Episode 53: The Truth Slowly Revealed
The vampire who came to us said he would take me and Harin to the manor where they reside.
He mentioned that ‘That Person’ he serves is waiting for me.
Not Harin, but me.
Harin was simply there beside me, so it was fine to consider her invited as well.
At first, we suspected it might be a trap, but we didn’t sense any malice from that creature.
Thinking about it, should I call them humanoid monsters? Either way, they looked somewhat human, so it felt a bit awkward to call them monsters.
Following the vampire’s lead, we arrived at a manor that looked unpleasant just by sight.
– Screech.
As soon as Harin and I arrived, the iron-bar-like door of the manor opened with a wailing sound.
– Thud.
Eventually, we saw a bat flapping in the darkness.
【Wow! You startled me. I almost dropped my heart.】
‘It’s better not to say anything that could be misunderstood.’
Chaewon, who was flying beside me, draped an arm over my shoulder.
【Hmm, I’m not sure what kind of misunderstanding you’re talking about? Are you perhaps thinking something lewd? I was just expressing that I was surprised.】
Chaewon flew over to the vampire with an annoying tone.
【Is this person really one of those species that lives by sucking blood?】
– Flap flap.
In the distance, a bat approached us.
【Wha, what is that?】
– Boom!
“Lord Alunus, are those humans over there?”
“Ah, they are the ones our ‘Lord’ was looking for. They are not humans from the place we decided to ‘raid.'”
“But don’t all humans live in the ‘Ring Guard’?”
‘Ring Guard? That’s definitely what came out of the mouths of the Apocalypse and the Black Armor…’
“… It looks a bit different. It’s really not something we, beings like us, should judge. Don’t worry about it and just get the job done well.”
“Yes, Lord Alunus.”
– Boom! Flap flap.
The sudden arrival of the woman who appeared to be a vampire turned back into a bat and left.
‘Is the name of the vampire that guided us Alunus?’
【Looks like it. That’s interesting. It actually has a name. We really are in the Gate, right?】
I suddenly thought of something.
“Um, Alunus…?”
I called out to the vampire.
“… There’s no need to use honorifics with me. I’m the one you’re looking for. We’re almost there, so please hang in there just a bit.”
“Actually, I have a little curiosity.”
“What are you curious about? I’m sorry, but I don’t have much time; I can only answer one question. Our Lord does not like to wait.”
【Only one?! That’s really stingy! I’m seeing a vampire for the first time here!】
“One, huh… Then, can you explain what the Ring Guard is?”
When the vampire Alunus heard my words, he looked a bit surprised.
“You don’t know of the human kingdoms as a human… Huh, now I understand a bit why the Lord was looking for you.”
– Snap!
Alunus snapped his fingers.
A red liquid began to swirl at the tips of his fingers and soon took on the shape of a circular map.
“Do you see? This place is the Vampire Kingdom we are in. There is no fixed country name.”
He began pointing at the blood-created map with the fingers of his other hand.
“And this place is the human kingdom you were curious about: the Ring Guard.”
【What is this? I’ve never seen a map like this in my life…】
“No, then, do you know anything about the Gate?”
“Heh, that’s it for questions. If we don’t start soon, the Lord might get angry. He is quite punctual with time.”
– Steps. Steps.
Alunus turned his back to us and started walking back into the manor.
“You, hurry up and follow. I have a bad feeling about this.”
Harin, who had only been listening to the situation, spoke up.
“Yeah, me too.”
We quietly followed Alunus into the manor.
Upon entering the manor, the unsettling atmosphere that had prevailed outside completely vanished, revealing a very clean interior.
Looking down at the floor, which was so clean that my face was reflected in it, I felt refreshingly pleasant.
Who would have thought I would feel the truth in the saying ‘the outside and inside are different’?
I noticed a maid cleaning on the second floor.
It seemed like a butler was also helping her with the cleaning.
【Huh? They don’t seem to be vampires?】
‘Right?’
The butlers and maids inside this manor were all humans like me.
They all looked worn out.
Seeing this scene reminded me of what Harin said right after we entered the Gate.
– ‘As far as I know, no one has come out unscathed after being sucked into the blackened Gate blasted by a lightning bolt.’
– ‘Wha, is that really true?’
– ‘Yes, there are indeed people who didn’t return alive, but the most important thing is the state of those who did.’
Are these people clearly the ones who didn’t return alive through the Gate?
What Harin additionally said about the people who came back alive.
Could it be that those people came out of the Gate barely alive since all their blood was drained by these vampires?
But as far as I know, one cannot exit the Black Gate without defeating the boss.
Could this also be an influence of the red Gate?
Or is it just a bizarre phenomenon caused by a distortion in space-time?
But I doubt they all exited the Gate near this manor just because they used the red Gate.
Since it is called the Vampire Kingdom, there must be vampires somewhere else besides here too.
Somehow, if this place has a System, we could be in the place with the strongest vampires.
I might have to be grateful that they are currently ‘friendly’ towards me.
I still cannot even begin to hypothesize.
