Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Episode 70: Blood Born We arrived at a dilapidated warehouse located in a slum. Of course, it wasn’t a warehouse that actually stored goods. Slums were full of such run-down buildings. Some were actual homes, while others were warehouses used for shady purposes like storing smuggled goods. And some of those were used as hideouts for underworld organizations, so when I was a kid, there were children who died or were kidnapped after accidentally entering such buildings. “Are you sure this is the place?” Emily tilted her head, looking at the shabby exterior, but you couldn’t know until you went inside. “We’ll find out when we go in.” I replied simply and opened the door. — Creak. The inside of the warehouse was eerie. The interior of the warehouse, illuminated by sunlight, was covered in dust, from the floor to the shelves, and there was no sign of people coming and going, let alone any sign of life. “…There’s nothing here?” Emily muttered in disbelief, but I didn’t think so. “Looks like we came to the right place after all. I can’t be sure, though.” “Huh? How do you know?” “There’s no sign of anyone living here. In a slum, that usually means one thing: it’s a very dangerous place where you die if you go in.” There were many possibilities. A secret business, a smuggling warehouse, or just a hideout. Anyway, if there was so little sign of human presence, it meant something fishy was going on. “Th-then… isn’t it dangerous?” Emily muttered fearfully, but logically, there was little chance of us being in danger. Underworld thugs weren’t equipped with great weapons, and they weren’t skilled enough to be a match for us. But apart from that, there was one important fact. “Emily, this is your first time in a real fight, right?” “Huh? When I went to the investigation team before…” “I mean, killing someone.” “…” Emily fell silent as I cut her off firmly. Even if she had learned martial arts, there was no way Emily, who had lived a normal life, could suddenly kill someone. This world was neither peaceful nor governed by clear rules. Killing others to survive was tacitly accepted, and it was natural for the weak to be preyed upon. “Y-yes…” Still, there was no need to make her realize that today. I smiled wryly and poked Emily’s cheek. “Ah!?” “You don’t have to be so intimidated. We’re not here to fight today.” “Oh, really?” “Of course. We just need to confirm Erzebet’s identity.” Honestly, the world wasn’t that small, and I couldn’t be sure that Erzebet was my reincarnated friend who had learned the Vampire Art, but when you think about it, vampires were rare too. And especially with that name. And in Emily’s case, we met by an even more absurd coincidence, so it was essential to check. If she was a real vampire, we’d have to run away. // Usually, these underworld buildings had secret doors. Since the underworld itself was a group that lived avoiding the eyes of the nobles, they often made rat holes to avoid crackdowns. The entrance and the first floor were left like abandoned houses, and secret passages were dug elsewhere, or doors were made to enter secretly. For example, like now. — Click. After tapping the floor several times, we were able to find an empty spot. It was the floor in what looked like a kitchen, and when we opened the floor, there was a ladder connected to a passage leading underground. Emily muttered in amazement as she looked at it. “There’s stuff like this…” “There’s usually a lot of this in the city.” Since I had lived in the slums, I knew these secret places well. I used to use them as homes when I was a kid. I used to hang out with Keir a lot back then, and thinking about it makes me miss him. I wonder if I should take some time to visit Lakers sometime. Of course, I don’t have any plans yet. “…Isn’t it dangerous?” “Well, I don’t know. Maybe it’s dangerous?” Emily flinched as I answered uncertainly, but she didn’t say she wouldn’t go. — Creak. We climbed down the ladder and walked through the passage. The passage, made of stone walls, was quite dark without a torch, but the candle we had brought just in case was enough to light it up. “There’s usually traps in places like this…” “Come on, they’re not that thorough.” Installing and managing traps required a lot of careful attention. You had to check them regularly. A mere underworld organization, especially in such a small hideout, didn’t have the resources to install such things. — Thud, thud. After walking through the passage for a while, we finally found a closed door at the end of the passage. If this was a lord’s castle or a royal castle, there would have been additional secret devices, but there