"Blood? Hmm, I've never really thought it tasted good. There are differences in taste, though. My preferences might not apply to you, young miss, but young women and children can drink it without much resistance. In terms of pure taste, young men aren't that different, but it really comes down to image, I suppose. There's just something about drinking it that I can't get over."
I casually asked Mera about the taste of blood, and that's the answer I got.
Just like the stereotype, vampires apparently prefer the blood of beautiful women.
Yeah, I wouldn't want to drink some guy's blood either.
Honestly, if she was enthusiastically drinking that, I'd be a little creeped out.
Some girls might be into that, but that's not really my thing.
By the way, Mera apparently uses a magical eye ability when she drinks blood.
She finds a suitable target on the street, casts hypnosis on them, and then secretly drinks their blood.
She keeps the amount as small as possible to avoid any health risks, and since the hypnosis makes their memories hazy, the victims don't even know what happened.
As I was listening to this story, Mera — without even being asked — blurted out, "I haven't done anything beyond that!"
Oh, uh, I wasn't saying anything...
Mera's still pretty young, and on a journey with only women, certain things are bound to build up, you know?
But a magical eye, huh.
Is it different from an Evil Eye?
The effects sound the same from what I've heard, but what's the deal there?
I'll tap Grandma's wisdom on this one.
"Who are you calling grandma?"
"The Demon King."
"Can I punch you?"
Sure, but a counter will inevitably fly your way.
"Tch! The difference between Evil Eye and a magical eye — the effects are the same. Evil Eye is just more powerful, though."
Oh.
So Evil Eye is basically an upgraded version.
"Right. But the only user of Evil Eye is the Lord of Endurance — that's a hard restriction. A magical eye is a rare Skill, but there are people who have it through talent or racial bonuses, so it's not that uncommon."
Ah, come to think of it, the Great Ello Dungeon had those petrifying lizards.
Their petrification attack was probably a magical eye, too, right?
Setting aside those racial bonuses, it's simply a matter of compatibility, I suppose.
If you started going "My right eye is throbbing!" then maybe you'd have an affinity for magical eyes.
"In my case, it's probably because I became a vampire. I couldn't use a magical eye before that."
Apparently, the trigger for Mera gaining her magical eye was when she started doing her "girls' hunt" — or rather, her blood-drinking activities.
Before that, she'd been somewhat forcibly attacking people and forcing them to let her drink their blood, but one day she ran into a strong-winded girl who fought back.
At that moment, Mera glared at her with a "Shut up!" kind of feeling, and the girl's resistance weakened.
She'd apparently been on the verge of unconsciously activating the magical eye Skill.
Through repetition, it eventually became a proper Skill she could use.
So vampires have an affinity for magical eyes, which means the vampire girl can acquire Skills too, right?
She doesn't have a ton of eyes like I do, so she can only activate two at once, but...
Maybe she should have Cursed and Paralysis ones?
Next time, I'll have her spend some Skill Points to learn them.
Anyway, back to the blood topic.
Fortunately, we have a beautiful blood donor right here, just like Mera said.
"Kuh... Kill me..."
Nope.
That's a violation flag right there.
A beautiful woman wrapped in straw mats with a resentful expression, looking like she's already made peace with her fate.
Distinguishing feature: long ears.
She's an elf.
It hadn't happened recently, but when we were in the Human race's territory, elf attacks were frequent.
They never did anything as reckless as trying to fight the Demon King head-on — they focused entirely on assassination.
Their target was the vampire girl.
I can sort of understand why they'd target her.
It seems the elves have figured out that the vampire girl is a reincarnator.
And the elves consider vampires dangerous and are working to eliminate them.
When I listen to conversations with the Demon King and Black, the elves in this world seem really suspicious.
So, the Demon King and I had been cutting down their attackers and stuffing the corpses into our stomachs, with the blood going to Mera as her share.
Since they seemed to realize it was pointless, the attacks stopped for a while, and Mera had been securing her own blood supply.
But this elf was the first attacker since we entered Demon race territory.
Why show up now?
Was it one of those "strike when they've forgotten about you" plans?
If so, they're seriously underestimating us.
"You, the Demon King who stirs up war in the world! If only you were destroyed, peace would be preserved! Even if I die, the elves will surely take your life!"
Oh my.
What is this kid saying?
Huh?
The target isn't the vampire girl — it's the Demon King?
What's going on?
While question marks are spinning through my head, the Demon King tugs at my sleeve.
[Oh, this elf is from the Senile faction.]
A telepathic message comes from the Demon King.
[What kind of obviously pathetic faction name is that?]
[It really is a pathetic faction. They're the ones who've convinced themselves that elves are a noble race working to protect peace.]
[Why does such a thing exist?]
[It's a justification to make the elves' covert operations easier to carry out.]
[Oh, I can kind of see how that works.]
[Well, as expected, over the long years, some elves started believing it was actually true, and the ones behind the scenes just let it slide because it was convenient.]
What a pathetic bunch.
The elves who do all sorts of dirty things behind the scenes genuinely believe they're working for peace.
Not just a Senile faction — they're clowns.
It's not going to pay off.
Well, that said, trying to eliminate the Demon King for the sake of peace while relying on military force is putting the cart before the horse.
If you're genuinely aiming for peace, at least maintain the kind of peace-addled mentality you'd find in modern Japan.
The moment you resort to force, it's inevitable that a greater force will crush you.
The world is survival of the fittest.
To overturn that truth, you'd have to completely reject all violence.
Peace isn't as easy as it sounds.
This elf probably understands that on some level.
That's why she's made peace with her situation here.
A poor, deluded pawn who had only the beautiful purpose drilled into her while being used.
Well, that doesn't mean I'm going to feel sorry for her or anything.
"Hey, does this tomato juice taste weird to you?"
"That's White's special juice. The taste isn't great, but it's a super nutritious health drink, so drink up!"
"Hmm."