Volume 3 Chapter 5 Quest： Dream Castle II
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Suddenly, I felt my glasses pulse—thump—like a heartbeat.
”……?”
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
The torches carried by the villagers ahead of me seemed to sway.
(No… it’s my vision that’s swaying…?)
It was starting to feel dangerous. I thought maybe I should take off the glasses and stash them inside Night Wraith. But just as the thought crossed my mind, a familiar voice echoed in my head—one I hadn’t heard in over a month.
’Faaa~ah… that was a good nap.’
”Glasses?!”
”Ahn?”
”Did something happen with your glasses?”
Natra tilted her head, Rufna looking just as suspicious.
But he weren’t calm enough to bluff he smoothly. Even though he was still wearing the glasses, he stumbled over his words a bit before replying to the two of them.
”…No, uh… a bug smacked into the lenses and got squished.”
”Shall I clean them for you?” Rufna offered politely.
”Nah, it’s fine.”
”There’s sure a lotta bugs around here,” she muttered.
”Are there fewer bugs closer to town, then?”
Asked the portly man, who said he worked at the mill.
Rufna chuckled in response.
”No, they’re normal. There are horse and cow manure scattered along the roadside. But Azrael didn’t have many flying insects. There were crawling insects, though. They had strong poison, though.”
”Wow.”
”Azrael… What kind of place is it? I’ve never left the village since I was born.”
A middle-aged woman gazed into the distance under the flickering torchlight.
Their range of activity was wide, extending to the East End.
They wouldn’t even go as far as the fortress if they needed to buy something.
There was a strong longing for Azrael, a trading city that was said to be a metropolis, a city ruled by a king.
The Azrael they imagined in their minds might be a city made entirely of gold.
(Whatever it is, ‘glasses’. Where have you been all this time!? I wasn’t worried…not even a little, but I had so many things I wanted to ask you!)
’What? Were you lonely because this one was gone?’
(That’s not true. I’m… yeah, I never thought you’d be such a stunning beauty. All I really wanted for you was to be able to manifest again and have s*x.)
’Glasses’ listened to Kian’s ridiculously low remarks with a casual “Sure, whatever.”
’To put it simply, I was in suspended animation due to a lack of magic power. Thanks to the large amount of magic power you infused into me, I woke up from my slumber. That’s all there is to it.’
(So the reason you kept insisting on me pouring magic power into you is…)
’I also need magic power. The more I have, the more I can do. For instance, I could lend you some of my abilities or I could manifest in the real world. If you desire power, just pour magic power into me. It won’t harm you. In fact, it’d be fine if I manifested and we had s*x.’
(────)
At those words, Kian couldn’t help but recall the image of the beautiful blonde-haired, red-eyed girl.
She was an absolute treasure.
If it were up to him, he would pin her down on the bed and spend the whole night releasing himself, wanting to sink her into a sea of his essence.
However, despite having said he would “believe” in ‘glasses’ for the time being, doubts still lingered in his mind.
’Glasses’ had manifested in Kian’s moment of crisis and provided him with the Crimson Cursed Sword.
She claimed she had been in hibernation all this time because she used a massive amount of magic power to do so.
The statement may hold some truth, but if understood differently, it means she had been secretly hoarding magic power from Kian to the extent that she could manifest in the real world and create weaponry through her special abilities (it’s likely that summoning that sword was ‘glasses’s special ability).
Was she secretly planning something while accumulating all that magic power without Kian knowing?
Her intentions.
What she desires while sealed away by ‘glasses’.
For instance… the ability to take on a physical form.
(…I’ll only give you magic power when it’s necessary. If you’re going to need it regularly, say so before you go into hibernation next time. You disappearing all of a sudden caught me off guard.)
’My bad, my bad.’
Does she truly regret it?
’Yes, I do. From now on, I’ll say to give me a lot of magic power before I disappear. So, I hope you’ll inject me with plenty of magic power without doubting me.’
(…I’ll keep that in mind.)
When Kian responded like that, ‘Glasses’ let out a high-pitched, tinkling laugh.
’If you want weapons, just infuse me with magic power again. I have a lot of wealth. If you and I team up, we can definitely conquer the world together.’
(Hey, ‘Glasses’. Are you a vampire?)
A question he had been holding onto for a while.
Kian asked this, looking at the flames of the villagers’ torches ahead.
’Glasses’ fell silent for a moment, then finally answered.
’What else did you think I was?’
(So, you admit you’re a vampire?)
Kian narrowed his eyes.
(Vampires are said to have vanished long ago. How come you, a vampire, are sealed inside ‘Glasses’? What exactly happened?)
’That’s none of your concern. I give you wisdom and power, and in return, you go on adventures. Our relationship is perfectly balanced as it is.’
(You’re telling me not to question anything about the thing that’s attached to my head?)