was no way there would be such things in an underworld organization’s hideout. — Click. The door wasn’t even locked. Emily and I looked at each other and nodded. — Flick. I didn’t take out my weapon, but Emily took out the shield she was carrying on her back. Even if we didn’t intend to fight, we didn’t know how the other side would react. But since she didn’t draw her sword, she had at least shown minimal courtesy. Instead, since we didn’t know what would happen, I gathered my inner strength and opened the Demonic Art. Even though it was turbid internal energy, there was a big difference between having it and not having it. Thanks to the internal energy, my basic physical specs were no less than those of an adult male, and if I gathered my internal energy, I could easily subdue most opponents. After preparing thoroughly, I slowly opened the door. // — Creak. The sound of old, worn-out hinges scratched my eardrums. Just as I was about to look into the dark room through the opening of the door, — Whoosh!! Something glossy flew towards me like a ray of light. Without even having time to examine it closely, I instinctively swung my hand to deflect it. My condition wasn’t good due to the poison from Quaidon and the fatigue and hangover from yesterday’s gang rape, but thanks to gathering my internal energy and preparing for it, I was able to block it. — Clang. The flying dagger bounced off my palm. I felt a momentary burning pain in my palm, but it wasn’t cut. Was it worth training the Iron Body Armor diligently? “Oh, you blocked that?” I opened the door completely, and as the light from the candle Emily was holding illuminated the room, I finally saw the opponent. Inside the room was a woman who looked to be in her early twenties. Of course, there were quite a few martial arts that made people look younger, so I couldn’t guess her age. She had a beautiful appearance that would stand out even among the people of this world. Her long black hair was neatly tied up, and her fair skin and distinct features, which shone white even in the dark, gave her a Western and sharp impression. The clothes she was wearing were a black dress that didn’t suit an underworld figure. The combination of a thin black dress and a dark red shawl suited her white skin, making her look eerie yet seductive. And in every way, she looked older than me or Emily. She was probably Erzebet Vladimir. And her identity was probably a reincarnator like us. The reason for that judgment was simple. The flying dagger from before had internal energy imbued in it. That was a technique that couldn’t be imitated without learning martial arts. That’s why, even though there was no wound, my palm would have a red, swollen line drawn on it. Now all I had to do was find out which of my friends from my past life she was. “Not bad. A bit of a… huh?” She looked at us with a confident smile, then suddenly tilted her head. She had a bewildered and dumbfounded expression. “…What, it’s just girls?” You’re a girl too. I smiled wryly to myself, raised my hands, and took a step forward. It was a gesture that I had no intention of fighting. “Erzebet. I want to talk for a moment—” “Well, I don’t mind. It’s been a while since I’ve had a taste of fresh blood.” “No, that’s—” “Heh heh, but you’re pretty good. I’ll praise you for blocking my attack. But don’t be arrogant, human. You can’t match the power of me, Erzebet, who has lived in the darkness for eons.” “…” Erzebet ignored everything I said and changed to a serious expression as if she had practiced for a long time, and spat out what she had to say. The timing was strangely right, so I didn’t have a chance to speak, and I was so embarrassed by the absurd lines that I missed the timing to speak. In addition, she changed her tone of voice while saying the lines that followed. The atmosphere felt so majestic and eerie, like a vampire who had lived for a long time. And because even the aura she gave off had changed, it was almost as if she was a different person. The black dress she was wearing also contributed to the change in atmosphere. Only, if a stranger saw her, they would think she was a vampire. “Was she a vampire…?” Perhaps I wasn’t the only one who thought so, as I heard Emily’s trembling voice from behind. Wait, does she believe that? Does a real vampire say those lines about living for eons? …No, Emily, who was an insider from birth, might be fooled. If she didn’t watch much anime or manga in her past life, she might be like that… maybe? I sighed inwardly and opened my mouth again. First of all, persuading Erzebet was more important than persuading Emily. I had a duty to stop her before she built up any more dark