It's been a week since I left Montfort. I could spend the winter effortlessly in locked sheds and barns. The ability to climb meant I never had to force a door open. In the worst-case scenario, I removed a pair of planks.

As for nutrition, it's not that hard.

There are several types of victims.

Some villages have sentinels who walk around with lanterns. The light they carry allows them to see from a few hundred meters away, and I think they are very considerate. I just have to follow the signal and I'll find blood.

There are also some strange travelers. For one reason or another, a large number of people moved at night, merchants went home, doctors, soldiers on leave......

Enough is enough.

If I'm desperate, I can always take off my clothes and knock on the door with a desperate expression, even if it's a last resort.

I followed Gimena's advice and continued to act without leaving any corpses behind. I've found that the best way to do this is not to create one in the first place. Tonight, it seems, is an exception.

I reached the end of the settlement and began to move eastward, bypassing the territory of the Choctaw. It used to be an indigenous country, but it changed hands when a certain governor decided that respect treaties should only apply if the opposing side had a modern army. I noticed that after passing Mobile, the land and the people here became more and more rough.

A good example.

"It's your turn, Bowker!"

I was standing on the edge of a small clearing. A hound is tethered to the other, greedily devouring a piece of charred meat.

Two patched tents were set up on either side of a small fire, and half-gnawed bones and empty bottles were scattered on the ground. The criminals were three filthy men in their twenties, who burst into laughter when a thrown knife kissed the cheek of a slave tied to a tree, causing a whimper.

I frowned in disapproval. I can understand the way you play with your prey, but this situation bothers me. Black people show courage in the face of defeat, and that certainly deserves respect, doesn't it?

The situation is clear to me. The slave escaped, was successfully tracked down, and now he will be sent back to be judged and punished according to the Black Code. They tortured him for no reason, made him bleed, made people feel wasteful, disrespectful to their prey and hunting.

Those people make me sick and I'm thirsty too, so we'll know right away if they're really what they think they're predators.

I stepped back, hiding my backpack and my precious rifle. I quickly put on my tattered clothes, threw my travel cloak on the ground, and returned to the camp. After some consideration, I decided to show them a white shoulder. The bait has been placed.

I hunched over like a victim, crossed my arms, and made a protective pose. I walked into the clearing, gasped loudly, and deliberately stepped on a branch. The dog began to growl.

The three didn't notice me.

Unbelievable.

Only when the slave's eyes are wide open will they turn around. I've been keeping my frightened deer's expression for a full ten seconds. Oh my God, how much energy I wasted turning this into a real race! I could have snapped the necks of two villains, and the last one would giggle like an idiot and scratch his private parts. I really hope they will do better from now on.

"Hey, hey, hey, honey, are you lost?" Don't worry, the guys and I will take care of you, right? The leader said that he was slender and had a cruel face.

"yes, hahahaha." A short man with a bushy beard and squinting eyes replied. The third man just stood there with no smile on his face. A stream of saliva ran down his jaw.

And just like that, my interest in verbal communication disappeared. There was no reason to wit me when my opponent was clearly unarmed, so I let out a scream of pain and turned to run.

As expected, the trio jumped out drunkenly laughing. I was forced to slow down so they wouldn't lose track of me. We eventually reached another clearing, I turned to the left and hid at the base of the tallest beech tree I could find.

The three of them came to the clearing, and the leader frowned. He made a gesture and they parted and began to look for traces.

"The dog should have been taken away." The leader said.

That won't save you.

I waited a moment until they were completely apart, and then I let one foot stick out of my hiding place. As soon as the person closest to me looked at me, I snapped a branch and his eyes fell on the branch.

I hope he's stupid enough not to believe this obvious trick.

He is. I wasn't surprised, but still a little disappointed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the bearded man, named Bouc, motioning for his friends to join him. Of course, they were already too far away, so he had to call them and warn me that I had been discovered.

Or he'll catch me off guard.

The pound is very predictable. I knew he would want to end the hunt as soon as possible, and I knew why. He likes another kind of sport.

When the man crept closer, it was like a drunken bull in a china shop. As soon as the wind blew, I smelled a musk.

Oh. It's mine. Oh, God! Do I really want to drink his blood? Can I really be free from any diseases? I'm afraid I'll have to burn that garment or I'll be noticed by someone a mile away. How can one make oneself so off-putting? Why hasn't his nose fallen off yet? Ah, it's getting worse.

The man reached out with a dirty hand and grabbed my leg, and I moved at the last minute before he stained my socks to the point that no one could wash them off. Two fingers were pressed against his airway, but blood had not yet been drawn. I smiled at him and made sure he saw the eight fangs.

