The bustling Great City of Tarak was filled with numerous people going about their day.
In the heart of the city, three individuals strolled leisurely along a well-maintained avenue.
“…As expected, it’s just like the rumors said. They say vampires are rising to power in the west, and being here, I can certainly feel it.”
High Elf Lydia murmured as she looked into an alley beside the boulevard.
There, mercenaries who had been causing trouble at street stalls moments ago were being dragged in for some serious education.
Once that was over, they would probably have to pay fines and donate blood to get released.
Lydia turned her gaze from the alley, bringing a butter-roasted corn to her mouth.
Seemingly pleased, her green hair, linked to the wind spirit, danced and swayed under her hood.
“Given the influence of the vampire-dominated Talia Kingdom nearby, it’s no wonder, is it? They’ve received substantial assistance from the kingdom alliance. Plus, Tarak, where the Hubert Association’s headquarters are located, is the city with the most active exchanges with vampires.”
Seated with skewers of meat and a drink in both hands, Isea, with her blue eyes imbued with magic, quietly responded.
Munch munch—
Sip sip—
The two women moved their eyes around while their mouths busily enjoyed the unique food culture of this place even as they continued their investigation of the city.
“…Isea, is that black drink really that delicious? I just can’t get into it at all.”
“It’s amazing! I regret not staying longer last time I visited. Oh, I think they only recently started distributing this…?”
In response to Lydia’s question, Isea looked down at the drink in her hand with a serious expression.
It was a special menu—cola—that had been introduced at the Hubert Association’s direct shop, ‘Dancing with Orcs.’
“I had heard that the Hubert Association was handling Earth’s products… but to think they could go this far. What kind of Unique Skill do they possess to manage such large-scale distribution?”
She clicked her tongue, thinking of the unidentified Awakened One affiliated with the association.
Of course, such products had yet to become fully mainstream.
With a limited supply, there were restrictions on the quantity one could buy, and the prices were jaw-droppingly high.
The price of just one small beverage was comparable to a full-course meal at a top restaurant.
But such monetary issues were nothing to Isea Pristine, the great sorceress of the Special Task Force and a count of the Azerion Empire, who was also a close aide to Princess Riley.
No, considering the chance to taste Earth’s civilization in this distant world, one could argue that it was actually a ridiculously cheap price.
Sigh— I feel like I could buy it. How long has it been since I had cola?
With a relaxed expression, Isea sighed and smacked her lips.
It had already been nine years since she arrived in Auterica.
Next year would mark a full decade since she landed on this land.
In such a context, the essence of Earth’s cola, flowing through her veins, made her feel light-headed like oil being rubbed onto rusty gears.
I wish I could stock up on a bunch, but the daily purchase limit is such a bummer. I hope to meet the supplier directly sometime.
With such abilities, they would likely be quite high-ranking within the continent’s top merchant group, the Hubert Association.
Their identity would probably be thoroughly concealed, making it naturally difficult to meet.
Perhaps even the owner of the association, Hubert himself, could be an Awakened One from Earth.
Well, I guess an opportunity will come eventually.
It wouldn’t be impossible to request a meeting and disclose her identity, but as a member of the Heroes’ party secretly investigating the city, she couldn’t just have private meetings with local dignitaries.
Just then, as she sipped her cola earnestly, a certain thought struck her mind.
“…Lord Heinrich. Speaking of which, didn’t the Hubert Association maintain close ties with the Holy Church Order?”
Heinrich, leisurely following a few steps behind, shrugged his shoulders at her question.
He was clad in full-body armor that could be found anywhere, likely to conceal his radiant appearance.
“Yes. They exchange help and support regularly. Most importantly, it’s the place where Mr. Harley was a co-representative.”
“…That guy turned out to be more capable than I thought. Just how many titles does he have?”
As a member of the Special Task Force tasked with protecting the world, and also the Beast King of the Calcos Tribal Alliance, the Mercenary King in the mercenary industry, all while being a co-representative of the continent’s top merchant group, the Hubert Association.
Isea, as well as Lydia, were impressed by the unexpected sides of someone they had initially thought to be just a gluttonous man who laughed at everything without a care.
