Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha (LN) - Volume 4 - Chapter 3.5

Intermission: Myullias Raiza, Priestess-Saint 

After Sharl had positioned himself, kneeling appropriately, Nive held out her hand, placing it some distance above the merchant’s head. Her fingers were cupped, as if she’d intended to scoop something up with them. 

Faintly, I could see traces of divinity gathering in her palm. 

While mana was invisible to the naked eye, divinity was a little different. So long as one concentrated, one could make it out, ever so slightly. It was all but impossible to discern from a distance, of course, but it was hardly an issue with me this close. 

Even so, I was witnessing quite the concentrated mass of divinity. My reserves would have already dried up had I tried to emulate such a thing. 

Although Nive Maris held the title of Baronetess, she was, at the end of the day, an adventurer. It was surprising to see someone with such huge reserves of divinity run about in the wild in such a fashion. Under normal circumstances, individuals who possessed that much divinity would have long since received invitations from religious bodies or holy knight orders. Such organizations would have bent over backward to invite such talented persons into their ranks. 

With that in mind, I suppose Nive herself had some sort of personal agenda. Vampire hunting most likely, judging by all I had observed thus far. 

There was a soft, audible pop, and a small, flicking flame soon appeared in Nive’s cupped hands. It was not a normal flame by any means. Glowing softly, it was an incandescent white. What a mysterious flame... 

I, however, knew that the flame itself was a coagulation of divinity. 

“Holy Fire, see? Even among practitioners of divinity, only those who are blessed with great reserves, and are well-trained in its use, can materialize it. A sort of holy flame that dwells within oneself, you see.” 

Myullias, who’d been spectating from the side, regarded the flame with a most mystified and curious expression. 

“Why would you use such a thing to discern Vampires from normal townsfolk...?” 

While Nive had claimed that her technique was unique to her alone, Myullias’s inquiry suggested there were many others who were capable of the same thing. 

Myullias continued, “Those who receive the blessings of the Holy Fire often manifest unique abilities, based on one’s disposition. The ways in which it can be used are countless. I suppose Lady Nive’s Holy Fire has been specialized to detect Vampires... Such is a possibility...” 

Myullias seemed to refuse making any concrete declarations. 

Would I be able to use the same thing if I had worked hard toward such a goal? Would I be able to gain some sort of special power from it then? For some reason, I felt my abilities would mostly be limited to the creation or enrichment of plant fertilizer... 

I turned to Myullias. “Do you wield such a flame as well, Lady Myullias?” 

“It is all but impossible for me... I lack the sheer amount of divinity for such a thing, nor do I have the skill and technique to do so.” 

“How many in the Church of Lobelia are capable of such, then...?” 

“That... I do apologize, but it is not something I have the privilege of divulging to outsiders,” Myullias said, slightly troubled. 

She made it clear that that wasn’t a question I should have asked. 

Still, she continued on. “I make no references to the church on this matter, but in general, few practitioners of divinity are known to have this level of skill. A typical organization would have perhaps...two, three individuals. As far as I understand.” 

She most likely included the church in her list of “typical organizations.” A bare-bones, but functional explanation. 

From what I’d heard of Nive and her exploits, I’d imagined her to be quite the rigid person. Unexpectedly, Nive was hardly the religious sort at all. 

Now that I thought about it... Nive wasn’t very religious at all, but the little snide remarks she had for the church and similar organizations would be enough to annoy anyone. Then there was the issue of how she said it... 

As I continued my inner monologue, the white flame in Nive’s palms had grown to an astonishing size. It had now stretched all the way to the ceiling, just centimeters short of the flames licking the building. If Sharl could see this, I was sure he’d be surprised. Fortunately for him, his eyes were closed, and I supposed that was his salvation in the matter. After all, anyone would assume having such a huge flame placed on one’s head would be nothing short of fatal. 

Despite the presence of such a blatant tower of flame, the room didn’t feel hot or stuffy. I didn’t even feel anything from where I stood. I couldn’t feel any heat from the flame at all. 

Looking up at the ceiling, it looked like flames were ravaging the beams, but I couldn’t discern any burn marks or damage. I supposed this Holy Fire of hers was different than the normal fire I was accustomed to, on some fundamental level. 

Soon enough, Nive began parting her cupped hands. Almost like a silent stream of water, the Holy Fire fell upon the merchant, drops of luminous white trickling down onto his being. 

Fire! Sharl is going to catch fire! 

Instead, Sharl was hardly burnt by these drops of liquid fire. He was briefly illuminated as the flames wrapped around him, slowly enveloping his being...before quietly disappearing altogether. 

Again and again the drops fell, this scene repeating itself. Eventually, the pool in Nive’s hands ran dry, and a strange silence filled the room, as if nothing had ever happened in the first place. 

“So! It seems like Sharl here isn’t a Vampire at all! Well, then! Next!” Nive practically shouted as her eyes met with mine. 

At that statement, Sharl opened his eyes, heaving an audible sigh of relief. 

But why was she talking about it as if this were some sort of assembly line? 

While that was what I wanted to say to Nive Maris, Vampire Hunter, she was hardly a person I could argue with. Regardless, I wasn’t able to risk undergoing the same process as Sharl. 

What should I do? 

Was there a means of escape...? 

Ah... There was something. 

“From what you mentioned just now, Lady Nive, monsters don’t approach someone if they receive such a blessing, yes?” 

“Hmm... I suppose not...” 

“Well, then, I’m an adventurer. Not being able to encounter monsters would be problematic, so I’ll respectfully decline...” 

A great excuse, Rentt, I thought. Nive however... 

“Ah, don’t you worry about that. I can leave that specific part of it out, see. No problem at all.” 

A swift response... 

I’d tried my best to communicate my reluctance, but it seemed like Nive was having none of it. But I wasn’t going to back down so easily, either. 

“Perhaps if I’d gone first, there’d be no issue, but having seen that... Well, I feel I’m not quite brave enough to accept this blessing...” 

It wasn’t a strange excuse. Even if one were told it was entirely safe, there was no man in these lands who wouldn’t fear being burnt by what seemed to be fire—and nothing but fire. 

But Nive... 

“I understand how you feel... Hmm. Maybe it’s just me? Mister Rentt...you’ve been kinda shifty just now, haven’t you? A little avoidant too... Perhaps you feel unwell?” Nive said, tilting her head ever so slightly. That familiar glimmer was back in her eyes. She had that same look when interrogating Sharl on the possibilities of him being a Vampire. 

I could hear myself mentally gulping, swallowing hard. The sound reverberated in my mind. I didn’t let it show on my face. 

Calmly... 

“I’ve no intentions of doing that. It’s just that...I’m scared, you know? Of that fire, I mean. That’s all there is to it.” 

Scared that I’d be found out, more like. But I couldn’t say that, so I made some excuse about being afraid of fire. 

Nive, as if convinced, slowly nodded her head. “Well, it’s not all that scary, you know? Well, then... Hmm. I guess I’ll give up on it for today...but not really. ALL RIGHT, THEN! Let’s go!” 

With that, Nive raised an arm in my direction, tendrils of white flame shooting out from them faster than the eye could see. All of those tendrils were aimed at none other than myself. 

This was bad. I had to dodge them, but... As expected of a Gold-class adventurer, her aim was true. It was beyond good—not a single one of Nive’s flames missed. I could only cry internally at my lack of ability and skill. 

Despite all the strength and benefits my current state had given me, I was still insignificant compared to a Gold-class adventurer who was on the cusp of achieving Platinum-class. 

But of course, the entire kneeling affair with Sharl would be all but impossible on a typical passerby. I felt myself convinced despite the entire situation that Nive had other means of delivering her flames. 

I wondered for a moment what I was doing, feeling impressed and ponderous in such a life-and-death situation. I was burning, burning up. White, flickering flames licked every inch of my body. My entire body was now enveloped by these flames, just as I’d seen moments ago with Sharl. 

Would Nive find out that I was a Vampire, based on this ability of hers? Many people would surely be troubled at such a revelation... 

A flurry and vortex of emotions raced through my mind. 

Then... 

“...Huh. It...isn’t much. Actually, it’s not very hot at all...” 

Strangely, unexpectedly, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Perhaps I just felt that way, but as far as I could see, there didn’t seem to be anything amiss with me, despite the flames. 

Did this mean...I passed? 

I felt a momentary flash of elation, like I’d just won some bet. 

But I should have already known that these flames didn’t feel hot in the slightest, especially after observing Sharl. Turning my mind back to the flames, it was a strange sensation indeed. If I had to put it into words, it felt like the flames were tickling me. They seemed to be poking around my insides, exploring me all over. 

