WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 460: Parasite

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The Duchy had a sparse population for such a vast land. Humans served as livestock that provided blood. Vampires directly managed the Duchy's administration, commerce, and military service, so humans rarely had reason to leave their homes. Even when they did, they remained under vampire supervision.

If a human was wandering alone without a vampire? There were only two possibilities. They were trusted by a vampire, or they were a fugitive destined for the press.

"...Ah. You're returning from the Night Ebb?"

The girl milking a cow glanced at Hilde and me as we awkwardly approached. We offered equally awkward smiles. We had cleaned ourselves up as best we could, but after spending several days in the forest, we must have seemed grubbier than we looked.

I desperately tried to come up with an excuse.

"Y-yes. We went to the castle for the Night Ebb, then got swept up in the tidal wave and had an accident. So many people were hurt that there weren't enough beds, so they told those of us with minor injuries to make our own way home. Look, Count Erte even issued us temporary travel passes."

I brazenly showed her the forged passes, but sadly, documents held little authority for an innocent country girl.

"...Please wait. I'll bring you something to eat."

‘No matter how I look at them, they seem to be running away. I should go to the village and ask Biritear. Since she's a Yeiling, she'll know, right?’

The girl kept glancing at us as she hurried toward the village. She had even abandoned her work to run away. Hilde and I exchanged a look, then nodded.

"Didn't work, did it?"

"Look at her running away. She's practically racing off to report us to a vampire~."

"Let's run!"

We immediately turned and fled, taking the lunch and milk the girl had left behind.

I crammed a sandwich into my mouth and complained bitterly.

"This place is way too closed off! A traveler asks for a little help, and they think of reporting him for being suspicious? Even the military state wasn't this bad!"

"The fewer people living somewhere, the more closed off they are~. Anyone who deliberately comes to a place with no people usually has something shady going on~."

"Do we look that shady?"

"It's obvious we've been sleeping outdoors for days without washing properly~."

"What? We got caught because of you, Hilde."

"Hmm?"

A sharp impact struck the back of my head. Hilde had flicked a burst of qi from her finger. I nearly spat out half the sandwich I was eating, barely managing to steady my breathing.

"Y-you've gotten a little rougher lately..."

"If it had just been me, I could've joined that village and lived peacefully for three months or so. Who do you think is making me go through all this?"

"Well, it is because of me. But you had to leave the Duchy anyway. Can't you just think of it as dropping me off on the way? It shouldn't take that much effort."

"If that's what you think, let's say bye-bye here. Father can live here forever and ever."

"How am I supposed to survive this harsh world without you, Hilde? I still need you."

After I desperately tried to appease her, some of Hilde's displeasure faded. She hardened her expression as though she were still angry.

"We're getting close to the border, so this is the last time we can properly prepare. After today, we won't have time to catch our breath."

"I heard the south of the Duchy gets sunlight and has fertile land, so there are more humans there. Wouldn't it be easier to hide?"

"But that also means there are more Ains stationed there. Especially Margrave Xer, the Ironwall, near the military state border. They're a fierce general who has guarded the Duchy's border for over five hundred years. No matter how strong they are, though, they're still only an Ain, so escaping them wouldn't be impossible..."

Hilde sighed and continued.

"...If Tyrkanzyaka truly wants to catch you, Father, she'll have sent an Elder near the border."

"Probably."

Vampires were powerful. Even Hilde, one of the Six Generals, could not be certain of defeating even a mere Ain easily. Their weakness, though, was their small numbers. Each vampire could have at most thirteen bloodkin. Only three generations of vampires could properly wield power: Elders, Ains, and Yeilings. Because of that clear limit, vampires had no choice but to be pushed back in the end, even after winning local victories.

So there would be Elders guarding the border, rather than wasting their strength wandering pointlessly around the country.

"If they have Elders on their side, then something Father prepared has to appear on our side for things to be balanced~."

Hilde was subtly pressuring me to reveal whatever I had hidden away. But what could I do when I truly had no suitable move prepared? Feeling as though I had forgotten a present on an important day, I tried to brush it off.

"Haha. We're only guessing that Tyr is chasing me. She's already busy with the rebellion, so would she really have the spare attention to pursue someone like me? She might've given up already."

"Is that so~? We'll find out when the time comes~."

‘Could he have prepared something to keep the Elders from coming? It won't be easy as long as the Duke of Crimson Blood is here~. We'll find out when the time comes, right?’

She probably still wouldn't know by then. There really was nothing....

Unaware of my desperate thoughts and anxious gaze, Hilde stretched lazily.

"Ahh. Looks like we'll be sleeping outdoors again today. Camping out isn't so bad, but I want to wash at least once~."

"Instead of camping out, let's mooch off someone for the night."

