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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Ugh, I’m telling you it feels weird.”
“Isn’t it about time you got used to it? It’s already been over a month. By now, you should be accustomed to it.”
“That’s why I’m saying it feels weird every time I do it, so how can I get used to it?”
“It’s about time you got used to it after a month.”
It was a remark that could be slightly misunderstood if someone heard it, but in fact, it wasn’t a big deal.
It was the result of a dramatic compromise reached after vehemently refusing, saying the neck really felt strange, and ending up offering the arm.
However, there were various questions that couldn’t be avoided.
“By the way, Arwen.”
“Yeah?”
For vampires, sucking blood was perhaps as natural as breathing.
So if you think of it as a human, it’s simply eating a meal, but Arwen, who had been elegantly biting my arm in a dignified manner, raised her head as if asking what was going on.
“Even a True Ancestor should be fine without drinking blood for about a month, right?”
“…?”
Arwen tilted her head as if asking what that sudden question meant.
She was just tilting her head while looking up from below.
If you looked at it this way, it was a setup that could be perceived as cute, but in reality, with the bright red blood smeared on her lips, it was closer to a visual from a horror film.
Anyway, this had been the question I had been pondering all along.
True Ancestor.
Also known as the Elder Vampire, or the monarch of all vampires.
So to put it simply, it was easy to understand them as the first vampires.
There was a reason why I particularly disliked Arwen fighting with Sylphia.
No matter what, even if the depth of their emotional rift wasn’t that deep, the moment they started fighting in earnest, it wouldn’t be strange for the detached palace to be destroyed for sure, and if things went well, even the capital could be blown away.
Anyway, even if they were vampires, it was strange to think that such a powerful being couldn’t overcome the urge to suck blood or whimpered about being hungry after not drinking blood for a few days.
“You could think of it that way.”
And in response to my question, Arwen took out a handkerchief and asked, wiping her mouth with her typical elegant motion.
“Do you know what blood means to vampires?”
“…I’m not sure about that.”
Then, as if she had expected it, Arwen chuckled and opened her mouth in a gentle voice like a teacher instructing a student.
“Drinking blood cannot be understood on the same level as humans simply eating food to obtain nutrients.”
“Then?”
“Think carefully. Excluding all other conditions, what do you think are the three factors necessary for a human to be literally ‘alive’?”
“Well, of course, you need to breathe… And you need to eat, right? You also need to drink water to replenish fluids.”
“Well, I suppose that’s roughly it. But there’s a major flaw in directly applying the act of sucking blood here.”
“…What is it?”
As if she had been waiting for those words, Arwen answered promptly.
“The reason vampires drink human blood is to satisfy their hunger. That hunger, when it becomes severe, leads to urges. But then, do you know why vampires can only satisfy their hunger by drinking blood?”
“That’s why I’m asking you because I don’t know.”
“They can only satisfy that hunger with the mana contained in human blood. It’s virtually the only way.”
“Oh, is that so?”
In response to my question, Arwen nodded instead of answering.
Now the question was solved.
In fact, even if the premise that vampires drank blood was the same, when it comes to the details, the settings vary depending on the creative work.
Settings like vampires having to drink blood because they couldn’t digest anything other than human blood.
In this world, it seemed that vampires could only replenish mana in the form contained in human blood, but come to think of it, it was strange.
That was the reason why ordinary vampires had to drink blood, not the reason why Arwen, a True Ancestor, had to drink blood regularly.
No matter what, as a True Ancestor, wouldn’t she be fine even if she starved without drinking blood for about a month?
Of course, it was still in the realm of speculation without evidence.
Actually, I couldn’t remember the original settings well now because it had been so long.
I just vaguely recalled a few minor settings or suddenly remembered something related when there was a trigger.
So my reasoning was in the realm of simple intuition, without evidence to support it, but…
I looked at Arwen, who was casually responding, with my gaze fixed on her.
“Is there a problem?”
Arwen also asked, meeting my eyes without backing down.
“But Arwen, you’re a True Ancestor, aren’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“I understand that’s the case for ordinary vampires, but it’s not like you can’t control your urges or anything just because you don’t drink blood for a few days.”
