Karma Shopping (3)
A mountain village located a bit away from the capital of the Zephia Republic.
As the Holy Church Order is the largest religion on the continent, a prayer house had been established even in such a small village with a minuscule population.
Of course, it was rather meager, with only one apprentice priest dispatched for training and two monks from the village stationed there, but no villagers looked down on this place.
No matter how weak the holy power of an apprentice priest might be, it was enough for basic first aid, allowing them to always be in a position to receive such benefits.
Faith aside, who wouldn’t appreciate something that practically helps in daily life?
However, right now, inside this prayer house that should be the holiest of all places —.
An unauthorized and utterly irreverent secret meeting was taking place among individuals without a shred of faith.
“How do you feel about receiving His grace, Obaifo? For you, as a vampire, your suitability must be quite splendid.”
“Khuh, indeed… Not so bad… When you suddenly showed up, I thought you were up to something…”
“How disappointing. I thought we had built quite a bit of trust over time.”
Inside the prayer house adorned with symbols of the Holy Church Order, the irreverent dialogue continued.
Obaifo, the lord of the Obaifo Clan settled in the east, a pureblood vampire…
“The one who broke that trust first is you, revolutionary… You wouldn’t deny your responsibility for the circus of Enamel and the death of the southern barbarian king…?”
“I apologize for that. Circumstances arose suddenly, and I had no choice but to cut contact.”
The architect of the chaos that had engulfed the world, the founder of the Oath of Reversal, the revolutionary.
“And now I’m here to offer help, just as I did before. You wouldn’t fall easily like others if you had that power.”
“Khuhuh… It’s not like I haven’t long ago excluded the biggest obstacle, the commander-in-chief of Zephia… I wanted to make him my subordinate, but subduing a transcended warrior is no easy task… Quite disappointing…”
The shocking news that even the strongest figure of the Republic had been defeated.
The hero, another significant hurdle, had already accepted the rule of the vampire-led Talia Kingdom, making it hard to interfere with the Republic’s internal affairs now.
Moreover, as incidents continued to erupt everywhere, public attention was being dispersed, creating a favorable situation for Obaifo.
“Is it okay to leave the vice president alone? After all, she is the leader of the opposition.”
Hmm, “That woman, you say…? She’s of no use now, so I was already planning to dispose of her soon… After all, she can do nothing now that her limbs are all severed…”
The very reason for leaving her was to more easily gather information about those opposing them.
For that, numerous measures had been put into place a long time ago.
“You seem rather relaxed. Well aware she’s already made contact with the hybrid in the west.”
“Khuh, you mean that self-proclaimed Blood King…? What a joke it is… To see someone who knows nothing about the origin of blood parading around as a king…”
Naturally, he was already well aware of the movements of the vice president and the hybrid.
But with some confidence in his capabilities, he had no worries at all despite the imminent danger of conflict.
“No matter what powers he possesses… As long as vampire blood flows in him, he cannot defeat me, who possesses the closest power to the origin… I’d even like to commend him for doing my dirty work for me…”
Rather than worry, he was only showing anticipation.
He genuinely hoped the so-called king of hybrids would come to him.
At the moment he subdued him, it would be the day he would gain control over all the vampires of the continent.
“Now, if I can get my hands on both Brokoslac and Yufersh’s essence… All the bloodlines of beginnings that had been disrupted for years will converge at once… That day, the world will finally encounter a true Blood King…!”
Obaifo, who had gathered the relics of the ‘Bloodlines of Beginnings’ that had been cut off for generations, was elated, dreaming of completing a perfect bloodline and reigning over it.
Little did he imagine that the two bloodlines he sought, as well as everyone under the hybrid’s command, had long since lost their purity and become tainted by other-dimensional bloodsucking entities.
*
I crossed my arms and stared intently at the numbers indicating the prices of goods.
Hmm.
In comparison to the overwhelming figure of thirty million, the modest change of three hundred thousand, which was only one percent, seemed trivial.
It was the first time I had seen such a number change in reality, so curiosity was only natural.
“What is that? What could have suddenly happened… Did one of my subordinates uncover a clue related to that?”
I had speculated that the pricing was determined by the value of the items and the difficulty in acquiring them, but of course, that wasn’t a certainty.
However, considering the pricing situations of other common items, that was indeed the most plausible deduction.
It was only natural to think that I had gotten a bit closer to ‘that’ due to some kind of trigger.
“Then, if I can determine what the cause is, I might be able to figure out the identity of that thing. First, I should check if any related information has been acquired…”
But as I quickly analyzed the situation, I was reminded that the next step I needed to take was not an easy task at all.
“Just the channels through which I can gather information right now…”
The ghost intelligence divisions scattered across the continent, controlled by Olivia, the chief information officer of the army of the immortals.
The vampires from the hybrid camp lurking in the world’s darkness, along with their affiliated dark organizations.
The intelligence analysis team of the Holy Church Order, gathering and supplying necessary information while exerting influence across the continent.
The agents of the Hubert Association, organized to collect information related to ritual connections and trace the flow of goods.
“Not to mention, other indirect paths for acquiring information also exist.”
