The Scent of Burning Corpses
The acrid stench of burning corpses stung my nose as we traveled the road to the capital. My chest ached as if it had been torn open. Whether from the smoke or not, my eyes burned, and the tears refused to stop.
No. On second thought, these weren’t tears caused by the smoke. They were born of sorrow. Of pain.
In my hand was a brick. Beneath it lay a vampire with sharp fangs.
CRACK!
Eryk, whose rage had not yet been sated, slammed the brick down hard onto the vampire’s head. The sickening sound of its skull shattering rang out as cold blood splattered across his face. Again and again he struck. He kept going until the vampire’s head was completely crushed and gone.
Disgusting chunks of flesh flew everywhere, sticking to the ground, his face, his body. Yet even then, his hatred refused to subside.
Eryk leaned against the wall with what little strength remained, breathing raggedly as he stared at the burning house. Beside him lay the corpse of his little sister. It was terrifying. It hurt. It was agonizing and exhausting. Blood still seeped from the bite marks on his neck.
Having beaten the vampire to death with his bare hands, Eryk looked at the blood flowing from his own neck and thought of someone.
Only then did Eryk realize he was dreaming. He spoke her name aloud.
Muttering those words, Eryk felt himself drifting far away from this world and finally woke from the nightmare.
Inside the carriage rattling steadily along its path, Eryk sat drenched in cold sweat, staring blankly out the window.
He murmured to himself, then slowly turned his gaze toward the ceiling. The cold air bit at his cheeks, making him shiver and curl in on himself. When he lowered his head, he saw Valentine huddled tightly in a small bundle, wrapped up against the chill of the night.
……
Watching her tremble and mumble in her sleep about the cold, Eryk let out a long sigh and removed his outer coat.
How had he ended up caring about such a tiny vampire?
He tried to ignore it, but if he ever held her in his arms again—
SLAP!
The horrifying thought made Eryk strike his own cheek hard.
His wildly racing heart finally began to calm. Smoothing out his crumpled expression, Eryk looked at Valentine as she pulled his coat over herself like a blanket.
It was pitiful. The thought rose unbidden, and just as his hand unconsciously reached for her head—
…!!
The images of his family flashed through his mind, forcing him to pull his hand back.
Vampires were repulsive. So repulsive he could barely stand it. If that hand had actually touched her—
With a deep sigh, Eryk simply draped the coat back over Valentine and returned to his seat.
Before long, the sun began to peek over the horizon. The battlefield, devastated by war, was still bathed in the beautiful light of dawn.
Eryk watched as Valentine struggled to wake up. She must not have heard him, because she kept squirming until she finally rubbed her eyes and sat up.
…?
She seemed confused by the coat covering her. Eryk barely managed to hold back a laugh as he greeted her.
…!!
Valentine frowned the moment she saw him, then quickly smoothed her face into that familiar blank expression. Eryk couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
…Am I still someone she needs to be wary of?
Well, after everything he had done, it was only natural she wouldn’t forgive him so easily. Especially since her face gave nothing away. He was just thinking he would have to be more careful with his behavior from now on when—
"……?"
…!!
Eryk realized he had been frowning at her without even noticing. And then he heard her murmur—
—and found himself completely at a loss for words.
It was afternoon. My body itched from lack of movement, but being able to eat a lunchbox in peace was a great comfort.
…It’s delicious. My stomach doesn’t feel bloated at all.
Because I had drunk Eryk’s blood yesterday, my organs had finally begun functioning properly. My stomach worked diligently, and my intestines helped with digestion. It had been so long since I could eat without feeling stuffed.
"……."
Eryk was still on edge. I wished he would at least relax the tension in his eyes. His furrowed brows showed no sign of easing.
…I definitely drank his blood, so why does it feel like I might get indigestion?
Just thinking about Eryk made me feel like I really would get sick, so I decided to simply chew my food and avoid looking in his direction. Miraculously, the inside of the carriage became comfortable again.
"Of course—ah."
I had grown too comfortable and accidentally said it out loud. The moment I did, Eryk immediately started picking a fight.
…Well, I did mumble “delicious” quite a lot while drinking his blood. It’s only natural he’d be displeased.
Since he still hated me, I decided not to say the word “delicious” anymore. Even though I was doing exactly as he wanted, Eryk still wore a dissatisfied expression and let out a sigh.
I tilted my head in confusion and continued chewing the remaining half of my lunchbox. It must have come from the combat rations they had sorted through.
…As expected of Jenny. The food is incredibly delicious.
Thanks to Jenny’s cooking skills, I was able to finish my meal happily.
"The sea……."
We had finally reached the coastline. When the coachman said we would take a short break to let the horses rest, Eryk and I walked toward the beach. I didn’t know why he was following me.
…!!
Since he had given me a high-quality cigarette, I figured he didn’t have any bad intentions. I put it between my lips.
……
Even though I could have lit it myself, Eryk flicked the lighter and lit my cigarette. I accepted the flame with a displeased look on my face.
Suddenly Eryk was lecturing me about quitting again. I looked up at him and replied.
Why was he suddenly worrying about someone else’s health? The moment I said I was going to die anyway, Eryk stopped walking and stared at me blankly from behind.
"……."
What was I supposed to say to that? A little flustered, I simply nodded.
……
When I stared at him blankly, Eryk suddenly looked embarrassed and quickened his pace. I hurried to catch up, and he spoke again.
"……."
As expected, Eryk was definitely a bastard.
The cold sea breeze slapped my cheeks. Breathing in the salty air, I thought to myself.
…Still, if I have to die, I’d rather it be by Eryk’s hand.
Of course, I immediately shook my head and corrected my thinking. How could I even consider dying?
……
Eryk spoke as if he was determined to inflict as much damage on my life as possible. Looking at him, I felt irritation rising within me. Yesterday I had felt grateful, but today he was being so petty and annoying again.
……
Eryk didn’t reply. He simply frowned and irritably stubbed out his cigarette. Feeling pleased that I had landed a solid hit, I flicked my own cigarette away with my fingers and followed after him.
And so two days passed. After traveling by carriage for a full two days, we finally arrived at the capital. Around that time, we received a report that our unit had safely reached a proper allied base.
Eryk let out a small chuckle, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. I wondered if he might one day see me as just another one of his many subordinates.
…Then I wouldn’t have to waste energy on pointless arguments, and I wouldn’t have to struggle so much with blood-drinking either.
But that was just wishful thinking. Eryk was still Eryk.
"……."
His mouth really was a problem. I had to hold back the urge to kill him several times as we finally entered the imperial capital.
Upon arriving in the capital, the first place we headed was the military base. After all, we needed to wash up before we could even think about having an audience with the Emperor.