Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha (LN) - Volume 7 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Vampires of Days Past 

“That’s what I wanted to ask,” Gharb said as she came up behind us. She was here to confirm that the match was over, presumably. Lorraine had also been watching from a short distance away, but she approached us too. 

“But you already more or less know, don’t you, Gharb?” I asked. 

“I suppose I do. Part of it is your appearance right now, but even when you first got here, I felt something was off. You can learn to sense an individual’s mana and spirit, and your mana is much different from the last time I saw you. You have a lot more of it than before, but that wasn’t what concerned me. It’s not uncommon for people to go through experiences that rapidly increase their mana. In your case, however, the quality of your mana has changed. That doesn’t happen except in very extreme circumstances.” 

I was still a novice at magic and couldn’t comment, but Lorraine looked disgruntled. “What she’s talking about isn’t normal,” she said. “It is possible to sense someone’s mana waveforms, yes, but that requires a complex magic item. I can see mana, but I can’t analyze it in such detail. What Gharb is talking about would be like licking water from the earth to determine if the land was good for growing crops. Does that sound easy to you?” 

That sounded impossible; I didn’t need to think twice about that. Maybe if the water had certain obvious qualities, like if it was refreshing or if it was carbonated, something could be determined from that, but not much. You couldn’t say in detail if that land was good for agriculture. And not all land had water, but tons of people had mana. I didn’t know what it felt like to sense mana in the first place, but there had to be plenty of people whose mana was similar to that of others, so distinguishing between them sounded like a challenge. But apparently Gharb could do it. 

“I’ve been hiding my mana for ages, so I’ve become highly attuned to sensing it,” Gharb said. “This is a skill I’ve been honing for decades, so if it weren’t easy for me by now, I’d be disappointed in myself.” 

“Is that because you need to hide that you’re a magician from the rest of the Hatharans?” 

“Yes, and my teacher could do this as well. Perhaps it’s one of our unique skills. In any case, Rentt, I sensed that your mana is quite different than it used to be. It wasn’t hard to see that you had changed somehow. To be honest, I’ve been suspicious about what happened to you in Maalt. Your physical constitution has changed, you have a familiar—all these things kept me wondering. And then it hit me.” 

I guess it hit her that I really had transformed into something peculiar. That would explain why my mana was different, why my combat abilities had increased, and how my physical constitution had changed. Maybe I gave Gharb too many hints. It was still incredible that she figured it out, though. I saw no use in hiding it any longer, so I decided to spill the beans. 

“You’re right, I have changed. My body’s no longer human. I’m probably a monster. That’s why I can grow wings, go without sleep at night, and keep a familiar—or a servant, rather. I feed primarily on human blood, but I can eat regular food too. And take a close look at my eyes. They’re red, right?” 

Even though Gharb already seemed to know most of my situation, she and Capitan both opened their eyes wide when they heard this. Then they peered into my eyes. 

“Yeah, I do see some red,” Capitan said. “The mask makes your eyes look too dark for it to stand out, but now that I look closely, the color’s different.” 

“So it seems,” Gharb agreed. “A blood-sucking monster with red eyes that can turn other monsters into servants? Interesting. You’re not just any monster. Does this mean you’ve become a vampire?” 

Not even Gharb had figured out which type of monster I was until now. She was astonished yet amused and far too calm for someone who’d just heard that her disciple was now a monster. 

“Yeah. I’m not completely sure, but I think I’m a lesser vampire, a type of undead. But I can also use divinity, and I can go to churches without any issue. Holy water doesn’t burn me, and neither does the sun.” 

“Well, that’s certainly convenient. How are you not completely sure, though?” Gharb asked. 

“I’m sure you can tell from Rentt’s explanation just now, but while he might be a vampire, he differs from ordinary vampires in quite a few ways,” Lorraine explained. “It’s hard to say with any certainty if he’s actually a vampire. But there are many varieties of vampire, after all. I suspect he may be a subspecies that we’re not aware of, but that’s all I know.” 