history. Being stupid wasn’t a crime. “Hey, did you happen to be a reincarnator—” “Human! Offer me your blood obediently!” But before I could finish speaking, Erzebet rushed at me with her unique red eyes flashing. Was it wrong of me to speak in the Imperial Common Language instead of Korean? Let’s just believe that. Maybe it would be better to just write “Korean” on my back from now on. …Wait a minute. Why didn’t I think of that sooner? — Whoosh! I was flustered by the unexpected thought, but Erzebet rushed at me and reached out her hand. Her hand was slightly bent, as if she was about to grab my neck. Perhaps because Erzebet was also gathering her internal energy, her movements were as swift as a beast rather than a human. However, her outstretched hand did not contain any murderous intent. The ambiguous hand movements, neither claw technique nor finger technique, were proof of that. She was probably planning to subdue me and suck my blood. I could just let her catch me, but I didn’t really want to. — Swoosh! I immediately took a stance and reached out my hand towards her stomach with internal energy. Since I was also using internal energy, the speed was as fast as Erzebet’s. If I was this good even though my physical abilities were low, it was either because Erzebet was careless or because my martial arts achievements were higher, but I wasn’t sure yet. Was this my own kind of competitive spirit? “Gasp!?” As if she hadn’t expected me to counterattack so quickly, Erzebet widened her eyes and tried to withdraw her hand and step back. But she couldn’t escape from me, who had already taken the offensive. I lowered my stance and rushed at Erzebet, reaching out a palm towards her stomach. — Thwack. “Ugh!?” Along with a heavy impact, my palm dug into Erzebet’s stomach. I had used the Inner Heavy Hand Technique to flow internal energy into her, so it would feel pretty good. I wish someone would hit me like that… No, that’s not it. — Thud! Because she had taken a direct hit, Erzebet’s body floated in the air and rolled awkwardly on the floor of the dark room. After rolling on the ground four or five times, Erzebet staggered and got up. “Ugh, for a mere human, you’re pretty good…” That’s what I should be saying.

I used a bit of internal energy when I hit her, but she got right back up. Is it because my physical abilities have weakened? Or perhaps it’s due to the nature of the martial arts she has mastered. Blood Demon’s Blood Shadow Demonic Art was said to maximize physical abilities and have the power to quickly heal wounds. Despite the name “demonic art,” it’s quite a defensive martial art. More than that, I wish she would notice that I blatantly used internal energy. However, Erzebet wasn’t the only one mistaken.

-Shwing.

“Ryla, I think this guy is a vampire…” Seeing Erzebet stumble but still get up, Emily went even further, drawing her sword and trying to join me. At that moment, Erzebet’s red eyes began to tremble as if in panic. …Could she be scared? I forced myself to ignore her pitiful appearance and turned my gaze to Erzebet’s eyes. It was a kind of final confirmation. Blood-red eyes, as if filled with blood. That too is evidence of the Blood Shadow Demonic Art. The eye color of vampires is said to be no different from that of humans. I stopped Emily, who was reaching out, and opened my mouth to Erzebet. With a voice mixed with a slight sigh. “From now on, you should listen when people talk.” This time, I spoke properly in Korean. She should understand this much. “Just a mere human… huh?” Erzebet distorted her face at my words, trying to retort, but suddenly tilted her head. “….?” Her face, distorted with anger, successively took on the light of doubt, bewilderment, and then shock. She clutched her stomach with one hand, bent over, and pointed at me with her hand. “Uh, uh?” Judging by that reaction, I must be right. Erzebet Vladimir. She is definitely a reincarnator. Our friend from our past life… a chuunibyou roleplayer with Blood Demon’s martial arts, pretending to be a vampire. “…I was right. Anyway, long time no see.” I spoke again in Korean, looking at her with as much sincerity as I could muster. With a look that said, ‘It could happen.’ “…..” Erzebet did not answer. Her pupils, looking at us, were trembling violently. An awkward silence descended upon the dark room, where a bloody battle had almost taken place just moments before. ———= Author’s Notes ———= Thank you always for the recommendations. // And regarding the continuation of Geseumon… I will try. But the more I look at it, the more bizarre the writing is, so I’m not sure how to write it. I’ll try to take some time to read it around the weekend. //