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“…Hmm.”

It seems I must have fallen asleep before I knew it.
I woke up because I smelled blood.
It was the scent of many different kinds of blood. Some smelled distinctly like an animal, while others had a sweet scent that made my fangs tingle.
Blood from various animals, humans—and perhaps even monsters.

“…And it’s an old smell, too?”

The scent of blood wafting through the air didn’t feel particularly fresh.
It felt like blood that had been spilled, left untouched, and had simply grown stale.
Of course, I’ve never actually smelled old blood before… but whether it was a vampire’s instinct or not, I was certain it was “old blood.” I had no proof, but I felt absolutely sure of it.

“You’ve awakened, Argento?”
“Ah, Behaki-san.”
“…………”
“Is something wrong, Behaki-san? You’re making a strange face, Behaki-san. Is there a problem, Behaki-san? I’m talking to you, Behaki-san! Be-ha-ki-saaan?”
“I-I’m fine. No problem.”

It was kind of funny how Behaki-san would flinch with a complicated look on his face every time I called his name, but since the smell of blood was bothering me, I stopped after a while.
Suppressing a laugh, I sat up from the bed of grass and brushed the dust and leaves off my clothes.
Judging by the angle of the sun, it must be around evening.
If I focused my sense of smell, I could immediately tell which direction the scent was coming from.

“…It smells human.”

It wasn’t just the smell of old blood. Mixed in with it, I could also smell several different people.
Humans and old blood. And what Oswald-kun told me. Putting all of this together, there was only one thing that came to mind.

“Poac—”
“——BUMOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”
“Kyah.”

Before I could finish my sentence, a siren-like roar echoed through the air.
I was so startled I covered my ears, but that was probably Oswald-kun’s voice.

“The Guardian of the Forest is fighting.”
“……No, that’s not what’s happening.”
“Hmm… What do you mean?”

The scent stinging my nose is getting stronger and stronger.
It’s the scent of fresh blood. It’s overpowering the smell of old blood.
The important thing is that the scent is terribly beastly. To put it more precisely—it smells like a bull.

“Seems like he’s trying to survive.”

If Oswald-kun were the one on top, the fresh blood would have a sweet scent—the scent of human blood.
But this is not a scent I like; it’s a smell I can’t stand.
That means the person—no, the monster—whose scent I can’t stand is injured.

“Behaki-san, I’m going ahead a bit, so take your time catching up.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“A little while ago, I left the place where I’d been staying without even saying goodbye. …I’d like to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

What comes to mind is a woman with odd-colored eyes and a large bust. Felnoute-san.
She’s a serious person. She might be angry right now that I didn’t say goodbye. If I ever see her again, I have to apologize properly.

…I gotta take care of what’s in front of me first.

Leaving someone to die without even saying goodbye would give me a bad feeling when I wake up.
Having a bad feeling when I wake up is a problem. It means I won’t be able to enjoy my nap. Literally.
By the time I thought that, I had already left Behaki-san behind and was running ahead.
I heard that “Neigh!?” sound from behind again, but I don’t have time to explain my status right now, so I’ll just leave her be.

The smell of blood is only getting stronger. I think I’d better hurry a little.