Chapter 24: Captive and Hungry Princess
(I have made a lifelong mistake...)
Inside a dungeon in an orc village, Evangeline let out a sigh involuntarily.
She had completely let her guard down.
If she were to make excuses, it would be that orcs didn't usually appear in the southern forest. Neither horned rabbits nor caterpillars would attack unless provoked, and Forest Wolves, due to abundant prey, would never come close to human settlements.
Never did she expect to be abducted by orcs while she was famished...
Evangeline was a proud princess of the vampire clan. Vampires, in exchange for powerful regenerative abilities and special powers, never naturally replenished their magic. Therefore, they needed to convert blood into magic and replenish their magical energy by feeding.
In other words, finding a partner to feed on was a matter of life and death for vampires.
When vampires reached adulthood, it was a tradition for them to embark on a journey to find a partner, and obtaining a partner was also part of the coming-of-age ceremony, signifying their maturity.
The reason for embarking on this journey was that vampires couldn't perform blood-sucking acts among their own kind; therefore, they needed to find partners from other species. By the way, the offspring born would either be pure-blooded vampires or children of other species. Half-blooded vampires did not exist.
As a royal, Evangeline, or rather, precisely because she was a royal, had to accomplish the coming-of-age ceremony on her own. If the royal herself didn't set an example, it wouldn't be acceptable to everyone. However, in Evangeline's case, the hurdles for achieving this goal were considerably higher compared to other vampires.
Highly skilled vampires had significantly higher basal metabolic rates due to their exceptional abilities. In other words, they had poor fuel efficiency.
Just by living a normal life, magical energy would be consumed, and if one let their guard down, the magical energy would be depleted, rendering them immobile. While it was possible to replenish magical energy through meals, it was less efficient compared to bloodsucking, requiring a large amount of food.
As for partners, it wasn't just anyone who would do; they had to possess an exceptional amount of magical energy.
However, it wasn't easy to find such exceptional individuals, and although it may be the case for appearances' sake, in reality, in the case of the royal family, a fiancé or a candidate for arranged marriage was often prepared in advance, and it was not uncommon for that person to become their partner.
But Evangeline wanted to find a partner with her own hands. She embarked on a journey to encounter her destined partner somewhere in this world, indulging in romantic fantasies as if she had become the heroine of a story...
Yet, reality was not as sweet as a story.
***
According to tradition, those who set out on a journey had to depart without any form of wealth.
Therefore, the first thing to do when embarking on a journey is not to search for a partner, but to secure funds and procure food. Ancestors always seem to create unnecessary rules.
Especially in my case, I need a large amount of food, so it becomes a matter of life and death sooner or later. Hunting monsters and animals day and night, eating without seasoning since there are no condiments. What a survival situation...
Finally, upon arriving in a town, I registered as an adventurer and managed to earn cash by selling monster materials. However, food expenses put a strain on my livelihood, and the budget is always tight. Staying in cheap accommodations, fulfilling requests every day. There were no ideal encounters or romantic love stories there.
Of course, there are plenty of random people who are attracted to my beauty and come onto me, but I have no interest whatsoever. I decided to give up on the small town and aim for the big city of Primera.
In Primera, there will surely be someone suitable as a partner. It may take a detour, but I will pass through the food-rich southern forest region. Since I don't have much money, I will procure food locally. Unlike before, I now have proper seasonings.
It has been three days since I left the town, and I finally arrived near Primera. However, an unexpected miscalculation occurred here. Somehow, there is no prey in the forest at all. This is bad... With hunger causing my magic power to deplete, fading consciousness, the last thing I saw was the mocking smiles of the orcs.
***
"Are you okay?"
When I woke up again, I was in the orcs' den. The women who were captured with me shared their food, so I managed to maintain consciousness somehow, but the situation is dire.
Even if I were in perfect condition, the orcs are not the only problem here. There is not enough food, and there is no freedom.
In that case, I could resort to drinking blood from the women, but that is truly the last resort.
For vampires, drinking blood is equivalent to sexual intercourse for human beings. That is why vampires search for partners and generally do not drink blood from anything other than their partners. There are rare cases of perverted vampires who drink blood from anyone and everyone, but I am quite normal, and I want to dedicate my first bloodsucking to a destined gentleman.
Of course, it is out of the question to drink blood from the orcs. Their blood doesn't contain magic power, so it would be better to eat weeds growing around here, and besides, it's physically impossible!
Even if we waited for help, the orcs wouldn't wait until then. There was no other choice; let's at least choose a woman with higher magical power to accompany. As I began to think so—
The orcs started to stir, and the orc guards began leaving one after another. Judging from occasional explosions and screams, perhaps help had arrived. Hope swelled within me.
Without realizing it, the sounds of battle disappeared, and silence returned to the surroundings. The women, uncertain of the situation, huddled together anxiously.
Suddenly, the entrance to the underground storage opened, and a giant orc entered. It wasn't an ordinary orc—it was an Orc General. Despair painted the expressions of the women.
(...This isn't just an ordinary Orc General. This could be bad.)
Even if I regained a bit of magical power, I wasn't sure if I could defeat such a formidable opponent. Such a monster exists; perhaps those who came to help have been completely wiped out. If only I had fed on blood beforehand. I grind my teeth at my own lack of judgment.
I was about to resign myself to the inevitable, but something seemed off about the Orc General. He kneeled as if waiting for someone. Could it be... Is there an Orc King? Just imagining it makes my heart shatter. Please... someone, save me...
Someone entered through the entrance. A black-eyed, black-haired man carrying a beautiful elven girl on his back and another equally beautiful elven girl in his arms.
"Huh?"
Unable to comprehend the situation, a strange voice escaped me.
The man said something to the Orc General, and the Orc General hastily fled outside.
"Geez... I told them not to scare you and go ahead..."
Muttering to himself, the black-haired man walks towards us. Could it be that I was saved?
"Everyone, I'm sorry for scaring you. I've defeated the orcs. It's all okay now."
As if the anxiety and fear they had forcibly suppressed had erupted, the women burst into tears and embraced each other.
"...I found you."
It wasn't relief at having been saved, nor was it a feeling of gratitude. In a bewildered state, experiencing this emotion for the first time, I murmured unknowingly.