“His mana does seem to be different from the average vampire. Their mana feels stickier. You can feel the darkness in them. But I sense no such thing in Rentt,” Gharb said as if she were a mana connoisseur. 

I looked at Lorraine to see if she knew any of that, but she bitterly shook her head. This must have been an ability unique to Gharb. And if she knew enough about vampire mana to appraise it, I had to assume she’d met one up close before. 

“Have you met a vampire?” I asked her out of curiosity. 

“Yes, but not recently. Back in my day, you’d see them fairly often at caravans. The humans in the caravan would often knowingly take them along, in fact. Vampires are frequently treated as villains nowadays, but when it comes down to it, they’re not so different from humans.” 

“You saw them that often?” I asked. 

“I wouldn’t say often, but every once in a while, yes. But about forty years ago, humans started to put a lot of energy into hunting vampires. Some hunted them even before that, but not on the same level they do today. Ever since then, you don’t see vampires so much. Maybe most of them have been hunted down and slain, or maybe they’re hiding somewhere. I don’t know, but they weren’t bad people.” 

“Why did things change, though?” I wondered aloud. 

“The Church of Lobelia is most likely to blame. They were always exclusionary toward vampires. Forty years ago, the current Great Church Father began to gain prominence. I don’t know exactly what happened within the church, but after a prolonged power struggle, he became the Great Church Father. Ever since then, the church’s teachings became more radical and fundamentalist. Vampire hunters are just one part of that change. They’ve also ramped up their efforts to find and recruit new saints, and they use their power to influence politics more now than they used to. But I’m no expert on this.” 

Not every religion was opposed to vampires. For example, the Church of the Eastern Sky was neutral to them. But the Church of Lobelia had followers across much of the world, and they had a lot of powerful connections, so they strongly influenced the beliefs of the general public. That was part of why most people had a tendency to view vampires as evil. As a result, many followers of the Church of the Eastern Sky had a negative opinion of vampires as well, despite their church’s official position. It was easiest to assume that virtually nobody liked vampires. 

“Why does the Church of Lobelia hate vampires so much?” I asked. It was the first question that came to mind. “You’d think they had killed their parents or something.” 

“Well, a lot of folks don’t take kindly to how they suck the blood of humans, you know. If you think of yourself as their food, it’s easy to conclude that it’s a matter of kill or be killed. Aside from that, there may be some degree of envy involved.” 

“Envy?” I repeated and cocked my head. 

“Yes, envy. Vampires are undead. They can survive for a long time. Their lifespan is more or less indefinite, and as long as they keep drinking blood, they have eternal youth. But humans have no way of becoming a vampire. They can drink a vampire’s blood to become their servant and gain power from that, but that’s about it. If we’re being honest as humans, this is an aggravating thought. Once a human already has wealth, power, and fame, all that’s left for them to covet is eternal life. That’s a treasure no man has ever obtained, but we can see that vampires have it already. It’s hard to feel anything but envy.” 

The desire to become a vampire and obtain eternal life was one that persisted to this day. I knew this because there were still rich and powerful people searching for a way to do it. Vampires weren’t exactly in good standing in society, but their blood was still highly sought after and went for a high price. This was proof enough on its own. For the same reason, there was some demand for methods to become a lich, but then you’d be nothing but bones. Having been nothing but bones previously, I wouldn’t want eternal life if that was the price to pay. But these rich people probably wouldn’t be convinced by that argument anyway. 

“Envy, huh? I don’t think this is so great, though,” I said, comparing what I had gained and what I had lost by becoming a vampire. 

