#79 Entity Projection (1)
Duke Bright's mansion.
“Does this mean everyone nearby has been dealt with?”
“That is correct. It would be most efficient to proceed by calling in the rest sequentially.”
“······.”
“...That is correct.”
Heinz, seated comfortably in an easy chair, quietly looked at the one standing beside him, and the man reporting there cautiously corrected his speech.
Having gone easily decades without using honorifics, it felt incredibly awkward, but he had no choice now but to grow accustomed to it.
Because he was no longer the secret ruler of the Talia Kingdom.
*‘As expected, since the Lord remains, putting the clan in order is proceeding smoothly.’*
And Heinz looked at Mulro, who stood beside him exhaling a sigh, and smiled inwardly with satisfaction.
At first, he had briefly worried about what to do after subduing him, but as expected, making him subordinate was the best method.
Had he not devoured the clan in the first place to make use of the influence Brokoslak possessed?
Yet if he excluded Mulro, the core figure, he could not claim to have fully taken over the power.
It was none other than Mulro Brokoslak who had led the clan from the shadows of the Talia Kingdom for decades to build the power structure that existed now.
An irreplaceable figure compared to Obor and Freesia, who were of the same true blood but of the field faction.
*‘Still, it's a relief things went as planned. If not, I would have had no choice but to dispose of him.’*
Mulro possessed blood mana surpassing even Heinz's, and his level was so high that he was an opponent whose proper control could not be guaranteed.
But then, a thought had suddenly occurred to him.
If the opponent's level was so high that it was a concern, couldn't he simply forcibly whittle it down?
The root of a vampire's power was the vampiric factor contained in their blood.
Then, if he sucked it completely dry to the point where the victim would not die?
The result of that was the present Mulro.
*‘Still, thanks to the rank he had built up all this time, he didn't fall below true blood.’*
And the power that had been whittled away would gradually recover over time through steady blood-sucking.
The process would be long and arduous, but as compensation for having satisfyingly devoured the Clan Lord's blood, Heinz had filled his 「Purified Blood Vessel」 to the brim, so the drop in combat prowess should not be too severe.
*‘My 「Purified Blood Vessel」 was consumed quite a bit, but in exchange, I obtained even higher-quality blood, so it's a profitable deal. And the binding of subordination over Mulro grew stronger as well.’*
Moreover, since there was no longer any need to hide the blood mutation, he called the other bloodkin in one by one and generously injected 「Purified Blood Vessel」.
Naturally, they too were excellent labor that would serve as his hands and feet, much like the Heterosis.
Thanks to that, the clan's combat power within the capital had increased more than twofold compared to before.
“Then take care of calling in those from the provinces and organizing the rest yourself. But I heard there was a message from the Church of the Lord?”
“Th-that is correct... It was regarding the Undead King's resurrection.”
Though he still looked as though he struggled with formal speech, that was something that would improve with time, so Heinz did not pay it any mind.
*‘I knew the Church was preparing through various means. Even so, they cannot be allowed to grow their influence any further in the Talia Kingdom.’*
This place was now as good as in his hands.
There was no need to face an uncomfortable neighbor if he could help it, so it seemed best to stick to the previous approach regarding the Church.
“Then I shall proceed with the rest in the original direction.”
“Ah, and prepare so that information from across the continent can be gathered from multiple angles. Whether you build an information organization directly or forge agreements with existing ones, I will leave the method to your discretion.”
“...I see. Understood. You have proven your capabilities sufficiently, so I too shall assist with my full strength.”
Having said so, Mulro lightly bowed his head and disappeared quietly without a sound.
*‘...Ah, right, there was that.’*
And Heinz, belatedly understanding Mulro's reaction, scratched his chin with his fingertips and fell into thought.
In truth, what he had said then was merely a blank check spat out to gain Freesia's cooperation, so he had forgotten about it for a moment.
Now that he had completely devoured the clan, it was a promise for which even a cursory gesture would have sufficed.
But upon thinking again, it was not entirely impossible.
