11 - It's Not Your Fault

"I've... heard the rumors."

"Ah......"

Her shoulders visibly hunched. Like a criminal on trial, she dropped her gaze and bit her lip.

"Th-that was... my fault..."

"Is it all true?"

At my quiet question, she couldn't say a word, just bowed her head deeply. That silence hurt more than any admission.

I replayed in my mind the stories I'd heard from the kitchen ladies and the students. The trauma from her kindergarten days. Because of it, she was locked away in the marquess's mansion, cut off from the world, raised solely by private tutors. But she mustered her courage. She couldn't spend her life caged like a bird, so she braved her fears and enrolled in the academy.

That part was fine. The problem came right after enrollment, at the 2nd Cafeteria.

Her beauty and constitution, which enchanted people even when she did nothing, ironically became the seed of disaster. The lusty male students were naturally drawn to her, and some—even those with girlfriends—lost their minds and lunged at her.

Senior Evangeline, aware of this, instinctively shouted.

[Get lost.]

But her position was bad. The male student who heard her absolute command didn't hurl himself at the door—he threw himself out the second-floor window right beside it.

Trauma revisited. Crash! With the sound of shattering glass, her dreamed-of normal academy life smashed to pieces.

After that, out of consideration from the faculty, she was moved to the 1st Cafeteria (staff dining hall). But the result was the same. No—worse. The more educated ones were bolder; even the outwardly polished professors saw her isolation as a "chance" and made their moves.

Rejected by her, their pride wounded, the professors used their authority to spread malicious rumors. The male students she'd enchanted and the jealous female students piled on.

Cursed witch.

Seductress who lures taken men.

And so, from the start of her first semester freshman year, she was confined to this rundown annex. For over two years... straight through.

But I knew. She hadn't done anything wrong. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠What she'd swung wasn't violence—it was a scream to protect herself.

Suddenly, the game's future flashed by. The Witch Hunt Event in the 3rd and 4th year chapters. That must have been a misunderstanding too. She'd shut herself in the darkness to avoid harming others, yet the world branded her a "sinister witch plotting curses" and came with swords drawn.

Grind...

My teeth ground together. It was absurd. I couldn't stand the rage. What crime had this sweet, naive woman committed?

I grabbed her trembling shoulders and met her eyes.

"Evangeline senior."

"Yes..."

"It's not your fault."

"......Pardon?"

She looked up at me with a dazed expression, eyes asking what I meant. I said it again, emphasizing each word.

"It's not your fault."

"But... people..."

"No, it's not your fault."

"I...!! People keep getting hurt because of me!! Because I'm a monster...!"

She bit her lip and cried out. The guilt she'd harbored for so long burst forth.

But I didn't back down.

"It's not your fault, senior."

"Ah..."

"Even if the whole world turns against you, I'll be on your side."

"!!!!!"

Her eyes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shook, then stilled. Moisture welled up in her gaze. She collapsed into my arms like she was crumbling.

I held her carefully—oh so carefully, as if she might shatter. Her body stiffened, then trembled like an aspen leaf.

"Hnnngh......"

The hot warmth transmitting through my chest, the quaking like a sapling—it told me this was the one thing she'd longed to hear her whole life. The absolution no one had ever given her.

Tears poured endlessly from her big eyes.

"Waaah-!"

A child's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wail filled the room. I silently patted her back until she cried herself out.

...

"Sniff..."

She sniffled. I pulled a tissue and held it to her nose.

"Here, blow."

"Um... that's a bit..."

"No arguments. Come on."

I pushed the tissue firmly. She hesitated, then yielded to my insistence.

"Mmmph..."

Pffft!! A refreshingly loud sound echoed in the room.

"Good job. Perfect."

I nodded in satisfaction, like coaxing a child. Her dignity as the great Evangeline was nowhere to be seen, but she was a patient right now.

"Ugh..."

Her face burned with embarrassment, but she didn't resist. I seized the moment and began my interrogation.

"Senior, did you do wrong? Or not?"

"Sniff... I did wrong."

"Gonna overwork yourself again? Or not?"

"I won't..."

"Promise."

I stuck out my pinky. She paused, then hooked hers around it.

"Senior, how would you feel if I died?"

"Ah... no... don't die... never..."

She shook her head fiercely, as if the mere thought horrified her. I stared straight into her eyes.

"That's exactly how I felt seeing you collapse earlier. So please take care of yourself. Got it?"

"Sniff... I did wrong. For real."

