Chapter 38 - Beach Episode?
Currently, I was staying in a rented beach house near the border of the Dragon Empire.
Although this world was still called Earth, its geography was slightly different compared to the other Earth.
This island was on the extreme western near the Dragon Empire borders, while it still was in control of the European Union.
For some time, I now finally had somewhere peaceful to stay.
"Come out."
The moment I spoke, I felt a familiar tug from somewhere inside my body.
A stream of crimson blood flowed out through my right hand.
It hovered in the air before rapidly gathering together.
Within seconds, the blood reconstructed itself into the figure of Ysvéra.
She landed lightly on the floor.
"..."
For some reason, she looked slightly shy.
I chose not to ask.
I really hoped she hadn’t been exploring, weird places while hiding inside my body.
Apparently, after forming our True Bond, she’d developed the ability to dissolve into blood and reside within me.
It wasn’t possession.
Nor was it some form of parasitism.
She simply became part of my blood circulation while remaining fully conscious.
It was a very strange ability.
The journey here had taken us five days.
Most of that time had been spent aboard one of the Union’s long-distance high-speed trains.
The ride itself hadn’t been boring.
During those five days, I had become Ysvéra’s unofficial guide to modern civilization.
I taught her about many things.
And also, the greatest horror humanity had ever created.
The internet.
Well, not exactly the internet.
In this world, the global network was officially called GlobCom.
Unlike the internet, GlobCom was far more structured.
Content was divided into verified sectors, one of those sectors was HeroNet, operated by the North Federation.
Of course, teaching Ysvéra about modern technology also meant introducing her to social media.
In hindsight, that may have been a mistake.
Meanwhile, Ysvéra spent those five days teaching me the fundamentals of blood manipulation.
The theory made sense.
Unfortunately, actually using those techniques was another matter entirely.
At my current level, I couldn’t even perform the simplest technique.
Still, it was progress.
While I was organizing my thoughts, Ysvéra casually opened my backpack.
She took out a pair of shorts and an oversized T-shirt.
Then, she started changing right in front of me.
And again, the moment she came out of my body, she was practically naked with illusion clothes.
"..."
Though it was an eye candy, I wanted her to blend into human society a little fast.
"Didn’t I tell you to use another room when changing?" I couldn’t help raising my voice.
She blinked.
Halfway through pulling on her shirt, she pointed accusingly at her smartwatch.
"B-But I watched a video and the comments all said people have freedom, so why are you scolding me?"
She frowned.
"Is there a screw loose in your head?"
"..."
I covered my face with one hand.
The internet, no, GlobCom had corrupted her far faster than I had expected.
And I was also certain that she was almost doing this on purpose.
Because well, I could sense her emotions and intent.
Fortunately, the place I had rented was almost perfect.
The beach house stood alone on a private stretch of coastline.
According to the brochure, not only the house itself but also the attached beach and nearly a hundred meters of surrounding sea were protected by an invisible defensive barrier.
Naturally, I had verified the claim myself.
Using my senses, I carefully examined the area.
The barrier was real.
I also searched every room for hidden cameras or surveillance devices.
But there was nothing.
’I guess money really changes things.’
Renting a place like this hadn’t been cheap.
It would’ve cost even more if not for Ysvéra.
She had casually charmed the receptionist into believing I came with my family, somehow securing a sizable discount.
I still wasn’t entirely sure how she had managed that, using my body as a medium.
After changing, Ysvéra stretched lazily before looking toward the sea.
"Its been a while since I saw this scene,"
For someone who had spent a long time asleep, even something as ordinary as the waves fascinated her.
I smiled before picking up a towel and headed toward the shore.
"Let’s go swimming."
Today I will give myself a free day.
***
Splash!
I dove into the sea once again.
The cool seawater wrapped around my body, washing away the exhaustion that had accumulated over the past few days.
It was refreshing.
For the first time in what felt like forever...
I wasn’t thinking about anything.
I simply floated on the gentle waves.
Then I caught a slight movement in my peripheral vision.
I turned around and paused.
"..."
Ysvéra stood near the shoreline.
Perhaps I had grown so accustomed to seeing her every day that I had stopped noticing.
