo is completely unaware of what we''re having.


    An argument through the eyes, as I''d called it.


    This staring thing continued on for a while until Chris sighed, breaking of eye contact.


    "Okay... Is the method on how you came to that a secret?"


    "Yes."


    "... Alright... I''ll believe you then. You don''t seem to be making a joke."


    Success.


    I then turned my gaze towards Leo who is looking in wonder on our exchange.


    "Did they really take Trish away?"


    "Yeah. It could only be them."


    "Yeah... The goblins hurt uncle Rich too... They''re bad guys so they must be the one that took Trish."


    Looks like Leo believed me as well.


    These two had been very easy to convince. Though I shouldn''t expect the same to the other humans.


    I should think that they''re simply an exception, not the rule.


    So with that in mind, how could I convince the rest of the humans that it was really the goblins that took Trish in the first place, despite the pieces of evidence that tell otherwise?


    Sun said that she and Night would help on that, and I could have Chris and Leo help me as well but with only us, I don''t think we''ll be convincing anyone.


    But I guess the only thing we should do is to try.


    And also, I''ve thought of a person that should make the whole convincing thing be very easy as well since it''s a person that the villagers should have high respect for.


    It''s their leader of course. The village chief.

 How and What They See 3

    After a little break, we then went back to the village chiefs house, in my suggestion. The purpose? It''s obvious. It''s to convince the village chief of course.


    If I managed to convince him, then it''ll be easy to convince the rest of the humans in the search group.


    "You know, Snow, even if I said that I''ll believe you, don''t think that it''ll be easy to convince the others."


    "I don''t."


    "I only believed because I think that for a kid like you to survive in the forest all alone, you must have something up your sleeve to be able to do that, right? Even more unbelievable is how you did all that while you have your sunlight condition."


    I simply nodded at his words.


    Though, by thinking about it all, wouldn''t I seem completely unbelievable?


    What I told them was simply the truth back then. I didn''t think or would care if they will believe me or not. And if you ask me, I only think that they found it a great story.


    But they seem to believe it anyway.


    What I told them is definitely not in the realm that humans are capable of doing. At least as far as I''ve observed and shouldn''t he have doubts on the story, at least a little bit?


    I stopped for a moment, to ponder about this.


    "Big sister?"


    And Leo noticed my sudden action.


    "What''s wrong, Snow?"


    Hearing what Leo had said, Chris stopped for the moment and looked at me, wondering why I stopped suddenly.


    "Do you think I''m weird?"


    "Huh?"


    "Like what I said. Am I weird?"


    There''s also the white skin topic. Though Trish has called me weird, she sounded like she meant that she was simply surprised or something the like.


    The fact that they seem to not question it much as well, I don''t find it normal.


    "Weird, in what way?"


    "I don''t know? Anything about me. From where I was found and how I survived. And my white skin. That kind of weird."


    "Hm?"


    I don''t think that Chris got what I meant by that.


    And the one who answered my question is Leo.


    "Isn''t it fine? Even if you''re weird, your still big sister Snow."


    As expected of Leo''s answer, it''s rather innocent sounding.


    I didn''t really get what he meant by that. Even if your weird, you''re still you? What does that mean? Is he saying my weirdness is simply who I am?


    If so, then it might be similar to what Sun had told me when we first came here then, that everyone has something weird about them. And despite it all, you''ll still be able to get along with everyone.


    "Ah... Did you mean if we really believed the story you told us about you?"


    Finally, Chris has got it now. His smirk though, it feels like he''s finding the whole thing funny.


    "Of course we do. Your story isn''t the most unbelievable real story in this world you know? And your first impression to us tells us that you look like your someone who is a bit out of touch with people so it''s all the more credible."


    Is that right? I feel relieved hearing that. Both from the fact that I may not be so strange that I initially thought and the fact that they believed me.


    "Oh! Big sister is smiling!"


    "Huh?"


    Am I really? I don''t feel that I did.


    Are my facial muscles really moving on its own without me realizing it?


    "Am I really smiling, Leo?"


    "Yeah! You should smile more often, big sister, since you look really cute!"


    Oh my, isn''t the cute one you, Leo?


    "Woah!"


    Thinking that I grabbed Leo up in the air, wrapping my arms around his small body and hugged him like that.


    "You''re cute too, Leo."


    "Hehe~!"


    It feels like Leo is super soft today. Kinda like Trish''s pillow. I''d like to bring him to bed tonight.


    Not that I''m unsatisfied with Sun and Night but, you know, it wouldn''t hurt to add more.


    "Uh... Hey..."


    Oops, we forgot about Chris.


    When I turned to him, his cheeks are red for some reason. And also, oddly fidgety.


    "We should... Continue walking."


    "Alright. I think it''s because of what you said, that I''m smiling."


    "Huh!? Oh, no need! And you''re also smiling when you were hugging Leo, even before so it''s not like I did something amazing."


    "I think I''m smiling unconsciously when I''m hugging someone because it feels comfortable. I also smiled without hugging someone before as well."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Y''see? It''s nothing special."


    "Still, thanks for believing me. I felt relieved and happy, I think, from that."


    I smiled consciously at him to give my gratitude towards him but he looked away with apple red cheeks. Did I say something bad?


    But he didn''t seem to be angry so I think it should be fine.


    After that whole ordeal, we stopped our feet in front of the village chief''s house without any incidents.


    And upon opening the door, we found the village chief¡ªwasn''t there.


    Thinking that he might have just been inside one of the rooms in the house, we looked. But after checking all of them, there''s not a sign of the village chief.


    "Grandpa must have gone out."


    Well, that should delay my plans.


    And also, regarding Sun''s and Night''s help, I don''t know how they do it but it looks like it isn''t today. I''ll them about it when I returned to the house.


    "We''ll still look for Trish in the village. What about you?"


    Chris asked me. And concerning his search...


    "Wouldn''t it be pointless to look in the village? I''m sure they''ve checked already?"


    "... Yeah, you''re right but... I just can''t keep still while they''re missing so even if it''s pointless, I still want to do something."


    Chris then made a weak smile as if accepting what he''s really doing is simply inconsequential.


    Then he''s just like me, huh?


    "I''ll go back to the house."


    I simply said and after waving goodbye, I left.


    While on my way home, I encountered a wondering Night, with a basket full of fruits and vegetables and her maid clothes more dirty than usual.


    Though I did see her, I didn''t immediately called out to her but instead approached her quietly.


    Upon getting very close to her, poked her arm.


    "Hyaah! Wha-what the...!? Snow!? Please don''t do that!"


    The scene the I got from doing that is a very shocked Night that almost jumped in surprise. Though amazingly, she didn''t let go of the basket she''s holding or did any of its contents fell.


    My reason for doing that? Because she looked tired. I just did it to give her a bit more energy. And to try teasing her.


    "I''m sorry."


    "You don''t look like you''re sorry..."


    From that, we headed back to the house together with no great incidents in between. Though Night did ask me about my day today and I told her honestly.


    How we''ve been at it with Chris and Leo, walking around the village in a futile attempt to find her. Night was undoubtedly Impressed by it which I don''t find too impressive myself.


    And I also inquired her about the convincing thing. How could they help.


    But what Night replied is quite disappointing.


    "I''ll do what you ask of me, Snow. I''m sure you''ve thought of something."


    Clearly, they''re overestimating me. And contrary to their beliefs about me, I don''t actually know how I could convince the village chief or any other adult humans for that matter.


    So I really would want some suggestions from Night which I would like to discuss when we reached the house.


    And after a couple of minutes, we arrived.


    I took a last look on the sun and I saw that it''s slowly going down the horizon, giving off a melancholic feeling of the day''s end.


    After gazing at the oddly majestic view of the sunset, I turned and followed after Night who had just entered the house.


    When I entered, I saw a Sun doing her writing work on the table.


    Needless to say that the top of the table is filled with papers that she uses to write her summary.


    "Welcome home, Snow! How''s the search going?"


    "We didn''t find any clue."


    I answered her dejectedly.


    "Why the long face?"


    Then Sun asked me something strange. Long face? What''s that? Though I feel that she''s asking about why I''m feeling what I''m feeling so I answered that instead.


    "Having trouble to come up with a plan."


    "Hm? But didn''t you already have a plan for this?"


    Huh? When did I even say that?


    "No, I don''t."


    "Oh, really? But now that I think about it, it wouldn''t be strange if you still don''t have a plan. After all, Snow is still isn''t that much knowledgeable regarding this right?"


    I guess that was true. I find that the main factor of a plan is the knowledge prior to making the plan. If one didn''t have any idea or information, then a plan wouldn''t be able to form.


    And with a limited amount of evidence that suggests that the kidnapping is caused by goblins, which is actually only one and I''m the only one who can detect that, it looks like the plan to convince the village chief is still not so doable currently.


    Though, the plan with that only contains the objective can''t be called a plan.


    So I inquired about them to what I should do.


    "In these cases, Roosevelt knows more than me."


    When I looked at Sun for answers, she said that.


    Then I turned my gaze towards Night to see if she has something to share.


    Night scratched her cheek and avoided my gaze by turning her eyes to the left before speaking.


    "... In cases like this where you don''t find any sort of lead as to what the next path should be, it''s advisable to look outside the box to search there instead."


    "Look outside the box?"


    "It means to broaden your scope and not just focus on one area. It could also mean to look contrary to the norm."


    Night''s words sounded like a good plan.


    From what I can infer, rather than just searching in the house, it''ll be worth a try to look for somewhere else.


    And it might also give me a different perspective on the problem which might help me solve my problem.


    "Have you thought of something?"


    Night asked, knowing full well that I''ve gotten an epiphany from her words. Her smiles seem to tell me ''good job'' as well.


    "Yeah... Not just the house... Maybe in other areas too, that those goblins might''ve gone to..."


    I started to mumble to myself which Night tilted her head to why I was mumbling to myself.


    But anyway, then if I searched in other areas other than the house, I may find something that those humans would even believe. If there''s something then that would make everything a lot easier.


    Thanks to that, it became clear on what I should do from now on.


    "Thank you."


    To signify my thanks to her even more, j rubbed Night''s head in a gentle manner.


    That act had made her blush but if it were from embarrassment or simply the joy of being thanked, I can only guess.


    After that, it was the usual routine.


    Night made dinner. Sun cleaned up the table and played with me for a bit and went the food was done, we ate then we went to sleep.


    But what''s different this time is rather than responding to the goblin attack that occurred at night, this time I didn''t.


    It was simply out of respect towards Sun''s and Night''s wishes for keeping me safe. Even if I wasn''t acting, I still stayed awake and listened in on the situation in the village, if whether I should intervene or not, with Sun''s and Night''s permission of course.


    Soon after, I heard humans shouting from the outside with a few humans holding on to a thick wooden stick, a branch of some tree perhaps, with a bright flame at its tip and odd looking things that seem to be used in ''farmwork'' through the glassless window.


    They all look anxious and in a hurry. Adding to that, they also look tired as well. But I guess that wasn''t surprising because their sleep was disturbed.


    While looking at them, I thought if an idea.


    Wouldn''t it be fine if I just looked? I mean, I wouldn''t be directly in danger then and with that, I''ll also learn how a group of humans would work together to fight off a group of goblins.


    And that idea excited me a little bit as well.


    So with that, I woke up Night. Only her.


    "Hm? Huh...? Snow, what''s wrong?"


    Night then groggily stood up and rubbed her eyes then she procured a bit of energy when she noticed that it was oddly bright when it was in the middle of the night.


    "What''s happening...?"


    "Goblins are attacking the village."


    "Ah... Is that so...? Um..."


    "Can I go and watch? How humans fight goblins?"


    "Huh?"


    Night looked at me dumbly when I asked that if her. Did she not understand?


    "Can I go and watch?"


    "What...? Sure... But just stay out of sight, alright? And don''t ever engage. I don''t want to see you hurt."


    Then Night gently rubbed my head and smiled at me sweetly. She looked a bit confused still though.


    "Go to sleep. I''ll come back in the morning."


    The cause of her confusion should be because she still hasn''t gotten enough sleep so I asked her sleep first before going.


    "..."


    But it didn''t look like she heard me. It seems her mind is preoccupied for the moment.


    "Roosevelt?"


    "Hm? Oh, yeah. I''ll go to sleep later so don''t worry about me."


    Her smile was sweet but also stiff. She seems to be thinking about something. Though with her being confused because her sleep was cut, her mind isn''t fully away yet so it might not be something important.


    So I persisted on having her take a sleep in this instant. And of course, I can''t just force her to. So I whispered to her something that''ll convince her to.


    "I''ll come back early so when I return I''ll do what you want for a while. So please go to sleep now. I''ll wake you up then."


    Her face turned full red from what I just told her, resulting in her giving a nice scent that made me want to get a taste of her blood but I firmly resisted for now.


    I''m sure she''ll ask me to do that later anyway.


    Then, with Night''s approval, I headed off to observe the human villagers and how they fend off the goblins.

 How and What They See 4

    After managing to sneak out of the house without any of the humans that are running about to the entrance of the village seeing me, I jumped up to a building''s roof and from then on, leaped on several more houses until I reached one where I could safely observe.


    I, of course, am wearing the cloth to cover myself.


    When I got there, I saw a rather gruesome scene, or rather, a delicious scene.


    The goblin group this time, I''m guessing, are in the numbers of 50 or 60. And as for the humans, they have one-third of that so they were gravely outnumbered.


    And due to that, there are several injured humans there and two of them, dead. The bodies of which are then dragged back towards the back. The injured was sent to where they''re healed by a person in dark cloth over his/her body that possesses the same weird magic that Sun has.


    But ironically, that person''s face is scarred all over. Couldn''t he/she fix that with her magic?


    Anyway, as for the dead, they''re set aside and stacked in each other. They''re probably planning to burn them, judging from how Sun and Night burned the bodies of those people who attacked us while we''re in the middle of traveling.


    And it looks like that pile will increase much more if they kept dying.


    On another note, the humans have placed really large tree trunks at the entrance of the village in a C shape, facing where the goblins are coming from. Probably to make it more difficult for the goblins to get to them.


    "Ku¡ª! To think that they were saving up their numbers just for this... We''ve already lost some of our people...!"


    The one who said that is just right below me, standing close to the house''s wall.


    It was a small and weak looking human that with just one glance, you''ll identify him as being very old in human standard.


    It was none other than the village chief.


    A few moments later, a tall human walked over to where the village chief is and reported something.


    "We''re done [evacuating] the woman and children in the plaza."


    "Good... Station some men in there in case some of the goblins get there."


    "Alright."


    After that short exchange, the tall human went back to the plaza. The village chief looked once again at the current situation in the entrance of the village, audibly clicking his tongue.


    I then turned my attention to the entrance as well.


    Oh, someone got pulled in by the goblins outside the tree things and then his whole body got literally torn apart.


    The goblins are weak individually but if they worked together, they can manage to pull an arm off a human.


    "Crap! Han got pulled in! Help me get him back!"


    With that certain humans shout, a few of them came and helped him grab this human called Han away from the goblins and back to the safety behind the tree trunks.


    That resulted in a few of them getting scratched in several parts of their body and one of them even almost gotten himself pulled in by the goblins. If not for another human helping him break away from the goblins'' clutches, the situation would repeat itself.


    The human that got pulled in had both his arms removed from the torso of his body and is bleeding profusely from the large wounds. But amazingly, he''s still alive, barely keeping his consciousness though.


    Two of the humans inside the tree trunk encirclement carried the armless man back to where they''re treating the injured.


    The guy with the black cloth quickly went and applied healing weirdness to the armless man. Slowly but surely, the wounds closed, but his arms are still missing.


    "Damn goblins... Aren''t they just little thieves? What the hell are they so bloodthirsty!?"


    Someone shouted in the encirclement.


    "Who the hell knows! Worry about that later. For now, we need to kill these pesky goblins before any more of us gets their limbs ripped off!"


    Several more screaming and shouting came from that and many more humans suffered injuries. Now, there are only 14 humans in the encirclement.


    Some humans added to that number in the meantime but there''s also some that got injured and decided to drag themselves back to where they''re treating the injured.


    As for the one who is doing the healing, I could tell that he''s/she''s very tired now but is still running around, closing other people''s wounds. But now, there are some who had come and helped in taking care of the injured humans.


    Though, rather than using weird magic, they''re just normally wrapping the injuries close instead.


    The village chief also came to help them as well.


    I watched this for a while and now I got tired for smelling blood for this amount of time so I decided to head back towards the house.


    But when I arrived, I saw that Sun and Night are nowhere to be seen.


    ... They must be in the plaza then.


    I headed there and I saw a lot of humans in there. All of them are either a female or a small human. There''s also a few male humans standing in certain spots, keeping guard it looks like.


    All of them have very scared and tired faces. They must have heard how terrible the raid of the goblins this time around and are just anxiously hoping for the best.


    But there''s two of them that are not even perturbed. Not only that, they''re even arguing with each other.


    It was just loud enough though that I could pick it up even if I''m a bit of a distance away still.


    "Are you stupid! Why did you let Snow watch!?"


    "She looked very interested! And she also promised that she''ll be careful..."


    "But what if she went there and fought!? The humans¡ªI mean, the villagers will see her! They''ll think she''s a monster or something."


    "She won''t... I think."The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "Roosevelt...!"


    Their argument is getting really heated to the point that they didn''t even notice me coming even though I''m not trying to hide the sound of my steps.


    Well, anyway. It wouldn''t be good if they kept arguing.


    "I''m back."


    "Snow!"


    Hearing me say that, Sun quickly stood up and run towards me, lifting me off the ground and hugging me tightly.


    "See? She''s alright."


    Then Night said some unworried words but her face beg the differ.


    Sun simply growled at her before she continued to run her cheeks all over my body, to which I let her do without resistance.


    She then carried me back to where they were sitting on before and she placed me between her legs while her arms are still wrapped around me. And all the while as she did this, I''m slightly surprised that I didn''t seem to be that heavy.


    And it also looked like they''ve brought a bunch of things with them. Just in case if some goblin went and broke in in the house that isn''t even locked to steal. They were Sun''s precious papers and they''re clothes, to name a few.


    "Snow, you didn''t fight like what you promised, right?"


    "I didn''t. I just watched."


    Hearing me say that, the two sighed in relief but still though, their expressions looked troubled.


    "Can you tell us what happened there?"


    In Night''s question, I answered frankly.


    "It was very bloody, there. Lots of humans got injured and some were killed, but the injured, they''re being treated by other humans there so it''s fine. There''s also a lot of goblins. And one human, I saw, got pulled by the goblins and got his arms ripped off."


    "Uhhh..."


    "Um..."


    They looked very disturbed. Maybe I should''ve omitted some details in there?


    "What''s wrong?"


    I asked towards the two of them and tilted my head to the side.


    Hearing my question, Night looked up toward me and smiled stiffly.


    "No, it''s nothing Snow."


    "Okay."


    After that, Sun asked me a question.


    "Snow, you said they''re treating the injured?"


    "Yes?"


    "Then, are they busy there? Do they need any help?"


    "Yes."


    "... Then I''ll go there and help out."


    Saying that, Sun stood up, and after saying to Night "Don''t you let her get in danger again, alright!?", she headed off towards where the entrance of the village.


    While I''m staring at Sun moving further away, Night then sat beside me. it was close enough that our bodies are touching each other. I''m slightly confused as to what made her do this suddenly so i looked up to her face.


    When I looked up to her, her face looked very troubled. Is she worried for Sun? Night is protective of Sun after all back when we''re traveling. Although now, she doesn''t display that very often since there isn''t anything dangerous happening.


    But still, since Sun''s going to somewhere dangerous, she should still be worried about her. So with that assumption, I went and said some comforting words.


    Well, at least I tried to...


    Before I could speak, Night spoke first.


    "... If we didn''t make you promise that you shouldn''t do something reckless, would you help the people fighting the goblins?"


    It seems like she''s worried about a different matter. Since she asked that so seriously, I should think about my answer very carefully. Though the answer is obvious for me so it thinking about it further is pointless.


    "Yes."


    I would of course. It''s not like I like seeing them die, after all, no matter how delicious smelling their blood is.


    I would just do what I''ve done two nights ago. Killing the goblins before they reach the village. And maybe learn a few things about combat while I''m at it.


    Hearing my answer, her lips formed a soft smile.


    "You''re a very good girl, aren''t you, Snow?"


    Night seemed relieved but at the same time, bitter-looking like there''s something still bugging her, as she rubbed my head very gently.


    "Snow, always try to help other people, alright? But do keep your own safety in mind first. Um... If, for example, you saw someone in need of saving and you judged that you''ll get hurt in return, don''t save them then. But if it won''t then do so."


    "Even if I can heal my injuries instantly?"


    "Yeah. Because you getting a scratch is worse than some lowly human losing its life."


    "Um...?"


    "Oh, sorry, Snow. But it''s true."


    I don''t know what to make out of Night''s words. It definitely isn''t normal to say something like that.


    So I decided to ask.


    "Don''t you think humans are important?"


    "Oh, of course I think that. Because I''m a human myself. It''s just that, I just can''t have Snow getting injured is all. You''re very important after all."


    "... Okay."


    She only spoke about that because she''s very worried about me getting injured. That must be why. And although it doesn''t sound very normal, it was said with my safety in mind so I can''t just go and refute that.


    Night grabbed a large piece of cloth capable of covering the both of us and used that to wrap around us. Due to Night having a high body temperature for some reason, the heat that she gave off became trapped inside, making the inside of the cloth very warm.


    Naturally, I went seller inside the cloth to fully experience this warmth. It is night after all. It''s not really the warmest point of the day.


    "¡­ hey Snow¡­"


    As I was immersing myself in this warmth, Night suddenly spoke.


    Her voice was oddly cold and sad. Not something I expect from Night.


    "Hm?"


    "This is just a passing thought but¡­ I just find it odd that¡­ that what I think when I thought about¡­ No, nevermind. I shouldn''t let you worry about it."


    She smiled bitterly at me before turning her gaze towards the other villagers. I went and did that as well.


