2019 Christmas Special
「P-please stop, teacher! This is too much!」
I grab the fleeing girl by the arm and push her back against the wall.
「Behave. You know what’ll happen if you don’t!」
I press my body against her to seal her movements and wedge my knee between her slender legs, forcibly spreading them apart.
「I trusted you! Don’t do this! Some, save me!」
I grasp a handful of her silky-smooth hair and kiss her on the lips.
The feeble squirming of her pink lips does little to stop me from slipping my tongue inside and capturing her hiding tongue.
「Nnnmh!!」
Her desperate pounding of my chest is easily ignored as I exchange spit with her, deliberately making vulgar slurping sounds.
「I can’t take it anymore. I’m going all the way. Of course, I won’t be using any contraception. If you get pregnant, you can only accept your fate.」
As I separate from her lips, I simultaneously flip her body so her back is facing me and her hands are supporting herself on the wall.
「I had my eyes on you for a long time. Now I can finally make love to you.」
My hands tightly grip the girl’s hips.
Anyone could guess what is about to happen next.
「Teacher, stop……I’m a virgin……and there’s someone I’m going out with……so please.」
Those words only cause a grin to form on my face, which in turn results in the girl’s tear-stained face to cloud in despair.
「Gehehehehe! I can’t get enough of devouring students!」
「Noooooo!!」
Someone knocks on the wall.
It was rather loud.
「Are you still going? I brought you food.」
The pretty woman stares at us.
Me and the girl, Celia, separate from each other and put our pants back on.
Celia was in such a hurry that she stuffed both feet into a single hole, tripping herself.
「You’re beautiful today too, Lucy. It feels like roses will bloom all over the room from your charm. Anyways, you’re early.」
I thank the woman, Lucy, and offer her a chair.
At the same time, I tidy up the studying tools, various toys and letter-writing tools littered on the desk.
「The prey was closer than expected. So, what’s this maniac play you two were doing while I was getting food……?」
It’s unfair how she can be pretty and cute all at once.
Lucy sits down and crosses her legs, sounding angry.
My eyes are naturally drawn to her elegant legs, which she folds back and forth a few times as if to purposely tease me, and when my gaze seems to noticeably fix on her groin, she kicks me in the jaw,
「I get the part about the lecherous teacher taking advantage of the student. The toys are also understandable, but what is the letter for?」
「I had intended for the student to write a letter to her boyfriend after the fact, telling him she was stolen.」
Lucy gives me and Celia, who finally put on her pants properly, another questionable look.
「Pervert.」
「Haau.」
I kiss Lucy and Celia, who is hiding her face in embarrassment, on the cheek and smile.
「It’s been half a year since then……no, probably closer to a year.」
Celia takes out a notepad with the dates written down in it, but Lucy snatches it away.
「The exact date doesn’t matter. We don’t need those things.」
「You’re right.」
I stare up at the ceiling and close my eyes.
We are no longer human.
We don’t have places we need to go to, homes to return to, countries we’re affiliated with, friends to visit, nor do we even have life spans.
That’s why we don’t need to concern ourselves with how many years or months pass.
Shortly, some time ago, a while back……rough estimates are fine.
What’s important is that the three of us are together.
The details of our current location are also trivial, all I know is that it is a hut somewhere in the woods.
I didn’t look at a map, not like I needed to.
「Indeed, we are non-humans……vampires.」
I approach the shut window, avoiding the amber light leaking through a gap as I mutter.
「Denizens of the night who eternally wander in the darkness, staying away from the sun, sneaking past the eyes of humans and draining the blood of the living……that’s what we are.」
As I tried to act as scary as possible, the pot over the fireplace began to boil over.
I wonder what kind of ingredients Lucy retrieved.
「Here they are.」
Presented to me are a young girl about 18 years old and a 13 or 14 year old boy who seems to be her younger brother.
The girl has blonde hair and is on the thin side, with small breasts and a flat ass, but long legs.
Her face is well-proportioned and its youthful and almost baby-like features portray her as more of the cute type than the sexy type.
Both are hugging each other, trembling, and clearly scared.
「The girl is yours, Aegir. I’ll take the boy over here. You can pick whichever you like.」
Celia stirs the pot and then exchanges looks with me.
「「Humans!?」」
Is she telling us to put the humans in the pot?
「What are you on about, didn’t you just act cool and say it yourself, something about the blood of the living? Preparing a pot is irrational for vampires.」
She retorts at twice the volume.
Aww, I seasoned the stew in anticipation of boar or deer or river fish.
「In what world do vampires survive off of boar and fish!? I tried my best to get food for you two helpless fledgelings and when I came back, I see you two doing some perverted play……unbelievable!」
Having no excuse, I sit in seiza beside Celia and accept Lucy’s scolding.
「N-now’s the time……slowly, quietly.」
「Sis, wait……」
The siblings who attempted to escape were one step away from the door before Lucy pulled them back by the collar.
***
I position myself behind the girl, who is sat down on a chair and whose clothes are lowered enough to reveal her shoulder, rest my hand on her shoulder and lick the nape of her neck.
Tears stream down her cheek and she is shaking non-stop.
Though I feel sorry for her, this is essential for our survival.
My eyes quickly probe and find her carotid artery and I sink my fangs into her neck without hesitation.
「Gyaa!」
The girl screams and her body tenses up.
I stroke her hair to comfort her and after a few gulps, I slowly remove my fangs.
「Eeek……my neck was bitten……I’m going to die.」
Normally, a severed carotid artery means death.
Once my fangs are removed from her neck, blood would squirt out like a fountain and she would die from blood loss.
However, only two circular marks are left on her neck and not a single drop of blood was spilled.
I myself am not sure of the reason, but the wound always heals in an instant after a vampire drains blood.
I carry the girl and sit her down on the bed.
「Look, you didn’t die. No blood came out, see?」
She opens her eyes and feels her neck.
「Eat some stew and calm down. It’s more like a soup though since it doesn’t have many ingredients.」
With how much she’s shaking, I wonder if she’ll spill the wooden dish I hand her.
Let me feed her with a spoon.
「……yum, I can really taste the salt and garlic.」
「You put in garlic again!? Have more self-awareness!」
I apologize to Lucy with my eyes as I feed the girl another spoonful, which finally stops her trembling.
It’s really impressive how eating warm food can settle down humans.
「Sorry. We are vampires and we have to suck blood or else we’ll die.」
I say, handing her a wooden dish.
「Both you and your brother will be returned home alive. So please share some blood with us.」
I lower her clothes a bit more to expose her chest and then sink my fangs into her once again.
「Hiiiu! Y-you really won’t kill us?」
I nod.
「Eeeeh? I was going to suck everything.」
Hearing Lucy whine, the girl turns to her brother in a panic.
He appears more timid than his sister, but……
「Suck more……miss……suck as much as you want……」
The younger brother’s hips are bucking as he pleads in an enchanted tone.
