Rapella City
“Thank you for your hard work. Here’s the remaining payment.”
“Hahaha. What’s there to worry about? We’ll be here in this city for a while, so just call us if you need anything.”
I paid the mercenaries who had escorted me to Rapella City and bid them farewell.
We managed to reach the city without any major issues with the mercenaries I hired this time.
“So this is Rapella City… It’s quite large.”
Diana exclaimed as she held Aaron’s hand tightly, admiring the city.
It was incomparably bigger than Azhantu City and was the largest city we had passed through so far.
“That must be because it’s close to the capital. Just a few days away is Talia, the capital of the Talia Kingdom.”
Even though Talia Kingdom was a distant minor country, its capital was on a completely different scale.
The nearby cities couldn’t help but be influenced by that.
“I’m worried about how we’ll find my uncle from here…”
Diana let out a sigh and voiced her concerns.
Seeing her worry for no reason, I shrugged lightly.
“What’s there to worry about? We know his name and what he does. It won’t take long.”
I’ve been in the Auterica dimension long enough now.
Gathering that kind of information was nothing.
Three days passed since we stayed in the city.
It took that long to find out where Diana’s uncle was by looking for an informant.
“…You really found him quickly.”
“What do you mean, as long as there’s enough money, there’s nothing that can’t be done. We took our time because we weren’t in a hurry, but it could have been faster.”
On the first day, we disposed of the carriage and got ourselves an inn to rest with the kids. On the second day, we found an informant and commissioned them.
Today, on the third day, we received the information.
“Your uncle runs a grocery store in the commercial district down south. It seems he doesn’t have any major issues.”
“I’m relieved that we won’t have to make a wasted trip.”
On the way to the grocery store, Diana was taking deep breaths to calm herself.
“Why’s that? You seem really nervous.”
“…Well, I only met him when I was very young. Will he even remember me?”
Seeing her clearly worried, I chuckled lightly and gently patted her head.
“You worry too much. A few years is nothing to adults. He’ll probably be surprised and welcome you back saying, ‘When did you grow so much?’”
Diana stared at me while I patted her head.
Feeling awkward, I cleared my throat and withdrew my hand.
She smiled bashfully and started to play with her own hair.
“You really are an uncle. I was worried because your personality seems to have changed a lot recently.”
“…My personality has changed? Me?”
“Yes. Your way of speaking has changed too. You seem more serious and calm? Well, that’s nice too.”
Diana stuck out her tongue slightly and smiled.
…I hadn’t noticed it at all, but upon reflection, it was indeed true.
It was clear when it started to change.
‘Is it the influence of “Persona”? I must have changed naturally without realizing it.’
I had been given the desire to be recognized, along with negative feelings like loneliness and pain from the Archlich Hans.
But the Vampire Heinz II seemed to have bestowed upon me a calm and composed personality.
‘Did it manifest naturally according to individual characteristics? …That’s not a bad thing.’
If I wanted, I could control it at will.
It was just easier to let it be natural, so I didn’t touch it.
How long had we been walking while chatting? Finally, we arrived at our destination.
An ordinary grocery store with no distinct features.
“Welcome~! Is there something you’re looking for?”
As we approached with the kids, a middle-aged man, presumably the owner, came out from inside and greeted us brightly.
“Uncle! Hello! I’m Diana! This is my little brother Aaron…”
“…Hello…”
Diana stepped forward, holding Aaron’s hand to greet him.
Aaron, looking shy, bowed slightly.
Since it had been more than five years since they last met, for young Aaron, it would feel like meeting a stranger.
“Eh? Diana? Aaron? You’ve both grown so much while I wasn’t looking! But how did you end up here…?”
I explained the situation to the flustered shop owner, Bolt.
I didn’t mention the Vampire and framed it as though I met the siblings after their parents had passed away in Azhantu and I brought them along to this place.