“Regardless, right now we can’t make any exceptions for anyone. You never know what’s hiding in someone’s heart.”
While they trusted Harley, they still couldn’t fully trust the Hubert Association.
Plus, that co-representative was a story from quite some time ago, wasn’t it?
He’d been summoned to the Special Task Force and traveled the world, and one couldn’t be assured that his former partners hadn’t changed their minds.
“Isn’t it most reasonable to be suspicious of those vampires right now? Their perception was almost like that of monsters not too many years ago, after all.”
“Hmm, true. Until the appearance of King Heinz, the vampires’ bloodlust was something we couldn’t possibly manage. Similar to how Lycanthropes, who were treated similarly, recently attacked our Elven Kingdom only to be eradicated.”
Having moved into a nearby alley, their casual mid-meeting began.
Around them, secret barriers had formed to completely block out internal sounds and even sensations.
“Oh! Of course, I know Lord Heinrich was proactive in accepting them… But no matter how much the vampire king unifies them and establishes order, there’s never perfect control in this world. There could still be vampires who haven’t been reformed and are hiding…”
“I’m a bit wary of the Hubert Association as well. Walking around the city, I felt their influence was truly beyond imagination. If a major issue arises, the likelihood of it being caused by them is quite high, wouldn’t you say?”
In that meeting, the most frequently mentioned topics were, indeed, the vampires and the Hubert Association.
Of course, it was just a brainstorming session in the early stages of the investigation, so it didn’t hold much weight yet, but for Heinrich, it was a little hard to swallow.
He was not only Saint Heinrich of the Holy Church Order but also the Blood King Heinz II, and furthermore, the Head of the Hubert Association.
Well, I guess I’m going to treat this as a holiday and just go along with it? I can always bring some cursed items from the Demon Realm later.
It had only been a few days since they arrived in Tarak.
Heinrich watched as the two women, invigorated from eating delicious food, scattered off to investigate the city.
Naturally, as it had begun with the Saint, they weren’t the only ones involved in this mission.
Meanwhile, Inquisition Officers from the Holy Church Order had secretly started moving through the Tarak Shrine.
However, with so many vampires present, their investigation was bound to be sluggish.
Unlike before, they couldn’t just carelessly hunt them down, leading to frequent confusion during the investigation process.
They didn’t even know what the ‘unknown threat’ they were looking for was, so this was inevitable.
Inquisition Officers had lived their lives perceiving vampires as their enemies.
…Should I wrap this up soon? Seeing everyone struggling makes me feel somewhat guilty.
As evening approached when the time to regroup with his party was nearing.
Finding a suitably secluded spot, Heinrich pondered alone.
The item to be sealed must surely be highly dangerous to be sensed by the Saint, but using something of excellent quality here seems a bit wasteful, doesn’t it?
Right, I’ll be sealing and erasing it anyway soon, so it doesn’t have to be permanent. Just a decent quality infused with Hela’s magic to last a few days or so…
But then—
-Saint! We found it!
With a gentle breeze, Lydia’s voice flowed into his ears.
-Indeed, it was a vampire! Here at the Hubert Association…!
The urgent voice continued.
However, it was abruptly cut off before finishing.
A vampire? At the Hubert Association?
Heinrich’s expression soured.
It was the same for Heinz II and Hubert, who were in another location.
“Mulo Brokoslac. Immediately ascertain the situation of the Tarak dispatchers and report back!”
“Have the association’s security team adopt a top-tier security posture and gather at the main office! Contact all locations in Tarak to confirm any abnormalities!”
But before long, they couldn’t afford to be flustered.
The two avatars immediately began moving.
Additionally, they weren’t the only ones taking action.
Fwoosh—
「Great Blessing: Wings of Radiance.」
With a brilliant glow, a pair of gigantic wings of light spread from the plain armor’s back.
Flap— whoooooosh!
With a single flap of his wings, Heinrich soared high into the sky.
Thus, he rose to the heights of the city, and bright clarity shone in his golden eyes as he scanned below.
Where are you?
It wasn’t the main building of the Hubert Association.
He was sensing real-time situations through Hubert, who was currently present there.
