Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Mountain Range Escape (3)
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Harley first let the power he'd raised to conserve energy settle back down as he quickly assessed the situation.
Its presence had been so overwhelming that he'd detected it, but it was still quite a distance away, and the thing's speed wasn't all that fast either.
'At this speed, about ten minutes from now? Pretty average compared to the power I'm sensing. Must be one hell of a big brute.'
The fact that it could sense the commotion of battle through the interference of the magic tools from that far away meant its detection abilities were better than expected.
Harley turned his head to look at his companions, who still hadn't noticed the approaching threat.
"Hoo... hoo. No, Harley! What the hell was that? I knew you were strong, but I had no idea you were this strong! That flying axe too!"
"There really is a reason behind that infamous... no, legendary reputation. Looking at you now, the rumors feel understated."
"...Way beyond... expectations..."
Even as they hurriedly regrouped in their exhausted state, they were spouting their usual easygoing flattery.
"Sob... Bordo... to come this far only to..."
"...No helping it, Hans. Let's at least gather his belongings first."
"My friend... I promised I'd buy you enough beer to burst your gut when we got back..."
The rangers and dwarves, sunk in grief before the body of their fallen comrade.
"Marcus, how far do we have left? You said it wasn't much longer, right?"
"There were too many battles. Of course we'd be delayed. Still, we should be out of the mountains within the day."
And those discussing what came next.
With their wealth of experience, the group was already preparing to move out right after the fight ended, each handling their tasks...
But no matter how he looked at it, the situation wasn't good enough for an immediate clash with a powerful foe.
If it were just him alone, maybe, but if they ran into that thing now, they wouldn't last long before getting wiped out.
'No good like this. We need more time.'
It was a hopeless situation, but fortunately, there was someone in the group who could turn it around.
Harley clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention and spoke gravely.
"Hahaha—! Friends? Bad news—we're not in great shape right now, so we gotta move fast!"
...The lingering effects of his berserk state made his tone more exaggerated than usual, but that wasn't important now.
"Harley? What now? Don't tell me..."
Given the circumstances, the others seemed to be thinking the same thing, focusing more on his words than his speech pattern.
None of Harley's warnings so far had been wrong, after all.
The group's relaxed mood instantly tightened with tension.
He gave a brief explanation to the others, who had already finished preparing to move and were watching him.
And at his words, one person immediately stepped forward...
"Ten minutes? Five is all I need!"
It was Jaonik, the dwarf who'd already dodged a monster once before.
***
The Azerion Empire, located in the central continent.
Tobeia City, one of the imperial territories directly under the capital Jelon, was a fair distance from the capital but prospered as a key transportation hub in its own right.
Clop clop clop—
A carriage crossed through the city's affluent district and stopped in front of a mansion's main gate.
Moments later, the carriage that passed through the open gates skipped all subsequent security checks and sped straight inside.
Finally, it came to a halt before the building after crossing the garden, and the door opened...
Swish—
From within emerged a beautiful woman with glossy pink hair neatly arranged, stepping down carefully.
With a soft smile on her innocent face, she looked around before walking calmly into the mansion.
"You've arrived, miss."
"It's been a while, Terry. Do you know what Andrew's up to right now?"
"He's in the playroom. Shall I let him know?"
"Yes, tell him I'll be waiting in the study on the second floor."
"Understood."
She naturally returned the greetings of the mansion's servants as she made her way up to the second floor and strolled down the hall.
The moment she entered the restricted area off-limits to anyone without permission.
Bzzz—
A strange vibration hummed as a special barrier's resonance briefly swept over her body.
And then.
Like swapping out a mask, the benevolent smile on her face instantly twisted into a sticky, sultry grin.
"Hmm~ Looks like Olivia's finally making her move? This could be a hassle."
She glanced out the hallway window and murmured softly.
She'd anticipated this ever since the undead stirred, but now that it was reality, it grated on her nerves more than expected.
She fully acknowledged the woman's abilities, having once been her ally.
A reliable comrade, but an even more unwelcome foe—Banshee Queen Olivia.
Ghostly undead were typically aggregates of specific obsessions, their inherent malice making them easy for strong enough foes to detect.
'But the ghosts under Olivia's command are different. She can temporarily strip away all thoughts except the specific intent to gather information for her.'
Simple spirits devoid of unique desires or malice were tricky to sense in the first place.
Of course, that dulled their cognition and discernment, making it hard to sift useful intel...
But that was one of Olivia's strengths too.
The pink-haired woman organized her thoughts as she walked down the hall.
Thanks to her innate nature, she could detect them more easily than most, but few others would notice so readily.
'Well, humans aren't incapable of learning. They won't match the previous generation's feats.'
With extra care on barriers, they could block intrusions, and the upper echelons—who already knew the Immortal King had revived—would have fortified key sites.
She'd done the same herself.
The mansion-wide barriers were standard, and this section she'd just entered was rigged with every security measure imaginable.
Slam—
She opened a door at the end of the hall and entered the study.
'The current Immortal King's goals are probably the same as before, so Olivia's moving accordingly.'
Turning the continent into a land of death was as instinctive as breathing for an Immortal King.
They gained immense power absorbing the Immortal King's heart, only to become obsessed, blindly chasing even greater might.
