Kumo desu ga, Nani ka? Blood 33

If going to the Dark Side is the only way you can live, isn’t it better to enjoy it?

Blood 33 – Previous life and current life

Of all things just what is this guy saying? “How about you eat a bit more!?” Just the other day, the same mouth of his utterly denied my own food. He has got to be joking.

No, I do understand, really. It’s that this guy simply doesn’t understand anything. He doesn’t appreciate that for a vampire, that eating food basically means the consumption of blood.

But, you know. From that mouth of his that has even called me an atrocity, isn’t it reasonable that I can’t help but think that he doesn’t get what he’s saying when he tells me to eat more food?

While I stare at him in silence, Wrath makes an expression that seems a bit flustered. However, I bet that he doesn’t get the reason why I’m irritated.

「”Eat more”? As in, telling me to “suck blood” huh? Though you called me an atrocity the other day?」

While looking at the stupid face that Wrath is making, those words rushed out unintentionally from deep within myself. On seeing Wrath react to that in downright panic, I feel a bit better.

「Or is it that, by saying that, you are offering me your blood? After all, by telling me not to use hypnotism, aren’t you telling me to gain the other person’s consent? Nobody would do such a whimsical thing though, right?」

Taking the opportunity, I rained sarcasm down on him. It’s generally the case that I can’t win verbal arguments. However, since he’s just dug his own grave, I’ll avenge myself for him running his mouth off at me the other day.

「Say. You know the other day, although you ran your mouth off at me calling me an atrocity and all, do you understand just how hard it is for a vampire to get blood without using hypnotism?」

Wrath maintains his silence. It seems he’s the type who keeps quiet when he’s at a disadvantage.

「Certainly, if you go by human values then us vampires may be intrinsically evil beings. Okay then, are you telling me to go die?」
「That’s not what I meant…」
「Oh really? Isn’t it pretty much the same thing? “Don’t use hypnotism”. With just that, doesn’t it mean that my only options are to arbitrarily assault others, or to be stupidly honest and beg for blood? I already said it just now, but do you really think there’s people whimsical enough to accept a request for blood? Of course there aren’t any. Then doesn’t that mean I have no choice but to assault others? However, I think that’s far worse than what I’ve been doing.」

Actually, since I am a True Ancestor, it’s not really the case that I can’t live without consuming blood. However, since I’ve already gotten the taste for blood, even if I’m ordered to live without it I have no confidence that I could endure it. Things will get complicated if he learned that though, but since it won’t be exposed unless I tell him, I’ll just keep quiet.

「If I can use hypnotism, I can erase their memory of being attacked as well, and instead they can experience a good feeling. Did you know? Apparently having your blood sucked feels good. If I can suck blood then I’m happy. If the other person can feel good without being scared then they’re happy. If both sides are happy then isn’t that a win-win situation?」

It does seem to be true that having your blood sucked feels good. I’m the one doing the sucking so I haven’t experienced it myself though, but I’ve heard from those that I have sucked that it feels as good as sex. So well, after I’ve sucked for a bit that’s why the action often heads in that direction.

Wrath shows a revolted expression to my remarks about feeling good. What’s with this guy? Is he a virgin?

「Are you a virgin?」
「Bwah!?」

Wrath bursts out in surprise, like something from a comedy sketch.

「Wha, wha-wha-wha, what the!?」

Ah, so he is a virgin. Hmm-mm.

「If you let me suck your blood, how about I help you lose your virginity?」

At those words that just popped out, I shocked myself. Beyond that, Wrath was so shocked that he’s totally frozen. We continue to stare at each other in silence.

「I won’t do something so frivolous.」

The first one to open their mouth is Wrath. With a weary sounding tone, he makes that prudish comment.

「Say, aren’t you being overly constrained by the common sense of your previous life?」

To those words that just popped out again, it felt like my heart thumped in my chest. That’s right. The previous life is the previous life. While I was definitely a human in my previous life, and though I have a similar form in this life, inside I’m a completely different creature. In that case, isn’t it obvious that my common sense and everything else is different.

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

Those words from Merazofis are always in my heart. I feel that I have found an answer, though it’s faint. I’m not yet able to put it into proper words, but I feel that I have grasped the starting point.

I am myself. I am a vampire. In the end, it’s like Wrath says. I can choose to die as a human, or I can continue to live as a vampire. Only one of those. In that case, I will choose to live as a vampire.

Thinking that, it seems foolish to have worried so much until now. I’m fine with being evil. Since I’m a vampire, what’s wrong with living as a vampire? Thinking that human common sense actually applies to a vampire, is a strange assumption in the first place.

「In that case, then aren’t you abandoning your previous life too much, Negishi Akiko-san?」

I don’t know what he’s thinking by needlessly calling me by my name from my previous life. However, this guy really is gifted at rubbing people the wrong way!

「What’s wrong with that? From my point of view, by clinging to humanity no matter what despite being non-human, it’s you who seems to be seriously warped though, Sasajima Kyouya-kun.」

I tried calling Wrath by his name from his previous life in response. When I did, he obviously grimaced.

Hmm-mm. I don’t know why Wrath hates his name from his previous life so much, but if he hates it that much then maybe I should always call him Kyouya-kun from now on?

Translation notes:

“Atrocity” – a reference to chapter 260 presumably, when Wrath used that word to refer to Sophia’s past behaviour.

In the “Elf Village Battle” arc, which should be a few years in the future from this chapter, Sophia refers to Wrath as “Kyouya-kun”. Perhaps this is where that started.