Chapter 40

Blood Ritual (2)

In response to my question, he narrowed his brows and countered.

"How... How do you know that vampires live in this forest, human?"

I replied in a nonchalant tone.

"Do you really think there are perfect secrets in this world? I heard that your clan has lived in this forest for a very long time. It would be arrogant to think that no one knows about it."

"......"

He glared at me with eyes full of hostility, saying nothing.

Beside him, the Rudyka sisters were fidgeting nervously, trying to gauge the situation.

I continued.

"I have no other intentions. The reason I came to this forest is simple. I want to provide a new home for these vampires, who have lost their clan and homeland."

"......What?"

"These are vampires who lived in the northern mountains of Caldric. They had a conflict with their own clan, and most of them were killed. Only a few managed to escape with their lives."

His gaze turned to the Rudyka sisters.

Since there are already some such vampires in the Elrod forest clan, they would have understood the situation from my explanation.

"Can you not show mercy and accept them into your clan? That is all I ask."

He alternated his gaze between the sisters and me, then said.

"......I don't understand. Setting aside the situation of those young vampires, why did you, a human, bring them here?"

"I just saved them from slave hunters. And it so happens that I knew vampires live in this forest."

At that moment, I sensed other presences approaching.

New vampires landed on either side of the branch from the direction he had appeared.

Upon seeing us, they looked surprised, then frowned.

"......Human and vampires? What's going on, Flock?"

The vampire I had been talking to was named Flock.

He explained the situation to his comrades.

The vampires listened to his explanation, glancing at us, and wore strange expressions.

They whispered among themselves for a moment, discussing what to do. But I could hear everything with my heightened senses.

"Let's report first......"

"Alright, I'll go and report. You two stay and keep an eye on them."

They concluded and said to me.

"Stay there and don't make any moves, human. If you really have no other intentions and only came to help those young vampires, you can do that much, right?"

"Sure."

I answered obediently.

It seemed they were going to bring a higher-ranking vampire to decide on the treatment of the Rudyka sisters, so I would wait here.

The other vampires left, leaving one to guard us.

We stood there in silence, waiting for someone else to arrive.

***

A dark and eerie space.

A female vampire stood still, eyes closed, regulating her breathing.

She was on a large rock in the center of the space, where a fist-sized red stone, wrapped in black chains, was embedded in the center of the rock.

The ominous stone, the only source of light in this underground space, emitted a sinister blood-red glow.

Below the rock, other vampires watched the stone with anxious eyes.

"......"

After a while, the woman slowly opened her eyes and placed her hand on the red stone.

As her hand touched it, the stone emitted a more intense blood-red glow.

The ominous aura emanating from the stone filled the space.

Even the vampires, who were just watching, trembled from the aura, which the woman alone absorbed.

Blood began to flow from her entire body and was slowly absorbed by the stone.

The woman's expression, which had been calm, finally contorted in pain.

But it wasn't just because of the blood being absorbed.

'Ha ha ha ha ha......!'

A bizarre and terrifying laugh that seemed to gnaw at the soul.

The overwhelming mental pressure echoing in her mind was something she had experienced dozens of times but could never get used to.

The woman barely maintained her consciousness, waiting for it to end.

The light emitted by the stone gradually dimmed.

The stone, now back to its original state, seemed to have a slightly weaker red glow than before.

"......Ha."

The woman, having successfully completed the ritual, wobbled down the steps of the rock.

The vampires waiting below hurriedly approached her.

"Big sister...... Are you alright?"

A man stepped forward to support her.

He had watched the ritual as if he were undergoing it himself, with a pained expression.

The woman nodded and gently pushed his arm away.

"I'm fine. Don't make a fuss over something I do regularly."

Despite her words, the man's face became even more troubled as he saw her still trembling hand.

The ritual to suppress the blood essence.

It was a duty passed down through generations of clan leaders and a responsibility necessary to maintain the clan's peace.

As the man watched the woman's life being shortened with each ritual, he could do nothing.

He turned his gaze to the stone embedded in the rock.

How long must the clan bear this accursed thing and waste the lives of their brothers? How long......?

"......Go back and rest, big sister. Attend to the clan leader."

The woman left the underground space with the other vampires.

The man watched her leave, then sighed.

At that moment, a vampire ran over from the opposite direction. He was a warrior tasked with periodically patrolling the forest.

"Warrior leader."

The man looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"What is it?"

After hearing the report, the man frowned slightly.

"......Humans brought young vampires? How did they know about our clan's existence?"

"I don't know. I thought I should report it quickly......"

"How many humans are there?"

"Only two."

The man glanced in the direction the woman had gone and nodded.

"I'll go with the warriors. Don't report to the clan leader yet."

***

After waiting for what felt like a few dozen minutes.

I sensed numerous presences approaching from a distance.

There were far more than I had expected, which made me a bit flustered.

'......Why are there so many?'

Soon, the vampires revealed themselves, surrounding us by climbing the trees around us.

