Episode.70 Preparing for the Succession of the Throne
【Hey… how could you say that?】
I blurted out that I had ripped the window after Irlya said I could rely on her.
‘No… didn’t she say I could consult her if something troublesome happened?’
【You really… have no sense?】
“My dear.”
Irlya said in a low voice, lowering her head slightly and rolling up the sleeve of her right arm.
“Come here.”
Then, she spread her delicate index finger and beckoned me to come closer.
I thought about the mistake of tearing the window and obediently followed Irlya’s words.
I got up from my seat and approached her.
“Good… now, tilt your head toward me a bit more…”
“Like this?”
“Yes, just like that.”
Irlya then grabbed my neck.
And while only slightly lifting her buttocks from the chair—
– Thud.
Immediately, her sharp fangs pierced the thin skin of my neck.
“Ugh…”
【… What are you doing?】
I still hadn’t gotten used to this unpleasant sensation of blood being sucked out of me.
No, it’s strange to be getting used to blood being sucked out.
I’m fine.
Is it really appropriate for a hunter of the association to be doing this with monsters inside the gate?
Considering my meaningless current affiliation, perhaps it doesn’t matter since I’m closer to a villain.
In my mind, angels and demons were engaged in a fierce battle.
What should I do?
As the sharp fangs embedded in my neck pulled out, blood from my body quickly began to flow into the puncture.
Irlya delicately licked the wound her fangs had made on my neck, as if she wouldn’t miss even a drop of the flowing blood.
Her saliva has the ability to heal minor wounds.
So, while my neck wouldn’t leave a scar, it would prevent life-threatening blood loss.
Once Irlya finally finished her feeding and fully pulled her mouth away from my neck, she immediately whispered to me.
“I felt the heartbeat and temperature from your most vulnerable point through these fangs… I’ll forgive this time… but if you do that again next time… you know?”
【What did she say?】
‘… I don’t know.’
I couldn’t tell whether this was a response directed at Irlya or the question Chaewon had asked me. I couldn’t even figure it out myself.
I just felt that my head wasn’t working at the moment.
It seemed this was due to the excessive blood loss.
It was a perverse thought, but I found this dizziness somewhat pleasurable.
Irlya sat back down in her chair.
I thought I could see a red thread at the corner of her lips.
She returned her right sleeve to its original state while wiping her mouth with her hand.
“That was delicious.”
Finally, a light began to emanate from Irlya’s body.
As if I was witnessing a moment of growth.
【Huh? Hasn’t she become a bit more mature? She seems a bit bigger too…】
Just as Chaewon said, Irlya indeed seemed a bit more mature.
Originally, she looked like a mere child, but now the atmosphere she exuded was quite different from before.
Still, to my eyes, she looked like an elementary school student who had just grown into a middle school level.
“Alright! Shall we get started right away?”
“What are we doing?”
Suddenly, Irlya kicked her chair back and dashed into the mansion.
– Bang!
“Is there no one here?”
As soon as she entered the mansion, she called for the servant.
No servant responded immediately.
Most of the vampires living in this mansion were either sleeping or not coming out of their rooms.
So, the servants didn’t really have a reason to work either.
After all, light cleaning had already been completed in the morning.
It’s only natural that no one would voluntarily work when there weren’t any additional tasks to be done.
‘The absence of servants is…’
“… Did you call, or rather, did they call for you?”
With light purple hair, Triche approached Irlya.
‘So, there is one.’
Triche’s hair was tousled, as if she hadn’t finished tidying up after spending the night, and dark circles were evident under her eyes.
‘The servant of commoner origin, Alukid, mentioned that she was still a newcomer.’
【Ugh, that chatty one… She certainly does have a bit of charisma, just like that guy said…】
“… What is it?”
At that moment, I heard Triche mumbling softly, seemingly lacking the skill for servant work.
She looked a bit flustered upon seeing Irlya’s appearance.
‘… It’s understandable.’
Because she had just drunk my blood and physically grown.
If I were to express what she might be feeling, it would be as if a child I thought was clearly in elementary school had suddenly grown into a middle schooler.
‘… So, there it is.’
“I’m going to the land of elves, so prepare the carriage quickly!… But, make sure my father doesn’t find out…”
-Clatter. -Clatter.
