Tale of an Honored Vampire

Two days have passed since the lockdown began. The condition of Sylvienne's stomach has improved. She's as lively as ever. She even ate breakfast today, although Mr. Volk restricted it to a handful of vegetables. She tolerates the lockdown better than me, too... I guess time's passing much quicker for her. As for me...

"Argh, this ain't any different from staying at home all day, like I usually do!" I whine in frustration as I sit alone in my room, doing nothing. "Just how much longer could this lockdown last?"

Come to think of it, they've said that a vampire dies if they don't eat for four whole days. That means...

A loud knocking on the door interrupts my thinking.

"Yes?" I answer, snapping back to reality.

"Mr. Kaito," Mr. Volk says as he opens the door. "Your dinner will be ready soon. Where is Miss Sylvienne?"

"Ah, she's probably still sitting in the hot spring," I say, scratching the back of my head.

She entered the bath after lunch... Has she been soaking herself all this time? What a lazy elf!

"I see," Mr. Volk says with a smile. "I'm glad she enjoys the new bath."

"She sure does..." I replied with a wry smile.

Mr. Volk's expression shifts slightly, wrinkling his forehead with a bit of concern.

"And Mr. Lucien? I haven't seen him today at all."

I think for a moment, realizing that  I haven't seen him either.

"He must be in his room," I say, though it's more like a guess than an answer.

"I'll check on him later, too," Mr. Volk says as he turns his head, looking at the door of Lucien's room as he shuts mine.

Lucien... He doesn't seem like a guy who'd lock himself up completely. Is he that concerned about vampires?

An image of Lucien's face flashes through my mind.

Come to think of it, he seemed a bit different the other day... Not that he behaved differently. He carried himself with the same reserved and considerate attitude as before. I can't tell what was up with him. But something about him just didn't feel right. His face...

"I hope he's alright..."  I mutter, staring at the empty wall.

"Kaito!" Sylvienne steps in with a spring in her step, her damp silver hair clinging to her skin. "That bath is divine! I think I could sit in there forever."

I raise an eyebrow.

 "You’ve been in there since lunch. I was starting to think you were going to."

She puts on a smug look.

"Well, I deserve to take a day off duty," she says, gesturing with her hand slightly arrogantly. 

"You've been practically taking three days off..."  I say, facepalming.

"You know, I travelled for months before reaching this city!" Sylvienne says, trying to justify herself.

I sigh, shaking my head with a faint smile.

"You seem to be doing fine now, though. I'm glad. The hot spring worked like magic."

"Yeah, hot springs do work like magic. The minerals emit mana that helps with regeneration," she nods agreeingly. "Come to think of it, the first time I had a stomachache, it was Gerome who told me to take a bath in a hot spring. He knew an awful lot about magic."

I lean back, staring at the ceiling.

"Gerome, huh? What kind of person was he?"

"He was reserved, just like any other vampire. You never knew what was on his mind. In the beginning, he felt distant. But I remember the night after he turned out to be a vampire. We were sitting at a campfire with Zyron. The others were sleeping..."

As Sylvienne's mind drifts to the past, I imagine her reflections...

***

The night was cold in the Outlands, and the camp of Zyron's party was tucked beneath the roots of a silver tree. Adler and Steiner were both out drunk from the celebration in a city we had just saved from the Crimson Demon. 

The Crimson Demon was the most dangerous foe we had faced so far. He was a monster. His demonic ritual caused people's blood to crystallize. He was hiding under an abandoned house on the outskirts of the village. If it weren't for Gerome's sense of smelling blood, we wouldn't have made it. The Crimson Demon's ritual relied on the use of his own blood. Demonic blood is invisible to humans. He was able to control it, spreading it all around the village. It spread like a virus seeping into people's houses like tiny little rivers, killing those his blood touched. He drew his strength from the crystallized blood, becoming stronger after each kill. I remember staring at him, frozen, as his fangs pierced the demon’s neck.

The number of deaths increased in a short time. We were terrified to the point that we thought we were going to die, too. But Gerome remained calm. Although he couldn't see it, he could smell the blood of people. He traced back the flow of crystallized blood to the Crimson Demon. We managed to distract him. And Gerome struck, draining all of his blood...

"You were scared, weren't you..." Gerome’s voice was barely above a whisper, and his hands were shaking on his knees as he stared at the dirt. "When you saw me drinking all that blood..."

