The first to discover the signal flare triggered by Reap was the Masugaki Princess, who was now able to legally mobilize the Empire’s forces thanks to her partnership with the Wahyhiemhai Foundation.
“It’s time to recover the investment. No matter how impressive the gold territory is, it holds no restraint for an empire without a former emperor. Secretary Office Head.”
“I’ve already advanced one regional legion. The Emperor’s force guardians defending the facility have either fallen in battle or surrendered.”
“Good. Then shall we see what’s inside the gift box that the emperor has kept hidden away for so long?”
First Wahyhiemhai.
There are various terms to refer to him.
Director of the Foundation.
Oknodie’s Papa.
The most dangerous human in the world.
However, right now, the identity that suited him best was that of a person excited to unwrap a gift box.
“Just discovering the secrets of reinforcement that the empire has hidden has led to remarkable growth for the Foundation. If we uncover another secret from this prohibition today, the Foundation could achieve leaps in growth, surpassing my efforts to retrieve my daughter.”
While advancing the legion with the gold territory, the director anticipated some sacrifices would occur.
In fact, if no damage occurred, the prohibition could harbor unimaginable dangers that might spiral into something even worse.
Yet, the dangers emerging from the prohibition were just risky enough for him to accept, but also trivially manageable.
“Report from the regional legion. There’s a gigantic entrance leading underground within the facility. Unidentified monsters have been continuously emerging from beyond the door.”
“Oh? A sealed door for monsters… could this prohibition be hiding the Chimera Laboratory?”
“…”
“If we acquire the empire’s knowledge of chimera engineering, we could implant far more advanced artificial bodies into our foundation scholarship students. I’d be glad for any students who lose their bodies in unfortunate accidents.”
“We’ll establish a new special admission for students with bodily impairments, creating a new subordinate organization to supply prospective scholarship students.”
“I’ve heard there are many criminal organizations these days that damage the bodies of perfectly healthy people; the Foundation’s events will surely be appreciated by those struggling to make a living. Isn’t it beautiful how the Foundation progresses at a pace one step behind society’s most straggling footsteps? Hahaha.”
As he indulged in the sight of the Secretary Office Head, who was frozen stiff, the mood shifted again.
“It seems it’s not a typical cultivation facility.”
“What’s the matter?”
“The number of monsters is continuously increasing.”
“Even with the legion out?”
“Even with the legion’s killing power, more and more monsters are pouring in endlessly. They’re already initiating a retreat, and the legion’s losses are rapidly mounting.”
The sweet blood-red future that the director had envisioned turned cold in the blink of an eye.
“This is bad. My child is heading into such a dangerous place. Cleaning up pests is best left to professionals. Can you find a suitable empire contractor?”
“I’ll call the Multicolor Magic Tower.”
The Foundation began to gather the empire’s forces to face the large-scale military of the Underworld.
*
Wasn’t this game supposed to be one that only a little girl could easily clear?
It felt like that, as stealth was easy, and there were only a few enemies wandering around the map.
With stealth so easy and the number of enemies so few, reaching the center of the vampire habitat, [Old Castle], located in the Underworld’s [Eternal Shade], was quite simple.
“My hands are bored.”
“Hang in there! Jiang, if you want to be a wonderful lady, you have to learn to endure in advance and wait for the right moment!”
“A wonderful lady endures? Wait for the right time? What should I be enduring and when? Who says that?”
“Professor Bronze said so!”
When the path to world destruction was confirmed, some professors left the academy, rampaging with, “Heh heh, the world’s ruined! Let it all burn!” while others sought order amidst chaos.
There was a professor who condemned every villain disrupting peace, stepping into the classroom wearing a singed formal coat, continuing lectures for the few remaining students.
– Let’s begin the lecture. Anyone scoring below the line in the subsequent quiz will participate in the professor hunt. Keep up with me no matter how hard it gets!
– Why would you pass the quiz? Of course, you wouldn’t want to miss the chance to participate in the end-of-world hunt instead of the professor hunt. Those who can become greater thieves than this Bronze de Estrada, would not let this opportunity slip away.
With the vision of the always splendid and dignified Professor Bronze, my heart swelled anew.
After reluctantly attending a class by the professor who taught me how to break the dungeon [Underground Treasure Stairs], I liked him even more.
“Oknodie. There are vampire mosquitoes ahead.”
“It’s okay. If we just hold our breath, they won’t detect us through the carbon dioxide we exhale!”
“How long do I need to hold it?”
“Just 3600 seconds!”
“…”
Well, I have to manage that much, right?
I can use mana to gather a lot of air around my skin!
[Stealth]
[Mana Control Art]
[Hold Breath]
[Quiet Movement]
Switching between these functions diligently, we passed through the mosquito forest guarding the vampires’ territory and reached the high castle grounds of Eternal Shade.
Having emerged from beneath the towering trees, we found a gloomy castle sitting under somber rocks.
In the darkness where neither the sun nor moon shone, a tremendous red orb emitted light.
“That’s the Bloody Sphere. It’s an artificial sun created to extract every last drop of life force from vampires who have committed sins in the Underworld, designed to shine until the blood runs dry!”
“Why did the director want to educate us early on about such things?”
“Dunno. But that’s blood you shouldn’t touch carelessly. It’s cursed to eternally burn and emit light, so anyone who absorbs it becomes a Shining Fireman until they boil to death!”
“No safety devices at Titosso’s.”
“Really?”
“Titosso always shines, after all. He makes the light stand shine instead.”