Like looking through a microscope, all elements of the city were analyzed at a glance, neatly organizing in his brain.
An Outlaw is a vampire. Location is a place linked with the Hubert Association.
His mind became chaotic.
He never imagined that the problem might genuinely involve vampires.
Especially in Tarak, the place he thought he had a firm hold on!
What a ridiculous embarrassment!
Think later. First, resolving the issue is the priority.
As thoughts accelerated, time began to seem slow, but he still needed to conserve every moment possible.
Lydia Greenwood was second only to Harris in the Elven Kingdom.
She was expected to ascend to transcendence soon.
Thus, the fact that communication initiated by such an individual was forcibly cut off was not good news at all.
A bit more…
Yet thankfully.
He possessed a certain ability that he could use in times like these.
It’s a special privilege that allows him to confirm the status of not only his own subordinates but also of the members below him, 「Authority of the Ruler.」
Of course, since Lydia Greenwood wasn’t a subordinate but a colleague to High Elf Harris and Saint Heinrich, he couldn’t pinpoint her location directly, but in Tarak, there were plenty of individuals under his command.
[Auterica]
-Hubert Association – Tarak Main Branch
In the rush of time, after deploying other avatars to quickly check their statuses—
Found you!
He finally discovered it.
└Status: Danger (Critical Injury)
└Status: Confusion, Fear
└Status: Fainted
└······
Clearly, the status messages indicated those in danger.
Moreover, the locations they all shared were significant.
└Location: Tulk Kingdom’s Aonia Count Territory Tarak ??? ?? [View Detailed Coordinates]
Represented by question marks and not properly displayed coordinates.
This sort of occurrence only happened when the location information overlapped within a hidden inner world.
This is 100% it!
The wings of radiance stretched wide behind Heinrich once more.
Immediately after, his body descended like a shooting star piercing through the darkness.
While the exact location wasn’t marked, he already clearly understood where he had to go.
For that very reason—.
└Name: Mirofa (Sponsored by the Hubert Association)
└Name: Aaron (Sponsored by the Hubert Association)
└Name: Rafi (Sponsored by the Hubert Association)
└······
Most of those involved in this incident were incredibly familiar names.
Especially one whom he faced daily.
└Name: Diana (Secretary to the Head of the Hubert Association)
Arguably, this girl was the one with the most tragic fate in Auterica.
Exhausted from the unending misfortunes that continually befall her, she had finally begun to harbor hope and look towards tomorrow.
With a stern expression, Heinrich landed in one of the residential areas of the Hubert Association’s staff.
Having drawn his Holy Sword, he ignited a colossal beam of light that was akin to a giant pillar, and using 「Space Slash,」 he began to slice through anything that obstructed his path.
SWISH—
Across the diagonal from the heavens to a point on the ground.
Everything in the path of the meteor that descended was sliced apart.
Including air, sound, light, and…
The shallow barriers that partitioned space and defined his own world.
BOOOOOM—!
A small world crumbled.
At that moment, the ordinary scenery outside transformed all at once.
An old woman covered in tattoos, spitting blood, and the small girl passed out in her arms, along with a boy crying while holding them and citizens trembling together behind him.
“Saint!”
Lydia, who had been facing off against someone in the front, greeted him with a shout.
She clearly hadn’t expected him to arrive so quickly.
Having touched down, Heinrich gradually lifted his body.
At the same time, the wings of radiance spread open wide, as if to embrace the world.
A blazing aura spread and enveloped those injured.
Is that what—
The shining knight of light descended with a solemn gaze, staring at the culprit of this incident.
Standing before the girl lying on the ground, a small boy with a grim expression glared at him as if something had gone awry.
The face of the boy, looking to be in his early teens, was one Heinrich had seen before.
Not in reality, but through a montage drawn long ago.
“I finally found you. Temiran McClair.”
“Ugh! What kind of hellish situation is this? Just when things were amiss, now the Saint has to show up?”
The boy vampire, Temiran McClair, complained, spitting out crude words that didn’t suit his appearance. He was the only son of Kayla McClair, Vice President of the Zephia Republic, who went missing twenty years ago.
He was also the second disciple prepared by the God imprisoned in the Abyss.
