episode_0139

The vampire gave us a choice.

The reason he said that was because we were obstacles to his plan.

It meant if you disappear, it will be convenient for me, and you will be able to preserve your life.

At first listen, it’s quite an appealing story.

Because there is no such thing as a human who doesn’t cherish their life.

But that slight bit of reluctance was overcome by just a few words.

“Ha! If that’s the case, couldn’t he just back off himself and come later?”

“If we’re interfering with the plan, couldn’t he just do it while we finish everything and are outside the labyrinth?!! He’s the one who did something wrong!”

Grace and Noah argue vehemently.

In a way, they’re right.

After the vampire knew we were there, couldn’t he have just not shown himself and waited for us to finish our business and leave?

That it’s impossible means.

“…It’s something that can only be done ‘now’.”

“Or something urgent.”

As Kailak and Luca said, it’s something that has to be done ‘now’.

It’s likely something that has been prepared for a long time, even using the marauders.

Exactly what it is, we can’t know.

“What you can get by using the marauders to kill countless explorers wouldn’t be anything other than ‘blood’, would it?”

“Probably. Fitting the name vampire, is it something that can’t be done without blood?”

There is too little information.

We have a strong suspicion that the vampire used the marauders, but.

Why on earth?

Of course, no matter how much we think about it, it’s meaningless.

In the end, will we clash or will we run away?

We are forced to choose between these two options.

“Do as you wish. We will follow you.”

“……”

All of my party members will follow my opinion.

There are no people here who cannot advance because they cherish their lives too much.

Therefore, I must make the best judgment.

For everyone who follows me.

“…Jack.”

“Did you call?”

Jack, who had been watching us from afar as an outsider, approached me.

“I heard roughly…”

“Rather, I think there might be no opportunity if not now.”

Jack sat down casually on a rock.

“That’s proof of how urgent he is. If he were intimidated, as I said, he would have backed off first.”

“……”

“I don’t know much about vampires, but for him to specifically use marauders to get a large amount of blood, you would usually think of only one thing. That his power has rapidly decreased and it’s to replenish that power.”

As Jack said, that is the rational judgment.

However, if you ask why he suddenly appeared now, it’s probably correct to think it’s because the black mages decreased after the incident in Zone 11.

But I absolutely cannot figure out the connection between those two facts.

“Well, weren’t there humans that the black mages offered periodically, and since that’s gone, he came out to get some himself? He’s probably weak now because he’s hungry.”

Noah said it casually, but there was nothing that could explain it as easily as that.

Of course, there might be other reasons, but.

In the end, whatever the speculation, the result converged into just one thing.

That even if it’s difficult right now, defeating him is the best course of action.

‘Is that why the Main God made it a combat state under the pretext of promotion?’

If this were the case, it would be better if it just showed a status window like [A vampire has arrived on the 7th floor, defeat it!] from the beginning and gave generous rewards.

…Is it leaving it to my choice?

“Then let’s first go find the Senior Knight and the Investigator.”

“Yes.”

“Then Jack, you…”

“Haha! I’ll follow too! We made a deal, didn’t we?”

Jack said this with a friendly smile.

But I felt that he had something else hidden inside.

Just a moment ago, he could have naturally left with the other parties.

Using his unique slyness.

Well, that’s not important right now.

*

There was no time for rest.

As explorers who are used to staying up all night anyway.

We headed straight to the safe zone.

Perhaps because we had already been there once.

We didn’t get lost or anything.

“No, you really memorized that path.”

“Right? I’m competent, aren’t I?”

Grace shrugged her shoulders and smiled sweetly.

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“……Aren’t you a bit too emotionless?”

No, it really is amazing.

This is what a guide should be like.

We went back into the safe zone we had returned to.

However, its appearance was completely different from when we visited last time.

It looked deserted with no people.

There weren’t many explorers on the 7th floor originally, but it wasn’t this deserted.

The person who caused this appeared before us.

“You didn’t go outside the labyrinth. Well, I expected as much.”

The Investigator smiled, as if it were obvious.

“I also contacted the safe zone on the 6th floor. No one will come up to the 7th floor until the next messenger arrives. And I had most of the explorers go up to the upper floors or leave the labyrinth. Of course, there are some explorers we haven’t met yet, but.”

“We also warned every explorer we met and told them to go outside.”

“You did well.”

“And we found the culprit who used the marauders to cause chaos on the 7th floor.”

“…Who is it? Ah, just a moment. I will call the Senior Knight.”

The Investigator called the Knight Order.

After waiting for the Senior Knight, who was walking leisurely, I immediately began to explain in detail everything that had happened yesterday, one by one.

