Vampire (1)
“Hmmm, really? You’re truly not connected to those ‘Oath of Reversal’ guys?”
“That’s right, Wirak. I came from Tilak City in the east and ended up here in Azhantu.”
I casually spun a lie.
“What about the few days of inactivity?”
“I had a sudden illness and stayed holed up in my lodgings. Since I was cooped up the whole time, it seems the owner got the wrong idea.”
It was a given, but the subjugation of vampires didn’t apply to me.
The moment I became a vampire, an instinct engraved in me told me to obey the higher vampire before me, Wirak. But I could easily ignore it.
‘But for now, I’ll go along. It’s a chance to gather information about these guys.’
At first, I thought, “What now?” But then, it turned into a good opportunity to infiltrate the vampires that governed this city.
“Tch, whatever. For now, just follow me.”
Wirak clicked his tongue and threw himself out of the window.
I hurriedly chased after him.
<Entity Information>
– Name: Heinz II
– Species: Vampire (Low Blood)
– Common Traits: 「Mind Hub」, 「Clear Mind」
– Unique Traits: 「Bloodline (Low Blood)」, 「Acceleration」, 「Regeneration」
– Special Notes: Inherited the bloodline of ‘Brokoslac,’ his body mutated into a vampire. Physical abilities explode when not exposed to sunlight. Thanks to the influence of the 「Mind Hub」, his mind is not subjugated by blood.
‘My physical abilities have improved. This should be better than the guy I killed in Barcolak, right?’
It seemed my existing enhanced state had been included in the stat boost of becoming a vampire.
I followed Wirak and pulled out a blood drip from the tips of my nails, sharpening them.
‘Ooh, just as I thought.’
The skill I gained from becoming a vampire, 「Bloodline (Low Blood)」, allowed me to utilize the abilities used by the vampires from Barcolak.
Physical enhancement, blood weaponization, and bloodsucking — all traits of the lowest class of vampires.
‘What’s his rank? And what the heck is Brokoslac?’
As I watched Wirak lead the way, he glanced over at me and nodded approvingly.
“You just inherited blood and already know how to handle it. Looks like you’ve got some talent.”
He seemed to be mellowing somewhat since I looked competent to him after initially appearing cranky.
“Seeing you keep up, your physical abilities are above average. It seems you didn’t pull a total dud this time. At least you’re better than that Paulin who died this time.”
It seemed that the name of the vampire I killed in Barcolak was Paulin.
Ignoring the unnecessary information, I casually asked Wirak, “Thank you, Wirak. But where exactly are we headed?”
“You’ll find out if you just follow me.”
Seeming annoyed at the thought of explaining every little detail, we jumped across rooftops until we entered a wealthy district filled with luxurious mansions.
“This is the place.”
Wirak stopped in front of the biggest, most extravagant mansion.
Creeeak—
Then, a small noise came as the iron door of the front gate opened.
“Welcome, Wirak.”
Inside, a pale middle-aged man dressed as a butler waited, bowing sharply.
“Yeah. I need to eat something. Prepare what I always have.”
“And this person…?”
“A— This is the newly made Low Blood. Just have the kids guide him around.”
As the butler looked at me in confusion, Wirak gave a dismissive response and stepped inside the building.
“Then, please follow me.”
“Oh, sure.”
“Speak comfortably. I’m just a servant after all.”
It seemed the servant was of a lower rank than I was as a Low Blood.
As I entered the mansion, guided by the middle-aged butler, another butler stepped up from within.
“This friend will guide you from here. Hayden, since this person has just inherited blood, assist him in any way necessary.”
“Understood, Head Butler.”
The middle-aged butler bowed to me once more and then disappeared inside.
Following Hayden’s lead, I moved through the extravagant interior, asking various questions I was curious about.
“This is the Azhantu Branch of the ‘Brokoslac Clan.’ Wirak is one of only three Purebloods in this city.”
It seemed that among those three, Wirak held a position responsible for all the vampires in the city.
As I exchanged appropriate questions and answers, we soon reached the door to a room.
“You’ll be using this room from today onward. If you need anything, please ring the bell inside.”
