Chapter 3 : What are you even capable of? (2)

The silent office of the Lieutenant Colonel.

I looked at Erik, who had dragged me into the room.

‘…It was definitely during the celebration.’

Finally, a situation where only the true nature of vampires remained.

The Empire’s military officers held a small celebration for it.

Normally, I would’ve thrown a fit, saying what kind of madness this was.

‘…But it’s part of the original game anyway.’

Since it was part of the original game, I let it slide.

The Imperial Army isn’t weak enough to be threatened by vampires over a mere celebration.

What I had to be wary of during that celebration wasn’t the vampires.

Nor were they the pig-like nobles of the upper class.

They were dumb, and if I flirted a little with my pretty face, they’d let me off the hook.

The one I was most cautious of was none other than—

‘…Lieutenant Colonel, why did you call me here?’

‘Lieutenant Colonel?’

The Empire’s first emperor-recognized hero.

‘…Lieutenant Valentine.’

‘You are quite mysterious. I’ve never seen anyone so devoted to the Empire.’

It was Erik, the protagonist of this story.

Erik looked back at me with a frighteningly cold expression.

He hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol the entire banquet and just glared at me.

I pretended not to be shaken while remaining alert.

‘…Compared to your actions, I’m not even close to being a hero.’

A suitable answer.

Most superiors enjoy it when a hero like me says things like that.

‘…The Emperor acknowledged it, and yet you think you’re something else?’

‘No, sir. I apologize.’

‘……’

But this man was different.

He’s insane.

From top to bottom, he made it obvious he didn’t like me.

It’s probably also because I avoided Erik since my commission.

Back then, even his slightest actions scared me too much.

Because of that, people around us said we were like rivals for five years.

I didn’t really think so, but it seems he’s been harboring hatred toward me all this time.

Anyway, Erik never liked me.

But now, something felt off.

He called me out alone.

As if he had something to deal with.

And that “something” was probably—

‘…No way. Has he found out?’

Maybe it was me.

That’s the feeling I got.

Cold sweat ran down my back.

Of course, I kept a neutral expression on my face.

I put on the officer’s hat to hide my face.

‘…The Emperor acknowledged you.’

‘……’

‘Is that true?’

‘…Yes, sir. It is.’

‘Is there a chance Her Majesty made a mistake?’

‘…Excuse me?’

Questions with unclear intent flew my way.

He was trying to throw me off.

There’s something going on.

A bad feeling always proves to be right.

Erik’s behavior today was suspicious.

He didn’t speak to anyone at the celebration and started following me yesterday.

‘…He knows.’

As I lowered my head, thinking that,

Erik stopped asking questions.

A cigar was now in his hand.

Erik sat on the edge of the desk with his back to the window, scanning me up and down.

Then, he exhaled a puff of smoke.

Hissssss.

The cigarette sizzled as he ground it into the ashtray.

The light from the banquet hall outside the window reflected in.

Erik’s face became clearly illuminated by the light.

‘…Lieutenant Valentine.’

‘Or should I call you slave…?’

‘…!!’

As expected, my bad feeling was spot on.

He found out I was a vampire.

‘…How…?’

‘…It was perfect…!!’

It was flawless.

I limited blood-sucking as much as possible.

To prove that, my body hadn’t grown since the moment I was possessed.

Recently, I had even started to lose weight, possibly because I didn’t go to the battlefield as often as I did at my peak.

‘…Lieutenant Valentine, it seems even you can show a change of expression.’

Saying that, Erik scoffed and tucked my hair behind my ear.

‘L-Lieutenant Colonel, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.’

‘Now even your words are trembling.’

Anyone would falter if someone brought their face that close.

But that wasn’t what mattered right now.

What mattered was—

‘…Damn it…!’

The shaking in my hand wouldn’t stop.

What should I do? Erik had solid evidence.

‘Blood magic… Blood magic, huh.’

‘You don’t think that’s the kind of magic a hero of the Empire should use?’

‘……’

‘Lieutenant Valentine.’

‘…Yes, Lieutenant Colonel.’

‘I’m asking you a question right now.’

‘I’m aware of that.’

When I said that, Erik frowned and slowly approached me.

Then he whispered into my ear.

‘Then answer me, slave…’

‘…!!’

‘Hey, you vampire bastard.’

‘…That’s not true.’

I denied it, for now.

However, my denial didn’t work.

Erik let out a small chuckle.

“Is it not true?”

“…Yes, that’s correct.”

“……”

“I’m telling the truth.”

Cold sweat forms in my hands.

At the same time, I started to get a sense of how to get out of this situation.

My lost rationality began to return, having been momentarily swept away in the panic.

This is why I’ve been so relentless up until now.

Being exposed was something I had always partially anticipated.

After all, that’s why I crawled through dirt and waded through rivers of blood.