Relieved that there were no evident problems, I began enjoying the feeling. It felt like the divinity in me had become more vibrant, more alive, as well. 

Was I just imagining things? It wouldn’t be too terrible of a thing to stay like this for a while... It was much akin to the sensation one felt when entering a hot bath. 

But I couldn’t just stand here forever. After a while, the sensation of being kneaded and occasionally poked from within my body slowly disappeared. The flames, too, ebbed soon after. 

With the white flames now completely gone, and Nive having conducted some sort of inspection, she stared straight at me, before loudly announcing... 

“I see you aren’t a Vampire either, Mister Rentt!” 

No, I am a Vampire! 

I wanted so badly to point this out to Nive, but I let it slide for now. Oh, how I very much wanted to point this out to her, even if death itself would be waiting for me as soon as I said those words... 

But luckily, such events did not come to pass. 

“Hmm... Pardon me for asking, but...what just happened? All I saw was Sir Rentt suddenly panicking and moving in a strange way...” Sharl said, his expression grim. 

Me? Panicking? Strange movements? 

Well...no. Not really. Come now. Who wouldn’t panic at the prospect of being burned alive by a strange flame? It wasn’t anything to run from, given Sharl’s perspective of the entire affair... 

“Mister Rentt here can see the blessing of divinity, you see? So he tried to dodge it.” 

Nive was quick to offer an explanation, as usual. 

In other words, I assumed Sharl was unable to see it. Not even that gigantic Holy Fire on his head? 

As I continued wondering about all this, Nive had chosen to busy herself by giving Sharl an in-depth explanation. Approaching me, Myullias leaned in subtly, softly whispering into my ear. 

“Mister Rentt. Holy Fire is divinity given shape. Those who haven’t been blessed with divinity are incapable of perceiving it. But of course, it’s possible to make divinity visible, but if one doesn’t purposely do that, it usually cannot be seen by the naked eye. As such, to Mister Sharl, you would have been dancing in place on your own with no provocation whatsoever. At least, that’s how he would have seen it.” 

A stunning description of events. Stunning, with regards to the segment where I began dancing for no reason whatsoever. 

To think that Holy Fire would be invisible to those not blessed by divinity... I supposed it made sense, considering how mana worked. Some people could see mana outright, while others could not. Most mages and the like were unable to perceive it as well. There were also exceptions like Lorraine and her especially perceptive eyes. 

More importantly, the fact that I’d been seen as some sort of strange eccentric was probably the saddest part of this entire affair. 

“...Well. With that, Misters Sharl, Rentt. You both aren’t Vampires, and are no longer under any suspicion! Thank you for your kind cooperation,” Nive said, wrapping up her explanation to the merchant. 

Nive had most likely explained that divinity was invisible, and events had ended with both of us harmlessly blessed without any issues, and that was that. 

Sharl was one thing, but did I really cooperate? Hmm... 

My discontent had somehow become apparent to Nive. Nive shook her head before responding in a somewhat indignant tone. 

“What are you gonna have me do about it? After all, I’d heard nothing about you having been blessed with divinity, Mister Rentt. Not until I got here anyway. Honestly, all I wanted to do was sneakily use my Holy Fire to see if any of you were Vampires, then go home without saying a thing. Of course, I intended to eliminate any Vampires if we did find them, you see. No Vampires were harmed in our little outing, no doubt due to me not having done enough scouting beforehand, yes. But...you’re at fault too, you know? To have such special skills as an adventurer, and not go about using them... Yeah.” 

Such was Nive’s one-sided declaration. 

How terrible for her to say! Nive herself was the most irregular one here, yet she was framing that entire encounter as my fault. 

Most adventurers who were blessed with divinity didn’t command it at a level where it could be used practically. If they did have such reserves and skill, they’d already have made it into the rank of some holy knight order ages ago. From what I understood, they paid well, and one’s social standing would be greatly improved. 

But if I had no divinity, and didn’t notice her flames...would that mean Nive could have easily detected me from the get-go, and suddenly plunged a stake of some sort into my heart? 

Ah...truly. It was truly a blessing that I’d gone out of my way to fix up that rickety shrine... I really should go back and clean that place up once in a while... I was saved because of the divinity within me after all. 

At least, I felt that way. 

It was precisely because Nive was able to do this that she was able to detect Vampires hidden among normal townsfolk. I should’ve given it more thought to begin with. 

Even if this were Nive Maris we were talking about, suddenly setting people on fire on the street, while claiming to be searching for Vampires, wouldn’t exactly come across as sane reasoning. 

Though in truth, that was exactly what Nive did... 

I pictured her setting people on fire, laughing all the while as she did it. A vivid image in my mind... How fitting. 

Hmm... I was possibly being a little too biased here. I hadn’t even known this woman for an hour. Half of all this was due to Nive’s terrible personality, though. I’d said I didn’t wish to undergo this Vampire testing, but she went and did it anyway. 

“Hmm... I don’t quite understand, but are you telling me, and correct me if I’m wrong, that Lady Nive had willfully acted in such a way, which would cause Sir Rentt to think he was in danger?” Sharl inquired. 

Slight hints of anger could be observed on the merchant’s face. What was Sharl angry about...? I didn’t quite understand, tilting my head. 

“As long as you two aren’t Vampires,” Nive spoke up, “there are no problems. I had no intentions of harming anyone in the first place. But see, looking at Mister Rentt’s reaction, I kinda had a feeling, and it played out like it did. I’ll apologize to the both of you for that... Especially you, Mister Sharl. For asking all that of you.” 

What was all this about? But before I could ponder, Myullias was quick to add on to Nive’s explanation. 

“If I may say so, I was most likely brought along as a means of utilizing the radiance of the Church of Lobelia. To a merchant, the church is... It is a little difficult for me to say, but it is almost impossible to defy the church, if I could put it that way. While the Church of Lobelia does not have much influence here in Yaaran, it is a large religious organization, with roots all across the lands. There are many within the ranks of the church’s followers. If certain maneuvers are carried out, it would surely be difficult for a merchant involved in business between kingdoms, such as Mister Sharl. It wouldn’t be difficult for the church to bring about such events if it so desired.” 

Nive seemed genuinely impressed at Myullias’ explanation. 

“To think Lady Myullias would provide such an explanation, hmm-hmm! I thought you were the type who lived and died by the teachings of Lobelia...” 

Nive then quickly turned to me. “So, that’s how it is, see? Don’t blame Mister Sharl too much. He had actually did a ton to prevent me from meeting you, Rentt! When I had made the request, he had this explanation and that explanation. He’d skirt the issue at any chance. I was at my wit’s end... So I called in some favors at the Church of Lobelia, see? Asked them for help and all that. I also promised him that I wouldn’t do anything to put you in danger, or hurt you. On top of that, I actually really did wanna meet with you, Mister Rentt. It’s true! If you really were a Vampire, I would have eliminated you quietly, in some place where no eyes would reach, see. 

“Well, since I’ve explained all this, I may as well let you in on this little secret. Mister Sharl here actually did feel that something was off, you know? I’m famous, after all. As such, he wouldn’t allow just me to meet with you, Rentt. That’s why he’s here too, yes? In other words, Sharl, as the head of the Stheno Trading Company, wanted to be here to protect his client, even if it meant he may be exposed to danger, as well. Quite the nice guy, no? Unlike how he looks.” 

How...unexpected. 

Sharl had quite the strict, severe look about him. Even so, he seemed accommodating, and empathetic expressions frequently showed upon his face. I’d thought this was all a front, and that he was actually a scheming, plotting merchant, but reality was somewhat different. If anything, Sharl was a good and just merchant. 

Was that why his company did so well? 

Come to think of it, the sales floors below did feature a wide range of goods, of respectable quality no less. Stores that just wanted to earn a quick sum of coin would most likely have a smaller inventory. The fact that the Stheno Trading Company didn’t do this suggested it was instead built off hard work and honest trade. 

I glanced at Sharl. While he looked like a merchant with ulterior motives, said face of his was now apologetic, even remorseful. 

“...Is what this person says true?” I asked. 

“...It is. I... There was nothing more I could do. If it were just an affair involving me, maybe I could have come up with something. But to use the store as a shield... I... I have staff members! And they all have families! I have a duty to protect this store, this company of ours. However, we have a duty to protect our customers, as well. That...is why I am here,” Sharl replied, affirming the situation at hand. 

There were no problems so long as I wasn’t perceived to be a Vampire. There was no reason for Sharl to go this far, was what I felt. It seemed he had his pride as a merchant, hence his actions. 

Faced with those choices, I was offered up as a sacrifice of sorts. That was one way to put it. While we both ended up on the proverbial chopping block, it seemed he felt bad for dragging me into all this, which was most likely why he’d offered me all those concessions at the start of our meeting... 

