The Reincarnated Vampire Just Wants to Enjoy Her New Life

Chapter 130: The Elf and the Not Elf

As we approached the settlement, Peitho glanced back and forth, looking at the view.

"Why are there so many fairies?! It's like eastern Arcadia!"

"We had a lot of immigrants a little while back."

"But fairies?! Those crazy, childish people?! Wait, is it because of them that there's so many spirits here?!"

"Yea, they brought a whole bunch over with them when they came."

The first time they had come, it was a bit scary seeing the fluffballs blot out the sky all of the sudden.

"This...there must be an uproar going on in Arcadia if so many spirits disappeared."

"Ah, I guess so?"

It wasn't exactly something I really thought of, as it was a country I hadn't ever visited. The fairies didn't really talk much about it either so the very idea kinda faded from my memories.

Hopefully this won't cause problems for us in the future, though most certainly it would. All I could hope was that the spirits here won't be discovered by anyone until the people in Arcadia calm down regarding this.

"Anyways, I'll show you your workplace."

Emerging through the canopy, we floated our way to the dungeon entrance and landed.

"This here is our dungeon."

"You even have a dungeon here?! No wonder so many people can live in such a remote location without any problems."

"Yea, I'm quite thankful for this place."

It was thanks to this dungeon that I was able to live with so few worries after all.

"Umm, I can walk, so can you put me down?"

"You sure? I can keep carrying you."

"No, it's fine."

Peitho's cheeks grew a little red as I teased her a bit, but I obediently lowered her to the ground before we moved towards the dungeon.

"Claret! Give those to the little ones!"

But as I entered the hollow stone path, the sight of my familiar nibbling some of the mini mana treats I gave her entered my eyes.

"But...!"

"No! I gave you your own meal. Those are for the others!"

I couldn't believe she would try to sneak a few of those mana treats. Just because I gave her a ton to distribute didn't mean that she could steal some. She seriously ate a lot already. I couldn't help but worry what would happen if her appetite increased. The thought of her getting fat was also pretty worrying, though I didn't know if it was possible. No matter how much I ate, my figure never change aside from my ever growing baby bump.

"Okay, Master..."

Claret drooped her head as she went back out of the dungeon to hand out the rest of the mana treats.

(Geez that girl. If I don't put my foot down on these things, she'll just go and eat all of my mana treats without a care.)

I continued on. That familiar of mine should be able to find me without any issues anyways, so there was no need to wait for her.

"This dungeon is a bit unique in that there's more than one entrance."

"Seriously?!"

"Yea. I was surprised too when I found out. Just touch the fountain and think about the west entrance to move over there from the southern entrance."

"If there's a western and southern entrance, is there also more on the north and east sides?"

"...I haven't check yet."

The thought never came up. Probably because I've grown to take the existence of this dungeon so naturally, that I hadn't even considered the fact that there might be more than two entrances. This was something I really needed to confirm, or else it could be a real problem in the future.

After taking the elf's hand and teleporting, we exited the dungeon immediately.

"There's another settlement over here as well?!"

"Yea. The Hunter's Guild HQ is on this side as well, since the fairies usually only go into the dungeon to get the same things over and over."

Namely, sugar. Any source of sugar and the fairies practically lined up to gather it in the dungeon. Though they do also go after any other major ingredients used in desserts, their quest for sugar was endless.

"Anyways, so here's the guild building...huh?"

Leaning against the wall next to the door was a familiar figure.

"Elli? Is something the matter?"

"Ah, Scarlet! I wanted to talk to you about...who's this?"

The dokkalfar elder tilted her head as she noticed the figure trailing behind me.

"Ack! A dark elf?!"

"Oh? This childish elf's got quite the nerve calling us dokkalfar by such a derogatory name!"

Despite the small distance between us, Elli closed it in an instant as Peitho let out her surprised words, and before I knew it, she had a knife against the elf's throat.

(Seriously, how does she do that despite my higher stats?!)

"No no no! But...Scarlet! Why's there a dark elf here?!"

"What's this? Does my knife not scare you? Maybe it'll be scary enough if it's inside your throat instead of pressing against it?"

"Wait wait wait! Elli! I need her alive!"

In a panic, I tried to stop her. Those eyes of hers were really scary. Seriously, if it was possible, I would have been worried of wetting myself just looking at them.

"In that case, I'll settle for her legs. She doesn't need those, does she?"

"Eeek!"

"No, seriously! I get you're angry Elli, but calm down! Peitho! Apologize before she really takes your legs off!"

Turning to my only hope in diffusing this situation, I practically scream at the one who caused it in the first place.

"I, I, I...I'm sorry!"

"Whatever are you apologizing for, brat?"

Very quickly, the scent of fresh blood reached my nose, and panic threatened to take me over.

"Elli! Stop! Please! Peitho! Apologize for what you called her! Now!"

I quickly grabbed the dokkalfar elder's arm, but the way she hooked her blade around the panicking elf meant that even if I forced her off, there was a good chance of still doing quite a bit of damage at the same time.

"I, I, I, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry I called you a dark elf! Please forgive me!"

"Hmph. I'll forgive you, but only because you're Scarlet's guest. There won't be a second."

