#176
The Hero’s Footsteps (3)
The moment the topic of escape came out of Hesperon’s mouth, Princess Riley instinctively scanned her surroundings, on high alert.
It had already been nearly two months since she was imprisoned in this Undying Castle.
In the political arena where allies and enemies can switch places in a day, two months was an exceedingly long time, and naturally, the leader of her faction couldn’t help but feel anxious.
She was also genuinely worried that Isea might get hurt while trying to rescue her in haste.
It was only natural for her to react sensitively to the mention of escape.
Although there was a simple soundproof barrier around her, considering this was the Undead King’s stronghold, it was questionable how effective such a low-level security measure truly was…
‘Wait a sec?’
But her response didn’t last long.
Soon, a thought crossed her mind that the one who had just brought it up had only recently crossed into this world just over a month ago.
Hadn’t he just been learning magic from her until a moment ago?
‘But he wouldn’t suddenly joke about something like that. What if it might actually be true…?’
In the end, rather than firmly believing, she merely showed a subtle hint of wanting to believe.
“…How?”
“Oh? You don’t believe me?”
“Hoo, I wish I could believe it. It’s tough enough after just two months; who knows how long I might end up here?”
At first, she tried to take it easy, treating it as a time to relax since there was nothing she could do about her situation.
However, given the circumstances, her self-induced mind control was nearing its limits.
If it hadn’t been for Hesperon, she probably wouldn’t have lasted even close to these two months.
Teaching him magic and focusing on other things had helped distract her from the dire situation.
…Now that he had surpassed her to a certain extent, the future seemed daunting.
As if understanding her feelings, he opened his mouth with a comical smile.
“Speaking of which, I didn’t tell you what my unique skill is, did I?”
Hearing that, Riley’s eyes widened, and she slowly nodded.
She had once casually asked about it out of curiosity, but back then, she hadn’t received a clear answer.
“…What is it?”
It was likely rude to pry into someone’s abilities, so she had been waiting for him to share it first…
It seemed he was finally willing to disclose it.
In response to her expectant demeanor, Hesperon demonstrated through action instead of words.
Something he claimed to be his unique skill.
He lightly stretched out his hand toward the air, and before long, he was holding a delicious-looking kebab with juicy meat skewered on it.
“…A skewer? …No, a Spatial Dimension?”
Riley unknowingly made an awkward expression before refocusing, her nose twitching instinctively.
The meals provided here weren’t bad, but they certainly didn’t satisfy someone of her royal status.
The enticing meat looked freshly cooked, glistening with juices, and the fragrant steam wafting up left her salivating.
‘Considering the storage state, it doesn’t seem like just a basic Spatial Dimension, but how could he possibly use such a skill for an escape…?’
“Here you go.”
Despite her negative thoughts, she accepted the skewer as if enchanted and suddenly realized too late.
But now that it was in her hand, there was no turning back.
After all, she wasn’t in a position to act modestly. She bit into the meat as her desires led her.
The aroma of grilled meat invaded her nostrils, while the tender texture filled her mouth, explosive juices bursting out and mingling with the sweet sauce.
In terms of her standards, having tasted all manner of gourmet dishes, this couldn’t be considered a high-end meal, but compared to what she had eaten here, it was overwhelmingly superior.
To speak more frankly, she personally found it far more appealing than any gourmet dish.
“…Is this, by any chance, from Earth?”
“No, it’s not something brought from the Earth’s Spatial Dimension. This food exists somewhere in this world. I just summoned it here after paying a certain price.”
To be precise, it was a skewer obtained from the restaurant ‘Dancing with Orcs’, which had become a specialty of Tarak after being established with funds from the Hubert Association, which was expanding like an octopus’s tentacles.
Even though the seasonings and sauces used were from Earth, the food itself was indeed produced in this world.
“Summoning ability? So you were very interested in summoning magic?”
“It’s a bit different… Well, you could view it as similar, I suppose?”
Riley’s eyebrows furrowed slightly at the vague answer.
Moreover, she found his attempts to become more casual irritating.
As she waved the stick of the now-finished skewer, her displeasure became evident.
“To put it precisely, it’s not just summoning. It’s more about breaking free from spatial constraints under certain conditions. And thanks to learning magic this time, my skill has evolved, allowing it to be used in different ways.”
Then, he continued to explain, seemingly cautiously gauging her reaction.
While it was annoying, it wasn’t a significant issue compared to the content of his next words.
“…That’s precisely about transcending space.”
Just after he finished speaking, Riley’s heart began to race wildly with wide eyes.
If spatial movement were truly possible, escaping wouldn’t just be a mere fantasy.
Moreover, having summoned the skewer showed there seemed to be no issue activating his ability even within the Undead King’s castle.
Watching her eyes twinkle with hope, Hesperon nodded with satisfaction.
‘Originally, I planned to summon my complete form, Harley, but charging straight out is simply too high-level for this Undying Castle. It feels much cleaner and more plausible to sneak away instead.’
Thus, he mixed ideas from “Avatar Cloud” and “The Hero’s Footsteps” to create a makeshift spatial skill.