    The villagers here, just like us, are huddled with a large cloth covering their bodies. Strangely enough, there''s no male humans here, or at least big male humans. The villagers here are only females and small humans.


    All of them have horrified expressions, probably because of he current events unfolding right now. When I think about them dying, I don''t think much of it. I couldn''t care less actually.


    Even though I went to this world looking for conversation partners, I don''t think it''s right for me not to feel anything about them dying.


    But when I think about Leo, Chris or Trish dying, I could certainly imagine myself getting sad over it. Just a little. Maybe it''s because we''ve only known each other for a few days? That''s certainly a factor to it.


    And as for Sun and Night. I feel scared when it think about them dying. I don''t know why I feel this way but I just do. Worried perhaps? Just like what they feel when I go into something dangerous.


    I don''t know. It''s just a thought.


    I looked at Night again and she seems to be brooding a about something. Seeing her like that makes me feel uneasy.


    There''s also that something that she wanted to tell me. It also bothers me what it is that she doesn''t want me to worry about.


    So I decided to ask.


    "What''s wrong? Haha¡­ do I look like I''m troubled?"


    I nodded.


    "Ha... I don''t know if Lilia thinks this as well but¡­ I''m beggining to think less about the future and more about¡­ you. Do you know about this, Snow?"


    "¡­ I don''t."


    After my reply, Night chuckled for a bit before replying.


    "Right¡­ of course you don''t. You''re a good girl¡­ oh! But please don''t take this the wrong way, alright? It''s not like I''m suspecting you or anything. I think you''re very wonderful and all. Hahaha! Maybe this is just an idle thought because of the stress that''s building up."


    Night then smiled and rubbed my head. She also moved closer to me and placed her hand on my right shoulder, moving me closer to her.


    If she did this any other time, I won''t think much of it but¡­ after saying something like that, her behavior tells me that she''s trying to hide her worries.


    Maybe I''m worng at that. I don''t know, but what I''m sure about is the fact that Night is very troubled right now.


    I''d like to do something about it.


    "Hm? Snow¡­? What are you doing¡­?"


    I decided to do the same thing as her. Rubbing her head. She''s much taller than me so I have to reach up but I managed to do it successfully.


    As for her question, I just looked at her and said nothing. I''d rather not say what I''m trying to do because it''s ''embarrassing'' so Night, please get the hint.


    And as expected of her, she did.


    As I was rubbing her hand, she placed her palm on top of the back of my head, stopping it. At first I thought that she found it uncomfortable but her smile at me tells otherwise.


    Unlike what she showed me, this one feels genuine.


    "I get it, Snow. It''s a needless worry. After all, I think I became happier being with you so why am I so worried about? It''s only natural when I thought about it. How I don''t think about our future all that much recently. It''s only because I''m being worried about you."


    She gently placed my head in her shoulders before continuing.


    "You see, me and Lilia, we never had to worry about anything else other than the [business] and master¡­ Lilia''s father. And to even care about a child, such thoughts only comes after [marriage] after all. So it''s my first time caring about someone like you. When I laid it out like that, it makes sense why I think about you more and more each day.


    This must be what mother''s feel¡­ when they first have a child. This is what they feel... To care more about their children¡­ more than anything else in the world... Even their own life."


    Soon after saying such things, Night fell asleep while her back is still straight up.


    She must''ve been really tired.


    But sleeping like that, it would be very uncomfortable, wouldn''t it?


    So instead of letting her sleep like that, I went and laid her down and placed her head on my lap.


    I also, and with quite hesitance at that, covered her body with the cloth. Due to their warm body temperature, I assumed that they must need warmth more than I do .


    Right¡­ Humans. Like what Teltorte told me, they''re very vulnerable... And they also have a short life span.


    Thinking about that, I felt something turning inside of me. It wasn''t something I physically felt per se but it did make me feel anxious about the future.

 How and What They See 5

    I continued to stare at the stars up until morning came. And all the while I did so, Night is sleeping soundly.


    The rest of the villagers in the plaza as well slept soundly despite what''s happening in the village.


    At some point though, the villagers began waking up. and among those who woke up is Night. She seems confused as to why her head is resting on my lap but she didn''t seem to think much of it. At least at the start. When she realized something, she began to profusely apologized to me.


    Anyway.


    And even after the sun had risen completely and it was beginning to turn bright, Sun still hasn''t come back yet and I was slightly worried but Night eased me by explaining that there should be someone coming here to inform us if anything dangerous had happened.


    Though, even with that, I still decided to check up on her in case something happens.


    As Night had stated, she''s perfectly fine, albeit very tired. When the village chief saw us, he thanked us repeatedly that I thought that his back might snap with all his bowing.


    As for what and why the village chief is thanking us so vigorously, it''s because if Sun didn''t help out, there were some who would actually losetheir lives because of their injuries.


    And for the person in question, while she''s still sleeping, Night carried Sun in her arms back to the house.


    The house is still intact and there doesn''t seem to be any goblins that have settled foot in here during last night''s events.


    As what the village chief had told us when we asked for the situation last night, the goblins were strangely relentless in their attack and that if they attack like that again, and with more numbers to boot, they''ll get overwhelmed. They''ve also suffered 6 villagers dying and many wounded.


    He even suggested us that we should leave early but Night refused for some reason.


    When we''re finally back at the house, I went and left to see if Chris and Leo are okay. But considering that they''re the village chief''s grandsons, I doubt that they were in danger last night.


    Though on my way, the villagers who were outside at the moment looked as if death had visited them. Some of them had some form of injury, and a few of them even had lost a limb or two


    And when I arrived at their house, I knocked on the door, like what Chris and co. did when they visited us that day, and after a couple of seconds, a large human male opened the door for me.


    I found that they were with the village chief. Their faces were filled with anxiety but they were otherwise fine.


    Though through my sudden visit, they were pretty surprised to see me.


    "Oh, Snow, is it? What brings you here?"


    "To check, if Chris and Leo are okay."


    "Ah... Is that all?"


    "Yes."


    They were pretty dumbfounded to what I said for some reason. Do I need that big of a reason to visit?


    Now, since no one has anything to say, the air had been filled with a hard to breathe air that would make one want to run away as quickly as possible. And I was about to do that myself when Chris spoke to break the silence.


    "Um... Snow, are you okay?"


    Hm? Did she see something I didn''t know myself that would warrant him asking me that?


    I took a quick glance at myself before replying.


    "Yeah, I am."


    "O-oh that''s good."


    "..."


    Then silence came after. It feels like I''m being choked so wanted to get out of here now.


    "Chris, Leo, what will you be doing today?"


    "Grandfather said that we should stay in the house for the time being. Since the goblins have increased."


    I then took a glance to the village chief and he nodded with a pained expression.


    "What about Trish, and her mother?"


    "We couldn''t work on their case right now... It''s too dangerous. As we''ve seen last night the number of goblins that are invading our village has increased by five folds. It might be dangerous to search even at day."


    "Eh?"


    Isn''t this really bad?The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Then that would mean that even if I managed to convince the village chief that it was actually the goblins that took Trish, they wouldn''t search for her anyway because of their fear that there might be a lot of lurking goblins inside the forest...?


    "But Trish is... And her mother..."


    When I muttered that, Chris and Leo looked downcast with twisted expressions while the village chief looked grim as well.


    "I''m sorry, Snow but I can''t afford my people to be put in danger anymore after what happened last night. I have to weigh the cost and benefits in this."


    "Then..."


    No, it''s useless. I can''t search for them myself because Sun and Night would get excessively upset and worried for me. I can''t have that.


    And now that my only hope of saving Trish had given up himself, I can''t do anything anymore.


    I''m sure that Chris and Leo feel the same way as me. Or maybe even worse since they''ve known each other for a longer period of time than me.


    "... Alright. I''ll be going back now."


    As I said, I went and returned back to the house that we were staying at.


    I should inquire about what I should do instead to Night. Maybe she can think up of something that I can do to help find Trish.


    When I opened the door, I saw Sun holding her forehead adn looking as if she''s in great pain and Night bringing her some water.


    Exactly what happened when I was gone?


    "Oh, Snow, back already? Lilia here had gotten quite an headache for using too much mana. She should be alright in a couple of hours."


    Oh. I didn''t know something like that can happen. Thankfully it''s not something serious.


    "It''s really painful, Snow... maybe if you let me cuddle you, I might just be able to recover faster~."


    "Hey..."


    Just like she wanted, after I removed the cloth covering me and hanged it on the piece of metal stuck on the wall, I sat on her lap and moved my body closer to her chest. But strangely, she didn''t cuddle me like she said she would.


    Ah, I think I noticed why. It''s my face. I''m frowning all of the sudden and I didn''t even do it consciously. Looks like I can''t really hide it, can''t I?


    Night sat on another chair and moved closer to us.


    "What happened, Snow?"


    Night asked me as soon as they were ready to listen.


    So I told them what the village chief had said before. About how they are going to discontinue the search for Trish and her mother due to the rising fear of the goblins.


    After I finished laying down all of that, Night was the first one to speak.


    "It''s the job of the leader or chief to protect his people too, not just to lead them."


    After Night, Sun came and spoke as well.


    "That''s right. And nobody would follow a cruel leader that would make them do something that they, and even the leader himself/herself, knows that it''s dangerous."


    It made sense and it''s frustrating that it made sense but there''s just one thing that bothers me.


    "But the goblin was already increasing before... It''s only that there were more of them that raided, not actually more of them there. It''s still the same. Even less actually."


    The one who answered was Night.


    "But they didn''t know that. Uh... maybe they interpreted the lack of goblins raiding yesterday and the day before as simply them saving up more goblins to raid or that they could afford to just send that many goblins. Then if so, that means that they were increasing if they managed to do that. Like goblins from other places have come in and joined their group or the next generation of goblins have already grown up."


    In other words, since they saw that the goblins have waited for two days in order to pull this large attack with many more numbers, then that means that the goblins have increased somewhat through young goblins growing up or goblins from faraway places came and joined the goblins nearby.


    Of course, I know that wasn''t the case. They didn''t wait for two days but instead, raided with increasing numbers every day. Just that, last night, there were a lot of them, many more than I expected. The sudden large increase might be attributed by the fact that I was there intercepting their raid and because I was alone and still managed to defeat them all, then they sent a much larger force than before.


    If that were the case, isn''t this all my fault? If it were true then If I hadn''t intercepted them, then maybe they wouldn''t have attacked with this many numbers than last night.


    "Then what do I do now...?"


    I really would like to find Trish and her mother and bring them back to the village. I have yet to see more of her embarrassed face as well.


    And I''d like to do everything I can before giving up.


    Though in the first place, I could just do it myself, but Sun and Night wouldn''t allow that so my options are very limited, or not at all.


    And my worries were just confirmed by Sun and Night.


    "... Sorry Snow, I can''t think of anything."


    "... Me neither."


    Me too as well. If I couldn''t convince the village chief about the goblins being the one at fault then I can''t up of anything anymore.


    And even if I did, the location is still very much unknown. But I''m sure that those humans would eventually find them.


    And maybe even Sun and Night might give me some leeway on the matter as well. Since they only said that I shouldn''t do something reckless, if I were to come with the villagers in finding Trish, then it''s certainly not that reckless since I have the villagers with me.


    I could also convince them that if I''m there then they''ll be more easily able to find Trish and her mother, lowering the risk of humans dying, making it less reckless.


    But it''s useless to think about that now since that opportunity is gone. I know myself that I''m just making stuff up to make it more convenient for me.


    The early mornings went by with me sulking all the time as I stayed at the house, watching Sun write and Night tidying things.


    But I did learn to accept that reality, I can''t do anything at the moment. Unless a new opportunity arises, I''ll just sit and wait for that to happen.


    Soon, well be leaving. Night mentioned that we''ll only be staying here for a week so 4 more days from now.


    I just hope until then, well be able to find Trish before we leave.


    Or else, I might as well just go and rescue Trish myself in the night before our departure...


    Leaving that thought, for now, time moved quite quickly until it was midday and it was at that time that something amazing has happened.


    We heard the villagers clamoring outside, eagerly pleased about what just happened or something. We, of course, have no idea. Maybe we got a letter from the goblins that they''ll stop raiding the village and return Trish and her mother unharmed.


    Absolutely impossible. But what is this amazing thing anyway for them so shout so loudly.


    We decided to investigate and we saw a gathering of humans in the entrance of the village where it''s been covered in splashes of blood and bits and pieces of entrails from both goblins and humans.


    It smelled disgusting even after it was cleaned up, slightly but the villagers didn''t seem to mind it.


    And in the middle of those villagers is an amazing thing.


    We''ve caught a few glances at this thing but we couldn''t make anything out of them.


    So in Night''s suggestion, she''ll carry me on her shoulders and asked me to describe to them what it is.


    And when Night has lifted me up, I could that they''re just humans.


    Six humans, dressed in different kinds of clothing. Two of them, female while the rest are male.


    And then there''s one in particular, whose wearing metal armor with a tough looking kind of cloth underneath, called leather, has foul smelling blood.


    And from the murmurs of some villagers, I came to learn what this group is called.


    The subjugation force.

 How and What They See 6

    "Huh? Why are they so early?"


    "Who cares about that!? At least they''re here! Our troubles will be over!"


    "Look at that! They even have a mage too!"


    Such things were said by the villagers that excitedly came to see the new visitors of the village, with the obvious difference in our greetings when we first arrived here.


    Well, they are the ones whom the village chief mentioned are sent to take care of the goblin problem.


    And I too am thankful for their arrival. Now I could see more possibilities of saving Trish. And it all has to do with them.


    I could very well convince them that my friend is taken in by the goblins yesterday and while they''re subjugating the goblins, they''ll also be able to save Trish and her mother. Though I wouldn''t be doing anything directly myself which is somehow frustrating, they''ll be saved nonetheless.


    I''ll put the fulfillment of my self-satisfaction aside for this matter.


    Currently, from what I can see on top of Night''s shoulders, the group is talking to the village chief. Probably about the current situation. And their grim faces tells me that they see this as an urgent matter as well.


    Oh, and there''s Chris and Leo too, they seem to be speaking in a desperate kind of tone towards the group. Because of the noise that these other humans are making, I can''t very well hear what they''re saying and the village chief as well but I did hear some words like ''Friend'' and ''Save'' so I more or less know what they had asked about.


    Then, Night brought me down and asked me what they look like.


    "They''re wearing leather armor with some metal armors on top. The two has swords on their waist and the other two has bows and arrows. There was also a female wearing a large robe thing and a large hat and she''s also holding on to a large branch-like stick and the last one is wearing a white dress with yellow designs and she''s holding on a long metal stick."


    I said to them their description, not even minding if what I said is organized enough for them to understand so I thought that I might have to repeat myself.


    But while they did get a bit confused at first, they nodded their hands as if they understood.


    "... Then two swordsman, two bowman, a mage and the last one is either a healing [mage] or a [priestess]. But considering what Snow had described it as, it might be a battle [priestess] then."


    Since Night had said some strange words, I''ve decided to inquire Night about it.


    "A priestess is a person working for the church while a mage is a person that knows magic. Lilia is technically a mage in the definition but there''s a difference."


    Strangely enough, I know of what the church is. It''s a place where they worship gods. But for some reason, I don''t know what a priestess is...


    Leaving that aside, this priestess is a god worshiping person. I don''t know why she would be here which doesn''t involve god at all... or maybe it did, but nonetheless, I could infer from what Night said, this priestess knows healing magic somehow.


    And as for the mage. The word itself is intelligent sounding. It sounds like describing a very knowledgeable person. And the mage that came looks to be knowledgeable as well so I might have hit the mark.


    Sun lseems to be a mage too but Night said that there was a difference or some kind of exception.


    And regarding the man with the foul-smelling blood, he''s one of the bowmen but has a sword on his waist. And he''s also the one with the different hair color than the rest of his groupmates. Well, they all have different hair colors to one another but his just stands out for me.


    His hair is grey which made him look like the village chief in that specific way. The mage, I don''t know since her hair is being covered by her needlessly large hat in my perspective and as for the priestess, her hair is blond and almost shiny looking. I''m a bit envious on looking at her hair too.


    Then a few minutes later, their talk with the village chief has finished and now they''re headed for the village chief''s house, I presume.


    "Chris, Leo."


    I called out to the two small humans that, for some reason, didn''t follow the village chief and just stayed here in the entrance while talking to each other in an enthusiastic way.


    I also told Sun and Night that I would like to talk to them for a while to which they permitted after telling me to come back before dark.


    "Snow!"


    "Big sister!"


    In contrast to how they were earlier, they''re seemingly jumping in joy. And quite literally.


    Leo, who was like a speeding arrow, sped and jumped at me with open arms. It was so unexpected that I wasn''t able to ready myself properly so I wasn''t able to catch him. As for Chris, well, he tried to stop him but he wasn''t fast enough to do so.


    "They''ve arrived! They''re going to save the village and Trish!"


    The little human that''s rubbing his head on my torso announced.


    I placed my hand on top of his head as if agreeing with his words.


    ???


    In the village chief''s house, there came 6 individuals with whom has the occupation of a mercenary.


    Their wear was, to put it simply, mismatched but what they do have in common is the fact that they all wear leather armor and some had metal platings in certain areas of their body.


    But that only describes the four. As for the other two, they were females. One is draped in a plane dark robe while wearing a mage''s hat that looked too big on her while the other wears clerical clothing reserved for priests with less intricate embroideries but was nonetheless recognizable as such.


    Their leader, a red-headed man with a scraggly beard and a rather intimidating look on his eyes, was quite perplexed in regards to what the village chief had told them.


    He thought that they just came here in order to subjugate a group of goblins that decided to loiter around the shallow parts of the forest that seemed to trouble the people in the village.


    They''ve even arrived early to just get the job over as quickly as possible as he has somewhere else to be in a week''s time.


    But from how they were greeted, to the report of the village chief, this was apparently something even bigger than he thought. And that it might take even longer than he expected.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    He and the others heard from the village chief that just a few days ago, the goblins have begun to raid their village.


    They were few at first but as days gone by, their numbers increased until just last night, they''ve numbered about 50 to 60 goblins.


    This was very alarming for many reasons.


    In the first place, it would be unthinkable for a goblin to even raid a village for they know instinctively that humans are far more powerful than them so they will likely stay away unless they outnumber them in a large scale.


    Though considering how much and how frequent their attacks were, it could be assumed that somehow, there are many of them in the deep parts of the forest. Maybe even a goblin village had been established.


    There''s also another alarming fact.


    The very fact that the goblins seem to be attacking the village every night with more number than the last. It was strange as to why they would do that, and so deliberately at that. Though that did answer something.


    That there might be a goblin chief in their settlements.


    In a very rare occurrence, A goblin chief may be born in a very large community. And with its birth brings a whole lot of trouble as not only are they smart, but they can also flawlessly lead the goblins in its tribe.


    The regular dumb goblins are not capable of thinking up of something like deliberately increasing their numbers in every raid to the village.


    But the question is, why?


    Why would the chief of the goblins make such a command?


    And there''s also the matter about the kidnapped family. A boy with black hair and grey eyes, with a younger boy with similar characteristics told them about.


    It was a family the only consists of a mother and child. They told them that they were kidnapped by goblins.


    The village chief also confirmed this issue but regarding the goblins, they weren''t really credible.


    And the red-headed man believed it so. A goblin can''t possibly have the discipline to be able to accomplish such a covert deed. And the village chief thinks so as well as they have many guards at night that night so a goblin couldn''t have possibly been able to do such a deed without being noticed as they''re really loud and would scream in every action they do.


    Even if the goblin thing is but a simple child imagination, he still agreed that they would keep a lookout in their search in the forest.


    The boys were pretty happy about that so he just unnaturally smiled at them.


    Now on with the current situation.


    They''re inside the village chief''s house, having a meeting regarding what to do from now on as they can''t just go in and crush those puny goblins without a plan.


    Sure, their party may be rated above average due to their capabilities in solving subjugation requests such as this and with even tougher enemies at that but considering that just last night, there were 50 or so goblins that raided the village, even they will have their reservations.


    And there would surely be many more goblins in wherever they are in the forest. With just the 6 of them, it was practically suicide to go in even if they''re prepared combat wise.


    But before thinking about all of that, there''s something that needs to be known.


    "Do you know where they are?"


    "I''m afraid not, mister Rodan With all the anxiety regarding the nightly attacks, not many would be willing to go in the forest and search for them."


    The redheaded man named Rodan expected this answer but even if he did, he still couldn''t help but sigh.


    They''re most likely dealing with a goblin village here. It''s not something they expected to take on when they took the request.


    And with a goblin village, it''s incredibly risky to just go in and find them. What the village chief did was right.


    But since the location is still unknown, they have to find it themselves which would be a great pain in the ass, or rather, the whole body in general.


    But thankfully, somehow or the other, they found someone who claimed to be good at scouting so it would make this a lot less of a pain.


    At first, though, Rodan thought that he was unnecessary but the man had somehow convinced him to. As if something just hit him with a message, saying that he should trust him.


    And now, his usual 5 man team now turned into a 6 man team. And it looks like this strange man is using both the bow and a sword. He was quite impressed but not too much. This grey-haired man still haven''t proved himself after all.


    "We''ll go and look for it in a few hours from now. For the meantime, go and request for reinforcements using that device in the first option. There might potentially be a goblin village being established or had already been established in the forest."


    "I-is that really true...?"


    "It merely my speculation but it''s highly likely that that''s the thing we''re dealing with."


    The village chief seemed to shudder upon hearing the mention of a goblin village.


    If that were true then, if help wasn''t sent quickly, their whole village would be destroyed. And due to the fact that there were so many goblins that attacked the village last night, the thought of it being true, that he truly wish wasn''t the case at all, might be possible.


    With his fears seemingly becoming a reality, he quickly went to a small room where it''s only contents where a small table and on top of that, a diamond-shaped crystal.


    This crystal is a magical device that utilizes light magic in order to send messages instantaneously back to the capital. Although, this device could only be used once every 3 months and the message that it could send is just 2 set messages.


