Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 77: Shedia (3)

The Hero is special.

He is a mighty warrior, a brilliant mage, and a devout cleric all at once.

It means he can be anything he sets his mind to.

The Hero, having lived through a dark fantasy, understood this well.

He wasn't a master who had perfected a single craft, but an all-rounder who could do anything.

[All Curse]

An intangible mana flowed from Cloud, once again enveloping the vampires. The mana shackles, now thicker than before, significantly degraded their physical abilities.

"What is this?!"

"It's hard to manipulate my blood energy...!"

"Leader! Something's wrong!"

Panic spread among the vampires. They, who prided themselves on their superior physical prowess, couldn't help but be flustered as their bodies suddenly grew heavy.

Amidst the chaos, Cloud took a single step forward.

The only reason he hadn't broken through the vampires' formation was to push his body to its limits for the first time in a while. If he didn't let loose like this occasionally, he feared his senses might dull.

But the moment the word "lunchbox" left that vampire's lips, all of that took a backseat.

Lunchbox.

A term for captured humans.

It was a word frequently used not only by vampires but by any creature that practiced cannibalism.

And Cloud despised that word.

"You idiots! Snap out of it! The Hero is on the move!"

Rowan's roar finally brought the vampires to their senses. But by the time they regained their composure, Cloud had already appeared before one of them.

Cloud raised his sword.

The vampire who saw it smirked.

Is that it again? What a simple pattern.

The vampire shot a glance at his comrades on either side. Understanding the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠signal, the two vampires moved. Once he blocked the attack, they would strike Cloud from both flanks.

They had defended against Cloud's charges this way every time.

But this time was different.

The vampire realized this as he watched his own sword shatter with ease.

It was the last thing he ever saw.

Drake-style Strong Swordsmanship.

[Tree Splitting]

The vampire was cleaved in two.

The two vampires who had been charging forward faltered at the gruesome sight of the bisected corpse.

Cloud did not miss that brief opening.

Drake-style Swift Swordsmanship.

[Leaf Cutting]

A sword strike, too fast for the eye to follow, swept across the bodies of the two ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠vampires.

"Huh?"

"What the...?"

By the time they realized what had happened, it was too late.

Sssshhhlick!

Their wounds split open, and blood sprayed out like fountains.

The two vampires clutched their injuries as they collapsed or crumpled to the ground.

Cloud's sword moved once more.

The head of a vampire groaning in pain was cleanly severed.

"Fire!!"

At Rowan's voice, Cloud turned his gaze.

Spears of blood, larger than before, were flying toward him.

Should I dodge?

Why bother?

Cloud placed his thumb and middle finger on the flat of his blade, near the hilt. He then slid them swiftly up the length of the sword. Red flames erupted in the wake of his fingers.

Cloud spun the sword as if it were a spear.

The flames on the blade created a large circle.

Eredna Magic Swordsmanship.

[Fire Wheel Sword]

The blood spears couldn't penetrate the flames of pure mana and simply melted away.

After all the spears had dissolved, Cloud charged toward the vampires. His body, strengthened by two blessings, generated explosive speed.

In contrast, the vampires, their physical abilities diminished by two curses, couldn't properly adapt to their weakened bodies.

Every time a line of fire was drawn, a vampire's arm, leg, or head went flying.

Rowan couldn't believe his eyes.

Is that the same guy from before?

It was true that the first squad hadn't been able to subdue Cloud for four hours, but the reverse was also true. That bastard hadn't been able to do anything to them either.

But what was this unfolding before him now?

What was this thing, slaughtering vampires with an icy expression?

As fear began to consume him, Rowan shook his head violently, forcing himself to focus.

If he lost his nerve here, it was over.

I'd retreat if I could.

Even if Rowan were to join the fray now, it didn't seem like it would change the situation.

Anyone in their right mind would retreat.

But retreat was not an option he could choose.

If it weren't for the Master's orders...!

For the Family, the True Ancestor's command was absolute.

They could not return to the Family until the order was perfectly executed. More importantly, if they returned in this state, they might face a fate worse than death at the hands of the enraged True Ancestor.

Rowan's gaze shifted to Shedia.

"You. I heard that despite your filthy bloodline, you're quite skilled. Go stop the Hero. Now."

Rowan didn't know Shedia's true capabilities.

He simply decided to deploy her, thinking there must have been a reason the True Ancestor had assigned her to them.

If she was truly skilled enough to subdue the Hero, that would be for the best. If not, she could at least buy them ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠some time.

However, a complication arose.

Shedia didn't move, despite Rowan's command.

"What are you doing? I told you to go."

