474 – Caution in Descent
There’s nowhere to hide on the vast plateau. Since the sunlight comes down from the sky, illuminating everything from high places, the land without shadows reveals all things in the world. Those who appreciate the world find the plateau beautiful, as they can see more of the world. Others may feel the opposite.
The bloodline of the Lunkens consists of many centaurs. Protected by fur covering their bodies, they have resistance to the sun. They would have been chased away if they had been careless during the day.
But I had Azji.
“Woof! Woof woof!”
“Meee!”
Colley’s Yailing, the centaur sheep, barked and ran away. Wrapped in thick, if not luxurious, woolly fur, having become a vampire and gained the power of immortality, they were still sheep. As Azji barked and rushed out, chasing after them, the sheep’s cries echoed, and they were cornered into a paddock.
Colley, with hunting dogs and Yailing, was in pursuit. The only one guarding the foggy paddock was Yailing. Even if it’s Yailing, a centaur sheep, it can resist the sunlight, but Azji couldn’t.
The centaur sheep howled towards me.
“Meee! Get rid of that!”
“What? Colly asked me to take care of you.”
“Meeeh! Got it! Go to a place I can’t see! Meeeh!”
“Alright. Am I really going? Should I go?”
“Meeeh!”
Oh well. It’s not like I was determined to go. Can’t help it.
I pulled out a ball from my pocket. Azji, who was instinctively emanating vampire vibes, immediately lowered her posture and wagged her tail when she saw the ball.
“Come on! Don’t take it out on the innocent lamb, let’s go! Ask her!”
“Woof!”
As I threw the ball, Azji dashed out like an arrow. Good. Throwing the ball, I smoothly crossed the boundary of the outpost. If I follow her like this, I can cross the border.
“No. Azji, stop! I’ll go… Have you asked already?”
“Woof!”
“Next time, ask more slowly. Here!”
Throwing the ball, I effortlessly crossed the border.
Borders are rarely clearly defined lines. Especially when there’s a mountain. It’s even more challenging. After all, no one lives there.
So, usually, if there’s a mountain on the border, the highest ridge is chosen.
Passing the peak and crossing the ridge, the world hidden by the mountain came into view at once. It was a landscape I hadn’t easily seen in the mist-covered kingdom. It was completely different from what I had seen so far, just by crossing a single ridge. It was surprisingly easy.
But this was the result of crossing dozens of peaks, reaching the last one. It’s something to be proud of, I suppose. Of course, it was possible because no elders came looking.
“Why did Hilde leave? If she had been with me, we could have escaped so easily.”
“Woof!”
“No. Azji, stop asking and can’t we just walk normally now?”
Crossing the border, vampires are no longer the enemy. Even if Collie sees through my deception and comes after me, it’ll be a day later. Let’s run as far away as possible during that time.
Going downhill is easier than uphill. I made a sled with cards, jumped over rocks with strengthened legs, and leaped down the mountain. I ran for a while, cutting through sand, jumping over valleys, and passing through thickets.
How many hours have I been running? Even going downhill, the end is not in sight. The mountain, like a formidable barrier, took a long time to descend. Taking a breath, I looked back and saw the ridge I had descended from in the distance.
I’ve come this far, yet the road ahead is still long. Ugh. Can’t someone create teleportation magic or something?
Muttering to myself, I tossed the ball unenthusiastically.
“Ajiya, find the way.”
“Woof!”
Aji dashed into the bushes and disappeared. Rustling sounds echoed through the bushes, scattering and gathering again with an intimidating force. In an instant, Aji, holding the ball in its mouth, returned and dropped it in front of me.
“Here!”
“Safe enough. Okay.”
I have to cross the stone bridge too. How do I know what’s hiding in those bushes? Earlier, thinking the ground was solid, I took a step and almost fell.
Sigh. It’s far. The thickets are increasing. Since no one is walking here, the path is invisible, and Aji is confirming unknown places for me.
Still, no one is chasing me. It’s great to only worry about what’s ahead. I decided to be satisfied with the improved situation.
“Awwooooooo!”
Somewhere, the howling of a wolf could be heard. Before realizing what the sound was, I was already flat on the ground. Even if the wolf has already spotted me, I don’t want to see the wolf, filled with the determination not to.
“Awwoooo! You deceived me!”
The wolf’s howl echoed, revealing that I had lied for some reason.
