Chapter 0155 Vampire?
-x-X-x-
『Vampire』
One of the most famous monsters in fantasy history.
The existence of twilight, the lord of monsters, or the Immortal King.
Yes, the Immortal King was by no means a skeleton! The Vampire was the true Immortal King!
Ryo wanted to exclaim out loud …
But it didn't appear to be the right atmosphere to say such a thing, so he kept silent.
Vampires, or the like, have existed on Earth since ancient times.
Regardless on the East or the West side of the ocean.
The image that many people, including Ryo, have was formed in modern Europe.
Needless to say, it was largely due to Bram Stoker's 'Count Dracula'.
(Maybe Bram Stoker was a person who reincarnated from another world to Earth! Like JRR Tolkien!)
Ryo was delusional.
Vlad the third of the Dracula family, commonly known as Vlad Tepes, who became the model for Dracula, was not originally close to the image of a vampire … At best, his portraits had some resemblance and his act of skewering the enemy Ottoman soldiers was vampire-like … but that was about it.
He was a hero who had done his best to protect the weak homeland of Wallachia from the neighboring superpower, the Ottoman Empire.
"Did you say Vampire?"
It was the Priest Graham who slowly asked Dogon to confirm.
Graham, who had left all the questions to Hugh and was devoted to listening, was the first to speak this time.
Hugh also glanced at Graham, whose atmosphere had changed.
"I wouldn't be able to tell, but Joe said so."
The Swordsman Dogon nodded and replied.
"Master McGrath, is that Joe alive …?"
"The most seriously injured person you helped, that Spearman is Joe."
Hugh answered Graham's question.
"Him? There's no danger to his life … but it might take a while for his consciousness to return. I would definitely want to ask him directly when he is capable of speaking."
"Yes. I'll let you know when he is ready to speak, Graham."
The meeting was over for the day and Dogon and the other person left, offering to help with nursing in the recovery room.
Ryo approached Hero Roman.
"What's wrong, Ryo?"
Roman had a straightforward personality, so Ryo immediately approached to ask him.
"A while ago, Graham's atmosphere changed as soon as the word Vampire came out … what happened?"
Ryo called out to Roman to ask what had happened between Graham and Vampires.
Of course, he was trying to ask in advance, hoping that his personal feelings would not harm future operations.
It was not mere curiosity. Yes, it was not.
"Oh. In the Western Countries, Vampires are a special race. They are called the incarnation of evil … and notably, the Church has hunted Vampires many times …"
In reality, that was not the entire story.
Roman's expression showed that it was something difficult to say.
It was a bad idea to ask excessively there.
"I see. I understand. Thank you."
When Ryo said so, Roman left the room with a slightly relieved expression.
Magistrate office.
Magistrate Goro and Folklore Officer Rashata sat facing each other.
"A Vampire …"
"Rashata, is there a connection between the Majin and the Vampire?"
Rashata murmured to himself and Goro asked.
"I've been thinking about that for the entire time, but … as far as I know, there has been no indication of any relationship between the two."
If Rashata couldn't recall any, it meant that there were no folklores in the Kingdom that showed any relationship between the Majins and Vampires.
"To look for the missing villagers, quite a few villagers, including myself, went into the forest to search the mountains several times … but we were lucky we didn't meet the Vampire."
Goro frowned, recalling mountain searches that could have destroyed the village if he made a mistake.
"Well, if you think of it this way, isn't it good that you found out about this now? It's not normal for Master McGrath to be part of the reinforcements. And adding the Hero party to that … there's no doubt that Goro is lucky. You can have some confidence in that aspect."
"What is with that choice of words for encouragement?"
Then they both laughed.
The four from Room 10 were in the dining room of the accommodation.
Of course, Kona coffee was placed in front of the four.
"I didn't expect a Vampire to come out."
The conversation on this end began similarly.
It was surprising that it was Niels who started the discussion.
His tone was grave.
"Does Niels know about Vampires?"
Ryo was a little surprised.
He could understand if Etho was familiar with Vampires, but Niels …
"Yeah. Terrifying beings that suck the lifeblood of humans."
"I see, I was wrong to expect something from Niels."
"Hey Ryo, isn't that too rude?"
Niels was indignant at the line that Ryo spat out as he jerked his head.
Amon smiled at their antics.
However, Ryo noticed that Etho, who would usually smile with Amon, wasn't smiling.
"Etho? Were you too stunned by Niels's answer …"
"How is it my fault!"
Niels was even more offended by Ryo's jab.
"No, I'm sorry. It wasn't because I was stunned by Niels' answer."
Etho joined in the conversation with a bitter smile.
"The Hero party … Graham, I'm worried about that person's facial expression."
Etho said with a slight head tilt.
"Yeah, he was very involved. I wonder if he has any grudge against the Vampires."
"I wonder. I've heard when I was in the temple that, although not as pronounced in the Central Nations, the hostility towards Vampires in the Western Countries, especially their churches is intense."
Niels also recalled Graham's appearance in the conference room and Etho commented it might be due to his church background.
"Is it because of their Vampire hunts?"
Ryo remembered the history of 'witch hunting' and 'inquisition' on Earth.
Of course, witch hunting itself was carried out long before the establishment of Christianity and it has already been established in history that there were not so many witch hunts led by the Christian church after the Middle Ages.
So then who led them?
It was led by the people.
The people accused the people who lived next door of being witches and burned them at the stake …
Sadly, it was humans who caused such tragedies.
"Yeah, it's happened many times. In the Central Nations, there had only been a few vampire sightings in the last hundred years, so this time would be recorded as one of the few vampire sightings too … that's why there aren't many documents about how to fight them and what kind of attacks are effective, even in the temple."
Etho seemed to be thinking about various things as he was speaking more slowly than usual.
"In this battle, there may be some sections where Graham's knowledge is needed. The Guildmaster may consider his opinion more than ours in that area."
He ended with a bitter smile.
The next morning.
Upon receiving a report that Joe, the Five Binary Star Spearman, had regained consciousness, Hugh visited the recovery room with Graham, the priest from the Hero Party, and Etho, the priest from Room 10.
However, Hugh found a Water-Attribute Magician who was sneakily following behind Etho but not trying to hide at all.
"Hey, Ryo … oi, why would you make that expression like how did I notice you, it would be strange if I didn't see you instead."
"Please let me follow too …"
Hugh listened to Ryo's words and thought for a good ten seconds with his arms folded.
Then he asked Graham beside him.
"Graham, as Ryo requested, would you mind if he joined?"
"The other day, I saw Ryo's ability in battle in the basement of the Royal Capital Sanctum. He is an outstanding Magician. I would be grateful to have his help for this case as well."
"Oh, oh, that's a very high evaluation. If so, Ryo can come along then."
Then, with Hugh in the lead, the four headed to the recovery room where Joe was resting.
"Master McGrath …"
Joe, the Spearman, muttered when he saw Hugh coming in first.
"Oh, aren't you glad you survived?"
"...I'm sorry for the trouble."
"That's something you should say to Graham, who used Extra Heal to regenerate your lost limbs."
Hugh replied and showed Joe Graham.
"I see, you did … Thank you for your help."
Joe bowed his head. And then he asked.
"What about my companions …?"
"Oh …. By the time you reached the village, two had already passed away. There are five survivors if you combine both parties."
Hugh tried hard to inform him calmly.
"I see..."
Joe must have been prepared for it.
He didn't lose his composure when he heard that.
However, Hugh did not miss the slight trembling of his arms, the clasping of his fists.
He was suppressing his regret.
No one spoke a word for about a minute.
After confirming that Joe had calmed down a little, Hugh started.
