- Bridget -

I couldn’t believe what this guy was saying.

When I opened my eyes I was faced with a man wearing full plate armor kneeling in front of me. His golden hair swayed gently in the wind, and eyes that likewise shined like gold.

I could only stare at him dumbfounded as he awaited my response. Did he say something about being my knight?

“Excuse me?” I finally managed.

“You were being attacked by a vampire. I saved you, but the creature is still around. I Can’t leave you alone until I’m sure you’re safe.”

“You mean Stacy? She’s not a bad vampire.”

He just looked at me like I’d said something ridiculous.

“I want you to listen to me carefully,” he said after a while. “Vampires have the ability to manipulate the minds of their victims. You might feel fondly toward her, but that’s only because her spell is forcing you to feel that way.”

Before I could say anything else, he suddenly lifted me off the ground. Or rather, he lifted my body off the ground. My soul was left behind. I watched as Gregory carried me away, cradling my body in his arms, an emotionless look on my face.

I followed behind him absentmindedly as he carried my body through the woods. It wasn’t exhausting to move as a spirit like it was with a body.

It struck me as odd. This wasn’t the first time I had fallen out of my body like that, but usually it was caused by some sort of injury. That didn’t seem to be the case this time though. I wondered what the trigger was.

We came to a group of wagons and he deposited my body onto a pile of blankets. He said something to me, but I was too far away to hear it. Probably telling me to rest there or something. When my body didn’t respond he looked slightly troubled. He gave up though and went to talk to some guy at the front of the wagon instead.

I overhead part of their conversation as I approached my body. Something about me being “attacked by a vampire.”

I climbed into the wagon and slipped into my body just as the wagon started moving again. The space around me was filled with various goods. I wondered if these people were merchants. It looked like there were some other passengers in the wagon too. They eyed me sleepily, so I hid myself under the pile of blankets.

Before long and we were already back in town. Peeking out from the blankets, it seemed like nobody was ready to move yet. They all settled down to rest for the rest of the night. The town was dead silent. But I couldn’t sleep.

I felt a deep unease in my heart. Like something was missing. I felt out of place. I felt the knife in my dress pocket. Should I kill myself?

Of course I knew what was missing. It was Stacy. I had been with her since arriving in this world. Every moment away from her I felt lonely and lost. I had to find her as soon as possible.

I peeked over the edge of the cart. Gregory was still up. He seemed restless, constantly looking out at the trees and buildings, like he was looking for something. I wondered what he was so worried about. Either way, it would be difficult to sneak off with him so alert. I didn’t have confidence in my stealth skills, so wouldn’t it be easier to escape in the morning when it was noisier?

I definitely wasn’t just putting things off because I was lazy and my body felt heavy.

Later that night my curse activated again. I silently beared it. The pain was intense, but it would be worse if I caused a scene. I thought maybe the bleeding I had done earlier would have been enough, but it seemed Haimorrha didn’t want to let me off that easy.

As the night wore on, I found my mind occupied with thoughts about Stacy. The way she made me feel when she fed on me, and how I would feel if I never saw her again. Stacy provided me a sense of security. At times like this, all of my thoughts seemed to revolve around her. I wondered, was that really just due to some magic, or was I just unhealthily obsessed? I wagered the latter, but either way, I didn’t really think it mattered.

Eventually the morning light returned, and the other passengers started unpacking their things. There was a lot of commotion, and Gregory was still busy scanning the buildings and trees. This was my chance. I hopped down from the wagon, careful not to make a sound, ready to make a run for the trees. The moment my feet hit the ground though Gregory turned to face me. Did he have eyes in the back of his head or something?

“You’re finally awake,” he said as he approached and knelt before me.

I was put off by his behavior. I was just a stranger, why was he treating me like I was royalty or something? Is this just how paladins are? But he didn’t seem to treat anyone else with the same sort of reverence.

“I must apologize,” he continued, extending a hand in dramatic fashion. “Last night I failed to get your name.”

“Ah, it’s Bridget.”

“Lady Bridget, then.” He nodded. “I hope you don’t mind my asking, but could you tell me how it is you came under assault of a vampire?”

I frowned. “I tried to tell you last night. She wasn’t attacking me.”

Gregory narrowed his eyes. “She was feeding on you.”

Well, yes, she was… But… Oh whatever, this guy was a pain, so for now I’d just let him think whatever he wanted.

“Well… We were on our way to Lumedia, and…”

“Lumedia!” he burst out, his face lighting up with joy, but he quickly stifled the emotion. “Forgive my excitement Lady Bridget. Lumedia is my home. I can escort you there, and protect you from any unseemly monsters.”

“Ah, I… I’ll think about it, okay? I have some business in this town first though, so can you leave me alone for a bit?”

I didn’t need another protector. I already had a perfectly good protector named Stacy. I just needed to find her.

But Gregory’s eyes turned dark upon hearing my request.

“Evil lurks in the shadows of this town. I can let you attend to your business, but I must ask that you allow me to accompany you.”

Eek. Was he never going to leave me alone?

“Really, I’m fine. I can handle myself.”

He closed his eyes to think for a bit. “Fine. But if anything does happen, rest assured that I will rush to your side to protect you.”

“Ah, that’s… Reassuring, I guess. But really, I’m okay.”

I tried to act okay with the things he was saying, but really I wasn’t. I turned to leave in a hurry. I just hoped he wouldn’t follow me secretly.