28. Engagement

Author: Kiki
Raw: https://novel18.syosetu.com/n2498fn/30/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

“Welcome back, Leia.”

When I returned to the church, Chigusa greeted me in the chapel as if she had been waiting.
It had been a very long time since anyone had welcomed me home.
But I could not bring myself to answer, “I’m back,” so I passed her in silence.
The fact that I tensed up at the thought of offending her only made me feel small.

“Still haven’t found your answer?”

I paused before replying over my shoulder.

“ … I think I have.”
“But you still haven’t fully come to terms with it.”
“When someone suddenly tells you to stop being human … you can’t just say, ‘All right,’ and accept it. What was it like for you, Chigusa?”
“In my case, I had no time to hesitate over the choice. As you know, I did not regain consciousness until a vampire gave me life. Besides—”
“Besides?”
“I knew human ugliness better than most, and I had already lost faith in humanity. Even if my body had been whole, I doubt I would have struggled with the decision as you have.”

It was easy to guess that something had happened to her in the world she came from.
Given what her classmates were like, their school could hardly have been a decent place.
And people did not change merely because they came to another world.
They became corrupt, trampled others without remorse, and lived only to satisfy their own desires.
When their interests collided, they readily killed their own kind and betrayed their companions.
Vampires probably avoided that because their interests never conflicted.
They all faced in the same direction.
I did not know whether that deserved to be called love, but Chigusa and the others apparently called it that.

“But if you came back, then at least you’ve made your choice concerning Lina, haven’t you?”
“Yes …”

Which meant my own choice had effectively been made as well.
I had no intention of making Lina abandon her humanity while irresponsibly refusing to do the same.
I would remain with her to the end.
Even if I became inhuman.

“Um … I don’t know whether this is possible, but may I ask one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“If someone has to drink my blood, I want it to be Lina … after she stops being human.”
“That is fine, though I will need to establish direct contact with Lina to transfer the power.”

My cheek twitched at the humorless joke.
Did she truly have to say that now?

“Please don’t be angry. I’m not teasing you; physical contact is necessary to transfer the power.”
“ … Does it have to be a kiss?”
“Not necessarily.”

“Then a kiss … is fine.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to leave her first kiss for you.”
“That isn’t what I meant.”

Chigusa giggled and headed deeper into the chapel.
Surprised that I could speak with her almost normally, I followed.

◇◇◇

 

“I’m back, Lina.”

I first managed to say those words after seeing her on the bed, her head swaying as saliva ran from her mouth.
Her movements changed faintly in response to my voice, and her mouth opened and closed.
Ellis had apparently continued caring for her the entire time I was at Count Femburg’s estate.
After what had happened between us the other day, thanking her felt awkward. But failing to acknowledge what she had done would have been far worse.
I suppressed my childish resentment and spoke to Ellis.

“Thank you. You were looking after her.”
“Huh? Oh … yes. You’re welcome.”

Ellis seemed bewildered, but in the end she gave me an open, friendly smile.
I hated how readily that made me wonder whether she might not be a bad person.
No—perhaps there was nothing wrong with being that simple.
After all, I was about to become one of them.

“Shall we begin, then? Ellis, what will you do?”
“Oh, we’re doing it already? Then I’ll wait outside so I don’t get in the way. It’s going to be quite a reunion.”

With that, she left the room.
Apparently, she was more considerate than I had expected.
Once only the three of us remained, Chigusa moved behind Lina and embraced her where she sat on the bed.
I watched tensely.

“I have never fed on a human this badly injured. It may be a shocking sight. Are you certain you can bear it?”
“You haven’t …? Then there’s no guarantee she’ll be restored either …”
“I underwent the same restoration myself, so I believe she will be fine.”
“ … I see.”

If Chigusa had become so disillusioned with humanity, she must have endured a great deal herself.
I chose not to pry and answered only, “Then I don’t mind.”
Chigusa gave a small nod, brought her mouth to Lina’s neck—and bit.

“Ah … ngh …”

Lina made a faint sound as the fangs sank in.
But her response was weak.
It must have hurt. Had she grown so accustomed to pain that even this barely registered?
Knowing she now had to endure the pain of ceasing to be human made me want to curse myself for living comfortably in the royal castle.
All while Lina had suffered without end.