The front of his pants are wet most likely because he ejaculated.
「……arousal accompanies blood-sucking.」
On top of that, a beauty like Lucy is up against his body and breathing down his neck.
It’s no wonder that his lust overpowered his fear.
The girl has a mixed expression on her face at the pathetic sight of her brother.
The fear of her brother dying also seems to have vanished.
「I guarantee you won’t die.」
I reassure her while sliding her clothes further down.
「Right……and actually, you’re aiming for more than my blood, aren’t you?」
She shoots me a glare as she covers her exposed breasts with her hands.
「Sorry. I’m a pervert, and I can’t help wanting to seduce a cute girl like you.」
「You’re a pervert even though you’re a vampire……and I wouldn’t call sneakily stripping me seducing.」
When she hits me on the head, I pretend to wince in pain.
The girl laughs, commenting that I’m weak for a vampire.
「You’re such a strange vampire. Fufu, I’ll let you suck my blood so please don’t kill me.」
The fear and sense of despair from earlier is gone.
When I lean in, she brushes her hair back and tilts her head, offering me her neck.
I suck a mouthful of blood and lower her clothes a bit more.
Now her belly button can be seen.
「Can you tell me your name?」
「Ergette. My brother is Deron.」
I smile, thinking how nice of a name it is, as I rub her now-exposed back and encounter resistance when I try to remove more of her clothes.
「Any more and I’ll be totally naked! Err, uhm……I’m actually-」
「A virgin, right? You tasted quite sweet.」
Ergette turns red and hits me, and as I fall dramatically onto the bed, she giggles.
That’s even more nervousness gone.
I approach her again, this time sucking her with my lips instead of my fangs.
「Hyah!?」
Then I feign going for her shoulder and lift her arm and suck on her armpit instead.
「T-that tickles! Stop! I’m weak there! Don’t!」
As Ergette flails, she lowers her guard and the hand covering her breasts drops.
「Fufufu, I think I’ll suck your blood from your chest next……or so I’ll make you think, and go for your crotch instead!」
「Kyaa, don’t bite me in such a weird place, you lewd vampire! No, don’t, ahahahaha!」
Our playful rolling in bed eventually leads to us laying next to each other and looking each other in the eyes.
At that point, blood-sucking is over and our lips approach each other……
Suddenly, a shadow looms behind Ergette.
「Enough flirting!」
「Ugya!」
Celia bites down on Ergette’s head and sucks hard.
She’s as adorable as a stuffed doll, but hopefully she doesn’t suck up Ergette’s brain too.
「I’ve lived for over 500 years, yet this is the first time I’ve seen blood being sucked from a person’s head.」
Lucy says, letting Deron fall to the floor, his face dirty with a multitude of bodily fluids.
「Aheeh……nice lady……mamaaa……uhehe.」
He’s in a horrible state.
When I got my blood sucked the first time, I got turned on too, but I wasn’t that disgusting.
Deron might have been a naughty brat from the start, huh.
The blood-sucking love-making ends.
I lay Ergette on the bed and feed her a stew with boar meat I ran out to get in order to replenish her blood.
「Hamu hamu……mogu mogu.」
「There’s something I’m curious about.」
I stroke Ergette’s back as she enthusiastically gobbles up the meat.
「You’re fairly thin.」
Her bones are quite pronounced, especially those in the shoulder and rib area.
「And I noticed when I chased after the boar that there weren’t any villages or settlements nearby. What were you doing in the middle of nowhere?」
Just when I thought Ergette became depressed from the question, her face turned pale.
「It got stuck in your throat, huh. That’s from not chewing properly.」
Ergette almost coughs out the morsel after Celia and I pat her back, but covers her mouth with both hands and swallows it with pure willpower.
「There is a large festival coming up soon in the village and each family has to prepare an offering, but we don’t have anything.」
「Is it because your family is poor?」
Ergette shakes her head.
「It’s not just our family, the entire village is poor. Every year, there are always people who starve to death.」
「Starve?」
I unconsciously raise my voice out of genuine concern.
Although I’m not familiar with the exact location, this should be somewhere on the frontier of Goldonia.
In other words, despite it being in the past, people were starving under my reign.
I can’t allow a nice girl like Ergette to starve to death.
「Did the feudal lord extort you? Or was it the work of bandits?」
I am no longer the king or a human.
I don’t intend to do something for the sake of the country.
However, I can at least chop up an evil feudal lord or a couple of bandits to repay Ergette for sharing her delicious blood.
Ergette shakes her head.
「No. That’s not it……our village of Norroy didn’t get attacked by an evil feudal lord or bandits. In the first place, it’s a remote village with roughly 200 people.」
In that case, it’s impossible for people to be dying of starvation every year.
Goldonia shouldn’t be that poor.
「Floods……wildfire……an unbelievable amount of vermin, locusts, never-before-seen monsters, epidemic diseases that only break out in our village……misfortune befalls us every year.」
Ergette becomes on the verge of tears.
「When I thought this year was finally free of such tragedies, the villagers started fighting each other with some even dying……it’s so ridiculous. We are cursed. It’s been this way every since I was born!」
She sobs, hugging herself, and I also wrap my arms around her.
This would be the time for Celia to hiss and bare her fangs, but even she is holding back after hearing such a story.
「Curses are mere superstitions.」
「It’s not very convincing coming from a vampire. Besides, there is also a passed-down legend.」
Ergette pauses and takes another bite of the boar stew.
「Before I was born……I heard it was a hundred years ago, there was a beautiful female who came to the village.」
A visit from a woman? How wonderful.
「She had a mysterious power. One by one, she would present objects desired by the villagers from a bag she carried on her back. An iron hoe, a splendid millstone, an excellent bow which shoots far, and even toys that make children happy.」
She is sounding more and more lovely.
「An outlaw who saw the woman asked for her to become his wife and demanded for her to give him gold coins from the miraculous bag.」
「……」
I’m getting a bad feeling about this.
「She refused. She can’t be anyone’s wife as she wanted to bring happiness to everyone. And the bag would only grant the wishes of the pure. The outlaw was enraged and stole the bag after violating her with his friends and killing her.」
「Damn those thugs, I’ll rip them apart!」
「Aegir-sama, this happened a hundred years ago. Calm down, calm down.」
「I like it when Aegir becomes like that though.」
Celia and Lucy somehow pacify me and I compose myself by massaging Celia’s cheeks.
Ergette is surprised by my rage, but shows a gentle smile and continues telling the story.
「By the way, the men could not find what they desired when they peeked inside the bag. In fact, black lumps――bad things were expelled from the bag and scattered around the village. Since then, the village has experienced an endless amount of misfortunes.」
Thinking that those guys deserved what they got, I suddenly remember that this is Ergette’s village.
Even if this is divine punishment, I think it would be acceptable to spare just the women.
