Basel is practically a self-governing city for the mercenary group.
With the money earned by mercenaries, they build houses and open stores.
The mercenaries spend money there, buying things like mana stones or equipment.
It’s essentially a village supported by the mercenaries.
Naturally, the influence of the mercenary group that has settled here is strong.
However, there existed a being who could wield power far greater than those mercenaries.
“I’d like to have a separate seat. Could you let me through?”
“Ah! You’re one of the knight’s acquaintances! My apologies! Please, go ahead! Fran! Quickly prepare their luggage!”
“I’m really sorry; we didn’t recognize you…”
Every word from the knight made the guards shiver and bow deeply.
The belongings that were strewn across the floor were quickly tidied up and returned.
Disguised as a backpack for Mi Jeong, I was able to carry a duffel bag and pass through the inspection without a hitch.
As we moved away from the inspection site, the knight dismounted and looked at us with an intrigued gaze.
“You seem to have an idea of who I am.”
“A rational blood ghoul—”
“Right! I am Transylvania! I mean, when you say a rational blood ghoul, the legendary swordsman, Transylvania, would be the only name that comes to mind!”
“…”
The knight laughed heartily with a voice that sounded hoarse.
Transylvania.
A blood ghoul, mentioned as one of the strongest present swordsmen.
Aren’t blood ghouls considered monsters that aren’t treated as people?
That’s generally the case.
Transylvania is an exception.
She turns every foe who treats her like a corpse into one, so it’s no wonder she’s feared.
At one point, she was even designated as a target for extermination by all nations worldwide.
However, after about 100 years of her showing off by executing every assassin that came for the bounty, the extermination orders were practically nullified.
Plus, it seems Transylvania has calmed down quite a bit, as there are now some nations that have a reasonably good relationship with her.
“I never thought I’d become a knight under the royal family.”
Transylvania’s activities are mysterious to the point of being elusive, making her practically impossible to track.
From the first round to the twelfth, they all vary greatly.
It seems even the slightest change can lead to dramatic differences.
But who would’ve guessed she became a royal knight for the Gallia Kingdom in this round?
A knight from a monster background.
Looking at it this way, it seems the Gallia Kingdom is truly the worst of the worst.
I can really feel that.
“Are you wondering why I’m dressed like this?”
“No, I didn’t ask—”
“Of course you’re curious! How did someone as free-spirited as me become a knight of a nation! There’s no grand reason, though. I just took it up for fun, since someone offered me the position as an experience! So, it’s merely temporary. Though I love that people turn pale and run away rather than seeing me as a blood ghoul and instead treat me like royalty, it’s all a hassle with responsibilities and whatnot. It just doesn’t suit me. I’m planning to retire soon and continue my wandering lifestyle. Of course, if there’s a place that truly needs me, I might drop by occasionally for some help, but… that happens maybe once every ten years. I’m a bit fickle like that. Though that aside, my loyalty is absolute. I’ll clearly remember those who helped me and, ten or twenty years down the road, get my revenge on anyone who messed with me. Compared to mortals whose beliefs and convictions flutter around like leaves in the wind, it’s rather disappointing.”
She keeps talking, not even waiting for a prompt.
As if a dam had burst, words just keep flowing out.
At this rate, I feel like I’ll hear every episode from the past hundred years, so I decide to cut it off.
“So then, what’s your name?”
“Celestial Demon—”
“Not you. I wouldn’t have anything to discuss with a mortal like you. No use hiding it behind your back. I just stopped for a moment out of joy when I saw one of my kind.”
“…One of your kind?”
Slowly, Mi Jeong, who had been hiding behind my hood, peeks her head out.
Is this her first time seeing a rational blood ghoul? Her hand gripping my clothing is filled with caution.
“What’s your name?”
“…Mi Jeong.”
“Still undecided on a name?”
“…I guess you could say that.”
“Wow, it’s hard to contain my excitement! It’s common to find my kin, but it’s rare to find one I can actually communicate with! I’ve seen exactly three, and she’s one of them! The other two seem like they can’t completely escape their blood ghoul instincts either. I have moments when I struggle to contain it myself. But this one has nearly overcome her instincts. Impressive.”
What’s with that?
Then why does she keep biting my arm and nape whenever she gets the chance?
Isn’t that just blood ghoul instinct?
“Hey, that can’t be right. She’s still got the habit of biting me daily.”
