#117
Foreboding (2)
“I’m sorry. Frigia seems to be out of her seat. If she had been here, she could have arrived without causing any trouble.”
“Hmm? That’s really nothing to worry about. It’s no big deal.”
Mulo guided Briki to a sofa in the corner of the office and began to brew her favorite black tea leisurely.
Of course, that attitude was just a facade; his mind was more complicated than ever.
‘There were still at least 20 years left until the scheduled visit, and yet you come so suddenly.’
To make matters worse, Heinz was also absent, leaving him at a loss on how to respond.
The option of fighting was never on the table.
No matter how much it was within the barrier of his own home, he could never stand up to her alone.
‘In fact, I don’t even want to fight.’
Although she was currently under Heinz’s control, she was someone he had served for many years.
Even if the actual time face-to-face wasn’t long, the fact that she was the progenitor of the bloodline he inherited didn’t change.
Whether she knew or not about Mulo’s confused feelings, she was calmly observing the blood magic barrier that covered the surroundings.
Then, as he carefully presented the tea he had brewed to Briki.
Slurp—
She accepted the tea as if she had been waiting for it and stared intently at Mulo.
“Indeed, you’re the same, aren’t you?”
He could immediately grasp what she meant.
She was obviously talking about the contaminated… no, the evolved blood.
It was no surprise that the progenitor of the bloodline, ‘Brokoslac,’ could perceive the properties of blood.
“I can’t comprehend it. It’s certainly true that my blood was inherited, but how could it change this much? I thought the lineage was purely what it was…”
That had been the common sense handed down through hundreds and thousands of years.
Now there was suddenly evidence of direct contradiction right in front of him.
“Lady Brokoslac, so…”
“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Briki? I don’t like that name very much.”
“Ah, yes. Lady Briki.”
“See? That one’s much cuter. I think I named myself wrong from the start. I should have given myself a cuter name.”
Mulo smiled awkwardly at Briki’s sudden change of subject and her muttering to herself.
He nearly ended up with an adorable name.
He liked the name he had now much more.
“So, where is he?”
Briki, who had been grumbling to herself, turned back to Mulo with a serene expression.
It was a disorganized way of speaking, as always, but Mulo, already accustomed to it, knew right away what she was trying to say.
“He’s just temporarily away.”
“Hmm—.”
Briki nodded lightly in response to his answer and took another sip of her black tea.
‘I’m curious; what kind of child could cause such a situation?’
He had initially thought that visiting Clan Lord Mulo would resolve his curiosity, but seeing him face to face, it turned out he was just someone under someone else’s control.
‘He took away my dominion as a pureblood. I never thought this would be possible.’
Since he had never been particularly greedy for power, he felt no unpleasantness at having his authority usurped.
Rather, his curiosity about the mastermind behind it all grew even stronger.
‘Through evolution to strengthen the bloodline, a more superior blood inheritance. If so, this would greatly help the vampires step into the light.’
That was why she had endured so many years to leave a successor.
But now, while she had been asleep, that possibility had come within reach.
“It feels nice to drink the black tea you made after a long time, Mulo.”
“Thank you, Lady Briki.”
“By the way, I have nowhere to stay. Can I take shelter here for a while?”
“…Of course. I will prepare a room for you to stay comfortably.”
Mulo internally sighed, scratching his head.
Seeing her demeanor, it was a relief that she didn’t seem to engage in any hostile actions, but he had no idea what would happen when Heinz returned.
He hadn’t been informed about any related policies and had no means to contact him separately…
‘I don’t know. But this matter is too big for me to judge on my own.’
In the end, he could only wait until Heinz returned.
So, the former owner who had been deprived of his home settled down calmly.
*
Located at the northernmost point of the Tulque Kingdom, the Steel Fortress was still suffering from the constant onslaught of monsters today.
The army from the Count of Aonia had been called in for a long time, and reinforcements from other territories were gradually arriving.
If this place fell, the entire northern part of the kingdom would undoubtedly become a disaster, leaving them with no choice.
Troops dispatched from each territory, mercenaries looking for considerable rewards, and priests from the Holy Church Order and wizards from the Magic Tower who had joined to support them.
“My goodness… is that even real?”
“It… seems believable.”
However, the one who captured the attention of those gathered here was neither a wizard unleashing dazzling magic nor a priest manifesting the mercy of the divine.
“I’ve heard he’s famous from Tarak, but I never expected it to be to that extent.”
“Our captain has always planned to smash that guy to pieces. It’s fortunate he hasn’t jumped in yet. He would be a goner.”
One warrior darting through the crowd of monsters was the protagonist.
But he was far from an ordinary warrior; his appearance was exceptional on the battlefield…
With a physique and muscles that overshadowed orcs, he fought bare-chested, wearing a beast’s head as a helmet.
His entire body was adorned with glowing tattoos, and from his eyes, red and green auras flowed vigorously.
“Ha ha ha—!”
More than anything, drenched in blood, he laughed uncontrollably as he slaughtered, appearing even madder than the monsters charging from all sides.
“When he jumped down from the walls, I thought he was a suicidal maniac…”
No matter how many monsters charged him head-on or whatever giant creature blocked his way, he didn’t care.
He simply used his whole body to smash the enemies.
A massive axe in his hand seemed like a mere ornament.
Bam—!
“Kweck!”
“Gek—!”
His strength was so immense that simply charging into monsters sent them flying like dolls hit by a cart.
He kicked off those clinging annoyingly, sending them crashing into others like a ball.
Tearing through tough hides with his bare hands, he smashed the skulls of the monsters with ease.