"Sorry about that Elli, and thanks as well."

I let go of her arm, only to realize that the knife she was holding was nowhere in sight.

(Seriously. How the hell does she do that?!)

"As suspicious as this brat is, I doubt you brought her here with anything but the most positive intent. Even still, since she is your associate, you should tighten her leash so that she doesn't embarrass you."

"Are you trying to say that I should put a leash on Aurae and Orphne?"

"Haha! I imagine if you tried that, you'd end up being dragged around in the wake of their chaos."

I was glad my joke managed to lighten the elder up a bit. I got how being called the wrong name could tick her off, though I didn't expect it to such a degree. Then again, I had made the same mistake with her great granddaughter Frey, so most likely it was a species wide sore spot.

"So what was it that you were waiting for me for?"

"Hmm? Oh yes. About that. Have you thought about moving out from your room in the dungeon? Maybe get your own house or something?"

"Huh? Why should I do that?"

It was kinda an odd thing for her to bring up all of the sudden.

"Well, where you are right now, nobody can reach you while you are at home, and isn't it inconvenient if you need help quickly? Having to teleport and go all the way out of the dungeon if you need something? Especially since you are progressing quite far into your pregnancy, I think it is important that you can get immediate help at any time. It is not good for a pregnant lady to be alone! This will especially grow important in about four more months!"

"I guess I get where you coming from..."

"Is that not so? Come! I have a spare room at my house you can use!"

"Wait wait! A spare room? I thought your place only had one bedroom?"

Elli's place was quite small, with only a main room, bed room, and a washroom. It was virtually a studio apartment style house with a detached bedroom. I hadn't been inside her bedroom, but still, it was certainly designed as a house for one.

"Well, if you want to share my room, I suppose I can allow that. It would be better for you as well."

"No no no, that's not it! Wasn't your place really small? Since when did you have room for a second bedroom?"

"Since last night."

"Huh?"

"I had my house extended, and now there is a second bedroom. But if you want to sleep in my room together with me, then we can arrange that as well. Come!"

"No no no. Wait a sec!"

Elli grabbed my hand in hers and pulled me along without waiting for my response, but I pulled back and stopped her.

"Why did you make an addition to your home? Was it just so I could live there?"

"Of course!"

I was dumbfounded. What this dokkalfar just did sounded like the sort of thing Aurae would've done. Or the fairies in general actually, but Aurae in particular. I wouldn't have been surprised if she kicked the other elders out of her place just to do it as well.

At least the fact that her place was too small for someone not a fairy was probably the only reason why it hadn't actually happened though.

"Why? I mean, doing that without even telling me? What if I say no?"

"Are you? It is quite dangerous for a pregnant woman to live on her own without anyone else to help her."

"I already live with Claret!"

"That spirit that is always following you?"

"That's right!"

(My ever faithful and loyal familiar!)

"Does she know anything regarding pregnancies?"

"Erk."

"On the other hand, I have quite the knowledge on the subject, having gone through it three times and helped many other with theirs. You will not find a place better than mine!"

"Wait wait wait!"

Once again Elli tried to pull on my hand, forcing me to stop her before she pushed things all the way before I knew it.

"What is the matter? I do not see a reason for us to delay."

"Well, I don't see the reason to hurry so much! Even if I decide to go with that, there's no reason why we need to hurry!"

"Tch!"

She clicked her tongue! She definitely clicked her tongue! Elli might have had her head turned away, but there's no way I misheard that!

"Things are fine as they are right now, and it's more convenient for me to stay in the dungeon so I'd be able to hunt as much as I want while I can. What's the hurry anyways?"

"It is not like you absolutely have to move immediately. But since the opportunity is there, is it not better to do so early? Especially before someone tries to obstruct it..."

The elder did have a point, though I had no idea such a thing was going on behind my back. Since the room was already prepared, it wasn't wrong to say that it would be better to start using it sooner rather than later if I didn't have a particular reason to hold off on it.

Then again, that last bit Elli mumbled with her head turned was more than enough to inform me what her real motivation for hurrying up on it was.

Or rather, the very thought that there was some sort of competition regarding where I was going to stay for the near future was a bit odd. Elli did have a point that I should stay somewhere I could get quick help if needed, especially concerning how difficult this pregnancy's been. I wouldn't be surprised at all if some sort of unexpected trouble were to happen closer to the nine month mark.

I really hoped an early birth wasn't going to be the surprise, nor some sort of health issue for Alicia. But aside from how terrible my symptoms were, everyone who checked up on me confirmed that I was the picture of health.

At least as far as they could tell, but vampire health wasn't exactly anyone's area of expertise, even my own.

Perhaps once I've gotten to the point where I could no longer efficiently farm levels from those lesser dragons, or even any monster that gave me a useful amount of XP, then would be a good time to move. But until then, the convenience of my home being next to my favourite hunting spot topped all other concerns.

"You know, I appreciate the offer, but not at the moment. I still rather keep my room in the dungeon for now. But if the offer is still open in a few months...huh?"

Letting go of my hand, Elli snuck her hand under my hood and stroked my hair a bit, completely taking me off guard.

