「I’ve been enlightened. Please drop by for a visit to the academy, again. Ah, I mean please come to learn in our academy」


  「Well, except for training, I’ll be happy to come, since I normally don’t even enjoy the scenery. Well then, see you」


  After we left the dungeon and reached Prowkai, we parted ways.

  As expected, diving again will be too much for Suu, so I have nothing to do for tomorrow.

  I’ve satisfied my craving for dungeon exploration for now.

  I might or might not be visiting it again after this.

  That aside, now is….

  「What’s the matter? Why are you looking at my face like this? Are you entranced by Epi’s eternal beauty and nobility? Nfufufu」


  What should I do now, there’s a vampire glaring at me with eyes akin to that of a beast looking at her prey.

  By the way, I’m also looking at her with the eyes of a carnivore looking at meat.

  「Kukukuku, Ahaha! What’s with that face, Eiji? Are you trying to mimic a racoon?」


  「Who’s a racoon! That’s not it, uhm, how should I say. Ah, that’s right, since you ended up tagging along till the city, what’s your purpose for coming here, and what are you planning to do now?」


  Yeah, this vampire, Epi left the dungeon, her home. She left quietly, but what she’s going to do after this?

  Something about her purpose or about her living accommodations.

  Epi is pondering about it while brushing her lips.

  「That’s a bit troublesome to answer, but please don’t pry into that matter for the time being. It doesn’t mean that Epi is going to sleep in a graveyard」


  Well, I’ll be troubled if the unrelated undead cried in front of a graveyard.

  「There’s something called an inn, right? I’ve done my own research on that, so guide me to that place」


  「Well, I don’t mean about that…」


  Thus, we head to the inn where I’m staying at.

  The sun has almost disappeared on the horizon, so the city has already become slightly darker.

  No one would have noticed it even if a monster is actually walking along with me. In the first place, her fair appearance isn’t that much different from that of a human’s.

  I lead Epi toward the inn while restlessly looking around at my surroundings.

  「Hoo, so this is the place where you’re staying at」


  「Yeah. Come to think of it, you said that you live in that dungeon, but what did you do when it’s the time to sleep. Do you really live in a graveyard? 」


  「I do not. Epi has her own house with a proper desk, classical music, and a soft bed」


  Hee, she owns a house inside a dungeon, huh.

  Well, the ruined house of Risa Haruna was also quite the splendid one.

  A vampire seems to be quite different from a normal monster, huh.

  「Well then, enough about that. What are you going to do with the room? Do you have money to pay the rent? 」


  「Ah! I’m penniless」


  「As I thought. Well, I expected that you would have no human currencies with you」


  「I’ve something like a gem, though. I can use that, right?」


  After saying so, she takes out various colored gems from her space bag.

  She possesses a space bag too, huh. And quite a packed one at that.

  「If that’s the case, this amount is enough for living. Though you’re unable to convert these gems into money right now――」


  「OKAY!You’ll let me sleep in your room, then」


  「Maybe later! You can’t do that, you know」


  「Is that so?But you did say you’ll get me a room, didn’t you? 」


  「I did not. I said that I’ll lend my money for now, so return it after you exchanged your gems!」


  Epi clapped her hands.

  Eh, it should be normal to think that way, right? This is why I’m troubled by this vampire’s sensitivity.

  「Well, that’s fine, too. Landlady, single room please」


  The mistress of the inn appeared from behind the counter, wiping her hand while saying, “Right away”. She jerked her chin as a sign of her asking advance payment for Epi’s portion from me. After that, we headed toward each of our rooms.

  Even if I say the same room, what would a vampire think about if they’re in the same room as a human.

  Well, that might be possible if you think about it.

  Appearance aside, she is actually not a human. Even if she stays in the same room as an animal other than a human, she wouldn’t be conscious of the human.

  I’m one of those who can’t understand that theory.

  ――Come to think of it, what’s her goal?

  What is her aim? For her to appear in a place where she has a hard time moving around without even having any magic tool with her.

  「I want to investigate that part too, but… I wonder what I should do」


  While thinking about the other goal of mine, I decided.

  I’ll let her do as she pleases for now.

  But, when I mull about that again, I end up at another goal.

  「As I thought, a tool to sever the world, huh」


  Ruu called it a sanctuary and she goes there by making a hole in the world with her artifact.

