Chapter 196: Pleasure Without the Responsibility (2)

Keter had just been called “Daddy,” but he instinctively knew this wasn’t his child before he could reason through anything. Still, nothing was absolute in this world, so he thought back to the women he had slept with. It wasn’t hard as there were only three women. He began comparing each of them to the girl in front of him.

Serena, the Star Witch, said she was infertile, so I can rule her out. If this were Inara’s child, she would have a tail like a nine-tailed fox, but she doesn’t have one. If this were Kadia’s child, she would have pointed ears since she’s a high elf...

Keter ruffled through the girl’s soft hair and felt her ears. They were normal, soft human ears.

Definitely not my kid.

Keter had no idea who this child was, why she was in his bedroom, and calling him “Daddy.” He glanced around while stroking her hair and noticed something unusual.

Slurpie is nowhere to be seen.

Usually, Slurpie would fly right into his arms the moment he entered, but today, there was no sign of Slurpie anywhere, which could only mean that this girl was Slurpie.

Hm...

It strangely made sense. Slurpie was a white bat, and this girl had pearl-white hair, a white dress, and an obsessive fondness for Keter, just like Slurpie.

Wait, Slurpie... is female?

It wasn’t that surprising for an animal to turn into a human. There were beastfolk that could transform into humans, though Slurpie was a vampire, not a beastfolk.

Instead of wondering more, Keter figured it was best to just ask.

“Are you Slurpie?”

“Yeah!”

Well, that was a very clear answer.

Keter scratched his head. It felt okay to call a bat “Slurpie,” but it was a little weird to call a cute girl by that name.

What was her real name again? I know she had one...

Keter tried to recall his time in Liqueur with Luke. In the ruins of the underground dungeon that Cork had found, there had been an inscription about Slurpie and the first vampire...

“Elise?”

“Yup!”

“Why are you human now?”

“I dunno! I woke up like this, and then I smelled you, Daddy!”

“

Oof.

”

Keter picked her up with a groan and carried her into his bedroom. It wasn't because he didn’t think he could pull her off of him, but because,

obviously

, she was just too cute to resist.

And then, he noticed something strange—something that might explain her sudden transformation.

“Why is this here?”

There was an orichalcum arrow on the floor that looked familiar.

“That’s the one that pierced my hand back at the forge.”

There used to be blood on the tip of the arrow, but it was now completely clean, like it had been washed off.

“Elise... Did you suck the blood off this arrow?”

“Hm? I dunno! I don’t remember!”

Agh... Every word she says is just adorable.

One of the things humans were most defenseless against was cuteness, especially when it was both small and adorable. Keter was no exception; he had a soft spot for anything cute. That was why he found himself being more lenient. However, that was exactly when he needed to be even more strict, because in this world, nothing was more dangerous than something cute.

“You really don’t remember?”

“Nope, Daddy!”

Keter ignored the fact that he had somehow become Elise’s dad and focused on her bodily reactions. Lying, no matter if they were human or not, brought out reactions that were different than usual. This was purely unconscious behavior, and holding her made it easier to detect.

Her voice is the same. No tremors or shifts in body temperature. She’s not lying about having no memory.

Keter now knew that Elise wasn’t trying to deceive him.

Well, that’s a relief.

Just then, a familiar presence approached. Their footsteps were full of urgency and confusion.

Clang!

“M-my lord?! Who is this?!”

Jacques had just walked in and dropped his tray in shock.

“D-did you bring that young girl back from the tournament?!”

Elise pointed at Jacques, recognizing him immediately, and said, “It’s Gramps!”

“Huh?!”

She’s clever.

Jacques approached seriously and whispered, “Lord Keter, I understand that you’re at a vigorous age... but isn’t she a little too young...?”

“Gramps, I like that you have a good imagination, but use that vivid imagination for something other than disgusting assumptions.”

“...!”

“And you—get off me now.”

Keter gently pushed off Elise, who was clinging to him like a koala. Thankfully, she obeyed without protest.