    The first one being a signal that tells the receiver there''s a big problem but the cause/location of the cause/true hazardous potential of the cause is still unknown and there is a need to send help to the area.


    The second one is that there''s a huge problem and that the cause had been properly evaluated and that it would cause the imminent destruction of the place if help wasn''t sent soon.


    The options were seperated in regards to how certain they are with the threat. It was something that even villages in such a remote place like this, would be granted with as Ronoa is just that kind of country.


    Rodan then turned his gaze from where the village chief was towards his comrades and told them the plans for now.


    "For now, we should rest up for an hour or so then we''ll check the parameters of the forest to see if there''s anything unusual that we may find."


    Some signs of a goblin village being established are wooden poles with the animal head placed on its end, strange carvings on the trunk of trees, and carcasses positioned in a standing up position.


    The objective of finding them is to confirm if there really is a goblin village in the forest and it also serves as a way to estimate how powerful this goblin village is. More extravagant signs indicate a more powerful goblin village.


    All of them nodded at this.


    But of course, they wouldn''t just simply stumble upon a sign upon just by peering into the forest outside. They have to at least get in the forest and survey the surroundings there.


    And since they''ll be slightly deep inside the forest, they''ll end their search before nightfall.


    That was the plan that Rodan told the group.


    "We will also set up some traps in the direction that the goblins came from. From what the village chief had told us, it should be at the front of the entrance. This should lessen their numbers significantly when they attack at night."


    "Wait, do we even have traps?"


    The one who asked the question was the swordsman other than Rodan.


    The man has unkempt murky yellow hair and a face that one could call a lady killer''s face, completely contrary to his personality and two slim swords on his waist.


    He''s one with the quickest reaction speed in the whole group and is able to always adapt to any situation that they come across and due to this, he could give assistance to the others quickly. Only if his mind is as fast and sharp as his reflexes...


    "Ha... What do you think you were carrying the whole time, Sam?"


    The one who refuted was the mage. Though her height is like that of a teenager, she''s genuinely a 23 year old.


    Her short brown hair is always filled with split ends and her eyes always seem to look tired even after a good night''s sleep. Most likely because of the accumulated sleepless nights that she had all these years.


    "Uh... Luggage?"


    "Idiot. They''re traps."


    "They are?"


    "Yes."


    "Woah. I didn''t even notice. You know, if you think about traps, you would think they''re menacing but those things, they literally look like doormats."


    "You know what, I don''t care anymore."


    "Don''t go pouting now, Morgan~."


    "Shut up."


    The mage, Morgan, sighed as she turned his head away from the swordsman named Sam who''s making stupid faces. Rodan ignored all of this as if it''s natural and continued the talk.


    "After returning before nightfall, we should go ahead and set up the barricades for the attack at night. And that being the case, we should also get some appropriate sleep. We should expect 80 or so goblins attacking tonight."


    Rodan looked at everyone and since no one reacted, he continued.


    "Now for the assignment of teams for the search. We''ll be splitting into two teams. The first being Sam, Celidonia and... Tristan. Would that be fine with you?"


    The man named Tristan nodded with a glint on his eyes.


    Celidonia, the battle priestess, nodded as well with an uneasy expression.


    As for Sam, he raised a thumbs up.


    "And the next team would be me, Morgan and the new guy, Rus. Will that be fine?


    "As long as I can get away from that idiot over there..."


    "H-hey!"


    In Rodan''s question for confirmation, Rus didn''t reply. Instead, he continued to peer through the window, staring at something outside.


    "Oi Rus. Is that okay with you?"


    "Hm? Oh yeah. Totally fine."


    Rodan simply sighed at the man''s behavior. When they first saw him, he could already tell that he has some peculiarities about him. It''s also the one thing that made him hesitate on recruiting them as a temporary member.


    But if what he boasted about is true, then he''ll be a great help in the request this time.


    Rodan hopes so in the bottom of his heart.

 How and What They See 7

    "We''re going to search for Trish? Um... I don''t think it''s necessary now. Those guys are here."


    I proposed to them my plans for today, but as I thought, Chris wouldn''t accept it so easily.


    This subjugation force group that everyone''s been talking about recently are the ones that the village chief called for in order to solve this goblin problem.


    Honestly, I''m not so convinced that they can do it. They''re just 6 humans. Maybe a little bit stronger than the average villager but they''re certainly outnumbered if they were to fight those goblins.


    But if maybe I can lead them to save Trish... It might just be possible.


    Although if Sun and Night would let me come with them is a different story.


    My plan would be to just search in the shallower parts of the forest and see if I can''t find any evidence or clue that might point towards where the goblin settlement is.


    Of course, I more or less know where those goblins are staying at if I just follow the smell that they give off but if I told them that, I doubt they''ll believe me and even if they did, Sun and Night would most likely wouldn''t allow me to lead them to where it is.


    So evidence is needed.


    I also know of how unlikely it will be to find something by just looking in the shallower areas of the forest. I would like to go in deeper but since I''ll be bringing Chris and Leo with me, I can''t have them het into any sort of danger.


    Even so, there might just be something that we can find. That''s what I''m hoping for.


    In the event that we didn''t find anything, then I''ll just have to depend on that subjugation group on Trish''s rescue. What we''re going to do is just speed up the process.


    "Even so. Let''s search. Right, Leo?"


    "Un!"


    As expected of the little human. He knows whose side to go with.


    "But... Grandpa wouldn''t allow us to..."


    "We''ll go, sneakily."


    "That''s right! Sneakily!"


    "Haa... Alright fine but once we see a goblin, we book it, okay?"


    I don''t know why we''re going to use books on this bu alright, I''m just going to assume that what he meant by that is to retreat immediately I have no intention of fighting goblins in front of these guys anyway.


    I first explained to them my intention then we headed towards the outskirts of the forest. What we''re going to do there was just to peer inside the forest while we walk the whole parameter of the forest.


    This is actually quite relaxing but the two behind me thinks otherwise. They''re awfully sweaty as well due how sunny it is today. Due to this, they''re traversing the whole way while moving from shade to shade of the trees.


    After a few minutes, while doing this, I caught the scent of a goblin nearby. As I was about to tell them about it, I realized that this smell is slightly different.


    It''s still putrid but there''s something off about it. I could tell it somehow belong to something much larger than a goblin. Maybe a larger goblin? That must be it.


    And this goblin seems to have noticed us but it didn''t go and try to kill us. The opposite in fact. It went and walked away in the opposite direction.


    Its behavior is certainly strange as well as it''s height. If I have to guess, I''d say it''s as tall as me whereas normal goblins are two heads smaller than me.


    After a few steps of walking, we discovered a strange object from where I caught its scent from. It looks to be a metal rod thing but with intricate designs that I don''t know the purpose of. The tool that Lacorte had given me couldn''t identify this thing as well.


    If i have to compare, it looks like an object that Chris worships in his hideout. At least it coyuld be if we found this in a different circumstance.


    "What do you think this is?"


    Chris asked as he pulled the object off the ground. We inspected it further and one of its ends is sharpened. Probably to make it easy to pierce into the ground.


    And on its other end, contrary to its grey body, it''s colored black and it smells like those black rocks called charcoal.


    It isn''t really that big. Its length is about half a Leo.


    "Who knows? Let''s show it to the village chief."


    "Yeah, let''s do that. Grandpa might know... It''s actually pretty heavy."


    I gesture at Chris to hand it to me to which he reluctantly did and it is as he says, it sort of heavy. It''s definitely heavier than I expected. The cause might be because it''s made of metal. But the strange thing is, it feels hollow somehow.


    While I was inspecting it, Leo tugged on the cloth I''m wearing. When I looked at him, his expression seems to say that he wanted to try holding it as well.


    Since he''s a little human, he should be pretty weak so I just let him touch it while I hold on to the rod.


    After that, we headed back. Our destination is towards the village chief''s house. The subjugation group should be there as well.


    Some of the villagers looked at us with questioning looks as to what we are currently carrying.


    We decided to ingnore their gazes and continued our way towards the village chief''s house. And in less than 15 minutes, we arrived.


    As I sniff the air, I could smell 7 individuals inside the house. 2 of them smells familiar. The village chief and that other human that I still don''t know the name of and what to call him. While the other 5 is most likely the subjugation group.


    They''re missing someone. And that one is the one with the foul smelling blood.


    After Chris knocked on the door using his knuckles, the door opened after a few second delays.


    There we saw the subjugation force.


    Now that I could get a proper appraise them, I noticed their unique features.


    The one with a large sword on his back is the biggest of them all and his eyes look scary and his hair is red, which is a good color in my opinion so he doesn''t look that much scary to me.


    Then the next one is the one with the yellow hair. On his waist hangs two swords inside their case and he seems to give off a friendly aura.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The one with the bow that''s placed over his shoulders looks a lot like Night back when we were traveling. He looks very serious but it isn''t to the point that he''s scary. It''s more like you could sense a great deal of respectful aura in him.


    The next one would be the one that stands out the most. It''s the human with the big hat. Since I''m at her eye level, I could somehow see her face. And she looks like she''s an angry squirrel that hadn''t slept for who knows how long.


    Since she glared at me, I immediately turned my gaze towards the last one.


    She''s the one that Night mentioned to be the battle priestess. She''s also the most welcoming among the group. Her smile is like that of Sun. Very gentle looking and in the level to what I can call as motherly.


    "Chris, Leo and... Snow? What is it that you want... And what is that?"


    The village chief pointed at the strange metal rod I''m holding on.


    Looks like the village chief doesn''t know what it is which is unfortunate but I presented it to them anyway.


    They all tilted their heads when they saw it. Except for one person.


    The smallest of the group, the mage, looked at it with round eyes. And although barely noticeable, her shoulders looked to be shaking as well.


    "Something wrong, Morgan?"


    The man with the red hair noticed the mage''s reaction as well and inquired about it.


    The mage named Morgan looked at the red-haired human for a second before returning her gaze back at the rod.


    Since her gaze tells me that she''d like to inspect the rod further, I placed it on top of the table in the center of the room.


    Upon doing so, she quickly grabbed the rod and tried to lift it up to which she has a hard time doing.


    "Holy... It''s heavier than it looks...."


    But the weight didn''t stop her as she looked at it with strange vigor.


    "This... Could this be...?"


    "Oi Morgan. Don''t go making this longer than it should. What is it?"


    Morgan growled at the yellow-haired human before speaking.


    "It might be a tool in performing a [ritual]."


    "Say what?"


    "Oh my..."


    "Is that the truth?"


    The three, yellow-haired human, the priestess, and the red-haired human exclaimed as if they''ve heard something truly unbelievable which I don''t even know what it means.


    And it looks like the two little humans didn''t know what it is as well and as for the village chief, he has this complicated expression as if he''s having a hard time understanding what''s so surprising about this.


    Seeing our reaction, she explained a bit more.


    "I don''t know exactly which ritual it is but that''s not the problem exactly. The problem is, that there''s a goblin [shaman] in there. They''re the ones who would do something like rituals and not only that, they can use magic which would make them even more dangerous."


    It indeed sounds like it''s something very dangerous and everyone in the room agrees on that fact as well.


    "Seems troubling... I advise that we shouldn''t act on this and wait for reinforcements."


    The one with the serious look spoke some logical words.


    "No... It might be too late when they arrive. The ritual might be done at that time."


    "Then why don''t we just search for these rod things and interrupt their ritual channeling crap?"


    Then the yellow-haired human interjected but it looks like it''s not viable.


    "Sam. Just shut up. That''s not going to solve anything. They''ll want just replace the ones we took and they might just place it on somewhere else that we can''t possibly reach. When we fail to find them, the ritual will happen anyway."


    The yellow-haired human named Sam looked downcast from either his idea being completely useless or that he can''t think of something that''ll get them out of this predicament.


    "Hm... Then what do you think we should do?"


    The next one to speak is the red-haired human.


    "I can''t say... The only thing I can think of is to just go in there and kill the shaman but that would be too risky and we might just get lost in the forest if we don''t plan this right."


    The room is then filled with silence after she said that. All being troubled on how to solve this.


    Of course, I could greatly help them in their search if they let me come with them but I doubt they''ll believe me. And even if they did, they might get suspicious of me as to why I know where they are which would cause unnecessary trouble.


    In the end, I could only indirectly help them in this matter by telling them the general direction.


    "I know whe¡ª"


    Before I could even finish my sentence, a certain someone entered the house. It''s none other than the grey-haired human with a stinky smell of blood.


    "Yo, I''m done setting up the traps in my end. You should all go and do yours."


    The human nonchalantly entered the room as if it was natural and the first thing that he looked at was me before he looked over the people in the room.


    Sensing the weird air around, he asked.


    "Is something the matter?"


    "You see¡ª¡±"


    The one who first answered the human is the village chief and after he shortly explained it to the human, the grey-haired human let out a long sigh.


    "So what now?"


    He asked no one in particular. Since no one still knows what to do, no one answered. And as for me, I find this a great opportunity to let them know what I can do to help.


    "I know where they are."


    When I said that, everyone turned their gazes towards my direction.?


    "You?"


    "Yes."


    To the red-haired man''s single word question, I nodded and answered firmly.


    But as expected, he and the rest of them looked at me suspiciously. Even Chris and Leo.


    I think I should be more specific? Saying that I know where does sound very suspicious so I should change as just knowing the direction of where they are.


    But before I could speak, the grey-haired man said something completely out of my expectations.


    "Hey, Rodan. Why don''t we accept this kid''s help?"


    "That seems rather stupid, don''t you think?"


    The red-haired human called Rodan immediately voiced his refusal on the idea.


    I could certainly understand why Rodan wouldn''t like the idea in the first place but the odd thing is, why this grey-haired human think it''s a good idea.


    "Frankly, we can''t think up of anything good so why don''t we just give this a shot. We''ll just do some scouting and once we spot the goblin village, we retreat. Let''s leave it to our future selves on what we will do with that information."


    The others looked at themselves before they begrudgingly nodded at what this gray-haired human had said.


    "It is as Rus says, it wouldn''t hurt to try it out. Since we already know that there''s a shaman in there somewhere, it is almost guaranteed that what we are actually dealing with is a goblin village."


    Then the serious looking affirmed on the idea.


    "Looks like we''ll be relying on you, kiddo."


    Then Sam closes one of his eyes in a stylish manner and gave me a thumbs up.


    "You better not be lying."


    The small mage female said in a bitter than as she glared at me.


    "Since everyone agreed, that''s what we''re gonna do. You''ll be coming with us kid so do get ready."


    Woah. Wait up a bit... Why is it confirmed that I''ll be going with them? I don''t mind of course but they''ve decided on this way too fast. And they kept calling me a ''kid'' which meant that they see me as someone young. Would this actually be fine? To rely on someone young like me that you don''t even know if I''m actually saying the truth or not? I mean, my plan was to just tell them the general direction and leave them to that.


    But of course, I''m not complaining with this development but still...


    "Hold on a minute, guys! She''s a child! We can''t go and bring her with us! And we don''t even know if she''s even saying the truth. I''m sorry sweety but I just don''t believe that you do."


    The voice of reason with the form a priestess with shiny hair spoke out in the midst of absurdity.


    And after she said that, I think I heard someone clicking their tongue...


    Ignoring the tongue clicker, for now, I couldn''t agree more on what she said. They''ve agreed on the grey-haired man, Rus''s, idea way too easily. Even Chris, Leo and the village chief all nodded their heads on this.


    Well, it would be convenient for me if they did believe me on this but I expected it to take more convincing.


    "Alright... Then we''ll do this, miss Celidonia. We''ll have this girl lead us and if we don''t spot a single goblin in the next 30 minutes, we scratch this and think up of another idea."


    Rus raised an eyebrow as he looked at the priestess, Celidonia.


    Celidonia made a bitter face before replying.


    "You can''t be possibly saying to bring a child in a dangerous place like inside the forest... Regardless if she knows something or not, it would be too reckless to do that!"


    Rus let out a long sigh before continuing.


    "You have to see how grave our situation here is and how desperate we are right now. Look, we''re even relying on the help of a child. That''s how desperate we are. Or are you saying that you know another way? If so, we''d like to hear it."


    "That is... But still¡ª¡±"


    "Celidonia. That''s enough. We''ll go with Rus''s plan."


    Before Celidonia could finish, Rodan interjected.


    "Sir Rodan! You can''t possibly be..."


    "We don''t have a choice. And it''s not like we will be putting the child in front of the goblins and leaving her there. We''ll properly protect her."


    You could see that Celidonia has more to say but she instead lowered her shoulders and muttered "... Very well," in a low voice.


    "Alright. Here''s what we''re gonna do..."


    To summarize, Rodan told the serious looking person whose name is Tristan apparently that he''ll be staying in the village to set up the defenses while the rest, including me, will be going to the forest.


    The navigation will be left to me as well.


    Rodan gave me this role without even confirming if what I know is simply the direction or the actual specific path.


    I also tried to tell him this I couldn''t find a good opportunity so that''s that. It shouldn''t be a problem since I know the general direction as to where those goblins are.


    And Rus also seems to vouch for me on this as well so it''s all the more hard for me to say otherwise.


    Then Rodan mentioned about the other technical stuff that I don''t have anything to do with so I ignored them.


    But there''s one thing I''m concerned about from all of this and it''s that I still haven''t asked for Sun and Night''s permission.

 How and What They See 8

    After the discussion, Rodan, the leader of the subjugation group told us that we''re going to have an hour break before we head off. I took this opportunity to head back to the house and ask for Sun and Night''s permission.


    I doubt that they''ll let me go that easily so I''m thinking of begging them for me to go, emphasizing the fact that there will be strong humans who will protect me along the way.


    Maybe with that, they''ll make an exception on this. This is the perfect opportunity to save Trish and her mother after all. I can''t let this slip.


    My feet finally stopped in front of the house that we''re staying at and just when I was about to enter, the door suddenly opened.


    "Oh, Snow! Perfect timing. I was just about to call you."


    The one who opened the door is none other than Sun.


    Sun held my hand and led me inside. There, I saw Night packing up our limited stuff in large cloths.


    "What''s happening?"


    I asked the human next to me for some explanation and she did so with hesitance.


    "You see, Snow... We''re thinking that we continue our way towards the capital. It had gotten quite dangerous lately and now that the subjugation forces are here, the village will be safe."


    "Huh?"


    "Sorry, I know it''s quite sudden but it''s better the sooner we leave."


    What?


    "But didn''t Roosevelt refused the village chief''s offer to leave, last night?"


    Hearing her name being called, Night turned to our direction to explain herself.


    "I know... But that was before the subjugation force came. It just doesn''t feel right to leave when the village is in a dangerous state like this."


    "But... Why leave now?"


    We could have left any other day before... When I finally have a role in saving Trish and her mother, this timing is just too inconvenient.


    "Like we said Snow, now that the subjugation force is here, we wouldn''t need to worry about the village and since the village''s protection would be in their hands now, it shouldn''t be necessary for us to stay here."


    Huh? Sun just doesn''t make any sense.


    "Then why did we stay here in the first place?"


    "Originally, it was for us to get some rest and for you to know people other than us but when we heard the circumstances of the village, we thought that you being here would help them in their problem but..."


    After Night said that, Sun continued.


    "We just recently learned that your life is very precious, Snow, so we were quite conflicted on this. You were also having so much fun playing with your new friends so it was harder for us to suggest that we should leave. And even though we truly hate for you to get hurt, if it really came to it, when the villagers weren''t able to defend their village anymore, then, just for once, we''ll let you help them."


    "But now that the subjugation force is here, you aren''t needed anymore. If we stay here longer, your life would needlessly be in danger so it should be wise to leave early."


    Then they''re only doing this for my safety... Of course, I truly appreciate it that they care so much for me but this time, it''s being a hindrance. No, even before this, it''s being a hindrance.


    I would''ve known where Trish is by now if they hadn''t forbidden me from ''doing something reckless''. I might have already saved her as well. And there wouldn''t be so many deaths and injuries last night as well if I was just allowed to dwindle their numbers.


    The promise that they made me take for them is being a huge hindrance but it''s for my own safety as they simply wish for me to be safe so I couldn''t refute it.


    No matter how much I wanted to. I''d like to keep that promise.


    But...


    "Just this once... Please let me do something reckless."


    "What do you mean, Snow?"


    "It''s... It''s because I¡ª¡ª¡ª"


    I then explained to them things that had happened earlier. How I became the navigator in the search for the goblin village, how urgent it is because of the ritual and the shaman and how this can save Trish and her mother.


    The two listened to me speak but I could tell from their expression that they are not happy about it.


    Once I''m done speaking, Night let out a sigh.


    "Snow, we can''t. Even if you tell us that they''re going to protect you. If by chance that they get overwhelmed by the goblins, what will happen to you then? You''ll get hurt, or worse!"


    "It wouldn''t matter if I did. I''ll heal quick."


    "Still!"


    Night''s eyes began to tear up. As for Sun, she seems to be holding herself back.


    Really... They''re too overprotective of me...


    Like I said, I''ll be fine even if I lose an arm. It would seriously hurt but I''ll be fine nonetheless so long as my heart or head isn''t pierced through.


    But even while knowing that, they can''t accept me getting any sort of injury.


    The reason why I kept my promise to not do anything reckless is that of the fact that I don''t want them to get really worried. It''ll make me feel both guilty and bad. I''d like to avoid feeling such things as much as possible.


    I even consider it more important than Trish''s well being which seems odd if you think about it.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    I think it all has to do with the fact that I''ve been with Sun and Night the longest.


    Even still, if I logically weigh the two, Trish''s life should take more importance.


    Even if it''s contrary to my feelings, it''s still more important right now. This search could also decide the lives of the villagers here.


    As much as I don''t care about them, they''re still lives that could potentially be saved. If they can be saved then all the more reason to do it.


    "I''m sorry."


    By doing this, I''ll be breaking my promise with them. I know for sure I''ll be feeling that nasty feeling called guilt. But in doing so, I can save the lives of these villagers, the life of Trish. Someone I consider as a friend.


    "Snow?"


    "I''ll go."


    "Wha-what...?"


