One had to admit, nobody expected this development.
They had thought the crypt would hold some terrible weapon. Who could have guessed it would be a girl… Could this girl be the vampires' secret weapon?
"Mm… mmm…"
At that moment, the girl seemed to sense movement outside. She yawned, stretched, then slowly opened her eyes, gazing curiously at them.
"Who are you?"
"That's my question."
Duanmu Huai stared at the girl and asked in a low voice.
"Who are you?"
"Eh… Bambi is Bambi."
The girl, calling herself Bambi, tilted her head in confusion, then glanced around.
"What is this place?"
"This is a crypt… You don't know why you're here?"
"Of course not! Bambi remembers she was sleeping in the castle, so why would she end up here? It's dark and cold and damp, not fun at all!"
…Wasn't this exactly the kind of place vampires belonged?
"Are you a vampire?"
Duanmu Huai asked directly. Bambi nodded firmly and smiled proudly.
"Of course! Bambi is the vampire princess! Great, powerful, cute, and scary—hmph!!"
"…"
The three of them exchanged silent looks.
What she said sounded frightening, but the way she said it, smug and cheerful… something was off.
"Vampire princess—!"
The Vigilant suddenly drew his sword and aimed it at her. Startled, Bambi squeaked and leapt behind Duanmu Huai.
"What's with this bald uncle?! Why is he pointing a sword at Bambi?!"
"Silence! Vampires are terrifying monsters bent on humanity's destruction. Even if you're just a child, I will not spare you!"
"You're not making any sense! Bambi doesn't understand!!"
Dodging his strikes, Bambi shrieked, clearly baffled why she was being attacked.
"Sir Knight, what's going on?"
Guleya hurried over, equally confused.
"Is that girl really a vampire?"
"At least we can be sure she isn't human."
Duanmu Huai glanced at the empty pillar. If a human had been sealed inside, they'd be dead already—or at least weakened from hunger and thirst. But this girl had woken full of energy. She definitely wasn't human.
And if she was a vampire, then her apparent age meant nothing.
"Enough, stop fighting."
Duanmu Huai stepped in, blocking the two. He signaled the Vigilant to lower his weapon, then turned to Bambi.
"Bambi, can you tell me what you did before you went to sleep?"
"Hmm… let Bambi think… Bambi went to Her Majesty the Queen's banquet, played a lot, then got tired and went to sleep… and woke up here. By the way, how long has Bambi been asleep? Where is this?"
"I don't know. Only that this is a crypt in Skyrim."
"Skyrim? What's that?"
"…What? Skyrim is a province of the Empire?"
"What's the Empire?"
"…."
The Vigilant stood dumbstruck. Duanmu Huai pondered, then asked again.
"Do you know the Nine Divines?"
"No. What's that?"
"…Looks like we've really found a troublesome one."
The Nine Divines were the unifying faith of the Empire. Bambi not only didn't know them, she didn't know the Empire or even Skyrim's name. By Imperial history, that meant she had slept at least five hundred years.
"In any case, let's leave this place first."
No one had expected this: a vampire who had slumbered for over five centuries, and who claimed to be a princess. As they left the crypt, the group introduced themselves and asked her about vampires.
According to Bambi, vampires once had their own kingdom, ruled by a queen, on the northern coast. Relations with humans weren't friendly, but not outright hostile either. Moreover, in her time, vampires weren't made by being bitten and exchanging blood. They were more like a race of elves whose food happened to be blood.
Bambi herself was pure-blooded, and there was no such thing as ritual-turning or blood exchange. When she heard about that from the Vigilant, she was shocked. "If that were true, wouldn't the whole world be vampires by now?"
The Vigilant had no answer.
As for the Elder Scroll on her back, she said it belonged to the Queen. Why it was on her, she didn't know. All she wanted was to return to her castle and give it back.
According to her, the Queen resided in a castle called Brunbania. Skyrim had no such place, but based on her description, the Vigilant guessed it was the castle on a lonely island northwest of Solitude, long shunned due to rumors.
Thus, their next destination was decided: escort Bambi home to meet the legendary vampire queen.
"Thank you!"
Overjoyed, Bambi flung herself onto Duanmu Huai's arm.
"You're a good human! Bambi has decided—even though you look scary, Bambi allows you to be Bambi's first thrall! As your mistress, Bambi will love you lots! Don't worry, you must not have had many friends since you look so fierce. But now you don't need to worry. As your mistress, Bambi will take good care of you!"
"…Well, thank you so much then…"
"Heehee, no need to thank me, it's a mistress's duty."
"…Haa…"
Faced with this innocent vampire girl, Duanmu Huai was at a loss for words.
"Sir Knight… is that child really a vampire?"
Even Guleya had to ask. It wasn't surprising—her behavior outside had startled them. Normally, vampires burned in the sun, so they wrapped themselves tightly during the day.
But when Bambi walked out, she stretched happily in the sunlight and sighed, "Ah, the warm sun feels so good."
The Vigilant nearly popped his eyes out.
And unlike the pale, corpse-like vampires they knew, Bambi's complexion was healthy. Honestly, if she hadn't said it herself, nobody would have believed she was a vampire.
The only odd thing was her "bat wings," which were attached to her ears. What kind of anatomy was that?
"If she says she is, then she probably is."
"But she doesn't seem like a threat."
"Maybe, but we can't be sure. Her behavior seems genuine, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible."
As an Inquisitor, Duanmu Huai's perception was sharp. He could tell Bambi wasn't pretending—her cheerfulness was real. But that didn't mean she was harmless. Games often had "two-faced" characters: one personality sweet as an angel, the other a world-ending demon king.
So just because Bambi seemed innocent now didn't mean she was safe.
"Thrall! Thrall!!"
As they spoke, Bambi suddenly hugged Duanmu Huai's arm again.
"Bambi's hungry! Do you have food?"
"What do you want to eat?"
"Anything!"
She raised her hand in excitement.
"Meat, vegetables, fruit—as long as it's tasty!"
"…Vampires can eat food?"
The Vigilant stared in disbelief. This girl had already shattered everything he thought he knew about vampires, but this was too much.
If she could eat normal food, was she even a vampire at all? Every vampire he knew had to drink blood to live. They couldn't digest human food. If they could, what would be the point of drinking blood?
"This is different!"
Catching his gaze, Bambi made a face at him. Perhaps because he'd pointed a sword at her earlier, she had no fondness for him.
"For vampires, blood is the source of power. Only those who drink blood can unleash their full strength!"
"I… see…"
The Vigilant exchanged a look with Duanmu Huai. Clearly, Bambi's kind of vampire was nothing like the ones they knew.
What exactly was going on?
(End of Chapter)