Chapter 474: Watch Your Step
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 474: Watch Your Step
There's nowhere to hide on a wide plateau. Sunlight descends from the sky, illuminating the highest places first, leaving everything on the shadowless ground starkly exposed. Those who find the world beautiful would love the plateau, for they can see more of it. For those who don't, it would be the opposite.
Lunken's coven was full of beastkin. Protected by their fur, they were resistant to the sun. If I had been careless enough to travel during the day, I would have been hunted down.
But I had Azzy.
“Woof! Woof woof!”
“Baaaaaaa!”
Collie’s Yeiling, the sheep beastkin Meyang, fled with a cry. Though she had wrapped herself in a coat of wool so thick it was fluffy and gained the power of undeath as a vampire, a sheep is still a sheep. The moment Azzy barked and charged, she bleated like a lamb and barricaded herself in the outpost.
Collie had taken her hounds and other Yeiling to track me. That left only one Yeiling guarding the misty outpost. A sheep beastkin, even a Yeiling, could withstand the sun, but she couldn't withstand Azzy.
The sheep beastkin bleated at me.
“Baa! Get that thing away from me!”
“What? But Lady Collie told me to look after him.”
“Baaaa! I get it! Just get out of my sight! Baaaa!”
“Alright. I’m going? I’m really going now?”
“Baaaa!”
Well, damn. It's not like I was trying to leave. I guess I have no choice.
I took a ball out of my pocket. Azzy, who had been instinctively menacing the sheep beastkin vampire, immediately lowered her stance and wagged her tail the moment I held it up.
“Alright! Let’s go, don’t take it out on the poor sheep! Go fetch!”
“Woof!”
The moment I threw the ball, Azzy shot off like an arrow. Perfect. While throwing the ball, I casually crossed the outpost's boundary line. If I just follow her, I can cross the border…
“No, Azzy, don’t come back! I’ll come to you… You already got it?”
“Woof!”
“Next time, be a little slower. Here!”
I threw the ball again, crossing the border in the most natural way possible.
Borders are rarely marked by a clear line. This is especially true when there’s a mountain, making it even harder to define. After all, no one lives there.
So, when a mountain lies on a border, the highest ridge is usually designated as the line.
Past the peak and over the ridge, the world that had been hidden by the mountain came into view all at once. It was a panorama I had rarely seen in the misty Duchy. I had only crossed a single pass, yet a completely different vista unfolded before me. It felt almost absurdly easy.
But this, too, was the result of crossing dozens of passes to reach this final one. I suppose I could be a little proud of that. Of course, it was only possible because not a single Elder had come looking for me.
“Why did Hilde leave? If she’d stayed with me, we could have escaped this easily.”
“Woof!”
“No, Azzy. Can we stop fetching now and just walk normally?”
Now that I’d crossed the border, the vampires were no longer my enemies. Even if Collie saw through my deception and gave chase, it would be at least a day before she caught up. I had to get as far away as possible in the meantime.
Going down is easier than going up. I made a sled out of cards and leaped over boulders with my strengthened legs, racing down the mountain. I moved for a long time, cutting through sand, jumping over ravines, and passing through thickets.
How many hours had I been running? No matter how far down I went, there was no end in sight. The mountain was like a great wall, and it took forever just to descend. I took a moment to catch my breath and looked back to see the ridge I’d come from far in the distance.
To think I’ve come this far and still have so much farther to go. Sigh. Can't someone invent a teleportation spell for me?
Grumbling to myself, I took out the ball and tossed it without much enthusiasm.
“Azzy, go find a path.”
“Woof!”
Azzy shot off and disappeared into the undergrowth. Rustle, rustle. The bushes scattered violently before settling back into place. In an instant, Azzy returned with the ball and dropped it at my feet.
“Here!”
“It’s safe. Okay.”
Better to look before you leap. How was I supposed to know what was hiding in those bushes? A moment ago, I’d almost taken a step onto what looked like solid ground and nearly tumbled off a ledge.
Haa. It’s a long way. The undergrowth was gradually getting thicker. With no one traveling these parts, there were no paths, so I had Azzy check any area where I couldn't see what lay ahead.
Still, at least no one was chasing me. All I had to worry about was what was in front of me, which was a relief. Just as I decided to be content with my slightly improved situation…
“Awooooooooo—!!”
A wolf’s howl echoed from somewhere. Before I even registered what the sound was, I was already flat on the ground. It was a move born from the single-minded desire not to see the wolf, even if it had already spotted me.
“Awoooo—! You tricked—me—!”
