Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha

「……. DoEs ThAt MeAN I SHouLd StrIve to BecoME a VampIrE？」

I ask that question to Lorraine.

According to Lorraine"s explanation, I’ll be one sooner or later if I keep absorbing the power of the demons while keep wishing myself to become a vampire.

But Lorraine shakes her head.

「It doesn"t mean I"m always right…………. But, your case is not wrong either and there’s a possibility that you can’t become one with just that」

「……… WhaT Do YOu MeAn？」

「Your evolution existence. If you can achieve that just by beating demons, shouldn"t you already become one in the labyrinth?」

That"s certainly true… When I thought to her words.

If all I need is the power from killing demons, then surely the one that I gained from the Giant Skeleton is enough to make me achieve evolution back then.

So it"s probably that power alone is not enough since I fought more demons on my way back to the city, and I still haven"t achieve evolution existence.

Next was the event with Lorraine.

In that case………….

「thE CauSe is YoUR BlOoD aNd MeAt……………」

「Yup. Seeing you going through the evolution after doing so, it made me think why you haven"t already. Though the detail is still fuzzy, my guess was based on that event that there"s a condition to be made for the evolution existence to take place. Anywho, the fact that you can"t evolve just beating demon is there」

That"s why I"m not evolving.

But then, why Lorraine"s blood and flesh?

I asked that question.

「That"s difficult to say…………. It probably means that it relates to how shiki is the low ranked species of vampire. Where vampires is a type of demon that takes power and spirit of the opponent into its body by sucking their blood. But that doesn"t mean they"ll die by doing so, though their body will gradually be weakened. Shiki might be the same………… To say it briefly, they can gain power by sucking the blood of a human」

「And TheIR FlESh？」

「Hmm, It may have something to do with the Ghoul side？ And when you almost lost your mind at that time……….. It could just be how strong your impulse right？ Have you felt something similar other than this?」

When I thought about her words, It does reminds me how I constantly thinking not to eat human flesh.

That"s not good right!?

I tried to endure the feeling inside while retorting myself —though, I don"t feel any impulse whatsoever. Is it because the effect is still negligible?

But, it does feel like the impulse would constantly grow if I beat more demons.

And the time I met with Loris, the owner of that restaurant, I felt the feeling of wanting it even more..

It was after I beat the Giant Skeleton where it becomes forceful.

That"s what I told her. She nodded,

「Having said that, demons may have need the so called energy intake. So their instinct becomes even stronger when not eating. And then, that impulse exploded when you came to my house……. As a result, you ate my flesh and blood, and with that you achieved evolution……… Though I don"t know wether it was accidental that you met the requirement or your instinct is trying to meet those requirements. So you need to have this in mind, and not just beat oter demons」

She answered as such.

……… I can"t help but to ponder on such an out-stretch remark. Seeing this, she said,

「……..It"s not wrong either. I mean it"s not as if I"m all knowing. In the first place, what I told you just now is that of an a.s.sumptions, so you can just say that it"s a dumb idea. Ha~h, I want more samples………. If I have more I"ll be able to deepened my understanding」

Seeing that there"s low probability on another existence such as me, her hope becomes dim.

Though she says that it was a wild idea, there"s many things that has shed to light just by her a.s.sumptions.

I might not be able to come up with what she just told me by myself, and I didn"t even thought that far ahead.

Then it came to mind that "I"ve been friends with a scholar all along".

「Well, even there"s many uncertanties, there"s nothing we can do but to advance step by step. Since the road you"re taking can be historical first in the history of humanity……. I"m giving you my suppoert」

I"m grateful with your help, Lorraine.

「ThANk YoU」

「Don’t mind it…………… Well then, let"s start with doing various experiments on you right away」

「Eh？」

Just when the atmosphere about to turn into a solemn one, I turned preplex by her sudden statement.

But Lorraine in haste manner,

「What are you doing？ Take off your clothes now. Since there’s image recording crystal here, I’ll take the photograph of the current you.  Ah, next is can you eat？ Although you ate me in your Ghoul state, please challenge yourself with normal food later. Oops, please sc.r.a.pe this part too alter. I have painkillers too if it start to hurt……… Is painkillers effective on the current you？ I want to Investigate the effects of medicine to your body…….. Next is………..」

It seems she is planning to do various things to me by suggesting those one after another.

I could only nod with wistful expression.

Lorraine normally is a listless woman, but once her enthusiasm ignited, she"ll keep tackling it without minding day or night to the degree where there"s a case she fainted from forgetting to eat and sleep.

Whenever that happen, I"ll be stuck on her side while taking her daily necessity.

And tie her to a bed. Where one might think she is sleeping, she"ll kept twitching to the last of her willpower wanting to continue without giving a thought on taking a rest.

That disease is recurring right now.

However, seeing that this is necessary, I guess it can"t be help.

And I should eat if I might fall due to hunger and not getting enough nutrition

If possible I wish that I can eat because back then I really love to eat.

But by the time I became a Skeleton to Ghoul I didn"t eat anything. Till I bit Lorraine.

「So lent, let"s strike the iron while it"s still hot………. Is what I would say, but since you seemed tired today, we"ll start from tomorrow. W-What’s with that look? 」

I made a really strange look since I never expect her to say something like "I"ll wait for tomorrow" while having that enthusiasm.

「……….. It’S NoThinG, I JusT THoUGhT THaT YoU WiLL Ask To sTArt RiGht AwaY………」

「Hey, I do have my common sense once in a while you know」

Once in a while huh.

I felt like rebuking her, but I guess I’ll let her off once in a while.

——-