「The village holds a festival annually on the day the woman was thought to be murdered, and offerings are placed on the gravesite in order to ease her anger. ……however, it doesn’t seem to have any effect.」
「I see.」
I nod and walk over to the window.
The sun happens to be rising.
After telling the story, Ergette resumes eating.
She’s either very hungry or a big eater.
「Shall we go? To this village or Norroy.」
I want to see if this tradition is true or a superstition.
Either way, we are drifters wandering as we please, it won’t do any harm to verify this claim.
「Alright, time to depart!」
I swing a cloak over my shoulders and majestically throw open the door.
「Guooh!!」
Sunlight shines down and burns me.
「Celia-chan, please retrieve him~」
「Departure will be tonight.」
I can only return a strained smile as Ergette watches Lucy and Celia pull me back with accustomed motions.
The next night, we entered the village of Norroy.
In terms of distance, it is a few dozen kilometers away, but it didn’t take us more than 30 minutes to travel when we knew the location. We’re vampires after all.
The village, located in a valley of a mountain overgrown with trees, is unlikely to get much sun, but there is a creek running nearby, so the topography is not the worst.
「Although……」
Upon stepping into the village, I comment in a loud voice, not paying attention to the inhabitants giving me dubious looks like I’m a stranger.
「This village is pretty sad.」
A youngster briefly directs his anger at me, but a stare causes him to stand down dejectedly.
「You agree too……I had the same thought ever since I was born.」
The stream flowing beside the village which is supposed to be clear is somewhat cloudy, the livestock are twitching unnaturally and only shriveled fruits are hanging from the depressing fruit trees planted in the ground. The ground is muddy despite the village not receiving rainfall lately and poisonous insects which rarely appear in winter are crawling about.
Most notably, I could instantly sense the gloomy damp and cold atmosphere the moment I entered the village.
「It would be the last straw if us vampires told them that.」
It might not necessarily be wrong to say this village is cursed.
My eyes turn in the direction of someone’s yell.
It’s from a neighboring house.
「Hey, your damn cat took a shit in my yard! Do something about it!」
「Why don’t you shut that dog of yours up!? It barks so loud at night and I’ve had enough!」
A middle-aged man and woman argue with each other.
It doesn’t end there, and their respective families come out with machetes and sickles.
「Don’t bring blades just because of a dog’s barking.」
I step between the two parties and toss a young man wielding a machete into the garden.
As he is about to stand up furiously, Lucy erotically whispers “woof ♪ woof♪ “ in his ear.
The man grabs his crotch and twitches before sitting back down.
「I can understand fighting over a woman, but killing each other over cat poop is extreme.」
I embrace the middle-aged woman wielding the sickle and rub her groin to make her drop the weapon.
Celia is sitting in the garden beside me……
「I wouldn’t do that!」
She gets bad and climbs up my back.
I let her ride on my shoulders.
「What are you people……Ergette! Why did you bring three strangers to the village during this important time before the festival――」
「If this time is important, don’t fight over insignificant matters.」
A serious glare of warning to each side sends the families back to their houses grumbling and they shut the doors with a bang.
What’s wrong with them?
「This is what it’s always like in the village. A tiny little thing can result in vicious fights……」
I know bandits and mercenaries who would start fights if I simply fart so none of this is extraordinary to me, but the families just now don’t appear like wannabe bandits, and if anything, I’d say they are inexplicably miserable and quick to lose their temper.
「Hey. Move out of the way.」
I step to the side when a voice calls out from behind and clear a path for a funeral procession.
「The wife next door……finally passed away.」
Ergette mutters.
「A funeral procession after the sun goes down?」
One of the folks dressed in black shakes his head at Celia.
「We buried the husband of the Marit family in the afternoon. It lasted until now.」
Exactly how many people in this 200-person village died?
From what I’ve heard, there don’t seem to be any elders.
「Is it because of an epidemic?」
「No. Unusually, there hasn’t been one as of yet. This is just how the village of Norroy is.」
Now things are getting strange.
「Uwah! Monsters!」
「There’s more?」
I exclaim.
「W-we have to hide in the house!」
I grab Ergette by the shoulder as she tries to pull Deron’s hand.
「Come with us. It’s safer than hiding in a wooden house.」
Celia brandishes daggers in both hands while Lucy smiles as she adjusts her shoes and rolls up the hem of her dress.
Their eyes glow a faint red.
It’s to avoid creating a fuss over the presence of three vampires when one is already a big deal.
My first thought is to reach for my Dual Crater, but I shake my head and pick up the pitchfork at my feet instead.
「If it’s a monster, it’d be a goblin or a wolf at best. Considering how unlucky this village is, maybe an orc would appear?」
Regardless, whatever shows up is no match for us.
Handling the aftermath of using the Dual Crater is troublesome so I’ll fight with this tool.
I don’t make any effort to hide and walk in the direction the villagers fled from.
Multiple husky screeches can be heard in front.
「So it’s goblins. Let’s see if they can put up a――」
Before I can finish, my hips buckle and I lean back.
A strange object passes by in front of my face.
「……did a goblin just fly?」
「It’s an imp!」
Ergette shouts.
「An imp?」
The one that flew by circles around and comes at me again.
It aims at my head with stake-like things in its hands.
「Fumu.」
I snatch the imp with my bare hand and examine it.
When I try squeezing the noisily squealing thing, it coughs up blood and quiets down.
It is shorter than a goblin at about 30 or 40 cm.
The face is a mix between a bat and a goblin and bat-like wings are growing out of its back.
However, unlike a bat, it doesn’t have hair all over its body, rather its skin has a wet feeling and its belly is swollen like a malnourished person.
I also notice that it has a skinny rat-like tail sticking out of its butt.
「Imps suddenly appear on nights without a moon, tormenting children and livestock in swarms and roughing up women……that’s why we stay in our houses during nights with poor air……and still they can sneak in through the chimney or cracks in the window, just last month the daughter of an acquaintance……uurk.」
「I see.」
I snap the imp in my hand in half, then pat the terrified Ergette on the head.
「Then I better exterminate them.」
I thrust the farm tool up into the air, stabbing an imp directly above me.
Unfortunately for them, I can see more clearly in the darkness.
I steady my breathing and unleash four consecutive strikes diagonally up, knocking two to the ground and impaling two on the point of the fork.
Taking one step back, I evade the rock thrown at me first, then sweep my pitchfork horizontally.
Three imps with a hole in their body get flung off by the centrifugal force and two new imps are smashed in midair.
「These things are definitely small fries, but I’ve never seen them anywhere else.」
No wait, I saw them in the past at the bottom of certain ruins……mm, I can’t remember since they were too weak and didn’t leave much of an impression.
Anyways, these aren’t monsters that spring up in hills and fields, even if the area is remote.
While I am thinking of unnecessary things, more imps attack me from three directions at once.
「Kyaaa!」
Ergette ducks her head.
I throw my farm tool at the imp in front, hit the imp to the right with a backfist, and then grab the imp about to pounce on Ergette by the tail, letting it hang harmlessly upside-down.
