We were better equipped than ever, and the battlefield was covered in a demon-repelling barrier, so the vampire might be weakened overall.
But my instincts were screaming—this would be the worst fight yet.
So I used a cowardly argument to silence Suzuha.
“But Suzuha, think about it.”
“About what?”
“Have I ever broken a promise to you? Have I ever not come back?”
“…No. Never.”
“Then trust me this time too, okay?”
Even though I didn’t fully believe in myself, I forced her to believe in me.
Suzuha’s arms tightened around my back—so hard it hurt.
Her ample chest pressed even more firmly against me.
Her embrace trembled, ever so slightly.
“…Suzuha will always wait for you to come home, Brother.”
“Yeah. Be a good girl and wait for me.”
“Brother… Good luck.”
She didn’t say anything else.
She knew everything—and still, she chose to believe in me and send me off.
So I swore I’d live up to that trust.
“…………”
“…………”
Neither of us spoke. Neither of us moved.
Suzuha held me tight as the sound of the waterfall filled the air, moonlight bathing the two of us.
How long did that last?
The silence, stretching like eternity, was abruptly shattered.
Splash, splash—the sound of someone approaching.
“Sorry to keep you waiting! If you stay under that waterfall any longer, you’ll catch a— Huh…?”
Yuzuriha-san, clad in white robes, froze when she saw us.
In a voice that seemed dredged from the depths of hell, Suzuha spoke.
“What exactly are you doing here now, you third wheel?”
“I’m not a third wheel!? And more importantly, Suzuha, why are you naked!?”
“For a pure ritual, of course.”
“How is that pure!? And women are supposed to wear a white under-robe!”
“Wait, seriously, Suzuha!?”
When I asked, Suzuha whistled awkwardly.
“…I didn’t know that. Therefore, I’m innocent.”
“Regardless, clinging to Suzuha’s brother in such a shameless state is unforgivable! Besides, my partner’s back is mine—now switch places!”
“Absolutely not!”
And so, with Suzuha and Yuzuriha-san spinning around me like I was butter in a churn…
The dawn of the final battle arrived.
＊
The battle against the Wandering Silver Haired Vampire would take place in a valley not far from the elven village.
This place was once used by the high elves for ceremonies—
In other words, it was a place with a connection to Unyu-ko.
“Unyu-ko, you ready?”
“…Unyu!”
She was fired up.
This little girl was steeling herself, even though this might kill her. How could I not match that determination?
“N-Now, now, don’t let appearances fool you—our princess has lived thousands of times longer than you!”
“Elder.”
“Just a final confirmation. The demon-repelling barrier is already in place, using the jewels. Once the princess returns to her true form, all you need to do is stab her with the orichalcum sword.”
“Got it.”
I took the last remaining piece of orichalcum from the elder…
And gently tossed it to Unyu-ko, whose face was stiff with tension.
6 (Yuzuriha’s Perspective)
The moment Unyu-ko caught the orichalcum, it dissolved as if melting away.
Her magic was absorbing it.
And before us—the reaper I never wanted to see again rose once more.
Her form was that of a terrifyingly emaciated, inhumanly beautiful girl.
A white dress, a straw hat—like a young lady out for a summer stroll.
But do not be fooled.
Her eyes were the deep crimson of clotted blood.
Her hair, whiter than any snow, cascaded down to her waist.
She was death incarnate—a reaper who would harvest all who laid eyes on her.
Her name—the Wandering Silver Haired Vampire.
“——!?”
Honestly, Yuzuriha had been optimistic until now.
Suzuha’s brother had been so carefree, after all. They had the jewels, the orichalcum sword—and most of all, he hadn’t seemed worried.
But that optimism— —vanished the instant she saw the Wandering Silver Haired Vampire.
“S-Suzuha!? That’s—”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
“What is it, Yuzuriha-san? My brother is facing the strongest foe he’s ever fought. Can’t you stay quiet and watch?”
“But! He never said a word about—!”
“Let me teach you one thing.”
Suzuha sighed, as if dealing with a hopeless case.
“A true man doesn’t speak with words. He speaks with his back.”
“Wha—!?”
“If you can’t even understand that, you’re a century too early to protect his back.”
Though Yuzuriha was shocked, her gaze moved regardless of such concerns. Rather, her knight instincts refused to let her look away from the fierce battle unfolding before her eyes.
A tremendous speed that she couldn’t have kept up with several months ago.
But Yuzuriha, who had continued her daily training, was somehow able to catch those movements.
She concentrated all her nerves on Suzuha’s older brother’s back in particular.
Until the blood vessels in her eyes nearly burst.
While doing so, Yuzuriha finally began to understand somewhat.
That Suzuha’s older brother was struggling to attack the Wandering Silver Haired Vampire—
“……Ah, I see. I was foolish.”
“Huh?”