All that investigating into my background, as well. Did Sharl notice that something was off about my origins, and had done so with the intent of preparing himself for what may occur after the meeting...? 

Ah, but it’d be quite funny if he were making plans for a culturally-accurate funeral. I was already dead. 

...Not a very good joke, Rentt Faina... 

Perhaps Sharl was concerned about the possibility of me having a family, and had intended to inform them of my fate should anything occur. Nothing more than a deduction of mine, of course, but looking at Sharl as he was now, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did such a thing. 

Then I considered that the merchant himself could have very well lost his life had he taken a single wrong step... I had a feeling that Nive didn’t have a shred of forgiveness in her for Vampire sympathizers, not even for a moment. I could feel the intensity of her hatred from the way she’d been directing these questions, and how she’d gone about the entire affair. 

But to think she would go and tell me all this... 

I looked straight at Nive, and questioned her bluntly. 

“I think I have a grasp of the situation. For some reason, you had severe suspicions of me, that I was a Vampire of some sort. Although I didn’t exactly cooperate with you, my innocence has been proven. Now, may I ask if there was some reason for, well, all this?” 

That was what her method of discerning Vampires claimed. It was wrong, of course. 

Although the situation ended with an outcome that was in my favor, I wanted to know the reasons for Nive’s suspicions, if there were any. If I didn’t discover that here and now, something else might happen further down the road. 

Then there was the issue of my bad luck knowing no bounds... I wouldn’t want to make any fatal mistakes just because I’d forgotten to affirm even one detail. 

“Oh, sure. I suppose you have a right to know. In addition, I also have a little request of my own. You remember how Mister Sharl said I sought adventurers of certain capabilities, yes? That, you see, wasn’t entirely a lie...” 

“So...I’m sure you’ve heard the stories recently? Of adventurers disappearing in labyrinths, yeah?” 

Nive’s explanation began with such a statement. 

Where had I heard this before, I wondered. Ah, yes. There was that incident, quite some time ago... 

“Is this perhaps about the newly registered adventurers who had gone missing? Quite a few of them at that.” 

Nive nodded. “Yes, that. Exactly that. From what I can tell, this is clearly the work...of Vampires.” 

A sudden declaration of the culprit. As far as I understood, the guild was searching for the perpetrator even now...but had had no luck so far. That was what Sheila told me...but what if the guild had made some discoveries? 

Were Vampires truly the cause? Even if that were true, I was by no means a criminal. 

“Would that not be too broad of an assumption, Lady Nive? After all, no desiccated adventurer corpses were found. How did you come to such a conclusion?” 

An impossible, implausible conclusion, I wanted to say. Nive, however, withdrew a map from a magical pouch on her belt, before spreading it open on a table near us. Various bits of information were jotted down on the map, details here and there sporadically. 

Upon closer inspection, I realized all these notations had something to do with Vampires. Details on the year, month, and day of encounters, the types of Vampire, the amount, if they’d been slain...or are still alive. Countless notations filled the parchment. 

To think she would possess so much information... She’d done a good job gathering it, at least. 

A single look at the map was enough to convince me of one thing: Nive’s passion toward exterminating Vampires. 

Even so, I still wasn’t very fond of the woman...but it was worth hearing her out. 

Nive pointed out a certain kingdom in the west, and continued her explanation. 

“This place... A town by the name of Ruguella. In this very town, about half a year ago, a certain incident occurred, you see. Newly registered adventurers went missing.” 

“What about it?” 

While not exactly a common occurrence, it wasn’t unheard of either. If anything, new adventurers often lost their lives due to their recklessness and lack of knowledge. As such, no matter where these events occurred, they were never anything to pay too much heed to. 

Nive, however, pressed on, moving her finger slightly to the east. 

“Next is this place. A town called Oradoras. Adventurers went missing there too. New ones, yeah?” 

Continuing on with her explanation, Nive moved her finger east again and again, tracing a path through about roughly 30 towns and cities, all having faced the same issue. Lastly, her finger stopped on a familiar place: Maalt. 

The string of adventurer disappearances traced a neat line east, straight from Ruguella to Maalt. 

This... 

Nive was already aware that I had picked up on the pattern. 

“As you can see, these disappearances, for some strange reason, keep going east. And then, at last, it made its way to Maalt...and that much was fine.” 

“Right...” 

“But of course, you’re probably thinking that just this alone wasn’t enough to claim that the entire affair was the work of Vampires. To begin with, of these 30 incidents, 11 towns and cities had chosen not to announce or make the public aware of them. Perhaps that isn’t an accurate way of putting it... Adventurers die, right? In labyrinths and all that, so them disappearing was simply seen as that. I’d affirmed all these missing persons cases myself, and can attest to their validity. Looking at all this, I sensed something was amiss. I had a gut feeling that Vampires were involved. There was no mistaking it.” 

That... What was I to make of that? Perhaps those adventurers really did lose their lives in the labyrinth. 

To begin with, people dying in labyrinths was sad and unfortunate, yes, but nothing to write home about. This applied doubly to newer adventurers, as their fatality rate and frequency was somewhat higher. Even if there was a slightly higher number of fatalities, one could reasonably assume they’d simply delved too deep, overestimating their prowess. 

Realistically speaking, such was possible enough. As such, I queried Nive on this point. 

“The adventurer’s guild often sees this as a regular occurrence, however. The guild doesn’t see it as a big issue, no?” 

“There is that, yes. However, I discovered that the guilds have found out certain things, you see. They simply kept these discoveries a secret. In fact, a certain number of Thralls were found in those towns, and were hunted and destroyed, of course. Once you get to Gold-class, there are certain records you can access in the adventurer guild’s documents, you see? So, here’s the thing... While there are some records on slain Vampires in those ledgers, strangely enough, no records of those slain Thralls could be found. As you know, Thralls are the familiars, underlings, of Vampires. If Vampires didn’t exist, Thralls wouldn’t either. To add on to all that, here’s the kicker. See, the appearance of those Thralls and their equipment, right? None other than the newly registered adventurers who had gone missing. And that’s that.” 

I felt that the adventurer’s guild had gravely sinned for keeping all this information secret... But then again, I supposed that was what they would do. 

Nive, as if reading my mind, continued on. “Yeah... If you know that much, then you’d understand why the guild said nothing too. After all, if the existence of Thralls was affirmed, tons of adventurers would gather at those towns. For a time, the town would have a boom in business, but this influx of adventurers would only take jobs away from the local ones, and they’d just be left sitting around, even though they were the ones usually offering their services to the guild. So of course the guilds would’ve said nothing.” 

Quite the terrible affair, that, but then again, the adventurer’s guild was by no means a noble or entirely morally upright organization. Maalt’s guild operated on somewhat cleaner ethics, yes, but such wasn’t necessarily true for other towns. The guilds of those towns decided their own culture. 

Guilds that were disliked, those who abused their power, guilds that had little to no influence and power at all... There were all sorts. adventurer’s guilds were more or less gatherings of ruffians and the like, so I supposed that could hardly be avoided. Even so, the fact that all guilds maintained some capability to offer a service was something quite admirable...or was it? 

Please go about your tasks properly, adventurer’s guilds of the world... 

But from what Nive had said, Thralls created from newly registered adventurers had been witnessed by multiple individuals. If that were indeed true... 

Nive went on, pacing around as she did so. 

“I’m sure you can tell from everything you’ve seen up until this point, but I’m always searching for Vampires, see. If I ever see anything strange, I often go and check out the situation myself. There were many duds of course... But this time, I’m right on the mark. As such, I’ve been advancing east as well, keeping an eye out for any Thralls in each of these towns and cities. As fate would have it, I found them in many of these places. Eliminated the moment I found them, yeah? And so, at the end of the trail, I’m here for their head. The big boss. I came all the way here, but I can’t find them. Nothing, not even now. But they must be in here, somewhere, so...” 

“Is there not the possibility that this Vampire has already left Maalt?” 

It was, after all, a vampire that continuously headed east. There was a possibility it was no longer in this town at all. 

Nive nodded. 

“Yes, but I can’t be sure of it. However, in my experience, a Vampire who has hunted this many humans won’t just stop. No, it can’t stop. Given the cases of newly registered adventurers strangely disappearing, it should still be here, in this town. If it’s not, then missing persons cases should be popping up all over the place. Somewhere else, that is. 

According to my sources, these incidents haven’t occurred in surrounding towns yet, so, it must still be here.” 

It seemed Nive had quite a fair amount of sources. As for her means, well... I’ve heard that Gold-class adventurers were able to use part of the guilds’ information network, so it was probably something along those lines. Or perhaps it was Nive’s personal network... 

