Harris traveled with the Elven Kingdom's delegation across the Ion Continent to its eastern part over several days.
'Indeed, traversing the continent is nothing when backed by the Church's authority.'
Given the transcendent influence of the Primordial Church across races and borders, having their endorsent ant unrestricted travel anywhere was trivial.
After passing through several temples, the group, having reached the easternmost tip of the republic in the east, headed straight for a nearby forest.
"Um... don't we need to cross the sea?"
When Cecilie expressed confusion about their mysterious destination, Laphory responded with a gentle smile.
"Crossing the sea directly would be dangerous and ti-consuming, Miss Cecilie. Rember, all trees in the world are rooted in the World Tree, and the High Elves are chosen by Him."
In simpler terms, High Elves could use the power of the World Tree to travel to any forest, however distant.
'Using it to detect Hans as well, the abilities of High Elves, or rather the power of the World Tree, are more impressive than I thought. Or is it natural since its using the World Trees power?'
Of course, the farther the distance, the greater the power consud, which is why they had traveled this far to minimize the distance.
Still, I thought that this thod might be more convenient than the Primordial Church's gates, which were the only way for long-distance travel.
'Except that it's only usable by High Elves. So, a pointless comparison.'
It was not feasible to use the few High Elves just for transportation.
"Now, just follow closely. Make sure not to stray from the group."
A refreshing energy spread from Laphory, enveloping their surroundings.
Thus, the group, with first-tirs Cecilie and Harris positioned in the middle to prevent them from falling behind, followed Laphory deep into the forest.
"We'll need to travel like this for a few more days. There's no rush now, so let's take our ti."
Although they had hurried to rescue Cecilie as quickly as possible on the way there, there was no need to rush on the return journey.
After all, Elves, being long-lived, were fundantally leisurely creatures.
Thus, they began their journey across the ocean, traversing the forest paths that seed to shift into a dreamlike state.
***
Heinz II entered the capital of the Talya Kingdom in the western part of the continent, Talarya.
He activated his "Concealnt" to its limits, focusing solely on hiding his inner energy, so no one detected his true identity.
"It's too expensive... Can't you lower the price a bit?"
"What are you saying! This is barely enough to make ends et!"
Ordinary people living their daily lives.
It was a common urban scene that could be found anywhere.
'There are vampires around... but not excessively, and they're thoroughly hidden.'
Heinz casually observed his surroundings as he walked.
His transcendent senses and being a significantly higher-level vampire allowed him to notice, but their level of concealnt was impressively high.
After all, even with its significant influence, this place was the capital of a kingdom with a temple of the Primordial Church.
It would be too risky for vampires, beings of the dark, to operate openly.
'I need to think about how to shake them up. It's too early to storm their stronghold.'
The forces gathered there were formidable, and these vampires had been the shadowy power brokers of this kingdom for centuries.
Causing unnecessary disturbances would not help with future plans.
He would need to erode their influence gradually from the outside, which required turning soone well-versed in their inner workings to his side.
'With the "Purified Blood Crystal," that should be simple enough. Let's start by persuading a suitable vampire.'
This process might involve a bit of force and coercion, but it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing for the individual concerned.
Having experienced the enhancent effects of the "Purified Blood Crystal" while growing Heterosis, I knew its value.
A single drop of his blood was akin to an elixir of life for vampires, a fortunate occurrence.
'There seems to be a suitable target over there. Lets start with this one... Huh?'
A vampire hiding its presence was detected at the window on the second floor of a quiet house.
However, as he approached, the energy emanating from this individual felt strangely familiar.
'It's a bit blurred, probably due to so trickery... Could it be?'
After all, Heinz didn't have many vampire acquaintances to begin with.
Most had been wiped out in Ajantu, leaving only a handful remaining.
Among those, the ones who would be standing guard in such a place...
And sure enough, as he got closer and confird the identity, it was indeed a vampire he knew well.
'Rosilica. So, you're here.'
A Pureblood who had been responsible for his education when Heinz II first beca a vampire.
After the incident of the Immortal King's fragnt theft in Ajantu, her whereabouts had been unknown, but sohow, she had been reassigned to the capital.
'I thought she might have died in the clash with the Church, but how did she survive?'
Given the significant conflicts that had occurred, many vampires were reported to have been killed.
Despite the nurous hardships that started in Ajantu, she had sohow managed to survive, which seed to indicate a tough thread of life.
Heinz silently used "Invisibility" to infiltrate the building where she was.
"Ah~ What a life, hiding away even during the day. My skin's getting rough; how long do I have to live like this?"
Rosilica's figure, constantly grumbling, ca into view as he quietly entered the house.
The dark room, covered in blackout curtains, was filled with all kinds of blood magic barriers painted with blood.
From those that erased the presence of soone inside, to auxiliary devices that made outside surveillance easier, to basic alarm and defense barriers against intruders.
'Of course, they an nothing to .'
Using "Blood Mystique" to discern the barriers and effortlessly bypassing them with the power of "Concealnt," he approached Rosilica from behind.
'There's an alert chanism that activates if the watcher dies, but there's no function for real-ti surveillance of the interior. Good timing.'
He lightly scanned the barriers and deactivated "Invisibility," still suppressing his presence, so she remained unaware of his arrival, continuing to gaze outside.