“I focused only on protecting my partner’s back, neglecting to converse with my partner’s back. If I observe the back muscles, I can understand various situations—that’s what you mean, right?”
“No… I’m not asking for such acrobatic feats…?”
At that moment, the Elder Elf muttered quietly.
“I see. This might be troublesome…”
“Why!?”
“That man isn’t attacking. He seems to be determining where to attack… Probably trying to minimize the burden on the princess.”
No matter how much it was a demon-slaying sword made of orichalcum infused with healing magic, if you thrust it into someone’s torso, they would normally suffer massive damage even if they didn’t die.
Moreover, to reliably finish off the Wandering Silver Haired Vampire nesting in the High Elf, a mere “might have killed it” level wouldn’t suffice.
They would need to make such a large hole in the High Elf’s body that anyone would think “that’s definitely dead”—only then could they say they had certainly finished it off.
However, the larger the hole in the torso, the exponentially smaller the probability of saving the High Elf host becomes—
“……Probably, it will be decided in one strike.”
At the Elder’s words, Suzuha and the others held their breath.
“That man intends to decide everything with one strike. There’s also the matter of magical power. To maximize the possibility of saving the princess. If that fails…”
“If it fails, Big Brother will—?”
“He’ll give up on the princess’s survival and focus on defeating the Wandering Silver Haired Vampire.”
“…………”
“I underestimated it too. That Wandering Silver Haired Vampire is in perfect condition—it’s not such a lenient enemy that would allow mercy twice.”
And finally, the moment of decision came.
The moment the Wandering Silver Haired Vampire, which had been attacking one-sidedly, leaped into the air to deliver a killing blow, Suzuha’s older brother’s sword wavered.
And that blade was drawn in as if by suction, piercing the Wandering Silver Haired Vampire’s left chest.
It penetrated the heart and emerged from the back—
“Ahhh!?”
At the same time the Elder Elf cried out, the orichalcum sword shattered into pieces.
As if gently embracing the wounded High Elf’s body, it dissolved sparkling into the air.
“M-m-my orichalcum is gooone—!?”
At the Elder’s tearful scream, Yuzuriha and the others’ hearts became one.
It wasn’t really YOUR orichalcum—
7
When I woke up, I had a terrible headache.
“Nnh…”
In my hazy vision, for some reason Suzuha and Yuzuriha-san were shouting with faces that looked ready to cry, but I couldn’t hear them well. My memory was confused. What time was it now?
Eventually, my consciousness becoming clear and Suzuha flying into my chest happened simultaneously.
“Big Brother! Big Brother, Big Brother, Big Brother!! Uwaaaah!!”
While comforting Suzuha, who for some reason only called me “Big Brother,” like in the old days with gentle pats.
“You’ve awakened. I’m truly relieved that you’re safe.”
“Yuzuriha-san.”
“Stop frightening us already. You’ve been sleeping for a whole week, you know?”
“Umm…?”
Being told that, the gears of memory finally began to turn.
That’s right.
I defeated the Wandering Silver Haired Vampire, and then tried to save Unyuko—
“Really, you used your magical power with such full force. Acting like you were going to wring out your very life. That’s why I can’t take my eyes off you.”
I see. That’s why my memory was confused.
Actually, I don’t remember well how I used healing magic on Unyuko.
“I’m sorry. —And what about Unyuko?”
“She’s right there.”
When Yuzuriha-san told me and I turned around, I was startled to see the Wandering Silver Haired Vampire sleeping peacefully next to where I had been lying.
Ah, but she’s not a vampire anymore, is she?
“She seems fine, I’m relieved. Though she’s not in her little girl form.”
“That form was apparently a kind of emergency measure for High Elves too. Since she’s in her original form like this, the Elder Elf said she’s fine.”
“By the way, why is she sleeping?”
“Please forgive her for that. She wanted to thank you no matter what, so she stayed awake until just a moment ago.”
I feel bad about that. It would be wrong to wake her now, so let’s let her sleep.
“Speaking of which, where’s the Elder?”
“—She suffered massive mental damage. She’s still bedridden.”
“Eh!?”
“When you delivered the finishing blow to the Wandering Silver Haired Vampire, the orichalcum sword disappeared, right? That’s the cause. You could say it’s Orichalcum Loss Syndrome.”
“That’s, well, somehow…”
“From the look of things, she’ll definitely come after your orichalcum vein.”
“That’s fine with me though.”
According to the Elder, orichalcum is indispensable for elves.
If our mine is their only option, I think they should come.
When I said that, Yuzuriha-san blinked in surprise.
“Are you really okay with that? From the look of things, it won’t just be the Elder coming.”
“Eh?”
“An army of elves is going to descend upon your territory, you know?”
“That’s fine.”
“I see. You really are a big shot or something… Well, if it’s you, you’ll be fine.”
For some reason, Yuzuriha-san seemed thoroughly exasperated with me. Why?
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