I didn’t really know if this was true, but I had a feeling that Nive’s claims were most likely correct. 

However... 

“Well, then...why suspect me?” I asked. 

Was I that strange? 

“I came to this town searching for a Vampire,” Nive answered me swiftly. “Well. You know, people in this town are all kinda weird, but among them, see, there’s this one person who’s really weird. It’s none other than you, Mister Rentt. You came to this town recently, got promoted to Bronze-class in a short amount of time, and put down a Tarasque all by yourself. I think you get what I’m saying, don’t you? It’s not impossible, yes, but new adventurers who are capable of such a thing? Very rare. However, if you were a Vampire, then such feats would hardly be beyond you. On top of that, you’re only active during hours where there is little activity in the town, in the streets. A common behavior among vampires, no? They avoid coming into contact with humans and hardly venture out during the day. Your mask, robe, the paleness of your skin... If you think of how your mask may be used to hide the fangs in your mouth... So. The more I looked at you, the stranger you became... But it would seem I was mistaken, so I’ll have to apologize.” 

Well, I was convinced. Nive was right. All of it! She really had done her research and had specifically targeted me. I now understood why she carried the title of Vampire Hunter. 

Myullias and Sharl, too, seemed convinced at the explanation Nive offered. 

But now I had the affirmation that I wasn’t a Vampire—to Nive, at least. With all that had happened, I had a good mind to ask for a fair amount of compensation on my part. 

Which is why I said, “I apologize for my strange appearance, but to think you would suspect me of such because of it...” 

“Ah, yeah. There’s that. Terrible, isn’t it? Terrible affair. I understand. Not something I say often, but I understand. But see, that was also sorta why I offered to purchase the Tarasque materials at such a high price, you see. As a kind of apology for all this, you know? And then there’s this. You probably don’t need it, but...” 

Nive detached something from the detailed map that she had unfurled on the table, turning and handing the mystery item to me. Some sort of paper...? On it was written a registration number. Judging from the format, it was one of the guild’s. 

If I had this document, I’d be able to hand it over to guild staff, who’d most likely put me in touch with Nive. It was a strange means of communication, as the speed of contact depended on where the individual was, and how long it took to find them... This was especially true for individuals like Nive, who seemed everywhere but nowhere at once. Contacting her would be extremely difficult. 

“Come on, don’t make such a face! Maybe you’ll need it one day.” 

“I think such a possibility would be quite low...” 

If possible, I didn’t want anything more to do with this woman. 

“See, Mister Rentt. I really like investigating things and all that... But more importantly, my gut feeling is...important? You know. I feel that way pretty often. So by my gut feeling, I’d say... Mister Rentt. Someday. You’ll need. To contact me. With. This,” Nive replied ominously. 

I could almost feel a violent, blunt force behind each of her uttered words. Please, Vampire hunter. Leave me be already... 

Though Nive’s gut feeling was quite accurate, if I could say so myself. After all, she’d correctly discerned my identity as a Vampire based on that alone. 

But saying I’d need to contact her in the future? How ominous... 

Whatever the case, I should take it with me. I made a mental note to ask Lorraine to give the piece of paper a once over, in the event that there was any kind of magic or enchantment inscribed within... 

“Well, then. Should we get to the actual topic for today?” Nive said. 

Momentarily, I couldn’t help but question myself: what was the topic again...? 

Ah, yes, I remember. The sale of the Tarasque ingredients. 

The sale had come with many additional conditions and clauses. I wondered just how much it would all fetch. 

With all these new objects of desire appearing recently, I found myself hungering for coin. One could never have too much coin. For instance, there was the equipment that could be forged from the Earth-Dragon-tinged Mana Iron, a larger magical pouch than the one I had now... 

“So you did wish to purchase the items after all? Surprising.” 

The sale of the items could have all been a ruse for calling me to this place. But it seemed I was mistaken. 

“Sure, sure, I’ll buy it all right. A normal transaction and all that.” Nive was quick to respond. “Tarasque parts are worth their weight in some precious metal or other, you know? Especially the poison glands, see. It works especially well against Vampires.” 

“Tarasque poison is effective against Vampires...?” 

“It’s not a well-known fact, yeah? Vampires have a high resistance to poisons and everything, but a Tarasque’s is surprisingly effective. In fact, the poison in question is enough to paralyze Lesser Vampires. As for the Greater ones, well... It’s less of an effect, sure, but if I had a choice, I’d much rather have them plastered with it. So, the poison glands of a Tarasque. A necessity for Vampire hunters like me, really.” 

But the poison had no effect on me. If the Holy Fire incident a few moments ago was anything to go by, I was significantly different from the typical Vampire. I even had doubts about what I was from the very start, Vampire or not. 

Though my current state defied most forms of classification. In the end, Lorraine and I could only come to our best conclusions given what data we had. That was why I had been classified as a type of Vampire in the first place. We probably had no other means of furthering this research... 

We could always ask for the favor of the gods, for one, but that would be difficult in many ways to say the least. To go to a temple of any kind with this body of mine, a certain degree of courage was needed. Not that I had that right now, but I suppose I’d eventually have to go regardless... 

Well, that was that. Nothing could be done about it now, and this was hardly something I should be thinking about at this point in time. 

More importantly: the value of the Tarasque parts. 

“For an adventurer such as yourself, Lady Nive, surely hunting a Tarasque or two wouldn’t be much of an issue.” 

The materials were expensive, but surely that wouldn’t be the case if one were as strong as Nive. That, in turn, could lower the perceived value of the materials, hence my question, partially asked out of worry. 

But Nive... 

“I could hunt it if I wanted to, I suppose. But see, when it comes to Tarasques, no matter where they live, really. They all live in those swamps, yeah? The preparations take forever, and if I had the time to be doing that I should be hunting Vampires instead. Fortunately, some adventurers who do hunt them come by every now and then... If anything, Mister Rentt, looks like you go there pretty often, huh?” 

She asked this. 

While Tarasques lived in a variety of locations across the lands, the poisons they secreted would eventually end up turning their habitat into a noxious pit of poison, much like the Swamp of Tarasque itself. As such, no matter where one searched for the beasts, it was almost a given that one would have to cross such terrain. It wasn’t difficult to see why Nive would find that troublesome. 

I suppose even an adventurer like Nive strongly preferred to not get mired in mud, poison, and grime. 

As for me... I didn’t go about doing it just because I liked to. 

However... 

“A few reasons compel me to return to the swamp... A certain material I must harvest, you see. So...” 

“Hmm...” Nive paused momentarily, giving my words some thought. “A material you have to harvest in the Swamp, you say...? So this material would most likely be...Dragon-Blood Blossoms, the Noxious Swamp-Bird, or...the Tarasque’s Poison Gem. One of these, I suppose. I see...” 

I was careful not to spill any more hints than necessary, but, for some reason, Nive was already able to pick up on all that. Myullias, too, seemed surprised. 

“Your expressions and demeanor haven’t changed in the slightest, however.....” 

Such was Myullias’ analysis of the situation. But it was no good. Nive had already extracted the information she needed... I still had a long ways to go. 

“Well, then! Pleasantries and other kinds of gossip aside, guess we should talk business. Mister Sharl, if you would be so kind. How much was the Tarasque going for at the auction again?” 

“Yes,” Sharl nodded, before recounting the information. “On that matter, Tarasque parts usually differ in price, depending on the region of the monster. I could give an approximation... On average, the parts would cost anywhere between 60 gold pieces, to perhaps 200. However, the carcass has been well-preserved this time around due to how it was slain. All the relevant parts are in good condition. At the very least, the auction would have started from a hundred gold pieces. The rest would be luck, and how far the bidders go. Judging by the individuals present at the slated auction, however, the price should rise above 300 gold pieces or more. That is my humble estimate.” 

Hmm... The more I listened to Sharl go on, the more I realized such monetary values were far beyond the reach of normal citizens such as myself. Yes, a Tarasque was a large creature, and many materials could be collected from its carcass, and the individual components could be easily priced, but... I supposed this particular product didn’t enter the market very often, circumstances being what they were... 

“I see. In that case, the original agreement was for me to pay twice the final bidding price. So let’s start from the assumption doubling that would amount to about 600 gold pieces, yeah? Well, there’s always the possibility of auction maniacs driving up the price. So it may very well go to four, say, five hundred gold pieces before it goes under the hammer,” Nive declared. 

Sharl, however, responded with a somewhat troubled expression. 

“Yes... Yes, I suppose you could say that. It is a rare occurrence, but buyers can often misread the competition. Sometimes someone raises the bid by ten gold pieces, and another does so by a hundred, only to regret it immediately after. But something like that would only happen once. As such, I guess it is realistic to say that the final auction price would not exceed 400 gold pieces.” 