"Joe, I know you would rather not relive the incident, but we still have questions. I asked Dogon yesterday for the details. We only want to confirm one thing. Regarding the being that attacked you. He heard you say it was a Vampire."
"Yeah..."
Hugh asked and received a short answer from Joe.
"Graham, is there anything you wish to ask?"
"Yes, Master McGrath, thank you. Joe, I want to hear why you concluded that they were a Vampire. Have you seen them somewhere before?"
Graham's words to Joe were much calmer than they were in the large conference room yesterday.
Etho probably had the same impression.
Etho and Ryo exchanged looks and nodded slightly.
"I've never seen a Vampire. I said it was a Vampire … because it was the same as the depiction I heard from a friend in the temple a long time ago. Red eyes, outstretched claws, physical strength beyond human capability …"
Joe spoke slowly, recalling various aspects.
At the end of the recount, Graham asked a strange question.
"How were the clothes of those that attacked you? Did they dress like an aristocrat? And were they wearing shoes?"
"Clothes? … It was worn and tattered … It was something a farmer or fisherman would wear. At least it was not the clothes that aristocrats wear. Shoes … oh yeah, they were barefooted when they jumped onto the tree. Why did you ask?"
"Okay, I understand better now. It was valuable information, thank you."
Hugh, Etho, and of course Ryo, didn't have further questions so they left the recovery room.
"Clothes … shoes … what were those questions about?"
Etho muttered in a really quiet voice.
However, Ryo, who was walking next to him, could hear his mutter.
"I'm sure real Vampires dress nobly and wear shoes. In other words, what attacked Joe and his friends was something similar to Vampires …"
Ryo commented because he had the image of 'Count Dracula' in his head.
There was no other reason.
However, Ryo's voice was a little louder than Etho's quiet muttering.
It was heard by Priest Graham, who was walking in front of him.
Graham stopped suddenly, opened his eyes wide, and turned his face toward Ryo.
"Ryo, have you met a Vampire somewhere?"
"N-no, I have not …"
The expression on his face was enough to surprise Ryo.
Ryo was just a little scared.
"I see … It's pretty accurate. Vampires dress as if they are aristocrats. And they will never perform hard work themselves. Instead, the Vampire servants will do all of that. In the Western Countries, they are called 'Strigoi'. And it was likely this Strigoi that Joe and his party encountered earlier."
"Are these Strigoi made when a Vampire bites a person …"
"Yes. A human being bitten by a Vampire becomes a Strigoi."
Graham answered Ryo's question, frowning and creating deep wrinkles on his forehead.
"Graham. The way to transform those Strigoi back to human …"
"There isn't any way. Unfortunately."
Graham replied to Ethos's question with a more pained look than ever before.
"That … I have one question …"
Ryo turned to Graham to ask what he was interested in.
"Yes?"
"I would like to know the magical characteristics of the Strigoi and the real Vampires."
"Magical characteristics?"
"Yes. What are the attributes that they are weak against, like for example, they are weak against the Light-Attribute, and on the flip side, what attribute magic can they use …"
"Ah, I see."
Graham nodded and replied.
"Let's sit down and talk in the dining room there."
Hugh said and quickly entered the dining room before
"Four coffees."
Ordering without asking them and sat down.
The order 'Four coffees' that Ryo's boss sometimes did on Earth was very refreshing to Ryo's ears.
(That brings up good memories.)
It wasn't a big deal, but it made Ryo grin a little.
"First of all, Strigoi are weak against sunlight. They detest it but it doesn't mean they can't move under sunlight. Well … there was a study that concluded that their ability is halved under the effects of sunlight. However, this time we would encounter them in a dense forest so …"
"Ah, that's why the victims appear in the Eastern forest and they do not come out to the village."
Hugh added to Graham's explanation.
"I think so. Of course, if it's at night, with rain, or cloud cover, they could act at full capabilities outside the forest. Also, regarding magic, I've not heard any word that they are weak against the Light-Attributes. They can't use magic, but the Strigoi doesn't have any particular weaknesses."
Graham explained to that point in a breath and then sipped a sip of coffee.
"Also, they do not have any magic stones in their bodies, so the only way to make sure they are defeated is to decapitate them. They are certain to be dead once decapitated."
Graham made a gesture of dragging his right hand sideways in front of his neck.
It seemed that the gesture of decapitating was common even in different worlds.
"So, regarding the Vampires … they have no magical weaknesses, just like the Strigoi, but they can use all attributes."
"Huh..."
"All attributes?"
Etho and Ryo were utterly speechless.
Seeing that, Graham understood that the information he disclosed was misunderstood.
"Sorry, all attributes do not mean that one individual can use all attributes. Each individual can use different attributes. Some Vampires use Fire-Attribute magic, some use Earth-Attribute, and so on."
"Just like humans."
"Yes."
Graham agreed with Hugh's impression with a frown.
"Some denominations of the Church claim that Vampires are 'Beings born in the dark'. Vampires also do not have magic stones in their bodies, so they cannot be classified as monsters. However, many people in the Western Countries harbor various feelings against them because they are a race that has been hostile to humans over a long history. Also, they are said to have an aristocratic system. Ranking from Duke at the top to Baron at the bottom. You can generally think of the rank as being the same as their strength."
Graham calmly continued to explain.
"Those above Count are considerable monsters. However, for more than a hundred years, it is said that encounters with Vampires above the Count rank in the Western Countries are few and far between."
No one said a word as they listened to Graham's explanation.
It was quite valuable information for those in the Central Nations.
"We cannot know what magic to use when facing Vampires until we actually encounter them, but for any vampire, you may call it a racial trait … they have extremely high magical resistances for all attributes."
"All attribute resistance …"
Ryo involuntarily muttered game-like knowledge after Graham's explanation.
"Therefore, in the battle with Vampires, the magic professions convert to support and the melee professions will defeat them."
"In other words, you have high expectations for Roman and Hugh!"
"It's … it's been a long time since I've been on the battlefield …"
Hugh McGrath sighed toward Ryo's words.
But …
"But Ryo also has a sword …"
"I'm a Magician!"
In the Royal Capital, Ryo had been engaged in simulated battles with Roman, a Swordsman and Hero, so Graham asked to include him as a member of the close combat team, but Ryo blatantly declared that he was a Magician.
"By the way, Ryo was also having simulated battles with Sera with a sword, wasn't he? Even the Knights couldn't compete with him …"
"I'm a Magician!!"
In Rune, Ryo was engaged in simulated battles with Sera, a sword user who is said to surpass even the genius Swordsman Abel, so Hugh mentioned that it would be strange not to have him as a member of the close combat team, and Ryo once again blatantly declared that he was a Magician.
"In the first place … is there a real Vampire here?"
It was Etho who asked the question to tear through such unproductive questions and answers.
"It seems certain that there is a Strigoi, but we have not confirmed any Vampire presence after all."
"It's certainly not confirmed, but Strigoi wouldn't be created without a Vampire, and if that Vampire dies for any reason, its kin will die. In other words, with the presence of a Strigoi, we should assume that there is at least one Vampire nearby."
Graham answered Etho's question with a few nods.
It was confirmed that there would be a nasty Vampire with all attributes magic resistance.
"Just one Vampire alone is still a troublesome foe though."
Graham muttered in a quiet voice.
-x-X-x-
After that, the four reported the circumstances to Magistrate Goro in the Magistrate's office.
Rashata was also seated next to Goro.
"As such, it seems that there are Vampires and at least ten Strigoi subservient to them."
"Those who disappeared …"
"I fear they have become Strigoi …"
Goro confirmed with a pained look and Hugh replied with a nod.
Hugh was also a guildmaster who led people.
If those he should be protecting were changed into such beings … the feeling of mortification would be unimaginable.
