Chapter 62. Vampire (1)
"What, what are you saying, Sir Yulian?"
Upon hearing my words, Byron was visibly shaken, his pupils trembling noticeably.
"Didn't I tell you? Cause some trouble here."
"D-didn't I say as well? This is the 'Blood Demon Order's' territory..."
"Yes."
"They don't show mercy in territorial disputes, no matter what..."
I smiled at Byron, whose voice seemed to shrink as if he were crawling. His frightened demeanor made him retreat a step backward.
"That's exactly what I want."
The underground organization known as the 'Blood Demon Order' operates a major fairy in the capital, which means they typically don't exert force in other areas.
However, they are just as meticulous with territory disputes as they are with running their brothels.
"Today, I've come to meet the boss. Even if an outsider like me causes trouble, the 'Blood Demon Order' won't be concerned."
Gulp.
Byron swallowed hard.
"That's why I brought you along. You, a member of the 'Six Fingers'."
"... What are you planning to do once you call him out?"
Well, it's all to lay the groundwork so I can shadow Hayden Reich.
Since the 'Blood Demon Order' runs brothels frequented by 'powerful' people, various pieces of information gather there.
But their information-gathering prowess isn't merely from discreet entertainments.
Perfect tracking and surveillance—that's what the 'Blood Demon Order' is capable of.
'The Sword Saint didn't even make a move as the Black Knight—so why the hell did he fly off to Fernand?'
That's what I wonder. It's simply not something our noble main character would do.
"It's classified information."
I lowered my voice slightly and spoke, so Byron began to move his lips slightly.
"T-then promise me one thing, Sir Yulian."
"What is it?"
When I cast my gaze upon him, Byron swallowed again before speaking with difficulty.
"If, if those 'Blood Demon Order' guys come, will you, Sir Yulian, take care of them?"
"Of course."
When I smiled, he awkwardly walked towards the center of the road. Watching him, I checked the hood I had donned once more.
I wondered how quickly the 'Blood Demon Order' would react...
"U-AAAAAH!"
Hm? What in the world?
Just as I was about to check the hood I had on, Byron screamed and collapsed in front of me.
"S-Sir Yulian! I-it's the Vampire...!"
Even though his entire body was covered in mud from rolling on the ground, he hadn't lost consciousness and spoke resolutely while crawling toward me.
No, this quickly? I never imagined they'd show up before Byron even drew any attention.
Looking up, I saw, as the rumors said, a giant over nine feet tall.
"Byron, how dare you, a member of the 'Six Fingers', intrude into our territory without permission? Did you think we wouldn't notice?"
At the low, deep voice of the 'vampire', Byron shivered and hid behind me with a groan.
"Seeing that even that giant recognizes you, it seems you really are well-connected."
"I-I told you, Sir Yulian!"
Hearing Byron's pleading voice, the 'vampire' tilted his head slightly in confusion.
"Yulian...?"
At his question, I removed the hood I was wearing.
"Vampire, as the rumors say, you're a giant over nine feet tall."
"The Mad Dog of the Imperial Intelligence Agency, 'Blind Eyes'. Heh, you don't look nearly as impressive as the rumors say."
The 'vampire' sarcastically sneered, his low, deep voice almost ill-fitting for him.
"With a build like that, your mother must have had a hard time."
"Did you come all the way to such a shabby place just to crack such trivial jokes?"
"Of course not."
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Today, I came to see the boss of the 'Blood Demon Order'."
Hearing that I'd come to see the boss, the 'vampire' with a nine-foot stature flinched.
"S-Sir Yulian... the boss of the 'Blood Demon Order' is the guy standing right in front of you!"
Unable to see the situation clearly, Byron shouted while looking at the guy in front of us.
Even though he's well-connected, it seemed he didn't know the internal secrets of the 'Blood Demon Order' and assumed the giant in front of us was their boss.
"I don't know what you're talking about. The commander of the Blood Demon Order is me."
He's still pretending to the end. As I looked at the giant, I reached to the sword sheath at my waist and lightly tapped it.
"Are you someone who doesn't understand words? Should I teach you manners by force?"
Knowing 'Yulian's' notorious reputation, he should have been terrified by now.
I wished he would surrender to my provocation since I'd rather avoid a fight.
"Then let me teach you the etiquette of the Blood Demon Order."
At that moment, from somewhere, the 'vampire' donned gloves embedded with spikes and swung his fist at me.
It seemed my provocation had sparked his competitive spirit rather than fear.
Watching his approaching fist, I quickly drew the 'Moonstone Sword' and channeled aura through it, deflecting his direct punch at an angle.
"What...!"
The shock on his face indicated he had been quite confident about his punch, leaving him bewildered when it got deflected.
However, without stopping there, I twisted the Moonstone Sword and stabbed it between the gaps of his gloves.
It was surprising that this entire process happened automatically, out of habit rather than conscious thought.
"Argh!"
Apparently, he couldn't endure the pain of feeling it after a long time and let out a groan.
Once again, the distorted face of the 'vampire' came into view.
"How does it feel now? Can you answer properly?"
Though my tone was one of derision, it was my version of a peaceful approach. Of course, it also reflected 'Yulian's' personality.
Crunch──!
Amidst the sound of flesh tearing, blood gushed out between the gaps of his gloves like a fountain.
It seemed he intended to exert force to prevent me from pulling out the sword that was embedded in him.
