Arch-Lich(2)
[Wow... very nice. Excellent!]
Hans stored all the items brought by the undead in the warehouse without leaving anything behind.
They meticulously collected all the valuable items that were worth the money.
Bang!
He scanned the entire mansion with overwhelming dark magic and if he found any place worth hiding, he would break through it without hesitation.
[...Impressive.]
The hidden warehouse was filled with various precious metals.
The wealth accumulated by the vampires, who had consumed an entire city and had been accumulating it for a long time, could be felt.
'But now, everything belongs to me.'
That day, along with Hans' warehouse, my heart could also be enriched.
'Today is a beef party.'
***
"Hans... a common name."
The capital of the Talaria Kingdom in the western continent, Talaria.
In a dark room covered by thick curtains, a man was staring into a glass of red liquid.
'-Who are you?'
'-My name is Hans.'
A brief conversation with a mysterious figure wearing a mask.
"Hmph, you were of no help until the end."
It was the final memory sent by Vyrrak, the head of the Ajantu branch.
Whether there was interference in the transmission of information or not, that was all he received.
"I can't just sit still."
A fragment of the Immortal King he was concerned about was stolen.
Perhaps the Ajantu branch wasn't in good shape either.
First, it was necessary to understand the exact situation.
He gulped down the drink in his hand and threw the glass to the floor.
Crash!
"Hans..."
Clan Lord of the Brokolak clan, Mulo Brokolak. He had sent an investigative team to Ajantu.
***
It was a peaceful time.
"Oh my, very impressive. How do you manage to catch them so easily every time?"
"Hahaha, I just spotted them while taking a stroll. Please take care of them."
"Don't worry. I'll prepare them right away."
A middle-aged man took the rabbits I caught to the side and started preparing them.
"Mister! Is it meat again today? Wow!"
Aaron, who was helping his sister set up the camp, jumped up excitedly.
I smiled and ruffled Aaron's hair.
We were leaving Ajantu City and heading towards Tilak City in the east.
Leaving the city wasn't difficult.
Since all the vampires had been eliminated, the back alley organizations didn't care about this side.
It had been three days since we hired a wagon and a driver.
The driver, Valter, had been a mercenary once, so I could learn various minor tricks from him.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mister."
Diana approached and handed me a canteen.
"Ah, it's nothing special. Thanks for the water."
I tilted the canteen and drank, then looked at Diana.
Her complexion had noticeably improved since we first met, probably because she had been eating well for the past few days.
Leaving Ajantu had also had a positive impact, as she no longer had to live in constant tension.
Noticing her gaze, Diana cautiously surveyed the surroundings and then quietly approached me.
"Um, Mister, are you still thirsty? Shall I give you some blood?"
I looked at her in surprise as she whispered in my ear, then chuckled and gently pushed her forehead and ruffled her hair.
"It's alright, it's alright. I had my fill this time."
Feasting on the vampires of Ajantu had left me satisfied for the time being.
Even if it hadn't, how could I suck blood from this little girl?
It would be better to arrive in the city and get some blood from the bad guys.
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Rosillica."
Suddenly, I remembered the vampire from the Barkolak who was in charge of my training.
I hadn't seen Rosillica during my time at the fragment's location or when I raided the base afterward.
Although she was someone I had a connection with, I was reluctant to cause harm personally.
But it was probably for the best if we didn't see each other again.
Given my escape, it would be good to assume she died in the city.
"We're all set to grill the meat."
"Wow, mister! Sis! Hurry, hurry!"
Valter and Aaron called us from the campfire.
Their reaction had been great every time I sprinkled the spices brought from Earth when grilling the meat these past few days.
I smiled as Diana and I headed towards the campfire.
It was another peaceful day of travel.
***
In the ambitious dawn, in the forest near Ajantu City, the vampire of Barkolak, Rosillica, finished her report in frustration.
Beside her, the half blood, Prita, who had gone outside the city to search for the fragment, was equally frustrated.
"Hmm... in the end, we're not sure about anything."
Rosillica had hurried out to call Prita immediately after the attack, but when the ones who went outside the city hurried back, everything had already been concluded.
The hideout where the fragment was concealed and the main headquarters of the clan had been completely destroyed.
Prita, specialized in detection, had sensed an immense dark magic still seeping out within the city.
She realized there were still remnants in the city, and the current situation was an issue they couldn't handle on their own.
They immediately retreated and reported this incident to the clan.
They kept an eye on the area around the city, observing the subsequent actions of that presence.
"They're still lingering in the city after causing such chaos? Did we seem so trivial to them... Who on earth are they?"
The boy, having heard all their reports, stood up from the branch he was sitting on and gazed in the direction of the city.
Two glowing red eyes shone vividly in the darkness.
"Then, shall we go and see their faces directly? Who dares to pull off such stunts in our territory?"
Swish—
The moment he finished speaking, dozens of shadows stormed towards the city from the darkness of the forest.
Rosillica and Prita, who were following behind, were joined by a boy standing on a tree.
It was Ovor Brokolak, the Nobleblood vampire.
Shortly, a flock of bats headed towards the city.