Hugh said nothing and waited while sipping coffee until Goro could digest some of the feelings of mortification.
"Okay, so are the eastern woods home for the Vampires?"
Goro recovered in about thirty seconds and asked.
Hugh hesitated and turned to Graham.
"Let me see … the possibilities aren't zero, but … honestly, the possibilities aren't high either. Strigoi live in various places but the Vampires tend to live in houses. Unless there are abandoned houses or a village in the woods, but since there aren't any such buildings … what is on the other side of the eastern forest?"
Graham seemed to answer while remembering various things.
Asked about what was on the other side of the woods, Goro took a large map from the cupboard and laid it out on his desk.
"This is a schematic diagram of the area around Kona village … the eastern forest is quite large. Beyond that … there is only a fishing village. The outermost part of the Kingdom. It should be Baron Momor's territory. The Baron lives in the Royal Capital and I believe that this fishing village and the manor, which is quite far a distance away from the village, are managed by a representative lord. Graham, you don't mean …"
"It's just a possibility. The fishing village may have already fallen into the hands of Vampires."
Both Goro and Graham conversed with frowns.
Even though it was a small fishing village, there were dozens of people living there.
If they were all turned into Strigoi …
Given that line of thought, it would be unavoidable for both Goro and Graham to frown.
"In any case, we need to go to the fishing village to check."
Hugh said.
"To go from Kona village to the fishing village without going through the forest …. the south side of the forest protrudes to the coast, so you will have to go by sea, but that is not recommended. It has very difficult currents and there are monsters in the sea. It would be difficult without the 'Sea monster repellent' that fishermen have."
(What's that!? Is there something that can repel sea monsters?!)
Ryo was really excited deep down.
He definitely had to find that at the fishing village.
At the top of Ryo's checklist was the sea monster repellent.
Meanwhile, Goro's explanation continued.
"The realistic choice is to go around the north side of the forest, which would take you through Baron Momor's mansion before going to the fishing village."
"His mansion? I wish to talk with them but will they accept adventurers …?"
Hugh expressed his concerns.
"Well … that depends on the representative lord."
"Then, I'll go with you."
Rashata said that.
"I am still a noble with the Viscount rank. I don't think the representative lord of the manor would refuse to cooperate?"
It was a very reasonable logic.
"I'm very grateful for that."
"Yup. I understand. Although minor, this is how I can be of aid to this village."
Rashata burst into laughter.
(It is great to have such a person as a noble … but I don't think everyone has such a wonderful personality.)
Ryo was dogmatic and prejudiced as his impressions of aristocrats crossed his mind.
"Also, we will leave the defense of the village to Dogon and his party. After a few days, those in the recovery room will be able to fight too."
"Oh, thank you. It's better if nothing happens … but we can never know what might happen."
Goro nodded happily to Hugh's suggestion.
Once he found out that Vampires and their servants were in the woods, he was worried about the village's poor defense capabilities.
But even with that knowledge, it was not something that could be done easily.
Some villagers could fight to some extent, but when it came to fighting Vampires … it was impossible.
It was only natural to be pleased to hear that Kyradea's adventurers would stay behind.
Sure, their behaviors raised some eyebrows, but Goro thought that might have changed after having a close brush with death.
Etho and Ryo returned to the accommodation and explained the process to Niels and Amon at the cafeteria.
"If magic doesn't work on Vampires, it's our turn as Swordsmen!"
Niels rejoiced.
However, Ryo was silent with his eyes swimming openly.
"What, Ryo. Is there anything you wish to say?"
"Well … the front line will probably be Roman and Hugh …"
"Eh..."
Niels stiffened after hearing Ryo's prediction.
"Those two are amazing after all. One is a Hero while the other is a hero of the Great War."
Amon nodded and commented.
"W-we … we … we …"
Niels' voice gradually became quieter.
"Niels … the front line is not the only battlefield! Protecting the back line is also an important role for Swordsmen!"
Ryo encouraged Niels.
"O-oh, yeah, that's right! I definitely won't be useless!"
Niels managed to recover.
Although they were Rune's 『Room 10』, known as a party showing great promise for the future, they still could not compete with 'Hero Roman' or 'Hero McGrath'.
Right now, they were still at the stage of accumulating achievements one by one …
(I feel that this time it is my role to protect these three.)
Hero Party and Hugh McGrath … it didn't seem like there was any need for Ryo.
However, these three …
Ryo nodded in his heart.
The next morning, the expedition led by Hugh McGrath left the village of Kona and arrived at Baron Momor's mansion at 3:00 pm without incident.
(The mansion has probably already been taken over by Vampires and the representative lord will be a Strigoi. The party will fall into a trap and be driven into a forced combat event! Surrounded by more than a hundred Strigoi, the Vampires would say to the surrounded party, 'You've fallen into my trap, fools. Ahahahaha.')
Ryo stood in front of the manor while thinking about such things.
His expression of faintly grinning …
Naturally, the three from Room 10 noticed his expression and whispered to each other.
"Ryo's facial expression …"
"Yeah, definitely that …"
"He's thinking about something bad again."
Amon, Etho, and Niels have had a long relationship with him so they could see through Ryo's internal thoughts.
"Hey, Ryo."
Hugh suddenly called out to Ryo.
"Yes, what is it?"
Ryo immediately tightened his expression and answered seriously.
"Are you thinking something strange?"
"No, I was not."
Even though he didn't have a long relationship with him, the former A-rank adventurer could sense the change in Ryo.
Of course, Ryo responded with a prim face as if nothing happened.
The lord's mansion wasn't that large.
It resembled the mansion of a slightly wealthy merchant house, and the lord of the manor who greeted them was an ordinary man who looked like an administrative official in his mid-fifties.
No matter how they looked at him, he appeared to be a normal human being.
The moment he saw the representative lord, Ryo's shoulders fell and his head hung down slightly, and the three from Room 10 did not miss it.
It's a pity nothing happened … the three felt Ryo's regret.
"I knew he was thinking about something bad."
No one could hear their mutterings.
"Viscount, is what you say true?"
Vampires may have settled nearby. That was the answer to Rashata's question asking the representative lord to allow them to enter the fishing village.
Representative lord Kenkan was a wealthy merchant and the leader of the company that served Baron Momor before he received his Baron rank.
After Momor was conferred peerage, he was dispatched to act as the representative lord to manage this mansion and the fishing village on the outermost edge of the kingdom.
"But that fishing village …"
Having said that, Kenkan, the representative lord, hesitated.
"Is something wrong?"
Rashata asked with a smile to get friendly cooperation and not to put pressure on him.
"No, I can't call it a problem … to be accurate, the village is no longer Baron Momor's territory."
"What do you mean?"
According to Kenkan's explanation, it seemed that there was a discussion in the Royal Capital, and in exchange for gifting the fishing village to the royal family, Baron Momor received land in the Royal Capital.
As a result, the fishing village was no longer under the control of the representative lord.
"That was about a year ago."
While listening to the story, Hugh was thinking in his head.
If the Vampire approached the fishing village after Kenkan no longer had control of the village … it wasn't strange that they did not notice anything going wrong until now.
The royal family does not dispatch representatives to the outermost fishing villages of the Kingdom, especially lands that do not border other countries.
The tax collector would be dispatched once a year to determine the amount of tax payment, but otherwise they would be almost untouched.
"But even though it's a fishing village, don't people visit here for business?"
Rashata asked the question he was pondering.
"The villagers of this fishing village set sail to sell goods before Momor became a Baron. Therefore, no one may have gone to the village from the outside since I stopped visiting …"
Representative lord Kenkan replied, frowning and shaking his head several times.
"I see, I understand. As far as I can tell, I don't think that the representative lord or the baron will be blamed. I'll put in a good word when I report to the capital."