She hung her head, thoroughly chastened. That should do it.

"Phew... alright, I'll let it slide this time."

I took her hand and gently unwound one of the bandages on her finger. Tiny cuts from wringing rags and sweeping like mad yesterday and today were visible.

This idiot...

Without a word, I rolled up my sleeve and offered her my arm.

"???"

She looked up at me, utterly confused.

"Drink."

"Pardon?"

"Blood heals wounds, right? You're a dhampir."

"But!!"

She recoiled in horror. I calmly extended my arm further.

"It's fine. My stamina's improved now... not the neck this time, just the arm. Might get a little anemic, that's all."

As long as it wasn't the frenzied sucking from last time—just a bit for healing—I could handle it. I wanted her wounds gone fast.

But her reaction was unexpected.

"No!! Really, it's okay!"

She sprang up from the bed.

"I can't hurt Evan again. And... I can handle this myself."

"Yourself?"

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, the air in the room grew heavy. Red mana rose like haze around her.

"Wha...?"

Her jet-black hair stood on end, roots slowly turning to dazzling silver. Crunch, crackle. Sinewy muscles bulged eerily on her slender shoulders and arms. She grew a bit taller. Her body took on the lithe lines of a trained dancer. The frail impression vanished, replaced by a feral beast's ferocity.

Her parted lips revealed sharp fangs glinting wickedly.

Shhfff.

The wounds and bruises enveloping her vanished in red light, clean as if washed away. Overwhelming regeneration.

The transformed her looked at me with glowing red eyes and said,

"See? All healed."

"Ah..."

I stared up at her blankly. Her pristine hands, her body brimming with explosive vitality. The sickly beauty who'd seemed the academy's weakest was gone—replaced by the proud queen of vampires.

Shiver.

My body trembled involuntarily. The primal fear of a creature sensing overwhelming disparity. I desperately suppressed it.

And again. Shhfff.

The red aura dispersed. Silver hair returned to calm black, muscles receded, and she reverted to her slender form.

......I see.

I smacked my knee in realization. So that's what she looked like when we first met. The Strength A- on Evangeline's status window. I'd wondered seeing her usual self, but now it made sense.

A transformation type.

She suppressed her power normally, unleashing her true form only in battle—a hybrid class. No wonder she was called a hidden boss.

"Whoa... that really surprised me."

At my admiration, Evangeline senior blushed and bowed her head.

"Ughhh, the fangs are embarrassing... I don't show them unless it's an emergency... but for Evan."

She seemed to think her transformed state was "ugly." Makes sense—after a lifetime of being called witch or monster, an inferiority complex was natural.

But my take was different.

"No, not at all. It felt like evolving from beautiful girl to straight-up goddess. No need to be embarrassed. It was cool, actually?"

"Eh? C-cool...?"

"For real. The charisma... you'll chew up the demon king later."

"Eek, seriously!!"

Unable to bear the shame, she lightly punched my arm. Zero impact. Pre-transformation, it was basically a massage.

...

We talked until the sun dipped low. Her childhood, lonely days in the forest annex, even trivial hobbies. I listened attentively, chiming in appropriately.

Thankfully, she didn't pry into my past.

Whew, dodged a bullet... I don't have Evan's memories anyway.

Before long, dusk fell outside.

"Getting hungry, right?"

I stood.

"I'll say it now: patient stays put and rests. Wounds are healed, but your face is still pale."

"Yes..."

She pouted, nodding sullenly. Those pursed lips were pretty cute.

Damn, bad for my heart.

I chuckled and headed to the kitchen. Pulling morning's groceries from the fridge, I thought,

Shit... I'm broke.

A work-study student doesn't have much to begin with. The past few days' ingredients for her wiped me out.

Student cafeteria... no, too soon for her.

Facing dire finances, I made fried rice for dinner and casually asked,

"Senior, one thing I'm curious about."

"Yes?"

"Before I came, how'd you handle meals? You don't go to the cafeteria..."

"Oh, that?"

She answered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nonchalantly.

"At night, I browse the grocery catalog, leave a note at the shop front, and delivery comes next morning."

"Delivery? Money?"

"Auto-transferred from the Evangeline family account."

"......"

Hmm, right. She's nobility.

Wait, what I'm doing now... total househusband vibes.

No, not the time for pride. She has money, I have cooking skills. And she needs "outing" rehab training. Perfect match.

"Hmm..."

I pretended to ponder, then turned to her with a grin.

"Senior."

"Yes?"

"Next week, let's go shopping together."