Chapter 23 <Disconsolate Separation>

[You mean you know barely anything about magic, and you just decide to go ahead and confront them?] (Violet)

[Yes.] (Me)

[I'm not sure whether I should call you brave, desperate or plain stupid.] (Violet)

I really should have left her back then at the river like a seafood stick on a barbeque.

[And then? What's with the sudden declaration of your non-existent knowledge on magic?] (Violet)

[I consider that I should learn more in that area since it is useful knowledge, and I figure that since Princess Bereqor is…] (Me)

[Violet.] (Violet)

[…is capable in the aspects of magic, I would like to request for your guidance.] (Me)

No, stop it. Don't stare at me while pouting. Well since you're attractive it's definitely better than a certain someone in my room two years ago. But still, please stop.

[…Well, if you insist, I'll gladly accept. Since all I've done in my life is receive, I want to give to someone on my own accord. However, I have a condition.] (Violet)

[…Is it that I have to provide Princess Bereqor three meals a day?] (Me)

[I didn't mean that. Your blood tastes awful anyway.] (Violet)

I should be happy that I'm not in a position of a blood bank, but hearing that from you somehow pisses me off.

[Well it's simple! Call me Violet!] (Violet)

[…Please forget my insolent offer, I shall refrain from seeking Princess Bereqor's guidance.] (Me)

[Why!? Even when I use my Crimson eyes of Truth, you aren't telling lies! Just how much do you resent calling me by my name!?] (Violet)

I ignored the immature protests behind me as I continue to hold the reins to the horses.

Currently, we are travelling in a sizable carriage used for transport.

After dashing through the forest in a mad frenzy to escape Cheff and the band of arrived adventurers, I was suddenly assaulted by a sense of dizziness. My legs gave out under me, and I barely was able to rotate my body before hitting the ground in order not to fall on top of Princess Violet.

At that moment, I realised that I had pushed myself too far – stabbed in my left arm, stabbed at my kidney, burnt all over from head to toe – and together with a constant blood loss from all the intense activities, anaemia overtook my body once my adrenaline rush was over.

A normal human wouldn'y have lasted that long. The only reason I did was because of my abnormal bodily constitution, credits to the Orphanage.

And then, I blacked out.

When I woke up, I found myself bandaged in entirety whilst lying on a bed. As usual, the little fox is on top of me. And when sat up, I see Princess Violet looking at me from beneath her hood with Amy behind her. Together with them, a tall and lanky male gazed at me as though admonishing me.

I sat up in confusion and asked everyone then what happened. I excused Princess Violet's foreign language as a country dialect to the doctor, to which Amy silently agreed to. I wasn't lying: as far as I knew, I wasn't originated from Terdia.

To cut the story short, after I collapsed, Princess Violet drank my blood in disgust to regain whatever strength she could. She then proceeds to drag my luggage and I out of the forest.

Princess Violet only went straight in a single direction, and by a stroke of luck it was where she was the night before prior to her (attempted) assassination incident. She passed by what were once her followers – killed and subjected to the sun – and dragged me to the edge of town all while being under the shade.

By a stroke of luck, she met Amy who was waiting outside of town.

Amy, as expected, failed to convince the adventurers of the truth and felt guilt within her. For some reason, she believed that I will survive, and waited at the edge of town for the possibility of our appearance.

Thankfully, the two girls only cared about my wellbeing and did not fight. One probably because I'm the only one that understands her. The other, probably because of guilt. In this way, I was carried to her home and by a doctor invitation treated.

I recognised the doctor as one of the renowned doctors in Skairolmr. Using high class healing magic, he managed to restore my facial features and my hair, which were singed off from the fireball. However, since it was a taxing labour, he apologised for not being able to treat my body.

Amy somehow convinced him that she was at fault for my serious injuries. As members of an eatery, she thought I was great at the kitchen and asked me to fix a broken stove. The stove exploded with my inexperience, burning my entire body. Or at least, that was how her story went.

…Coincidentally, I did suffer from such burns from an explosion, just not from a kitchen stove.

I must admit, I feel that the doctor is either too easy to fool, or he just didn't want to probe into the affair. Though he doesn't seem to know about the wounds on my left arm and abdomen which were probably hidden from the burn. Well since they were cauterised, I don't really have any complains.

After that, I thanked the doctor, Amy and Princess Violet in succession and stroked the furball on top of my thigh. I also forcefully got out of bed to stop Amy from forking out the payment for my treatment. I had Princess Violet hold her back while I scramble for my earnings in my bag.

Though, I only realised after sending off the doctor, that Princess Violet was doing so in a chokehold and almost turned Amy's consciousness into thin air.

I was too tired to admonish her for not taking her strength as a different race into consideration, so I simply got Amy some water from her kitchen after seating her down.

After that, I realised that the sun has risen to the highest point of the day. Turns out, Amy left a note saying that she's unwell and requested a day off. She hopes Cheff is misled to think that she had too much to take in from the morning's incident so he'll let her off.

Unexpectedly, the adventurer's guild had yet to put up wanted posters of both Princess Violet and I. However, I believed that I should nevertheless be cautious. Ignoring my sense of guilt, I requested Amy to procure us a transport carriage.

Back then, Amy tried convincing me against leaving, but I told her of the circumstances and how Cheff as an adventurer would make it impossible. Silently accepting the facts, Amy left with tears in her eyes, which only accentuated the sense of guilt I was hiding.

