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“Okay.”
“Hoeh?”

There wasn’t even time to stop her.
Felnoute-san gave a short reply, pulled a dagger from her clothes, and without hesitation sliced her own wrist.
It was smooth and precise. As casually as if she were brewing tea, she injured herself.
Then, into an empty teacup—apparently she had brought an extra—she let her blood pour. While I stood there stunned, the cup steadily filled with blood—

“—No, no, no, no, no. What are you doing?”
“Eh? But you said you wanted to drink blood, Arje…”
“I did say that, but this is a bit excessive.”

Her owning a dagger isn’t particularly surprising.
This is another world where bandits roam openly, and monsters that can blind people exist. I’m a vampire myself. In a world like this, it’s only natural for people to carry something for self-defense.
But cutting your own wrist without a hint of doubt or hesitation—that’s not natural.
Blood is important to any living being. For an adult man, losing around two liters of blood can be fatal. She’s a woman, so the lethal amount would be even less.
And blood isn’t something you drink. At best, it’s something used for transfusions.
Losing blood is dangerous, and drinking blood is clearly abnormal. Feeling some disgust toward that would be the norm.

“Here, hold out your hand. Geez, look how deep you cut it… You’re a girl, you should take better care of yourself. Pain, pain, go away.”

I would have been fine with her lightly cutting a fingertip and giving me what dripped. If she goes this far, now I’m the one who feels bad.
I quickly close the wound with recovery magic. With my high skill level, I can use an advanced healing magic that even enhances the body’s blood production. It leaves no scar and causes no aftereffects.
Of course, I didn’t chant anything cool or name the spell. That would be a hassle.
Felnoute-san stared for a while at the place I healed, looking dazed.

“You’re truly amazing… Ah, here you go, my blood.”
“…Thanks.”

There’s quite a lot in the cup. Yeah, that’s clearly too much.
Losing a teacup’s worth of blood probably won’t kill her, but still… honestly.

…Well, I’m not gonna waste it.

It’s more than I expected, but I did ask for it. It would be strange to hesitate now.
That iron-like scent unique to blood rose from the cup.. And yet it smelled incredibly sweet, making my throat burn with thirst.
The impulse I’d been suppressing until now swirled up as if it’s been waiting for this, proving that my control was slipping.

“…Mm.”

The act of drinking human blood.
It’s not something one could call common sense, yet I found myself doing it naturally. This is the norm for a vampire that I am, and my body has been waiting desperately for this.
The blood in my mouth is sweet. Its scent is far denser than when I only smelled it, rushing from my nose to my brain.
The liquid, still carrying body heat…still carrying life, slides down my throat into my stomach. From deep in my belly, warmth spreads through my body, seeping into my limbs. My skin prickles.

…Oh no, this might become addictive…

Far more delicious than aged dried meat or fresh sashimi.
It filled not just my body, but also my heart. The happiness from consuming it felt like it might scorch my brain. My breath naturally grew hot.

“Mm, kuh… ha, ah… mm…”

I drank the last drop and licked the blood from my lips. It’s sweet after all.
The dryness in my throat disappeared as if it were a lie, and my mood cleared completely. I felt like I could sleep for several days straight again. Since there’s a bed here, I’d prefer to do that immediately.

“Phew…”

The moment my emotion settled, the Blood Reading ability activated. Apparently, by drinking her blood, I’ve automatically read Felnoute-san’s information.
At maximum level, Blood Reading can even read her thoughts and her past. That felt too intrusive, so after obtaining her status information, I consciously cut it off.
It did activate automatically, but I can decide how deeply to pry—that’s a relief. I could avoid invading privacy, and I’m not interested in someone’s past anyway.
I already saw her status, so it can’t be helped. Speaking of, it was like this:

Name: Felnoute Laylia
Race: Human
Physical Ability: Balanced

Acquired Skills:
Swordsmanship 6
Holy Magic 6
Magic Sword 3
Healing Magic 4
Tool Appraisal 3
Dark Attribute Resistance 3
Holy Attribute Resistance 2

…So she’s like a magic swordswoman who can also handle healing.
The numbers next to skills indicate skill level. The maximum is 10. When I say “maxed out,” I mean 10.
With 10 as the maximum, Swordsmanship 6 might sound middling, but judging from how skillfully she handled the dagger, she’s more than competent.
Thinking that, I return the cup to her.

“Thank you for the meal.”
“Then, shall I get you a second serving—”
“—That’s enough, so please put the weapon away.”

I already thanked you for the meal, come on.
This time, I managed to stop Felnoute-san before it’s too late, and she was already pressing her dagger to the wrist again with an extremely bright smile.

…Why do you look disappointed? That seriously scared me just now.

“I see… Um, Arje.”
“Yes?”
“What exactly are you? I’ve never heard of a mage so proficient in healing magic… Even the kingdom’s greatest mage couldn’t heal my eyes…”
“…Just a passing vampire.”
“V-vampire?”
“Yes, a vampire. Is that unusual?”
“…It is a rare race with few remaining members, so yes, it’s unusual. But, um… Are you okay? The sun is still out, right?”
“I actually love sunbathing. I have Sunlight Resistance level 10.”
“TEN?!”

Ah, so that does surprise people.
I guess that’s natural. If even the kingdom’s greatest mage couldn’t heal her blindness, and I could, that means the kingdom’s greatest mage didn’t have Healing Magic at level 10. Having a maxed skill must be quite extraordinary.

“A D-Daywalker Vampire… Isn’t that stuff out of legend…?!!”
“I guess… But as you can see, I’m real. Besides, why would I drink blood if I weren’t a vampire, right?”
“Right, only vampires and some monsters drink blood, but still… D-don’t tell me your recovery magic is also—”
“Yes, that’s level 10 too.”

Felnoute-san opens and closes her mouth, staring at me like she’s seen something unbelievable.
In truth, I have quite a few other skills at level 10 as well, but it’s probably better not to mention that. If I were to tell her, it should be gradually, to avoid overwhelming her.

“Who in the world are you…?”
“I told you, I’m Argento Vampyr. Now then, good night.”
“Huh? Eh? W-wait, Arje!?”

Ahh, the sheets are warm and cozy. I can hear something, but I’m tired today, so we’ll continue tomorrow.
Ignoring Felnoute-san shouting near my ear, I burrow into the fluffy bed for the first time in a week.

…Mm, this is the best♪

I ate delicious sashimi and drank incredibly delicious blood. There’s no way I wouldn’t take a nap after that.
Having finally obtained what I truly sought, I drifted off into dreams in literal bliss.