“Well, then. Twice that is 800 pieces, yeah? And then...a token of goodwill from me, if I may say so. Under normal circumstances, how much compensation would be paid to a common citizen if their life were endangered for no good reason?” 

“I would say...ten to fifty gold pieces. Such is the case with most of these scenarios. There is the consideration of occupation, as well. But even if, say, I were to be killed, the compensation would most likely not exceed 50 gold pieces.” 

What Sharl had spoken of was something known even to me. The lives of common citizenry were cheap to say the least. 

But so long as one had ten gold pieces, they’d surely be able to live a relatively stable life, even if they lost the breadwinner of the family. It was a reasonably functional sum. 

However, in the township of Maalt, even the life of Sharl, the head of a large trading company, would only be worth 50 gold pieces. In my case...the amount would be much lower. I was just a nameless adventurer; I couldn’t even be certain about my tomorrows. My life may even be cheaper than that of the common citizenry. 

Despite that, the price of a life is usually determined by the local ruling lords and ladies of a region. Under normal circumstances, so long as two individuals were of similar standing in society, even their professions wouldn’t serve to alter this sum by much. 

But of course, the social impact of deaths could differ. If Sharl were to lose his life, and myself soon after, I suppose the difference would be quite large. But I never gave the matter much thought. This would all change if the one who’d passed on was a noble of some kind, but I suppose that was a topic for another time. 

“Now, then,” Nive continued on. “Let us set the compensation for Mister Rentt’s hypothetical loss of life to 50 gold pieces. I did try to do something like that, after all. Even if it all ended without incident, the fact I lied and did my fair bit of cheating probably doesn’t change much, yeah? So let’s add that to the whole compensation affair as well...” 

In other words, Nive was proposing she would give me a hundred gold pieces for my trouble. 

That was...expensive! However, if I thought about it another way, I could kill any amount of Tarasques from here on out, yet each attempt may very well end with me losing my life. The possibility was there, so I suppose that was...fair. In its own way. 

Again, this was all up to the ruling nobles of the region. While there were some unexpected situations thrown into the mix, it seemed part of it was the work of Nive’s conscience. 

“Would the total be 900 gold pieces then?” 

Hmm... If I really did get that much, I’d be able to obtain everything I wanted. A bigger magical pouch would cause half of that to vanish, of course, while the rest could go into equipment, weapons, and the like... 

Magical pouches were unreasonably expensive... 

Even if I should spend such a sum, all I’d be able to afford was a bag with three times the capacity of my current one. 

As for a pouch or bag that could contain a Tarasque... I did see one at an auction prior, but the asking price was a 1,800 gold pieces, maybe a little more. That was double what I’d be receiving, so purchasing that was all but impossible. 

I wasn’t dissatisfied at Nive’s offer by any means. If anything, I was troubled by what to do with all this coin. Should I save for another bag? Or use what I had been offered to purchase a smaller pouch, and some other items on the side? My silent hesitation plunged the room into an awkward silence. Nive, apparently misunderstanding my intent... 

“Not enough, huh? Well...yeah. I suppose you’d feel that way... I must have caused you to feel some terrible things indeed! Well then, let’s do this. A cleaner, more rounded figure. A thousand gold pieces. How’s that sound?” 

And suddenly there were a hundred more pieces of gold thrown onto the stack. Just how much coin did this adventurer before me have...? 

Then again, Vampire hunting was quite the lucrative business. Considering hunting Vampires was what Nive did with most of her time, having this much gold wasn’t necessarily strange. But then, was it really okay for me to accept such a sum? 

I hesitated once more. 

I didn’t dislike money by any means. In fact, I had quite a fondness for gold and coin. But that wasn’t the issue here. Just, to accept that much gold from Nive... It was almost like an invisible string of fate, one I couldn’t perceive. Tie us together, and I’d become unable to avoid her in the future... 

I’d already taken her little contact scroll. It was far too late to be worrying about anything like that... 

But. But then...no. There was that other... 

As I continued pondering, wrapped up in my mental debates and troubles, Nive’s misunderstanding of the situation simply grew. She threw up her hands, laughing as she did so. 

“Mister Rentt! You are really something else when it comes to negotiation, aren’t you? Yeah, all right, I get it. I’ll double it again. Two thousand gold pieces! No matter how much more you ruminate, Mister Rentt, I don’t have anymore to give. After all, even I must continue living this life of mine after our little interaction here, you know?” 

Saying so, Nive neatly placed 20 platinum pieces on the table. 

Platinum...pieces... 

S-So many too... The first time I had seen that many...in one place... 

I was surprised, stunned, overwhelmed. Deep in my heart and soul. 

But I remained outwardly stoic. On this occasion, of all times, I steeled myself. I forbade any external reactions from showing on my features, arming myself with an iron will. Though Nive still didn’t seem to understand what I was doing. 

“To think you’re Bronze-class... Not many people can keep their calm and retain their composure upon seeing this many platinum pieces, you know? Well, maybe if you were a Vampire, but you aren’t, Mister Rentt. As I thought, you’re a suitably rare individual, huh...” Nive said, in a strangely appreciative fashion. 

Myullias, who was now next to Nive, was staring at the table herself, her mouth magnificently agape. 

Sharl, on the other hand, was simply sighing and shaking his head, the exasperation more than evident in his actions. Perhaps that exasperation was directed at me, the adventurer, who, despite being exposed to the stunning extent of Nive’s wealth, merely stood there in relative silence... 

“...Still not enough, Mister Rentt?” Nive inquired. 

But of course that wasn’t the case. Twenty platinum pieces... How could that possibly be insufficient? Any more would be a blatant attempt at fraud. Considering that my life had been endangered, I supposed you couldn’t put a monetary value on it, not really. I could go on about this for a while, but it was important to think about things realistically. We adventurers often placed our lives on the line, and more often than not for trivial sums. For me to bring up how priceless one’s life could be, it wouldn’t be very convincing, coming from me. Maybe those who had unreasonably risked their lives could say something to that effect. However, when it came to the value of our lives, we, as adventurers, never did give it much value. 

So I replied, trying to illustrate my thoughts, “No, this is enough. There’s a magical pouch I’ve been wanting, you see. With this much, I could probably purchase that.” 

Myullias reacted with surprise. “You do not have a magical pouch, yet you transported the carcass of the Tarasque all the way into Maalt...?” 

Her response revealed she knew little of the ways of the world. A priestess-saint like herself would hardly know of the intricacies of adventurer’s guilds. 

Nive and Sharl, on the other hand, didn’t seem surprised in the slightest. Of course they would know of the magical pouch rental services. 

Nive turned to her companion. “The adventurer’s guild rents out high-capacity magical pouches to adventurers for short periods, see? That was what Mister Rentt used to transport the Tarasque carcass, Lady Myullias. Not really caught up with worldly stuff, are you?” 

Nive turned to me after explaining. I nodded in affirmation. 

“There is such a service...? I see. But what would happen if such an item were stolen...?” Myullias started, only to be interrupted unceremoniously by Nive. Short on time perhaps. 

“I’ll explain all to you later, Lady Myullias, so hold your questions for now, yeah?” Nive said, in a somewhat strict tone of voice. 

I could see the defiance on Myullias’s features for a second, but she soon nodded, as if convinced. 

“But then, Mister Rentt.” Nive turned to me once more. “Magical pouches are kinda rare, yeah? Even if you really do want one right now, it’s not possible to just go and get one, no?” 

I nodded calmly. “Yes. But with the funds I have on hand, I can swiftly attend any auction where one is put up for sale. A while ago, a much smaller pouch went under the hammer, but I missed that opportunity, and I’ve regretted it since.” 

I wasn’t even joking—I remembered that day very clearly. 

It was a pouch with about half as much spare capacity as my current one, and it had sold for a similar price. I would have been able to afford that, but it was a little too late for such thoughts. 

As I pondered upon the issue, Nive broke the silence with a suggestion. 

“Magical pouches and bags are important to an adventurer, yes indeed... Well, then, Mister Rentt! Here’s a convenient suggestion for you. Despite your impressions of me and all that, I can be very helpful, see? Just tell me what size bag you’re seeking, and I’ll spread the word to my contacts. That way, you’ll be able to get your pouch soon enough, I think.” 

Hmm... Not a bad suggestion at all. Magical pouches and the like were incredibly rare. Well, something like my current bag could be easily arranged for, but one large enough to contain a Tarasque... 

