CH 8

Vampire Girl and Despair (Part 2)

Translated by AmaLynne

I ran away. I kept running away.

I left my father and mother, my friends, and my friends to die.

I ran deep into the forest with all my heart, sometimes avoiding the beasts that stood in my way, sometimes defeating them, and just kept on running.

I ran for over an hour, out of breath, using my naturally high physical ability, and finally stopped when I came to a cliff.

「Hah…hah…」

The moment I stopped, I was so exhausted that I fell into a heap on the spot.

How in the world did this happen? It was a peaceful day, just as usual, until this morning.

「…Dad… Mom…!」

I hope you are safe. I want you to be alive in any way possible.

But the words that echoed in my head immediately afterward shattered that small hope in an instant.

《Certain conditions have been met. You have completed the evolution of your race into the Vampire Lord.》

「………ee?」

It took me a few seconds to understand the words.

Vampire Lord never appears more than two at a time.

And since it is an『Evolution』of the race, it is not possible to quit as king in the middle and hand it over to another vampire. Because that would be『Degeneracy』.

And the Vampire Lord must be nominated. The Vampire Lord of the generation decides in advance who will be the next Lord, and at the moment of the death of the Lord of the generation, the vampire who has been nominated will evolve into the Vampire Lord.

Yes. Only『in case of death』can the Vampire Lord stopped.

In other words… At this moment, it means dad is dead.

But that’s not all.

There is no way that my dad, that parent idiot, would have appointed me as the Vampire Lord when I was still a young girl.

If so, who was the vampire that my dad had decided to be the next in line?

…Mom. Of course.

Despite this, I have evolved into a Vampire Lord of my race. What this means―――I don’t need to tell you.

In other words, at this moment, I had to be sure. I had lost my beloved parents.

「aa… aa, aaaaa…」

…Why? Why did my parents have to die?

I finally found my place. My precious family.

Why must they be taken from me?

「aaa, aaaaaa… mom, dad…!」

Tears flowed endlessly. My parents, who until yesterday had been talking about tomorrow, were dead, and I was the only survivor.

What is this? If this is a dream, wake up.

Why, why, why?

In my previous life, I was bullied, scorned, and finally killed「just because」 of God’s selfish convenience.

So this time. In this life. I decided to live happily.

And yet, I am not allowed to have even such a small dream.

I was tormented by anger, sadness, regret, and despair, and I cried there until the night, until my tears dried up.

◆◇◆◇◆

I continued to cry until I could no longer cry, and at night I went back the way I came.

Vampires are a race of the night. If there were any vampires left alive, they would return to their villages at this time.

At night, fighting is disadvantageous for humans, who are not good at seeing in the dark.

Then perhaps they would have pulled out of the village before night.

Even if they were still there and found, I, strengthened by the power of the『Vampire Lord』and the blessing of the moon, could take some of them with me.

If I die, it will be after I tear to pieces the one who killed my father and mother.

I ran, In less than 20 minutes, which had taken me more than an hour during the day, and I could see where the village was located.

I don’t hear the sounds of mayhem like I heard during the day.

Humans are likely pulling up vampires because they cannot sense them with the five senses that they are born with. It would be a small number, if any.

I prepared for battle and headed for the forest exit, where I noticed something.

「ah…here…」

That was the place where my mom had let me escape.

But the scene had changed.

Most of the surrounding trees had been blown down, and there were scorch marks everywhere. And the unnaturally unscorched, circular ground was like a crop circle.

And there.

I found it.

A figure, a shadow.

「…! M-Mom! …MOM!!」

I yelled and ran over to her.

Her hair was burnt in places, and there was no longer any trace of her beauty.

But I did not doubt in my mind that it was my mom.

「Mom! Mother! mother…」

I held my mom in my arms and shook her repeatedly…then I realized.

She was not breathing.

Her heart had stopped.

…She is dead.

「ahh… aaaa, aaaaaaa…」

I was prepared for this.

I had a feeling this would happen.

But the moment I saw it, I…I couldn’t hold it back.

「Ahh……AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!」

Why! Why must mom die!!!!!!

Who! Who did this to mom!

「That… that man!!!!」

Yeah, I know! That magician!

That guy who called himself《The Twelve Holy Apostles》or something!

「…Definitely…… I swear to God, I will kill you!!!!」

◆◇◆◇◆

「…Who’s there?」

As I swore revenge, someone called out to me.

When I turned around, there were three knight-like men in silver armor, wearing the emblem of some country on their chests.

―――They were the humans who had attacked the village.

「Ah? Isn’t that the vampire kid? She survived.」

「Which one…? Oh, it’s true. I heard loud voices, so I came over…」

「Oh my God, isn’t that the corpse of the vampire that Noin-sama killed? What are you hanging on to, you creep?」

「…Dirty, I say.」

My mom, the one who protected me. You’ve just called her『dirty』for lack of a better word. You’ve got some nerve, and I like it.

―――Death.

I stepped in and instantly approached the man who called my mother dirty and mercilessly『twisted』his neck.

「Ack…!?」

With that, the man collapsed, blood spurting from his torso.

『Your experience has reached a certain level.』

『Levels have been raised.』

「Wha!?」

「T-This little brat!?」

One of the men slashed at me, but I got close before he could swing his sword and landed a merciless punch right to the chest area.

The man’s armor exploded, and he was nearly blown away as it was.

But I grabbed the man and put another fist into his chest area.

The man’s ribs were shattered, and the shock wave crushed his heart.

「GAacckkk!」

Leaving behind a muffled voice, the second man died.

『Your experience has reached a certain level.』

『Levels have been raised.』

「N-No way…!?」

The remaining man was completely on the run. But there was no way I was going to let him get away.

I closed the distance again in an instant and made a foot sweep.

I wondered how it would go. I attack with all my might, destroying the armor and shattering the bone in the man’s right leg.

「AAGHHHH!?」

Shut up. Don’t make a dirty sound.

…I would say, but this guy has a few questions I want to ask him.

「Hey.」

「Hiii…!?」

「Don’t rant. Answer my questions and I’ll spare your life.」

Now, let the revenge begin.