Hayden bowed and then left without a sound.
Clack—
“Wow…”
As I opened the door, the interior of the lavish room dazzled my eyes.
Everything from the table and sofa to the bed felt like the peak of luxury.
A beautiful mirror on the wall reflected my image.
A pale-skinned, sharply featured, cold handsome man.
I had always thought I was somewhat good-looking, but now, as a vampire, I had truly become a flower boy.
‘This might not be too bad… But more importantly, these vampires can see themselves in the mirror!’
Thud—
I flopped onto the bed.
Even though I’d woken up from a nap and had plenty of time before dawn, perhaps due to becoming a vampire, I couldn’t sleep.
I closed my eyes and organized the new information I had gained.
Training as a vampire would soon be conducted by the senior Low Blood, and Hayden had informed me of the basics for now.
Vampires were primarily nocturnal, acting at night and sleeping during sunlight.
No wonder, as lower-level bloodsucking vampires below the servant rank would burn in sunlight like in the movies, and even higher vampires faced restrictions on their powers, so they tended not to go out during the day.
“Ah… If I disappear without a word, the kids will worry.”
They said I could go out freely after the training, but for now, I had no choice.
Knock knock—
“It’s Hayden. May I come in?”
After a while, I heard a knock at the door, followed by Hayden’s voice.
“Oh, come in.”
As Hayden entered, he held a tray in one hand, upon which was a wine glass filled with a red liquid.
‘That’s not… real wine, is it?’
“It’s been a little while since you inherited blood, so you must be feeling hungry, so I brought this for you.”
“No, I’m not that hungry yet… right?”
Just a moment ago, I felt perfectly fine, but the instant I smelled the blood that Hayden brought, a sudden pang of thirst hit me hard.
As I panicked, Hayden presented the wine glass in front of me.
“It’s fresh blood, just squeezed. Please drink.”
As the blood brought closer, my body began to react violently.
My fangs popped out uncontrollably, my gaze locked onto the wine glass, and my entire body trembled.
‘…Is this withdrawal? At this point, I can’t help but think vampires really can’t resist the impulse to drink blood!’
Of course, I was the exception.
I couldn’t help my body’s reflexive reactions, but with the 「Mind Hub」, I could suppress those urges, so I wouldn’t end up drinking blood impulsively.
‘But still, I should drink for now, right?’
If I didn’t, it would raise unnecessary suspicions, and it wasn’t the right time yet.
I reached out trembling fingers and grabbed the wine glass.
The fragrant smell of blood wafted into my nose.
‘Drinking it directly would be risky.’
I couldn’t start thinking of blood as tasty.
Blocking off the senses connecting Heinz with my taste and smell, I brought the glass to my lips.
Glug glug…
As I gulped the flavorless blood, my body began to calm down.
My mind felt clear as if I had taken a stimulant, and I felt like I could handle my strength more easily.
“And by the way, Lady Rosilika, a fellow Low Blood, will be visiting shortly. The main training will begin tomorrow, but she just wants to say hello.”
Nodding lightly at Hayden’s words as he took the empty wine glass back, I agreed.
I figured it was better to get it over with quickly, since I had to meet and greet anyway.
After a short wait, I soon found myself face-to-face with another vampire.
“Hello? Nice to meet you, newbie~. You can just call me Rosilika. What’s your name?”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Heinz.”
“Don’t be so formal! You can talk comfortably~. We’re both Low Bloods after all. We’re equal among the same rank.”
Rosilika’s first impression was of a lively beauty.
With a cheerful appearance, a bright smile, and a sociable demeanor.
I felt a budding fondness when first greeting her, but that sentiment didn’t last long.
“Well, my favorite thing is the blood of good-looking men. The more muscles, the better! By the way, you totally fit my type! If you were still human, I would’ve sucked you dry until the last drop. Kya-haha~.”
Now that was just bonkers.
“Um, Rosilika, enough about your blood preference. Can’t you tell me about the ranks? I just became a vampire and don’t know anything.”
“Ehh~ fine. Given that you haven’t even drunk much blood yet, you can’t help it. Later, when you develop a preference, we can have a tasting event together.”