"Mooch off someone for the night?"

I had no hidden move, but I should at least look after Hilde when she was working so hard for me.

* * *

"Matilda. Did you find them?"

"No, Village Chief Biritear. When I went back, nobody was there anymore."

"Tsk, tsk. They must have been fugitives. That's why I told you not to show your suspicions so carelessly."

"Why? My guess was right. Aren't fugitives supposed to be kept out of the village?"

Biritear, the Yeiling of the Blood Leech bloodline and wise leader of Black Valley village, clicked her tongue as she looked at the young girl.

"When that happens, the best thing to do is welcome them warmly and treat them well first."

"Why? If they're fugitives, we shouldn't let them into the village."

"Now, calm your excitement and fear, then think carefully."

In other lands, vampires might be dreaded and despised like mosquitoes or bedbugs. In the Duchy, though, vampires were dependable elders, guardians who watched over people, and teachers who shared their wisdom. Biritear, wiser and older than anyone else, calmly explained it to the girl.

"Let's say they really were travelers, as they claimed. Then the proper thing would have been to care for them briefly before sending them on their way. We would have shown them kindness, and they would have repaid us."

"But they looked like beggars! I could smell their stink from ten steps away!"

"I cannot smell that odor, so I wouldn't know about it. But those who work during the Night Ebb are paid. If they truly worked there, they would have had enough money. If they found it difficult to give us something, I could have collected a blood tax from them."

Village Chief Biritear also collected blood taxes from nearby villages. The system was not particularly organized, but in the close-knit countryside, such methods were more effective. Vampires, who had neither emotions nor children, rendered fairer judgments than anyone. There was no corruption or cronyism of the sort that naturally arose in closed communities.

"But they were fugitives."

"Then you should have guided them to the village all the more. We could have watched them and talked them around, or fed them until they let down their guard before capturing them."

It sounded like a gentle judgment for a cold-blooded vampire, but vampires caring well for humans came from the same principle. Humans needed to be well fed and live well to provide better blood for longer. Biritear preached this coldly calculated kindness.

The girl, who had not yet learned such gentleness, asked again as though she did not understand.

"They're the dregs of humanity, fugitives. What if we let them into the village and they steal something or hurt someone?"

"Oh? Were you acting with the village in mind?"

"Yes!"

It was a childish lie, but Biritear had no way of knowing. Whether it was a lie or the truth did not matter much anyway.

Even if vampire kindness came from cold calculation, the Yeiling of the Blood Leech bloodline, who had led the village's peace and prosperity for nearly two hundred years, truly had the people's respect. Everyone relied on her, and she repaid them all.

"Then you should have brought them to me all the more, Matilda. If they were truly such terrible people... they might have harmed you the moment you showed any sign of suspicion."

Put coldly, Biritear's advice was the best choice after considering every condition and possibility. Still, it was warm advice for the girl and everyone else.

"M-me...?"

"Yes. Now that you understand, do not wander around alone from now on. They were only timid fugitives, but what if they had been murderers or starving beasts?"

"I-I never thought of that..."

It was no coincidence that old fairy tales frightened children. They were wisdom devised by adults to warn reckless children. The more fearful they were, the longer they lived, and the longer they provided blood.

After seriously scolding the girl while giving her a little scare, Village Chief Biritear leisurely put her pipe back in her mouth.

As the Yeiling puffed out acrid smoke, the girl thought,

‘If she kept her mouth shut, she'd look just like one of my friends...’

The girl looked at the village chief, who appeared to be about the same age as her. Their outward ages were similar, so she often felt a sense of familiarity with her. Yet whenever she saw that expression of someone who had lived through the whole world, she realized anew how different vampires were from herself.

"Why do you think they ran away? That's stupid. They should know that running away carelessly makes them criminals."

Biritear answered around her pipe.

"Not every vampire is like our bloodline. Elder Bakuta is a very easygoing person, and thanks to the power of gluttony he possesses, he can quench his thirst with animal blood. So he demands less of your blood... I do not mean to speak ill of other bloodlines, but quite a few waste blood on things they cannot even consume."

After giving that standard answer, Biritear suddenly remembered something and muttered.

"...You said there was a man and a woman together? Tsk. Perhaps it was that sort of thing."

"That sort of thing?"

"There is such a thing. For some reason, couples who have or will have children strangely try to leave this country. The reason... even at my age, I do not know."

Fwooo. Smoke mixed with a sigh drifted through the air. Perhaps she was not used to tobacco yet, because the girl's coughing could be heard....

"That's what she says, Father."

"I don't know. Just focus on gathering food."

Beneath the feet of the vampire smoking mana herb from her pipe lay a dark, cool cellar.

Hilde and I had hidden inside with earth magic, pilfering all sorts of supplies.

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