Laphela City.
“You’ve worked hard all this time. Here’s the remainder of the payment.”
“Hahaha. What are you talking about? We plan to stay in this city for the time being, so if you have any other business, please call on us anytime.”
I settled the remaining payment with the mercenaries who had escorted me to Laphela City and exchanged farewells.
Thanks to the mercenaries hired this time, I had been able to reach the city without any major problems.
“So this is Laphela City... It’s quite large in scale.”
Diana held Aron’s hand tightly and looked around the city in admiration.
It was incomparable to Ajanta City, and it was the largest city among those we had passed by until now.
“It’s probably because it’s close to the capital. Tallaria, the capital of the Talia Kingdom, is only a few days away from here.”
No matter how much the Talia Kingdom was a weak, small country on the frontier, once it came to the capital, it was on a completely different level in terms of scale.
The surrounding cities couldn’t help but be influenced by it as well.
“I’m worried about how we’ll find my uncle here...”
Diana sighed and spoke worriedly.
Seeing her worry over nothing, I lightly shrugged my shoulders.
“We know his name and what he does, so what is there to worry about? It won’t take that long.”
I had now gained a fair bit of experience in the Auterica dimension.
Collecting that level of information was nothing at all.
Three days had passed since we stayed in the city like that.
That was the time it took to find an information broker and learn the location of Diana’s uncle.
“...You really found him quickly.”
“What do you mean? There’s nothing money can’t solve if you have enough. It was only because there was no rush and I took my time that it took this long; it would have been possible even faster.”
On the first day, I disposed of the carriage and found lodging to rest with the children, and on the second day, I found an information broker and put in a request.
And today, the third day, I received the information.
“They say your uncle is running a grocery store in the commercial district on the southern street. It doesn’t seem like there’s any particular problem.”
“I’m glad we didn’t come all this way for nothing.”
On the way to the grocery store.
Diana kept taking deep breaths to compose herself.
“What’s wrong? You seem very nervous.”
“...Since the last time I saw him in person was when I was very young. Will he even remember me?”
Seeing her expression full of worry, I chuckled softly and gently stroked her head.
“You worry about the silliest things. A few years pass in the blink of an eye for adults. Rather, he’ll be surprised at how much you’ve grown and will welcome you.”
Diana stared blankly at me as I stroked her head like that.
Feeling awkward, I cleared my throat and removed my hand from her head.
She smiled bashfully and fiddled with her own hair.
“As expected, mister is mister. I was worried because your personality seemed to have changed a lot lately.”
“...My personality changed? Me?”
“Yes. Your way of speaking changed too. You became more serious and calm? Well, that’s cool too, though.”
Diana smiled, lightly sticking out her tongue.
...I hadn’t been aware of it at all, but thinking about it calmly, it was certainly true.
It was clear when it had changed.
‘Is it the influence of 「Persona」? I hadn’t realized it because it changed so naturally all this time.’
Akrych Hans had been given negative emotions such as loneliness and pain, along with the desire to be acknowledged—in other words, attention-seeking tendencies.
But to Vampire Heinz II, it seemed a cold and calm personality had been given.
‘Did it manifest naturally according to the individual’s characteristics... It’s not a bad thing.’
Because I could control it as much as I wanted if I wished.
It was just that leaving it to manifest naturally was comfortable, so I didn’t bother touching it.
How long had we walked while conversing like that? Finally, we arrived at our destination.
An ordinary grocery store without any particular distinguishing features.
“Welcome~ Are you looking for something?”
As I approached with the children, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the owner came out from inside and shouted brightly.
“Here, uncle! Hello! I’m Diana. This is my younger brother Aron...”
“...Hellooo...”
Diana held Aron’s hand, stepped forward, and greeted him.
Aron fidgeted before bowing deeply at the waist.
Since they said it had been over five years since they last met, to young Aron, this adult was practically a stranger.
“Huh? Diana? Aron? You’ve grown so much since I last saw you! But how did you two end up here...”
I explained the circumstances up until now to the flustered shop owner, Volt.
Without mentioning anything about vampires, I told him that the siblings’ parents had died in Ajanta and that the two of them had been living with difficulty before meeting me.
