I was accidentally injured by God and I just want to be an ordinary person

"Is this the wisdom accumulated over time..."

"Of course—well, there might be exceptions to what I just said. After all, there are people who don't pursue fame and fortune. Hmm, Ella's appearance makes me want to see the outside world. After this mission is over, let's leave the Empire for a while. Nanako and the others will be able to protect themselves to a certain extent."

The second half of the sentence seemed to be spoken to herself, and Ella had no idea who Mitis was talking to.

"Didn't you say you wanted me to join the army?"

Ella's words brought Mitis back to her senses. She glanced at Ella and waved her hand helplessly.

"I did have that thought, but after seeing the vibe between you and your companions, I don't think it's possible. You don't act like adventurers at all. You don't have that tension of having to make a living. It's more like you're just having fun. You really have a good group of people."

Having said that, Mitis paused, supported her hands in front of her body, turned around and looked at Ella with anticipation.

"How about this? I'll go on adventures with Ella from now on, how about that? As long as I provide food and lodging, everything else is free, you know? I'm the type that's easy to support."

"Wow... Accommodation is no problem, but as for food... Mitis is a vampire, right? Even if we only have one cup a day, it's impossible without enough people."

For me, there is no problem in letting Mitis join. In fact, I feel more at ease this way. However, Mitis must replenish blood every once in a while. If this problem is not solved, it is impossible for us to join together.

Mitis moved towards Ella, and her expression looked just like the insurance salesman in Ella's original world.

"What's the big deal? I don't need Ella alone as the blood source. If I ask her sincerely, Lotte and the others will agree, right? And we can even buy it in the villages we pass by."

“…Are you serious, Mitis? I don’t have any issues here, but Mitis is a Viscount of the Empire…”

"No problem, no problem. I'll tell the king about this when we return to the imperial capital. As long as we don't join the armies of other countries, there won't be any trouble."

Mitis looked very happy as she kept patting Ella's shoulders, as if they had known each other for a long time.

"I've always wanted to see the outside world, and now's the perfect opportunity. Besides, Ella feels very familiar to me."

"Feeling familiar?"

Ella asked subconsciously.

"Hmm? Ella, isn't there? This 'I feel like I've seen this before' vibe, so... sitting by the hot spring like this seems to have happened somewhere before... Well, it's probably an illusion, I get that 'Ah, this must have happened before!' feeling sometimes."

Mitis laughed.

"Haha—if Mitis says so, I have no objection, but don't regret it later, okay? You can reconsider it before we return to the Empire."

"Don't worry, don't worry. Unless something bad happens to me, I won't break the contract."

"It feels like a statement that's just raising a flag..."

Suppressing the uneasiness rising in her heart, Ella changed the subject.

"Come to think of it, Mitis has been in the Bruzea Empire since she was born, right?"

"Well, what's going on? To be more precise, it's on the border between the Bruzea Empire and the Dwarven Territory in the north."

"That's not the question. I mean, Mitis is so beautiful, why do those officers say they don't have a boyfriend?"

If I remember correctly, at the initial welcoming party, the non-commissioned officers did say that Mitis had no fiancé.

Ella's question made Mitis stiffen for a moment, and then, like a cat whose tail was stepped on, her voice suddenly became louder.

“Anyway, asking that question is really rude! Isn’t it because I’m a vampire, and you’re afraid of becoming my servant or something…”

"Mitis isn't that kind of person, is she?"

"Of course, it's just that other people don't think so. Honestly, even though I say I don't like the nobles' dandy personalities, no one is willing to look for me. After all, being a vampire is too troublesome."

A trace of loneliness appeared on Mitis's face, but she quickly concealed it and turned it into a smile.

"Trouble? Is it because of racial discrimination? If that's the case, wouldn't the Eastern Continent, where non-human races rule, be much better? Wouldn't it be better to go there?"

