Dambi and Rills, who had been subjected to a makeshift inspection thanks to Baalcherit until a little while ago.
To resolve the current situation, they contacted Celia through Shadow.
Before long, an officer in uniform appeared.
Wiping away sweat, he bowed respectfully before Dambi and Rills.
“I apologize for the delay. I was rude without knowing you were such esteemed individuals. Ah, I am Kael Rudens, in charge of public order in this city, Rakusbury.”
As trade flourished, not only soldiers but also officers were present.
Kael Rudens had rushed here in surprise after receiving a messenger’s report a moment ago.
‘To receive contact directly from the royal family!’
It was a breathtaking moment.
Kael Rudens’ gaze fell upon Dambi.
An adventurer who seemed ordinary in every way except for his handsome looks.
But one shouldn’t be fooled by appearances.
It was because of this ordinary adventurer that the royal family had contacted him.
‘What on earth is their identity?’
Currently, the royal family of the Sail Kingdom had gained immense power.
Moreover, the Queen was called a Saintess, and there were rumors that the Church might even officially announce it soon.
This alone showed how great the royal family’s power was.
And yet, he had stopped an adventurer with ties to the royal family for an inspection?
As a senior officer, he wanted to reprimand his subordinates, but he restrained himself for now.
There was still a way to atone for this mistake.
“To apologize for this matter, I will serve you with all my heart!”
Kael Rudens bowed towards Dambi.
Then, the surrounding soldiers also quickly bowed.
Respect and fear coexisted on their faces.
“First of all… ah, right. Since your identities have been confirmed, you may come down now. We sincerely welcome you to our Sail Kingdom.”
Kael Rudens treated Baalcherit, who seemed much younger than him, with utmost politeness.
“Hmph, it’s good that you admit your sins and seek forgiveness. But remember, my forgiveness is solely by my mercy— Ugh!”
Dambi covered Baalcherit’s mouth as he blabbered on.
He felt that letting this guy continue to talk would get them into more trouble.
While Dambi was covering Baalcherit’s mouth, Rills stepped forward.
“We appreciate your consideration. However, we have other matters to attend to, so we will gratefully accept your goodwill.”
“Ah…”
The officer showed a disappointed expression at Rills’ words.
He had hoped to mend his mistake and even build a connection, but it seemed to be in vain.
However, forcing his way would also be impolite.
Above all, it was highly probable that they had come here on royal orders. If he kept busy people unnecessarily, he wouldn’t hear good things from above.
“Haha, what a shame. In that case, I will prepare the finest lodgings for you three to rest comfortably. It might not matter to such esteemed individuals, but the prices here are quite high. This is the least I can do, so please accept it.”
However, Kael Rudens was not one to give up easily.
He tried to forge a connection, even if it was just a little.
Rills nodded at his sincerity.
“Then we will gratefully accept.”
In any case, it was too late to return to the Royal Capital today.
Moreover, there was no reason to refuse free accommodation at the finest lodgings.
“Then, please leave your luggage to us.”
As Kael Rudens gestured, soldiers quickly picked up Dambi’s group’s luggage and led the way.
While doing so, he subtly observed Dambi’s group’s expressions.
They didn’t seem accustomed to such treatment, but they didn’t show any signs of being flustered.
‘As expected, they are different.’
Kael Rudens admired inwardly and began to guide Dambi’s group to their lodgings.
He briefly furrowed his brow as he saw a young lady being led away by an adventurer.
‘By the way, what kind of combination is this?’
What kind of story could it be?
He was curious but didn’t voice his questions.
As an officer protecting the Sail Kingdom, he only remained diligent in his duties.
***
Officer Kael Rudens guided Dambi’s group to the most luxurious lodgings in Rakusbury.
It was situated in a breathtaking landscape with a view of Yenarian Lake.
“Well, this is where you will be staying. Isn’t the scenery truly artistic? If you need more rooms, I will inform the counter in advance, so please use them without hesitation. I must excuse myself as I have matters to attend to. I hope you rest well, and may the Goddess’s grace always be with you…”
As the officer turned to leave after bidding farewell.
“Ah. As you are likely already aware, you are not to approach the forest to the south. This is controlled regardless of status or position.”
He left with a brief warning.
They had no intention of staying long anyway, as they planned to leave immediately after completing their mission, so they didn’t pay much attention.
Although the officer’s favor was more burdensome than expected, Dambi nodded at the dazzling view of the lake.