Halley to the south and Harris in the Enamel Continent were both inextricably linked to the incidents occurring in their territories, and the influence of Hesperon, favored by the princess, was also not to be ignored.
With the exception of Howard, who was stuck in a corner hammering away at his work, everyone else was an excellent source of information.
“…The sheer volume of information collected from various locations every moment is staggering; how could I possibly pinpoint anything related to something whose identity I don’t even know?”
I momentarily lost myself in thought before shaking my head, brushing away my concerns.
To be honest, I was indeed curious about that thing, but lingering over something that wouldn’t yield a conclusion was a waste of mental energy.
“After all, a one percent change isn’t much at all.”
No matter what it was, that figure still felt far away from me.
If some definitive change occurred, I would find out in one way or another.
Right now, what was crucial to me wasn’t such vague issues.
Gulp Gulp—
I turned my gaze to a little child, dressed in a huge T-shirt like a dress, holding a glass bottle and drinking a potion.
“Kyahaha—!”
The little one exclaimed excitedly after removing their mouth from the empty bottle.
Then, they licked their lips, rubbing their hand over their mouth with a cute gesture.
Each action was adorably lethal.
“Is it the body that’s affecting the behavior?”
Or perhaps it was just ordinary actions that felt that way because of their appearance.
Either way, it wasn’t something I needed to worry about now.
Having a unique avatar personality wasn’t new.
“Anyway, for rapid growth, Auterica is more efficient than Earth. But I can’t just let Horus, in his child form, wander off alone anywhere. Even nominally, he needs a guardian.”
While I was lost in thought, Hugo quietly entered, approaching Horus, starting to dress him in children’s clothes delivered by the Hubert Association through “Avatar Cloud.”
A hasty provision from Hubert, who was in charge of supplies and errands.
“…Yeah, that’s definitely the best option.”
And watching that, I finally decided where Horus should go.
Someone not too imposing, someone who wouldn’t seem out of place even if they brought an infant due to a myriad of excuses.
“The Talia Kingdom, where the Hubert Association is located.”
That moment, besides errands and supplies, the task of childcare was added to Hubert’s responsibilities.
*
Dracalion is watching over you.
That was the phrase that appeared right in front of Horus as soon as he crossed over to this world.
“Is it the Dragon God?”
It wasn’t my first time, so this seemed no more than an annual event now.
“In fact, it feels a bit bland if there’s no attention at this point.”
Receiving the attention of gods, though limited to this world.
Of course, along with that attention, he was receiving satisfactory support, so there was no particular complaint.
If they observed him long enough and found something they liked, they would casually toss a gift his way.
Huuuh— Pa—!
Horus took a deep breath at that moment, wearing a satisfied smile.
“By the way, transitioning to a world filled with mana certainly makes a difference.”
Unlike Earth, which was a barren land for abilities and couldn’t sense any energy, the abundant mana here rushed into him simply by breathing, strengthening him further with every breath.
Whether it was the growth boost and the expensive potions doing their job, he was astonished by the rapid speed of his growth.
“On Earth, I could only recover the energy that was lost; it wouldn’t lead to growth.”
Thus, while an Awakened One could hone their skills upon returning to Earth, their inherent capabilities couldn’t increase.
From the moment they returned, a limit was effectively set on them.
“That issue doesn’t pertain to me, but…”
Even with multiple powerful avatars at his disposal, he felt a little lacking.
He needed something stronger, a more overwhelming power.
Especially to knock down that angel… the head of the Buncheon Society.
And the most promising candidate he hoped for was the little dragon right here.
With his chubby hands clenched tight, Horus resolved himself.
“Of course, no matter how promising, this isn’t the time for direct action. For now, I need to acclimatize to the dragon’s body and abilities.”
The place where he took his first step in this world was Hubert’s personal quarters.
Most of the necessary daily needs were handled by hired help, so he could focus solely on his desires in the perfect environment.
“All right, then let’s begin.”
Then Horus lay down on the bedding within the accommodation for serious training.
Huuuh— Ha—.
He took deep breaths and meditated.
He carefully contemplated his own body.
Doing so briefly in human form, and then again transforming into a dragon via “Polymorph” to repeat the same actions.
From a distance, one might wonder what he was doing, but Horus was earnestly performing his routine.
This was operation name: Rising Dragon.
A baby dragon holed up in a luxurious abode, dreaming of the day it would soar high.
*
In a certain place in Auterica.
Within a small cave, where all manner of physical and magical concealments rendered not a single ray of light could enter.
Grumble—
A loud rustling broke centuries of silence, and a pair of eyes slowly ignited in the dark.
As it blinked softly, surveying the surroundings, this entity cocked its head slightly…
Hmm? What’s this…?
It let out a soft gasp as it sensed something.
A presence so strange it was as if it suddenly popped up from nowhere, the presence of a compatriot—
…Oh Dracalion.
This was an energy so young, considered almost like an infant by their standards, one born during this very time.
But, having detected it, it could no longer remain still.
As you wish.
This was an event taking place on a desolate island, far removed from the chaos unfolding across the continent.
