Old Vampire and a Holy Girl

The Vampire is Still a Bit Lonely After All.

“Good morn—what’s going on, Uncle?!” the saint exclaimed.

The man noticed that the saint was taken aback, but he wouldn’t have been pleased otherwise.

The curtains in the room were already drawn, and inside there was a man, a maid-dressed girl, and a puppy. They were actually a vampire, a familiar, and a dragon. They weren’t just standing around; they were all lined up in a row, waiting for whoever might come in through the door.

That was enough to make anyone go, “What the heck?!” But to make things even more bizarre, the man was dressed in formal wear. He wore a shirt, tie, vest, suit, and shiny leather shoes. To his right, the familiar held a sword that was twice her height. And to top it off, the dragon had a pot on the right side and a ball on the left side, while gazing at the saint with sparkling eyes.

It was clear that they were in battle mode.

The vampire strolled over to the saint, who was paralyzed by the open doorway. “Good morning, Saint.”

“H-hello… Uncle, why are you dressed like that?”

“Please don’t talk like I’m always walking around naked. I started wearing proper clothes after my familiar scolded me.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. Why are you dressed so formally? Wait, don’t tell me…”

“I’m not going outside!”

“I see…”

“I thought you would bring a guest soon, so I’ve been waiting here for three hours to greet them.”

“Three hours, standing facing the door the whole time?!”

“I don’t think it’s very elegant to rush around preparing things when you arrive.”

He had been keeping a stoic expression for so long that his facial muscles looked exhausted. But the dragon was a pro; he hadn’t changed his cute expression for three hours straight.

“But uncle, you look really nice when you dress up properly! How about we talk outside today? There’s a trendy cafe that I often go to that I want to take you to—”

“I didn’t plan on taking you outside on a whim!”

“I didn’t mean it like that… But I’m just jealous of your granddaughter because her grandpa looks so cool!”

“…”

Why? The familiar isn’t my grandchild, and my current attire is a battle outfit designed to intimidate whoever the saint brings along… But it doesn’t feel bad to be praised.

The familiar suddenly approached and silently kicked the man’s shin.

The man cleared his throat. “Now then, we’re all set. Bring the vampire mage descendant of dragons in!'”

As soon as the man said that, the saint was pulled through the door. It happened so suddenly that everyone was startled.

A brief silence.

Then the saint returned, “Um, before that… you really are a vampire, right, uncle?”

“That’s right. Do you finally believe me?”

“I get it. Um, could you tell her that? Wait! Don’t worry, everything will be alright. Like I said before, we can all get along, let’s go in.” murmured the saint outside the door.

Then–

Click, clack.

A girl came into the room, making the sound of her heels.

Black.

The girl who entered was dressed in all black, despite her bright blonde hair.

Her attire was adorned with frills, ribbons, and flower-shaped corsages, giving her a frilly and fluttery mourning-style look.

With big eyes, she gazed up at the man and exclaimed, “It feels like it’s been a millennium!”

It was their first meeting.

The man was taken aback. He knew he hadn’t been living for a thousand years yet, so the possibility of having met and forgotten was out of the question.

But he was a vampire.

Having lived for centuries, he stopped counting time so precisely after around 500 years. Maybe this girl was unaware of that, or perhaps it was due to her story of being a descendant of dragons and counting from the first generation of descendants?

The man decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and continue the conversation.

“Well, my memory isn’t as sharp as yours, but it’s quite possible that we crossed paths hundreds of years ago.”

“Indeed, it does feel like it was centuries ago,” replied the girl, her head drooping with melancholy. However, she quickly perked up and continued with a mysterious smile.

“At any rate, this is a long-awaited reunion. We’ve met before, in a past life or perhaps in ancient history…” Said the girl.

“It could be. Or perhaps it’s a memory from our parents. As vampires, we’re able to see the memories of the person who turned us into a vampire. So, it’s possible that your parent and mine had met.”

“Oh? exactly! We can tap into the memories of our creators! Would it be okay if I take note of this setting?!” she asked eagerly.

“Uh, of course, but why do you ask?”

“Huh? Um… Well… I’ve lived for so long that my memory doesn’t last very long.”

“I see. That makes sense.”

At times, there was a moment when the man struggled to recall what he had eaten for dinner the previous night. However, he soon came to a startling realization—he hadn’t eaten anything at all.

