Chapter 46
“Woof! Woof woof woof!”
“No. You’ve already eaten plenty.”
I spoke firmly to the small puppy barking at me, but it still looked unsatisfied.
“Woof!”
It was as if it were protesting—‘I’m still hungry.’
And seeing that look, I eventually sighed and tossed it a few more pieces of chicken.
“Alright, alright. Here, eat up.”
“Woof!”
“…You’re not asking for more, are you?”
“Woof woof woof!”
Yeah, it definitely wanted more.
Normally, I would’ve refused such a request without hesitation, but…
“Haa, fine. I’ll debone it for you, so wait a bit.”
I decided to make an exception today.
Honestly, I couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty toward Siri.
‘She’s been starving since last night… So she’s basically gone nearly twenty-four hours without food.’
From the start of the monster escape incident yesterday evening until tonight.
At her age, going a whole day without eating—it was only natural she’d be starving.
“Woof!”
“Hm? Ah, hey hey. Stay still.”
“Uu…”
After climbing onto my lap, Siri looked up at me with eyes full of complaint.
I’d been noticing it more lately, but this Hellhound cub was surprisingly expressive for a monster.
“Ah, I said I’m sorry. Honestly, I didn’t expect I wouldn’t be able to come back at all last night.”
It wasn’t a lie.
If things had gone as planned, I would’ve returned to the dorm late at night without any serious injuries.
‘The plan was perfect—capture all the monsters, have Lisa drink animal blood in the Disciplinary Committee room, and prevent her rampage…’
But everything had completely fallen apart at the end.
If that damn Lycanthrope hadn’t shown up in the gym I was guarding, none of this would’ve happened.
‘By the way, where did Lisa go?’
Ever since she’d left the infirmary a few hours ago I hadn’t seen her anywhere in the Academy.
‘Normally, she’d be patrolling the grounds around this time.’
Lisa was a very methodical and disciplined person.
For her to skip her scheduled patrol meant only one thing…
‘She probably went home.’
It was a scene I’d briefly seen in the game too.
After suppressing her rampage with animal blood, Lisa began to worry about what to do with her power.
Then, following Jason’s advice, she went to visit her mother—Kafka, the head of the Balmuth Family.
‘But the difference this time is… she drank human blood.’
In the game, Lisa hadn’t drunk human blood during the monster escape episode.
However, last night, she’d gone right up to the brink of rampaging and ended up drinking my blood.
Because of that, whether she liked it or not, Lisa was now tied to me.
Most likely, she’d gone to Kafka not about controlling her Blood Energy, but to ask for advice about the thirst caused by my blood.
“…As long as it doesn’t end in a livestock ending, I’ll be fine.”
Honestly, being half-confined in the Balmuth estate and living as their blood source might be comfortable…
But it wasn’t the kind of ending I wanted here.
Whatever happened, my ultimate goal was to return to my original world.
Only after fulfilling the conditions to return would I start thinking about the rest of my life.
‘Well, that’s for later… I wonder what Lisa’s talking about with Kafka right now?’
It wasn’t something I’d ever seen firsthand, so I couldn’t predict it easily.
Hopefully, it wasn’t about how they planned to raise me like livestock.
“Let’s hold the engagement ceremony this summer vacation!”
“Mother, have you not been listening to me this whole time?”
Lisa sighed, exasperated.
“Gideon and I were never in that kind of relationship.”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’ve bitten a man. And there’s no way I’m missing such an opportunity.”
Kafka’s gaze was firm and unwavering.
“I was worried you’d live your whole life unmarried and alone, but how could I let this chance slip by? Next time, bring that boy here. No, actually, go back to the Academy and bring him now—”
“Please calm down first. And Mother, like I said before, I’m suffering badly from this thirst. Is there any way to fix it?”
“Ah, right. Sorry, my dear. Truly sorry. Hey, someone outside! Go get—uhm, Abbott! Bring me a cup of Abbott’s blood!”
A few minutes later, a servant of the Balmuth family approached Lisa, holding a cup.
Inside was red blood.
“Go on, drink.”
“…Yes.”
Lisa hesitated for a moment.
It felt strange—drinking human blood as casually as one might drink tea.
But her instincts screamed for her to drink it now, and she eventually downed the cup in one go.
“How is it?”
“The thirst… is gone.”
“That’ll keep the thirst away for about a week. Of course, the more you use your Blood Energy, the sooner it’ll come back.”
“Before I came here, Jason gave me some animal blood, but with that…”
“Animal blood only lasts a day at most. To live normally, human blood is essential.”
“I see. By the way, Abbott… she’s my uncle’s wife, right?”
“That’s right. You remember well.”
Kafka chuckled softly, reminiscing.
“Your uncle and Abbott met eyes at the Academy and ended up getting married. Maybe you’ll do the same with Gideon—”
“…I’m not going to marry Gideon.”
“Hmm, why not? Can I ask why?”
“I don’t want to hold back Gideon’s future. Like I said, he’s an incredibly talented swordsman.”
“True. I heard he held off the Alpha Lycanthrope at the enclosure all by himself until you arrived last night. That’s impressive for someone his age.”
Kafka nodded in approval.
She had originally wanted her daughter to get engaged as soon as possible, to anyone decent.
But seeing Lisa’s resolute expression, she quickly backed down.
“I know how stubborn you can be, so I’ll leave it to you. But let me ask one thing—
You really have no feelings for that boy, Gideon? I heard you personally chose him for the Disciplinary Committee. After spending so much time together, didn’t you ever feel anything for such a handsome young man?”