    "I''m going with the search..."


    "Snow! Don''t! You''ll get hurt...!"


    "Snow, please don''t... Please, I beg of you... Tell me you''re joking..."


    Even with Night''s and Sun''s pleading, I can''t back down now. Even if I consider them my mothers, I have to do this.


    If I don''t, it''s not only Trish, her mother, or the villagers'' lives, but my own individuality as well.


    I''ve been given this life in order to experience things. There''s also my goal to have conversational partners which I have gotten already. Sun, Night, Chris, Leo, and Trish. They''re the lives that matter to me and I''d like it if they don''t die. Especially Sun''s and Night''s life. I''d hate for them to lose their lives.


    If I don''t go with this then I might as well just listen to them until they die, moving my personal decision aside in favor of theirs.


    When I looked up, I saw Sun and Night with damp eyes and tears flowing down their faces. Seeing that, it made it harder to go on with this decision.


    So that I wouldn''t get dissuaded, I left then and there. I could hear the two screaming inside but I closed my ears on that, as hard as it is to do.


    ???


    Once the break is over, it''s only the matter of waiting for the others to arrive and after that, we''ll be heading off towards the forest.


    Since our main goal here wouldn''t be to fight but instead to find where the goblin village is and to know which path to take so only the bare minimum of equipment was brought.


    As for me, I''m simply traveling while only bringing myself and nothing else. The priestess said that she''ll be taking care of my needs while I''m there.


    It does sound like she''s implying that I could drink her blood but it definitely not because of that. What she meant by that was human food that I don''t need.


    Since I can''t just go and refuse it, I''ll have to endure eating human food without anything added to it. Moreover, it''s that thing. Dried bread and meat. Absolutely horrible if tasted alone. It''s making me shudder just thinking about it.


    I should''ve asked Night to make me... Let''s not think about that.


    Anyway.


    It''s only at breaks which is only one time so it isn''t as bad. Since we don''t plan on searching for long, not much food was brought after all. And if we do this quick enough, there''s shouldn''t be a need to take a break, which means no preserved human food.


    And as for the travel, I will be in the center of the group, abiding with what they said about protecting me. The one who proposed that it''s the priestess of course. Since she sees me as a child, she believed that I shouldn''t be brought to harm in the first place and this much is only natural.


    The others grumbled for a bit but did it in the end.


    The grey-haired human called Rus also agreed to protect me and when he said so, the others seem to comply far quicker than when the priestess had asked.


    I could think up of many things regarding this but the most logical explanation for this is because he''s just really good at convincing other people.


    I myself, don''t find him anymore convincing than any other human but the others except the priestess think otherwise.


    Anyway, with that, we headed off.


    Or already heading off. 30 minutes have already passed.


    As planned, I''m leading them towards was the highest concentration of goblins are in the forest.


    And while on the way, I also sensed a couple of them looking at us from a reasonable distance away but as soon as I mentioned it to them, they quickly went off and killed them much faster than I expected that it made my speed for being a vampire seem as if it isn''t as remarkable as I thought it is.


    It''s basically as fast as me from what I can tell, though their hits with their swords are a little lacking, they make up for it with how fast they attack. Well, not like it matters how fast they attack or how hard they hit. The goblins died in three hits or less.


    This world is a mystery. I did expect that there are some in this world that is far stronger than me but I didn''t expect humans to be a candidate. I thought they''re weak and vulnerable. I guess those humans from before are just really weak and these guys are on the stronger side. They also have this strange scent when they do this fast momentary movements that I can''t put to words. It''s definately not the smell of their blood but something different.


    Or maybe that''s just my imagination. Whatever then


    With this, I feel even more at ease. This guy''s being as capable or even more capable than me, I don''t think that I should worry.


    But the concerning thing is, they get tired really quickly. I guess that''s just normal for humans. Their bodies glowing when they do that kind of feat might be a kind of indication as to why that is.


    After just an hour of walking, we took a quick break before continuing our travel. The priestess was rather nice as well during this. She would let me sit on her lap. She''s kinda like Sun but her approach on this is very different.


    Also, during this break, I was questioned by the leader and the others.


    "Looks like you really do know where it is. Seems like Rus won the bet then."


    Rodan then began to say as he slowly sat on the outgrown root of a tree.


    With the mention of his name, Rus replied in kind.


    "See? Don''t question my intuition on these things."


    Rodan grunted as a reply before turning his look towards me again.


    "But I do find it rather suspicious. Why do you know about the way? Surely if you''ve been staying at that village, you should have disclosed this information to the village chief by now but it seems that you didn''t and only now that you did. Any reason to why that is?"


    His gaze is sharp and I could feel a bit of hostility in his words. It almost made me not want to answer back.


    "Really, mister Rodan? You''re really asking that to a child? You''re making her scared when she''s just doing this to help us. I''m sure she has her reasons on why she didn''t say anything before."


    "Oh! It''s the first time I saw miss Celidonia get as feisty as Morgan, and to the leader at that!"


    "Don''t go calling me feisty you goddamn idiot!"


    After Celidonia spoke, Sam interjected which was then refuted by the little mage. Rodan and Celidonia ignored their little bantering and continued on.


    "It''s only natural to be suspicious. I''m sure you find this unusual right? I just wanted to confirm if whether we aren''t walking into some trap or something. So, kid, how''d you do it? Or is it some kind of secret that kills whoever hears it?"


    Celidonia looks like she wants to say something but decided to keep her mouth shut for now.


    As for what I should on Rodan''s question, should I just answer honestly? Or keep it a secret?


    I find that answering honestly be the only viable choice here as it''s rather hard to tell any lies or not tell anything at all with this many people staring at you.


    So let''s just to that. Ambiguously.


    "I can detect them."


    "You can detect them?"


    "Yes."


    They all looked at me dubiously. For a human to say they can somehow detect goblins, it is certainly unbelievable. But I''m not a human nor do they know that I''m not one so i find it only natural for them not to believe what I just said.


    "Let''s keep going."


    I told them as I hopped off of the lap of Celidonia. It''ll be bad if he continued to ask more questions so I ended that topic with that.


    There will certainly be lingering questions in their heads like ''is what she said real'' but I have no intentions to answer them. I''ll let them speculate.


    We continued for a few more minutes without anything to note of when suddenly, Rus made some rather strange suggestions.


    "The direction to the gob village is that way, right? Let''s keep going."


    All of the sudden, he suggested that we turn right when the direction to where the goblin village is is just straight ahead. I''ve always kept it that way during our whole travel.


    Did he find something perhaps? But he insinuated that I was the one who made said that which is completely untrue.


    And the weird thing is, the rest followed him like they''re mindless little chicks following their mother as they trek across the forest terrain. Simply put, they followed him as if it was natural.


    All except the priestess. She looked like she''s as surprised as I am.


    "Hey, where are you all going?"


    "What do you mean?"


    Celidonia looked at me who is pointing forwards to indicate the right path and told them to turn their gazes on me.


    "You all are going in the wrong direction."


    With that said, the rest of the group went back on track and we continued our way towards the goblin village.


    Though, as silent as it was, I heard Rus clicking his tongue.

 How and What They See 9

    During our travels, Rus did ''that'' many times. Saying that the way to the goblin village is through here and there while hinting that I''m the one who said it.


    And the others didn''t seem to find it suspicious as well. Except for the priestess.


    But he stopped doing that when we passed a certain point along the way and because of that, he seemed a little frustrated. Or maybe that''s just my imagination.


    Also, along the way, we encountered strange things like rotting animal heads pierced my a long sticks stuck in the ground and trees with strange carvings on them.


    Rodan and Morgan mentioned these to be proof that a goblin village really is near and that this village, in particular, is above average in terms of strength.


    "Are we there yet?"


    The question was asked by a certain yellow-haired person. His movements have slowed slightly compared to how he was at the beginning. And that doesn''t just apply to him.


    We''ve been walking for three and a half hours now and we only had one break in those three and a half hours. These humans would surely be tired because of this continued walking.


    "Almost there."


    When I said that, Sam let out a sigh in relief. Celidonia and Morgan also slackened their shoulders. As for the two, Rodan and Rus, they kept walking as usual. I guess they aren''t as tired then.


    After walking for a bit, I noticed the presence of another goblin group that tries to intercept us. I pointed towards their direction.


    They immediately turned their heads there and shortly after, noticed where the goblins are and took care of them in a timely manner.


    We''ve been doing this for a while now so it had already become routine. No words were needed, only gestures. However, it does raise the suspicions in their hearts towards me. Even now, I still haven''t thought up of a great way to lie out of this.


    Even Celidonia, who seems to have the most trust in me, find it odd that I''m able to detect the goblins, even without looking.


    ... I''ll deal with it when the time comes. Maybe then, some great idea will somehow appear, but until then I''ll focus on the task at hand.


    Eventually, we arrived at where the goblin village is.


    Apparently, we''re in a higher place compared to it so we could more easily survey the area.


    Appearance wise, it resembles the village a little bit. The difference being is the fact that the houses are made off a mess of twigs and large leaves. Some are even made with animal skins. And in the middle of it, there''s a large ''house'' made up of entirely in animal skin supported by beams of wood.


    I believe that''s where their chief is. Or maybe the shaman is in there.


    And as expected, the place is filled with goblins. And some of them larger than the average with darker colored skin as well. It also has that strange smell. The same one I smelled back in Trish''s house.


    "Unbelievable..."


    "... Wow."


    "They look like ants somehow..."


    "Oh dear..."


    "Wait, this girl actually knows...?"


    Rodan, Morgan, Sam, and Celidonia made their own amazed and slightly terrified remarks regarding the goblin village respectively.


    Rus also muttered that last bit in a low voice that it''s barely audible. Except for me.


    Then is he saying those things before because he doubts that I know where it is? Even if I know the reason to why he did that, it''s making me feel a little annoyed.


    "Isn''t this strange...? It''s a lot more developed than what the signs say it is."


    Morgan asked no one in particular as she continued to stare at the village as if it was an impossibility.


    "Maybe they still haven''t updated them but that''s not the problem here. The problem is that we genuinely have a goblin village in our hands. And this''ll need more than just us if we are to take it on. Since our mission here is just to find the place, we''ll retreat fo¡ª"


    "W-wait! Isn''t that a hobgoblin...!? Holy crap, this is bad!"


    Before Rodan finished speaking, Sam suddenly interrupted in a voice that sounded like a shouting whisper and pointed towards a certain large goblin walking in the village.


    So only now did they notice that?


    As soon as Sam said that, the others immediately turned their heads. Their expressions tell me that it''s something truly unbelievable. Even Rus who always has a nonchalant expression is scrunching a bit.


    Since I don''t know what this implies, I asked the person next to me. Celidonia.


    "What does it mean...? Um... When hobgoblins are spotted in a goblin village, it usually means that that village is reaching its peak."


    Huh?


    "What that means it''s in the path of being the most dangerous that it can be. Eventually, every goblin in the village would become a hobgoblin. That''s when it reaches its peak."


    "How dangerous are hobgoblins?"


    "They''re three times more powerful than a regular goblin and they''re much more intelligent and is capable of thinking about more rational things like planning and strategies."


    From Celidonia''s description of the hobgoblin, it''s becoming more evident that they''re the ones that took Trish and her mother...


    Now the question is, where are they keeping them? Since this place is filled with smelly goblins, I can''t even confirm if they''re in here or not, let alone finding their location with scent alone.


    Although, I don''t think it''s necessary to find the answer to that. They''re definitely in this goblin village and if not, then this world must be crazy.


    Since these guys are here, I''m sure that they''ll be able to kill all these goblins here, at least when the reinforcements arrived. From then, they''ll be able to save Trish. I will help them until then. At least only to the point that my appearance tells me that I can.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    But while I was having that thought, I noticed something moving through the bushes behind us. Judging from the noise, there''s many of them. I looked at the others, none of them seems to have noticed except for Rus. His face turned pale.


    Since when did they arrive...? I couldn''t even smell them coming... No, because of how close we are to the village, their scent was masked that it''s barely noticeable. And what''s worse is the fact that they smell like hobgoblins.


    "Crap! They''ve surrounded us!"


    Before I could warn the others, Rus beat me to it.


    Well, the one who said it doesn''t matter. What matters right now is our current situation.


    I could tell that at least 6 of them are there. There might be more but that''s all that I can tell. The smell from the village isn''t really helping here.


    Upon hearing Rus''s shout, everybody immediately readied themselves.


    "There''s 6. Or more."


    I told Rodan who naturally came forward to which then followed by Sam behind him.


    The priestess moved me behind her while Rus positioned himself in front of me, Celidonia and Morgan.


    A few seconds later, the 6 that I''ve detected came out. Behind them, 4 more. And those 4 are carrying something called a ''quiver'' where they store their arrows. It''s something that I''ve seen before as well. And paired with that quiver is a bow of course. It looked to be made of flexible kind of wood or branch with animal sinew used as the bowstring.


    And speaking of quivers, the little mage is visibly quivering contrary to her serious look.


    Now for the 6 hobgoblins, they''re armed with a really large wood thing with a larger mass at the other end of it. It seems to be called a ''club'' and is meant for smashing skulls or other similar bodily parts apparently. It looks heavy but they seem to be able to carry it comfortably.


    "This isn''t just 6! There''s 10 of them!"


    Sam explained the obvious as he pulled out his swords whilst eyeing the one who is closest and biggest.


    Rodan''s looks to be doing the same while Rus looked at our surroundings to see if any more came out.


    The biggest hobgoblin snorted with a condescending look in his eyes. It surely thinks that we don''t have a chance. And from the looks of it, he might be right.


    Might be that is. No matter how strong these hobgoblins are, these humans are stronger than they look. I mean, they''ve displayed some amazing speeds before. Surely they can do that again to these hobgoblins.


    Sure, they might get tired after but if they killed all of them fast enough, it wouldn''t matter anyway.


    So I''m not worried at all. And there''s also this mage girl. I''m excited about what kind of strange things she can do with this magic of hers.


    But when the fight started, I was slightly disappointed. They didn''t start off with that very fast attack and movement like they did before to those normal goblins.


    They simply went and attacked normally. And since those clubs are quite large, they dodged them by moving to the side or using their swords to block them if they didn''t. Rodan and Sam took on one hobgoblin while Rus used his bow to distract the others.


    Wouldn''t this be a great time to use that strange powers of theirs? Since they''re hobgoblins, it wouldn''t be such an overkill then.


    I then inquired about this with the mage girl.


    "Body adjustment magic is incredibly exhausting and is often used to finish fights quickly. We also have look out for other goblins or hobgoblins that might arrive and by then, if they used it, they''ll be too tired to properly swing a sword."


    Morgan calmly explained contrary to her body shaking. She then raised her really large wooden branch thing which seems to be called a staff and then began to mutter words.


    And these words doesn''t seem to belong in the human language but I could understand it.


    [The fae of the wind, I beseech you! For this lowly being is in need of your powers! Bring forth destruction! "Wind cutter!"]


    As she was saying such words, her wooden staff''s tip began to glow in a pale green light that became brighter and brighter as each second pass. Then upon the mention of the phrase "Wind cutter!" in human language, a powerful blast of wind seemed to have appeared from thin air around the tip of the stuff and this invisible force hit the hobgoblin that Sam is taking on right on its neck, effectively decapitating it.


    Needless to say, I was at loss for words. That was simply incredible! I didn''t know that magic could be like this! That felt really powerful as well. So much so that I fell down on my butt.


    It''s also amazing how Celidonia and the caster, Morgan, was able to keep their balance from that. I guess they''re used to it but still.


    And continuing the talk about the magic, after it was released or casted, it left a lingering smell that I couldn''t very much describe. I could also smell this from Morgan and as well as Rodan and Sam, although it was faint so I ignored it initially. I guess this must be the smell of magic then? I didn''t smell anything like this from Sun though...? Or maybe I did and it just isn''t very noticeable.


    Actually, I shouldn''t say ''smell'', huh? It''s more like I can detect this since I''m not too sure about it.


    "Damn mage! Tell me if you''re going to fire magic!"


    "Don''t worry, I don''t miss. Plus you can dodge that much anyway."


    "That doesn''t excuse you, dammit!"


    After his furious complaint, Sam turned his attention toward the next hobgoblin. While Rodan in the meantime was now taking on 3 hobgoblins and it looks like he could handle it. He even killed 2 of them.


    Rus also went ahead and took on the other 2 hobgoblins all on his own and Morgan ''chanted'' once again using the same magic from the sound of it.


    "Are you okay?"


    Celidonia gave me a hand to stand up which I took while saying "Thank you".


    We simply stood there, watching the whole thing. Celidonia kept gazing between Rodan, Sam and Rus as if checking for something and when she spotted that something, the tip of the metallic staff that she''s holding on to began to glow in yellow and as well as the person that she''s aiming that at.


    It looks like magic but it feels like it isn''t one. It''s also different from the healing magic that Sun can use.


    But that''s a question for later. Right now, I''d like to take this all in.


    In particular, the fight between Rodan and 2 hobgoblins.


    Why only 2? Well, Morgan had already decapitated the 3rd one.


    Anyways, Rodan''s movement, to put it simply, is very efficient. He dodged the hobgoblin''s attacks with minimal movement while keeping an appropriate distance away from them and attacking with heavy blows.


    Also, when there''s an attack that he couldn''t quite avoid, Sam suddenly appears and uses one of his swords to tilt the attack just enough that Rodan can narrowly avoid it.


    As for Rus, he''s using a type of fighting style that involves in him hitting them and distancing himself immediately. It''s not as elegant looking but it does help him cope with having two enemies at once.


    Though, Morgan soon took care of the other one that he''s having trouble with so that made it a lot easier for him.


    The fight continued until the last hobgoblin was slain. And it doesn''t seem like they can dodge forever as well. The three took a few hits of their own which from the looks of it, was quite heavy. But thanks to their leather armor, it softened the blow so it didn''t do much damage to them, at least in my observation.


    And every time that happens, Celidonia would use her strange magic onto the one who got hit. From what I can infer that this magic of hers is healing magic. At least a kind of healing magic.


    I already had a feeling that it is but I''m just not sure that it actually is. It feels different somehow from when Sun does it. Or rather, I could feel something from it whereas, from Sun''s magic, I don''t. It either could be a different kind of healing magic or a stronger version that Sun uses.


    "Let''s quickly leave before anymore comes after us. I''m sure they heard all that fighting."


    Then Rodan suddenly announced that soon after the fight so I never got the opportunity to ask about the healing magic with Celidonia.


    And as he said, there''s more of them coming. They''re still a distance away but I think they''ll arrive here in a few minutes if we don''t leave.


    Rodan looked at me as if to confirm and I nodded at him.


    With that, he waved at the entire group to move immediately.


    As such, we walked quickly as to get out of here quicker. And along the way, Celidonia is holding my hand.


    As we moved, I could see some glimpses of those hobgoblins but they didn''t seem to know where we are or the fact that we''re moving so it would be alright. Maybe.


    "Hot damn that was... Ha..."


    After brisk walking for a while, when they think that we''re in a safe distance to the goblins and the village, everyone stopped for a moment and relaxed their legs.


    Sam seems awfully tired as his breathing is heavy.


    As for me, I don''t feel tired at all. Compared to pulling the carriage, this is far less taxing on my body.


    But Celidonia didn''t know this so she asked if I''m alright when I should be the one to ask that to her. Even though she didn''t fight, she became tired from all that brisk walking. Morgan as well became haggard from that. At least, more haggard than usual.


    Maybe magic is somehow exhausting if used too frequently? That or they just don''t have much stamina in their bodies.


    I''m in favor of the latter.


    While they''re resting, I sniffed the air to see if I could detect if there''s anyone close. I wasn''t expecting much when I did this. At most, I''m expecting to smell regular goblins instead but...


    I only detected one and its scent is different from goblins and hobgoblins.


    I could detect a faint ''scent'' of magic from it.

 How and What They See 10

    The faint smell of ''magic'' led me to believe that the goblin that I had detected might actually be the shaman.


    And looking at Morgan, she seems to have sensed it as well as it got closer. Upon noticing its presence, she immediately turned her head towards where it is and her shoulders shook.


    "Wha-what!? The freaking shaman is here!?"


    "What?"


    "Oi Morgan, don''t joke around."


    "I''m serious you idiot, look over there!"


    As she said that, she pointed towards the direction where the shaman is to which the rest of the group looked at as well. And they didn''t see anything.


    "What? There''s nothing there. You''re just being paranoid, Morgan. Or maybe it''s that time of the month now?"


    "I''m not playing your game, Sam! I''m serious!"


    The priestess and Rus looked at the direction from where she pointed at dubiously. There''s absolutely no signs of the shaman there.


    As for Rodan, he looked at me to confirm and when I nodded, his brows furrowed.


    "It''s true. Ready yourselves. We don''t know what it''s capable off."


    "Seriously!?"


    Sam asked if Rodan was serious to which Rodan answered with no change in his expression.


    But that didn''t seem to convince him that easily.


    It''s understandable that he wouldn''t so easily. After all, there''s nothing to where Morgan had pointed to except for trees, shrubs, and more trees.


    But that''s because they couldn''t detect shaman other than with their eyes. And this goblin shaman had somehow hid its physical features... somehow.


    There''s also the question of as to how it arrived here so quickly. And yes, I''ve only detected it recently. Never did I noticed its presence while we were walking briskly.


    So us being followed isn''t a viable explanation so how did it do it? Could it had used some kind movement magic? It should have been capable of moving instantaneously if that was the case for me not detect its presence while it''s traveling.


    ...


    Cutting that thought for the moment, an old looking goblin littered with strange looking... ''ornaments'' hanging from its neck revealed itself. As for its clothes, its simply a dirty and slimy-looking cloth draped over it from shoulder below.


    And at that point, the smell of goblins entered my nose. And it''s not just from him, it''s from multiple goblins, all of them coming from the direction to where the goblin village is, and they seem to heading towards us.


    "A lot of goblins, coming towards us!"


    "What!?"


    "Damn! Ready yourselves! We''ll take out the shaman first then hastily retreat!"


