VRMMO: My first Contractee is Yandere

Chapter 96 Finished and relaxing

It seems the effects of [Blood-Drenched Berserk] had worn off.

As the skill's name suggests, it must require continuous blood consumption to maintain. The Gourmand, tilting his head in confusion, activated [Bloodsucking Blade].

A spear art.

It seems to be an art that, like Liora's, adds an effect to his weapon. From the name, it likely allows him to absorb the blood of those he slashes.

Originally, the synergy between [Bloodsucking Blade], [Predation], and the regeneration factor of [Vampire] would create a berserker-style combat approach, combining rage with healing.

Unfortunately, this enemy's concept somewhat overlaps with Liora's.

However.

Liora possesses [Offering: Annihilation Dance].

The enemy's usual winning strategy doesn't work here. Despite having similar combat styles, the enemy was at a distinct disadvantage against Liora.

The Gourmand, one of the Three Knights, seemed to realize this.

"I can't win this... I'm out of here."

HIs decision-making ability is impressive.

Honestly, despite his appearance and attitude, this vampire a formidable foe.

Liora declared.

"I'm not letting you escape."

"So passionate! Liora-, you love me too much!"

"I hate you."

"That's what they call tsundere, right? I heard it from a spirit on my side!"

"Die."

The Gourmand turned his back and struck the ground with his powerful arms.

His massive body flew through the air at an incredible speed, but Liora had no intention of letting him escape.

"Rouro!"

Rouro's summoning range is within Liora's line of sight.

In other words, Liora could summon it even in the air where the Gourmand was fleeing. Rouro suddenly appeared and struck the Gourmand with all its might.

"Gwahhh!"

As his internal organs were blasted out, the Gourmand was sent flying back towards us.

Liora's scythe was already imbued with [Death Guide Blade], [Lifetaking Blade], and [Killing Blade]. Additionally, the [Shadows of Death] skill had consumed half of her Life Stock, boosting her attack power.

In other words,

"Greet my god after you die...!!"

The scythe, filled with dense darkness, gleamed.

Liora's crimson eyes shone brightly, her cold gaze fixed on the enemy.

The torrent of darkness surged forth—

"Too bad, Liora-! [Mist Form]!"

The destructive wave of darkness, which could tear apart the sky, faded into the distance. The Gourmand easily evaded the wide, powerful strike.

As if in retaliation, the Gourmand's spear accelerated towards Liora's face.

"[Blood Explosion Thrust]!"

"[Dark Legion], Liora."

Liora, trusting me completely, neither dodged nor defended, instead swinging her scythe. The scythe struck the Gourmand's neck, ignoring defense and multiplying the damage by five, wiping out his HP.

The boss's head flew through the air.

"How dare you!"

Liora immediately lunged at the regenerating Gourmand.

Her blade was once again infused with [Cursed Blade] and [Lifetaking Blade]. She didn't use [Berserk] since she wanted to avoid taking any damage.

Instead, she activated [Dark Aura].

Merely approaching the enemy spread status effects, drained his health, and stole the enemy's MP. It was a brutal buff effect.

Meanwhile, the Gourmand activated [Bloodsucking Blade].

A battle between a vampire and a young reaper girl—a full-on, life-draining showdown had begun.

The Gourmand's spear technique was formidable. It was adaptable and versatile, preventing Liora from closing the distance.

Small cuts began appearing on Liora. The enemy seemed determined to protect his neck at all costs. Due to the scythe's properties, it was difficult to inflict significant damage if she focused solely on defense.

However, the poison wouldn't allow the battle to drag on.

"Damn! How can such a little girl be this strong!?"

The Gourmand's tone shifted, and he unleashed a fearsome display of spear techniques.

But Liora's speed was extraordinary.

The spear whistled through empty air while Liora's scythe continued to land blow after blow, overwhelming the Gourmand with sheer numbers.

"[Summon Familiars]!"

