222 Daily Health Tomato Juice

"Blood? Yes, I suppose. I have never found it delicious. There is a difference in taste, however. It is my personal preference—whether it suits the young lady is uncertain. Young women and children tend to consume it without resistance. In terms of pure flavor, young men are not significantly different, but perhaps it is the image. There is still a certain reluctance to drink it, despite that."

When I asked Mela casually about the taste of blood, this was her response.

As expected by common perception, vampires are said to prefer the blood of beautiful women.

Of course, who would want to drink a man's blood?

In fact, if someone actually enjoyed it, that would be rather off-putting.

It might appeal to certain women, but I do not possess that particular trait.

Incidentally, Mela uses her hypnotic gaze when feeding on blood.

She appears to be using her hypnotic gaze on casual victims found in the city, quietly feeding on their blood.

She limits the amount to what causes no lasting harm, and since the victims’ memories become blurred under hypnosis, they remain unaware they’ve been attacked.

While listening to this, Mela suddenly declared, “I haven’t done anything worse than that,” despite not having been asked.

Ah, no, that’s fine.

Mela’s still young. It’s natural for desires to build up on a journey surrounded by women.

But the eyes…?

Is it different from a curse eye?

The effects seem identical, from what I’ve heard—but how exactly?

I’ll consult the grandmother’s wisdom.

“Who’s the grandmother?”

“The Demon King.”

“Can I punch her?”

You can. But you’ll get countered—without fail.

—Tch! The difference between Evil Eye and Magic Eye? Effect is the same. Just that Evil Eye has higher potency.

Hm.

So Evil Eye is a superior replacement, then.

—Exactly. But only those who control endurance can wield Evil Eye. Magic Eye is rare too, but talent or racial advantages allow some to possess it fairly often.

Ah.

Right—there was a petrifying lizard in the Elro Great Labyrinth, wasn’t there?

Its petrification attack was probably Magic Eye, too.

If we remove racial traits, it's just a matter of compatibility.

If your right eye starts aching—might indicate Magic Eye affinity.

—In my case, it's because I became a vampire. I couldn't use Magic Eye at all before that.

The catalyst for Mela’s ability to use Magic Eye was, as expected, during her girl-hunting—more accurately, her vampiric feeding.

Prior to that, she had forcibly attacked and drained blood in a crude manner. But one day, she encountered a particularly strong-willed girl and was nearly overpowered.

At that moment, she glared at the girl with a “be quiet” expression—her resistance weakened immediately.

It appears she unconsciously activated the Magic Eye skill.

Repeated exposure solidified it into a proper ability.

If vampires possess an affinity for Magic Eye, then Vampire Children should be able to acquire skills too.

I don’t have multiple eyes like I do, so I can only activate two simultaneously.

Better to equip curse and paralysis.

I’ll use my skill points to learn them next time.

Back to the matter of blood.

Fortunately, as Mel said, a beautiful blood donor is available at hand.

“…Kill her.”

No.

That’s a violation flag.

A bound, beautiful woman with a resigned expression.

Distinctive feature: long ears.

An elf.

Though rare recently, in human territories, elf raids were frequent.

They never engaged the Demon King directly—too reckless—but focused on assassinations.

Target: Vampire Child.

Reason for targeting Vampire Child: not hard to understand.

Apparently, elves know Vampire Child are reincarnated.

And elves regard vampires as dangerous—actively working to eliminate them.

Listening to conversations between the Demon King and the Black Faction, elves in this world seem suspicious in every way.

We repelled it—both me and the Demon King. Its corpse entered the stomachs of me and the Demon King, and its blood was shared with Mel.

At this point, having realized the futility, attacks ceased entirely. Mel secured blood on her own.

This Elf was the first attacker since entering the Demon Clan’s territory.

Why now?

Ah—

Did they think a surprise strike, after we’d forgotten, would succeed?

If so, they’re greatly underestimating us.

“Wielder of chaos, Demon King! If you perish, peace shall be preserved! Even if I die, the Elves will take your life!”

Huh?

What’s this child saying?

Hmm?

The target isn’t the Vampire Child… but the Demon King?

What’s going on?

A mental marker flares—multiple instances forming in my mind. The Demon King tugs at my sleeve, slightly.

—Ah, this elf faction is utterly foolish—

A mental transmission arrives from the Demon King.

—What kind of faction is this, with such an overtly pitiful name?—

—They truly are pitiful. They believe themselves to be a noble race, dedicated to preserving peace.—

—Why does such a faction even exist?—

—It serves as a covert justification for the elven underground operatives to function in secret.—

—Ah, I see it now.—

—Predictably, over time, some elves began to genuinely believe their own fabrication. The underground faction finds it convenient to leave them in ignorance.—

—How utterly pitiful.—

—Elves who commit unsavory acts behind the scenes, yet sincerely believe they act for peace.—

—Foolish. Or rather, jesters.—

—They won’t be rewarded.

Calling the Demon King a threat to peace and relying on force—this is a fundamental reversal of priorities.

If one truly seeks peace, they should at least adopt the mindset of a modern Japanese society, pacified to the point of apathy.

Once force is employed, the outcome is predetermined: it will be broken by even greater force.

This world operates on the principle of survival of the fittest.

To overturn this truth, one must reject all violence from the outset.

Peace is not as simple as it sounds.

Even the so-called 'innocent' elves must understand this, somewhere in their minds.

Thus, their resolve is complete under these circumstances.

A pitiful, brainwashed asset, manipulated and exploited under the guise of noble purpose.

Well, even so, I don't feel sympathy.

"Something... this tomato juice tastes off?"

"That's Shiro's special juice. Tastes a bit off, but it's packed with nutrients—drink it while you can."

"Hmph."