Welcome to the Impregnable Demon King Castle

23 – The Black Sorcerer and Vampire’s Date

I remembered the advice that I received from Cashew’s mother.

「Um, uuh, Milla?」

「Yes, what is it, Lem? …Do you think we should walk separately?」

Says Milla with sad, wet eyes as she is coiled around my arm.

「I’ve gotten pretty used to it」…is what I want to say, but it’s impossible.

「No, that’s fine.」

Rather, I can feel my ability to resist being sucked away.

I don’t dislike it, it’s just that I found it embarrassing. Is it embarrassing? I don’t know.

「Yo-your clothes…they look good on you.」

On top of fumbling my words, my voice is shrill and nervous.

You can definitely see my lack of experience in these parts, I think.

Milla blinks. Blink, blink, blink, goes her large eyes.

And then, her smile slowly widens.

All of sudden, she separates from me, goes in front, and turns to face me directly while walking backwards.

「Thank you very much. I dressed up just for you, so your compliment pleases me greatly.」

Seeing her with her hands clasped behind her back, stooping ever so slightly forward while looking up at me with upturned eyes, made my feet stop in place unintentionally at awe of her beauty.

「Besides, you look good as well. This is the first time I see you wear something like that. It suits you very well.」

「Thank you.」

Honestly, I did wonder whether or not I would feel happy if my attire was praised, but now I know the answer.

I am definitely pleased.

「Cashew’s mother truly has an eye for this.」

「Yeah, she really…huh? Did I tell you about that?」

I definitely didn’t mention it.

「I heard it from Cashew. Come to think of it, she was wearing quite a cute dress.」

「Ah, aah… Y’know I…don’t really have any confidence in my fashion sense.」

「So then, the splendid looking Lem I see before me today was for my sake?」

「…I wanted to walk side by side with you and not look out of place.」

「Ufufu. I feel incredibly happy right now.」

She once again returns to my side and naturally takes my hand.

「Are you hungry? There is a place that I wish to try.」

I nodded.

I felt my heart stop from her honest words from a moment ago, but I somehow managed to answer.

「Leave it to me. I came with my wallet prepared with extra money.」

「Oh my, do I give off that kind of impression?」

「…Uuh, no. I just thought that, since I wasn’t sure where we’d be eating…」

Alba often talked about what he did together with beautiful women and I feel like he touched on meals at some point, but I shouldn’t use him as a reference. That man is the type who looks for short-lived pleasures.

In response to my pitiful answer, Milla looked embarrassed and shifted her eyes downwards.

「Actually, I’m new at this too. So as first-timers, let us do our best…!」

Milla holds up a clenched fist.

「Yes, you’re right.」

I, too, hold up my fist.

We checked out many places but in the end, we ended up at a food cart.

「This cart seems to scream「Ra~men」, but it would appear that it’s clientele is resplendent with males.」

Thin noodles mixed in a unique soup broth with various garnishes placed on top.

I haven’t tried this cart before, but I have had that style of cooking somewhere else.

The cart certainly is frequented by a lot of men. Many of them silently drop by, eat in silence, drink every last drop of soup, sigh with satisfaction, and leave.「Thank you for the meal.」can be heard in a small voice here and there. They are probably the shop’s ideal type of customer.

「I had an interest in trying this place, but I hesitated to try it alone… So I thought that we could try it together.」

「I don’t mind, but are you sure about this, Milla?」

I don’t think this is the kind of place that most girls would want to have a date meal in.

「I humbly request this favor of you.」

「Well, let’s go in then.」

We found two open seats as soon as we entered, we quickly sat down and ordered. We had to pay before the meal.

Not long after that, two bowls were filled with soup and given to us. Of course, complete with noodles and garnish.

The smell that rose together with the steam tickled the nostrils. Gulp.

You are supposed to use a thin pair of chopsticks to eat it but it can be difficult if you aren’t used to them. There are shops that are prepared with forks for just such an occasion but this cart is different.

Milla was locked in a hard-fought struggle with the chopsticks.

Nevertheless, she got the hang of it in a short while. She picks up some noodle strands, gently blows on them, tucks her hair behind her ears with her left hand, and carries the noodles toward her mouth.

Betwixt bewitching lips, she slurps and slurps the noodles into her mouth.

「Mmm, delicious!」

Says Milla passionately while blocking her mouth with her left hand.

I caught the shopkeeper smiling in the corner of my eye and then I realized that I have been staring intently at Milla this whole time and hurriedly returned to my meal.

「It’s very satisfying.」

After the meal, Milla put two hands on her belly and gave a sigh of pure satisfaction.

「That was delicious.」

If it weren’t for Milla’s charming gestures, this would feel like an ordinary meal. This relaxed feeling.

After that, I went clothes shopping with Milla, and she showed me various shops on the Monster side.

Milla became more and more active as time went on and I think she enjoyed herself from start to finish.

Before I realized it, we entered a street with a different kind of atmosphere.

There were random couples everywhere, and all of them were really close to each other.

Pair by pair, they all disappear into buildings.

Wait…due to my unfamiliarity with the area, I was slow in realizing it, but isn’t this street lined with Lover Inns?

Inns where couples can rent a room temporarily in order to perform adult deeds.

Huh?

Huuuh…?

My heart is pounding in my chest.

Calm down. That’s right, I’ll just clear my mind and…nope, not helping. I can’t think of anything else. Especially with Milla right next to me.

「Lem?」

「Y-yes?」

「I’m feeling a little tired.」

「We can’t have that, now can we?」

「Do you know anywhere we can take a break?」

Milla glances at the Lover Inns.

I thought my heart jumped out of my mouth.

I put my hand to my mouth. It didn’t. Thank goodness.

The action of my confirming that made me calm down and I remembered something.

