As I thought, this world might have mythical creatures—vampires being one of them. There are probably other creatures too, but I can't remember any of them.
Man, they always talked about it in class. If only I could at least vaguely remember the story from the book…
"Mister, are you sure you didn't drink animal blood again? Any doctor can clearly tell from the signs."
"...…"
"Mr. Rodrick?" Liliana stared at him.
"Umm… I did drink a little."
"Mr. Rodrick, how many times do I have to tell you? Drinking animal blood is different from drinking human blood. Animals have different characteristics when it comes to blood circulation. They eat different things, drink different things. They can carry bacteria, parasites, or even viruses that your body has never encountered."
"Unlike human blood, which you vampires are already accustomed to. Even then, some human blood can carry deadly diseases. Hospitals have medical experts who know how to test and handle it safely. But mystical animals' raw blood carries risks that are far less predictable."
Mr. Rodrick glanced at me while Liliana continued talking for minutes straight.
I looked back at him, confused.
"Miss Lily, I—"
"Be quiet when I'm talking to you. A vampire's body is very different from that of normal creatures. Your fangs draw blood directly and send it straight toward your heart. Unless you buy special processed blood from the Renette Kingdom, you shouldn't be consuming it like that. But I heard it's way expensive. You could get a blood donor or find someone who lives a healthy lifestyle, and—"
"Miss, please… you know my financial situation. I can't afford another blood donor. And animal blood satisfies my sweet tooth. You're the only dentist I can afford."
"That's not a reason to drink blood from wild animals. Their blood carries too many diseases. Even biting their skin can fill your mouth with harmful bacteria."
"Just stay here. This kind of problem is easy to solve. You don't even need a mystical doctor for this—just a normal one would do."
Liliana walked to the cabinet and began brewing something strange. The mixture turned colorful and released a faint, shimmering rainbow smoke before she poured it into a small bottle. She then placed the hand-sized bottle, along with some seeds and a piece of paper, into a plastic bag.
"Here, Mr. Rodrick. Take this saltwater solution. Boil it before gargling. And here is a referral for a blood donor in the kingdom's capital. They provide verified and tested blood—you can get it there."
"And don't drink animal blood anymore. Also, avoid human blood that carries diseases."
"And brush your teeth more, especially if you're going to keep doing things like this."
"Oh… okay."
"Good. Now go. Shoo."
Liliana pushed Rodrick toward the door.
"Ma'am, can I come back if they don't give me blood?"
"We don't sell blood here, Mr. Rodrick. And I have more important matters to handle."
After pushing him out, Rodrick was nowhere to be seen.
Liliana closed the door and flipped the sign to "Closed."
"Huft…"
She turned to look at me.
"Now that Mr. Rodrick is gone, no one will disturb us."
Why am I suddenly feeling a little scared?
"Let's continue the operation."
Operation? What is she talking about?
"Your body is in very bad condition right now. I need to give you anesthesia and then—"
"Wait, what do you mean? I didn't agree to this! What are you going to do to my body? Give me a second—"
"No, no. Stay still. You're going to be fine."
Lily held my arm firmly in place, signaling that she didn't want me to move.
She picked up a large syringe filled with glowing yellow liquid.
"Wait… what is that?"
She inserted the syringe into my neck.
"Ahhh!"
I immediately felt drowsy.
My eyes grew heavy. It became harder and harder to stay awake.
I fell asleep under the effect of the magical anesthetic, but even as time passed, a faint trace of consciousness still lingered.
Liliana stood alone near the cabinet, facing away from me. It looked like she was lost in thought, as if trying to process everything that had happened.
"It's okay… it's okay…"
Liliana let out a slow breath.
"It could have been much worse."