After crushing the face of the imp seemingly begging for its life and tossing away its lifeless body, its friends all withdraw noisily into the sky.
「I-is it over?」
I let Ergette stand up but don’t let go of her.
「The imps are done, yes. But something is still out there.」
I stare at the shrubs acting as the border between the forest and the village, and sure enough, a horde of goblins jump out.
「I feel relieved seeing these guys.」
I retrieve the farming tool, ready to kill them, but none of the goblins come near me.
It’s like they are running from something.
「Giii.」
Something pins down a goblin trailing at the end of the queue.
When I look closer, I see it is a giant chicken.
I let out a chuckle.
「Hahaha, a goblin lost to a chicken? I guess there are weaklings in every world.」
But Ergette’s face only becomes paler.
「A-a man-faced bird……! It’s a monster that craves the brains of livestock and humans!」
「Huh?」
The face of the chicken that turns around is that of a person’s.
Specifically, everything up until the neck is that of a bird and the face resembles that of a lecherous bald middle-aged man.
「Squawk.」
The chicken, whose voice only sounds like an old man to me, approaches.
And at second glance, the monster is at least a meter tall. This thing isn’t just big.
「It really grosses me out.」
I raise the farm tool and strike the bird’s abdomen.
The man-faced bird flips twice in the air and falls flat on the ground.
「Squawk……」
The chicken seems to be laying prostrate in surrender, acting on the boundary between a bird and a human, but because of how disgusting it is, I stab the monster with the fork and kill it.
「Aaah!」
Ergette screams.
Did something else appear?
I make eye contact with it when I follow Ergette’s line of sight.
「It’s just an eye.」
I tell Ergette not to scare me as I do a double take.
「Why is an eye floating!?」
An eyeball approximately one meter in diameter is drifting in the air.
「G-gazer……if you stare at its eye, it can control you……」
（Obey me. Be my slave.）
I hear a voice inside my head.
A strange sensation envelops my eye and I begin to feel dizzy, but when I exhale, all of it goes away.
That must have been some form of hypnosis, which shouldn’t have any effect on vampires.
「……aau……aau.」
Sadly, it seems Ergette is not resistant.
I assume a throwing stance.
That thing’s weakness is obviously the eyeball, I can easily finish it off.
「Aagh……yes……I will……strip.」
However, Ergette is manipulated into taking off her clothes, so now I reconsider my options.
The enemy is a monster I’ve never encountered before. Attacking carelessly is not smart.
「……everything……of course……」
It should not be too late to observe the monster and develop countermeasures.
Ergette puts her hands on the final piece of clothing, and that’s when a rock about the size of a human head hits the gazer.
The one who threw it was Celia.
Possessing the strength of a vampire, the rock penetrates the eyeball and exits the back, causing the gazer to melt away.
「You definitely did that on purpose. You could have killed it right away, yet you waited for briefly.」
Celia stares at me dubiously.
Ergette, who is left with only her underwear on, also puffs her cheeks as she covers her breasts with her hands.
「Oh, here comes the next monster.」
I point in another direction to direct their attention away.
Nothing is there, but moments later, something rustles inside the bush I pointed to.
「I didn’t think something would actually appear.」
Emerging from the bush is――
「A bipedal land leech!」
What is that?
It’s gross, so I’ll just defeat it quickly.
「Five-section mountain spider!」
That thing is clearly unbalanced. It would be more threatening as five separate entities.
I’ll defeat it too.
「A giant-head turtle!」
Lucy licks her lips.
How infuriating, I’ll defeat it too.
「A coiling slime!」
I don’t want to touch it, but since Lucy and Celia backed off as far as possible, I’ll have to defeat it.
Half the night has gone by and the raid of monsters has finally ceased.
「How about abandoning the village at this point?」
I suggest spontaneously.
「These are all monsters I’ve never seen before. It’s not a matter of people not being able to help or this being an ancient battlefield.」
Celia chimes in as she pokes a fallen monster with a branch.
「I have also never seen monsters like these. So these things exist.」
Lastly, a bored Lucy sitting behind her stretches and comments.
「Uu, let’s do that. Are we bringing those two along?」
「If it’s as mobile rations-」
Celia interrupts.
「I don’t like that.」
The presence of a curse feels more real now.
「Please take us.」
Ergette tugs on my hand and walks ahead.
She leads us to an extravagant shrine one would not expect in such a rural village that is much larger than the village chief’s house or the assembly hall.
Caged torches are scattered on the perimeter, multiple colored cloths hang from the roof and numerous dishes of food have been placed, probably for the festival.
「This is to pray to the woman I told you about in the story. We will also be holding the festival here.」
「Fumu.」
We approach the shrine.
「So the curse doesn’t disappear……huh.」
I mumble as I place a hand on the outer wall, and then――
「Gueh.」
「Nya!」
「Kyaa!」
I am sent flying along with Celia and Lucy easily over ten meters.
I also thought lightning struck, but nothing seems to have happened to the people cleaning the upper level of the shrine or the hanging decorations.
Ergette is in a daze next to us.
So we’re the only ones that got knocked back.
「Kyuu……」
I retrieve the flattened Celia and extract the flailing Lucy who got stuck in a cavity.
（Begone, non-humans.）
A voice rings out in my head.
It is way more intimidating and powerful than the gazer’s voice.
Ergette tilts her head, confused.
She doesn’t seem able to hear it.
（Living corpses. Know that you will be turned to ash next time.）
The voice is definitely coming from the shrine.
「……ghk!」
Lucy’s face turns pale and she takes a step backward.
For the first time in a while, alarms go off in my head.
「This is dangerous.」
I speak out loud to confirm my suspicions.
The hostility in the voice is on another level.
The pressure I sense is different.
And the fact that such power was able to be emitted solely at the three of us while leaving everyone else without a single scratch is not normal.
This entity is above that of monsters and humans.
My fear of death has somehow revived.
The three of us can only inch away slowly.
（Feel my wrath with your bodies――）
I sense a torrent of power which seems to warp the entire space around us and instinctively step forward to shield Celia and Lucy.
「What’s wrong?」
When Ergette stands, the hostile intent colliding with me vanishes.
I hear a frustrated groan like someone got taken hostage.
Villagers curse as they walk by our stiffened bodies which seem like they have been frozen.
「How long do we have to continue holding this festival? Nothing has changed after several decades. I bet this curse will never go away.」
「Still, we have no choice but to keep trying. Things might get worse if we stop……I know it’s our ancestors’ fault for committing the wrongdoing, but it’s still horrible to curse us for a hundred years.」
（……）
Rather than resentment or animosity, I feel a tinge of sadness from the voice inside my head.
Maybe this village has a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation.
（Hey.）
I picture the shrine in my mind and try addressing the voice.
（I won’t talk to the dead.）
Good, my thoughts went through.
I’m not actually talking so there shouldn’t be a problem communicating with me.
