Chapter 7: Hunt
That day, I decided to face the reality I had long been avoiding.
On this side of the wall, there was a glittering heap of gold and treasures, while beyond the wall, it was as dark as smoke.
In the middle of that symbolic contrast, we sat together like a summer night’s ghost story gathering, sharing the information we had been ignoring.
As we fumbled through the ominous rumors in the dark, Daisy suddenly stood up and flung open the gates of hell.
“It’s not a rumor! That’s not a rumor!”
Her sharp shout crashed against the granite wall and echoed back again and again.
“The rumor about children disappearing every night? I saw it! I saw Kxias’ subordinates taking kids away! I saw it with my own eyes! I almost... got taken too.”
Daisy’s voice trembled, as if the terror of that moment came rushing back.
“Is that all? I also saw a whole village massacred just because they couldn’t pay taxes. I went there myself. The village... was completely empty. Relocation? It wasn’t that. There weren’t any corpses, but... when I dug into the ground, sticky crimson blood seeped out.”
And that wasn’t the end.
The tax rate kept rising, the gap between rich and poor in Kushan City widened, human trafficking ran rampant, and influential figures brazenly ‘executed’ people in the streets.
The Count Kxias I remembered had not been merciful, but at least he had abided by a minimum line of order.
Without that, ruling a city was impossible.
But the testimony pouring from Daisy’s lips was filled with madness.
“So... so we had no choice.... Us too. We never know what could happen or when. To survive in this insane city... under this insane Count, we have to somehow cling to their connections...!”
Tears welled up in Daisy’s eyes.
The reality she faced on the streets was hell itself.
And what frightened her was the fact that even our relatively safe territory was shrinking little by little.
‘So that’s why you tried to become a vampire....’
Daisy wiped away her brimming tears with a hardened expression.
Seah, who was sitting beside her, embraced Daisy and gently patted her.
“You’ve gone through a lot. Our youngest.”
“Seah unni....”
Seah Milan. Twenty years old.
She was three years older than Daisy.
Now the sole remaining heir of the Marquis House of Milan, she had always been reserved.
Usually, she sat silently with her indigo hair tied to one side, her expression blank, occupying space without a word. But when she did open her mouth, she astonished everyone with high-level intelligence and sharp insight, the sources of which no one could ever figure out.
Such a Seah now declared with certainty.
“Everything Daisy said is true. Ever since Ransen oppa ended up like that... the Count has completely gone mad. Honestly, I don’t even understand why he’s still leaving us alone.”
Daisy said that, and now even Seah was speaking like this....
It seemed Kushan City had truly fallen into ruin since the day I cut myself off from worldly affairs.
To the point where it was impossible to live with peace of mind.
Yes. This was right.
No matter how many times I thought it over.
“We’ll have to kill Kxias. For our sake. For the city’s sake.”
At my words, Burson revealed his concern.
“But... Count Kxias is strong. He was already a Swordmaster, and after he took in Delkash’s true blood, who knows how strong he’s become now....”
Burson had witnessed that blood-soaked night... the night when my four younger siblings and ten knightly uncles were all slaughtered.
I understood his fear.
But,
“This isn’t optional. What do you think Kxias will do once he finds out I’ve recovered this much?”
Everyone’s eyes widened.
The outcome was obvious.
It was an unavoidable fight.
Every month, we were required to pay taxes to Count Kxias.
And he always demanded that I personally make the tax report. Even if I was so ill that I could barely take a single step, it was a duty I had to fulfill.
When that day came, the Count would notice my recovery....
And he would crush me again.
“Burson. I understand your worries, but we have no choice. The tax report is in three weeks, right? We have to settle this before then.”
“That may be true, but....”
“Don’t worry. We’ll prepare thoroughly and carry it out. What happened that day... will never happen again.”
After making that vow, I swept my gaze across my younger siblings.
“First, we take care of Nagi.”
“Nagi? That guy from this morning...?”
“Yeah. He said he’d be back tomorrow, remember? I can’t let him see me... so we have to kill him before he comes.”
Kill Nagi, and buy time until the tax report three weeks later.
