Chapter 483
Chapter 483: Coexistence and True Faces
Time shifts back slightly, to the Evaroti Autonomous District, at the medical station.
“Ouch! Ouch, ouch!”
“Ah, don’t move! Your wounds will open!”
Tafuman, covered in countless small cuts, sat in a chair receiving treatment from Yavka.
Tafuman’s blood squirmed and writhed, pulling at the wounds and forcibly stitching them up. It was blood manipulation magic, a vampire’s healing technique. It healed much faster than regular sutures or bandaging, but the pain was incredibly intense.
“You sure got beat up again. How did it come to this?”
“Well, the magical beasts have been rampaging again, and the guard unit is swamped.”
Tafuman chuckled wryly at Yavka’s exasperated tone.
“Magical beasts? We’ve been thinning them out!”
“Ah, thanks to you guys, we don’t see the big ones too much anymore. That’s appreciated.”
“Then why…?”
“Well, the small ones are still around. You know, like Hound Wolves.”
“Huh? You got hurt this badly by those mutts?”
Yavka looked even more incredulous. Hound Wolves, being wolf-like magical beasts that hunt in packs, were nothing but weaklings in Yavka’s eyes. However, to those weak in magic, their superior teamwork, sharp claws, and tough, hard-to-cut fur made them quite troublesome.
“Hahaha…”
Yet Tafuman could only scratch his head with his uninjured hand and smile awkwardly.
“…At this rate, a rebellion is just a dream.”
Yavka’s remark sounded like a soliloquy, but it echoed strangely in the medical station.
“…”
An atmosphere laden with unsaid tension filled the room.
“…Well, knowing your place is important, after all.”
Yavka pouted and added that.
“Rather than dreaming of something grandiose, if we just manage to live modestly like this, we might even reach the end of our days safely, don’t you think? After all, you’re short-lived anyway.”
“…What, are you worried about me?”
“Hahh~~???”
Yavka shot Tafuman a look of utmost incredulity at his teasing tone.
“What nonsense are you spouting???”
After all, from a vampire’s perspective, it was simply easier for them to have a stable supply of blood without any disturbances.
But those words almost escaped Yavka’s lips before she managed to swallow them back.
“For the demon race, a battlefield is always welcome. It’s ideal for the district’s residents to build up their strength and eventually stage a rebellion.” – Those were the policies established by the former governor and still held true.
Even though the governor had changed, openly defying those policies would not be wise. Yavka had already hinted too close to that truth with Tafuman, but there was a significant difference between suggesting it and stating it outright.
“I-I don’t care about you or anything!”
With a huff, Yavka turned away. After cutting out many details, that’s how her words ended up.
“Yeah, I figured.”
At heart, they were enemies. Tafuman smiled wryly without any hints of hidden meanings.
(Tch, Prince Zilbagias is such a handful…)
As she continued Tafuman’s treatment in silence, Yavka sighed.
The policy of allowing and even expecting rebellion in the Autonomous District had been an obvious nonsensical idea from the start; yet, it made her think Zilbagias was truly insane. According to rumors, even while exiled and isolated, he had taken on a massive army of humans recklessly and managed to slay the Emperor himself.
(He’s definitely missing a few screws.)
Yavka barely kept her reason in check in front of Tafuman’s body, filled to the brim with delicious blood, precisely because of his overwhelming might.
(But I wonder if he’ll come back safely…)
Word had it that by the end, he had succumbed to poison—if only there had been a vampire around, they could have detoxified him. But, during his exile, no aid could be offered. If it were Yavka, she’d gladly heal him secretly, but she certainly wasn’t going out of her way to visit the allied territories just for that.
—The surviving night elf spies, only a handful, managed to retreat somehow.
To support the withdrawal, many vampires were sent to the front lines as diversion. Yavka’s father, the Vampire Duke Vlad, was also proclaiming, “Now that those night elves have been driven out of the allied territories, it’s once again our time to shine!”
Due to the night elf network, vampires had been heavily restricted, but the area known for its water sources, abandoned mines, and caves was a place where vampires excelled just as much in concealment. They were poor at maintaining consistent intelligence, but if they turned creatures into kin and gained control over them, they could extract all secrets.
Due to broad and long-term information gathering, they had continued to lose ground, but with their information network rendered dysfunctional, vampires boasting high survival ability would presumably take over spy duties.
Many of their kin had snuck into the depths of the allied territories amidst the chaos of the diversion in the North, setting up shop there.
(Well, our district’s kin didn’t really do much, though.)
Yavka was well aware of these circumstances, having been summoned by Vlad for the sake of securing fighting strength and spoken to directly at the Demon Lord Castle.
An exceedingly rare large-scale mobilization was done. However, apart from younger members hoping for a promotion, most of the vampires in the Evaroti Autonomous District did not wish to participate.
(There’s no way I’m going to go out of my way just to drink the blood of humans at the frontlines…)
Having learned of the “delicious taste” found in magic users through Zilbagias, it felt pointless to strive for the blood of mere humans now.
Some gluttons had seemingly set out for the front lines aiming for the blood of powerful beings like forest elves or dwarves…
(In the end, it’s most relaxing just to stay in the district~)
Without deadly enemies like the Holy Church around, if they were to just treat the injured, there was blood to drink sufficiently. The district continued to progress in revitalization and redevelopment, and with construction and other activity ongoing, there were always job opportunities for the injured.
…By the way, while Yavka and the others thinned out magical beasts during the night, if they removed the threat from the residents entirely, they wouldn’t have any injuries and put their business at risk, so they kept it within moderation.
The result of that was Tafuman’s injuries. Their policy, aiming for the district’s autonomy and rebellion, aligned well. However, being too lax would risk the increase in magical beasts to a point where they could cause death instead of just injuries, making it a delicate balance to maintain.
Indeed, the Evaroti Autonomous District was held together by a strange balance.
(Plus, the new governor, Prince Diagias, is completely laissez-faire.)
At one point, there was uncertainty about what would happen, but the new governor, the Third Demon Prince Diagias, had been hands-off regarding Zilbagias’ policies, reigning merely without doing anything at all.
“…”
Yavka grimaced, recalling her first meeting with Diagias.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance, I am Yavka Cheesuina, Countess—”
“Hey there! I’m Diagias. Nice to meet you!”
Despite the distance in the meeting room, Yavka found herself shaking hands and receiving a kiss on the back of her hand.
“I’ve never had a chance to talk with a vampire, especially such a beautiful one. It seems I know so little about your kind. How about we deepen our friendship over a meal afterward?”
…Yavka, noble of the night, was fundamentally a predator.
She had slaughtered countless magical weaklings and drank their blood.
But at that moment, she instinctively thought—
—I’m going to be eaten!!
“I-I’m primarily a blood-drinker! I’m so sorry~~!”
Feeling her chastity was at stake, Yavka turned to mist and fled. Without that, she felt she could never shake his hand off.
Thinking back on it calmly, she realized she had pulled a really dangerous move by leaving during her first audience with the governor, but there hadn’t been any repercussions. Afterward, Diagias had locked himself away in his chambers, hardly appearing, and had no real interaction with anyone.
(But… what if I had accepted his invitation that day…?)
“I primarily consume blood. Would it be permissible to have a taste of your blood, Prince Diagias…?”
If she had made that request…
Without hesitation, he might have readily agreed…!!
It could have been an exquisite taste equal to Zilbagias’ blood!!
“Ugh…!!”
Thinking of it that way left Yavka feeling a bit disappointed.
However… considering the price for that, she surely would have lost something important herself…
“Hmm…Hmm…”
Yavka suddenly began murmuring over whatever was troubling her, and Tafuman cast her a curious look but didn’t press further.
—After all that, the treatment concluded, and Tafuman was mostly healed, despite being all bandaged up.
It wasn’t all perfectly healed, so he was told to avoid exertion, but within a day or two, the wounds would only leave slight traces.
In exchange for the treatment, Yavka drew some blood from Tafuman’s uninjured colleagues (the bottled blood would become dinner), and with that, her shift ended.
It was a daytime duty not favored by vampires.
To respond to the residents’ request for increasing personnel at the day clinic and to show that they were willing, Yavka, as a representative of the vampires, took on day duties about once a month.
“Alright, it’s drinking party time!”
Tafuman looked ready to jump for joy.
“If you drink too much, you won’t live long, you know.”
Blood starts to smell like alcohol too… Yavka replied with exasperation.
“Well, that can’t be helped. There’s no option but to drink.”
In an unprecedented serious tone, Tafuman stated.
“It’s like blood to a vampire.”
“That can’t be helped then.”
Yavka readily accepted that.
†††
That day was merely a drinking party, and it wasn’t a necessary gathering for face figures, so Yavka went home.
Tafuman, feeling giddy, headed to the tavern in the town center.
A posh shop run by a hobgoblin.
“Oh, you came again today, Tafuman. Good, good.”
The tavern, known for its delicious drinks and spice-heavy dishes, was bustling as always. The shopkeeper, a hobgoblin, spotted Tafuman and grinned.
“Hey, Hanvooo! It’s just as lively today.”
When Tafuman enthusiastically greeted him, the shopkeeper grimaced and stuck his fingers in his ears.
“It’s Hanvoo, not—! Good grief, your pronunciation is unbearable.”
“Hanvooo!”
“…Hah. You don’t have to try so hard; just call me Hanvoo.”
With a resigned sigh, the shopkeeper accepted. His name was Hanvoo. He seemed to have a pretty important bureaucratic relative, allowing him to set up this shop.
Since hearing his name, Tafuman had been trying hard to pronounce it correctly, but to this day, he still wasn’t able to. In fact, he was perplexed about what his pronunciation was supposed to differ from Hanvoo’s.
“Today, we have a new menu item.”
Hanvoo gestured toward the kitchen with his chin.
“Our chef brought in some interesting mushrooms. When marinated in salt and spice, they’re supposed to bring out an astonishing flavor. It’s a creative dish made from them, though the spiciness is apparently quite for advanced tasters, so I want it tried by someone used to it.”
“Oh, really? So it’s free food then!”
“Idiot, that’s not how it works!! …But, alright, I’ll set it at a price comparable to a normal dish.”
“Oh, then I’ll take it. Since we’re at it, let’s have Claire try it…”
“Good evening!”
The jingle of the tavern doorbell rang.
“Oh, Claire!”
Just as the rumors had it, Claire, a regular and the tavern’s idol (?!) walked in.
The daughter of the secretary, she had deep knowledge and was apparently employed in the Evaroti Castle as an assistant to the bureaucrats. She had a quirky taste of loving spicy food and enjoyed the stories of drunkards.
(Hmm? Claire seems a bit different today…)
As Claire took off her hood, she appeared to have a softer expression than usual. Normally, her smile was somewhat mysterious and elusive…
“Hey, Claire! We have some delicious new food!”
“Really? That’s wonderful! I’m so hungry today.”
“Oh! Here we go again. She’s smiling so much.”
What in the world could have happened?
(She must be in a great mood today!!)
Tafuman self-resolved and nodded with understanding.
Then, along with Tafuman, members of the guard team joined, ordering ales as usual.
“Oh, I’d like some grape wine today!”
That day, Claire unusually ordered alcohol. Usually, she’d say, “I don’t quite understand the taste of alcohol,” and only drank the cheapest ale.
“Well then, we have a 15-year Menora Kaeme Wetetete!”
Eagle-eyed Hanvoo caught the words and piped up with a recommendation.
“Then I’ll have that.”
“Every time!”
Without even checking the price, Claire ordered cheerfully, and Hanvoo grinned. Tafuman thought it was quite pricey… but Claire seemed to be in a good mood and likely had more money than he did, so he kept his mouth shut.
Shortly after, the wine arrived, and the drinking party began with a “Cheers!” Hall and Tafuman gulped down drinks, oblivious to Claire quickly joining her hands in prayer before her cup.
“…Mmm! Delicious!!”
Claire covered her mouth, her eyes wide as she looked at Tafuman and the others.
“What is this!? There’s so much… wow, the aroma! So incredible, it spreads everywhere…! Such… such!!”
Claire’s expression contorted with delight as she looked down and murmured, “It’s delicious…!” savoring every word.
“Well, that’s a 15-year Menora after all…”
“Of course it’s good…”
“Ugh… ugh! I’m so happy for you, Claire!”
Tafuman started to tear up without realizing it.
“Finally… finally, Claire found it! The delicious drink… Ugh, ohhh, ohhhh!”
“Is it really something worth crying over?”
Claire pulled back a bit at Tafuman’s sudden tears. She would become composed if someone else’s extreme outburst came along. Though trying to maintain the usual mysterious smile, the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.
“Of course it’s a big deal! An encounter with a delicious drink… that’s what life is about!!”
“Is that so…”
“Yes, here’s the order! A platter of salami, a baked sandwich with three types of cheese, and a blazing pasta with flame mushrooms and coarse ground meat!”
“Oh, here they come! Last one must be for the lady!”
“Wow, it looks delicious!”
Freshly made, steaming hot dishes were then brought out.
Claire gazed at the steaming pasta, her hands instinctively coming together in excitement as she sniffed it—then, with a confused expression, tilted her head as she caught an odd scent.
“Oh… it looks really good…”
Gulping down, Claire stared intently at the dish.
It was unusual for her, who typically appeared indifferent to food, to show such interest. She might be really hungry right now…?
“…Ah.”
Then, Claire realized everyone was watching her with curiosity, hurriedly hiding her surprise as she picked up a fork.
“Then let’s dive in right away…”
Twist.
She twirled the pasta around.
Carefully holding back her hair from falling into the plate.
“Nom!”
—She took a bite.
“…………!?”
In the next moment, Claire froze, motionless as if turned to stone.
“…How is it, Claire?”
“…………Ugh.”
“Is it good?”
“Uwa… Ah…!!”
Shaking subtly, Claire lifted her face.
The expression she held was—astonishment.
No, was it fear!?
“Ugh… Uwaaaa… aaaaaaaah!! Aaaaahhhh—!!”
Claire screamed at the unrecognizable sensation.
What in the world is this!?
What in the world is this!?
Her mouth… felt like it was burning!! Burning!!
She thought she’d forgotten about pain after turning undead!!
Yes, this was—pain! Undoubtedly pain!!
In other words—
“Spiiiicyyyyyyyyyyyy!!”
Crash! Claire toppled over dramatically.
“Noooooo—!! Aaaaaahhh—! Nnnaaaaaahhhh—!!”
What is this!? This is spiciness!? No way! I don’t know this!
I don’t know this!!
While writhing in agony, Claire found herself in utter chaos. The truth was, she had never known. What true “spiciness” was like.
Because she had died shortly after childhood, she hadn’t had much spicy food while she was alive.
At most, what she had tasted was the “sweet” fare prepared by her parents for kids—
In other words, she had looked down on spicy dishes.
She had experienced her first spicy meal as an advanced level dish—!!
“Uwaaaa—! It’s so spiiiiicy! Spicyyyyyyy!!”
As Claire thrashed about, tears gushing from her eyes, the men around her stirred into chaos.
In the end, the dish, suspected to contain poisonous mushrooms, was discarded by someone else, and Claire’s taste sensations returned to normal only after it was no longer classified as “offering.”
Thus, the dish was deemed way too frightening, and no one dared to order it, causing the chef’s hard work to go unrewarded.
—However, from that day on, Claire began to show a more natural expression at the tavern.
“I’ve been posing until now…”
With a bashful shrug.
“Since I’ve exposed such a hideous display, there’s no longer any point in pretending.”
So saying, Claire tilted her glass of wine with a delightful look—softly and naturally, smiling widely.
――――――――――
By the way, Yavka, who missed the amusing event of “Claire crying due to the spiciness,” lamented, “I should’ve gone with her that day.”