“Oh, really?” Gharb asked. “Well, I can imagine why. Magicians have always said that if you seek too much power, you’ll destroy yourself. The Akashic records are that way. They’re everything, so if one were to access them, all their wishes would be granted. Everyone wants to see the Akashic records, of course, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting something. But it’s said that no small number of people have lost their minds during the pursuit. With power comes responsibility. And that doesn’t mean you have some duty to uphold; it means that trying to obtain power inevitably comes with a price. That’s difficult to avoid. But to someone ignorant of this, to hear a person with power say all that may simply come off as arrogance.” 

Gharb neither had access to the Akashic records nor knew of a way to become a vampire or lich. She probably didn’t even want those things, but she knew of the danger inherent in acquiring them. 

“I’d suggest testing out being a vampire just once to see what it’s like, but that’s probably not easy,” I said. 

“Hm, is that so? How did you become a vampire in the first place, Rentt?” Gharb asked, getting to the key question. Capitan appeared interested too, so I described what happened in the dungeon that day. 

“Well, to put it simply, I was eaten by a dragon I found in a dungeon. Next thing I knew, I was undead. At first I was a skeleton, but I evolved over time and now I’m a vampire. I know this sounds ridiculous, but it’s the truth.” 

I wouldn’t have believed it if I heard it, but just as I imagined, Gharb and Capitan both readily accepted my explanation. Judging from their reaction, they must have expected something of the sort. They weren’t the least bit uneasy. The only thing that surprised them was my mention of a dragon. 

“Even I’ve never encountered a dragon before,” Gharb said. “What about you, Capitan?” 

“Me neither. They’re actually real? I thought they only existed in legends.” 

Most people would never see a dragon in their lifetimes. I knew what they were implying, but it was what it was. 

“I really did run into one. That I’ve become what I am is proof of it. Maybe not very good proof, but still.” 

It was nearly impossible for an ordinary human to mutate into a monster. Some went out of their way to obtain vampire blood for that purpose, or searched for the materials required for the ritual to become a lich should they learn of one, but Gharb and Capitan knew I wouldn’t go out of my way to do either of those things. 

“Well, I suppose so. I can at least see that you’re not lying. So, what do you plan to do now?” Gharb asked. 

“This hasn’t changed my plans,” I answered. “My goal is to become a Mithril-class adventurer.” 

Gharb saw it coming, but she was appalled nonetheless. “Becoming a monster hasn’t changed you at all,” she said. “Well, what else should I have expected?” 

“Of course, I’m still going to search for a method to become human again. But my plans for the future won’t change that easily.” 

Gharb nodded, a look of relief on her face. “You’re going to try that, then? Staying a vampire could make things easier for you in some ways, but your fellow adventurers may try to slay you. Is that the idea?” 

“Right. Well, not that many people know I’m a vampire. Just the people here, one novice adventurer I happened to encounter in the dungeon, an adventurer friend I’ve known since before that, one member of the guild staff, and the guildmaster in Maalt. There are some others who’ve noticed I’m a little different from before, but I haven’t told them anything.” 

Clope and his wife probably knew something, but I never explained the situation to them. It would probably be better for them if I didn’t. If I did, they would presumably react like everyone else I confessed to so far, but there was no need to give them that knowledge. Clope was satisfied just knowing his weapons were serving me well. Maybe he would appreciate having data on how well his weapons worked for monsters, but that wasn’t worth worrying about for the time being. 

“That’s not even ten people. But considering the nature of this secret, it’s hard to say if that’s a lot or a little.” 

“Maybe I shouldn’t have told anyone, but I know I make mistakes, and I wanted to get support from some people.” 

I tried and failed to do things by myself for ten years, after all. At some point, I started wanting to rely on others. I still preferred to dungeon dive solo, but that was the exception now. I didn’t think that I could do everything on my own anymore. 

“Was Lorraine the first one you told?” Capitan asked. 

“Yeah. When I became a monster, she was the first person I depended on. She knows a lot about monsters, and if I could trust anyone not to treat me differently after becoming undead, it was her.” 

“And she didn’t?” Gharb asked, directing her question at Lorraine. 