‘… I even built connections with the Emperor.’

And as a result, another path opened up for me.

The political path I’d longed for.

After earning the rank of Major and then Lieutenant Colonel, I never rested.

As a vampire, I can stay awake as long as I drink blood, never needing to sleep.

My range of activity expanded from battlefields soaked in gunpowder and blood, to the cold, polished tables of political power, lined with the scent of tea and sweet desserts.

I built ties with nobles and made connections within the royal family.

I hosted tea parties with the daughters of noble families.

I placated the whims of the filthy pigs in the military high command.

I whispered promises of heroism to the fallen within the imperial palace.

All so I could use them as safety nets when I found myself in danger.

To turn any rumors of me being a vampire into mere gossip.

And now, the time has come to use that explosive card.

To put a bomb collar around that madman’s neck.

“…Well then, if you truly aren’t a vampire, what do you think about the Empire’s hero using blood magic?”

“The Empire’s hero, using filthy blood magic?”

“For the record, I think it’s absurd.”

“If such a thing existed…”

Erik stepped closer as he spoke.

I maintained my blank expression as I looked at him.

“…The only thing to do would be to strangle them.”

“…”

“…Now, speak your mind.”

The vengeful spirit driven mad by revenge whispers to me.

Hurry, so I can kill you.

I looked up at that spirit of vengeance and spoke.

“…Lieutenant Colonel.”

“Even if you know I’m a vampire, what can you do about it?”

What can you possibly do?

Now, it’s time to personally put a leash on this madman.

Bang!!!

“…!!”

“Excuse me.”

I kicked the nearby bucket, hitting Erik’s shin.

Erik’s stance faltered for a moment.

I didn’t miss that chance and quickly grabbed the mop in the corner.

‘…It’s lighter than my usual sword.’

As I thought that, I lightly summoned my magic.

Erik, who had been briefly frozen in place upon seeing me armed, scrambled to move.

But the blow to his shin had been harsh, the bucket dented from the impact.

“Ugh…?!”

“…!!”

He lost his balance, and I didn’t miss that moment.

Bam!!!!!

“Ugh…!!”

The mop struck Erik’s head with a satisfying crack.

I tossed the now broken mop handle into the corner and grabbed the collar of the fallen Erik.

“…I am a vampire.”

“Let… go of me… you filthy wretch!”

“…And at the same time, I’m a hero of your Empire, got that?”

What did Erik say earlier?

Right, he said something about how an Emperor-recognized hero couldn’t possibly be someone like me.

“…What was that about blood magic?”

“You… a wretch like you can never be a hero…!!”

With a cold expression, I threw Erik’s own words back at him.

“…The Emperor herself acknowledged me. Do you really think you amount to something, Lieutenant Colonel?”

“Surely, you’re not thinking of challenging the heavens in this Empire, are you?”

Erik’s face twisted in anger, his breath coming out in ragged gasps.

But there was nothing he could do.

Fighting a vampire one-on-one, even for a protagonist, is a losing battle.

Unless they managed to catch me by surprise, they’d stand no chance.

Erik must have known this, which is why he tried to ambush me here, hoping to catch me off guard and kill me.

‘…It’s a shame I can’t just kill him now.’

It would be cleaner to finish him off now.

But I can’t.

If I deviate from the game’s path too much, I might lose track of the information I know.

Erik is a character shrouded in secrets.

The developers probably planned to reveal his story in Glovic 2.

‘…But now that I’ve taken over this world.’

Killing the protagonist now might lead to unpredictable consequences.

Since I plan to follow Erik’s trail once the story of the first game ends, I have no choice but to let him live.

“…It would be wise to keep your mouth shut.”

“I’ll always be watching.”

I paused for a moment and pulled out the keychains I’d hidden inside my chest pocket.

Clink.

Tokens of friendship from the Empire’s most powerful families, and close relatives of the Imperial family.

“I’m already backed by countless families within the Empire.”

“…!!”

I dangled them in front of Erik’s face, and his expression shifted from anger to shock, his hand loosening from his dagger.

I smirked at his shaken expression.

“…No need to be so scared. Just keep my secret, Lieutenant Colonel.”

“…And nothing will happen to you.”

I smiled gently as I spoke.

Then, I roughly released my grip on Erik, tossing him to the ground.

Thud!!

With a heavy thud, Erik collapsed onto the floor.

From his chest pocket, something caught my eye.

‘…Luxury cigarettes?’

I found the finest cigarettes.

Wouldn’t it be fitting to take this as a token of my victory?

Acting on impulse, I reached out and grabbed them.

“…I’ll be taking this.”

“Consider it a token of our twisted fate.”

I slipped one between my lips and stuffed the rest into my pocket.

As I left the Lieutenant Colonel’s office, the cigarette I lit tasted sweeter than any I’d smoked since arriving in this world.