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To cut to the chase, the fight was over in about ten seconds.
I sidestepped the axe my opponent swung down at me.
Leaving behind the dust kicked up by the attack, I circled around him.

“S-so fast…!?”
“Blood Arms. ‘Chain.’”

Since punching and kicking didn’t seem like it would be effective, I used my own blood as a weapon. Wind magic might have been ineffective against those muscles, too.
For a vampire, making a small puncture in my finger with my fangs is child’s play. I transformed the blood that flowed out with a prickling sensation into a long chain.
It reminded me of Chihuahua-chan, the Chain-Sickle member of the Terrier Bandits. Since I don’t possess his level of skill, I simply wrapped the chain I’d created around the beef.
Around his arms and legs—all over his entire body. I spun around him at full speed, wrapping the chain tightly to restrain him.

“Moo!?”
“Yes, Chain-san. Please tighten up.”
“Mooaaaaa!?”

The weapons I create can be moved freely to a certain extent without me touching them. Using that ability, I tightened the chains.
Operating the Blood Arms isn’t exactly fast, but the force is quite strong. In the blink of an eye, the Beef Sushi Roll was complete. Well, actually, since it’s not that I’m wrapping my sushi roll in beef slices but that I’m wrapping the beef in chains, maybe that’s not quite right.
And just like that, the battle was over.

“Grr… Damn you human! I shan’t let you cross this forest!!”

Still tightly bound in chains, the beef’s tiny eyes glared at me.
As far as I was concerned, the battle was over, but my opponent didn’t seem ready to give up yet. Yeah, they’ve completely misunderstood the situation.

…Geez, this cow is such a donkey. Well, it’s a cow, not a donkey, but still.

But it’d be even more of a hassle if he kept misunderstanding me, so I’d better explain.

“Um, well. First of all, I’m not a human. I’m a vampire. Look, my fangs and ears—take a good look.”
“Huh… but it’s still morning…”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s morning or noon. I’m resistant to sunlight. One more thing. I was just taking a nap here; I don’t want the forest or anything.”
“…Is that true? You’re not a poacher?”
“I’m not short on money. There’s no point in poaching.”

As proof, I took out just a small portion of the money I had earned in Arlescha and piled it up.

“…………”
“…………”
“……Um,”
“Yes?”
“Seriously, I’m so f̲u̲c̲k̲i̲n̲g sorry…”
“…Did you just change your tone?”
“Sorry, that’s me when I’m, uh, putting on airs scaring poachers away. I’m really, really sorry… Please forgive me…”

The atmosphere suddenly shifted, and he started bowing and apologizing profusely. His voice had changed from a low, threatening tone to a high-pitched, boyish one.
Honestly, it didn’t really suit him, but it was a cute voice. He’d mentioned poachers, and even though he was a monster, it felt like he was the kind who protected the peace of this forest…or something like that.
It must be tough having a role like that. I definitely don’t want anything like that.
Anyway, since the misunderstanding was cleared up, I collected my money and then deactivated the Blood Arms. The chains turned into red mist and vanished.
The blood that had been transformed into a weapon won’t come back. If you deactivate it, it just vanishes like this.

“Now for my finger… ‘Pain, pain, go away.’ …Well then, let me introduce myself properly. I’m Argento Vampyr, a vampire. You can just call me Arje.”
“I’m Oswald the Minotaur. I’m a guardian of the forest.”
“Kintaros?”
“Minotaur! Big Sis, nice to meet you!!”
“No, calling me Sis is a bit much.”
“Then, Arje-neesan!!”
“Ugh… do whatever you want.”

It was a hassle, so I decided to just let him do as he pleased. Since my soul is male, it feels a bit off being called a big sister, but physically I’m a woman, so he’s not exactly wrong.
I took another look at Oswald-kun now that his chains were off.
He was huge. He gleamed black. And he stank.

“Give me a second.”
“Yes?”
“Become clean~”

To be honest, talking to him was painful, so I decided to clean him up.
A healing spell that erases dirt instantly washed away the filth from his body. The lingering stench was swept away by the refreshing forest breeze and vanished immediately. Flies scattered in all directions.
He still smells a bit like a cattle, but since he’s clean now, this must be his natural body odor. I decided to put up with it.

“You really should pay a little more attention to your personal hygiene.”

I knew it might be rude, but I figured I’d give him a heads-up anyway.
I’m not saying he needs to be as meticulous as Samakah, but I’d like him to be a bit more careful. It’s painful when I can’t breathe through my nose.
The stench—or rather, the odor—from earlier was because he hadn’t kept himself properly clean. While body odor is something you can’t really help, I figured it was okay to point this out.
Oswald stood there with his mouth hanging open for a moment. Then, looking completely overwhelmed, he said,

“…That’s insane… Arje-neesan, who are you, exactly…? That was some seriously crazy magic—the kind only a unicorn could use, right!?”
“Just a vampire passing through.”
“And to think I attacked such a person… I… I… Arje-neesan, I’m so f̲u̲c̲k̲i̲n̲g sorry! If there’s anything I can do, please just tell me!”

I thought about saying, “Then take me in,” but Oswald is a Minotaur. A two-legged, bull-like creature.
He doesn’t seem to have any financial means, and he’s fighting poachers to protect the forest. In other words, he’s busy and has a high chance of dying.
On top of that, his body odor is the kind I can’t stand. He was definitely not a desirable prospect.
Oswald-kun, shrinking his two-meter-tall body and bowing repeatedly, was kind of cute, but I couldn’t imagine wanting to be supported by him. Too bad.

…Mentally, I’m a guy, after all.

I consider myself pretty straight. Ideally, I’d prefer a woman. If the person were exceptionally good, I might consider a man, though.

Anyway, it looks like Oswald-kun is going to make amends with me, but what should I do?
Maybe I should just take his blood after all.
He looks like a bull, so he must have blood flowing through him. I haven’t felt the urge to drink yet, but stocking up might not be a bad idea.
Since I’m not thirsty for blood right now, the best favor to ask would be to be taken to the border, but since he’s a guardian of the forest, he probably can’t leave it… It would be so much easier if he’d just let me ride on his shoulders or something…

…Oh, right. A ride.

“So, can I ask you for a favor?”
“Just say the word!”
“Are there any horses around here?”

Yup.
If I don’t want to walk, I can just have others walk for me.
Just like when I rode in Zeno’s carriage.
You can ride a horse even without a saddle. If need be, I could get one in a nearby town.
Let’s find a horse right here in this forest. One that’ll run even while I’m asleep.