Ch.146Chapter 146: Evening (1)

After my regular training with Fafnir was canceled due to his personal matters, I finally had an evening to spend leisurely.

Though I initially thought the evening hours before sleep wouldn’t amount to much, this newfound free time immediately proved to be longer than expected.

Why, you ask?

“…Hehe.”

The moment I offered to stay with her a bit longer, Shizu happily laughed and rested her head on my shoulder. I suddenly realized how much more time I would get to spend with her.

My expression softened uncontrollably, and I struggled to keep my smile in check.

I was just wondering what to do until bedtime in these early evening hours when—

“Shizu.”

“Yes?”

“Are you hungry?”

“When I’m with Cal, I’m not hung—”

*Growl*

The moment I heard that hunger-announcing sound from Shizu’s stomach—she who was trying to skip dinner just to stay close to me—

She quickly bowed her head, avoiding eye contact with me.

“…Stay here. I’ll go to the dining hall and bring dinner for you.”

It wasn’t a suggestion but a declaration.

“…Okay.”

With her mumbled response as she kept her head down, I got up and headed to the dining hall to fulfill my first task of the evening: bringing nutritious food to help her recover.

How could I not do this much for someone who had rushed into danger before anyone else in the fortress, contributing greatly to minimizing casualties?

As I left the infirmary, a freezing wind greeted me, announcing that we were in the northern region during year’s end.

Unlike this time before my regression, the warmth of human connection I’d recently experienced kept both my body and mind heated.

This cold couldn’t freeze my body or spirit.

“Let’s go…”

With those brief words, my steps toward the dining hall felt lighter than ever before.

#

Nothing unusual happened on my way to the dining hall.

Filled with joy at safely concluding the year and finishing the subjugation festival without any serious injuries or deaths—

“Let’s drink!”

“Let’s party!”

“When else can we laugh out loud like this! Wahahahaha!!”

The soldiers gathered in groups in the plaza at the center of the fortress, arms around each other’s shoulders, making a ruckus, paying no particular attention to me.

That was only natural.

They were busy letting loose after a long period of tension, right in the middle of a festival.

Why would any soldier or knight care about a Cradle student going about his business?

Judging by this atmosphere, I figured no one in the dining hall would pay attention to me either…

“…Huh?”

…or so I thought, but somehow there were people who immediately caught my eye as I entered.

Who could make me show such interest, and—

“Ah…”

“Uh…”

Who would make such dumbfounded sounds upon seeing me enter the dining hall?

It was Sister and Excel, exchanging peculiar glances across a table.

Their food trays appeared empty, suggesting they had finished their meals.

Yet they remained seated, exchanging glances without speaking a word. They happened to be sitting not far from the entrance.

Their gazes coincidentally met mine as I noisily pushed open the door and entered.

It was quite an awkward atmosphere.

Sister’s face, which I could see clearly as she sat facing the entrance, showed no particular emotion.

But judging by the slight twitching of her silver eyebrow—the same color as her hair—

‘She’s not in a good mood.’

I could tell with certainty that Sister, who was looking at Excel, wasn’t particularly pleased.

When I was young and got caught breaking something or playing pranks around the house, Sister would give me exactly the same look when scolding me, so I couldn’t be mistaken.

Though I couldn’t see Excel’s expression since his back was turned to me, I could easily tell from his attitude—slightly lowering his head and flinching under Sister’s gaze.

I quickly confirmed that Sister was in a bad mood, but why?

The subjugation festival had ended safely.

Above all, for Sister, who was responsible for everything in the fortress, the fact that there were no casualties of any kind during this subjugation festival should have been considered a great achievement.

All sorts of thoughts appeared and disappeared in my mind as I tried to figure it out.

But my thinking was cut short when Sister, still maintaining eye contact with me, closed her eyes and gently shook her head from side to side.

‘Don’t think unnecessary thoughts, just go about your business.’

That was the meaning behind her gesture.

…I’ll have to ask Excel about it later.

With that thought settled, I headed to the serving counter with a large tray in hand.

As expected, a feast was laid out at the serving counter.

With the subjugation festival over, there was no longer a need for tight management of supplies in preparation for attacks from demon beasts.

To match the festive year-end atmosphere, the counter was filled with dishes made from rather good ingredients that had been stored in the warehouse.

Considering this was one of the most dangerous frontlines responsible for the Empire’s security—

Though it might fall short compared to the high-class cuisine of “The Adler” that one could taste for a considerable sum—

The dishes were all quite excellent given that they had to be distributed equally to all soldiers.

Leading the selection was meat from pigs raised on wheat and barley from the Empire’s western granary, slaughtered and aged, then marinated with spices hard to find here and cooked over high heat.

There was even a salad of fresh vegetables—impossible to find in the northern region at this time of year—prepared with minimal cooking.

“Mmm…”

Looking at the food on the serving counter, I couldn’t help but let out a satisfied sigh.

Ah, this isn’t the time for that.

“I need to fill this tray quickly and get back to the infirmary.”

Shizu might collapse from hunger.

After gathering my wandering attention, I loaded my tray with plenty of food from the counter.

“Well then, let’s go.”

