Chapter 6 The Mysterious Girl

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Over the year my quest for blood has been null. I cannot find blood.

I see that they often bring meat to the house, but my father butchers the beast he hunts outside, and I am not allowed to walk on my own outside nor go sneak out to the corpse.

I have already reached three years of age by now, and I've been spending most of my time in my house. I've met Chris, Eric, and Erika a little bit over the week, usually once per week because my mother is not keen on me going outside all the time.

It has been roughly a year since I meet them, although our time together has been short, I've begun to understand a bit about who they are.

Chris seems to be growing into a stubborn and adventurous young boy. Eric seems like he's chicken-hearted and worried about the smallest of things, and Erika is gentle-hearted, almost to the level of a saint… Perhaps she'll change after puberty or something.

Of course, that alone can't really explain everything that a person has as traits, although they are kids, so it's not like they're so incredibly deep.

However, I've noticed something…

People look at Erika very strangely for some reason.

I don't know why, nor do the other two kids know why.

Some even talk about her in between whispers. I've heard some of the things they have said, but they're never explicit.

However, things such as "It is that girl…", "Why is she playing with kids?", "She's not really a human…" and so on was disturbing. What is Erika?

I cannot tell yet. My eyes are far from awakening and evolving into Eyes of Truth which allowed me to discern the story of a person by merely glancing at them.

I had not given up in my search for fresh blood, however. But I must step aside from my research for the moment as I simply decided to cultivate my Qi across my body and slowly exercise whenever nobody was looking. Even by using Qi, it was hard and arduous, and rather painful.

The enhancement of my senses is now possible, of course, it is the most basic enhancement. Within this ability, the most basic one is the expansion of the range of my senses.

But can I attack? And what about going to hunt? Maybe if I can get my hands on the corpse of a monster, I can get both blood and mana-infused materials. I could do something with that, perhaps.

As I was wondering this, my mother was cooking near me, I had been dragged down to the first floor today and I simply decided to sit down and wait for lunch while meditating and gathering Qi through my Pressure Points directly into the Core.

Thanks to my efforts, my Qi could be said to have gone from 30 to 40… but even then, that's very little.

Knock, knock.

However, someone knocked on the door today. My father was outside with the crops so it couldn't possibly be him, my grandma was in her room taking a nap, so who was it?

"Who could it be?" my mother wondered, opening the door only to be greeted by a small pink-haired girl.

"D-Does Blake live here…?" she asked timidly.

"Oh my, it is Erika, right? Yes! Blake is here dearie, come in. I-I am surprised you came by yourself…" sighed my mother.

"T-Thank you!"

Erika had come to visit me in my house for some strange reason. Aside from playing ball or wandering around the plaza with her and the other boys, I don't think there's anything about me that would give her that much attention. So why did she come here?

"Blake! How are you?" she asked with an adorable smile.

"I'm good. I was… meditating." I said.

"Meditating? Ah! Wanna go play? I was bored… Chris and Eric didn't come out when I went to their houses… They must be busy!" said Erika.

"Busy? What can kids be busy with?" I wondered.

"T-Their parents said they were… doing stuff." Said Erika.

Hm… They probably don't want them to meet with Erika anymore.

She's mysterious, something makes the townspeople see her differently and discriminate against her. Strangely enough, my family either does not know or simply doesn't care about that, which means it is not something as bad as people make it up to be.

I sighed as I looked at the girl. I might have conquered many worlds but I always tried to make those that served me happy. I disliked seeing those that were innocent and deserved to live a fulfilling life be miserable. I was perhaps quite a ruthless man, but not without a heart.

I pitied her, I felt bad for her, and I suppose if it is possible within my power, I will help her be a bit happier.

"Anyways, sure, let's play… What do you want to play?" I asked.

"Let's play the house!" she said.

"House? Why do you like to play that so much?" I sighed.

The house, a game that kids play, it is about them pretending to be adults… it is embarrassing to an extent.

"I do! It's fun! Look, I brought my teacups and teapot! Miss Mary, can we play on the table?" asked Erika.

"Oh my, so you're playing that? So cute… Sure thing dear! Oh! I got a small table here… use this one." Said my mother, bringing a small little table with small chairs to sit on.

The two of us sat down as Erika brought the cups over to the little table. She began humming a soothing song.

"Hehe, Blake, I'll be mama, and you're papa!" she said while giggling as she took out another little thing from her leather bag, it was a small doll made of wood, which was incredibly well detailed. She called her doll "Belle".

"Belle can be our baby!" she said.

"Sigh… Sure." I sighed.

I don't understand this game at all, playing ball seems more fun than this, but Erika really likes it.

"Erika do you want to be a mother in the future?" I wondered.

"Ah! Yes! I want to make a family!" she said.

"Why?" I wondered.

"Eh? B-Because… I will never be alone if I have a family!" she said.

"Oh…" I said.

So simplistic, yet there's such a pure hint of innocence in her thoughts…

"Don't you have a father? You're not alone." I said.

