A Terrifying First Encounter (2)

"…A trap?"

Seina tilted her head in confusion.

I didn't even glance toward the carriage as I spoke carefully.

"Listen carefully, Seina. Run straight ahead. Don't even look in that direction."

"O-Okay."

We pulled on the reins, and the horses surged forward with renewed vigor.

…The armored ones aren't right in the head, either.

There was something off about the way they moved. Like a character with a glitched script, if I had to put a name to it. And those faces—the ones that reminded me of an unpleasant jump scare—were sheer nightmare fuel.

Only one woman could be behind something like this.

Rosaria, the Blood Lord. A True Ancestor vampire rumored to possess overwhelming power—the living embodiment of merciless cruelty.

A True Ancestor wasn't someone who'd become a vampire by being bitten. It meant a being born a vampire from the very start. In other words, fundamentally different from ordinary vampires—and thousands of times stronger.

"Kyaaaaah—!"

Another fragile scream drifted from behind us, as if pleading, why won't you help us? As if urging, turn back, hurry.

You think I'd fall for that?

Thank god I could see her level. If I hadn't, I probably would've rushed to her aid without a second thought.

At this point, you might be wondering—why would she go to such lengths in the first place?

The reason was simple. She wanted to kill humans, but killing them plainly would be no fun, so she amused herself with little games like this.

In a word: a complete psycho.

I snuck a glance back. The carriage had vanished from sight before I knew it.

I let out a breath of relief.

Damn it, why is that woman even here?

Then a thought struck me. The Council of Lords. It seemed Rosaria, too, was heading toward the meeting place. Which meant that, if luck turned against me, I might run into her again.

…Absolutely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not. I need to get there as fast as possible.

Getting tangled up with Rosaria as little as possible was the healthiest thing for my continued existence. She was the Blood Lord, after all—the herald of misfortune itself.

"Whew. Can I talk now?"

Beside me, Seina finally exhaled. Honestly, she hadn't needed to hold her breath in the first place.

"Keep the pace up, but talk freely."

"Got it, Gerard. So what was that about?"

She looked up at me with a face full of unanswered questions.

"I wanted to see if you'd actually listen to me."

"So did I pass?"

Shouldn't you be asking why I abandoned her or something at this point?

Whenever I left her dumbfounded, Seina would look ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up at me with those expectant eyes.

Is she asking for an explanation?

"That woman was hiding her strength. There's no reason to help someone who's perfectly capable of fighting her way out on her own."

"Ohh, so that's why."

"Did you want me to save her?"

"Nope. If some human woman dies, I won't even blink. Honestly, watching humans die is what makes me happy."

"……."

Her answer left me speechless. Apparently she'd asked purely out of curiosity.

"Oh, but of course I want you to live a long, long time with me, Gerard. You're my master, after all."

I was grateful, but the with me part bothered me a little. Did she mean for the rest of our lives?

"Mmhm."

A black-haired woman with crimson eyes gazed out of the carriage with evident interest, watching the man and woman on horseback dwindle into the distance.

"Not helping, even though they're capable of it? What a shame."

She smacked her lips in disappointment. Most people would have righteously stepped in. Yet all he'd done was spare her a single glance. That was truly…

"Mmm, how refreshing…."

Thinking so, she broke into a wide smile.

"That man… he was startled when he saw me, wasn't he?"

Rosaria replayed the earlier moment in her mind. The man had looked at her with shock in his eyes—as if he already knew who she was. And then he'd fled in haste.

"No way! Could he have seen through me?"

She laughed—hohoho—and shook her head. A ridiculous notion. A mere human had no way of piercing her veil.

"But now, suddenly, I'm curious. What did he see that startled him so? And what face will he make when he comes face to face with death?"

The thought alone sent her into rapture—Rosaria licked her finger with a lewd, decadent expression. Then, in an instant, her face turned ice-cold as she spoke.

"Chase that man."

At her words, the eyes of the man who had attacked the carriage gleamed brightly. Immediately after, with grotesque, jerky movements, two men clambered onto horseback.

Allen Lugard von Lael Asher Rosaria. She was a predator who never, ever let prey slip through her claws once she'd set eyes on it.

This time, too, there would be no escape.

Why do I suddenly have chills?

I shuddered from head to toe. I supposed running into Rosaria earlier had shaken me more than I'd realized.

"Gerard, you look hungry."

"You're the one who's hungry."

"…N-No, I'm not."

Seina averted her eyes. I smirked and spoke up.

"Just hold out a few more hours."

"I'm telling you, I'm not hungry~!"

"Kyaaaaah!!"

Right then, a woman's fragile scream rang out.