“…I see. Your older brother and sister… you must have gone through a lot. You’ve done well. You’ve worked hard…”
Upon hearing the story, he started to choke up and pulled the siblings, who were standing awkwardly, into a hug.
“Ah… No. We’re fine… uwaah!”
“Don’t cry, big sister…”
The warm hug momentarily stunned the kids, and soon they burst into tears, burying their faces in his arms.
‘I’m glad he’s a good person, after all.’
Among the information I learned through the informant, there included his reputation.
I couldn’t leave the kids with a bad person.
If that were the case, I would have made an excuse to Diana that I couldn’t find him and looked for other means…
‘Now all that’s left is to grease the wheels a bit.’
I explained the situation to his wife, who came out startled by the commotion outside, and then we went inside.
As soon as we entered the living area behind the shop, my eyes met with a girl of about three or four years old playing with a doll.
“…Sniff.”
A girl looking at us with round, curious eyes while sniffling.
Seemingly startled by the unexpected visitors, she got up from her spot, approached, and buried her face in her mother’s skirt.
Then she carefully tilted her head and looked over at us.
Noticing the siblings, who didn’t seem too far apart in age, her little eyes sparkled with interest.
“Oh my… I can only imagine how much these little ones must have suffered…”
The mother expertly lifted her daughter and soothed her, then took the sobbing children inside to wash their messy faces.
“It must not have been easy for you to bring the kids all the way here. Thank you for being so considerate.”
Once it was just the two of us, Bolt bowed his head in gratitude.
“It’s nothing. I also received a lot of help from the kids, and traveling together was enjoyable.”
But we didn’t have much time to chat.
He needed to focus on his business as well.
“Is the owner here~?”
“Yes, yes! Welcome~!”
As soon as he heard the sound of customers approaching from outside, Bolt dashed out to attend to them.
Since I planned to stay a few more days to keep an eye on things, I decided to part ways with them for now.
*
“No way I can accept such a large sum. The kids have already caused me enough trouble…”
The next day, I had a private conversation with Bolt.
I intended to support him financially for raising the kids.
“No, like I said before, I’ve received so much help from those kids too. This isn’t really a burden at all. I hope this can help take care of them.”
To ordinary people, it was a lot of money, but to me, who swallowed up the wealth monopolized by the city, it was merely a drop in the bucket.
‘Considering it’s also what I gained with Diana’s help, this is nothing. I feel sorry that I can’t provide more support, but excess wealth can be dangerous.’
Bolt hesitated for a moment but eventually accepted the money reluctantly.
Although he had initially refused, it was clear that taking care of two more mouths was a definite burden.
“I’ve grown fond of the kids during this time. I’ll plan on visiting whenever I can.”
And I hinted that I would support them each time I visited.
In return, I asked him to actively support the kids in whatever education they wanted.
“Of course! I will treat them just like my own children without discrimination.”
Whether or not there would be no discrimination remained to be seen, but the support money was meant to prevent that.
Since I said I would consistently provide support going forward, he wouldn’t dare neglect them even out of guilt.
A week passed since I stayed in Rapella City.
I was now saying farewell to the siblings.
“Ah… Uncle. Thank you so much for everything. Uwaah! I… I really…”
“Wah~ Uncle!”
Diana, struggling to hold back tears, and Aaron, who was crying loudly while clinging to me.
Having spent almost two months together, I was also feeling overwhelmed with emotion.
“Well, it’s not like I’ll never see you again. I’ll visit often, and you two better listen to Mr. Bolt and take care of your health!”
Diana had started learning the shop’s work, while Aaron would be looking after his four-year-old cousin.
I hugged the two kids and patted them gently.
“How often is often?”
“Huh?”
“You said you’d visit often. How often exactly will you come?”
Uh, I hadn’t thought about that.
Diana’s clear question made me take a moment to gather my thoughts.
“Let’s see… At least once a year.”
“…Once a year. There’s no helping that, I suppose. But um… if you feel you can’t come, don’t force yourself. Please visit when you can.”