Even that 1,800-gold bag a while ago was a rarity in and of itself. Given that I was in a town like Maalt, the process would take, say, half a year? No, perhaps even an entire year itself. Magical bags only appeared very rarely in labyrinths, so while they could be crafted by craftsmen who specialized in magical tools, their numbers were few, and their methods suitably obscured by the various crafting guilds of the land. 

Each production run had a limit to it as well, of course. If they were sold at their suggested price, they’d instantly sell out. As such, purchasing these bags through regular channels was all but impossible. All I could do was wait for an existing owner to relinquish their item, offering it up for auction, or retrieve one from the depths of a labyrinth. However, the chances of me actually finding one lying around in a labyrinth were close to zero. The more normal way of procuring such bags was, unfortunately, none other than the auction. 

Taking all that into consideration, and the fact that the exact way to produce these bags remained a secret, known only to a few craftsmen and artisans... 

Someone could attempt to copy the product, but up until now no one had actually done it. Or perhaps it was just because the methodology that went into making these bags was top secret. Either way, it was difficult to pinpoint the exact reason. 

Though, if I had to guess, the technology by which these bags were created was probably from times of old. Stories tell of an ancient kingdom from times long since past, created by a culture and people that were incredibly advanced. Although they’ve since ceased to be, the theory was that part of their technologies were passed down. One of these technologies was the magical pouch. 

Quite the romantic tale. 

...There was also the possibility that it was all nothing more than a delusion. No one really knew who came up with the theory to begin with. And here Nive was saying that all she needed was to spread word and a magical pouch would fall into her hands, then into mine. From those words alone, I understood just how useful her network was. 

Honestly speaking, I really did want to take her up on her offer. But at the same time, I didn’t want anything more to do with Nive. 

Perhaps it was because he noticed my reservations, or simply because he saw an opportunity as a merchant, but Sharl leaned in subtly, whispering into my ear. 

“If working with Lady Nive is unsettling to you, I can assist you in your search, as well. Our establishment may take a little longer than Lady Nive’s network, but we are merchants with many contacts. And if you find that you cannot trust me, Sir Rentt, I would be happy to introduce you to another store. Yes, even the Witta Trading Company.” 

I hadn’t spoken to Sharl about the Witta Trading Company at all. Perhaps he heard about it from his employee. 

To the Stheno Trading Company, Witta was a rival, a competitor, and almost a thorn in their side—yet he was willing to introduce me? Was it a means of earning a favor from their competitor? For bringing a deal worth a few thousand pieces of gold to their doorstep? 

No. In such a case, it’d be much more advantageous for his own company to conduct the deal. Even so, Sharl was willing to introduce me to another company, in which case, this must have been a sincere gesture on his part. 

Thinking about everything that had happened here, I’d been deceived, time and time again, but he must have had unique circumstances of his own as well. Then there was the fact that he was dealing with Nive here, who hardly listened to what anyone else had to say unless it had something to do with Vampires... Sharl didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, and yet he still offered to do everything he possibly could, even introducing me to a competitor. I felt like he’d already gone above and beyond. 

I could leave the task to them then, if it was just procuring a magical pouch of the right capacity. If they were unable to do it, then I’d just have to use the platinum pieces I received in some way or other. 

Ah... Coin disappears much like sea foam—in the blink of an eye. Losing wealth was painful. I’d prefer I didn’t lose any amount of coin to begin with, if possible. I was quite the miser myself. Being broke was certainly better than losing one’s life—was how I felt about it. 

The hushed whispers between Sharl and myself caught the attention of Nive. 

“Well, that’s fine too, yeah? I’ll go look either way. If Mister Sharl here can’t get it done even if he tries his darndest, then contacting me is okay too. How about that?” 

We’d taken care to be secretive about it, with lowered voices and all that, but there was Nive, casually listening in on everything again. Did she possess an unreasonably acute sense of hearing? 

“...I suppose we could, yes.” 

“Hah. I guess you really hate having anything to do with me, huh? No choice, I suppose. But...just one more thing. One last request.” 

Ah, yes. Nive’s request. She did say something to that effect. 

I nervously listened on, wondering what more it was she could possibly want... 

“If you find a Vampire, do send a report along, yeah? That’s what I’d like to say, but you’re pretty good yourself, Mister Rentt. You’re blessed with divinity, so maybe it’d be faster for you to defeat the monsters yourself. In that case, I’ll hold off on that one request of mine,” Nive said. 

I assumed she was going to give me a speech about how all Vampires were her prey and hers only, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. 

I grew curious. 

“You don’t mind? If I slay them instead, I mean.” 

Nive nodded. “Nope. To me, slaying Vampires as I do is a job, but...honestly? It’s more of a time-wasting activity. A hobby. Something I do because I’m free, you know? That’s a more honest assessment. So it really doesn’t matter to me who slays them in the end.” 

A surprising declaration from Nive. So much devotion and dedication, for a time-wasting hobby? Even Myullias, priestess-saint of the Church of Lobelia, seemed surprised. Sharl was no exception either. I supposed even Sharl hadn’t heard of this through his merchant information networks. 

This quirk of Nive’s could prove to be valuable information. I wasn’t quite sure how many individuals Nive dealt with regularly, but such information could be used by those who didn’t want to run into her at all. 

“So,” Nive continued on, “if you do find any Vampires, Mister Rentt, slay them! That’s all fine and good, but...” 

There it is... 

What was it this time? To inform her if I did run across one? I couldn’t possibly think of anything else. It didn’t seem like she had any more need for coin. Was it power? Influence? No, she already had personal connections and networks that dwarfed even a Platinum-class adventurer’s. 

Alcohol, then? She certainly seemed like she could drink. Though, she didn’t look like the type who drank at all, or even gambled. If she did, she’d likely bankrupt the house. 

What was left then...? Women? Nive herself was a woman, so...men? No... It was impossible for me to envision Nive wanting to be spoiled and pampered by a bevy of men. The individual before me didn’t seem to have such needs. 

It was no good. I didn’t know. I didn’t have the slightest inkling. 

Thoughts raced through my mind, eventually interrupted by Nive’s voice. 

“Well, Mister Rentt. If you ever come across a Vampire you don’t think you could win against, then contact me. That is all I ask of you.” 

“What do you mean by that, exactly...?” 

I couldn’t understand Nive’s motivations. I understood what she wanted, but why would she want me to do such a thing to begin with? In the end it must have all boiled down to her merely wanting to slay Vampires... 

Was she anticipating I wouldn’t win, and would just let the monster escape? I’d certainly run if I saw no chance of victory, but in such a case, I’d do my due diligence and inform someone who could slay it. That went without saying. 

No matter how much I wanted to have absolutely nothing more to do with Nive, this person was undoubtedly skilled in her field of Vampire slaying. It made more sense for me to contact her even if I didn’t want to. It certainly beat informing the average adventurer. The casualties would simply increase with the latter. Even Nive could read that much into the situation. 

Considering this entire series of events, I understood Nive hated Vampires, enough to orchestrate this grand deception. That was the type of person Nive Maris was. She of all people would be able to read and predict the movements of others. What a certain individual would do when confronted with a certain situation, and other small details like that. 

Even the nature of her request was the same. For her to bring it up only after the price of the Tarasque parts had been settled... She really was good at her game. My impression of her prior had been mostly negative, and I wouldn’t have agreed even if she begged me to do it. If anything, I would’ve simply ignored her, or refused to cooperate. But now... 

She’d already paid me so much in coin. I felt I should at least listen to her simple request. It was just a request, after all. To think it would be so simple... 

But behind that request was a huge risk. It was a mere outline of an ominous shadow that I could barely see. It made me want to avoid her at all costs. 

Nive, however, was much like a wild beast, in the sense that she didn’t seem like the type to let go once she had latched onto something. My interactions with her thus far affirmed this. It didn’t matter who it was or what it was about. If Nive Maris wanted to get involved in something, she was going to get involved one way or another. 

As such, it finally occurred to me that avoiding her was pointless. In that case, I could just hear her out... 

Nive immediately took me up on my offer. “There’s not much to it, see. But yeah, you won’t believe me even if I say it that way, would you? Allow me to explain then, Mister Rentt.” 

The way she said it, almost like she’d misunderstood me once again and was giving me more credit than I deserved. But that wasn’t the case. Come to think of it, what happened just now was most likely not a misunderstanding either. If anything, I had a feeling Nive had already decided on the final figure from the very beginning and was just increasing it slowly to string me along. 

While that in and of itself wasn’t a bad thing to me, everything that had happened up until now didn’t serve to paint a very favorable image of Nive, I felt. 

Yet I was already here. I no longer had much of a choice in the matter... 

“Why so tense?” Nive continued. “It’s not that important of a topic, yeah?” 

