**Chapter Nine: Tranquility②**
As dawn broke over the city of Semesera, Senri, now dressed in a modest outfit of muted colors, gazed intently at a large, spread-out map.
“There’s a method to tracking the Anador. So, we’ll turn that knowledge against them…”
Her voice was serious, devoid of hesitation, indicating her intent to use the skills she had learned for a purpose entirely opposite to their original design.
However, what caught my attention more than anything else was something else entirely.
“Senri… why are you wearing glasses?”
“…It’s a disguise. Just for show, but… my hair and eye color stand out too much.”
Senri wore brown-framed glasses, her violet eyes peering seriously at me through the thin lenses. Yet, perhaps due to the quality of the material, her overall impression hadn’t changed much. After all, merely putting on glasses wouldn’t hide her striking hair and eye color.
She looked good in them, but… was she really serious about this? I felt a thirst for blood rising within me. It was too suspicious to constantly hide my appearance under a thick robe and hood, yet it seemed Senri had no intention of disguising herself as a Knight of the End.
What Senri had procured for me was a gray cloak. I would have preferred black, but it seemed vampires were known to favor that color, so it served as a form of camouflage. As an outsider, I could only comply.
Senri pointed out a route that crossed a large river adjacent to Semesera. It was a path that would be impossible to traverse alone. The current was swift, and the water was several meters deep, with a sturdy stone bridge spanning it.
As I took a small breath, Senri hesitantly asked, “Do you trust me?”
“Of course… I’ve already committed to this. I’m grateful to you, Senri.”
This world was far too harsh for a vampire who knew nothing. When I first received blood from Senri, I had the option to escape alone. In her flustered state back then, she likely wouldn’t have pursued me if I had fled. However, I chose the path of negotiating with Epe, taking the risk to ally with Senri, and I was glad I did. At that time, I hadn’t even known that only human blood could satiate my bloodlust.
Now, I was choosing the path most suitable for survival.
“…Alright. This is also the duty of the Knight of the End.”
Senri lowered her gaze at my words. Yet, her voice held a gentler, slightly sorrowful tone than usual.
Senri still harbored doubts. She was intelligent enough to understand. No matter how close we had become, or how good a person I might be, I was still a monster that needed to draw blood from others to survive.
If Senri were to disappear, I would have to feed on someone else’s blood. Even without that, I had no lifespan. The time would inevitably come when our paths would diverge. Therefore, I had to somehow deceive her completely.
There was no concrete merit for her in helping me. The sexual pleasure derived from bloodsucking wouldn’t count as a benefit either…
If only there were a way for me to survive without needing blood.
“How do we cross? Will you support my shoulder?”
As a lower-ranked vampire, I could still manage to walk on water, albeit barely. Once I fully transformed into a vampire, walking would likely become impossible. However, crossing such a large bridge in my current state seemed nearly impossible.
Having Senri support me would be nice, but she was shorter than I was. It might feel a bit awkward. Plus, I had the burden of my belongings.
In response to my question, Senri shook her head slightly.
“No… I’ll carry you and fly. If we go under the bridge, we won’t be noticeable, and I think we can manage to cross a river this size.”
That was quite a wild method. However, Epe and the others likely wouldn’t anticipate Senri being this cooperative with me. It wasn’t a bad idea. I squinted my eyes and teased her, glancing at her neck.
“If you plan to drop me into the water halfway, I’d like to have some blood first.”
“It’s fine. Even if you fall into the water, you don’t need to breathe, so if it’s a river like this, you’ll eventually wash up on the shore… I think.”
“If there’s a weight, I’d be stuck at the bottom forever. I wouldn’t even be able to dig my own heart out.”
That was a chilling thought. I could remain calm while taking a shower or bathing, but being in a river was a different story. Truly, vampires were strange beings.
At my words, Senri’s eyes widened, and she clasped her hands together.
“That’s… a very good idea. I hadn’t considered that the Knight of the End would surely destroy the Anador, but if we could contain them alive, it might be optimal.”
“…Please stop. There’s no pain or suffering in the water, but it’s not exactly calm.”
“Then don’t say silly things. Here, I’ll give you some food…”
My head felt hot. Hesitantly, Senri extended her smooth, fish-like fingers toward me.
The limit of my bloodlust was ten days. I could endure twice that long, but beyond that, my abilities would significantly diminish, and I would lose consciousness. If I consumed Senri’s blood, the immediate urge would be quelled, and the duration would be extended. The necessary amount of blood was likely not too much.
Even in a state where I was nearly overwhelmed by my urges, a small sip from her finger would restore my composure. The only time I had needed to drink a larger amount was the first time, when I had restored myself from the state of my neck.
