Shia’s Reasons
Some time had passed since we had started walking.
Ario and Josh would not be able to hear us anymore if we talked in hushed voices.
I asked Shia:
“What’s this enemy that lurks here? You know, don’t you?”
“Wh-why do you assume that I know?”
“You said yourself. The Goblin Lord was only a weakling who was in your way.”
“….Grrr.”
Apparently, she had wanted to keep it hidden.
“There is a most fearsome foe. I would not blame you if you ran away after hearing about it.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Fine.”
She said plainly.
“It is a fearsome monster…a Vampire Lord.”
“Right.”
She muttered seriously. It was definitely stronger than what I was expecting.
Vampires sucked your blood and were horrible creatures.
And among them, the vampire king was the most horrible. The Vampire Lord.
And they had incredible vitality. They didn’t die from a few slashes.
They could even turn into mist or bats.
They also had the ability to charm, and often controlled animals and monsters who were lower than them.
And so there was no way that I could not kill it.
It would be too late once the villagers had their blood sucked and joined his kind.
“What do you mean, ‘right!’”
“Am I wrong?”
“No, you aren’t!”
Then she continued more seriously.
“But please, run away if you feel afraid. Yes, it would be best for you to run.”
“I have no need to run. If anything, maybe you should run?”
“I will do no such thing.”
She had a pained expression. There must be something to this.
“I don’t know what your reasons are…but you were struggling against the Goblin Lord. Do you really think that you can take on a Vampire Lord?”
“But still, I have…”
“Well, never mind that. Just don’t get in my way, alright?”
“Are you not going to listen to me?”
“Do you want me to?”
“No…”
“Then I won’t.”
It was normal for Adventurers to have their hidden agendas.
I didn’t want people to ask about my name or what I was doing the last 10 years.
“I am the chief’s daughter of a beastfolk tribe to the east…”
I was being so nice in not prying further, but she started to talk anyway.
Maybe she wanted to tell me. Maybe she thought that it would ease her mind a little.
“I see.”
“My family has hunted vampires for generations.”
Beastkin of the wolf variety were immune to the charms and blood-sucking of vampires.
And so I had heard that it was not rare for them to take up the occupation of vampire hunting.
Perhaps Shia was of the wolf variety.
“We fought against a group of vampires… And we killed them until there was only one left…”
“That’s impressive.”
“My father, the chief, he was badly wounded in the fight…and so the Vampire Lord managed to escape.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Allowing the vampire to escape was a grave error for our tribe. And so I must hunt down this last one myself.”
“I see. So, what will happen if I kill this Vampire Lord first?”
“That will…be a problem for me.”
“Hmm.”
I stopped walking in order to ask for more details.
Shia explained that it was unforgivable to let your cornered prey escape.
In order to make up for this mistake, someone from the tribe had to kill the vampire.
That was their rule.