Chapter 201: The Five Orange Pips (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 201: The Five Orange Pips (7)
“… Haa.”
Leaving Charlotte’s side, I returned to the hideout in the back alley. I sank into an empty chair and let out a long, heavy sigh.
“This is utter madness…”
My head throbbed with a dull ache. What had I just witnessed? What exactly was lurking behind Charlotte Holmes?
…I almost lost another person dear to me.
To be honest, I carried the trauma of loss—a scar that ran deep. Even if I seemed overly sensitive, I couldn’t help it. After all, it wasn’t every day that one’s closest friends from high school vanished one by one, overnight, without a trace.
The only one who remained had met with an accident while working with me at my previous job.
Because of that, I had immediately quit—or rather, fled from that place. I lived like a recluse for a long time, until financial ruin forced me to take a job as a programmer at a game development company.
I never imagined I would be hurled into the world of the very game I was developing.
This time… I absolutely cannot lose anyone…
I had tried not to get attached. I tried to keep my head steady and my mind focused. But now that things had already spiraled out of my control, there was no turning back.
It was time to get serious before I lost the connections I had forged in this world as well.
“Where have you been, Master…?”
“…Moran.”
Shaking off my thoughts, I lifted my head to see Moran tilting her head, a look of feigned innocence in her eyes.
“Ugh… uh…”
“Kill… me…”
Had her face and hands not been splattered with crimson blood—
“Filthy, inferior sub-humans. You laughed so gleefully when you branded Blaze’s shoulder, didn’t you? Why the long faces now, hmm?”
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
“Why? From your perspective, am I not also a minority species that should be eradicated? Then why not try to burn my shoulder too? You disgusting, lowly…”
And, if the dying screams of the culprits—who were currently having their blood drained alive by Princess Clay—weren’t echoing behind Moran, she might have looked quite adorable. The Princess was behaving entirely differently than she had just a few hours ago.
“…W-What? When did you get back?”
“………”
“F-Forget what you just heard! Those were merely fabricated threats I came up with to intimidate these thugs. Don’t misunderstand…”
I ignored her flustered excuse. “Did you find out anything else?”
“Yes. I discovered that the members of their organization hold regular gatherings at a temporary residence.”
“…A temporary residence?”
As Moran had been working diligently, I reached out and silently patted her head for a moment before continuing. Unexpectedly, she had a direct answer to my casual question.
“It’s a regular meeting for the members who have infiltrated Britain. They report on the progress of their domestic operations.”
“Hmm…”
“I haven’t found the exact location yet. But it’s the most useful information I’ve managed to squeeze out of these wretches over the past few hours…”
“I see.”
As I nodded quietly, Moran noticed my expression. Her complexion darkened visibly, and she began to speak in a hurried, anxious tone.
“…I-I’m sorry for not obtaining more useful information. Should I increase the intensity of the torture?”
“…….”
“Until now, I’ve used methods that maximize pain without endangering their lives. But if I disregard their survival, there are many ways to multiply the agony several times over. That will surely—”
“There’s no need for that.”
I patted her head a few more times, then left her behind to walk toward the men tied to the chairs.
—Zzzttttt!
“Ugh… Huh…”
I sent a light spark of electricity through the man who had informed me that Charlotte Holmes was the next target. He trembled violently and began to moan.
“Why haven’t you told us the location of the gathering yet?”
“That… that’s…”
“Let’s assume you’re just a pawn, so you might not know who’s pulling the strings. But you must know where the meeting is held, right?”
“I can’t help you with that…!”
His face paled as he stammered out excuses under my blunt questioning.
“I… I don’t know the exact location… Actually, I find the direction of the meeting using the magic mark engraved on me. We’re only notified of the general area right before every gathering…”
“…Is that so?”
“S-So… if you spare me… I can take you there myself…”
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but burst into a fit of sharp laughter.
“Are you trying to negotiate with me?”
“If you kill me, you won’t get what you want. I’m just stating the facts.”
“You’re mistaken. There are plenty of people who can replace you.”
“…U-Unfortunately, that’s not the case.”
Sensing a sliver of hope, the man began to embolden himself, trying his best to capitalize on the situation.
“I’m the only one among us here who bears the mark. I-I’m the leader…”
“……..”
“Those guys can’t even attend the regular meetings without me. But I can give you what you want.”
“…Huh. I did think you smelled more strongly of mana than the others. It turns out you really are the leader.”
Princess Clay, who had been observing, silently wiped the blood off Moran’s face with a handkerchief while murmuring in a chilling tone.
“When did you start following Blaze?”
“That…”
“Forget it. Seeing as you targeted the vulnerable Blaze while I roam the back alleys almost daily—exuding a far more powerful aura—I can guess the pathetic level of your organization.”
“…….”
Stunned by her sharp words, the man fell silent.
—Swish.
“Why? Do her words upset you?”
I peered into his eyes with a narrowed gaze, leaning close to his face to whisper.
“But that’s the nature of your kind, isn’t it?”
He remained silent, unable to refute me.
“…So, where is this mark?”
“……..”
“Even if you’re a lowly leader who doesn’t know the backer or the meeting place… surely you know where the mark on your own body is, right?”
“H-Here! It’s here…!”
I smiled, provoking him further. Despite the humiliation, he extended his hand, avoiding my gaze.
“I-It’s like a compass, engraved on my hand. With this, we can reach the meeting place.”
