The Red Blood Sect
Rodeban stared out the window.
Knight squad members surrounded the carriage like a kind of ceremony.
His eyes, watching the scene, held no spark.
*'What's the point of all this.'*
A thick black cloud filled his chest.
Everything looked negative.
The coachman's voice came from the front.
“Departure! Lord Rodeban!”
“...Yes. Where to?”
He asked with visible fatigue. The coachman answered with lively vigor.
“To the city called Rosefren nearby! Princess Elise ordered us to head that way. The view of the Lepiere Mountains is excellent and it's a good spot for sightseeing!”
Luce chipped in.
“There’s a delicious bakery there.”
Rodeban moved only his eyes to look at her.
“...Bread?”
“Ah, right! There's a famous bakery called Roselupi. The view from the third floor is amazing! I heard they're planning to open branches here soon.”
Following the coachman's extra explanation, Rodeban nodded.
“Luce likes bread.”
“I heard from a friend when heading north.”
At the word “friend,” Rodeban nearly asked reflexively.
“A guy?”
“No.”
“...That's good.”
Luce tilted her head.
“What is?”
“There’s something like that.”
Rodeban nodded.
That thought suddenly came to him.
*'She can't be a weird friend.'*
He hoped she had had a normal school life.
Since Rodeban had never attended the Academy, he felt a kind of vicarious satisfaction that she was there.
*'Well, she'll have done fine on her own.'*
He opened his mouth in a somewhat lighter tone.
When he thought of everyday things, the negative atmosphere eased a bit.
“What’s your friend’s name?”
Luce answered with a faintly proud expression.
“Ar.”
Rodeban’s brow twitched for a moment.
As expected, he knew the name.
“...Ar? Are you talking about the Third Princess, Her Highness Arfria?”
“Yeah.”
She nodded repeatedly.
Rodeban forced himself to look admiring at her bright expression.
“G-good friend.”
She was no ordinary friend, but at least not a weird one.
Rodeban asked.
“How did you become friends?”
Luce said.
“I told him I wanted his autograph first.”
“...Autograph?”
That damn autograph...
Rodeban briefly gagged and asked the coachman.
“How long until we arrive?”
“About three hours!”
Not as far as he thought.
Rodeban leaned back on the seat.
*'I'll sleep once and we'll arrive.'*
The carriage sped smoothly along the avenue.
The ride was quite comfortable.
It meant the Dukes had a lot of money.
But why weren't those rich bastards giving up even a single bottle of Holy Fluid?
A sudden surge of anger...
*'Ugh, too much trouble to get angry.'*
The feeling of trouble suppressed it.
A yawn slipped out of his mouth.
“Hwaaam...”
The trouble that had suppressed his anger naturally took over his whole body.
Just as his eyelids grew heavy, Luce asked.
“Uncle. Are you sleepy?”
“Yeah...”
Why did sleep come crashing down only inside the carriage?
His Magic Eye was full of magic power, so he wasn't that tired, yet drowsiness was still coming.
*'Is it a habit or because I didn't eat?'*
Luce said.
“Then lie down here.”
“...What?”
Rodeban turned his head. Luce was tapping her own thigh with her hand.
“Use it as a knee pillow. Guys like this.”
He scratched the back of his head and asked.
“Who said that? And a friend told you?”
Luce nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Your friend must like romance novels.”
As if confirming it, her eyes sparkled.
“How did you know? Ar reads nothing but novels during class. But her grades are always number one.”
“I see.”
Rodeban suddenly thought.
*'What an unlucky genius.'*
She was probably a typical prodigy.
Suddenly a setting for the Third Princess flashed through Rodeban's mind.
*'Did she say she was interested in the history of the ancient holy kingdom?'*
It sounded like something she had read in a text at a young age.
He didn't remember it well since he had skimmed it.
Suddenly Luce's voice erased his thoughts.
“So. No knee pillow?”
“Yeah. No.”
“Why?”
A bright question came back.
Rodeban said.
“Uncle gets scolded for being weird when he does that.”
“Uncle is still young.”
“...I'm young.”
Rodeban said that and stared fixedly at Luce.
For some reason, the word “young” made him feel bad.
It felt like she had deliberately hit the sore spot, making it even worse.
Rodeban leaned against the seat and closed his eyes.
“Uncle's sleeping.”
“Knee pillow.”
“...”
Ignored.
.
.
.
Rodeban woke up.
His mind was seriously clear.
It felt like a déjà vu situation.
He told the coachman.
“Stop the carriage.”
The coachman showed a surprised expression.
“Yes? Ah, understood!”
The carriage speed immediately dropped.
“How far are we?”
“Another hour or so.”
“Understood.”
Rodeban nodded.
It was the perfect midway point for an ambush.
He spoke to the outside.
“Stop.”
“Yes. Everyone stop! Halt!”
The escort troops outside passed on the command.
When the carriage stopped, one knight approached the window and asked.
“Lord Rodeban. What is this about...”
Rodeban silently got off the carriage and looked around.
Snow lay on the forest floor filled with evergreen trees.
Despite the harsh cold, the forest retained its lush blue color.
