Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Translator: Penny
Chapter 17
Same Dream, Different Beds (Part 1)
The half-naked woman was undeniably beautiful.
Her bloodless, snow-white skin, pomegranate-red lips, and silk-smooth golden hair radiated a fatal allure.
Even the Vampir who had offered themselves as slaves must have been captivated by such mesmerizing beauty, sacrificing their bodies for her sake.
It was no coincidence that Jacob's eyes glazed over the moment he entered the room and saw her. He was once again entranced by his Master's beauty, which he hadn't seen in so long.
Jacob assumed Agron would also be bewitched by their Master, unable to think clearly. But he was wrong.
That old man is a Daoist who has renounced worldly desires, so it's understandable... But why is this damned barbarian bastard so composed? He should be practically shooting hearts out of his eyes!
Jacob glanced sideways at the barbarian, studying his reaction.
But Agron's expression remained unchanged, no different from when he had beaten Jacob half to death, when he had insisted on proving his pride through reckless acts, or when he had dragged Jacob by the hair to wake their Master.
It was as if he wore an iron mask.
"Do you... perhaps have some unusual tastes? Like, getting aroused by monsters or something?"
"Monsters do get me excited."
"Y-yeah, I knew it... That's quite a taste."
Jacob stammered, his voice flustered as he subtly widened the distance between them.
Baek Woon, who had been listening to the conversation, let out a soft sigh.
"Agron, I don't think that's what he meant."
"What are you talking about?"
"That bastard's asking if you get sexually aroused by monsters."
"Huh? What kind of nonsense is that?" Agron retorted to Jacob.
"W-well, it's because you don't react at all to my Master! He's asking if you feel any lust or sexual desire when you see a woman. She's a beauty, after all!"
"Ah, that's what he meant." Agron nodded, finally understanding.
"I prefer strong women."
"What?"
"Ideally, someone as strong as me. I haven't found anyone like that among my Tribe."
"..."
Jacob fell silent, taken aback by Agron's unusual preference.
Drip.
Agron slashed his forearm, letting blood drip onto the woman's mouth and face.
The blood repeatedly dried upon contact with her skin until it began to pool on her face. At that moment, the woman flailed her arms and abruptly sat up, her upper body jerking upright.
"Eke-ke-kek! Sniff! Sniff! What are you doing?!"
"Oh, you're awake," Agron said, his eyes gleaming with curiosity as he studied her.
"Who are you?! How dare you awaken Lady Elena in such a manner!" she coughed, her clear, high-pitched voice ringing out.
"I am Agron, the great warrior of the Winter Forest Keepers Tribe, who roams the northern Snowfield—wait, I am now Count Agron, son of Ragnar, ruler of the Veilain Fief."
"...So, are you a warrior or a count?"
Elena frowned.
"The Warrior is a state of the soul, while the Count is a state of the body."
Is this guy crazy?
She avoided Agron's gaze, glancing around nervously.
It was always best to avoid crazy people.
"Huh? Isn't that Jacob?!"
"Master! You remember me! I am Jacob, your loyal thrall!"
"Of course I remember you. But where are we?"
"I haven't been awake long myself... I suspect we were sealed away after our last battle with them."
"I see. But where did this blood come from? It tastes remarkably good. Since I'm still weak, bring me more blood to offer."
Jacob wore a flustered expression at Elena's words.
He couldn't simply obtain the blood just because she desired it.
"Well..."
"What's wrong?"
"That man gave me the blood."
Elena followed Jacob's gaze.
There stood Agron, a barbarian clad in minimal attire, his abs and chest fully exposed, looking down at her.
"His...? He looks rather unappetizing..."
Elena tilted her head briefly, then, as if steeling her resolve, addressed Agron:
"I, Elena, grant you the honor of offering your blood to me."
"No thanks."
"What? What's your objection? Offering your blood to me is a family honor in itself!"
"Why would that be an honor? If you want my blood, defeat me and take it."
Agron initially gave her blood out of curiosity and a sense of voluntary will, driven by his status as her Master.
However, the idea of offering blood under someone else's command clashed with his warrior's pride.
"You're a peculiar human. Very well, I'll take your blood after I defeat you."
"And if I win?" Elena countered, a corner of her lips curling upward.
"Preposterous nonsense! You dream big, but if by some impossible chance that happens, I'll become your servant!"
Seated in her coffin, Elena sprang up like a coiled spring and lunged at Agron, her fingertips stabbing forward with lightning speed.
Whoosh!
Agron merely tilted his head to evade the attack, then seized Elena's outstretched arm and slammed it into the ground.
Thud!
Normally, such a move would end the exchange, but this opponent was different.
"Impressive for a human!"
Elena grinned, baring her sharp fangs, and unleashed a ferocious barrage of punches and kicks.
Though her attacks came from the darkness, Agron calmly blocked or deflected every strike.
In an instant, their exchange had surpassed dozens of blows.
At first glance, it seemed Elena was overwhelming him, but in reality, not a single one of her attacks had landed effectively.
"Grrr! Jacob! What is this man's true nature?! Is he truly just a human?" Elena demanded, biting her lip in frustration.
"Master! He's the one who defeated me without even trying! Don't let your guard down!"
"Tch!"
Elena retreated a step and began gathering magical energy into her fist.
If she held back any longer, she would be the one to fall.
As crimson energy pulsed from her alabaster fingertips, the cavern trembled violently, sending dust and stone fragments raining down from the ceiling.
"Agron!" Baek Woon roared, snatching a talisman from his sleeve.
Damn it! Could we have awakened something truly monstrous...?
Baek Woon had initially intended to observe quietly, but the sheer magnitude of Elena's power and magical presence made that impossible.