"Gerard, look over there—!"

A lone carriage sat abandoned in the middle of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the road. A band of what looked like brigands had it surrounded, threatening its occupants.

…Don't tell me.

The levels floating above their heads were low. Thankfully, it wasn't Rosaria again. Unlike last time, these were genuinely dangerous people—not actors in some staged play.

I didn't waste a moment on deliberation. I dug my heels in hard.

"Neiiiigh!"

The horse charged at full gallop.

"Seina, take out the archers."

I called to her—she had glued herself to my side at some point.

"Can I kill them?"

I nodded. Seina shot ahead of me, then leapt clean off the horse in a single bound, landing in front of the brigands and charging straight at the crossbowmen. It was like watching an acrobat defy gravity.

"Gwaaagh—!"

"Kuhek!"

"Uuuagh!"

Carnage unfolded in an instant. Seina's body tore through the air in swift arcs, and the crossbowmen's skin ripped away like wet paper.

"F-Fuck! What the hell?!"

"Is that a beast?!"

"Everyone! Grab that bitch—!"

One werewolf, and the battlefield collapsed into chaos. The bandits abandoned the carriage entirely and threw themselves at Seina.

"Swarming a lone woman with those numbers… truly a disgraceful lot."

"Neiiiigh!"

I reined the horse to a halt, cutting off their path.

"Damn it, who are you now?!"

"If you value your lives, you'd better run. Now."

I dismounted and landed on the ground with a solid thud.

"Enough talk. I'm short on time—come at me."

"Kill that bastard too—!"

"You son of a bitch—!"

They swarmed toward me in a wave. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠One of them swung his sword in a horizontal slash, aiming for my throat.

Clang!

The moment it touched my body, the blade snapped clean in two.

"…?!"

I closed the distance and delivered a Maximization slap. The man's body shot backward at blistering speed and slammed into the ground. From the right, a war hammer came flying straight at my face.

Whereupon it crumpled like a deflated ball.

"Wh-What is this?"

"Am I seeing things?"

They stared at me, utterly bewildered.

"You're seeing exactly what you think you are."

Using Maximization, I closed the gap on them in the blink of an eye—and gave them the same treatment the first man had enjoyed.

"Wh-What are these people?! Gwaaagh—!"

"Spare me!"

"Uuuaaagh—!"

With Seina and the escort knight joining in, the whole affair was wrapped up in a matter of moments.

"That was nothing."

Seina brushed off her hands with a flick of the wrists.

"E-Everyone, are you all right?!"

Once everything had settled, the woman inside the carriage stepped out.

"We are quite all right, my lady! More importantly, are you hurt anywhere?"

"No, thanks to you two I'm safe…."

"We beg your forgiveness. Had we only been stronger…"

"Not at all. You both did more than enough. But then…"

The woman's gaze settled quietly on me.

"…Then allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Maria Brihilton. Thank you so much for saving us. If it hadn't been for the two of you, something truly terrible would have happened. Are you certain neither of you is injured?"

"We're fine."

"Never been better."

The woman let out a breath of relief before continuing.

"I truly wish to repay this debt to the two of you, but I hardly know how…"

"Well then, how about you buy us dinne—mmph!"

I clamped a hand over Seina's mouth.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but we didn't help you expecting anything in return. People ought to simply help one another, that's all."

"How humble of you. Even so, the creed of our family is that a debt of gratitude must always be repaid. I know this may be presumptuous, but please—allow us to repay you…!"

Well, if she insists this much…

"Very well. After such earnest insistence, refusing would be its own discourtesy."

Her face lit up at once.

"Thank you for your kindness."

Thanks to Maria, Seina and I were able to lodge at a high-class inn. This was the kind of establishment nobles frequented—a world apart from your average roadside inn.

"Truly… are you sure this is acceptable? You saved my life."

"It's fine. All we needed was a place to sleep."

I sliced into the steak on the table as I spoke. Being a first-rate inn, the food was outstanding. Even Seina was eating in silence, which meant it must suit her taste.

"Pardon me."

Just then, a woman strode briskly toward our table.

"I was wondering if I might join you for a moment. Would that be all right?"

!

In that instant, my heart plummeted straight into my stomach.

Another… a Lord?

It felt like I was being pranked. Lords were beings one could live an entire lifetime without ever crossing paths with—and I was seeing two of them in a single day. Was that even possible?

No… it can't be two.

No matter how I turned it over, that was impossible. The other Lords had no reason to be here.

Which meant…

.

.

.

Goosebumps began to crawl across my entire body. There was only one answer left.

Rosaria, the Blood Lord….

It was her.