“…You seem to have some misunderstanding.”
“Recently, I’ve been feeling dizzy whenever I sit up or stand up, as if I’ve developed anemia or orthostatic hypotension because of you.”
“Ahem…”
Arwen coughed awkwardly, but it was true that I felt dizzy when sitting up or standing up, as if I had really developed anemia or orthostatic hypotension.
To put it simply, the act of sucking blood could be easily understood as blood donation.
Considering that when you donate blood once, you can’t donate again for at least 8 weeks until the iron is replenished, it was clear that the frequent blood-sucking recently had some impact.
In fact, it wouldn’t make sense otherwise.
“You’re doing it on purpose.”
“How could that be?”
It was the moment when suspicion turned into certainty.
Arwen casually responded, asking how that could be, but she couldn’t deceive my eyes even if she could deceive others.
I finally caught it.
Actually, I had been vaguely thinking that something was strange all along.
Whether she really needed to drink blood or if she simply needed an excuse.
And it was the moment I concluded that it was just an excuse she needed.
“Even if you can heal wounds with magic, you can’t replenish the lost blood, you know? Recovery magic isn’t omnipotent.”
“…You seem to have a misunderstanding. Even if I’m a True Ancestor, it doesn’t mean I can live without drinking blood at all.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s just that the interval is a bit longer, but if I don’t drink at all, I can’t endure it the same…”
“Recovery.”
I cast a healing spell on my arm that was still oozing blood because it hadn’t been clotted, punctured by her fangs.
It seemed that it was about time to establish the hierarchy a bit.
“Arwen.”
“…”
“For a month, you’re prohibited from being in human form.”
“…Eh.”
“And I won’t give you blood for a month either.”
“…!”
Arwen, who seemed to be in shock, had a stiff expression.
Yeah, come to think of it, I had been keeping her in my room like a pet.
Arwen was a cat.
She shouldn’t climb up.
Actually, it didn’t really matter, but recently, I’d been having my blood sucked so much that I might develop anemia that I didn’t even have at this rate.
“Why aren’t you using transformation magic?”
“…Meow.”
As if she had no choice, Arwen quietly manifested the transformation magic and turned into a cat.
For now, she sat on my lap and took her place, but she had a strangely resentful expression.
But that was none of my business.
This was the correct master-servant relationship.
I slowly stroked the fur of Arwen, who was sitting on my lap, and opened my mouth.
“And get along with each other.”
“…What do you mean?”
Still a slightly sulky voice.
“Why do you keep insisting on fighting? Did you snarl at each other like that before the regression too, unable to get along?”
“…Rather, it’s better now than before.”
“Actually, if it was to that extent, I might have died not from the terminal diagnosis, but from the frustration.”
“…That’s quite a stretch. No matter what, we kept within bounds. I don’t know about the others though.”
Arwen protested as if it was unfair.
Well, if it was before, I might have just understood and let it go, but now that I’d heard various episodes from Elena about what happened before the regression, it was a story that didn’t make any sense.
“You destroyed the detached palace, didn’t you?”
“…?!”
“I heard you and Sylphia momentarily released polymorph and fought, destroying the detached palace. So Elena said she received the cost to rebuild the detached palace.”
“H-how did you…”
“I heard everything.”
Arwen, with a shocked face, flinched.
Actually, it was a bit strange to say a cat was making a shocked expression, but that was how it was for now.
There was still a bundle of brilliant episodes I had heard from Elena.
Anyway, with the thought that there aas no escape, like the Buddha’s palm, I was gloating over the fact that I had finally got one over on Arwen.
Arwen, who was sitting on my lap, quietly opened her mouth.
“…Anyway, you should start preparing too.”
“Prepare? For what?”
“The Empress of the Empire will soon pass away.”
“…What?”
It was a sudden remark to bring up in this atmosphere, so I momentarily flinched.
“…I thought it was about time to bring it up. It’s just that until now, I was looking for the right timing to talk about it because the princess involved was here.”
“…”
“You know that the Empress’ condition is getting worse, don’t you?”
“That’s true, but…”
Arwen, who had been sitting silently on my lap, quietly added.
“For now, it would be good for you to go and talk with the princess.”
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