The dog beastkin’s howl echoed back to me. I didn’t know how, but she had found out I was lying.
“Woof! Friend!”
“Not anymore!”
“Woof? Yes, she is.”
“Then play with her! Go hold hands and roll around together!”
“Okay!”
“Don’t jump around all excited! You’re giving away our position!”
I snapped at Azzy, but it was too late. Five beastkin appeared over the ridge. It was Collie the Mok-in-gyeon and the Yeiling of the border patrol. The vampire strike team, composed entirely of beastkin blessed by fur and freed from the sun, raced down the slope with their hounds.
One misstep and they would have tumbled all the way down, but it didn't matter. They were beastkin, and they were vampires.
“Grrrrrrr!”
“Kehuhung!”
“Baaaaaaa!”
The five dots soon became an avalanche, sweeping down the slope. A cloud of dust billowed up, flowing down like a thick fog. Leading the charge was Collie, her jet-black fur flying as she clawed at the ground.
That’s a vampire weakened by the sun? Tch. No wonder humans can’t escape them.
The sun was still out. I could handle the Yeiling. But Collie alone was beyond my power. I’d have to borrow Azzy’s strength for this. And I really didn’t trust her.
“Azzy, do you know what tag is?”
“Woof! I know!”
“Good, that makes this easier. We’re the prey, and they’re the hunters! We have to run before they catch us!”
“Woof woof! Roger!”
“Then run! Before they get us!”
I sprinted in the opposite direction, checking my deck of cards. I fanned out the pathetically thin deck and quickly scanned it.
I was almost out of weapons. All I had left was one skewer and four Divines. A few single-use Clovers and the Hearts. I still had a decent number of potions in the Hearts, but they put a strain on the body, so I wanted to avoid using them if possible…
No, wait. My body was currently made of a Divine. Maybe it wouldn’t be much of a burden. I’d have to try it out in a crisis.
Clutching the cards of the Divines in both hands, I ran, beginning the long chase.
“Awooooo—!”
Collie was the first to attack. Leaping down the slope in what was almost a freefall, she came at me from an angle. True to her orders to bring me back alive, she didn't even extend her claws, trying to grab me with her hands.
“Woof!”
Just then, Azzy threw herself forward. In mid-air, a beastkin and a beast collided. Limbs tangled, and a dull thud echoed slowly. A moment later, the beastkin and the Beast King became one, tumbling down the slope.
“King…! Don’t interfere!”
“Woof! Let’s play! Let’s play!”
“This isn’t a game!”
Collie flipped over and slammed Azzy into the ground. Though she retained her beastly instincts, she used human techniques. The spinning attack sent broken branches flying and kicked up a cloud of dust. Shaking off the Beast King in a single move, Collie pushed off the ground again.
However, overwhelming physique trumps even technique. Azzy was already on all fours, biting Collie’s back leg. Unable to lunge forward, Collie fell flat on her face.
With mud on her face, Collie turned her head. Azzy, still holding Collie’s leg in her mouth, barked once with a cheerful expression.
“Woof!”
“Awoo—!”
When dealing with a human, she couldn't use her full strength for fear of hurting me, but against a beastkin vampire, it was a different story. It seemed Azzy was at least capable of holding Collie back.
The problem was…
“Baaaaa!”
“Grrr!”
…the sheep, dog, cat, and goat beastkin. Though they were only Yeiling and a bit slower than Collie, they were still charging straight for me.
Vampires grow stronger when their Lord of Lords is near. Under the sun and not on their home turf, they were weaker than Chief Viltear, but for me, they were just as tricky.
Under Collie’s command, they scattered in perfect formation, closing in on me from behind. The smell of vampire blood made Azzy’s fur stand on end as she growled. She might be friendly with Collie, a fellow dog beastkin, but she had no reason to be nice to other vampires. Azzy kicked off the ground and leaped.
“Awoo—!”
This time, Collie grabbed Azzy and held on. She tried to grab her by the scruff of the neck and throw her, but Azzy’s momentum was too strong, and Collie was swept away. The two of them became a single rolling mass, tumbling down the slope.
I wondered if it would be okay. Not Azzy—the slope. Leaving the two of them to create a storm of dirt and branches as they fell, I glanced at the charging Yeiling.
“Baaaa! Stop! Or you’ll get hurt!”
Was that the sheep beastkin from the outpost? Her cloud-like, thick wool looked like it would absorb any impact, but her charging speed was no joke. With every step, the ground caved in, leaving hoof-shaped prints.
I didn’t stop, and the sheep beastkin seemed to make up her mind and kicked off the ground.
One, two. Now.
