kscans

Chapter 17 - A Birth Cry

Night fell, which for a vampire, meant morning had come. I awoke.

"Nn, slept well."

I sat up in my coffin to find myself in a stone passageway that smelled of mildew. It was the same secret passage we had used to chase down the lord’s family.

"Alrighty."

I stepped out and closed the lid of the coffin. Instantly, it shrank to the size of my palm. This was the Portable Coffin, an item my father had given me as a parting gift! It’s a must-have magic item for any vampire, allowing you to sleep in a coffin anywhere you go! And despite its portability, the comfort inside is superb—it’s truly a high-class bed you can carry in your pocket!

"Nn... mmm."

A soft sound, completely out of place in the musty cave, drew my attention. A girl in an adorable dress was sitting there, fast asleep and breathing softly. It was Adolnel, the lord’s daughter—now my personal food source. Her eyes were still a little puffy from last night’s events.

"I’ll let her sleep a little longer."

Looking around, I saw Ichigo-kun and the other undead. Further in, there were some new faces: undead knights clad in armor. They were the ones who had been guarding the lord. I’d quickly drained their blood and made them my familiars before I went to sleep.

"Nice to have you all on board, Sir Knights."

The knights offered a somewhat disjointed knightly salute.

—Yes, our lives are for our master—

I wonder what it feels like to pledge loyalty to someone you were trying to kill just last night. Have their former personalities died, replaced by new undead ones?

"Wait, huh?"

It was then that I finally noticed something was off.

"Am I... talking with the undead?"

Well, not talking, exactly. It felt more like their intent was being conveyed to me. It wasn't in clear words, but more of a vague sense of what they were trying to say.

"How did I become able to understand them?"

Until now, I hadn’t been able to communicate with my undead familiars. Was it because I was getting more accustomed to my vampire powers? Or maybe I was forming a mental link with my familiars... no, that wouldn’t explain why I can understand the knights.

I turned to Ichigo-kun, who was swaying gently beside me.

"Hey, Ichigo-kun, is there anything you want to tell me?"

"..."

But I couldn’t feel any emotion coming from my oldest familiar. I still had no idea. Maybe something had happened to trigger my ability to sense undead emotions...

"Mmm..."

As I wracked my brain, trying to pinpoint the cause, my gaze fell upon the sleeping Adolnel. More specifically, on the nape of her neck.

"The Cursed Violet Eyes..."

Adolnel possessed a special trait that went by that name, and her blood was more delicious than anything I had ever tasted before. Its rich flavor surpassed even the finest vintages I’d sampled back at my father’s castle. Though, it’s possible he was hiding the really good stuff from me.

"Adolnel’s blood might have something to do with this... perhaps."

Hmm, I should probably look into these Cursed Violet Eyes.

"Yawn... My lady...?"

My muttering must have woken her, as Adolnel opened her eyes.

"Good morning, Adolnel."

"Good morning, my lady."

Still not fully awake, Adolnel stood up with a drowsy look and wrapped her arms around me.

"There, there."

"Ehehe."

Experiencing what was likely the first physical affection of her life, Adolnel smiled blissfully.

"Alright, let’s head back to town."

"...Yes."

The mention of the town made Adolnel’s eyes fly open, and a flash of purple peeked through the gaps in her long hair.

"Are you scared to go back to the place where you were imprisoned?"

"...No. As long as you are with me, my lady, I am not afraid."

Although she had tensed at the thought of returning to a town that held nothing but painful memories, Adolnel hardened her expression, shook her head, and declared she would be fine.

"Alright then! The first thing we’ll do when we get back is smash that tower to pieces!"

"Huh?! We’re going to destroy it?!"

"Yup! We’ll make a big show of destroying everything you hate! Then we’ll take over the lord’s mansion and laugh in his face! I bet it’ll feel amazing!"

"Y-You’re right."

Heheh, looks like that cheered her up a bit.

◆

"Hyaaaah!"

With a running start, I unleashed a vampire-powered kick on the tower. With a thunderous BOOM, the tower tilted and then came crashing down.

"Incredible..."

Adolnel stared in stunned silence at the sight of the tower toppling from a single kick. Heheh, I’m a woman who keeps her promises. As soon as we returned to town, I immediately destroyed the tower that had imprisoned Adolnel. Then I tore out the trees that had hidden it and tossed them outside the estate.

"You guys take care of the rubble and the trees I threw. Feel free to use them as building materials."

After giving my orders to the undead, I took Adolnel’s hand and led her into the lord’s mansion.

"..."

I could feel her hand tense as we approached the mansion that held nothing but painful memories for her.

"It’s okay. I’m with you."

"Y-Yes."

Once inside, I started peeking into the rooms one by one—partly to familiarize myself with the layout of my new home, and partly for Adolnel’s sake. After checking all the rooms, I arrived at the lord’s office. The door to the secret passage was still open, and a musty smell wafted out from the depths of the corridor.

I threw open all the windows to air the place out, then pulled Adolnel close and shouted.

"This town is mine! I took it from that worthless lord!"

Feeling much better after that cathartic scream, I turned to Adolnel, who was standing beside me.

"..."

She was staring at me, wide-eyed, completely taken aback by my sudden outburst.

"Alright, now it’s your turn, Adolnel. Go on, shout whatever you’re truly feeling."

"M-My true feelings? But I don’t know what to say..."

"Don’t overthink it. ‘You were a terrible father!’ or ‘I took everything that was yours, so there!’ Anything you want. Just let it all out."

"Shout... anything I want..."

Adolnel mumbled to herself, trying to decide what to say. Then, as if she’d made up her mind, she took a deep breath with a look of fierce determination.

"You were the worst, Father! This is all your fault! Everything you had now belongs to my lady! Um, um... so there! Y-You idiot, you idiot! Go die! Oh, wait, you’re already dead. Um, then go rot in the sinner’s hell!"

Perhaps unused to insults, Adolnel shouted a rather charming string of curses into the night sky. When she had said all she wanted to say, she stood panting, her face looking incredibly bright and clear.

"Feel better?"

"Pant, pant... Yes!"

It was the first time I had seen... no, it was surely the first time in her life she had ever smiled like a girl her age.