Ouroboros Record ~Circus of Oubeniel~

"Yes, yes. It's our way of being considerate to them."

"Idiot. This is right after we screwed up the requisition, remember? Now is the time to keep an eye on them. What would a bunch of anxious, frustrated soldiers do?"

—We don't know what they were about to reply with, but.

"...... Flames, Light up, Beautiful."

In the wilderness at night, a young girl's voice resounded. Completely out of place for a camp filled with men.

The captain and the others looked around, wondering at where it came from.

"Wha......"

The captain was so surprised that his cigarette fell out of his hand.

A grassy field under the moon in the early evening sky coloured with a gradient of purple and black. There was a girl with a strange appearance that made the entire strange scene seemingly fitting.

Her dull blond hair was long enough to cover her ears, and she wore a plain dress on her thin frame. She was fair in complexion, but there seemed to be unfamiliar and painful looking tattoos all over her body. She had a euphoric look, as she gazed deeply at the bonfire set up in the middle of the encampment.

If the first impression was "bizarre," then the second impression would have to be "crazy."

However, the girl had one feature that made her more than just a lunatic.

"...... little girl, what’s that in your hand?"

While his men were dumbfounded, the captain asked as if to start a conversation.

In her slender arms, she carried a long, strong bow that even a grown man would find difficult to draw. Carried on her back by a tucked belt was, perhaps, a quiver. If the girl was able to use this bow to its full potential, how strong would she be? And what was the purpose of her showing up here with such a thing? Negative thoughts started to well inside of him.

"You're an adventurer or something, aren't you? Hahaha ......"

One of his men let out a drawn out laugh.

The girl appeared alone in the night, weapon in hand. An adventurer was most apt for such a scene.

A little while later, the girl replied.

"Ad, venturer......?"

She tilted her head at the word. It was a cute gesture, but at the same time, there was a sense of discomfort that made him feel a sense of disconnect.

The girl's eyes wavered. It looked as if she was thinking about her lost hometown, as if her eyes were very far away.

Then, she fell on her face and groaned as if she had a headache.

"Ugh...... No, that’s not it."

"......no?"

Not an adventurer? Then who are you? Why are you armed in front of the military camp?

...... No, wait.

The captain realised something that he had definitely overlooked.

(How did this person get so close to them in the first place......?)

Then a chill ran down his spine.

As he instructed many times before, encampments should be set up on grasslands or hillsides with good vantage points. This was to avoid night raids by monsters, beasts, or enemy troops.

So what are the lookouts doing?

Dull blond hair. A white dress. There was moonlight as it was still early in the night. With such a conspicuous appearance, how could she have made it right in front of the commander without being spotted by the guards?

Whoever she was, surely she was not his match. The captain made that decision and reached for the sword hanging at his waist.

Simultaneously, the girl looked up as if she had noticed.

"I remember! I’m Vee!"

"Vee? Is that your name, little girl?"

"That's not what we want to ask—"

The leaders under his command were still more confused than alarmed. Just before the captain opened his mouth to call attention to it.

"Vampire, Vee!"

The girl, with a big smile on her face, announced her name in the most horrifying way to the world.

"Vampire?"

"You've got to be kidding me."

"......it’s an enemy attack!!"

The captain shouted loudly, ignoring the people around him who were dumbfounded.

"Monsters! All hands, move to retreat! Estimated enemy strength, rank around B to A! I repeat, B to A! All hands, retreat!"

Yelling, he prayed hard.

Please let this be a joke. If it was just a joke, he would treat it as a joke from a girl to a grandma. But if it was true, many of his men would die and he too, would die.

Vampires. Bloodsuckers. A vampire was a demonic noble who excelled in both physical strength and magical power, as well as having a number of special abilities to reign over the dead. They were evil predators who increased their powers by sucking on blood, turning people into their kin, and occupying the territories of humans. There was once a country that was brought to destruction by such a high-ranking undead.

The Adventurer's Guild had established a grade of at least B for defeating vampires. It was a monster that could take a hundred men, or even a thousand of them, to defeat. Even if St. Gallen's army was known for its elite soldiers, it would be too much of a challenge for their unit that was formed from conscription.

They had to find an opening to escape—

—Thwack.

"......ah?"

The captain looked down at his chest in shock, suddenly cut off from his thoughts.

An arrow was poking out of his chest.

He had been shot by her bow.

"When did you......."

"Bullseye! Bullseye!"

The girl who called herself Vee smiled innocently at the collapsing figure of the captain.

She was holding a bow as tall as her. She used it to shoot the captain.

......Completely without a trace and anybody noticing, She had pulled on the string, and released an arrow. It was a truly inhuman feat.

This time, the girl slowly placed the arrows she had taken out of her quiver, as if to put a show for them. Four at the same time. And her sharp pointed teeth peeked out from her smile.

"My kind, killed, enemies…, Vee kill all!"

"Your kind......? You mean the Revenant in that village! You were the one who creat—"

"This is no time for that! Let's get the captain and retreat!"

"I-idiots......"

The captain held up his trembling hand to restrain his subordinate who was trying to carry him by his shoulders.

"It’s fatal...... I'm good. You guys, run—"

—Thwack.

—Thwack.

—Thwack.

—Thwack.

Without even waiting for him to finish what was sure to be his last words, four arrows shot through the leaders under his command. There was not even a scream. They died instantly. In the hazy vision of the captain, the lifeless bodies of his subordinates fell down one after another. In the midst of all of this, only the vampire girl's deepening maniacal laughter seemed awfully clear.

She was the personification of evil, uncaring of the circumstances of humans.

"Hahahahahahaha! It hit! It hit! Revenge for kin! Dead! I'll kill you all! More! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Whaaaaat!?"

"Damn it! Forgive me, captain...... Retreat! Retreat! A monster has appeared! Don't even think about defeating it, just retreat!"

The surviving subordinates finally ran as fast as could, overwhelmed by the sound of the monster's laughter.

Exhaling a thin, hollow breath, the captain looked away.

(Ahh, damn......)

He wanted to curse, but he didn’t have the strength to move his mouth. So, he simply cursed in his heart.

(Why are there only bad end flags……)

It was a common gossip among soldiers that telling stories during war would die.

The mercenary captain slowly lost the light in his eyes, and finally his thoughts were cut off.

"Enemy attack! No, it's a monster attack! It's a monster!"

"It’s a vampire, don't even think about standing up to it!"

The encampment was brightly lit because of the bonfire. The girl laughed as she observed the soldiers screaming and fleeing chaotically.

"Enemies, prey, many! Praise, if kill, many!"

She licked her tongue as she declared.

Preys were everywhere. If she killed them, then alongside her kin, she would be praised.

Her master would be happy that she brought in many new kin, as well as happy that she put her bow to good use.

There were just too many of them for her alone to kill them all. Her instincts as a hunter told her the approximate number of them. And so, to wipe them all out, she came fully prepared.

In concert to her will, the tattoos on her body glowed purple.

"Oh dear family! Come! Summon Familiar Depraved!"

Her intelligence had degraded from her mental breakdown. To compensate, magical spells were engraved on her body to make up for the complicated chants. The magic formula of an unholy god was activated rapidly.

An unholy army was summoned as if overflowing from the girl’s shadow, casted by the moonlight.

"Aooohhhhhhh!!"

"Kiiiiiii.....Giiii!!"

"Kch.....Kch...!!"

Black wolves bared down their fangs and howled into the night sky. Bats with evil looking red eyes. Giant centipedes that made clicking sounds with its jaws while busily moving its countless legs.