As a Reincarnated NPC, I Want to Live a Peaceful Life - Chapter 34

(Additional Trigger: “Scholar’s Brain” – Weakens magic damage received by 50%)

“Is it… morning already?”

I watched the setting sun by the mountains outside the carriage window and sighed quietly.

In the early hours, the vampire who had been watching me finally succumbed to drowsiness and fell asleep. But she stubbornly refused to let me go from her embrace. So, I just went along with her wishes… My eyes and ears had recovered well, but my body was still in a sorry state, incapable of doing much.

So, even though it was a perfect opportunity to act, I couldn’t do anything meaningful.

Well, might as well go with the flow. Maybe something good will happen if I stick with them—but that’s all just wishful thinking. Given how things are developing, the odds are stacked against me.

By piecing together the fragments of conversation I overheard, I managed to form a few more complete pieces of information:

First, the vampire who proposed the hostage plan is named Alan, currently driving the carriage, and is a player. The vampire holding me is named Camilla, highly skilled in magic, also a player. The vampire sleeping soundly across from me is named Yaje, also proficient in magic, but she loves sleeping and is an NPC.

Second, they are heading to [Feltro], known as the “Beastman City,” to lay low. This is good news for me. No matter what, it means I’m a step closer to getting there.

Third, they don’t know how to get to [Feltro]. This is a bit of a problem… I don’t know its location either, and the vampires can’t easily ask passersby, especially with wanted notices out for them.

Of course, being players, they have to log off periodically. Because things were rather urgent last night, they forced themselves to stay online. Just about ten minutes ago, the vampire named “Alan” logged back in, while “Camilla,” after logging back in, couldn’t fight off sleepiness and dozed off again.

As for this “Yaje,” she’s been sleeping the whole time. I’ve never seen anyone who can sleep this much. Then again, she isn’t exactly human.

I’m hungry again. Because I’ve been awake and unable to get proper rest, my satiety drops rapidly. Although, it seems the decline improves slightly when I’m mentally tense.

In short, eating those fruits earlier was just a drop in the bucket.

Bottom line—I need real food to fill my stomach.

…

Game Time 7:00. The sun had fully risen. Although the light wasn’t too intense yet, it was still lethal to vampires and their kind.

So, “Alan,” after dodging a beam of sunlight from the side, pulled out some simple sunshades from his [Shadow Backpack]. They didn’t look like items from the mall, so they were probably handmade.

Wow, not only is he eloquent, but he’s also handy.

…

Game Time 7:30. Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on “Yaje” across from me. Surprisingly, she didn’t seem bothered by it at all… Far from burning to death, she actually looked quite comfortable. That expression wasn’t lying.

I never expected her sun resistance to be so high. If someone were tasked with defeating a vampire with perfect sun resistance, how would they do it?

—Just tear them apart.

…..

My vision started to blur from hunger, giving me a profound realization. One must cherish food, because there are still people starving without a meal.

Game Time 8:30. An hour had passed. Perhaps because I was consciously suppressing my hunger, my satiety only dropped to twenty percent and stopped falling. A fortunate turn in this misfortune, but the feeling was terrible—emptiness weakening my body, disrupting my actions, but without granting any newfound abilities.

My right brain was fully repaired, but the nerve paralysis still needed time. I was practically in a state of semi-paralysis. Although I could move my body normally, I had no strength… I could cast spells, but without physical power, my Strength attribute was essentially useless. However, my Magic attribute wasn’t nullified, which I could use as a bargaining chip.

And since my body movement was back to normal, it meant I could cast spells properly now—a flawed perfection.

Outside, a few travelers occasionally passed on the road, but they didn’t pay much attention to this carriage. As for “Alan” at the front, they naturally ignored him too.

This sparsely populated road was perfect for vampires needing to move discreetly. But why, why not ask someone for directions? Don’t you not know where [Feltro] is? You wouldn’t actually go look up a route using some all-knowing skeleton guide, would you?