（I didn’t come to do bad things.）
（Like I can trust you, vampire. Leave.）
I embrace Ergette.
Again, I hear a frustrated groan.
（I am fond of this girl and want to help her, but this village is too dangerous. If she stays here, it won’t be long until she also dies. And it doesn’t appear you can do anything about the earlier raid either.）
（Speaking like you know everything.）
The voice expresses frustration and goes silent for a short moment.
（Will you swear on your tainted soul not to lay a hand on Ergette?）
（No, I’ll touch her if I see a chance. I’d like to take her virginity too. However, I swear that I won’t kill her or make her my ally.）
（Damn fool.）
The voice becomes silent again.
（My bag. Retrieve my bag. The location is――guh, already? No, not yet, I can’t disappear――）
After hearing the word ‘bag’, the voice distorts and fragmented scenes run through my mind.
「Did it disappear?」
Nobody answers me when I speak out loud.
「Hey Ergette.」
「Yes? Can we eat soon? I’m hungry.」
She can still eat even after such a large meal earlier in the evening?
No, that’s not important.
「You know the bag in the legend that released bad things? Do you know anything else about it?」
Ergette ponders for a bit and pounds her fist softly into her hand. At the same time, her stomach gurgles.
「I believe the bag which continued to spout curses was sealed on that mountain……」
Sounds vague, but that’s all we have to go off of.
I’ll go check it out.
***
The three of us venture into the forest which has no signs of being explored by anybody, running through the leaves.
We literally travel as fast as the wind, yet something still keeps up.
「Hup.」
Twirling in the air after I leap, I simultaneously strike down two imps.
I purposely bump into a tree, shifting my landing point to avoid the charges of two bizarre demon boars waiting for me, which allows me to grab their tails and slam them against trees.
It was the correct decision to leave Ergette in the village, who energetically waved at us, saying, “I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll wait for you and prepare food for the festival tomorrow~” Humans would not be able to progress through this place.
「I thought it was strange nobody came here, but now I see why. Nobody could hunt or pick herbs with all the monsters in the forest.」
As we advance in the darkness, we discover a small cave halfway up the mountain.
There is also a broken illegible stone monument nearby. In terms of atmosphere, this fits the bill for where the bag is sealed.
It’s completely pitch black within the cave, though fortunately that doesn’t affect us.
When we set foot in the damp cavern, Lucy mutters something.
「I think we should stop. If I can be frank, that is――」
I cut her off and finish the sentence.
「A god, right?」
Lucy nods.
「And since it causes misfortune to the village, it must be an evil one. Even we won’t come out unscathed if we aren’t careful. I really thought I was going to die when I got knocked back at that time.」
I think that’s kind of wrong.
「Oh, there it is.」
In the depths of the cave is an object resembling a bag.
The bag is bulging to the point of splitting open and it is surrounded by an eerie swirling black fog.
「That’s clearly something bad.」
When I quickly grab the bag, the snake-like mist spins like a whirlpool and dissipates.
At the same time, a black smoke rises from my pocket.
I reach inside and the dried meat I had stored there rots and crumbles to dust.
「Such deadly miasma. If we were regular humans, we’d also become like that piece of meat.」
Lucy shoos away the miasma with a repulsed look, then speaks.
「With that, our goal is achieved……I actually thought there’d be one more hurdle.」
I explain to Celia and Lucy what I saw before the voice in the shrine disappeared.
「I know who that person is and what that person’s goal is. He isn’t an evil god, he’s――Santa.」
I declare boldly.
「He has a thick beard and wears red clothes, rides a sled pulled by beasts with a red nose and horns called reindeer, and laughs as he distributes gifts to make girls and children happy and allows couples six hours to have sex.」
「「……not an evil god?」」
All I saw is that becoming Santa will save the village of Norroy.
「The issue is, a heap of things don’t apply to me.」
First, I don’t have a beard and my clothes are black.
Next, I don’t have beasts or a sled.
While I can laugh and scatter gifts, that would make me no different from a pervert.
「What should I do……?」
Celia abruptly lifts her head and scurries up a tree.
「Bad news! There is a group of bandits, a bunch of orcs and a pack of wolves approaching from different directions!」
What? Didn’t Ergette say bandits don’t come here?
I scan my surroundings and climb up a forsaken watchtower.
The bandits and wolves are relatively close, and there are also ten orcs.
A small village of two hundred people could never hope to fend off those enemies.
「Did all sorts of misfortune come at once because you picked that up? What if you returned it?」
Lucy pokes the bag like a dirty article of clothing.
I’m somewhat aroused but now’s not the time.
「Then what did we come here for? But if we don’t do something, Ergette will be in danger. If I fight them, I won’t have time to become Santa……wait.」
My gaze moves to the wagon full of stolen goods pulled by the bandits, then to the orcs which can be considered the representation of beasts, and then to the wolves with rough black fur.
「Fumu.」
I stand up and draw my Dual Crater.
The glow of my red eyes becomes noticeably brighter.
At dawn, an annoying scraping and the ringing of alarms can be heard in the village of Norroy as men line up with spears in their hands.
「Enemy attack!! Enemy attack!!」
「It’s worse than normal! There are tons of them!!」
「We need anybody who can move to take up arms! That includes women and children!」
「It’s a natural reaction. There are bandits, orcs and wolves around me.」
「That’s definitely not all there is to it.」
Celia, no need to worry.
I chopped up the boss and strong-looking ones within the horde of orcs and pack of wolves, and forced them into submission through fear.
Lucy used her demonic eyes to subdue the bandits.
I don’t know if she was sloppy because she used it on a large group, but their eyes are rolled back and they are wobbling with drool dripping from their mouths.
「Bandits and orcs at the same time!? And what is that in the middle!?」
「I’ve never seen anything like it……what a frightening sight!」
「Clearly, it’s something dangerous……that is definitely bad news.」
As I get closer to the village, I see the men shaking.
Merely making eye contact makes them trip over themselves.
「In the end, I’m still a stranger. No wonder they don’t recognize me when I’m disguised.」
「Even a father would pour holy water on you if he saw something like this.」
I joke back to Lucy with, “You’re exaggerating” and stand up with my arms spread.
I show off my red outfit and the hefty beard.
This appearance might create a legend in the village.
「「「Eeeeek!!」」」
Except the only responses I got back were screams.
The red is from my black clothes getting stained by the spilled blood of the bandits I killed.
The black fluffy beard was obtained by skinning the wolf, which I then shaped and attached to my face.
I did my best to make this costume and endured the foul stench of animal and blood.
「A demon has finally descended upon us!」
「Oh, the village is done for……」
What I am riding on is the roof of the bandit’s wagon I stole.
To make it resemble more like a sled, I removed all the wheels so the body of the wagon is sliding along the ground.
This is the source of the constant grinding noise.
Of course, horses wouldn’t be able to pull such a vehicle.
