Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: Family, Huh?
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'Family, huh.'
Ramin Solrost Muell stared at the man who had introduced himself as Hwi Juran Muell.
The pair of deer antlers felt somewhat familiar to Ramin as well.
They were the very same antlers that Hwikyung had possessed long ago.
To Ramin, it seemed Hwikyung really was his ancestor.
So Ramin pointed out a different issue.
"Your premise is wrong. I don't think of Hwikyung as a parent. Vampires don't consider the one who turned them into a vampire as their parent."
"Then how do you see it?"
"Uh, well... it's complicated. I don't want to talk about it."
"Can't you at least say if your feelings are positive or negative?"
"If I had to pick, it's closer to negative. It's not like other races who willingly embrace their family."
"That's what family is. Even if they were strangers by nature, just because blood ties them together, they have to live intertwined, mismatched as they may be, right?"
Ramin looked at Juran in disbelief.
"Now that I think about it again, maybe the positive side is bigger."
"Willingly embracing them is what family is, as you said."
Ramin looked to Gorgota Pallu for help, but Gorgota was driving.
He glanced at Mazudari.
Mazudari spoke.
"Juran is my mage apprentice."
"Our family has managed the magic tower since my great-great-grandmother's time."
"Hwi Rabida Muell was my friend."
Mazudari explained.
"The gods say that Ramin, you are the only one who met Hwikyung in the Black Forest and survived to tell the tale. No one but you can find clues to Hwikyung."
Ramin was flustered.
"Hwikyung did turn me into a vampire, but our relationship wasn't that deep. I was born and raised in Danri, but that was too long ago. And Hwikyung probably didn't stay in one place."
"It doesn't matter. It's better than having no clues at all. Those of us here have never even faced Hwikyung. It's only natural for someone who has to step up."
Mazudari, who said that, now pointed to Juran.
"And we don't even need to find the exact location. If we can narrow it down somewhat, the 'antlers' with Juran will sense Hwikyung."
Juran nodded.
"My antlers tell me they can sense the spot they once occupied if it's the same bloodline."
Ramin said.
"Got it. If this is the will of the pantheon, I have to follow. But why do we need to find Hwikyung?"
"That's a secret."
Ramin tried to read Mazudari's expression.
But Mazudari showed no expression at all.
It wasn't because their races were different, making it hard to read.
Even another Garuda couldn't discern Mazudari's intentions.
"We're almost there, Apostle."
"Keep driving straight into the airfield, agent."
"Pardon?"
Ramin turned to look ahead of the vehicle.
A massive airship was landing beside the airship dock building.
Beneath its streamlined light envelope that evoked a massive whale afloat, a wooden fuselage was woven, and a pair of enormous propeller wings providing thrust were attached to its side.
Mazudari said.
"That's the airship we're taking, 'Thunder Keeper,' docked over there."
The Thunder Keeper already had many soldiers aboard.
To Ramin, who was looking around suspiciously, Gorgota said.
"Even when I was in the military, the Thunder Keeper was famous. It shuttled between the eastern and southern fronts, carrying out over fifty operations, and it still hasn't crashed. Each army sees it as a legendary symbol of victory."
"I don't know much about recent wars, but for something like that, I don't see much armament. Can one airship really have that big an impact on the battlefield?"
"Because Mazudari is aboard it."
"...Ah."
On the bridge, Mazudari said.
"The goal is to fly this airship straight to the western continent if possible."
"'If possible'?"
"It might be difficult. The Thunder Keeper can fly at high altitudes, and with my magic, even higher than average."
"And?"
"But Danri knows that much, of course."
Once the hydrogen injection into the envelope was complete, the airship was now fully afloat above the ground.
Only a few ropes tethered the Thunder Keeper to the earth.
"If we're lucky, we might slip past Danri's dragon knights and the Eyes of the Enraged One and reach the western continent in one go."
"If we're unlucky?"
"We won't even cross the front lines."
At the Lizardman captain of the Thunder Keeper's command, the crew simultaneously cut the ropes.
The Thunder Keeper began to float.
Ramin said in an expectant voice.
"Then the plan gets postponed?"
"No way."
Mazudari said.
"We have to cross the front lines somehow."
"But even if we go by land to the bottom of the southern continent under the United Kingdom of Danri, how do we cross the sea?"
"Since we can't get help from the Empire, we'll have to smuggle somehow. Fortunately, once we're aboard without the ships noticing, they won't search thoroughly within the United Kingdom."
