The day after Shurein showed an unexpected (?) weakness.
Kousuke and the others went out to the village as usual.
Today, not only to check on the children, but also to see the market again.
Since it is a small village, it cannot be helped that there is not much to see.
“Indeed, no matter how many times I see it, it’s just an ordinary scene.”
Kousuke tilted his head at Shurein’s murmured words.
Looking at Shurein’s face, he sensed that it wasn’t just an ordinary thought, but that there was another meaning hidden within it.
“What do you mean?”
“Hmm. …To put it more clearly, it would be fine to add ‘if they were not Vampires’ to the head, wouldn’t it?”
“…Ah. I see.”
Kousuke, understanding what Shurein meant, replied with a sigh.
What Shurein is saying is the same thing they have repeated many times before.
The Vampires in the future, the ones they know, do not engage in such “ordinary” activities.
“I know that’s a hint, but if you ask why that ordinariness disappeared…”
“Cannot guess, huh? …No, is that really the case?”
“Kousuke…?”
Shurein tilted her head, seeing Kousuke’s face light up as if he had just thought of something.
At the same time, it was also intended to let Kousuke speak before he could think too much.
Kousuke had a habit of swallowing his words when he wasn’t confident about them.
Shurein wanted him to say them, as she didn’t know if they were truly wrong.
Responding to Shurein’s intention, Kousuke began to speak, organizing the thoughts that came to his mind.
“Right now, we have a very ordinary life as Vampires in front of us?”
“Hmm.”
“But in the era we know, these activities have almost disappeared or been reduced?”
“That’s right.”
“That means that at some point, these activities faded away.”
“That’s correct.”
Shurein responded to Kousuke’s words with frequent affirmations.
Shurein had already gone through this line of reasoning many times.
Listening to Kousuke, Shurein thought along, recalling the history of Vampires she knew.
“When did that happen? Did it fade away by mere coincidence, or did something happen that caused it…?”
“It’s probably due to some cause.”
“And why is that?”
“Why, well…”
In response to Kousuke’s question, Shurein’s expression suddenly changed.
“To find that out, didn’t we travel to this era?”
“Yeah. Well, it doesn’t seem like that’s all there is to it, but it is one of the keys, isn’t it?”
This was something they learned from Clara’s communication the other day.
That’s why Kousuke and Shurein are racking their brains while observing the village’s activities.
However, Kousuke, who had been speaking without much thought until now, felt a sense of unease and tilted his head.
He felt like the conversation had strayed somewhere from his earlier inspiration.
“Kousuke…?”
“Ah, no, yeah. What is it? It feels like something is stuck in my throat, and it’s unpleasant.”
Seeing Kousuke with his arms crossed and his head in his hands, Shurein also tilted her head.
Shurein had no idea what Kousuke was feeling uneasy about.
At this point, Mitsuki, who had been silently listening to their conversation, interjected.
“Did Kousuke-sama feel uneasy about the key part? Or the era? Or something that happened even further back?”
Mitsuki also didn’t know what Kousuke was stuck on.
That’s why she dared to ask him what it was.
“That’s… not the key, but the era… Ah! I see!!”
Kousuke suddenly clapped his hands, and Shurein and Mitsuki exchanged glances.
To the two of them, who looked bewildered, Kousuke continued his question.
“I was so preoccupied with the village that I forgot, but the staff didn’t just choose this era for us to travel to. There’s another one!”
Kousuke spoke with great excitement, and Mitsuki nodded in understanding.
“It doesn’t look like this is the Central Continent, does it?”
“Yes! If you think about that, you’ll understand the reason, won’t you? Rather than the place, why this village was necessary or something.”
At Kousuke’s words, Shurein’s face showed a look of shock.
“The reason why it had to be this village… I see.”
Kousuke grinned, watching Shurein nod in single-minded agreement.
“It looks like you’ve come up with something.”
“Yeah. Probably… it’s not wrong.”
Shurein said that with a sigh, but her face looked much more refreshed.
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Since it was unsettling to stand, Shurein suggested returning to the hermitage, and Kousuke and the others returned from the market.
During that time, Shurein remained silent, perhaps to calm herself down or to convince herself.
Kousuke also deliberately refrained from questioning her during that time.
He thought Shurein needed time to organize her thoughts.
After they entered the hermitage and sat down, Shurein immediately began to explain what she had gathered.
“Do you remember what I told the Elder when we first came to this village?”
“To the Elder…? Hmm…”
In response to Shurein’s question, Kousuke looked up at the ceiling, recalling that time.
“…I think I said something like what the Elder is doing is not wrong…?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
Shurein nodded at Kousuke’s confirming words and began to talk about the past of the Prost Clan.
The reason why the Prost Clan is said to be the origin of the Vampires that Kousuke and the others know is for a proper reason.
This is partly because there was a race called the Ancestor within the clan, but more importantly, they branched off from the original Vampires and created a certain foundational ritual.
That ritual was for creating the Crystal Stones that Kousuke knows, and it is said that because of it, the Prost Clan no longer needed to engage in bloodsucking against other races.
Shurein knew this, which is why she gave that advice to the Elder.
Of course, what Shurein knew was just one of the legends, and it was a gamble whether it was truly correct, but judging by the Elder’s reaction, she thought it was correct.
Kousuke’s face showed understanding as he listened to Shurein’s story.
“…I see. Shurein, you think that’s related to this matter?”
“Yes. More than that, I can’t think of anything else.”
She hadn’t thought of it at all until it came to her, but once she became convinced, she felt there was nothing else.
It was convenient, but it wasn’t wrong that she couldn’t think of anything else.
Moreover, that historical fact was of paramount importance to Vampires.
It was natural in a sense that Shurein would think so.
It seems like we can finally move forward.
The long past stories are almost over! (…I hope so)
