As I opened my eyes, the beeping electric clock was the first thing I saw.
The flashing numbers indicated it was 10 AM.
I momentarily held my head in my hands, reminiscing about yesterday’s events. I collected blood from the yesterday’s person and met that girl – I had fainted in the alleyway in front of my house.
····Oh, speaking of which, I didn’t even catch her name.
[Have you woken up? How’s your body?]
I blinked several times at the familiar voice and turned my gaze. A small, cute red spirit was anxiously scattering air around.
The word “body” triggered a response in my brain again.
The reason I plunged the knife into my heart was not that my body was in such pain that I could no longer control it, or that I had any other problems.
I intended to faint to sever my consciousness before my mental illness took over.
For my sake, I shouldn’t have treated my body so harshly, but I wanted to, somehow. Yeah. I just wanted to try it out.
Would “acted out of anger” be the right expression?
Even as my body felt like it was about to collapse, with breath drying up, the memory of that gaze filled with intent to kill as they struggled to shout what they needed stuck with me.
I, too, wanted to experience that.
I wanted to change this sickly and desolate life.
I paused my thoughts for a moment and tangled my hair. I raised myself from the sofa and fiddled with the blanket. It was cozy.
“Thank you, Bloody. You brought me here.”
[At least answer the questions I ask.]
“I’m fine… really, I’m okay.”
I truly owe you a lot. Is it really alright for me to be like this?
[Don’t think like that. If you hadn’t saved me during the Spirit World slaughter days, I wouldn’t be here now.]
“When did you gather enough power to teleport just my body?”
[Heh. The pocket dimension is truly a great place. Just staying still, one can gather magic stones.]
Although the distance between where I collapsed and my home wasn’t far… my body’s magic power ratio must have been significant.
“……..”
I lay on the sofa and glanced over to the shelf beside me. The magic power bars had run out. They could provide temporary relief, being a type of medicinal herb with minor magic components that could potentially lead to addiction, but since they controlled blood, the addictive components flowing through the bloodstream couldn’t do their role, which was quite good for me.
Drugs, cigarettes, and magic power bars.
Yeah, I should just take a good breath for now.
Whatever the situation, possessing strong power right now was really beneficial in many ways.
No, it wasn’t just advantageous. It was quite enough to become my everything.
In this time where gates emerge and awakened ones run rampant, blurring the lines between life and death, there was nothing that couldn’t be resolved with violence and power.
Even during the nearly year-long period of hiding, I had robbed several stores, gathering food and water.
[Hmm! Tasty.]
I placed a few pieces of bread and food on the table and continued my meal in the tranquil atmosphere illuminated by the yellow light emitted by the lamp.
Bloody, chewing a large piece of bread that I had reduced in size with magic, gasped in delight.
“I guess you liked it.”
A cutter knife… it seemed to glow slightly, infused with magic. That’s right, Bloody did not have hands physically, but the density of magic within her body made it seem like she was comfortable living normally.
[What, what are you… looking at?]
“Why?”
[Ah, it’s nothing… Just… nothing.]
Does the spirit know shyness? She spilled bread crumbs all over the table.
“By the way, didn’t you say that spirits don’t eat human meals as staples?”
[Hmph… They aren’t staples. They’re just nourishment to maintain the body’s shape, extra food is just a bonus.]
“In your case, that nourishment is blood.”
[That’s right. Being a spirit rooted in the vampire lineage, there’s no helping it. Other spirits need different types of nourishment, but… I’m getting along well thanks to you.]
Listening to her whispering words, I slowly inspected Bloody’s body. It seemed that because she had consumed quite a lot of that nourishment lately, the redness of her body looked brighter.
[You should eat some too. Why have you been sitting still since earlier?]
“I’m not really that hungry.”
[Those words are useless. Breakfast is the start of the day. Taking care of your body’s health, providing emotional stability, and… and…]
“Okay, okay. I get it.”
Honestly, even if I didn’t want to eat, I was determined to force myself to do so.
For several months, I had thought I needed to change, and now it felt strange to be making such a resolve.
Still,
Each moment spent sitting at this table is precious to me. Eating breakfast quite ordinarily, conversing normally, and feeling that I am alive.
It’s important to enjoy these moments, which are different from losing myself to pleasure and losing my reason.
Even if I cannot rush to the ending of a fairy tale, I can at least follow a few scenes from it.