"Th-that's a problem even after arriving on the western continent. The risk of detection inside the United Kingdom is high."
"I hear the United Kingdom has good rail connections like the Empire."
Ramin gauged that long journey.
"Then I won't make it back until after next semester?"
"Aren't you worrying about dying first?"
"Vampires all think they've died once already. We have fewer regrets."
Mazudari slightly raised one eyebrow.
"Interesting. Anyway, if you don't want a grueling trip, hope the Thunder Keeper does its job."
Ramin sighed.
For some reason, he had no good feeling about things going smoothly.
Danri United Kingdom, somewhere on the southern continent.
A single person stood atop the ruins of ancient relics.
Calling it "standing" might be inappropriate.
Because that person's race was Lamia.
Unlike their human- or elf-like upper bodies, their lower halves were serpentine tails, long and thick.
Because of this serpent tail, as recently as a few hundred years ago, Lamia were seen as monsters by other races.
To players of Lost World, Lamia were known as rare races like centaurs or Garuda.
As with such races, increasing their population was difficult, but they were strong, intelligent, and had trouble maintaining relations with other races.
Social issues were a bit more problematic than for others, which led many players to abandon the race.
Lamia had cannibalistic tendencies.
Even allied races had instances where some Lamia individuals abducted and ate allied young, preventing long alliances.
While some races tolerate mismatches, for Lamia it was fatal.
As a result, they often went extinct by mid-game, like other unchosen races.
Of course, like many surviving races suppressing their instincts, this female Lamia was restraining hers to some degree.
Anyone from the Danri United Kingdom would recognize the black uniform and insignia on her upper body.
And soldiers from the Black Forest's southern front would know her name, if only from afar or rumors.
"Lady Alma Alloi, there you are."
Lamia Alma turned her head.
Standing there was a black-clad fang agent wearing a red mask.
"Dell. I heard the operation in Baseniol failed."
The plan was for fang agent Dell to draw in Baseniol's key figures and unleash a massive zombie plague.
Alma already knew the plan and its failure.
One figure they planned to use acted opposite to expectations.
Perhaps it was flawed from the start.
The Black Forest's intelligence knew all about the zombie plague Danri thought they'd secretly placed.
Dell bowed his head.
"I'm sorry."
"No. I don't want to blame you much. I'm not sure I have the right. I've failed many of the Enraged One's demands too."
Dell shook his head as he looked at Alma.
Alma Alloi was the fifth apostle of the Enraged One.
By Black Forest standards, on the western continent—called the central continent, second continent by Danri—she was a war hero who racked up victories in the United Kingdom's unification wars.
Though her Lamia body was exceptional, she was famed for commanding battlefields and her charisma over soldiers.
She was also known as the "Saint of Mountain Sacrifice," who willingly gave her life knowing death awaited, for the Enraged One, and the "Serpent that Devours Its Own Tail."
Dell said.
"While you commanded, our northern front didn't yield an inch to the Black Forest."
"And we didn't push them back either. Spare me the lip service, Dell. We know well how fearsome the Demon God and his minions are."
In the United Kingdom, Yacheon was called the Demon God.
Viewing the Black Forest Empire as an evil empire was common perception there.
Such propaganda was standard in Lost World.
It boosted the ruled's morale and demonized foes to enable war and war crimes without hesitation.
However, Seong-un found it hard to use aggressively.
First, the Empire's ethos saw enemies as ignorant future allies to embrace. Promoting absolute evil ideology could cause contradictions.
A common newbie mistake in Lost World was ignoring such ideological inconsistencies.
With multiple strategies in one game, subjects get confused, struggle with faith.
They can't endure contradictions themselves.
Then they abandon faith, rebel, or even join enemies.
And Seong-un had other concerns.
In this Lost World, real "evil" seemed to exist.
Called ancient evils, they were in positions hard for players to interfere immediately, yet felt like sudden threats.
Labeling the United Kingdom absolute evil could complicate things if true evil appeared.
Of course, Hegemonia believed he could overcome anything alone, so he paid it no mind.
Alma said.
"So, you have news to deliver?"
"Yes. One informant reports an Empire apostle has broken from the front lines and is moving."
"An apostle?"
"Three Seats."
Alma grimaced.
"...Corpse Raven. The bird wielding the Demon God's hated power."
To commander Alma, it was more than troublesome—it was terrifying.