Thus, the sled is being pulled by――
One of the orcs stops moving and stares at a villager, causing him to shriek.
「Who told you to stop!?」
I kick the back of the orc’s head and the sled starts moving again.
Yes, the sled is being pulled by orcs.
I don’t have reindeer, so I’m replacing them with orcs.
Branches were stuck into their skulls to recreate horns and their noses were cut to imitate the look of red noses.
「I’ve seen this kind of vehicle before.」
「You mean that? The thing the devil rides when dragging souls to――」
Celia and Lucy are muttering to each other.
Can’t they be quiet? This is the most crucial part.
Nevertheless, the screaming hasn’t stopped.
The girls and children are especially loud.
「Oh, I forgot the laughter. I can’t blame them for being scared since I’m not chuckling joyfully.」
I’m told the laugh sounds like “foh foh foh”.
「Fuo……fua……」
It’s not the kind of laugh I often do so it’s hard to emulate it.
Whatever, I’ll make up for it with enthusiasm.
「Fu-fufu, fuhahahaha! Fuhahahaha!」
「「Uwaah.」」
The men holding spears all abandon their weapons and flee from the entrance.
「Aaah, there’s no hope. This was a life with nothing pleasant about it.」
「Boy. At the very least, let us stay together until the end.」
A mother hugs her child and sits down in place.
I don’t get what they’re doing. Anyways, I’m going into the village.
Oh right, I have to state my name. The villagers should recognize it.
『My name is Santa!』
『Wah, so it’s Santa-sama.』
『So it was part of the festival!?』
It should go something like that.
「My name is Satan.」
Wait, I said it wrong.
Oh well, switching up a few letters is not a big deal. Celia, Lucy, hold back your retorts.
『My aim is to see the smiles of women and children!』
This should make everyone gather around.
「My aim is――」
I accidentally inhale too much of the animal stench from the beard and choke.
「My aim is the women and children.」
「「「Noooooo!!」」」
It’s literally pandemonium.
A mother runs away with her child in her arms, a young girl who falls in front of me begs for her life, and two sisters stab each other in the throat so they can meet in heaven.
「It’s a total mess.」
「How about giving up and going home? If I was the real Santa-sama, I would tear Aegir-sama to shreds.」
The villagers run for cover while Celia and Lucy urge me to quit.
「Enough. I’m going to use my last resort.」
I take out a large box and pull apart the lock sealing it shut.
These are the stolen goods carried by the bandits.
「Here, presents!」
I scatter gold coins.
The men stop running.
「I have more!」
I throw several jewels in the air.
The women’s eyes change color.
「G-gold coins……」
「Jewels……」
Villagers who fled to safety go back in the opposite direction.
「I’ll give presents to all of you!」
Silk goods, pearl necklaces and bars of gold are tossed up.
「I-I know it’s dangerous. But as a woman, sometimes you have to go anyways!」
「Hyahah, look at this gold!」
The two of them cling to the presents greedily.
I feel somewhat conflicted despite things going according to plan.
「I’ve prepared food too.」
Celia offers a thick steak which she had cooked without me realizing.
「Hamu! Wait, it’s you!?」
Ergette, who is the first to pounce on the meat, notices us, and she is followed by kids and other less greedy people.
Now, pretty much everyone who ran away are back in the village.
「You guys stand on the perimeter of the village and fend off monsters.」
The orcs, wolves, and bandits walk unsteadily to the specified destination.
With those numbers, imps and other unusual beasts won’t attack.
「There’s no need to worry about the security of the village. I have presents, food and wine. Now, it’s time for a festival, it’s time for a feast!」
The entire village clamors with excitement.
Gold coins are strewn about, liquor is distributed, the men sing, and the women dance.
Children happily gobble up sweets and Ergette stuffs her belly with as much steak as she can fit.
At this point in time, the once depressing villagers are smiling altogether and they have forgotten about the terror of monsters and calamities.
「It’s here. Focus.」
I tell Lucy and Celia.
A golden mist-like substance rises from the villagers and collects in a single spot.
Indeed, this has to do with that shrine.
We run towards the shine with the black bag.
The drinking and singing continue around the shrine.
（Ooooh, ooooh, everyone is smiling, joy and happiness are flowing in.）
I once again hear a voice in my head.
Unlike before, it doesn’t sound angry and it’s much clearer.
The cold voice now has vigor.
（All of you. The bag. Place the bag here.）
I let go of the black-dyed bag inside the shrine.
（So it has rotten to this extent? It stands to reason. After all, it wasn’t purified for a century.）
The party in the village grows more lively, and the amount of golden mist increases.
「What are you doing standing over there?」
A mass of golden mist eats a stack of three steaks……no, that’s Ergette.
When two more steaks get piled on top, a golden tornado is generated.
The gust spirals into the shrine with the force of a muddy stream.
（Power is returning to me. Now I can. Now I can do it.）
The moment I think the voice has disappeared, the shrine swells――and explodes.
「Kyaa!?」
As expected, villagers noticed what happened too and fall on their butts in disbelief, meanwhile Ergette crams the steaks in her mouth before they can fly away.
Broken fragments of the shrine shoot up vertically in the sky and then drop back down in places devoid of any people.
「To think the time for me to appear in this form has come. My name is Santa, Santa Christmas!」
Something is in the center of where the shrine used to be, but I can’t see for certain because my eyes are blinded by the light.
The light is as strong as the sun.
「Get down, cursed beings. If not, you’ll vanish.」
Oh, it’s referring to us.
I grab Lucy and Celia, and Ergette while I’m at it, and lay low to the ground.
「Ah, four at once outside!?」
「Begone, all of you wicked forces!」
My vampire eyes cannot see what is going on, but I definitely sense a powerful wave of light being shot out.
Lucy closes her eyes, genuinely fearing for her life, and when I hug her, she clings on tight.
The wave of light travels through the village, piercing through people and houses, but not breaking a single bottle.
However, it wasn’t a harmless wind either.
As soon as some curious imps flew down and made contact with the wave, they instantly melted away like strong acid was splashed on them.
Goblins hiding in the mountains turned into stains on the ground in the blink of an eye.
The orcs pulling my sled are also reduced to bone and are blown away.
The light purges all monsters.
It not only sweeps through the village, it also extends past several mountains.
「Aegir-sama, look over there.」
My eyes turn to some people who are agonizing after being hit by the wave.
「Urk……geboh!」
A black substance exits their chest and disperses.
The faces of those people are familiar.
They’re the villagers who were arguing about cats and dogs in the beginning.
「H-huh? Ara, the cat next door used my garden as a toilet again? Fufu, you never learn.」
「G-guh? Mu, the dog next door is barking quite a bit. I’m sure that’s due to an excess of energy. I’ll go play with it tomorrow.」
Additionally, the bandits I brought with me all collapse.