“Ngh … ah … Leia …”

Gradually, however, the quality of her voice began to change.
She sounded less distressed and more as though the vampiric influence were easing her pain.
Her body twisted, and saliva ran from the corner of her mouth.
Chigusa’s moving throat showed that she had already begun to drink, yet while Lina seemed relieved, Chigusa looked faintly pained.
I had heard that vampires preferred the blood of virgins.
They said its taste differed from that of other women.
Lina, by contrast, had suffered years of sexual exploitation at the hands of men.
Perhaps the abuse had affected her blood so badly that Chigusa could scarcely bear its taste.
Even so, Chigusa did not stop.
Lina’s darkened skin gradually grew pale.
The change spread outward from her neck, healing every scar left across her body.
Even the injection marks near her shoulders—likely traces of drugs forced into her—vanished as if they had never existed.

“Ah … gah …”

As the transformation advanced, Lina’s response changed again.
Her voice was no longer hoarse.
Her crushed vocal cords must have healed.
All her missing teeth had returned. Her mutilated nose swelled grotesquely from within, then rapidly settled into its original shape.
Her ears and eyes regenerated in the same way. Only after seeing the gruesome process did I understand why Chigusa had warned me.

“Ngh …”

I covered my mouth without thinking.
Her arms, hair, and legs were returning; the injuries hidden beneath her clothing must have been healing too.
I had told myself that she would still look human, so I would be able to bear it. Now I understood how naive that had been.
This was not human.
It was unmistakably monstrous.
Through my choice, I had turned Lina into a monster.
But … there had been no other way to save her.
If I truly did not regret my choice, then I had to engrave this terrible sight into my memory rather than look away.
And I would hold my head high, proud that I had rescued my closest friend from her unending nightmare.

“L-Leia …”

At last, Lina opened her eyes and looked at me. She smiled happily—then went limp and still.

“ … Even after I fed on her and enthralled her, all she thought about was you.”

Chigusa said it with a faintly sulky air, then looked at me with a rueful smile.

“Your feelings truly are mutual. Even throughout her enslavement, she must have prayed for your safety.”

That was why Lina had smiled when she saw me.
She had thought only, You’re alive, without sparing a thought for her own condition.

“Hmm …”
“What is it?”
“There is something I would like to test.”

Chigusa abruptly put her mouth back to the wound on Lina’s neck and bit again.
She remained there for about ten seconds before drawing away.

“What did you do?”
“Transferred magical power. I said earlier that a kiss was necessary, but I wondered whether the wound might also serve as a conduit.”
“And did it?”
“It did. So I shall postpone stealing her lips. You two may enjoy your reunion.”

Chigusa climbed down from the bed and headed for the door.
This was remarkably generous treatment for someone who had been my enemy until moments ago.
Even if their goal was to gain companions, something about it troubled me.
I wondered whether there was another motive.

“Chigusa … why are you doing so much for Lina and me?”

No, perhaps that was a strange way to put it.
For all she had done, Lina had still ended up a Demi-Vamp.

“There are circumstances behind my careful treatment of you.”
“What circumstances?”
“Once we take the castle, controlling the kingdom will become much easier. The quickest way to accomplish that is to bring someone who lives there over to our side.”

True enough: if I, the witch responsible for defending the castle, became a Demi-Vamp, taking it would be easy.

“Besides, some very important classmates of mine are still in that castle.”
“Oh … those people.”
“Yes, those people. I thought a certain amount of preparation would be necessary if I were to give them a proper reception.”

Chigusa laughed darkly and finally left the room.
So that was why … She had even used Lina to reach me.
No—that was not quite right.
Finding Lina had probably been chance, and Chigusa had simply used the opportunity.
If Lina had never been found, Chigusa would likely have forced my fall by some other means.

“What would have happened to me …?”

The thought terrified me, yet part of me anticipated it.
I still could not forget her shadows or what they had made me feel.
But for now—I approached Lina on the bed, raised her body, and held her close.
Her refined face had matured since I last saw her, but it was as beautiful as ever.
Her blue hair, which had always seemed to illuminate my dark heart, had grown longer but otherwise remained unchanged.
Until she woke, I studied the face I knew I could watch for a lifetime without ever growing tired.

 

◇◇◇

 

After I had watched her for a while, Lina’s eyelids moved.
I had feared she might never awaken, but that fear proved groundless.
At last … at last my nightmare was ending.
This was the final destination.
Surely now, I would never have to suffer another nightmare.

“Lei … a?”

The eyes gazing at me were the ruby red peculiar to vampires, but the voice was unmistakably Lina’s.
Merely hearing her say my name made me weep like a fool.