“This is acceptable.”
But now was not the time to leisurely admire the scenery.
Dambi drew the curtains, covering the window.
And then, he first offered an apology to Rills.
“I’m sorry. I never thought that things would go wrong because of a creature of the same kind.”
In conclusion, they had almost gotten into trouble because of a fellow vampire.
As Dambi, who had vampire blood mixed in him, it was difficult to avoid responsibility for this incident.
“It’s alright, Lord Dambi. We can visit the Adventurer’s Guild tomorrow. We arrived earlier than expected anyway.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
Rills accepted Dambi’s apology with a smile.
In any case, the situation had already unfolded.
Going to the Adventurer’s Guild now would only attract the attention of the soldiers.
In such cases, it was better to rest today and carry out the request tomorrow.
Then, he opened the lid of a small container.
Inside the container, a fish-shaped monster was splashing and swimming.
While Rills was unpacking, Dambi approached a certain being with a blank expression.
“Gah. Don’t look at me with that kind of expression! You are insolent!”
The being who reached out with closed eyes.
“Who are you?”
“How dare you call me by that name! You have no manners!”
But Dambi’s expression turned menacing.
“Ugh, I, I…”
Baalcherit fell into a moment of thought.
Whether to reveal his true name or a pseudonym.
No matter how naive he was about the world, he knew that his name had a bad reputation.
“My name is… Riche!”
Finally, Baalcherit used a prepared name instead of his real one.
It was the reverse of the ‘cheri’ part of his original name, Baalcherit.
In fact, Baalcherit marveled at his own ingenious thought.
With this, he believed his identity would never be revealed.
“Hmm. Riche…”
Of course, Dambi had never heard the name before.
“Are you from the Kalrn Empire?”
Dambi’s original dungeon was in the Kalrn Empire.
However, due to the Church’s subjugation operations, most of the vampire dungeons were destroyed, and many of his kin lost their lives.
Dambi, who was closer to a human form, managed to survive among humans.
Riche nodded.
“Y-yes, I am from the Kalrn Empire, through the City Alliance!”
As expected, even though their dungeons were different, they seemed to be from the same group.
However, Dambi’s expression was not good.
A vampire suddenly appeared before him?
Something felt suspicious.
“Then why did you come to the Sail Kingdom?”
Dambi knew that vampires would at least try to hide their identities.
However, the one before him was different.
“Hmph…”
Riche bit his finger and drank his own blood.
Seeing that, Rills came to Dambi’s side and whispered in his ear.
“He seems to be a vampire with a disturbed mind.”
Dambi nodded instinctively at Rills’ words.
Dambi threw a part of the bandit’s arm that he had killed at the inn the previous day.
The body part had not been drained of blood, so it was still moist.
“Oh! Thank you! You are indeed a good fellow!”
Riche took a sip of the human hand Dambi offered and answered the question.
“I am looking for someone. That person will surely remember me… so I am heading to the Royal Capital-”
As he spoke, tears flowed from Riche’s eyes.
“Hic… I made a foolish mistake… and that person… hic.”
The conversation seemed to be going awry, but Dambi and Rills nodded as if they understood.
“He seems to have been abandoned because his mind is disturbed.”
“I think so too.”
The two whispered in front of Riche.
Vampires were intelligent beings.
In times of difficulty like this, they would abandon worthless companions first.
In that respect, Dambi felt that Riche was in the same situation as himself.
“Sigh…”
Originally, he only wanted to follow his Master’s orders, but seeing a fellow kin in the same predicament made his heart feel bitter.
As if sensing Dambi’s feelings, Rills also seemed to empathize.
“Since our destination is the same, it should be alright to accompany you there.”
Coincidentally, they also had to return to the Royal Capital after completing their current request.
With the same destination, Dambi was not so cold-hearted as to abandon a fellow kin with a disturbed mind.
“Miss Riche, please don’t worry too much. We are also heading to the Royal Capital, so let’s go together.”
Rills extended a hand to Riche.
“R-really? Are you going to do that!”
Riche, who had been crying until a moment ago, asked back with a bright smile.
Thus, Dambi and Rills took on the being known as Baalcherit.
***
“As expected. To meet a vampire…”
Celia confirmed the documents handed over by Shadow.
There, it was recorded that Dambi and Rills had met a vampire in Yenarian Lake.
Fearing that they might get involved in something strange, Celia delivered the related information to Queen Irena.
After that, Queen Irena’s actions were swift.
