Chapter 72: A little girl of few words.
"You didn't answer my question, old man," Victor spoke again.
"This is a dagger of crystallized blood..." He sighed at the end, and it looked like he's given up on something.
"What is it for?"
"To eat."
"Eh?"
"...From your expression of shock at knowing this is something common, I can tell you're a newborn."
"Although..." The man looked at Yuki.
"If you are accompanied by a Snow Clan Maid, then you are someone important..."
Victor flashed a small smile, "You're pretty honest, huh?"
"Living a long time simply makes you become a simple man."
"Hahaha, I believe so."
"What is this store anyway?" He saw several red-colored weapons, and he even had a huge, completely red ax.
Initially, he entered the shop thinking it was a gun shop, but it looks like he was mistaken.
"This is a custom candy store."
"Candy?"
"Yes."
'Isn't that just crystallized blood?' Victor was curious.
He decided to buy to try, "How much is the dagger?"
"It's $300, and we accept debit, credit, and even checks. If you want to use illegal money, we can give you a trustworthy bank account."
"...Dollar?" Victor was genuinely confused. He thought vampires used a kind of currency of their own. He was even a little shocked at the price, but he thinks making daggers with crystallized blood shouldn't be easy.
And Yuki didn't say anything, so he wasn't being fooled... Although it was kind of questionable whether he should trust Yuki in this kind of situation, after all, a rich person's sense of money is quite skewed.
"In the past, we tried to use our own currency, but the economy failed in less than 500 years so, because of that, we used human currency," Yuki explained.
"Oh," Victor was looking at Yuki like she was a walking encyclopedia.
"Master, haven't you studied the basics of our society?"
"Yes, I studied. But what they taught me were just stories about this world, etc. They didn't teach me common sense."
Victor didn't lie. Six months ago, Pepper, Ruby, and Lacus taught Victor the basics of vampire history, but they didn't teach common sense.
And when Victor started training with Scathach, he didn't even think about learning; he just concentrated on getting stronger.
Sigh...
Yuki sighed and asked herself what those women were thinking.
"I will pay in debit." Victor took out a black card that Scathach gave him.
"Okay... But before proceeding with the purchase..." The man looked at the window. "Is that child with you?"
"Huh?" Victor looked where he was looking and saw a child who looked to be about five years old wearing a black goth dress, she had long black hair and violet eyes.
Realizing that Victor noticed her presence, the little girl walks elegantly towards the door and enters the establishment, she walks towards Victor, just when she gets close to Victor, she takes his hand:
"Father"
"..." Victor was speechless.
"W-Wh..." Yuki didn't know how to react.
Victor looked at the young-looking man. "Old man, is this your daughter?"
"My kids aren't that cute." The man denied it.
"..." Victor looked at the little girl again and, seeing her appearance, he had to agree that she looked adorable, even by vampire standards.
"Didn't she just call you dad?"
"Old man, don't talk nonsense. I still haven't tasted the forbidden pleasure."
"Cherry boy, huh?"
"Unexpected, I thought you would be a Playboy."
"What makes you think that?" Victor was speechless.
"Instinct? I felt threatened when you walked into my shop; I thought you were going to steal my wife or something."
"..." Victor.
"..." The old man.
"...P-Playboy." Yuki thought of Victor's wives and his relationship with Scathach, and internally, she couldn't help but agree with the old man's words.
"Father?" The little girl squeezed Victor's hand tighter.
Victor looked at the little girl, and then he knelt down and looked at the little girl in her eyes:
"What's your name?"
"Ophis"
"Ophis?" he questioned.
"Mm," She nodded her head in agreement.
"Why are you calling me father, Ophis?" Victor is absolutely sure he hadn't made such a beautiful daughter.
"Because you are my father...?" She spoke with a cute face.
"..." The old man.
"..." Victor.
"Make sense..."
It makes no sense! The old man wanted to scream at Victor.
"What's your father's name?" He asked.
"Father." She answered.
"..."
"... what's your mother's name?" he asked again.
"I do not know..."
"..." Victor didn't know how to react to the little girl's sad expression.
'Ugh, is she so hard to talk to because she speaks so few words?' He thought to himself.
"Is there someone responsible for you?" he asked.
"... I do not know?" She answered.
"..." Victor sighed.
"Well, Ophis. Do you know the capital?"
"Mm," She nodded.
"Let's take a walk then." Victor's thought was simple, if he walked around with this girl, her guardians would find her; at least, that was the excuse he thought to himself.