“Yes. It’s me.”
“Ahaha … That sweet face, that long hair as vivid and lustrous as amethyst, everything else—every last part of you is Leia. Could this truly not be a dream?”
“Of course you would think that … But it isn’t a dream. I’m here.”

I spoke through a trembling voice, took Lina’s hand, and pressed it to my cheek.
Its faint coolness assured me that the Lina I loved was truly there.
She felt my warmth in turn, and that must have convinced her this was no dream.

“Ah … Leia. You’re really here, within my reach. Heh … hehehe … Leia … Leia!”
“Lina … I’ve missed you for so long …”
“I thought of nothing but you. I wanted to see you again, talk with you, and hold you …”

Oh.
Of course. Once we were together, how could it have been otherwise?
Whether she was a vampire, whether she was no longer human—none of it mattered nearly as much as I had imagined.
I wanted to strike the version of myself who had briefly considered killing Lina even though a way to save her existed.
This was Lina. My Lina.
Simply being with her made me happier than all the time since I left my home combined.
Merely hearing her voice swept away the results of years of research and left room in my mind for nothing but her.
I was a fool. I had understood nothing about myself!
Because this feeling—

“Leia, there’s something I could never say, and I always regretted it. I thought I’d lost my chance forever, but I can tell you now, can’t I?”

The moment she said it, I knew what she meant.
Perhaps because I felt the same.
There was something I had wanted to tell her.
But I had tried to forget it.
Remembering words left unsaid had only deepened my regret.
Now that we had met again, however, there was no reason to leave them unspoken.

“Lina, there’s something I wanted to tell you too.”
“Then shall we say it together?”

Lina must have understood what I intended to say, just as I understood her. That was why she could suggest we speak at once.
Knowing our feelings had already reached one another made me blush even before I put them into words.
Looking closely, I saw a faint flush on Lina’s white cheeks.
She felt exactly as I did.
At that realization, the emotion within me suddenly swelled.
It was embarrassing—but surely a feeling this large could overcome my shyness and find its voice.
We would say it together. The moment her mouth opened, we would show the world how completely our hearts understood one another.

“Leia, I love you.”
“Lina, I love you so much.”

We confirmed what we had both already known, then broke into uncontrollable laughter.
And we shared our first kiss.
—I felt magical power flowing into me.
That unnatural current from Lina’s body must have been the vampiric power called charm.
It was likely part of the power Chigusa had given her.
Yet even if it enthralled me, it would make no difference; I had been Lina’s captive for years.
I did not mind.
If anything, I was glad to feel myself drawing closer to becoming the same kind of being as Lina.

“Leia, when did you first fall in love with me?”
“Probably a very long time ago … You were always the knight who protected me. So I think it began back then.”
“Then we’re the same. Though I would rather have been your prince than your knight, since you were always my princess.”
“Th-then … you can be my prince.”

What did I mean, then?
It was embarrassing even as I said it, but an atmosphere like this had a frightening power to draw words out naturally.

“Though a prince who bites the princess may be a little strange.”
“ … So you know.”
“Knowledge I never possessed is flowing into me. I understand that this was necessary to save me, and it let me meet you again, Leia. That miracle makes the price seem very small.”
“Still … I’m sorry.”
“I’m the one who should apologize. Do you know what I think when I look at you now?”

Her gaze rested on my neck.
Meaning—

“You want to drink my blood?”
“Half right. The other half is that I want to turn you into the same kind of being as me.”

It must have been instinct.
It was a part of Lina I had never known: something inhuman, poured into her by Chigusa, changing and distorting her.
But I loved Lina.
I was certain I could love the new parts of her too.
More importantly, I had intended from the beginning to make the same choice—

“I want to change too. I want you to change me, Lina. Then … this time, we can stay together forever.”
“Of course. We’ll have far longer than any human lifetime to spend together.”

What a wonderful future.
Right or wrong no longer mattered. If I could spend that future with Lina, I would choose it without hesitation.
Yes, nothing else mattered.
Even if that choice destroyed this kingdom—or perhaps humanity itself.
I did not care.

“It will take a little preparation. Until then, let’s stay like this—”

Lina embraced me, and we promised to make up for the years stolen from us.
What followed was private. We remained together behind closed doors, exchanging the love we had never been able to confess and affirming the bond that would soon join us for life.

Like a young girl who dreams of becoming a princess, I had always looked up to Lina.
Most girls’ dreams never come true; they return to reality without ever becoming princesses.
But mine had come true.
My prince smiled at me and repeated, “I love you.”
Wanting to convey even one hundredth of the emotion overflowing within me, I answered again and again, “I love you too.”
For that private interval, nothing existed but our reunion, our shared warmth, and the certainty that we had both survived for this moment.

