# Chapter 106
—
Arthur dusted himself off and stood up.
“Hm… but well, it has nothing to do with us, does it?”
Leon, who was beside him, nodded.
“That’s right. Our target isn’t Yenika Hazel, but Ian Dormund.”
“Do you think Ian Dormund knows about this?”
“Chances are high, don’t you think? He was parading around with the Blood Grail—the sacred relic of the vampires—claiming it as his family’s heirloom.”
“Why would he call something like that an heirloom?”
“I think… because of experiments.”
“Experiments?”
Leon hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Cain Dormund. That man had been pouring vast sums of money into research related to bloodlines and kinship for ages.”
Arthur’s eyes widened.
At the same time, Julie flashed through his mind.
‘Bloodline, experiments… is this about that project I saw back then?’
Meanwhile, Leon furrowed his brows and muttered.
“My guess is, he had the Blood Grail for the same reason… though I can’t say for sure. I hardly have any information on that side of things.”
Arthur snapped out of his thoughts and spoke.
“Well, for now let’s get out of the village. We don’t know who might come looking.”
“Then are we camping out tonight?”
“Seems like the better option. Even if there’s another village nearby, who’s to say something like this won’t happen again.”
Having decided, Leon gestured.
“Then let’s move quickly. If we stay here, we won’t be able to talk our way out of any misunderstandings.”
Arthur and Jeannie followed Leon’s lead and set off.
It was just as the group left the village—
Whoooosh—!
A chilling wind swept past, brushing over the innkeeper’s corpse.
From within that stillness, a man emerged, silhouetted against the moonlight. He muttered:
“Hoh? All dead?”
His face was hidden beneath a hood. Clicking his tongue as he looked at the innkeeper’s body, he murmured:
“The seal’s broken. Just what kind of bastard…”
His words trailed off as he straightened.
At that instant, a metallic stench of blood pricked at his nose.
“Ugh! What’s this smell!?”
The man scowled, turning his head.
That acrid stench of blood was wafting straight out of the inn.
“…No, it can’t be.”
Muttering under his breath, he strode into the inn without hesitation and pushed the door open.
“…!”
His eyes widened, his jaw slack.
“Hoh?”
The inside of the inn was drenched in blood.
Chunks of flesh and shattered bones scattered about made the place seem like the very threshold of hell.
“What… what kind of lunatic did this?”
His voice, reluctant and uneasy, let out a groan.
“Damn… if we lose kin here, the Princess will be furious.”
He heaved a deep sigh, pondering how to deal with this mess.
At that moment, a crow’s cry echoed from afar.
Caw—!
And with it, the ground rumbled with a thunderous tremor.
The man stepped back out of the inn and waved a hand.
“Finished your business?”
The other figure, eyes glowing crimson, answered.
“…What’s going on, Carpe?”
The man called Carpe shrugged.
“Well, I don’t know either, Tacen. But one thing’s certain.”
Carpe’s gaze sharpened, gleaming.
“Some lunatic’s meddling in our affairs. This is… going to be troublesome.”
—
—
Arthur’s group, now far from the scene, camped out that night.
\[Hello, everyone?]
\[Hmph!]
Thanks to the help of the gnome and undine, even camping out wasn’t too inconvenient.
After spending the night like that, the following day they stumbled upon a large town—just as big as the one they had visited the night before.
“Oh. This one doesn’t look like it has vampires, does it?”
At Arthur’s words, Leon nodded.
“Seems that way. Judging by their attire, most are mercenaries. The rest look like proper residents.”
“Shouldn’t we go in, then?”
“Of course. Everything else aside, we’re running low on food supplies. We need to restock.”
Arthur was just about to stride into the town when Jeannie grabbed his shoulder.
“My lord. You’re not planning to walk in like that, are you?”
Arthur blinked.
“Uh… is that not allowed?”
“Of course not. That face you’re disguised with—rumors about it are already everywhere.”
“This fuzzy face?”
Instead of answering, Jeannie rummaged through her pack and pulled out a hooded cloak.
She draped it over Arthur’s shoulders and said:
“Things are already complicated enough. Best not to get tangled up in unnecessary trouble.”
“Hm… I suppose you’re right.”
“Exactly. That way, things go more smoothly.”
Arthur shrugged.
Watching quietly from the side, Leon muttered under his breath:
‘Arthur Bayern… that bastard. I’ve thought this for a while, but why’s he so damn popular?’
Yenika Hazel, Elin Leverkusen…
Even that foul-tempered elf too.
For some reason, Arthur always ended up popular with women.
‘It’s one thing for bad boys to be popular… but isn’t a lunatic a bit different?’
While Leon was brooding over this, Arthur and Jeannie walked into the town.
Chatter, chatter—
With so many mercenaries wandering the streets, the town felt noisy despite its size.
Arthur and Jeannie threaded through the crowd of mercenaries and stepped into an inn.
A freckled boy beamed as he greeted them.
“Welcome, guests! Meal? Room? What can I prepare for you?”
Jeannie stepped forward to answer.
“Let’s start with a meal first.”
“We’ve got soups, breads, steaks, all kinds of salads—”
“Just bring us the dishes you’re best known for.”
“Yes, right away!”
As the boy scurried off, Arthur, Jeannie, and Leon settled at a table.
