"Please, spare me..."
Messy silver hair.
Tear streaks were already distinct on her pale cheeks.
"This lady, has a long-cherished wish yet unfulfilled..."
"..."
Carmilla's sobbing showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.
I was just staring at her blankly.
Numerous thoughts crossed my mind.
'Why is she crying?'
For a moment I had that doubt, but I was soon able to understand.
It seemed she mistook me for one of those targeting her.
She must have thought I was no different from those assassins.
Considering Carmilla's position, it was a plausible judgment.
'Well...'
Carmilla is one of the few pureblood vampires on the continent.
Even if it wasn't her uncle, there would be more than one or two factions wanting to get their hands on Carmilla.
Furthermore, the dynasty led by her predecessor had just collapsed.
Even the fence that protected the girl had disappeared.
A situation where she could be targeted from anywhere, by anyone.
'Since she's been chased by assassins continuously all this time, she must be at her mental limit too.'
Of course.
I couldn't help but be flustered on my end as well.
'I'm a weakling though.'
All my stats are E-rank.
No room for growth whatsoever.
At least within this worldview, it wouldn't be easy to find someone weaker than me.
A body that would be brutally torn apart if Carmilla so much as lifted a finger right now.
'No, if anyone should be scared, it should be me...!'
She's a lion, and I'm a mouse.
Yet, a situation where the lion is trembling in fear.
I swallowed my grievance.
'First... I need to reassure Carmilla.'
I dealt with all the assassins who followed, but I don't know when the next group will arrive.
Leaving this place was the priority.
What was needed now was persuasion.
I had to make Carmilla lower her guard and follow me.
"Princess."
It's not difficult.
If I can just use my knowledge of the original work, and spin a little lie.
"Please, cast aside your fear."
Carmilla shrank her shoulders.
I knelt on one knee in front of her.
I also bowed my head to look at the floor.
Like a knight pledging loyalty to his master.
"Sniff... Ugh, huh?"
As I showed an unexpected action, a question mark floated above the girl's head.
I calmly began to flap my gums.
"The late King sent me."
"The late King? My father...?"
"Yes."
Carmilla's pupils dilated as if surprised.
I didn't hesitate and followed up with the next strike.
Retracing the memories in my head, I rolled the pronunciation as closely to what I remembered as possible.
"Layla de Leviaran. De Roni Gibliage."
"...!"
Even among the numerous vampires, the royal family known as the direct line of the True Ancestor.
It was a sentence passed down for generations only to the purebloods.
The language of ancient vampires.
Words left behind by the True Ancestor when they disappeared 1000 years ago.
The surprise didn't fade from Carmilla's face.
"Slaughter, but do not be vulgar. Survive, but do not be servile. That is what it means, I believe."
"H-How...? To even know the meaning... T-That is clearly a sentence only permitted to the royal family..."
"Did I not tell you? The late King sent me."
I only know it because I saw it in the original setting book, but it doesn't matter.
A lie that cannot be verified is no different from the truth.
"It was when the late King... that is, when Lady Carmilla's father was still alive. He always wished to prepare for this tragedy. I am one of those arrangements."
"Arrangement...?"
"The late King entrusted the Princess to me. He said if he were to meet a mishap and the dynasty collapsed, then I should protect Lady Carmilla."
"Then, the sentence just now too..."
"The late King told me. That if I recited that sentence, the Princess would believe me."
"..."
Carmilla fell into a blank daze of thought.
Inside her messy, dizzy head, something must have come to mind regardless.
"...Clearly, Father did say that. That even in human society, there are vassals hiding who serve him. Run, run far away... and meet them, then you will be safe... On the day he passed away, to me..."
Her voice, which had been dry, gradually became wet.
It was a gaze as if she had seen the last hope.
The silver-haired girl asked in her wretched state.
"Are you... the knight Father spoke of?"
"Yes."
I did not hesitate to answer.
"From now on, I will take responsibility for the Princess's safety."
"Ah..."
The girl's breath was exhaled inadvertently.
Her teary red eyes sparkled.
Stumble—.
"Thank goodn... Thank goodness..."
"Oops."
Swaying heavily, Carmilla collapsed forward.
I lightly opened my arms and caught her.
Flump—.
A small frame embraced in one go. Cool body temperature and skin.
Even as she was laid on the floor, she kept muttering.
"Father, I... I, lived... Just as you asked..."
"You have suffered greatly. Please rest for a moment like this."
"Thank you... Thank, thank you..."
Slid—, her eyes closed.
Was it because the tension that had been built up suddenly released?
Carmilla soon lost consciousness.
'Was she at her limit?'
For the past few weeks, she must have been running continuously to escape the assassins' pursuit.
It was obvious she hadn't had a proper deep sleep either.
'Her body is a mess too...'
She was sniped by assassins and even beaten thoroughly.
If left like this, it would get worse.
Rustle, rustle—.
I rummaged through my robe and took something out.
None other than blood drawn from livestock.
'I packed this knowing this would happen.'
Click—.
I opened the lid of the blood pack and placed it between the girl's lips.
drawn by the sweet scent of blood, Carmilla soon moistened her throat.
Gulp, gulp, the pack was emptied cleanly.