“Woof! It’s a friend!”
“Not anymore!”
“Woof? But it’s true?”
“Then play with me! Let’s hold hands and roll around!”
“Got it!”
“Don’t jump around excitedly! You’re exposing our position!”
I tried to scold Aji, but it was already too late. Beyond that ridge, five werewolves revealed themselves. Members of the Border Patrol, including Moningyeon Collies. A vampire mobile unit consisting entirely of werewolves, protected by fur and free from the sunlight, descended the steep path with hunting dogs.
They were on the verge of tumbling down, but it didn’t matter. They were werewolves and vampires.
“Growl!”
“Cough!”
“Meeeh!”
The five dots turned into a landslide and swept down the slope. The dust cloud turned into a dense fog and flowed down. Most importantly, at the very front, was a black-furred Moningyeon Collie, scratching the ground.
Is that the weakened vampire under the sun? Tsk. No wonder humans can’t escape.
The sunlight was still shining. I could handle the Border Patrol. But the Collie was beyond my power. I needed Aji’s help for that. I don’t really trust her, though.
“Aji, do you know what tag is?”
“Woof! I know!”
“If you know, then it’s easy to explain. We’re the prey, and they’re the hunters! We have to run away before they catch us!”
“Woof woof! Understood!”
“Then let’s run! Before they catch us!”
As I ran in the opposite direction, I checked my deck of cards. The deck had become so thin that it was pathetic, but I quickly spread it out and glanced at it.
I had used up most of my weapons. What remained were one dagger and four consumed ones. A few disposable clovers and hearts. There were quite a few potions left in the hearts, but I didn’t want to use them if possible because they put a strain on the body….
No, my body was made up of consumed ones now. Maybe it wouldn’t be too burdensome. I should try using it in a moment of crisis.
I held the Consumed One’s card in both hands and ran, starting a long chase.
“Ahwooooo–!”
The first to charge was Colli. Descending the slope almost as if falling, Colli attacked me at an angle, faithfully following the command to capture me alive. Without extending its claws, it tried to grab me with its hands.
“Woof!”
At that moment, Aji threw his body. In mid-air, the bodies of a supernatural being and a beast collided. Arms and legs entangled, a dull sound resonated slowly. A moment later, the king of the supernatural beings and the beast rolled together as one.
“King…! Don’t interfere!”
“Woof! Let’s play! Let’s play!”
“This is not a game!”
Colli flipped Aji and slammed him onto the ground. Despite retaining the instincts of a beast, it used human techniques. With a rotating attack, a broken branch protruded, and dust rose like a cloud. Colli, who easily shook off the king of the beasts, pounded the ground again.
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However, overwhelming physical strength subdues even skill. Aji, now sitting on all fours, was biting Colli’s hind leg. Colli, unable to reach out, remained sprawled on the ground.
Colli, with mud on its face, turned its head. Aji, who was biting its leg, barked once with a sunny face.
“Woof!”
“Ahwo–!”
When facing a human, Aji hadn’t used full strength for fear of causing harm, but against a vampire supernatural being, it was different. At least, it seemed to properly catch Colli’s ankle.
The problem was.
“Meee!”
“Erung!”
Sheep, dogs, cats, and goat supernaturals. They were nothing more than Yearlings, a bit slower than Colli, but they were clearly aiming for me. Vampires become stronger when the owner is nearby. Under the sunlight and not in their home ground, they might be weaker than the village chief, but for me, they were equally challenging.
Under Colli’s determination, they scattered behind me without hesitation. Aji, growling with his fur bristling at the smell of vampire blood, had no reason to be kind to other vampires. Aji kicked the ground and leaped.
“Ahwo–!”
This time, Collie grabbed Azhi and stretched out. She tried to throw him away by grabbing his hindquarters, but Azhi’s momentum was too strong and she was swept away. The two of them became one and rolled down the slope.
I’m not sure if it’ll be okay. Not Azhi, but the slope. I glanced sideways at the rushing Eylings, leaving behind the two who were rolling down with a storm of dirt and branches.
“Meeeh! Stop! Or you’ll get hurt!”
It must be one of the sheep herders. The thick hair, grown like clouds, seemed to withstand any impact, but the charging speed was not ordinary. With each step, the ground was deeply imprinted like a hoof.
I didn’t stop, and the sheep herder pounded the ground with determination.
One, two. Now.
