I Have Tasted the New Apprentice Knight

Apprentice knight Sera.

In the middle of training, she was suddenly summoned away and brought up onto the platform in the drill yard.

And the person waiting there was none other than the Lord himself, a man whose face she could hardly ever hope to see under normal circumstances.

Within the territory, he was as lofty as the sky itself.

She hurriedly bowed and greeted him with proper decorum, but the Lord instead looked awkward and urged her to pay her respects to someone else.

Someone above even the Lord...?

Only then did Sera notice the figure standing behind him.

A girl even shorter than herself.

She wore a luxurious black dress and held a large parasol.

Her face was hidden beneath its shade.

Behind the girl stood three women who appeared to be maids attending her.

Each one was stunning enough to leave a person speechless, but strangely, every single one of them had vivid crimson eyes.

"I-it's an honor to meet you for the first time...! My name is Sera, an apprentice knight!"

"Thy vessel seems not unworthy, and so thou hast caught my eye."

The girl's build and voice clearly belonged to a child, yet her way of speaking was archaic and brimming with dignity.

My vessel...? Did she notice me because she watched my sword training...?

At first Sera had been terrified, thinking maybe she had been caught sneaking two extra pieces of bread that morning and was about to be scolded.

But now she was suddenly being praised.

Her heart pounded.

When she was little, whenever her father saw young Sera playing around with a wooden sword, he would always pat her on the head.

Haha. Our Sera is so talented. Someday, you'll become a truly splendid knight.

The warm memory flickered through her mind.

Overcome, Sera lowered her head.

"Th-thank you...!"

Whatever else this meant, being noticed by someone so exalted had to be a good thing.

A short while later, at the Lord's guidance, she entered the office together with the girl and the three maids.

It was a spacious, splendid room.

Wow...

She had never in her life seen a room like this.

As Sera stood there blankly looking around, one of the maids went to the windows and drew every curtain shut.

The room, bright just moments before, fell dim.

Only then did the girl finally lower her parasol, and Sera was able at last to see the face of this "distinguished guest" clearly.

Sh-she's unbelievably beautiful...

Skin as white as if she had never in her life stood beneath sunlight even once.

Long white hair.

Red eyes.

She was so beautiful it scarcely seemed believable that she was human.

Spellbound, Sera stared at the girl's face.

Could she be... a princess? One of those princesses I've only ever heard about?

"Child."

Then the girl called to her.

"Pardon...?!"

Startled by the abrupt declaration, Sera cried out before she could stop herself.

"Ah! I-I'm sorry for raising my voice... it's just, for you to suddenly tell me to become a slave... I was a little startled...."

She had to become a knight and avenge her parents.

She couldn't become someone else's slave.

But what if this exalted person, before whom even the Lord seemed helpless, decided to drag her away by force?

Fear crashed over her.

And then the girl continued in a low voice.

"In return, I shall grant thee one wish."

"...!"

A wish.

If her wish truly would be granted, then she could become a slave or anything else.

And yet no matter how exalted this girl was, there was no way she could grant Sera's true wish.

The object of her vengeance was none other than a knight of the Holy See.

It was a secret she could never casually speak aloud to anyone, one she had to bury alone.

"I... I don't really have any wish...."

Sera tried to hide her feelings and brush it off, but—

"Why dost thou seek to deceive this one? Is it not thy desire to avenge thy parents?"

"H-how do you know that...?"

Her true feelings had been seen through in an instant.

Sera jolted in shock.

This should have been their first meeting today, so how could this girl know every detail of her private circumstances?

And more than that, how could she know that Sera carried hatred in her heart and longed for revenge?

That was a secret she had never shared even once—not with the grandfather and grandmother who had taken her in after her parents died, nor with the senior knights in the order.

"There is nothing in this world that can escape this one's gaze."

Faced with that arrogant, utterly certain declaration, Sera had no choice in the end but to confess everything.

About the Holy Knight of the Holy See who had brutally slaughtered her innocent parents, and had not even offered the shameless courtesy of an apology.

He had shown himself only briefly, then tossed out a single indifferent remark—as if to say it was an unavoidable sacrifice for the greater cause—and left it at that.

Telling someone that horrific memory for the first time in her life made her emotions well up until tears finally gathered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in her eyes.

Even so, she did not truly expect anything while speaking the truth.

No matter how highborn a noble this girl might be, opposing the Holy See would be impossible.

Even if she really were a princess, it would not be easy.

That was how Sera thought, in a kind of resignation—but then—

"That wish, I shall grant."

...?

At that impossible answer, Sera jerked her head up.

The girl was smiling with effortless ease.

As if something of that magnitude was nothing to her.

As if even the vast Holy See was a trivial thing she had no reason to fear.

Just what was this person?

Heart thudding, Sera asked,

"Y-you really mean it...?"

"But only if thou swear to become this one's slave."

She hesitated for a moment.

Then Sera bit her lip hard and made up her mind.

"Yes...! If you'll really grant my wish, then I'll become ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠your slave...!"

Her parents' killer.

If she could only avenge that grudge, then she could become not just a slave, but something even worse.

But then—

"To become this one's servant, there is a rite thou must undergo."

The girl suddenly smiled with a chill edge and laid out a condition.

Sera swallowed and listened closely.

"Every drop of the base mortal blood flowing through thy veins must be drained away, and in its place thou must be filled with this one's noble blood, reborn as a new being."

What...?

Drain away her lowly blood, and fill her with new blood?

What could that possibly...?