At this point, I wanted to bite her neck, but it seemed Senri’s resolve had yet to solidify. Gratefully, I took the offered fingertip, brushed my lips against her smooth skin, and guided it into my mouth.
Senri’s brow twitched. The sensation of being caressed inside my mouth was indescribably pleasurable.
As I suckled on her finger, I lightly pierced it with my canine. The act of bloodsucking was painless, akin to being bitten by a mosquito.
Perhaps the intense pleasure associated with bloodsucking was designed to facilitate the act. According to legend, those bitten by a vampire would willingly offer their neck the next time. Senri hadn’t succumbed to that, likely due to her strong spirit.
The sweetness of her blood cooled the heat in my head. A gentle wave of pleasure coursed through me, causing me to exhale hotly.
Though there was a slight lack of satisfaction, the sensation of drinking her blood was beyond description. As I carefully licked her finger, I traced my fingertips along the back of her hand, extending my arm to slip my hand into the gentle sleeve of her robe. The contact of our silken skin seemed to amplify the strange power I felt.
While it should be the same to bite anywhere for blood, the strength I gained from her neck was clearly different from now. Considering the information Senri had shared about vampires taking their time to slowly drink from the neck, it seemed that the satisfaction and the amount of power gained from bloodsucking were closely related.
I narrowed my eyes in pleasure, savoring the blood. My fingertips brushed against Senri’s elbow.
Just as I was about to advance my hand further, Senri suddenly withdrew her hand, protecting her glistening, saliva-coated fingertip and lightly slapping my outstretched arm away.
There was a small bite mark on her white finger, but no blood was drawn. And the mark would likely disappear soon.
“N/A… that’s enough. You’ve had plenty, right?”
“…”
I didn’t respond, lost in the afterglow of the bloodsucking.
Of course, it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough, but it was sufficient to suppress my bloodlust.
The slight lack of satisfaction only added spice to the experience. My spirit was not weak enough to be swayed by such desires.
With my keen hearing, I could tell that Senri’s usually calm heartbeat had quickened slightly.
As she carefully wiped away the saliva, Senri awkwardly pushed her glasses up. It was as if she were trying to restore the air around us.
“Once we cross the river… we’ll head west. There’s a small town. There’s a larger town to the east, but the chances of the Knight of the End being in the smaller town are lower.”
“…Understood. I’ll follow.”
Senri’s words were comforting. I believed there was still a chance the Knight of the End could come to the smaller town, and they might anticipate our choice to cross the bridge. But if I kept saying such things, I wouldn’t be able to do anything.
After spending a night at the inn, showering, and changing, Senri radiated a dazzling beauty.
A wild life shouldn’t be prolonged. In any case, if we lived, we would inevitably encounter enemies.
At the moment I devised a plan to defeat the Lord, I had already resolved to brush aside the sparks of conflict that would arise.
The blood was empowering me, propelling me toward a new echelon. I could feel my existence plummeting at an astonishing speed.
And perhaps that speed was much faster than Senri imagined.
—
We left the town and headed toward the bridge. It was a stone bridge several meters wide, wide enough for carriages to pass.
With the sun already set, there were hardly any travelers crossing the sturdy, massive structure. However, perhaps as a strategy to counter any ambushes lurking in the dark, the bridge was illuminated by light from a nearby tower-like structure.
Senri was clad in heavy armor. Gone was the white-themed gear of the End Knight he had worn just days before, replaced by a plain brown cloak and a large, cumbersome backpack that a penniless traveler would begrudgingly carry. The contrast was stark.
His round glasses seemed almost pointless, yet they changed his impression considerably when viewed from this angle.
I had no such backpack. There was no room for it as they crossed the bridge.
Avoiding the gazes of passersby, I stealthily made my way to the foot of the bridge.
“Light Wings are made of Blessing. Be careful not to touch them,” Senri warned.
“I doubt I have the energy to touch anything,” I replied.
The water’s surface was truly harsh. I felt my face tense up, and Senri stood behind me, gently wrapping his arms around me. If I had been human, I might have interpreted this scene as affection, but unfortunately, all I could sense was the tantalizing scent of blood.
I really wished the hunger would just leave me alone.
“I’ll hold you as we fly. You don’t need to worry about anything else,” Senri assured me.
“Ah… I’ll leave it to you,” I said, feeling a mix of trust and trepidation.
With a swift motion, Senri slipped his arm under my armpit, lifting me effortlessly. Then, with a powerful leap, he soared forward.
All my strength drained away as I surrendered my entire being to Senri. Below us, the dark water mirrored the slender moon and my translucent form.