CHAPTER 6 - A Day of Shopping. Part 3.

"Welcome, Dreimo. And who is the young lady accompanying you? I didn't know you had a girlfriend," said the owner of the store.

"She's Yuik, a friend," I replied.

I took Yuik to the store where I buy all my clothes. This store has clothes for all ages, so I'm sure Yuik will find clothes she likes. I want to buy her a lot of clothes because I understand that women like to wear different clothes every day.

The owner of this store is an older woman in her fifties. She's very nice, and her husband is the guild master of adventurers in this city.

It's a store with a lot of variety in styles and sizes, which is why it's my favorite store.

"Yuik, you can take whatever you want, money is not a problem," I said.

After all, I have a lot of money under my control thanks to the bandits I kill. Whenever I kill bandits, I keep the money they had and donate 75% to orphanages, keeping the rest for myself in case I need it.

"Ah... Ah..." Yuik tried to write, but I stopped her because I already know what she's trying to say.

"No, I know what you're going to say. Don't worry, it's not a bother. I want to buy you clothes, and money is not a problem, don't worry. You can take whatever you want... Hmm... I think I'll also take some clothes."

I don't need it, but I don't want her to feel uncomfortable. She might think she's taking advantage of my kindness.

If I buy a lot of clothes, she won't feel so bad. I'd rather avoid her feeling like a burden to me. With this action, she will realize that I really have a lot of money and that buying her clothes is not a hassle for me.

"I'll take this... And this... Also this... Not this, it's too small... This one, yes... And this... And also this."

I left more than 30 pieces of clothing on the counter.

Yes, I think this will be more than enough to encourage Yuik to choose the clothes she wants.

I know this action on my part is not normal and possibly stands out a bit, but I prefer to take the risk and see Yuik choosing her own clothes, rather than risking her discomfort not going away.

I can always start over with my secret identity somewhere else, but I won't be able to find a loyal friend like Yuik, a girl whose heart is full of kindness. Such a kind soul as Yuik's is rare to find in this world, and in human worlds in general.

In the face of my unusual action, the store owner watches me suspiciously. Fufu. Do you think I can't afford this? I have enough money to pay you to laugh, ma'am.

"Hey, Dreimo, aren't you exaggerating?" she asked.

"Hmm... I don't think so... It seems a little low to me, but it's okay for now."

"Can you afford it with your librarian salary?" she asked.

Not really, as I get paid the minimum wage, but I can easily lie and say it's my savings.

"Don't worry, I have enough money. I'll pay in cash... Ah..."

Someone put their hand on my head. I recognize this huge hand.

A huge muscular man, whom I admire a little for his past.

"Fufu. I haven't seen you in a while, Dreimo," said the guild master of adventurers.

"Hello, Reik."

The adventurers' guild master, one of the few people I respect. That's why I became friends with the owner of this store, to also befriend the guild master. He has the potential to become my friend.

...Should I change my name to Dreimok? Everyone I know belongs to that religion.

Well, it would be hypocritical of me to do that since I killed... Ah, better not think about it.

Dreimo, now you're a boring librarian, don't think about the past.

"Be careful when you leave the city, a monster attacked the famous bandit group "Selcon" and killed them. The bandit leader was a famous ex-S-class adventurer, so the monster must be S-class... Maybe a Demon King's commander is still alive."

Ah, that was close. I don't want Yuik to hear anything related to bandits, that would remind her of her past and I don't want that.

"Huh? Really?"

I highly doubt it's a Demon King's commander, all of them were turned into minced meat by me and my old hero companions. I made sure not to leave any demons alive... Wait...I-I think he's referring to the bandit group I killed, as I made a mess of their base. And since they were the closest bandit group to the city, he must be referring to them.

...Were those bandits famous? Damn, I didn't know, I just killed them out of habit... And the leader was an S-class adventurer?! How disappointing. I killed him in one blow to the chest.

That's weird. I'm pretty sure I was only stronger than an Orc. My magic power hasn't increased... Did I miscalculate?

Well, it doesn't matter. I won't use it that much, so no matter how much power I have, it doesn't matter.

"You travel a lot, you should be careful."

"T-That monster must be terrifying... I should be careful. Uwaaaah! I got shivers just thinking about that monster!"

Oh, I'm such a bad actor, but it's enough to make them believe I'm a coward.

"And why don't you request protection from an adventurer?"

"I'd rather save money. Your adventurers charge too much money, guild master."

"I hope you don't regret that decision... By the way, who's the girl? Your girlfriend?"

"She's my friend. Her name is Yuik."

I turned to my right and saw Yuik picking her clothes.

I made sure to put a soundproofing field around us. She didn't hear anything we said. It's best to avoid her hearing anything about the bandits for a while. Hearing something about them will bring back bad memories for her. I'll stop overprotecting Yuik when I believe she can overcome her past and accept that she's finally happy again.