"Don't worry, Elder," Agron said, stopping Baek Woon and striding toward Elena.
Elena was taken aback by his audacity.
"Are you stupid or just dense? You're approaching me even after sensing my magic?"
"Why would I run? It doesn't seem that threatening."
She frowned, scrutinizing the barbarian's approaching magic.
"Ha."
Elena couldn't help but scoff.
"You have no magic at all?"
Normally, living organic beings emit at least a trace of magical energy, but Elena sensed not even a speck of it from her opponent.
"Are you a golem or something?"
"Not a golem. I am a warrior."
"Then why don't you have any magic?"
"A warrior's strength lies in their soul, not magic."
"...You're definitely an idiot."
Elena arched her shoulders back and unleashed a punch brimming with condensed magical energy.
Kuggggrrr─!
The punch tore through the air, generating a shockwave as a massive burst of energy erupted forward.
Elena smirked confidently.
She was certain that even a dragon would struggle to withstand this attack.
"Hmm."
Agron sharpened his fingertips to a point.
He thrust his hand into the incoming mass of magical energy, then wedged his other hand into the gap, tearing the magic apart.
"...?!"
"...???"
"...??"
Everyone stared at Agron, their eyes wide with disbelief.
They tracked the spot where the magic had vanished, as if unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed.
This wasn't just absurd; it was utterly impossible.
"Huh...? Where did it go? This can't be happening... He's definitely human, right...?" Elena blinked dumbly, her mind struggling to process the reality before her.
"I tore it apart," Agron said.
"No... Did you think what I just fired was some kind of dough?"
"I don't know what it was, but it felt about as tough as dough."
Agron clenched his arm and strode toward her.
With each step he took, a ferocious aura of power crashed over her like a tidal wave.
Elena felt her limbs tremble uncontrollably, her strength draining away.
The chilling murderous intent emanating from this ordinary man—worse than ordinary, in fact, lacking even magical power—was enough to paralyze even an ancient Vampir like her.
Like a deflated balloon, she screamed weakly and braced herself to flee.
It was pure instinct.
"Wait! Don't come any closer! Get away from me!"
"I refuse."
Agron threw a punch at her.
"Aaaah!"
Kugaga─!!
Elena's body, struck by the fist, exploded into a crimson splatter, scattering in all directions.
"Yes, how can I assist you?"
"Here's the head of the Herb Tiger."
Agron handed a large ice pouch to the Guild staff member.
The ice pouch was a magical container crafted from slime-processed leather and imbued with an Ice Spell. It was commonly used to transport raw meat, alcohol, or milk.
Thanks to its excellent insulation, adventurers often relied on it during missions.
The staff member, seemingly accustomed to such deliveries, calmly accepted the pouch and went inside to verify its contents.
"Yes, the Herb Tiger's head has been confirmed. Please sign this mission completion form. Would you prefer to receive your reward in cash or have it deposited into your Guild Bank account?"
The Guilds had introduced the concept of "accounts" over a decade ago, a system made possible by the well-established trust and cooperation among them.
A groundbreaking system allowed funds deposited at location A to be withdrawn by Guild B.
Similar systems had existed before, but they were essentially promissory notes used only by the Merchant Guild.
Of course, this was made possible by magic and Magic Arrays.
"Let's do it as a savings account."
"Understood, Sir. I'll create an account for you first."
However, these systems were still largely confined to local regions and couldn't be used in distant fiefs or other countries.
This Southern Region system had been established by the lords of the Southern Region, including the Veilain Fief.
To utilize this technology, each Guild needed a Magic Array circuit with the same Magic Array. More importantly, the greater the distance, the more magic power was required to maintain it, making it impractical for many places to maintain identical systems.
The Guild staff member created an account for Agron and had him drip a few drops of his blood onto the Simplified Blood Registry.
She also brought him a new Adventurer Necklace, explaining that it was a simplified authentication certificate linked to the account.
"You must never lose this! It's said that an adventurer's first and last mission is to protect their Adventurer's Insignia."
"Hmm, I see."
Agron returned his old necklace and put on the new one.
Though he remained at F-Rank due to not completing the required number of missions, he still felt a surge of pride for successfully completing his first mission.
Instead of taking on a new mission immediately, Agron decided to return to his mansion first.
He needed to catch up on the tasks he had been putting off.
"W-welcome back..."
As he entered his study, a woman in a crimson dress caught his eye.
"Are you really planning to live here?"
"Of course! No, I mean, of course I am... A Vampir always keeps her promises, My Master..." Elena hissed, baring her sharp fangs as she spoke in a low, creeping voice.
"I only awakened you out of curiosity about beings called 'gods.' Now that my curiosity is satisfied, I don't mind if you leave."
"This Elena Rosetti cannot allow that. If I break my promise, my word and authority will be worthless. Please grant me the honor of serving you, Master."
"Authority and honor are important. Very well, I grant your request."
"Thank you. I will serve you faithfully. But may I ask one favor?" She fidgeted with her fingers, her expression tense.
"What is it?"
"Um... if you could occasionally give me some blood... I would be very grateful."
Elena coveted Agron's blood for its delicious taste, but her request was also practical: as his thrall, she needed a regular supply of blood from her Master.
"Blood? Understood," Agron nodded readily.
A request, not an order, especially from a subordinate, was something he could easily grant.
"Th-thank you!"
Baek Woon, who had been watching from the side, shook his head in disbelief.
In all his years, he had never seen a human keep a Vampiric Demon as a thrall.
"By the way, you haven't forgotten, have you?"
"What are you referring to, Elder?"
"Hmph, the banquet in two days."
The task Agron had been postponing was organizing a celebration for the new Count, inviting nearby nobles and lords.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny