Chapter 392
Chapter 392. Sudden Water in Your Ear
Do dragons have a smell!?
Well, I guess they do… after all, they’re living creatures…
Rujiakka has an amazing sense of smell. There are beastmen crew members on the NeedAlun, but we’ve never been suspicious before. It seems that regular beastmen can pick up on the scents of cat-like beastmen and magical beasts, but I’ve never heard of a dragon… or rather, I’ve smelled one…
I couldn’t help but admire him and stared intently at Rujiakka, but luckily, he couldn’t see me.
“So, what are we going to do? You seem rather calm about this.”
Well, yeah. Fortunately, I have a way to distract him.
“The smell of a dragon is—”
I shoved my hand under my clothing at my chest.
“—is this?”
I pulled out a shimmering silver scale.
“What is that…?”
“It’s a scale from a White Dragon.”
Holding the silver scale up to the sunlight, I squinted my eyes with a hint of sadness.
“This is a memento from my lover’s… father. It’s a keepsake…”
I said it with a dramatic flair. The others looked at me with expressions that suggested they understood something.
I didn’t lie at all… not one bit…!!
To be more precise, it’s not exactly ‘my lover’s father’s memento’; it’s more like ‘my lover’s father’s keepsake.’ However, a reasonably intelligent person would interpret it as ‘a scale from a White Dragon that my lover’s father owned as a memento.’
“I see… it’s a keepsake, but you made sure to acquire the scale through proper means, right…?”
Lexar asked cautiously. Proper means, huh.
I mean, if it looked like something I ripped off a White Dragon, that would definitely get complicated. I can understand that.
“That’s a legitimate concern, considering it was something you brutally killed and stripped.”
But I had permission after death, so it’s fine!
…No, actually, come to think of it, I might not have obtained permission from the actual dragon.
But I do have the daughter’s permission, so it’s totally okay!!
“This scale was given to me as a sign of cooperation from the White Dragon that participated in the Demon Lord Castle assault operation…”
I said with a solemn expression.
“However, that White Dragon never returned, and my lover’s father has also passed away, so I can’t ask them for further details…”
The soul of the White Dragon (my lover’s father) has already vanished…
“I see…”
Everyone looked somewhat solemn.
“Hehe…”
Don’t laugh; it’s contagious.
“We must quickly take care of those detestable vampires for the sake of your lover.”
With that, Lexar flashed a cynical smile, and Arthur and I exchanged glances.
“Oh, my lover will be accompanying us, so it’s all good.”
“Hmm?”
Lexar raised an eyebrow. Did he think I was a soft-hearted guy?
“She is a light attribute magician, so she’s a dependable ally!”
“I see…”
“Now, let’s wrap up the introductions and get down to business, shall we?”
With a snap of his hands, Arthur regained control of the conversation.
“Sadly, some groups haven’t joined us yet, but I plan to set sail this afternoon. We’ve narrowed down the water area where the vampires might be lurking, so I’d like to skip the scheduled port and head straight to the scene.”
At Arthur’s declaration, the Vampire Hunters buzzed with excitement.
“How did you narrow it down?!”
Rujiakka exclaimed in surprise.
“Absolutely, what kind of magic did you use…?!”
Lexar leaned forward with wide eyes.
“I’d really like to know that technique…”
Even Yesera, who had maintained her cool demeanor, was now eagerly twitching her long, pointed ears.
The pressure from the experts is intense…!
Arthur glanced over at me briefly, as if checking, “Is this okay?”
I nodded and stepped forward.
“—Martin.”
At my call, a silver specter floated out from my pocket of hair.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Martin. Please take good care of me.”
The specter bowed politely like a merchant, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
—I’ve decided to reveal 【Holy Spirit Magic】 to the Vampire Hunters as well.
Why? First off, because sharing information based on combat would likely expose my dark attribute.
Secondly, it seems difficult to hide the technique I used to narrow down the specific water area (given the Vampire Hunters’ enthusiasm).
Lastly, I can’t hide the existence of the Holy Spirit if I’m going to hunt down those vampires. They will assist not only in combat but also in searching and pursuing when the vampires dive into the water. Moreover, I’ve promised to take revenge on the vampires.
The Holy Spirits dedicated their souls for that purpose.
Thus, it must be fulfilled.
To repay their sacrifice.