 

◇◇◇

 

I did not know how much time had passed.
We remained close beneath the blankets, whispering our love and reluctant to let go. In the haze of reunion, the room itself seemed dreamlike.
I hoped Lina felt the same.
No—I was certain she did.
After all we had shared that day, I understood her feelings clearly.

Then a sudden magical shock ran through my body when Lina touched my side.

“Heehee. Amazing, isn’t it? That was the sign that your body has finished preparing to become a Demi-Vamp.”
“The … sign?”
“Yes. The charm is complete. It says you have become wholly captivated.”
“But I don’t think my feelings for you have changed very much.”
“Naturally. Our feelings were mutual from the beginning.”

I had already known that, but hearing it aloud filled me with such happiness that we shared another light kiss.
The power called charm meant little to me.
What mattered was that this was the Mark: proof that I was ready for the blood exchange.
The gentle time of waiting was over. Now the transformation that would bind us together could begin.

“Shall we begin now, or would you rather remain human a little longer?”
“I want to become the same as you as soon as possible.”
“And I want that too. Then let us do it. I will change you with my own hands.”

Lina leaned over me.
I reached out, and she reached for me in turn.
We joined hands, intertwined our fingers, and gazed into each other’s eyes.
After kissing my lips, cheek, and ear, Lina buried her face against my neck.

“Hah … hah …”

I heard Lina’s ragged breathing.
She was excited.
It was more animal-like now than it had been moments ago.
I was the cause.
She could feel the blood coursing through me, and it roused the vampire within her.
Knowing that made the magnitude of what I had chosen impossible to ignore.

“All right … here I go.”
“Yes. Come to me. Turn me into the same kind of monster as you.”

For Lina’s sake—the more irrevocable the act became, the deeper I sank into my love.
I was abandoning my humanity for Lina.
There was a terrible sweetness in that transgression, comparable only to offering up my life.
Her fangs pierced my neck. Pain flashed through me, precious because it sealed our choice.
This was a vow.
We had no engagement rings, but it meant much the same.
Blood would join us.
We were forming a bond that could never be severed.
What was one supposed to say at a time like this?

“I may be unworthy … but please take care of me.”

Yes, something like that.
If this was the same as marriage, it could not be entirely wrong.

Lina drove her fangs deeper in answer.
It hurt, but I knew the pain marked her acceptance.

The initial pain gradually faded.
The ritual continued: Lina drew away my human life while giving me a vampire’s soul in return.
Heat spread through the wound; cold followed the blood leaving my body, and foreign magic flowed into the space it left behind.
Every sensation testified that we were becoming connected.
At last my consciousness dimmed, as though I were sinking from drowsiness into a dream.
Oh. So this was my death.
The human Leia Hersig ended here. Goodbye.
When next I said hello, I would no longer be human.
I was not afraid.
Surely this was happiness.
Humanity was corrupt.
The rotten part of me would be cut away, while everything precious remained to be led into a new world.
This was no longer a question of whether I would change.
It was only a question of when.
I was simply being called into that happy, heavenlike world a little sooner than everyone else.

 

◆◆◆

 

“Mistress!”
“Mistress.”

As I listened outside the room occupied by Leia and Lina, Rellie and Miri approached after leaving another room.
They had thrown on robes in obvious haste after leaving a private gathering with the others.
The situation stirred my vampiric impulses at once.
I briefly acknowledged them both. Miri was energetic, while Rellie remained quieter.
Then Rellie spoke.

“Mistress, you’re in a good mood today.”
“Mm-hmm. You seemed more enthusiastic than usual.”

Was I?
I could not perceive the difference myself, but I certainly was in an excellent mood.
I could not decide whether that was only natural or somehow unexpected.
In any case, I seemed genuinely delighted that Leia had fallen and that our preparations to invade the castle were complete.

“There are people in the castle who are special to me.”
“Are you going to make them our companions too?”
“Eventually, yes. But—”

Unable to contain my excitement, I found myself speaking with a broad smile.

“If possible, I think I shall put on a grand show.”

I had not chosen the stage yet, but I possessed my shadows and my companions, along with the trump cards of Mya-nee and Leia.
Nothing was beyond us.
Then let us do it.
I would put on the finest possible show for the people who had caused me so much pain and stolen so much hope.
And I would use every power at my disposal.