I began to whisper.

"Congratulations, you caught ......" and I froze.

The man had soiled himself. I thought it couldn't have been worse, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

"Hey, you nasty pig! I..."

I stopped again.

Something crept up his beard onto my arm. My eyes widened in shock when my enhanced eyesight spotted this unwelcome passerby.

Louse.

"Hiss!"

Oh, that's it! I slammed him in the throat, grabbed his arm, and bit deeply. In my safe refuge, I ignored the rush of life and my memories, staring at the echoes of the silent watcher.

"Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it......"

"Go!" I shivered one last time in disgust, and lowered the bloody arm, the corpse lying to the ground. I made a bit of a mess, and I silently blamed myself. Under no circumstances should I waste blood. Remains......

“Bouc ?”

The leader frowned and walked in my general direction. I pushed those horrible wreckage into a recess and walked forward in the clearing, as if I wanted to sneak around. Then I seemed to notice the leader and ran away screaming in terror.

The leader smiled and ran away, all thoughts about his friend immediately forgotten.

We played for half a minute, during which the man managed to assure me that I would like it, threatened me if I didn't stop, called me a dumb whore, and "complimented" my buttocks. Seriously, what do men have to do with my buttocks? Should I ask?

In the end, I pretended to fall. The lanky, mean-bodied little man paused to admire the sight of his target crawling on the ground. His eyes sparkle and the way he licks his lips speaks for itself. Then I turned my head and picked a random point on the tree.

"Behind you!" I screamed in horror.

The man frowned, turned away, and two claws grabbed him by the neck.

"I said," I added in a sultry voice, "...... behind you"

I took some time to enjoy the leader, and now I'm satisfied. Hunger and thirst have made me spend the night here, and I'm in a dilemma right now.

Should I kill this fool in front of me, or let him go?

I don't believe I have the power to make him forget. When I'm on my way here to attract tourists, a bite and a glance is always enough to get them to leave, with no memory of the event. However, the chase that causes a friend to disappear is another matter entirely. If I let him go, would he say a blonde woman in a torn dress? In the best-case scenario, informed parties may be aware of the vampire's influence. In the worst-case scenario, they may start a hunt.

He's dangerous.

However, is it really his fault that all this is true? He looked too groggy to know that his actions were evil. His "friend" is likely to be a bad influence. Am I being too hasty?

I'm already getting a little drunk. Do vampires get drunk from drinking too much blood?

Of course not.

"Your woman! I found you! The idiot finally noticed me, he said. Then he proceeded to unbuckle his belt and lower his pants.

"I'll be your favorite maid!"

Okay, that's it.

“Teeheehee !”

Oh, what a beautiful night! Nice, quiet, peaceful and mild. Hey, I can have a tea party in the moonlight! And the Silent Watcher! However, please do not have tea. Instead, we can have the gentlemen sit at the table and Gimena and Constanza are also there! Gentlemen will be completely naked!

"Teehehehehe naked!"

But first, I had to clean up the body, because Shimena told me to do it, and Shimena is my best friend in the world! So, I put them together, and it was easy. The idiot was already there, so I went to pick up the chief, and it took me a little while to find him, but eventually I did, and then I brought him in, and piled them together, and then I found the stinking man, but he was so disgusting, so I took the belt from the idiot, tied it to his legs, and tied it to the idiot's head. Now I just have to drag that idiot to move them both!

"Genius! Ariane, the light of your wisdom truly shines on the world!"

So, I tied the chief's belt to the leg of that idiot on his head and now I can return to the camp with three corpses at once! My ability to innovate knows no bounds! So, I picked the lead one, started dragging, and then fell face down.

Heavy!

I spat out a few leaves and looked up at the silent watcher.

"You didn't see anything!"

This watch.

"Excellent! But don't tell anyone, I'm serious!" I grunted twice, and then said, "I'm going to defend my reputation."

I led myself and the corpse team back to camp and only fell twice and hit a tree. Ariana, the Queen of Dexterity!

When I got to the clearing, the dog started barking and howling, so I roared and it whimpered and quieted down.

Good dog.

I dropped my luggage and looked around for a shovel. There are no swamps nearby, so I'd better bury the body.

Oh wait......

I turned around and hiccuped. A streak of blood dripped down my jaw. Ariana, courtesy! Ah yes, I remembered. Captive!

I came closer, and the black man looked at me with an astonishing calm. Ah, how brave. My mouth was definitely covered in red liquid, but he still didn't flinch!

"Greetings, princess."

Was he just a...

Ignoring the rope and biting his wrist, the man leaned forward and stretched out his jugular vein.

It's so unusual and so exciting! He can talk! He politely called me "Ning", princess! And with this gesture of submissiveness, I don't think I should hurt him. Why, I'm curious now. I wanted to kill him, but now I can only listen to him!

These words blurted out.

"The Beggar."

The man almost breathed a sigh of relief. What's wrong? Is he so anxious?

"Princess, can you let go of my hand?"

It was a reasonable request, and besides, he couldn't kneel like he was now. The applicant's position is all wrong!

"Good."

I walked up to him and cut the rope with a few strokes with my claws. It's like a cat!

“Teehehehehe !”

Now this man massages his wrists, where is my kneeling supplicant?

He froze, slowly knelt down, and once again stretched his throat out to me. Such! Now, I'm satisfied. So I stopped ranting.

"You can stand up."

He didn't move, so I sighed,

"You can stand up."

Stupid Ariana, you can't expect everyone to understand the tongue! Phew.

"What's your name?"

"Toussaint."

Creole! This may explain this. He knows Iken, maybe even Nami, the scandal-ridden girl.

Possible.

"How do you know what to call me?"

"Princess, there was a Bogo, who ran from plantation to plantation. He told us about voodoo and the way of magic. He also told us about werewolves, werewolves, and pale people. He said that if a person meets a pale person outside at night, he should greet them politely and pray that they will feel merciful. ”

I raise my hand, it's a fascinating story, but I have one of the most urgent things to deal with right now.

I rushed to the nearest bush.

“OooOoOoo……”

I vomited blood. It stinks! There's no vitality to be found in it. Bah! I shouldn't have drunk that much, but, well, I don't want to waste all my life.

"Hiccup! Uuuuh。 ”

When I returned, Toussaint was motionless, and cold sweat was already on his forehead, despite the cold.

"What the hell is a werewolf?"

"A werewolf. A cursed soul transforms into a terrifying monster in the moonlight. It is said to be as tall as two people, covered in fur, and strong enough to shred metal! It can only be killed with silver, but it's not a small task! For the beast is terrible: its mouth is like that of a wolf, and it is covered with nightmares......"

"Oh, I see. Well, it's delicious. Energetic and powerful. I wonder if I can catch another one?"

Toussaint didn't answer, but he smelled fear again. Is it because I said something? Phew.

"So you dress yourself up as a supplicant. Now tell me, what do you want?"

"Hmph, I want to live."

"Humph!"

I tapped my chin with my index finger, pondering the words. He wanted to live. Well, I guess that does sound reasonable. I can't stand the other person anyway. Can I let him go?

"Ah, Toussaint, I wish I could go, but I can't let anyone else spread my travels. You see, "I grabbed him by the shoulders and leaned closer, because it was a secret.

"I'm trying to move in...... Move in...... Wait a minute. "Incognito!" He couldn't help it. "Yes, that's it. Teehee !”

"That's not a problem, princess." There was a hint of panic in his reply. "I can swear by a loan!"

“So?”

"If I lie, my soul will burn in hell forever!" The Bundy people will never forgive me!"

"Well, give me your hand."

I took a gentle bite of him and stared into his eyes.

"You want to betray me?"

"There are no princesses! Toussaint is a man of integrity!"

"Do you believe that if you break your oath to God, your soul will go to hell?"

"Of course!" He replied in shock.

"Hmm. All right. I agree to let you go. In return, you're going to help me bury the body. ”

"Princess? Really?" He licked his lips, the hope on his face as clear as day.

"Yes. Swear now!"

I thought he would hastily piece together a sentence, but he actually built a small altar out of wood and soot, muttered prayers for a long time, and finally loudly announced that if he broke his word, he would die. How strange! I had a completely normal night, and suddenly, something completely unusual happened, a pagan ritual. It's so bizarre!

When we were done, Toussaint found a small ravine, where we threw the corpses and covered them with dirt and heavy stones so that the beasts would not dig them out. Masterpiece. They're gone. Ariana, Queen of Tricks!

We walked back to camp one last time. Toussaint assured me that he knew where he was going, and that he would take care of the people's belongings, as well as their dogs. He also gave me some instructions without prompting. At this point, we parted ways. His expression of gratitude and doubt to me as I left was so touching. As my father said, he was a good boy.

At his suggestion, I quickly found refuge in a natural cave system, and although it was still early, I decided that I would stop there for tonight.