It would have been a hassle if she tried to cling on, but at least she listens.

But then, Elise did something odd that Keter couldn’t understand: she glared at Six. She glared with the cutest face in the world, which only made her even more adorable, but the killing intent swirling in her red, ruby-like eyes was intense.

Six didn’t care about Elise at all, but she didn’t lower her guard.

“Daddy, can I break him?”

“Daddy?!”

Hearing that, Jacques looked even more shocked. Keter waved his hand in denial and put his hand on Six’s head.

“This one’s Decameron. He’s mine, so you can’t break him.”

“But he’s unpleasant!”

It sounded like Elise knew Six was a Homunculus, but Keter wasn’t sure why she found him unpleasant, as it seemed like all her memory and intelligence had disappeared.

Regardless, Keter couldn’t let Elise destroy Six. More importantly, Six might be ignoring her for now, but he would fight back if attacked.

...I wonder who would win?

Keter was just curious. Elise was the first vampire and an A-Tier Named Monster. She was probably even stronger now.

Now that I think about it... She became human just from drinking my blood off the arrow?

It probably wasn’t that his blood was miraculous; more likely, it had to do with her being a vampire.

“Elise, can you turn back into a bat?”

Her human form was cute, sure, but managing a little girl was a lot harder than a bat.

Hearing Keter, Elise puffed her cheeks and turned her head away.

Is she angry...?

Keter wasn’t sure why, but the solution was obvious. He jabbed the tip of his index finger with the orichalcum arrow. Then, Elise turned and stared at his finger.

“Want some?”

Like a puppy wagging its tail, Elise nodded vigorously..

“I’ll put it in a dish, so wai...”

Before Keter could finish, Elise had already latched onto his finger.

Slurp, slurp.

She sucked on it like a baby with a bottle, her face glowing with joy, but that wasn’t what concerned Keter.

I couldn’t dodge it.

Back when she was a bat, Elise would go wild at the sight of blood, so he expected her to be like that now. Letting her suck his finger didn’t sit right with him now that she was human, so he planned to put his blood in a bowl. He had even prepared to dodge, but she was too fast.

What is that speed...

If something moved fast, there had to be some kind of inevitable reaction. After all, speed was essentially the act of displacing air. So the faster something was, the more likely it was to create a loud noise or a shockwave. Of course, that didn’t mean it was impossible to move quickly without leaving a trace; if it were, assassins wouldn’t exist. Still, Elise had just now been far too fast and far too silent.

Compared to Norman... she’s at least ten times stronger.

Of course, Elise had been powerful back when she was the Red Comet, but she was incomparably stronger now. Keter didn’t have to fight her to know; he could tell just from her movements.

But something is strange.

It wasn’t just Keter who noticed; Jacques seemed to have seen it as well.

Bewildered, he said, “Lord Keter, is it just me or is she getting taller?”

“She is.”

While sucking his blood, Elise was visibly getting taller. At first, Keter thought he was just seeing things, but he could clearly see that she had grown a bit taller.

It’s not that she’s growing taller. It actually looks like she’s aging.

“That’s enough.”

Keter was worried that Elise was going to lose control again, like she did in Liqueur, but she let go and stepped back obediently. It seemed like the scolding he had given her in Liqueur had paid off.

A little more and it would’ve been dangerous. She barely drank ten milliliters, but it feels like I lost an arm. I think Slurpie—no, Elise—is becoming something dangerous.

“...?”

Elise licked the blood from her lips and smiled up at him. Keter instinctively reached out and stroked her head. Women usually didn’t like that, but Elise leaned into his hand, delighted.

Keter was even more certain than before that cuteness ruled the world. But even aside from that, he never abandoned what he took in. He wouldn’t stop someone from leaving, but he wouldn’t push away anyone who wanted to stay with him either. It didn't matter, even if she was the first vampire.

Still, he needed confirmation on what Elise was.

“Elise. What exactly are you?”

“Hm? Elise is Elise.”

As expected, it was a frustratingly unhelpful answer. He reasoned that if he let her drink more blood, she would regain her memories, but...