"Of course the offer will still be open, Scarlet."

But rather than let me go after saying that, she wrapped her other arm around my shoulders and pulled me into a hug. I was completely thrown off of balance by this act, and not wanting to hurt Elli, I couldn't do anything but let my face land into her chest.

My cheeks grew hot as I realized what the soft sensation on them was. As far as I could remember, this was the first time I had touched someone else's breasts aside from Claret. But she was family to me, like a little sister. It quickly became something I had hardly noticed, as she usually clung to my back in the first place.

But this was different. Elli was someone different, and not someone who was my family. Not consciously thinking about the squishy sensation on my face was impossible for me.

Despite living in this body for the better part of four years now, I couldn't say that I was particularly familiar with it in certain aspects, so I couldn't claim with any certainty to understand my body's reaction to this aside from simply being embarrassed.

"Wha, wha, wha...?!"

I flailed my arms as I stuttered, but when Elli started to stroke my head again, I clammed up entirely. My thoughts moving entirely to the strange feeling on the back of my head.

It wasn't...unpleasant.

Not at all, or rather, it was kinda nice.

The strength in my body fades as I accept this feeling which spread throughout my body. It was if something which I didn't even know had been missing my entire life had been found. Like a part of me had become complete.

Any stress, anxiety, thoughts of difficulty, all of it simply melted away.

(Maybe this is what Claret feels every time I pet her?)

Envy welled up inside of my chest, at that familiar of mine who managed to monopolize this feeling all this time.

But even that quickly disappeared with each stroke of my hair.

My eyes closed as my mind focused almost exclusively on the gentle hand on my head.

"You know, ever since we first met, I thought you were pretty cute."

"Mmm..."

"You work so hard to make other happy, yet at little benefit to yourself."

"Mmm..."

"You are so strong, to knowledgeable, so hard working, yet surprisingly naive in certain ways."

"Mmm..."

"You know, to me, you are like a great granddaughter I never had."

"Mmm..."

"Everyone is excited about your baby, but to me, it feels more like looking forward to seeing the face of my great great grandchild."

"Mmm..."

"Your hair is quite nice as well. I love stroking it."

"Mmm..."

"I would love to stroke your hair every day like this."

"Mmm..."

"So will you come to my place?"

"Mmm..."

"Good girl. Good girl."

"Mmm..."

There was a slight tug, and my feet automatically followed. All the while the warmth on the back of my head continued to gently move back and forth.

...

(Wait, what did she say?!)

I quickly stopped my feet and pulled back as I ran that previous conversation through my mind.

"Tch!"

This time, without any attempt at hiding it, Elli clearly clicked her tongue. A scowl ran across her face for a split second before she returned to a gentle smile and she held her arms out towards me.

"Come. I believe that was as pleasant for you as it was for me. I can hold you in my arms as a grandmother should. As you deserve to have."

"I...I..."

It was tempting. It was really tempting.

My relationship with my parents in my previous live wasn't very good for almost as long as I could remember. I didn't have a single memory of being held that way even though it should have happened countless times.

Maybe it was a longing, or a primitive part of my brain which unconsciously desired that sort of feeling, but the thought that I could feel that warmth all the time was ebbing at my willpower.

To be pampered, to be spoiled. Not just to do it to others, but to have it done to me.

"!"

I put my hands on my belly.

While I couldn't say it was definite, and could have just been something else or even my imagination, there was the feeling of some sort of movement in my belly.

"Did your baby kick?"

Forgetting entirely about our little argument, Elli put a hand on my belly.

I was a little annoyed she did it without asking, but considering the circumstances, it was forgivable.

Regardless of all that, almost like Alicia was listening all this time and was trying to remind me what was important.

Not like she was a self centred girl at all, but it was a reminder not to drown in someone's flow.

"Elli, I appreciate the offer, and maybe I'll take it in the future, but for the time being I still have things I need to do and staying where I am makes that easier."

"Haa. Fine. But it is a promise, understood? Once you finish those things, or when you come close to term, you will move in to my place. And when you do, I will properly pamper you."

"I got it. It would be stupid to take any unnecessary risks after all."

"While I believe that you are already taking some unnecessary risks, if you believe they are necessary, then I shall not oppose it. After all, with this I won."

Once again I was a little worried about the lat bit which Elli turned away to mumble, but I was glad that she accepted this compromise. And regarding that promise to pamper me, I hoped it wouldn't turn me into slush like Claret seemed to become on occasion.

And with her business with me over, as Elli made her way into town, I turned to Peitho.

"Well, that was a bit unexpected, but let's get you settled in."

"...Right."

I couldn't really blame the elf for her trepidation, but at this point I had no choice but to push forward. Letting her escape after all this would be quite problematic for me, so even if there was some stumbling involved, all there was to do was to push forward and ignore it until she couldn't turn back!

So with that in mind, I pulled on Peitho's hand and entered the guild building.

I introduced her to the other employees. Peitho reacted to them better than Elli, as she had learned her lesson and things went smoothly.

From there, we headed upstairs to my office where, once I served her a fresh cup of coffee, I taught Peitho the work I expected her to do.

Namely, my job.