"It can't be helped. If it were just a matter of perception, there would always be people who wouldn't care. The truth is, it's mainly due to the unique physical limitations of vampires. As long as there's contact with a vampire's mucous membranes... the other person will be turned into a follower."

"Mucosal contact... is that so..."

The situation became a little awkward when they touched on a topic that neither of them was good at. Ella bent down, scooped up some water and splashed it on her face, trying to cool it down, and then forced a new topic.

"In other words, even connecting and kissing is not allowed?"

“Hmm… that’s it…”

"Is that so..."

Once again, the scene fell silent.

After a while.

As if she had made up her mind, Mitis took a few deep breaths, stood up from the water, and knelt in front of Ella.

"Ella, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Hmm? What's the matter? As long as it's within my ability, I'll do my best to accomplish it, okay?"

"Even...even if..."

Although her voice became hesitant and she was almost unable to speak, and her face turned red as if it was burning, Mitis still tried her best to look directly into Ella's eyes.

Sensing a strange atmosphere, Ella's voice became cautious.

“…Even if?”

"Just treat this as practice... Please... Please, Ella, be my lover! Please!"

"ha?!"

In an instant, Ella let out the highest-pitched sound of surprise she had ever heard since she was born.

Chapter 20 The Uninvited Visitor

“Uh…ah…mm…”

Because the impact was so great, Ella stood there in a daze as if she had been struck by lightning.

Resisting the urge to turn around, Mitis looked into Ella's eyes with her pink eyes that seemed to be dripping with water.

“Why are you daydreaming? I’ve already begged you…”

Ella subconsciously looked away.

"Mmm... Just in case, what did Mitis say just now...?"

"Huh? Didn't you hear that?"

Mitsis's voice rose a few notches.

"Of course I heard it, but I wonder if I misheard. Was Mitis asking me to be a lover? Like, that kind of… liking relationship between people of the opposite sex?"

Although she was the one being asked, it was natural for her to feel embarrassed in this situation. When she thought that this was the first time someone confessed to her for any purpose other than a prank, Ella felt as if her heart would jump out of her throat in the next second.

Hearing Ella's words, Mitis knelt down again and nodded seriously.

"Yes, that's right."

"You don't have a fever, do you?"

"How is that possible? Vampires have a high resistance to disease."

"But why would you say something like that if you don't have a fever? Putting aside the fact that we...are of the same sex, we've only known each other for two days, right?"

No matter what, the relationship between lovers must be a gradual process. Even if it is love at first sight, there is no such thing as confessing on the first day. Unless you want to give it a try, you will take time to think deeply about it. What's more, it is not so much that you have no experience in love, but rather that you have never thought about it. It is a very delicate situation on both sides.

Perhaps because she had calmed down, the redness on Mitis's face gradually faded. Although she still looked a little embarrassed, she no longer had the initial shyness.

Mitis scratched her cheek.

"That's right... Or rather, I asked Ella for help because we've only known each other for a short time. However, judging by the current situation, it seems like Ella has some misunderstandings..."

"misunderstanding?"

"Um... I told you from the beginning, didn't I? This is just practice. In other words, I'm just letting Ella play the role of lover, not real lover. It's a bit embarrassing to say it bluntly, but I'm a vampire who's lived a long time. If someone I like confesses to one day, practice beforehand is important so I can look confident. If I'm this old and have no experience, I'll be laughed at, right?"

Having said that, Mitis placed her hands on her knees and bowed deeply towards Ella.

"So, please!"

“Hmm…”

For a moment, Ella couldn't help feeling at a loss. Mitis's meaning was quite clear. The act of pretending to be a lover was to prevent special situations that might be encountered in the future. As an imperial viscount, a recognized beauty in the army, and a vampire who had lived for a long time, if people said that she had never had any experience in love, it would probably be as embarrassing as a human who had entered middle age but still had no boyfriend or girlfriend. Although she might not feel uncomfortable, she would still be very embarrassed when asked by relatives, and it was not impossible for her to feel bored.

That's why she needs to find something that can serve as a substitute. Of course, it doesn't mean that Mitis will publicly announce that "her lover is Ella". The reason she looks for Ella is just to gain experience in love. In this way, even if someone asks her, she can say "I have had it before", and when they really meet, no one will find out that she is lying.

However, the most important point is that I have no experience in love, and there are many various questions, such as - assuming I agree - to what extent the behavior between lovers should be allowed, and whether it is necessary to let others know.

If other people in the army knew that Mitis's lover was herself, it might bring some other impacts in the future, such as the rumor that "Mitis likes to hunt homosexuals". Of course, this kind of rumor might also make herself the protagonist. However, she could not have any other thoughts about men, so she did not care about this statement at all. Instead, she hoped that it could be spread more widely, so that those endless suitors would be discouraged.

"The only remaining issue is that I'm the Demon King's daughter... I wonder if I'll be considered frivolous, but that shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Ella began to think internally.

"As for Lotte and the others, I'll understand if I just explain the reason—ahh, so it's still a question of whether I can accept it or not!"

Thinking of the next answer, Ella couldn't help but feel a fever-like burning sensation on her face, and her heart accelerated to the point where it seemed like it was about to explode. Even though she remained sitting, she could still hear the loud beating in her chest.

Unconsciously twisting her hands on her waist, Ella swallowed and turned her eyes away.

“Hmm…”

“H-What?! Is this okay?”

Hearing Ella's hum, Mitis raised her head excitedly, but when she saw the former's face turning away, her expression became nervous and she asked cautiously.

“Is…is that okay?”

"Well……"

Ella's response only took a second, but Mitis felt as if the prisoners were waiting for the verdict for years.

"S-Sure, I can—"

"Really?! Ella is so kind!"

Like a hare just out of a cage, Mitis jumped up from the ground excitedly and hugged Ella at a speed that could not be captured by the naked eye. Then, Ella, who had no time to react, was thrown into the hot spring.

puff.

Following the sound of splashing into the water was a violent cough caused by choking on the water.

"Cough, cough cough... Quick, let go, cough, I'm dying..."

"Eh? Eh? Wait, I'm letting go now!"

The sound of someone dying in the next second brought Mitis back to her senses. She quickly let go of Ella, but because she was afraid that Ella would sink, she quickly hugged her again, then spread the devil wings behind her and brought Ella back to the shore.

"No...are you okay?"

If it were Lotte or Fukagan, they would definitely think of patting Ella's back, but because Mitis had never been involved in anything outside of the military, she could only kneel down and watch.

After coughing several times and feeling that all the spring water in her lungs had been choked out, Ella supported her hands on the rocks on the shore and let out a long sigh.

"Cough... cough cough cough, huh—I thought I was going to die."

"How, how is that possible? Even if that's the case, I will definitely find the best healer."

Mitisi's panicked tone left Ella speechless.

"...No matter how you look at it, that's not the problem. Well, never mind. After all, I haven't finished what I was saying."

"You haven't finished yet?"

Mitis raised her eyes timidly. Thinking of Mitis's usual casual look, Ella couldn't help but smile helplessly.

"Don't act like that. I'm not going to regret it."

Mitis breathed a sigh of relief instantly.

After reorganizing her words, Ella expressed her thoughts.

"Hmm... I wanted to talk about the question of degree."

"What do you mean by degree?"

"It's about the appropriate level of interaction between lovers. Let's make it clear, kissing is the limit. I won't do anything above that, yes, including kissing."

Mitis blinked, put her index finger on her chin, and looked like she was thinking.

"Yeah, that's true. These are things we need to consider. If I accidentally turn Ella into a familiar, it'll be troublesome. I have no problem with that, but I didn't expect Ella to actually agree... I was just hoping for a chance..."

"Then I'd better refuse."