"Thank you, Viscount."
Rashata promised to put in a good word and Kenkan bowed deeply to thank him.
-x-X-x-
"Three hours on this one road …"
We stayed overnight at the mansion and the group left for the fishing village the next morning.
They were scheduled to arrive three hours later early afternoon.
Even if the fishing village had already fallen into the hands of the Vampires, they planned to arrive at a time that would give them an advantage in the battle with the Strigoi …
"It's really cloudy, isn't it?"
Ryo says while looking up at the sky.
"That's right … Graham, when it's this cloudy, what is the Strigoi's ability …"
"Their ability won't drop at all. They will be able to fully demonstrate their strengths."
Graham answered Hugh's question with a bitter smile.
"Shit …"
Hugh looked up at the cloudy sky begrudgingly and then turned his gaze back to Ryo.
"Ryo, how would you fight against the Strigoi?"
He probably didn't mean anything in particular with that question.
However, when he heard the answer, he regretted asking.
"I would freeze the entire village. There is just the right magic called
"Yeah, never do that. It's a place that could still be under the direct control of the royal family. You look like you really would do that, so vicious."
"Hugh asked and I made a perfect proposal, but for some reason, it was rejected."
Ryo complained while walking with the three from Room 10.
"What kind of proposal?"
The gentle Etho asked.
"Good question. Hugh asked how I would fight the Strigoi, so I answered that I would freeze the entire village. I have the perfect magic for that. But for some reason, I shouldn't use it ... But it's very effective."
Ryo shook his head many times and lamented the world's impermanence.
"I would reply the same way as Guildmaster did. Freezing the entire village …"
"But by doing so, we won't be counterattacked if the situation turns south?"
"If there are still people not turned into Strigoi …"
"It's okay. They won't die even if they are frozen, so there won't be any problems if they are thawed properly!"
Ryo confidently stated.
"O-oh … right …"
Niels held his hand to his forehead and nodded a few times.
His face said, yes, Ryo was such a guy.
"Well, apart from freezing the whole village, if we confront the Strigoi, we have to somehow stop their movements. Their movement ability is far beyond that of humans."
Etho thought about realistic measures.
"Before, when we did the quest in my village, Ryo cast something like an ice string that tied the monster's hands and feet. Could you do that here?"
"If the opponent moves too fast, it may be extremely difficult."
Niels remembered and proposed, but Ryo shook his head and denied it.
"That's why the whole village …"
"Like I said, that's not an option."
Ryo's re-suggestion was rejected by Niels instantly.
"Stopping a fast-moving opponent … that's an eternal theme in battle."
It was no longer a given that the youngest Amon would give the most solid opinion …
Ryo's
Some presence were observing the party from a distance.
Ryo indirectly moved toward Hugh.
Hugh, who was walking while talking to Graham, noticed him.
"Hugh, there are scouts. Two."
The report surprised Maurice, the Hero party's Scout who was right behind him.
"No way?!"
"They are maintaining a distance of about 300 meters. I can tell with Water-Attribute Magic."
Ryo casually appealed the excellence of Water-Attribute Magic.
"That's incredible, Water-Attribute Magic…"
As Ryo expected, Scout Maurice was surprised and muttered.
"Well, having scouts mean that it's more likely that the fishing village isn't in a decent state. Perhaps all the villagers have already been turned into Strigoi."
Hugh shook his head several times, frowning.
"Hey, Graham. Can those who have become Strigoi really not return to human?"
"Unfortunately, if a Vampire sucks more than a certain amount of blood, the target becomes a Strigoi. I also conducted experiments in the Western Countries, albeit inhumanely, in the past. Probably because the son of the royal family became a Strigoi. Many Strigoi were dissected, but they couldn't be restored because their brain had degenerated. When the host Vampire died, its servants died with it. In addition to that kind of magical connection, there was also physical degeneration, so …"
Graham said with a regretful bitter expression.
"I see … it can't be helped."
Hugh said, stopped, and addressed the party.
"Listen everyone. When the Strigoi come, don't hesitate to defeat them. Do not waver. Don't forget that that hesitation might cause the death of your companions."
He didn't speak loudly.
However, that voice echoed heavily in the stomach of everyone listening.
His voice carried weight.
Thirty minutes later, the party arrived at the entrance square of the fishing village and saw a man about thirty years old sitting proudly in a chair wearing well-tailored clothes in the center.
Men and women accompanied his left and right sides … though they could no longer be said to be humans as they were probably Strigoi.
"We could have struck with surprise attacks. Vampires are foolish and honest, aren't they?"
Ryo's mutter was heard only by the neighboring Niels, but it was a secret that Niels shook his head while frowning.
It was the Vampire who started the conversation first.
"Did you finally come? It took an unexpected amount of time."
It was a tone that sounded proud and condescending.
"Hoh, you know what we are here for?"
"Of course, to subjugate me. I'm elated to see reasonably strong adventurers."
"It's that, isn't it. Strong humans become Strigoi with greater ability when converted, right?"
"You know us well."
He must have been satisfied with Hugh's answer. The Vampire replied with a laugh.
"To those I will convert, I shall name myself first. My name is Count Kalinikos Haskil."
"Count …"
Graham's mutter was so small that no one could hear it, but the impact he received was considerable.
The Western Countries have had fierce conflicts with Vampires in their history.
It was a long battle that went far beyond a thousand years.
However, it had died down over the last 100 years.
The reason was that the number of Vampires had decreased.
They didn't know the reason.
What's more, even the Viscount-class Vampires were rarely encountered, let alone the Count-class … generally.
There was a lot of information that wasn't open to the public, but even Graham's encounters with Counts could be counted, so this encounter could be said to be considered rare.
When subjugating Viscount-class and Count-class Vampires, a considerable amount of information must be collected in advance. However, they had no prior information this time …
Therefore, it was a fact that Graham felt a bit of anxiety even with humanity's strongest fighting strength with him, a Hero and a hero of war.
"I don't plan to be converted so I'm not going to name myself. I'm just an adventurer who came to subjugate a Vampire."
Hugh then pulled out his sword.
With that as a signal, the vanguard, including Roman, pulled out their weapons and the rearguard raised their staves.
"Hmm. Then O unknown Strigoi, I will use you until you expire."
When Vampire Kalinikos said that, the Strigoi started to move all at once.
Thus, the Vampire subjugation battle began in the fishing village, not in the originally envisioned forest.
The number of Strigoi roughly exceeded 60.
Half of them attacked all at once.
"Roman, we'll subjugate the Vampire!"
Hugh then broke through the attacking Strigoi and ran towards the Vampire waiting at the rear.
Following him, Hero Roman also rushed in.
The remaining ten faced the Strigoi.
"
"
"
Three Magicians of the Hero party shot attack magic one after another.
But …
"No way!"
"It won't hit …"
"What is with that speed?"
All the attack magic spells that boast considerable speed were evaded.
Even in the Western Countries, the three had never had such an experience.
The final line of defense against the Strigoi approaching while dodging such magic spells were the two Swordsmen of Room 10, Niels and Amon.
Even though their sword strikes were also evaded, they used the small shield attached to their left hands well and clashed with the approaching Strigoi.
Under such circumstances, it was Enchanter Ash Khan and Scout Maurice who could keep up with the Strigoi's speed.
Their speed had been raised by the enchantment
Little by little, they were dealing damage to the Strigoi.
What was Ryo doing in the meantime?
Of course, he wasn't slacking off and he used Ice Walls to protect Etho and Graham, the last rearguards in the backline, and Rashata, the Folklore Officer who did not participate in the battle.
In the meantime, he tried to bind the fast-moving Strigoi with
"Creation is not in time …"
Ryo's Ice Bind creation already took less than a second.
It was in the realm of a few zero commas, but he still couldn't catch them.
"Perhaps I can't make it in time because I create it by perceiving and following with my eyes?"
The viewing angle of humans was only 35 degrees on the right side and 35 degrees on the left side when looking directly in front, for a total of 70 degrees.
By turning the head, it would exceed 100 degrees on each side, but he couldn't afford to turn his head to follow the speed of the Strigoi.
"If I could follow them with something other than my eyes …"
Passive sonar and active sonar were by no means fast in terms of recognition speed.
Something more direct, perhaps some part of the Strigoi's body … for example, if he could capture the water in the Strigoi's body …
However, it was currently impossible for Ryo to perceive the water in the body of the person who he had contacted and searched, not to mention one that was moving around in front of him.
"If they get it wet with the water I made … will it work?"
Etho and Graham, who were right next to him, noticed that Ryo was muttering to himself.
Both of them gave instructions in a timely manner … especially, Graham who gave instructions to all the party members except Roman who was on the front line, as they glanced at Ryo's situation.
Ryo whispered to Graham softly.
"It will rain for a moment."
He didn't need to tell Etho anymore. The three from Room 10 already recognize that if it had something to do with water or ice, it was Ryo.
They won't be surprised anymore … probably.
However, the unaccustomed Hero party was different.
For that reason, he informed Graham, but Ryo had already chanted before Graham responded.
"
It really rained all over the area for a moment.
The rain was barely on the front line where Roman and Hugh were fighting, but the rearguard and the surrounding Strigoi were soaked.
The number of Strigoi who were heading for the rearguard, which was about thirty at first, had increased to fifty before they knew it.
But all of them got soaked.
Ryo could magically perceive anyone who got wet with 『Ryo's water』 regardless of his vision of them.
To be precise, he didn't perceive the Strigoi but perceived the 『water』 that clung to the Strigoi.
Perceive the 『water』 and imagine it freezing.
"
The water on the surface of the Strigoi began to freeze. The moisture in the air stuck to that initial crystal and the ice expanded. In an instant, fifty Strigoi were covered in ice and slowed down.
Of course, the Hero party did not miss such a chance, nor did the two vanguard members of Room 10, who had gained experience.
Gradually, the heads of the Strigoi who couldn't move well were removed.
"It somehow worked out …?"
All fifty ice-covered Strigoi were decapitated and Niels finally spat out those words.
The battle of the rearguard was settled, but the real battle was not over.
-x-X-x-
The front line.
Hero Roman and Hugh were facing off against Vampire Kalinikos and two Strigoi, who could be said to be his entourage.
Up to that point, eight Strigoi had been killed in the blink of an eye.
However, these two were completely different from their previous opponents.
To begin with, what they were wearing was different …
"Former adventurers huh …"
Hugh muttered quietly.
"Correct."
But he must have heard his muttering as Kalinikos grinned and answered.
If he had been an adventurer before his death, he would not be able to hold his own in a fight against a Hero and the hero of war at the same time.
But now that he was a Strigoi, his physical abilities had been pushed beyond their limits, and what he lacked in skill, he made up for in speed and power.
"I too shall kill some time."
Kalinikos said and produced a crimson sword from his palm.
"Bloody sword…"
Roman looked at the red sword and muttered.
"That's correct too. You lot know a lot about vampires, don't you? That's unusual for adventurers from the Central Nations."
Kalinikos was not yet aware of the identity of Hero Roman and the group.
However, he understood that Roman and Hugh, who had come to the front, were stronger than the adventurers he had made into Strigoi, so he quickly joined the battle.
It was never just to 'kill some time'.
Kalinikos was one-on-one with Roman, with Hugh taking on the two former adventurers.
Kalinikos' swordsmanship was of a very high level.
At the very least, there was no clear difference between the two such that Roman could easily defeat him.
If that was the case, then as a vampire, he could be said to have much greater stamina than humans.
It seemed that the more time passes, the more advantage Kalinikos would have.
Up until this point, Kalinikos was full of confidence.
But his composure was shattered when he saw the Strigoi attacking the rear guard had their movements slowed and they were decapitated one by one.
"What is happening …?"
It was completely unexpected that fifty Strigoi would be annihilated without killing a single adventurer.
Neither Hugh nor Roman, who glanced at the scene, knew exactly what had happened, but they understood that the vampire in front of them was shaken.
If this was the case, it was a common practice in battle to take advantage of that.
The unrest in Kalinikos, the leader of the group, would extend to his kin as well, the former adventurers.
Hugh slashed the sword arms of the two former adventurers, whose movements had grown just slightly duller, and then, without a moment's pause, decapitated them both.
It was truly a divine feat.
Even Roman, who was watching from the corner of his eye, was amazed by his swordsmanship.
(As one would expect from a Hero of the great war and renowned former A-rank adventurer…)
"Damn you … I didn't expect this."
Vampire Kalinikos wrung out those words.
As he said that, Kalinikos, perhaps instantly boosting his physical capabilities, stepped back so fast that even Roman had difficulty following him, and moved a short distance away from Roman and Hugh.
Then he chanted softly.
"
At that moment, a kind of haze appeared in Roman's and Hugh's heads, cutting off their consciousness.
Roman gritted his teeth and held on, while Hugh involuntarily fell to one knee.
That scene was visible to the ten people in the rear guard.
"What happened?"
Niels uttered reflexively, but no one could give a clear answer.
If he had heard the word
But even if he had not heard the chant, something flashed through the mind of the Priest Graham.
"No way, Dark Magic …"
He muttered to himself, then readied his staff and chanted.
"
The air distorted slightly, creating a hemisphere with a radius of about five meters around Graham.
"Hurry up and get inside!"
He called out to Niels and Amon, who were a short distance away, and the two of them tumbled into the hemisphere.
Then they looked at the front line.
"What the hell is going on?"
"It is likely the Dark-Attribute Magic
Niels asked to no one in particular and Graham answered.
"Then, those two are …"
"Roman will probably resist. The magic resistance of the Hero is the strongest of mankind. But … nobody apart from Roman is capable of resisting the Dark-Attribute Magic of a Count-class Vampire. Even Saints and Saintess can't. I fear Master McGrath …"
Graham answered Etho's question with a frown.
"In other words, Roman and Hugh will face each other."
It was Ryo who said that.
Ryo recalled that on the way back to Rune from the Royal Capital, the same Slave spell was cast on him and was almost manipulated in the same way by a priest who believed in a dark god.
At that time, Abel was wearing an item that resisted mental interference-type magic and the Slave spell was ineffective.
"Does Hugh have any items that resist mental interference-type magic …?"
He asked Graham, thinking that perhaps Hugh might have … an item of that sort.
"I fear we can't hope for that. Items of that sort are national treasures, both in the Western Countries and in the Central Nations. Not even Master McGrath, a former A-rank adventurer and renowned hero, would wear one …"
Graham replied, shaking his head.
(Why the heck is Abel wearing such an item? …)
Ryo's mind was filled with questions, but now was not the time.
"How do we dispel the Slave spell?"
"There is no other way than to defeat the sorcerer who cast it."
Alicia, the Wind-Attribute Magician, asked and Graham answered. With the bitterest face they had seen on him until now.
Hugh, who had been kneeling on one knee, was seen standing up by the rear guard as they were talking about this.
"Hugh!"
Hero Roman noticed that Hugh's air as he stood up was different from before.
He had been easygoing with an air of strength around him but now as he stood up, he was what could only be described as a mass of aggression.
When his eyes met Roman's, he slashed at him with his sword without a moment's pause.
Roman, who had sensed the change in the atmosphere, was not caught off guard.
