It felt like his body had turned into a beehive from the bullet baptism. That was Hans’s own feeling. And it wasn’t entirely wrong. Of course, other commanders had come fully prepared, but…
Hans hadn’t prepared at all. But even if he had, it probably wouldn’t have made much of a difference. Rather, there was a bigger chance he would have been swallowed whole.
Limiting it to political skills, Hans had the lowest ability compared to anyone gathered in that meeting. So, even if he had used some tricks, they all would have been easily countered.
However, he had thrown a stone in a rather reckless manner, causing ripples in the lake. It was like a cow kicking the air and accidentally catching a mouse. But that was a coincidence.
At the same time, it wasn’t. If Hans had no backing, the other commanders would have ignored or mocked him. But Hans had achievements.
He had saved the Dwarf Republic. He had eliminated the betrayer hidden among the Twelve Tribes, and despite the Elves’ opposition, he had removed the polluted World Tree. He even repelled three Blood Demons.
The weight of the same words can change depending on who says them.
There was no way they could ignore the words of the Royal Knights’ Commander with such achievements, and thanks to that, the commanders began to busy their minds calculating the benefits they could gain.
In that crucial moment where every second counted, Hans was lying on his bed, staring mindlessly at the ceiling. His current feeling was that he just wanted to fall asleep like this forever.
“I shouldn’t have done that.”
Even though he was clueless about politics, he understood at least that he couldn’t act so recklessly. But who could follow a plan exactly as mapped out?
When Hans took his seat at the Table of Equality, the first thing he felt was pressure. Just being there was enough to make an ordinary person faint.
Thank goodness Hans didn’t faint, as he had fought for his life up to now. Unbeknownst to him, his courage had increased. But that was as far as it went.
In a daze from being overwhelmed, he blurted out whatever came to mind. And that was the reason Hans had now blown a fuse. He sighed. He wanted to disappear like this, but…
He wasn’t the kind of person who would neglect responsibility. Fortunately, there was still plenty of time. He had to prepare for tomorrow’s meeting. At least to not be laughed at.
“… Who is it at this hour?”
Just when he was trying to get up and prepare quickly, the sound of knocking caught Hans’s attention. Was it the members? No, it felt like a presence he had never sensed before.
Unbeknownst to him, through continuous battles, Hans had become somewhat of an expert at sensing presence. It was due to maintaining a state of tension.
Originally, if you were weak, you would naturally have to keep an eye out. For Hans, it was especially severe. Because of that, he had mastered the ability to sense others. Hans cautiously opened his mouth.
“Who is it?”
“Quite the wariness, huh?”
“This voice… is that the Vampire Lord?”
“That’s right~ Just call me Lucy.”
Hans tilted his head. It was a name different from what he had heard when introducing themselves before the meeting. Did he mishear? But soon Hans dismissed that thought.
There was no way he could have misremembered a name of an important person in such a crucial setting. Judging Lucy to be lying, Hans raised his guard as much as possible.
“If you have business, speak simply.”
“You’re calm. I came all this way at night, and you’re like this.”
“One must strictly separate public and private matters.”
“For a human, you exhibit quite a bit of patience.”
Lucy said it partially in jest, but at least half of it was sincere. There were very few humans who would refuse to open the door when a vampire personally comes at night.
The reason was obvious. Vampires were mostly known for their beauty, and especially their leader Lucy boasted an exceptional appearance. Of course, some had refused, but…
Most were either having issues with sexual function or were only in love with the same man. As a result, Hans ended up attracting Lucy’s attention instead. Lucy continued speaking.
“However, don’t get it twisted. I didn’t come all this way for the mere sake of seducing a human man.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You’ve heard about vampire characteristics, right?”
“I know they suck blood.”
“Right, but there are some limitations involved.”
Lucy briefly explained the restrictions vampires had. In a nutshell, vampires love human blood, but they particularly prefer the blood of the strong.
Hans listened quietly. Unfortunately, he didn’t know anything about vampires. The setting book only mentioned he had become a slave after losing to demons.
Beyond that, no further settings were revealed. And that weighed heavily on Hans. Up until now, the reason he could act was precisely because of his knowledge.
Since he roughly understood the settings, he had been able to deduce the best possible actions and gambled with them, and luckily, it had worked out so far.
However, the story changed when it came to vampires. Hans didn’t know anything about vampires. Whether it was weaknesses or preferences, anything. Thus, he naturally began to hesitate.
“You want the blood of a strong person?”
“Yes, for example… someone like you.”
“What? Me?”
This was an unexpected request. Wanting the blood of a strong person and targeting his blood? From Hans’s perspective, it was ridiculous. He saw himself as definitely in the position of the weak.
Just look at the other members. In just a year, he had become strong enough to directly confront the Blood Demons. What about himself? Without Time Stop, what did he have left?
“If you share your blood with me, then I promise the vampires will cooperate fully with you.”
He was naturally about to refuse, but the suddenly appealing offer made Hans pause. Vampire cooperation, though he didn’t know the details, vampires must also be strong in some way.
I mean, despite being sworn enemies with dragons, they were still alive and well. Securing cooperation from such vampires would make the future smooth sailing.
However, in that moment, such a thought crossed his mind. What if, by any chance, his blood didn’t appeal to her? When he thought about it, it was the vampires who directly stated they liked the blood of the strong.
But was he really considered strong? Of course, the measure of strength is relative, but even with that standard, his position would still be on the bottom.
Of course, logically, it would be unreasonable for anyone in the position of the Royal Knights’ Commander to be belittled. But in Hans’s mind, a simulation was already playing out.
[The blood isn’t tasty. It’s not the flavor I was expecting.]
[No. That’s… uh…]
[You’re useless. Just die!]
[Ahhh!]
The outcome of the simulation was, of course, a definitive no. No matter how he thought about it, he didn’t think he’d produce a flavor she would find satisfying. If not, his opponent could very well turn on him.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll have to decline.”
“I thought it was a decent trade?”
“That may be true.”
“So what’s the reason? I can’t understand it.”
Sharing blood might seem a bit much, but considering that, it was the best opportunity for Commander Hans. Yet he would refuse this? What on earth could the reason be?
Just as Lucy’s curiosity grew deeper, Hans was desperately racking his brain. He couldn’t outright say he was weak and couldn’t give her blood. So what was necessary here…?
That was to come up with the most plausible reason and convince the opponent. It wouldn’t be easy to persuade her with just any reason. After a brief moment of contemplation, he had pieced together his excuse.
“I am the proud commander of the Royal Knights. I wouldn’t possibly accept such a trivial backdoor trade.”
“A backdoor trade?”
“Then let me ask you, how is this different from a bribe?”
“… Hoh?”
“We advance with our power alone. We have no need for dishonorable methods.”
Now that was an unexpected interpretation. But he found that it could indeed be understood that way. If you exchanged blood for money, that could simply be considered a bribe. Lucy nodded.
“An interesting interpretation. But it isn’t hard to see your point.”
“Exactly, so please take your leave.”
“If so, I’ll assess just how upright your path is myself.”
Huh? Wait a minute? What does that mean? As soon as Hans heard those words, he immediately opened the door, but outside, there was nothing but cold wind. He wasn’t poking a sleeping lion, was he?
A sense of dread flooded Hans’s mind.
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