’As I said before, whether you believe me or not is up to you. If you don’t believe me, just sell me to Lyritisse over there. That succubus would definitely buy me for a high price. He also has something dark inside him, just like you.’
”────”
Kian found himself walking silently behind Rean, staring at the backside of the flaxen-haired woman.
Does ‘Glasses’ know something about Lyritisse?
’Kian, don’t pry into my business. Getting too involved could lead to serious consequences. Some things are best left unknown.’
(Are you threatening me?)
’No, it’s a sincere warning. I care about you, Kian. I honestly hope this connection lasts. But knowing my circumstances would inevitably end this relationship. Your vampire abilities would also be stunted.’
(…)
’Well then, Kian. For the sake of both our interests, let’s just pretend this conversation never happened?’
The mental conversation with ‘glasses’ abruptly ended.
All Kian could hear were the villagers’ footsteps and the crackling of torches.
Kian narrowed his eyes.
(…Alright. I don’t want to lose you either. I need my strong vampire abilities and your ancient equipment.)
’Good. Rest assured, I won’t betray you. Let’s embark on this grand journey together, Kian Vahid.’
”….”
”──Ah, here we are.”
Just as the conversation with ‘glasses’ subsided, the group came to a halt.
Rean and the magistrate, leading the procession, stopped at the edge of the village, before the dark expanse of the forest at night.
To be precise, it was just before a patch of wheat fields.
They were in front of a dwelling with a thatched roof made of reeds.
The magistrate looked at Rean, Lyritisse, and then at Kian, who had stepped forward, and began to speak.
”This is the home of the slain hunter──Ban. When they found him, there was a lot of blood and just a few body parts left behind──arms, eyes, things like that.”
”I see, there are distinct bloodstains on the ground.”
”A peasant named Allen found him. He’s not here right now, but he’s a skilled farmer who managed the lord’s land for the other villagers. He was passing by this morning and saw the courtyard covered in blood.”
”I understand. ──Excuse me, could I take a look at that?”
Rean took a torch from one of the free men and walked toward the dwelling’s front yard.
He pressed his finger to the discolored ground and turned his face sideways.
”────”
When Kian followed the villagers into the grounds, the vampire’s eyes, capable of piercing the darkness, landed on the devastation wrought upon the fence beside the scene.
The sturdy wooden fence had been torn down, completely destroyed.
It was clear that a monstrous creature of significant size had passed through with immense force.
”The adventuring party that visited before, was there anything they said?”
As Rean approached the fence to examine the footprints, Lyritisse politely asked the magistrate man.
”Nothing in particular. They said they could handle it themselves and went into the forest.”
”So they never came back. … It seems their mistake was not properly checking the scene. They went into the forest…”
While Lyritisse continued her questioning, Kian crouched down beside the discolored ground.
Natra and Rufna followed close behind.
”The monster feasted on its prey here. The blood trail only extends this far, not towards the fence.”
”It must have been a massive creature capable of swallowing a fully grown man whole, with a large mouth and powerful jaw. Even Shield Cain, that would be a large specimen.”
Natra knelt beside Kian, her black hair cascading over her shoulders.
Her determined expression was beautiful.
The strand of hair that wasn’t tucked behind her ear swayed gracefully across her fine jawline, and her full lips were painted a delicate rose.
She smelled sweet and young, captivatingly attractive.
His groin began to stir, so he quickly shoved his hand into his pocket to make adjustments.
’Don’t you dare touch me with those hands.’
”Furthermore, it possesses the ability to sneak up on its prey from behind without being detected. Since the fence is broken on the forest side, it must have entered through some other means. Perhaps using a Mist Form ability, like a Bloodsucking Kind?”
As Rufna spoke, Rean, who had been examining the footprints by the fence, called out.
”Everyone, it seems this wasn’t the work of a Shield Cain.”
”What? Then what was it?”
”Ban said it was a Shield Cain, but he was wrong?”
”Everyone, please come here.”
Rean gathered everyone in front of the fence and crouched down, shining his lantern on the ground.
”Look. The tracks are about a meter wide and shaped like a wolf’s paw. The claws are long and sharp enough to tear up the hardened ground of the courtyard. And──over here, on this side of the fence, you can see where the beast rammed it with its full force.It must have been its arm or shoulder, a powerfully muscled part that slammed into the wooden fence.”
”Wait! There’s fur here.”
Lyritisse said this, placing one foot on the broken fence and reaching out her hand.
She grasped several strands of silvery fur between her white fingers and walked back to the others, extending them for them to see.
A few of the more timid villagers gasped in terror.
The magistrate at the head of the villagers frowned as he looked at the fur from the silver beast.
”This…is wolf fur?”
”It’s much harder, sharper.”
Lyritisse pulled on a single strand of fur with her finger, then touched it to her thumb.
Her finger pierced, and a drop of blood welled up.
The villagers gasped.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply