Ch.5252. Count of Lyon’s Territory (4)

“Goodbye!”

“Yes, have a nice day!”

Responding with a bright smile to the clerk who bid me farewell, I walked out of the Alchemist Guild in Count Lyon’s territory, feeling the pleasant sensation of the alchemy solution bottles I had tucked inside my small bundle.

Perhaps it was because I helped them clear their backlog of inventory, but the space-expansion potion bottle they readily provided me, which allowed me to store all those alchemy solutions, was truly an unexpected delight.

Meanwhile, this space-expansion enchanted potion bottle wasn’t the only unexpected element.

‘So this world also has Korea… or something similar.’

When I noticed a familiar-looking red plant root among the exhibition items (not for sale) at the Alchemist Guild and asked about it, the receptionist informed me that it was none other than “red ginseng” from the “Kingdom of Korea.”

Red ginseng, which appears on the packaging of health supplements, looking at first glance like reddish-dyed twigs. The striking red appearance stimulated a sense of nostalgia I didn’t even know I had.

Anyway, I was only lost in memories of my past life for a moment. Since I had already purchased the alchemy solution, which was my purpose for visiting Count Lyon’s territory, I was about to head outside to return to my current residence when…

‘…Ah, right.’

Deciding it would be best to send the bottle containing the alchemy solution ahead, I summoned my animal friend who was more reliable than anyone else for such tasks.

‘Korin, deliver this bottle to Sophia.’

[Got it! Leave it to me!]

Summoned at roughly the size of an eagle owl, unlike his usual form, I tied the bundle to him. After tearing into a few pieces of meat I gave him—created by magic—he soared into the high sky.

As a mid-tier flying beast with excellent long-distance, high-speed movement capabilities, Korin the thunderbird could deliver the alchemy solution faster than if I were to ride Astrana or Robo.

With my body lightened after unpacking what was essentially my only remaining bundle, I was about to leave the lord’s castle when I felt an uneasiness originating from somewhere deep within me.

If I had to put it into words… it was like a beast’s keen intuition.

It wasn’t a magical or mystical form of prophecy.

Rather, it was closer to a manifestation of survival instinct in the biological realm, an embodiment of instinct derived from years of combat experience.

And trusting this intuition had never led me astray, not even once.

‘Squeakies, search the surroundings.’

[[[Yes!]]]

The Squeakies, approximately 2,300 shadow rat swarms that I had secretly summoned, hid in the shadows and scattered in all directions.

The shadow rat swarms possess several special abilities that can be used when their numbers exceed a certain threshold. One such ability is “submerging into shadows,” which can be used when their total number exceeds 1,000.

They can hide in any shadow larger than themselves, and their concealment cannot be detected by conventional surveillance methods, making them unparalleled as reconnaissance agents.

Any place that is ‘darker than its surroundings’ is considered a shadow, and thanks to their hive mind, as long as I keep even one nearby, I can receive information from them at any time, making them all the more valuable.

Anyway, as I was gradually approaching the castle gate after releasing the Squeakies…

‘…Undead?’

[[[That’s right! Without a doubt! They are undead!]]]

According to the Squeakies, undead rats and bats were hiding everywhere, monitoring me.

And they had blood-red eyes that practically advertised “I’m a vampire~” to anyone who saw them.

At that moment, a thought close to certainty flowed into my mind.

There’s a good chance I could be wrong. The probability that my hypothesis is incorrect might be the highest at this moment.

But even so… I couldn’t dismiss this thought that had surfaced in my mind.

The connection between these undead (vampire) animals watching me now, that thug from earlier, and the vampire noble from the swamp.

The evidence is sufficient. Of all places, in a city near where vampires reside, surveillance was placed on me right after I had an altercation with someone who had no abilities but possessed the bloodline.

Additionally, that vampire noble possessed various items that couldn’t be obtained through solitary living, and now vampire traces are discovered here?

‘…Are they still remaining within the city?’

