Chapter 584: Himeko: I Can’t Do Anything

"You’re definitely suspicious. Come with me to the station."

"Huh? Wait! I don’t want to! Can Valkyries just arrest people whenever they feel like it? I haven’t even had enough fun yet!"

"...You even know about Valkyries?"

The bubble world Himeko’s expression immediately turned serious.

As though afraid he might escape, she firmly grabbed Elias with both hands. First, he had casually called her name as though they were old acquaintances, and now he even knew about Valkyries, an occupation ordinary people knew nothing about.

Elias had already seemed suspicious in her eyes.

Now Himeko’s suspicion of him had reached its absolute peak.

"How am I suspicious?!"

Elias asked as though he had read her mind.

"Hmph! Everything about you is suspicious. And considering how bizarre the recent cases have been, an unfamiliar face acting suspiciously like you naturally becomes a priority suspect. So surrender peacefully!"

"I’m just an ordinary tourist who recently arrived in this city."

"Don’t even think about fooling me. I’ve been observing you for a while. Your stride is long, yet the distance between every single step is exactly the same. You’re obviously not an ordinary person. And although you look completely defenseless, you actually don’t have a single opening anywhere. You’ve definitely received professional military training."

"Uh... well..."

The corner of Elias’ eye twitched as he found himself at a loss for words.

He had actually been extremely relaxed and off guard today.

However, some habits had already been engraved into his bones and could never be changed no matter what he did.

As expected of Himeko. She really was professional and dependable.

She had actually seen through how extraordinary he was so easily.

Although this probably wasn’t the time to admire her!

Elias only wanted a relaxing, carefree vacation without getting dragged into any disturbances, happily messing around in this bubble world for a few days, but fate seemed to enjoy pulling him into trouble.

And Himeko was not finished yet. She continued.

"Also, you’ve paid for everything today with gemstones. Being that outrageously wealthy makes you even more suspicious. On top of that, you were just talking about vampires and what blood tastes like."

As she spoke, Himeko pulled a pair of silver bracelets out from behind her.

Elias’ eyes widened in astonishment.

"I was just curious about an urban legend! Isn’t that one of the hottest topics in Sapphire City right now?"

"You certainly know quite a lot, but that isn’t some urban legend. It’s a real incident."

Deep concern filled Himeko’s eyes.

"Several attacks have occurred in Sapphire City recently. Every victim has been a tall young woman. After being attacked, they’ve all remained unconscious to this day. There are no obvious external injuries anywhere on their bodies, except... every single victim has two puncture wounds on the back of her neck, as though pierced by canine teeth. Almost as if they’d been attacked by a vampire."

"Huh? You’re kidding, right?"

"According to the latest reliable intelligence, that vampire also seems to have pure white hair like moonlight."

"Fuck!"

Elias had absolutely no idea what to say anymore.

Only a beautiful, heartfelt "fuck" could properly express the mixture of bewilderment, speechlessness, and slight mental collapse he was experiencing at that moment.

Then, in the very next second, Himeko snapped the silver bracelet around his wrist. Elias nearly wept. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined there would come a day when he would actually end up in handcuffs. He was innocent!

Of course, escaping would have been absurdly easy for him, but running away now would only make him look even more suspicious. So Elias sighed and decided to go with Himeko. He believed that once she finished investigating, she would definitely understand that he had been falsely accused.

Elias: (Come to think of it, it’s midsummer right now. Should I use the authority of the Herrscher of Ice to make it snow, create a midsummer snowfall? Any Shenzhou person would know that means I’m being falsely accused. Oh, right. Himeko isn’t from Shenzhou...)

...End of flashback...

Inside the Far East Branch’s interrogation room, Elias stared lifelessly at the red-haired beauty in front of him, because after she had conducted an incredibly careful and meticulous investigation with all her effort...

His level of suspicion had successfully increased!!

Elias had forgotten something extremely important.

To this bubble world, he was a complete outsider. And since he was completely unique, with no counterpart existing in any bubble world, there was naturally no one whose identity he could borrow.

As a result, Himeko could not find out who Elias was at all. As far as this bubble world was concerned, he was literally an illegal immigrant!

Elias: "...Suddenly, I feel like setting this bubble world on fire."

Himeko: "Tell me the truth. Who exactly are you? Why can’t I find any identity records for you no matter how much I search? Don’t tell me you’re some country’s secret agent or spy."

Elias: "Himeko, you’re thinking too much. I’m just an ordinary traveler. This whole vampire incident has absolutely nothing to do with me~"

Elias let out a deep sigh, thinking that if he had known this would happen, he would have used the authority of the Herrscher of Corruption to fabricate a fake identity for himself.

Across from him, Himeko examined Elias for the umpteenth time.

She looked at the excessively handsome white-haired young man slumped miserably over the table.

Truthfully, from the very first moment she saw him today, Himeko had felt that there had to be something wrong with Elias, simply because he was far too unusual!

It was not because he paid with gemstones, nor was it because he constantly maintained the habits of a powerful warrior.

