Survival 17

Prev I TOC I Next

Right now, Báthory was incredibly displeased and annoyed. There were several reasons for this.

She had awoken from her sleep without properly recovering from the wounds she had received in a fight with a tyrant.

Upon waking, she found that all of her minions had died without exception.

And finally, the presence of the man before her was the cause of her irritation.

‘Tsk. Some small fry getting in the way.’

It was a descendant of a great human warrior.

She could have regained some strength, albeit weakly, by taking her blood.

It was clear that this narrow-eyed boy had ruined that.

“Well, it’s done. Offer what’s yours to me instead.”

A pheasant in place of a chicken.

Though it was regrettable that he wasn’t a descendant of the great warrior, now was not the time to be choosy between cold and warm rice.

Swallowing her disappointment, Báthory slowly advanced towards her prey.

“Getting in the way? Who are you to say that, just as my long-devoted goal is finally starting to bear fruit?”

However, she had to stop in surprise at this unexpected response.

A lowly human, with eyes ablaze, was actually getting angry at her.

A mouse biting a cat?

It could happen. What wouldn’t one do when their life is on the line?

Yet, the fact that this same prey dared to stand up to her, claiming the right to take this ‘cheese’, irked her.

“…Have you lost your mind?”

“The crazy one is you. Who ordered you to do this? Surely not Vlad? Or has Vlad even been chosen?”

But when the name of the great king slipped from her opponent’s lips, Báthory realized that this person was not a mere mouse.

“Refrain from mentioning that name! You, who are not even a noble of the vampires, have no right to speak so freely!”

“My apologies. Even if it’s the throne of a vacant kingdom of another race, a minimum level of respect is due.”

His narrow eyes faintly opened. A subtle madness could be glimpsed in his well-hidden pupils.

“As long as you don’t touch my prey.”

‘What audacity for someone without a hint of magical power!’

Truly a fearless human.

However, Báthory was puzzled to see such a seemingly weak individual acting so boldly.

What was the identity of this person, anyway? Someone who knew about the existence of Vlad, known only to a few among the vampire nobility.

Not human, then?

…Another vampire?

But the pupils she had briefly seen were not red. They were pitch black.

And the scent of blood was that of a human.

“…Ridiculous. Daring to pick a fight with me.”

She barely managed to compose herself and regain her calm.

Thinking too much was also a problem.

Besides.

‘Even if it’s a demon disguised, knowing my situation, it doesn’t matter.’

Báthory laughed coldly.

It seems she has weakened, to be shaken by such a thing.

The Evildon Empire is a world of the survival of the fittest.

“Whatever the opponent possessed, if there was the power to take it away, it then belonged to the stronger one.

Wealth, honor, status, and even life itself.

Hadn’t she herself been completely stripped of everything by that guy, barely managing to keep her life?

“I hope you are as prepared as you are pretentious.”

With a flick of her fingers, a familiar sensation arose, and a more intense flame burst forth.

Though she hadn’t fully recovered her strength yet, it was a flame fierce enough to burn a braggart full of nothing but bluff to ashes, leaving no bone behind.

“Really. You must indeed be a noble, able to ignite flames using your own blood.”

However, for some reason, he was still crossing his arms, watching her.

Báthory snorted and raised her hand.

“Let’s see if you can maintain that composure in the underworld.”

“Haha, that’s terrifying.”

There was no longer any reason to be fooled by such a ploy.

If there was a hidden trump card, she would simply have to destroy that too.

“A strike that not even Tyrun could handle! Try to block this!”

Just as she had subdued the descendant of the great warrior, she thrust her fist wrapped in flames. But the momentum was completely different from before.

A technique where her blood would explosively react upon contact, boasting extreme destructive power.

She was confident she could pierce through any armor or protective magic in a single blow.

“Who says I’ll be hit?”

“What?!”

Astonishment froze in Báthory’s eyes.

With just three leaps, her swung left arm cut through the air, missing its target.

A heavy fatigue pressed down on her arms and legs.

‘Argh, such a regrettable mistake!’

She had not anticipated that a human, seemingly devoid of any magical power, could so easily dodge her attack.

A critical strike, mustered with the last drop from her blood pouch, had gone to waste.

‘Of course, dealing with that human wouldn’t be a problem, but my body’s recovery…’

“Oh dear! I’m not sure if you’ll be alright. Without a proper spare blood pouch, should someone who used to command bats really be wasting blood like this?”

Then.

With a sly laugh, he offered a concern that clearly didn’t come from the heart.