Therefore, my final conclusion was that remnants of the vampire noble’s faction, who had colluded with the third son from before, remained within this lord’s castle.

Furthermore, it’s possible that a group of evil cultists might have infiltrated the dark underbelly of the city.

※ ※ ※

Vampires… this race, formally known as vampires, forms a strict hierarchical society due to their characteristic where higher ranks can command absolute obedience from lower ranks.

“Vampire zombies” with no intelligence as they became undead after having their blood drained, “vampire ghouls” with beast-level intelligence, and “lesser vampires” who are subspecies of regular vampires—these are the lower-tier vampires.

Regular “vampires” born when those with talent for the vampire race are bitten, and “vampire nobles” who are born when such vampires age or grow—these are the mid-tier vampires.

And finally, the high-tier vampires, “vampire lords,” who stand at the pinnacle of a bloodline, either turned directly by primordial vampires or reached through innate talent by an extremely small number.

Among these hierarchical classifications, the vampire hiding in this city appears to be a regular “vampire” of the mid-tier.

Having reached the mid-tier level, they possess the ability to independently create minions and maintain a complete sense of self unaffected by external pressures. By applying a vampire’s mysterious hypnotic arts and minion creation abilities, it wouldn’t be too difficult to cultivate cultists underground.

And…

‘…Should I kill them?’

To be completely honest, I could never tolerate these damned bloodsucking cultists running amok.

In this world, cultists are, strictly speaking, those who embody pure evil.

Their very existence is tainted with evil, making them beyond redemption—a kind that cannot be forgiven regardless of reason.

Demon worshippers, regardless of their own intentions of supposedly using demons, serve as wedges and cornerstones for the demons they worship and otherworldly beings to invade this world.

The same goes for those who follow outer gods. Outer gods are, after all, external entities outside the laws of this world, and regardless of their individual tendencies, they inevitably cause extreme damage to this world.

And undead, regardless of their individual tendencies, are problematic because they bind souls—catalysts that maintain balance between worlds through circulation—to the material plane… or so my master said.

But those reasons above are far from why I became hostile toward cultists.

I can’t deny the druidic mindset I learned from my master, my second mother in this life… but more than that, it’s because I’ve defined them as enemies of my world.

In the past, when a group of demon worshippers tried to invade the Aleinos Forest and were crushed by my master, she dragged their boss right in front of me and gave me a chance to talk directly with him.

And this memory created my current aversion to cultists.

Massacre, human sacrifice, murder, cannibalism, rape, assault, torture, plunder, arson…

How could one forgive those who committed countless crimes and yet shamelessly claimed their innocence?

Cultists don’t need forgiveness. They are like cancers of this world that should be eliminated as soon as they are spotted.

“…Is this the place?”

“Y-yes! So please—AAAAARGH!!!”

And that’s why I’ve come directly to the vampire’s den that I found through this “interview.”

-CRACK!

That was as far as I went with capturing a lesser vampire wandering in the back alley and ordering it to guide me.

After smashing its head with my staff imbued with magical power, I prepared to catch and punish those who likely had connections with the upper echelons of this domain.

The building that I learned was their hideout through the “interview” appeared on the surface to be just a three-story commercial building closed due to economic decline.

But thinking so simply would truly be foolish.

Who would be stupid enough to enter recklessly without accurately understanding how much the interior might have been modified?

[…Nature, please conceal me.]

So, first forming a simple barrier to prevent any disturbance that might become troublesome, I recognized that there was no longer any reason to hold back and began my incantation while forming hand seals.

[Come forth, many-headed water serpent!!]

The source of mystery I borrowed with the incantation is divine, the Hydra.

The mystery of the Hydra, which I had also used when exterminating the vampire noble last time. The true nature of the power I newly obtained through the animal friend contract was…

-KUGUUGUGUGUGWAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAANG!!!!

Using magical power to recreate and form part of the Hydra’s body.