The Fallen Vampire

Chapter 212: The Gift of Friendship

Taira sat alone in the garden of snowy flowers for a long time.

His only only companion was Yukiko, and even she was already asleep as he lightly stroked her fur.

He didn't even know how long he had been in the garden for.

Might've been minutes, might have been hours.

No one came to bother him. The girls seemed to recognize that he might've needed time to himself at the moment.

Taira was very annoyed.

But he didn't know why.

Accusations aside, he had certainly been called worse.

There was no reason for him to be so upset over simple rudeness.

This was something different entirely.

"...I had never thought this choice of form would be so convenient for learning about you. I just thought that it was the easiest way to conserve my energy without fear of dispersal."

Taira didn't move when Velreth left his amulet and appeared behind him.

He didn't even turn his head to look back. Nor did he speak.

But neither of those things really surprised Velreth all that much.

"...Do you mind if an old immortal gives you over three hundred thousand years worth of his two cents..?"

Taira didn't say anything, and Velreth took that as his initiative to go ahead and talk.

"You wear your sarcasm and cold bravado as your armor. Though I am unsure if this is because of your own choice or if you are just playing the role life has dealt you.

But I know the truth.

You are a decent man in a world where such a quality is rare. I believe this to be the reason you were bothered so terribly earlier.

Though you pretend not to like them, you had favorable impressions of them. Enough to consider taking off your armor with them.

I believe that you feel aggrieved because this reminds you of your upbringing. Mud is being cast upon your name by those you hold close to you yet again. It must hurt a great deal.

You probably try to tell yourself that it wasn't a personal attack. Just a calculated assessment based upon the information they had at the time.

But just because you can rationalize something doesn't make it sting any less, does it?"

Drawing his arm back, he swung it toward's Aja's neck with the same lack of hesitation that he showed Ja'Zaki earlier.

A gust of wind blew Aja's hair as the pointed tip of Tara's blade barely touched her cheek.

No more than a single dot of blood ran down Aja's face, but she seemed perfectly unbothered.

"Do you see? I knew that you would not hurt me."

Taira's pupils trembled imperceptibly and he withdrew his weapon away from Aja.

"...There's a spare bedroom downstairs if you're going to insist on being annoying. Stay there but be out of my sight by the morning."

"You will find me waiting at the kitchen table for breakfast."

"This isn't a fucking inn."

"So Enyo won't make me little pancakes in the shape of mice with little berry eyes..?" Aja seemed to deflate like a balloon.

"You think she will wake up before 11 to do something like that? Hysterical."

Taira walked back into the palace, but Aja was hot on his tails with no interest in the observation of personal space.

"...Why are you following me."

"I am going to look for your women. I wish to know who will prepare me breakfast in the morning."

"None of them. Go away."

"I can't, I also want to see what you all do at night."

Taira stopped in his tracks and grabbed Aja by her heavily pierced ears.

He led her down the hallway into her own room with the intention of sealing her in for the night.

"By the way..." he said quietly.

"Hm?"

"Ignore the human's request for now... I don't want to do anything until I know how desperate they are."

Aja was mildly surprised, but then again she already knew this to be her best friend's nature.

Even when he was annoyed and lost in thought, his mind still worked tirelessly in the background to determine the best course of action for everyone going forward.

He really was never not thinking about others.

"As you wish."