“Gideon is… a good person. He’s sincere, honest, gifted in swordsmanship, and always works hard for others. There’s really nothing bad I can say about him.”
“Hoho, judging from how highly you speak of him, you must have some feelings for that boy.”
“…But precisely because he’s that kind of junior, I don’t want to hold him back. I only want to help Gideon reach his full potential, so I’d rather keep a proper distance.”
“Hu-hut, kukuku.”
Kafka couldn’t help but laugh.
Her daughter speaking so earnestly with a straight face was simply too adorable.
“I thought you were completely dry in that regard, but I guess not. That’s a relief.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, nothing much. Anyway, Lisa, let me give you one more piece of advice. If you ever fall for someone, just go ahead and confess. No one would dare refuse the next head of the Balmuth Family.”
“As I said before, I don’t want to use my status to pressure someone. And if I did, that wouldn’t be genuine love.”
“Hmm? But it works though.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly how you got yours.”
“Hm? Father?”
Inside the Balmuth Family’s mansion library.
Until then, only Lisa and Kafka were present—until a middle-aged man entered.
“Kale? Weren’t you asleep?”
“The head butler woke me up. He said Lisa had come home, so I came right away.”
Kale—Kafka’s husband—smiled warmly as he approached Lisa.
“It’s been a while, Lisa. How have you been? You didn’t come home during winter break and stayed at the Academy.”
“There were a lot of things to settle with the Disciplinary Committee. I’ll make sure to come home during the next breaks.”
“You don’t have to if it’s inconvenient. Do as you wish. Still, it’s nice to see you after so long.”
“Yes, it’s nice to see you too.”
Lisa smiled at Kale, and he smiled back at his daughter.
Watching them with a sulky look, Kafka suddenly grabbed Kale’s wrist.
“Hey, Kale. Isn’t it a bit much to not even look at your wife?”
“We see each other every day. It’s only right I focus on Lisa since it’s been a while.”
“Ugh, but I want some attention too.”
With that, Kafka pulled Kale toward her.
Kale let himself be pulled without resistance.
“Stay by my side. Don’t keep avoiding me.”
“When did I ever avoid you, Noona?”
“I don’t know. Just because.”
Kafka sat Kale on her lap and brought her lips close to his neck.
“Is it alright if I drink?”
“You drank yesterday too. And Lisa’s right here…”
“Lisa drank blood the day before yesterday too, didn’t she? So it’s fine.”
“Ah, right. Lisa, I heard you drank a male student’s blood for the first time yesterday? Who was it? Tell your father—urk.”
“Mmm, mmph. Haaa… Let’s talk about that later over dinner.”
Kafka bit into Kale’s neck and began to drink the blood that flowed out.
Kale sighed but, accustomed to it, offered his blood without complaint.
“Lisa, you said you’re leaving tomorrow morning, right?”
“Yes, Father. I already filed an overnight stay request.”
“Good. Then go rest in your room for a bit and we’ll… urk. Ah, Noona, mind the fangs.”
“Sorry, sorry. I’ll be careful.”
After taking another sip of Kale’s blood, Kafka looked back at Lisa.
“Lisa, before you return tomorrow, take a few bottles of blood from the storage. About ten should be enough to get you through the semester.”
“With those, will I no longer feel the thirst?”
“You won’t suffer from unbearable thirst, but… your daily life will still be affected.”
Kafka looked at her daughter with a meaningful smile.
“In the end, you’ll seek out that boy’s blood—Gideon’s. The longer you go without drinking his blood, the stronger the craving will become.”
“Can’t I just live on other people’s blood for the rest of my life?”
“Try it for a few days. You’ll understand soon enough. No one from the Balmuth Family ever forgets the first person’s blood they taste. That’s why I always told you to choose the first human blood you drink carefully.”
“That… as you already know from last night, it really couldn’t be helped.”
“Right. It truly was unavoidable. Gideon made the right choice.”
Kafka nodded.
She had heard every detail of last night’s incident from Lisa, and she had come to think highly of Gideon for it.
He had made the right call under dangerous circumstances and prevented a rampage.
“In any case, I guarantee it—give it a few days, and you’ll find yourself biting Gideon’s neck before you even realize it. No, forget a few days, you might do it the moment you see him tomorrow. At first, it happens without realizing.”
“T-That won’t happen. I won’t let Gideon get dragged down because of me.”
“Alright, do as you wish.”
Kafka nodded with a look of understanding.
Kale’s eyes showed a similar understanding.
“You remind me of how Noona used to be. She was just like that at first.”
“Yeah. Brings back a lot of memories.”
The couple smiled fondly at their strong-willed daughter.
The next morning.
Lisa left the Balmuth mansion early and arrived at Lysquare Academy at dawn.
Carrying a bag full of bottles of blood, she planned to stop by her dorm room first.
But on her way there, a familiar face caught her eye in the distance.
“Huh? Lady Lisa?”
“…Gideon?”
By coincidence, she ran into Gideon, who was up early as usual.
Gideon approached her and began saying something.
But none of his words reached Lisa’s ears.
Because her attention was completely elsewhere.
‘…Thirsty.’
Without realizing it, Lisa was staring intently at Gideon’s neck.
She knew full well she shouldn’t—but the instant she saw him, an overwhelming thirst surged through her.
“…sa? Lady Lisa?”
“Huh?”
“Lady Lisa, are you alri—urk? Ow ow!”
At Gideon’s startled voice, Lisa came back to her senses.
And she found herself biting into Gideon’s neck without realizing it.