Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Underground Exploration (3)
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I gripped Hamus's helmet with both hands.
I used him like a headlamp to lead the way deeper in.
"By the way, why is the former commander of the Eastern Knights here?"
The helmet head clanked in response to my question, its lips moving.
"Heretics—that is, black mages—retrieved my corpse. They were lying in wait after hearing that a big shot had died."
They recover corpses and turn them into ghost knights like this?
I'd never heard of such a technique in the game.
"To think black magic included this kind of necromancy. It's unsettling. Honestly, if we'd fought in the light, I'd have had to brace myself to lose an arm."
"It's one of the Progenitor's powers. Her specialties are blood magic and puppetry."
Once the connecting strings were cut, the helmet head became remarkably more dignified.
It was starting to exude the presence befitting a knight order commander.
"But what exactly is this Progenitor? In the game—no, up until now, I've never heard of such a person."
"That makes sense. She's a being the black mages secretly worshiped in places like this shadowy underground."
Commander Hamus's helmet guided the way.
Thanks to it, we avoided all the traps, and before I knew it, we'd passed the second sublevel and descended to the third.
"The Progenitor, in simple terms, is the Vampire Queen. Her age is unknown, but since she existed in the era when black mages were around, she was probably around in my time too."
"So she's at least over 200 years old."
Should I head back up?
Over 200 years old meant she had accumulated an immense amount of power.
"Still, it's not like there's no way at all. Hardly anyone visits the prison underground anymore, so she has almost no blood left."
"Blood must be her main power source."
Commander Hamus rattled appreciatively at how quick on the uptake I was.
"Exactly. The blood of the previous warden and guards who came exploring here is the last of it. Once that's gone, she'll fall into eternal slumber."
"Then why not just leave her alone and wait it out?"
"That would be ideal, but... on days like this when heavy rain weakens the barrier, she'll try to come up to the surface. She even said it herself—soon."
"So she knows in advance when the rain will come and is preparing."
Sure enough, the key to destroying Berryhill Prison lay here.
I stopped in my tracks.
"For now, we should go back up and prepare thoroughly for the next few weeks."
"It'd be better to check it out now."
The helmet head objected.
"In a few hours, I'll automatically ascend. Then I won't be able to guide you anymore."
"Wouldn't ascending be a good thing for you?"
The helmet trembled slightly at my obvious question.
"...Well. The sins I committed in my previous life are too great, so it won't be easy."
Oh, right—he'd mentioned helping a tyrannical prince in the past.
If he'd committed many atrocities in the process, the afterlife would indeed be terrifying.
The Progenitor who used necromancy must have exploited those emotions.
"Before going to the afterlife, I want to at least rack up some good deeds."
"I'm not sure if the gods appreciate such calculated motives, but sure, whatever."
"Don't worry too much. She's greatly weakened right now, so with your skills, you should be able to manage somehow."
"'Somehow' makes me suddenly anxious."
"Don't dismiss an old man's instincts. There was a human who once subdued her."
"Really? That's hopeful."
So she wasn't some transcendent being after all.
I tried to relax, but the helmet head's next words soured my mood again.
"It was Veil Mikhail. Back in his teens, he stormed a black mage stronghold and smashed all the puppets she controlled."
"... "
Veil Mikhail.
The man infamous for receiving love letters from all three beautiful imperial princesses, drawing the ire of game players.
A foreign princess, a knight order commander, a workplace senior, a childhood friend...
He'd monopolized every male fantasy there was, the greedy bastard.
Of course, records said he had the strength to take responsibility for them all.
Well, satisfying seven wives spoke for itself.
I could never live like that.
Ugh...
Not that I'd ever met any women I actually liked, anyway.
It was all just formal, businesslike flattery.
"If I may boast a bit, I once fought him to a draw."
"So you're saying I'd need to be at past Grand Master level to win."
"No, that's not it. Veil Mikhail in his teens wasn't even a Swordmaster yet."
"Did you see it yourself?"
"Her memories were shared, so I know for sure. He was upper Sword Expert level at the time."
"Then in terms of realm, I'm about on par."
Some good news, at least.
Thanks to that, I could press forward with renewed vigor.
We arrived at the end of the sublevel corridor.
A thread I'd cut from Hamus stuck out from between the bricks.
"... "
I set Hamus's head down for a moment and drew Anje's treasured sword.
Golden magic power from the princess enveloped the blade.
And then.
I unleashed a strike combining the swordsmanship I'd learned from Myoran and my own commander techniques.
Aimed at the intense stench of blood beyond the wall.
Boom―――!!
The wall was so ancient that it spewed a huge cloud of dust as it crumbled.
The revealed space was truly spectacular.
A grand temple unfolded, one that didn't feel like it belonged in a prison underground.
Red velvet carpeted the entire floor, and in the center stood an ornate fountain.
But no clear water flowed there.
The red blood of the sacrificed guards and prisoners flowed instead.
"Now it finally feels like the empire's worst prison."
Mummified corpses littered the floor like dried fish.
Hoses connected to their necks fed all their blood into the fountain.
Two of them.
That's cute compared to some.
But I soon had to change my mind.
Progenitor's Kin
The Progenitor, Pranka, recognizes your skills and makes you her kin. However, you become her eternal plaything, dominated for life.
Slave of Pleasure
If you are overwhelmingly defeated by the Progenitor, Pranka, you become her pleasure toy. You end up in humiliating states impossible while sane.
Death by humiliation, worse than annihilation.
What kind of vicious old monster was this to offer such endings?
Sensing something off, I advanced slowly.
And then.
Drip... Drip...
I furrowed my brow at the red blood droplets falling to the floor.
"Hamus, after all my affection, you've betrayed me in the end?"
