3 – You Can’t Run From the Cursed Blood
“…What about it?”
“So much… Better.”
She certainly seemed to notice that her complexion improved noticeably because she had been drinking a lot of blood regularly.
Her face, tired of white drawing paper, is not as good as it used to be, but has white jade-like skin.
It looked much better in that it seemed more like a beautiful person than a monster.
“I’m glad. Ugh…”
In exchange for the marked improvement in her condition, mine was slowly deteriorating.
“Ah, please… Niel, let me stop drinking. Now I won’t drink even if you ask me to, so please…”
She couldn’t hold her hand at times, and because of that, only two glass cups had already been broken.
So, I decided to use the wooden cup I use when I go on adventures instead.
Also, because it was difficult even to stand up, she forced me to lie in bed often.
I also had to agree to the fact that I needed some rest.
“…Is the soup going to end today?”
“Right, I don’t have any more left. I’ll have to boil it again.”
“Okay… Then, I’ll have some things to test this time.”
“Which ones?”
“I’m just going to see if there’s any problem with drinking the blood of a beast.”
“Ah…!”
If she doesn’t mind sucking on the blood of pigs, sheep, cows… Maybe she can at least get them to live without hurting anyone.
“Did you try, Elena?”
“Oh, no, not at all. I never thought of that. If that’s really possible… I’m sure…!”
“Then, I’ll go hunting once and see. At this time, roe deer and deer will roam around.”
“Good, good. Niel, thank you, thank you…!”
She gave me a pat on the back as she hugged me with tears in her eyes, and tried to grab the tomato soup with her trembling hands.
But the bowl never came into my hands.
“Let me do it. It’s right for me to take care of you, at least while you’re sick. It’s because of me…”
“Okay then. I’ll ask you.”
As if we had never had a fight before, I could swallow the loose bread and the sour soup, feeling her touch.
As she nursed me under the lightly flickering candlelight, I suddenly thought of last winter.
“Oh, come to think of it, it seems like there was a similar situation last year as well.”
“…I was sick at the time. I must have caught a cold.”
“Is that so. I think I was sick?”
“You were next. It must have been from me, a winter cold from a quest I went out on a cold winter day…”
“Aha.”
After taking another spoonful of soup, I saw her wrinkled face.
“Don’t do that, it’s not your fault.”
“Do you know how much I regret saying things like that, always causing trouble?”
“You just wanted to live the way you wanted, and I respected that.”
“But I didn’t…!”
“Shouldn’t I have known it by now?”
If you hated her for such a simple thing, there would be no reason for her to be in her place now.
“What do I know? Whoops… Turning into a monster, and hurting you over and over again!”
“I’m fine. It’ll take blood to save you…”
I was prepared to do at least anything to save the one I love.
Especially if you desperately need me.
“I don’t like this… I really hate it… Why do I end up regretting it after it happened?”
“You’ve learned it now. I think it’s enough if you’re alive.”
“Niel, you…”
With a thud, her bowl was placed, and at last she burst into tears with her eyes covered.
“Ahh, ahhh, please, Niel, rather curse at me…!”
“How can I curse at you?”
Shaking her head vigorously, she squeezed my hand.
I could see her white nails, which had become sharper, and her red eyes, which had become more radiant, were staring at me with tears flowing.
“I can’t stand it, it’s not like this… Looking back, I owe you so much, and I’ve always been disapproving of you…!”
“It’s true that you’re weak. I’ve barely given you blood… How many days?”
“It’s been 4 days, it’s been a week since I changed…”
“Four days… It’s been four days and we’ve already been messing around like this.”
“No, this is what happens when anyone gives that much blood, Niel.”
Wow, I started to get stronger into the hand that was holding me.
“So, stop blaming yourself, it’s my fault, it’s all because of me that hurts you now, hurts you, hurts me…”
“So, even if you say you don’t have to worry…”
With the brightest smile I could, she gave her a short kiss.
Perhaps it hadn’t been long since she drank blood, and a thick smell of blood came out of her mouth.
“…The smell of blood.”
“The only thing I drank was your blood…”
Covering her mouth, she looked away from me, opened the door, and quietly looked outside.
“How about outside?”
“…The sun is still up. It would be impossible to go get water.”
“Then I-“
“No…!”
Before I could get up, she came very quickly and put both of her hands on my body.
“You need to rest, huh? You look really unwell… Get some rest. Please. Rest.”
The time it took for me to come from the door wasn’t long enough to say that I saw an afterimage.
“You… Were really fast.”
“…Don’t say anything strange, it must be because you gave too much blood. Get some sleep.”
Sure, the blanket climbed up my body and pressed me hard.
“Okay, don’t look at me so scary. I’ll listen to you.”
“…”
As I touched her reddened eyes, I felt my vision slowly blur.
“How can you be this pretty no matter how you change, you…”
I stroked her pretty face with my hand and fell asleep.
The last time I touched her skin, it felt a little warm.
***
It was the night when the new moon rose when I got up.
“Are you awake?”
…I wonder if he’s been by my side all along.
She buried her face in my stomach and as soon as I moved, she raised her head and came closer to me.
Those fangs, still sharp, did not adapt easily, but instead of choosing to close his eyes, he kissed her on the forehead.
“Did you sleep well?”
“…Yes.”
“Are you hungry?”
“I won’t drink your blood this time. I’ll have to try it.”
As she said, we needed to test my hypothesis.