Pwook. The ground beneath the sheep herder’s feet sank deeply. The body of the sheep herder who was about to charge into me sank underground. Without noticing the trap covered with debris, he fell right into it.
“Meeeh?”
The sheep herder who fell into the trap looked around cluelessly. Well, it was the place where I had stepped and run just a moment ago.
“When on earth? There was no chance to set a trap.”
If it’s the power of the Mashin, I can do something like this too. I create a hole as I step on the ground and make grass and branches grow there, creating a makeshift trap. If you don’t look carefully, you’ll fall into it.
Because, the area around me is already full of traps.
“Kuk!”
“Miyaaang!”
“Oh no…!”
The vampire sheep herders stumbled in the traps I made and their speed slowed down a little. Whether they did or not, I continued to run to one side.
“We can chase after you without even sleeping! Give up!”
I have to sleep. So, I have to somehow shake them off before that. I moved the bushes to clear a path and ran without looking back. The sheep herder behind me shouted.
“Meeeh! You’ll regret it!”
“Mee-ah. I have to bring you back alive, no matter what.”
“Got it! It’s okay to get hurt a little, right?”
“Well, that’s true.”
What’s true about it? Was I a concubine? Is it a big deal if I get hurt?
But the Yeailings wouldn’t know that fact. The Yeailings surrounded me from all directions. I gripped the Spade 9 again and folded it with one hand.
Origin of the tree, grass knot.
About a 5m radius. All the grass under my feet finds its match. The gently swaying grass intertwined smoothly with each other. Druids, those who were once called sages when the world was covered in grass. Their abilities are reproduced by moving just one card.
“Awooo!”
…Of course, some time has passed since then.
Thud, thuck. Even the tough grass that had lived a hard life couldn’t withstand the Yeailings’ assault. Stems were cut, and roots were pulled out. The grass paid a harsh price for following my command. I moved on, honoring their sacrifice.
“Slow down!”
“You guys are too fast!”
No matter how much I tried to grab their ankles, it’s difficult to fend off the Yeailings’ pursuit without the fear of death. They trampled traps and cut through grass knots, gradually getting closer. If they were determined to kill me, there would have been several opportunities, but they didn’t, so the Yeailings tried to overtake and block my path.
Alright. It’s time.
Through the dispersing bushes, an empty space appeared. It was the cliff I had seen before. The cliff hidden by bushes is difficult to notice until you get very close. Especially when you’re running.
I slid my body down as if slipping. I slowed down by stirring the grass and branches. Since I had gained some speed, it took a bit of sliding before I could finally stop.
“Meeeh! Stop! There’s a cliff ahead!”
The Yeailings behind me also abruptly slammed on the brakes a beat late. Leaving a long trail of dust, the Yeailings supported themselves. The goat humanoid, who had stopped just in time, spat out a tree branch that had entered its mouth and shouted.
“A trivial calculation! Did you think we’d just fall off a cliff like that?”
“I think one of them fell.”
Meeehhh. The echo of the sheep humanoid resonated for a long time. Turning my head to see my comrade’s fall, the goat humanoid responded immediately.
“We’re not going to die just by falling apart! Give up and surrender!”
“Thank you. I feel less guilty because of you.”
If you guys weren’t vampires, you probably wouldn’t feel so guilty. With both hands holding the cards, I slammed the ground forcefully.
I can’t break the earth with my mediocre level of ki manipulation. That’s only possible for those who have mastered the art of Gongigong.
But I can accelerate the destruction.
I uprooted and severed the roots spread out in the ground. I crushed the clumps of soil. With the power of geomancy and druidism, I carved through the cliff that was teetering on the edge.
“Earth…!”
Even a dull vampire could clearly feel the sensation of falling. The unlucky dog beastman, who was in a bad position, slipped as he scratched the ground with his claws. The goat and cat beastmen quickly sensed the impending danger and swiftly climbed up the collapsing slope.
Of course, I wasn’t going to just sit back and watch. With the Spades 8, the card of Elixir, I gently swept the ground. One layer of the crumbling earth turned into a card and slid down. The cat beastman, whose claws were embedded in the flowing cards like a waterfall, couldn’t hold on and fell.
“No way!”
Only the goat beastman managed to withstand it with his strong hooves and climbed up the steep path. He approached at a speed that was not much different from running on flat ground. The goat beastman with remaining facial hair reached out his hand towards me.