I kept sitting in silence. Not a word could come out of my mouth. I didn't feel resentment. But I was shocked. I didn't notice any resentment in Zyron, either. Nor did he come off as accepting. At that moment, he seemed like someone who didn't know what he was supposed to feel. I had never seen Zyron like that before.

"I'm sorry," he continued with his tone turning desperate. "I understand if you don't want to be in my company anymore. We'll part ways to—"

Zyron raised his head, looking at him with widened eyes.

"Stop talking nonsense, Gerome!" he snapped, standing up tall.

"Huh?" Gerome flinched, raising his head and looking up at Zyron.

"Without you, all of us would be dead," I said, rising to my feet as well.

"B-but I was lying to you all this time," Gerome said, standing up. "When you weren't watching, I took the lives of others."

Gerome’s eyes wavered in the light of the bonfire. 

"But... I've been lying to you all this time! I've taken countless lives without you noticing. One day I could've killed you, too!"

Zyron quietly stepped closer to Gerome.

"You wouldn't have done it. You are not that kind of person."

"You don't know anything about vampiric behaviour," Gerome said, trembling as he stood up. "One day I'm your friend... Another, I could be the very thing that takes your life!"

"If you were aware of that..." I ask him apologetically. "Why did you join our party?"

"I... I wanted to clear the name of the vampires," his voice breaking. "Not through words. No one listens to our words... But by actions. I thought by fighting alongside you, I could at least redeem myself. But I was afraid. I couldn't tell you that I'm a vampire."

He lowered his head.

"I might have saved some people. But I was also taking many lives at the same time..."

"It was you," Zyron said abruptly, "who killed that old lady in the village today. The marks on her skin were different from the Crimson Demon's."

Gerome looked up with tears in his eyes, surprised.

"When we arrived at the village," Zyron continued, "she said she had a condition that caused her terrible pain. She wanted to die..." Zyron raised his hand and pointed at Gerome. "It was you! You took her life, so she wouldn't have to suffer any longer."

Gerome nodded.

Zyron put his hands on his waist.

"Gerome," he said with determination. "My intuition was right. You do have a noble soul after all!

Gerome froze, staring at Zyron as if the words were too heavy to believe.

"A… noble soul?" he whispered.

Zyron grinned faintly. 

"I don’t care how many times you call yourself a monster. Even when you are killing someone, you are saving people. Gerome! I know the difference between a killer and a saviour. And so does she," he said, nodding toward me.

 "You’ve been carrying this alone for too long," I stepped closer, meeting Gerome's teary eyes. "Let us share the weight."

"That's right!" Zyron said agreeingly. "Let's clear the name of the vampires!"

Zyron extended his hand toward the light of the fire. Gerome hesitated, then slowly placed his hand on Zyron’s. I followed, putting my own hand, too, onto theirs.

"Let us!" Gerome said with determination.

"I swear it," I said softly.

"I swear it," Zyron echoed steadily. "Another thing history shall remember my name for!" he added, laughing.

"It wouldn't even be you if you didn't say that," I said as my lips widened into a smile.

Gerome burst into laughter. That was the first time we had seen him laughing.

The night was quiet except for the crackle of the fire and the distant rustle of leaves blown by the light breeze—

***

A deep voice breaks the stillness of the scene Sylvienne recalled.

"What a heartwarming story," Mr. Volk says, stepping into the room.

"Mr. Volk!" Sylvienne jumps, startled by his sudden entry. "H-how long have you been listening?"

"Long enough to know that dinner is getting cold," he says with a faint smile.

I exhale, breaking out of the memory's haze. Sylvienne glances at me with a soft grin. 

"Let's go," I say, rising from my bed and gesturing with my hand.

Sylvienne rises too, following our lead. I can almost see the girl from that night beside the bonfire, who swore an oath to a vampire.

"Miss Sylvienne, if you wouldn't mind..." Mr Volk says politely, "I would advise you against asking for seconds and thirds this time."

Sylvienne’s face flushes red.

"I wasn't planning to. Not after these three days..." she protests, marching past him toward the hall.

Mr. Volk and I chuckle. The aroma of warm stew drifts in from the dining room, pulling us back into the present. As we walk, I take an uneasy gaze in a certain direction. 

Lucien's room.