"Your skin doesn't get rough if you sleep well during the day..."
"Rosilica."
Her body jerked and froze for a mont at his call.
"Sorry~! I'm a bit of a chatterbox... Huh?"
Turning around to apologize, Rosilica was startled to see Heinz's face.
She had assud he was a superior, given he knew her na and appeared despite the barriers, but was confused to see a stranger.
"Sorry, but who are you...?"
Despite the tension and caution, her question ca cautiously due to several preceding factors.
It was natural she didn't recognize him, as his appearance and physique had changed considerably since they last t.
"It's Heinz."
"Heinz...?"
She simply tilted her head, thinking he might just share the sa na, without showing much reaction to his honest answer.
"Are you a guest of our clan?"
Perhaps sensing he was a formidable presence beyond her capacity, Rosilica remained guarded yet continued to display politeness.
"Yes, a guest."
"Ah! Then you should be... "
"I wasn't exactly invited."
Right after those words.
Shick!
From the tips of her right hand, five streams of blood sharply whipped towards Heinz.
Simultaneously, her left hand reached out to activate an alert through one of the barriers, but...
"Krugh?"
Blood-red chains that had sprung from all around already entwined her entire body, thoroughly blocking not only her movents but also the flow of her magic.
"It can't be! True Blood? ...This is Brokolak territory! You're violating the treaty!"
Overwheld by the absolute disparity, she shouted in a flustered voice, mistaking Heinz for a True Blood from another clan.
However, Heinz was thinking sothing else at that mont.
'Wait a minute? Could this be?'
Inside a well-crafted concealnt barrier, he slightly revealed the vampire energy he had been hiding with "Concealnt."
With extre blood control and overpowering control over blood magic, he extracted just the essence, revealing only a very slight part of it.
And Rosilica, being sensitive to blood, imdiately recognized the scent within it.
"Uh... Our clan? No, it's different... Huh?"
He had concentrated to extract energy as close to the original as possible, but it seed impossible to do perfectly.
Still, it was enough to plunge her into confusion.
Seizing the mont her thoughts were muddled, Heinz quietly spoke.
"I am a distant relative of the Brokolak clan."
And as always, I began to spin a tale based on plausible information.
There were many factions within the world of vampires.
Branches that had ford their own powers, having broken away from the 'Blood Subjugation' for so reason.
Though they shared the sa root, differences began to erge over generations until they beca entirely separate forces.
Heinz recalled them and spun a story that they were rely offshoots of the sa root, and he, having been persecuted as a distant branch, rely sought to assert his authority.
He added that this was not an invasion from the outside but a competition within, and he had no intention of harming the clan as a whole.
A festival of utter nonsense.
But since the story was based on actual facts, and Heinz subtly used "Blood Mystique" to implant weak suggestions, she couldn't harbor significant doubts.
'But then again, it's not entirely incorrect.'
After all, his roots did lie with the Brokolak.
"Um... I'm just a Pureblood, why exactly...?"
"I will give you power if you follow . You just need to assist a little."
The reason for going through such a cumberso process was to minimize her resistance.
After all, the subjugation from the "Purified Blood Crystal" did not include a brainwashing effect to make the heart absolutely loyal.
"Sorry, but I..."
As she began to voice her refusal,
It was a natural response; how many would there be willing to follow soone they had never t before, especially when they had been managing just fine up to that point?
"Ah! Just to clear any misunderstanding."
But before she could finish her sentence, Heinz's voice, laced with a hint of amusent, cut her off.
"You don't have a choice."
He had only spun those tales to ease her into acceptance.
Once subjugated by the "Purified Blood Crystal," there was no turning back, and she would end up following him, whether she wanted to or not.
Heinz's hand reached out towards Rosilica, who wore a resigned expression.
***
Eventually, Rosilica was smoothly persuaded to cooperate.
Although she still seed reluctant, she appeared to be satisfied with the strength she gained from the "Purified Blood Crystal," separate from her feelings.
This led to the acquisition of internal information about the Brokolak clan.
Since she was still a Pureblood, she didn't have access to high-level information, but having stayed in the capital for a long ti, she had managed to gather so useful intel.
One piece was about a True Blood overseeing Talarya's surveillance network, "Frizia Brokolak."
"Madam Frizia is quite unique. She often takes walks during the day. It's like... she enjoys the attention of humans..."
A frivolous noblewoman who wandered around the capital in lavish attire, enjoying shopping among other activities, was her cover identity.
"I've heard her detection area is enormous. If she's in the comrcial district, her range includes even beyond the city gates. Honestly, she could probably monitor half the capital by herself, right?"
It sounded very familiar.
On the day Heinz II arrived in the capital to enroll Heinrich in the Primordial Church.
That was the True Blood he had encountered, forcing him to flee.
'Ah... I rember now. The vampire that used the Mystic Eye.'
Suddenly appearing behind him and questioning him about cannibalizing their kind, he had to escape using a summoning dismissal.
'And now, we et again.'
The mory vividly returned.
There wasn't exactly a grudge since he had managed to escape imdiately, but neither was there any fondness for her...
'Let's see each other again after a long ti.'
A cold smile ford on Heinz's lips.
Reviews
All reviews (0)