Ch.4848. Vampire (4)

After the most grueling and difficult battle of this life, the vampire hunt was finally over. We retreated to our hideout, completely drained of energy.

We stayed in Nature’s Hut, which I had created by squeezing out most of my remaining magical power—a perfect recreation of the two-person version of the cottage we had used as lodging many times before.

The hideout, perfectly blended with the surrounding natural environment and impossible to detect, was equipped with most modern infrastructure and had perfect spatial separation for privacy protection.

Thanks to this, we two, exhausted to our limits, were able to fully recover our strength by spending a full day resting. From the next day onward, we began our “collection of spoils” in earnest.

“The Prophet says that breakfast was delicious today.”

“Right? I put some effort into it.”

After enjoying breakfast of sausage rolls with tomato sauce and custard pudding topped with cherries, we packed lunch as if going on a picnic and arrived near the southern swamplands where the collapsed mansion was located.

“The Prophet is amazed. Is the destroyed forest coming back to life in such a short time…?”

“Well, this area is rich in the mysteries of nature.”

The nature of this world had the tenacity to restore fields that had been completely drained of life and vitality in just over a day. It wasn’t strange that the concept of nature was established as a mystery in itself.

Thanks to this, as we passed through this now dreamlike landscape together, we finally arrived at the vampire’s mansion that had collapsed due to the earthquake I had caused.

The mansion, which had sunk due to the ground’s collapse, was completely shattered into a mess, while the fence that once surrounded it remained relatively intact.

After briefly experiencing mixed feelings about these traces of destruction I had created, I decided to personally search for the “spoils” that were likely buried within the collapsed mansion.

“Sophia, Minerva. Could I ask for your magical assistance?”

“The Prophet says it’s always possible for a fellow druid.”

“Yes, I feel the same way.”

With the assistance of two intermediate nature magic users, I focused on stimulating the seeds of plants buried in the surroundings to grow instantly, lifting up the collapsed building that had crumbled due to the ground’s subsidence.

-KRRRRRRRRRR!!!

Green and brown vines emerged from the splitting earth, lifting the debris of the building. Although it might be impossible to perfectly recreate the original building, I could at least bring the spoils buried among the ruins to the surface.

Now, it was time for the experts to step in.

“Go, little squeakers!”

[[[WAAAAAAAAAA!!!]]]

I commanded the shadow rat collective—the squeakers—who were more useful than any other living being when it came to searching, to find the spoils. The target was none other than the magical tools that the arrogant vampire noble would have possessed.

Since money wasn’t an urgent need at the moment, there was no need to specifically target precious metals. In terms of priority, tools or materials containing magical power were first, natural materials like gems or crystals were second, and currency was only third in priority.

Anyway, after watching the squeakers search frantically for quite some time, I began to sort through the items they started bringing back one by one.

Most of the spoils, dirty with soil and dust, were gold and silver coins commonly used in the Western Continent. Surprisingly, the proportion of precious metals wasn’t that high, and most of the magical tools were closer to everyday appliances.

‘…All these things require human lives to operate?’

After seeing that the power source for these trivial everyday magical tools was the lives of innocent people, I couldn’t even bring myself to modify and use them.

Still, it was somewhat comforting that our harvest wasn’t completely fruitless.

For example, accessories enchanted with magic to strengthen or protect the body, weapons enchanted with magic to enhance destructive power or durability. Each of these items had considerable value, and there was no particular reason why I couldn’t use them.

I also collected about several dozen gems and similar materials full of mystical properties that could be used as ingredients, and thanks to the proximity to the mystically abundant southern swamplands, I obtained an abundance of natural materials containing magical power.

But the true core of the spoils was something else.

“Look, this many gold coins!”

“…!!”

Even for us druids, known for our lack of material desire, it was enough to make our eyes widen seeing gold coins from inside the castle piled up like a small hill.

It was impossible to guess how long they had been plundering from the surrounding areas. How much money was this, exactly?

Even if we were to sell the entire corpse of the Swamp Dragon, it wouldn’t compare to these gold coins, which led me to harbor reasonable doubts.

Could this amount really be earned just by robbing passing travelers?

Come to think of it, in this world, the common gold and silver coins of the Western Continent are the continent’s common currency, circulated under a sophisticated monetary policy that’s hard to believe for a medieval setting.

The legendary Gold Dragon Lord, Zophia Rothschild, who lives deep in the mountains accumulating wealth and running the economy for fun, is known as the dragon who controls all money in this world.

The gold and silver coins issued by Zophia Rothschild are about the size of a modern 50-won coin, and despite having preservation magic cast on them, the value of the currency itself clearly exceeds the actual value of the metal.

Therefore, these gold and silver coins needed separate value guarantees, just like modern currency, and Zophia Rothschild, being a wise and intelligent ancient dragon, chose a very innovative method.

The vast wealth piled in her lair guarantees the value of the currency she issues, and the coins she creates lose their value as currency and become mere precious metals the moment the magic bestowed upon them is destroyed.

Additionally, Zophia Rothschild has scattered her subordinates and familiars throughout the Western Continent to monitor economic conditions in real-time, and in case of counterfeit currency or various economic crises, she personally steps in to adjust the money supply and punish the offenders.

Therefore, due to this high guarantee, the common currency itself is accepted anywhere on the Western Continent, but the gold and silver coins found in this mansion now are not common currency.

Whether due to poor casting technology, their form is crude, and there’s not a trace of magic or magical power to be felt in them.

Considering the historical context of this era, such crude currency being operated in a limited way would be normal, but from a fantasy-colored perspective, anyone would see this as black money involved in some kind of crime.

Well… that doesn’t really change the immediate benefits we’ve gained.

Anyway, after all the “spoils” were collected thanks to the hard work of our squeakers, we spread out a picnic blanket to have lunch together and called our animal friends one by one.

Corin, who had somehow regenerated his body and revived. Astra, the silver deer who seemed to quite like this scenery. Here with Robo, who was happily and energetically frolicking around, and the squeakers deliciously munching on the fruits I had given them as rewards.

[…?]

“Hello, Hydra.”

And even the Hydra, whose curse had been completely lifted and who now proudly showed itself before me.

[…]

Perhaps it still didn’t fully understand the situation? As it turned its twelve recovered heads this way and that, trying to grasp the situation, it eventually looked into my eyes and conveyed its thoughts.

[—.]

“…Yes, I see.”

Unlike the other companions I had made so far, it has lower intelligence and no language ability, making detailed explanations impossible… but instead, there exists a contract between Hydra and me that connects our minds.

Thanks to this, despite our brief moment of empathy, we understood each other, smiled at each other, and then enjoyed our lunch while chatting pleasantly for a while.

“…!! The Prophet expresses admiration for her fellow druid’s cooking skills.”

“Thank you, Sophia.”

After providing classic BLT (Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato) sandwiches, various fruits, and a large quantity of meat prepared for the children, we took out a storage space made from demon essence to collect all the precious spoils piled on one side…

Suddenly, a current of thought flashed through my mind.

If I add the dragon corpse I already have to those materials… could I perhaps create a mobile “Nature’s Hut”?

It was a sudden thought, but the more I pondered it, the more appealing the idea became.

“…so, what do you think about trying to make one?”

So I carefully proposed the idea to Sophia…

“It seems like a good idea to the Prophet. The Prophet thinks it might be worth trying.”

The opinion that came back from Sophia clearly contained a positive intention.