“Hmm. It doesn’t seem like a lie.”

“Sigh, it’s the worst-case scenario.”

“Then how much were you originally expecting?”

“The guild was just thinking and judging that the marauders colluded and caused the incident. Of course, the mastermind behind it wasn’t revealed, but they judged it to be only at the level of marauders. To think it would be this serious. It seems we have to start thinking from the beginning again.”

The Investigator judged that new judgment was needed as the premise had changed.

However, at that moment, her eyes turned towards Jack, who was behind us.

“……This person? I don’t recall seeing this face before.”

“You could say he’s a witness.”

Come to think of it, Jack is a minor criminal, so shouldn’t he avoid being caught by the Investigator?

That’s why we made the deal.

If it were me, I would have somehow hidden my face. Jack, however, stepped forward boldly.

“He is not just a witness. He is actually a whistleblower.”

“…A whistleblower?”

“To be precise, he received a proposal, but refused and was backstabbing them.”

Jack, who had become extremely kind and meek towards the Investigator, unlike how he treated us.

Seeing his eyes momentarily flick towards the Knight before returning to normal, I thought, ‘If that’s the case, he should have just gone outside.’

“I heard from the story just now that one of the 7 Sins, the vampire Blood, lured speedy criminals and turned them into marauders. Then…”

“Haha, I’m not a marauder, I just did some petty fraud…”

“I will arrest you.”

“…Huh?”

At the Investigator’s words, the Knight who was listening next to her instantly subdued Jack.

Jack, who was instantly pinned down and had his arms bound, looked up at the Investigator dejectedly.

“No, shouldn’t you not do this to me, who betrayed the marauders and came out?”

“Well, we can talk even in this state for now. So, as a whistleblower, do you have any other information besides what Ivan just said?”

“Ivan already told you everything, so I don’t have any…”

“Then you’ve worked hard. We will make good use of the information you brought, so please exit the labyrinth…”

“I, Ivan?!”

Jack looked at me.

Jack, who was speaking with a highly pleading expression that anyone could see was asking for help.

I don’t know why he’s so reluctant to leave, but.

There must be a reason.

“Jack is an explorer from the 8th floor. Considering he stayed even after being told to leave long ago, he seems like a talented person who can handle a fight with a vampire…”

“The Knight Order alone is sufficient.”

“That’s true, but.”

“But if this person betrays us while we are in the middle of fighting, it would be fatal.”

It was such a sound argument that I had nothing to say.

I cautiously looked at Jack.

Jack pleaded with his eyes, asking for more help, but.

Well, wasn’t this enough?

Knowing that he could no longer receive my help, Jack decided to overcome the difficulty himself.

“Investigator, I…”

“Separate him.”

“Investigator?!”

Jack tried to talk his way out somehow, but was immediately separated.

That is truly the best choice. The way to deal with people who live and die by their words is simply not to talk to them.

And so, Jack was dragged into the interior of the guild building, one of the few in the safe zone.

What remained were the Knight Order deployed on the 7th floor, the Investigator and a few explorers dispatched with her.

And us.

With such a small number of people, will it be possible to deal with the vampire who might do anything on the 7th floor?

Fortunately, it’s difficult.

“Still, things went more smoothly than expected.”

“…Huh?”

“As one of the 7 Sins, the vampire Blood would naturally need human blood. We sent most of the explorers outside, and now no more explorers are entering the 7th floor. We accidentally hit his weak spot by backing away.”

“My thinking is a little different. Couldn’t he just suck as much as he needs here and then go to another floor? I think it’s right to defeat him now, when he’s weakest.”

“The guild will officially form an extermination squad. With deep-level explorers or high-level explorers…”

“Considering how busy the deep levels are now that a new area has opened, how many deep-level explorers will be available to assist there?”

Just as the Investigator and I were sharply clashing, the Senior Knight, who was a more crucial force than anyone, approached.

“May I state my opinion?”

The Senior Knight’s sudden entry into the discussion.

Worry instantly rushed in.

What if he says he doesn’t want to do anything, asking why he should deal with a vampire at the end of his career?

Neither the Investigator nor I could do anything.

Because the presence or absence of the Senior Knight is crucial to our entire discussion about whether or not to catch the vampire.

From that perspective, his intention is more important than my or the Investigator’s opinion.

Knowing this, I swallowed nervously without realizing it.

“Please speak.”

“My thinking is…”

The Senior Knight laughed heartily and said.

“I never thought such an opportunity would come at the end of my career!! If I can capture or execute the fellow who escaped from the Empire’s prison with my own hands, that would truly adorn the final page of the book!!”

The Knight before me was an even more hearty man than I had thought.