Not wanting to burden me, Diana smiled through teary eyes.
It wouldn’t be difficult with the teleportation stones at my disposal, but I appreciated her earnestness and patted her head.
After finishing the farewells, I took a reluctant step away while turning back repeatedly to wave goodbye to the siblings.
They continued to wave at me until I completely disappeared from their sight.
‘This is quite touching. I really hope they’ll be alright. I need to watch over them more often.’
They were kids I had formed a bond with in many ways.
They were also my first connection in Auterica.
‘Then shall I head to the capital now?’
I had handed over the support money to Bolt and generously provided Diana with a decent emergency fund, so I didn’t have much cash left…
But traveling alone as Han didn’t cost much.
I left the city and walked aimlessly until sunset.
As time passed, darkness enveloped the surroundings.
Flap!
A flock of bats flew across the night sky.
*
At dawn, after traveling all night, I arrived in Talia, the capital of the Talia Kingdom, which would ordinarily take several days of riding.
“So this is the capital of Talia Kingdom… I wonder if I can get in?”
Up until now, I had somehow managed to keep my identity hidden, but passing through the capital might prove difficult.
‘Should I call Heinrich at this point?’
I had come all the way to the capital for Heinrich.
I had been greatly impressed by the Knights I encountered with Hans not long ago.
The strength wielding the holy sword, and the honor respected by all under the sunlight.
While gathering information in the city, I had also investigated the order further.
After weighing various factors, I concluded that there was a solid possibility, so I had come here to induct Heinrich.
In the capital of Talia, there was a shrine of the Holy Church Order.
As I gazed upon the capital from a hilltop—
At that moment.
Hmm… Who are you and what do you do?
I was struck by a sudden female voice that sent chills down my spine.
‘I didn’t feel any presence at all…!’
I turned around in shock to maintain my distance, only to find her quietly gazing at her fingertips.
With droplets of blood welling at the tips of her fingers.
Drip—
At that moment, I felt a sharp pain in my nape.
I quickly controlled my blood to stop the bleeding and heightened my vigilance.
‘Damn… just when things were looking up.’
She stared at the blood on her fingertips, then slowly brought it to her mouth and licked it.
“Indeed… there’s no doubt that you are a child of our clan.”
A beautiful woman in her early twenties, raising her bright blonde hair to reveal her fair neck, dressed in a splendid red gown while holding up a parasol.
Her identity, without a doubt, was a Trueblood Vampire from the Brokoslac Clan.
“I caught the scent of blood and thought it might be you. You’ve committed fratricide, haven’t you? And one of your own clan members, at that?”
As I met her blood-red eyes, I could feel my body stiffen.
“How were you able to manage that? Reveal who your direct ancestor is. It seems there was no proper restrictions on the blood you inherited.”
Her crimson eyes gleamed mischievously, tightening around my limbs.
My willpower seemed to falter as my mouth wanted to open.
“In any case, since you’ve violated clan laws, I will punish you along with your direct ancestor… if he is still alive.”
‘…I see. So this is the “Demon Eye”.’
Her blood magic-infused eyes glowed red, forcing me to comply with her commands.
It would be nearly impossible to resist.
“Resisting with your level is futile. Open your mouth quietly.”
Of course, this didn’t apply to me.
‘Haah… this feels like the same pattern repeating over and over. How many times has it been? I really need to get stronger already.’
Every time I thought I had gotten stronger, someone even stronger seemed to pop up.
Unless I stand at the pinnacle of this world, this will continue to repeat.
For now, this was a situation I couldn’t escape.
“…You’re holding on quite well. But it won’t mean anything, after all…”
I ignored the chattering vampire in front of me and executed my omnipotent escape tactic, Summoning Release.
In any case, I had already achieved my goal, so it didn’t really matter, but I couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed.
Tsk, I’ll deal with you later.
That time probably wouldn’t take long.
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