That was the first step.
“Alright. Then... I’ll come up with a plan for assassinating Count Kxias by tomorrow. Oppa, just focus on killing Nagi for now.”
Seah’s indigo eyes sparkled against her blank expression.
“Be careful. Nagi is by no means weak. Since you haven’t fully recovered yet, it could be dangerous.”
I reached out and brushed my hand lightly over Seah’s indigo hair.
“Seah. I’m Ransen, you know?”
Only then did Seah nod, as though finally reassured.
* * *
“Ha... now this is living.”
If someone saw Nagi’s face right then, they would surely smile without realizing it.
“What kind of delightful day is waiting for me today?”
That was how bright his face shone, filled with happiness without a single shadow.
It was an expression that would bring back memories of childhood days spent outside, kicking a ball and playing until sunset.
But if one shifted their gaze just a little, their thoughts could only change.
‘That bastard. Completely insane.’
I had infiltrated Nagi’s room.
The sight that spread before me made me frown without even realizing it.
Under the faint blue light of dawn streaming in, pale corpses were strewn across the room.
And right in the middle of that ghastly scene, Nagi smiled brightly.
He caressed the cheek of a stiff corpse.
“This one tasted especially good. How did you prepare it?”
“I took special care with this one. We find someone with great ambition, invest in them, give them the conviction that they’ll make a fortune in the future... then they’re in the perfect state.”
“I see. No wonder it tasted of happiness. Prepare more like this for tonight.”
“Yes.”
“Well then, shall we go see that fossil Ransen? Maybe today I’ll drain two or three kids right in front of him. What do you think?”
“But... didn’t the Lord forbid us from directly touching the Ransen Family?”
“Ah, not all of them. As long as we avoid Ransen and his eleven siblings, it’s fine. So killing any children under sixteen isn’t a problem.”
“Understood. We shall attend to it.”
The two young male and female vampires I had seen yesterday clung to Nagi like tongues inside his mouth, serving him with the utmost devotion.
It seemed bringing people, draining their blood, and killing them had become routine. They acted as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
I wasn’t exactly a good person either, but—
Killing people for fun, especially killing the very territory’s citizens who deserved protection...
That was far too much.
I hid my seething killing intent and followed after Nagi.
The place Nagi lived in was the wealthiest part of the inner city.
Beyond the neat, well-kept streets lay the commercial district, and going straight past that and over the city wall was the outer city. Our base, the Ilneon Dungeon, was located in a very remote part of that outer city.
Somewhere in between, in an abandoned district where hardly anyone passed, I stepped out and blocked Nagi’s path.
“Hm? You came to greet me yourself?”
Srrng.
There was no one else in the street. Just Nagi, his two subordinates, and me. With that, there was no need for further words.
As I slowly drew my sword from its sheath, Nagi grinned.
“What’s this? Another round? Do you think you can handle it? I won’t be letting you off like I did yesterday.”
He was sneering, until suddenly his eyes widened.
“Huh? Why do you have a hand?”
His eyes darted back and forth.
He glanced at my left foot planted firmly on the ground, then peered intently into my eyes.
“Don’t tell me... did you recover your Core? Did you take an Elixir?”
Bastard.
Suddenly speaking formally now.
Well, no wonder his gut was twisting. Yesterday, the Swordmaster he had humiliated appeared before him today with his body completely recovered.
Srrrng.
As I slowly raised my sword and took my stance, Nagi hastily drew his blade as well.
Without taking his eyes off me, he quickly issued orders to his subordinates.
“Go. Tell the Lord that Ransen has recovered his Core. Don’t run in the same direction—split up and go. As fast as possible!”
“Yes!”
Perhaps it was the heavy Aura flowing down my body, but the two male and female vampires turned their already pale, ice-like faces even whiter as they flung themselves away with all their might.
But this was a little unexpected.
“Huh. Didn’t think you’d care for your subordinates like that. I thought you’d toss them as bait and run.”
Nagi snorted.
Apparently deciding that there was no way this could be settled quietly, he abandoned his formal speech.
