"Is sothing the matter?"
Out of nowhere, I suddenly raised my head and turned to the south.
Quite a few hits rang out on [Presence Detection].
Or rather, it was a lot, and they were increasing rapidly.
[Claret, can you go check to see what's showing up to the south?]
"Yes Master."
The dark spirit rose up from my shoulders and passed through the wall.
(Ah, right. She can't go through the ceiling because its coated with magical fire to keep things lit up.)
Even if it wasn't supposed to be an attack, it was still sothing that could harm her. Though I wondered if that was true for her level, it was better not to get hurt either way.
"No, it's nothing dangerous."
At least I hoped so, but there wasn't any point in making Epione worried if I didn't have to.
But since there wasn't really anything for to add, I simply went back to making lunch. If the soup over boiled, the veggies would get too soft and the potatoes would turn into mush. Sotis that was good, but this wasn't French style potato soup. Beef stew warranted firm potatoes.
"Master, they seem to be those adventurers that were following you a little while back, along with so people wearing the sa outfits."
[By those adventurers, you an the ones we ca into this forest with?]
"That's right."
So that part was good. But the people wearing the sa outfits?
[What do you an the sa outfits?]
"For so reason, they were wearing the sa armour and even bigger clothes that looked the sa over top of that."
[...Were they soldiers?]
"Maybe?"
Normally a person wouldn't confuse such a thing, but this was Claret we were talking about. If it didn't have anything to do with or my predecessor, there was a decent chance that she would've not taken any interest in it and never filed it away in that uselessly hollow head of hers.
But that said, I was probably right. Either they were soldiers, or knights, or guards, or so equivalent. Most likely the reinforcents that were promised a little while back.
It had taken slightly longer than I had predicted, but it was within reason, once you considered the distance this place was from the city we started at.
I fished my usual robes from my bag and put it on.
Its been over a week since I wore this thing, but it felt nice on my skin. I had missed wearing it, and already I was feeling nostalgic.
"There's sothing I need to check."
I inford the closest won as they ate.
Before I could move, sothing wrapped itself around my leg, immobilizing . It was the arm of the newest mother, the one I helped deliver her baby.
She looked up at with concern in her eyes.
"You will be back, right?"
In her place, Epione asked . Looking up, all the others who heard had the sa look.
"Of course. I'll be back soon."
I gave her head a reassuring pat. The woman opened her mouth and closed it repeatedly, before she let go after a mont of hesitation.
The glint of worry didn't leave any of their eyes, but they did seem to accept it at least.
"Don't worry. It won't take long."
I turned from the group, but before I left the room, I turned back, rembering one last important thing.
"If anyone asks, I'm just an elf. Not a vampire. Could you make sure that everyone knows that?"
"Oh, right. I got it."
Epione nodded repeatedly. It was good that I didn't have to explain myself.
With those parting words, I made my way out of the room and to the stairs.
Before I stepped up the stone staircase, I checked my outfit once more.
My shoes, my one glove (the other went missing when I lost my right arm in the last fight), the belts that held my robes secure, and my hood.
Without the hat that ended up missing and mostly likely destroyed during the previous fight, I had to go through the extra effort to make sure that my hood didn't move out of place by accident. Perhaps fortunately, due to the lack of a hat under it, my hood fell even further down my face than usual, but that would help obscure my face even better than before. At a ti like this, not being able to see as well wasn't really an issue. The light of the sun was annoyingly harsh and putting a bit of extra precaution to prevent it from scorching my face was nice.
Finally, I activated [Spirit Form] and then used [Alter Silhouette] to shorten my fangs and change the colour of my eyes to hide my vampireness.
Once I was sure that I've done all that I could, I climbed the steps.
When I reached the top, the sight of the first few adventurers ca to view as they rounded the final corner of the hallway.
The first two were the pathfinders from the investigation. They both readied their weapons as they saw , but glanced at the walls and ceiling before acting any further than that.
"Wait! It's !"
I extended both hands to show that I was unard.
"You?! You're unhard?"
A large figure pushed through the next few people and looked at in surprise.
"Fortunately."
I could only give a wry smile. I was now unhard, but there was no way that anyone could call my miserable state at the end of that battle as unhard.
The two pathfinders lowered their weapons and the whole group approached. There was a large group of soldier-like people that followed behind the adventurers.
"What about that vampire? What happened? There's a lot of damage to the walls."
"He was killed by another vampire."
"What?! We've got another monster on our hands?!"
"Ah no! There's no monster here anymore!"
I practically had to grit my teeth. Being called a monster, especially by a person who was supposed to be my ally pissed off.
"Really? Another vampire showed up, and after killing the leader of the bandits, it just ran off sowhere?"