Her suspicion had now turned into certainty.

The existence of the throne of Vlad, and the fact that vampire nobles use blood in magic.

Such information wasn’t something a young human would typically know.

“Right. I underestimated you.”

Grinding her teeth, Báthory gathered her energy, ready to bury everything in the vicinity if necessary. Sensing the stir of her magic, he, who had been relaxed until now, hurriedly spoke.

“Wait a moment! What’s the point of demons fighting each other? You won’t come out unscathed either!”

‘That’s true.’

Just moments before, the silver-haired girl that this man had returned. 

Being a descendant of a warrior famous among humans, her followers might chase them down. 

As the battle eased into a lull, he let out a small sigh of relief.

“Let’s settle this amicably. I got a bit angry having my prey snatched away, but there’s no need for demons to react so violently to each other.”

“So, you’re a demon after all. Reveal your identity.”

“‘If it’s a demon that lacks horns and lives in the human world without arousing any suspicion, there’s only one possibility, isn’t there?”

He rummaged through his clothes and then pulled out a golden mask that reached just up to his chin, placing it over his face.

“Please forgive the rudeness of wearing a mask. After all, my true form doesn’t have a face, so wearing this at least makes it feel like I’m having a conversation with a person, doesn’t it?”

The appearance of the boy was gone.

In his place was a being whose gender was not even clearly distinguishable.

Furthermore, this blurry presence…

Astonishment spread across Báthory’s face.

“A doppelganger.”

The Levine, who inherit dragon blood and possess exceptional physical abilities; vampires, who use blood as a medium for casting magic; gargoyles, with skin as tough as stone.

When one speaks of demons, these three races are commonly referred to, but there are also minority races.

For example, the succubus, a race consisting only of females, feeding on the vitality of living beings, and the doppelganger, was another such race.

A shadowy demon race that lives by feeding on the emotions of fear and confusion, transforming into the appearance of living beings.

However, this individual’s appearance was somewhat different from her understanding.

“…But I find it hard to believe. Are you truly a doppelganger?”

Báthory narrowed her eyes.

Although called a demon, doppelgangers are known to lack significant physical abilities, cannot use magic, and even struggle to speak properly.

Only those of noble status could somewhat convincingly swallow a human and mimic them, but even that disguise tends to fall apart over time.

Therefore, in the survival-of-the-fittest world of the Evildon Empire, they are a minority race that is naturally weeded out. And this one claims to be a doppelganger?

‘The girl earlier seemed to genuinely believe in him.’

“Well, maybe you haven’t seen one like me yet, that’s all.”

“…”

“It’s nice to see a fellow demon in a foreign land. The most recent name I’ve used is Hans Byron.”

There was a strangely heavy presence about him, even as he chuckled with a voice filled with noise. Báthory was certain: he was not someone to be taken lightly.

It seemed he was a superior kind of doppelganger, belonging to the high nobility, much like herself.

“How about we take turns asking each other questions? You seem to have many.”

“Arrogant. I see no reason to entertain your proposal.”

“Not even for a new hideout, regular blood supply, or information about the human world?”

“……!”

Each of these offers was quite tempting for Báthory.

First, a hideout. Given that she had attacked the descendant of a warrior, there was a high likelihood that a punitive force would be organized. She needed to move to another place quickly. And then, the blood supply.

To take revenge on Tyrun, it was essential to restore her power, and a regular supply of fresh blood would be immensely helpful. So far, she had relied on bats as minions to gather small amounts of blood from wild animals or livestock.

With his help, she could access a quantity of blood incomparable to what she had before.

Even if she couldn’t sink her teeth directly into a smooth neck.

Just the thought of fresh, warm blood made her mouth water.

‘This is indeed not a bad offer.’

Of course, all this could be just a glittering trap, but given that her hideout was already compromised, her situation couldn’t get much worse. At risk of being killed by humans instead of fulfilling her vengeance, she decided to gamble. To trust a fellow demon.

“Interesting. I grant permission. But, I will ask the first question.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Hans readily agreed to her terms. Báthory, driven by a pure curiosity, voiced her first question.

“Why did you break the seal and awaken me from my deep slumber?”

“Did I do that? It was our dear princess who woke you up.”

He shook his head with the golden mask on, lamenting.

His heavy sigh, as if meant to be heard, grated on her nerves.

“It must be something to do with bloodlines. The princess has an uncanny ability to detect the scent of demons. Ah! Of course, I didn’t realize it myself.”

Báthory furrowed her brows.

Now that she thought about it, the way he kept referring to her as ‘the princess’ was suspicious and unusual.

“What is your relationship with that woman?”

“It’s my turn to ask, but well, since my previous answer was lacking in sincerity, I’ll answer. She is an entity that will complete the ultimate gourmet experience.”

He spread his arms wide as if to show off.

“Imagine the moment she realizes that the loyal servant she trusted and cherished is actually a demon, an enemy of humans! Can you imagine how delicious that mixture of betrayal and shock would be?”

Hmm.

He’s insane.

But, unexpectedly, he was a doppelganger in the truest sense, just as Báthory knew them.

Their only goal and sustenance being to don forms and steal emotions.

The only difference being, unlike other doppelgangers who are merely driven by the instinct to feed on their victim’s surprise, the one before her seemed interested in cultivating deep relationships, talking about gourmet experiences.

“Is that the extent of it?”

He seemed to have a sense of romance.

“So that’s why you were talking about feeding earlier.”

“Exactly! It’s infuriating, isn’t it? The sprout was about to be cut before it even had a chance to be harvested.”

However, this was a separate matter. It was unfortunate to meet a fellow species in enemy territory, especially one like this.

Báthory clutched her throbbing head. But in the next moment,

When she heard a familiar name from the man’s mouth, a murderous intent spread throughout Báthory’s body.

“So now it’s my turn. About this Tyrun fellow, does he by any chance claim to be the Demon King?”

***

‘It seems I’ve managed to deceive him successfully.’

The artifact Amen’s perception-inhibiting ability and my knowledge of the original work shone through.

If I hadn’t known about the vampire king title, Vlad, and the existence of the rare species, the doppelganger, my head wouldn’t be attached to my body right now.

‘But that attack earlier was truly terrifying.’

My back was soaked with cold sweat.

Somehow, I managed to avoid it with the help of a skill, but afterwards, I was hit with a headache so intense it was like crossing into a realm of alien sensation.

It was as if by avoiding an attack far beyond my level, I had to pay a price accordingly.

I never dreamed that a single strike would deplete my mana ring.

But staying calm helped me gain unexpected information.

“…Right. That arrogant person said he would become the king leading all demons.”

I never expected to get information about one of the final bosses before even reaching the Evildon Empire.

“I still can’t forget… the day that brute, under the pretext of unifying the demon clans, turned my entire territory to ashes.”

The sound of teeth grinding echoed throughout the cave.

Judging by her speech, it seems she hasn’t been hiding for too long.

‘Hmm. Could this be useful?’

Originally, I had succeeded in deceiving her and planned to take advantage of an opportunity to kill her.

But the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Someone hostile towards the final boss will undoubtedly be a great help in reaching the end.

It wouldn’t be bad to invest for the future.

“Let’s pause the questions for a moment.”

“Have you forgotten our recent agreement? It’s my turn to ask questions.”

“I’d like to continue, but we’re short on time. Humans won’t just sit idly by, will they?”

It was a serious incident, where the daughter of a duke, no less, nearly died at the hands of a demon lurking in her own territory.

A punitive force would have been assembled immediately.

Having decided to save this vampire named Báthory, finding her a place of refuge was the priority.

“There’s a small underground passage to the northeast from here. There is a guest there, but you should be able to handle it easily.”

I was also delegating some monster hunting.

“For now, head in that direction to hide. I will come to meet you when the time is right.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Aware of her weakened state, she spread her wings and flew out of the cave.

The silence that followed.

I stood there, dumbfounded, unable to adjust to the sudden peace that settled in the cave.

“…Has she left? Phew.”

It was only after a considerable time had passed that I could finally relax and let my body slump due to my weakened legs.

“There’s no playing by the rules in this game. Came for honey, ended up with capsaicin.”

The thread of consciousness that I had been holding onto through the headache and tension finally loosened.

An overwhelming sense of fatigue hit me like an avalanche.

“Ugh… I feel dizzy.”

Unable to adapt to the spinning view caused by the mana ring, I collapsed onto the cold cave floor.

My eyelids slowly closing felt as heavy as if they were laden with lead.

I thought, maybe if I take a nap, a rescue team will come. With that thought, the cave floor didn’t seem quite as cold anymore.

[Quest Complete!]

[Successfully rescued Luciana…]

[New NPC…]

‘I’m so sleepy…’

With the status window blurring and becoming indistinct against the hard, unevenly surfaced bed, which was slightly uncomfortable, I closed my eyes.

Prev I TOC I Next