Volume 1, Chapter 7 – The First Taste

When I next came to, I was lying on a bed in a dark room devoid of light.

It appeared that night had fallen; I had been changed out of that dress and into a simple one-piece that was clearly higher quality than my starter gear.

—So, that was… the blood-drinking urge…

It had been intense.

While it had mostly subsided by now, it was obvious that a day would eventually come when I wouldn’t be able to hold it back anymore.

When that happened, just how was I supposed to stop myself?

However, the fact that I still hadn’t been automatically logged out even after all this meant that some kind of accident had probably occurred—like in those anime where people get trapped inside the world of AnnyOn and can’t log out.

It looked like I’d be spending a considerable amount of time in this world.

If that was the case, it would be best to live my life treating this place as if it were the real world.

If so… yeah. I was clearly a threat to the world.

I mean, I absorb both the sun’s light and the Holy attribute—the ultimate trump cards against Vampires, right?

And on top of that, I even have Limit Break. If I’m left alone, things are only going to get more dangerous from here.

Honestly, if I were talking about literally anyone else, I’d say the best option would be to cut them down right here and now.

But since I had no idea what would happen if I died, I couldn’t exactly just go, “Ah, I see,” and let myself be killed.

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In those anime, dying in the game was directly linked to dying in the real world, after all.

“Fiene-sama, you’ve awakened.”

I heard Chris-san’s worried voice.

“Chris-san. My apologies. I’ve caused you unnecessary worry.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Yes. I feel much better now.”

“That is a relief,” Chris-san said, visibly relieved.

I really am putting her through a lot, aren’t I?

“Was there something in the food you didn’t like? I had the leftovers tested for poison, but there seemed to be no issues.”

“Oh, no. The food was very delicious, and poison wasn’t the reason I collapsed.”

“Eh? Does that mean you know the cause, Fiene-sama?”

“Ah… yes. Well, sort of.”

Crap. I spoke without thinking.

Chris-san was clearly worried about me, so not answering would be rude… but how was I supposed to dodge this?

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“Um, if it isn’t too much trouble, could you please tell me? Fiene-sama, you are our savior. We will do anything, so please, let us repay our debt to you!”

Ah, right. I figured it would come to this.

Oh well. I might as well tell her. If it goes badly, I’ll just run away. I haven’t even received my reward yet, though.

“Well, you see. I’m actually a Vampire. I collapsed because I was trying to suppress my urge to drink blood~♪”

I tried to say it brightly, with a sort of “tee-hee~☆” vibe.

…Ah, nope. Those are absolutely the eyes of someone who doesn’t believe a word I’m saying.

“Fiene-sama, please stop joking. There’s no way a Vampire who can move energetically under the sun and use Purification Magic and Healing Magic could possibly exist!”

Crap, she’s seriously mad. What should I do? Even if I told her, “There’s a Vampire like that standing right in front of you,” she probably wouldn’t believe me.

“Is that… not okay?”

“It isn’t. Even if you’re trying to hide the truth with a lie, please make it a more believable one.”

Man, and here I am trying pretty hard to suppress the blood-drinking urge even now.

Wait. If she doesn’t believe I’m a Vampire, then even if I ask to drink her blood, she won’t realize it’s actually real, right?

This is it!

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“Then, please let me drink some of your blood, Chris-san. Just about a teacup’s worth will do.”

“Fiene-sama… are you really going to continue with this ‘setting’? If that’s what you wish, I… I will really do it, you know?”

Chris-san looked at me with a skeptical half-lidded stare.

But it seemed my plan was actually working. She was convinced it was just a roleplay “setting.”

“Yes. Please.”

For a split second, Chris-san made a face that clearly said, Seriously?

But then, without hesitation, she sliced open her left wrist with a knife and held it over a teacup.

Drip, drip.

Blood fell into the cup.

Before long, the teacup was filled with blood.

Feeling a slight twinge of guilt, I thanked Chris-san and took the teacup filled with fresh blood.

Since I felt bad, I went ahead and used Healing Magic on her wound.

“Well then, itadakimasu.”

I brought the teacup to my lips.

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It was the taste I’d been craving.

The faintly warm blood and the scent of iron.

It tasted sweeter and more divine than anything I’d ever eaten before, and with every swallow, I could feel the dryness inside my body being quenched.

Ah, crap. This is bad. I can’t stop drinking this.

It wasn’t just my body—something deep inside me was being filled too.

An intense pleasure pierced through my brain, and I was enveloped in euphoria.

Before I realized it, I had drained every last drop and even licked the blood lingering on my lips.

And, strangely enough, the urge that had been tormenting me so much had vanished completely.

“Thank you for the meal. That was my first time drinking blood, but it was really delicious.”

“I-I see. Well, I’m glad to hear that.”

Chris-san’s face was slightly flushed, and she had the strangest expression on her face.

Leaving her be, I decided to go back to sleep.

“Well then, Chris-san. Goodnight. See you tomorrow.”