Or perhaps I had simply been too busy trying not to die.
Either way, looking at her properly now.
She really was unbelievably beautiful.
Not merely attractive, but otherworldly.
She wore a simple red two-piece swimsuit she had bought along with her various clothes.
There were no jewels, no extravagant decorations.
Just a clean, elegant design.
Yet somehow, it suited her perfectly.
The sea breeze gently stirred her light reddish hair which looked somewhat maroon-like while the morning sunlight reflected off the sea behind her.
She looked less like an ancient vampire and more like an international celebrity that had somehow made her way here.
Then she noticed me staring.
"..."
She narrowed her crimson eyes.
Her expression practically screamed: What are you looking at, you bastard?
I coughed awkwardly before raising a hand.
I gestured toward the water.
"There is no point coming to the beach if you are just going to sit under the umbrella!"
I honestly had no idea whether vampires even enjoyed swimming.
But Ysvéra smirked as though she had been waiting for me to invite her.
She walked walker near the sea with slow, graceful steps before stopping only a few meters away.
She folded her arms proudly.
"Hmph, aren’t I the noblest among nobles?"
I couldn’t help laughing.
"You’re right, you really do look gorgeous, Your Highness."
"..."
There was silence as Ysvéra blinked.
A faint blush quietly spread across her cheeks.
Then, she burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! This human is finally capable of appreciating proper aesthetics!"
She happily jumped in the sea before appearing near me and slapped my back several times.
Smack! Smack!
Each hit nearly sent me underwater.
"Could you show your happiness a little less violently?"
She merely laughed harder.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
We simply swam through the calm sea.
The rhythmic sound of waves.
The salty breeze.
The warmth of the rising sun.
It was strangely peaceful.
Every now and then, I glanced toward Ysvéra.
She looked genuinely happy and relaxed.
It was probably the first time she had been able to enjoy something like this in a long period of time.
But I also did not forget that she was the one, who on our first meet, decided to make me a Vampire.
But somehow, everything turned out well and the benefits she bought me were enough for me to forgive her ten times.
And spending some time with her, I also felt like she was not that much evil, or rather she pretended to be a fake evil, leaving one time when she had busted the head of Patricia’s younger brother.
She even didn’t question me when I rescued those humans which were held captive.
Then, something strange happened.
Through our bond, I felt a sudden surge of embarrassment.
Intense embarrassment.
’Huh?’
I looked over.
Ysvéra’s face had turned noticeably red.
She quickly looked away.
"..."
Before I could ask what was wrong.
A massive sphere of seawater suddenly rose into the air.
Using blood manipulation, no, using water mixed with microscopic traces of blood.
She had somehow gathered water into one enormous floating ball.
"Wait Ysvéra?!"
She smiled sweetly, or rather her smile looked sweet, due to her being beautiful.
SPLASH!!
The entire thing crashed straight into me.
I was sent tumbling backward beneath the waves.
Several seconds later, I resurfaced while coughing seawater.
"Are you crazy?!"
Ysvéra simply gave an elegant little snort.
"Serves you right."
"For what?!"
She didn’t answer.
Instead, she calmly walked back onto the beach.
Only my eyes and nose remained above the water as I watched her in complete confusion.
’Did I say something wrong? Was it because I complimented her late?’
No.
That couldn’t be it.
Maybe, was this some kind of vampire mood swing?
’Do vampire girls have periods? How is that possible with blood manipulation?’
Ysvéra’s shoulders trembled slightly before she sat down on the sand.
She immediately began building a sandcastle.
"..."
To my surprise, she was incredibly good at it.
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Her fingers moved with astonishing speed and precision.
Each handful of sand landed exactly where it needed to.
Within minutes, what had begun as a small pile of sand was already taking the shape of an elaborate castle worthy of a fantasy kingdom.
But I couldn’t see the finished structure from where I was.
I only saw her back and her hands tirelessly working.
She once again trembled for unknown reasons.
"..."
’She really is talented at the weirdest things.’
Still, watching the usually unusual vampire quietly building a sandcastle on the beach.
Somehow, it wasn’t a bad way to spend the morning.