'But things are different now. The forces entrenched everywhere, the Church's expanded influence... It'll probably end with heavy losses, just like last time.'
And that was exactly what they in the Oath of Reverse Heaven wanted.
It was why she'd ignored the Immortal King's call and burrowed deeper into hiding.
'I have zero interest in rejoining that undead army. Filthy, stinking, and no tasty treats.'
Three hundred years ago, she'd been summoned to the surface and somehow ended up subservient to the Immortal King, but she had no desire to repeat that now.
She wasn't like the other undead under his command, was she?
"Heh, just lay low for a while. The Immortal King's too busy plotting world conquest to bother with parasites like us~?"
As she chuckled to herself, oblivious to the ghosts' true purpose,
Knock knock—
"Siana sis, it's me!"
"Come in."
A sly-looking man with tousled blond hair and green eyes opened the study door and entered.
"Whoa— as beautiful as ever today, sis! So, what brings you here so suddenly?"
Alcohol and cologne wafted from him—he'd clearly been at it since midday—but Siana didn't flinch, instead flashing a radiant smile.
"Andrew~? You've finished all your work and are just playing around, right?"
"Uh... well, you see..."
Unlike her gentle tone, her purple eyes gleamed coldly, making the blond youth, Andrew Weaver, scratch his head awkwardly with a grin.
"It's confirmed the Brocoslak Clan's leadership has changed, but digging into the new guy's been tough."
"Just tell me what you've found so far."
"Right... Name's Heinz. Strong enough to take down a True Blood single-handedly with minimal damage—surpasses regular True Bloods but hasn't reached Sacred Blood level. About a month ago, he popped up in Talaria out of nowhere and swallowed the clan whole... Prior activities unknown."
Considering the clan was under total control via the Pure Blood Rule and Heinz had gone completely radio silent after, uncovering even that much was impressive...
"Aren't you getting too lax? I've given you plenty of time."
To Siana, unaware of the details, it just seemed like excuses.
"C'mon, cut me some slack, sis! My ability isn't that convenient, you know? I could only observe indirectly after my power-up this time, but I still can't track True Bloods directly!"
Having contributed to the recent Abyss opening and earned karma, he'd completed the fourth upgrade to Trajectory Observation.
'Since I didn't move myself, the karma was less than hoped...'
Still, combined with his savings, it was enough to strengthen his unique skill a step further.
Now he could indirectly 'see' powerhouses up to True Blood level by specifying time, place, or bystanders.
'But it's not like True Blood vampires are strolling around casually. They vanish constantly, popping up elsewhere in a blink—how am I supposed to track all that?!'
Spotting Heinz's arrival in Talaria had been pure luck.
His ability was akin to CCTV forensics.
He had dozens of eyes scattered across the continent, and if conditions aligned, he could reposition them anytime to read the past...
'But I'm the only one checking them all. Even with enhanced mental fortitude, how long would full analysis take?'
But he couldn't just ignore his superior.
"I-It's not certain, but... judging by the direction he entered Talaria from, maybe he came from nearby Rapella City..."
"Don't mention uncertainties. It just complicates things."
Andrew wilted at the rebuke for his extra words, and Siana furrowed her brow in thought.
The clash with the Church had uprooted their plants in Talia Kingdom in one go.
With the Brocoslak Clan gaining even more power under new management, meddling had grown harder.
Their carefully laid plans had gone awry in multiple ways.
Drastic measures were needed.
"No choice. Reconnecting there now carries too much risk—better to cut them loose."
"Huh? You sure that's okay, sis? Weren't we allied with the vampires?"
"We allied with the Yuferth Clan. They lack political clout relative to their strength anyway, so pushing Brocoslak aside and handing Talia Kingdom to them isn't a bad idea."
Based in the Empire, they operated continent-wide—classic vampires lurking in city shadows.
"Hmm... Don't they have a Sacred Blood too? Won't casualties be high?"
"Even if they do, it's just some fossil in hibernation awaiting death. Besides, the Yuferth Clan has four more True Bloods beyond their proper Sacred Blood successor, Viscount Yuferth. They can wrap it up before Brocoslak's even wakes."
Siana finished, her purple eyes gleaming demonically as she smirked.
"Worst case, we lend a little hand."
"Heh, handle that however you want, Siana sis. So I just keep tabs on the higher-ups periodically like before?"
"Hehehe, yes, do that."
As she grinned like a scheming mastermind, Andrew—who'd been gauging her mood—cautiously spoke up.
"Uh, sis? Your... horns are out..."
"...Oh? Guess I let my guard down too much. I'm always on edge outside, so I only relax here."
"Ahaha— y-yeah, totally. Relaxing's important. My bad for saying anything."
"No, you're right. Better stay cautious—who knows what might happen."
The sharp pair of horns sprouting from Siana's head smoothly retracted and vanished.
"Then, I'll be going."
"Play in moderation, Andrew. Or should I join you?"
"N-no thanks, sis. ...Not ready to die yet."
Andrew Weaver backed away slyly, then bolted out the door.
Anyone could see he feared her, but it was routine, so she paid it no mind.
Left alone in the study, Siana—the succubus of the demon race summoned to the continent over three hundred years ago—
pulled out a communication magic tool to contact the Yuferth Clan.