*‘Moreover, it seems like it would be quite helpful. Shall I seriously lay out the board for once?’*
If one was going to aim for something anyway, was it not best to aim for the pinnacle?
Not merely one clan, but encompassing all vampires... Becoming the ‘Vampire King’ did not seem like a bad idea.
“Hmm... Vampire King...”
Heinz buried himself deep into the easy chair and quietly closed his eyes.
***
“Lord Heinrich! Are you returning to duty now?”
“Haha— I've rested for so long, it's time to get back to work. One must earn one's keep, no?”
“Come now, what are you saying? No one would dare say a word to you, Lord Heinrich, so you could have rested longer.”
“The truth is, I'm simply itching to move.”
About a month had passed since the incident of the Undead King's raid.
Heinrich, donning his armor and moving toward his post, truly felt his changed standing.
Truthfully, he had felt it every time he went outside occasionally and met people during that time.
That the people here at the Grand Shrine were particularly favorable toward him.
*‘I laid the groundwork for this from the beginning, but it's more effective than I expected.’*
That despite the Undead King's resurrection, things remained so quiet thanks to Heinrich having inflicted a fatal wound on him, thereby buying time to prepare, even if belatedly...
...was what had spread throughout the entire Church, so in a way, it was a natural reaction.
Moving along with inward satisfaction, he discovered the Saintess crouching in front of a flower bed.
Tracing her blankly staring gaze, sure enough, a small dung beetle was wriggling its way somewhere.
*‘She's the same every time I see her.’*
Smiling faintly, he approached the Saintess and lightly cleared his throat.
“Ahem... Saintess, how do you do?”
“Ah, oh! Lord Heinrich! It's been a while. I heard you had recovered significantly, but are you fully healed now?”
“Yes. Truthfully, I've been fine for quite some time now, but the healing priest in charge was exceedingly thorough. He insisted that we had to watch carefully for a month because there might be aftereffects, so... hahaha.”
Of course, it was surely because they were concerned and checked so meticulously, but for Heinrich, who truly had no issues, it was nothing but stifling.
Because of that, he had no choice but to make do with the simple training facility attached to the treatment room.
*‘There were no heavy-weight exercise machines there. To make up for the muscle loss during that time, I'll have to train intensely starting today.’*
It was said that even that facility had been built at the request of the previous generation of holy knights, so in a way, he was grateful.
“When it comes to curses, no amount of caution is too much. Moreover, if it is a curse cast by the Undead King, we must be doubly careful! It is only natural.”
The Saintess nodded with a resolute expression, then suddenly made an apologetic face as if something had come to mind.
“By the way, Lord Heinrich. I'm sorry I couldn't visit you often during that time. I was so busy preparing countermeasures...”
She let out a deep sigh with a sullen face.
She had been so busy moving about without a moment's rest regarding the Undead King that time simply had not permitted it.
Transmitting information to various powers and reviewing cooperation plans were merely the basics.
To prepare concrete response measures, she had combed through numerous documents, sought counsel from the Magic Tower Alliance, and even made contact with information organizations.
Moreover, they were attempting to analyze the Undead King Hans by interrogating black magicians through the Inquisitors...
They were truly mobilizing every means at their disposal, so the Saintess, as the person in charge, had no choice but to be swamped making appearances everywhere.
“Of course, those of you on the front lines must be busier than I...”
She looked around the flower bed with a hazy gaze, a small smile touching her lips.
“Today, work finished early for the first time in a while, so I could finally come out to the flower bed after so long... To think I would run into Lord Heinrich as well, it is a lucky day in many ways.”
The dung beetle that had been there had already disappeared, but the Saintess stared endlessly into the gaps between the blades of grass as if chasing its traces.
At that affectionate gaze, Heinrich quietly tilted his head.
*‘...I somehow feel like I've become equal to a dung beetle.’*
He might even be below it, but it was probably just his imagination.
Probably.
“Ahem, Saintess. Then I shall take my leave and head to my post.”