「Stealing other people’s things for a living……what a despicable thing for me to do……」
「I’ve murdered several people……I must atone for my sins right away. Someone, be the judge of my crimes!」
「I might as well be of use to the people of this village. I’ll help the villagers and try to redeem myself a little for the wrongdoings I’ve committed!」
The wave has even expunged the evil out of humans.
Slowly, the moisture in the damp ground dries up.
The trembling livestock become healthy.
The stagnated river becomes clear.
The shriveled fruit trees are brought back to life and regain their color.
「It was something like this after all.」
I stand up as the wave subsides.
「Aye, I would do no such thing as curse. The malediction has been deeply embedded in this land.」
I can tell the light is facing me although my eyes cannot see.
「I came to this land because I flt sorry for the villagers dying left and right. Using this bag, I sucked up all sorts of evil and purified it with my power. However, the evil transferred to humans and harmed my physical body.」
「Does the concept of dying even exist for you?」
The light shakes its head……or so that’s what it appears.
「No. However, my physical body was destroyed and my soul was sealed, weakening my power. And with my power diminished, the malediction revived and called misfortunes to the village. The origin of my power is from the smiles of people and their happiness……」
So when the villagers became gloomy, its power disappeared.
And without power, the village can’t be protected, which further worsens the village’s mood.
It’s a vicious cycle.
「The endless attacks by monsters, the calamities, the epidemics――I wanted to save them from it all, but little remained of my power and if my very existence were to disappear, I would not be able to help them ever again……oh, the feeling of powerlessness was so frustrating.」
The light seems to be crying.
「That’s when the village was graced with the evil presences of three vampires. Leaving them unchecked would practically spell the end of the village, and so I squeezed the final drops of my power and……」
That’s what sent us flying?
「I exhausted my power with that attack and I was supposed to disappear tomorrow. But the smiles and happiness from tonight’s festivities certainly reached me and restored my power. ……a little impurity is mixed in though.」
Oh, that’s from the happiness as a result of the scattering of jewels and gold coins.
「Happiness in the form of meat came flying to me.」
Ah, that’s Ergette.
The light dims and I can gradually make out the outlines of the person in the middle.
What I can see in bits and pieces is the red outfit――and, like the legends told, the beauty of the woman.
I’m sure her looks don’t match her age, but she seems to be in her thirties.
She has a gentle yet dignified face, with a red hat on her head, and her glossy blonde hair drapes down to her shoulders.
The long-sleeved coat of her red outfit is one size smaller than her body……exposing her belly button.
Her red skirt is also similarly short, revealing much of her thighs……and all of her fair-skinned legs.
「I will not thank wicked beings. However, since you did not harm the village, I will spare you from destruction.」
Her words don’t register in my brain as my eyes examine the prime beauty in front of me from head to toe.
「……corny.」
A ball of light grazes Celia as her thoughts unconsciously leak out of her mouth.
「That was dangerous! What are you doing?」
「Quiet, one more word out of your mouth and I’ll erase you all! I’m still fashionable!」
Santa pinches the edge of her skirt and twirls cutely.
「……tacky.」
Ergette hides behind me when Santa glares at her.
「Anyways.」
She snaps her fingers, making a sled appear in the night sky.
Those are reindeer, I should have used regular deer instead of orcs.
「Now that my power has returned, the village and Ergette are safe. Therefore――」
Santa points a finger in the distance toward the mountain.
「You three can leave. The dead should not meddle with the living.」
Her tone is kind and is closer to a warning than a rebuke.
Of course, we are all aware.
We fully understand, that’s why we left many things behind.
「Got it. But the work that is normally supposed to be done by you Gods and spirits were completed by vampires. It should be fine to enjoy the festival for today, no?」
Santa peers into my eyes and confirms that I’m not lying.
And she grants us permission with a soft “fine”.
「On another note-」
I take a step toward Santa.
「Um……do you think it’s possible for love to sprout between a god and a vampire?」
「No.」
What a quick answer.
「Then how about a one-night accidental impulsive mating――guooh!!」
Before I can finish, a hole is gouged in my stomach and my back.
Lucy stuck her arm in my back and Santa shot a ball of light in my stomach.
Even for a vampire, it’s tough to survive with two giant holes in my body.
My vision goes dark and I lose consciousness.
***
When I wake up, I see sunlight shining through the window.
This is either a storage room or someone’s house.
I fold my arms behind my head and roll onto my back.
My wounds have already closed.
As expected, a vampire’s regeneration ability is no joke.
「I wonder if Lucy and Celia are enjoying the festival.」
Despite how they look, they are pretty fond of alcohol.
They also got permission from Santa, so I hope they’re having fun with the villagers.
However, I am worried that they’ll cheat in a place where alcohol is present.
Lucy in particular loves young boys, meaning Deron is in danger.
Plus, she always hints at cheating when I ask her and delights in my jealousy, making it harder for me to deal with.
Ergette is more about eating than anything, so she’s probably munching away at a steak.
By the way, that meat belongs to the orc I slayed, but it’s been seasoned well so I’m sure the taste is fine.
As I’m thinking, there is suddenly a knock on the door.
「Come in. I can’t open the door.」
I smile, knowing that I’d be burned.
「I know.」
Santa phases into the room, keeping the door closed.
Of course, she’s in her miniskirt and navel-revealing outfit.
「You can do what Ca……I mean, what ghosts can, huh.」
「Fool. How dare you compare me to ghosts.」
She pinches my cheek and twists my nose.
「You’re giving us a break today, right? If possible, I’d like for you to extend the time until night. I can’t go outside during the day.」
Santa picks me up by the cheek and peers into my eyes.
Regardless of whether she’s a god or spirit, those bright eyes of hers are really blinding to a vampire.
「I see you died without any regrets. Even though you haven’t been alive for very long.」
「I guess you can say that.」
Sorrow and pity are reflected in Santa’s eyes.
「This is the first time I’ve seen a vampire like you. Your soul has not decayed.」
「Is that so?」
Her eyes are filled with affection like a mother’s eyes.
It makes sense, since she’s a god trying to protect a village she has no connection or relation to even after being killed once.
「Poor thing.」
She embraces me.
I don’t feel that way, but the sensation of her chest is nice so I’ll stay quiet.
「By the way, if you don’t mind me asking.」
「Mu?」
I have one thing that’s bothering me.
「All the information that flowed into me was correct. What I don’t get is the beard. It’s not like you can grow a beard, right?」
「……」
Santa clicks her tongue and ponders briefly before muttering, “fine, it can’t be helped”.
「Crouch.」
「N?」
When I do as I’m told, Santa stands in front of me and rolls up her skirt.
「Oh, that’s a full beard!」
「Shut up! And you, didn’t you shamelessly say you wanted to embrace me!?」
「Yes. Those are my true feelings.」
Santa throws me to the floor.
「Just for today, this one day, I’ll be your lover.」
Then she mounts me with her miniskirt still on.
