Chapter 32
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Death's Multiple Choice
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This is confusing again.
"...Hic."
The saintess, clutched tightly in my arms.
She's squirming in my embrace, hiccuping nonstop.
"Saintess...?"
"...Hic."
She's broken...?
The saintess responded to my call with yet another hiccup.
Why isn't she falling asleep?
I lowered the saintess I had picked up.
Or at least, I tried to.
"Saintess...?"
"......"
Her eyes were wide open, perfectly fine.
Yet her body hung limp like a ragdoll, utterly devoid of strength.
If I set her down like this, her legs would give out and she'd collapse.
"Hic... H-hic, I can't... muster any strength."
The saintess struggled to part her lips and speak.
But why is she completely powerless? And why is it only affecting the saintess like this?
Being around the saintess just raises more questions. Is it because we're different species?
Why does the Hand of Abstinence work differently on her?
For now, I headed to the desk to set her down.
I gently laid her on top of it.
"Th-that... Uh... um..."
The saintess stammered incoherently, unable to form proper words.
Does the Hand of Abstinence also impair speech?
I left her lying there and opened my status window separately.
Straightforward description... just like in the game.
In the game, it only showed host and familiar, nothing more.
So does that mean the Hand of Abstinence isn't activating?
It should trigger if both she and I register as targets for Body Search.
To test it right away, I placed my hand lightly on the shoulder of the saintess lying there.
- Flinch.
"Hic...!"
The moment I touched her, another hiccup burst from her lips.
Judging by how her body jerked, the Hand of Abstinence was definitely working.
But why is it suddenly acting like it does on other women?
It almost seemed weird that she was having a normal reaction.
For now, what do I do with this hiccuping saintess?
"Saintess?"
"Hic, y-yeah...?"
I asked the saintess sprawled out on the desk.
"Is there anything you haven't told me?"
"N-no... nothing."
"You don't know much about familiars, do you?"
"How would I know if I don't know?"
Fair point.
Feels like she's told me everything about familiars at this rate.
But something's been nagging at me since earlier: not a single vampire couple without a mating bond.
I should interrogate her more in this state.
"Then why aren't you sleeping?"
"H-how should I know? Hic... Isn't it oppa's ability?"
To be precise, her current state is closer to my ability.
Normally, pleasure comes with arousal as the main symptom.
That's when I noticed the saintess's eyes.
Clear eyes without any dark circles.
Dark circles?
I'm sure when I first saw the saintess back then, she had heavy dark circles under her eyes.
Looking at her face now compared to our first meeting, it was remarkably refreshed.
"O-oppa, can you help me sit up?"
The saintess squirmed, uncomfortable lying down.
To help her up, I slipped my arm under her waist.
"Eek! Wh-where are you putting your hand?"
"Can't help it if I'm trying to sit you up."
The Hand of Abstinence was working overtime—her waist trembled finely.
I wrapped around her waist and sat her up on the desk.
"M-my... body feels weird. I've never made sounds like this before..."
The saintess blushed bright red, embarrassed by the noises coming from her mouth.
She seemed like she wanted to cover her face, but she could only roll her eyes, unable to move.
I removed my arm from her waist and slipped both hands under her armpits.
The warm flesh of her body enveloped the backs of my hands and palms.
"Eek! D-don't just shove them in."
The saintess yelped in surprise.
Over the armpits, really?
That's when a hypothesis flashed through my mind.
Sleep, pleasure, and the Hand of Abstinence.
"Saintess, before I came to the west, how much did you usually sleep?"
"Why ask that now? Hic... About 16 hours?"
16 hours...? That's basically sleeping all day.
"Do vampires normally sleep that much?"
"No... If you feed on blood regularly, it doesn't matter. But I can't just suck human blood whenever. It's been a while since I last fed..."
No wonder she slept so much.
That's why she looks better now.
"Hic... I'm still a saintess, you know. What would people think if a saintess went around sucking blood?"
"Then why did you ask me to put you to sleep earlier? You drank my blood. Shouldn't that let you sleep well?"
"......"
The saintess averted her gaze, rolling her eyes away from me.
So her tiredness was a lie after all.
I decided not to ask why she lied.
It's not important right now.
But soon, the saintess reluctantly parted her lips.
"B-because... when you put me to sleep, it felt so good... I woke up refreshed."
"Really? It felt good?"
The saintess seemed embarrassed admitting it felt good.
But hearing her answer turned my hypothesis into certainty.
I see. Now I get it.
'Pleasure too.'
This thing doesn't just arouse women.