“Chuckle. Seems like it!”
“So how do we get up to that castle?”
The fortifications were an intimidating 200 meters high.
Even the walls were inscribed with various detection and attack spells, including magic sensors.
If magic was cast, it would be immediately detected, and if caught by detection magic, attack spells would fly.
[Electrocution]
[Body Restraint]
[Boiling Water Shower]
[Freezing]
[Chill Wind]
[Destruction Storm]
[Petrification]
[Telekinesis]
[Ultra-Speed Drop]
Every single one of these was a brutal trap combo specialized for killing intruders, making the vampire stronghold a perfect death trap!
“The method is simple!”
“How?”
“Use the third-tier stealth magic, [Spy Eye], to avoid detection magic and climb the walls!”
[Spy Eye], also known as the Enhanced Observation Eye.
It conceals magical responses and allows for observing or scanning without the eyes glowing.
Originally a technique for third-year students, but Jiang isn’t just any ordinary first-year.
“Looks like you can use it too, Oknodie? I learned it for my special assassination commission from my mentor.”
“This much is basic!”
The emperor, impressed, exclaimed.
“These kids learn quickly these days.”
“Heh heh. Indeed. When I was young, kids were always quick too. On a day when rain was pouring up to my knees, from a carriage careening down a cliff… Oh, it’s dinner time. What’s for dinner?”
“I’ll skip.”
“I’ll prepare a meal as soon as we finish the work.”
Jiang pressed the secretary with a face full of dissatisfaction.
“If you started speaking, finish the story! What happened to the kids in the carriage?”
“Heh. Fortunately, thanks to the sacrifice of a brave child, the carriage could escape the cliff. It was a quicker action and judgment than that of any adult.”
“… Really? That’s unexpectedly normal. I thought you were going to say that they all fell off the cliff together and that these days the kids are slower to die compared to back then.”
“I’m saddened to know how deep your misunderstandings about me are, Jiang. I fear that my loyalty, dedicated to His Majesty as an imperial secretary, may be viewed with the same suspicion.”
“Sorry for misunderstanding, Grandpa of the Okashii-ne.”
At Jiang’s honest apology, the secretary pleasantly accepted it with a hearty laugh.
“It’s alright. Children create reasons to apologize as they grow into adults.”
“Ooh, ooh! Question!”
“What is it, Your Fourth Princess?”
I pointed out a suspicious detail that Jiang hadn’t caught in the previous conversation.
“So where was the carriage going, and why were the kids in it on such a rainy day?”
“… Why were they in the carriage again?”
“Heh heh heh. Sadly, it seems the tremors from large-scale troop movements can be felt. It’s a pity to miss the right timing, but if we don’t hurry, we might be detected before we climb the walls.”
Feeling more than just strange, I sensed a blatantly suspicious tone in the words of the Okashii-ne secretary!
Even if I end up losing my mind from curiosity, I knew that the more I asked, the more suspicious the story would become, so I pouted but continued to climb the wall.
[Jump]
[Long Jump]
[Balance]
[Rhythm]
[Climbing]
[Stamina]
After diligently reaching the summit of the wall, I sensed Jiang climbing up behind me.
Neither the emperor nor the secretary seemed to be making any moves to join me.
Hehe.
Does that mean I’m number one?
I wanted to shout in triumph but held it back.
If I shouted, “I’m here!” after sneaking up, Ppyoi and Mob would surely laugh, calling Oknodie a fool.
Foolish Oknodie…
Hmm.
While I was deep in thought, someone nearby asked.
“Why are you pondering so hard?”
“I’m thinking of pulling a mischievous prank! If I act like I’ve suddenly turned dimwitted, people will try to deceive me or be nice to me; then I can see if their behavior matches their words!”
“Loyalty test, huh. That’s quite a clever prank. Minions should be constantly verified to be used safely for a long time. A brilliant idea.”
But who are you?
As I finished my thoughts and turned around, a large bat-winged bat-human flapped its wings.
“Eek! A vampire!”
As soon as I arrived, I was discovered.
I felt like crying from frustration.
“Ugh! I was perfect in stealth! I didn’t even use magic! Why was I found out?”
“If a kid climbs a wall instead of using the door, that’s interesting. So I kept watching since the beginning.”
So you were watching from the start!
“Then why didn’t you shoot an arrow? How about magic? Traps?”
“How can I do such terrible things to a child? You’re a kid; you can’t say such wicked things.”
“I’m sorry…?”
I was unexpectedly reprimanded by the guard vampire.
Before long, Jiang, who had completely climbed the wall, saw me kneeling with my hands up and immediately tucked himself away behind the ledge without a second’s hesitation.
Although he was annoying, I couldn’t sell out my friend, so I pretended not to see him.
“This won’t do. If you keep doing such dangerous things, how worried will your parents be? Call them over.”
“Gak. No parents!”
“You know you did something worrying, right?”
“If they knew I got caught over such a pathetic thing, they’d laugh at me!”
“Ah, a family of criminals? That won’t do. Bring your parents over. Where do your parents live? At a human farm? An elf farm?”
The vampire’s absurd ramblings about farms made me cock my head in confusion.
Why is this guard talking nonsense when he’s not even the Okashii-ne secretary?
“Why do you think my parents live on a farm?”
The guard responded as if it were the most obvious thing.
“If a vampire’s parents aren’t living at a vampire blood farm, where would they be?”
“What even is a vampi?”
“Little vampire. I mean you.”