I absolutely didn’t want to get close to her, but for now, I had to deal with it.
“Our ranks are fourth. Following Pureblood, Trueblood, and Low Blood, downwards are the Servants and Slaves, so we’re effectively the lowest tier. They don’t even treat them as vampires~.”
From what I understood, Servants were the attendants of the mansion, and Slaves referred to those blood-sucking monsters without intellect.
‘Being a Low Blood was quite fortunate after all.’
I guess it was because one had just died, and I looked useful enough.
“If I had to compare, Low Bloods are like knight ranks. Purebloods are akin to nobility, Truebloods are royalty, and the clan leaders. Purebloods… are just objects of worship.”
“Worship?”
“Our progenitor and the one we have to obey absolutely. The supreme being from the very beginning.”
As Rosilika spoke in awe, she quickly stifled a laugh.
“But given that we lower ranks will probably never get to see them even once in our lifetime.”
As I continued my conversation with Rosilika, I soon felt the dawn creeping in outside.
Although thick curtains covered the window, I could tell to some extent.
“Oh my, has the time passed already? It’s late now, so let’s continue the training tomorrow. It’s time for me to sleep. They say beautiful women need their beauty sleep~?”
She winked and grinned before leaving the room.
‘Late night, huh…’
I sighed at the momentary sense of disconnection.
Now that I thought about it, I felt slightly tired when dawn broke.
‘I’ll have to get used to this.’
*
In the following days, I engaged in conversations with Rosilika and began active training.
Fortunately, on the second day, I was allowed to go out under the pretext of retrieving something I left at my lodgings.
‘I never thought they’d take it so lightly.’
When I mentioned this to Rosilika, who was in charge of training, she responded very casually.
“Just go now and come back.”
“Huh? Am I not supposed to leave before training ends?”
“Not really~ It doesn’t matter here, but you wouldn’t want to go elsewhere.”
It turned out that the rule was meant to protect newly turned vampires, but since Azhantu was already under their control, it didn’t matter.
Due to the nature of vampires, who absolutely obey the higher ranks, rebellion was out of the question.
Thanks to that, I was able to sneak out in the evening, grab my things, and have a hello with the siblings.
“Uncle!”
“Uncle! Where have you been? You were missing from your room! We were worried!”
As soon as I arrived, the siblings rushed into my arms.
But just for a moment, Diana sniffed the air, flinching slightly, and cautiously looked up at me.
With an expression that seemed to hold many questions, I gave a wry smile and pulled away from the siblings.
“Well, it turned out like this. But I promise I won’t let it affect you, so don’t worry.”
Hug—
As I was about to pull away, Diana squeezed me tightly and whispered in my ear.
“I’m not worried. But, Uncle? If you need blood, you can drink mine. Just… not too much, okay? Just… a little would be fine?”
Glancing furtively at Aaron, who looked worried, I couldn’t help but laugh and patted her on the head.
“Ow! W-What’s that for?!”
“What are you saying? Just take this money and live on it. I’ll contact you later.”
Even though I had become a leader of the city’s elite, it was still better for these kids to stay away from here.
At least not with a Pureblood like Wirak around; if he decided to feast on the siblings, even I couldn’t protect them as a lower rank.
‘As long as I can summon Hans, my options will increase. Until then, I’ll just stay quiet.’
After saying goodbye to the siblings, I returned to the mansion and continued training with Rosilika.
How to manage the energy vampires use, their ‘Blood Magic.’
“What? This is your first time? Why are you doing so well!”
Thanks to my high mental capacity and Hans’ experience with handling dark magic, I quickly grew accustomed to using energy.
Additionally, the precautions I needed to take as a vampire were also told.
“Garlic? I don’t care about that~ Why? Water? I love hot springs. There’s one in the basement too.”
It seemed the vampires in this world didn’t have many weaknesses.
They were weak to sunlight, and silver weapons healed wounds poorly at the most.
However, even that wasn’t absolute.
“There’s a way to overcome that. What we really need to be cautious of is Holy Power. It’s pretty much the opposite of us.”
And so, I began to build up my knowledge as a vampire one step at a time.
