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“Remember this, Rian. You are human.”

Rian first felt ‘thirst’ when she was five years old.

When she saw the blood from her mother’s finger, cut by a kitchen knife while cooking, she felt an inexplicable desire.

“Was the smell of blood always this stimulating?”

The blood flowing from her finger looked as sweet as pomegranate flesh.

She later realized it was ‘thirst.’

Just as Rian, entranced, was about to bring her mouth to the blood—

“No!”

It was the first time she heard her mother’s stern voice.

“Waaah…!”

Startled, Rian burst into tears.

Her mother, who always comforted her when she cried, this time let out a sigh instead of words.

“I can’t hide it from you anymore…”

“Mom…?”

That day, her mother told her the truth.

That her father was a vampire, a demi-human.

The fact that her father, whom she thought was dead, was still alive was shocking, but the revelation that he was a demi-human was even harder to accept.

“Mom, am I… not human…?”

Even as a child, Rian knew what would happen if people found out she was a demi-human.

Her mother hugged her as she trembled at the nightmare-like future.

“Rian, if you want, you can live as a human.”

“How…?”

“As long as you don’t drink blood, you’ll be fine.”

Her mother repeatedly emphasized it.

Once you drink human blood, you can never return to being human.

“No matter how hard it is, you must endure it. Can you do that…? Rian.”

“Yes…”

Looking back, her mother wanted her to live as a human.

And Rian wanted that too.

She wanted to live as a human.

Yes, was it so strange to want to live as a human?

She wanted to live unchanged.

Even if life wasn’t perfect, she wanted to laugh with her mother, cry until she was exhausted, and fall asleep in her arms.

She just wanted to live like that forever…

But that simple wish didn’t last long.

When famine struck the village, everything changed.

The land dried up, and as hunger began, the villagers turned savage.

“Ha. You’ve got a lot of stuff here.”

“Please! Sir! I’ll give you everything, just don’t take the food!”

“Ugh, why won’t you shut up?! Be grateful I’m not taking your life!”

“Please…!”

“Ah, get lost!”

“Ri, Rian! No! Aah!”

Rian’s house, where only two women lived, became the first target of the villagers turned robbers.

In despair, the village quickly descended into chaos.

And when not a single blade of grass remained, the shadow of death loomed over the village.

The first victim was Rian’s mother.

“Mom…! Wake up!”

On the bed, her mother lay emaciated like a skeleton.

Losing focus, her mother barely managed to speak.

“Rian… Can I ask you one last favor…?”

Swallowing her tears, Rian looked up.

Her mother spoke in a cracking voice.

“Will you… drink my blood?”

“What…?”

“If you do… you can live.”

Rian understood what those words meant.

Tears streamed down uncontrollably.

“I, I can’t! I can’t! I promised! I’ll live like you…! As a human…!”

“I’m… sorry.”

Her mother weakly shook her head.

“I just… want you to live…”

Her mother was squeezing out her last strength to speak to her.

Genuinely worried about Rian’s future.

“Even if you’re not human… Rian, you’re… my only daughter…”

“Nooo! Mom! Don’t go!”

Rian’s mother closed her eyes like that.

And the next day, Rian, as if entranced, left her hometown and headed for a city without famine.

The place where Rian, now alone, settled was the imperial capital, Ludlow.

She hadn’t come to achieve anything.

She came just to survive.

As her mother had asked in her final moments.

Young and without any skills, the only thing Rian could do there was steal.

She stole desperately to survive.

She stole as much as the life that had been taken from her.

How much time had passed like that?

When she was caught by the security bureau, she had committed over a hundred thefts.

…I’m hungry.

Rian reminisced in her cell.

About ten days had passed since her death sentence.

Now, she couldn’t even laugh bitterly.

To die of starvation, of all things.

This was just like her mother.

It was so damn pathetic… she wanted to say, but no voice came out.

She didn’t even have the energy for that.

Hunger had left her mind hazy.

By tomorrow, she probably wouldn’t even have the energy to think.

And then I’ll die. Haha. I’m screwed.

As she was thinking that, a low voice reached Rian.

“Get up.”

“……!”

Rian’s body jerked up on its own.

As if she still had such strength left.

It was a chilling voice.

