Chapter 74
I wondered why the woman was so scared, but a moment later I figured out the reason.
It was Thanks to the replies attached beneath the comment I had left.
↳ Shiver
↳ gasp
↳ What’s with True Ancestor-nim’s meal announcement
↳ Freaking scary! Is she really going to catch her…?
↳ Run away, Poster
“Vam- oops !”
I had left it to reassure her since I was going to save her.
Thinking about it, it was a terrible move in this situation.
If someone - and not just anyone, but the “True Ancestor” - said they found her, to a kid who was hiding after almost being killed by a Vampire…
It makes sense that she’d be scared.
My thoughts were too short-sighted.
I wanted to clarify, but even that was impossible due to the Forced Correction of [Exalted Dignity].
“I feel a bit sorry.”
It was when I was scratching my head.
- Trudge, trudge.
The sound of dragging footsteps on the floor could be heard from Number 7, for which I had [Sight Sharing] turned on.
I quickly controlled Number 7 to check.
Perhaps having heard the woman’s crying, the Vampire was approaching this way.
The situation was urgent.
I immediately used the Telepathy function I had newly acquired this time.
“Katarina!”
- L-Liege Lord…?! Why is my Liege Lord’s exalted voice in my head…!
I could feel Katarina, who had been resting in her room, getting startled.
“It is the authority of the True Ancestor, so do not be alarmed. More importantly, put on your mask at once and come to My Room.”
- Your command!
The door opened immediately, and Katarina, wearing a wolf mask, revealed herself.
[Using Skill, “Gate of Darkness”!]
I consumed 150 blood power and Cast the new Skill.
Vwoom -
Shimmering purple portals opened in the middle of My Room and in Number 7's illuminated line of sight within the gate, respectively.
“Go and judge the lowly beast that sullies the name of vampires.”
“I shall uphold your command, Liege Lord!”
Katarina sortied beyond the portal without an inch of hesitation.
* * *
True Ancestor.
Song Ha-Eun knew that name well.
An exceptional powerhouse who had shattered the Nightmare Difficulty she had barely passed in a matter of seconds.
And…
A fact she had newly learned upon recently entering the Climber Community.
The contents of the warning from a figure named “Apostle of Light” surfaced in her mind.
A terrifying Vampire harmed people.
They said it was a being that lost its reason out of a thirst for blood.
But such a monster had left a comment saying it found her.
‘Hic, I’m going to be eaten…!’
Her fear reached its peak, and the crying she had been barely suppressing burst out softly.
To make matters worse.
Trudge… trudge…
“I-It really came…!”
Not long after, the sound of footsteps began to be heard from outside.
Ha-Eun couldn’t even think of fighting back and trembled as she curled her body up in the narrow Rock Crevice.
But then.
Booooom - !
A loud explosion, like something bursting apart, was heard from outside.
And then the surroundings, as if by Magic, became dead silent.
“…?”
After a long silence passed.
Ha-Eun steadied her trembling heart and mustered her courage.
She intended to peek just a tiny bit through the Rock Crevice to see what on Earth had happened.
The moment she carefully poked her head out.
“…!”
Her eyes met a face wearing a wolf mask, looking down at her through the Rock Crevice!
A viciously red light was leaking out from the eye holes of that mask!
“Hic.”
Letting out a small gasp, Ha-Eun fainted dead away just like that.
* * *
- Liege Lord. The human has fainted.
“Eh?!”
I was flustered by the sight beyond Katarina’s vision.
Naturally, the Vampire had been sent to the afterlife in one hit by Katarina.
After that, I had only instructed her to check the condition of the woman hiding in the Rock Crevice, but she fainted as soon as she saw her.
I deliberately put on a serious tone and sent a Telepathic Message.
‘Is the mortal’s life all right?’
- Yes. There is no threat to her life.
That’s a relief.
I let out a sigh of relief.
But it felt a bit wrong to just leave a fainted kid neglected inside the gate.
Besides, as I looked closely at the screen, her pants were damp, perhaps because she was so terrified.
“Oh dear.”
It seemed like the comment I left had some influence too.
Since it was partly my fault, I had to take responsibility for this.
I hurriedly rummaged through the house.
I packed Si-Yeon’s spare underwear and pants since we seemed to have a roughly similar body type, a towel to wipe her dry, and a blanket to cover her.
And as for food to replenish her energy…
“Blood sausage is the best, after all.”
A hearty bowl of raw blood sausage would be enough.
I was about to take out the Korean Beef Blood Sausage from the fridge when I suddenly paused.
‘Ah, right. Humans can’t eat this, can they?’
