"Let's see, where was I? Hmm..."
The vampire girl tapped her chin with a finger and promptly fell into thought.
Yup.
She wasn't listening to a single word of what we just talked about!
The way our long-winded principal's lectures would sail right over our heads—that’s exactly how those earlier words must have passed through one ear and out the other for her.
"Anyway, never mind that."
Not never mind!
"Let's skip over the current state of the world. Honestly, if I told you the world is on the verge of collapse, it would just be a hassle, right? You can't do anything about it anyway, so hearing about it is useless. If you really want the details, you can come ask me individually later."
She's getting pretty blunt, huh.
Well, she's not wrong, though.
Most of the reincarnators are powerless civilians.
You can't expect a bunch of normies to stop the world from collapsing.
Unlike some movie, ordinary people can't fly off into space to drill a hole in an incoming giant meteor.
"At the very least, this planet isn't going to collapse while you're still alive, so there's no point worrying about it. Rather than worrying about something that happens after you're dead, what you're all interested in is what happens next, right?"
The vampire girl scanned the reincarnators.
No one answered, because she had ruthlessly shut down Yamada and Oshima just moments ago.
Still, several reincarnators nodded or watched her with serious expressions, affirming what she said.
"As I said earlier, we conquered this elf village ourselves. So think of your status here as that of prisoners. However, since you're not enemy soldiers, we won't treat you roughly—as long as you're cooperative."
The sound of several reincarnators swallowing hard wasn't my imagination.
Well, obviously?
She just flattened Yamada and Oshima moments ago while saying she wouldn't do anything rough.
Hearing that now, with the memory so fresh, there's no way anyone would believe her.
It would be understandable if they took it to mean 'Be obedient or be shut up without question.' Or maybe... is that exactly what she's aiming for?
Hmm.
I can't tell if the vampire girl is thinking that deeply about it.
I get the feeling she's just blurting out whatever comes to mind without thinking, because she's the vampire girl, after all.
"Now, about your future here. I intend to let you have some say in the matter. If you want our protection, we'll look after you. If you want to leave, you're free to go. If you want to stay here, you can. Although, I wouldn't recommend it since we've killed all the elves and the barrier is gone."
There it is—the bomb has been dropped!
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
If it weren't for the vampire girl's earlier warning to keep quiet, there would probably have been shouts of outrage flying around.
Actually, I'm impressed by how effectively her intimidation worked.
The reincarnators' reaction to the news of the elves' annihilation was unanimous: confusion.
Well, sure. If the people you'd been living with and interacting with just yesterday were suddenly all dead, you'd be confused too.
They probably understood from our tone earlier that the elves had fought us and lost.
But even so, total annihilation wasn't something they'd imagined.
And most reincarnators had lived peaceful lives in Japan, an extension of a world without war or fighting.
The shock was that much greater.
The reincarnators turned pale, or some even tried to scoff through their noses and failed.
"Hey."
Seeing their distressed state, Oni pulled at the vampire girl's arm.
"What?"
"This isn't the right time to say it, is it?"
"And when is the right time? Even if I hide it, you'll find out eventually. It's better to know sooner rather than later, right?"
The vampire girl wrenched her arm free.
Oni couldn't argue and let his arm be pulled away.
Hmm.
She's right, though. It's something that has to be said eventually, no matter how shocking it might be for the reincarnators. Dragging it out to spare their feelings isn't good either.
Maybe this beginning, right now, is exactly the right time to tell them.
"So... it's true, then..."
Through the exchange between the vampire girl and Oni, it became clear that her earlier statement wasn't a lie.
Yamada muttered in a hoarse voice.
"That's right. Oh, and don't bother opening your mouth again? I have no interest in hearing your arguments. Even if you have something to say to me, I have no intention of listening. If you still want to make me listen, then shut me up with force first. Although, you probably can't."
Brutal!
Cruel!
That's just cruel!
Yamada is gritting his teeth and looks like he's about to cry!
I think she could at least wrap it up in a little nicer paper.
"All you do is whine and complain about things that are already done. That's pathetic. If you have a complaint, you should have stopped us. Don't make a fuss now, putting aside your own inadequacy."
Brutal!
Cruel!
That's just cruel!
She's not just skipping the wrapping paper—she's pouring salt in the wound!
Yamada is clenching his fists and trembling!
Poor guy.
"In the end, regardless of the process, the elves have been annihilated. That's all you need to know. What you should be concerned about now is your own life going forward. What happened here, responsibility, justice, and all that—this is none of our business. Work it out among yourselves."
With a clean cut, the vampire girl averted her gaze from Yamada.
As if he wasn't even worth looking at anymore.
"There's no one left in this village. Besides, the barrier that protected it is gone, so Monsters can come and go as they please. If there are any oddballs who, despite all that, still want to stay out of attachment, I'll respect that wish. Want to stay?"
Several reincarnators shook their heads frantically at her words.
Well, obviously.
"If you don't want to stay, I'll make sure to escort you properly outside the village—no, outside this forest. After that, as I said earlier, I'll listen to each of your individual wishes and try to fulfill them as much as possible. Although, that's only within the limits of what we can do."
Hmm.
I think we can at least guarantee the bare minimum for survival.
If someone demands they want to live luxuriously in a mansion, I'll shut them down, though.
As long as they don't make impossible demands, I'd like to try granting their wishes.
It shouldn't be too hard if we borrow the power of the Divine Word religion.
"Oh, right. If you want to go back, couldn't you just return to Earth?"
Huh?
Wait, what?
"We can go back?!"
Kudou-san, who had been holding back her voice until now, couldn't help but shout and stand up.
"Can't you?"
The vampire girl turned back towards me to confirm.
Huh?
No way.
That's impossible!
That's what I wanted to say, but the reincarnators' gazes, filled with hope, were piercing right through me.
Vampire girl!
Drop the unnecessary bombs, will you!