I’m currently riding in a clattering carriage.
Why?
Because I was going to get the ‘Sechidok’ that Irlya mentioned.
Even though quite some time has passed, the destination was still not in sight.
Unlike the slow pace, the carriage jolted dynamically.
The coachman was Triche, the servant who responded to Irlya’s call earlier.
I never imagined Triche would be able to drive the carriage.
She looked like a noble’s daughter, but I hadn’t expected her to be capable of this kind of work at all.
Irlya’s way of hiring Triche as a coachman was simply to pay her a lot.
This little kid… little kid? She might no longer be a little kid.
Still, with her middle school body, she appeared as just a child in my eyes.
This little kid thinks that everything in the world is resolved by money.
‘…’
In fact, everything can be resolved with money.
If something can’t be resolved, it usually means there isn’t enough money.
As someone living in this Republic of Korea, it’s inevitable that materialism is ingrained in my bones.
Suddenly, I craved the liquor I had once left unfinished.
That aside.
The excessively jolting carriage was quite uncomfortable.
There were also times when it jostled severely, and every time that happened, I would hit my head against the ceiling.
This carriage was built specifically for Irlya, so it was unsuitable for an adult man like me to ride.
Every time I bumped my head, Chaewon would laugh at me.
Irlya covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled a bit.
From my spot, I could just vaguely see her holding back a smile, evident that she was trying not to let the corners of her mouth rise.
【Ugh, I feel like I’m going to throw up.】
Chaewon, who was laughing at me, soon became teary-eyed.
‘… Do even ghosts throw up?’
【You need to eat something for it to come out… I just mean that.】
The ‘world’ inside the gate seems to have a medieval setting.
That means, the riding experience in this unpaved road carriage is incomparably exhausting compared to our modern transportation.
Like a country road, the vibrations and clattering sounds that come from passing on this entirely unpaved road come incessantly to our ears, to the point of being tedious.
Irlya appeared completely unfazed by the discomfort.
Could it be because she had not experienced modern conveniences?
We are in this state due to reverse gravity perception.
This enclosed space provides a sense of security as it feels isolated from the outside.
The only way to see outside is through the windows in the carriage.
Every time I sat in the carriage and watched the scenery flow by, I felt an authority as if I had become a noble of that era.
“Oh! Look at that!”
Irlya suddenly reached out her hand over the window.
“Irya, it’s dangerous to stick any part of your body out of the window.”
I heard Triche’s voice faintly from outside as she drove the carriage.
“Okay…”
Upon hearing that, Irlya quickly brought her hand back in, but her finger was still pointing in the same direction, and her red eyes looked up at me as if asking for a response.
“… What is it?”
I followed her finger with my gaze outside the window.
At the tip of her finger, there was a very small tree.
“What… it’s just a tree, right?”
Upon seeing my reaction, Irlya puffed out one cheek.
“Ugh… it’s not just a tree! That’s a big tree called the World Tree! I don’t know why it’s considered sacred, but it looks nice, so I don’t mind!”
Indeed.
It looked small.
That tree, visible even from this distance, is simply the ‘World Tree’ that elves so reverently regard.
“Oh, is that the destination?”
“Indeed, that’s it. You don’t have such large trees in your world, do you?”
“Of course not… Huh? How did you know I came from another world?”
Upon my words, Irlya tilted her head in confusion.
“What are you talking about? Are you foolish? Didn’t you vaguely mention your past when you shared your story?”
“Oh, I must have forgotten that I told you.”
I continued to stare at the World Tree, which was simply large.
But even as time passed, the World Tree still looked small.
Shouldn’t it appear larger as we get closer due to perspective?
I leaned my head out of the window.
“Hey, guest from outside. That’s dangerous—”
“Never mind that, how much longer until we reach our destination?”
I ignored Triche’s words, because… it didn’t look dangerous anyway.
“You’re a nuisance…”
Triche seemed to mutter something softly, but I couldn’t hear because of the sound of hoofbeats.
“What was that?”
“Ahem… excluding the time it took to get here, we have a total of two days left.”
【What? We have to ride this uncomfortable carriage for two whole days? I can’t do that! Absolutely not!】
I found myself missing the mattress back home.