“Rentt turning into a monster isn’t a big enough problem to damage our relationship,” she said. “Besides, I research monsters. This gives me assistance from an actual monster, so I have even less reason to turn him away. If anything, I would have insisted on keeping him around.” 

“Oh, really?” Gharb said. Then she whispered something into Lorraine’s ear. I couldn’t hear her, but Lorraine nodded and shook her head a few times. Her face went through a wide range of emotions. 

“What are those two talking about?” I asked Capitan, who seemed as left out as I was. 

He shook his head. “When Gharb starts doing that, it’s best to keep quiet. Sticking your nose in that business won’t end well.” He looked listless. When I cocked my head, he explained. “One time at a banquet, Gharb and my wife were having a conversation like this. I tried to figure out what it was about, and, well, it was a disaster.” 

“You mind if I ask what happened?” 

“My wife had found something in my room. It was something a woman gave me a long time ago, and I still cherished it. She was asking Gharb for advice on what to do with it.” 

“Well, that doesn’t sound great.” 

That was the last thing you’d want your wife to find. He should have thrown it out after he got married. He was free to hold onto it if he wanted to, but the polite thing to do would be to at least hide it where it would never be found. 

I gave Capitan a critical look, which he apparently noticed, because he frantically shook his head. “I wasn’t actually keeping it because I cherished it! I just forgot I still had it, is all. I hadn’t touched the thing in over a decade. It just looked to her like I was holding onto it for safekeeping! I ended up having to explain this all to Gharb and my wife while my subordinates were drinking at the same table. It was horrible. It all worked out in the end and I made up with my wife, but I never want to go through that again. So, you want to try it? I’m just telling you, you’re better off standing by.” 

Capitan looked deadly serious as he grabbed me by the shoulder and described all this. His grip was painfully strong. I definitely got his point; I shouldn’t interrupt. Not that I had anything I felt the need to hide from Lorraine anyway. We weren’t even married or anything either, so if I was hiding something, I didn’t see why I’d need to feel guilty about it. 

But even so, I sensed danger. It was like some sort of wild instinct. Something told me that I should let sleeping dogs lie. These sorts of instincts had grown sharper since I became a monster, so I decided to follow that sixth sense and stay out of Gharb and Lorraine’s conversation. Some time later, they finished. 

“Sorry we kept you waiting,” Gharb said. 

“It’s fine, but are you done now?” I asked, opting not to ask what they had discussed. 

“Yes. It wasn’t about anything that important anyway. So, back to talking about you. Your dreams haven’t changed and you wish to become human again; we’ve covered that. So, here’s a suggestion. What if you and Lorraine trained in the village for a little while?” 

“Train to do what?” I asked. “Not that I couldn’t use more training, I guess.” 

Adventurers, as with anyone else who fought for a living, had to spend their lives training. There was no point when you became satisfied with your strength and stopped training altogether. Especially in my case, since I had a specific goal in mind. If I thought I was good enough already, I would never reach my objective. Sometimes I felt like I did enough for one day and called it quits, but that was about it. 

“I know I don’t need to tell you to do ordinary training,” Gharb said, “but I was thinking we could pass down the special skills that came with our roles in Hathara. We’re not supposed to, but we did already show you the teleportation circles. If we’re going to break one rule, we may as well break them all. You don’t mind, do you, Capitan?” 

“Nah, I was thinking the same thing. These skills are meant for protecting the teleportation circles in the first place. You’re the perfect people to teach them to.” 

“Are they really?” I asked Capitan. 

“That’s what we were told, at least. They’re from longer ago than anyone can remember, though. Maybe they served some other purpose at one point, but this is all we know now. It’s been much too long.” 

Lorraine seemed disappointed to hear that. “If we looked into it, maybe we could learn something about that ancient city too, but that may be difficult.” 