The Gourmand summoned a swarm of bats. By striking them with the spear, they triggered the [Bloodsucking Blade] and gained a pseudo-healing buff through HP absorption.

Liora, perhaps because of the inconvenience, muttered in a grumpy tone. Though it didn't seem to bother Zerak, who looked quite excited, his face flushed red.

"Captain! This is my little sister! Well, she's not my real sister, more like my honorary one... she's kind of like the official little sister of our party."

"What?"

"Ah, I just wanted to introduce her! She's always listened to stories about you and her eyes light up! To her, you're a hero, Captain Liora! You're a hero to me too, of course!!"

"I see."

Liora didn't seem the least bit interested.

At Liora's age, someone would usually get carried away with such compliments, but she's abnormal in every sense.

"Come on, say hello to Captain Liora."

The girl's eyes sparkled, but she seemed embarrassed. She buried her face in Zerak's chest, still held in his arms.

Liora tilted her head and then began to turn her back to them.

"Ah, A-Ah-iora Captain!"

At the call from behind, Liora turned around. Her white hair fluttered in the breeze.

There, still held in Zerak's arms, the girl's cheeks flushed pink as she desperately extended her hand toward Liora, offering her a flower.

"Thank you for helping my big brother! Here, this is for you!"

"...Understood. I'll take it."

"You're so cool, Captain Liora."

"?"

Liora accepted the flower from the girl, though she appeared quite confused, tilting her head repeatedly as she examined it.

It was a small, simple yellow flower with delicate petals. A faint, sweet fragrance drifted up to her nose.

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"..."

Liora stared at the flower, her expression puzzled as if unsure what to do with it.

She might be similar to me in that sense.

When someone acts out of kindness, neither of us seems to know how to respond. In her life, she's probably had little experience receiving such gestures.

Liora glanced at me repeatedly, as if seeking an answer.

I don't know either.

If it were an enemy, I could easily respond aggressively, but when approached with kindness, I'm at a loss.

I've already decided to give up on such matters.

Still, I'm curious about how Liora will respond. Though I can't change my stance now, I never thought my way was the right one.

Liora, however, can find her own best answer.

"...I'm going back to training."

"Good luck, Captain Liora!"

"You're amazing, Captain Liora! You're so strong, but you still work hard."

"Yeah."

Liora nodded slightly.

I see.

It seems Liora has chosen the option of "putting it off." That's not a bad choice either.

With that thought, I pulled out an item from my [Item Box]. It was something a golem at the "Ideal Atelier" had prepared for me, a prototype I had created.

The item's name is [Resonance Stone].

It's a paired item, one main stone and one sub-stone. The main stone is held by Liora, and it communicates the position of the sub-stone.

If Liora channels her magic into it, a loud sound will resonate.

It's a location detection tool.

The stone is set into a small pin that's light and easy to carry. With this, Liora can easily locate someone in a crisis.

"Liora, let's give this to Zerak."

"Yes, my lord... This was bestowed by my lord. Take good care of it."

Liora explained the item briefly.

After that, Liora gave Zerak a light training session (though it was too intense for the little girl to watch, so we called Samurai to take care of her. Samurai entertained her with some mysterious magic tricks she had picked up somewhere).

Afterward, we returned to the "Ideal Atelier."

Inside, golems were scurrying about busily. The top-tier golem, Seck, was holed up in the forge, working on some blacksmithing. I'd asked him to mass-produce shovels and pickaxes.

In this "Ideal Atelier," one can pay points to build mines or gardens. Since I plan to mass-produce golems to gather materials eventually, I'm stocking up on tools in advance.

The golems can only gather low-grade materials, but it's better than nothing.

This "Ideal Atelier" is probably meant to be managed by an entire clan.

Without high-level [Alchemy] skills like mine, it's difficult to fully take advantage of its benefits. The golems don't grow, their skill levels are low, and so it's not exactly a huge advantage...

I watched as Samurai ran off to the woodworking shop.

I sat down on the sofa. Well, more like plopped down, really.

I spoke to Liora.