But it’s too dangerous right now.

Cuteness was the opposite of danger. The reason why people found rabbits and cats cute was that they were harmless. But Elise was a rose—beautiful, fragrant, but easy to prick others if handled the wrong way. Keter had to be careful.

So I’ll get involved with vampires someday. Really, things that are supposed to happen end up happening anyway.

When Keter acquired the Blood Sword Dracula in Liqueur, he sold it off to the Godfather because it was too troublesome to handle. Back then, the Godfather had warned him that he would end up being involved with vampires as long as he possessed that sword.

The Godfather is so evil. He said it like I wouldn’t become involved with vampires if I handed over Dracula, but I was bound to get involved with them because of Elise anyway.

Another thing was added to Keter’s to-do list: preparing for vampire encounters. He was going to have to ask Volkanus to make some silver arrows, as vampires could only be hurt by silver.

Seriously, why do all the strong ones have some kind of conditional immortality? I’m so jealous.

“Elise, now that you’ve fed, can you turn back into a bat?”

“Ergh... I don’t want to, but if you’re asking, Daddy...”

“Oh, I’m not your dad.”

“You’re not? Why?”

“Why do you think I’m your dad? We don’t even look alike. I mean, sure, we’re both gorgeous, but we’re clearly different types.”

“Daddy is Daddy.”

Keter could feel Jacques’ suspicious gaze on him. He was really starting to wonder if Elise was Keter’s child.

“Well... being called Daddy doesn’t make it true. Fine, call me that. But only if you keep listening to me like you used to.”

“Okay!”

Elise cheered and twirled happily, but it wasn’t just any twirl. Suddenly, blood energy surrounded her and then exploded like a balloon. Then, she turned into a white bat, just as Keter and Jacques remembered her.

Flap flap.

She fluttered onto Keter’s shoulder and nuzzled into his neck.

“

Gasp!

That girl... was Slurpie?”

“You’re quick.”

Keter placed Slurpie on his finger and held her out to Jacques. Slurpie, who also felt familiar with him, perched on his shoulder without hesitation.

“I’m heading out for a bit. Please take care of her again.”

“You just got back, and you’re leaving again? And from your tone, I’m guessing it’s not close by?”

Is he a detective or something? He’s sharp.

“Yeah, that’s just what it is.”

“Understood. Just come back safely, my lord.”

Jacques didn’t try to stop him, which was what made him so likable. Or maybe Keter just gravitated toward people like that.

In any case, he lifted the carpet. A teleportation magic circle to Liqueur greeted him.

“Six, step onto the circle.”

“Yes.”

A quiet, obedient companion wasn’t troublesome, but also not very fun. Keter found himself missing Luke’s antics.

“By the way, how’s Luke?”

“He left three weeks ago to hunt goblins in the Rubian region.”

“As long as he’s alive, it’s fine.”

Now that he had heard how Luke was doing, Keter activated the magic circle.

“Six, don’t resist my mana or the teleport spell.”

“Yes.”

The circle glowed brightly. On top of that, Keter activated the ring left by his mother. The seal turned black. He slammed the ring down onto the circle.

Boom! Crackle!

The teleportation circle activated and merged with the ring’s seal.

Whoosh!

With a brilliant flash of sparks, Keter and Six were swallowed whole by the space.

* * *

Crackle!

With a distortion of space, Keter and Six popped into his office in Liqueur. Emerging from the spatial rift, Keter staggered and leaned against the wall.

“Ugh, my head...” He groaned, massaging his temples. “Nothing is truly perfect in this world.”

The reason Keter, who had no issue teleporting last time with Luke, now found himself staggering and complaining of a headache was none other than Six.

“Felt like my skull was going to split.”

When he traveled with Luke, it had only caused some minor discomfort. However, bringing Six had changed the sensation of teleportation.

“So it’s about rank, huh?”

The heirloom his mother left him—one that allowed him to freely travel to and from Liqueur—wasn’t something he could just use endlessly without cost. The higher the “rank” of the person he brought, the greater the strain.

“I’ll have to brace myself when I bring Popo and Dork next time. Anyway...”

Once his headache faded, Keter looked around. Though the office was familiar, something felt off, and it wasn’t just because everything was unusually tidy. He bent down and ran his hand along the floor. There were faint footprints in the dust, and dried blood.

“It’s not Dork’s size.”

In other words, someone had broken in. And the fact that Dork’s presence was nowhere to be felt was unsettling. No, it felt like all of Liqueur had changed, not just his office.

“Even the air feels different.”

Keter stepped out of the office. Being atop a tower gave him a clear view of the surroundings.

“This is...”

It had only been a month or two, but Liqueur had changed. Outwardly, nothing looked different. But to Keter, who had lived here for decades, it was obvious.

Chaos.

Of course, Liqueur had always been chaotic by nature, but before, it had been a structured chaos. What he felt now was different: pure, unfiltered chaos. He didn’t even need to look down to sense it.

“It’s a mess.”

Instead of the usual shouting, the sounds of fighting rose up from the streets.

“What the hell happened?”

In his previous life, Keter returned to Liqueur after spending a year in Sefira. And when he did, it hadn’t changed at all. Even after a full year’s absence, it had remained as orderly chaos.

But this time, it was different—Liqueur had shifted.

“Is it because of me?”

Keter scratched the back of his head. Sure, unlike his past life, he had beaten Cork this time, but Cork wasn’t important enough in Liqueur to cause this much change.

“I don’t think that’s why.”

Then what was?

However, he didn’t dwell on it for long.

“Dork would probably know.”

There were signs of intrusion and no sign of Dork, but Keter wasn’t worried. He wasn’t the type to die easily, and more importantly, Popo was still alive, which meant Dork must be, too. Besides, Dork was always accompanied by his guards, the old Black and White.

“Even someone like Balt couldn't take those two down easily.”

So where could Dork be?

“He was learning Flying Sword Art from Captain Joyray, so he’s probably at the tavern.”

Keter had a feeling he would be somewhere there, but that wasn’t enough to get him moving. He couldn’t think of where else Dork could be if it wasn’t for Joyray’s tavern. In that case, Keter would have to waste time searching, and he wasn’t in the mood for that.

So, he returned to the office and looked for the pager. He found Dork’s pager.

It’s still here, just as expected.

And while he searched, he discovered something else.

“They really tore through this place.”

Keter’s office was filled with traps, and there were clear signs many had been triggered.

“Who the hell tried to break into my office?”

He had only been gone a short while, and someone had the guts to storm in. Keter could only conclude that they clearly hadn’t been properly educated.

“When I find you, believe me...”

He activated the pager and tracked Dork’s location. Sure enough, he was at Joyray’s tavern. That was when something green and slimy dropped from the ceiling.

Squish.

Popo oozed down and wrapped around Keter’s finger in greeting.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

“Hey, Popo. You’ve been doing well too, huh?”

Hisss.

“Yeah, yeah, I missed you too. But let’s catch up later. I’ve got to find Dork first.”

Popo’s acid had grown stronger. It looked like he had gotten bigger too. It was probably from devouring all the intruders.

Keter peeled Popo off and was about to leave the office when...

Thud. Thud. Thud.

...he felt vibrations from the floor. A group was climbing the tower toward his office. Keter sensed them and let out a cold smile.

“No way they know I’m back already... Coincidence?”

It was a lucky break for him, and a very unlucky one for them.

“Let’s see who’s got the guts to come up here.”

He stepped onto the balcony and looked down at the approaching group.

“Huh? Those guys...”

They had red-eye tattoos on their foreheads. Keter was familiar with them. They were part of the Red-Eyed Gang under Maran, also known as one of the Five Lunatics in Liqueur or as the Eye Collector.

And at the front of the group was Contact, the executive member.

“...Huh?!”

Contact met eyes with Keter, who was standing above, waving down at him with a grin.