Chapter 75
Scouting her as a Retainer’s Retainer.
Namely, the Multi-level 'Blood' Pyramid Operation!
It seemed like a pretty good idea.
And then.
Ding!
[TIP: You can check the compatibility for each Retainer.]
[The higher the compatibility, the greater the synergy the new Retainer will exhibit, and the faster its growth will be.]
“Oh, is it like an aptitude test?”
Come to think of it, since my Retainers each had their own unique traits, it made sense for a system like this to exist.
Upon review, Katarina’s compatibility was 54%, Si-Yeon’s was 31%, and Riri’s was 12%.
But Sera was…
[Sera / Compatibility: 98%]
A whopping 98%?!
“Whoa!”
Was it perhaps because her class was a Magic swordsman?
Our Sera was also a Magic swordsman who used the Magic sword Bloodbringer!
I didn’t know if that and this were the exact same thing, but anyway.
Sera just so happened to be standing awkwardly behind Katarina after delivering the items.
Wearing a cute Rabbit Mask on her face.
Wasn’t Sera someone who even possessed the Mystery known as [Blood Fiend Sword Art]?
If the compatibility was this high, she would definitely be of tremendous help to that person too.
It was a total win-win situation for everyone involved.
“I definitely have to scout her.”
I nodded.
Of course, I couldn’t just turn her into a Retainer out of nowhere.
That would be forced employment.
I had given prior notice and properly contracted Sera, who was an NPC in the Tower, to scout her, so there was no way I would Force it on an actual human.
I used Telepathy to share the plan with Katarina and Sera.
- Ah…! Then does that mean I’m getting my own exclusive junior…?
Sera seemed secretly delighted.
“That is correct. Katarina, try asking that person if she has any intention of becoming a Retainer.”
- Understood, Liege Lord.
Katarina opened her mouth.
“Human. The Liege Lord has bestowed a special mercy upon you. The Liege Lord says you will be given the opportunity to become a Retainer. It is a truly tremendous grace.”
“A Retainer…? How does that work…?”
As Ha-Eun asked while reading the room, Katarina answered calmly.
“It is simple. We will drain every drop of weak Human Blood from your body and fill that space with Noble Blood. It would be best if you received the Liege Lord’s blood directly, but even just receiving a Retainer’s blood will grant you a fairly high-purity power.”
“Y-Yes…?! You’re going to drain all my b-blood…?! Please, just don’t eat me…!”
Ha-Eun turned pale and trembled violently.
“Ugh.”
Katarina. Why would you say it like that?
Seriously, this girl.
She wasn’t quite at my level, but she really had a knack for saying things that caused misunderstandings.
‘Let’s have the relatively gentle Sera do it.’
Receiving my instructions, Sera took the cup of warm water from Katarina and cautiously approached Ha-Eun.
For reference, Sera was originally from the Tower, but perhaps Thanks to System Correction after becoming a Retainer, she was now able to speak Korean very fluently.
“Um… Please don’t be too scared. I was originally a human too, but I became a Vampire. It’s not as bad as you think.”
Sera handed over the cup and calmly continued speaking.
“Draining your blood doesn’t mean it hurts or anything. It’s just a quick pinch and that’s it.”
“S-Still…”
Ha-Eun carefully took a sip of water and opened her mouth.
“If I become a Vampire… I’ll burn up just from looking at Sunlight, and I’ll have to live off Human Blood, right? And I heard… you get consumed by madness and lose your reason from bloodlust…”
“No. Sunlight just makes you a little dizzy. It’s not that you can’t eat human food at all, it’s just that food with garlic in it becomes nauseating. There’s no madness or anything like that either.”
Sera added.
“Plus, you become much stronger than when you were human, and blood becomes very delicious. And above all… our Master, True Ancestor-nim, is a really good person. Master was worried about you, which is why we were just now sent to save you.”
“Ah…”
Hearing those words, Ha-Eun blinked her brown eyes.
“Then… it just makes me something like an anemic patient with a garlic allergy?”
“I-I guess so…?”
“Uh… when I hear that, it doesn’t sound too bad…”
She had been trembling in fear just a moment ago.
But now, her expression improved as if her interest was piqued.
“Wow, as expected of our Sera.”
I felt like giving her a round of applause.
Katarina, Si-Yeon, and Riri were all good girls, but Katarina’s blind faith was a bit excessive, Si-Yeon was blunt, and Riri was too energetic, which could be a bit burdensome for someone meeting them for the first time.