Following that, her body, covered in wounds, slowly began to recover.
'Good.'
I left her alone for a moment so her flesh could heal.
In the meantime, I snooped around where the assassins had been.
Before long, I found what I was looking for in a large box.
"Oh."
A crossbow as huge as my own body.
[God-Killing Bow]. An artifact of the Blandir Kingdom. I heard it was an item used for executing pureblood vampires. Even if not specifically for vampires, it's just a weapon with ridiculously strong power. "Niiice." It's a loot drop. I tapped the massive thing with my finger. Ting—! [Robe of the Evil God] - Stores item: 'God-Killing Bow'.
- Number of stored items: 31/100
This crossbow is mine from now on.
It means I can do whatever I want with it.
'They probably didn't know it would be stolen.'
It was understandable they let their guard down.
Did they think elite assassins picked specifically for this would fail to catch one exhausted princess?
Especially when they were given a broken cheat item known to be the strongest against vampires.
'Well... it all happened because I intruded though.'
It was the same in the original work.
If the player doesn't intervene in the event, Carmilla is executed in this sewer.
"Is there only one stake?"
The stake.
The arrow used in the God-Killing Bow.
'One for execution, one for spare. They must have brought it like that.'
Well, there's no way they could carry around several shots of something this precious.
Just making one shot takes 200 years of a veteran blacksmith's time.
My mouth is watering.
'It was amazing.'
Didn't I witness it earlier?
When I dealt with the assassins, what I held in my hand was merely a small fragment.
Even that was a part that couldn't function properly because it had shattered from the aftermath of the impact.
Even such a fragment was like a lethal poison to vampires.
'The Holy See would love this.'
At least among purification and exorcism-type artifacts, it was clearly Tier 1.
A hum came out naturally.
I stored the arrow in my inventory as well.
'I saved Carmilla, and got the God-Killing Bow and the stake too...'
The harvest was big.
Since I made a huge haul, it was time to head back to the lodging.
I carefully picked up Carmilla, who was fast asleep unaware of the world.
"Kugh..."
Is it because my Strength is E-rank?
Even though Carmilla was light, my arms hurt.
A gaze more serious than when blocking the God-Killing Bow, or when dealing with the assassins.
"Phew..."
I let out a small breath.
Then, I leisurely exited the sewer.
Several days have passed since returning to the lodging.
Nothing special happened in that short time.
Carmilla continued to sleep for recovery.
I sat by her side, nursing her and passing the time.
'Pursuit... I won't have to worry about it for a while.'
Since I used a bug to return when coming back to the lodging too.
There wouldn't be any traces to tail.
With this, I can say I've bought some time.
Because fighting the vampire side requires preparation.
'In the end, the key is Carmilla.'
I had to make her grow.
Enough to awaken the power of a pureblood and rebuild the collapsed dynasty.
'Because I decline the end of the world.'
Several days passed like that.
It was fully five days later that Carmilla regained consciousness.
"Ugh, mmm..."
Her red pupils woke up in a daze.
Was it thanks to consistently supplying blood packs even while she slept?
The girl had recovered cleanly without a single wound.
"You're awake."
"...Huh?"
Carmilla froze the moment our eyes met.
It seemed buffering occurred in her head.
If I wait a moment, she soon finishes grasping the situation and jumps up.
"Ah...!"
She wiped the drool she had drooled profusely with her sleeve.
The girl blushed as if ashamed.
She asked with a locked throat.
"H-Here is..."
"It is the lodging. We planned to stay until the Princess's recovery was complete."
"Did you carry me...?"
"That is correct."
I answered gently.
She is in a psychologically cornered state.
"The wounds have all healed. Surely an arrow was stuck in me, and I was a mess here and there..."
"I continued to supply you with blood. I prepared plenty of blood packs."
"Is that so..."
Carmilla nodded.
"Thank you... for saving me. I do not know how to repay this grace."
"Please withdraw such words. I merely completed the task the late King entrusted to me."
"Truly a loyal knight. How, when your race is human..."
"In the past, I received help from him."
"I see."
Since we shared a few formal words, no awkward silence settled in.
Just when the grogginess had fully left Carmilla's consciousness.
"...?"
The girl looked down at her body as if realizing some disparity.
Arms, legs, she glanced under the clothes she was wearing.
Then, she flinched and shrank back.
Without a word, her shoulders began to tremble quietly.
"...Lady Carmilla?"
What is it? Why is she suddenly acting like that?
Is there a problem with her body?
Is there a wound that hasn't healed?
I asked out of worry.
"What is the matter?"
"..."
"Your expression is not good."
"...T-That is."
Her lips, which had been mumbling for a long time, soon voiced out with difficulty.
For some reason, her face was flushed red.
As if steam would leak from the top of her head at any moment.
"My clothes have been changed, and underneath, my underwear has been taken off too... B-Body, my body feels soft and fluffy as if someone washed it..."
"..."
"Y-You...?"
"..."
"Surely...?"
"..."
No.
That.
Um.
It couldn't be helped.
Her body smelled of the sewer, and was stained with sewage water, so if left like that, the risk of infection...
"...It happened like that."
"..."
Now beyond just red, her complexion was driven to the verge of exploding.
I quietly averted my gaze.