Leon glanced around and remarked:
“I’m hearing some rather interesting stories.”
“Interesting stories?”
“Seems to be about what happened last night.”
At that, Arthur perked up his senses.
Soon, the mercenaries’ chatter drifted clearly into his ears.
“Did you hear? Something huge happened last night.”
“Something huge? Like what?”
“Some big shots who got involved ended up dead.”
“Big shots? Who was involved?”
“Hell’s Gate, Khun Edric.”
“…What! Hell’s Gate! Khun Edric is dead!?”
“That’s not all… Blue Whip’s Chennisha, and Red Blade Naibel too.”
Arthur let out a gasp.
“The people we met yesterday… looks like they’re all dead.”
“…The people you met yesterday?”
“Yes. Remember the one who picked a fight with Jeannie? That battle mage.”
Jeannie’s eyes widened.
“He… died?”
“Seems that way. Hm… no wonder those cultists blocking the train looked so confident.”
Jeannie’s brows knitted.
‘That guy… as annoying as he was, could he really have died so easily?’
A B-rank mercenary was a seasoned veteran, one recognized as the real deal among Arcane’s many mercs.
‘But all three B-rank mercenaries died in one night?’
Just what had happened?
As Jeannie sank into thought, Leon stood up.
“You two, go ahead and eat first.”
Arthur turned his head.
“Something up?”
“My friends just contacted me. Information about Ian Dormund.”
“Oh, then you’d better go quickly. We’ll save you some food.”
Leon simply gave a thumbs-up in response.
Soon after Leon left, the dishes arrived.
“This is good, isn’t it, my lord?”
“Mhm… I was just thinking the same.”
“Eat your vegetables too. Don’t just eat the meat.”
“Meat’s the best way to fill your stomach though.”
“Really. At your age, you shouldn’t be picky.”
Arthur and Jeannie chatted idly as they waited for Leon.
Just as the food was starting to go cold, Leon returned.
“Oh. Perfect timing—soup’s still steaming.”
Smiling brightly, Leon scooped up a spoonful of mushroom soup and tasted it.
Jeannie tilted her head curiously.
“Something good happen? You look positively cheerful.”
“Good news? Heh… yes, you could say so.”
Glancing around, Leon lowered his voice.
“Fresh news. Ian Dormund—he’s tied down right now.”
Arthur tilted his head.
“Tied down? You mean like our train being stopped?”
“Exactly! Ian’s stuck in the same situation.”
Arthur’s eyes widened.
Leon leaned forward, growing animated.
“He’s not far from here either. Which means, most of the people chasing Yenika Hazel are gathered around this very area.”
“…That is interesting.”
“Interesting indeed. Which is why… I think it’s time to set our plan in motion.”
Arthur tilted his head again.
“Plan? What plan?”
“Didn’t I say? We’ll turn this whole situation into chaos—just like the first time we met!”
Leon’s lips curled into a sly grin.
“And in that chaos, we’ll take what we want. Without anyone knowing.”
Arthur let out a small exclamation.
“What exactly is this plan? You’re not going to use hypnosis again, are you?”
“Similar, but different.”
“…Similar but different?”
Leon nodded.
“I’ll become Yenika Hazel.”
“…?”
“I’ll transform, and wag my tail right before everyone.”
Arthur blinked. Jeannie was no different.
“Y-you mean… cross-dress, Sir Leon?”
Leon chuckled.
“Not cross-dressing—transformation. You’ve heard of \[Polymorph], haven’t you?”
—
—
A blizzard raged across the northern snowfields.
There, Yenika prayed.
But no answer came.
Only the whirling, white snow brushed past her shoulders and hair.
Yet Yenika hadn’t been seeking a reply.
For prayer, after all, was not a plea for an answer, but a discipline—a devotion to strengthen one’s own faith.
Any response or whisper along the way merely affirmed the path she herself was already walking.
As she resumed her prayer once more, one of her followers approached.
“Princess, it has been a week already. Please, you must eat something.”
Eyes still closed, Yenika answered.
“Eat something… and what is it that we are supposed to eat?”
“…Pardon?”
“Do we eat bread and milk, like ordinary humans? Or do we eat flesh and blood?”
“……”
“I still do not know. We eat flesh and blood instead of bread and milk. And for that reason, we have hidden ourselves for a thousand years.”
“……”
“I truly do not know. Was being a little different such a great sin that we had to live in hiding for a millennium? And so, I must pray.”
Yenika brought her hands together once again.
“To confirm whether the path I walk is righteous—that is why I pray.”
A gasp escaped the follower’s lips.
And with it, the thousands of \[Black Cross] believers gathered behind her let out exclamations of awe.
“Ooh…”
“Our guiding god…”
“Princess, please ascend the throne. Bring us the sunlight once more…”
A thousand years of longing.
And of resentment.
Their voices carried both.
Listening quietly, Yenika whispered to herself:
‘Just a little more…’
Just a little more, and once she drew out the Grail’s power, everything would be over.
The long-prepared plan would reach its end.
And when that moment came, at last, the curse would be broken.
‘The thousand-year shackle the Emperor laid upon us…’
When that shackle was shattered, the world would know.
The fury smoldering for a millennium—just how vast it truly was.
Waiting for that moment, Yenika prayed once more.
Praying that this distorted world might finally be set right.
—