But with Elizabeth on my side, I can win even against one.
I pushed away the goat beastman’s hand and stomped on his head. He tried to hold on desperately, but when I kicked him hard with both feet, even his rough hooves couldn’t withstand it. Gradually, the goat beastman’s center of gravity shifted backward.
“Ugh, aaah!”
As he spun his arms in circles, trying to regain his balance, I extended a branch towards him as if showing him mercy.
“Here. Grab it.”
Perhaps because he couldn’t believe my sudden kindness, the goat beastman hesitated but eventually reached out and grabbed the branch. It was probably because there was nothing else to hold onto.
Thanks to that, I got his attention. I pushed the branch. As the goat beastman momentarily lost his balance while grabbing the branch, he fell backward. Like his other comrades, the goat beastman also fell down into the distant abyss.
“You-!”
“Goodbye. Let’s try not to meet again if possible.”
“Do not think this will end with us just like this!”
After uttering the lines of the antagonist, his face was soon obscured by the pouring soil. I hung from a tree root, gazing down below the cliff. The earth covered the fallen Eylings in a thick layer.
It’s still daytime. Given the time it takes for regeneration, I might not be able to catch up with this level of injury, but… who knows once it gets dark. Ugh, troublesome. That’s why vampires are such a hassle. Immortality is cheating.
After crawling up the cliff, I pulled out a ball from my pocket and threw it. The ball flew in an arc, disappearing into the bushes, and after a while, Azhi emerged with the ball in her mouth.
“Woof!”
“Did you have fun?”
“Woof woof!”
Despite Azhi’s excited appearance, a collie approaching from the bushes didn’t seem too thrilled. Covered in dust and twigs, the collie looked like a walking patch of land.
“…Ah, geez. I don’t know why the master is looking for you, but enough with the pranks.”
Vampire blood is cold. Collie might not be tired, but without Eylings, she wasn’t reckless enough to continue the assault. If she attacked while I was with Azhi, and got subdued, she and the Eylings would be incapacitated for quite a while.
Deciding to go back and restore the Eylings, she glared at me and growled low.
“Vampires don’t die. No matter how long it takes, they’ll chase and find you. If you don’t want to be chased forever, defect now.”
“No matter how long it takes? What’s the use if it takes too long? Tyrr’s feelings might change over time, and my life might have changed too.”
Vampires really don’t understand human hearts. Our hearts are not eternal. We have whims.
“If you meet other vampires, tell them for me. Things that are hard to get are more precious. So, I’m becoming precious.”
“We’ll see if you can stay that carefree till the end. Ugh!”
Collie disappeared into the bushes with a wolf’s howl. She’ll go down the cliff, use her vitality to restore her Eylings, and probably come back at night.
Eylings are weak in sunlight. In contrast, they become much stronger on nights when there’s nothing to worry about. Unlike me, who has to struggle on a mountain where not even one foot is visible. Today won’t be as easy to handle as this.
Instead of running away, I should make traps and completely incapacitate them. Fortunately, the only one chasing me now is one Aein and four Eylings. If there’s no pursuer stronger than Aein, I should be able to shake them off.
Well. No new pursuers should appear here. Good. I’ll use both Earth Magic and Druidism to show the wisdom of humans to these humanoid creatures mixed with animals.
Yaelin is also immortal, but not invincible. In the case of Yaelin, who has relatively weak blood magic, they often die and are replaced, making the name “vampire” meaningless.
Especially, getting injured or subdued during the day is fatal. Since they are left alone, they lose blood and their regenerative abilities weaken.
In a chase, numbers are more important than anything else. If we’re late, we won’t be able to make use of the Yaelin we brought with us. Collie jumped down the cliff and rescued the fallen Yaelin on the ground. They are a deficient group who can’t even properly carry out their assigned tasks, but we can blame them later. Right now, recovering the Yaelin was the priority.
It was when Collie was digging through the pile of dirt and pulling out the buried Yaelin one by one.
Crackle. The sound of rustling bushes could be heard, and a boy with short black hair and androgynous appearance appeared. He held a bee tied to a thin thread.
The boy hummed as he watched the bee dancing in a figure-eight pattern while hanging from the thread.
“It’s strange. The scent of the followers left by Azhi is pointing here.”
Shay looked back and forth between Collie and the bee, tilting their head.
“No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t seem like Azhi is involved. Who are you?”
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