“Why the hell hasn’t the sacrificial blood arrived yet?!”
The Abyssal Cult, a secret organization of dark wizards, was facing some serious troubles lately.
They had a golden opportunity for revenge against the empire that persecuted them, but things were getting messier by the minute.
To activate their newly created dark magic circle, they needed a massive amount of sacrifice—specifically, the blood of a living human.
Unfortunately, the supply of blood had dried up recently.
“I’m sorry, Cult Leader. The guy who was supposed to bring the blood just vanished…”
Venom could only lower his head and spout apologies in response to the leader’s scolding.
The leader’s personality wasn’t exactly a sweet one; if he decided to vent his frustration, Venom figured he’d be carted off like a dried-up mummy.
“Useless scum! Who do you think you are, a famous villain and serial killer in the empire? I should’ve seen it coming from the way you strutted around like a peacock!”
Even Venom felt mistreated.
Lately, the empire’s guards had been patrolling the nearby village of free folk, so launching surprise attacks on them to collect blood was out of the question.
Thus, he had to outsource the job, but the criminal he was introduced to through the Thieves’ Guild had suddenly gone dark.
That infamous fugitive, Shylock.
Looking at his list of crimes, he seemed like a real bloodthirsty maniac, so Venom had placed his hopes on him. But he vanished without a trace after the deadline passed.
“Are you actually willing to sacrifice yourself as a substitute for the ritual?!”
“I’d gladly offer my measly life if it would help the grand plan!”
Of course, he didn’t mean it.
Venom had no intention of witnessing the world burn while alive, much less becoming a skeleton.
However, he responded this way because he knew that in front of this dysfunctional cult leader, survival depended on just such an answer.
“Your pitiful life can’t repay me! Get out there and raid a town for some fresh blood, you wretched insect!!!”
At the roar of the cult leader, Venom immediately nodded and hurried out of the cult’s sanctuary.
He had narrowly escaped with his life, but this was just a temporary reprieve.
If he didn’t bring back enough blood, the cult leader would surely drain him dry himself.
The only reason he was still alive was that they were currently short-staffed; the leader could easily snap his neck without a second thought.
“Those damn empire bastards!!! Why are they suddenly ramping up patrols?!”
Venom felt like he was standing at a cliff’s edge, unable to choose which way to jump.
If he didn’t bring back the sacrifices, the cult leader would turn him into a bloody puddle.
But if he raided a village for blood, he’d likely get caught by the imperial guards and executed.
He couldn’t understand why everything had gone so wrong.
There was no way the empire had figured out their secret plan—so why were the defenses around the capital increasing?
Where was the criminal who promised to bring fresh blood? Did he get caught?
Unless someone leaked their plans all over town, it was impossible!
‘Could it be… a traitor in our Abyssal Cult?’
The thought of a traitor among them crossed Venom’s mind, but he shook his head to dispel it.
Harsh environments only tighten the bonds among those inside them.
Venom himself couldn’t imagine betraying the comrades with whom he had raided villages and laughed while extracting blood.
‘The guards can’t search such a vast area thoroughly, so there must be a gap somewhere.’
Venom resolved to strike at the remaining free folk village while preparing to leave.
*
“Luckily, we don’t need to increase your security detail just yet, my lord,”
Esteban said while reading Volume 4 of “The Iron-Blood Alchemist,” handed to him by Rupert.
“Don’t even get me started. These days, it’s tense even just walking around our territory,”
Rupert replied.
Even the villagers, who had maxed out their goodwill for the Somerset Family with a score of 100 in a dating sim game, were giving Rupert sideways glances—needless to say, other places were just as tense.
Recently, the Mage Tower in Goldpool Valley had seen a huge influx of users at its teleporter, and the majority of their destinations led straight to one place.
The Somerset Territory.
Most of them were coming to shout:
“Are you human? Save Nina!!!”
“Patrasche and Nero are alive, I’ve seen them!!!”
“Author, send the workers home!!!”
There was a small incident with a workshop employee on their way to work, but overall, having folks venting their complaints at the estate was still a step up.
The patrolling guards occasionally had to deal with people loitering around with clubs, snagging them up.
“Honestly, isn’t this the author’s fault for turning Nina into a chimera?”
While those who got caught vented their frustrations at Rupert, they were too scared to think of moving anywhere else besides the Somerset Territory.
“When Volume 4 is released, the goods shop, which is already busy, will go absolutely wild.”
Rupert licked his lips, feeling wistful.
