Dark blood stained her silver-white hair that had been shining like platinum.
Her limbs, extending from the crimson dress, were translucent as fine porcelain.
Her pallid face bore an expression of pristine purity, yet her eyes blazed with a destructive fire.
Pointed ears adorned her head, and sharp white fangs peeked from between her pale rose-colored lips.
The opponent before me was unmistakably a vampire girl.
The moment I saw her, I was struck by her beauty.
A chill ran down my spine as my chest grew warm with an inexplicable heat.
I told myself it must be the vampire’s charm magic at work.
That was the more rational explanation.
Faced with this horrific scene, my heart raced wildly.
The world was blanketed in white snow, overlaid with a vision of crimson.
The interweaving of red and white created a scene of dangerous beauty, an otherworldly allure.
I almost deluded myself into thinking this might be the world of beauty I had been searching for.
If only for one detail—the fact that this was a gruesome murder scene…
The floor was completely covered in dark crimson blood. Moonlight streamed through the window, reflecting off the accumulated snow outside and casting a pale glow across the dimly lit room.
On the floor lay a headless corpse wearing a white long coat, face-up.
Behind it stood a slender girl. Her hair shimmered like snow, a brilliant silver. Wrapped in an elegant crimson dress, she stared directly at me. Her eyes gleamed a sharp red, their piercing gaze enough to freeze my spine. With her slightly pointed ears and exposed fangs, this girl was, without question, a vampire.
In her hands, she gripped a greatsword wholly unsuited to her delicate frame, fresh blood dripping from its blade.
Bright crimson stained her porcelain-white skin.
This room belonged to our companions, Rose and Rachel. Given that Rachel had been witnessed fleeing the scene, it was reasonable to assume the headless corpse belonged to Rose.
Rose had been a renowned warrior. To have severed her head with a single stroke—this opponent must possess extraordinary skill.
I lowered my stance and gripped my sword. In the art of iaijutsu, victory is decided in a single moment.
The vampire girl attempted to raise her greatsword once, then seemed to think better of it and cast it aside.
A wise decision. In a room this confined, such an oversized blade could only become a liability, potentially turning the tide of battle against its wielder.
She extended both hands before her, baring her claws. A growl escaped her throat as she revealed her fangs.
In this duel, hesitation meant death. I drew in a deep breath and released it slowly, ready to react at any moment.
I averted my gaze from her piercing eyes. I couldn’t risk falling prey to her charm magic.
A slender, graceful leg emerged from the slit in her crimson dress. As her moist breath created white mist in the cold room, that extended leg began to move.
As she stepped forward with force, I matched her breathing and took a step of my own.
The vampire princess’s foot came down upon the pooled blood. In the next instant, her leg slipped with a wet sound, sending her flying through the air. She lost her balance and fell backwards, landing ungracefully on her posterior.
When she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and opened them again to reveal those crimson pupils, it was already too late. My drawn Mithril Blade pressed against her throat. Where the edge barely touched her skin, a sizzling sound arose with wisps of smoke.
Fresh blood trickled down her pale neck.
“Don’t move. The slightest motion and this mithril blade will take your head. Even a vampire cannot resurrect from that.”
The vampire girl’s expression showed not so much fear as resignation. Her eyes held none of the majesty one would expect from one called an immortal monarch—they merely gazed vacantly at the ceiling.
I felt a pang of guilt looking into those eyes. Guilt for having marred such perfect skin with my own hands.
—At that moment, I didn’t realize that this stirring in my heart was the beginning of something far more uncertain, inexplicable, and inefficient than any charm magic could ever be.