And that I had brought the children, who had nowhere to go, all the way here.
“...K-huk. I-I see. Brother and sister-in-law... You must have suffered a lot all this time. You worked hard. You worked hard...”
Hearing the situation, he sniffled and then embraced the siblings who were standing there fidgeting.
“Ah... no. We’re fi-fine... hic!”
“Si-sister... don’t cry...”
The children, who had stiffened for a moment at the warm hug, had tears welling up in their eyes, and soon they embraced him and burst into loud sobs.
‘I’m glad he seems to be a good person.’
Among the information I had gathered about him through the information broker, his reputation was included.
Because I couldn’t leave the children with an evil person.
If that had been the case, I had planned to lie to Diana that I couldn’t find him and take other measures...
‘Now I just need to grease the wheels a bit.’
I explained the whole story to his wife, who had come out startled by the commotion outside, and went inside.
Immediately after entering the living space attached to the back of the store, my eyes met with a little kid about three or four years old sitting on the floor playing with a doll.
“...Sniffle.”
A little girl sniffing and looking at us with bright, round eyes.
Perhaps startled by the sudden visitors, the child squirmed up from her spot, scurried over, and buried her face in her mother’s skirt.
And she slowly tilted her head, carefully observing us.
Perhaps having taken an interest in the siblings who didn’t seem much older than her, her small eyes sparkled.
“Oh my... How much these little ones must have suffered all this time...”
The wife, skillfully picking up and patting her daughter, looked at the siblings pitifully, then said she would wash their faces smeared from crying and disappeared inside with the children.
“It must not have been easy to come all the way here with the children. Thank you for caring so much.”
Once we were alone, Volt bowed his head and expressed his gratitude.
“Not at all. As I mentioned before, I also received much help from those children in many ways. Traveling together was enjoyable.”
But there wasn’t much time to talk like that.
Because he also had to mind his business.
“Is the owner here~?”
“Yes, yes! Welcome~!”
Hearing signs of people outside, Volt rushed out to attend to the customer.
Since I planned to stay in the city a few more days and keep watch anyway, I decided to come back later and parted with them.
***
“I-I can’t accept such a large sum of money. The children are already greatly indebted to you...”
The next day, I had a separate conversation with Volt.
In order to provide financial support for raising the children.
“Not at all. As I mentioned before, I also received help from those children in many ways. This much isn’t really a burden. I hope this can at least be of help in taking care of the children.”
While it was a lot of money from an ordinary person’s perspective, to me who had wholly devoured those monopolizing the city’s wealth, it was nothing but a drop in the bucket.
‘Since I obtained it with Diana’s help as well, this much is nothing. I’m sorry I can’t provide more, but wealth one cannot protect is rather dangerous.’
He hesitated for a moment, then soon reluctantly accepted the purse.
Although he had refused at first, the fact that the number of mouths he had to feed had increased by two was surely a burden.
“I’ve grown quite attached to the children during this time. I plan to visit whenever I have time.”
And I subtly hinted that I would sponsor them each time.
In exchange, I asked that he actively support any education the children desired.
“Of course! I’ll cherish them like my own children without discrimination from my own child.”
Whether there would truly be no discrimination was uncertain, but the support money was precisely to prevent that in the first place.
Since I said I would continue to sponsor them steadily, he wouldn’t mistreat them even if only out of consideration.
A week had passed since staying in Laphela City like that.
I was saying goodbye to the siblings.
“Ah... mister. Th-thank you so much for everything all this time. Hic! I, I really...”
“Uwaaaah~ Mister!”
Diana, holding back tears with effort, and Aron, throwing himself at me wailing.
Having spent nearly two months together and grown quite attached, my nose also stung.
“Well, it’s not like we’ll never see each other again. I’ll try to drop by often. In the meantime, listen well to Mr. Volt and stay healthy, alright?”
Diana, who had begun learning the shop work, and Aron, who had become the caretaker of his four-year-old cousin.
I hugged the two children and patted them.
“If you say often, how often?”
“Hm?”
“You said you’d drop by often. At what interval will you come?”
Uh, I hadn’t thought about that.
At Diana’s sharply pointed question, I briefly organized my thoughts.
