Episode 44: On Auspicious Days
Victoria said that when she had just become a vampire, she used to attack people and suck their blood. She hadn’t killed anyone, but she didn’t consider the dignity of her victims at all, and was truly a monster, she confessed as if repenting after returning to the castle.
“There isn’t really a lesson to be learned from my story. It’s just an old woman reminiscing about the past and wanting to tell someone. If it bores you, feel free to return to your room or go for a walk.”
After that preamble, Victoria began to tell her story.
She wasn’t a vampire by birth. She was born as an ordinary human, just like anyone else.
However, she was turned by a vampire who came from somewhere. The reason was unknown. Perhaps there was no reason at all. If you live for hundreds or even thousands of years, it wouldn’t be strange to want to destroy someone’s life on a whim.
At first, Victoria couldn’t control her blood thirst at all and attacked her family. When she was tied up and locked away, she crawled to a mouse in the corner of the room and bit into it.
Her family cursed Victoria, who bared her fangs and shone her eyes brightly, calling her a “monster.”
It was only natural. She really was a monster.
Eventually, Victoria ran away from home and wandered.
She gradually learned how to suppress her blood thirst, but that only meant that she could avoid biting people against her will.
When she craved blood, she used her vampire strength to attack people as she pleased.
The feeling of superiority from wielding overwhelming power.
But it didn’t last long.
She didn’t remember exactly how many years it had been since she became a vampire.
In a village far to the east of the continent, Victoria was defeated by an ordinary human.
That person was a young woman.
She hadn’t inherited swordsmanship from her ancestors. She was just someone who admired swordsmen. In between farm work in the village, she honed her swordsmanship in her own way. She hardly knew what was going on outside the village. That’s why she didn’t realize she was a genius.
Victoria attacked the swordswoman and was cut down.
The swordswoman was shaken by the fact that she had cut someone, and also shaken by the fact that her opponent had regenerated.
And when she learned that she was a vampire, she gave her blood to drink.
Such a good-natured person. That was Victoria’s impression of the swordswoman.
But she was someone who had cut her. It was best not to stay near someone like that. Yet, Victoria was curious about the swordswoman, and after watching her for a while, she found herself learning swordsmanship from her.
Teaching her own style of swordsmanship to someone else. It seemed to be fun for the swordswoman as well, and she taught her enthusiastically.
And not only the swordswoman, but the other villagers also treated Victoria normally, even though they knew she was a vampire. They gave her small amounts of blood to drink.
It didn’t take long for Victoria to feel a sense of belonging to the village.
She had originally been raised as a normal girl. If she remembered that feeling, it was easy to blend in with the villagers. In fact, she felt that was her true self.
Victoria learned swordsmanship from the swordswoman and tilled the fields with everyone.
In the spring, she watched the cherry blossoms, in the summer, she listened to the cicadas, in the autumn, she admired the colorful leaves, and in the winter, she curled up under the kotatsu.
She only had to drink a little blood, and she was human.
She fell into such an illusion.
Of course, the illusion was just an illusion.
Everyone else aged, but Victoria remained in the form of a young girl.
The swordswoman gradually developed wrinkles, lost the strength to hold a sword, her back became bent, she became bedridden, and eventually passed away.
Victoria remained in the form of a young girl.
She became friends with many villagers and saw them all off.
The swordsmanship that the swordswoman had developed in her own way, and that only Victoria had inherited.
She taught it to the young people of the village.
She was now teaching something that she had only been taught before. It felt a little embarrassing, and made her feel like she had grown.
She was also asked to be the godmother of the newly born children.
About ten years after the swordswoman died.
The number of people in the village who could be called swordsmen had increased. Even without Victoria, the swordsmanship created by the swordswoman would be passed down.
Convinced of this, Victoria wanted to travel.
It wasn’t a farewell for this life. It was just a journey. If she didn’t intend to return, it would be wandering. She was returning, so it was a journey.
Victoria became a traveler, seen off by the villagers.
She visited many countries.
It was supposed to be just a short trip, but perhaps because her sense of time was distorted by her long life, thirty years had passed.
A long time for a human. But not enough time to end a lifetime.
Everyone Victoria loved should still be waiting in the village.
She believed that and returned, only to find that the village itself had disappeared.
Why? How? She didn’t understand. Had she mistaken the location because it had been thirty years?
