Chapter 39

Blood Magic (1)

The Elrod Forest is a vast expanse located in the northwest of Caldric.

While it is part of Caldric’s territory, it is natural that in this vast fantasy continent, there are far more places that have retained their natural state than those where civilization has flourished.

Caldric alone has many large and small cities scattered across the Grand Dukedom and the other nine duchies. However, the outskirts are practically abandoned, like unclaimed land.

"Ah, it’s really bumpy."

And that means the road to Elrod Forest, unlike the main road, has not been developed at all.

I maintained a blank expression in the more violently shaking carriage and looked at the opposite seat.

Rudika and Ashel, sitting together, were leaning on each other, sound asleep.

It had been a few days since we started heading to Elrod Forest from Domihawk City.

It was a journey much like any other, but the difference was that there were two vampires traveling with us.

"......"

I stared intently at the two sleeping sisters.

Rubiqa usually acts more mature because she’s the older sister, but at times like this, they just looked like two kids.

Ashel, sitting next to me, was also looking at them with a strange expression, and when our eyes met, she awkwardly turned away.

It seemed she was thinking of her deceased sister.

Then Ashel fidgeted and spoke.

"......May I ask one question?"

"......?"

I looked at her with surprise.

She had never asked me anything first.

"Of course."

"Have you......no, Lord Ron, been searching for places like ruins up until now?"

Ashel stumbled over her words as she asked.

During the journey, she and Baros were instructed to call me by my name instead of my title, but since Ashel rarely had a reason to address me, she still wasn’t used to it and often made mistakes.

But why the sudden interest in ruins?

"Actually, I’m curious about what your purpose is in doing such things."

Ah......that’s it.

'She’s finally asking about it.'

I had been on a fulfilling journey, absorbing mysteries, but from Ashel’s perspective, she hadn’t seen anything, so it was natural for her to be curious about what I was doing.

Moreover, the reason she was accompanying me as a guard was because I promised to make her famous across the continent.

But since I hadn’t done anything befitting a duke, she might be feeling frustrated inside.

'I did say I would do many things, but......'

But I didn’t just say it off the top of my head.

After completing this journey and returning to the ducal castle, there would be a mountain of challenges to overcome.

Especially the demonic invasion, the hero of Sainthea, the inheritance of the holy sword......I still have no idea how to solve these main story issues from my current position.

It’s too big to plan for right now.

'Anyway, the Grand Duke will probably give me a task when the next ducal meeting comes around.'

I need to find all the mysteries in Caldric first and then decide what to do based on the situation.

I feel bad for Ashel, but I hope she can wait until then.

Thinking this to myself, I said,

"I’m looking for something. I know you’re curious, but I can’t tell you what it is."

"......"

"Don’t worry. I will keep the promise I made to you."

"......Yes?"

Ashel blinked, not understanding what I meant, then nodded.

"I was just curious. I’ve never doubted what Lord Ron said."

"......"

You’re too trusting, and it makes me feel guilty.

I turned my gaze to the window.

As the sun rose high in the sky, we stopped the carriage to have lunch.

The Rudika sisters, who had fallen asleep without anyone noticing, had also woken up.

The menu was the usual meat, soup, and bread.

Baros quickly prepared the meal and we sat down to eat. Rudika, while half-heartedly eating her soup, kept glancing at me and Rubiqa.

"Why are you doing that, Rudika? Do you want to drink blood?"

Rubiqa, who had noticed her sister’s state, rolled up her sleeve.

But Rudika hesitated and only looked at where I was sitting.

I said,

"It’s fine, come here."

Rudika looked at her sister once more and then came to me as if she had been waiting.

She bit into my arm and started drinking, a familiar sight that made Rubiqa look bewildered.

"Rudika?"

This was the first time Rudika had drunk my blood since Rubiqa joined our group. It must have been a shocking scene for her.

She must have been holding back until now, considering her sister’s feelings.

"Rudika, what are you doing? Come here and drink from me. It’s rude to the benefactor."

But Rudika shook her head and continued drinking from me.

Rubiqa looked shocked, much like Baros had the last time.

"You, you. You always said my blood was the best......"

......Why do I feel like I’m the bad guy?

Seeing her pout and mumble, I felt awkward and asked,

"Is it okay for you not to drink blood?"

Rubiqa, though older than Rudika, was not yet a fully mature vampire. I wondered if her bloodlust was under control.

