E-Rantel, Spinning Bird Inn, second-floor room.
Clementine struggled to open her eyes. An unfamiliar ceiling filled her vision.
The strange surroundings made her instinctively try to sit up.
But the waves of dizziness crashing through her mind left her unable to move.
The room was sparsely furnished, with no one else in sight. The air carried the pleasant scent of fresh wood shavings.
"Have I already left The Great Tomb of Nazarick?"
Clementine shook her head, her short golden hair swaying as she tried to force herself awake.
Before losing consciousness, she remembered drinking with two people. One was the maid Lupusregina, and the other seemed to be called Demiurge.
He wore a dark red suit and had looked exceptionally friendly.
They had actually talked quite pleasantly.
Just before she blacked out, she vaguely recalled seeing Naohara. She must have muttered something in her haze, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember what it was.
The one thing that remained etched in her mind was a single sentence from Demiurge.
"Clementine-san, let me offer you a piece of advice. Humans are not suited to remain in The Great Tomb of Nazarick."
In the bar, the ill-intentioned Demon had elegantly swirled his wine glass, his smile carrying layered meaning as he spoke.
Remembering that scene, a heaviness settled over Clementine. The lingering fog in her mind finally cleared.
She fell silent.
After touring The Great Tomb of Nazarick, she had already felt a trace of inferiority. Now, that feeling pressed down on her even harder.
Through subtle probing while speaking with Lupusregina, she had roughly learned about Naohara's identity. He was one of the three rulers of The Great Tomb of Nazarick, one of the highest beings within it.
Under his command were countless monsters capable of killing her in an instant. Her once-proud Hero-tier strength was nothing there. In The Great Tomb of Nazarick, beings of her level were as common as ants, insignificant and easily replaced.
Even Lupusregina, the maid who had guided her through the tour, possessed the power to end her life effortlessly.
The realization stung.
A thought rose unbidden in her heart.
Did Naohara truly see her as a friend?
Or was she merely a toy… a pet… something to be cast aside the moment he grew bored?
After walking through The Great Tomb of Nazarick, Clementine had clearly sensed a distinct atmosphere. It was one of hatred and contempt toward humans.
While touring with Lupusregina, she had encountered all kinds of grotesque beings. Demon, Vampire, Werewolf, and creatures she couldn't even name.
The moment they saw her, their first reaction had been a surge of killing intent. They had wanted to tear apart this human who had defiled The Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Only after noticing Lupusregina and the Dragon Mark on Clementine's forehead did their hostility quickly fade.
Even so, Clementine remembered that moment clearly.
The suffocating tension. The chill crawling down her spine. Lupusregina's laughter at her side.
She remembered all of it.
It made her understand more deeply than ever the position humans held in The Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Just as Demiurge had said, humans did not belong there.
She had felt like a helpless lamb brought by a dragon into a pack of beasts. Though those beasts would obey the dragon's command and refrain from devouring her, that did not mean they acknowledged her.
Lupusregina's smile had carried that same implication. The maid had deliberately, or perhaps casually, led Clementine to cross paths with monsters who openly despised humans.
She watched Clementine recoil under waves of killing intent, watched her lose composure.
And from it, she drew her own quiet satisfaction.
But even so, Clementine could only pretend she hadn't noticed anything and continue chatting. After all, she was merely a guest.
"What… what am I supposed to do…"
She buried her face between her knees, tears pooling in her eyes, completely at a loss.
She had finally obtained salvation.
Yet that salvation was so heavy it made her feel as if she couldn't breathe.
"If only I weren't human…"
The thought slipped out before she could stop it. If she weren't human, perhaps she wouldn't be discarded. Perhaps she could truly belong in The Great Tomb of Nazarick.
But becoming something other than human was never simple. Clementine understood the cost.
Take her former collaborator, Khajiit, one of the Twelve Executives of Zurrernorn. He had longed to abandon his humanity and tirelessly pursued becoming an Undead.
