Chapter 84: Takatsuki Makoto is to the taste of the Great Sage
"Spirit User, give me your blood."
The Great Sage-sama said to me while showing a peek of her sharp fangs.
Wait a moment!
"Wait!" (Lucy)
Looks like Lucy has successfully restarted.
She pries me off the Great Sage-sama.
"What do you mean by giving you blood?!" (Lucy)
"Were you not listening? I am a vampire. Isn't it obvious that I drink blood?"
"If you do that, Makoto will become a vampire!" (Lucy)
Ah, so it really does work that way?
If you get your blood sucked, that human becomes a vampire.
It is the same in other worlds, huh.
"Don't worry. I don't plan on turning the Hero of another country into a vampire. I will hold back."
The Great Sage-sama says as if it is a pain as she seizes my collar and pulls me.
Uoh, strong!
Her white skin and big red eyes draw real close.
"Then, thanks for the meal."
"P-Please don't make it hurt..." (Makoto)
There was no response to my request.
She grins.
The Great Sage-sama opens her mouth wide with an 'aan'.
Her small and cold lips touched my neck and a prickling pain followed.
"Kuh...!" (Makoto)
It hurts...less than I expected.
"M-Makoto..." (Lucy)
Lucy watches over in suspense, so I direct a smile at her to ease her worries.
The gulping sounds of the Great Sage-sama's throat rang in my ears.
Uwah...my blood is being drunk here, isn't it?
"U-Uhm...anymore than that...or maybe, please drink my blood!" (Lucy)
Lucy must have gotten worried, she proposed to take my place.
"...It is okay...Lucy..." (Makoto)
I don't want to make her take my place.
The Great Sage-sama separates her mouth.
"[High Heal]."
The wound in my neck heals in an instant.
The pain disappeared.
So she uses healing magic after drinking blood.
"Fuuh, that was tasty."
The Great Sage-sama licks her lips with her cheeks slightly flushed as if satisfied.
Her small tongue licked away the little bit of blood that was hanging on her lip.
...It is kinda erotic.
"Was it to your liking?" (Makoto)
If she says it tastes bad, I'm getting angry, okay?
"Undirty blood really is great. Especially the otherworlders. They eat good stuff, so their taste is even better."
"Is that how it works?" (Makoto)
I was eating a whole lot of hamburgers, fried potatoes, and other types of junk food all the time in my previous world though.
I had a pretty unhealthy diet.
Yet she seems to like my blood.
"...Undirty blood..." (Lucy)
The expression of Lucy darkens at the words of the Great Sage-sama.
"What's the matter, Lucy?" (Makoto)
"As expected, it won't work with me, huh... I can't take the place of Makoto..." (Lucy)
What is it?
Was the word undirty blood something that bothered her?
"Oi, red haired mage. You are having a misunderstanding there."
The Great Sage-sama seems to know what she means.
"...My demon blood is dirty , right?" (Lucy)
"No. You certainly do have demon blood mixed in and there's people who call the demonkin as dirty blood, but mine had a different meaning. In the first place, I am also a demon, you know?"
So there's that kind of meaning.
The demonkin is dirty blood.
That sounds racist...
"Then, what does 'undirty blood' mean?" (Lucy)
The Great Sage-sama averted her eyes at the question of Lucy as if finding it hard to answer.
Even though she is the type of person that says things straight, this is quite the strange reaction.
"Great Sage-sama?" "Please tell us."
The Great Sage-sama goes 'fumu' and speaks.
"Undirty Blood means...that. It means the blood of someone who doesn't have sexual experience."
"Eh?" "Huh?"
"Spirit User-kun, you are a virgin, right?"
What?!
"I-I-I'm not a virgin!" (Makoto)
I ended up saying that reflexively.
"Eh?! You are not?" (Lucy)
Lucy-san, please don't retort to that.
It is a lie. I am.
"Hmm, but my Superior Rank Appraisal Skill is showing [Status: Virgin] though."
"You can see that with a Skill?!" (Makoto)
Don't joke around, Appraisal Skill!
Is there no privacy?
I am suing!
"T-The Appraisal Skill can even tell that?" (Lucy)
Lucy hugs her own body and retreats.
"With Appraisal at Monarch Rank, you can apparently tell the amount of people too. I wouldn't want to know though."
""Scary!""
That's scary.
The Appraisal Skill looks all docile, but it is actually a degenerate Skill...
...Fuji-yan's Appraisal Skill is Superior Rank, right?
I hope his Skill won't grow and turn into Monarch Rank.
No, mine is zero so it won't affect me though!