It was simply because Elias’ very existence gave Himeko the feeling that he had come from another world, as though he fundamentally did not belong among everything around him.

On top of that, he was as dazzling as the sun and almost impossible to look at directly. Walking through the streets, he seemed to belong to a completely different art style from everyone else. Whether in temperament or appearance, the white-haired young man resembled a noble white peacock that had somehow appeared in a chicken coop.

It made Himeko involuntarily wonder...

Perhaps this man really was the rumored vampire.

Because if it were Elias, those female victims might not have resisted at all. They might have obediently taken off their own clothes and let him drink their blood.

However, there was something Himeko did not know.

If she had not been Himeko Murata, Elias would have noticed her tailing him long ago.

After all, even while extremely relaxed, Elias would unconsciously retain a trace of vigilance toward everything around him. He could instantly detect even a professional spy following him, let alone the still-immature Himeko, who was currently only a B-rank Valkyrie.

But as everyone knew, Elias never guarded himself against those close to him. No matter how powerful he became, the one thing he would never do was maintain even the slightest vigilance toward someone important to him.

Although she was not the "Himeko Murata" of the proper world, she was still Himeko nonetheless, so Elias had subconsciously placed her on the whitelist of his perception.

His instincts had simply ignored the fact that she was following him.

But now...

Elias’ patience had nearly reached its limit.

Himeko: "If you still refuse to explain yourself clearly, you may end up spending the next few months in the branch prison."

Elias: ┻━┻ ︵ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵ ┻━┻

First, he had been blasted in the face by a laser the moment he got off the ship. Now, before he had even gotten to enjoy himself for long, he had been mistaken for the vampire responsible for a string of attacks, and next he might have to spend several months locked up in this miserable place...

Elias felt like he was about to turn evil.

Himeko: "Have you thought it through? Y-You... what are you doing?!"

Elias: "I’ve thought it through. I’m not the one who’s wrong. It’s this world... Now I’ll prove my innocence."

Himeko: "What?!"

With a sharp snap, Himeko stared in shock as Elias tore apart the silver bracelet around his wrist. The alloy handcuffs seemed as fragile as spider silk before him.

An overwhelming and terrifying pressure that she could not possibly resist caused cold sweat to instantly soak the clothes across Himeko’s back.

Elias loosened his collar and took out the silver cross pendant Kiana had given him, then spoke leisurely.

"Himeko, you say I’m a vampire, but what vampire in the world carries a silver cross around with him? And isn’t it common knowledge that vampires fear sunlight? Look at me. Do I look afraid of the sun? Besides... if I really were a vampire, Himeko, you’d already be dead."

The terrifying pressure instinctively made Himeko reach for her weapon. Yet in the next second, before she could even process what had happened, she found herself pinned against the interrogation room wall.

Elias captured both of Himeko’s hands with one hand and pinned them above her head. No matter how hard she struggled, it was useless, while Elias used his free hand to loosen her collar.

"But since you’re so convinced that I’m a vampire, I suppose I’ll indulge you for once."

"!!!"

The white-haired young man stroked the red-haired girl’s slender neck.

"All the victims were tall young women, right~? Don’t I have someone who perfectly matches the criteria right in front of me?"

"Y-You... don’t do anything crazy! Guards! Guards!"

"Useless~ Your voice can’t reach the outside anymore, and I’ve tampered with the surveillance footage too. No matter what I do to you in here now, no one will find out."

A wicked smile appeared on Elias’ face. He happily admired the young Himeko’s flustered expression as that handsome face, seemingly sculpted as Nuwa’s perfect masterpiece, gradually approached the red-haired girl.

The distance between them shrank until they could hear each other’s breathing. Himeko’s heart pounded furiously, and a trace of fear involuntarily rose within her.

"Now then, let me have a taste and see what you’re like. Any last words?"

"Guh... kill me..."

"Nope~ What a waste that would be. Himeko, I’m going to turn you into my thrall and make you mine forever. I didn’t eat enough at lunch anyway, so now... time to dig in. Nom!"

Elias licked his lips, then bit down on Himeko’s pale neck. The faint sting made the girl’s body tremble.

"W-Wait! Don’t!"

Himeko immediately paled in terror. At first, she struggled desperately, but even using every ounce of her strength accomplished nothing.

In the end... her eyes lost focus, and both hands fell limply.

Himeko: (I can’t do anything...)

Elias: "Mm, not bad. I’m not angry anymore."

Himeko: "???"

...One minute later...

Inside the interrogation room, Himeko clutched her head in both hands, her cheeks burning red.

She looked in the mirror at the neat row of teeth marks on her neck, then glanced at the white-haired young man before her, who wore a brilliant, seemingly harmless smile. She desperately wanted to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

"This proves I’m not some vampire, right? I bit you, Himeko, and nothing happened to you."

"...Couldn’t you have used some other method? I really thought I was going to turn into a monster just now."

"Because I was angry. I’m a super-duper, unbelievably good person, yet somehow I got mistaken for a vampire criminal. What’s wrong with taking a tiny bit of revenge?"

Elias planted his hands on his hips and said it with complete and utter confidence.