THE SERVANT’S STRUGGLE

I am a servant of the Keren family. I live to serve my master, my mistress, and their young daughter. So it was unthinkable for me to be defeated by thieves or to put the mistress and her child in danger. A most unacceptable blunder. Yet instead of reprimanding me, my master was concerned for my safety. I am blessed to serve such a wonderful man.

Which is exactly why he is worth putting my life on the line for.

"Merazophis. How fares the evacuation of the townspeople?"

"Unfortunately, it does not seem to be going well."

"I see." My master's face is full of anguish.

The Ohts soldiers have invaded his beloved town. They must be a detachment that separated from the main troops to attack the town directly.

Ohts has carried out a foul strategy to target the innocent townspeople, without even blinking an eye. My master likely intends to stay until the very end. He has a strong sense of duty. To him, it would be inexcusable to flee while any of his people still remain. Because he is staying, his wife intends to stay, too. She wants to be close by his side until the very last moment. They truly are a perfect pair.

That is why I have bottled away my own paltry love for my mistress. It would be an honor to die in their service.

"Merazophis. Please take care of my daughter…of Sophia."

My master's words put a stop to my resignation. He wants me to flee and take the young miss with me.

"Master, I cannot—"

"Merazophis. You are the person I trust most of all. I want to place her life in your hands." "I feel the same way. Please."

My master and mistress are making a request of me. Not an order. A request.

"Very well. I shall protect her no matter what."

I wonder what kind of face I'm making right now? No doubt it is becoming unfit to be seen by their eyes. I use my sleeve to wipe away the tears that blur my vision. Then I accept the young miss from my mistress's arms. At that moment, someone bursts in through the window.

"Go!"

My master pushes my back, forcing me out of the room.

I run through the corridor and reach the entrance hall. But there are more intruders there, bows at the ready as if they were lying in wait. I quickly turn back to head for the rear entrance, but then a terrible pain strikes my back. I grit my teeth and try to start running, but as soon as I take the first step, an arrow pierces my leg. I tumble forward to the ground. Trying to protect the infant in my arms, I land in a poor position. As my arm hits the ground, it emits a dull, dreadful sound.

Pain so severe that it threatens to render me unconscious assails me. Most likely, my arm has broken. But the intruders afford me no time to recover.

Pushing my back against the wall, I somehow manage to stand. Something that was already stabbed into my back, likely an arrow, gets pushed in even deeper as a result. I hold the young miss tightly with my broken arm and use my free hand to pull the sword out of my belt, preparing to face the enemy. There are four of them in total. All of them wear hoods that conceal their faces. Outside the wide-open doors to the entrance hall, I see the mansion's guards lying on the ground.

It seems I should not expect reinforcements. As it stands, I am already a dead man walking. I doubt anyone would say I stand a chance. Still, I have no choice. As if in mockery of my determination, the intruders draw their bowstrings. With my back against the wall, I cannot move a single step. If they would only come within the range of my blade, I would at least be able to put up a fight, even if in vain.

Can I not be allowed even that much?!

My own powerlessness nearly puts me on the verge of tears. In that instant, I feel a prickling pain in my neck. Looking down, I see that the young miss is biting me. Not only that, but her teeth have pierced my skin, and she is drinking my blood as it flows from the wound. I barely have time to question what's happening before my body undergoes a dramatic transformation. Somehow, it grows warmer in direct proportion to the blood I'm losing. Strength wells up within me, and the pain of my wounds starts to fade. It's as if for all the blood seeping out, something else is flowing into me.

A feeling of empowerment engulfs my entire body. I feel as though I'm becoming a different person, no longer myself. Under normal circumstances that would be horrifying, but my mind is too intoxicated with a sort of sweet numbness.

Without knowing why, I feel as though I can win now. I move my legs, even the one that was rendered immobile by an arrow. Nonetheless, I take a step forward and immediately find myself in front of one of my opponents. Then I thrust my sword directly into his startled face. For some reason, the resultant blood that splatters across my face is terribly appealing.

Its smell tickles my nose like the fragrance of a fine wine. Something strange is happening to me. But I do not question it too deeply. Whatever has occurred, it has granted me the power to protect my young mistress.

Why should I not use that power to the fullest? As the intruders draw back in surprise at my sudden change, my sword lashes out at them without mercy. But just as I'm about to finish off the last one, a powerful impact strikes my back. It's as if it's shaking my whole body into pieces. Unable to bear it completely, I fall forward. The young mistress is thrown from my arms, tumbling to the floor.

"A vampire? It is fresh, so its stats are still low, but it could be troublesome if it reaches adulthood."

I force my head to move, looking at the man who struck me from behind. Unlike the others, his face is unhidden by a hood.

He seems to be a young man. But there's no way to judge his real age from his appearance. Because his fully visible ears are long and pointed.

The characteristic feature of the long-lived elves. Why are the elves working with Ohts?

But more than that, what worries me most is the direction the man is approaching from. He's coming from the direction of the room where I last saw my master and mistress. Did something happen to them? The worst possible scenarios cross my mind.

"That baby is the progenitor, then."

"What shall we do?"

"Kill it." The surviving hooded figure speaks with the elf. I cannot allow them to put their words into action. "Are you certain, my lord?"

"Just tell Oka it got caught up in the battle and we couldn't reach it in time. If we allow a vampire to live, it will cause nothing but trouble in the future."

"Very well." The hooded person approaches my young mistress. I leap to my feet at once and block the hands reaching for the child. "I will not allow you to lay a hand on the young miss."

The hooded figure falters. The elf man, however, simply stares at me with cold, narrowed eyes.

"Submit, and we will grant you a painless death. Why go so far to protect the child? That is a vampire. It will only bring misfortune into the world."

A vampire? The bloodsucking creature from fairy tales? Does this mean the young miss is a vampire? I suppose that would explain my sudden transformation. But that does not change anything.

"That matters not. I have promised to protect her with my life. She was entrusted to me." Carrying out my master and mistress's wishes. That is my sole duty. Whether the young miss is a vampire or not makes no difference.

"How foolish."

The elf gathers magic power in his hands. Until suddenly, he's attacked by a white nightmare.