“Biting a human outside of bloodsucking is not an instinct of blood ghouls.”
“…”
“…”
Transylvania tilts her head in confusion.
You mean to say everything that’s been bitten until now wasn’t because of blood ghoul instincts?
I look at Mi Jeong for clarification, but she just turns her head away from me.
“Hey! Speak up!”
“What do you want to know?”
“You brat.”
“Eww.”
Out of spite, I tug on Mi Jeong’s cheeks, and she gets pulled along with them.
Thinking I’d let it slide as I assumed it was uncontrollable instinct, I realize it’s just annoying.
So, she’s just itching to bite me because it’s fun?
“Ha ha ha! What a funny pairing. A human and a blood ghoul. I once had a human I could rely on by my side too, three hundred years ago. But they’re all dead now.”
“What are you saying? Are you telling me to cut ties early since I’m clearly going to die young?”
“If that’s how it sounded, I apologize. That wasn’t my intention. I won’t meddle in how my kin live; I was just genuinely curious and wanted to speak.”
“…”
Ah, I remember now.
Transylvania was like this.
Extreme power and an unchanging physique.
And a lifespan close to eternity.
With all this, it’s easy for her not to care about the world’s logic or laws.
She lives solely in pursuit of fun, existing for her own enjoyment.
For her, everything and everyone is solely valued on whether they’re interesting or not.
That’s Transylvania.
“You’ll figure it out soon enough without me saying so. The life of a short-lived species is fleeting. In fact, the immortals aren’t too different, but I haven’t lived that long, so I can’t comment too much. Ha ha.”
“……I don’t like that.”
“I don’t like that you’re pretending to be a kid either. You’re old enough already.”
“……I’m an eternal 13 years old.”
“That’s hard to comprehend. Is it some new calculation?”
“I want to see the taste?”
“Oho. Have you learned magic? Then show me. If you can use it with your head flying off, I’d be impressed.”
“What are you two acting so childish about? Just stop fighting.”
Mi Jeong, who had been retorting back, finally scurries behind me.
I completely understand why Transylvania seems to be evaluated as having calmed down lately through this exchange.
If it were in the past, neither of us would survive this moment.
It seems that Mi Jeong being a rational blood ghoul plays a role in that as well.
“Alright! I’m in a good mood! As a celebration of meeting kin, I’ll give you a gift. Just ask me anything you’re curious about. I won’t hold back depending on the question.”
“…”
Did she just call the right to ask about her ‘a gift’?
For a moment, I lose my words due to her high level of narcissism.
But honestly, she has the right to flaunt it to that degree.
In human terms, she’s long surpassed the level of a sword master and has maintained that level for almost a century.
No matter how much the Holy Kingdom vilifies Transylvania as a blood ghoul and shuns her, an extermination is impossible for that reason.
It’s physically impossible to exterminate her, plus there are many people lining up to learn swordsmanship from her.
‘Well, I do have a few things I’m curious about.’
I am deeply knowledgeable about Transylvania for various reasons, but I still have questions that nag me.
Aside from her being annoying, I can’t just throw away this question right now.
There’s a significant question that’s bugged me ever since I first met her.
“Isn’t it moist inside that full-body armor? I thought blood ghouls were afraid of running water. How do you manage moisture inside it?”
“You’re partly aware but entirely in the dark. Blood ghouls don’t sweat, so as long as you take care of the armor, it won’t get humid. Now, try sticking your hand inside. Isn’t it cool?”
“Oh….”
It’s true.
As I slide my hand into the back of her armor and stroke the smooth back, a chilling sensation wraps around my hand.
It’s practically like a refrigerator.
My significant question has been answered.
I feel a decade-long load coming off my chest.
This is the feeling of touching Transylvania’s back.
“…That’s not it.”
“Oh.”
At that moment, Mi Jeong pokes my side, reminding me.
There was something I wanted to ask Transylvania if I ever met her.
It’s something I’ve been dying to find out for ages.
“Blood ghouls can use mana, right? But I know they can’t recharge it in the usual way.”
“You know it well. So what are you curious about?”
“First, I get that physical contact is a method to recharge mana. Blood ghouls recharge their mana by petting their heads. But I just can’t understand the principle behind it. It’s not transferring my mana to them. Sometimes the amount of recharge varies depending on where I pet, and it also changes based on the speed of petting. It’s not at all intuitive; so what’s the principle behind it?”
