The number of attempts is approximately the 530th.
I hoped for a strategy that used the Parasitic Sword without giving up many times.
Yes, many times.
No matter how many times I tried, I was ultimately killed by the vampire Judite's hands.
Well, I can't necessarily say that's always the case.
When the Parasitic sword grows to a certain extent, my consciousness vanishes.
Perhaps, my body is completely taken over by the grown Parasitic sword.
With this, even if I successfully repel the vampire Judite, it's meaningless if my consciousness is taken over by the sword.
"Why are you here…?"
This time, my consciousness had not been taken over by the Parasitic sword yet.
At that moment, the vampire Judite appeared in front of me once again.
Without much reason, I asked her. There wasn't a profound motive. I had just been fighting all along, and my spirit was exhausted.
So, even if she was the one to kill me, I wanted to have a conversation.
I wondered why she was living in this dungeon. It piqued my curiosity a little.
"Well, you're quite rude, aren't you? Your demeanor doesn't seem fitting for one who addresses the great True Ancestor vampire."
Rude…
Come to think of it, when I first met her, she called me "rude" and killed me.
"I-I'm sorry, I'm just a country bumpkin. So, could you please enlighten me? Who are you exactly, and why are you here?"
I asked, trying to be more polite.
"Hmm, as a parting gift to the afterlife, I shall tell you. I am Judite, the true ancestor vampire. I am the purest being in this world."
Saying that, I was killed.
◆
"It's probably hopeless already…"
I muttered with a tone of resignation, having returned from death.
How many times had I attempted to conquer using the Parasitic Sword? No matter how many times I tried, I was killed by the vampire Judite.
There were moments when victory seemed within reach.
But at those times, the Parasitic sword consistently completely took over my consciousness.
With the Parasitic sword having entirely taken control of me, I was undoubtedly in an extremely grotesque state.
In such a condition, even if I were to escape this dungeon, it would likely be meaningless.
I should give up on using the Parasitic sword for conquest.
However, I couldn't think of any better alternatives.
Well, there was one idea I had been considering trying.
"Maybe I should attempt to negotiate with the vampire Judite."
Initially, when we first met, I thought there was no chance of a conversation with such a monstrous being.
Well, my impression hasn't changed much now, but there was a faint glimmer of hope that some form of conversation might be possible.
"Nothing to lose by giving it a shot…"
It was a life that had already died many times.
At this point, there was no need to hesitate about dying.
◆
Beyond the second teleportation circle, the vampire Judite was elegantly enjoying a tea time, with a chair and table arranged before her.
"Well, this is quite unusual. Intruders entering this place. So, what brings you here?" she inquired.
I remembered being asked such a question before.
Yes, she wasn't as barbaric as to attack immediately upon meeting. She consistently engaged in conversation like this.
This might be evidence that there was room for negotiation with her.
"Great true ancestor vampire, Lady Judite, I have a request to make," I said, kneeling and bowing my head.
"Please, make me your disciple," I implored.
I believed I had fulfilled the minimum of courtesy.
Now, how would she respond?
"Kihhihi, my disciple, you say? That's an interesting proposition," she responded with a smirk.
I was pleasantly surprised by her reaction, which was better than I had anticipated.
Make me your disciple. To escape this dungeon, I needed to become stronger than I am now. That's why I arrived at the conclusion that becoming the disciple of the vampire Judite might be a way to become stronger.
"So, what benefits do I gain by taking you as my disciple?"
"Benefits…?"
"Yes, I firmly believe in never doing anything that doesn't benefit me."
Even if she said that, I couldn't think of any immediate benefits she would gain by having me as her disciple.
Still, I had to say something.
"If you take me as your disciple, I will become your loyal servant, and I will obey any command. I will undoubtedly be of great help, so please, I beg you," I said, bowing my head once again.
That was the only pledge of loyalty I could come up with.
"How dull," she remarked.
"…Huh?"
In the next moment, Judite sliced through me with a blade made from fresh blood drawn from her right wrist.
My life came to an end.