All the commotion must have caught up with me, because drowsiness overwhelmed me and I ended up falling asleep right then and there.
There were still a million things I wanted to ask.
When I opened my eyes, I was inside the tent.
It was still dark — had the sun not risen yet?
Melazophis lay beside me, sleeping like the dead.
Trying not to wake her, I quietly slipped out of the tent and looked around. Everything was still dark.
The sky in the distance was turning a pale blue, so it would probably brighten up soon.
I'm a vampire waking up early in the morning. Kind of funny, huh.
"Oh my, you're awake?"
I turned toward the voice and found
"Want to use telepathy? Or can you talk?"
What should I do?
I can technically talk, sure.
But my pronunciation is still sloppy and lispy, and being a baby, just speaking is exhausting.
At home I'd talk just enough not to arouse suspicion, but if there's something as convenient as telepathy, I'd much rather rely on that.
"Via tewepathy—"
I tried to say "via telepathy," but the lisp made it come out garbled again.
Being unable to speak smoothly was its own kind of stress.
"OK. Sure thing."
I could sense the telepathic link connecting me and Ariel.
It was a handy Skill, and until I could speak properly I'd probably get plenty of use out of it. I should spend some Skill Points to acquire it later.
In the end, I'd only spent my Skill Points on Appraisal and hadn't touched anything else.
I'd been saving them to acquire a Skill that would let me hide the fact that I'm a vampire, but at this point there was no longer any point in hiding it.
"Looks like you were tired — you were sleeping like a log," Ariel said with a smile.
She'd seen me sleep. That was a little embarrassing.
Wait.
Hold on — had Ariel been standing watch the whole night without sleeping?
*'Um, did you happen to not sleep at all?'* "Hm? Oh, I have a higher-order Skill that grants Status Ailment Immunity, so I don't really need to sleep. I do lie down when I feel like it, though."
Don't need to sleep.
Wait, Status Ailment Immunity — isn't that an insanely powerful Skill?
Given the comedy routine I'd witnessed yesterday, it was hard to believe, but when I thought about it, this woman had utterly overwhelmed the ones who attacked me.
Whether the Demon King stuff was real or not, I couldn't say, but behind that air of total idiocy, her power was the genuine article.
"Hmm, I feel like I'm being subtly dissed."
She's sharp.
I broke into a cold sweat on the inside while keeping a poker face.
"The other two are still sleeping, so I'll hold a Q&A session until they wake up."
Come to think of it, Melazophis had been in the tent, but I hadn't seen Shiroi anywhere.
Where was she?
*'What's that?'* I looked around and spotted something.
"Oh, that. That's Shiro-chan's home."
I didn't quite get what Ariel meant.
What sat there was something like a white cocoon.
Layers upon layers of thick silk forming a round cocoon.
Shiroi was inside that?
"Best not get too close. She might do something unpredictable if she wakes up half-asleep."
I had a vague bad feeling about this, so I obediently followed Ariel's advice.
*'First — the town. What happened to my father and mother?'* That was my first question.
I already knew the answer wouldn't be what I wanted to hear.
But I had to ask.
"The town was seized by the army that attacked from Outz Kingdom — though in reality it was the Divine Word Church's army. As for your father and mother, I'm afraid..." Ariel trailed off. "Well. You get the idea."
I'd expected it.
But hearing it said outright still hit hard.
And yet, no tears came.
Was I heartless? Or was I just too dazed, my emotions numbed by the shock?
"By the way, those people who attacked you — one group was a shadow unit of the Divine Word Church. The other was elves. Both seem to have known you were a reincarnator and targeted you specifically."
*'Elves?'* Come to think of it, yesterday's stir-fried vegetables had included the word "elves" or something like that.
I could understand the Divine Word Church, but why elves?
"I'm not sure why elves would be after a reincarnator. But their leader — a guy named
*'Really?'* "Yep. He's so far beyond garbage that the whole world's in danger because of him."
That's harsh.
But Ariel spoke with such undisguised disgust that, at the very least, she clearly despised the elves.
I'd always imagined elves to be something more... sacred.
"The Divine Word Church people — I don't know where they first set their eyes on you, but it seems like they were targeting you. Or maybe the reason that town became their target in the first place was because you were there."
Her words made me catch my breath.
Because of me?
"This is all still speculation, mind you. But there's a possibility it was one of their objectives. The Pope of the Divine Word Church is the type to value that kind of efficiency — undermine the Goddess Faith's credibility while achieving his hidden goal. One move, multiple results. That's the kind of strategist he is."
Because of me.
Because of me.
Because of me.
The words echoed in my head on repeat.
"Telling you not to worry about it is easier said than done, but this incident is just one piece in the grand flow of the world. Either way, it's not something you could have changed. People have things they can do and things they can't. You'd better accept that there was nothing you could have done this time."
How could I accept it that easily?
"The important thing is what you do from here on out. This time, nothing could be done. What happened can't be changed. So — the next time something like this happens, are you going to sit there biting your nails watching the same result play out? Or are you going to fight back? Which would you choose?"
*'I'll fight back.'* The answer came without hesitation.
That's right.
I would never let something this unjust happen again.
"So how are you going to act in order to fight back? As things stand now, the result will be the same. How you act — that's what matters. You're allowed to feel down. You're allowed to be troubled. But once you've decided to fight, the one thing you must not do is stand still."
She was right.
Exactly right.
I think I'd misjudged this person.
I'd thought she was nothing but a flaky, unreliable goofball, but what she was saying was genuinely useful.
Just as she said — I wouldn't stand still.
That was my resolve.