They say men get a 200% dopamine spike at orgasm.
Women are different—400% or even higher.
So I naturally thought pleasure meant arousal and orgasm.
Arousal exists for the goal of orgasm, after all.
Not that I ever went all the way.
Still, most women reacted with arousal to my touch.
Because orgasm is pleasure.
But the saintess had a problem.
Who in the world can get aroused without sleep?
The saintess wasn't in a state to feel pleasure.
Just as arousal is needed for orgasm, sleep is needed for arousal.
In short, the Hand of Abstinence put her to sleep to turn her into this state.
Everything clicks into place now.
An ability that even fulfills the prerequisites for pleasure.
No wonder it's a hidden quest reward.
That's when the saintess dropped a bombshell.
"Oh yeah... After sleeping well, oppa looked delicious."
"Pardon?"
What looked delicious?
"Ah! N-no, I mean your blood looked delicious, oppa..."
Her eyes darted around wildly.
That startled me...
With her sleep deficit fixed, her appetite's back too, huh.
I've pretty much unraveled the secrets of the Hand of Abstinence.
I understand why she's like this now.
Fortunately, it doesn't seem heavily tied to the familiar bond.
"I don't think I can put you to sleep right now."
"Huh? Why...?"
She's not tired at all anymore, so I can't make her sleep.
Nothing I can do about it.
"Come find me when you're really tired."
"......"
The saintess looked crestfallen at my words.
"Got it... Then can you pull your hands out?"
My hands were still wedged between her armpits.
It had been nice and warm.
By now, her hiccups had stopped.
I could feel strength returning to her body through my touch.
- Slurp.
"Eek...!"
As I pulled my hands from her armpits, a cute squeak escaped her lips.
"Ha... So, oppa, you're leaving now?"
"Yeah. What time is it?"
The saintess rubbed her armpits as she spoke.
I'm getting sleepy too.
Today was as packed as yesterday and the day before.
"Um... Before you go, can I suck your blood just once?"
"I'm too tired for that. I'll let you tomorrow morning."
The saintess seemed like she wanted to keep me at the gate.
Is she lonely?
She's a vampire, but still human enough to feel loneliness.
Unfortunately, I'm exhausted to the point of insanity.
Glancing at the clock, it was already 10 PM.
I meant to just put her to sleep quickly and leave, but another hour had passed.
By the time I get home, I won't get much sleep.
"See you tomorrow, saintess."
"......"
I bid her farewell and walked toward the exit.
As I grabbed the door...
"...Oppa."
The saintess called out to me once more.
But now I'm really going to bed.
I extinguished the lantern lit inside the gate.
Moonlight filtered in.
"I forgot one thing about familiars."
"Pardon?"
What, she remembers now?
It can't be that she just wants me to stay longer.
"If it's not important, could you tell me tomorrow? I really have to go now."
"......"
But my brain's at capacity for today.
Let me rest now.
If it's not crucial, I can hear it in the morning.
- Thud.
Suddenly, the world tilted 90 degrees with a loud crash.
What? My sense of direction vanished, the world flipping upside down.
This feeling like I can't breathe.
I couldn't have died, right?
It felt similar to when Selena got me.
My body shuddered violently in an instant.
PTSD kicking in—my heart started pounding like mad.
At least my heart's beating, so I'm alive.
I slowly opened my eyes and looked around.
"Don't make that face, oppa."
Vampiric red glow in her eyes.
And sharp fangs gleaming in the moonlight.
"It makes me seem like the bad guy."
The saintess had laid me down and straddled me on top.
Instinctively, I shielded my neck with my hand.
Whether it was PTSD or survival instinct, I don't know.
Maybe both.
"You started it first, oppa. I'm not the one in the wrong."
"Pardon?"
"You touched me all nice and pleasurable... and now you're pulling away? No wonder Naia was so obsessed."
"S-Saintess...?"
Her eyes grew even redder.
She ignored my calls and kept talking.
"I remembered. What Dad told me. Why we have no choice but to bond with our familiars."
"......"
Her eyes curved into crescent moons.
Her breathing quickened, tears welling up.
"I can't hold back anymore. Not when you're pulling away from me."
"Pardon?"
"Guess it's instinct. My body won't let you go. That's why I asked you to put me to sleep... but even that you wouldn't do. I thought sucking blood might help... but no to that too. I'm going crazy."
The saintess's lips curled into a smirk.
Tears dripped onto the floor.
"Stay with me forever, or die."
"......"
"Choose, oppa. One of the two."
Ah... so that's the mate bond.