I approached her and deactivated the soundproofing field.

She's hesitating about which clothes to take... No... She's still afraid of being considered a burden.

Yuik, I wanted you to choose your clothes yourself, but a little help won't hurt.

"Mmm..."

I took a dress and gave it to Yuik.

"I think this pink dress would look great on you... And also this... And this..."

I started taking several items and putting them in her hands... Yes... Good... Done! I picked out the clothes that I think will suit Yuik best.

"Do you want to try the clothes on?"

She nodded slowly and smiled. So cute. I can feel some happiness inside her. I picked out the clothes pretty well because she loved what I chose. I don't have such bad taste, do I?

"The fitting room is behind you. I'll be waiting for you," I said.

She entered the fitting room, and I approached the guild master.

"Can you afford it?" he asked.

Hmph. The question is offensive, old man.

"I can," I replied, taking a bag of coins out of my pocket.

Mmm... Here they are.

I took two gold coins out of the bag.

"I've done the calculations. It's enough," I said.

"G-gold?" he stuttered.

Gold is much more valuable in this world compared to others, so it's enough for many things. I attracted attention, but I'm just a bored librarian. I doubt anyone would doubt my word if I lied to them.

"Dreimo... How did you get so much money?" he asked.

It's time to lie.

"It's an inheritance from my deceased parents... I'll tell you the truth, she's my sister, and she came to give me my share of the inheritance. She's mute and has trouble communicating with people, so she'll live with me."

"Oh... I see... I'm sorry," he replied.

A little lie. I don't want them to investigate her. If I say she's the sister of a boring librarian like me, they won't be interested in knowing her past.

And if the guild master continues to investigate, suspecting that I stole the money, I'll ask to be interrogated with a lie detector. I can use magic to make my lies sound true, so I won't worry about anything.

Yuik, I hope you love the clothes I picked out for you. I think you'll look beautiful, and I give you my humble word.

•

•

After 20 minutes, Yuik came out of the dressing room and quickly approached me.

Oh... Fear? She's scared...

"Did you like it?"

"Y-yes... Yes."

"I already told you not to push yourself too hard... right?"

She... is very scared. More than I thought... No... She's surprised and confused... Ah, the side effects have kicked in, huh?

"We'll take all of this. I'll come back later to pick up the clothes. Can you put them in boxes?"

"Yes, don't worry," said the store owner.

"Thank you. Let's go, Yuik."

We left the store and she continued to be nervous. Her body kept shaking.

I don't blame her, after all, she probably thinks she's a monster or something.

Don't worry, Yuik, you're far from being a monster, I guarantee it. Real monsters are truly terrifying... and inhuman.

Don't worry, someone as pure and kind as you could never be considered a monster.

"Hey, don't worry, you're not a monster."

I turned to look at her and smiled.

"I also have wings."

She looked at me confused by such a statement.

The side effects of being a vampire include physical changes, such as bat wings, red eyes, and fangs.

Fortunately, it only takes a little training for Yuik to control those physical changes and not show them. Her wings are still too small, so no one will notice. When we get home, I'll help her control her changes.

I am the Vampire King, so I also have Vampire wings, which I don't use because they are unnecessary.

"Let's eat something first, I'm starving."

The idea of eating delighted her, as I could feel her nervousness decrease and her stomach growl. So cute.

•

•

We entered a restaurant and sat at the farthest table from everyone else so that Yuik wouldn't feel uncomfortable and could eat without feeling watched.

After ordering our food, I activated a soundproofing field so that we could talk without fear of being overheard.

"I told you I turned you into a Vampire. Vampires are immortal, but they can also renounce their immortality after 100 years. Every 100 years, Vampires have the opportunity to choose whether they want to remain immortal or not. If you feel uncomfortable being a Vampire, you can renounce it in 100 years. Also, being a Vampire isn't so bad, you can replace blood with food, don't worry. And your physical changes can be controlled, so you can hide them. I can help you with that."

...No, I don't think that explanation is enough. She's still afraid of me. She was more afraid of me when I mentioned the blood.

She's afraid of becoming a monster like Vampires are. After all, Vampires have a very bad reputation in this world.

I want her to trust me... and I must trust her. That's what friendship is all about, trust.

"...Yuik... if I tell you my story, will you promise not to tell anyone?"

She wrote in her notebook, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

If I want her to trust me, I have to tell her everything about me.

I want to have a friend who trusts me and whom I can trust.

...And I also want a loyal friend who won't betray me... I want to know if she can become my best friend.

Besides, me turning her into a Vampire is very strange for her. I don't want her to be afraid of me or distrust me... If I want to gain her trust, I have to tell her my story so that she won't think I'm a demon.

"Do you know that the Demon King was defeated?"

She nodded and wrote, "The hero Dreimo defeated him."

"Why do you think I'm called Dreimo and was able to turn you into a Vampire?"