Thump. The ground beneath the sheep beastkin’s feet gave way. Her body, which had been about to ram into me, sank into the earth. She hadn’t noticed the trap covered with twigs and had fallen right in.
“Baaaaa?”
The trapped sheep beastkin looked around, not understanding what had happened. After all, the place she had fallen into was the very spot I had just run over.
‘When did he…? He couldn’t have had time to set a trap.’
With the power of a Divine, such things were possible. I created a hole the moment my foot touched the ground, then made grass and branches sprout over it to create a makeshift trap. If you weren't looking carefully, you were bound to fall for it.
Because my surroundings were already littered with traps.
“Kuh!”
“Myaang!”
“Damn it…!”
The beastkin vampires stumbled into the traps I’d made, their speed slowing slightly. Regardless, I kept running in one direction.
“We can chase you without sleeping! Give up!”
I have to sleep. So I have to shake them off before then. I made the undergrowth part to create a path and ran without looking back. The sheep beastkin saw what was behind me and shouted.
“Baaaa! You’ll regret this!”
“Meyang. We have to bring him back alive.”
“I know! But it’s okay if he gets a little hurt, right?”
“That’s true.”
What do you mean, that’s true? I was the consort, wasn’t I? It would be a huge problem if I got hurt.
But there was no way a Yeiling on the frontier would know that. The Yeiling closed in on me from all sides. I gripped the Spade 9 again and folded it with one hand.
Tree of Genesis, Grass Knot.
A radius of about five meters. Every blade of wild grass at my feet found a partner. The delicately swaying grass gently wrapped around each other. The Druids, those called sages in the age when the world was covered in grass. Their power was recreated with the mere flick of a card.
“Awoooo!”
…Of course, some time had passed since then.
Snap, snap. Even the tough grass that had clung to life couldn't withstand the Yeiling’ charge. Stems broke and roots were torn out. The wild grasses paid a harsh price for obeying my command. I honored their sacrifice by pressing forward.
“Too slow!”
“You guys are too fast!”
No matter how much I tried to slow them down, it was hard to shake off the Yeiling who charged without fear of death. They trampled the traps and tore through the grass knots, the four of them gradually closing in. If they had intended to kill me, they would have had several chances, but since they couldn't, the Yeiling tried to overtake me and block my path.
Good. Now’s the time.
Through the scattering bushes, I could see empty air. It was the cliff I had spotted earlier. A cliff hidden by undergrowth is surprisingly hard to notice until you’re right on top of it. Especially if you’re running.
I threw myself to the ground in a slide. I cut through the grass and branches, slowing my momentum. I’d been moving pretty fast myself, so I slid for quite a distance before I managed to stop.
“Baaaa! Stop! There’s a cliff ahead!”
The pursuing Yeiling also slammed on the brakes, a beat too late. They braced themselves, leaving long trails in the dirt. The goat beastkin, who had stopped precariously at the edge, spat out a twig that had gotten in his mouth and shouted.
“Pathetic tricks! Did you really think we’d fall off a cliff over something like that?!”
“I think one of you did.”
Baaaaaaaa—. The sheep beastkin’s echo rang out for a long time. The goat beastkin, after turning his head to witness his comrade’s fall, answered immediately.
“It doesn’t matter! A fall like this won’t kill us! Give up and be captured quietly!”
“Thanks. That makes me feel a little less guilty.”
Not that I would have felt much guilt even if you weren't vampires. I slammed both hands, still holding cards, onto the ground.
I couldn't shatter the earth with Qi Arts, not at my level. That was something only those who had mastered the Earth Kata to its extreme could do.
But I could accelerate its collapse.
I retracted and severed the roots spreading through the ground. I broke apart the clumps of soil. With Earth Art and Druidism, I carved away the cliff that had been holding on by a thread.
“The ground…!”
Even a dull-witted vampire could clearly feel the sensation of falling. The dog beastkin, who was in a bad position, clawed at the ground before slipping. The goat and cat beastkin sensed the danger a little earlier and quickly scrambled up the crumbling slope.
Of course, I wasn't just going to stand by and watch. With the Spade 8, the card of Elixir, I gently swept the ground. A layer of the collapsing earth turned into cards and slid down. Even the cat beastkin, whose claws were dug in, couldn't hold on against the waterfall of cards and fell.
“You won’t get away!”
The goat beastkin, however, managed to hold on with his strong hooves and climbed the slope. He charged up as if it were flat ground. The bearded goat beastkin reached a hand out towards me.
But one-on-one, even against a Yeiling, I can win.