  It actually doesn’t have to be an artifact, the most important point is to determine a way to reach that place.

  It’s not like I want to return to my own world, but—– As long as I think there’s a big difference in being unable to go back.

  It’ll save me a lot of trouble if there’s a sudden natural disaster or when I get embroiled in some deep trouble.

  「Uhm, that’s right」


  Safety and peace of mind is indispensable for the sake of doing whatever I want.

  I think I can enjoy my freedom thanks to that guarantee.

  Since I’m really enjoying myself in this world, Holm, I have to obtain the way to return to my original world as a precautionary measure.

  Thus, I close my eyes as I felt extremely satisfied with my current established goal.

  「Hahaha, so this is the city of human! It’s not that splendid. The sunlight is a bit too strong, but it doesn’t feel bad to bathe once in a while」


  「From the way you’re speaking, it’s as if there’s a city of undead」


  「Naturally. It’s different from this place, but we do have what you call it as… capital city or royal palace? The appearance is completely different since things such as stores, houses, or rooms are just a space inside caves, similar to the dungeon that you visited before」


  Hee, that’s a surprising news.

  So monsters also build their own societies.

  The low-leveled monster in shallow levels possess intelligence at the level of beast, but the monsters living in the deepest levels aren’t all about brawn, they’re quite intelligent, too.

  「It seems I came to a fairly lively place. That is the c-coliseum huh. I do my research properly. And there are a lot of stores in its surroundings」


  「It is because the coliseum is the most popular place, you see. 」


  After saying so, her figure suddenly vanished from my side.

  When I found her, she is already standing in front of a street vendor while taking out some coins.

  「Shopkeeper, get me some of those meat skewers」


  「Coming in!」


  She’s buying something.

  She’s ordering so with a self-important tone.

  She’s having her fill of enjoyment above the ground, huh.

  I saunter along with Epi with this kind of feeling.

  The reason is――


  ＊＊＊


  「So you woken up huh, Eiji」


  「N? Five minutes again――」


  「What are you talking about? This Epi has come to visit you, so I won’t forgive you if you make me wait even for five minutes. Hey, wake up already!」


  Somehow, she’s so annoying in the morning.

  I was dozing off inside my futon and yet, she suddenly pulled it off by force and exposed my body under the sun— Or so I want to say, but we’re still in my room.

  「Even though the morning sun has coming out, why the hell is a human still hiding in the room? Aren’t you acting like a zombie here?」


  「Who are you calling a zomb–…. Eh, Epi. What’s the matter? Or rather, give me back my futon!!!」


  She’s keeping my futon at a distance while nimbly avoiding my arms.

  「You’re going to sleep again if I give your futon back. Epi has come here since she has something to ask, so hear me out」


  Epi’s soprano voice rises by half an octave when I snatch my futon back and swaddle my body underneath it again.

  And then, her vermillion pupils are glaring straight at my eyes.

  「I refuse」


  「I don’t think so!」


  Epi is baring her teeth.

  I catch a glimpse of her fangs. When I think “As expected of a vampire”, my head starts to gradually clear up.

  「Ooh, if it’s not Epi. Why are you in my room?」


  「Your reaction is too late, Eiji. You’re even harder to wake up than undead, you know?」


  「Well, you’ll meet those kind of humans sometimes. Well then, what’s the matter?」


  When I asked her that, she put her hand on her hips with one of them holding my futon with a iron grip, puffed her chest and said the following words with a condescending attitude.

  「Epi want to sightsee in the human town. So, become my guide!」


  「This one humbly refuses it」


  「What, isn’t that where you accept my request?」


  「It’s not like I don’t want to become your guide, but I just can’t stand your attitude」


  「Kukuku… Aren’t you quite the malicious one here, Eiji. Geez, I have no choice then. A~h, a~h, my apologies. Please Eiji-kun, Epi will be happy if you become her guide」


  And then, she’s looking at me with teary eyes.

  Your attitude is completely different from before.

  …. Oh well, I guess I can spare some time.

  I want to refuse, but I just can’t refuse if you look at me with such a cute face. It’s decided. It’s absolute.

  ＊＊＊


  Thus, I ended up meandering around Prowkai along with a vampire who’s in a good mood since the morning.

  We finished the day with converting her gems. She paid her loan back.

  I won’t lend my money unless she shows me such a cute face, again.

  Well then, what will you do in the city?