“You think those two could hold off a Swordmaster for even one second? I’ve got a better chance holding out myself until reinforcements arrive.”
“You think that’s possible?”
“What? Are you underestimating vampires? I’m a direct bloodline of the Count, a Noble-class.”
Nagi flaunted his pride as a top-ranking vampire, releasing torrents of Aura.
Like blood itself, bright crimson Aura unraveled from the tip of his blade in threads.
“With this body’s superior physique, my undying regenerative ability, and this vampiric Aura... even against a Swordmaster, dragging out the fight won’t be so difficult.”
“Yeah? That so?”
If he really believed that, well, then.
From the tip of my sword, dark blue Aura Threads began to unfurl in streams.
“Then take this.”
“Hm? You’re going to fight me with Aura Threads, not an Aura Blade?”
What was there to explain?
Instead of answering, I swung my sword directly at him.
Paaang!
A mass of Aura burst forth from the blade’s tip.
A long-range attack usable from High-grade Sword Expert and above—Aura Shooting.
A grin spread across Nagi’s face.
“So... your Core hasn’t fully recovered, has it?”
He was right.
Of course, my Core had healed perfectly, but the vast Aura I once possessed had not yet returned.
Just like how my right hand and left foot still felt a bit awkward when moving, my Core also needed rehabilitation.
At the moment, using an Aura Blade was a bit much.
So I brought out Aura Threads instead.
Unlike the Aura Blade, which could cut through anything, Aura Threads could be blocked if defended against....
But so what?
“Go ahead. Try blocking it.”
Flaaap!
The dark blue Aura that had been flying in a straight line suddenly twisted its trajectory right in front of Nagi, unfurling streams of Aura Threads.
Fluttering like a butterfly’s wings, curling and extending like a cat’s body, its movements were erratic and unpredictable.
Sseok!
“Huh...?”
Nagi failed to react.
My Aura fluttered like wings, scattering threads of energy as it gracefully slipped past his and burrowed in.
It sliced through his neck.
Without even glancing at Nagi, I swung my sword twice more.
Two streams of Aura shot forth like diving eagles, pursuing Nagi’s two subordinates who had already gained a fair distance.
Skaak!
“Kyaa!”
“Aaagh!”
Thud—
With just a single swing each, one by one, their heads hit the ground, and their bodies collapsed.
“H-how....”
With eyes full of disbelief, Nagi’s severed head stared up at me.
I looked down at him and answered.
“It’s the difference in Aura mastery. That’s why you’ll never be able to catch up to me.”
The reason I had become a Swordmaster at the young age of twenty-four.
The reason Knight Burson had been convinced I was a genius.
The reason why, even though Blood Count Delkash had been much stronger and commanded countless subordinates, I had ultimately managed to kill him.
My Aura mastery was unique. And even now, at least when it came to mastery, I was no different from my prime.
Aura, perfectly calculated and controlled with precision, could achieve feats akin to magic.
A half-baked fool who became a Peak Expert only by relying on the powers of a vampire was no better than a scarecrow.
“Th-that’s....”
Fwoooosh!
Nagi’s head, which had been staring up at me with empty eyes, suddenly burst into white flames.
The same happened to the two who had fallen far away.
Their corpses would be reduced to ashes and vanish completely.
Srrrng.
I sheathed my sword and turned my back.
It was done. With Nagi dead, I had bought myself three weeks until the tax report.
Now it was time to prepare to take down Count Kxias.
‘Let’s go back.’
But on the way home, I was met with unexpected news.
Daisy, panting so hard her breath caught in her throat, gasped as she delivered it.
“O-oppa! Oppa. Something terrible happened!”
“Hm? What is it?”
“The Count! Kxias! He... invited us! To the Lord’s Castle!”
An invitation...?
An invitation was a way one human expressed goodwill and favor to another.
But that was not the kind of relationship the Count and I had.
The last time he “invited” the children, I had lost my limbs and become a cripple.
And now, another invitation?
“When?”
“In three days. He said to come to the Lord’s Castle.”
Only three days from now?
Chills crept up the back of my neck.