The Vampire is Proof of a Miracle
As the afternoon wore on, the weary sun began to blink. Its once-blazing rays dimmed behind the clouds, granting a single man and two women respite from its oppressive gaze. The two women walking on either side of the barbarian presented a striking contrast. Objectively speaking, it was difficult to deny the difference between the tall woman clinging to the barbarian’s left arm, her slightly upturned eyes fixed on him as she repeatedly sucked on his forearm with audible smacks before gently licking it, and the shorter woman whose gaze burned with an intensity rivaling the sun itself. The contrast grew even sharper when one considered that the tall woman was sweetly licking the very forearm marked with the barbarian’s teeth.
Having witnessed Bellarne perform this ritual for the seventh time, Sister Celine could no longer contain herself.
“Would you please stop that?”
“Huuung~?”
“‘Huuung~?’”
Celine felt her patience snap as she watched Bellarne tilt her head in feigned confusion. The vampire ceased licking the arm as instructed and turned to regard Celine with a playful sway of her body—though her slender arms remained firmly wrapped around Harnok’s forearm. Fearing she might actually faint from sheer disbelief, Celine clenched her teeth and forced herself to stay composed. She thought she heard something crack, but she had no time to dwell on such trivialities.
Bellarne, seemingly oblivious to the nun’s inner turmoil, curved her lips into a faint smile and asked, “I don’t understand why you’re making such a fuss. It’s not as if you were the one who gave him your blood.”
“Have you considered that the knight might find it difficult with you clinging to him so shamelessly?”
“I wounded my savior, albeit unintentionally. Isn’t it only proper to tend to the injury?”
“Ha. So licking his forearm counts as part of that ‘duty,’ does it?”
“You seem rather rigid for a clergywoman, so perhaps you wouldn’t know, but I’m not merely licking his arm. When we vampires feed, the act produces a certain pleasure in the victim. That’s why those being bitten rarely resist. The component responsible for that pleasure is present in our saliva. By licking the wound like this, I allow a trace of it to seep in, easing the pain that follows a bite. Do you understand now? There’s a proper reason for what I’m doing.”
Faced with Bellarne’s unexpectedly logical rebuttal, Celine could only puff out her pale cheeks like soap bubbles. The nun blinked her large golden eyes and glanced at Harnok, but the barbarian paladin was too absorbed in the thought of returning to the village to notice. He strode forward with a broad grin, his gums fully exposed. Ever since the sun had hidden behind the clouds, Harnok had been fixated on reaching the village and paid no mind to the vampire licking his forearm.
Celine, too, was aware of this. Seeing Bellarne’s tongue flick out once more, the nun’s already swollen cheeks finally reached their limit. With a soft pop, like a bursting bubble, her voice poured forth—gentle yet firm.
“I-I could do it instead!”
“……?”
Bellarne’s tongue froze mid-lick. A rare tremor filled her upturned eyes. Celine, alternating her gaze between the vampire’s reaction and her tongue, suddenly clapped both hands over her mouth. Anyone watching might have mistaken the vampire’s crimson irises for having stolen the color from the nun’s skin. Celine’s face had turned a violent shade of red, as though a volcano were about to erupt. Her voice trembled as it escaped her lips.
“N-no…! I-I didn’t mean I would lick it…!”
As her golden eyes spun like molten lava, Celine finally exploded.
“H-Holy power! I-I can heal him with holy power…!”
Like a volcano cooling after its eruption, Celine’s voice grew smaller and smaller toward the end. Her cheeks flushed crimson and faded repeatedly, as though embers still smoldered beneath the surface. With each cycle, she let out a soft “Huuu…” and squirmed, trying in vain to hide her face behind her tiny hands. No matter how small her face was, those petite hands could never cover it completely.
Bellarne watched the nun in silence, her lips curving into a smile that nearly reached her ears, before gently stroking her savior’s forearm. The bleeding had already stopped. When the vampire approached with a light, swaying gait, Celine flinched and pressed closer to Harnok’s side—specifically, behind his broad back. Peeking out from behind the barbarian with only half her face visible, the nun glared sharply at Bellarne, a sight the vampire found rather amusing.
Bellarne licked her crimson lips and spoke. “Holy power? I fail to see how a young servant of the Lord who spent the entire time cowering behind her savior has any right to speak of such things.”
At the vampire’s scathing tone, Celine’s eyes lost their direction. Her voice followed suit.
“Th-that’s…!”
Celine could find no retort. While Harnok had been preaching to Bellarne, all she had done was cling to his back and tremble. Half her face still hidden behind his broad shoulders, she eventually peeked out again. Though a trace of tears lingered in her voice, it was clearer than before.
“E-even if my holy power isn’t particularly strong… it’s enough to treat the knight if he’s injured…”
“Your savior seems sturdy enough that he has no need for your holy power. I see little use for it. Wouldn’t it be better to have someone as versatile as myself by his side instead?”
