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The space beyond the narrow side tunnel was surprisingly spacious.
A vampire’s eyes can see clearly even in the dark. With those handy eyes, I surveyed my surroundings.
It was spacious enough to sleep in, with a few tables and toolboxes scattered about.
The ceiling was quite high, too. The space was spacious enough in both height and width that even someone as tall as Oswald-kun could walk around without any trouble.

As I was casually looking around, Dachschund-chan struck a match and lit the lantern.
A warm light filled the room. It wasn’t too bright, so it didn’t hurt my eyes.
When I turned my gaze toward Kuzuha-chan, she was walking around the hideout with an interested expression, wagging her tail as she touched the walls and looked up at the ceiling.

“So, why are you guys here?”

He spoke up, and I looked over to see that Terrier was sitting on one of the toolboxes I’d seen earlier.
It was a square box that looked just right for a chair. I wasn’t interested in what was inside, but it was securely locked.
Since there was nothing in particular to hide, I answered honestly.

“I was thinking of heading to the Republic.”
“I could tell that just by seeing you in these mountains. The question is, why are you trying to sneak in without going through the proper channels on the main road? I thought you were one of us, you b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲.”

It seemed I’d been mistaken for a bandit just like them. That was apparently why they’d attacked me.
I take another look at my outfit. It’s dirty with mud, but it’s clearly a maid’s uniform. Maybe I should clean this up a bit.
As I think this, I look over at Kuzuha-chan, who’s wandering around, peering curiously at tables and lanterns. She’s wearing a short kimono that looks like a shrine maiden’s outfit.

“Become Clean, and there… Do you really think there’s a band of thieves dressed like this? Are you stupid, Terrier-chan?”
“Shut up! I wouldn’t have believed it either, but they exist! Thieves dressed as stupidly as you guys are right now!!”
“Huh? What’s that interesting story? Tell me more!”
“What part of that are you latching onto?!”

Well, if there are bandits who’d be that entertaining to tease, I’d definitely want to meet them, wouldn’t I?
Maybe in this world, all bandits are funny characters. If that’s the case, thinking about meeting new entertainers in the future makes me look forward to it a little bit already.
That said, I’ve strayed a bit from the topic. To properly answer the question I was asked, I open my mouth again.

“I caused quite a stir in the Kingdom, so I’m thinking of heading over to the Republic or something.”
“Quite a stir, huh?”
“A certain mush…person told me if I stayed here, the King might summon me to make me a tool of war, so I should leave soon.”

Close call. I almost said “mushroom.”
Mushrooms don’t talk. That’s Samakah-san. He looks just like a mushroom, but he’s a nice guy. A little pervy, though.

“Hmph. The Kingdom’s been at war with the Empire for ages, after all.”

Terrier-chan spoke the words with a sour expression, almost as if he were spitting them out.
His expression oozed disgust, but I got the feeling it wasn’t directed at me. His gaze had shifted away from me, and he was glaring at the ground with a look of loathing.
This is just a guess, but maybe he has some strong feelings about the Kingdom or the Empire.
I was curious, but it would be rude to pry. I decided not to ask for details.

“But who the hell are you, anyway? You’ve shown up in front of us twice now.”
“Just a vampire passing through.”
“A vampire… Don’t tell me, you weren’t born on Antares, were you?”
“Zangief?”
“Antares! There was an old ruin near where we ran into you the other day, right? That’s the place!!”

It was true that when I finished the reincarnation process and woke up, I found myself in a city that had already been destroyed.
From the looks of it, the buildings and roads there weren’t just destroyed—they seemed to have deteriorated severely over time as well. It must have been quite a few years since any sign of human life had vanished.

……So that place is called Antares, huh.

I wouldn’t exactly call it my hometown, but I guess it is technically my birthplace.
I figured it was within the kingdom’s borders, but I didn’t know the name. It’s not like knowing it will do me any good, but it can’t hurt to remember it.

“There was a massive battle there long ago. It’s the perfect environment for vampires to be born. After all, vampires are creatures formed when high concentrations of magical power gain a will of their own.”

Oswald-kun and Kuzuha-chan also said vampires are born from high concentrations of magic, but I don’t know the details. I’m not interested, so I don’t really need to know.
Still, from what I’ve heard so far, it seems that—just as I’d long suspected—vampires are beings whose forms are already set at birth.
It really does seem like they’re something different from the vampires in the legends I’m familiar with.

“Terrier-chan, you’re pretty knowledgeable, aren’t you?”
“Hmph, not really. Hey, Dachshund, set up some sleeping quarters for these guys too.”
“Aye, boss!”

Following Terrier-chan’s instructions, Dachshund-chan sprang into action. He opened one of the toolboxes, took out two sets of futons, and laid them out nearby.
I’d been thinking this all along, but Terrier and her crew are actually treating us with surprising courtesy.
They said they’d leave us behind if we walked too slowly, yet they still called out to us and guided us to their hideout. Now they’re even preparing a place for us to sleep.
They’re a band of wanted bandits—the kind who probably tried to kill Zeno when I first saw them, and who said they’d sell me into slavery. It’s hard to call them good people. But they don’t seem like complete villains from head to toe either.
I wonder what reasons they have for being bandits…?

“Here, I’ve laid it out. We’re leaving at night, so make sure you get some sleep.”
“Thank you, Dachschund-chan.”
“Stop calling me ‘-chan’.”

Ignoring Dachschund-chan’s grumpy retort, I crawl into the futon. Given the location, it smells a bit dusty and isn’t exactly fluffy, but since it’s my first futon in a while, I decide to put up with it.
Since I feel like I’ll fall asleep the moment I close my eyes, I call out to Kuzuha-chan.

“Kuzuha-chan. I’m going to sleep now.”
“Understood. Once I create a clone to help the entertainers, I’ll take a little nap myself.”
“Is that so? Please take good care of the new Cloneha-chan.”
“Is that name already set in stone!? Ah, hey, Arje-san!? Are you ignoring me!?”

Kuzuha-chan protests about something, but I was sleepy, so I ignored her and closed my eyes.
I actually think Cloneha-chan is cute. Since you can’t tell her apart from the original just by looking, I think it’s fine to at least change her name.
As my vision turned black, my consciousness followed suit in an instant. With Kuzuha-chan’s scream-like voice serving as background music, I drifted off to sleep.
It might be a bit reckless, but as long as Cloneha-chan is here, they probably won’t try anything funny to us.