Black Solstice-Chapter 9: Vampire Girl Won’t Leave Me Alone [2]

Seraphis led me toward the direction of the dorms.

The dorm was just as large as the school building and almost looked like a castle in its own right. This vampire companion of mine was rather talkative, so I learned a lot of interesting information along the way.

In the past — about a thousand years ago, during the early years of the Second Great War between Saints and Demons — the academy had originally been used as a fortress. Although the school had undergone a few renovations since then, the administration hadn’t invested in unnecessary alterations. As a result, students mostly stayed in the old Garrison. Since the academy operated on a boarding system, nearly every student lived in their respective dormitories.

The castle-like structure was split between east and west. One half served as the boys’ dorm, while the other was reserved for the girls.

Even so, I wasn’t feeling it.

’What is with this peculiar design? Were they trying to make the dorms as intimidating as possible? Sure, it makes sense during wartime, but couldn’t they have done at least a few modern upgrades afterward? Are they afraid of change, or do demons simply prefer this kind of architecture?’

It was most likely the latter because...

"Ahh! Even the dorms are so cool. I can practically feel the dignity and character from the building!"

Upon looking at the dorms, Seraphis’ eyes literally went wide and sparkled with awe. She pressed a hand against her cheek, practically swooning at the sight.

"I mean, just look at those battlements! And the stonework! Ugh, it’s so nostalgic. I almost feel like I’m back home," she sighed dreamily.

Back home?

Was her original house a fortified stronghold!?

Meanwhile, I simply stared at the intimidating slab of gothic horror before me, feeling my soul quietly pack its bags and consider a long vacation.

’Of course she’d love this. Vampires and creepy castles go together like peanut butter and jelly. Meanwhile, I’m here trying to locate where the warm, comforting, not-haunted part of this place is.’

Demons and Devils were certainly weird to say the least.

Come to think of it, what was the difference between the two terms? Didn’t they have the same meaning when referring to non-human species?

I should probably research this later.

Seraphis clasped both hands behind her back and started humming as she walked, absolutely brimming with excitement.

"This dorm has so much history. I hear that some of the walls are still reinforced with reishi-engraved defense runes. They say the academy used them to repel a whole battalion of Holy Knights during the war!"

"That’s really comforting."

"Oh! And the garrison has a training courtyard, an armory, a safe room, and even a subterranean passage that leads directly to the old catacombs, though students aren’t allowed down there anymore for some reason."

"Old catacombs?"

"You don’t know? The academy was built on top of ancient burial grounds," Seraphis explained, lowering her voice as if sharing a fun little secret instead of something deeply horrifying. "It’s actually one of the oldest demon strongholds in the entire Mist Domain. Long before it became a school, it served as a sanctuary for high-ranking nobles and warlords. When they died, their remains were entombed underground to preserve their lineage and power."

"...Wait. So you’re telling me we’re living above a giant pit full of demon corpses?"

"Not corpses," she corrected cheerfully. "Ancestral remains."

"That doesn’t make it any better. How can you sound nonchalant about something like that?"

Seraphis giggled.

"Why do you sound so anxious? You’re a demon, aren’t you? You shouldn’t be afraid of mere dust and bones."

Tilting her head in that oddly endearing yet nerve-wracking manner, she then asked:

"By the way, what kind of demon are you anyway?"

My body flinched.

Damnit. Why did you have to ask that question!?

Just like that, she had cornered me.

Not that I didn’t see it coming.

Demons were apparently just as nosy as humans.

If it hadn’t been her, then someone else would’ve asked sooner or later, and I’d be forced to give some kind of answer. I obviously couldn’t say I was human, unless I had a death wish.

The moment anyone found out, I’d be screwed.

Worst case scenario, I’d be labeled a Vatican Church spy and tortured for information I couldn’t possibly provide.

The longer I stayed in this academy, the more dangerous it became.

And now, this innocent, oblivious vampire had casually dropped the hardest question imaginable right on my lap!

What do I do? What do I do? Hm. I can’t say just anything... but thanks to the academy’s rule against revealing True Forms, she can’t force me to prove it.

Still, I need a believable answer. The problem is I don’t actually know the different kinds of demons here. This is bad. Can I rely on myths?

Which demon is weak enough to pass as someone with human-like stats?

After a moment of deep contemplation, a spark of inspiration hit me. I straightened my posture and replied confidently, a smug smile creeping its way onto my face.