***
Hans was once again surveying the city today.
'The security isn't crumbling as much as I thought it would.'
Despite the destruction of the vampires, the organizations were surprisingly functioning systematically.
'Well, it's only been three days. It's only natural for them to be cautious until they have a clear understanding of the situation.'
For them, it was a matter of life and death.
There was a risk of getting their necks on the line if they acted recklessly and later returned to the dominators.
'Just need to deal with those who go too far for now.'
I decided not to interfere with the current organization as long as they didn't cross a certain line.
Nonetheless, they were following their own set of rules.
'It's better than ignorant ruffians taking up the space for no reason.'
Since I wouldn't be in this city forever, it wasn't wise to get too involved.
The best option would be to have the kingdom send back their management personnel, but that was unlikely.
The mayor had already been a lackey of the vampires, not turned into a vampire for external activities, but he was nothing more than a puppet obeying their orders.
'This city will fall back into the hands of the vampire clan. There's nothing I can do about that... Hmm, have they arrived?'
I sensed beings approaching the city at a rapid pace.
The energy definitely belonged to the vampires.
'Now that they're here, it's time to gradually leave the city.'
I headed in the opposite direction of their approach, toward the nearby forest.
'They're coming straight this way. Have they detected my location? My magical concealment isn't perfect.'
Not yet accustomed to handling the surged dark magic while absorbing the second fragment, it was undoubtedly a problem.
However, since I had no intention of fighting, it didn't matter how many of them came.
'As long as I play along for a bit and then leave...'
Quaaaang—!
In an instant, my defensive magic was broken, and my body was thrown backward.
[Phew, that startled me.]
I was attacked by something that came at an incredible speed.
Fortunately, I minimized the damage by absorbing the impact with a magic barrier I emitted at the moment of the impact.
I surveyed the assailant, encompassing all kinds of barriers around my body.
It was a boy who appeared to be in his late teens.
Clearly, he was a vampire.
But the energy I felt was...
[Nobleblood, is it?]
"Oh ho, someone guessed right. With such a strong aura of death, are you a lich?"
A Nobleblood vampire with white hair and red eyes.
His sinister smile didn't match his cute boyish face as he gazed at me.
While it hadn't been clear from what I had heard, seeing him in person made it evident.
He was a monster unlike any other, not comparable to a half blood.
"My name is Ovor. I'm the Nobleblood of the Brokolak Clan. Are you a member of the 'Oath of the Reversal'? Is that why you're targeting the fragment we possess?"
"Yes. We received information that you were after the 'Immortal King's fragment' we have, so we took the initiative. Did you think you could hide it forever?"
Faced with the opportunity to deceive the scoundrels and sow confusion, lies naturally spilled out as soon as I seized the chance.
Perhaps he thought he had already won the fight as he calmly approached, maybe even waiting for the minions converging from all sides to be certain.
'I might be able to handle a single Nobleblood, but...'
With over twenty halfblood in addition to five Pureblood, it would undoubtedly be overwhelming.
Moreover, there were still a few hours until the sun rose.
In response to my retort, Ovor narrowed his eyes and regarded me as if assessing the situation.
"I heard that a village where they were hiding was attacked. Wasn't it you who took it?"
"Ha! We had different intentions. If that's the case, isn't it inevitable for us to determine the superior with our strength?"
I raised my head and brazenly retorted.
I couldn't read his pupils, and my body didn't even sweat.
My voice was just a resonance of magic.
"...It doesn't matter now anyway. Because of you, the dignity on this side has become a joke."
Suddenly, dozens of vampires surrounded me on the surrounding trees.
On closer inspection, it seemed they had encircled the area with blood magic barriers, preventing escape.
'I wondered why they were approaching from all sides...'
While I could break through if I concentrated my power, the Nobleblood over there won't just sit back and watch.
If I were to mobilize all the undead I had, it might be possible, but there would be significant losses of power.
"There's nowhere to run. Let us capture you and extract the stolen fragment."
Confronted by a superior force and vampires surrounding me, in a situation where I wasn't accustomed to the new power, it was clearly a crisis.
But to me, it was just an interesting story.
[Kukuku... You can't capture me. I'll leave here today.]
That's why I threw a line that sounded like a villain, immersing myself in the situation.
Quaang—!
Before my words were finished, Ovor launched an attack.
The surrounding barriers surged and tore one by one, but I could hold on for a moment.
Soon, the surrounding vampires began to launch attacks at me.
[Remember this. I am Hans of the Oath of the Reversal! I am the stake that silently pierces the heart in the tranquil dawn! Lament your helplessness. I am your death!]
Caught up in the patented villainous monologue, I couldn't help but play along.
Though a part of my mind felt like screaming, why not enjoy the moment!
I decided to deal with the consequences later.
[I'll be back.]
Spouting all the lines that came to mind, I raised my thumb defiantly at the approaching enemies from all sides.
'Cancel summoning.'
And just like that, Arch-Lich Hans disappeared from the Outerica dimension.
And on Earth.
As a result of the wild spree, Hansung-hyun had to kick away the blanket for the next few tens of minutes…
It was predestined karma.