"Uhm, so that means Makoto is a virgin, so his blood is tasty?" (Lucy)
Lucy-san, there's no need to confirm every single time.
"Yeah, lifeblood tastes the best when it is a human and virgin!"
The Great Sage-sama answers with a nice smile.
Lucy averted her face and her shoulders were shaking.
...Oi, you are laughing, right?
"With this, your debt of having to deal with your Spirit Magic is paid... Fufu, if you offer me your blood from now on, I will lend you my help anytime."
"Eeh~, that's a bit..." (Makoto)
I don't really want that.
"What do you usually do for food?" (Lucy)
Lucy asks.
Yeah, how does she manage?
"As I said, me being a vampire is a state secret that only few know about. My food is blood used for medical care that's brought to me. It is tasteless though... Lifeblood drunk directly really is the best."
Please don't look over here while licking your lips.
"It doesn't have to be me." (Makoto)
"Hmph! Every single one of them copulates like animals. The taste of the Light Hero's blood was the worst. A man of your age who is still a virgin is pretty rare. I don't go for the blood of children after all."
"..."
Looks like being a virgin is rare.
I'm not happy about that.
...What's this?
Bullying? Sexual harassment?
"Sakurai-kun...isn't lacking in women after all." (Makoto)
"Makoto, cheer up. You are okay too, you know." (Lucy)
"Oi, Lucy, look here when saying that." (Makoto)
Her eyes were laughing.
"What are you talking about others, virgin mage?"
"Wa?!" (Lucy)
Aah, Lucy-san.
Even though you don't have experience either, you were riding on your high horse and got toppled down for double the damage.
"Then, I will be leaving now." (Makoto)
I feel kinda anemic.
I am tired for a variety of reasons.
"Umu, if you are troubled with something, come by again."
The Great Sage-sama was in a whole lot better mood than the time when I came.
"Aah, by the way, I ended up defeating the Hero of the Valentine Household, so I might be on their sights." (Makoto)
"About that, huh. Who do you think I am? I have been the Great Sage since the founding of Highland. If they say anything, I will roar them away."
Ooh, that's reliable.
Princess Noel and the Great Sage-sama; with both of them as allies, it should be okay.
"In exchange...you know, right?"
The Great Sage-sama says with a grin.
Pay with my blood, right?
Well, I should just think about it as a blood donation.
"Aah, right. If possible, stay a virgin so your blood doesn't get dirty."
"Please don't be unreasonable." (Makoto)
I won't obey that order even if it is you, Great Sage-sama!
"What. Are you planning on losing your v-card? What a shame. Your blood will taste worse."
"Eh?! Makoto, who is it?! Aya? Princess Sofia?" (Lucy)
"I don't have any such plans." (Makoto)
Are you an idiot?
Moreover, the latter is impossible.
"Then, thanks a lot for all you did." (Makoto)
"U-Uhm, I want to know more about my great grandfather, so if possible, can I hear about him, Great Sage-sama?" (Lucy)
"Hm, well, I don't mind."
It seems Lucy will be staying here.
"Lucy, you are gonna get your blood sucked." (Makoto)
"Idiot. It is not like anyone's fine. I am a former human. The blood of an elf or a demon doesn't suit my body."
"There's something like that too, huh." (Makoto)
There's a lot going with vampires too, huh.
I left the residence of the Great Sage-sama.
◇ ◇
I lost blood and was tired, so I returned to my own room in the inn and got some sleep for a while.
At the time for dinner, I staggered my way to the diner.
The one there was Fuji-yan, and he jumped at me the moment he saw me.
"Takki-dono! I heard! You left the Lightning Hero, Geralt-sama, half-dead!" (Fuji)
Aren't you getting information way too fast?
The information network of a merchant is crazy.
Is there twitter here?
"Rather than calling it half-dead..." (Aya)
"He was practically dead..." (Lucy)
The ones retorting were Sa-san and Lucy.
The two have returned from the Highland Castle, huh.
Ah, it was just that the two of them told him about the matter of Geralt-san, huh.
"M-Makoto-sama, to think you would defeat the Lightning Hero-sama who is the Ranking 3..." (Chris)
Chris-san trembles.
"As I thought, I knew Takatsuki-sama wasn't your average person!" (Nina)
Nina-san praises me as usual.
"Chris-san, what's this about rankings?" (Aya)
Sa-san asks about a word that I was also interested about.
"Once a year, the royal families of the six countries as well as representative nobles gather. At that time, the strong fighters of each country do matches in their presence." (Chris)
"The placings there are called Rankings!" (Nina)
Nina-san adds to the explanation of Chris-san.