He even plotted the massacre of E-Rantel, intending to use the sacrifices to complete his transformation.
Clementine didn't believe she could go that far.
As her thoughts spiraled, the air beside her suddenly distorted. A pitch-black portal opened, and a figure stepped silently into the room.
Clementine didn't notice. She was still lost in her imagination.
Naohara held three racial transformation items in his hands. At first, he looked at Clementine, who had her head buried between her knees, with mild confusion. Then his expression shifted slightly.
The scent in the air told him everything.
She had been crying.
He set the items down on a nearby table, walked over to her, and spoke softly.
"Clem."
The familiar voice reached her ears, and her body trembled. The turmoil in her heart settled instantly, as if soothed by something unseen.
She slowly lifted her head, her dark red eyes still damp as she looked back.
Standing before her was Naohara, his appearance altered. The dragon traits had faded, and he had returned to the form he wore when they first met.
"I don't like tears."
"Don't let your mind wander into nonsense, my friend."
His gentle words flowed into her ears, calming her like a steadying hand.
All the chaotic thoughts in her head dissolved at once. Clementine lowered her gaze and responded softly.
"Mm…"
Seeing her reddened eyes, Naohara felt a hint of helplessness. Humans really were troublesome.
"Clem, I need to talk to you about something."
"You might not remember, so I want to confirm it."
"Do you want to stop being human?"
He brought the three racial transformation items in front of her and explained their effects before looking at her seriously. He needed to know her true thoughts.
After all, she had said something similar before, but that had been while drunk.
What happened next surprised him.
He had expected her to hesitate, at least think it over for a moment.
But she didn't.
Under his gaze, Clementine froze briefly, then her face lit up with wild joy.
It was the kind of expression someone might have after fearing they had lost something vital, only to discover it was still there.
"I'm willing. I'm willing to stop being human."
She looked genuinely delighted, with not the slightest burden about abandoning her humanity. If anything, she seemed impatient.
Clementine had no attachment to being human. She had wanted to leave it behind for a long time, but never knew how.
She had nearly given up.
And now, happiness had suddenly fallen into her lap.
She looked up at the figure before her and smiled brightly.
[I will follow you forever, until the end of my life…]
She made that vow silently in her heart.
"Naohara-san, which race do you think I should choose?"
Without realizing it, she had changed the way she addressed him. Clementine looked at the three items in front of her, hesitating slightly.
After his explanation, she already knew what each one represented.
Demon. Vampire. Dragonoid.
She couldn't decide.
She was somewhat interested in Demon, especially because of the succubus branch. Vampire also seemed appealing.
As for Dragonoid…
At that thought, she sneaked a glance at Naohara. If she remembered correctly, he was also a Dragonoid.
"If it were up to me, I'd recommend Vampire."
Naohara watched her struggle and offered his suggestion.
There was no deep reason behind it. He simply thought blonde hair suited a Vampire. It reminded him of a certain Egyptian beauty.
"Vampire? Then I'll choose this one."
The moment she heard his recommendation, Clementine immediately gave up on Demon and Dragonoid and picked up the dark red crystal representing Vampire.
She felt a slight regret about the other two options, but she had no real hesitation.
Compared to those races, Naohara's preference mattered more.
"Since you've decided, I'll begin the Vampire Transformation Ritual."
"It might hurt a little. Are you ready, Clem?"
"I'm fine, Naohara-san."
Within the magic isolation barrier, dark red light flooded the entire room.
After a long time, a figure slowly stepped into the sunlight.
Skin paler than before. Eyes an even deeper crimson. Faint fangs visible at the corners of her lips. A thin blood-colored mist coiling around her body.
Clementine
Level: 42
Race: Vampire
Vampire Clementine is officially in the game!
(Just to clarify, from the chapter where Clementine went to see Naohara until now, Chapters 77 to 90, only a single night has passed…)