episode_0009

Luvia thought.

This sweetness and warmth are the same now as they were then.

It’s fortunate that the blood she drank at first was his, her master’s.

Thanks to that, she accepted to live again as one of the most hated monsters in the entire empire, instead of dying honorably as a descendant of a famous family.

Even though he was so corrupted, he did not desire the blood of anyone other than that person.

But if there’s one thing I regret…

“Stop. Rubia. I drank too much.”

It may just be that he has become stricter with her than before.

“…Can’t I drink a little more?”

She asked softly, her head in her hand trying to gently push her head away, her stomach rubbing against his.

He wasn’t dangerous. If that were the case, it would have been better to give up cleanly.

Even if thirst burned her throat and killed her, her life was saved by the blood he shed at that time anyway.

I could bear it.

But that wasn’t the reason her master was stopping her now.

“You’re already pretty drunk. Slowly-”

“Is there any reason why you shouldn’t get drunk?”

She rested her head against her master’s chest, enjoying the warmth for the first time in a long time.

He felt and heard the beating of his heart, filled with a warmth that gave her sweetness that she could not feel when she was wearing her armor.

Her master slowly thought of a reason why he should return to Emma, who was waiting for them, but he did not bother to tell Luvia about it.

When Luvia drank his blood and got drunk like this, she was quite… ’emotional’ and faithful to her instincts.

No matter how much I thought about it, telling her in that state that she had to go back to meet another woman wasn’t a smart move.

However, even if she did that, she couldn’t stop Luvia from thinking about the reason herself, and the thought made her frown for a moment.

“…Ema, you can just buy her another carrot. Literally.”

“Ruvia…”

She felt good about his voice trying to soothe her and the vibration of the air calling to her, but when she knew the reason, she didn’t want to wander around there.

“That’s too much. It was the master who taught me this sweetness. Please take responsibility for that.”

Although she was disappointed to hear his voice pause for a moment after pouring out complaints, she turned her body to lie down against him, met his red eyes, and continued talking.

“From that day on, I didn’t care how thirsty I was, I only wanted my master’s blood.

Because it was my master’s blood and my master who saved me and gave me a reason to live. I still remember it vividly.

Master, have you already forgotten that?”

——

“Please stay still and do not move. Because you have to take it out at once.”

She nodded with a scared expression.

Of course, no one would laugh at her for being timid.

It is said that they almost tore the entire ship apart and tried to pull out the large spear sticking out of the ship. If they were so calm and weak, that would be even more abnormal.

“I will take it out. One… two… three!”

“Keuuu…”

She endured the pain by clenching the blood-soaked cloth.

When the blood that soaked the cloth flows out between clenched teeth and touches her tongue, the sweetness and warmth ease the pain a little.

“…That’s it. Now, you can lie down comfortably so that the wound heals without opening.”

She blinked her tearful red eyes and nodded at Liber’s words.

Finally, as the spear was completely pulled out and the lingering pain was erased by sucking blood, she suddenly thought.

I wonder if someday, if she were to have a child and give birth, she would look similar to how she looks now.

At least from what her mother told her-

It was just a meaningless, absurd thought that passed through my mind for a moment.

However, that thought that came to mind without thinking brought back to her the cold reality that not even the warmth of the blood filling her mouth could warm her.

How can she become a mother later?

Her family would have already been branded as the worst traitors throughout the empire, so what crazy man would want to marry her and have children unless his wish was for his family to be destroyed?

No, it was a problem before that. In the first place, it was even questionable whether monsters like vampires could have children like human women.

And her mother… died.

Her father, her sisters, the servants who had lived with her for many years in the mansion, and everyone she had known her whole life were dead.

Everyone in the empire will not know the truth behind this disaster, and will curse their deaths for eternity.

So what on earth should she live for, and live forever?

To reveal the truth and clear the unfair accusation placed on the family?

How on earth?

The person behind this tragedy was the Katenis family, which had the young empress as its puppet and enjoyed the most power in the empire.

All evidence of him will now be lost in the noise of battle, burning with the city burning outside.

Now that she had already become a vampire, she found out the truth. It was obvious that instead of listening to her, people would pull out her tongue, skewer her, and burn her.

“How are you feeling? If the wound is not fully healed, bleed more-”

“Why… did you save me?”

She asked Liber, who had returned to check on her condition.

I never resented him. Rather, I was grateful.

only…

She had already experienced approaching death and felt its fear vividly.

So I didn’t want to die, but I also didn’t have the confidence to live like this for that long, holding on to all this sadness and despair.

It may have been shameless to ask her to give up a bundle after rescuing a drowning person, but she still hoped that she could find some clue as to why she should live in the man who saved her life.

From the weight in her voice, Liber understood why she had asked him the question.

Therefore, after a moment of silence, he spoke frankly.

“Because I thought there was no reason for you to die like that.”

“….”

“The people who did that to you are alive and well, but you are the only one who dies… isn’t it so unfair?

If they are going to die, they should die.”

I don’t know why she lived, but there was no reason for her to die. He was saying that.

“…If I live in a body like this… will the injustice be resolved?”

She asked, even though she understood Liber’s answer.

Is not wanting to die or having no reason to die a reason to live?

“You can keep looking for a solution. There is no need to find it alone.”

At those words, Luvia opened her red eyes wide and looked at him.

“At least, resolving your injustice… I think it is also related to resolving my unfairness.”

“From what I heard, Liber, weren’t you also of the Catenis family lineage? But why?…”

“There are some complicated circumstances. To begin with, he was an illegitimate child…is a child really that important to someone who will live forever?

