Chapter 155: Hitting a Nerve

I will tell you how to break the Vassalization.

That sentence alone made it clear that negotiation was unavoidable.

If Rianna’s Vassalization could be lifted, she could be fully reintegrated as one of their assets.
Not only that, but they had also taken the left arm of Helix, one of the most difficult sorcerers to deal with, with almost no losses.

It was a situation with only upsides, but it was precisely at times like these that one had to be suspicious.
Isaac’s reason, in particular, was extremely wary of situations that seemed to offer nothing but benefits.

“The terms are a little too good for our side.”

Chew, chew.

He tried his best to ignore the sensation of Rianna chewing on his shirt as he continued.

“Offering to tell us the difference between Jonathan and Scarlett as the only condition is far too generous.”

“Haha.”

It was a hollow laugh.
Less a sound of amusement and more a brief noise to fill the silence.

“Information that is worthless to one person can be invaluable to another. Just as the solution to Rianna’s Vassalization is, in fact, not that important to me.”

“…”

“Now, what do you say? Will you let me meet the child who might be my younger brother?”

The Blood Demon’s smile was soft, yet somehow sorrowful.
But one could not say that the emotion hidden within it was entirely pure.

“I have one condition.”

At Isaac’s sharp, cutting voice, the Blood Demon’s expression hardened for a moment before relaxing.
As someone who had seduced many humans, she found his type the most difficult to deal with.

A being whose reason crushed their instincts.
Emotional empathy and connection, captivating charm…
All of it was useless before such people.

The Blood Demon dropped her pitiful act and asked.

“A condition? What is it?”

“What you will do to Jonathan once you find out. That is what’s important. If you intend to harm him, I cannot tell you.”

“Oh my? Is Jonathan more important to you than that child?”

The Blood Demon gestured to Rianna with her chin.
It was as if she were asking if he was willing to put something so precious on the line, but Isaac was resolute.

“It’s not a question of who is more important. I am asking because I need to know.”

“…You truly are a frustrating man, aren’t you?”

Her words said one thing, but a smile hung on her lips.
How could he refuse to move an inch in the direction she wanted?
The Blood Demon had wanted to twist and turn the flow of conversation to pressure Isaac, but the more she talked, the more she found herself being cornered.

“Why so prickly? I suppose you didn’t carry the Helmont name, even for a time, for nothing?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

Perhaps the reason she could let his words slide was because of the woman standing beside him with a murderous-looking odachi.
Or was it because, in her eyes as a connoisseur of beauty, he was beautiful enough to generously forgive such rudeness?

The Blood Demon considered.

Probably the latter.

“I will say this clearly. If the child named Jonathan has the blood of a Blood Demon flowing through him, I will not harm him.”

I will not harm him.*
*It was a rather vague expression, but it seemed pointless to demand a more concrete answer.
It was clear the woman had no intention of elaborating.

“Hoo.”

Deciding he had at least secured a minimum of insurance, Isaac began to speak.

“It’s certain. Jonathan is of Mixed Blood, and he has some of the traits you display. Not just in appearance, but…”

He recalled the Blood Demons in Narakai, quenching their thirst with human blood as they climbed the tower, and added.

“…even the tendency to enjoy the sight of human blood.”

“…!”

At those words, the Blood Demon’s eyes widened. A subtle smile formed on her lips, as if that had confirmed it for her.

But Isaac wanted to make Jonathan’s other qualities clear as well.

“Jonathan is, strictly speaking, serving as one of the Knights of Helmont. He is overcoming his base nature and living as a proud knight.”

“That’s right! Jonathan is an idiot, but he’s still a Knight of Helmont.”

Sharen added, feeling a certain affection for him.
The Blood Demon let out a dry laugh at her words.

“Little girl, no matter how you wield The Greatsword of Hellmund and call yourself a knight, you can never escape the bounds of being human—.”

And Jonathan, likewise, could never escape the blood of the Blood Demon.

The smile on the Blood Demon’s lips as she whispered this was filled with deep satisfaction.
It was as if all of Jonathan’s efforts up to this point had been meaningless.
The way she completely disregarded the latter part of his statement grated on Isaac.
It was only natural, as he knew how hard Jonathan had striven.

But this was no time for an argument.

“There, I’ve told you.”

He had given her all the information she wanted.
Now it was time for her to give him what he wanted.

“What is the way to break Rianna’s Vassalization?”

Isaac’s hands, holding her, tightened. At his grip, which felt as if he were holding something precious, Rianna bit down harder on his shirt.
If she let her true feelings out here, Isaac might become disgusted with her.