A sensation like her heart being squeezed made her reflexively rise.

When she turned her head, she saw a stranger standing outside the cell.

A black nobleman…

That image fit him perfectly.

The man looked down at her with the arrogant eyes of a noble.

What are you looking at… she wanted to say, but again, no voice came out.

Forcing herself up must have caused anemia.

Everything was hazy, but strangely, his voice was crystal clear.

“Do you want to live?”

Huh.

“Or are you hungry?”

Duh! Can’t you see I’m starving!

“Then fight for me.”

…What?

Rian’s eyes caught the man’s hand gently gripping the iron bars.

At the same time, her nose detected something. The man’s blood was on them.

It was strange.

She had smelled blood many times before.

But this sweet scent was the first since her mother’s blood.

A rich, thick scent emanated from the iron bars he had touched.

The blood droplets flowing there felt like forbidden fruit.

“Why am I like this…?”

The sensation Rian had suppressed for so long.

The faint ‘thirst’ rose again.

Her instincts were telling her.

Drink that blood quickly.

When she came to her senses, Rian was reaching out to touch the iron bars.

Cold blood droplets clung to them.

“Do you want to live?”

Rian pondered the man’s words as she opened her mouth.

What kind of question is that…

The moment she placed her blood-stained finger on her tongue, the firmly closed iron bars opened.

*

“Quite the preparation.”

That was my first impression.

In the center of the arena was a massive chessboard.

On the stone-carved chessboard, prisoners armed with weapons stood on each square.

Not only that, but they were all equipped with armor and weapons, fully armed.

“Hmph. What’s the point of preparing like this? You ruined it all.”

“Strange talk. I’m faithfully participating in the game.”

“Shut up. If you have eyes, look at the mess you’ve chosen.”

The emperor, pouting, pointed to the left side of the chessboard, my side.

No, it was hard to call it a side.

I had only chosen one piece, after all.

Even that piece was pitiful compared to the emperor’s choices.

There stood a shabby, frail woman.

Without armor or weapons, she looked defenseless.

At least she was more active than when she was in the cell, but something was off.

She kept looking around anxiously.

“It’s unexpected that she had the strength to get up, but she doesn’t seem sane. Is that deranged vagrant really your choice?”

“Just sit back and watch.”

“Tsk… Fine.”

The emperor, clicking his tongue, signaled, and the imperial guard blew a trumpet.

-The game begins! The rules are simple! The side that defeats the opponent’s pieces wins! From now on, external interference is strictly prohibited! Chess pieces, begin moving now!

With the announcement of the game’s start, the emperor’s prisoners all began moving toward Rian.

Even though a life-and-death game had begun, they exuded confidence.

“Wow, isn’t this too easy?”

“Killing a kid like this for freedom…”

“It’s already a won game, let’s play with her before killing her.”

“She looks too skinny to even eat.”

While they were making such vulgar comments and closing the distance, Rian stood still.

No. She was looking at me.

Specifically, at me sitting there.

Her bloodshot eyes were fixed on me.

She must have instinctively realized.

The owner of the blood she had tasted earlier.

Her first prey.

Finally, Rian took a step.

The direction she headed was…

“Huh?”

“You crazy bitch! Where are you going!”

Of course, Rian was coming toward me.

The prisoners, caught off guard, moved toward her.

“Hey! You bitch! Can’t you hear me?”

The first to block Rian’s path was a large man.

With a build that could tear a person apart barehanded, he swung his mace without hesitation.

The mace flew toward Rian’s leg with a menacing sound.

Those watching must have imagined her slender leg being crushed.

But.

“……Huh?”

The prisoners, the imperial guard, and even the emperor sitting next to me had question marks in their heads.

As if by magic, the mace disappeared.

No, the man’s upper body had vanished entirely.

As if something sharp had torn it apart.

Crunch, crunch.

From somewhere, the gruesome sound of bones and flesh being crushed was heard.

Thud.

Finally, the lower half, unable to bear the weight, collapsed.

The twitching lower half on the ground was grotesque.

No, it was so surreal it left everyone speechless.

“Hmm…”

Rian tilted her head.

Even then, my gaze didn’t leave her.

So I clearly saw the red blood flowing from her mouth.

“Tastes bad.”

 

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