Project Necro is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“HYAHAAA¹! LEAVE BEHIND EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT!!”

The reason I can understand the other world’s language is thanks to the Language Translation ability. Apparently it also translates my words and conveys them to the other party, so I don’t have to worry about communication issues. As expected of today’s recommendation.
If I focus, this ability can even let me understand animals, but that’s unnecessary for now, so I’ve limited it to human language. It’s an ability you can configure like that.

…Even so, what’s with the cliche line?

Half of humanity has probably heard that somewhere before.
Thinking that, I decided to make a flashy entrance to announce my presence.
I dashed to a position between the three bandits and the carriage, then slammed on the brakes. I killed my momentum in an instant, kicking up a dramatic cloud of dust.
I’ve been running barefoot this whole time, and even now I’m gouging into the ground with bare feet, but I don’t feel any pain at all. Vampires sure are sturdy.
There’s no way I could’ve created a meteor impact scene like this when I was a human. Being a vampire is amazing.

“W-what the hell!?”

Even through the dust cloud, I could tell the three bandits and the carriage had stopped moving. That’s because Enhanced Smell lets me grasp their positions.

…Ahh, something smells really good from the carriage.

Sausages and salted meat… the sweet scent of vegetables and bread too. The more I focus on it, the hungrier I get. Having a strong sense of smell is a double-edged sword.

…Let’s finish this quickly and receive some as a thanks.

While I was thinking that, the dust cleared, and I ended up facing the three bandits. The one on the right points at me with a trembling finger.

“B-boss! A pervert woman came out of the dust cloud!!”

Aah, so that’s how you’re gonna react.
It’s true I’m not wearing any clothes. Looking at my body again, my long silver hair covers most of the important parts, but it’s obvious I’m completely naked. I suppose being called a pervert isn’t unreasonable.
Well, that doesn’t matter right now. The most important thing for me is satisfying my hunger.

“Um… Bleeding-Forehead Merchant.”
“Y-yes!?”

When I turned toward the merchant with a bleeding forehead behind me, he replied while covering his face with both hands.
Trying not to look at a naked girl, quite gentlemanly… or so I thought, but he was clearly staring at my butt through the gaps between his fingers. So he’s just a closet pervert.

“If you give me food, I’ll save you. What do you say?”
“Huh… what?”
“I said, I’ll save you if you give me food. If you don’t want that, I’ll just leave… so?”
“U-um, then… please…”
“All right, I’ve received your request..”

He’s obviously confused, but I got his word. In situations like this, whoever gets the other to say it wins. Smile.
Now then, I suppose I’ll save him as promised.
I may be lethargic, but I don’t like breaking promises. A promise exists to be kept. Once made, it has to be honored. I’m scared of having to swallow a thousand needles².

“Okay then… from the right, Hairy-Shins, Bald-Cape, and Nose-Hair-Peeking.”
““““What kind of names are those!?””””

Perfect harmony. All three sound deeply dissatisfied. I thought they were fitting names based on their features, but apparently they didn’t like them.
Honestly. They’re just like the loli grampa, so self-centered. I wish they’d be more accepting like Bleeding-Forehead Merchant.

“Would Shins-with-Hair, Caped-Baldy, and Peekaboo-Nose-Hair have been better?”
““““That’s not the issue!!!””””

In unison again. They get along well.
While I’m wondering what to call them, the three bandits jump off their horses almost simultaneously. They flip through the air, land stylishly, strike incomprehensible poses, and begin their introductions.

“I am Chihuahua the Chain Sickle!”
“I am Dachshund the Bomb!”
“And I am Terrier the Throwing Knives! Together, we are the Terrier Bandit Gang!!”
“…Pfft.”
““““What’s so funny!?””””
“S-sorry, give me a second… pff—”

…Those are all small dog breeds!

Maybe their names mean something different in this world. But to my ears, they’re all dogs—small dogs at that.
Their faces look tough, yet their names are small dogs… Ah, no, this is bad. It hit my funny bone.
On top of that, they’re surprisingly polite. Just look how they’re just standing there watching me while I was busy laughing uncontrollably, their shoulders trembling. That trembling makes them even more puppy-like…

“Ahaha, ahahahaha! I can’t, what the hell, that’s so cute… ahahahahaha!”
“Why you… don’t get cocky!!”
“Kyah!?”

Chihuahua the Chain Sickle attacked me with his titular weapon.
The sickle’s handle had a chain attached, with a weight at the end. It looked exactly like a typical chain-sickle.
The chain swung sideways and wrapped around my body. When Chihuahua pulled it, the chain tightened and the weight hooked into it, locking me in place.