Victoria wandered. Eventually, she reached another town. And she was able to hear about the village.
It seemed that soon after Victoria left on her journey, the village had been attacked by vampires. But that didn’t destroy it. There were many first-class swordsmen in the village, and they had even defeated the vampires.
After that, they had survived by defeating various enemies, such as bandit gangs and abnormally occurring monsters. It seemed that they had become known as an invincible village.
But.
One day, it was easily destroyed.
The cause was famine. It didn’t rain, and the crops didn’t grow.
It was even called an invincible village. If they had wanted to, they could have attacked other villages and taken their food. But the villagers didn’t do that.
Were they all wiped out? Or did they abandon the village and scatter to other places?
Their whereabouts were unknown. In any case, the village that Victoria loved was no more.
Everyone was gone.
They weren’t killed by vampires. So it’s not that Victoria has a strong hatred for vampires other than herself.
It’s just that, suddenly, everyone she loved was gone.
That’s why she thought, “I don’t like it when people die,” that’s all.
“That’s all there is to it. I am… a lonely person. I want to reduce the possibility of people I become friends with disappearing, even if only a little. The reason I became known as Victoria of the Silver Flash is just that. I finally remembered. I wanted to return to that village where I lived surrounded by everyone.”
It was just an old story with no real lesson.
There was nothing we could do for Victoria after hearing it.
Those who died so long ago couldn’t be summoned as spirits with Dark Magic.
But, we could listen to her story.
Victoria wanted us to listen to her. We were able to respond to that.
Surely, that alone had meaning.
“But… was what I’ve been doing really right? Robert has saved far more people than I have. I may have sacrificed a thousand people to save one.”
“You shouldn’t think like that. Several of his ‘works’ have already been found in the basements of the towns where Robert has stayed. Such actions should not be allowed.”
“Yes… I understand. I was just complaining a little. After all, the number is just too much…”
One thousand and one.
Certainly, if you took that literally, it was understandable that she would feel guilty.
But, my thinking was different.
“I don’t think there’s any point in comparing those two numbers.”
“…What do you mean, Akito?”
Victoria looked at me with pleading eyes.
“Robert may have treated a thousand people. But, would those people have died if he hadn’t been there? Wouldn’t someone else have saved them? There’s a lot of malice in this world. But, I think there’s more good will than that… Is my opinion too idealistic?”
“…No. I thought it was a surprisingly profound statement for someone so impudent.”
“Is that so? I’m honored to hear that from a vampire who has lived for so long.”
Victoria smiled at my words. I really thought it was an honor.
“It seems I’ve taken quite a liking to you, Akito. I’ve never tasted blood as delicious as yours.”
“Is that so?”
What was it? Victoria’s smile looked like the joy of a carnivore in front of its favorite food.
“Also… it was the first time I’ve ever drunk a man’s blood. The first was Akito. The second was also Akito. I’ve completely become addicted to Akito’s taste. There’s no choice but for you to take responsibility for this.”
“Responsibility… I’ll let you drink a few drops anytime…”
“That’s enough, fufufu… So, I’ve decided to live in this castle.”
“Hey, Victoria-san. You’re more than welcome to live in the castle, but… the way you’re looking at Akito-kun, is that really just hunger? I still think it’s a little perverted!”
“It’s just your imagination. It’s probably because Mizuha is always having lewd thoughts that you see it that way.”
“I-I’m not thinking about anything lewd!”
Mizuha shouted that and clung to me.
She’s not thinking about anything lewd… I kind of wanted her to be thinking about it a little…
“So, Victoria-san, does that mean you’ll be staying in this castle for good!?”
“Yes. Now I can watch Misty’s swordsmanship all the time.”
“Yay! I want to get stronger quickly and catch up to Akito-san!”
Catch up, huh?
Well, I mainly use Dark Magic, and I’m not really a swordsmanship fanatic.
“On a celebratory day, let’s do something cheerful. The weather is nice, so how about we have lunch in the garden? We can pack a basket with all sorts of things and lay out a sheet. It’ll be fun!”
“Celebratory… I’ve been staying in this castle all along, haven’t I?”
“Staying temporarily and living here permanently are different, I think. I’ll make a bento with all my energy!”
Misty, her Maid Outfit fluttering, ran to the kitchen. When she gets that enthusiastic, there’s no stopping her.