「The body of a dead man is cold, and unfortunately, I can’t resurrect you. But for one day, if it’s only one day, I can at least grant you with false life and warmth……」
Santa places her hand on my chest and my groin.
I can feel heat residing in my body.
「What a pitiful man. Now come.」
Without taking my clothes off either, I proceed to lay with Santa.
***
「The body of a mature woman is the best after all.」
I remember Santa’s magnificent form after she strictly told me to keep quiet and left with wobbly legs.
My hips feel much lighter after releasing a huge load.
The sun is turning red.
It’s probably close to evening now.
「Um, are you still here?」
There is a knock on the door.
After allowing entry, Ergette walks in with her head facing downward.
And then, two plates stacked high with meat are set down.
「You’ll be saying goodbye today, right?」
「Yeah, since Santa is back, the village will be safe. You’ll be able to eat to your heart’s content now.」
Ergette protests, saying how she isn’t the big eater like I claim.
「I have a request, if you don’t mind.」
Ergette overlaps her hand with mine.
「I would also――」
「It’s not possible.」
I won’t yield.
Us dead people don’t have any intention of letting the living accompany us on our journey.
「I thought so……I understand. This leads me to the main point.」
I lean close to Ergette and hug her shoulder.
I can pretty much guess what she wants to say.
「Lucy-san did naughty things with Deron. She commented on how cute boys are the best, and the session was rather intense.」
「Nuoooh!!」
I stand up and put my hand up against the door.
The sun is still out, but I’m going to rush out even if it burns me.
Obviously, I’m going to fuck Lucy, but if I also stick it in Deron’s ass and make him my woman, would that negate the fact I was cuckolded? Wait, what am I saying?
「That was a lie. Lucy-san told me to say that to you.」
「Don’t do that, it’s bad for my heart. I was nearly about to make your brother my woman.」
Ergette coughs awkwardly as if to catch my attention.
It doesn’t seem like that joke was what she wanted to say.
「Err.」
「Umu.」
Before Ergette says anything, I grab her shoulder and push her down.
「I take it you’re fine with me being your first partner?」
Ergette’s face turns red as she nods.
By the way, the two plates of meat were eaten by her.
The sun has completely set.
Lying naked, I give Ergette my arm for her to use as a pillow.
「Are you alright?」
「It hurts, almost like my body is being torn apart……you’re too big.」
A large blood stain is left on the sheets.
「And we didn’t use contraception.」
「Well, I’m a vampire.」
Vampires are not living creatures.
They won’t ever produce children.
「……it’s about time to say farewell. My blood, are you going to suck it?」
「I will.」
I sink my fangs into her neck.
The sweetness I tasted when she was a virgin is gone, however when I think to myself that I was the one who took it, the taste seems to deepen in flavor.
「……getting your blood sucked after your first time will really increase your arousal. How about one more round――」
「The sun has gone down, vampire. There’s a nice spot overlooking the village in the mountains. Would you like to join me for――」
Santa and Ergette look at each other then at me.
「Alright, time to perish.」
「I’m leaving.」
I spring up and run outside.
One second later, a ball of light destroys the small cabin I was in.
Weaving my way through the rain of light orbs, I retrieve the drunken Celia on the way.
I also pick up Lucy, who had lured a 15 year old boy to suck his blood.
Right before exiting the village, I shout out to Ergette, wishing her happiness.
When I reach the edge of the village, Santa no longer chases me.
I strain my ears, using my enhanced hearing as a vampire to pick up voices in the distance.
「You’re so mean for driving him out like that. Couldn’t you let us enjoy the afterglow a little longer?」
「What are you saying, girl? To begin with, it’s the height of insanity to have sex with a vampire.」
They seem to be arguing.
「Didn’t Santa-sama also do it with him? Besides, even at my age, I’d be embarrassed to show off my belly and wear a miniskirt that shows my bare legs, yet you did all of those.」
「Now, you’ve said it! Let me teach you something.」
Yes, the outfit is a little tacky, but it is stimulating in its own way.
「You see, for one day, I granted him a temporary warmth. His body felt warm, didn’t it?」
「So what if it did?」
That reminds me, the warmth I normally don’t feel still remains to this moment.
「Just for today, he is the same as a living being, meaning he can get women pregnant. Don’t tell me, he came inside you.」
I hear a loud shout, but I can’t make out the words exactly.
「Today is a really dangerous day! Hey, come back! Accept responsibility!!」
It was loud enough that I could hear it without the enhanced hearing.
But if I go back, all three of us would be wiped out.
「It’s out of my control! Take care of my kid!!」
「You dummy!! Pervert vampire!!」
Ergette still waves to us while Santa watches tenderly.
「I will do everything I can to protect the child. No need to worry.」
「Half of it is Santa-sama’s fault, so you have to do that much at least! Fufu, I’m looking forward to having that person’s child though.」
We part ways and won’t ever meet again.
That is the distinction between the living and the dead.
「So, how do you explain cheating on us with those two?」
Lucy pinches my arm.
「That’s right. You’re still banging other women no different to when you were human!」
Lucy’s and Celia’s attacks make me lose sight of my feet.
「Guoh.」
Because of that, I accidentally kick something.
When I look down, I see an old worn-out stone monument.
It isn’t centuries old, although the letters are different from today’s modern language.
「It’s a stone monument with the village’s name written on it. If I’m not mistaken, this is ancient writing……and I think this is a magical sign.」
It seems Lucy can read it somehow.
「You destroyed one letter.」
After all the trouble it took to save the village from misfortune, I did something unnecessary.
I take out my Dual Crater and carve a letter to replace the one I broke.
「That should do it.」
Lucy narrows her eyes and stares hard at it.
That looks erotic somehow.
「It’s not quite right. It was “Norroy village” in the beginning and now its “Erroy village”」
「Gue.」
I can’t undo what’s already been carved.
I’ll have to put my hope in Santa’s ability.
That’s how the story ends.
But I would coincidentally hear rumors of the village some years or decades in the future.
「Hey, do you know about Norroy village?」
「Yeah, I heard it’s a place way out there where only bad things like diseases and disasters occur.」
Men converse with each other over drinks.
「Apparently the bad stuff stopped happening all of a sudden a while back. Now……」
「What? Don’t make it sound so dramatic.」
I inch my chair over to listen in.
「It’s become a village that has an incredible birth rate. I heard from a peddler who visited the place, and he said that the population doubled in five years and quadrupled in ten years. No matter where he went, there would be people going at it in houses everywhere.」
「What the heck? That village should be named Erroy village and not Norroy village!」
The two men chuckle.
「There’s an even crazier story. Apparently, there is a woman who gave birth to eight children. All of them possess unbelievable physical strength and are able to twist the neck of an orc with their bare hands at the young age of 13.」
「Yikes, I bet the father isn’t human.」
Surely, this isn’t because I tampered with the stone monument, right?
I hope not.
Anyways, I’m glad to hear Ergette is doing well.
Thank you Santa, hurray for Christmas.
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