    With what Rodan had said, the three male humans took out their swords and took a stance, their eyes carefully observing the shaman.


    Then not even a second after they decided to do that, the shaman took action as it also brought out it''s branch staff like Morgan''s and raised it in the air.


    "It''s probably gonna cast magic! Watch out!"


    "Can''t you disrupt it!?"


    "You idiot! I would''ve done that if I could!"


    After Morgan''s warning and unnecessary quarrel with Sam at the end, the shaman then released some sort of magic, but it doesn''t seem to be apparent.


    I''ve certainly felt some magic being released from the branch staff but somehow it vanished into thin air. No, more like it scattered.


    Just then, I felt something moving from beneath me. The plants? No, vines? Where did this come from? And it''s growing awfully fast too and it''s tough as well despite being a plant.


    The others soon noticed the vines'' sudden appearance but from then on, it had already wrapped itself to their feet.


    "What the...!?"


    "Argh...! I should''ve have expected this...!"


    "They''re like snakes! Morgan! Burn them!"


    "I can''t use fire magic, idiot!"


    Even Rus who was silent the whole time made made a reaction.


    "Wawawawaaaahhh...!"


    The vines also wrapped around Celidonia''s feet and now it''s making its way to her legs. Even after pulling on it strongly, she couldn''t rip it off.


    As for me, of course I can but it did took more effort than I expected. And after that, I removed the vines from her feet and shins.


    "O-oh... You''re quite strong for a child... Thank you. If you could, go help Morgan."


    As what Celidonia said, I turned my head towards Morgan and she seems to be having trouble as well. Couldn''t she use magic? Why not just use the thing she used before but with smaller area so she could cut the vines with ease?Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Whatever the reason might be that prevents her from doing that, I helped her anyway.


    The vines that wrapped around her is stronger somehow thsn the ones that wrapped around mine and Celidonia so it took me a while to remove them.


    "T-thanks. What did you do to be able to easily remove them?"


    "I pulled them off."


    "Huh? That''s it?"


    "Yes."


    Morgan looked quite dumfounded by what I just said but she quickly shook it off and focused on the situation at hand.


    I looked forward as well and saw that the three had already removed the vines from their feet using their swords and is just about ready to run at the shaman at any moment.


    The only thing that''s stopping them is the fact that the shaman is readying another spell.


    Rus fired an arrow with his bow but the fired arrow didn''t even make contact and just bounced off from some kind of invisible field around it.


    He fired a few more and it also resulted the same. Then, the magic that the shaman had been preparing was then released.


    Immediately, a large vibration from the ground occured and once that was done, at the ground beneath Rodan suddenly grew upwards with.


    "The bastard''s summoning an earth [golem]! Quickly, finish it!"


    In Morgan''s shout, the three immediately rushed forward while she began chanting a spell of her own and from the sound of it, the chant is a long one.


    With quick steps, Sam arrived in front of the shaman first and swang the sword held by his right hand towards the shaman with no hesitation. But just like before with the arrows, his sword just bounced off from an invisible force. Sam swang again and again in rapid succession but to no avail.


    Rus then arrived a few seconds after and stabbed his sword towards the shaman but it didn''t work either. The same case with Rodan as well. His heavy attacks weren''t effective at all.


    "It''s mana field is strong... What the hell!? Isn''t it just a goblin!?"


    "That doesn''t matter now. It looks like simply attacking like this would be useless."


    With Rodan''s conclusion, the three stopped attacking for the moment and took a step back.


    "Guys! Get out of the way!"


    Then Morgan shouted. The three quickly stepped away from the shaman and as they did, Morgan release her magic and what came out from the staff is a massive ball of air, that may be transparent but this ball has enough air in it to actually distort the image when you''re looking through it.


    This ball of air almost instantaneously traveled through the space between Morgan and the shaman and directly hit it to which the shaman flew off in an amazing speed before its body crashed into the tree behind him, almost toppling the tree.


    The goblin''s face distorted in pain as dark red blood came out of its mouth.


    But just then, the thing that the shaman had summoned has now fully came out from the ground. It revealed a large mass of earth that is somehow able to move. It only posses one main body with four limbs like us, all made up of compact dirt.


    "We''ll take care of the golem! Morgan, you deal with the shaman! It seems like magic is what''s effective against it!"


    With Rodan''s orders, Morgan started to chant the same magic as before


    As for the three, they''re simply dodging the golem''s attacks as they''re not even attacking themselves.


    But I guess it is the logical thing to do when you''re fighting against a mass of dirt but still... They wouldn''t be able to defeat it if they''re just moving around like that. And the golem''s attack is fairly slow as well. They didn''t have trouble dodging about.


    [... Let this lower being borrow your strength! "Air Burst"]


    Soon, Morgan finished preparing her magic and released it towards the shaman, but the ball of air couldn''t make a physical contact with the shaman as it was dissipated by the same invisible force. Strange... that didn''t happen before...


    "Tch! Looks like it''s able to switch what property it''s mana shield blocks! One of you, go an attack the shaman. I doubt it''s able to block physical attacks now."


    "You heard her! Go for it, Sam!"


    "Alright!"


    Sam dashed towards the shaman and as soon as he is in range, slashed forward horizontally, hitting the shaman squarely on the chest. And the blood that came out of where Sam had hit it indicates that the attack went through


    But Sam''s next attack bounced off.


    "Morgan!"


    "You don''t have to tell me!"


    Morgan then immediately prepared her next magic. This time it''s the wind cutter one from the sound of it.


    For the meantime, Sam kept on pressuring the goblin shaman while attacking continuosly but this time, in a much lower speed than he usually attacks. Probably to conserve energy. At some point in his attack the invisible force was now deflecting his attacks so from that, he went into defensive and blocked or dodged whatever small scale magic that the shaman had threw at him in rapid succesion.


    And when Morgan shouted that she''s ready, Sam immediately stepped back and Morgan released her magic, making a deep wound on the shaman''s collarbone. But it didn''t seem to cut all the way through unlike the hobgoblins before.


    Anyway, the two continued this kind of attack while the other two continued their dodging on the golem.


    As for me and Celidonia, we just stood there watching.


    Actually, it''s only me that''s watching and while Celidonia is watching as well, she''s occasionally doing her priestess powers on the others despite them not having any wounds. I wonder what it does? I''ll ask her later.


    Since I''m the only one that isn''t doing anything, I feel useless.


    I want to help somehow but from Sun and Night''s warning, if I showed my strength here, they might see me as a threat or at least become very suspicious of what I am. Though I already showed Celidonia and Morgan... But since they didn''t ask much about it, it should be fine to move that worry aside.


    That being said, I''ll have to avoid that scenario. I''m already troubled about them being suspicious as to why I know exactly where the goblin village is already. It''s really fortunate that Rodan hadn''t asked further, or any of them asked any further because I''m still thinking up a story as to why I got that information.


    For now, I should behave like what I look like. A simple, small human with no amazing powers whatsoever. Except for the fact that I somehow know where the goblin village is...


    The fight continued until the shaman looked to be on the brink of death. It''s mana shield doesn''t seem to be up anymore as well so Sam is simply slashing on the shaman with no pause.


    He had hit the shaman so many times that Sam''s sword is completely covered in blood. It smells quite putrid because it came from a goblin but it was nonetheless blood so it made me hungry a little.


    Sam then made the final hit on the shaman before it finally lost its life. And upon its death, the golem as well suddenly lost its life and it immediately crumbled on the ground.


    "Guys, the shaman''s dead! Ahahaha!"


    "I can see that. Good job."


    "Well, that was rather boring."


    "Oi. Don''t go saying something so dangerous now, Rus. It was weird enough that a goblin shaman is capable of summoning a golem that large and that quickly. Usually, they needed to do some kind of ritual in order to do that but this guy just did it normally which indicates that it possesses a large sum of mana. Furthermore¡ª"


    "Woah. I gotta stop you right there. I don''t understand I word your saying."


    "That''s because you''re a fuc¡ª"


    "Leave your bantering later. Kid, how far are those goblins by now?"


    Did he mean what I said earlier before the fight began?


    Then...


    "Odd. They didn''t come. They''ve returned back to the village."


    "Hm..."


    Rodan narrowed his eyes on me before turning around and gesturing to the whole group to leave at once.


    Ah... Did he think I was trying to scare them? If so, that wasn''t my intention human. It really wasn''t.


    It really is odd to find that those goblins that seemingly been rushing towards us, for some reason, retreated. I think they did that when the shaman was about half dead.


    As to why they did that, I have a guess.


    Maybe they somehow found out that their shaman is about to die and they left right there and then, believing that whomever best the shaman, they wouldn''t be able to beat it either. As such, they ran away.


    Or maybe the goblin chief recalled them? Now that I think about it, what does the goblin chief look like? Is it a bigger version of a hobgoblin or does it look old and weak like the village chief? We never got to see it.


    But while I was thinking such useless thoughts like that, I''ve noticed a presence behind us.


    When I turned around, I saw the shaman''s body somehow rising from the dead with black mist enveloping it.

 How and What They See 11

    And here I thought that my resurrection from that time was unbelievable but seeing this with my very own eyes, it may not be so.


    Mine is probably caused by different means... Probably... But that''s not important right now. What''s important is how eerie this actually looks. Whether I did look like that before, don''t want to find out.


    "Wait... Guys, please wait for a moment. I sensed a malicious spirit around here..."


    When Celidonia said that so suddenly, the three looked back and in doing so, they''ve noticed the creepy display by the shaman.


    "Woah! That''s hideous!"


    "It can''t be..."


    "What the heck?"


    "Well, I''ll be. Bastard resurrected."


    Starting with Sam, Rodan, Morgan, and then Rus, each of them made their own remarks on this to which Celidonia found suspicious and turned around herself.


    "What the...? Did this goblin perhaps..."


    The shaman then stood straight up. Its ornaments jingled with increasing intervals and as the last of the black mist enters its body, its body suddenly flops down to the ground.


    "Celidonia, do you know about this?"


    "Y-yes... We were told about this back when I was studying in the temple. The black mist that appeared... It could only be a [devil]."


    "A [devil]?"


    "Yes. A [devil] is a malicious spirit that grants it''s contractors something that they wish in a certain degree but there''s a catch but that varies from creature to creature. In this case, it might be that the devil will possess the body of its contractor upon death."


    "Then¡ª"


    "It''s not over yet."


    As she said that, the whole group, including me, backed away from the seemingly motionless corpse. It hasn''t done anything yet but this devil possessing a corpse, it''s only natural to be on guard.


    "What should we do now?"


    Rodan then asked Celidonia again but this time in a more silent voice.


    "I don''t know... I haven''t encountered a possession before but we were told that the possessed would have a degree of enhanced ability."


    "Can''t you purify it somehow?"


    "No, I''m sorry... I haven''t gone in that kind of training."


    "Can''t be helped. If it''s in this state, is it okay to attack."


    "Um... I think so...?"


    With that, Rodan turned to the mage in the group.


    "... Morgan."


    "Already done."


    As she said, she was already done chanting and as soon as Rodan gave go, Morgan released her magic. It''s the air burst magic by the way.


    Morgan''s magic had hit the shaman directly with no interruption but strangely, it didn''t do what we expected its body to do. If you''re hit with great force, you''ll, to a certain degree, be flown off or simply pushed backward.


    But that didn''t happen to the supposed corpse. There was no damage even.


    "It''s not effective...?"


    "What a pitiful magic you have."


    "!?"


    Just then, the corpse suddenly spoke. And its voice sounded deep and condescending and it''s every word somehow shook the insides of my ear.


    The others also felt this.


    "But that''s only to be expected from a group that took that long to beat a slightly strengthened goblin. Really, how pitiful."


    The corpse spoke once more and then its body rose up in such disturbing way that I don''t think goblin limbs are capable of doing that.


    Then the shaman walked unnaturally towards us while the staff that it''s holding on to is getting dragged on the ground with every step.


    "But no matter. I''ll be ending your pitiful lives now and have your souls be my nutrition. Especially that small one there. Your soul seems to be the most delicious one!"


    All of the sudden, the shaman pointed at me using its staf.


    This devil, it eats souls?


    "Damn... Frankly, I don''t want my soul to be eaten... Let''s go and retreat. For now... Yeah?"


    Sam said to them there while he''s backing slowly.


    "No, if we leave this devil be, who knows what it''ll do. We''ll have to defeat it here and now."


    Then Rodan said some disagreable words.


    "What!? Celi, what do you think? Can we beat the thing?"


    "I don''t know..."


    The shaman let out a sinister laugh and raised its branch to the air.


    "Take this!"


    Then, a circular mass of darkness suddenly appeared out of thin air and shot towards us. Reflexively, everyone moved away and as for me, I got pulled by Celidonia.


    "Black magic..."


    I then heard Celidonia mutter behind me.


    Was she referring to what the shaman had just shot towards us? That''s black magic? Well, it certainly looks like it.


    The mass of darkness moved fairly fast but it certainly is slower than an arrow. When it hit the ground, it exploded, throwing dirt and such around and leaving a dent on the ground.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Without missing a beat, the shaman formed another black ball and shot it... Towards me?


    Celidonia couldn''t react fast enough so I had to push her aside to avoid it. And if I was just a few milliseconds late on that, we might have been hit. And no, I have no intention now or in the future to try getting hit by that.


    "Agh...!"


    But even when we avoided a direct hit, the explosion did it for us. Thankfully, I took most of the hit but it did hurt very much. The explosion tore my clothes from my back and I felt that I sustained a serious wound on my back as well.


    "What did you¡ª"


    "Run!"


    I shouted at the still shocked Celidonia because I saw that the shaman is preparing another magicical darkness ball.


    From how it aimed it before, I''m sure I''m its target.


    If so, it''s better if no one is near me. I might have to display my speed in this situation but it couldn''t be helped. I would rather expose myself as a vampire than die trying to hide it.


    Like I told her, she immediately stood up, or at least half way through, and distanced herself as far away as possible from me.


    When I saw that she''s, from what I think, far away enough, I stood up myself and quickly glanced towards the shaman.


    But fortunately, the others have broken away from their trance and is now starting to attack the shaman.


    While Rodan and Sam distracted it, Rus, for some reason, ran towards us.


    "Hey, priestess, go and get that kid back to the village as quickly as you can!"


    "Huh? Why? I-I can''t just leave you guys here..."


    "Didn''t you here what that devil just said!? It''s after the kid! I don''t know why that is but that''s not important now, so go!"


    "Event still, my¡ª"


    "We''ll be fine without your healing and besides, you''re still a junior priestess, right? It isn''t still to the point that it''s poisonous enough for a devil but it is better than any of ours so your soul is the second most delectable for a devil. Unless you want to play as bait, I suggest you start moving now!"


    "W-wait, how did you know¡ª"


    "We''ll be right behind you! You two just go first! We''ll be going back anyway depending on the situation!"


    Celidonia bit her lips in frustration and after which, she quickly rushed towards me, lifted me off of my feet and carried me with both her arms.


    "Please hold on! We''ll get you out of here as quickly as I can!"


    Celidonia then runs off towards the direction of where the village is. I could sense an attack coming towards us but Celidonia quickly sidestepped out of its path.


    The ball then hit the trunk of a tree, removing a good chunk out of it and resulting in the tree falling over.


    As if not minding the destruction the befall upon that tree, Celidonia continued with her pace and after that attack, not one had reached us since then.


    It looks like it gave up on me and focused on those four. But whether if they''re okay or not, I don''t know. I, of course, wish that they''re fine on their own without Celidonia''s strange magic.


    But just to be sure, I asked the one carrying me.


    "Um... Would they be fine?"


    "Eh? Oh.. um, I''m sure they will! But more importantly, don''t speak. It''ll make it harder on you."


    Harder on what aspect exactly?


    Celidonia continued to run, not stopping nor even slowing down while she''s carrying me. As expected, that didn''t last long, however, I''m surprised that she was able to run this far and this long while carrying me.


    Of course, I''m not heavy. I''m smaller than them after all. But still...


    She glanced back for a second and proceeded to place me under the shade of a nearby tree, my back against the bottom half of the trunk. As for her, she sat on an overgrown root, breathing heavily.


    Though in a few seconds after that, she stood up and approached me.


    "Now, let''s get you healed up. It must have hurt... huh? It''s healed...?"


    She then turned my body to look at my back but was then surprised to see no wounds on my back whatsoever, even though there''s blood.


    "Did it heal...? But... How?"


    Celidonia then looked at me, as if asking for an explanation on this.


    Ah... Have I been caught? Should I lie out of this? But I still haven''t thought of an explanation yet.


    "Is it something that you can''t tell?"


    Then all of the sudden, she said something like that. Since she offered me a way out of explaining myself then I''ll gladly take it.


    "... Yes."


    "Alright. Even the fact that you know exactly were the goblin village is, it''s a secret as well?"


    "Yes."


    "Then I won''t ask anymore. I''m sure you have your reasons."


    Celidonia smiled at me softly as she caresses my head gently. This action reminds me of the two who enjoys doing this to me.


    The events earlier today is still lingering in my mind but I chose to ignore it in the whole way, but now that we''re going back, I just couldn''t ignore the thought any longer.


    ... I''m sure they''ll be really upset if they found out what happened to me. Ugh... Just thinking about it makes me feel depressed...


    Just thinking about the face that they''re making right now, their faces filled with worry and grief, and even though I made a promise to myself that I would never make them feel something like this... As I thought, I''m a promise breaker. I couldn''t keep a promise...


    "Is something bothering you?"


    "...No."


    "C''mon, you can tell me."


    Will this be alright? I can''t have her worrying about this for me. Or rather, she wouldn''t care anyway. It''s just my stupid rebellious attitude that I made towards my two mothers. It will be really pointless to tell her about this.


    But even though I said that I still ended up telling her.


    I told her everything. At least excluding the parts where I killed a lot of goblins and simply hid it as doing a reckless thing and some parts.


    I told them how worried my two mothers are from doing such things and how it made me feel incredibly bad and guilty about all of it. How I broke the promise I made with them when not even that much time had passed since I made that promise.


    That''s what I told her. I simply let it all out. And for some reason, I feel that my body became just a little bit lighter when I finished.


    Celidonia listened to it attentively without saying anything and once I''m finished, she made a bitter smile at me.


    "... Mothers are beings that simply wish what''s best for their children... And from hearing how your, um... Mothers reacted when you did such a reckless thing, they really care for you and that you should do the same. And I know I don''t have the right to say this but I''m sure the best thing that you should do is not to worry your mothers. That would be the best for you and your mothers after all."


    As I thought, I really should have listened to them earlier. It was simply them caring for me, trying to protect me. And yet, I came here anyway, completely throwing away their concerns for me. That was such a horrible thing for me to do...


    "Why did you say back then that you know the way?"


    Suddenly, Celidonia changed the topic. I don''t know why she asked this but I answered honestly anyway.


    "... To help?"


    "Why did you want to help?"


    Right... Why did I want to help exactly? The answer to that is simply obvious.


    "Because I thought, you can save my friend."


    "Whose your friend exactly? What''s her name?"


    "It''s Trish."


    "I knew it..."


    Knew what?


    "So you helped us in order to save your friend, right? She''s the one that was kidnapped?"


    "Yes...?"


    "Then, you shouldn''t feel so guilty about it."


    "...Why?"


    "I think it''s best to listen to your mother Snow, but it''s not always like that. Sometimes there are things that you have to do that contradicts to what your mother tells you. Like when she said that you should be this but you really wanted to be that. But of course, there are simple actions that you shouldn''t do even though you really wanted to do them. You''ll have to think about these very thoroughly and weigh them accordingly.


    Mothers are there to keep their children safe yet those very children have their own choices as well. You''re feeling guilty because you broke your promise with them, which is only natural and I don''t blame you for that but, in the end, the choice to break your promise with them and how this very choice will potentially save a life, If you weigh the choice of whether to stay at home or help to save your friend then I think it''s the latter that''s the best choice.


    And rather than going out there to save your friend all by yourself, you came to us because you thought that it''s the best option to save your friend, right? Then that just means that you have thought about it carefully, didn''t you? And you did it with a great cause in mind so you shouldn''t beat yourself over the fact that you''ve broken your promise with your mothers and that you didn''t listen. I''d say that''s really brave of you."


    "But, I still broke my promise with them and I can''t help but feel bad about it. And now, they''re really worried about me..."


    "When you did that, did you not care about them?"


    "... I do. I care about them."


    "Right? Even if you broke your promise with them, that doesn''t mean that you care any less about them. The fact that your worrying over this just means that you care about them very much. But, as I said, you worry too much. You chose to come with us in order to help save your friend, or do you deeply regret that choice?"


    "... I... Don''t."


    "Then that''s that! And we''ll promise to save your friend, alright?"


    Celidonia said that with a bit of hesitation and nervousness but I chose to ignore that.


    But why did I answer that I don''t? I''m not too sure about that, even now, after all this thinking.


    After all, even right now, I still feel that the feelings of Sun and Night are still more important than Trish''s life.

 How and What They See 12

    Eventually, I calmed down and we continued our way towards the village.


    Is Celidonia carrying me? Of course not. Despite my size being smaller than her, I still have a weight and I''d rather not have this human wasting her already small stamina.


    Then again, it''s because of her that I''ve managed to clear my head on the whole matter. Thinking about it, it really is petty, isn''t? To be worrying about such things when it''s not a big of a deal...


    At least that''s what I''d like to tell myself.


    I should focus on walking ahead.


    Oh and I proposed to her that we should return to them but she refused, saying that we''ll just be a hindrance.


    I''m not too sure about that decision of hers though...


    "Are you really fine walking?"


    Celidonia asked me in concern as we navigated through the terrain.


    I, of course, am the one leading.


    "I am."


    Oddly enough, we have yet to encounter a single goblin on our way. Back when we were just heading this way, we encountered a goblin every 10 to 20 minutes.


    And we''ve been walking for 40 minutes now. I find this strange.


    The reason for this might just be that time when we were fighting the not-possessed goblin shaman. I''ve sensed that hobgoblins are coming in our direction then but midway through the battle, they mysteriously retreated.