Gharb replied, “Well, there aren’t many stories left from those days, but those of us who hold special roles in Hathara do have some old documents. A lot has been passed down from magician to magician in particular, so you should be able to learn something by reading those. But it’s written in an ancient language and some pages are missing, so deciphering it could take a while.” 

“I enjoy spending time on such things, actually. If you would show it to me later, I’d appreciate it.” 

“Now then, should we get started?” Capitan said. 

We were still in the middle of the forest, but not in the place where we had our match. We had returned to the village briefly, but then we entered the forest again, so we were relatively close to town. As for why we went back to the village, it was because of Capitan’s hunting knife. 

Specifically, it was because I had destroyed it. But he didn’t seem to have a problem with that in itself. I thought he cared about that weapon considering he’d been using it for years, but apparently not. He used it for everything from fighting to cutting grass; he even used it for dissecting monsters. Capitan had used it so extensively that it would only have lasted a few more years anyway. 

Maybe it still would’ve been fine against regular animals after that, but not monsters. They were made of sturdier stuff and were shrouded in mana, so you couldn’t use the same weapon against them for long. Adventurer equipment was made for fighting monsters to begin with, so they used a lot of special ore and often lasted quite a while. But Capitan’s hunting knife was forged from regular iron by a Hatharan blacksmith; it was an ordinary weapon. 

He could use a teleportation circle to go to a city and pick up a sturdier hunting knife meant for adventurers, but it was likely he already had one. Even so, it presumably would’ve made him look more suspicious to the villagers if he had used it too often in Hathara. Maybe he could have used it when in the forest alone, but when working with a group of hunters, he used the hunting knife. However, Capitan had the power of spirit, so his weapon lasted quite a while anyway. If not for that, an iron hunting knife might not even last a year. 

But getting back to what Capitan said, the two of us were getting started with the training. Lorraine and Gharb weren’t here because they had their own training to do. Gharb was teaching Lorraine magic, and as a novice, it was likely too advanced for me to comprehend. We decided that it would be better to split up. I probably wouldn’t learn anything from watching either, and if I ever needed to learn those spells, Lorraine could teach them to me later. 

Anyway, I wanted to learn to use spirit like Capitan did. Specifically, I wanted that defensive skill he used. I had no idea what that was, but I looked forward to finding out. 

“So you’ll teach me the skills you used during our match, right?” I asked. 

“Right. That and all my other spirit-based techniques. I taught you the basics back in the day, but exactly how much can you do now?” 

First, he needed to see how much I was capable of. We did have our match already, but it wasn’t like I showed him all of my skills. I gained a lot more powers when I became a monster, and it was best to start by showing him my current abilities in detail. 

“When my body transformed, I gained a few new abilities using mana and divinity, but nothing much has changed as far as spirit goes,” I said. 

“Well, what can you do?” 

“Improve my basic physical abilities, enhance my regeneration speed, strengthen my weapon, and that’s about it. Oh, I can also use it in combination with other types of energy to do something special.” 

Capitan was quick to remember. “Right, that. That’s how you wrecked my hunting knife.” 

I nodded and decided to demonstrate. But for now, I went with just mana-spirit fusion and left divinity out of it. Divinity-mana-spirit fusion was insanely costly to use. 

I filled my sword with spirit and mana and then slashed a nearby tree. A chunk of the tree’s trunk opposite to where my sword touched suddenly exploded. Unable to hold up its own weight anymore, the tree collapsed. I did know how to slash something without making it explode by now, but it was hard to control. Besides, this flashier showing made it easier to see what I could do, so I figured it was fine. 

Capitan was appalled by what he saw. “Well, it seems the same as using spirit, but more powerful,” he said. “This is mana-spirit fusion? Doesn’t look like the same thing you did when you destroyed my hunting knife.” 

“That technique destroys my weapon too, so it’s kind of hard to show it off. It involves fusing divinity, mana, and spirit, so I just call it divinity-mana-spirit fusion.”