Chapter 003 - "Inn"
When my vision cleared up, I was back to where I was originally before I was warped.
“Haa…A dream…Nah”
I’m a vampire. I’m certain of it.
“There’s no time either, so I guess I should go back.”
Although I’m a vampire progenitor, it doesn’t mean I’ve become strong. It just means that I now have a way to get strong. I have to hurry.
After I pulled myself together, I decided to leave the labyrinth as I tread carefully to avoid triggering any more traps. I went back the way I came from and exited the labyrinth.
However, I was surprised yet again. For some reason, the sky was already black.
It’s nighttime?
I started my labyrinth dive in the morning; only a few hours should have gone by.
“Sir?! Sir Luke, is that you?!”
I heard a man’s voice while I was wondering about the time.
When I turned to look in the direction the voice came from, I saw a man running over to me.
“James?”
“I knew it was you, sir!”
It was James.
He’s a guild employee who manages the labyrinth.
Since labyrinths are dangerous places where monsters appear, the guild ensures they keep track of who enters and when they enter.
“James, sorry for asking this out of nowhere, but what time is it right now?”
“It’s 11 o’clock at night.”
Huh?
“It’s already this late, huh…”
“What are you talking about?! It’s been three days since you went into the labyrinth! I was so worried about you!”
What?
“Three days?”
“Yes. You told me you were going to be back at night, but you never came back. I thought you were dead.”
It’s seriously been 3 days? But my body clock feels like…Maybe it’s because of the warp?
“Sorry. I ran into a small problem”
“I don’t know what happened to you, but the guild was making a fuss.”
Because they thought I died?
“It’s pretty late already, so I’ll drop by tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. Miss Serena looked like she was going to cry.”
Serena is the guild receptionist who was assigned to me.
“I got it. I’ll apologize to her as well.”
“You should.”
After bidding farewell to James, I decided to return to town.
Once I was back in town, I looked at the people who were walking around and examined them.
However, even though I saw explorers and courtesans who seemed to have had something to drink, I couldn’t find anybody that seemed like my magic eyes would work on.
It didn’t seem like my Eyes of dominance would have worked on James either…As I thought, I’m quite weak…
I decided to return to the inn I’ve been staying at and continue this tomorrow.
Then, when I arrived at the inn, I went up to the reception desk.
There’s nobody here…
I wanted to apologize for the three days of pay I had missed and for leaving the room unoccupied without notifying them, but nobody’s here.
However, I saw a faint light seeping from the dining room that was on the left of the reception, so I decided to go check it out.
When I arrived at the front of the dining hall and opened the door, I saw a girl wiping down a table inside.
“Amy,” I called out to the girl.
Then, she turned around.
“Eh? Mr.Luke? Are you okay?!”
Amy stopped cleaning and rushed over to me. Amy is this inn’s signboard girl. She has beautiful brown-colored hair that’s a bit shorter than shoulder length and a nice figure. But most importantly, her amiability and adorableness make her popular amongst the guests.
“Yeah, I messed up a little in the labyrinth. And I’m sorry, here’s the money I owe you.”
“Ah, now that you mention it. But it’s okay, you can pay tomorrow.”
As expected, her father and other family members were already asleep.
“Are you cleaning up?”
“Yes. I’m almost done.”
“I see…”
I wanted to have a meal if possible, but it doesn’t seem likely.
“Ah, could it be that you haven’t eaten yet?
“Yeah, but tomorrow’s fine. You’re already closed.”
“Ummm, we do have some leftovers, so if you’re fine with that, would you like me to bring them out? Of course, you won’t have to pay for it.”
“I’m sorry. Please do.”
To be honest, I want to eat something. My body tells me that it has only been a few hours, but I’m extremely hungry.
“Hehe. I understand. Then, please take a seat over there and give me a second.”
Since Amy pointed at the bar while smiling, I decided to take a seat there.
Then, after a short wait, Amy brought out some food.
The food was cold, but it was still plenty delicious. I’ve stayed in this inn for a long time, and the reason for that is because the food here is great.
After I finished the food in no time, Amy, who had resumed cleaning, came up to me.
“That was quick.”
“I haven’t had anything to eat since this morning.”
Actually, it feels like I haven’t eaten in three days.
“Would you like some wine too?”
“Is that okay? It’s already so late.”
Amy should be getting off work too.
“I still have some dishes to wash, so it’s alright”
Ah, is that so?
I’ve really inconvenienced her.
“Alright, I’ll take you up on the wine then.”
After I said that, I handed her a gold coin.
“Yes, sirr. Here’s your change of nine silvers,” replied Amy as she took out some silver coins from her pocket.
“It’s fine. It’s my fault for making you work overtime, so just keep it.”
“Eh? But it’s not a big deal…”
“Then take it as a tip. I’m always causing trouble for you. And your smile always gives me energy.”
In fact, whenever I heard this girl wish me a safe trip when I left in the morning, it made me want to come back safely.
“I-is that so? I’ll accept it then…”
After Amy received the gold coin with slightly flushed cheeks, she headed to the back of the dining hall. When she returned, she brought a bottle of wine and a glass, placing them on the bar counter. Then, she collected the tableware that I was finished with and went back inside again.
I drank the wine alone as I thought about the future.
Yeah…First, I have to get stronger before anything else. In order to do that, I have to drink blood. However, just that alone is dangerous. It would be all over for me if the person resists me and runs away.
I have to use the magic eyes of dominance to drink blood safely. But, it’s a bit hard because my eyes are weak.
“Now then, what should I do?”
“About what?”
Amy asked when I muttered to myself out loud, so I turned around. She was standing there, tilting her head in wonder.
Amy, huh…It didn’t seem like my eyes would work on her when I looked at her earlier either…Hm?
Huh? But now it feels like they would?
“Hmm……”
What happened?
“Mr.Luke, seriously, what’s up? Are you drunk already?”
“No…But a whole bottle is quite a lot. Amy, why don’t we drink together?”
As I asked, I activated my magic eyes on Amy, and her face turned red.
“Are you sure?”
“You’re tired too, right? We should have a drink together once in a while. I’m also in the mood to drink with someone.”
“A-alright then…P-please wait a moment.”
Amy hurried to the back once again, and she returned with a glass in her hand.
“Come on, sit down.”
I pulled one of the chairs by the counter and moved it right next to mine, inviting her to sit. Amy’s cheeks flushed yet again as she looked at the scene, but without saying anything, she just walked over slowly and sat down next to me.
Since our chairs were right next to each other, our bodies were slightly touching once she sat down. But she didn’t try to distance herself nor did she have any complaints.
In the meantime, I poured her a glass of wine.
“Cheers.”
“Ch-cheers”
After we had a toast, I drank the blood-red wine.