    By whoever orders it is, it also recalled the other goblins in the area. That''s my guess on the matter. Or it could also be because we''ve cleared this way of goblins. It wasn''t long since we''ve walked through this path after all.


    I think the latter is more possible.


    "Just don''t overexert yourself. Tell me if you want to take a break."


    Humans always assume that I get tired easily... Well, this time, the reason is because I got a wound. And although it''s healed, she assumed that it took a lot of energy from me to heal it apparently.


    So we continued like that for another 40 minutes.


    When I looked back at her, she''s visibly breathing hard and we''ve only been walking just this much too. What''s with the low stamina?


    "Should we take a break?"


    I proposed to the human and she immediately jumped on the offer.


    So we took a break on a nearby tall tree. The leaves from its branches gave us quite the nice shade from the sun.


    I took this opportunity to check clothes.


    What I''m currently wearing is the cloth that I always wear when going outside and the one piece dress that was made for me. All of which has a fairly large hole on the back where I was hit.


    I hid in a large patch of shade where there are no rays of light hitting it and from there, I removed my clothes.


    I wonder how Sun and Night made this? And how to fix this as well.


    I think it needs something called a ''needle'' but I don''t know where to get one or if I can make one. Maybe Celidonia knows something about it.


    With that thought, I beckoned Celidonia to come closer and when she turned around to my direction, she became apple red.


    "Waa¡ª! Why''re you naked!?"


    "I know. Come here."


    "Wha...?"


    A bit hesitant, Celidonia came anyway.


    Thus I ask her how to fix my clothes.


    "Fix this...? You can but it''s not going to look nice anymore and we don''t have a [sewing] needle or any string to use."


    "Sewing?"


    "Hm?


    "What''s sewing?"


    As she explained, sewing is a craft of fastening or attaching objects, which doesn''t necessarily need to be cloths, by the use of a needle or something alike.


    Then it''s the same category of dressmaking then.


    But digressing from that, as to what Celidonia said, this could be fixed using a portion of the cloth but that wouldn''t be advisable as it wouldn''t look good as before anymore.


    Then again, I don''t care really. I just want to be fixed. Because every time a gust of wind hits my back, it sends shivers down my spine. Literally.


    "Well, we can''t fix it here. You''ll just have to endure. I''ll fix it for you when we get back."


    As Celidonia said that, she put my clothes on me and handed me the cloth.


    "But really, your skin is so white. I think I understand why they call you Snow. Has your skin always been like that? Oh, but you don''t have to answer that if you don''t want to."


    "It is. Because of that, I''m very sensitive to sunlight so I have to use this cloth whenever I go out."


    "Is that so...?"


    Celidonia looked troubled for some reason but soon regained her gentle smile and rubbed my head.


    "It''s going to be okay! I''ll pray for you every day so that you can have a happy life."


    "Okay...?"


    Leaving Celidonia''s weird promise, we continued our way back to the village.


    And on our way back, I soon found out about a serious problem.


    I''m hungry.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    And I think Celidonia is to but while we''re walking, she''s occasionally picking up nuts and berries from nearby bushes and such so I doubt that she''s that hungry. Plus, she has a water container. I doubt she''s that thirst as well.


    As for me, I didn''t bring any because I thought that I could last for a few hours without blood but because I received that wound earlier, the healing of it must have taken quite a substantial amount of energy from me. That''s my hypothesis at least.


    With that, I became hungry sooner than I expected.


    If I''m alone, this isn''t a problem. I can just go and hunt something but I can''t do that with Celidonia here. If I did that, I''ll get found out.


    I could just simply endure it until we get back to the village but Celidonia''s blood smells very good. Even when she''s not blushing, why could I smell her blood this strongly?


    ... Could it be because I''m hungry? If you think about it, it makes sense. If I''m hungry, I need blood and thus, to make it easier, my sense of smell is heightened to a greater degree.


    I''ve never been hungry like this before, except for maybe that time when I first bit Sun and Night but there was so much blood around that I didn''t notice.


    This could turn bad but I can still endure it a little longer. Until then, I''ll have to think up of a way to get a small snack while not making Celidonia suspicious of my race.


    And after 20 minutes, such opportunity has yet to show itself.


    There were birds flying close to the ground. I could very well catch them if I tried. The problem is that that is something that a ''human'' shouldn''t be capable of.


    Celidonia would be totally suspicious of me. If ever that happens, I''ll either have to kill her or tell her the truth. And the latter is quite a problem.


    She might not accept it and maybe she''ll view me as some sort of monster akin with those goblins. And the fact that she hadn''t done anything offensive while we were fighting must mean that she couldn''t fight me properly. This will result in me killing her anyway if I didn''t convince her that I''m not harmful.


    That, or I might just be overthinking things. No, wait. Maybe I could ask her view on this somehow by twisting my questions that wouldn''t make her suspect me yet still get to know what I want. Ho ho~ good plan.


    "Celidonia."


    "What''s with the serious tone all of the sudden? And you can just call me Celi."


    Woah! Why is she so close all of the sudden? That surprised...


    "Um... What would you think if you discovered your... Friend was actually not like what you think they are?"


    To my question, Celidonia raised an eyebrow.


    "What do you mean?"


    "... Someone you didn''t expect? Your friend was actually someone different."


    "I didn''t expect? Hmm..."


    Upon muttering such things, she began to scratch her cheek and closed her eyes.


    Ah, she''s seriously thinking it over! So smart of me to think of a way like this! It went smoother than I imagined.


    "You''ll have to be specific in that question, Snow. Do you mean by personality or identity? Like him or her having a different status in society that he or she had simply hidden. Or maybe they turned into a monster like what you said?"


    Huh? What''s this about ''status in society''?


    But it might be close so...


    "... The status one."


    "Then, my view on them wouldn''t change. I think friends should be looked upon their personality, not any other aspects."


    "... Personality...?"


    "That''s right. Wouldn''t it be more fun to hang around with people whose personality you like?"


    Celidonia told me that with reminiscing smile on her face.


    The smile seems to convince me about her statement. And I''d like to believe her in that. If she truly thinks like that then if I said that I drink human blood, she wouldn''t be terrified, right? Or is it just me being too optimistic in the case?


    Then again, the choices are these. Either I tell her now the truth and ask her to offer a handful of her blood to me, which can result in her seeing me as some sort of monster or accepting me the way I am and do so with compliance, or I simply not tell her anything but risk going berserk.


    I have yet to experience being berserk due to hunger so I''m curious as to what happens to my body when that happens but this time, I can''t go around experimenting to see how that happens.


    ... Or can I?


    Wouldn''t it be fine? If I killed her here when there''s no one around, no one will know. I''ll simply bury her body in the ground and go on my way to the village with a full belly. I could also simply explain to them that she died and when the others come back, I''ll tell them that we were attacked by goblins in our way and that she died protecting me or something.


    It''s perfectly feasible and I could do it right now...


    ... But let''s not. For now.


    And so I asked.


    "Do you really think that?"


    "? Yes...?


    "Then, can I drink your blood?"


    Her eyes turned into big round plates as she looked at me dumbfounded.


    "Huh? Why...?"


    "Because I''m hungry."


    "Then if it''s food, I have so¡ª"


    "No, I need blood."


    Certainly. I can just eat these berries and such to satisfy my hunger but what I''m feeling right now, I don''t think that that''ll solve the problem. We still have a few hours of walking to do and I don''t know by then if I''m still able to control myself.


    The only answer my body tells me is to drink blood.


    And there''s a good source of blood in front of me.


    "Haha... I don''t quite understand what you mean... I don''t think blood will nourish you, you know?"


    Why did she laugh? I don''t think that what I''ve said is remotely funny...


    Should I explain myself a bit more?


    "I''m not a human. I''m... Something else. I need blood to survive. And I haven''t drank any for hours now. I''m hungry."


    "..."


    "Celidonia?"


    Celidonia was speechless. I think I should''ve worded that better since she seems to be having trouble taking in what I''ve just said...


    But still, I have to make her understand. Even if I need to do it forcibly.


    "S-Snow...!?"


    "I''m telling the truth."


    I approached her slowly, like a wolf stalking its prey. It seems that she''s able to pick up my not-so-pure intentions from my eyes as she began to back away in unison with my steps.


    Eventually, her back hit a trunk of a tree, stopping her movement for a while. I don''t know why she just didn''t change her direction to avoid the tree but that wouldn''t change a thing for me.


    "Snow...? Eep!"


    I then reached out and touched the side of her neck with my index finger, gently moving it down to her collarbone. I could feel her body shivering with my every little movement.


    Accompanying that shivering, her cheeks became apple red as I inched my face closer to her. Her rough breathes were quite warm and the scent of her blood seems to tickle the insides of my nose.


    With these conditions, I could hardly control myself.


    "Shall I give you a practical example?"


    "A... A what?"


    Seems like ''that'' is necessary.


    I won''t go and suck her blood of course. I''ll just give her a little bite and that''s it. Or even better, if she''s convinced with just me showing my fangs.


    Since her heads turning into the other direction, probably due to embarrassment or something, I gently hold her chin and with that, I slowly moved her head to face me.


    Seeing her flustered face that seems far off from looking like she''s convinced tells me that this might not be going quite smoothly than I imagined it to be.


    But I can''t back down now. I''ll go through with it.


    Next, I used my finger to part my lips, opening my mouth and revealing the two sharp teeth on the upper part of my mouth.


    "This is what I use to drink blood. Do you believe me now?"


    "Drink blood...?"


    Celidonia looked puzzled as her eyes focused on my fangs. She certainly doesn''t look convinced when she''s like that.


    Looks like I''ll just have to bite her then. Since she looks so unconvinced, this will make her believe me. I''ll have to let her feel the feeling of having her blood sucked...


    No! Stop thinking about that, me! Oh my... My thoughts have turned into a strange direction.


    I''ll just bite her and be done with it. Then after that, I''ll ask her if I can drink her blood. That''s the correct procedure.


    "Wait, what are you doing...!?"


    I stood on the tips of my toes and grabbed hold on her shoulders to lift me up a bit more. After which, I slowly pierced my fangs into her.


    "Wait, Sno¡ªwaah~!"


    Ah... It seems I''m sucking her blood when all I wanted to do was just to bite and ask for her consent later. But upon looking at her expression, she doesn''t seem to dislike it so it should be fine.


    Every drop of blood that entered my fangs, I savored and enjoyed to my heart''s content. It felt so long since I get to taste the blood of a different human other than Sun and Night. Although, it didn''t taste as good, but because it''s a new taste, I enjoyed it nonetheless.


    And as seconds pass by, the taste of her blood became increasingly delicious until it reaches the point that I''d say to be the pinnacle of deliciousness for this blood. For Sun and Night''s, they''ve reached this point the first time I fed on them.


    Her ragged breathing excites me more and her fast heartbeat makes me want to continue until she has nothing left. And the fact that she''s pulling me closer to her seems to suggest that as well.


    But I know that that''s not something that I should do. I felt this feeling from when I was feeding on Sun and Night so it''s not something new. Before long, I parted my fangs from her neck and the moment I did so, her legs lost their strength as her butt fell on the ground.


    As for me, I seem to have something returned to me. And it''s the clarity of the mind.


    After looking at Celidonia panting heavily with heated breaths while having a higher than normal body temperature and crimson red cheeks, I immediately realized that I did something outrageous.


    I really went too far than planned.

 How and What They See 13

    After all of that, we continued to walk back towards the village. And certainly, afterwards, the air around us had gotten a bit thicker somehow.


    I can''t really put my finger on it. maybe it has something to do about the fact that Celidonia is awfully close to me than before.


    Maybe she''s cold? Then if so, that''s a horrible idea. My body is cold after all.


    If that''s not the reason then I think that I know the answer to that. Actually, this is something that I''ve notice in Sun and Night as well but I just don''t want to accept it because it''ll make me feel responsible.


    And that reason is... because of my bite.


    I should''ve thought about it more but my mind was circling on the bliss of smelling her fragrant scent of blood while I''m hungry so I wasn''t completely sane.


    I really should be careful in the future regarding this...


    I wonder when this effect will end...


    In a few hours of walking, we finally reached the village. And in those few hours when we were gone there had been a drastic change in the village that I''m quite surprised about.


    For one, it''s the wall of thick wooden poles sharpened at the end, pointing at the forest. A sort of defense against the goblins I presume and in the area, there''s a gathering of humans talking to one another.


    In this distance, I couldn''t hear them though but I can roughly guess what they''re talking about with all their pointing and grand gestures.


    It might be the case of whether they put more sharp wood or not.


    I could be wrong though. It''s just a guess.


    Also, among the people that I recognize in that gathering, which are the village chief and the guy that''s always in their house but I never learned the name of, one of them belongs to the subjugation group.


    His name is Tristan, I believe.


    We made our way towards the village to which eventually the villagers, as well as Tristan and the village chief, saw us.


    "Your back but... Where are the others."


    I and Celidonia looked at each other before replying.


    "... They had to take care of something and we weren''t needed in that."


    "Is that right?"


    The village chief only said that before he turned his gaze on me. The look on his eyes when he did that was that of great concern or relief.


    "... Snow, you should go see your guardians immediately."


    From how he said that I can already tell what happened. Even yet, I still asked.


    "...Why?"


    "They became quite unstable... We did our best to restrain them. They''ve calmed down for now but they''re still terribly depressed and became quite strange from both appearance and behavior... Please go see them now, I''ll show you where they are."


    Ah... could it be...? Yeah... It could only be that.


    I expected this... And even if I did, hearing it still shocked me. Yet again, that feeling of guilt that I''ve been trying to suppress during this whole search came coming back to me.


    Just thinking about their expression when they see me... It makes me shudder. Will they have that tear-stained expression when I see them now, just like at that certain night? Or maybe this time, it could be worse... But what''s worse than that? I don''t know but there''s bound to be one.


    The village chief mentioned it, right? That they became unstable. That they needed to restrain them as well. That''s clear-cut evidence that they''re much worse than before.


    What should I do? I doubt a simple apology will make them forgive me for making them worry so much like that. So much that they became unstable, that they needed to be restrained.


    What should I do to make them forgive me, to remove this guilt off of my chest? I don''t want to feel this... This isn''t why I wanted to live in this world... This nasty feeling, like a giant mountain being placed on my shoulders... A burden that I can''t simply remove. I don''t want this, I don''t want this, I don''t want¡ª


    "Snow...? Are you okay?"


    "Huh?"


    Before I noticed it, Celidonia was right in front today me, hands placed on my shoulder and as well as the fact that my body is shaking, not because of some kind of involuntary action done by my body but because of Celidonia, trying to shake me back to my senses.


    "Ah..."


    There was also the thing that she mentioned to me. That I shouldn''t feel so guilty about all of this because the reason I did it is justified.


    But even with that, and even though it calmed my thoughts before, I still couldn''t help but feel what I''m feeling.


    I need to suppress this somehow but the current situation that I am in, everything that I''ve thought of to distract myself always leads to my feeling of guilt.


    I hate this.


    "Snow!"


    "Ow."


    For some reason, she suddenly hit both my cheeks with her palms. It didn''t hurt much but, why?


    "It''s going to be okay."


    "Okay?"


    "Yes."


    Here serious seems to convince that it will. But I know that it isn''t wise to just go with feeling on this but... isn''t that what I''ve been doing?


    I removed her hands off of my cheeks but I didn''t let go off her hands when I finished doing so.


    "Will it?"


    Seeing me looks so hesitant, she used her right hand to lightly hold my cheek and gave me a soft smile.


    "Of course."


    Will it? I asked myself again. And my answer to that is... It won''t. Why? Because I''m such a horrible person that makes people worry about her. And I looked deeper in myself to find another answer but no such thing could be found.


    So why don''t I find it in another person?


    I then looked back again at Celidonia. In her eyes, I found another answer.


    She''s saying that it will be... completely opposite to what I think.


    ...I''ll trust her on this.


    ???


    After Celidonia talked to Tristan about something, the village chief led us towards where they kept Sun and Night. And along with our walk, the villagers all looked quite anxious and scared. They kept glancing towards Celidonia as well.


    Maybe they''re wondering why the rest of the group is? Or that they just think that they''re dead and all hopes are lost. I could certainly understand that feeling. I still don''t approve Celidonia''s decision of us heading back to the village while they''re still fighting.


    But I''m partly to blame for that so I can''t criticize her.


    Eventually, our feet stopped at the house that me, Sun and Night are staying at. And there, by the door are two humans acting as guards, I think. The village chief gestures at them to do something and they glanced at me with narrow eyes.


    One of them then proceeded to open the door and the village chief tapped my back, telling me to go.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    After a few steps forward, I looked back towards Celidonia and I saw her giving me a ''thumbs up''. With that, I steeled myself and entered the house.


    I didn''t mention this but I could hear crying sounds from outside the house. Most definitely it''s from them. And now that I''ve entered the house, it''s much more audible.


    It churned my chest to hear it but I continued on, believing in Celidonia''s words that everything will be alright.


    Before doing anything else, I took the cloth off of me and used it to cover the hole on my one-piece dress. I wouldn''t want to add this to their worries. I hope they won''t notice.


    In a few seconds, I found myself walking towards the bedroom and there I saw Sun and Night, their arms at their back tied on the bed and from the area around their tied hands and arms, I could detect a faint scent of blood. clear evidence that they''ve been injured because of this, albeit lightly.


    No, I can totally understand that the villagers had to use some sort of forceful method to restrain them somehow. That or it could be caused by them struggling to break free.


    But whatever the answer to that may be, that''s surely not the most surprising thing.


    That''s right, I''m feeling surprised to this when the right emotion I should be feeling right now is guilt and relief.


    Why?


    Well because the skin or Sun and Night became pale. Really pale. Just like how pale my skin is. And no, I''m not mistaking it because of the light or whatever. They''re definitely pale.


    The two finally notice me and they immediately ceased their sobbing and looked as if their greatest desire had been given to them.


    "Snow!"


    They said in unison as they practically tried to jump at me but the rope that''s tying them to the bed stopped them.


    I can''t just stand here. I have to get them free.


    So with that objective in mind, I went behind them get the ropes removed. But the removal of the rope proved to difficult so I went back to where Night kept her knives and used that to cut the rope instead.


    After a quick work on the rope, I freed them from their restraint but as soon as I did, they went held me tightly, not even giving me an opportunity to keep the knife away so I just threw it on the floor.


    Their hold was quite tight that it''s starting to hurt but I didn''t say anything on the matter and simply let them do what they want. And in return, I held their heads and pulled it closer. Being hug liked this is comforting and it reassures me that what Celidonia said might be right. That everything is going to be alright.


    And from this point on, with the guilt that I''m feeling and the relief that accompanied it, I truly think that. At least I wanted to.


    There''s something amiss in all of this. In particular, their hug. It''s cold. It''s missing a vital factor as to why I find being held like this comforting. They aren''t warm.


    From that very fact, the guilt that I''m feeling was overshadowed by this fear as to what the heck just happened to them. With this, my grip on their heads became slightly stronger.


    Sensing my distress, Sun and Night looked up towards me. Their gazes I met with mine and I''m shocked to what I just saw.


    Their eyes became red. Just like mine.


    "What''s wrong, Snow? You look like you saw a [ghost]..."


    Sun said as she moved her head closer to mine. Our cheeks practically touching now.


    "I''m glad... You''re alright, Snow... If we lost you, the only thing that I can think of on doing is [suicide]."


    Then Night spoke next, rubbing the side of her head on my chest. Then, she placed her slightly scratched... No, perfectly unharmed hand on my other cheek and gently caressed it.


    A find this action soothing, calming even. But like before, there''s no warmth. The warm hand that held me before is gone now.


    And it seems that their regeneration had improved as well. And no, Sun didn''t do her healing magic to heal their injuries from the rope. It''s their bodies innate regeneration.


    I don''t remember them having that absurd regeneration. As far as I''ve observed, humans don''t have the kind of fast regeneration.


    I have an inkling of an idea as to what had happened to them but I shouldn''t go and assume things. I''ll ask them what happened to them.


    "Yes... I''m sorry for worrying you two... And for breaking my promise. I''m truly sorry."


    "No! You don''t have to apologize! It''s our fault for making you promise such a thing. I''m sure you''ve been troubled by that, right? Because you''re such a kind girl."


    Night blurted that out in a panic like it''s something so important for me to hear.


    "That''s right... It''s because of us that you''ve agonized over it. I''m sorry... If you want, we''ll take our own lives? Anything that will make up for what we''ve done when we were so ignorant of your worth. Anything... We''ll do anything."


    "Wh¡ªhuh?"


    What is Sun saying? Taking their own lives? That''s simply absurd! I don''t want that! What made her think that?


    "Like what Sun had said. Anything... Be it for your pleasure or satisfaction... We''ll happily do it."


    Now they''re panting like overheated wolves. They''re practically trying to stick themselves on me right now and they''re faces are filled with expectation. Probably due to their sudden declaration of wanting to do anything for me which I don''t particularly hate.


    Does ''this'' have anything to do with them saying such dangerous sounding words? The ''this'' being the fact that they seem to be just like me. A vampire.


    So before they do anything else, I asked first.


    "You two... You became like me. When and how?"


    "Hm? What are you saying? Our worth couldn''t come close to yours."


    "What? No. I meant that you''re not human anymore."


    "Huh?"


    They were quite surprised when I told them that. Don''t they realize themselves?


    "Here. You''re not warm anymore."


    I grabbed their hand and placed them on top of each other. But their expression suggests that they didn''t get it.


    "I don''t feel any difference. It''s more like it''s you who became warm. You don''t feel cold anymore."


    "Really?"


    No. What Night said can''t be right. I don''t feel any different myself. They''re the ones that became different.


    Oh, that''s right. I could get them to see their reflection. But we don''t have any mirrors here... Maybe I can use water?


    Wait, can''t I just ask them to look at each other? That way, they can see their differences in appearance. Their red eyes and pale skin would surely surprise them.


    Isn''t that such an obvious method? Surely they must have seen each other by now so they should have realized it.


    And so I told them.


    "Look at each other''s faces."


    "Hm? Why?"


    "Just look."


    With a doubtful look, the two did it anyway and looked at each other. But their reaction to that isn''t what I''m expecting. Rather, there''s no reaction at all. Haven''t they saw their different eye color? Surely they have. I don''t think they''re blind since they could clearly see.


    So what''s with the unsurprised face?


    "Nothing''s wrong?"


    "What do you mean, Snow?"


    What do you...? Haah?


    "Your eyes. They''re different. Red."


    "You mean that? Don''t worry about that, Snow. I think our eyes just got sore from all that crying that we''ve done. It''ll return to normal in a few hours."


    So Sun explained. I don''t think that their irises would get that red from just being ''sore''. It''s hard to believe that explanation.


    "What about the pale skin?"


    "Do we have pale skin? It must have been just the lighting in here."


    Well, that might be it. The windows are covered by a cloth for some reason so there isn''t much light in here but I''m not sure that it''s a good reason to ignore that you might actually have pale skin.


    I could open the windows for them but the possibility of them being a vampire, who is weak to sunlight, like what Lacorte had said, I might just end up hurting them if I did that.


    I''m still unsure about this but if they really not vampires, then they shouldn''t react to what I''m about to do.


    I got off the bed and picked up the knife that I just threw on the floor.


    With this knife, I made a small incision on my palm, oozing a small amount of blood before the wound closes up.


    The smell slightly tickles my nose but not to the point of making me suddenly hungry since it is my own blood after all. But as for the two, it''s a completely different story.


    I saw their eyes staring at the blood on my palm longingly. I could only think of one species that would desire for blood. Vampires.


    Somehow, at some point when I was gone, these two have turned into a vampire. And the cause of that, I could only be me. But how? I don''t know? Maybe it''s my bite then but that means that Celidonia would turn into one as well?


    Oh no... This can''t be good...


    I didn''t mean for any of this to happen... for them to turn into a vampire because of me. I gave them something that they didn''t agree on and they might hate me for it. No, I''m sure that they do, even if they don''t say it.


    They just don''t want to upset me. And now, Celidonia might turn into one as well.


    Oh no... I really messed up. No matter how I twist it in my head, it''s all my fault.


    "What''s this...? Why do I feel thirsty all of the sudden...?"


    "It''s not just you, Lilia... Me as well. Hey, Snow, what''s that in your hand? It smells tasty."


    "... It''s my blood."


    "Your blood? But why would I find your blood tasty...? No, could it be that..."


    Night went into thought but her eyes are still fixated on my palm. On the blood that''s steadily dripping toward the bedroom floor.


    "So this is what you meant by us becoming like you... We''re not human anymore?"


    To Sun''s question, I simply nodded. Then Sun''s face became troubled.


    Troubled because of what I did to them. I''m sure she''s thinking like that. And like Sun, Night is surely thinking of how absurd this is.


    When they''ve cared for me so much but all I did as repayment was to turn them into something they didn''t ask for.


    The guilt from before felt like it doubled. Aren''t I so shameless to go and show myself to them? They must be thinking that I''m sure. They think that I''m a shameless monster even lower than a goblin for turning them into a vampire. To selfishly drink their blood for my own satisfaction.


    They hate me. They hate the state that they''ve suddenly found themselves into. And it''s all because of me. They hate me...


    "Then, Snow, we''re just like you now?"


    Night asked me as she rubbed that certain spot on her neck. The spot where I made that mark that I bit them on their skin. And now it''s gone. It healed completely because they''ve turned into a vampire.


    Suddenly, Sun began to cry. Tears flowed down from her eyes towards her chin. It must be because of that. The fact that they''re not human anymore.


    She''s saddened by that fact so much that she began to cry and I just stood there, looking at her as I felt disgusted with how horrible of a person I am.


    "... I''m sorry."


    "Wait! Why are you apologizing for all of the sudden!?"


    Sun said in a fluster. Her voice cracking mid-sentence because she''s crying.


    And because if that, I became greatly confused.


    "Because I''ve turned you into... something not human."


    "No! I''m not upset about it. In fact, I''m really happy!"


    "But... Your crying?"


    "Am I? I''m sorry. It''s because I''m just so happy...! With this, I felt closer with you, Snow. Now we''re the same kind."


    She then wiped away the tears off her eyes but since more kept coming, it proved to be a futile effort but she tried again and again.


    She said she was happy about and seeing her smile, I couldn''t possibly doubt that.


    I then turned to Night and as I saw her before, she was still staring at my palm. Her breathing was awfully heavy and a bit of her saliva is coming out of her mouth.


    Eventually, she noticed I was staring at her and she immediately jolted upright but her gaze was still directed at my palm.


    "Ha... It''s the same for me, Snow... Now, I could understand you more, Snow... I''ll be able to be of better use for you... But this thirst, it''s... Ha... Snow, let me lick your hand, I beg of you!"


    She looked so much in pain so I immediately went and presented my bloodied hand to her to which she greedily licked. After my whole hand is completely clean, she pulled back with an extremely satisfied expression in her face.


    "Hey, Snow... Feed me too..."


    As Sun requested, I made a small cut on my hand once again and let it bleed. After a second, the wound closed and I presented my hand to Sun. Like Night, she greedily licked my hand, fingers and all, until there''s none left.


    Their faces are dyed in red, emitting a fragrant scent inside the room.


    I''m thoroughly confused by all of this... And now, I''m slightly hungry myself.

 How and What They See 14

    And here I thought they hated me for it but judging from their expressions that might not be the case. But the case may be me overthinking things again.


    But now that I think about it, isn''t this situation quite unbelievable? Now, it''s not only just me who is a vampire here but Sun and Night as well. They''ve been turned due to my careless actions. Indeed, I''m mostly at fault for this but I''m blaming Lacorte for not informing me beforehand that vampires can do stuff like this.


    Now, what do we do? Vampires are weak to sunlight, or so I''ve heard and from what the village chief had said, these two became unstable and need to be detained so they must have left them in here while I was gone. Assuming that the time they became unstable was the same time I left the village to search.


    Then if so, I could assume from that that they''ve never set foot outside nor have they felt sunlight hitting their skin since there''s a cloth covering the window all the while when they''re detained.


    I''m still unsure if whether they''re immune to sunlight like me or they''re regular vampires.


    Well, there''s only one way to test it out.


    "Lilia. Roosevelt."


    As soon as I''ve called for them, they immediately turned their heads towards me expectantly.


    So I beckoned them to come towards the window and grabbed Sun''s hand first. I made a small opening in the window and placed Sun''s finger at the area where the ray of light is shining through.


    "Do you feel anything?"


    "No? Nothing in particular. I''m hungry though."


    Ignoring the last remark, it seems like this isn''t enough to cause a reaction then. So for that, I slowly moved her hand through the ray of light up until her whole palm was exposed to sunlight and Sun didn''t feel anything when I asked her.


    And in Night''s case, it''s the same. No reaction from her as well.


    I let out a relieved sigh. Thankfully they''ve somehow inherited my resistance. It''ll be incredibly difficult for them if they didn''t and I would feel really guilty about it even if they said they''re fine with it.


    "What''s this all about, Snow?"


    Night asked me in slight confusion. Certainly, they might find this testing weird since they didn''t know what a vampire is.


    But now that they are one, I guess I shouldn''t keep it a secret to them then.


    We sit back again on the bed and proceeded to tell them everything I know about vampires. But since I know so little still, it didn''t take too long.


    "¡ªand that''s it. Since it''s my fault that you two have turned, I''ll take responsibility for you two."


    "As we said, Snow, we''re not dissatisfied about all of this. But really, the way you said by taking responsibility for us, it feels like you [married] us¡­"


    "[Married]?"


    "Haha¡­ you don''t have to worry about that~."


    Sun''s cheek had become awfully red when she said that word. It must be something embarrassing then.


    Though, I certainly am glad that they feel that way. I don''t know what''ll do when they said that they absolutely hate being a vampire.


    But I guess it''s to be expected of them? Or maybe my bite has something to do with it? But nonetheless, I''m glad they''re not angry at me. And because of this vampire thing, the talk had deviated away from my earlier worry.


    Though I still feel guilty about it, I decided to forget it. They don''t seem too troubled by it now since I''m here already.


    *Knock knock*


    While I was having that thought, I heard a knocking sound from the door. It must be either Celidonia or the village chief who did that. Probably to confirm if the situation here is fine or not. This knocking was accompanied by a female human voice calling out my name, then someone knocked again on the door.


    I should go out and ease their worries then.


    But the moment I stepped off of the bed, Night suddenly stopped me.


    "Oh, you don''t have to get it. I''ll go."


    "No, it''s fine. They''re calling for me."


    "But¡ª"


    "It''s fine."


    Ending that exchange there, I went to the door and opened it.


    It revealed the worried faces of the village chief and Celidonia, as well as the other two whom I don''t know the name of.


    "Is everything alright?"


    Celidonia asked while lowering her eye level to meet mine.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    "Yes. Fine."


    "Really?"


    "Yes."


    We continued to stare at each other for a while with quite an uncomfortable air around us until Celidonia spoke again.


    "Can I come in to meet them, your mothers?"


    "Why?"


    "I felt like I needed to apologize to them for bringing you with us."


    If she wanted only that then I guess it''s fine.


    With that, I gesture her to enter. The village chief, sensing that this is meant to be private, left with the two others.


    How considerate of him.


    "Snow, who is¡­. So you''re the priestess?"


    As soon as they saw her, they''re brows furrowed. Other than suspicious, I think they''re also quite upset about this. And with them being like that, the mood here became pretty bad that it''s hard to move. Celidonia is quiet herself as well.


    I''ll have to say something here.


    "She''s Celidonia. She accompanied me back."


    They briefly glanced at me when I said that then shortly continued to glare at Celidonia. Seems like my words were ineffective.


    "Did she now?"


    Night continued to glare at her along with Sun. She then turned her eyes towards me before returning it to Celidonia. Now even more menacing.


    "Could you explain the hole on the back of Snow''s clothes?"


    Oh¡­ my¡­


    Needless to say that I and Celidonia freezes up from Night''s unexpected statement.


    "...When?"


    Apparently, I unconsciously muttered that question in an audible way that Night was able to hear it. Then again, I muttered. Celidonia didn''t even hear it.


    But regardless, Night heard it and I''m guessing Sun too, to which she answered with a tone completely contrary to how she glared at Celidonia a few seconds ago.


    "It''s when you went to open the door, Snow. The cloth fell off when we''re in bed. Oh! But don''t worry! I''m not blaming you for it. Since Snow gets troubled by us being such worrywarts after all. Blaming you for it would just seem unfair when I''m sure that it couldn''t be helped. We can''t let our emotions affect you again, Snow. I promise you that, right Lilia?"


    "Of course~."


    After speaking in such a kind and soft tone to me, she then returned her gaze towards Celidonia who is standing there, skin so pale that I thought she''s a vampire herself.


    "But what I''m angry about is the fact that when Snow is accompanied by what? Five adults and Snow still received an injury? That''s simply unacceptable. This is exactly why I''m against Snow going."


    With every word that Night spoke out, I felt the ground tremble and the temperature in room plummeting to the point that it''s making me shiver.


    Of course, that didn''t happen. It''s just my imagination. But Night''s anger is most certainly not.


    While being faced with such pressure, Celidonia could only whimper.


    "That''s right! Weren''t you all supposed to protect her when she up and helped you in this? That''s simply it and all of you didn''t even do a great job on that!"


    "T-that''s¡­ well¡­ at the time, it couldn''t be¡ª"


    "It couldn''t be helped!? Like hell! It could be helped! Then one of you should''ve gone and blocked whatever attack Snow received then! Your worthless lives should be capable enough with just that!"


    Ah¡­ Sun got furious as well¡­ But what she said is just going too far. It''s unfair of her to say that when she''s not even there.


    "Lilia. It couldn''t be helped."


    "B-but Snow! You''ve been injured because of their incompetence! They don''t deserve to liv¡ª"


    "No. I did that to save Celi."


    "S-Snow, you shouldn''t have¡ª"


    "!?"


    "!?"


    Yeah¡­ I think I shouldn''t have said that. Celidonia was right. Still, she should''ve said that to me earlier. Even if she''s being pressured by their glares¡­


    Yeah, it''s not my fault¡­ entirely.


    But whoever fault it is, it doesn''t matter now as the consequence to saying that has already happened. Now, I could feel as if there''s a dark and nasty aura being emitted from them. It''s somehow suffocating as well to the point that I couldn''t even speak.


    "¡­ If it is due to Snow''s whim then it couldn''t be helped..."


    Night began to mutter to no one in particular. Her expression, quite dark.


    "¡­ right¡­ that''s right... It couldn''t be helped..."


    Sun muttered as well.


    Then after a few seconds later, unexpectedly, the two breathe in and out audibly. Because of that, the air around us has become a little lighter. Somehow.


    After that, the two once again looked at Celidonia. Though they didn''t say anything immediately.


    Because of that, Celidonia must have felt that she should start the conversation and spoke first.


    "W-what is it¡­?"


    "... Since Snow saved you, shouldn''t you be saying something to her?"


    As Sun asked that sudden and unexpected question, she looked at Celidonia as if she''s stating the obvious and assuming the Celidonia knows this as well.


    "Oh... Um, Thank you very much for saving me..?"


    "Not just that! You should be devoting yourself to Snow!"


    Celidonia glanced at me for a short while before answering.


    "Huh? Um¡­ I''m certainly thankful but¡ª"


    "You can''t say no to this now, miss Celidonia."


    The one who interjected was Night and after she said that, she got up and approached Celidonia. To this, Celidonia backed away and Night continued her approach until Celidonia eventually had her back hit a wall, leaving her with no way to go to.


    Once Night is a single step away from her, she reached out and placed her right hand on Celidonia''s shoulder and proceeded to slowly move Celidonia''s clothes down the shoulder, revealing her collar bone.


    Night then moved her head to Celidonia''s ear and whispered something.


    "After all, Snow has already feed on you, didn''t she?"


    "!?"


    "... Roosevelt, how did you know?"


    I found myself asking her that. As far as I know, I didn''t leave a bite mark on her. I even saw it heal with my very own eyes. Unless Night could somehow sense something like me leaving a trace on Celidonia or something then that''s completely understandable since they possess the powers of a vampire now but the thing about that is, I don''t see or smell anything that would suggest me feeding on her.


    I know my own smell, both my mouth, my saliva, and my blood. Those smells on Celidonia when I bit her had already faded away until it''s unnoticeable for me.


    So¡­ why?


    Hearing my question towards, Night turned her head towards me and smiled softly, all the while keeping close to Celidonia.


    Celidonia as well looked at me. Her eyes seem to be asking for help but I can''t really do that right now.


    "It''s simple actually. Since Snow didn''t seem to be begging for blood when you''ve arrived, I''ve assumed that this girl here would have provided you with sustenance. And looks like my assumption is correct."


    Oh, is that it? I guess she knows me too well.


    With that end until there, Night looked at Celidonia once more and continued.


    "I''m sure you have felt it. The euphoria of having been bitten by her, having your blood drank. It''s exhilarating. I''ve never felt so good before in my entire life when I have... I''m sure you can understand that. And I''m sure you would ask for her to bite you again. And when that happens, you''ll want to devote your entire being to her as well."


    Then Sun approached Celidonia as well and continued where Night left off.


    "It''s certainly such a scary thought at first but once you''ve accepted it, and you will for sure accept it eventually, you''ll feel very liberated~."


    "¡­"


    Suddenly being told such a thing, Celidonia became speechless and just stood there, looking troubled while constantly glancing towards me with mixed messages of either asking me if what they said was true or asking me for help to get her out of this situation. At least that''s what I assumed her glances towards me say.


    It feels strange being treated like this but it''s not like I hate it. In all honesty, it feels oddly exciting.

 How and What They See 15

    "Um¡­ Snow...? Please help me?"


    Being cornered by Sun and Night, Celidonia had now resorted to an audible plea for help rather than using her eyes to signal me.


    Since she''d done that, I can''t simply ignore her then.


    And so I replied.


    "If you say it or not, it''s fine for me either way."


    "Eh¡­?"


    With the whole devoting-myself-to-Snow thing, it''s not like I''m forcing them too. But the bite, my bite, like what Night had told her, does have a significant factor in it so it''s partly my fault as well and their decision on whether they say that to me or not is tilted on one side already before the decision can be made.


    There''s also the fact that Sun and Night are coercing her to do it. That''s also a factor in this.


    You could say that the answer is already decided even. That''s certainly the case for Sun and Night even before I''ve realized it.


    But with such probability, what she answered is not what I''m expecting.


    "¡­I-I can''t¡­"


    "Hm?"


    "... I''ve devoted myself to¡­ Belenus¡­ the God of light and prosperity¡­ so I can''t¡­"


    I''m quite surprised. The fact that she used her devotion to a God is bit unexpected and expected from her. She is a priestess after all.


    Well, it''s fine for me if she doesn''t say that. It''s not like I''m asking them to do this or that it holds any value far from being a promise. But Sun and Night don''t seem to see it that way.


    "Wha-what!? Why? You don''t have to be so pious now. You''ll later understand that Snow has more value than those religious junk anyway. You might as well start now so c''mon, pledge your devotion to Snow~!"


    As Sun was saying that, Celidonia is staring at the floor, feeling more troubled than she already is.


    "¡­ I''m sorry, I really¡­ can''t¡­"


    "Huh? Why? I don''t understand how that''s more important than Snow¡­ am I missing something here? Roosevelt, do you understand it?"


    "No... I''m just confused as you are¡­ no¡­ maybe it''s because she isn''t like us. Yeah¡­ your not, um¡­ a vampire was it? Yeah, you''re not like that yet."


    Suddenly, Night turned her head towards me with a mischievous smile.


    "Snow, could you turn miss Celidonia here into a vampire just like us?"


    "W-wait¡­! Wh-what''s a vampire¡­? And what''s this about turning me into one?"


    Turn her into a vampire?


    I don''t even know how or what method I used to make them into a vampire...


    And judging from the time that they turned, it seems like that whatever I did to turn them didn''t require me to be in close proximity and that it''s a delayed response.


    This also raises my bite as being the probable cause then. So, going with that, Celidonia will sooner or later turn into a vampire due to my bite.


    If that supposedly is true, will she like that? I don''t want to force someone to do something for me if they don''t like it, nor do I want to force things onto living beings that can talk. I''ll have to ask her if she wanted to be or not. And if she does, then that''s great. But if she doesn''t¡­ I''ll need to find a cure for her and take responsibility on forcing this onto her.


    I''m not even sure if there''s a cure for this¡­


    But that thought would only be relevant it that were the case. I have to know first if it is or not.


    And so I asked.


    "Do you want to?"


    "¡­ I don''t even know what a vampire is¡­"


    Right, she still doesn''t even know what that is. I glanced at Night and when she saw me do that, she immediately knew what I meant to tell her. How reliable of her.


    And thus began her explanation.


    "A vampire is what Snow is. And us as well it looks like. Like what you already know, they have the need to feed on blood. And apparently, turn other people into one as well. It''s Snow who turned us into one. I still haven''t experienced much on being one but other than this strong thirst that I''ve been feeling for a while now. Though, my body does feel lighter than usual."


    After Night finished talking, Celidonia still looked confused. Should I explain it a bit more clearly to her?


    But before I could speak, Celidonia spoke her answer.


    "No¡­ if I became a vampire, I can''t possibly serve God then¡­ I won''t be a junior priestess anymore."


    To her answer, Sun and Night sighed in frustration as they glared at Celidonia as if she said something very unforgivable. Seeing this, Celidonia contracted her whole body further and avoided their gazes by looking at the floor again.


    ¡­ I should intervene on this, shouldn''t I? I''m sure they''ve done what they wanted to do and now, it''s just pointless intimidation. Maybe they would even force her to do it.


    "Lilia, Roosevelt. Please leave her alone."


    "Snow¡­?"


    They were quite reluctant to do what I just said but seeing my serious look, to which I consciously made, they moved away from Celidonia. Though they still continued to glare at her.


    Ha¡­ I really wished that Celidonia had just said yes to being turned into a vampire. That would make things a lot smoother for me now and the future. If she said that she does want to be a vampire then I wouldn''t be feeling guilty about biting her.


    But since she said no, then that just made me very anxious right now. I''m still don''t know what really is the cause for Sun and Night to turn into vampires. Biting them is likely to have something to do with it. But although I do know that my bite makes people more inclined to care about my safety to a greater degree, I''m not truly sure if it is really the cause.


    It is the most likely candidate for it, which is making me anxious but there''s still a chance that it might be something else. And I truly hope it is something else. I don''t want to go and search for a cure that might not even exist just because I want to get this feeling of guilt out of me.


    Then again, if she suddenly said that she''s fine with it then maybe that''ll ease me a little bit but I doubt that will happen since she seemed to really want to stick to her devotion to God.


    "If you don''t want to devote yourself to Snow, fine. But then, you should do something else with a similar value for Snow. I''m sure you wouldn''t complain about that, right?"Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    When I was having that uncomfortable thought, Night said something amazing again.


    What''s this about doing something equal to giving her devotion to me? But from the way Night said that, along with how her face looks like she''s scheming something, it can''t be something normal like making me food.


    Celidonia didn''t answer her though and just met Night''s oddly cheery eyes with confusion and a tinge of fear.


    Taking the silence as a sign to continue, Night¡­ continued.


    "I could only think up of one thing that can be considered equal to that... It''s to be her food."


    Oh, it looks like my guess is right. Well, she''s not going to cook, rather she''s going to be the food so it''s sort of right.


    "Food..!?"


    "It''s not like Snow will eat you. Like I''ve said, vampires feed on blood so... You provide her with blood."


    Night grinned ear to ear, looking very much excited to what she said and all the while glancing at me for who knows what reason.


    Then after a couple of seconds, Night looked at her and spoke.


    "¡­ and maybe provide sustenance for me and Lilia as well. Oh, but Snow, if you don''t like that, then it''s perfectly fine if you keep her all to yourself."


