Old Vampire and a Holy Girl

The Vampire has Been a Bit Emotional Lately

“Um… Excuse me, is there a vampire here by any chance?” A timid voice echoed through the dark room.

The man awoke, wondering if it was already night. He had been waking up early lately and had developed a habit of sleeping in the evening. However, he felt like his active hours had shortened.

“Who’s there?” he asked calmly.

Though someone had barged into his castle, even his bedroom, the man was used to it. He was bored most of the time, so having someone to talk to was always welcome.

In any case, it was his dark and enclosed bedroom, and a regular human wouldn’t be able to see anything even an inch away.

“Oh, this is the room… You must be the uncle my sister was talking about, right?” a relieved voice that could not be easily distinguished as male or female sounded out.

It was probably a young boy—there was a faint sense of deepening in the voice.

“I don’t know who you are, but don’t stand outside with the door open. Come inside. As you grow older, a conversation partner becomes a precious thing. I welcome you—but depending on your attitude, the content of the ‘welcome’ will be different.”

“Oh, yes. Um, excuse me…” The boy timidly entered the room.

In the dark, the boy looked around nervously.

“Wow, this room really looks like something out of a vampire story!”

“I really am a vampire! Are you perhaps an acquaintance of the saint?”

“Um, well, y-yes. Anyway, I brought you a gift,” the boy said, taking something out of the bag he was carrying.

And then, from the bag he was carrying, he took something out.

“What’s this?”

“I heard that the favorite food of vampires, or commonly known as ‘vampires’, is blood and distilled liquor, I bought a drink called Ogre Killer from a nearby liquor store… I asked my mother to do it for me.”

“I see. So, what’s your business here?”

“My sister seems to have been taken care of by you, so I came to express my gratitude… and also to apologize.”

“And your sister is…”

“She is the ‘vampire mage descendant of dragons’ who came here accompanied by the saint.”

In fact, she came in the morning.

As one grows older, their memory weakens, but I certainly remember. The boy does indeed have bright blond hair.

With a neutral face and white skin, it reminds me of his sister in some ways—no, not really. If anything, this boy is more of a beautiful girl.

“So, you are also a vampire?” The man asked.

“Umm, well…”

“What’s wrong?”

“To be honest, my sister isn’t a vampire.”

“What did you say?”

“Yes, my sister is, how do I put it, someone who’s a bit too obsessed with her roleplaying, and she values her character very much…”

“Then, are you human? But…”

In this darkness, the boy was navigating the place he was supposed to have visited for the first time, avoiding obstacles.

It was hard to believe that a man could see so well in the dark with human eyes.

“I’m a vampire,” the boy said. Embarrassed, he blushed. “I’m a real vampire, unlike my sister, who’s just pretending. Let me prove it to you.”

With that, he closed his eyes and mouth, and his face became strained as if he was putting all his effort into something.

For a while, there was a strained voice saying, “Mmm…!” Then, with a light sound, wings grew on the boy’s back.

“Haa… haa… if I try my best… haa… haa… I can materialize it in the shape of wings… haa… haa…”

A beautiful young boy was panting beside an old man’s bed. It seemed like he was using a lot of physical and mental strength.

“Hmm… Those are indeed wings infused with magical power. However, if it’s too taxing for you to manifest them to the point of exhaustion, then you cannot be considered a healthy vampire.”

“Vampires like you, who are spoken of in legends, don’t exist anymore in this day and age.”

“Legends?”

“Yes, it’s like an oral tradition passed down among vampires about this ancient castle. It’s said that ‘the emperor of darkness resides’ here, and some even have faith in his deeds.”

“I see.”

He said it as if it didn’t matter. Inside, he was very curious and thrilled, but he had the dignity of an elder.

“It seems like the legend was true after all. I was convinced when you saw the magic flowing through my wings. We… My mother and I would be considered the new generation of vampires from your point of view.”

“The new generation…?”

“Yes. We’re slightly more resilient than humans, live a little longer, and possess a little more strength. With some effort, we can do a few things that are more ‘vampire-like,’ such as growing wings that are incapable of flight.”