"Then shalt thou gain the power of blood, shadow, and beast, and possess eternal beauty and a body that surpasses the limits of man...."

The words that followed sounded like a blessing, yet at the same time they sent a cold unease crawling down her spine.

"Yet in exchange, thou must turn thy back upon the light. Human food shall disgust thee, and in endless thirst thou shalt crave blood."

"Th-that's...."

Sera's eyes trembled at words ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that sounded like the prophecy of some terrible curse.

She had heard of such a thing before.

Long ago, in the frightening storybook her mother had read to her at night beside her bed.

There had been a legend there of monsters called vampires, creatures who drank human blood and lived hidden away from the sunlight.

Could vampires truly exist, and could the beautiful girl before her be that very monster from legend?

If so...

Would Sera too have to abandon being human and become a monster for the sake of revenge?

She had just sworn she would become this girl's slave, and now it was too late to back out easily. The pressure radiating from the being before her was far too overwhelming.

And yet, separate from that fear, one clear goal still remained in Sera's heart.

Ever since the day she lost her parents, her life had had only one purpose.

If she could only avenge them—

Then she didn't care even if she had to become a horrific monster that devoured people.

Steadying her trembling voice, Sera spoke with resolve.

"I understand. Please... perform the rite!"

Ugh. There it goes again. Coming out weird.

It's not exactly wrong, but it's still pretty far from the way I actually live, you know?

The welfare package for my familiars isn't bad at all.

Every day they get unlimited top-grade Korean beef blood sausage filling.

I buy them tons of delicious desserts too.

And when they're bored, I can put on all the YouTube Premium and Netflix they want!

Plus, the expansion work is finally done, so we've upgraded from a one-room studio to a spacious, cozy house.

But my Noble Bearing filter keeps making everything sound like a horror movie.

I was low-key worried Sera might burst into tears, say she didn't want to do it, and try to run away.

"I understand. Please... perform the rite!"

Thankfully, she squeezed her eyes shut and accepted.

Oh. She's got more guts than I expected.

She really must be desperate for revenge.

"Very well. Then come closer."

"Y-yes, ma'am?! Um... I just came back from training, so I probably smell like sweat...."

Sera fidgeted, blushing.

But I ignored that and stepped toward her instead.

"U-uu...."

As I approached, Sera made a strange little noise and shrank back.

When I took a closer look at her face, she seemed even younger than I'd first thought.

The broad, round forehead peeking out between her hair was actually pretty cute.

Hmm. Late teens at most, maybe?

She's basically a baby. A total baby.

Sure, she's older than this body of mine, but my original age was that of a full-grown adult, thank you very much.

I was worried she'd cry and run away, but for someone this young, she really showed courage. Good for her.

And as for that sweat smell she mentioned, I couldn't smell anything like that at all.

Instead, a sweet, delicious scent kept stimulating my senses.

Slurp.

I'd already been salivating for a while now.

Because I'd already had a taste of Siyeon's blood once before, and she had S-class potential.

Siyeon's blood had tasted like sweet strawberry milk.

So I couldn't help secretly looking forward to what Sera's blood, with the same S-class potential, would taste like.

"Undo the guard around thy neck."

"Y-yes, ma'am...!"

Click.

At my order, Sera loosened and lowered the neck guard of her light armor.

As soon as the protection came off, her pale, slender nape was laid bare.

A few strands of her radiant golden hair, damp with sweat, clung to her neck.

"Art thou prepared to undergo the rite?"

"Yes...."

Sera shut her eyes tightly once more.

I opened my mouth wide.

Chomp—!

Then I sank my small fangs straight into the soft nape of her neck.

"Hik...!"

Thanks for the meal~

Since I'd already done this once before, I was able to drink without much hesitation, far more skillfully this time.

Slurp, slurp.

Ohhh...!

No way, this taste is...?

Grape juice!

Sure, because it was blood, it was physically warm—but to me it tasted cool and sweet, like fizzy grape soda.

As I swallowed gulp after gulp, a welcome system window rose into view.

Right now!

I pulled my mouth away, licked the blood from my lips, and commanded,

"Sera. Open thy mouth."

"Eh...?"

At my command, Sera raised her head with half-dazed eyes.

Then—

"B-bleh...."

She did open her mouth, but she also stuck her little tongue out between her lips.

No, I didn't tell you to stick your tongue out?

And with her mouth only barely open and her tongue blocking the way like that, there was no way I could get my blood into her properly.

Wider. Open wider!

Is this how dentists feel?

Jeez. Looks like getting her blood sucked out has left her all woozy.

In the end, I had no choice but to reach out myself, grip her chin, and press her mouth open wider.

I bit my tongue lightly until a single drop of blood welled up, then let it fall neatly into Sera's open mouth.

At that moment—

"...!"

Sera's body jerked violently, then froze completely with her tongue still slightly stuck out.

Even her breathing stopped.

Looks like casting Embrace makes them stiffen up like this for a bit.

Siyeon had completely collapsed flat onto the ground when it happened to her.

Back then I'd seriously thought she was dead and nearly panicked.

This time, to prevent that kind of disaster, I'd been ready to catch Sera at once—but fortunately, she remained seated upright in the chair.

Then, little by little, her blue eyes dyed themselves red.

Between her parted lips, I could see her fangs growing a little sharper and a little longer.

It worked...!

Her ragged breathing slowly returned.

The crimson eyes that had been unfocused gradually sharpened and turned toward me.

"Hya... hyaaa...."

"Mm."

I looked down at my new familiar with a satisfied smile.

"Welcome, for thou ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hast become this one's servant."