…Huh. So that’s how a chain-sickle captures someone.

I’m surprised. Also, I was surprised that my startled voice sounded unexpectedly girly.
Even if I identify as male, my body is definitely a girl’s. No, I’m going to be forcibly turned into a girl…!

“Heh heh heh… I don’t know what’s a pervert like you doing out here, but you’re a real top-grade piece. Waddling right up to us… we’ll have plenty of fun, then sell you off to slave traders!”

Sorry, losing my virginity at three days old is a bit much.
Part of me was getting slightly into the mood, but if that kind of situation is happening, I’d at least prefer someone cooler, capable, and willing to smile and accept me even if I laze around doing nothing. A host to parasitize—no, a lover.

“Oi oi, you’re awfully calm, huh? You understand the situation you’re in?”
“Yeah, yeah, I understand, Chihuahua-chan.”
“‘-chan’… You really need to be r̲a̲p̲e̲d̲ once to understand your place!!”

Chihuahua’s veins bulged as he yanked the chain, clearly intending to drag me toward him.

“Guh…!?”

…That’s far too weak to work.

I simply lightly put strength into my legs, and Chihuahua’s ended up incapable of budging me whatsoever. He stared in disbelief.

“W-why…!?”
“Maybe it’s you who need to understand the situation you’re in?”

Facing three violent men without thinking would be foolish in the first place..
The reason I came strolling up to them is simple: I don’t feel any threat from them.
It’s like looking at a hamster inside a cage. You don’t feel any sense of danger, right? If anything, they seem cute.

Apparently, I can roughly gauge an opponent’s strength just by looking at them. More precisely, by smelling them.
That’s the Blood Reading ability. It supposedly lets me grasp information about someone through blood… and it seems I can determine their approximate strength from the scent of their blood.
They aren’t bleeding. But at this distance, my nose is sharp enough to tell what kind of blood they have, thanks to Enhanced Smell.
In other words, this information comes from combining Enhanced Smell and Reading.

…Well, I did max out Reading.

It wouldn’t be strange if it’s somewhat overpowered compared to normal. Effective just by smelling.
Even if they all attacked at once, they couldn’t harm me. That certainty is why I came strolling over.

“Up we go.”

The chain felt annoying, so I turned only my upper body into mist and slipped out of the chain-sickle.
Mist Form. It seems I can turn a selective part of my body into mist using this skill. How convenient.

“W-what…!?”
“Tch… Dachshund!”
“Got it, boss!!”

Unlike the stunned Chihuahua, Terrier calmly gave orders to Dachshund.
Dachshund pulled out a round object with a fuse attached and lit it with a match.
Since his name is “Dachshund the Bomb,” it’s safe to assume that’s a bomb.

“Let’s see you handle this!!”

Dachshund threw it overhand with a clean pitching form.
This might be slightly troublesome.

“What if it damages the cargo, geez… Wind, please.”

Wind Magic. I only put one point into it, so I can’t do much, but I can at least stir up the wind.
A sudden gust arises as I wished, sending the bomb back toward its throwers…ah, the fuse is still lit.

““Uwaaaah!?””
“Get down, you idiots!”

Terrier quickly shoved the other two down, so none of them seem to be harmed by the explosion.
The blast sounds impressive, but it doesn’t seem very powerful. Maybe they used a weaker one to capture me alive.

“Tch… You’re not just some random pervert!”
“Well… I’m not a pervert.”

Mentally I feel male, so technically I should be a flasher—no, that sounds bad too.
Anyway, I’m not naked because I like it, so calling me a pervert is unfair.

“In that case, I don’t care if you get a little hurt. My throwing knives will surely…”
“Wind, please.”
“““Uwaaaah!?”””

I’m getting properly hungry now, so let’s wrap this up.
I pour ample magic power into a spell and create a powerful gust.
Apparently, even simple magic scales greatly depending on how much magic power you pour into it. The manual in my head doesn’t lie, so I trust it and channel a large amount.
The wind I create with immense magic forms into a massive vortex and blows the small-dog gentlemen away.
Leaving behind perfectly synchronized screams and their horses, the Terrier Bandit Gang disappears from before my eyes.

“…Haa, I’m really hungry.”

They were a little amusing, so part of me wanted to watch their routine a bit longer, but food takes priority now.
Well, I held back, so they probably won’t die. Probably.