To ensure their sacrifice is not in vain—
And for that reason, I can’t reveal anything about Leila…
Antendeixis muttered in a somewhat chilling voice.
…Right. If knowledge of my dark attribute, necromancy, and the company of the White Dragon were to spread to the general public, that would be a problem.
In exchange for keeping Leila’s identity a secret, I’ll disclose the Holy Spirit Magic.
That’s my conclusion.
…If it gets exposed, I honestly don’t want to think about that. I felt a chill from Rujiakka’s earlier question in that regard. When we return to the ship, I need to make sure Leila has some spare scales with her.
“I am Hero Alexander.”
I manifested a dark, murky magic power in front of the Vampire Hunters and dyed it silver.
“I’m a practitioner of the secret art known as 【Holy Spirit Magic】—”
†††
After revealing the necessary information and convincing the Vampire Hunters, the NeedAlun set sail.
While Rujiakka’s sense of smell was slightly intimidating, it seemed that thanks to Leila carrying spare scales, he said nothing once on board. If he transformed, would Leila’s smell turn into that of a human? I couldn’t exactly just ask him.
That was a bit concerning, so I intentionally spent time being overly friendly with Leila. Just enough to make it seem plausible if there was any lingering scent.
By the way, Tiisan and Leita, who didn’t make it in time for departure, were left behind.
Honestly, that’s a bit unfortunate. It’s annoying when you come all the way because you heard there might be vampires lurking and then get told, “Everyone has set sail already,” as if everyone just left. I would definitely be upset. I would be angry.
…Now then, the city-state of Tzudoi is located on the eastern shore of Aulitos Lake, while the water area where vampires are believed to be hiding is near the city-states of Atetai and Kaemuran, in other words, along the northern shore.
Normally, a passenger ship would cruise along the coastline, but this time we planned to take a bold route straight through the center of the lake.
“We’ll be crossing the deep part of the lake, so it’s a bit of a scary route.”
Captain Sendros of the NeedAlun said in a somewhat stiff voice.
“Well, if even the most terrifying ‘Demon Lord of Aulitos’ could be endured by only Lord Arthur, with Lord Alexander and all the Vampire Hunters here, I trust we can fend off any attacks if they do come.”
…If Arthur is holding things back, firepower-wise, we should probably be able to repel anything. Bishop Lexar also has lightning attributes, which are quite strong against water beasts.
“Tonight is a new moon.”
“It’s pitch dark.”
As night deepened, the NeedAlun sailed smoothly, and Arthur and I lay on deck chairs watching over the waters.
Even late at night, the NeedAlun continued its voyage. Although traversing the deep waters does carry the risk of encountering great magical beasts, it also allows for nighttime sailing without the danger of running aground.
“Let’s switch. You all should rest.”
Then Lexar and another priest arrived.
“Then, we won’t hold back…”
“Thank you very much.”
We slipped away together to our respective assigned cabins.
“It’s already late, so let’s keep it quiet this time.”
Arthur winked playfully in the darkness. His cabin was just across the hallway. I smiled wryly and nodded before returning to the room where Leila was waiting.
“Welcome back.”
Leila, seated on the bed, flashed a bright smile. Across from her, the translucent Barbara waved her hand. Apparently, they had been passing the time playing board games together. If anyone else visited, Barbara would suddenly vanish and become “the girl engaged in a board game by herself”…
I returned her smile and gently shut the door.
—I deployed a soundproof barrier.
Now, it’s time for my forbidden time with Leila—not quite. Before that, it’s time for my daily routine.
“【Come forth—】”
I opened the gates to the spirit world and injected my dark magic.
“【—The souls of the dead in Aulitos Lake】”
To check if there were any new victims—
That was the plan.
Oooooooh.
The cries of the dead echoed from beyond the gate.
And with it came the sense of a “swarm” pushing forward, sending chills down my spine.
“Help me!!”
“Stop! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts—!!”
“I don’t want to die! Somebody, anybody!!”
A flood of souls gushed out from the gate.
I was left astonished. The freshness was alarmingly high.
—They had just been killed.
Somewhere in the lake, another victim had fallen to the vampires.
――――――――――――――
Note: Chronologically, this scene occurs just after chapter 390.
Click the heart to simply show your support. (Login required)
Support
If you have an account, please log in.
Learn more about the reading experience possible with Kakuyomu.