“Hmm... I’ll make sure to come at least once a year.”
“...Once a year. It can’t be helped. Um... if it seems like you can’t come, you don’t have to overdo it. Please drop by whenever you have time.”
Perhaps not wanting to burden me, Diana forced a smile with tear-filled eyes.
Using a teleportation array wouldn’t make it difficult at all, but her thoughtfulness was admirable, so I stroked her head.
After finishing our goodbyes like that, I moved reluctant steps and repeatedly turned back to wave at the siblings.
The children kept waving to see me off until they completely disappeared from sight.
‘This is kind of heart-tugging. I really hope they do well. I’ll have to look after them often.’
They were children I had grown attached to in many ways.
Because they were also the first connection I made in Auterica.
‘Then shall I head to the capital for now?’
I had handed the support money to Volt and given Diana a substantial emergency fund, so I didn’t have much money on hand, but...
Heinz didn’t particularly need money to move alone.
I left the city and kept moving blindly until sunset.
Time passed like that, and before I knew it, darkness settled around.
Flutter!
A swarm of bats cut across the night sky.
***
Around dawn, after moving all night, I was able to arrive at Tallaria, which would have taken several days even on horseback.
“So this is the capital of the Talia Kingdom... Will I be able to enter?”
I had somehow managed to hide my identity until now, but wouldn’t it be difficult to pass through the capital?
‘Should I call Heinrich around here?’
The reason I had come all the way to the capital was for Heinrich.
Because I had been greatly impressed by the Holy Knights I had faced as Hans some time ago.
The martial might wielding a holy sword, the honor respected by all in the daylight.
While gathering information in the city, I had also additionally investigated the Order.
After weighing various factors like that, I had concluded that there was sufficient possibility and come all the way here to have Heinrich join the Order.
Because in the capital, Tallaria, there was a temple of the Order of the Chief God.
As I was looking at the capital from atop the hill like that—
At that moment.
“Hmm... What are you?”
At the sudden female voice, goosebumps rose instantly.
‘I didn’t sense any presence at all...!’
Startled, I turned around and widened the distance, but the opponent was simply looking at her own fingertips.
Fingertips dotted with blood drops.
Drip.
—At that moment, a stinging pain was felt at the nape of my neck.
I hurriedly controlled my blood to stop the bleeding and raised my guard.
‘Damn... Just when things seemed to be going well.’
She stared at the blood on her fingertips, then slowly brought it to her mouth and licked it.
“As expected... There’s no doubt you’re a child who inherited our clan’s blood.”
A beautiful woman in her early twenties, her gorgeous blonde hair twisted up to reveal a snow-white nape, holding a parasol and wearing a splendid red dress.
Her identity was, most likely, a True Blood vampire of the Brokcoslak Clan.
“I smelled blood and wondered if it might be so. You, you devoured a member of your kin? And a member of the same clan at that?”
Meeting her blood-red pupils, I felt my body stiffen.
“How was that possible? Reveal who your progenitor was. It seems proper constraints weren’t placed on the blood used for the inheritance.”
Her red eyes glowed eerily and constricted my limbs.
My mouth tried to open regardless of my will.
“In any case, since you have violated the clan’s law, you and your progenitor will be punished together. ...If he is alive, that is.”
‘...I see. So this is the Demonic Eye.’
Pupils glowing red with blood demonic energy forced my actions.
At an ordinary level, one wouldn’t be able to resist.
“Resistance is futile at your level. Open your mouth obediently.”
Of course, that didn’t apply to me.
‘Sigh... This seems like the same pattern repeating every time. How many times is this now? I need to grow stronger quickly.’
Every time I thought I had grown stronger, stronger opponents kept popping up.
As long as I didn’t stand at the pinnacle of this world, that would continue to repeat.
For now, it was unavoidable.
“...You’re holding out quite long. But even so...”
Ignoring the vampire babbling in front of me, I carried out the all-purpose escape method, Summon Dismissal.
Since I had achieved my purpose anyway, it didn’t matter, but I couldn’t help being slightly annoyed.
‘Tch, I’ll get you next time.’
That time probably wouldn’t take very long.