Rubiqa looked at me intently, swallowed, and shook her head.

"......I’m fine. I’m a grown vampire, so I can control it."

It didn’t look like it, but I didn’t want to have both sisters drinking from me, so I didn’t press further.

Then Baros stepped in and said to Rubiqa,

"Hey, vampire. If you want, you can drink......"

"I don’t want to. It smells bad."

The same reaction I had heard from Rudika before, and Baros looked a bit dejected.

It seems elf blood isn’t very appealing to vampires.

***

The journey continued smoothly after that.

And as time passed, we finally arrived at Elrod Forest.

We stood still for a moment, looking around the forest’s entrance.

The trees were much larger than in a regular forest, giving it a proper atmosphere.

Elrod Forest is just a large forest with no specific name in the world.

Not all mountains and forests on the continent have names.

It’s just that the vampires living here call it by that name.

"Then, we’ll be off."

Except for Baros, who had to guard the carriage, we set off into the forest.

'I have no idea how long it will take.'

The forest was vast, so it was uncertain how long it would take to find the vampires.

But I wasn’t worried about not finding them.

If we just keep moving deeper, we’ll eventually run into them.

I had also bought an expensive compass in Domihawk to avoid getting lost.

It wasn’t a compass in the traditional sense but a pair of devices that showed each other’s location. It wasn’t a magical item but seemed to be made of a material with magnetic properties. This is a fantasy world, after all.

At least Baros had one, so we wouldn’t have a problem finding our way back.

"This forest is a bit eerie."

Rubiqa said, looking around as we walked through the forest.

The trees were so large that they blocked the sun, making the forest dark.

I suddenly wondered and asked,

"Do vampires dislike sunlight?"

Usually, they would, but in the Lasa world, there was no clear information about vampires and sunlight.

They can walk around in the sun during the day, but I wondered if they had a slight aversion to it.

Rubiqa shook her head, looking at me strangely.

"No? I don’t. In fact, I dislike the darkness more."

I see. One curiosity resolved.

We had brought plenty of food, knowing it would take a while to find the vampires in the forest.

But it wouldn’t hurt to conserve it, so we also hunted for food. Of course, hunting was Ashel’s job.

And of course, not only ordinary animals but also monsters appeared.

Rumble.

A giant boar, covered in small spines, fell to Ashel’s sword, becoming a cold corpse.

It was a rather grotesque creature.

There were definitely some monsters in this forest that I didn’t know.

Elrod Forest was a field I had rarely explored in the game, only briefly passing through during a quest to meet vampires.

"Wow......"

Rudika’s eyes lit up as she watched Ashel quickly dispatch the monster and retrieve her sword.

She had never seen Ashel fight before.

In contrast, Rubiqa, who had seen the massacre at the auction, seemed a bit afraid of Ashel.

"How do you become so strong?"

Ashel scratched her cheek, a bit embarrassed by Rudika’s question.

"Through training."

"How do you train?"

"......Swing your sword every day without rest, move your body, and spar with stronger opponents."

It seemed hard to explain to a child.

Rudika nodded and shouted,

"I’ll train every day from now on! I need to get stronger to protect my sister and make new friends!"

"......"

Rubiqa looked a bit melancholic at her sister’s words.

Ashel looked at the sisters with a slightly sympathetic gaze.

She, too, had a tragic past of losing her family.

It had been four days since we started wandering the forest.

"......"

While walking aimlessly through the forest as usual, I sensed a fast-approaching presence.

Ashel and I turned our heads in that direction.

A figure was leaping from branch to branch, coming closer.

Even from a distance, his appearance was clear through my heightened senses.

Black hair, red eyes, and a hunter-like outfit that blended with the forest.

【Lv. 51】

'Vampire.'

A vampire.

The level above his head was 51, quite high.

Feeling a mix of joy and tension at finally finding the vampire I had been searching for, I stared at him.

He landed on a nearby branch and looked down at us. I stared back.

His eyes showed no friendly emotion.

"Human......and vampires?"

The figure, looking at me, Ashel, and the Rudika sisters in turn, asked in a confused voice.

"Who are you? Why did you come to this forest?"

It was a very unexpected situation for him.

Not only was it rare for anyone to venture this deep into the forest, but the unexpected visitors were a combination of humans and vampires.

I asked the confused figure,

"Are you part of the vampire tribe in Elrod Forest?"