That sword strike was so swift that if he had been careless, the fight would have ended with just that one strike.
(As expected from the Swordsman called the hero of war, 『Master of the Sword』 McGrath.)
Perhaps Roman was superior in terms of speed and power.
But just a couple of clashes showed … the overwhelming difference in skill.
Even in the clash in the Royal Capital with Abel, Abel had the advantage in skill but the advantage would have shifted to Roman as time went by.
But the man in front of him was different.
He parried Roman's high-speed strikes perfectly.
The timing of his sword strikes, the angle, and the counterattack after parrying, everything was overwhelming.
(I would be ruined with just the slightest misstep.)
Roman was under a pressure he had never experienced before.
The 『Hero』 Roman and the 『Hero of war』 McGrath.
The sword fight between these two men would have been awe-inspiring entertainment for those who had nothing to do with it.
Both were Swordsmen representing the western and central countries.
In fact, even those involved were transfixed.
"Amazing…."
Even the Fire-Attribute Magician Gordon, who was a wizard and had no interest in sword fighting, was transfixed by the sword fight.
The Swordsman Niels was crying for some reason.
Even if it was an exchange of lives, people unconditionally felt emotional in the face of something wonderful.
It was a battle between two of the greatest Swordsmen that might never see again.
Just by being able to see it, Niels' sword technique would probably increase by a notch.
The 『real deal』 had that much influence.
But in contrast, there was another Swordsman watching the swordfight between the two.
It was Amon.
He was staring transfixed at them, not missing a single movement.
His arms and legs moved just slightly, and in his mind he was simulating what would happen if he moved with his own body… although only Ryo noticed that.
Ryo, too, was at first fascinated by their swordfight.
However, after ten rounds of clashes, it became clear that Roman was losing.
In that situation, he could not just stand there and watch.
If the 『Hero』 died there…
Yes, the same reason why he had stopped Roman and Abel when they had fought previously.
『The Hero is needed to defeat the Demon Lord』
Of course, he didn't want Roman to die and he didn't want him to become a Strigoi.
However, Hugh's skill exceeded Roman's speed and power.
Perhaps in the eyes of all but Ryo, they were evenly matched.
That's how tiny the difference was.
But there was certainly a difference.
A difference that Roman could not overturn.
If that was the case, then someone in the rear guard had to do something.
(The
Ryo got depressed for some reason.
But he quickly got back on his feet.
(No, that is my constitution, so instead it's my power! The guardian beast of Niels' village also said that just by staying close to me, her lifespan was extended … Okay, let's do it.)
Ryo held the Murasame that was at his waist in his hand with the blade formed.
Then he shouted.
"Roman! Switch with me."
"Eh?"
Roman could not understand what Ryo suddenly shouted from the rear guard.
"You switch with me. On my signal, move to the rear. Three, two, one, switch."
At that moment, Roman jumped far backward.
Naturally, Hugh chased after him, but Ryo suddenly appeared and thrust at him with Murasame, with the blade of ice formed.
Thrust.
Thrust. Thrust. Thrust.
With a barrage of thrusts, Roman outstripped Hugh's charge and retreated safely to the rear.
The swordfight then switched to Ryo vs. Hugh.
Surprised at the sight, but seeing the switch, Vampire Kalinikos grinned and said.
"I'm still in the middle of activating
"I refuse."
Without a moment's delay, Ryo continued his swordfight with Hugh.
At that time at the hidden temple, he fell to his knees the moment Slave as applied on him, partly because it was his first experience, but this time he continued to fight without a pause in his movement at all, even when he came out into the space of the Slave spell.
After he clashed with Hugh five, ten times, Kalinikos eventually noticed something was wrong.
"You … why are you unaffected?"
"I don't know. Perhaps it's my constitution?"
Ryo replied to Kalinikos' question as if he was making fun of him.
"Don't be ridiculous! I am a Count. There are not many people who can withstand a Count's
"It didn't work on the young swordsman just now, did it?"
While having such a conversation with Kalinikos, Ryo was still handling Hugh's sword deftly.
In the first place, he did not plan to defeat Hugh with a sword.
In that case, he just had to protect himself.
He was good at defending himself.
Even against Sera clad in her
Even Hugh would not be able to easily overcome Ryo's ironclad defense.
The total number of the clashes must have exceeded 200.
At last, the timing that Ryo had hoped for had arrived.
Hugh took a big swing and miss, and dropped to one knee with his head down.
"Wh-what's going on?"
Kalinikos could not grasp what was happening.
All he saw was Ryo dodging Hugh's lateral cleave.
What actually happened was that … Ryo merely dodged Hugh's lateral cleave.
Hugh went down on one knee for another reason that.
The other reason was …
"Damn you …"
A small murmur escaped from the man on one knee in front of Ryo.
As soon as he looked up, something flew out of his left hand.
The flying object was a dagger.
The destination was between Kalinikos' eyebrows.
Kalinikos deflected the dagger away with his Bloody sword.
But that was, of course, Hugh's trap.
As soon as the dagger was thrown, he closed the distance between himself and Kalinikos at once.
By the time Kalinikos had deflected the dagger, Hugh had already moved into his space.
Four streaks of light that could only be described as sword flashes. These were drawn by Hugh's sword.
He cut off both of Kalinikos' arms and legs.
"Guha!"
Even vampires, as expected, felt pain when they were cut.
'You son of a bitch … But it's no use. I will recover soon … Huh? Why aren't they moving?"
Kalinikos looked at his arms and legs that have been cut off.
Normally they might have returned to his body immediately but this time there was no sign of that happening.
'It's no use, Vampire. I hold the Holy Sword Galahad. It's a sword that seals the regenerative abilities of things like you."
Hugh looked down at Kalinikos, who had lost his legs and was now shorter.
"The Holy Sword? There should only be three adventurers in the Central Nations who have holy swords…"
"You're well informed. I am one of them. My introduction is late. My name is Hugh McGrath. A former A-rank adventurer."
Hugh bowed politely and introduced himself.
"Hero of the Great War … I never expected such a big name to come at the very beginning … I was too naïve to recognize that."
Kalinikos was visibly disappointed.
(
Ryo had not yet let down his guard against Kalinikos, who was displaying such an appearance.
Based on his knowledge of light novels, the vampire might turn into countless bats and flee, or curse them before his death, or even more directly self-destruct to bring them down with him.
『Assume the worst and hope for the best.』
A maxim that applied to any situation.
It was a quote from the British politician Disraeli. Originally, politicians were inherently good.
Yes, originally …
-x-X-x-
The vampire was confined in an ice wall invoked by Ryo.
"Well. Count Haskil, was it?"
Hugh called out to the vampire, Count Kalinikos, whose limbs had been cut off and was hanging his head dejectedly.
By then, the rearguard had moved up.
Naturally, they were within the range of the spell Evil Protection deployed by Priest Graham.
Maurice, the scout, was looking curiously at Ryo and Hugh, who were out of range but seemed unaffected.
"I'm Count Haskil Kalinikos."
Well, he wasn't going to keep his head hanging down forever.
He looked up and gave his name.
"You win. You do know how to kill a vampire, don't you? Make it quick."
Kalinikos said, with all the dignity he could muster.
"There's something that we would like to know. And, it would be nice if you could be a little forthcoming."
Hugh told him clearly why he would not kill him immediately.
Hearing this, Kalinikos' mouth twisted into a wide grin and said.
"You really think I'll tell you anything?"
But Hugh must have expected that reply as well.
Without a moment's pause or change of expression, he continued.
"Count Haskil. If you call yourself a Count, then it means that you are also bound by Noblesse Oblige. We defeated you hands down. We defeated your entire army without a single casualty, and we even vanquished your Dark Magic. If you won't give such worthy opponents even a single piece of information…then I guess that title only amounts to that much if you can spit on it so blatantly, right?"