Yeah.
Finishing my meal quietly, I tidied up the table with Bloody. After cleaning, Bloody, looking slightly tired, plunged a straw into a little juice and began sipping.
Blood, is it blood? I didn’t know.
[So, do you have any plans for today?]
“Hmm.”
Definitely.
There is an unusually heightened alertness these days.
I sensed it yesterday when I went out of the house.
The association likely doesn’t have that many personnel, but the fact that it’s particularly like this in this area…
Considering they sent in high-rank awakened ones to hunt me down, yes. It’s probably because of me.
All those whom I dealt with yesterday were probably severely injured, and especially that girl was likely even worse.
By now, the association might be in complete chaos.
I have no idea how they will respond.
Given the manpower shortage already, looking at the situation overall, what’s urgent is the capital area.
It’s a place where gates and criminals running wild are daily occurrences.
Relations with spirits, other countries, and top-rankers not affiliated with the association, along with diplomacy.
The actions known of me so far can be summed up to committing murders every few days.
Unless it’s an act of terrorism, it’s something they can investigate.
If it’s not that.
If somehow, they were already to conclude that I am the transformed boy “Orly,” they might launch a large-scale investigation against me.
The second clash with the association might be unavoidable.
If that’s truly the case, just like that day’s memories.
If a situation arises where I have to take numerous people hostage for terror…
What should I do?
No, would there even be a chance to continue such thoughts? I would undoubtedly go wild without being able to think normally.
“I need a cure.”
Yet, I cannot just sit still like this. I want to live a life that is completely different from my past.
During the time I accomplish those five goals the ominous book showed me, I need to do everything I can.
Live an ordinary life, think positively, and become a little more human.
[I don’t intend to force you to answer. How about getting some fresh air?]
“Sounds good.”
Stepping out onto the balcony of the house, I faced a wide-open view.
It felt refreshing.
Let’s revert my thoughts.
First goal, the blood of a high-rank awakened one.
Fairy tale probability 70%.
To retrieve the blood from yesterday, I had recklessly opened my wings and soared, but soon I encountered a major problem.
A high-rank awakened one wouldn’t just appear before me and say, “Please eat me.”
Yesterday, I was incredibly lucky to catch one, having been caught in Bloody’s watchful gaze, but typically, they wouldn’t even show up.
To resolve this, I need to go to places with stronger and more enduring existences, not to ordinary houses.
Yeah, for example.
Criminal groups that are concealing themselves throughout the capital area.
But, I can’t just go there right now.
The teleportation range of magic circles has limitations, plus this place is in the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.
I’m also concerned about the association headquarters stationed in Seoul, and even if I go, I’d need to recognize the criminal groups.
It goes without saying, but it’s limited to investigate criminal groups on my own.
The most convenient way would be to get help from the association to commence a joint investigation and discover their locations.
Even so, would they believe me if I just went in alone and said, “I’ll make a quick raid and come back!”?
Considering how long it has been since they opposed me, they might think I’d join forces with the wanted awakened ones there to launch a counterattack.
“Ugh…”
It would be much easier just to take someone hostage.
To the point of threatening them that I’d kill them if they don’t do as I say.
[What thoughts are you having?]
“A way to negotiate with the association…?”
Would negotiating be impossible after I wrecked their hunters?
But the association leader is a rational person. If I were to say I’d willingly stop my large-scale activities and simply gather blood, they might accept it without question.
[What about that girl? She seemed to be with the association.]
Bloody’s words made that girl’s face flash before my mind again.
Had her limbs been intact, she would have stabbed me straight away.
“If I chase her to the ends of the earth… I’ll definitely… hmm.”
Given how much she clearly despises me, collaborating is out of the question… no, it seems unlikely that a hunter from the association would readily help me, either.
Though I can’t deny I’m somewhat interested.
“If I had to, I’d have to incapacitate her halfway and bring her to the association as a hostage to threaten them with her life… No, but if she’s that much of an enemy to me, isn’t it better to just kill her?”
Regardless, I’m bound to run into her soon. I can think of that when the time comes.
That doesn’t mean I have nothing to do until then.
I dropped the cigarette I had been smoking and crushed it underfoot. I glanced over at the shelf inside the house.
First, I need to procure some magic power bars.
Reflecting on my appearance, I’ll also need to assess their reactions to me.
I have to verify how my identity is positioned.