"I was told to stay put."

Don't do anything stupid and stay put. That's what Rowan had told Shedia before the battle began. Remembering this, Rowan clicked his tongue.

"I retract that order. I'll command you again. Subdue that Hero at once."

Shedia shook her head.

"You're not my master. If you're not my master, you can't give me orders."

"You little bitch...!"

Rowan gritted his teeth.

He wanted to teach this insolent wench a lesson, but right now, he couldn't even spare the time.

"Aaargh!"

While they were talking, his squad members were dying.

Retreat is impossible, and so is fighting. What should I do...

Clenching his fists and stewing in frustration, Rowan suddenly thought of a brilliant idea.

Damn it, why did I only think of this now?

It was such a simple method that he felt stupid for not realizing it sooner. Rowan dashed into the forest.

Three daggers flew at him, but he had anticipated them and managed to dodge by rolling on the ground.

After a short run, he found the "lunchboxes."

Humans, tied to trees.

Rowan grabbed the youngest among them, a little girl.

"N-No! Eat me instead!"

"No, me! Eat me! I have more meat on my bones than a child!"

A few of the humans screamed for him not to take her, but Rowan ignored them and dragged the child away.

He tried to return as quickly as possible, but...

"Son of a bitch."

The situation had already devolved into the worst-case scenario.

Only three vampires were left alive.

The rest were corpses littering the ground, and Shedia was still just watching the scene unfold.

Swallowing his boiling rage, Rowan shouted at Cloud.

"Stop! Hero, if you don't want to see this brat die, drop your weapon now!"

Cloud's gaze shifted to Rowan.

Rowan was holding the small girl by the neck, pressing a sharp fingernail against her tiny throat.

The child trembled as she saw the nail about to touch her. When it finally made contact, lightly breaking the skin, she burst into tears.

"Have you no vampire pride?"

Cloud sighed.

"I'll have to meet your master someday. How does he train his subordinates? Ah, do you happen to know a guy named Howl?"

"What bullshit are you spouting? Just drop the weapon already!"

"Alright, alright. Just move your nail away."

Cloud placed his sword on the ground.

Confirming this, Rowan gestured to the three remaining vampires with his eyes. They nodded and approached Cloud.

The moment they were about to grab him, Cloud kicked the vampire in front of him and struck the other two in the solar plexus with both arms. The one he kicked fell to the ground, while the other two doubled over. Cloud stomped on the fallen one's neck with his foot and snatched the other two by their necks with his hands.

It all happened so fast that not only the three vampires but even Rowan failed to react.

"Wh-What are you doing?! Do you want to see this brat die? Let them go, now!"

"You're the one who should let her go if you don't want to see these bastards die. Hey, you. Even think about extending your nails, and I'll snap their necks right here."

The vampires in Cloud's grasp retracted their claws.

Rowan ground his teeth.

"Fuck. Are you fucking kidding me right now?!"

"Kidding? Does this look like a joke to you?"

Crack.

Cloud put force into his leg, and the neck of the vampire pinned under his foot snapped.

"You bastard!!!"

"Wipe that look off your face. Before I break the necks of the other two."

"...Do you really need the little girl to die before you come to your senses?"

"If the child gets hurt, not only will these two die, but so will you. And it goes without saying, your death won't be an easy one."

"Hngh..."

Rowan fell silent.

The reason he couldn't kill the child wasn't because of his subordinates. It was because he knew that if the hostage died, he would surely die too.

Useless bastards! They should have used their blood magic to subdue him, why did they just walk up to him!

He knew they couldn't help it because their blood energy was depleted, but he couldn't help but resent his incompetent underlings.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Rowan looked at Cloud and said, "Alright. Then let's compromise..."

"No. There's no compromise."

Rowan frowned.

"What? What do you mean..."

Before Rowan could finish his sentence, a sharp blade pierced through his chest.

"Gack...?!"

Rowan stared in shock at the sword protruding from his chest. Swallowing the blood that surged up his throat, he slowly turned his head.

The one who had stabbed him in the back was Shedia.

When did she get behind me?

No, more importantly, why...?

Why would Shedia stab him?

The only thing that came to mind was betrayal. As expected of her filthy bloodline, repaying kindness with vengeance.

Rowan's trembling lips parted.

"How dare you betray the Master... You won't die a peaceful death..."

"Dead men tell no tales. The Master will never know."

"You goddamn bitch!"

Rowan mustered his remaining strength, intending to swing his arm at Shedia.

Shedia twisted the sword she had plunged into him.

His heart ruptured, Rowan could hold on no longer and collapsed.

Shedia pulled out her sword, then pushed Rowan's corpse aside.

The child who had been held hostage just moments before came into view.

"Sob... sniffle..."

The girl who was always chattering noisily was gone, replaced by a child trembling in terror.

"..."

Shedia slowly reached her hand toward the child's head.

She had intended to pat her head to calm her down.

But Shedia's hand never reached the child's head.

"W... Waaaaah!"

The child ran off, crying, in the direction of her parents. Startled, Shedia took a step to follow but then stopped. She looked down at her own hand.

It was covered in blood.

The cold blood of a vampire.

With this, she couldn't give the child the same warm feeling her older sister had once given her.

She scrubbed her hands clean on Rowan's pants, then began to warm them with her breath.

"..."

Cloud, who had been watching this silently, sighed and used the Ogre's pattern.

Crack. Crack.

He broke the necks of the two remaining vampires and headed in the direction the child had run. Even as Cloud walked past her, Shedia remained focused on cleaning and warming her hands.

*

"Thank you, Sir Hero. Thank you!"

"It's nothing. I didn't help you that much."

"Not only did you defeat those ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wicked vampires, but you also escorted us safely back to the village. How could we not thank the person who saved our lives?"

"It was really nothing, so please don't. It makes me uncomfortable."

Only after I waved my hands and insisted did the villagers stop bowing.

"What are your plans now?" I asked, looking at the ruined village.

"...Burying the dead comes first, I suppose. After that, we're thinking of moving to the next village. We've been on good terms with them, so I doubt they'll turn us away. We still have some assets left in the village, so we won't starve. So please, Sir Hero, you don't need to worry."

The man smiled and shook his head.

But as someone who had indirectly caused this incident, I wanted to help them somehow.

I took a piece of parchment from my backpack, wrote on it with a pen, and then slit my palm with a dagger.

"Sir Hero?!"

The villagers were horrified by my sudden self-harm, but I paid them no mind, took out my Hero's Badge, and smeared it with blood. Then, I pressed the blood-soaked badge onto the bottom of the parchment like a seal.

"Please take this."

I handed the rolled-up parchment to the man.

The man who received it wore a look of confusion.

"What... did you just do? And what is this?"

"Take this to any city and show it to an administrator. They'll grant you citizenship. They'll also provide financial support to help you get settled in the city."

"W-What?!"

The villagers' eyes widened as they stared intently at the parchment.

"I-Is that really true?"

"You saw me smear blood on some kind of badge and use it as a seal, didn't you? That will prove that this letter was written by the Hero."

A letter from the Hero.

The man's eyes trembled as he understood its value.

The villagers' faces brightened.

They must have felt relieved at the thought of living within sturdy city walls.

Especially after what they had been through.

"Th-Thank you, Sir Hero!"

The villagers bowed their heads repeatedly.

"Thank you!"

The children, who had been standing there blankly, copied the adults and bowed as well.

"There's no need to thank me. His Majesty the King is footing the bill, anyway."

I had written in the letter that the king would cover the citizens' relocation costs. The king would probably clutch the back of his neck when he found out later... but considering it was the price for his son's life, it was cheap.

Damn right it was.

I left the village, sent off by the enthusiastic farewells of the villagers.

I walked along the road until I was a good distance from the village, then stopped.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to the kid? Isn't that why you were cleaning your hands?"

"...None of your business."

I turned my gaze in the direction of the voice.

A woman in a form-fitting black outfit was sitting at the top of a tree.

It was Shedia, the woman who had been scrubbing the blood from her hands.

"What are you going to do with me?"

"I'm going to kill you."

"Why?"

"Because I saw you kill Rowan."

"Are you confident you can kill me?"

"Yes."

Shedia leaped down from the treetop. Despite the considerable height, she landed without a single sound. She drew two short swords from her waist.

"Because it's night."

She charged toward me at high speed.

I pulled the moonstone necklace from my pocket and showed it to her.

"It's a moonstone!"

"?!"

Shedia's eyes widened.

"Fetch!"

I hurled the moonstone necklace toward the river.

Screeeech!

Shedia slammed on the brakes, changed direction, and dove toward the river without hesitation.

The moonstone necklace and Shedia grew closer.

Her expression brightened with every passing moment, and just as the necklace was about to fall into her hand...

"Heave-ho!"

I yanked on the string I had tied to the moonstone necklace.

As the necklace was pulled toward me, Shedia's hand grasped at empty air.

She watched the necklace fly away with the face of someone who had lost their country.

Then, she plunged into the river with a splash.

"Heh heh."

I chuckled, snatching the necklace out of the air.

Stupid puppy.