Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: The True Ancestor in the Box
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1.
A woman curled up into a ball inside the box.
On closer inspection, it wasn't just that she was crouching.
Her posture was fixed in place by a restraint suit.
Who would've thought a beauty into bondage play would pop out of a bag dumped in a place like this?
Even the great Sedric was taken aback.
“What the hell is going on here?”
Pale peach-blonde hair like cotton candy. She looked about Arbel's age.
By the thick-or-thin dichotomy, she was on the thick side.
Her doll-like features were ethereally beautiful.
“Hmm, quite the heart-stealer.”
With her curled up small like that in the bag, the composition was a bit criminal.
Or was it?
Come to think of it, stuffing a woman into a restraint suit and cramming her into a bag was straight-up criminal from the start.
“Human trafficking?”
I reached out cautiously and pressed a finger under her nose...
It was ice-cold, like touching pork belly straight from the fridge.
But she was still breathing.
“No way... a surprise from big bro Eiming for his little bro? Did I get bad intel?”
I was utterly baffled in every way.
Then—
*Ding! Ding!*
A notification rang out.
“Fuck! That scared the shit out of me!”
Shit! I forgot to wash off my mascara, and a girly exclamation slipped out.
I checked the unconfirmed status window alert...
[Fate Encounter effect activated!]
[You have encountered a key figure in the scenario!]
Fate Encounter?
✧ [Fate Encounter]: Greatly increased chance of encountering major characters in the scenario!
That must be it.
One of the perks of Premium Fever.
It wasn't as intuitive as the other benefits, so I'd never paid it much mind until now.
This was the first time it had actually triggered.
And it popped up now, meaning...
“This girl's a key figure?”
I looked back into the bag.
Her otherworldly beauty hit me again.
That unrealistic vibe was one of a mage's hallmarks.
A piece of cargo 'abandoned for a month.' No signs of care. Locked in a box cold as an icebox.
In conditions that would've turned a normal human into a human popsicle, she was breathing fine and alive.
And right now, what I wanted most was to revive Arbel as a familiar via 'True Ancestor blood.'
So...
“No way, you're the True Ancestor...?”
Too much of a coincidence to chalk up to chance, right?
Was the status window providing that much story correction?
“...Nah, probably not.”
I dismissed it.
Think rationally.
Twilight Resource Development's lifelong dream was domesticating a True Ancestor.
Would the Golden Carp Clan toss one out in cargo and abandon it?
And not even properly secured—no guards at all?
“Probability 0.1%.”
Unfortunately, my status window wasn't that convenient.
Still, just in case...
Eiming said True Ancestors were vampires, right?
“Patient, say ahh~.”
I grabbed her soft lips like feeding a dog medicine and gently pried them up.
“......”
Long, sharp fangs that grabbed my eyes.
Not just buck teeth.
They were razor-sharp, like a beast's—completely different species.
“...This is for real?”
2.
She showed no signs of waking, so I picked up the whole bag and headed home.
The bag alone must've weighed at least 70kg with her in it.
But for me, post-circuit awakening, that was no issue.
To reiterate, circuit awakening alone naturally boosts physical abilities equivalent to about a level 1 enhancement.
“Phew...”
So the sweat beading on my chin wasn't from exertion.
I was just fucking terrified.
Objectively, it was a great situation.
The plan I'd been mulling to clear the Premium Route: kill Arbel and revive her as a vampire via True Ancestor blood.
Knowing isekai vampires only had a minor bloodlust urge with no other downsides made it even more viable.
The key here was 'True Ancestor blood.'
But that True Ancestor blood turned out to be way more special than expected.
'The True Ancestor was a pinnacle life mage at 7th rank even before sealing.'
'As a vampire, even a single drop holds infinite magical potential.'
One drop of that blood could revive a dead body as a familiar—a vampire.
Or, diluted a million-to-two like Project Z, turn tens of thousands of humans into ghouls.
'But... even sealed, the True Ancestor exerts powerful control over her own blood. Twilight Resource Development only has a tiny amount they can freely use.'
'I've never even seen it myself.'
That made farming it feel like getting your hands on a nuke.
And yet.
I picked up a True Ancestor.
Without even shaving.
This luck was ironically making me lag behind big time.
“Fuck... what are you gonna make me do now...”
One thing I'd learned living in this isekai:
When Sedric gets lucky, brace yourself.
Like when I hit the Universal Currency jackpot mid-gacha.
Or when Premium Route dropped.
This status window prick was like a jealous ex who hated seeing me succeed.
“But is she really the True Ancestor?”
Even so, was the plot being that convenient?
Could be a mass-produced vampire?
But 'Fate Encounter' triggered...
“Maybe extract some blood and feed it to Arbel first?”
That's when.
*Click click click*
The bag's locks undid themselves like in a horror flick.
*Thud*
It burst open violently before I could react.
In the center, 'it'—curled up—opened its eyes.
Her pupils moved slowly, still drowsy from awakening.
Deep, unfathomable red eyes.
The moment our gazes met, her vertically slit pupils...
“Gasp...!”
I finally got why stray dogs piss themselves at dogcatchers.
Prey instinctively knows.
That the thing before them is an absolute apex predator.
*Click click click*
The sturdy restraint suit's locks popped open on their own.
No no, don't strip that suddenly...
Freed from her bonds, she rose slowly, her disheveled pale peach-blonde long hair draped over her body.
“Was it you who awoke this concubine from her long slumber?”
Heaven above, earth below, I alone am supreme.
