Chapter 6 : Thinking

The war is over.

‘…Now, how should I live?’

A worldline I don’t know is approaching.

Until now, I managed to get by thanks to the knowledge I had.

Now, I really don’t know anymore.

‘For now, let’s savor the victory.’

The scenery I once saw in a game was so breathtakingly beautiful that I couldn’t take my eyes off it for a moment.

Hot cocoa and a cigarette.

Since I drank blood, I can now absorb sugar into my body.

I sipped the cocoa with a satisfied smile.

Its warmth heating my body was exquisite.

Cocoa that is only available to officers of field rank or higher in the Imperial Army.

“…It’s delicious.”

Feeling the sweetness wrap around my mouth, I muttered blankly.

I wasn’t originally fond of sweets.

But since I had to eat when I could absorb calories, I ended up liking them.

As I gazed at the sunrise, Kriha, with a tearful expression, came and sat next to me.

“Major…!! Thank you… for protecting us…!”

“Anyone watching might think I’m retiring.”

Kriha, who was clinging to me and crying loudly.

She too is a pitiful woman who lost her entire family to vampires.

The only difference from Erik is that she still manages to keep a bright demeanor.

“…Stop crying.”

“Ugh… the smell of cigarettes.”

“You cried yesterday too, Major… I want to cry as well…”

“The company commander, that guy…”

I don’t even have the energy to say anything anymore.

I just sighed and took a drag from my cigarette.

“…It’s over.”

“Captain Kyle, please take your spouse away.”

“Huh…? You’re so cold! The war’s over…!”

The war is over.

However, according to the pre-registration promotional phrase:

‘…Soon, the Empire’s conquest war will begin.’

The emperor is beautiful but a person like a rose.

By creating a connection to the royal family this time, I clearly understood what kind of person the emperor is.

‘A person who is gentle and generous to the people of the Empire, but gives a cold gaze to all others.’

As long as they don’t know I’m a vampire, they’re my strongest ally.

The moment they find out I’m a vampire, they become my most terrifying enemy.

‘…Well, it’s not like I’ll be discovered now.’

Vampires have been annihilated.

Now, I am the only one left on this land.

As long as Erik keeps quiet, I won’t be discovered.

‘Even if Erik blabs…!’

I took out the key from my chest and held it tightly.

As long as I have these backers, I am safe.

‘How do I survive until the next war breaks out?

Where will I get blood from going forward?’

Just as those worries were growing deeper—

“…Major Valentine.”

“Salute. What is it?”

Erik, drenched in blood, walked toward me.

Perhaps because he now knows I’m a vampire, his expression was twisted.

‘…Can’t blame him.’

After all, I massacred his family.

Drove his comrades to death.

I’m the last survivor of that race.

Even I would make that face.

Luckily, the others seem to think he’s just tired.

I saluted as I looked at Erik.

Erik hesitated, then returned the salute.

“Salute. I offer you my thanks.”

“What, don’t believe me?”

He spat in front of me and walked away.

‘Crazy bastard.’

He lost to me and still hasn’t come to his senses.

He probably realized that as long as I don’t cross the line, I won’t kill him.

‘Hold it in, Valentine.’

“…Hoo…”

“Endure it.”

“Follow the protagonist. Hold it in…”

I’ll try to follow him, but I have no intention of getting involved with that bastard.

I’ll never serve under him.

That’s what I used to think.

“…Major Valentine.”

“Haa… Please, save me…”

Yes, I had a moment like that too.

I never imagined that, just one week later, I’d be begging Erik due to a lack of blood.

The war ended.

We returned to the capital.

Thunderous cheers from the citizens.

I watched the people from inside the military carriage.

And within that carriage,

I was complaining of dizziness.

I never thought the blood I drank wouldn’t last even three days.

I’m starving, I feel like I’m going crazy.

It’s been just over a week since the effects of the blood wore off.

Which means I’ve been starving in this frail, small body for over a week.

“Haa… haa…!”

Just a little longer and I might lose consciousness.

My body is losing all its strength.

My insides, completely messed up, are rumbling and whining for blood.

I ate food, but since I couldn’t digest it, my stomach felt bloated.

The feeling was so disgusting I gagged once.

‘…I mustn’t throw up…!’

“Uugh…”

Suppressing the rising nausea, I pulled the black blade next to me.

I needed to open the hidden compartment beneath the hilt of the black blade.