“……..Aaah, this is amazing! What a wonderful paradise!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing! Hehe… Honestly, I wasn’t too thrilled about meeting someone who claims to be a vampire. But I’m glad I came, because I never expected to meet such a wonderful man in a place like this!”

“Even so, you spend your time outside. How is human society these days? I think it’s quite difficult for us to live amongst humans.”

“Yes. It’s tough. There’s really no one to talk to…”

“That’s true. After all, we’re like an endangered species now.”

“Well, there were more of us a while ago…”

“A while ago, huh…”

It was hundreds of years ago, so yes, it was “a while ago. Having been talking to the saint made the man feel like his sense of time was being corrected to the human standard—vampires don’t usually feel time like that.

“That being said, uncle, you’re so gentleman!”

“Are you older than me or around the same age?”

“Ah, that’s right! But, you don’t look like that old, so it’s okay to call you uncle?”

“It’s okay. You’re youthful, just like a teenage girl. I’m envious.”

“Well, because I am a teenage girl…”

“Are you?”

“No! It’s just that, well, it’s probably thanks to the blood of young girls. I take a bath in the blood of young girls every day without fail!”

“Um, the modern world is quite difficult for us… Is that okay to do such a thing?”

The man looked at the saint behind the girl. She must have heard the conversation, but she was still smiling.

I think that entertainment called “bathing in the young girls’ blood” is something that cannot be overlooked in society…

“It’s okay. I’m a powerful vampire, so it’s all good!”

“So the fact that you’re friends with the saint yet she can overlook it… I-I see.”

“Exactly! Even the saint can’t defy me. I’m in a position where I’m offered sacrifices in exchange for not destroying humanity!”

“You’ve established yourself quite well, and I have to admit that I admire you for it. Unlike fairies and other creatures, vampires didn’t get along with humans, and it led to our downfall. But you’ve managed to blend into human society and live comfortably.”

“How about this? If I intervene, it won’t be difficult for uncle to live in human society too. You could move closer to my home and we could have conversations like this once every two days or so, instead of living in this dull and isolated castle.”

“No, I’ll stay in this castle… As a fellow vampire, you should know that we become attached to our homes. It’s not uncommon for us to have trouble sleeping when we’re away from our familiar soil.”

“Hmm? Ah, of course I know!”

“It’s nice to have conversations with other vampires sometimes, even if it’s just a brief one. When I was younger, I used to be very aggressive and would immediately defeat anyone who disobeyed me. Even minor arguments could turn into fights to the death. But now I’ve come to appreciate the value of my fellow vampires.”

“I totally agree with you, uncle! I’ll do my best!”

“Yes. Let us, vampires, live a solitary life in this world together.”

“Yes! See you again, lovely uncle!”

“Until then. Miss—”

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa… What a sexy voice…!”

“Uh? What’s up?”

“O-oh, i-it’s nothing!!”

The girl ran away with a bright red face. The saint hurriedly said, “Oh, wait… Uh, see you later, uncle!” and followed her outside.

The man, dragon, and the familiar left behind stood in stunned silence for a moment.

Then the dragon spoke up. “Archenemy, might it be plausible, that the young lady in question has succumbed to your charms?”

The man shook his head. “That’s not possible. Vampire charm has little effect on vampires, and especially those superior to me. It’s unlikely that my charm would work on her.”

“Nevertheless, it is quite evident that the maiden was utterly smitten by you. It’s hard to imagine any reason other than the mystical charm that you exude. Even the imposing giant sword-wielding familiar and my own cute persona failed to capture her attention.”

“She was likely just thrilled to meet other of her kind after such a long time. I, too, was a bit excited. After all, one’s mental age is heavily influenced by physical age. It’s possible that she seemed fickle because she’s been maintaining a youthful appearance for so long.”

“To put it differently, that vampire mage who just came and claims to be of dragon lineage…”

“Yes, she’s likely genuine. If she were a fraud, our conversation wouldn’t have gone so smoothly. I’m glad we didn’t have to fight. If she outranks me, which seems likely, it could have a significant impact on the world.”

“Indeed, it is possible that human involvement would be inevitable.”

“Exactly. I just want to live quietly and peacefully here. If I can avoid unnecessary conflicts, I will.”

The man smiled faintly. He didn’t need friends, but he thought that conversations with a fellow being were still enjoyable.