“Hahaha! Ha ha! Hoo, ha ha ha!!!”
This was a serious question.
Transylvania bursts out laughing, humorously clutching her stomach.
After a while, wiping her eyes as if she’s shedding tears of laughter, she says.
“What? Recharging mana by petting? Wrong. That’s not it. A blood ghoul acquires mana through happiness.”
“Happiness?”
“It’s recharged based on the happiness they feel. Can you believe it? To think you’d believe petting the head could recharge mana. That’s so funny it hurts my stomach. That idiot just enjoys having her head petted by you.”
“…”
Dumbfounded, I look back at Mi Jeong…
She’s turned her head away. Does she know how embarrassing this is?
‘No wonder it didn’t work when Alicia petted her.’
So it’s because she can’t recharge from unfamiliar hands and has fluctuating recharge amounts due to that.
My confusion has been clearly resolved.
“By the way, I recharge mana just by looking in the mirror. Seeing my face, like a piece of art, brings happiness.”
“…Now I. Don’t like it. I’m leaving.”
“Hahaha! You seem embarrassed about being exposed! Don’t worry! The time you can get happiness from humans will pass quickly! In a hundred years, you won’t see humans as anything more than blood bags!”
“…Shut up. Before I get angry.”
“Huh? Does that mean you haven’t been angry until now? I’m excited to see how scary you can get when you truly get mad. Go ahead, try it.”
“…You’ll die if you do.”
“Bring it on! If you can, that is!”
The level of arguing is akin to preschoolers.
Listening to them gives me a headache.
I just want to split before this gets any worse.
Of course, Transylvania is exceedingly strong, and having her as a companion would be ideal.
But I know very well that’s impossible.
This creature aligns with neither humans nor monsters.
No matter what sort of bargain I present, it would be useless.
She reliably keeps absolute neutrality, never siding with any faction in a fight.
If Gallia Kingdom were to start a war and summon Transylvania, she’d promptly take off her armor.
Wanting to wrap up this verbal spat, I decide to ask one last thing.
I pull out Kali’s dead soul from my bag.
“Final question: Do you know anything about this?”
“Isn’t this a toy that children play with?”
“Oh. I had it disguised and didn’t reveal the true form.”
“…!”
The moment I unveiled Kali’s dead soul, Transylvania’s eyes widened, and the light in her red eyes glowed.
I still don’t know what happens when this mana stone’s accumulation is completely filled.
I was hoping Transylvania might know, but her reaction is unusually intense.
“That! When did you acquire that?”
“About two weeks ago?”
“Have you been carrying it around disguised all this time?”
“No, I’ve only carried it disguised a handful of times.”
“Are you out of your mind!? To flaunt something that gives off such an intense aura while confidently walking around!”
“Aura? I don’t smell anything. What about you, Mi Jeong?”
“…I don’t smell anything either.”
“You lunatics! You can’t sense the Great Druid’s aura from that mana stone? I would have never imagined I’d run into idiots flaunting what they stole from the Great Druid!”
Transylvania jumps in surprise and starts causing a ruckus.
This mana stone gives off the scent of Kali…?
Then does that mean I’ve been parading around saying, “I’m the one who killed Kali!” to the Four Heavenly Kings?
Chills run down my spine at that thought.
Just then…
“It can’t be!”
The sky turns dark.
A black veil quickly descends, enveloping the entirety of Basel.
The sky is instantly black.
This is definitely the work of the Four Heavenly Kings.
For a moment, stunned by the sudden attack…
‘They’ve saved me the trouble of seeking them out.’
I quickly realize this is a blessing.
I’m in a position where I must capture all Four Heavenly Kings soon.
So, if they’re showing up voluntarily like this, I couldn’t be more grateful.
Since it’s still early in the game.
Because I used my luck to the fullest as well, I’ll have in the upper hand against the Four Heavenly Kings.
Not to mention Transylvania is a much stronger, fully-formed munchkin.
This isn’t a fight I could possibly lose.
“A, aaah. No. No… or, I hate this…!”
“Transylvania?”
But Transylvania’s state seems particularly precarious.
Her eyes tremble, and her body shakes.
Her pupils are wandering uncontrollably, unable to focus.
Her legs seem to weaken, almost ready to collapse.
Is it possible that this creature…
Is afraid of the Four Heavenly Kings?
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