That was the thought she was holding back.

“First, you should know this. A pure human can never escape Vassalization. It is like dropping blood into clear water. It can never return to being clear again. It’s impossible for them to remain whole, as she is now.”

However.

“Funnily enough, you Helmonts are descendants of Helix, aren’t you? That’s why she hasn’t completely broken down. Because she has a bit of Primeval Transcendent blood mixed in, after all.”

“…”

“There are several ways. The simplest is for the subject to die.”

“Don’t waste my time.”

If he had been willing to entertain the absurd condition of Rianna’s death, he would never have started this negotiation in the first place.

The Blood Demon laughed as if it were a joke and continued.

“Vassalization is, in the end, a leash. So, it is also possible to change the person holding that leash.”

“Change the master?”

“That’s right. I’m holding it right now. What do you think?”

The Blood Demon wiggled her fingers as if she were holding a leash.

“Shall I give it to you? She seems to follow you well. You could take the woman as you please, violate her, control her, and discard her.”

“Watch your mouth.”

“Hee.”

The Blood Demon let out a faint laugh at Isaac’s warning.

“But this method cannot solve the problem. Do you know what that means?”

SHWAAAK!

Giant wings unfurled from the Blood Demon’s back.
They resembled those of a bat and were so majestic that they concealed even the warm afternoon sun.

For a moment, it felt as if the village had been plunged into dawn.

“Unless you cut off my head, you cannot take this authority, and I have absolutely no intention of dying.”

He now understood why the Blood Demon had so easily given him the answer.
She was confident in herself.
Confident that Rianna, under Vassalization, would not be taken from her.
Because she would not die.

“It seems we are finally moving on to a proper conversation.”

The Grandmaster, who had been silent, stepped forward. She sheathed the odachi that had been resting on her shoulder.

It was ironic.
For most, this act would signal the end of a battle.

But for the Grandmaster and Isaac, it was the opposite.
The moment they sheathed their swords, it meant it was time to fight again.

“Ah, really…”

But the Blood Demon shook her head.

“I’m not the rough type, you see.”

Her wings began to beat.

“Thank you for telling me. I’m a bit busy, you see. I have much to prepare if I am to meet our Jonathan.”

A wind blew.
The Grandmaster, as if resisting it, had already leaped into the air.

“Where do you think you’re going? I’m quite disappointed—!”

The moment the odachi flashed out like a bolt of lightning, blood rained down from the sky.

The Primeval Transcendents hidden behind her wings appeared and charged.
They were, of course, bisected by the Grandmaster’s sword, but the brief opening had allowed the Blood Demon to fly far away.

“…”

That night.
Isaac’s party decided to stay in the village for one night.

Scarlett’s true identity, what kind of being she was, and who she had served.
They couldn’t explain everything in detail, but they had to tell the villagers to forget her.

It was a night filled with the sounds of wailing.

Even after they had been told everything about her identity and the truth, tears and sobs could be heard from all corners of the village.

They were the voices of men, lamenting Scarlett’s death.

“Hah, what is this…”

“Are they idiots?”

The Grandmaster and Sharen listened to the wailing from the village with disdain.

“We took care of the siren who was sucking them dry, but instead of a welcome, we get turned away at the door. Isn’t this absurd?”

They had originally planned to stay in the village, but the villagers had resisted so fiercely that they had no choice but to build a campfire outside the village.
Fortunately, they had managed to get some food, so they were able to eat a hearty dinner.

“Seriously! It’s ridiculous! How can people be so shameless?”

“I can see why they were taken in. Tsk, they were so foolish, that’s why they were so blind.”

Sharen and the Grandmaster felt that the treatment they had received was quite unfair.
And indeed, the villagers’ behavior could be seen as quite shameless.

After all, the woman named Scarlett had toyed with the men’s hearts.
The women of the village, in contrast to the men, had even expressed their gratitude.

“…”

Isaac, however, was staring intently at the village.

What should he call it?
Their response was wrong, but it wasn’t that he couldn’t understand it.

“Isaac, what are you thinking?”

Rianna, noticing his hardened expression, asked with concern.

At her question, Isaac hesitated for a moment before answering.

“It’s just.”

“Just…?”

“That seeing them crying like that… blinded by love… it feels similar to us.”

At Isaac’s words, Rianna stared blankly at the village for a moment, then nodded cautiously.

“So that’s why the Grandmaster and Sharen didn’t understand.”

“…”

“Because they’ve never been in love.”

“Why the sudden attack?”

“What was that for, sister?!”

Rianna snuggled into Isaac’s embrace.