“…I see.”
“F-For your information… if you cut off my hand, the magic will be immediately disabled. So don’t do anything rash…”
—Swish.
“……Ah?”
Ignoring his warning, I placed my finger on his hand and then lifted my own, a cold smile playing on my lips.
“T-That…”
“An organization that claims to have an archmage seems to be far too sloppy with its magic.”
“Ah…”
“…The magic wasn’t even encrypted.”
On the back of my hand, a mark identical to the one on the man’s skin now glowed.
“Yo-You can’t do anything with just a copied mark…”
“The gathering place is to the west.”
“……!”
Of course, the function was identical to the original. This entire world’s magical system had been implemented by me in the first place. Why would I be unable to copy such a simple spell?
“Now, I have no further use for you.”
“Pl-Please spare me…”
“…When you capture and kill demi-humans with your own hands, do you ever stop when you hear those exact same words from them?”
Realizing his usefulness had expired, the man’s face turned the color of ash as he begged for mercy. He fell silent for the final time as I turned away.
—Fzzzt.
“Princess, I’ve heard the vampires are running low on blood…”
I sent a jolt of electricity through his neck, knocking him out, and turned to Princess Clay. I intended to reward the most loyal vampires among her subordinates.
“Excuse me, uh… please stop now.”
“…Just stay still. Why won’t this blood come off?”
While chiding the wriggling Moran, Princess Clay continued to scrub her face with a handkerchief. I watched them, a slight smile hovering on my lips despite myself.
“Ah, don’t misunderstand. I’m wiping it off because the sweet scent of blood on her is distracting. There’s no other reason…”
“I mean, there’s really no need…”
Ever since she became my slave, she had always acted haughtily. Had she, in fact, become attached to her colleagues just as I had?
“Princess, I need your help.”
“…Eek?”
At my words, I smirked bitterly and approached, whispering into the ear of Princess Clay, who was still focused on cleaning Moran.
“Are you talking to me?”
She wore a dazed expression for a moment before looking at me with a doubtful gaze.
“…You want my help? Did the sun rise in the west today?”
“What are you saying?”
“To take me in such a mean and despicable way, and then, as time passed, you barely pay me any attention… and now you have the gall to ask for my help!?”
She began to raise her voice, her tone laced with sorrow.
“I—I am of royal blood! Yet for the past few months, I was only allowed to dress in maid’s clothes! I’ve done nothing but clean the house alone while my hands grew rough! All while you merrily embraced other women!”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Hmph, enough! You’re only trying to take advantage of me now! How detestable! Do you think I would offer help—”
It seemed I had been a bit too harsh on her. But now, there was only one way to sway her.
—Swoosh.
“Huh? Why are you pulling out a knife…”
I had no choice but to resort to my signature technique.
—Slice.
“……!?”
As I drew the blade across my own neck, the Princess’s trembling face suddenly froze in dismay.
“You didn’t need to apologize to that extent…” she muttered timidly, before suddenly biting her lip and falling silent.
Thump, thump.
Soon, she staggered toward me with a vacant look in her eyes. Her gaze grew heated as she stared at my bleeding neck.
“…Hah~”
A moment later, she bit fiercely into my throat.
“Ooougooh…”
Closing her eyes tight, she shivered in pure ecstasy.
—Click.
“…No, it’s alright.”
I carefully held her by the waist as she began to feed, surrendering my body to her. I whispered softly to Moran, who had abruptly aimed a pistol at the Princess’s head.
“………”
About a minute later.
“That’s enough, Princess.”
“…H-Huh?”
I pushed her back slightly as I whispered. Princess Clay finally regained her senses, looking at me with a dazed, flushed expression.
“J-Just a little more…”
“…….”
“…Can’t I have just a little more?”
To her, the blood running through my veins—infused with the power of a pure-blooded vampire—was like a drug, perhaps more potent than any mind-numbing substance in existence. It was only natural that she would abandon her haughty demeanor to make such a desperate plea.
“If you help me with this matter…”
I paused, letting the words hang.
“…You can feed on me.”
“……!”
It was an offer she couldn’t refuse.
“What exactly… do you mean?”
“Just as I said. I’ll grant you the right to consume my blood whenever you wish.”
“……”
“You may drain me completely at once, or if you prefer, you can feed whenever you desire. I will not refuse or resist.”
Seeing the Princess’s eyes begin to spin with longing, I knew the bait had been taken.
“So please, just help me this once.”
“…What do I need to do?”
Admittedly, the price was steep.
“Well, it’s nothing much…”
But considering the importance and the risks of the role she had to play in my plan, the reward was justified.
“You’ll be a sacrifice for the KKK.”
“…Eh?”
This role required, at the very minimum, the intelligence of the fourth smartest woman in London to be performed perfectly.
*
A few days later, on the day of the KKK’s regular meeting.
“Stop right there!”
“……..”
“What’s with the person you brought with you?”
One of the members guarding the entrance, his face twisted with annoyance, stopped a man dressed in their robes who had emerged from the shadows with a tightly bound woman.
“She’s a vampire.”
“…Wh-What did you say?”
Seeing the guard's shock, Adler responded with a voice laced with dark amusement.
“I’ve brought a vampire for everyone!”
“…Once this is over, I will truly drain you dry,” the woman hissed under her breath.
Adler ignored her, looking at the guard. “So, may we enter?”