Her arrogant voice struck my ears, as if all creation groveled at her feet.
I knew it instinctively.
Fuck... this is the real deal!!!
Her once-cutely innocent look poured out pressure surpassing that mad samurai Kisara on Beach the instant she opened her eyes.
No doubt.
I dropped to my knees without hesitation.
In this situation... full synthetic style!!!
*Thud thud thud thud*
“Great Head of the Tsukimiya Family! This lowly human humbly seeks audience!”
This was a 7th rank mage's aura?
How could such a creature even exist? My body trembled like aspen leaves.
“Present attire befitting this concubine's station.”
A high-pitched voice brimming with dignity and charisma.
“Yes!”
Attire meant clothes, right?
Seemed about Arbel's size...
I quickly grabbed the qipao from the brothel and the golden panties from Eiming.
“I present them!”
I offered them reverently with both hands, then prostrated again.
*Zip!*
A small whoosh, then burning pain in my left ear.
Blood trickled down my earlobe.
The tip was torn off like a rat bite.
“Have you lost your mind? Daring to dress this body in rags from those vulgar three clans?”
Why! It's pretty as hell!
That's exclusive wear for the red-light district's top girls!
“G-give me a moment, and I'll go fetch new clot—”
“Silence, human.”
“......”
Okay. I get why she got couped and sealed now.
Total psycho bitch.
“Why is this material so shoddy? Ripped from a corpse?”
“I never imagined I'd have to receive Master so suddenly! I prostrate my head thrice in deepest apology!!!”
“Hmph. To think the first place I open my eyes after so long is such a hovel.”
Despite her complaints, I heard rustling as she dressed.
“You may raise your head.”
I looked up. The True Ancestor gazed down at me in a qipao with excessive side slits, her slender legs on display.
Her face soured, displeased with the whole ordeal.
A panty flew into my face.
“To call this underwear? Do I look like a joke to you?”
Especially disliked the Golden Carp Clan's sheer panties, it seemed.
“Your sin of neglecting this concubine deserves ten thousand deaths... but the air of this mundane world is refreshingly invigorating after so long. I grant mercy—do not take this grace lightly.”
“Your benevolence overwhelms me!”
Seemed we'd gotten past it somehow.
This was seriously bewildering.
What the fuck was happening.
But sudden or not, I had to keep my wits.
This wasn't just any True Ancestor before me.
She was the key to clearing this run—and had the potential to fuck my first run too.
Whether Twilight Resource Development flipped out over her disappearance.
Or why this almighty True Ancestor popped out of Golden Carp cargo.
Plenty of time to figure that later.
“Still, you thoughtfully prepared a meal.”
Her musing snapped me out of it.
The True Ancestor licked her lips at Arbel.
Eyes gleaming with hunger.
Right, she's a vampire.
No! Don't you dare eye her! Arbel's mine!
I bowed my head frantically.
“Master, drink my blood instead.”
“This concubine has no interest in lowly male blood.”
“This girl's my sister. She's on the brink and drugged up, so her blood tastes like shit.”
The True Ancestor twitched a brow like 'How dare you talk back?' but eyed Arbel and nodded agreeably.
“Indeed. She looks hardly fresh.”
“Right? It'll ruin your appetite.”
She approached me and beckoned with a finger.
“Bare your nape.”
Her fangs gleamed especially sharp.
Suddenly scary.
She gonna drain me dry and kill me?
“Kneel lower. Too high.”
She smacked my forehead with her palm.
This short-fused bitch.
“Master, everything's fine, but... you're not gonna suck me till I die, right?”
“Hah...”
No answer—just fangs sinking into my neck.
Not as painful as expected.
But her soft, plush lips, her tongue wriggling like licking a wound... it was weirdly erotic.
Her breath tickled my nape.
She smelled faintly of antiseptic.
*Slurp... slurp... slurp...*
Capri Sun sounds.
*Gulp gulp gulp*
Thick liquid sliding down a throat.
*Slurp... schluuuurp...*
Losing blood made me drowsy.
I'm sleepy...
But how long is she gonna suck?
*Slurp... slurp... slurp...*
“Uh, hello?”
I tried nudging her away lightly.
She didn't budge.
*Schluuuurp... schluuurp... schluuuurp...*
“Hello? I'll bleed out at this rate?”
I pushed her forehead in frustration, but she clung like a cat slurping yogurt, eyes wide.
Even with her eyes rolling back, she wouldn't detach.
*Schluuurp! Schluuuurp! Schluuuurp!*
Stop stop stop stop! Fuck, how much are you drinking!
“I'm dying! I'm gonna die!!!”
Only after I screamed did she finally pull off.
“Tch, such a wimp for a man.”
She wiped her mouth and grumbled.
“For a man.... Urp! You offered blood to this concubine—consider it your family's honor.”
“......”
Can't you at least say it was tasty?
Her little burp mid-sentence pissed me off to no end.
Anyway...
Her belly was full now.
People get happy with full stomachs.
Even judges go lenient after lunch.
Vampires too, probably.
Perfect timing to ask or beg her to revive Arbel, right?
“Why stand there gawking?”
She chided me like a dizzy recruit.
“Huh?”
“This concubine's meal is over.”
So what, bitch? Gonna do the dishes?
“Dessert?”
“...Pardon?”
“Mochi and matcha?”
Mochi and matcha, my ass.
This is Necropolis! You bullet-to-the-head bitch!
Suppressing my rage, I said,
“Master, strawberry mochi or red bean?”
Gotta save Arbel first!