Nive smiled. That did little to dispel the almost-visible tension hanging in the air. Myullias, Sharl, and I were all blanketed by a feeling of unease, unsure of what Nive would say next. 

I had my mask on, doing my best to suppress my emotions. My body was also still that of an Undead, so I didn’t sweat much, and didn’t subconsciously do so when I was unsettled either. 

A quick glance at the other two, however, was enough to perceive the small beads of sweat on their foreheads. We were all about to become privy to a certain secret of Nive Maris, Vampire hunter. If one thought about it that way, their reactions made sense. 

“You see, I’ve always been chasing this one specific Vampire. All this time.” 

“Just the one...? Why so?” 

An adventurer pursuing a specific Vampire wasn’t entirely unheard of. If an adventurer’s relative, friend, or acquaintance had their blood drained by a Vampire, eventually dying and turning into a Thrall, then surely said adventurer would be consumed by hate. They’d pursue the beast, seeking revenge. It wasn’t unheard of by any means. 

This wasn’t limited to Vampires, of course. It could be a monster, another human being—the result would be the same. It would just be an individual chasing something or someone else in their quest for vengeance. 

If there was one thing I could ask... Would they have acted in the same way Nive did? Judging by how she treated others, Nive didn’t seem capable of harboring much hatred. If anything, she hardly cared about those around her, and simply did whatever she pleased. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration for me to say she’d hardly care if her friends and family lost their lives. 

Perhaps I was being biased, but the way she acted and carried herself strongly suggested such a character and personality. But all this did little to change the reality that Nive was pursuing a certain Vampire. 

The reason... 

“Hmm. What is it, indeed? It’s kinda romantic, yeah? Think about it this way, Mister Rentt. Surely you’ve dreamt of crawling through ancient ruins and labyrinths and locating equally ancient objects of power, right? Powerful magical tools and the like.” 

Just like that, the conversation took a strange turn. 

I nodded slowly, answering, “Yes, well, I do enjoy old and strange magical tools.” 

Like the little airship. There was no need for me to be that specific though. I really didn’t want to provide Nive with any sort of information at all. If I said anything about liking the little airship, she’d surely follow up with yet another unreasonable request, like getting one for herself as a souvenir. Terrible. 

“I’m the same way, yeah?” 

“Meaning...?” 

“You see, the Vampire I’m after, right? It’s an old, no, ancient existence. It is tremendously feared—the one Vampire standing at the very apex of Vampires...

“The Twilight Vampire, you see.”

A smile crept on Nive’s lips... 

“That’s absurd! Twilight Vampires don’t exist. They are nothing more than a contemporary fairy tale, for the express purposes of scaring children,” Lady Myullias, priestess-saint of the Church of Lobelia, muttered, shaking her head as she did so. 

Nive snorted at her reaction. “Oh, you think that, yeah? Or were you taught that? By the church, I mean. But no, I get it. Oh, I get it. The higher-ups at the church would love it if that were true, no?” 

“What are you—” 

Myullias had only started half her retort. Before she could finish, however, Nive interrupted her once more. 

“Oh, my apologies. It’s not like I’m making fun of the church, you know? But Lady Myullias, give it some thought, yeah? I bet my entire life chasing this Twilight Vampire around, all over the place. You can see as much, no? From everything I’ve said and done up till now. And yet, you would dismiss its existence as some fairy tale without any sort of evidence or compelling argument? Anyone would get slightly annoyed, yeah?” 

Nive’s reasoning made perfect sense. What she was saying was indeed correct. Anyone who had their dream made fun of would be sure to lose their temper. 

But despite that, I still held my suspicions about Nive. She wasn’t really angry at all, was she? She was most likely just saying all this to provoke Myullias. That was how it looked to me. 

As for which of these were correct, I had no idea. Maybe they were both correct. It was impossible for me to tell from Nive’s demeanor alone. Perhaps that much was to be expected. There was no way she was saying this just so Myullias could understand her point of view. 

This woman had a terrible personality... 

What did Myullias believe to be true then? Perhaps it was because she realized that Nive’s words had some truth to them that she responded with, “Yes. I suppose that is the case. I apologize for my insensitive words.” 

She apologized somewhat honestly. But she still had more to add. 

“I must ask, however, that you refrain from criticizing the teachings and thoughts of the Church of Lobelia any further. The church’s teachings are always right.” 

While it seemed that Nive still had quite many opinions to state on the matter, she seemingly held her tongue, as if to avoid adding any more tension to the now relatively calmer situation. 

“...Yeah, I guess. Everyone is free to believe in what they want, no?” 

Nive instead contended with these vague, ambiguous words. Although that seemed like another provocation in and of itself, Myullias didn’t seem to mind, or probably just let it slide. 

Myullias was a little late on the uptake, but it was the wisest choice in this situation, considering we were dealing with Nive. 

Immediately after, Nive turned to me. “I’m sure you’ve heard of Twilight Vampires, Mister Rentt?” 

Oh, but of course. They were featured prominently in fairy tales told to me when I was a child, and in various myths and legends too. I’d also looked into the matter after becoming a vampire myself, hoping to find some sort of hint. As for the fruits of my investigation, I didn’t discover much, other than some nostalgia about the tales I’d heard in my childhood. Even so, it was a relatively good read. 

The Twilight Vampire was quite a famous villain in children’s picture books, plays, performances, and the like. When we used to play-act as heroes and knights back at the village, the weakest, smallest child usually had to play the role of the Twilight Vampire. This usually led to them being dogpiled and beaten, so it was a most terrifying role. 

While the hero responsible for slaying the Twilight Vampire varied greatly depending on the location and age of the audience, they were most often some sort of holy knight, or some practitioner of divinity. This image of the hero had endured the test of time because the Vampire in question had been framed as an evil existence. Even so, no one really knew who really slew the Twilight Vampire, and when it actually happened, so such heroes may well be the result of wildly speculative storytelling. 

In that case, it meant the Twilight Vampire had been defeated long, long ago. However, there were quite a few holes in that general line of reasoning. If said Vampire truly was slain, its corpse, or ashes, would be interred in some grave somewhere in the lands. The fact that Nive continued chasing this being meant she viewed this grave as nothing more than a fake—a red herring of sorts. 

“Yes, I’ve heard of it countless times. We play-acted as heroes and knights as children...although I was always the one who ended up playing the Twilight Vampire.” 

“I see... But looking at you now, you really don’t look like the type to get bullied when you were younger, yeah?” 

Nive had seen through my non-committal answer almost immediately. I had more to add. 

“About that... According to what I heard from a friend at the time, I was seen as quite the odd child. But I’ve long since mended ties with those who bullied me back then. We get along well enough to talk when I return to my hometown, at least.” 

“How rare indeed,” Sharl piped up with an observation of his own. “Most of the time, if a child who was the victim of bullying returned to their hometown after becoming an adventurer, it would mostly be for revenge. I, for one, would definitely give them a few good knocks. Have you not thought of doing such things, Sir Rentt?” 

I thought for a while before giving my answer. 

“Well...yes. I suppose. It’s been so long, though, so why now? Besides, there are other things I wanted to do. I hadn’t even given the hypothetical situation of me seeking revenge much thought.” 

“‘Other things’...?” 

“Yes. To one day become a Mithril-class adventurer.” 

I’d thought Sharl wouldn’t take my statement so seriously. This was the first time I’d spoken of my dream to someone else ever since becoming a Vampire. It was a strange feeling. 

Of course, I had said the exact same thing when I was still alive, and quite often at that. But I felt like I was just stubbornly saying it, with no basis whatsoever. Now... Now, I felt a hope in me. As if my wish could, would actually come true. I was no longer saying it out of stubbornness or spite. It was now a goal I calmly stated. 

Honestly, if I continued growing stronger and stronger at my current pace, then one day... 

Of course, no one in this room would understand my circumstances. Not Nive, not Myullias, not Sharl. They were probably laughing at me silently, thinking I was a fool. 

That was what happened when I was still alive. I was laughed at quite often. While fewer people mocked me as time went by, it was hard to take a new adventurer fresh out the gates seriously if they had declared such a thing. 

But Nive here... 

“Ho... Is that right? In that case, it’s a competition to see who gets there first, yeah? I mean, I’m Gold-class now and all, and I’m moving at a good pace, but the goal is far, see.” 

“You are, after all, an adventurer who slew a Tarasque all alone,” Myullias offered her observations next. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that really did come to pass one day.” 

“If you do ever get there, Sir Rentt,” Sharl chimed in, “please support our humble shop. We would be able to charge a premium then!” 

