Chapter 465: Parasite
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 465: Parasite
The Duchy is a land with a small population for its vast territory. Here, humans serve the role of livestock, providing blood. Since vampires directly manage the Duchy's administration, commerce, and military service, humans rarely have a reason to leave their designated residential areas. If they do, it is always under the supervision of a vampire.
What if you found a human wandering alone, without a vampire? It could only be one of two things: either a human who had earned a vampire's trust, or a fugitive destined for the compression chamber.
"...Ah. You say you're returning from the Night Ebb Tide?"
The girl who had been milking a cow glanced at Hilde and me as we approached awkwardly. Hilde and I offered her a clumsy smile. We had tried to clean ourselves up, but after rolling around in the forest for several days, we must have exuded a grubbiness that went beyond what was visible.
I desperately wracked my brain for an excuse.
"Y-yeah, that's right. We went to the castle for the Night Ebb Tide and got caught in the tidal wave. It was quite an accident. So many people were injured that there weren't enough beds, so they told those of us with minor injuries to just head home on our own. Here, I even have a temporary pass issued by Countess Erte."
I brazenly showed her the temporary pass (a forgery), but unfortunately, the authority of a document didn't seem to mean much to a naive country girl.
"...Just a moment. I'll... I'll go get you something to eat."
'They look like runaways, no matter how I see it. I should go to the village and ask Chief Viltear. As a Yeiling, she'll know what to do, right?'
The girl shot us another glance and hurried off toward the village. Abandoning her work, she practically fled. Hilde and I exchanged a look and nodded.
"I don't think she bought it, do you?"
"Look at her running off like that. She's about to tattle to the nearest vampire, you know~."
"Let's scram!"
And with that, we spun around and started to run, but not before grabbing the lunchbox and milk the girl had left behind in her haste.
I grumbled as I stuffed a sandwich into my mouth.
"They're so insular! A weary traveler asks for a little help, and their first thought is to report you for being suspicious? Even the Military State wasn't this bad!"
"The fewer people there are in a place, the more closed-off it tends to be~. Anyone who deliberately seeks out a place with no people is bound to be shady, after all~."
"Are we that shady?"
"Well, you can definitely tell we've been sleeping on the road for days without a proper wash~."
"What? So we got caught because of you."
"Hmm?"
A sharp impact struck the back of my head. Hilde had flicked a pellet of Qi with her finger. I nearly spat out the sandwich I was eating and struggled to catch my breath.
"Y-your touch has gotten a bit rough lately..."
"If it were just me, I'd have become a member of that village and lived peacefully for about three months. And whose fault is it that I'm going through all this trouble?"
"Well, yeah, it's because of me. But you had to leave the Duchy anyway, right? It's not that much extra effort to just think of it as giving me a ride on your way out."
"If that's what you think, shall we say our goodbyes right here? You can live here for the rest of your life, Father."
"How could I possibly survive this harsh world without you, Hilde? I still need you."
As I desperately tried to placate her, her irritation seemed to subside a little. Putting on a mock-angry expression, Hilde said sternly.
"We're getting close to the border. We need to get properly supplied, for real this time. After today, we won't have a moment to catch our breath."
"I heard the southern part of the Duchy gets sunlight and has fertile land, so there are more humans. Wouldn't that make it easier to hide?"
"But they also have a lot of Ain stationed there. In particular, the margrave near the Military State border, Ksere 'the Iron Wall,' is a formidable general who has guarded the Duchy's border for over 500 years. Well, no matter how strong he is, he's still just an Ain, so it's not like we can't escape..."
Hilde sighed and continued.
"...But if Tyrkanzyaka truly wants to capture you, Father, she would have definitely sent an Elder to the border."
"I suppose so."
Vampires were powerful. Even a mere Ain was not an opponent Hilde, a Star General, could be certain of defeating easily. However, if they had a weakness, it was their small numbers. A coven had thirteen members at most. The only vampires who could wield true power were the Elders, Ain, and Yeiling—just three generations. Because of this clear upper limit, vampires were ultimately forced to retreat despite winning localized victories.
Therefore, an Elder would be guarding the border, not wasting their strength roaming the countryside.
"If they have an Elder, then for the scales to be balanced, the ace up your sleeve would have to make an appearance, Father~."
Hilde was subtly pressuring me to reveal my hidden card. But what could I do when I really didn't have one? Feeling like I'd forgotten a gift on an important day, I tried to play it off.
"Ha, ha. Well, the idea that Tyr is chasing me is just a guess. She's busy enough with the rebellion, so would she really have the energy to hunt down someone like me? She might have given up already."
"You think so~? I guess we'll find out when the time comes~."
'Could he have set something up to prevent an Elder from finding us? It won't be easy as long as Lord Sanguine is around, but~... I guess we'll find out when the time comes.'
She probably won't find out even then. Because there's really nothing...
Oblivious to my coarse thoughts and anxious eyes, Hilde stretched leisurely and muttered.
"Augh. Looks like we're sleeping outside again today. Hmph. It's not that bad, but I'd really like to wash up~."