She remained silent and started trembling when she realized the truth about my true identity.

"Ah... Ah..."

She tried to write, but her hand was shaking. Yes, I know, I know. Hard to believe, huh? I didn't want to tell her the truth about my identity, but if I want her to be my best friend, I have to be honest with her and not hide anything from her... Although I will hide my dark past from her, at least for a while. I'll tell her that when she's overcome all her problems.

She finally managed to write and wrote, "Are you the hero Dreimo?" in a very crooked and hard-to-read handwriting because her hand was shaking so much.

I don't want to have any secrets from her. I want to gain her trust... I promised myself that she would be happy, and that's what I will do.

I used illusion magic so that the other customers couldn't see what I'm about to do.

"People can't see what I'm about to do, they can only see me talking."

I cancelled the transformation magic and returned to my normal form... Well, more or less normal. I still use transformation magic, but for a more aesthetic reason. But yes, this is my "normal" form.

Red hair, blue eyes, quite attractive, although that last part is only thanks to my soul.

"My name is Dreimo, the hero who defeated the Demon King. It's a pleasure."

She didn't stop watching me in surprise. Yes, I know, Yuik. Having the hero Dreimo in front of you must be something impossible to imagine, but it's a reality.

That expression on her face, of not being able to believe what she's seeing... Her expressionless face is showing an emotion of surprise. I don't know if I should consider that good or bad... I suppose good.

I returned to my new form and nervously smiled.

"I lost 99% of my power when I defeated him, so now I'm just a normal person... well, I'm still strong, but not as much as before... Please don't treat me differently. I want to be a normal human. I want to live a peaceful and happy life... Can you treat me like a normal human?"

She nodded quickly... Ah... She's very nervous. That's why I didn't want to reveal my identity to her, for fear that our friendship would turn into fear. I don't want her to treat me like I'm a superior existence to her, I want her to treat me like someone equal to her, a human being.

"...Please keep treating me like a friend. Don't treat me like someone superior. I hated it when people knelt before me... I... I just want a normal and peaceful life. That's all I want."

I lowered my gaze and stroked my hands to feel less nervous, because I'm opening up my heart to her.

"Everything I've told you is true, Yuik. I want to be a normal person. I want to live a peaceful life... I want to have friends. That's all I want... So..."

I looked her in the eye, extended my hand, and smiled.

"Let me introduce myself again. My name is Dreimo, I'm a boring librarian, and I like to read. Nice to meet you, Miss Yuik."

She hesitated for a few seconds, probably because she thought she wasn't worthy of shaking hands with a hero, a thought quite common in people in this world, as they believe that heroes are the closest to the gods, but finally she took my hand and shook it. It took her a few seconds, but she finally realized that I genuinely told the truth and that I really want to be treated like a normal person and not a hero.

"Y-Yuik."

"Pleasure to meet you, Yuik. I hope we can become great friends."

She nodded.

I hope this doesn't change our relationship. Yuik, I gave you my trust, please don't disappoint me. If this works, you'll be my best friend and the most important person in my life... But if you betray my trust... I don't know what I would be capable of doing.

And I'm afraid to imagine what could happen if that occurs.

•

•

And while Yuik and Dreimo enjoy their meal, a little girl is observing Dreimo and Yuik through a magic mirror.

She is sitting on the floor of a white room, eating a chocolate bar.

She has completely pink eyes, long pink hair, and wears a black dress with eye figures. She wears golden bracelets... And the strangest thing is that she is barefoot, but wears shoes on her hands.

"Mmm... That was disappointing. I thought he would keep the secret for longer... But knowing Dreimo's personality, it was obvious he would tell her to prevent her from distrusting him because of his ability. Although I hoped he would tell her later and not so soon... Well, that's Dreimo, I shouldn't expect too much romance from him."

Two angels appeared beside her and knelt.

"Supreme Goddess, the Gods keep complaining."

"They don't want that human to live anymore."

"Mmm... I see..."

She snapped her fingers inside her shoe and more than 7 Gods appeared beside her, quite scared when they realized they were in her presence.

"Supreme Goddess?!"

They all knelt immediately without wasting time, full of fear.

"I told you my decision wouldn't change, but you kept complaining. You're useless crybabies, not worth a second warning. Disappear."

The Gods began to turn to dust, begging for their lives, but the Supreme Goddess didn't care and continued to eat her chocolate while watching them cry.

"Don't do it, please!"

"We're sorry!"

"We made a mistake!"

"It won't happen again!"

"I don't want useless Gods. They're not worth it."

They all turned to dust and disappeared.

"Dreimo, you're the most interesting human I've ever met. Don't bore me with your new adventure," she said, smiling.

The Supreme Goddess, the Goddess who rules above all other Gods.

The most important Goddess of all... And the Goddess that Dreimo hates and respects the most.