“Wh-what…!”
“Isn’t that so? Though I’m somewhat weakened now due to a lack of stored blood, once I replenish it, I’ll regain my full strength. I can deploy clones, wield sorcery—surely I’m far more versatile than someone who relies solely on holy power?”
“R-relies…?!”
But the vampire was not finished.
“And that’s not all. Being able to use clones means I can exist in multiple places at once. There’s no better ability for gathering and transmitting information. It would surely be a great help to my savior’s… evangelism as well.”
“Hmph.”
Yet the sight of the nun lightly puffing her cheeks made Bellarne’s brow furrow slightly.
“…You’re filled with nothing but thoughts of sucking the knight’s blood, yet you claim to believe in the Lord? I don’t know how you managed to deceive someone as pure as him, but you can’t fool me.”
“Huhu, what a clever little girl.”
“I’m not a little girl!”
The nun, who had switched to informal speech in her indignation and risen onto her tiptoes, found her efforts thwarted. The vampire’s prominent chest—protruding from her robe—served as a clear indicator that the nun’s height reached only that far. Bellarne lowered her head to meet Celine’s eyes, her crimson lips whispering.
“You’re right. I have no particular interest in your Lord or any of that. Such things only hold meaning for you humans. However…”
Celine felt an ominous chill at the vampire’s trailing words.
“I truly do regard my savior as my savior.”
And her anxiety proved justified. Bellarne continued, smiling faintly as though the nun were of no consequence.
“After all, who else would offer their blood to a complete stranger like me? Especially when asking to be bitten. That alone makes him my savior. Moreover, if someone this powerful—someone my sorcery doesn’t even work on—is nearby, helping him is far more practical than opposing him, don’t you think?”
“S-see! Your goal is the knight’s blood after all!”
“I’ll suck a little on the side, sure.”
“H-how can you treat your savior like that! I absolutely won’t allow it!”
“Oh my. And who exactly are you to the savior to speak that way?”
“He’s my savior too! Harnok has saved my life three times! Once from you, no less! So I absolutely won’t allow him to be toyed with by you!”
The moment the words left her mouth, Celine clapped her hands over it in horror. But the vampire, who had lived far longer than the nun, did not miss the slip.
“Huuung~? So the savior’s name is Harnok?”
“E-eek?! F-forget that! Right now!!!”
The nun’s frantic flailing of her arms proved futile. Harnok’s gravelly voice called out to them.
“Sister! Vampire! We’ve arrived at the village!”
Against the sky beginning to darken into night, villagers had gathered at the village entrance. The moment Village Chief Ferdo spotted Harnok’s distinctive muscular frame, he waved his arms vigorously.
“Sir Knight! Sir Knight!”
The chief rushed forward, heedless of his dignity, and grasped Harnok’s forearm. The other villagers followed close behind. He patted the barbarian’s arm repeatedly, like a grandfather doting on his grandson, and bowed his head.
“I’m so relieved you’re safe…! I was worried something might have happened to the sister as well, but thank the Lord you’re both unharmed…! This must be the Lord’s mercy… Hm…?”
Chief Ferdo, who had been unable to hide his tears, paused upon noticing Bellarne and gave her a peculiar look.
“And this person is…?”
“This is the vampire I mentioned! Didn’t I tell you? I said I would make the vampire repent through the Lord’s word! After hearing the Lord’s teachings, this vampire wishes to repent and seek forgiveness from everyone, so I brought her here!”
The chief’s mouth fell open. As if the villagers had reached a silent agreement, they too gaped in unison the moment their leader did. Celine nodded at the sight.
That’s right, Chief! Exactly! That vampire may have deceived our pure knight with her crimson tongue, but I knew you wouldn’t fall for it! No matter what, how could anyone allow a vampire who attacked the village into our midst? Go on—show her the cold taste of reality!
“It’s a miracle!”
“Indeed! A miracle…! Huh…?”
It wasn’t only the chief who uttered the unexpected word. The villagers behind him echoed it in unison.
“A miracle has occurred!”
“Good heavens, O Lord…!”
“H-huh…?”
Chief Ferdo approached the dazed nun and took her hands.
“Sister, it’s a miracle! A miracle has happened!”
“A… miracle…?”
“Yes! A miracle! What else could it be? You, of all people, should know best! Who in this world could possibly convert a vampire with mere words? This is a miracle! Sir Knight must be an apostle sent by the Lord to show mercy upon our village!”
The village erupted into a festive atmosphere. As the villagers cheered under the chief’s lead and Harnok frantically waved his hands, insisting he was no apostle, Celine found herself laughing as well. She had to laugh. If she didn’t, she feared she might collapse under the inexplicable weight pressing upon her.