Chapter 002 - "Vampire Progenitor"
My head hurts.
It feels like it’s splitting.
“Agh……”
I began stumbling uncontrollably.
“Endure it for a bit longer”
“W-what did you do to me?!”
“Just a little something. I’m sorry, but just hold on”
Ughhh…
What is this?
It feels like something is stirring inside my head.
I endured and suffered from the headache for a while.
Then, I felt my headache gradually disappear.
“How are you doing?”
When most of the pain had dissipated, Maybelle called out to me.
I-I-I…I’m a vampire progenitor?
“What’s going on?”
“You, I don’t really know the details, but your memories were sealed, you know?”
I have no idea what that means, but I somehow get it. I’m certain that I’m a vampire progenitor. I don’t know why I know that, but I just do.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know the details, but it’s true that they were sealed. Anyway, how do you feel?”
“I’m fine now…But…Am I really a vampire?”
Aren’t I a human…?
“Well, it’s hard to grasp what a progenitor is, and they are born like normal humans too.”
I have two parents back in the countryside. I should definitely be their child.
“What’s a progenitor? Is that different than a normal vampire?”
“Mmhm. The vampires you know about are not progenitors; they are humans who became vampires after being made servants to a progenitor. Or, they could even be humans who were made to serve those vampires under the progenitor. We are different from them.”
“I-Is that so…I don’t get it at all.”
“Well, that’s because, at this moment, you’re pretty much a newborn.”
I guess so, since I thought I was a human my whole life until now.
“Um, so what should I do?”
“Hm, I don’t know. You can live here if you want, but there’s only one room, so you’ll have to sleep on the floor.”
There was only one bed in this room.
“I’m sorry, but where exactly are we?”
“In a house deep inside the Abyssal Forest. My home”
The Abyssal Forest…Also known as the Magic Forest, located in the eastern part of the continent. It’s a dangerous place nobody dares to approach.
“I-I was warped that far?”
“I don’t recall doing it, but it’s possible that you were summoned. You can go back if you wish.”
Eh?
“I can?”
“I’ll send you back with teleportation magic.”
Teleportation magic…it’s magic from the legends.
“You can do something like that?”
“Well, I’m different from you, who was pretty much just born a moment ago, as I’ve lived for many centuries. I can at least do that much.”
Many centuries…
“Can I also become strong?”
“Of course. You’re a progenitor. Vampires are already strong, and you are a king of vampires. You can definitely become strong.”
I get what she’s saying but…
“But even though I tried my best as an explorer for 15 years, I’m still weak. To be honest, I’m an E-ranked explorer. I’m going to be 30 years old in a month, and if I still can’t get to D-rank by then, I won’t even be an explorer anymore.”
That’s how much of a loser I am.
“Hmmmm….Do you like being an explorer that much? Is it fun?”
“Yeahh.”
There are many hardships, but it’s fun. Most importantly, I’m never going to live like my past life again. I don’t even know if that could be considered living.
“Hmmm. Then just keep being an explorer. Even though you’re a progenitor, it’s better to live freely the way you want.”
“But like I said, I’m not going to be able to be one anymore in a month.”
“Go get stronger and become D-rank.”
“That’s easy for you to say. I’ve been doing my best for 15 years.”
And I’m still E-ranked.
I bet I don’t have any talents even as a progenitor vampire.
“I’m sorry, but can I share something shocking?”
“Go ahead. If you want to insult me, be my guest. I’m used to it already.”
Not everyone did that to me directly, but I’ve always been looked at with eyes of pity.
“The race called humans, they kill monsters and become stronger by absorbing that mana.”
I already knew that. That’s why in order to climb higher, explorers kill monsters to get stronger.
“I know”
“But we are vampires. The only way for vampires to gain mana is to suck blood. It doesn’t do us any good no matter how many monsters we slay.
Huh?
…What?
W-what’d she say?
“...O-oh…How should I put it…my instincts are telling me that too”
I feel like my instincts are telling me to suck blood.
“Right? I won’t say that the 15 years of experience you’ve accumulated is all in vain. However, if you don’t have time, just go suck some blood and become strong. Then you can become D-rank and continue being an explorer”
She’s being considerate of me…even though she could have just bluntly told me I wasted 15 years.
“Will it work…?”
“Of course. Well, give it your best shot”
“...T-Thank you”
If I didn't step onto the warp trap, I would have been forced to retire and live the same shitty boring life again.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s for the sake of my newborn brethren.”
“I see…There’s one last thing I hope you can teach me. How do I suck blood?”
“Put your teeth on human skin. You will understand the rest from instinct. It’s like how a baby knows how to suck on their mother’s tits.”
I don’t think that’s a good analogy.
“But once I’ve done that, does that mean I’ll have to silence the person after?”
It would be bad if they were to tell the town’s soldiers about me.
Still, it would be a bit too harsh to kill them.
“You can just deal with them however you like. Ah, but don’t let it turn into a big deal. To humans, we are the same as monsters. We might get killed if word about us gets out. It’s especially dangerous for you since you’re still weak.”
So I have to suck blood without being found out huh…
“Isn’t that a bit difficult to do?”
“Use your magic eyes of dominance. That is also part of a progenitor’s power.”
Magic eyes of dominance…
The moment I heard that, the way to use the magic eyes appeared in my mind.
“My magic eyes seem weak…”
It’s different from hypnosis; it’s only going to make them more likely to do what I tell them.
“That’s right. From what I can tell, you have extremely low mana. Use it on reasonable targets, and your magic eyes will get stronger over time.”
In any case, not sucking blood is out of the question. I don’t have time either, so I better hurry.
“I’m sorry, could you please send me back?”
“Very well.”
After Maybelle said that, she raised her hand.
“Thank you so much for helping me.”
“It’s fine. It’s been about a century since I’ve spoken to a brethren. It was fun. Well then.”
Lights came out of Maybelle’s hand, and once that light enveloped my body, my vision became completely white.