It was a huge relief to have the quiet and sensible Sera around.
And that person… Ha-Eun was also simpler than I thought.
She accepted it incredibly fast.
However,
Even so, Ha-Eun still couldn’t bring herself to say she would definitely become a Retainer.
“For sure. Not being able to eat certain foods is definitely something to agonize over.”
I was also extremely devastated when I first found out I couldn’t eat garlic.
Even these days, I still occasionally miss things like fried chicken or stews.
Still, I could eat sweet desserts, and above all, congealed ox blood was quite delicious, so it somewhat balanced out.
‘Sera. Tell her she doesn’t have to choose right this moment, so she can take her time to think about it and decide later.’
When Sera conveyed my intentions, Ha-Eun looked greatly relieved.
“I understand. Please give True Ancestor-nim my Thanks for saving me. And tell her I’m sorry for misunderstanding.”
“Hehe.”
Receiving her Thanks filled me with a sudden sense of pride.
“Um… the Retainer? I’ll think carefully about the offer you gave me. But if I make a decision, how should I contact you?”
At Ha-Eun’s question, I pondered for a moment.
Hmm… How should I have her contact me?
Then, a good idea came to mind.
I could just attach No. 7, the Scout Mosquito, near her.
“Tell her to just speak into the empty air whenever she makes up her mind.”
When Sera relayed those words exactly, Ha-Eun’s eyes widened into circles.
“Excuse me? Into the empty air…?”
At that moment, Katarina added a word as if she were proud.
“It is only natural. The Liege Lord’s eyes and ears exist everywhere in the World.”
“…!”
Like that, the matter was wrapped up nicely.
Katarina and Sera safely returned to the Territory through the Gate of Darkness.
Ha-Eun watched with surprised eyes as the portal shimmering in the air smoothly slid shut.
* * *
Left alone, Ha-Eun stood up and cautiously looked around.
“Eek…”
Where her gaze landed, the Vampire that had been chasing her just moments ago was gruesomely smashed to the point where its form was unrecognizable.
The monster that had been so terrifying was reduced to a mere lump of meat.
“Just how strong do you have to be to take down a monster like this in a single blow…”
Ha-Eun swallowed dryly.
That vicious-looking person in the Wolf Mask had clearly referred to herself as a “lowly Servant” earlier.
If someone that overwhelmingly strong was merely a Retainer, just how powerful was the True Ancestor-nim who commanded them?
She even felt a sense of awe at the unfathomable strength that she couldn’t even begin to imagine.
Even though she had just experienced people dying right in front of her eyes moments ago.
Thanks to her uniquely optimistic personality, her mind was spinning in a positive direction.
‘The Retainer offer… Not being able to eat garlic is a bit of a shame. But other than that, isn’t it any different from a special Scout Offer from a famous Large Guild?’
In fact, purely based on the conditions, it was much better.
They said that if she went under True Ancestor-nim, she could gain strength that surpassed human limits.
“And True Ancestor-nim and the Retainers seem like kind people too.”
Ha-Eun tightly gripped the soft blanket draped over her shoulders and nodded.
Not only did they save her life.
They changed her clothes, covered her with a blanket, and even brought her water.
The person in the Wolf Mask was a bit scary, but cool and reliable.
The person in the Rabbit Mask was surprisingly gentle, which was nice.
As one saw them like this in person, it seemed that the Warning Post the Apostle of Light had posted in the Climber Community wasn’t entirely true.
If they were truly bloodthirsty monsters, they would have eaten her right away without asking any questions.
However,
Things like finding the place where she was tightly hidden in a single stroke
Or the part where they said they would hear her and come find her anytime she just spoke into the empty air bothered her a little later on.
No, not a little - honestly, it was very scary.
Suddenly, the Warning Post that True Ancestor-nim had personally written in the Community came to mind.
The vicious remark that she would kill everyone with a Death Scythe if they wrote a Blasphemous Post.
Maybe that wasn’t just a threat, but she was actually showing mercy when she could truly find and kill anyone, no matter where they were…?!
“Scary!”
Ha-Eun broke out in goosebumps.
* * *
Like that, Yu-Jin and Ha-Eun were each lost in their own delusions.
“True Ancestor, you are committing such evil deeds again…!”
There was one person who was misunderstanding things the most severely.
“I truly cannot sit back and watch this any longer! I will immediately go to Korea and vanquish the True Ancestor!”
The “Apostle of Light,” Saintess Cecilia.
She had decided to head to Korea!