“I see…”

“However, in return, we’re a little sensitive to sunlight, require a little bit of animal blood, and for some reason, we have a fear of water. But there’s no real harm, so we can blend in with human society.”

“…”

“My mother and I are a vampire mother and son, but my sister and father are different. My mother remarried and took me with her, and my sister is my father’s stepchild.”

The man thought that this wasn’t the kind of family situation you should disclose upon meeting someone for the first time. But the boy continued with a sorrowful expression.

“…My sister became like that because of me.”

“Like that?”

“I’ve always been weak against sunlight and water since I was little, and I was ridiculed for not being able to swim or for being introverted. Of course, that’s because I’m a vampire—nowadays, vampires are only known for their weaknesses. And, I couldn’t reveal my identity. I resented being born with this body and being a vampire myself.”

“Is it okay for me to hear this story? I think this is the kind of story that should only be told to people you’re closer to.”

“No, I want the true ancestor to hear it.”

“True ancestor…?”

“Ah, sorry… We, new vampires, call the old vampires, the ones who were strong back in the day—true ancestors.”

“Old vampires… Old…”

“May I continue?”

“Well, if you want to, go ahead.”

“Yes! My sister was the one who saved me when I was struggling with being a vampire and all the associated feelings.”

“Hmm.”

“She complimented my vampire-like features and thought they were cool, but I didn’t really appreciate it at the time, being a vampire myself. Nevertheless, she always encouraged and supported me whenever she could.”

“…”

“One day, I got fed up with my sister’s constant talk about vampires, and I started crying. Then, my sister said, ‘If you’re like a vampire, then I’ll become one too. Then, we’ll be vampire siblings!'”

“…”

“I was really happy. Since then, I’ve been able to have confidence in myself… Uh, um, True Ancestor, what happened?”

“Well…”

The man held back his tears. As people age, they become more susceptible to tears.

“She’s a great older sister, isn’t she?”

“Yes, but this morning I overheard that my sister came to this old castle… and even mentioned something about the true ancestor still existing.”

“Well, here I am, aren’t I?”

“Right. When I heard my sister laughing in a way I’ve never heard before and saying ‘Oh no, oh no, oh no! This is bad, uncle is so cool!’ I thought, ‘What do I do?! She must have been so disrespectful!'”

“…”

“I mean, you can’t pretend to be a vampire in front of a real one. But she’s always like that, so it’s not entirely out of character for her… But still…”

“Do you love your sister, or do you despise her?”

“My sister is my benefactor, and I love her very much.”

“I understand.”

“So, if we were disrespectful and offended you, I brought this gift to ask for your forgiveness and to save my sister.”

“I understand.”

“Please forgive my sister’s rudeness. I will do anything to calm your anger and save my sister.”

The boy knelt down, and the man smiled reassuringly.

“No need. It was actually quite enjoyable… It’s a shame it was fake, but it felt like my knowledge of the human world expanded with the emergence of such beings.”

“Then…”

“Look up. I’m not angry. In fact, I’m happy that I’ve learned about the existence of vampires like you.”

“Thank you…”

Perhaps relieved, the boy had tears in his eyes.

He must have come with great determination… Although there was some sharpness in his words and actions, he was truly a boy who cared for his sister.

“The girl would be happy to have a little brother like you.”

“If that’s the case, I’m glad. I’m… an incompetent vampire and haven’t been able to fulfill my sister’s wish, so I want to repay the courage my sister gave me by keeping the promise to fly in the sky with her someday.”

“Her wish?”

“It’s an old story, but… ‘Hey, I heard vampires can grow wings. Let’s fly together someday,’ my sister said.”

“…”

“So I worked hard, and finally, I was able to grow these weak wings recently. Once I can flap them and fly, I’ll fulfill the promise with my sister… Oh, what’s wrong, True Ancestor?!”

“Oh, nothing…” The man held back his tears.

The vampire seem to be getting sentimental these days.