"Incubus."

Seraphis blinked. "Huh? What did you say?"

"I said I’m an incubus."

She stared at me for a long, silent moment.

Then—

"...Pfft."

She slapped a hand over her mouth. Her shoulders trembled.

"An... incubus? You?"

I felt my smile twitch.

"...Yes. Is there a problem?"

She stopped walking entirely and leaned closer, squinting at my face as though searching for something hidden on my forehead.

"You’re joking, right?"

"I’m not."

"You’re really not?"

"No," I said firmly, doubling down on the lie before it could crumble.

Her eyes widened, then sparkled with an odd mixture of curiosity and confusion.

"But... you don’t feel like an incubus."

My heart genuinely skipped a beat.

"...What do you mean by that?"

She thoughtfully tapped her chin.

"Well, incubi usually have this... aura. It’s subtle, but even when they try suppressing it, there’s always a faint... hmm... how should I describe it... ’seductive undertone.’ A sort of instinctual charm."

I internally panicked.

Seductive undertone!? Charm!?

What "aura" was she talking about!? Was I supposed to radiate some kind of demonic pheromone!?

Seraphis circled around me like a cat inspecting a peculiar piece of furniture.

"Strange. I don’t sense anything like that from you. For that matter, I can’t sense anything at all."

Sweat began to creep down my back.

"Well, uh... I’m a special case. My charm is... suppressed," I lied through my teeth.

She gasped.

"A curse!?"

"Yes— I mean, no— I mean... it’s complicated, alright."

Her eyes shone with newfound sympathy.

"I see... that must be difficult. Incubi rely heavily on their natural charisma. Having it suppressed must be very painful for you."

"Oh, incredibly painful," I said, nodding gravely while resisting the urge to collapse from second-hand embarrassment.

She placed a gentle hand on my arm.

"Don’t worry. If it’s a curse, the academy staff might be able to help you. There’s this lecturer called Lady Felmora who is prominent in curses, so she might be able to..."

"No! No need!"

I nearly jumped back, waving my hands like an idiot.

"It’s, uh... dormant and completely harmless, so it’s no big deal. And actually... uh... personal."

Seraphis blinked, then slowly nodded.

"Oh. I understand. Every demon has their own secrets or things they don’t want to talk about."

Thank goodness!

It seemed not every demon completely disregarded privacy.

Then another thought struck me.

"Oh... speaking of which, you said you were a vampire, right? But you look like a normal human if I’m being honest. Are you really a vampire? Or is this just the effect of your ’disguise’?"

"Yep. This is actually how I look. Or"—she leaned in slightly, smirking—"are you dissatisfied with my appearance?"

"That’s not what I meant."

"Hehe. I know, I know. I was just teasing. A lot of people have asked me the same thing, though. The reason isn’t that complicated."

She lightly tapped the pendant resting against her collarbone. It was shaped like two overlapping suns.

"You see this pendant? It’s a Magical Item that represents the difference point between the Summer Solstice and Winder Solstice. It suppresses the power of its wearer. When the seal is released, I can use my true power as a Supreme Devil."

I gave her a puzzled look. "Why would you seal your own power? Doesn’t that put you at a massive disadvantage?"

"I suppose you’re right. With the seal active, my demonic power is only on the level of a Lesser. My physical abilities can still match those of a Great Devil, but if they use their Demon Transformation, I’d be pretty helpless."

She shrugged casually, as though saying she’d misplaced a hairpin.

"But I’ve been fine so far. I spent most of my life in the Human Domain, so there wasn’t much need for my ’other self’ that holds my true power to appear."

Her eyes softened slightly.

"Though she will come out if my life is ever threatened."

I swallowed hard.

So this cheerful, chatterbox vampire was walking around with her power sealed... and was still strong enough to casually toss me around if she felt like it.

Also, what did she mean by other self?

Before I could think too deeply, Seraphis suddenly stepped into my personal space. She leaned in close, so close it looked like she was about to kiss me.

Her eyes were rather dreamy.

However, what she said next completely blew away that illusion.

"But even with our power sealed, we still crave blood. Guess you could say it’s my only weakness."

"Huh?"

That was all I managed to get out before Seraphis casually sank her fangs into my neck.

It was apparently a perfectly normal way to accumulate experience points by having my blood sucked.

...Of course, that doesn’t include the part where I screamed like a girl right afterward.