Her goal this time is to go out hunting, roe deer or rabbits… Well, catch her roughly any animal of hers and give her that blood to her.
When I got up, I felt that my body was definitely better than in the morning.
Certainly, after getting some sleep, I felt lighter and more energetic.
My hand tremors have also decreased a bit.
I thought this would be enough for hunting.
I bounced the bowstring a few times as a test, and it seemed like there was no problem.
“Okay. That’s enough. Do you want to come with me?”
“…If you want to drink fresh blood, you must suck the blood of a freshly caught one…? Ah, no, this is, that’s it!”
The words she just heard made my heart flutter.
To the extent that I can feel that they are slowly changing.
She must have felt it too, so she covered her mouth and started to walk backwards.
“Oh no… I don’t like this…”
She hurriedly took her in her arms and gave her a pat on the back before she sat down to panic again.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, it can’t be helped. Delicious food is no different from freshly made delicious food.”
“No, no, how is this – how are you – “
To be honest, it’s hard for me too.
She was scary, and because she made me sick, I felt like I would let go of everything if I did something wrong.
There must be a limit to her forced smile and her caressing her.
It was even more so when I thought of the girl who seemed so strong, trembling like this in front of me, screaming like she was going to collapse at any moment.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure how much more responsibility I could take on.
But she’s the one I love, and she’s already made up her mind to take responsibility for her to just let go.
So she thought she couldn’t let her fall any further than this.
I also had to harden her heart.
To protect her.
“I’ll find a way. So you can live.”
“…Yes.”
Fortunately, I guess she understood her feelings. She hugged me tightly, kissed me, and covered her face with her robe and hood.
Black leather gloves covered her sharp nails, and her scarf covered her mouth.
“At this rate…”
Certainly, it didn’t look awkward, except for the fact that her eyes glowed a little red.
Of course, it’s best not to run into people, but…
“Okay. Shall we go then?”
Who would go hunting at night in the first place?
From noble mtl dot com
But I had to be careful.
It’s doomed if someone even looks at us.
No matter how lucky the two of you live in a deserted place, there are herbalists who climb the mountain from time to time.
“Okay, let’s go.”
I opened the door and greeted the quiet winter night.
It was time to enter the withered trees.
***
“Damn… I was stupid to believe that you could hunt at night in the first place.”
In a situation where I couldn’t even see an inch ahead, I was looking around with only a bow and arrow, and tried to check the extension land.
Wouldn’t it be nice to follow animal footprints in the snow?
But the pitch-dark night didn’t show me any of that.
Even if I was used to hunting, I couldn’t do anything if there was nothing to see.
“…Over there.”
But did the girl with the red eyes see something?
He pointed his finger at me between the trees.
“It’s a deer.”
But all I could see at her fingertips was darkness, so I couldn’t aim the bow easily.
“But Elena, it’s so dark I can’t see anything.”
“…Okay. I’ll try.”
Exhaling her white steam, I handed her my bow and arrow.
Then, without hesitation, she drew the bowstring so easily, and she sent an arrow into the darkness.
Pang –
Could it be that what she shot was an arrow from her bow?
Even though I didn’t blink, the arrow hit something that disappeared into the darkness in an instant.
“Queek-“
Then the scream of the beast was heard from far away, and soon silence enveloped the surroundings again.
“Okay, got it.”
“At once?”
“Through the head.”
I couldn’t help but admire her ability to hit the beast’s head in the dark.
But how?
He took her bow back, put it on her back, stepped on her gaze, and threw her question at her.
“How did you see it? Did you even hear it?”
“…Well, I can see through the darkness.”
“Can you see it?”
“It’s just… Like broad daylight, it looks bright. Clear.”
“Really…?”
There was something sad in her eyes as she nodded her head without saying a word, so she couldn’t say anything more and had to move her feet in silence.
“Here it is.”
With her horse, she stopped, and one of her deer, which had gone through both of her eyes, was lying there.
“Huh…!”
I spurted out a short stream of white steam at his clean workmanship, and then wrapped the rope tightly around his body.
“Okay, let’s take him home. Ah-“
That’s right, this time it wasn’t for the meat.
As much as the guy caught for her blood for her… Had to draw her blood on this spot.
“Can’t I just drink it?”
“I’ve got hair, so I’m going to drink blood through that tough hide?”
“…Ugh.”
I don’t like it just by imagining it. With a slight smile, I took the dagger out of my bosom and slashed the guy’s throat.
“Okay, blood… Comes out. Drink it.”
Dripping, he took her blood dripping from her and handed it to her in her wooden cup.
“…Can I have a drink?”
“Try it, if it doesn’t work…”
Before she could finish, she brought her cup to her mouth,
“Khehehek?! Kahak! Kyahahahaha!”
… Riotously, spattered her blood on the floor.
It doesn’t suit her at all, and maybe it tastes disgusting.
She was coughing and spitting,
“Oh, Woo-wook – “
I was barely holding on to my trembling legs while holding on to the tree while gagging.
“Helena, are you okay? Give me water?”
“…Just swallow, huh, or… You’ll be fine.”
In the end, she spit out red water on the floor while rinsing her mouth with water, and she had no choice but to carry her deer carcass with me and go home with tears in her eyes.
…There was no substitute for human blood.
She desperately needed my blood.
“In the end, I must live as a monster…”
The words she spat out while crying couldn’t make people feel so depressed.