"How about we don't just sleep outside? Let's try some parasite lodging."
"Parasite lodging?"
I didn't have any hidden cards... but the least I could do was manage the condition of Hilde, who was working so hard for my sake.
*
"Matilda. Did you find them?"
"No, Chief Viltear. By the time I went back, they were already gone."
"Tsk, tsk. They must have been runaways. Goodness, I told you not to show your suspicions so readily."
"Why? My guess was right, wasn't it? We're not supposed to let runaways in, are we?"
Chief Viltear, a Yeiling of the Bloodleech Coven and the wise leader of Black Valley Village, clicked her tongue as she looked at the young girl.
"In such cases, the best course of action is to welcome them warmly and offer them hospitality first."
"Why? If they're runaways, we shouldn't let them into the village, right?"
"Now, calm your excitement and fear, and think carefully."
In other lands, vampires might be terrifying and contemptible creatures, like mosquitoes or bedbugs. But in the Duchy, vampires were trustworthy elders, caring guardians, and teachers who shared their wisdom. Chief Viltear, wiser and older than anyone, calmly explained to the girl.
"Let's suppose they were travelers, as they claimed. Then the proper thing to do would be to look after them for a short while before sending them on their way. We would have shown them kindness, and they would have repaid us."
"But they were dressed in rags! You could smell them from ten paces away!"
"I can't smell, so I wouldn't know, but those who work the Night Ebb Tide are paid for their labor. If they worked there as they said, they would have had plenty of money. If they were reluctant to give it, I could have collected the blood tax from them myself."
Chief Viltear was also responsible for collecting the blood tax from the nearby villages. It wasn't a systematic approach, but in the countryside, where close-knit communities thrived, this method was more effective. Vampires, having no emotions or children of their own, delivered the fairest judgments, preventing the corruption and collusion that often arose in such closed environments.
"But they were runaways, weren't they?"
"Then you had all the more reason to guide them to the village. We could have observed them and tried to persuade them, or fed them until their guards were down and then captured them."
It might seem like a gentle judgment for a cold-blooded vampire, but it was for a similar reason that vampires took good care of humans in the first place. A well-fed and prosperous human provides better blood for a longer time. Viltear was preaching a cold, calculated gentleness.
In contrast, the girl, who had not yet learned such gentleness, asked back as if she didn't understand.
"But they're human trash, runaways, right? What if they stole things or hurt people after we let them into the village?"
"Oho. So you were thinking of the village when you acted?"
"Yes!"
It was a childish lie, but Chief Viltear had no way of knowing. Of course, it didn't really matter whether it was a lie or the truth.
Even if the vampires' gentleness stemmed from cold calculation, the Yeiling of the Bloodleech Coven, who had led the village in peace and prosperity for nearly two hundred years, was genuinely respected by the people. Everyone relied on her, and she, in turn, repaid everyone's trust.
"Then you had all the more reason to bring them to me, Matilda. If they were such scum... they might have harmed you the moment you showed any sign of suspicion."
Objectively speaking, Viltear's advice was the optimal choice, calculated after considering all conditions and possibilities. But it was also warm advice meant for the girl and everyone else.
"M-me...?"
"Yes. Now that you understand, do not go around alone from now on. You were lucky they were just timid runaways. What would you have done if they were murderers or starving beasts?"
"I-I hadn't thought of that..."
It is no coincidence that old fairy tales are structured to frighten children. They are the wisdom concocted by adults to instill a sense of caution in their unruly children. For one must be timid to live long, and thus provide blood for longer.
After gently scolding and seriously admonishing her, Chief Viltear leisurely put her pipe back in her mouth.
Watching the Yeiling puff out acrid smoke, the girl thought.
'When she's quiet, she looks just like one of my friends...'
The girl looked at the chief, who appeared to be her age. She had always felt a sense of closeness due to their similar physical age, but seeing that face that looked like it had seen the entire world, she was reminded of the difference between a vampire and herself.
"But why would they run away? It's so stupid. They must know they'll become criminals if they run."
Chief Viltear answered with the pipe still in her mouth.
"Not all vampires are like our coven. Old Bakuta is a very easygoing man, and thanks to his power of Gluttony, he can quench his thirst with the blood of beasts, so he demands less of your blood... I don't mean to speak ill of other covens, but there are quite a few who waste blood on things they can't even consume."
After giving a standard answer, Chief Viltear suddenly recalled something and muttered.
"...You said it was a man and a woman together? Tsk, it might be one of those cases."
"One of those cases?"
"It's a thing. For some reason, couples who have or want to have children have a strange tendency to try and leave this country. The reason... even at my age, I do not know."
Hooo. A sigh mingled with smoke drifted into the air. The girl, still not used to the smoke, could be heard coughing...
"—is what she's saying, Father?"
"I don't know. Just grab the food for now."
Beneath the feet of the vampire smoking her pipe with mana herbs. In a dark, cool cellar.
Hilde and I, hidden inside by my Earth Art, were pilfering all sorts of goods.