“Ah! I've held you for too long. Come to think of it, you were still undergoing training with the Radiant Guard, were you not?”
“Yes, that's right. Because that incident occurred when there wasn't much time left in the training period, it seems I still have a few days remaining before being assigned to the next Holy Knight Order.”
Since the time spent in the treatment room was not counted toward the training period, it was an unavoidable issue.
“I see... Your ultimate goal was to become a Free Holy Knight, was it not, Lord Heinrich?”
“Yes. I wish to adventure across the continent, help those in need, and spread the Lord's will far and wide.”
Not only could one receive ample support from the Church even as a Free Holy Knight, but if one were tied to a Holy Knight Order, it would be difficult to prepare the necessary stage.
From a director's standpoint, the fewer restrictions on the actor, the better.
“Hmm—I see.”
To his answer, the Saintess nodded slowly, contemplating something.
The moment Heinrich bid farewell once more and turned to leave.
“Ah, right! You will have good news soon!”
He turned back at the sudden words, but she simply smiled brightly and waved her hand with a flapping motion.
*‘Stopping mid-sentence after piquing someone's curiosity...’*
Still, he could roughly guess.
It was most likely a promotion of some sort.
He had distinguished himself in this incident, and a holy knight possessing bishop-class holy power could not be left among the lowest ranks forever.
*‘Whatever they give, I'll simply be grateful.’*
Smiling pleasantly with anticipation, Heinrich once again hurried his steps toward his post.
He had been delayed considerably, so he would have to move a bit faster to avoid being late.
***
『Karma Shop』『Exclusive Skill Strengthening (900,000)』『Status Strengthening
–View Details』『Owned Karma - 1,393,934』
It went without saying, but taking over the Brokoslak clan this time had allowed him to earn a considerable amount of karma.
It hadn't been long since he strengthened his exclusive skill right after the Grand Shrine raid incident, so this was a very encouraging result.
*‘It means everything is proceeding smoothly according to plan. By the way, what will I obtain this time?’*
Thanks to obtaining 「Customizing」 in the last strengthening, he had been able to create an elf avatar named Harris.
Adjusting his stats had also greatly contributed to his path as a spiritist.
Moreover, changing Hans's appearance while he was in the middle of public order maintenance had been a bonus.
Since he wore a mask anyway, it didn't hold much meaning, but wasn't it a waste to leave an acquired ability sitting unused?
*‘If I made too drastic a change to the head shape, it would become difficult to cover with a mask, so I couldn't make any large alterations, but I did put in some effort.’*
The result of that was...
A skull boasting perfect sculpting, a sleek cranium, a sharp jawline, a neat set of teeth, and sharply upturned orbits.
It was a charismatic, handsome skull.
*‘He is the Undead King, after all. This much is expected. More importantly, shall I start the strengthening now?’*
There was no need to delay any longer.
I immediately selected 'Exclusive Skill Strengthening' and squeezed my eyes shut in preparation for the impending headache.
《The avatar's potential rises significantly. The entity's growth rate accelerates further.》
《The exclusive skill grows, blooming into possibility. You acquire the special skill 「Entity Projection」.》
After the ever-familiar headache passed.
Even after waiting a moment, when no further changes occurred, I couldn't hide my bewilderment and opened my eyes.
*‘...It's not there?’*
The "Avatar Entity Count Increase" that had always come as a default option with every strengthening had not been given this time.
All I had obtained were the two lines of system messages that appeared before my eyes.
*‘It was a 900,000-cost strengthening, yet...’*
I somehow felt as though I had been scammed.
Of course, with many avatars, it wasn't bad that their growth rate increased to allow them to grow stronger faster, but even so, wasn't this too much?
“Huh?”
While checking the newly acquired skill with an uncomfortable feeling, an exclamation burst from my mouth before I knew it.
Hans, Heinz II, Heinrich, Hallie, Hubert, Harris.
They were my proud avatars, each possessing outstanding abilities and personalities.
And the effect of the 「Entity Projection」 obtained this time was...
The ability to project one of the avatars entirely into my own body once a day.