Blood 27 Blood of a demon

Ojou-sama, would your parents be proud of you as you are now?

Merazofiss words are still reverberating through my head. To me, those words bring about a shock like Im being hit with a blunt weapon.

When I tried to think back on things, I became aware that my recent behaviour had become erratic. I would use Charm to abduct boys and devour their blood. If the me from my previous life saw this, such scenes would make her faint.

Despite that, such actions didnt even leave much of an impression on me. As if it was completely natural, I committed those deeds without any self-awareness. Thinking back on it, it was abnormal. But despite that, even though Im self-aware of that abnormality, even now I dont have any particular feelings for my actions.

Those abnormalities, were normal.

Before I knew it, my body and even my heart too had been reduced to a vampire. When I think about that, I become somewhat sad. Its like ahh, I cannot return to being human anymore. Conversely I could say however, that in the end its only to the degree that I was somewhat sad.

Since I fought that kijin, one day has passed and I returned to the academy. At the academy, the incident is being called the act of a mysterious monster, and that the appearance and abilities of that monster are unknown. All the witnesses apart from me had been killed anyway, and there are no longer any traces of the battle in the forest. I can only think that the kijin was destroyed by some unimaginable might.

At the academy, its established that I exterminated the demon. Thats half right and half wrong. Its true that I fought that kijin, but the one who defeated him is likely that Kuro who is the same kind as goshujin-sama. Since he handled me as easily as breathing, its certain that the kijin that I was fighting equally with also suffered the same fate.

I dont know what happened to that kijin afterwards. Merely that goshujin-sama warned me not to say anything stupid. However, based on what I hear at the academy, I realise that somehow or other goshujin-sama has intervened to distort the facts. That being the case, then if I ask goshujin-sama, I should be able to find out what happened to that kijin.

However, Ive been unable to ask. When I have no business with her, goshujin-sama will just suddenly appear, but at times like this I can just never get hold of her. Thats because, although shes a spider, she wanders around whimsically like a cat. Thanks to that Im at my wits end.

In addition, Merazofiss words, like something persistently stuck between your teeth, leaves me unsettled. Would my parents be proud? To my human parents, theres no way that they would be proud of how I am now. I am a vampire. My way of thinking and my values, even my way of life are all different. Something like being proud to be human, has been thrown away long ago. Even then, it was without any kind of deep feeling about as casually as trash would be thrown away into a rubbish bin. So much so that if that hadnt been pointed out to me, I wouldnt even have realised it.

However, I changed now that Ive realised it. I now clearly realise the difference between a human and a vampire. I realise it completely.

Sophia, apparently you defeated a terrible monster? Youre as amazing as ever.

The prince of the academy, Waldo bestowed upon me those words of praise. Normally I would have simply have said thank you spontaneously. However, today I cant do that.

Ojou-sama, would your parents be proud of you as you are now?

As if like a rumour that cant be shut out by closing your ears, Merazofiss words echo distinctly. At the same time that happened, I casually appraised Waldo, and written in his statuss abnormal conditions was the word Charm.

I feel nauseous. I couldnt help turning my back on Waldo and breaking into a run. Along the way many people I recognised also called out to me. Each time, the nausea got even worse.

I dived into the toilets and shut myself away. Though I felt nauseous, the only thing that came out from my mouth was a muffled groan. After a while I got control of my mouth, and leant against the toilet wall.

This is nostalgic somehow. Though Id never done this in my current life, in my previous life I had often taken refuge in the toilets like this. Though because the toilets had pointlessly strong smelling perfume, it just made my mood even worse and it wasnt a place I particularly wanted to take refuge in. I couldnt help it since there was nowhere else I could seek refuge in.

Just what am I doing? I was reborn and I have changed. Ive become so beautiful that my ugly appearance in my previous life is hard to believe, and my grades at the academy are always at the top. The things that were unobtainable in my past life, have been obtained entirely. Maybe thats why. I have changed, all too much.

This existance of mine, has almost no traces left of the former human known as Negishi Akiko. The only thing remaining, is my envy towards goshujin-sama. The fact that that remains, its as if its emphasizing my own ugliness, I cant laugh even if I wanted to.

Ugly. As I am now, when judged by the human value system, Im a monster thats ugly from the bottom of my heart. But despite that, I carried everything out calmly, without a fragment of guilt, without any doubt, I accepted it as a matter of course. That was, as a result of it being natural for a vampire.

As a vampire, I think as I am now is entirely correct. That this is an everyday occurrence for a vampire. In practice, that was actually an everyday occurrence.

Ojou-sama, would your parents be proud of you as you are now?

At least until Merazofis asked me that. Pride? What is pride? After all this time, what can I say Im proud of?

If, my parents were still alive, what would they think when looking at me now? All the servants who were sacrificed in order to let me escape. How would they see me?

When I considered that far, I impulsively pulled out my elongated canine teeth. The sweet taste of blood spread through my mouth. To actually think that my own blood is tasty, Im finally finished as a human. I hurl away my canines into the middle of the toilet. However, the next moment new canines have grown out, returning like never before as if to deny the very fact that I had pulled them out. As if theyre telling me that I can never return, I stare in a daze at the canines that I had pulled out.

When I shouldnt even consider being able to live as a human anymore, just what is pride for then. I dont know. I just dont know. If it was going to be like this, Id rather never have gained self-awareness.