I slapped the goat beastkin’s hand away and stomped on his head. He tried to hold on, but a hard kick with both feet was too much even for his rough hooves. The goat beastkin’s center of gravity began to shift backward.
“Kh, ahhhhh!”
As he flailed his arms, trying to regain his balance, I magnanimously offered him a branch.
“Here. Grab on.”
Was it because he couldn’t believe my sudden kindness? The goat beastkin reached out and grabbed the branch, half in doubt. But it was probably because it was the only thing to grab onto.
Thanks to that, I had his attention. I gave the branch a light push. The goat beastkin, who had momentarily lost his balance while grabbing the branch, fell backward. Just like his other comrades, the goat beastkin also fell to the bottom of the distant cliff.
“You bastard—!”
“Bye-bye. Let’s try not to meet again.”
“Don’t think this is the end of us—!”
After spitting out a line worthy of a villain, his face was soon obscured by a cascade of earth and rock. I clung to a tree root and stared down at the bottom of the cliff. A thick layer of dirt covered the Yeiling who had fallen first.
It was still daytime. With their regeneration slowed, an injury of this magnitude would probably keep them from pursuing… but I couldn't be sure what would happen when night fell. Tch, how annoying. This is why I hate vampires. Being unkillable is cheating.
After climbing back up the cliff, I took a ball from my pocket and threw it. The ball flew in an arc and was about to disappear into the bushes when, a moment later, Azzy appeared with it in her mouth.
“Woof!”
“Did you have fun?”
“Woof woof!”
Contrary to Azzy’s excited demeanor, a not-so-happy-looking Collie emerged from the undergrowth. Covered in dirt and twigs, Collie looked like a walking patch of earth.
“…Awooo. I don’t know why the Progenitor is looking for you. But the games end here.”
A vampire’s blood runs cold. Collie wasn’t tired, but she wasn’t reckless enough to continue the attack without her Yeiling. It was already hard enough to handle Azzy; if she attacked while I was with her and got subdued, she and her Yeiling would be incapacitated for a long time.
Deciding to go back and restore her Yeiling first, she glared at me and growled low.
“Vampires don’t die. No matter how long it takes, we will chase you, and we will find you. If you don’t want to be hunted forever, surrender now.”
“No matter how long it takes? What’s the point if it takes a long time? By then, Tyr’s mind could have changed, or my life could have ended.”
She doesn’t understand the human heart, probably because she’s a vampire. Our feelings aren’t eternal. There’s this thing called whim.
“If you happen to meet any other vampires, please pass on a message for me. Tell them that things that are hard to get are more precious. So, you could say I’m in the process of becoming precious.”
“We’ll see if you can maintain that composure until the end. Awooo!”
Collie let out a wolf’s howl and disappeared into the undergrowth. She would probably go down the cliff, use her blood energy to heal her Yeiling, and come back at night.
Yeiling are weak to sunlight. In other words, at night, when they have nothing to worry about, they become much stronger. In contrast, I would have to stumble around on a mountain where I couldn't even see my own feet. I wouldn't be able to deal with them as easily as I had today.
Rather than running, I should set traps and neutralize them completely. Fortunately, the ones chasing me now were just one Ain and four Yeiling. As long as no pursuer stronger than an Ain appeared, I should be able to shake them off.
Well. It’s not like a new pursuer is going to show up here. Alright. Using both Earth Art and Druidism, I’ll show these beast-infused beastkin the wisdom of man.
*
Yeiling are undying, but not immortal. Yeiling with relatively weak Bloodcraft die and are replaced so often that the name "vampire" seems almost meaningless for them.
Getting injured or subdued during the day, when the sun is out, is particularly fatal. The longer they are left unattended, the more blood energy they lose, and the weaker their regenerative abilities become.
In a chase, numbers are paramount. Any more delay and she wouldn't be able to use the Yeiling she'd brought with her. Collie raced down the cliff to rescue the Yeiling buried in the landslide. They were incompetent retainers who couldn't even do their jobs properly, but blaming them could wait. Right now, restoring them was the priority.
Collie was digging through the pile of dirt, pulling out her buried retainers one by one.
Rustle. The sound of bushes being pushed aside came from somewhere, and a boy with an androgynous face and short, black hair appeared. He was holding a bee tied to a string.
The boy watched the bee dance in a figure-eight pattern at the end of the thin string and muttered.
“That’s strange. The scent of the Tracking Fragrance I put on Azzy is pointing here.”
Shei glanced back and forth between Collie and the bee several times, then tilted his head.
“I’m pretty sure Azzy didn’t just turn black. So, what are you?”