My Three Vampire Queens In The Apocalypse-Chapter 21: Striking a Deal with a Charming Pig [1]

That was Victoria in a nutshell.

And that is exactly why I called her a psycho, because she was no longer mentally stable. From what I understood, she had agreed when I suggested we team up, and for a brief moment, I thought things might actually work out between us.

But somewhere along the way, she changed her mind, and that single decision was the reason I ended up here.

Just then, a low rumbling sound spread through the space around me, pulling me out of my thoughts. At first, I thought it came from my own body, but the feeling was too deep and too heavy to be mine.

It was the snake.

The walls around me began to shake more violently, tightening and releasing in a slow, unsettling rhythm that made the entire space feel alive in the worst way possible.

Then it began.

From tiny holes embedded within the fleshy walls, a thick liquid slowly started to seep out. At first, it looked like simple moisture, but the moment it touched the surface around me, I could tell what it really was.

Digestive juices.

They spread gradually, mixing into the liquid I was floating in, and a faint sizzling sound followed soon after.

The smell grew more corrosive, and the slight burning sensation against my skin began to intensify with each passing second.

If I stayed here any longer, I wouldn’t just die.

[You have completed the 2nd Scenario.]

[You have earned 300 coins.]

At least I managed to clear the scenario. The goal from the start was to escape, but it was never mentioned from where. And thankfully, it worked.

[The constellation ’Ten-Headed Saint-Like Demon’ is amused at your situation.]

[100 coins have been sponsored.]

[The constellation ’Spokeswoman of Justice’ is feeling sad because of the sudden betrayal.]

[100 coins have been sponsored.]

Quite a few messages were waiting for me. Some constellations had even sponsored coins, most likely because of the final betrayal by Victoria.

I read through them one by one and collected the coins, but instead of feeling relieved, I felt a faint sense of disappointment settle in my chest.

If I had chosen one of those constellations during the first Sponsor Selection, things might have turned out differently.

Maybe I wouldn’t have ended up like this.

Even so, I didn’t regret my choice.

After encountering Victoria directly, I became certain of something. Even a top-tier sponsor like the Amused Prankster wouldn’t be enough.

What she carried wasn’t something you could overcome with borrowed strength alone. If I wanted to stand on the same level as her, or even face her properly, I needed more than just sponsorship.

That was what I intended to gain here.

The stomach around me let out a deep, unsettling growl. Small waves formed in the liquid as the creature shifted its massive body somewhere beyond my sight.

I steadied myself and turned on my smartphone, quickly checking the time while recalling what I knew. According to [WOMD], whose notes I made daily for ten years, a Titanoboa begins secreting proper digestive acid around half an hour after swallowing its prey.

Which meant I didn’t have much time left.

{Haha... It’s unfortunate that things turned out like this, but I have to admit that it was quite entertaining.}

A strange sound effect accompanied the voice before it fully echoed through the space.

"...Host?"

{Yes, that’s right. And yet, you don’t seem panicked at all.}

"I knew you would come."

{Hm. That sounds like you were expecting me.}

"Of course I was."

A faint light appeared in front of me, and the host revealed himself. It was hard to read his exact expression, but the interest in his eyes was obvious.

He wasn’t here to end things quickly. If that had been the case, he wouldn’t have bothered showing up at all.

So I kept my voice calm and steady despite the heat rising around me and the slow burn creeping along my skin.

"Are you here to watch me die, or did you come because you need something from me?"

The host’s smile deepened, not in mockery but in clear interest, as if the question itself had already made things more entertaining for him.

{You speak as if you have leverage, even in a place like this. Most people in your situation would already be begging for their lives.}

"Begging only works when the other side gains something from it," I replied without hesitation. "You didn’t come here to see me beg. You came because I caught your attention."

The host did not answer immediately, but his gaze sharpened just enough to confirm that I had struck the right point.

{Then tell me, what exactly did you do to earn that attention?}

"I keep surviving in ways even the constellations can’t accept at times. More importantly, I understood the scenario instead of reacting to it blindly. That alone makes me different from the others you’ve been watching."

{Different does not always mean valuable. Sometimes it just means luck.}

"That depends on whether it can be repeated. A one-time coincidence is luck. Consistent results are value. You didn’t come here just to observe a coincidence. You came to see if it can happen again."

{And what if I did? What does that have to do with you?}

"It has everything to do with me," I replied. "Because I am the one who will make it happen again."

The silence that followed felt heavier than before, filled with the quiet pressure of evaluation rather than simple curiosity.

{You speak with a lot of certainty for someone standing inside a creature that is about to digest him.}

"And you’re still listening to me. That means you’re not convinced I’m about to die yet."

That earned a small laugh.

{You’re interesting, I’ll give you that. But interest alone is not enough for me to invest in you.}

"I’m not asking for an investment without return. I’m proposing a contract."

{A contract requires balance. What exactly are you offering that would make such a thing worthwhile for me?}