They probably wouldn’t be that careless. This game is all about the actual experience. Wouldn’t logging off to check a map defeat the purpose? Well, I have no right to complain; the faster, the better.

…

Roughly half an hour later, “Camilla,” who was holding me, finally woke up. She let out a deep yawn right in my face, seeming like she wasn’t fully awake yet.

But when she noticed the girl in front of her, she snapped wide awake. Come on, lady, this is a game, not a real otherworld… although for me, it certainly is.

After hurriedly apologizing, I rubbed my arm and made a show of discomfort, hinting for her to let me go. “Camilla” discussed it with “Alan” for a moment, probably deciding I wasn’t a threat, and gently placed me in a corner of the back seat.

Hahaha, right, I also think I’m not a threat, but aren’t you being a bit overconfident?

“Yaje” was still asleep. It seemed she wouldn’t get up until she woke naturally.

“You… who are you?” The sudden question startled me out of my intense stare, forcing me back to reality. It was “Camilla,” leaning her chin on her hand, looking at me with great interest.

I pointed at myself, confused. She nodded… Who am I? Do I need to explain myself to her? Why is she asking who I am? Are we that familiar?

Forget it, it can’t hurt. No harm done.

“Well… I, my name is—” Easy to think, but harder to say out loud. I felt a bit embarrassed, making my words hesitant. “I… I’m Gulu (gulp)…”

It turned out, after her flustered explanation (why are you blushing?), I realized she already knew my name. She was just asking to help me relax.

“My name is— Uh, uh, it should be fine to say it, right…” By the way, for some reason—maybe different servers, maybe a status bar bug—the names above “Alan” and “Camilla” didn’t display their player IDs; they were probably similar to their real names.

“My name is Alan Waleed, just call me Alan!”

“Hey! We haven’t even discussed whether we should— Ah, whatever. Let me introduce myself. I’m a vampire, Camilla Philnot. Likewise, just call me Camilla.”

“And this one, who’s always sleeping, is Yaje Deen. Don’t let her love for sleep fool you; she’s really powerful.” So, she’s the strongest among them all? Good to know. If necessary, she’s the first to take out.

The introductions took over ten minutes in total, but they were just brief. They also shared a few jokes among themselves, making me a little envious… If it were Miss Huey sitting beside me, Elf sleeping across, and Alec driving the carriage, I’d probably feel much better. I might even smile naturally.

But… not yet… It will take time to get to [Feltro]. Alec and the others wouldn’t just sit idle either; they’d definitely try to reunite with me.

What to do? I need to find a way to locate them—I gave the money pouch Lyle gave me to Alec, so food and lodging shouldn’t be a problem. Elf’s ranger physique allows her to defend herself, and Alec and Miss Huey are both skilled magic users.

Finding them is just a matter of time. Just a matter of time. Nothing will go wrong. It won’t.

Gurgle

As expected, my stomach growled loudly again, and this time, “Camilla” heard it clearly. Even though we aren’t companions, it was still a bit awkward.

“Hungry again?”

“Don’t mention it… Urgh…”

I thanked her for feeding me the fruit in the early hours. But bringing it up now on purpose— Forget it, I shouldn’t nitpick.

“We’ll find you something to eat when we reach the next town.”

“…Thank you… Camilla, why exactly… did you all come here?”

I hoped I wasn’t stepping on a landmine. I didn’t get a clear answer when I asked “Alan” last night. They seemed to have fled here.

“Camilla’s” face darkened. After sharing a meaningful look with “Alan,” she took a deep breath.

“Juurin-chan, have you heard about the rebellion that happened in the Vampire Kingdom of [Eolia]?” Sounds troublesome. A rebellion? So they’re hiding from pursuit?

“We… how should I put it? We are family members of those who were on the rebel side. The rebellion failed, and we became targets for extermination.”

“Ah… Please stay away from me…”

“Eh? Don’t reject us so blatantly.”