There is way too little information.
Anyway, should I try to rescue these people?
“Alunus, the people here…”
“Yes, they are the same race as you, humans.”
“W-we’re also going to end up like that?”
“Haha, no. The Lord wouldn’t let someone he invited end up like that. Oh, by the way, vampires don’t have a great relationship with humans. So they capture human slaves and make them do chores in the manor. They are all fresh from the ‘Ring Guard.’ At night, they have a time to drain their blood. And if they discover a useful talent, they turn them into vampires. That’s how I became a vampire too.”
【Wow… So that’s how it is… You need to be careful.】
‘Don’t let your guard down.’
“Hmm, did I overwhelm you with information all of a sudden? You don’t really need to be that cautious. Well, it’s something you would have figured out soon anyway.”
I quickly and boldly used my ability in response to Alunus’s words, which seemed to penetrate my thoughts.
‘King’s Insight, activate.’
– Ding!
[Checking the opponent’s information.]
[Information]
Name: Alunus
Position: Vampire
– Skills Owned –
P. Bloodsucking Impulse (?) LV.1 (Max)
Bloodsucking (?) LV.30
Generate (?) LV.10 (Max)
Noble Swordsmanship (?) LV.5
Magic Explosion (?) LV.23
[The level difference between you and the living being attempting to glean information is too great, hence the skill grade cannot be confirmed.]
– Current Status –
Your feelings towards me are neutral; no positive or negative emotions exist.
==========
‘Wh-what the hell… Why is the skill level so high?’
Of course, the skill grades might be low E grades, but… I still couldn’t help being surprised by the high levels.
After all, my skill levels are still significantly low.
– Skills Owned –
Dampen-Nerf (EX) LV.1 (Max)
[After physical contact with a fellow race user, using a command reduces that target’s abilities by two stages.]
P. Blessing of the System (EX) LV.1 (Max)
[Helps the holder, Han Shiwoo, to grow. Various rewards can be obtained as he grows.]
Inheritance of Abilities (S) LV.1 (Max)
[Can inherit abilities from the corpses of living beings you have defeated. (Choose one.)]
King’s Insight (S) LV.3
[Can obtain more information. (As the level increases, the amount of information that can be obtained increases.)]
Soul Protection (S) LV.1
[Nullifies the effects of abilities causing mental damage. (Cooldown: 24 hours / Blocks only harmful effects.)]
Soul Summon (A) LV.1 (Max)
[Can summon the soul contained in a sword. (However, both parties must agree for release.)]
Invisibility (A) LV.1
[Makes the body invisible in non-combat situations. However, the duration is proportional to intelligence stats. (Intelligence stat x 5 minutes)]
Acceleration (B) LV.1
[Increases the erosion speed of debuffs affecting the ‘enemy.’]
P. Sharp Swordsmanship (D) LV.5
[Can handle swords more sharply.]
4 Consecutive Attacks (D) LV.5
[Attacks quickly four times.]
P. Drug Lord’s Blessing (D) LV.3 (Max)
[Increases the duration of beneficial effects of drugs twentyfold. (Effects of drugs stack.)]
Painless Implant (F) LV.0 (Max)
[…]
==========
… But I still have many more skills than he does.
I’m just a chick with limitless growth potential.
“Well, we have arrived. If you go in there, you will meet the Lord and his daughter. Please be cautious in your actions…”
– Creak.
As soon as the door opened, the first thing that caught my eye was the Lord’s daughter that Alunus had mentioned.
Beside her, the figure referred to as the Lord was sitting on the ‘throne’ placed high on the stairs.
There were not one but two thrones.
Perhaps that would be the seat for the Lord’s wife.
The Lord’s daughter was sitting on the throne beside it.
With black hair.
Her bright red eyes, redder than any pure blood, pierced into me.
And she appeared to be in the body of a very young child.
As a result, even while sitting in the chair, her legs, or rather, her feet didn’t touch the ground.
‘Huh? A child’s body?’
【Huh? Are you a lolicon? You shouldn’t get caught.】
‘No, I really wish she would refrain from saying things that could be misunderstood.’
“My Lord, I brought the human you mentioned. I also brought the blind lady with me, just in case.”
“… Good job, Alunus. However, there will be no further praise or reward. After all, you have committed an unforgivable sin against me. Don’t ask for forgiveness. The only thing I can say to you is that you have done well.”
“I understand well, my Lord.”
“Very well. You may leave now. I wish to have a chat with these humans for a moment.”
Nodding his head, Alunus quickly exited the room.
He must be quite the skilled individual, as he left the room without making a sound.
“Humans, before we have a deep conversation… What are your names?”
“Um, I am Han Shiwoo… And this is Baek Harin.”
Harin quietly nodded her head.
She seemed to be lost in thought about something from earlier.
“Hmm… You have a unique name. Anyway, welcome to the Violet Manor. The reason I called for you, Shiwoo, is to ask you a favor.”
“A favor—”
“I’ll get straight to the point since a long preamble can be dull. Please marry my daughter. It’s not a request but a command.”
