Vivian did not stand on ceremony after hearing his words.
She lifted her hand, gathered the hem of the skirt covering her thighs, and sat down cross-legged.
“I’ll start by introducing myself,” Edward said with a smile, patting his chest as the three of them sat down. “My name is Edward Short. I’m from Mistport. I live at… 421 St. John Street.”
As he spoke, Edward’s eyes suddenly dimmed, and his voice trailed off.
‘It seems my home in Mistport is gone…’
A sudden wave of grief hit him, leaving him visibly shaken.
“Hello, Mr. Edward,” Vivian replied politely in her soft voice, standing up. “You can just call me Vivian. I am… a housewife.”
She then introduced her two companions to Edward.
“This is Nolan, a Paladin of the Church of Glimmer.”
“May the glimmer of Elios protect you, Mr. Edward,” Nolan said, clenching his fist against his chest and giving Edward a solemn knight’s salute.
“And this is Blake. He is a pastry chef.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Edward,” Blake said, lowering his hulking back into a slight bow.
Edward stared in disbelief. To see an Orc perform such perfect noble etiquette made him freeze involuntarily.
*Ahem.*
Vivian cleared her throat, pulling Edward’s attention back.
“Before we discuss the bodies from the Blue Whale Chamber of Commerce, I have a question,” she began. “Why did you run when you saw me?”
Vivian’s gaze turned sharp, scrutinizing Edward. She clearly remembered the moment Edward emerged from the mist. One second, he had been acting arrogant, and the next, his eyes were filled with overwhelming terror the moment his gaze landed on her.
It was a strange reaction that she couldn’t understand. She was certain this was their first meeting, and they had never had any dealings before.
‘I’ve never beaten you up, so why are you running? It’s not like my fearsome reputation has reached Mistport already…’ Vivian thought.
“Hahaha… well, that’s because…” Edward’s face flushed. He quickly looked away, awkwardly fiddling with the edge of his black robe. “It’s because… I’m being hunted.”
The answer was a bit embarrassing to admit.
“What does that have to do with me? It’s not like the person chasing you looks exactly like me, right?” Vivian asked.
“Actually, yes. The person hunting me is a member of the Kindred. Just like you, Miss Vivian, they have a pair of terrifying red eyes.”
After saying this, Edward crossed his arms and trembled, putting on a show of fear.
“Kindred?”
Vivian softly repeated the word. It was unfamiliar, yet strangely nostalgic. She rested her chin in her hand and drifted into thought.
The moment she heard the term, her vision blurred. Within the memories of her original body, there seemed to be information related to it. But when she tried to dig deeper, she couldn’t remember anything. It was as if an invisible fog had covered those memories, preventing her from seeing the secrets hidden in her mind.
After a moment of hesitation, Vivian decided to ask for more information to see if it would jog her memory.
“Then, what does this ‘Kindred’ have to do with me?”
“Ah? You don’t know, Miss Vivian?” Edward froze, his jaw dropping so wide it could fit a goose egg.
He felt like he had just heard something unbelievable.
‘You’re a vampire, and you don’t know what the Kindred are?’
“Sorry, I’ve lost part of my memory. I don’t remember things related to that,” Vivian said expressionlessly, tilting her head and pointing to her own.
As soon as she finished, Nolan, who was sitting beside her, stood up abruptly. He stared at Vivian, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. Nolan was about to speak when Vivian interrupted him.
“Don’t interrupt. Sit down.”
“Okay…” Nolan replied weakly. He straightened his posture and sat back down obediently.
‘What a good boy…’
With a warm smile, Vivian stood on her toes and gently ruffled Nolan’s short blonde hair.
“Please continue, Mr. Edward,” she said, turning back with an apologetic look.
“If I may ask… do you know that you’re a vampire, Miss Vivian?” Edward asked tentatively.
“I know,” Vivian nodded.
“In truth, vampires are just one branch of the Kindred,” Edward explained. “The term Kindred refers to those who rely on consuming blood to sustain their lives. This concept was proposed about 800 years ago by the Archmage Sivir in her book, ‘The Illustrated Guide to Abnormal Creatures.’ She divided the Kindred into three major branches: vampires, blood mages, and blood demons. Among them, vampires are undead, blood mages are mostly humans, and blood demons are devils from hell. The one hunting me is a blood mage.”
“Blood mages, as the name suggests, are experts in blood magic. It’s said that if a blood mage even gives you a hair-thin scratch, they can drain every drop of blood from your body!”
Edward spoke passionately, showing off his knowledge. He loved flaunting his erudition; it made him feel more like a proper mage. It definitely wasn’t because he was vain or liked to act as a teacher!
“So, those people also have red eyes like mine, and you mistook me for the blood mage hunting you?” Vivian said thoughtfully.
Although she had learned about the Kindred from Edward, no memories resurfaced. Vivian felt a hint of disappointment.
‘I’ll try to look through some books later if I get the chance… Ugh, I hate reading.’
The thought of studying gave her a headache.
“Red eyes and red robes! Those bastards want nothing more than to soak themselves in a pool of blood and dye their entire bodies red!” Edward shouted, punching the air in anger.
He was venting the resentment built up from being hunted. After his outburst, he trotted over to his wooden bed, bent down, and pulled out an oak barrel from underneath. He popped the cork and took a heavy gulp of rye beer.
*Haa —*
“Do you want a drink, Miss Vivian? I found this on the side of the road, too.” After finishing his gulp, Edward held the barrel out to her.
“No, thank you for the offer,” Vivian declined with a strained smile.
She was a bit repulsed by the idea of drinking after someone else… except for Nolan, of course. He was her husband, so he was different.
“That’s a shame…” Edward sighed.
Just then, a large hand wearing a heavy bracer patted his shoulder. A deep male voice came from beside him.
“Alright, stop bothering the lovely Miss Vivian. Now, let’s talk about the issue of you being a necromancer and a heretic.”
Edward’s entire body froze. His neck turned slowly, clicking like a broken gear. Behind him, Nolan stood with his eyes narrowed, wearing a cruel and playful smile.
‘I feel like he’s going to kill me!’ Edward screamed internally.