The moment I felt a slight tremor from Eleonora, who was on my back, I asked, “Are you okay? Is something wrong?”
“Ugh! Ah, no! Something cold just brushed against the tip of my tail; it startled me a bit!”
Well, I didn’t think about the tail. You should have said something earlier.
I hoisted Eleonora back up to my waist as she had slipped down a bit toward my backside. Surprised by the sudden change in height, Eleonora hugged my neck tightly and clamped her thighs around my waist. After a few seconds of no additional issues, she realized it wasn’t an unexpected attack but that I simply adjusted her position, and she relaxed.
Anyone watching would wonder why Eleonora was so tense, but considering she couldn’t see ahead, her reaction was quite reasonable.
After several days of traveling through Elven forests, we ended up in a cave located in a sparsely populated area in the northwest of the Bertica Kingdom.
According to Stella, this place was once used as a mine centuries ago, and the entrance to Iron Grave is supposedly hidden somewhere in this cave.
As a result, three vampires and one dragonkin were currently walking through the cave without a single lamp. Unless we happened to run into a resident of the Underground City at just the right moment, the chance of encountering anyone here was almost zero. Still, we agreed to avoid lighting a lamp out of caution.
Among our group of four, three were vampires, so the darkness of the cave wasn’t an issue at all. The only problem was Eleonora, who wasn’t a vampire. Although dragonkin have relatively good night vision, in a pitch-black cave with no moonlight at all, she was out of luck.
Thus, it was inevitable that I had to carry Eleonora. While pretending not to worry her, I found it a bit amusing that every time the path wobbled, she would stiffen up and cling to my back as if I were a rollercoaster ride. But I imagined it wasn’t a pleasant experience for her; having your view completely blocked isn’t exactly fun.
I followed Stella carefully while focusing on providing a smooth ride. I thought I was getting used to using my body, but it turned out to be surprisingly challenging to move while being mindful of the passenger on my back.
“Should I carry you, sis?”
“I’m fine. Stella said we’re almost there.”
I gently shook my head at Plona’s offer.
Even though Eleonora and Plona had introduced themselves to each other during the journey, they weren’t close enough yet that it would be comfortable to drop all formalities. If Plona had shown the same friendliness she had when we first met, we might have completely shaken off the awkwardness of the past few days.
“Plona, are you holding up okay?”
“…Yeah. I can still manage.”
From the look in her eyes, it appeared that, unfortunately, there wasn’t much more to expect from her right now.
Vampires leave not a trace of dark circles even after nights spent awake. It doesn’t mean they don’t need sleep; it’s just that their appearance settles down solidly once they become a kin.
So, Plona’s hollow gaze purely stemmed from mental stress. And what was probably tormenting her was that burning thirst.
“Sis, I’m sorry, but could you place a restriction on me?”
On the third day of being reborn as a vampire, Plona made a request to me.
“I would like you to command me not to drink anyone’s blood without your permission… Please.”
A kin cannot go against the vampire who bestowed them blood. And when it comes to the Progenitor of Vampires, the orders given carry absolute power.
Plona aimed to minimize the risk of an accident due to thirst by using this coercive potential. Additionally, even if she had to fight against an enemy, she felt she might kill them, but she explained cautiously that she needed more mental preparation before resorting to feeding.
I gladly accepted her request.
While it wasn’t thrilling to place a command akin to shackles on Plona, if it allowed her some peace of mind, I had no choice but to comply.
Thus, Plona was now unable to drink blood directly from any living being, including humans, without my permission. Instead, she could be freed from the fear of losing control and rushing to find her prey.
However, prohibiting her from drinking blood didn’t mean overcoming the thirst. My command only restricted Plona’s actions; the hunger and thirst remained entirely her burden.
Since becoming a kin, Plona hadn’t yet tasted human blood. Although she had drunk the blood of wild animals during our journey, it seemed she suffered quite a bit mentally from just that.
Moreover, another unfortunate fact was that the blood of animals couldn’t quench all her burning thirst. I survived back in the orphanage by subsisting on animal blood, but was it because I had yet to awaken, or was there another reason?
I didn’t know, but from Plona’s struggle, it was apparent her situation was worse than mine had been.
Plona had managed to pull herself out of the shock of becoming a vampire, yet she started spending more time spaced out and clung to me more frequently due to her thirst.
Sometimes, without even realizing it, she would let saliva drip, and wanting to avoid seeing her feel miserable, I’d pretend to hug her and secretly wipe her mouth with my clothes whenever it happened.
But of course, this was just a temporary fix.
It was about time she needed to drink proper blood. She was merely turning to me for comfort to avert her immediate thirst, but the moment of reckoning was fast approaching.
This was the fate of a vampire.
The dark reality that her human past self would have a hard time accepting, but to live, it was a primal urge she would eventually have to accept and a hurdle she had to pass.
“We’re almost there.”
With Stella halting her steps, my ponderous worries were briefly put on pause.
“Is this it?”
Stella had stopped in front of a wall at the end of a dead-end… It seemed suspiciously apparent. Did they hide the entrance in a spot halfway through to avoid being noticed?
Anyway, considering Stella had confidently led us here, it was unlikely she had made an error. So, I stood back, watching as she examined the wall.
Sure enough, after a brief while, Stella placed her foot against the bottom of the wall and pressed her hand against it, and with a heavy rumbling sound, the wall, which had seemed ordinary, began to crack open.
“Did something just open?”
Surprised by the loud noise and vibration, Eleonora whispered, still stiffened against my back.
“The wall opened.”
I wondered if it was some sort of magic or just a mechanical trick. Either way, it was undoubtedly unnatural, so I stepped forward, allowing the tension to rise as I looked into the new space that revealed itself beyond the wall.
“It’s stairs. Don’t be startled; it might shake.”
“Y-yes.”
Seeing the spiraling stone stairs leading downward, I warned Eleonora to brace herself and began to move slowly.
Once everyone had entered the new space, I heard a grinding noise as the wall behind us moved back into place, blocking our exit. The image of the underground chamber of the Luminous Kingdom replayed in my mind, and I barely managed to suppress the instinct to collapse through the floor.
“It’s deeper than I expected.”
How much time had we spent walking down? Plona murmured with a hint of admiration in her voice.
It was impressive.
The distance from the cave entrance to this dead end was considerable. Yet here we were, burrowing deeper from this cavity. The engineering was exceptional, but the determination behind it was astonishing as well.
What kind of time and effort does it take to even think of creating a hideout like this? I couldn’t grasp the dwarves’ way of thinking at all.
But even the seemingly endless spiral staircase was changing. The first to react was Eleonora.
“Oh, light!”
In the pitch-black darkness, Eleonora spotted a faint beam of light spilling through and exclaimed in delight.
Indeed, I could sense the presence of living beings below. Additionally, I realized something else.
“They seem to know we’re here.”
“Well, with the entrance opening, it’s only natural they would.”
“What’s the chance they might attack us suddenly?”
Considering the dense sounds of various beings near the exit, it appeared they were gathered close, but would we get attacked right as we stepped off the staircase?
It’s hard to imagine formidable foes lurking around here, yet here we were, seeking refuge, albeit briefly, and I was still worried about potential trouble.
“It’ll be fine.”
But Stella, who seemed to have some confidence, remained calm.
Well, if the guide is confident, then who am I to worry?
As we reached the end of the spiraling stairs, a straight path finally appeared.
Beyond, several figures began to materialize alongside the flickering warm light. I set Eleonora down and followed Stella, who was leading us forward, ready for any unexpected situation.
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