It was a taunt against the dignity of one bearing the title of 'Count'.
In negotiations, it is fundamental to make a play on what the other party values most.
Normally, it is difficult to find out exactly what that thing is, but in this case, it was easy to grasp because his intense self-esteem was evident even before the fight.
'Noblesse Oblige, huh…?'
Kalinikos muttered quietly.
"I never thought I'd be admonished by the likes of a human about what it means to be a noble…. Very well, I will answer you, maybe not all, but you have my word."
Kalinikos replied in a strong voice, puffing his chest.
Hugh's plan had worked.
"The first question I want to ask you is why did you seize control of this fishing village?"
"I said I would answer your question, but you need to put a little thought into how to go about asking it. How do you expect me to answer such an ambiguous question?"
Kalinikos answered Hugh's question with a sigh of dismay.
"Is that so? Then how about anything and everything that comes to mind then?"
"Yeah, very funny. Some things I cannot say. But…as for why I took over this fishing village, it's simply by chance."
Kalinikos answered without any change in expression.
"By chance, uh. So, will there be more vampires coming in after you?"
"Not a chance. I was…chased out of the country. Don't ask me why. I simply got the short end of the stick in a power struggle, something that happens all the time. So, I was traveling by sea when a storm hit and swept me away to this fishing village."
Kalinikos replied as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Why did you turn the villagers into Strigoi?"
"Right…there it is, that irreconcilable difference of opinion between my kind and humans. Humans raise pigs and chickens and eat their eggs and meat, don't they? Yet, you don't see anything wrong in that. What we vampires do to humans is no different. It may be unforgivable from your point of view as humans. But I don't think the pigs and chickens would forgive you either."
(That's right…according to 『Phi』, humans are not at the top of the food chain. Back when I was on Earth, humans were basically the top dog, but here…one look at a dragon or a griffon and you would instinctively understand that there are a lot of creatures way stronger than humans roaming around. I guess humans, from the vampire's point of view, aren't considered adversaries either.)
That's what Ryo was thinking.
(He is the only vampire. No backup. Meaning, there is only one thing left to confirm.)
Hugh, after sorting out what Kalinikos had said, continued.
"What can you tell me about the Majin that rests in this land."
At the moment he asked that question, Hugh saw Kalinikos' eyebrows move just a little.
It returned to normal in an instant, but he remained silent for a good few seconds.
Kalinikos then sighed heavily and began to speak.
"Just west of this square, in the woods, about fifteen minutes in, there is a cave with a stone coffin in the back. Perhaps you are referring to the guy inside?"
"Perhaps?"
Hugh tilted his head and asked.
"I didn't look inside the coffin. But the moment I put my hand on that coffin, it took away half my mana. So I knew there was something terrible inside. I didn't even want to know what was in there, so I left it alone…"
Kalinikos paused for a moment, his face contorted, then took a breath before continuing.
"It's been left alone so far, but perhaps…it will come out on its own soon."
"What?"
"I'm afraid by sucking away my mana, I may have accelerated its recovery considerably. That's probably bad news for you humans."
Then he laughed without making a sound, the edges of his mouth contorting into a wide smile.
"How terrible…"
It was Rashata, the Folklore Officer, who muttered quietly.
"Sure enough, I am running short of blood…can you put an end to my misery now."
Kalinikos' voice sounded much quieter than it had at first.
His complexion remained unchanged, as he was originally pale, but it was clear that his death was imminent.
"That's all from me. Does anyone have anything they would like to ask?"
Saying this, Hugh turned to Priest Graham.
But Graham shook his head. Saying he had nothing to ask in particular.
"Oh, if there's nobody, then may I ask something?"
Ryo raised his right hand asking Hugh for permission.
"Sure, go ahead."
Hugh nodded his head and gave up his spot in front of Kalinikos to Ryo.
"Count Haskil, you said earlier that you were 'exiled' from your country. Could you tell me the location of the vampire country?"
The question was heard by everyone in the group, and many of them opened their eyes.
He certainly mentioned about being exiled from the country…which stands to reason it meant, from a vampire nation.
"Hmph. I guess I slipped up. And here I was feeling relieved the question and answer session was finally over…only for you, kid, to come over and ask me a tedious question at the last minute."
Self-mockery was the only thing Ryo could think of befitting the expression on his face.
'Exiled from the country.'
That sentence, however, had a rather serious meaning for humans.
At least in the Central Nations, the existence of vampire countries was not known.
The fact that a vampire had been expelled from his country and had made his way to this place alone…meant that there was a high possibility of there being a vampire country somewhere in the vicinity, as opposed to some imaginary location in one corner of the world.
That was a serious problem.
"I did say I would answer your questions, but I can't answer the kid's question. That would be putting my former compatriots in harm's way. I do have a grudge against the ones who drove me to exile, but I cannot betray the rest of my kin."
"I see, that's too bad."
Hearing Kalinikos' reply, Ryo withdrew without any particular resistance.
He knew he wasn't going to tell anyway.
He only wanted to confirm one thing.
'There was actually a vampire country, and it seemed to be nearby.'
If it were at the ends of the earth, or in the western or eastern countries, the 'Count' in front of him would have answered.
However, the fact that he refused to answer was itself proof that it was 'nearby'.
Of course, Ryo was not thinking of destroying the vampire country, but was merely asking out of curiosity.
Kalinikos muttered in a voice so tiny that only Ryo could hear it.
It might have been meant for someone back in the vampire country.
"To think that we spent a century emphazing the reciting of chants such that they would only be able to invoke feeble magic Yet, none of these lot recited a single chant the entire time."
Ryo had finished his questioning and was in the process of moving to give the spot in front of Kalinikos to someone else. Then the muttering reached his ears.
"Sorry, what was…"
But Ryo's words were interrupted by Graham.
"Then, I will put an end to this vampire. Ryo, please undo the ice wall."
Ryo missed the timing to ask Kalinikos because of the request.
He then dispelled the ice wall that was covering Kalinikos.
Kalinikos looked at Graham's outfit as he came in front of him…probably saw the symbol of the Western Church hanging from his neck, and gave a small snort.
"I didn't realize there was a priest from the Western Church among you…oh, you're the one who was chanting Evil Protection, huh."
"I'm afraid you're wrong, vampire."
Graham said and pulled something out of his staff.
Ryo looked at it and thought.
(A sword cane! )
A straight sword appeared from within the staff like…it was a scene straight out of Zatoichi. (TLN: Reference to a 2003 Japanese film of the same name)
"I am not a priest. I'm an archbishop. It's Archbishop Graham."
Graham said, holding the straight sword.
"Archbishop Graham…? Wait a minute…the Grand Inquisitor…vampire hunter…master…Graham…"
Kalinikos' eyes widened in astonishment.
"I'm afraid you're wrong again, vampire. Not master, Doctor Graham. In vampireology, you see."
Kalinikos' eyes went from astonished to furious.
"You lowly wretch…. How many vampires have you killed so far…"
At that moment, Graham's straight sword decapitated Kalinikos and, without a moment's pause, pierced his heart as well.
"You are the 256th."
-x-X-x-
With a holy weapon, decapitate and pierce the heart.
That was the way the Western Church publicly killed Vampires.
Graham's method was perfectly in line with it.
"Gordon, burn the head, torso, and all the limbs."
Graham gave instructions to Gordon, the Fire-Attribute Magician.
Thus, Vampire Kalinikos was completely destroyed.
"Somehow, he was amazing, Graham."
"Yeah. His handling of the sword was more amazing than Niels' handling."
"That was not what I meant!"