“I can’t tell who the real monster is anymore…”
“Yeah, is that really a human fighting style?”
While those fighting atop the walls were unintentionally glancing at him, Harley was diligently scouting the battlefield amidst the chaos.
Naturally, he didn’t jump into this situation just to gain attention.
‘Found it! Is that a mutated Minotaur this time?’
A bull-headed monster with sleek metallic skin shimmering black and two sharp pairs of horns.
Its eyes, having accepted madness to a dangerous extent, flickered a menacing red.
Upon spotting the creature, Harley charged straight for it.
Crack! Bang! Thud—!
“Kiiieek!”
“Cough!”
Despite countless traffic accidents happening around him, he paid them no mind and picked up speed.
“Ha ha ha! Come here, you bastard!
Monsters in the Northern Mountain Range develop greater madness when they are higher in the food chain.
And when that madness eventually crosses a critical point, the heightened biotic energy undergoes a mutation…
Thus, the born monsters are maddened and mutated.
‘In other words, those guys are all nutrient-packed dishes brimming with madness! Plus, they each possess unique evolutionary traits.’
Of course, there were dragon genes with balanced development overall, but specialized genetic traits also had their own uses.
That was why Harley personally roamed the battlefield, hunting them down.
“Kwoooor—!”
When he collided with and bulldozed through the monsters, he finally reached the front of the Minotaur.
At that moment, the beast was glaring back at him with its blazing eyes.
Although it showed caution seeing Harley’s might, it revealed no sign of being intimidated, having ruled as a predator in the mountains until now.
“Grrrr…”
Bang—!
It simply charged at him, pummeling the ground with its four horns.
A Minotaur over four meters tall approached him in an instant, moving with speed unbefitting its size.
Of course, with his reaction speed, he could easily evade.
“Oh yeah! Let’s have a go!”
Real man Harley wouldn’t even consider dodging!
Thud— Bang!
His thigh muscles bulged instantly, pushing his body forward heavily against the ground.
As they both charged toward each other, the gap between them rapidly closed.
Hoo—.
Just before the collision, Harley took a deep breath and clenched his right hand into a fist.
Like an arrow loaded and pulled slightly back, his right fist was ready.
And from his ultra-dense compressed muscles…
Squeak— Squeek!
A sound emerged that shouldn’t be coming from a human body.
It resonated more like the metallic sounds from heavy construction equipment at a construction site.
Simultaneously, his arm was covered in crimson scales.
Then, in an instant.
“Kah ha ha—!”
“Kwoooor—!”
Boom——!
Harley’s right hand collided head-on with the thick skull of the Minotaur.
Whummm—!
In that moment, a shockwave sent the monsters surrounding them staggering back.
And emerging through the billowing dust, Harley was seen sliding back, leaving deep marks on the ground from the collision point.
The Minotaur also stood there, its head bent low.
And it…
Thud!
Collapsed face-first onto the ground, motionless.
“Phew— wow. I was pushed back more than I thought.”
No matter how much he weighed, the mass difference with a beast over four meters tall was unavoidable.
As it charged at him quickly, being hit directly meant he would be pushed back.
Of course, in return, the beast’s head was smashed, and it died instantly.
Harley shook off the blood-covered right arm and then plunged it directly into the creature’s chest.
The tough, resilient hide protected its body, but it couldn’t block the Biotic Aura or the energy associated with madness.
He devoured the Minotaur’s core like a victory feast.
‘This is definitely more effective.’
The ‘Madness Control’ immediately took control of the energy entering his system.
It was far more efficient than gradually absorbing the madness around him.
Plus, the new genetic material he acquired had its perks.
The parts of the lower body muscles specialized for running could be directly grafted and employed.
“Wah ha! Then let’s keep going!”
He rapidly sent four of the mutated Minotaur’s horns through the Avatar Cloud to Hubert while charging back into the battlefield.
Given the current situation, he couldn’t leisurely farm, but he was still collecting good materials whenever he could.
‘Maybe I can get Howard to forge some equipment out of this later.’
Although this caused Hubert, the merchant in charge of inventory management, to be momentarily tied up, it didn’t matter since there hadn’t been any urgent matters lately other than opening a workshop.
As Harley continued hunting dangerous high-tier monsters, those responsible for defending the fortress were able to fight on more comfortably.
Plus, unlike other strong fighters, he seemed to possess infinite stamina, never taking a break.
Naturally, his influence was only growing.
When the battle reached a lull and Harley returned to the fortress…
He was met with a mix of admiration, fear, and awe from those inside.
Having just finished battling, nobody dared approach him due to his terrifying gaze still lingering with the scariness of madness.
However, even if that weren’t the case, his blood-soaked and steaming appearance would certainly deter anyone from getting close.
“Oh! Harley! You really did something again! Good job!”
Of course, the party that had already adjusted to such appearances was another matter.
A dwarf who had built a bond while exiting the Northern Mountain Range approached him, waving.
Their mission had concluded after contacting the Count of Aonia stationed at the Steel Fortress.
Afterward, Harley naturally participated in stopping the monsters while Zawonic reportedly went to repair the weapons…
“Ah, I came because I had something to tell you! Apparently, someone wants to meet you, and they thought I’d be a good person to convey the message.”
After scratching the back of his head, the dwarf casually conveyed the task. Someone wanted to meet Harley after battle.
“For now, since you just finished fighting, they said to rest and come see them later when it’s convenient.”
Of course, the person who had sent such a message wouldn’t be just anyone.
Tarak Aonia.
The lord of the Aonia Counts, who had first requested the rescue of Zawonic.