"At the very least, there's only us and the survivors now."
Lying about things could get dicey, so rather than do such a clumsy thing, I just kept to the truth. After all, I wasn't so sort of monster. I was a person.
If only people would recognize that all of was a person, not just part of .
Maybe Alicia was the only one that did.
After explaining a little more, I lead the group down the stairs to the room where everyone was at.
I only allowed a handful in as the group was quite large and I didn't want to alarm the won inside. Many in the group argued about the treatnt but the investigation leader shut them all down.
The leader introduced himself to the group and explained what was going on.
I confird it all, and after so work, we finally left that prison.
It was late in the second day after we left that we finally arrived at the empty village.
We brought everything that could be salvaged.
I pulled a hastily put together wagon with the unresponsives riding on top, together with the newest mother.
There was no way they could walk, and there were too many for to carry. So of the adventurers or reinforcents could've carried them, but they all reacted poorly when approached by them, so it was really the only solution.
Of course, while it only took part of a day to reach the bastard's mansion from the village, returning took much longer. Everyone's stamina was low to begin with, and the most heavily pregnant of them couldn't go far without rest.
They also refused help from anyone but each other as well.
While the soldiers and so of the adventurers got frustrated at the slow pace, I pretended to also get tired here and there to give even more reason to take more breaks.
Though it looked like the leader figured out, he never outed . Most likely he just approved of my tactics.
The return to the village was a sombre one.
Even though they had finally co ho, nobody looked excited. Nobody rushed to their empty houses.
When we reached the village square, I finally pulled out the giant urn filled with the ashes of victims that died.
I explained what it was.
Many stared at it, many others simply fell to their knees and cried.
The only thing I could do was make dinner using the food we brought back from the bandit base. After I made sure all the woman had eaten, I was lead by so of them to one of the larger buildings, and helped carry the unresponsives to the largest room inside of it so they could rest.
I chose to spend the night there as well.
The adventurers and soldiers?
Frankly, I didn't really care. They seed to find their own accommodations, and I was satisfied that I didn't hear any disturbing noises that night.
"So what happened to the kids?"
I finally asked the team leader after serving everyone's breakfast.
"So of the guards are escorting them back to the city. The lord'll decide what to do with them."
"What do you think he'll decide?"
Part of didn't want to know the answer, but I asked anyways. There was still so hope inside of . It was why I put in so much effort to only knock them out in the first place.
"Chance are, they'll just be executed. Even at best they'll be made into criminal slaves."
"But they're just kids!"
"They're bandits. Regardless of their age."
He looked down at and firmly stated so.
I knew. I knew that, but still, most of them were so young. They probably didn't even have a choice.
"Even still. Isn't there so way for them to have their sentences reduced? So sort of rehabilitation or sothing? And maybe they could be guards or sothing after? They're pretty strong already."
"And who'd do that? And who'd pay for that? And even if you find people for both, who'd hire them afterwards? What would they do? Nobody would trust freaks like them."
"Dhampires."
"Huh?"
"They're Dhampires. All of them are half vampires right? That makes them dhampires."
No matter how much I looked at their stats, their race was always filled with nonsense characters, and nobody seed to know what to call them. But for , soone from Earth, there was a word that fit them perfectly.
"I've never heard of that term before."
"So people far away call their kind that."
I couldn't really tell him where that place was though. He wouldn't believe it.
"And the babies those won are carrying. They're also those..."
"Dhampires. Yes. You're not going to say they need to die too, are you?"
"It's not my call. The lord'll decide."
I didn't like that answer at all.
"But you can convince the guild master, right? And he can convince the lord?"
If he couldn't, then what was the point of being a guild master of the local Adventurers' Guild branch?
"It's not like those babies had done anything wrong. They're not guilty of so sort of cri, are they? Little babies that can't even stand on their own two feet yet?"
"...I'll have a talk with him."
I was going to have to be satisfied with that.
Really, this entire thing had tired out, and I just wanted to go ho.
"And also, tell the guild master to have my reward deposited into my account."
"You're not returning to the city?"
"I'm not."
I've been lied to. Twice. In a row.
I understood why, but that didn't make it any less annoying. I didn't really want to et the guild master at all.
Peitho on the other hand...I was angry at her, but I understood. She did end up helping , and while her words were a lie, she did lead in the right direction and I did get what I needed most. Considering how smart she seed, she probably predicted all that, but really wanted to help out the villagers along the way.
She also probably thought that I might not go if she didn't bait with information about vampires in the first place.
Thinking about it, if it wasn't for the fact that I had Magni waiting for , I probably would've gone looking for a library to get more information on vampires if she hadn't pointed in that direction.
A village of missing people wasn't exactly sothing I would've chased if it wasn't imdiately in front of . It was sothing that should've normally been left to the local authorities and Peitho would've had to have done a lot of persuading to have made go help.
Or rather, if that had happened, then I would've just gone by myself rather than as part of the investigation and due to my inability to follow tracks, would've ended up at a dead end and forced to give up with no good clues to work off of.
Considering what ended up being what had happened, that would've been quite the disaster.
It really made wonder just how much Peitho had figured out about .
Having given my answer to the team leader, I moved on to the others.
"Could you gather everyone for ?"
I asked the favour to Epione.
"Of course!"
And with those two words, she went off and gathered everyone.
That was, everyone from the bandit's hideout. None of the soldiers nor adventurers were included. Even the unresponsives were brought over even though none of them had shown any major signs of recovering yet.
"Now that we've managed to get back to the village, this is where everything really starts. Where your lives start."
Many of the won nodded, so had tears flowing down their cheeks even, and there were a few cheers as well.
"Be strong. There will be countless difficulties ahead in the future, but as long as you persevere, you'll overco them, as you've overco this harsh chapter."
Even more cheering erupted.
"I'll distribute so things to help jump-start your new lives, and I hope that you all will find happiness in whatever form it takes."
The cheering quickly stopped and was replaced with confusion.
It seed like I needed to be more clear about my intents.
"I don't know when we'll et again, but I hope that everyone had been able to find so happiness by then."
Shock rippled through the group as realization of what my words ant were disseminated and deciphered.
"Wait! You're leaving?!"
Epione was the first to cry out. Many others had as well.
"Of course. I have other obligations to tend to as well."
I was still being targeted by assassins. Without knowing what sort or when such a being would appear, staying with this group who couldn't protect themselves was crazy.
In addition, I wouldn't be able to raise my level in this area. More than anything else, my level was the thing that protected from any attempts as things stood, and my confrontation with that bastard proved that it wasn't nearly high enough.
If I could, then my goal was to at least double my level before any encounters. If I didn't aim for such lofty goals, then I wasn't just putting my own life at risk, but the lives of those who were staying close to .
But I suppose that leaving without any resistance from all the people I had gotten to know here was unrealistic.
Practically everyone cried out and quite a few had tears running down their faces.
(Just how attached had everyone gotten to in such a short period of ti?!)
Maybe it was just inevitable since I was the only person they had relied on since they were freed from that bastard, but it was troubling. Staying just wasn't an option.
"Hmmm...how about this? I'll give you a few ways to contact in case sothing happens? And even if nothing happens, I'll co visit when I can, though I can't promise the next ti will be soon. Is that enough?"
The expressions everyone was giving told that it wasn't even close, but nobody spoke up, so at least they accepted that they couldn't ask for more.
I was glad. I had no idea how to give any more, as I wasn't going sowhere that was populated in the first place.
"The first is a travelling rchant. His na is Mint and he travels across several cities, but his base is in the north, a small village called...ummm...'Edgeworth!' That's it!"
It took so effort, but I was glad I managed to rember the village's na. Nobody else would've known what it was, so if I didn't rember, then I would've been screwed.
(Oh wait, Alicia's from that village. I could've just asked her if I forgot.)
That thought made extra glad I didn't forget. Forgetting the na of her birth town would've been a disgrace.
"The other is Philia, the director of an orphanage in Linsington City."
Mint was probably the better one to contact, as he would be easier to get a hold of as he ca pretty far south during his usual course. On the other hand, if the timing ended up being bad, Philia would be the more reliable one to contact since she didn't move around.
And if they absolutely had to travel, Philia could accommodate them while Mint couldn't.
"You can send a ssage through either of them. If it can't be sent through a letter, then Philia could take care of you until I arrive. Got it?"
Many of them nodded, but there wasn't any signs that they were satisfied.
"You really have to go?"
"I do. There's things I have to do, and so of them can't be done here."
Quite a few heads fell at my words.
"Aaa...!"
Sothing pulled at my sleeve. The one closest to looked up while sitting on the dirt. She held the newborn baby in one arm while gripping my sleeve hard enough that her hand turned as white as my skin.
"I'm sorry, but I really need to go. Everyone here is like a sister to you. You'll be far safer with them than ."
I gave her a pat on the head then kneeled down and kissed her on the cheek before bringing her into an embrace.
Her hand let go of my sleeve and wrapped itself around my body before pulling on a fist full of my robes.
"Take care of your baby. We'll et again, and I look forward to seeing how much he's grown by then."
I pulled away and kissed her on the cheek again.
Her mouth opened and closes, like she was trying to say sothing.
Without any expectations, I stayed there, waiting until she gave up.
"Iii...Iii..."
(Huh?!)
It was different from the usual. She closed her eyes as if it took everything she had to recall the words she was trying to speak.
"Iii...Ilithyia...Hygia."
(Those...those were actual words!)
Or rather, a na?
"Ilithyia Hygia?"
She dropped her head before raising it.
"N...n...na!"
"That's your na?"
She dropped her head, or rather, nodded, again before giving a gentle smile.
"N...na!"
"I see, that's your na!"
It was so great to finally get her na. Or rather, any words out of her. It really showed that she was well on her way to fully recovering. The wound in her heart would soday properly close, and maybe that day wasn't far off.
It made want to stay to help bring that day co myself, but such a thing wasn't reasonable. Staying just wasn't possible as things stood.
"Na?"
But she repeated her last word again. This ti her smile had fallen and there was sothing else in her eyes.
"...Na?"
I could see a hint of uncertainty there, but there was also sothing else.
"...N..na?"
That sothing else grew. Her eyes looked so pure, so innocent, that it took a mont to recognize it.
Curiosity.
"You an my na?"
Ilithyia's smile returned and she gave a hefty nod.
"Right. I never gave everyone my na."
I looked up and saw everyone silently leaning in close. It seed like they clued in that I was finally going to reveal my na.
It wasn't like I purposely hid it from them, but I had just forgotten to properly introduce myself due to the shock of what I had originally seen, and it never ca up since.
"Well, my na's Scarlet."
"Scarlet?!"
"She said her na is Scarlet?!"
"Just like the saint!"
"Wh, wh, wait! I an, yea, I was nad after her, but I'm hardly comparable to soone as great as her!"
She was a person with a lengthy legacy. I was only soone who helped out a few people here and there.
(Well, quite a bit more than a few this ti, but this is an exception.)
Such expectations were way too heavy for in the first place.
"No but..."
"Right?"
"Yea!"
It didn't look like my words did anything but have the reverse effect.
There was clear reverence in everyone's eyes. Even Ilithyia had the sa look in hers as well.
"No, I an, I just helped you girls out for a bit. Anyone would've done so. It's hardly sothing to be praised about."
It really was within common sense.
"""..."""
Everyone stared at for a mont.
"She's even as reserved as they say the saint was!"
"It's like she's the saint reborn!"
"I've never heard anyone live up to her na as well as she does!"
(Ah, even this backfired.)
I didn't know if my common sense was just that different from the standards here or if their bias was just warping everything into a positive feedback loop or sothing.
(Confirmation bias is terrifying.)
It didn't seem like anything I could say would change their minds. All I could hope was that this wouldn't turn into so sort of cult or sothing.
*Sigh*
"Anyways, moving on to important things."
I unshouldered my bag and reached inside. Out ca a bag of coins.
After a quick check, I removed a handful of coins and threw them back into my bag before tying the coin bag's throat again. The ones I removed were mostly just the smaller coins that would only add unneeded bulk and weight.
"Here, make sure everyone gets a fair share of this."
I dropped the sack at Epione's feet. A muffled sound of clinking tal reverberated for a mont.
"What's this?"
She tried to pick it up before realizing how heavy it was.
"So money. Make sure everyone gets an equal share."
"Wha wha wha?!"
The girl stepped back in a panic, as if I just told her it was a bomb.
(How rude.)
"I don't know what you girls'll receive to help restart your lives, but things'll probably be tight for a while. Use this to ease your burden."
"We, we can't take this! It's so much!"
The girl finally approached the sack and looked inside.
"It is a lot, but there's a lot of you. Even if you don't need it, use it on those that do then. Most of you are carrying a child inside of you, and it'll be difficult to work when you get close to term. The first few months after your babies are born will also be next to impossible to work, so use this money then."
"Miss Scarlet..."
They all looked at with a serious expression on their faces.
"If you still don't need the money, then use it on those who can't work themselves. Ilithyia and the others like her need lots of extra help until they get better. Use the money so that they can get the help they need to live. Ah, right."
I pulled out another coin from my bag. A divine gold coin.
If I rembered right, just this one was worth as much as the bag of gold coins I had just given these won.
(As things stand, this is too dangerous to simply hand over as is.)
With that thought in my mind, I pulled out a large fang and quickly worked it into a simple pendant with a crescent moon engraved on it and slipped the coin inside a thin cavity before stuffing it with so clay from the ground. Finally I cropped a string of leather from a random sheet I had and looped it through a hole in the pendant before tying it around Ilithyia's neck.
"If what I gave you isn't enough, I put in sothing you can use to trade at the Adventurers' Guild for more money."
When I turned to look at everyone though, the sight that greeted was far different from what I had expected.
They were all bowing towards .
(Ah, jeez.)
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