"I see. By the way, who is number 1?" (Makoto)
I can imagine who it is though.
"Of course, the reincarnation of the Savior Abel, the Light Hero, Sakurai-sama!" (Nina)
Nina-san says with a smile as she looks to where Sakurai-kun is.
Yeah, it has been bothering me for a while now.
...Why is Sakurai-kun here?
"Fujiwara-kun called me here. Asking me if I wanted to have dinner together. I too wanted to have a leisure talk with everyone, you see." (Sakurai)
Sakurai-kun says with a refreshing smile.
At his back there's the beauty, Yokoyama-san.
Our eyes met, and she smiled.
Even though in class we wouldn't even make eye-contact.
Or more like, I averted my gaze.
Isn't the quality of the 1-A class high?
"Well then, everyone! Let's have dinner. The preparations are ready-desu zo." (Fuji)
We moved to a table where extravagant dishes were lined up.
◇ ◇
"The food of Highland is flashy." (Makoto)
A combination plate of expensive-looking cheese and hors d'oeuvre.
Salad and terrine using vegetables in season.
Mushrooms of nice scent elegantly added to the soup.
Gratin of a big lobster that looks like spiny lobster.
A variety of steaks and vibrant sauces.
And a whole lot of fruits and desserts.
"It is like french food." (Aya)
"Yeah, but the calories are high. Because of that, I have to be careful to not get fat."
"Aah, that is indeed troubling." (Aya)
"Right~?"
Sa-san and Yokoyama-san were having a highschool girl conversation.
"Fuji-yan, what were you doing today?" (Makoto)
"I was going around greeting the companies that have helped me out. I was thinking about going around the city of Symphonia. Want to go together?" (Fuji)
"That sounds nice. I will." (Makoto)
Exploring the capital.
The biggest capital of this continent.
I am looking forward to it.
"At any rate, Takki-dono, you went crazy again." (Fuji)
"Really. To think you would fight that Geralt-sama who is said to be a mad wolf." (Chris)
Fuji-yan and Chris-san said this with an amazed expression.
"He came at us, so I had no choice." (Makoto)
I am not the one in the wrong.
"But Takatsuki-kun, it was a relief that Sakurai-kun was there, wasn't it?" (Aya)
"Really, I was wondering for a moment what would happen." (Lucy)
Looks like Sa-san could see that Geralt-san was in a bad situation due to my magic.
Lucy felt that the mana of the Spirits was going out of control, huh.
The two of them couldn't find a way to stop me though.
And so, at that moment, Sakurai-kun was the one who stopped me.
"Sakurai-kun, you really helped me out there." (Makoto)
"Haha, of course I would help you Takatsuki-kun." (Sakurai)
That's the Light Hero-sama.
His face and heart are gold.
"Ryosuke and Takatsuki-kun are actually good friends, huh."
Yokoyama-san said as if she suddenly realized.
It is not really like we got along especially well though.
It is true that we have had more chances to speak to each other lately though.
"I have been friends with Takatsuki-kun since elementary school." (Sakurai)
Sakurai-kun says straight.
...No, we weren't friends, right?
We practically didn't speak to each other in middle school or highschool.
"Eeeeeh?!" "What?!" "Really?!"
Sa-san, Fuji-yan, and Yokoyama-san; my classmates raised their voices in surprise.
"Takki-dono, I didn't hear anything about this!" (Fuji)
"I have never seen you speaking to each other in middle school." (Aya)
"...Isn't that fine?" (Makoto)
It is not like everyone stays friends just because you are together in elementary school.
When you are in higher grades of middle school, there is a tall wall called the high and low caste.
The center of the class that is Sakurai-kun, and me who played games at the corner of the class.
"Takatsuki-kun lived at the house next door. We played together pretty often when we were kids." (Sakurai)
"Makoto, you were childhood friends with the Light Hero-sama?!" (Lucy)
Lucy shouts in surprise.
"Sakurai-kun, it was simply that the apartment complex that I was living in was by the side of yours. That's not called a house next door." (Makoto)
"But we would go to school together in our first year of elementary." (Sakurai)
Well, that's true.
I am surprised you remember.
"Hey hey, how was Takatsuki-kun in his grade schooler days?" (Aya)
Sa-san asks Sakurai-kun with great interest.
There's nothing really interesting about it though.
"Ah! Then, I will talk about the time when Takatsuki-kun saved us." (Sakurai)
Sakurai-kun responds with a smile.
Eh? What story is that?
l