Luce, following down, said.
“Is anyone here?”
Rodeban nodded.
“Yeah. Someone is here.”
At that moment, the air above a mountain path shimmered.
Woooong!
It looked like something was about to emerge from within a barrier.
Soon armed troops began to appear from the forest.
The troops all had pale skin.
Rodeban naturally recalled one word.
*'Vampire clan.'*
The literal race that sucked human blood, a strange constitution.
They lived by hiding and suddenly attacking villages, then transfusing blood.
Strictly speaking, they were creatures that weren't needed in this world at all.
In a game, they were villains.
By the standards of life and death, they were ones that could be killed.
Suddenly a cautious man's voice came from among the troops.
“Huhuhu. How did you know? Even after retiring, you're still a hero...”
Soon a tall man stepped forward.
He pointed to Rodeban's waist and said.
“Trade. We need magic swords.”
***
Rodeban suddenly thought.
*'Did I live my life wrong?'*
Why were such bad guys always coming to find him?
Actually, it wasn't that strange when you thought about the power of magic swords.
An ordinary person without magic power could turn a whole fiefdom into a wasteland in just a few days if they picked up a magic sword.
Rodeban, scanning the troops' levels, let out a sigh.
*'They're way too weak.'*
It felt like they had sent some kids on purpose.
One swing of a magic sword and they would all turn into blood.
The problem was that killing through this would raise the bond with the magic sword.
The stronger the bond, the stronger the power, but the more side effects.
Hallucinations, illusions, paranoid delusions.
Rodeban shook his head, recalling the events from Elise's mansion.
*'It can't get any worse here.'*
Clang!
At that moment someone drew a sword.
It was Luce.
With a face showing no hesitation whatsoever, she asked.
“Uncle. Should I cut them all down?”
What kind of contextless sentence was that?
Rodeban hurriedly stopped her.
“Wait, wait. We have to listen to the story first.”
A sinister killing intent was flowing from her eyes...
That thing called temperament was truly scary.
As soon as he judged them enemies, she started thinking of killing.
*'Is this what a sixteen-year-old's eyes look like?'*
While Rodeban sighed inwardly, Luce put her sword back and said.
“Uncle has a broad heart. You're really a fool.”
Rodeban pointed out.
“You don't use the word 'fool' in situations like this.”
Luce feigned ignorance casually.
“Really?”
“You know. Stop pretending you don't know.”
“...I didn't know.”
When she avoided his gaze, Rodeban inwardly sighed in admiration.
*'This brat. Sending her to the Academy only made her more shameless.'*
He told the knights.
“Stay still. I'll handle it myself.”
Everyone had tense expressions.
“Yes!”
“Understood.”
One knight nodded with full trust.
“We will obey orders.”
It was a face like they would charge the moment commanded...
But the enemy's level wasn't that high.
*'Around fifty.'*
Even without him, the escorts could handle it easily.
The only problem was that if they wiped them out without listening to the story, new ones might come.
Since they would have to hear the story anyway, it was right to do it in this relaxed situation.
He said.
“First, let me introduce myself. I can't just sell magic swords to anyone. You all look way too suspicious.”
It was the empire's way to talk arrogantly to bad guys.
...Some nonsense passed through his mind.
Actually, the real reason he spoke arrogantly was because he had just woken up and felt bad.
“Understood. Don't worry.”
The man nodded cheerfully and introduced himself.
“My name is Marden. I am the Fourth Bishop of the Red Blood Sect. If you hand over the magic swords, the Progenitor said he would grant you the position of apostle.”
Rodeban asked with a doubtful expression.
“I've never heard of the Red Blood Sect. Is it a new religion founded by the vampire clan?”
“Yes.”
“What exactly is an apostle.”
“It is the position to directly assist the Progenitor. In the sect, only two chosen ones can hold the position of apostle. If you wish, you can also receive the clan's secret teachings from the Progenitor.”
It was all information he already knew.
But one word caught his interest.
“...Secret teachings?”
Rodeban asked with a curious face. The man smiled and explained.
“Blood magic that allows survival even with just a drop of blood. It is also a technique the Progenitor has survived for hundreds of years.”
Suddenly Rodeban's expression turned serious.
*'...Not a lie.'*
In a game, there was a part where the Progenitor appeared as an enemy.
In reality, even if you killed the Progenitor, he would resurrect multiple times and keep harassing the player.
According to game settings, he was described as impossible to kill, so it wasn't a huge mistake.
*'...This one is interesting.'*
Even with just a drop of blood he can survive...
Rodeban clicked his tongue.
“Mm.”
He was interested in the secret teachings.
To avoid having his reward as the quest stolen again, he had no choice but to become stronger.
Moreover, the reward for the magic sword retrieval quest had already been halfway crossed.
*'This opportunity, I'll sell it off?'*
He knew the saying that you shouldn't betray your back to yourself.
Rodeban raised one hand and said.
“Wait. Let me think about it.”
At that moment, the others' eyes were startled and fixed on Rodeban.
Marden burst out laughing heartily and said.
“Good! Take all the time you need. Think slowly...”