There were easily dozens of them, all elite warriors with levels over 60.

Their appearance suggested they were ready for battle, making Ashel's expression stiffen and the Rudyka sisters look around in fear.

"Indeed, humans have come."

One of the vampires muttered.

I met his gaze.

It was clear he was the leader of this group.

His attire and the level above his head made it obvious.

【Lv. 81】

......A powerful warrior on par with Ashel.

I immediately recognized him upon seeing his level.

In the Elrod forest vampire clan, there was only one warrior with this level.

'Warrior Leader Caldervan.'

The clan leader's younger brother and the strongest warrior in the Elrod forest clan.

I hadn't expected the warrior leader to show up.

"Human, answer my questions properly."

After exchanging a silent gaze with me, he finally spoke.

"How did you know about our clan's existence in this forest?"

I had given a casual answer earlier, but he seemed to want a definitive one.

This was indeed a crucial issue for them.

They had lived in the forest, avoiding the public eye, for a long time, and suddenly a human who knew about their existence had appeared.

I thought for a moment before answering.

"Wouldn't it be strange if no one knew?"

"......What?"

"This place is still within Caldric's territory. The eyes of the lords and numerous information networks are here. I know you've been living in this forest for nearly 100 years. If you truly believed no one would know about your existence, that would be arrogance."

In reality, some lords and the Great Lord knew about their existence but chose to ignore them.

The vampires had actually been living in the Elrod forest for over 200 years, but I intentionally understated this to avoid raising their suspicions.

Rudika, standing beside me, looked at me with a puzzled expression.

This was because when I explained the situation to her, I had mentioned a connection to a vampire from this forest.

She might wonder why I didn't mention this, but it was a lie, so I couldn't.

The warrior leader, who had been glaring at me without a response, seemed to be somewhat convinced. He changed the subject.

"You said you saved the vampires who were captured as slaves and brought them to our clan. Are these the children?"

"Yes."

At that moment, Rudika stepped forward.

"......We are vampires who lived in the northern mountains of Caldric! And this person really saved us out of pure kindness and brought us here. So......"

She seemed to want to defend me because the atmosphere was tense.

After staring at her for a moment, he nodded.

"If they are lost kin, especially children, we can certainly take them into our clan."

"......"

"But not humans. You can never enter the village. Send the children over here first."

The sisters looked at me with anxious eyes.

I nodded at them.

"It's fine, go ahead."

They hesitantly moved toward the vampires.

The warrior leader signaled to one of the vampires.

She scooped up the sisters and carried them deeper into the forest, quickly disappearing from sight.

I turned my gaze back to the warrior leader.

It was time to get to the main point.

"I have something to discuss......"

I stopped mid-sentence.

The atmosphere was not good.

The hostility from the vampires surrounding us intensified, and......

Bang!

A sudden attack from the front was blocked by Ashel.

The blood thorns shattered against her sword.

She glared at the warrior leader, her expression turning fierce.

I looked at him and asked.

"What are you trying to do?"

He calmly retracted his hand and replied.

"Sorry, but we can't let you leave the forest alive."

"......Because I know about your clan's existence? I already told you that I'm not the only one who knows."

"No, that's not it."

He shook his head.

"We are deeply grateful for saving our kin. However, we have never let outsiders who enter the forest leave alive. This is how we have maintained our territory and peace for a long time, and there are no exceptions."

The vampires surrounding us immediately took a battle stance.

Blood began to flow from their bodies, forming shapes in the air. Some were massive, others sharp.

"Die here, human."

I sighed inwardly.

'These damn vampire bastards......'

Did I underestimate them?

Even after saving their kin, I didn't expect them to try to kill us.

Blood was about to surge toward our position from all sides.

I grabbed Ashel's shoulder and pulled her close.

"Hey......"

"Stay close to me."

I immediately cast a stasis barrier.

Attacks poured in from all directions.

***

The relentless blood flow concentrated on the spot where the humans stood.

While the other warriors were launching their attacks, Warrior Leader Caldervan prepared a full-power attack. He had no intention of underestimating the intruders.

Swoosh.

The blood flowing from his body gathered in the air, turning purple.

It was his unique blood ritual. Anyone hit by this highly toxic blood would dissolve without a trace, no matter how strong they were.

The purple blood, shaped into a massive thorn, swirled like a vortex and swept over the spot where the humans stood.

Bang!

The area swept by the blood flow turned into a wasteland.

They had taken the full brunt of the combined attack from the elite warriors without even trying to dodge.

Caldervan was certain this would be the end.

However, as the blood mist and dust cleared, his eyes widened in shock.

"......!"

The humans were still standing there, completely unharmed. Not even their clothes were disheveled.

The sight, defying all logic, left the warrior leader and the other warriors in shock, unable to move.

'Unbelievable......'

The human man calmly looked around.

"Is this all?"

He spoke in an incredibly arrogant and indifferent tone.

"Pathetic."