"Daddy is the best but… he's old… he doesn't play much…" she said.

"I see… Well, if you want to, you can come more often. I don't mind." I said.

"Ooh! R-Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, I am always bored anyways. And my mother doesn't let me go out, if you come in then she doesn't mind." I said.

"S-Sure! T-Thank you, Blake! Let's play Home all day!" she said.

"Ugh… I would prefer not to." I sighed.

"Here's your cup of tea, dear!" she said, as she gave me her wooden cup. There was no tea in it, she was just pretending. It was all a pretend game, a roleplay of sorts.

"Thanks… It is very tasty. You're very good at making tea." I said.

"Oh my… T-Thank you!" she said.

She's very innocent, although this is quite cringy. I am allowing her to do such embarrassing things to me because she's only a young child and I pity her.

"Here's your tea, Belle-chan! Make sure to drink it all to grow big and strong…" she said, her doll stood still.

After that, she took out small wooden plates and put mud on them in the shape of cakes.

"Here's cake!"

"Oh, looks very tasty. I am very lucky to have such a talented wife." I said.

"Heheh…"

Erika giggled cutely while blushing a bit.

We pretended to eat while talking whatever little thing came out, although my curiosity was eating me away, and I ended asking her more personal things, even if they were a bit rude.

"Erika do you got a mommy?" I asked.

"Mother…? Ah… Papa said that I had one!" she said.

"Is that so…?" I asked.

"Yeah… But he said she went away…" she said.

"I see… I am sorry for asking…. I hope she can be okay wherever she is." I said.

"Hm! I am sure she's happy." She said.

"You're a good-hearted girl, Erika…" I sighed.

"I-I am? Hehe… you're a nice kid too…!" she said.

"Eh?"

Erika then moved near me and hugged me.

"W-What is the meaning of this!?" I asked.

"Blake will you… stay with me? You won't reject me like everyone else?" she asked out of nowhere.

"Huh? I… Sure, it doesn't bother me to be with you, Erika." I said.

"T-Thanks… H-Here's your gift because we are playing pretending!" she said, as she suddenly gave me a faint little kiss on my cheek.

"Ah… That wasn't necessary…" I sighed. I still have a hard time dealing with kids.

"Hehe, you're all red now!" she said.

"It is your fault; little girls don't go around kissing little boys." I said.

"S-Sorry… But you deserved it because you're my husband now!" she said.

,m "Ah, right, we are still playing, but don't let it go that far. It is just a game… Anyways, can you serve me more cake?" I said.

"S-Sure!"

Erika happily put another ball of mud over the wooden plate, as we pretended to enjoy it, of course, we didn't eat it.

I wonder what's going on with the other kids… Eric and Chris were good friends of Erika, and she just said they rejected her? Why?

Tch…

I don't know why but I feel suddenly betrayed.

Are these kids not as good-hearted as I originally thought?

Well… they can easily let themselves be influenced by their own parents.

Perhaps they didn't want to be part of these rumors anymore and decided to cut their ties with Erika.

She's just a child, bunch of hypocrites…

She's just a kid… What has she done so wrong to deserve such treatment?

Ugh… Well, this is always like this.

Every planet I've visited… Every Galaxy… All around the Universe where there is intelligent life.

Discrimination, bullying, fear… all these things combined always emerge. People discriminating against children for things that perhaps their parents did, which they are at no direct fault at is common.

Many times, they are even punished for merely existing.

This is why I wanted to conquer the Universe, because I was going to make it all my Empire, all of it would change, all of this discrimination, all of these sick customs…

Perhaps I was fueled by my desires as I was myself an orphan child discriminated for my "accursed lineage" as a Vampire.

I know firsthand this pain very well.

"Erika, I will protect you." I said.

"Eh?" she suddenly dropped the wooden cup on the ground.

Maybe… I shouldn't have said that.

Despite being so old, I had my times when I acted recklessly. Even if it's only words, I had said something out of my mind without thinking it twice.

I suppose that even as an old fox, there's still a traumatized child within my mind that wants to help those that had suffered the same things he had suffered.

"Nothing… Never mind." I said.

"N-No… I heard it! Y-You will protect me?" she asked. Her shiny eyes suddenly began to glow with golden light.

"I… I will." I said.

"B-Blake… Y-You're such a charming prince sometimes!" she said while blushing and covering her face.

"Charming prince…? What are you even talking about?" I sighed.

I've heard she reads a lot of fairy tales, so she probably gets influenced by such things a lot.

"N-Nothing! N-Never mind…" she said while giggling cutely.

Suddenly, I sensed the creepy stare of Something at our left side.

We slowly looked at That.

It was my mother with a smile, as her eyes shone brightly in fascination.

"Fufu, so you're doing such things at such an age! My son is really a prince charming!" giggled my mother.

"M-Mother! Take that back!" I cried.

I shouldn't have said a single thing. I regret this.

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