I'm-I'm going to die.
No joke, I'm actually going to die.
It's only been one day since I started traveling with
And already on the first day, I was on the verge of death.
The culprit was Shiro.
That morning, just as we were about to set out, Melazophis tried to pick me up, and Shiro stopped her.
Just one word: "Walk."
When Melazophis asked for a reason, Shiro didn't answer.
Instead, she handed Melazophis a bottle filled with a red liquid.
I'm pretty sure it was blood inside.
I'd heard a little about vampires from Ariel.
Apparently I'm a True Ancestor, so I've overcome all the typical weaknesses of a vampire.
That meant I was fine in sunlight and didn't need to drink blood.
But for Melazophis, things weren't so simple.
She was apparently special even among vampires, but sunlight still dealt damage to her, and she couldn't survive without drinking blood.
Apparently, a normal vampire would take enough damage from sunlight alone to die, so Melazophis was considerably better off by comparison.
According to Ariel, she'd acquired a Skill called "HP Auto-Recovery" when she became a vampire, so as long as she wore clothing that minimized skin exposure and a hat, she could offset the damage from being outside.
That was why Melazophis was wearing a white hat that Shiro had apparently made.
Since the outfit she'd been wearing had been torn up during yesterday's commotion, she was now dressed in an all-white ensemble of a white shirt and white pants—also made by Shiro.
You'd think vampires would have more of a black aesthetic.
With Melazophis dressed head-to-toe in white, just like Shiro, the red bottle stood out like a sore thumb.
When she accepted the bottle, Melazophis's face twitched ever so slightly. I was pretty sure I wasn't imagining that.
What really surprised me, though, was when Shiro casually stored all the tents and cooking equipment into some pocket dimension right before we departed.
I'd heard that spatial magic was incredibly rare, but Shiro used it as if it were nothing.
This must be why she'd been supposedly killed twice yet showed up perfectly alive.
She'd probably pretended to die and teleported away.
And then, once we set out, I walked until my legs gave out—and even after they gave out, I was made to keep walking.
I'm still a baby, you know…
Who makes a toddler who isn't even two years old hike through a forest?
Whether it was because I was a reincarnator or a vampire, I could move around better than my age suggested, sure.
But suddenly going on a hike through the middle of a forest? Isn't that a little too much?
"Are you all right, my lady?"
I'd lost count of how many times Melazophis had asked me that.
I felt like I'd heard the same line at least four or five times already.
"I'm fine…"
My already babyish speech, compounded by exhaustion, came out even more garbled than usual.
It was barely more than a rasping whisper.
I wasn't even sure Melazophis had caught it, but either way, even if she had, there was nothing she could do.
There was nothing she was allowed to do—Shiro wouldn't permit it.
Up to this point, Melazophis had tried repeatedly to pick me up or hold my hand, but Shiro shut down every single attempt.
She just silently shook her head each time, so I couldn't tell what her goal was, but that resolute attitude made it abundantly clear: she wanted me to walk on my own.
I had no idea what the point was.
Ariel wasn't much help either.
She just cheered me on with a breezy "Do your best!" as if it were someone else's problem.
Which, well, it probably was.
So, from morning through midday, I spent the entire time trudging through the forest.
Along the way, I got blisters, got scratched by tree branches, fell and scraped my skin—but I apparently had the "HP Auto-Recovery" Skill too, because after a little while, those injuries would vanish.
But just because the wounds healed didn't mean the fatigue went away.
By the time we finally stopped for lunch, I was barely able to stand.
If it hadn't been for the walking stick I'd picked up earlier—a nicely sized branch—I probably couldn't have stayed upright at all.
My trembling legs lowered me slowly to the ground.
It was the first time in my life I'd learned that even sitting down could be an ordeal when you were pushed to your limit.
Maybe I'd overdone it, because I'd apparently gained new Skills: "Endurance," "Burst," "SP Recovery Speed," and "SP Consumption Reduction."
I wasn't sure what SP was exactly, but based on context, it was probably some kind of stamina-related stat.
Shiro had apparently handled the cooking last night, but this time Ariel said she'd take over.
I watched carefully as Shiro pulled ingredients from her pocket dimension, checking to make sure nothing weird was mixed in.
Breakfast had been normal enough, but I wasn't about to let my guard down.
The ingredients handed over were ordinary, so I relaxed a little.
"I'm counting on you."
"Are you seriously going to do this?"
There was that sort of exchange between Shiro and Ariel, but I was so exhausted I just sat there, completely drained.
Ariel began to cook.
Was it water magic? A sphere of water materialized from nowhere and dropped into the pot.
A fire that appeared with no fuel source began heating it.
Scenes like this really drove home the fact that I was in another world.
Vegetables were cut and arranged, then added to the pot.
Seasonings went in, and a fragrant aroma began wafting from the simmering stew.
Just a moment ago I'd been too tired to have much of an appetite, but my body was honest—my stomach let out a small growl.
Thanks to my Silent Skill, no one outside probably heard it.
Who would've thought that Skill would come in handy in everyday life.
While the stew simmered, Ariel mixed a powder from what looked like dried yams with water, lightly sprinkled in salt, and kneaded it.
She then added several more types of flour, rolled the resulting dough thin, and cooked it flat.
She'd made something that resembled naan bread, as you'd know it back on Earth.
Paired with the finished stew, lunch was complete.
"Let's eat!"
We'd taught Melazophis the Japanese greeting, and all three voices chimed together.
I dipped the naan into the soup and brought it to my mouth.
Wait—bitter!?
What is this?
I could endure it, but it was bitter.
Honestly, it didn't taste good.
But saying that would be rude to Ariel, who'd made it for us.
Huh—Melazophis, what's wrong?
She looked a little pale, didn't she?
Ever since becoming a vampire, her complexion had gone paler than before, but now she'd gone from pale to downright blue.
"It's fine, it's fine. I diluted the poison enough that you won't die."
"My lady! You mustn't eat it! It's poison!"
Despite Ariel's gentle tone, Melazophis blurted out in a panic.
"That's what I'm saying—it's fine.
Wait, this was actually laced with poison?
"If you don't want to eat it, you don't have to—but don't blame me when you starve to death."
Ariel said that dismissively, then happily scarfed down the poisoned meal herself.
Right beside her, Shiro was eating hers as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
I exchanged a glance with Melazophis.
"Let's eat."
"Yes… understood."
Either way, our lives were in these people's hands.
There was nothing to do but eat obediently.
And so, Melazophis and I finished every last bite of the poisoned meal.
Just as Ariel had said, my Status Abnormality Resistance level went up by one, and Melazophis apparently gained the Poison Resistance Skill.