He said this, most likely half in jest, as one would normally be invited to use a certain shop’s wares upon becoming Mithril-class, be it equipment or tools. This wasn’t an altruistic thing to do by any means, seeing as tools a Mithril-class adventurer used often made for good sales. Their patronage, in turn, would bring the shop a great deal of business. The shops would practically be using the Mithril-class adventurer to a certain extent. 

There was only one problem: said adventurers were exceedingly rare. In fact, many of these adventurers disliked the social obligations that came with their status and often kept to themselves. Adventurers were made up of many people like that. 

As for me, if I ever did become Mithril-class, what would I do? Thinking about it, I preferred to choose my own equipment. The same applied for tools and the like. I wouldn’t have much use for a shop offering me free wares then... 

Whatever the case, the three people before me didn’t scoff at or mock my dream. It was a strange feeling. 

Back when I yet lived, at least one of the three would have brushed me off, laughing all the while. Was it because they were good people, then? No, I couldn’t really say that. At the very least, they didn’t seem like the type to belittle other’s beliefs. 

“Perhaps, someday. I don’t yet know when. Though I would respectfully refrain from any competition or endorsements,” I continued on, addressing the three people before me. “More importantly, we should return to the topic at hand, of the Twilight Vampire. Do you really believe it still lives on, Lady Nive...?” 

With that, the conversation was back on its proper railings. 

“Oh, I believe it. That’s why I’m a Vampire hunter now, see?” Nive said, her eyes filled with a myriad of emotions—emotions I couldn’t really read. 

Was it admiration? Anger? Rage? Duty...? Did she have that look in her eyes when I spoke of becoming a Mithril-class adventurer? Or was it something else altogether...? 

“Is that so... may I ask why then? Perhaps it’d be rude of me to ask, but from what I understand, the Twilight Vampire had already been slain long ago. That’s the common take on it anyway.” 

“Yes, indeed,” Myullias agreed. “It had been slain by a priest of the Church of Lobelia, with a stake driven through its heart.” 

“...Well.” Sharl, too, had something to say about the legend. “The Church of Lobelia may claim that, but other religions and churches also claim it was one of their own who had slain the beast. There are quite a few Twilight Vampire graves scattered across the lands, as I’m sure you are aware.” 

The merchant spoke with a vaguely unreadable expression. 

While Myullias seemed a little put off by this, Sharl did have a point. For now, the priestess-saint held her tongue. There was no way Sharl would openly criticize the Church of Lobelia in front of Myullias, but he could hardly be faulted for a general statement that had some degree of truth in it. 

It was as Sharl said, however. I could clearly recall similar information from the tomes I’d read about the matter when it came to the Vampire’s graves. The most famous grave was the one claimed and advertised by the Church of Lobelia. This was, without a doubt, the true grave of the Twilight Vampire, they would say. However, the truth of it was... 

Nive, as if having similar thoughts, soon interjected. 

“It’s as you say, Mister Sharl. Weird, yeah? That there are so many graves here and there. To begin with, there are no clear records of who exactly it was that slayed the Twilight Vampire. So isn’t it natural to assume it hasn’t been slain at all?” 

Given what had occurred thus far and the evidence at hand, Nive’s argument was convincing to a certain degree. But there was still one issue... 

“According to the legends, Twilight Vampires bask in acts of terrible violence. They desire blood, destruction, and the massacre of innocents. If one really existed, here and now, wouldn’t it be strange for us to not at least hear of such events?” 

They were beings of legend, possessing immense power and capable of swallowing and placing an entire kingdom under its reign. The veracity of such a claim is up in the air, of course, but it was safe to assume Twilight Vampires usually brought with them a fair amount of destruction. Evil Vampires of legend often brought about disasters and such simply by existing. 

But there had been no records for the past few centuries of any Vampire-related incidents, or anything resembling such. If this Twilight Vampire really were alive, then disasters were sure to have happened, no? That would be the greatest evidence disproving the existence of the Twilight Vampire thus far. 

“Well, they aren’t mindless beasts, you know? It’s normal to assume they could’ve very well faked their own death, then went into hiding. When it comes to Vampires, Lesser Vampires aside, Greater Vampires don’t really need that much blood if they were only seeking to maintain their existence, see? If a Vampire wants to live quietly, unseen, then a Greater Vampire would do much better in that regard. Consider, then, how a Twilight Vampire would fare...” 

That was something I didn’t know. Greater Vampires weren’t observed often, so much of their ecology and habits remained a mystery. Nive, on the other hand, would know much more about this, seeing as to how she was a Vampire hunter in the first place. 

But then... Hmm. So a Greater Vampire doesn’t require as much blood to survive...? 

I personally only needed three drops or so a day. Was that a great amount? Or was it not very much at all? If I had to say, I’d be on the Lesser side of the scale, no? 

Curious, I posed a question to Nive. 

“Since we’re on the topic, how much blood does a Lesser Vampire usually require?” 

“Hmm... Depends on the individual, see? I can’t give you exact numbers, but say an estimate of, uh, two whole humans per month? Somewhere around there, yeah? For an estimate...around ten full fills of that flower vase over there, I think,” Nive said, pointing to an ornamental vase on display. “A Middle Vampire would need about half that, and a Greater Vampire, probably half of the previous. Something along those lines. If they went any higher than that, then they’d need even less... It’s hard to describe these things in words, yeah?” 

The vase wasn’t terribly large. If one were to fill it and pour water out of it, it would fill five cups or so at most. And...ten vases worth of blood was needed? That was a terrifyingly huge amount. 

No... Maybe I simply required too little? Was I a Greater Vampire then? The thought crossed my mind, but it was most likely just me overthinking things. After all, Nive did mention that appetites varied by the individual. I had a strong hunch my lessened appetite was more of a quirk. 

Would there ever be a day where I would be sure of what exactly I was...? A difficult task, to say the least. Whatever the case, I should return to the conversation at hand. 

“I see. I understand. Well, then, was your request for me to contact you should I ever discover a Twilight Vampire, Lady Nive? Nothing else?” 

A final verification of her request. Was this all she wanted, in the end? 

Nive nodded, then... 

“Yeah, that’s fine. But Mister Rentt. You won’t be able to tell just by looking at them, right?” 

“That... Yes, it’s as you say. What do Twilight Vampires even look like?” 

If I didn’t know even that, there was no way I could search for anything. 

Nive shook her head, speaking without a single second of hesitation or doubt: “I have absolutely no idea.” 

...Were you joking, lady? You don’t know, yet you would ask this of me...? That was what I wanted to say. But I couldn’t raise my protests in the face of Nive’s serious expression. 

“Yes, yes,” she continued on. “I know it’s kinda ridiculous for me to ask something like that of you. That was why I said that just now, yeah? That if you ever meet a Vampire you can’t win against, Mister Rentt, you contact me.” 

So that was all this was about...? 

“So you mean to say, Lady Nive, that I cannot win against a Twilight Vampire?” 

Of course the conversation would head in that direction. At least, Nive clearly didn’t think I was capable. 

But...she was right. I wouldn’t be able to win. It was impossible. Even I knew that. I just thought I should ask... 

Nive quickly offered a response. “Didn’t mean to snub you, yeah? I can apologize for that... But see, a Twilight Vampire is a monster that destroys entire kingdoms and whatnot. If you could do the same, Mister Rentt, then I’d have no complaints whatsoever...” 

Of course I can’t do that! ...and that was what Nive implied. 

I could do no such thing. Not me. If I could, I’d already be a Mithril-class adventurer. 

But did this mean Nive was capable of such a thing? That was a little too terrifying to imagine... 

Even so, adventurers were quite perceptive to the strengths of others around them, and also often interested in such. 

So I asked Nive, “And you claim to be able to do this yourself, Lady Nive?” 

A fair amount of laughter accompanied her response. 

“Hah! Of course not! I’m just saying I can put up quite the fight if the opponent is a Vampire, see? Even if the enemy was insanely strong, there would at least be a chance of victory for me. In other words, bridging the gap with skills and know-how, technique, and experience, and you get someone like me.” 

Her response was more realistic and grounded than I thought it would be. 

I see. So this was why I wouldn’t be able to do it—I lacked all those things. I was wholly convinced. 

Well, there was that, and also the fact that Nive was much stronger than me to begin with... 

In any case, I now had a better understanding of the situation, and nodded at Nive to signal as such. 

“I understand. In that case, if I ever come across a Vampire like that, I will be sure to contact you.” 

Saying so, I extended my hand. A handshake, for appearances. 

Maybe it was a bit of a friendly gesture, or just something to settle our differences, given everything that had transpired. 

Nive’s eyes seemed to widen ever so slightly upon seeing my hand. 

“...Yeah. Hope we can work together from here on out,” Nive replied, grasping my hand. The smile on her face was a little softer. It was a smile I hadn’t seen up until now.