It’s dusk by the time Tiltue and I come back from hunting, and Reina is already preparing to cook.
“We’re back.”
“We are!”
Usually Reina doesn’t listen when someone talks to her while she’s cooking, but apparently she just finished something, so she turns around and responds.
“Yes yes, welcome back you two. How was it?”
“Fufufufufu…”
Tiltue can’t contain her good mood.
“We got something pretty big this time!”
“Oh my, that sounds great. Then how about we take it apart next time Elga and Luna come by?”
“Mu… Not today?”
“It’s late, and I’m already preparing dinner.”
“I see… All right then! I’ll brag to Luna and that gloomy wolf!”
When Tiltue is here she’s usually doing something with Luna. They’re around the same age on a mental level, so they actually get along pretty well.
But she still resents Elga from calling her a loner dragon even before we got here, so they keep arguing.
That said, it never goes beyond words.
If they did actually fight, this whole area would probably be wiped out, so I’d need to stop them before they got that far. And I wouldn’t want them to fight even if that wasn’t the case.
“Oh? Where are Xellos and Merlin?”
“They took the tents and went near the river.”
“…Are they going to be all right?”
Before, when Reina and I were deciding where to set up our base, we were told to do it as far away from the river as possible.
The reason is that when it rains, the river overflows. It’s one thing if it happens while they’re awake, but it could be trouble if they’re flooded when they’re sleeping.
“I think so. Merlin is there after all.”
“Merlin?”
“Yes, she’s Holy Water Merlin, the greatest water sorcerer in the continent.”
“Eh…”
From my point of view, Reina is the best sorcerer, but I guess Merlin is good enough that even Reina acknowledges it. And Xellos too, since he’s around the same level.
“They understand how dangerous this island is, so they picked a spot where they can use their powers to their full extent. To put it bluntly, I don’t know any sorcerers that can beat her near water.”
Holy Water Merlin and Extinguishing Fire Xellos. Water and fire specialists.
They’re strong enough that Reina would be at a disadvantage if they fought directly, and now they’re on this island.
I’m a little anxious about this turn of events, but at the same time happy about meeting new people.
I’m sure this change in my state of mind is good. I hope we can get along with them.
It’s night, and while it’s time for most animals to fall silent, it’s also the time when some begin to move.
◇ ◇ ◇
Wilhelmina Vermilion Worheim. A true ancestral vampire that has lived on this divine island Arcadia for a long time.
She’s looking down here, dressed like a witch with her three-cornered hat and black dress.
The light of the full moon is reflecting on her golden hair, making her look like the true ruler of the night.
“Fufufu, I see we’ve had another delightful development.”
“Are you here to visit again, Wil?”
“Only you and Luna have the nerve to speak to me so casually.”
She slowly descends, and looks this way with an exasperated expression.
I’ve come to understand that she’s not here to cause harm, so I don’t think we need to treat her like an enemy.
“And I don’t think you should be calling me Wil in the first place.”
“But it’s so long. I could call you Wivewo.”
“…Wil is fine.”
I’m glad she accepts it, because I get tongue tied a lot when I try to say her name.
“So, what brings you here today?”
Reina is taking a bath. I guess Wil likes her, and likes to come mess with her.
Reina on the other hand doesn’t really like dealing with her, and when she comes here, Reina starts using her magic at full power, and it’s hard to calm her down.
“Hmph, you really are thick-headed.”
“Am I? I’ve been told I’m pretty thoughtful…”
“Good grief… It’s precisely because you’re like this that I have to come by every time.”
I don’t know how to respond, because none of this makes any sense to me.
“Normally I would have fun by destroying that bath’s wall, but…”
“Can you stop talking like breaking people’s homes is normal?”
“I won’t.”
She didn’t even hesitate. How awful.
“That said, tonight is different. I sensed more presences I didn’t recognize, and dropped by to confirm it. What is it about this place anyway?”
She’s sharp. Elga told me she lives in the far north of this island, using a small floating island as her fortress, so how is she so attuned to what’s going on in the south?
“What, so you’re just bored and spending your time looking for anything interesting?”
Somehow, that brings back memories of me in my old world killing time using smartphone applications. It might actually be pretty similar.
“When you got here, there was an abnormality in the barrier around this island. I sensed that abnormality again, and so here I am.”
“Well, I guess it’s true that some stuff happened…”
Should I tell this bored vampire?
Then again, if I don’t tell her, she’s just going to start stirring trouble, so I might as well go get a chair.
“Fufu, good way of thinking. If you want to sleep easy on this island, entertain me.”
“Bothering my sleep would just be harassment, wouldn’t it?”
“Bothering someone is the best way to pass the time. And I’ll have you know you would be hard pressed to find any vampires that are as good at harassment as me.”
Please don’t brag about that.
And then, I explain to her in order what happened today.
We’ve been eating a lot of meat recently, so we walked to the shore to see if we could get vegetables and fish.
There we found Xellos and Merlin passed out. And then Tiltue came to visit.
“I see I see… That all sounds very useful.”
“…You’re not thinking anything weird, are you?”
“I’m not.”
This cheat body didn’t miss her whispering about how she thinks this could be interesting for her. But there’s no point in prodding any more, because Wil is not going to tell me anyway.
“Just don’t do anything to bother anyone.”
“Hm… That really is none of my business.”
She really is saying that without a hint of shame.
I’m sure she means it too. She doesn’t even think troubling people is a bad thing.
Her feelings about that sort of thing are probably completely different from ours.
“Well, that’s down to your personality, I guess.”
“Fufufu, you are pretty understanding. Yes, I look the same, but am not. True ancestral vampires, ancestral dragons, divine beasts, demon gods, great spirits… All have their own ways of thinking. The mistake is having the wrong idea that they can all understand each other.”
“Maybe.”
Even with just humans, their ideas can vary a lot depending on things like their race and where they live.
And the beings living on this island are far more individualistic and self-willed than humans.
“But that doesn’t mean they can’t get along, does it?”
“Of course. We can all speak. If you think about the others, feel affection, and accept them, I’m sure even different races can get along.”
That’s a nice sentiment, but in Wil’s case, she’d use that as a reason to mess with people, so it’s pretty nasty.
“Nevermind that. Is Reina about ready to come out?”
“Who knows.”
Wil has an evil look on her face.
“You can probe her presence in there easily if you try, can’t you? If you focus, you should be able to feel her changing clothes like you were actually seeing it directly. Come on… Aren’t you a man?”
“I’m not doing it,”
“You didn’t deny that you can do it.”
“…”
She tricked me. And just as I notice that, I feel Reina’s eyes behind me.
And the way Wil is holding her mouth while giggling is really annoying.
“…Arata, you can do that?”
I slowly turn around and face Reina.
It’s all right, I’m sure she understands. I did that one time, but I couldn’t help it. And I haven’t done it once since.
“Well, I can, but I don’t. I’ve never done it!”
“Really…? Can a man really keep his cool like that with a naked woman so close?”
“Wil, can you please shut up!?”
“Getting flustered doesn’t help your case.”
This vampire… I’m really going to beat her up!
And just as I’m thinking that, she disappears into the darkness. She’s surprisingly fast to run away.
“Arata? How about we have a nice long talk about this?”
“…Yes.”
I get the feeling I’m not sleeping tonight.
Wilhelmina Vermilion Worheim, a true ancestral vampire with the full moon behind her. I can easily picture her cackling, but there’s nothing I can do about it now.
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