1.3

“Village Chief! It’s a blessed day under the Goddess’s grace.”  

The man rose from his seat, walking past the children to approach the Village Chief. Hearing the name Isaac, Helena scrutinized the man standing before her. His neatly styled brown hair and pale green eyes were just as she remembered, but his face had become more defined, his physique beneath the priestly robes was strong, and his tall stature made him seem like an entirely different person.  

It had only been twenty years, yet the boy with soft, chubby cheeks and an innocent demeanor had grown into a man.  

“This works out perfectly. Isaac, could you show our doctor to the chapel?”  

“A doctor?”  

“Yes, this is the doctor. She’ll be staying in Delphan’s house for the time being.”  

At the Village Chief’s introduction, Isaac’s gaze shifted to Helena, who was standing beside him.  

‘Surely, he doesn’t remember me, does he? It’s one thing for the Village Chief, but this boy was so young back then.’  

Helena met his gaze and, with trembling lips, introduced herself.  

“Helena.”  

“Ah… I’m Priest Isaac. My apologies—I thought you were someone else….”  

“Haha! You too, Isaac? I also thought it was Ippolita who had come! Doesn’t she look just like her?”  

“Yes, she truly… resembles her greatly.”  

Isaac smiled as he said this, his expression filled with a strange longing. Helena found it odd that Isaac, who couldn’t possibly have any fond memories of her, would wear such an expression. Twenty years ago, all she had done was boss around the young Isaac and occasionally tell him stories about vampires during her breaks.  

“It’s fortunate you’ve come. The villagers have been struggling without a doctor… Thank you for being here.”  

“You’re too kind. I’m the one grateful to have found a place to stay during my travels.”  

For a vampire who preyed on humans, pretending to be one had become second nature. Helena’s reply came out naturally, though she found herself repulsed by her own deceit. Still, she masked her feelings with a practiced smile.  

“Well then, Isaac, I’ll leave her in your care. I need to get back to reviewing the village ledgers.”  

“Yes, Village Chief. Take care on your way back.”  

“Thank you for everything, Village Chief.”  

As the Village Chief departed, the two of them were left alone in an awkward silence, staring at one another. It was Isaac, visibly uncomfortable as if suffocated by the overpowering scent of roses wafting from somewhere, who broke the silence first.  

“It’s truly the Goddess’s blessing that your path has brought you here.”  

“A blessing, you say….”  

Helena’s mouth tasted bitter as she spoke of the Goddess’s blessing. Like the story Isaac had told the children, vampires were unable to receive the Goddess’s blessing. Even in death, they could not enter the realm of the gods, and their sins of stealing life were so great that they couldn’t even be sent to the gods’ prison. For vampires, death was merely the annihilation of their soul.  

It was out of fear of such an end that she, despite the monotony of her monstrous existence, could never dare to die.  

“…?”  

Unlike Helena, who felt bitter, Isaac tilted his head slightly with a bright smile as he spoke of the Goddess’s blessing. Watching him shine so brilliantly, Helena thought he hadn’t changed at all from the past. She had believed many things about him had changed, yet some things had remained the same.  

As he observed Helena’s expressionless face, Isaac continued the conversation with a different topic.  

“Is this your first time in such a small village?”  

“…Well, something like that.”  

“Even though it’s small, we have everything we need. From the chapel to the blacksmith’s shop. Oh, except for a doctor, of course. The chapel does have a treatment room, but it doesn’t serve much of a purpose.”  

Isaac said this with a clear laugh.  

“Now that you are here, Dr. Helena, it feels like we finally have everything we need.”  

The awkward silence from earlier seemed to have disappeared as Isaac began speaking more and more. Helena, who had thought Isaac had grown into a proper man, now found herself thinking he was just the same as when he was younger, chattering away.  

‘He was always the type to talk about things no one asked for.’  

Recalling that this was a characteristic of the people in this village, she couldn’t help but accept his behavior.  

“Oh, Ippolita, whom the Village Chief mentioned earlier was also a traveling doctor like you, Dr. Helena. About twenty years ago, there was an outbreak of an epidemic in the village, and she was the one who helped us. It wasn’t a life-threatening disease, but if Ippolita hadn’t been here, everyone in the village would have struggled greatly.”  

“I see.”  

Helena let his words pass as though they weren’t about her. It wasn’t because she was pretending to be someone else, but rather because it truly didn’t feel like her story. She thought to herself that she had merely offered a small bit of help in passing, but as expected, the people of this village tended to exaggerate even the smallest acts of kindness.  

“Perhaps because of that, the villagers remember Ippolita fondly. So I’m sure they’ll bring her up when they see you, Dr. Helena.”  

“Do you think so?”  

Helena felt strange thinking about how the villagers held her in such high regard, even though she hadn’t done anything particularly remarkable. All she hoped for was that they wouldn’t suspect her of being a vampire. If that were to happen, she would not only fail in her goal of seducing Isaac but would also end up being pursued by the Holy Order for years to come.  

The fanatics of the Holy Order were capable of killing someone based on the slightest suspicion. Just as they had done to Helena long ago, back when she was still human.  

“Oh, the chapel isn’t much, so I can show you around quickly.”  

“Rather than the chapel, I’m more curious about the treatment room you mentioned.”  

She didn’t care much about seeing the chapel, but if she wanted to seduce the devout Isaac, she would have to visit it often.  

“Oh, the treatment room was only recently built, so it’s nothing special.”  

“Well, I don’t have much skill, but I’d like to offer some medical services there.”

Using medical volunteering as an excuse to frequent this place seemed the most suitable. If she were to set up a small clinic at her house, the villagers might come, but it wouldn’t be particularly helpful for her plans.  

‘Besides, calling it a treatment room at least makes it better than my house.’  

“This is truly something to be grateful for. I feel as though you are a gift sent to us by the Goddess herself, Dr. Helena.”  

“You flatter me.”  

Isaac, once again smiling brightly as he mentioned the Goddess, looked profoundly holy. Helena inwardly mocked the idea, wondering if a vampire, who stood in direct opposition to the Goddess, could truly be considered a gift to the villagers. Unaware of her thoughts, Isaac continued to smile and offered a brief prayer to the Goddess.  

“Thank you for the blessings of the Goddess. Then, since the High Priest is away today, would it be alright if I formally introduced you to the chapel and the clergy tomorrow? I could show you around now, but if you’re going to volunteer for medical work, it would be better that way.”  

“That sounds fine.”  

When Helena readily agreed, a few children who had been lingering nearby, waiting for their conversation to end, tugged at Isaac’s sleeve.  

“Priest, please finish the story. What happened next?”  

“Do vampires live forever?”  

“Hey, kids. Hold on a moment. Let me finish this introduction.”  

“It’s alright. Please, enjoy your time with the children.”  

With a light farewell, Helena turned to leave, and Isaac, leaving her with a wish for a peaceful evening blessed by the Goddess, was quickly drawn away by the children. The children waved shyly at Helena as they followed Isaac, and she watched them for a moment.  

Recalling Isaac’s attitude, which began and ended with the Goddess, Helena lifted one corner of her lips into a faint smile.  

“If the Goddess were to lose her most devout servant, she would be truly heartbroken.”  

Though this had started as a bet, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction at the thought of carrying out a one-sided revenge against the Goddess she had resented for a lifetime.  

“…The Goddess who bestows blessings upon all life, why is she so cruel only to us?”  

Muttering her condemnation of the Goddess, Helena descended the hill and began unpacking at her new home.