Chapter 37

Vampire (5)

There was no response from the guy.

He just remained frozen in his seated position, staring at me as if his thoughts had come to a sudden halt.

"......Hah!"

Soon, the guy burst into laughter.

Bowing his head and chuckling, he then straightened up and said with a serious expression.

"Have you lost your mind? Impersonating the name of a ruler in Caldric?"

"......"

"If you were the ruler, I'd be the hero of Saintea, you lunatic. You're even more washed up than I thought. Did you really think such absurd nonsense would work?"

Well, that’s the reaction I expected.

Since it wasn’t something I hadn’t anticipated, I didn’t say anything more.

To him, it must have sounded like mere nonsense to avoid a crisis.

Of course, that was normal. Why would a ruler, let alone one of the Seven Rulers of Enlock, participate in a secret auction in the Third Ruler’s Domain?

"Fine, since you’re not planning to answer while you’re still in one piece, I’ll do as you wish."

Saying that, the guy got up from his seat.

He then strode up to the podium, stopped the auctioneer, and took his place in the center.

"Please excuse me, everyone, but we will temporarily suspend the auction."

The sudden situation caused a commotion among the participants seated in the audience.

"There is someone who has killed our organization members and stolen an invitation to participate in the auction. I will deal with this rat first and then continue the auction to ensure it proceeds normally. Please bear with us."

It seemed he had no intention of waiting quietly until the auction ended.

Our eyes met as he stood on the podium.

Naturally, the gazes of everyone around me also turned in my direction.

I could hear the participants chattering. They seemed to find this an entertaining event.

'Ha......'

I’m getting tired.

I endured this disgusting auction all the way to this point, and it ends up like this.

I didn’t bother to think about how to resolve this situation. There was no need.

What can be done now? I have to play along with his antics.

"I’ll give you one last chance. Will you surrender quietly, or will you resist and lose a limb or two?"

By now, armed individuals had appeared and surrounded the area where I was sitting. They must be Valkilov’s combatants.

Judging by their levels, which were all over 50, and some even over 60, they seemed to be elite forces.

'Weaklings.'

I looked at the guy standing on the podium.

He had been acting as if he would tear me apart with his bare hands, but it was ridiculous to see him backing away alone.

Still, he probably wanted to be cautious since he didn’t know the exact strength of my side. It was a cautious judgment.

The guy clicked his tongue and gave an order when he saw me still sitting there.

"Both of you, just keep them alive."

The other participants moved to the sides, and the combatants gradually closed in.

The room fell silent for a moment.

The dirty, sticky atmosphere of a moment ago instantly turned cold and ominous.

I smiled slightly.

Ironically, this atmosphere, this situation that would soon be filled with corpses and the smell of blood, felt more comfortable than the auction where people were being bought and sold.

Humans are adaptable, but have I already adapted to this world? I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

"Ashel."

"Yes."

As I spoke, Ashel, who was sitting next to me, immediately got up and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

I continued in a low voice.

"You can kill them all if you want."

The opposition numbered in the dozens, all with levels in the 50s and 60s.

On my side, there was only Ashel.

However, I wasn’t worried at all. The outcome was already decided before the fight even began.

It’s not that I’ve only faced irregular monsters; Ashel is a top-tier powerhouse in this world.

If I hadn’t persuaded her to join me as a bodyguard, she would have been one of the elite forces of the Grand Ruler’s Black Lin.

Even if Valkilov is the top underground organization in the Third Ruler’s Domain, the gap in strength was vast. She was a wolf among a pack of rabbits.

In this Lasa world, the difference in levels is so absolute and unreasonable.

"Die......"

One of the combatants opened his mouth.

It was his last words.

Swoosh!

A massive beam of light erupted from Ashel’s sword, splitting in all directions.

Immediately, their bodies split and collapsed.

It wasn’t even a fight. Valkilov’s combatants were annihilated without a single resistance.

To me, it was a natural outcome, but not to the onlookers.

"Ah, aah!"

The participants, who had been momentarily confused, soon began screaming and fleeing in all directions.

Amid the chaos, I focused on the guy on the podium, Jack.

"......!"

His pupils, which had been half-dazed, trembled as if in an earthquake when our eyes met.

He immediately leaped into the inner part of the podium.

'Wow......'

Running away like that?

Ashel immediately followed him.

The guy defended himself in panic from the sword swinging from behind. A brief exchange of blows ensued.

Although his level was close to 70, he could only hold out for a moment. Soon, one of his arms was cut off, and he was thrown into the wall.

"Gah......!"

Ashel sheathed her sword and turned to me.

It was all over. In the blink of an eye.

I nodded, marveling at her overwhelming power.

The auction participants, the auctioneer, and the Pirami organization members had long fled, leaving only the slaves in the corner of the podium.

They were too terrified to run and just stared at me in fear. Rudia’s sister was among them.

"Release their bindings."

"Yes."

"There might be more inside, so bring them out and gather them in one place."

I left the slaves to Ashel and moved slowly.

The guy, whose abdomen was split open and one arm cut off by Ashel’s sword, was barely able to lift his head.

"Wh, what...... are you......?"

I stopped right in front of him.

"I told you, I’m one of the Seven Rulers."

"......"

"Still can’t believe it? What’s important now?"

"Why...... why......"

The guy, still unable to believe it, repeated the same words with a completely exhausted face.

Why was one of the Seven Rulers here, and why did he kill his brother and cause all this?

It was a question I didn’t need to elaborate on.

I looked down at him and said,

"Just because."

"......"

"Among the many trash in this world, you just happened to catch my eye. That’s all."

It was really just that.

I happened to find a vampire, and his brother’s excessive evil deeds caught my attention, so I killed him, and then got caught participating in the auction.

I didn’t have any particular grudge against them. It was just a series of events that led to this point.

Of course, the auction was now a mess, and the leader would soon die, so Valkilov would likely end today.

"......Aaaah!"

The guy, glaring at me with a mix of resentment and frustration, mustered his last strength and tried to get up.

In his good hand, he held a dagger he had pulled from his waist.

The cold blade aimed for my neck, but it was a futile effort.

His movements were too slow and clear to my heightened senses.

The dagger, blocked by an immovable barrier, stopped in mid-air.

The guy’s eyes widened, and his hand holding the hilt trembled before he staggered and collapsed to the ground.

I placed my hand on his head, activated the instant kill, and pushed him aside.

Thud.

That was the end of him.

Without a glance at the corpse, I turned to the slaves. They were already freed and looking at me.

Soon, Ashel brought out a few more slaves from the inside.

"Are these all of them?"

"Yes, that’s all."

I looked at the gathered group and tilted my head.

There seemed to be fewer than the number at the auction earlier. Did some manage to escape on their own?

"What do you plan to do with us, human?"

Someone spoke up with a fierce voice.

It was Rudia’s sister, the vampire. She still had a hostile look in her eyes.

It was a resentful look, but I understood.

Her family had been killed by humans, and she had been captured as a slave. It was natural for her to hate humans.

"Are you Rudia’s sister?"

She was startled by my words and her eyes widened.

"Rudia? How do you know my sister......?"

"I came here to rescue you at your sister’s request. So, you don’t need to be wary."

I explained to her briefly, from meeting Rudia in Quebacks to coming to this auction.

After hearing the story, she looked at me with a mix of joy, relief, and lingering wariness.

"......Really? You really came at my sister’s request?"

"Yes. Otherwise, how would I know your sister’s name?"

"......"

"She’s waiting for you at an inn in this city. Come with me."

She hesitated, looking between me and Ashel.

With a nod, Ashel took her by the shoulder and led her.

She cautiously approached me, still more suspicious than Rudia, probably because she was the older sister.

I looked at the other slaves.

With Rudia’s sister secured, my goal was achieved, but what should I do with the rest......?

'......Should I take them to the market?'

Ah, I really didn’t want to cause a commotion in another ruler’s domain.

I thought about the Third Ruler’s Heaven.

He was as unpredictable as the Grand Ruler, and it was hard to predict how he would react if he heard about this.

In the game, he seemed indifferent to most things but could be strangely persistent about minor issues.

What the rulers cared about wasn’t who they killed or what damage they caused. Valkilov was probably not even on the Third Ruler’s radar.

However, he might be displeased by the fact that another ruler caused chaos in his domain, which was a bit concerning.

Of course, this wasn’t a huge disturbance, and I was the one who was attacked first, so it shouldn’t be a problem...... but still.

"You are all free now."

I declared to the slaves, who were looking at me with anxious eyes.

Even after my words, they just stood there, looking at each other with bewildered faces.

Saying they were free suddenly wouldn’t help those who had nothing and nowhere to go.

I couldn’t just leave them here after causing this mess.

So, I decided to do at least the minimum to take care of them.