Wasn’t I the one who said that I didn’t mind getting my blood sucked in the first place?

She’s hiding her racial features. Bloodsucking without consent is prohibited and even if you have consent, it’s not like you can just do it on the street.

The day before last, I saw her being assaulted by her bloodsucking impulses, she must be close to her limit.

「…Ah, that’s right. Bloodsucking, right?」

I gave a nervous laugh out of shame at my misunderstanding, then Milla had an offended look on her face.

「Please don’t treat me like some kind of suck-seeker Vampire. I am not such a shallow woman…」[1. TL Note: Milla says something purely in katakana that is a slang term explained later, I have decided to go with “suck-seeker”]

What could「suck-seeker」be? Some kind of Vampire slang term? If I think about the context of the prior situation…I suppose it means bloodsucking seekers?

Vampires who get close to someone for the sole purpose of sucking their blood.

「Oh I wasn’t thinking that at all.」

Even during Dungeon Defenses, she hasn’t directly sucked blood from people.

She isn’t the kind of person who would suck just anyone’s blood.

「Then it’s fine, Lem…」

Milla brings her lips close enough to my ear to kiss it.

「I’ll let you decide what to do. I’ll also let you decide what you want me to do.」

Th, this woman…

Is truly devilish.

At least that’s what I was thinking, but at the moment she pulled away, something dropped.

It was not mine.

「Milla, you dropped something.」

「?! L-L-L-Lem?! Please wait! Don’t look!」

It looks like some kinda notebook.

I accidentally saw it’s contents.

「Sitri’s「A Maiden’s Guide to Nabbing a Virgin」course! 」is written in big, round cute letters followed by a few itemized items written down as a list below it.

Frequently make contact with his body, moderately behave like a spoiled child, talk about his hobbies and match his tastes in food with a sense of familiarity, wear mature clothes as opposed to flashy clothes, go along with the parts where he has no self-confidence without ever laughing.

Insanely obvious things were written in it.

「It, it, it, it’s not what it looks like, ok? That girl definitely did not shove that notebook into my clothes and I most certainly did not use it as a reference to trick you! Oooh noooo!」

Even without seeing Milla panic, I understand.

She didn’t have any bad intentions. Rather, it was the opposite.

She tried to show me a good time…she liked me.

Why would she go this far?

…Perhaps now, I understand.

「Milla?」

「I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t hate me.」

Milla was actually crying this time as I gently grabbed her shoulder.

「As promised, please suck my blood.」

「…uu. Huh?」

I mustered up some courage and pulled her by her hand, towards the Lover Inn that she glanced at earlier.

I don’t really understand how this system works but as soon as we entered, there was a man with a very bored expression on his face sitting on a chair in a room.

「Your cleanest room please.」

Saying that, I place atop the table more money than what was written on the board in front.

The man took one look at that and immediately handed over a key. A number was written on it.

With Milla along with me, we head up to a room on the second floor.

She quietly followed me.

We enter the room.

Within is simply a bed and a desk. The room was spotless.

「Le-Lem…uhm, I, uhm…there is something that I must say.」

I lower my voice to stay in control.

「Milla.」

「H-yes?」

「We have met before, haven’t we?」

Milla’s eyes opened wide.

Shortly after, she replies.

「…Y-you remembered?」

「I’m sorry for forgetting.」

Her eyes start getting teary.

「It’s alright. It’s you, after all. You don’t memorize each person you save because it is only natural for you to help someone in need. It’s what I find so dreamy about you.」

Similar to how you can’t remember the face of someone you pass by on the street, it’s only natural that a hero doesn’t remember each person he saved.

The Black Sorcerer hero wannabe never stopped doing hero-like conduct ever since he was a child.

Always thinking「This is how a hero should act!」and has never thought otherwise since.

Milla is one of the people that hero Black Sorcerer Lem saved.

「A beautiful vampire and a drunk man. I remembered. It was two years ago, wasn’t it?」

「Yes…」

As usual, when I save someone, I do it in a way that doesn’t expose my true abilities.

But the time that I saved Milla, I made a rudimentary mistake and she found out.

「it’s from then on that you…uhm, became a fan of mine, right?」

「Yes…I-is it creepy? Only being saved one time yet becoming a…y’know…」

She seemed insecure. Now that I think about it, since the time I met her, she sometimes worried about that.

I clearly and firmly shook my head.

「Not at all, it’s…how do I put it…it feels like a reward.」

「Huh?」

「I want to be a hero, but no matter how hard I try, that remains a far off dream. Every day, no matter how much heroism I do, I have countless thoughts about how it’s all meaningless because I’m a Black Sorcerer. No matter how many times I think that, I still haven’t given up…」

I look straight into her eyes.

「…because now I think it’s not impossible. I saved you in the past and two years later, you saved me. Good deeds beget good deeds. A reward was given to me in an unexpected form. That’s what I think. I am able to work in the Demon King Army because I lived by the definition of a hero that you told me. I’m now holding onto the dream of becoming the hero of the Monsters.」

「Ah…」

「Thank you so much for being my benefactor, Milla.」

「Lem…」

Milla’s eyes overflowed with transparent droplets.

Milla’s face approached mine…then she pushed me down and pinned me on the bed.

Wha-?

「Lem…Lemlemlem…how are you so kind, it’s no good, because I’m the kinda girl that can get overexcited.」

Pop-pop go the buttons on my tunic as she strips me down.

What speed!

Her flushed face, her melting pupils, her hot breath. Her sharp fangs.

「I-it’s fine, yes? It’s alright if I stick them in? My fangs, I can insert them into your body, right? I-it will be fine. It will probably hurt at first but soon it will feel good. I’ll be gentle, so you have nothing to fear. So just relax. Here I go.」

Her fangs draw close to the nape of my neck.

And then…