…For now, please just know that my wish is for the family to disappear. We’ll tell you the rest of the story later.

I think I need to get out of this mansion again soon.”

Even through the thick cloth covering the outside, she could tell by the approaching shouts that the flow of the fight taking place in the city was gradually approaching here.

“Then… would you like to go together?”

Luvia saw Liber’s hand reaching out to her as she said those words.

A sweet and warm scent wafted from his hand, which still had the wound he had intentionally made to feed himself blood.

As if to make sure it was really in front of her, she cautiously reached out and took his hand.

For some reason, she felt that her body felt warm even before she drank the blood.

Of course, there were some things that needed to be taken care of before leaving the mansion.

“K..huh..uh…”

Immediately after Rubia was stabbed and incapacitated, Liber crushed the screaming alchemist’s jaw with his fist.

The reason why the punch, which he freely wielded with the strength to swing a large metal spear that could rip apart quite a few vampires in one blow, was only able to do so was because Liber had clearly controlled his strength.

However, that was not the reason why the alchemist was still alive after that.

He was forced to stuff Rubia’s spilled blood into his mouth, and for a moment, he enjoyed a life force that surpassed that of a human, just as he had wanted.

Now that his limbs had been torn off by the blade of a spear and pinned to the wall, he didn’t seem to be particularly welcoming the life force, but since he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t know for sure.

There was no reason for them to care in the first place.

As the fire they set in the mansion before they left down the passage spreads and approaches him, he will have to imagine how long he will be able to survive even with his burning body.

Longer than everyone in the Sanguis family he killed and used.

However, after burying his screams behind the door of the secret passage and walking in the darkness again, Luvia pushed the person who was not worth remembering into the far corner of her thoughts.

Her red eyes focus on the person walking in front of her.

His presence was the answer to Luvia’s question and comfort that she did not have to walk alone in the dark like before.

Liber was warming her body before he even gave her his blood again.

All of these facts bring new emotions to her red gaze.

“Ah…”

“..Are you okay?”

At that realization, she inadvertently let out a sound, and when River heard her, he turned his head and asked.

“Yes… just…”

And Rubia answered that question with a smile.

“I think I found one more reason to live.”

——

“….I still remember it vividly. All the emotions and sensations from when we first met.”

It was a memory that went beyond the limits of the human species and was only possible for people like her.

Every time I drink his blood, I feel like I’m back in that moment, the heat rising from my body reminds me of everything.

“That’s why I willingly volunteered to become your slave.”

Although he basically went around hiding his identity, it was a way to guarantee some level of safety from the powerful people of the empire, who were sharper-eyed than the general public.

With her help, he made additional contributions in the vampire rebellion and soon became a gold-level adventurer under the Empire and made a name for himself as a hunter of the Empire.

It seemed like the only way to reassure them was to show them that they were under the control and ownership of such a person.

However, at that time, Luvia did not feel any particular humiliation or shame.

From the moment he gave her his blood, she was already his.

“So, my lovely master.”

And because it was hers too.

She stands up again, hugs him, buries her face in his neck, and continues talking.

“Please reward this loyal slave more.”

She smiled brightly, showing her teeth. And then slowly extend your hand down and put it in-

“…Ruvia?”

“Umm… Yes?”

“It seems like you’re bewitching me right now.”

“….Ah….”

The sudden embarrassment that came with the owner’s words cooled her feverish head like cold water suddenly poured on her.

“Uh… Umm…”

The thought crossed her mind that her owner might have been right when she said she had had too much to drink.

He was unable to control his powers as a vampire and was inadvertently revealing them.

I was so ecstatic that I lost control.

And if she completely loses control and goes crazy… uh…

Considering what happened last time, it’s probably going to be a lot harder to get out of this city quietly.

The problem is that, for her, giving up like this would have been too much of a waste.

“….”

After remaining silent for a moment, she attempted to charm somewhat more consciously.

If you can’t decide, go into the nearby forest first and then continue from there –

This time, River realized that it was not like that without thinking, and with a short sigh, he picked up the spear and hit her on the head with the spear.

“Quick!”

Of course, since the entire window was made of alloy, it would have been mind-boggling.

“Didn’t I tell you before that you shouldn’t enchant me carelessly? Besides, you really have to move now.

If the adventurers whom I knocked out earlier wake up again and run into them again, I will have to repeat what happened earlier.”

“Sigh… You’re doing it too much. is it so. Now you’re sick of it because you’ve done it so much. When will you stir my stomach like that with your big dick…”

Liber was silent for a moment and looked at Rubia.

Should we be proud of her for almost completely overcoming the painful memory of her making an obscene joke about having her stomach ripped open by a spear in his hand when they first met, or…

Rubia herself must have felt a little embarrassed at the sight of him, so she cleared her throat and turned her head to avoid eye contact.

River shook his head and this time comforted her by stroking her head.

“…I am always grateful to you. I’m just sorry that I can’t repay you enough…

But we have work to do now, so can you be patient a little longer?”

“…Yes…”

After barely calming down Luvia, he sighed and stood up, taking care of the things he had bought at the market with her.

Still, I feel fortunate that this can end the crisis that this city suddenly faced.

At least until he saw the mess at the station where he and Luvia had gone to meet Emma.

“…What happened?”

“The slave you brought broke the stable wall and escaped! Plus, he kicked one of our servants and put him in that situation!”

As I followed the post office owner’s finger pointing back angrily with a red-faced face, I saw a man with his back half bent and foam pouring out of his mouth.

“…Damn…”

For a moment, he regretted that it would have been better if he had just spent a little more time in the back alley.