I looked up following the voice.
At that moment.
A colossal wing appeared, large enough to completely block the temple's ceiling lanterns.
"Humans truly can't be easily controlled. That's why gods toy with them so amusingly."
Blood dripped from her bare feet hovering in the air.
As if she'd absorbed vast amounts of blood in preparation for my arrival.
"Or do you believe that child you brought can truly save you? More than I, the Progenitor?"
"... "
The helmet head gave no reply.
Perhaps due to centuries of domination, it only trembled instinctively.
"This stirs jealousy in me. I'm quite curious just how reliable this child is."
Fierce gusts blew with every flap of her wings.
Their size was incomparable to some tiny fruit bat.
"Hey. If you're a monster, stay quietly in the wild mountains. Why nest in our prison?"
"Our prison...? Do you think this place originally belonged to your empire?"
A queenly chuckle echoed.
And then.
With a rush of wind, the massive silhouette blotting the ceiling vanished completely.
"...!"
In an instant, the Vampire Queen, Pranka, appeared before me.
She placed a finger under my chin—green hair, pink eyes.
"Seeing you in person, you're even cuter. Those deep dark circles stir my maternal instincts too."
The otherworldly being over 200 years old smiled sweetly.
Her curves were divine, like the goddess of the earth, but I could tell.
Her fangs peeked between red lips, aimed at me.
Lose myself in that voluptuous body, and I'd be drained dry in no time.
"Young one. Why not come rest comfortably in my embrace?"
Her scent was intoxicating, specialized for seducing men.
Even the hairs on my cheeks stood on end toward her.
"I can save you perfectly from this painful reality."
Her other hand gently grasped my arm.
Then guided it to her hourglass waist.
"In supreme pleasure, forever."
But her pink eyes were unnaturally mad.
Like a female mantis eyeing a male.
"No. It's too early to rest."
Pranka frowned at my dry reaction to her seduction.
All previous wardens who'd come here had grinned eagerly.
Yet this boy before her looked merely tired, like a weary centenarian.
"What is this child?"
In response, I channeled magic into the hand on her waist.
And gripped her soft flesh hard, as if tearing it.
With my other hand, I swung a full-force punch.
Thwack!!
Her alluring, kingdom-toppling face twisted for a moment.
Then her voluptuous body flew back, slamming into the wall.
Thud...!!
"I heard humans go dazed when embraced. Are you some special existence too?"
The Vampire Queen rose immediately, asking with displeasure.
"Doubt it. More importantly, I have mountains of things to deal with first."
I drew the sword at my waist.
In the solid stance of my knight commander days.
"If a disaster's bearing down, can you even swallow your food properly?"
All pleasures require survival first.
"Disaster?"
"Yeah. Dealing with world-ending disasters is my job."
I infused golden mana into my legs.
With light brightening even the dark temple, I charged swiftly.
'First, get rid of those annoying wings.'
With that mindset, I swung hard.
But when the blade met the soft wing.
Clang!!
The sword recoiled violently, like hitting an axe blade.
"Starting rough only excites me more?"
Pranka blocked diagonally, as if the wing had a mind of its own.
She fondled her cheek, looking even more pleased.
"I wonder how fresh your blood will taste when I draw it."
The two massive wings lunged like tentacles.
Their speed was blinding.
Like knights charging with lances.
Whoosh!!
The wings pressed relentlessly, leaving no room to breathe.
A moment's lapse, and they grazed my arm and cheek, drawing blood.
She savored my blood from the wing leisurely, like fine wine...
"What is this? It's so sweet? Similar to that boy I fought long ago!"
She raved like leaving a five-star review.
"Are you imperial royalty? How do you have this umami flavor?"
Seizing the gap as her excited wingbeats slowed.
I closed in instantly and slashed her side.
"...!!"
Red blood trickled from the torn dress.
Pranka's smile vanished completely.
"I've drawn as much as you've drunk. Got a problem?"
"... "
The Progenitor, unaccustomed to real pain lately, scowled seriously.
But her change wasn't just her expression.
'She's bleeding, and somehow her height seems to have shrunk a bit.'
Pranka ignored it, but her stature and curves felt subtly smaller.
"Fierce resistance is charming, but if you're this uncontrollable, I can't keep you as a pet."
Viewing humans as mere pets.
She reached into the air, manifesting a black rapier.
"So don't provoke me further. Become my kin, and I'll embrace that vigorous bloodlust myself."
"No thanks. I don't need comfort from an old hag like you."
Old hag.
Her eyelids twitched at the word.
"What did you just say...?"
"Deaf from age too? No interest in a musty 200-year-old bat like you."
Her side wound hurt less than those words.
She dropped her leisurely smile entirely.
"M-Musty? I'm pure! Who do you take me for, some succubus whore?"
"Letting a strange man grab your waist says it all."
She threw a tantrum like a child at my indifferent jab.
"Idiot. It's obviously just seduction to draw blood!"
"Even your seduction's outdated, grandma."
Intense magic surged from her flushed pink eyes.
Then, as she tapped the floor with her rapier a few times.
"...I clearly gave you a chance."
The temple lanterns extinguished, plunging everything into perfect darkness.
Not even her glowing eyes pierced the oppressive gloom.
"Become my kin, and you'd gain not just immortality, but strength even in this darkness."
Black heel clicks echoed.
The temple's acoustics made pinpointing her position hard.
"But you threw it away. Now you'll regret it properly."
But.
I remained expressionless.
"Doesn't matter."
I drew two daggers from my uniform pocket.
One from the first Black Knights Order commander.
The other from my days as a dark lord.
"I'm strongest at night too."
My green eyes, more familiar with night than day, gleamed.