    Night flashed a bright smile at me before returning her look back to Celidonia.


    "So, what do you think, miss? It certainly isn''t a bad deal. Just think of it as a servant cooking for her master. You wouldn''t be worshiping your master now, would you? So you can pray to God all you want no matter how I considered that to be disrespectful for my beloved Snow. Or maybe you''re going to refuse this offer as well? If you are, I can promise you it wouldn''t end lightly."


    Oh¡­ terrifying. Good thing she isn''t directing that hostility towards me. Still though, please don''t threaten her, Night¡­ it doesn''t sit well with me.


    Her fears for being told to become food for me had subsided fairly decently from the initial shock but she still looked very much hesitant about it.


    "¡­ a-alright¡­"


    Oh, she agreed? No, she must''ve been pressured by Night into saying that. Well, there might be a part of her who agreed on that as well, it''s not entirely Night''s fault and since I don''t particularly have any role in this, I wouldn''t feel guilty either way, but I still feel the need that I should ask if she''s okay with it.


    "Are you okay with... that?"


    Hearing that, Celidonia slowly turned her head towards me, rubbed the side of her neck and answered.


    "¡­ Yes. A-and it''s fine for you two as well¡­"


    While saying that, Celidonia''s cheeks have become awfully red. And with her blush, it gave a nice scent of blood wafting through the air.


    And it seems that Sun and Night have noticed this faint smell as well as they became wide-eyed suddenly.


    "¡­ Snow, she said it''s fine so¡­ could we go first? I''ve been holding back all this time but right now, I can''t seem to hold steady any longer."


    "I-it''s the same for me as well, Snow¡­ can we take a sip from her?"


    Seeing them so agitated, I personally don''t know if they''ll be able to hold back.


    I looked at Celidonia for confirmation and she replied to me by nodding meekly.


    So she''s really okay with it then? Very well.


    "It''s fine. You two can go."


    "Yes!"


    "Thank you very much!"


    Now what happened next is what I can only describe as a scene of two wolves pouncing at a prey, all at once. The two where quite fast at doing it as well. Definitely not something a human can do, at least average humans. Not those guys in the subjugation group.


    And speaking about those guys, I wonder if they''re still alive.


    ???


    "Holy crap, those guys are tougher than I imagined¡­"


    In the deep parts of the forest, there laid three human corpses.


    Needless to say that the surroundings are dyed in crimson red and entrails hanging from branches. To add to the chaos, the ground was littered with small craters and some trees are even toppled over or had simply been sliced in half.


    It was such a scene that when one saw it, they''ll immediately assume that some large monster had caused it all. It might even cause some to vomit just from the foul stench of the dead.


    Rus looked at this horrific scene with an indifferent expression. It wasn''t the first time he saw something like this after all. It''s simply aftermath of some of the jobs he had taken and this one, it''s no different.


    Rus then sat below a nearby tree that is otherwise unaffected by what just happened and from there, he folded his right knee and examined the wound that he received on his calf.


    Twisting his legs a bit, he saw a substantial chunk of his calf missing.


    "Shit¡­ goddamned possessed¡­"


    He took out an appropriate sized white cloth from his back pocket. With that, he wrapped it around the wound a number of times until it''s fully covered.


    Rus wished that he knows healing magic but since he could use black magic, that immediately made him incompatible for using any school of magic closely related to light and that being healing magic.


    He let out a sigh. He knew better than hoping for something he couldn''t do at the moment. More importantly, he needed to get back to the village before it became dark. It would be unwise to stay in the dark with an injury like this.


    Plus, there''s a priestess in the village. Or at least on the way to the village. Through her, he could get this wound fixed up, or if not, heal it enough so he wouldn''t have to worry about getting the wound infected. But in the case that she refused, he''ll have the villagers mend it for him.


    And speaking about the priestess, he found it weird that she wasn''t affected by his magic. Certainly, he still wasn''t at the level of mastery but it was on a high enough level that simply hearing him talk would affect her somewhat and make him more believable or convincing.


    But during the trip to the village, she didn''t seem to be affected at all. Sure, she listened to his words somewhat but it wasn''t because of his magic. It was simply that she found his words to be logical enough with common sense.


    And it''s not only her, but there''s also that girl. From what the village chief had said, she''s an adopted child of the two travelers that they took in.


    And that''s one of the strange aspects about her. That she''s the adopted child of the two that he''s here for. He wasn''t informed that they brought a child with them. Not only that, it seems that Lilia and Roosevelt don''t have their supposed guards as well.


    A child and no guards, and for some odd reason, the two other groups that were sent after them had all died. Completely annihilated. Something is not adding up here.


    If they still have their guards then sure, it might that those guards are very powerful and that they somehow beat those disposable idiots that his contractor had sent for them. That would be more reasonable then.


    But they didn''t have them. During his check on the two, they don''t have someone that resemble a guard. They were completely alone.


    And there''s also the matter of the child. Not only is she unaffected by his coercion, but she also possesses some sort of clairvoyant ability as she somehow knew where the goblin village is. Because of her as well, the traps that he had laid for these idiots were completely useless. Whenever he tried to lead them to where they are, the child, with the help of the priestess, would revert them back to the path.


    Obviously, that child is special somehow and Rus didn''t know just how special she is. It was a good thing that a chance came up for him to get rid of those two.


    A goblin shaman in contract with a devil. When the shaman died, the devil it is in contract with revived the dead corpse of the shaman and used it as a vessel. But in doing so, there''s a catch. The devil needs to devour souls in order to keep this form. The stronger the soul, the better. And through this, the devil can grow stronger.


    And as the devil had mentioned, the child has the most ''delicious'' soul among them. Rus didn''t know why that it is and he wasn''t an expert on the subject to figure out why. Well, it did prove useful this time so he went along with it.


    Of course, second to the child in terms of soul quality is the priestess. Since the priestess is still a junior priestess, her soul isn''t to the point that it''ll be incredibly poisonous to the devil of that level but it was pure enough that it could be delectable.


    With that information, and as well as the fact that the child got injured because of the devil''s attacks,


    It made the perfect excuse and opportunity for him to send them back.


    And now that they''re gone, he was be able to get rid of the other three without any unexpected interruptions.


    During the chaos of the battle, he went and attacked them but he didn''t expect that they had their guard up that much. Especially that Sam guy. He reacted quite quickly to his attack. Not only that, when they''re desperate, they''re really on another level.


    Well, the outcome for that was quite obvious. He had already fought groups like them before and he won with some effort. And to add to their worries, they had to deal with a possessed shaman. No way they''ll be able to win.


    Though at some point, Rus became careless and had his calf slashed.


    "Aw¡­ shit¡­!"


    He hissed in pain when he touched the wound. The piece of cloth had now turned black from all the bleeding. Just thinking about walking all the way back to the village with a wound like this is hurting him both physically and mentally.


    Fortunately for him, the shaman had, for some reason and somehow, escaped. He guessed it might be the same kind of magic it used to ambush them but he wasn''t sure what kind of magic it was.


    He probably wouldn''t make it by the end of the day if he walked and he''ll get caught out in the dark. The situation for him looks rather grim.


    That is if he could only walk.


    He unsheathed the hidden knife from the pocket on the side of his leather pants and stabbed it in the trunk of the tree he''s leaning on. Then, he used that as support to carefully stand up, putting all the weight on his good leg as he did so.


    Once he''s upright, he leaned his body on the trunk once more and extended his arms forward. Next, he began to chant words in a practiced manner and after a couple of seconds, a shadow like a figure began to take form in front of him. As he continued his chant, the shadow''s shape became more obvious.


    And once he finished his chant, the shadow, whose shape was that of a horse, moved and was even neighing but no sound came out of the horse.


    As if it wasn''t anything special, Rus limped forwards to the horse and rode it like normal, albeit with a bit of difficulty.


    Once he had firmly sat on it, the horse took this as a cue and run off to the general direction to where the village is. Rus held on tightly on the reins made of similar material as the horse.


    Simply killing his targets wouldn''t be any fun and there''s also that underlying uncertainty about the child and thus, a little bit of acting is needed here.


    With that thought, he looked forward expectantly and with excitement as a performance was about to unfold.

 How and What They See 16

    After the two had literally pounced on Celidonia, I had to stop them by physically removing them from her. Since they''ve become a vampire, they''re much stronger than before so it took quite an effort to do so.


    Well, in the end, it actually wasn''t necessary since Celidonia was completely fine with it and she didn''t seem to be in distress. And after doing that, the two became very apologetic as they''ve been hitting their heads on the ground as if they''re trying to break their own skulls.


    I had them stop that of course. And after that, I let them continue their feeding on Celidonia while I observe on the side.


    It puzzled me how they''re so relieved and exhilarated when they''re having their blood sucked. Wouldn''t you not want that to happen to you? You could die from that, you know?


    Then again, I never experienced it myself so I never knew why and how. Maybe I could get either Sun and Night to suck my blood. Just to see how that feels. Or maybe it''s weird to drink other vampires blood? And how would that feel as well?


    Also, on the note on being sucked by two vampires, it wouldn''t be odd that you''ll lose enough blood that it''s fatal. And Sun and Night here aren''t even holding back. Should I stop them again?


    The thought kept coming to me as I stared at them. But in the end, I never did since Celidonia looked lively like before the feeding so I assumed that she''s alright.


    Well, after the session, her body seemed to have lost all energy and fell on the bed, like a collapsing tree. Or how a human''s body fall on the ground when you cut off their head instantaneously.


    She was breathless but her expression wasn''t something that you should make when being preyed upon by two vampires. Sun and Night themselves looked satisfied after the whole ordeal.


    I went and poked Celidonia''s cheeks, to see if she''s still conscious and it looks like she is when I saw her eyes opened halfway.


    "Are you okay?"


    "¡­ I¡­ ha¡­ I''m fineee¡­ please let me rest¡­ for a bit¡­"


    After saying that, she closed her eyes once more.


    I did the rubbing-the-head thing on her which made her giggle a little bit before going back to her heavy breathing.


    I sniffed her and I saw, or smelled, that her blood is half of what it usually is. It''s also the same level where I found Sun and Night had when I went berserk.


    I panicked when I realized that. Should I give her some of my blood? It''s dangerously low after all. She might even die suddenly because of how low her blood levels are right now¡­


    But she looked to be fine so that confuses me. So I decided to poke her cheeks again to wake her up.


    "Are you sure you''re fine?"


    "Hm? I¡­ am?"


    Seeing her so sleepy, I poked her cheeks again.


    "You''re not going to die?"


    "Ah¡­ no, won''t¡­ don''t worry¡­"


    Well, it sure doesn''t seem like that to me but I''ll take her word for it and let her be.


    There''s also the fact that I just recently noticed. It''s the fact that her blood level is slowly rising in small increments. That was definitely strange but I doubt she and the two know why that is.


    "Mmm¡­ this child is delicious, Snow. We should have her come with us."


    "Come with? To where?"


    "To where? We''re leaving of course."


    Oh right, they mentioned it before didn''t they?


    "It''s getting dangerous here, Snow. Who knows what will happen when night hits. So it''s better if we just leave."


    Certainly. What Sun said is true but I just don''t feel right about doing it¡­


    I looked at Celidonia again and it looks like she''s sleeping soundly right now. I wonder what she will say when I tell her that we''re leaving and that I wanted her to come with us?


    ???


    To us leaving, I''m not against it. But I''m not saying that it doesn''t leave a bad taste.


    More specifically, I still feel uneasy about Trish''s situation. How is she doing? Is she eating well? Is she taking a bath there? When will we get to play dress-up again? Is she even still alive?


    I''d like to confirm all of that if possible and maybe I can leave this village without feeling uncomfortable about it.


    But I guess to those questions, I''ll leave it to the rest of the subjugation group to find the answers to. I''m sure Chris and Leo will appreciate that.


    As for what we''re doing now, we''re going to be looking for the village chief and tell him that we''re going to leave. After that, we''re going to see Chris and Leo and tell them the same thing.


    And as for who I''m with in doing this, it''s Sun. Night said that she''ll prepare everything as we do this and that she''ll take care of Celidonia as well and tell her our plans when she wakes up.


    But I had a feeling that in the off chance that Celidonia refused, she''s going to do some underhanded form of convincing...


    Also, it looks like Sun and Night is immune to sunlight, just like me. It had worried me a little when Sun just left the house with no care. I thought she was going to burn up in flames but thankfully she didn''t. I guess I already knew that but it was just their hand that was exposed to sunlight. Who knows if the whole body is actually immune or not.


    After a couple of minutes walking, we arrived at where we thought the village chief would be. The front of the village where they''re laying the defenses and such for the incoming goblin raid.


    And it looks like he is there among the other humans, looking at something.


    Hm¡­ they''re circling on something and they''re pretty chatty about it. It''s like when the subjugation group had first arrived in the village but rather than cheers and whatnot, their expressions are rather difficult.


    And when one noticed us coming, he informed the others until all of them looked at us with clear hostility.


    Sorry, what happened?


    "Seize that child!"Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Before I could even form possible reasons as for why they became angry at us all of the sudden, what I could only guess to be the village chief, shouted on the top of his lung the order to capture me.


    Obviously, I tried to escape. My own safety first before thinking up of any reason for this but when I tried to, I felt that there was something stopping me.


    It wasn''t enough to completely stop me but even with everything I got, it still felt like I was walking through an incredibly thick liquid, severely slowing me down. Sun is like that too but it looks like it affected her more than me.


    What is this? And who''s doing this to me?


    When I looked back to see who did it, I saw something completely unordinary.


    What I saw when I looked back is a rabid flock of villagers chasing us down and farther than them, the village chief. His look towards us was that of great disappointment and anger.


    But he wasn''t the reason why. The reason was next to him.


    That Rus was next to him, wearing a large smile on his face. But it wasn''t only that. Just for a brief moment, I saw two protruding objects on him.


    And from just that brief glance, I immediately identified what those objects are.


    They''re horns.


    Why did he show me this? Surely he would have nothing to gain for showing me something that would indicate in him being a non-human.


    But I wasn''t able to entertain that thought much further.


    Or rather, I couldn''t entertain that thought further because I mentally can''t.


    Suddenly, I felt a sickening sensation inside of me. It''s so bad that I think that my blood might actually go out of my body through my mouth in the next few seconds. To add to that, my mind begins to feel cloudy as I can''t think straight anymore.


    Soon enough, I lost consciousness.


    ???


    Demons are beings that are believed to be unholy and are associated with devils. They also go with varied forms and shapes. Meaning, they can take the form of like a dog, a bear, and even a human.


    Anyway, it''s not only limited to their shape but their skin color as well. That also varies between demons.


    But why am I thinking about this? It''s because Snow''s family might actually be one.


    "Oh, awake already? I have to say, your blood tastes like that sweet wine I had the pleasure of drinking. Those times were joyous but now that master is gone, I''m afraid those times will never come back again."


    "Um¡­ what are you talking about?"


    "Sorry. Just talking to myself. So, how are you feeling?"


    "I feel¡­ refreshed."


    "I see... That''s good. It wouldn''t be good if something were to happen to you when Snow has already taken interest in your life."


    The woman named Roosevelt told me that before resuming¡­ her packing?


    Are they going to leave?


    Well, it is the right thing to do considering what they are.


    Right. She mentioned that they''re ''vampires''. And these ''vampires'' drink blood apparently.


    And they drank mine just a moment ago as well...


    I went and felt the area where I was bitten and I don''t feel any form of a wound on them when I''m pretty sure they''ve dug their fangs into me quite deeply. But that alone isn''t the strangest thing. It''s the fact that I don''t find it revolting or scary when they actually do it.


    And being bitten, having my blood drank¡­ it was quite an experience. I don''t think I could achieve that feeling by myself, or with a beloved. It''s on a whole other level.


    And yes, it did feel good when those two came at me at once. They sucked out so much blood from me that I got lethargic due to anemia.


    But that little girl... That girl that these two are worshiping like an idol. She was the first one that did me. And it felt like I was sent to heaven. It was a miracle that I didn''t pass out but I got close to it. Just thinking about how her fangs digging into my skin and draining me of my blood¡­ oh god.


    And like those two had said, that I''ll eventually become like them. Fully devoting my life to her and providing her with sustenance until I die. At least that''s how it came across to me.


    And I''m pretty sure that that almost happen to me then. I almost made an oath like that. Like what they''re telling me to do. But fortunately, something inside me came out and said no to that. Because of that, I still kept my pride as a priestess.


    But like I said, I''ll eventually become like ''that''. And that thought¡­ doesn''t scare me at all.


    Why¡­? Oh god why¡­.? Please, Lord Belenus, lead me to the light to which I find peace and tranquility, the light that would lead me away from this rabbit hole that I''m falling into¡­


    I closed my eyes and prayed dearly. To find the light that would set me back to the straight path. And by God''s merciful act towards me, I could see the light. I could see it clearly. Yet, why am I not desperately trying to reach out to it? Why am I staying here, waiting for them to prey on me with an expectant expression, like a cattle?


    Why do I not hate this¡­? Why am I happy about this...? It''s evident that they''re going to treat me like this so why?


    Oh god¡­ don''t tell me that, everything I fought for in my whole life, the desire to be a priestess, to serve God, Lord Belenus, would crumble apart just because of this¡­


    Please, me! Cry about it! Pray to God and ask for the strength to overcome this, like I usually do¡­


    Yet I have no desire to do such things¡­


    And it''s all their fault¡­ that child, Snow, I wouldn''t have let her bite me, drink from me if she didn''t captivate me. And when that didn''t happen, then I wouldn''t be in this mess.


    That''s right, they''re demons¡­


    "You demons¡­ you unholy filth that plagues the surface of Rolte¡­ to turn me into your cattle..."


    "What are you muttering about? Have you turned crazy."


    Maybe I have? I mean, the very fact that I''m not even crying about this clearly abnormal and depressing situation I am in is enough evidence that signifies that I am, indeed, had gone crazy.


    Just then, I heard some object falling on the ground with a thud. The noise was dampened due to something like a cloth maybe. I could easily look to confirm it, but I decided not to. I simply kept my hands where they are. Covering my eyes so it wouldn''t be able to see anything corrupt anymore.


    But that''s not only the reason. It''s that there''s a demon there. If I look at her, I would certainly feel the urge. That urge to be preyed upon. To be used like a water container, a cattle, a bottled wine, a playthi¡ª


    "Hey miss, are you sure you''re fine?"


    The demon grabbed my chin and forced me to face her. The hands that I used to cover my eyes, for some reason, removed themselves off of my face. As if I wanted to gaze at her, to gaze directly on those captivating blood red eyes¡­


    Suddenly, she smirked. Did she read my mind? Oh my, how embarrassing~! Truly it couldn''t be helped~.


    "Oh, I know how you feel. I''ve gone through that myself after all. I''m sorry but you''ll have to do it with me. Snow isn''t here at the moment, you see. But since Snow is constantly hungry, I''m sure she''ll want to drink from you again. Until then, you have me. Shall I relieve you then?"


    I nodded at her offer. It would be stupid to say no after all. And my body is itching all over, wanting her fangs to pierce my skin so I couldn''t possibly wait for Snow in my situation.


    As she plunged her fangs into me, I felt my blood leaving my body to the area where she bit me. It''s such a grotesque feeling but even more than that, it feels good¡­ it feels way too good~!


    Ah~! I love this! I love this more than God! Yes! Please take more! Drain me like a wet rug! Drink all of my blood until there''s nothing left! Ah¡­! I''m so sinful¡­ To be swayed by carnal desires¡­


    "Ha¡­ ha¡­."


    Roosevelt finally removed her fangs off of me. The bite mark as well seemed to disappear completely as soon as she removed her fangs.


    To cut it short like that is¡­ Just mean.


    I took deep breaths. I shook my hands and head to get rid of this tingling sensation I''m feeling. Then something dawned upon me.


    Reason. Something I really needed right now.


    Oh my, I think I''ve thought of something incredibly blasphemous¡­ Lord Belenus wouldn''t forgive me so easily for this¡­


    And so it starts again. The 48 days of prayer for forgiveness.


    Oh god... I can''t lose my mind like that again... Right. If I just stop thinking about it, maybe that''ll prevent me from going bonkers.


    After mentally slapping myself on the cheek, I then faced Roosevely whom is still peering into my eyes like I''m some prey of her.


    And her fangs are showing as well... Wait! stop it! Don''t think about it Celi!


    I shook my head to rid of those thoughts to which Roosevelt chuckled at before speaking.


    "Seems like you''re alright now. I''m quite impressed that you recovered quickly from that."


    "Oh, ah... Thank you for that. We went into training so we wouldn''t get tempted by devils so..."


    "But you know¡­"


    "Hm?"


    "Don''t think I''ve forgotten about you calling me a demon. The fact that you did so would mean calling not just me but my current race as well, a demon. The same race as Snow. That means you''ve called Snow a demon as well. I find that very offensive... But, I''m sure you wouldn''t do it again, right?"


    "Y-yes¡­! I''m sorry, never again!"


    "Good~. Now that you''ve calmed down now. Help me with this."


    And I completely and utterly ingrained that in my mind. They don''t even resemble a demon since they have no horns. What am I thinking?


    She got off the bed and picked up a grey cloth that is used to wrap a bunch of items which I assume from the sound that it made to be something metallic.


    "Your packing?"


    "Yes. We''re leaving. And right, you''re coming with¡ªwait¡­"


    She paused suddenly for some reason, letting go of the packed metallic items that she''s grabbing onto with her hand.


    Then, her face twisted in horror. Did something happen just now? Just seeing her expression made me break out in cold sweat as well.


    "Snow''s in trouble.¡­"


    Saying only that, she runs off outside with a speed I could only call as superhuman. Or maybe she used magic to boost her speed.


    But that can''t be because it didn''t seem to be that she''s capable of using mana.


    So maybe it''s something a vampire can just do then? Well whatever it is, the fact that she did so with urgency is the most alarming part.


    And Snow''s in trouble? What''s this about? And why do I feel so concerned about it?