I had momentarily approached it with a Vampire’s mindset.
I quietly filled a cup with warm water.
“Sera.”
- Ah…? Master…? Did you call for me?
Via Telepathy, I similarly called Sera, who was training in the Training Ground, handed her the luggage, and sent her beyond the portal.
I gave an instruction to Katarina.
“Once you receive the items from Sera, change her out of her soiled clothes and wipe her with the towel.”
While Katarina was changing her clothes, I felt embarrassed and temporarily turned off Sight Sharing.
Even though I had become a female body myself.
It wasn’t proper etiquette to stare blankly at someone else changing clothes.
I reconnected the vision only after hearing the report that she had been fully changed.
The woman was lying peacefully, wearing soft and dry pants and covered with a blanket.
“Now wake her up and give her some water.”
But Katarina’s reply was strange.
- Liege Lord. This human is already awake.
“Huh?”
I tilted my head.
Why is she keeping her eyes tightly shut if she’s awake?
“Then feed her the water.”
At my command, Katarina held the cup and spoke dryly toward Ha-Eun.
“Human. I know you are awake. Open your eyes at once.”
At that,
“Waaaaah!”
The woman’s eyes snapped open and she began to wail sorrowfully.
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll do anything! Please just don’t eat meee!”
“Eat you? What do you mean eat you?”
I was dumbfounded.
I didn’t have the slightest intention of harming an innocent person in the first place.
But Katarina’s reaction was different.
“Human. How profane! The great Liege Lord personally saved you, yet why do you act so disrespectfully!”
“H-Heeeng… I’m sorryyy…”
At the fierce scolding, the woman completely shrank back and begged for forgiveness.
I carefully observed that sight.
Brown hair and large eyes brimming with tears.
Her face was all messed up from crying, but it was still a pretty face in its own way.
Her appearance was striking enough that she could be an influencer.
I tried activating [Appraisal Eye] once.
[Name: Song Ha-Eun]
[Class: Magic Swordsman (A)]
[Level: 37]
“Hmm… I see.”
So her name was Song Ha-Eun?
An A-Rank Class Magic Swordsman.
A pretty face, young age, and good abilities.
It would have been really unfair if she had died here.
But my gaze, which had been scanning downwards, suddenly stopped.
[Blood Fiend Potential: A-]
“Oh?!”
Blood Fiend Potential is an A- rank?
It couldn’t compare to S-rank talents like Si-Yeon or Sera, but it was still the highest value among the humans I had seen recently.
“Is this an opportunity to scout a Retainer?”
New combat power is always welcome.
But there were two problems with putting it into action right away.
First, the [Embrace] Skill that turns humans into vampires was currently on Cooldown.
Because it hadn’t been a month yet since I made Sera a Retainer.
And…
“A- rank is good, but it might be slightly ambiguous?”
As a result of observations made so far while taking in Retainers, Blood Fiend Potential didn’t just look at physical talent.
Mental factors like the target’s mentality or personality seemed to play a pretty big role too.
Si-Yeon was like that, and so was Sera.
Because they were excellent warriors who barely felt pain and had no sense of fear.
Of course, Sera usually walks on eggshells around me and gets startled at every little thing, but she never backs down in actual combat.
But this kid in front of me fainted as soon as she met Katarina. And she bawled her eyes out. She had too much fear.
‘She’s a chicken rib.’
Exactly that kind of situation, where it’s a shame to throw away but not quite satisfying to eat.
At that moment.
Song Ha-Eun wiped her tears and carefully opened her mouth toward Katarina.
“U-Um… T-True Ancestor-nim…?”
“Watch it.”
Katarina cut her off firmly as if displeased.
“I am not the True Ancestor. True Ancestor-nim is my great Liege Lord. I am merely her insignificant Servant.”
“Ah… I-I’m sorry…”
Hearing those words, Ha-Eun turned even paler.
Anyway, it was the moment I was contemplating what to do.
Ding.
A System Message popped up before my eyes.
[TIP: Retainers can also use “Embrace”!]
“Huh…?”
I blankly stared at the text the system had popped up.
Retainers can also use Embrace?
Does that mean even if I Don’t feed her blood myself, Katarina or another Retainer can bite this woman and make her a Retainer?
“This is totally subcontracting a subcontractor.”
It was an unexpected Multi-level System.
What if I don’t bother making an ambiguous kid a Direct Retainer, and just put her under my Retainer?
Then I’d save the Cooldown and supplement our combat power, killing two birds with one stone, wouldn’t I?
“…Hmm. Should I try making one?”