'Quite the tough guy.'
I infused the Moonstone Sword with 'Sombra', causing small sparks to fly from the blade. The conflicting power of two elements resisted each other.
"AAAH!"
A roar fitting for a nine-foot frame. I thought a giant was being born.
It must have hurt tremendously. After all, it was the power of a tri-horned demon's Soul Stone combined with my aura.
"Huff... huff."
The 'vampire's' right hand was in shambles. Despite that, the fighting spirit in his eyes didn't wane.
Would I need to inflict more damage to hear the response I wanted?
Just when such thoughts crossed my mind, and I was about to increase the power of the 'Moonlit Sword', it happened.
"P-please stop!"
A somehow youthful voice. Hurriedly, its owner ran up to me.
A young boy, shivering with fear, conveyed someone's message.
"The Madame wants to see you, Sir Yulian."
***
The moon in the sky warded off the dense darkness, and the croaks of crickets and owls from the forest added a touch of elegance to the otherwise silent night.
Simultaneously, the cool night breeze, transmitted through the trees, gave me a sensation as if I had become a celestial being, as I walked along the wide-open path.
【Bright Moon Pavilion】
Before long, a small signpost and large building appeared in my view.
The Bright Moon Pavilion (明月館), brothels operated by the Blood Demon Order.
The building's appearance, brightening the night like a sleepless city, was indeed alluring.
Like a lantern set to attract insects.
'It's my first time actually seeing it.'
This wasn't my first encounter with the 'Bright Moon Pavilion'. In 〈Let's Kill the Demon King Now〉, this place could be visited depending on player choices.
But to meet the madame of this place or, rather, the boss of the 'Blood Demon Order', guidance from an insider is necessary.
'That's why I went through the trouble to visit the slum.'
As expected, isn't this a place frequented by the 'high and mighty'?
If I attracted undue attention, my already not-so-good reputation might plummet to the worst.
"The M-Madame is on the 5th floor."
The boy who guided me from the slum walked ahead, then boarded the elevator inside the Bright Moon Pavilion.
Of course, it wouldn't be electrical, but powered by resonant stones, yet given how long it has been here, the elevator... felt strangely unfamiliar.
Before long, we reached our destination, and the doors of the elevator opened.
'... What an overwhelming scent of perfume.'
As I stepped inside, the pungent smell of perfume, enough to wrinkle my nose, filled the air.
Long blackout curtains draped down, and beneath them, a slightly distinguishable presence was apparent in the form of red hair.
"Miss T'alle, I have brought Sir Yulian."
Unperturbed by the strong scent, the boy spoke politely.
"Is that so? You've come sooner than expected."
With an enticing voice, the red hair visible at the base moved smoothly as if it were liquid, revealing the curtain being drawn back.
"Nice to meet you, Yulian."
The woman called T'alle, she was the madame of the 'Bright Moon Pavilion' and the real boss of the underground organization, the 'Blood Demon Order'.
"I hear you gave Arthur quite a lesson?"
Arthur? Ah, she must be referring to the 'vampire' I met in the slum.
"Yes, for a guard dog, his manners were lacking."
"Guard dog? 'Vampire' is a legitimate commander of the Blood Demon Order."
"That nickname is amusing. Especially since the real 'vampire' lies elsewhere."
Smirking as I spoke, trale's composed expression wavered slightly.
"Eren, leave us for a moment. I've grown to wish for a conversation alone with our guest."
With a wave of her hand, trale dismissed the guide boy, who bowed politely and returned to the elevator.
Once alone in the room, trale reached out and grabbed a glass set on the table.
A glass containing a crimson liquid. For an ordinary person, it might be seen as red wine, but it's not.
Blood.
Human blood, no less.
'So that's why the heavy perfume odor, to mask the scent of blood.'
T'alle Genid'a Bathory.
She's not human.
To be precise, it's more accurate to say she ceased to be human due to some special reason in the distant past.
She's a vampire.
The race that lives in darkness and feeds on human blood.
In fact, the 'Blood Demon Order' is an organization she formed to easily procure blood in the slum.
"..."
After a moment, she let out a seductive sigh from her crimson lips.
It was unclear whether they were naturally so red or stained by the blood she had just consumed, but somehow, they exuded an alluring charm that captivated the heart.
"Eren?"
T'alle called the boy's name again. Receiving no reply, she finally stood up.
"Ahem."
Clearing her throat momentarily, she spoke.
"... Sir Yulian."
For some reason, her tone was more polite than when she had greeted me initially.
"I apologize for my impudent remarks earlier; I had subordinates watching."
"Is that so?"
"Yes... I'm very sorry."
T'alle bowed her head.
Despite the sharp difference in attitude compared to when I entered with the boy, I found it oddly familiar.
Typically, a character like 'T'alle' is one who understands her position well.
While in most fantasy settings, vampires consider themselves superior and view humans as mere bloodbags, this world does not entertain such perceptions.
Near extinction, these creatures, likewise hostile to 'demons' like humans, lost high-ranking pureblood vampires against the Demon King's rise, leaving only the younger vampires with unmanifested powers surviving.
They hunted humans for the vast amount of blood needed to protect themselves from 'demons' but were instead hunted under royal orders—a tragic fate.
What do creatures, forced to blend into human society to ensure their species' safety, fear the most?
"Please ensure that 'Blind Eyes' do not hear of this..."
Precisely, public authority.