Thanks to that, Dambi and Rills were able to escape the inspection safely.
“By the way, there is still a mountain of work to be done.”
Documents were piled high on Celia’s desk.
Now, she had to pay attention not only to the dungeon but also to the affairs of the Sail Kingdom.
Even the dungeon matters alone were overwhelming.
They had to dispatch the Goblin Lord and organize the surrounding dungeons. And they couldn’t neglect the development of the dungeons.
But now, she had reached a point where she had to review the kingdom’s affairs as well.
Even now, she was engrossed in work day and night, but the tasks to be done were only increasing.
At some point, Master had sent a subordinate officer, but she was still useless. The subordinate officer named ‘Kkomul’ was currently managed by Aren, so there was no help with work for a while.
But this was a trial from the Great Ones.
Therefore, Celia persevered today as well.
“Still, the efficiency isn’t good enough yet, is it?”
She needed to devise other measures to increase work efficiency.
It would be possible to process tasks faster if someone assisted her instead of Celia handling all of them alone.
However, there were no suitable candidates in the current situation.
It would be good if the Banshees could assist with work by controlling adventurers, but they had to be used for more important purposes separately.
Goblins were not intelligent enough, so they were excluded.
Even Undead, while capable of simple tasks, were slightly lacking in independent thought.
Suddenly, Maru came to Celia’s mind, but Maru was the escort knight of that person.
“What a shame.”
She briefly considered the vampire Dambi mentioned, but after receiving reports that he was mentally unstable, she excluded him.
While contemplating this, Celia was still skimming through the documents.
Then, her gaze suddenly stopped at one document.
‘…Jeremiah?’
The document sent by the royal family bore the name of an Inquisitor.
Below the name, Jeremiah’s movements were recorded, and it was noted that he had visited the inn where Dambi and Rills had caused a disturbance.
According to the investigator who met the Inquisitor there, the Inquisitor had identified the vampire Baalcherit as the mastermind behind the murder.
“Baalcherit…”
The Inquisitor’s prediction was wrong, and everyone seemed to believe it, so there would be no reason for Dambi and Rills to be suspected.
“That’s fortunate.”
It was best to minimize unnecessary variables.
Celia continued to read the document, and her gaze lingered on one point again.
“A 5-star vampire.”
Baalcherit, a 5-star vampire who was notorious among humans.
The fact that the Church was currently tracking him alone indicated his dangerousness.
“If I can obtain that being.”
A bold plan formed in Celia’s mind.
If she could capture that powerful vampire and offer him to Master, she would undoubtedly achieve great merit.
Imagining how happy Master would be made her heart swell.
“Inform the royal family. Find out the whereabouts of Baalcherit.”
As someone who had been sealed by the Church before, Celia knew well.
An Inquisitor was not a being who moved solely on instinct.
It meant that Baalcherit was within the Sail Kingdom.
“To think that prey would come on its own.”
Celia’s lips curved upwards.
It was a 5-star being, no less.
A being like Baalcherit would surely be of great help to Master’s plan.
The only problem was whether such a being would willingly follow.
Absolutely not.
“For now, keep all forces on standby in the dungeon.”
“Clack!”
At Celia’s command, Skeleton Knights headed to their respective sectors in the dungeon.
As they were notorious among humans, it wouldn’t be an easy opponent.
Although the document stated they were 5-star, she shouldn’t judge them carelessly.
Her job was always to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
“Indeed, I am looking forward to it.”
To welcome such a dangerous being, the dungeon’s condition would need to be thoroughly inspected. For that, she needed someone to assist with her work.
“What are the nobles of the kingdom doing now?”
After Irena became Queen, many nobles were imprisoned.
Of course, that was what was known to the public; in reality, they were confined in this dungeon.
“Tap, tap-tap-tap!”
(Some are still undergoing torture, and the rest are engaged in fort construction under the supervision of the Death Knight sub-boss!)
As the Skeleton Knight said, besides the humans captured from outside, nobles were also conscripted into the fort construction.
They were currently working on expanding the lake in Sector 4.
“I see. Then please ask if there are any nobles who can help with my work. If anyone volunteers, tell them that they will be compensated.”
This was a time when every hand was precious.
Moreover, nobles were elites who had been educated since childhood.
Although they were not monsters, she believed they could handle tasks related to the kingdom.
“From now on, we will actively utilize humans. Consider it a test for when Master builds a nation.”
And this would be of great help when Master led the nation.