“M-my hands are shaking… I can’t…”

My hands trembled uncontrollably due to a lack of nutrients, making it difficult to open.

To make things worse, the carriage was shaking as well.

I drew the curtains and bit down on the hilt of the black blade, forcing it open with my teeth to extract the blood.

Black blood.

Its foul smell surged up, perhaps because it had gone bad.

“I hate this… I hate it…”

Muttering that, I pulled out the cork from the vial.

“Ugh…!”

A stronger stench of rot spread.

I felt like throwing up.

“I have to drink this…”

“It’s disgusting…”

I forced myself to endure the disgust and drank the thick, dark-red blood.

Once, after the war ended, I drank cocoa while watching the sunrise.

Now, in stark contrast, I drank rotten blood that tasted repulsive.

I did my best to swallow it down my throat.

It was vile. I gagged.

But soon, the nausea gave way to comfort.

The turmoil in my stomach settled, and my digestion started working again.

Blankly staring into space, I wiped away the tears that came with a sudden wave of emptiness and despair.

Even this brief comfort wouldn’t last long.

The blood was badly decomposed, so my stomach would soon shut down again.

What little nutrients and calories there were would be quickly depleted.

‘…It’s okay.’

‘If I can drink animal blood… then maybe I’ll be okay…’

If necessary, I’d even buy blood-dripping meat from the butcher.

I closed my eyes tightly.

I heard cheers.

People were rejoicing, and I could feel that they were celebrating the annihilation of my kind.

Once again, I felt deeply that I belonged to a filthy, wretched race.

Unlike the bright, happy, and warm outside world, this carriage I sat in, hugging myself, was a place of tears, darkness, despair, and cold.

I had tried to avoid getting involved with Erick as much as possible.

But after the war, I ended up assisting him.

A new unit was apparently being formed, led by two heroes.

There was nothing I could do to resist.

Or rather, I didn’t have the strength to properly resist.

I needed blood. I was running out of blood.

Every evening, I went to the butcher to drink pig’s blood.

But it didn’t last nearly as long as human blood.

1 liter only sustained me for about two hours.

Its efficiency was drastically inferior to that of human blood.

And it tasted utterly disgusting.

If I threw it up midway, it lost its effect, so I couldn’t drink much.

I often vomited and passed out without feeling any benefit.

My body was wasting away more and more with each passing day.

Then, a week after returning, an incident occurred.

“…Haa… haa…”

I was breathing heavily in the office.

Erik stared at me intently.

“…Major Valentine, aren’t you going to work?”

“…I’m sorry…”

“tsk… typical vampire scum.”

“…”

He scolded me.

Even if I was angry, I couldn’t kill him.

Even though I held political influence…

He was a hero, recognized by the Emperor and supported by the people.

It wasn’t easy to touch someone like that.

“…Ugh, so dizzy…”

In this feeble state where I could barely stand straight, I couldn’t possibly kill him.

“My biggest regret is not being able to kill you.”

Erik said that as he handed me a heavy stack of documents.

He always scowled whenever he looked at me.

It felt like he was hiding something.

In the midst of the disgust in his eyes, I could faintly see his pupils quivering.

It seemed like Erik was hoping I would starve to death.

After all, he couldn’t easily get rid of me.

It was nearly impossible to quietly eliminate someone like me—

I had over ten noble houses backing me, and I regularly attended tea gatherings with the Emperor.

Killing someone like me out of nowhere was out of the question.

And so, in this small office, we maintained a tense standoff—until I collapsed.

“Ugh.”

Thud!!!

I fell straight to the ground.

“…!!”

Erik, slightly startled, rose from his seat and ran over to me.

Looking at him, I begged,

“…Please… help me… I need blood…”

Tears streamed down my face.

I begged to live.

I had reached my limit. I couldn’t endure anymore.

But when I asked for blood,

Erik’s expression turned cold.

“…Valentine is… a vampire, Erik… pull yourself together…”

Hearing him mutter that, I panted heavily.

“…So dizzy… I’m so dizzy…”

“Just once… please… just this once…”

With tears in my eyes, I looked at Erik as he bent down next to me.

I reached out my hand, but he didn’t take it.

So I grabbed him by the collar.

“…I’m sorry… Lieutenant Colonel… I tried my best to endure…”

“…Haa… it’s… too much…”

And then—

“Ugh?!”

“Hngh…”

I sank my fangs into Erik’s neck and pierced it.