Originally, he’d planned to inspect the newly opened Somerset goods shop in the capital, but now he was relying on reports from others.
Still, hearing that it had been packed since day one made Rupert smile.
With the capital’s shops overflowing with people, many figured they might as well head over to the Somerset goods shop, where it was expected to be less crowded.
The Somerset Territory was experiencing an unexpected boom, with Goldpool Valley benefiting from the trickle-down effect, making the locals jubilant.
Taverns were full to the brim with guests dining and lodging, and those there for the merchandise were mostly affluent folks showering money like it was water, leaving everyone financially well-off.
“The popularity of the new figurines is particularly astonishing,” he added.
The figurines made with Kroon’s skills were nothing like the dolls from this world; they were intricately crafted, looking just like miniaturized people.
Those who caught sight of them became so enthralled they’d fight over them on the spot.
Even though the figurines were only available to customers who spent over a gold token, they had all sold out on launch day, and their supply was running low.
Thanks to this, Kroon and the artisans were working day and night to keep up with demand, but they were getting a handle on it and producing higher-quality figurines as they went.
Especially since Kroon’s guidance seemed to have helped the artisans; at first, every step had to involve Kroon’s touch, but now the artisans could handle the basic work among themselves, leaving only the finishing touches for Kroon.
“My lord, but aren’t you pushing yourself a bit too hard?”
As the meeting about the release schedule for Volume 4 wrapped up, Esteban chimed in.
“Pushing myself? Hmm… I guess I’ve been working a touch more than usual since we’re making a picture book this time.”
“I’m all for a quick release, but if you overexert yourself and ruin your health, that would be the biggest loss.”
Esteban, being the shopkeeper assessing gains and losses, made valid points, but Rupert dismissed them with a wave.
“Haha, I’m used to this kind of workload. Plus, Brother Manuel comes by every day to heal me, so I’m just fine!”
Rupert, standing up in response to Esteban’s concerns, began showing off his strength.
“By my age, I could go nights without sleeping, no problem! Lifting this much weight should be easy!”
He aimed to lift a statue that was the size of a grown man’s upper body.
But that attempt fell flat.
Thud.
“Uh… why can’t I get any strength in my body…”
As he tried to lift the statue, his scrawny arms bulged with veins, but the thing didn’t budge. Instead, he felt dizzy and plopped back down.
“My lord!!!”
Seeing this, Esteban rushed over to Rupert, but just then, Rupert felt a wave of dizziness and lost consciousness.
*
“Did you eat a poisoned apple too?”
Rupert lay on his bed, unable to regain his senses.
Numerous people had gathered by his side—family members like Count Bradley Somerset and Aida, along with Esteban, Sena, Kroon, and the estate workers.
Even Monk Manuel, who rushed over after receiving an urgent call, was present.
“How’s his condition?”
“I’ve applied divine healing, but this is due to accumulated fatigue. He needs to rest well.”
Count Bradley sighed at Manuel’s words.
He felt guilty; he hadn’t pushed back when Rupert insisted he was fine, only to have him collapse from overwork.
As a father, he felt he’d been too irresponsible.
Rupert had been achieving great success on every project he touched, and he had manipulated this as a pretense to neglect him.
Even though he’d been named heir, he was still young, and Bradley couldn’t shake the feeling he might have imposed pressure without intending to, leading to regret.
“It turns out the author is human after all.”
Kroon muttered under his breath.
He had thought dwarves ranked as among the most diligent folks, but after seeing Rupert, he wondered if dwarves might actually be a lazy race.
Rupert not only burned the midnight oil in the workshop but also drank vitality potions like they were water, exuding a kind of madness.
As he observed Rupert inspecting products, checking quality, and fussing over artisans as if he were their mother, he started suspecting whether he had a twin.
The activity level was hard to comprehend unless one was switching off work shifts.
It wasn’t surprising that Rupert collapsed after engaging in such craziness for months; more surprising was how he’d held out this long.
“From now on, we need to force him to take a break.”
At the count’s stern words, Esteban nodded in agreement.
“Of course. I’ll include a brief note informing folks that the lord collapsed due to overwork when Volume 4 releases.”
Had Rupert been conscious, he’d have surely protested vehemently, but in his state of mental incapacitation, the decision had been made without resistance.
And amidst the solemn atmosphere, Aida cheerfully declared she’d wake up her brother since he’d eaten a poisoned apple, planting kisses on his forehead with glee.
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