Ryo steered Niels' impressions in a strange manner and Niels retorted once again.
"But Niels … maybe you feel that it's over, but the real purpose this time is the Majin, right?"
Ryo said with his usual tone … A few moments later, Niels came to a realisation and he opened his eyes wide and replied, looking at Ryo.
"You're right … it is."
In the first place, Hugh McGrath and the Hero party came from the City of Rune to deal with the Majin whose existence was confirmed.
The Vampire turmoil was just a fact that was discovered later.
"Burn the body of Stragoi and after a short rest, we'll set off for the Majin's Cave."
Hugh's voice echoed.
They found the Majin's cave rather quickly.
"It seems that the seal of the entrance is broken for some reason. Because of that, the rock that blocked the entrance to the cave was moved due to an earthquake or something, and the cave was exposed."
Bellrock, a Dwarven Earth-Attribute Magician who could be said to be a stone expert, examined and detailed the entrance to the cave.
"It's more amazing that the seal worked for 950 years. It would require magical power to keep the seal running, but where did that magical power come from …"
After hearing Bellrock's explanation, Hugh looked at the entrance to the cave and muttered.
(The answer is probably alchemy. There is a way to use the magical power of what is sealed when sealing something with powerful magical power … as stated in Hassan's black notebook).
Ryo concluded internally.
Of course, he had neither shown nor told anyone about the black notebook left by Hassan so he was not going to reveal that there was such a technique in alchemy.
Moreover, 'Hassan' wrote that the method was 'a foreign method of sorts', that is, it was not a normal use of alchemy.
Forcibly using the magical power of the target to seal it without its consent … was inhumane, to say the least.
If he claimed that there was such a dangerous use, Ryo may be persecuted!
But … with Ryo's current proficiency in alchemy, he could not use that 'Foreign method' yet.
Ryo had been using
There were reactions from ordinary animals and monsters near the entrance of the forest, but the reaction decreased as they approached the cave, and there was no reaction at all in front of the cave.
There was no reaction of monsters in a radius of about 300 meters around the cave.
(It means that there are things in this cave that wild creatures recognize as dangerous …)
Ryo thought so and looked at Hugh, the leader of the party.
He already had a drawn sword out.
As expected, a former A-rank adventurer could sense the unusual atmosphere.
Seeing that, the other Swordsmen Roman, Niels, and Amon also pulled out their swords.
The depth of the cave was short, and they immediately reached a place that looked like a hall.
In the back, there was a stone casket.
"I don't detect any physical traps …"
Scout Maurice reported.
"The Vampire said that when he touched the casket, he was robbed of his magical power. So, what's our plan?"
The Priest Graham turned to Hugh and asked.
"This is entirely up to chance so … honestly there's no plan."
Hugh replied, shrugging his shoulders.
However, that might not have been the trigger, but the coffin suddenly began to shine.
"What?"
Even a child could understand that it was an abnormal situation.
The coffin started to vibrate.
Along with that, the entire cave began to vibrate and stones fell from the ceiling.
"This is bad! Everyone get out of the cave!"
Hugh shouted and everyone ran outside.
At the same time as the last person Hugh exited, the hall and the cave collapsed.
While the party was stunned, the same light was emitted from the place where it collapsed.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
"Rather, I have nothing but ominous feelings about this."
Alicia, the Win-Attribute Magician, and Gordon, the Fire-Attribute Magician, muttered.
Magicians are sensitive to the flow of magical power.
They were forced to sense that the 'thing' in the center of the light had powerful magical power.
And then … the collapsed rock shot out.
"
Ryo created an Ice Wall in front of the party to prevent the flying rocks.
More pressure from magical power than before struck the party.
At that point, they could understand even if they were not Magicians.
It was a 'monster'.
As the rocks flew off and the dust settled, the shining object became faintly recognizable.
"… A person?"
Someone muttered softly.
But everyone, not just the person who muttered, had the same impression.
The size was the same as a person.
And that 'person' was floating.
When they floated to a height of about five meters, it became apparent to everyone.
It was a shining beauty.
Light purple hair that reached the waist, fair skin, and her eyes were closed so they could not confirm her eye color.
"Pretty..."
"She's floating …"
"Is it Wind-Attribute Magic …"
(No. That is not Wind-Attribute Magic)
Alicia, Gordon, and Bellrock muttered, but Ryo denied in his heart.
Ryo could tell because he had simulated battles with Sera, an expert in Wind-Attribute Magic, almost every day.
The magic the 『person』 in front of them was releasing was at least not magic of the Wind attribute.
Of course, it was not fire, earth, or water either.
Probably neither light nor darkness.
In other words, no attribute.
She was floating with Non-attribute magic.
Ryo's body trembled.
(She's manipulating gravity …?)
The so-called 『Gravity magic』 was often seen as a staple of otherworld stories.
It was no wonder that 『Phi』 had it.
It was no wonder … but it was natural to be excited to see magic that caused phenomena that were completely unexplained with the science of modern Earth.
In reality, the Akuma Leonor showed 『Dimensional storage』 and spatial movement with 『Corridor』, but Ryo was not excited at all at that time.
However, the display of a kind of 『anti-gravity』 phenomenon in front of him made him tremble with excitement.
Ryo was fascinated before he knew it.
It wasn't just Ryo, the whole party felt the same way.
How much time passed?
Probably a few seconds, at most a dozen seconds …
The floating 『person』 finally opened her eyes.
Her eyes were shining golden.
Finally there was movement in the party.
The Priest Graham held his staff.
Ryo felt the accumulation of magical power to launch an attack at any moment and shouted inadvertently.
"Don't attack!"
Graham and the others were surprised by that shout.
The floating 『person』 looked toward Ryo for a moment and seemed to smile slightly.
Then, without a pause, she floated further upward and flew to the west.
No one could move and just watched her fly off.
For two minutes, no one moved and the time passed without anyone speaking.
The first to begin was the Priest Graham.
"Ryo, why did you stop me?"
His tone wasn't accusatory. It was more to confirm.
"If you attacked then … I thought everyone would die from the counterattack."
It was not a lie.
He felt such a vast difference in power that he thought the best option was to not antagonize her.
But that was not all.
Perhaps he wanted to see her manipulating gravity more.
Regardless if he could use the magic or not, her shining floating figure was beautiful.
And there was one more thing … he had almost forgotten about it.
Ever since entering the temple, Ryo had
Therefore, I 'felt' that Majin through Passive Sonar, but he had felt the same sensation before.
When is it?
He remembered it just a few moments ago.
When he was traveling through the Rondo Forest with Abel, they were caught between an Assassin Hawk in front and a Greater Boar behind.
In the end, Abel defeated the boar and Ryo defeated the hawk, but before the battle began, Ryo sensed a 『monster』 even further behind that Assassin Hawk with sonar.
In the end, that 『monster』 left without approaching them, but … the 『monster』 then and the 『Majin』 they encountered earlier were very similar.
They were probably the same type of creature.
In other words, there was a Majin in the Rondo Forest?!
It was that moment when the number of unsolvable mysteries increased.
"Well … I'm sure we wouldn't have been able to put up a fight."
Hugh concluded.
"That was … a Majin, was it?"
"There was no mention in the folklore that it would shine, but … it would be scarier if it wasn't a Majin."
Priest Etho asked to verify and the Folklore Officer Rashata nodded and replied.
"She flew out of sight to the west …"
"I wish she had taken the Majin insects away too."
Ryo expressed his thoughts in response to Niels' words.
The purpose of this request was not to defeat the Majin but to eliminate the Majin insects that adhered to the coffee trees.
"We won't know until we return to Kona village. Okay, let's go back."
Under Hugh's command, the party set off on their way back to the village.