While waiting for the carriage and horses to be prepared, I had Princess Violet drink my blood secretly since I didn't want her to attack anyone else and expose us later on. It was slightly painful, but she explained that she was too tired to do it painlessly.

I never knew that vampires can choose to give a service of painless blood donation.

When Amy came back, I took over and led the carriage to the edge of town while trying my best not to be discovered. I did not cross outside town in fear of guards chasing me; I only tied the horses to improvised stakes. I did not want to attract attention having a carriage outside of Amy's house.

I went back only to find Amy and Princess Violet silently looking at each other. It depicts a surreal scene that resembled cats measuring each other before brandishing their claws.

I broke the tension by pushing more money into Amy's hands for the carriage, and throwing the little fox at Princess Violet. I then notified them before leaving again to do some shopping. I made interaction with people minimum so that I could avoid suspicions.

Turns out, the townsfolk are not suspicious of me at all. At that time, I begin to wonder about the actions of Cheff and the adventurer's guild.

By the time the sun begins to set, I managed to finish my shopping list and modify the carriage. Just the carriage alone cost me a huge portion of my earnings from the past two years and slightly pained me, and then there was the treatment fee, as well as the shopping I did. With some effort, I managed to convince myself that it is a necessity.

If I am alone travelling it probably will only be extraneous, but since I have a princess beside me that literally fears the sunlight, the carriage will be a good shelter for her.

Also, if we are travelling, she can't enter places without being invited by the owner of the place. Right now she isn't in a position to flaunt her royalty to have people open their doors for her; in fact with the existence of her assassins it won't be wrong to say that there might be other assassins out there still after her life.

Since she's a member of royalty, having her sleep out in the open beside a fire is too much. So the carriage can also serve the second purpose of her shelter.

Though, I'd rather call it her improvised bedchamber since I have no knowledge of a transport carriage lined with cushions for the luxury of comfort.

I did modify the carriage interior slightly to fit both the princess' needs and the disguise as a transport carriage. I nailed boxes to the back so no one can remove them to inspect us from behind, left the middle with soft blankets and cushions, and placed some boxes in front. To finish off, I hung a few layers of curtains within.

I purposely bought cheaper boxes and packed them with cloth and apparel of different varieties. The reason is, firstly cheaper boxes means less burden on my earnings, and secondly, they have air gaps between them.

With that, I can reason with guards and inspectors that the curtains are necessary since dust might get on the products. Like that, the curtains within the carriage are justified. Also, I chose cloth and apparel because of their large range of utility. I left the carriage's defence against fire to Princess Violet.

Of course, not everything is perfect. There will definitely be mistakes somewhere that can be exploited by outsiders, but that cannot be helped since I was rushing to get all these preparation done. Before word gets out from the adventurer's guild about both of us, I plan to leave Terdia.

Again, I find myself looking at a prologue to a catfight when I returned, so this time I threw the little fox at Amy and asked Princess Violet to prepare for our departure. Amy gave me a tearful farewell after convincing herself that her parents still need her in Terdia, which I desperately kept a poker face to while holding my resurfacing guilt.

I didn't know the reason why, but I promised her that I'll return to visit once the storm is over. After a warm hug and a small gift I got earlier, I left with Princess Violet with clenched teeth.

I thought I had done so to lessen my sense of guilt, but there didn't seem to be an effect at all. I could be merciless like back then with Selena; I could also give in to Amy's sorrows and make a promise. In the end, I couldn't understand who I really am.

Maybe underneath the façade that I will change to be a normal person, I still remain as a soulless tool made for tasks from the orphanage.

What exactly is the reason to my existence?

I shook my head and drove the carriage towards the main gate. Since leaving without permission from guards will only raise unwanted suspicion, this is the only way of doing so. I almost stuttered when I was questioned why I choose to leave just before the night, but somehow I got by with the reason of my dislike to high temperatures during daytime.

…Now that I think about it, my thoughts probably got affected by the fireball.

The guard at the main gate of Terdia laughed at my meticulous preparation against dust due to my apparent problem of not being able to afford better boxes, but I was more worried about Princess Violet who was hugging the struggling little fox. She claims to do it out of concern for preventing the little fox showing itself and causing trouble.

She is still hugging it now, and the little fox looks like it has given up, so I don't plan to make any comments.

This brings us to now, where we are leaving Terdia on a carriage. Out of boredom, I have decided to start a conversation about magic, but upon reflection I should have asked Princess Violet of our destination.

[…Before I came to Ocean Swarm, I had a purpose for travelling around the human country.] (Violet)

[Is it related to domestic and political affairs?] (Me)

[Either way, as of now it will be unwise of me to visit the royal castle when it is likely that we will be recognised as criminals.] (Violet)

That's true, but the way you say it…

…What are you hiding by dodging a casual question?

Normally if you just tell me not to mind, I would just listen since I am not a noble or a member of royalty with sufficient authority to meddle with diplomatic relations. There isn't really a need to dodge the question so unnaturally. I clenched onto the reins hard as I focus on driving the carriage and not show my suspicions towards Princess Violet.

Now that I think about it, why did I even bring her with me?

...I'm hurting all over, so I shan't think about it for now.

[And I doubt returning to Darscendeleas is a good idea as well.] (Violet)

Well, you probably can feel the tension when assassins are after your life. The best option we have is to head towards a place where different races coexist, and blend in until the storm is over. Then we can decide afterwards what to do.

Since you're sounding indecisive, let me act like a retainer and propose a solution.

"How about we head to…" (Me)

"So, let's tour the human country instead!" (Violet)

…I beg your pardon?