He lifts the little girl up and puts her on his shoulder.
"In the end, you decided to stay with her. I don't know if you're a dumb man or a kind man."
"Whatever, old man. That's not your problem, and haven't you noticed how difficult she is to talk to? It will take years to find out who is responsible for it, and I still want to explore the capital."
"...Make sense, just don't get in trouble, boy."
"Impossible"
"Huh?"
"A pretty little girl finds me out of nowhere, and I decided to stay with her for a while. Of course, that's begging for trouble."
"So you are aware of that...?"
"Yeah."
"And why are you taking care of her anyway?"
"Well, it's interesting, right? Why not?"
"..." The old man was speechless.
"Hey, old man. Give me that dagger."
"Give me the card first."
"Okay"
After buying two blood daggers, Victor leaves accompanied by Yuki and Ophis, who was on his shoulder.
A few minutes after Victor left, a woman with long black hair entered the store accompanied by several royal guards:
"Did this little girl come through here?"
Looking at the image in the woman's hand, the old man broke out in a cold sweat, but with years of experience, he managed to keep his poker face.
"Who are you, ma'am?"
"Elizabeth Tepes." She showed the old man a badge she always carries with her.
"…" The old man's whole body shook when he heard the woman's last name.
Realizing he was talking to royalty, he did what every good citizen would do in this situation:
"Yeah, I just saw her go out with a tall man and a Snow Clan Maid."
He denounced Victor to the authorities…
Soon he pointed to where Victor left, and he also gave information about Victor's appearance.
"Good job, your store will be rewarded." The woman turned and left, accompanied by the knights of the royal guard.
Sigh!
The old man sighed. He had nothing against Victor, but that's it, he just met the boy, and he wouldn't risk his neck for a stranger.
Though the old man had a feeling, Victor wouldn't mind.
...
"Master, I think you're overreacting..." Yuki commented, holding back the growing urge to sigh that was building in her heart.
"Eh? But she's so cute!" Victor spoke.
The girl was wearing a black bunny hat that had red eyes, she was holding several crystallized blood candies.
Yuki looked at Ophis, and when she saw the slight smile on the girl's face stoic, she realized she was enjoying what Victor was doing.
'I better not tell this to the master's wives... they're going to freak out.' Yuki thought.
Somehow Victor felt like a father who should spoil his daughter. At first, he just walked around with Ophis sitting on his shoulder, but every now and then, he saw that she was interested in something, but she didn't say anything.
And instinctively, Victor took action and bought her several things.
Victor takes Ophis off his shoulder and lifts her like a child, "Tell me, do you hate this?"
Ophis looked into Victor's red eyes, then she said, "I don't hate it, Father."
"See?" Victor chuckled and soon puts her on his shoulder again.
"..." Yuki sighed, although personally, she found it cute how Victor spoiled a child looking like an overprotective parent... But the problem is that the child is not his!
It's a random kid he found in a random place! This is kidnapping! She can somehow hear the police siren KM away!
"Ophis, if you find anything interesting, just point your finger, okay?"
"Mm," She spoke as she licked the crystallized candy.
Victor even tried to eat these sweets, but he didn't like them, and he even almost threw up. It tasted awful for him, so it was quite impressive to see Ophis and Yuki eating it like it was delicious.
Yes... Yuki ate the candy too, despite being complaining a few minutes ago. The Maid had completely forgotten about her work, she only remembered when she saw that Victor was overdoing his shopping.
The group started walking around the city again, "The city is busier than usual," Yuki commented.
"Is it because of the game?"
"Yeah, as it's a public game, the authorities took the opportunity to make a big event. After all, if Lady Victoria wins, she will become a new Count Vampire, and that will mark a new record in vampire history. Never in history has it happened that the title of Count passed to another owner in such a short period of time."
"I see..."
Ophis points to a children's clothing store.
"Oh? Are you interested in clothes?"
"Mm... Cute"
"Let's go then!" When Victor entered the store along with Ophis and Yuki.
Someone was watching him from a distance.
"What are we supposed to do, Princess?" A young-looking knight asked; he looked quite impatient.
The woman shows a small smile on her face:
"You won't do anything. Just wait outside the store."
"But, princess-." The knight was about to protest, but with just one look from the woman, he was silent.
"Wait here. I won't repeat myself again, okay?" She smiled 'gently' at the knights.
"Yes!" They quickly nodded in agreement.
The woman nods, satisfied, and then she walks towards the store.
...
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