Since it was a haphazardly created skill, he hadn’t thought of a name or conditions for it just yet, but anyway, he intended to brush aside detailed matters under the blanket of secrecy.
“Then, we can escape immediately…!”
“But, there’s a slight problem.”
Before she could celebrate, he first doused her expectations with cold water using a firm tone.
It seemed being unable to transport others alongside him was still a struggle for him.
At that, Riley’s face slumped in disappointment once more.
Though the rollercoaster of emotions was amusing, he maintained a straight face and continued speaking slowly.
“I’ve thought of one thing, though…”
Although they had endured hardships together in this extreme environment, in reality, their bond was only a bit over a month old.
Once they escaped, their shallow relationship could sever at any moment.
‘I can’t just leave it at that. If Riley goes back, she will be the most potential heir to the throne. Just being near her will bring countless opportunities. Her relationship with Isea, the Awakened One, will also be beneficial.’
Thus, what was needed was to leave behind a binding connection, even if it had to be forced.
“It might be tough to bind ourselves completely yet, but if we were to enter into a contract, wouldn’t that increase our chances?”
“…A contract?”
Fortunately, the contracting magic was a versatile magic that even people at their level could use.
While the performance increased with the caster’s level, the opposite wasn’t expected to yield significant results…
“Would a contract spell between mere magicians like us have that kind of binding power? It seems of little use.”
“Oh, that’s alright.”
Hesperon smiled meaningfully.
He possessed a skill called “Bond of Ties,” which strengthened the binding between caster and recipient, giving additional enhancements upon contracting.
‘I never imagined I’d use it this way.’
And thus, just a few days before the planned grand escape,
The moment when Hesperon, an inexperienced Awakened One who had only just crossed into this world a bit over a month ago, struck a solid connection with the heir to the most powerful nation in the world.
*
The New Talia Kingdom was enduring various growing pains amidst rapid changes.
No matter how many situations might have been anticipated with countermeasures prepared in advance, there could be no pain-free transition in changing the foundation of a nation.
In the royal castle located in the heart of the capital, Talarian, the stunning office of the king, which had recently changed hands, saw “Hainz Hybrid II” frowning as he reviewed documents that had come in from below.
“Tsk, as expected, things are not going smoothly.”
He had made many preparations to create a nation where vampires and humans could coexist, but as always, the affairs of the world rarely flowed as one wished.
Seeing the conflicts arising between humans who resisted the change and vampires who misinterpreted his intentions, it seemed it would take considerable time to stabilize this chaotic political landscape.
‘Still, it’s a relief that I’ve managed their side so thoroughly that no significant disturbances are arising. If there had been issues there as well, it would have been quite a hassle.’
Instead, the excessive workload being thrown at their officials was causing some to drop out, but the arrangements he had made in advance were shining through at this moment.
From recovery potions to awakening potions that banish sleep, vitality potions, and various health potions!
To prepare so thoroughly for the weaker humans compared to vampires, was this not the foresight of a wise ruler who thinks of everyone?
As he patted himself on the back, Hainz again sifted through the documents while stroking his chin.
‘Still, it’s more convenient to manipulate vampires. While I can’t expand their numbers indiscriminately due to control needs, I should prioritize the civil servant applicants for now.’
Although he maximized efforts to avoid discrimination against humans for the sake of normal state operations, it was simply inevitable that the ruling class of vampires received more benefits.
Most importantly, unlike the humans, the vampires bound to Hainz had no choice but to obey his commands.
However, benefits were merely benefits; in the New Talia Kingdom, which emphasized thorough meritocracy, even purebred humans could ascend to high positions if they had the ability.
‘That way, it makes things easier. If foolish ones take up positions, it only tires me out.’
Leaving practical duties to the capable regardless of race, and placing vampires lacking talent in supervisory and regional security roles across the nation.
Generally, the noble class of the former kingdom, who could be considered intellectuals, held officials’ positions, but there were also quite a few commoners quickly rising to prominence.
It was also the duty of the vampire inspectors to uncover such individuals, so over time, the kingdom was likely to stabilize rapidly.
‘The immediate problem is, though. Humans are one thing, but I never expected such issues would arise among the vampires too.’
He had thought he’d sufficiently prepped them, but apparently, the long-accumulated sense of superiority seemed to have surfaced.
In such cases, he would first issue a warning, and if the same issue persisted thereafter…
He would have no choice but to use them as materials for bloodline reinforcement.
[Lord, Briki has arrived. Shall I let her in?]
At that moment, a telepathic message was sent from the guard corps laid throughout the castle.
Another pureblood of the hybrid had returned from a certain mission.
[Let her in.]
And of course, since a pureblood was personally involved, the significance of the mission she had undertaken went without saying.
‘I can’t just let a fine pureblood be idle. Especially for such a task, she is the perfect candidate.’
Yes, the next goal of the hybrid was.
Given they were named “Auterica Vampire Clan Alliance,” it was an unavoidable undertaking.
To unite the vampire clans from the entire continent into one!
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