I was about to continue on my way, imagining Shizu’s delighted expression when she saw the food, but—

“Y-you shouldn’t t-take that much f-food outside if you c-can’t eat it all…”

A tiny voice, as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz, stopped me in my tracks.

“…What?”

What was that?

I was actually thinking I might need to come back for more food, and here someone was trying to stop me from taking just this much?

Though the tone wasn’t directly confrontational—

Thinking about Shizu waiting for me while her stomach growled with hunger made me feel indignant.

I turned my head to see who was trying to stop me.

“…?”

I immediately doubted my own eyes.

Some people might wonder why, but they’d understand after hearing my explanation.

First, let me describe the person who stopped me with that mosquito-like voice.

“Eeeek…”

A shriek that clearly showed her terror the moment our eyes met.

“D-don’t look at me like that, it’s s-scary.”

Not only that, but she raised the ladle in her hand above her head and shrank her body in a clear effort to protect herself.

“…Aren’t you that dhampir girl from a few days ago?”

“Eeeep…”

It was Jessica, a waitress from “The Adler” who, a few days ago, had unknowingly awakened her vampire blood and spread overflowing magical energy throughout the fortress before being discovered by Shizu and me during our patrol.

From “my current self’s” perspective, I shouldn’t mention her name since we hadn’t been formally introduced.

So I referred to her identity rather than her name, but—

“…Ugh.”

Jessica’s behavior—avoiding eye contact with me and trembling like an aspen leaf—was quite a sight to behold.

…Was she that frightened by the memory of me burning away the traces she left behind a few days ago?

Such a thought came naturally, as her attitude toward me was close to fear as she tried not to meet my gaze.

Well, her fear of me was one thing.

What’s important was that despite being identified as a dhampir, she was somehow working in a fortress facility.

Anyway, seeing this girl—who was a few years younger than me and had inherited vampire blood—functioning normally inside the fortress raised all sorts of questions in my mind.

Among the various thoughts floating around, the main question was:

‘How is she able to move about freely?’

Unlike the Empire’s generosity in granting citizenship to demon-race hybrids, dhampirs—those who inherited vampire blood—were strictly regulated when it came to citizenship. It was curious to see her operating normally at the frontline of imperial security.

Well, despite saying all this, I knew from my experience before regression that this dhampir girl was harmlessly innocent beyond imagination.

Though we hadn’t interacted much, I could easily tell from the few conversations we had that she had a kind nature.

Both before my regression and now, even though she had awakened her vampire blood, she didn’t feel any urge to drink blood from innocent people.

And the magical energy that had erupted from her body was so weak that even ordinary soldiers with holy water could handle it, not even requiring an apprentice cleric.

Moreover, since Sister, the highest authority, had confirmed through interrogation that the person herself had no malicious intent when causing the incident—

When I heard from Sister that she was confined to an isolation area within the fortress (though not a prison) until she could stably control her awakened vampire blood—

I had wondered if she would be able to get along well in this fortress, which viewed vampires with particular hostility, especially since she had suddenly realized her identity, unlike before my regression.

…Has her control ended so successfully that she can move about freely after just a few days?

“…”

As I looked at her with a gaze full of bewilderment, she was too busy panicking to properly answer the question in my eyes.

“It was merely a temporary awakening, and since then not even a bit of magical energy has leaked out. We’re having her work part-time here to see how she functions when the situation isn’t dangerous.”

Sister’s voice reached my ears, turning her attention from Excel to resolve my doubts.

As she calmly explained that it wasn’t successful control but rather that there was no power left to control, the more I listened—

Though concerns like ‘Will she be alright?’ did cross my mind—

Such worries quickly dissolved as I recalled the harmlessness of this dhampir girl that I remembered.

Ah, if Sister says so, it must be fine.

And she must be paying her properly for the part-time work, not making her work for free.

With that thought settled, I gave up trying to question Jessica further.

“Hey.”

“…Yes.”

“You know that dhampirs are considered subjects requiring special attention in the Empire, right?”

“…Yes.”

“You didn’t seem like someone who would cause trouble when I saw you then… Be careful not to act in ways that might turn people’s preconceptions and prejudices into certainty.”

I tried to end the conversation by briefly telling her about the mindset a person with a dhampir identity should maintain.

“…Thank you.”

Jessica finally stopped avoiding my gaze and expressed gratitude for my advice.

“It’s nothing… Well, I’ll be going now.”

With that, I greeted her and turned to leave the dining hall, but—

“…?”

My steps toward the exit couldn’t continue.

After grabbing the back of my neck—

“I-I said earlier… y-you shouldn’t take that much food outside if you c-can’t eat it all…”

Jessica stopped me with a desperate voice.

Ah.

I didn’t explain why I was taking this food.

I hastily explained why I was taking it outside, and—

“I-I’m so sorry!”

Jessica, her face turning pale at my words, apologized to me more urgently than I had explained.

This minor incident filled about one page of the notebook called “evening”—a rare stretch of free time I had after so long.

I wonder what will fill the remaining pages?

After leaving the dining hall—

“…It’s gotten a bit colder than before.”

As the night deepened gradually, I savored the cold air that was freezing the earth while walking. My mind was filled with thoughts about how to spend the remaining time.