Chapter 0158 Kalinikos Part 1
Translator: Tseirp
The front line.
Hero Roman and Hugh were facing off against Vampire Kalinikos and two Strigoi, who could be said to be his entourage.
Up to that point, eight Strigoi had been killed in the blink of an eye.
However, these two were completely different from their previous opponents.
To begin with, what they were wearing was different …
“Former adventurers huh …”
Hugh muttered quietly.
“Correct.”
But he must have heard his muttering as Kalinikos grinned and answered.
If he had been an adventurer before his death, he would not be able to hold his own in a fight against a Hero and the hero of war at the same time.
But now that he was a Strigoi, his physical abilities had been pushed beyond their limits, and what he lacked in skill, he made up for in speed and power.
“I too shall kill some time.”
Kalinikos said and produced a crimson sword from his palm.
“Bloody sword…”
Roman looked at the red sword and muttered.
“That’s correct too. You lot know a lot about vampires, don’t you? That’s unusual for adventurers from the Central Nations.”
Kalinikos was not yet aware of the identity of Hero Roman and the group.
However, he understood that Roman and Hugh, who had come to the front, were stronger than the adventurers he had made into Strigoi, so he quickly joined the battle.
It was never just to ‘kill some time’.
Kalinikos was one-on-one with Roman, with Hugh taking on the two former adventurers.
Kalinikos’ swordsmanship was of a very high level.
At the very least, there was no clear difference between the two such that Roman could easily defeat him.
If that was the case, then as a vampire, he could be said to have much greater stamina than humans.
It seemed that the more time passes, the more advantage Kalinikos would have.
Up until this point, Kalinikos was full of confidence.
But his composure was shattered when he saw the Strigoi attacking the rear guard had their movements slowed and they were decapitated one by one.
“What is happening …?”
It was completely unexpected that fifty Strigoi would be annihilated without killing a single adventurer.
Neither Hugh nor Roman, who glanced at the scene, knew exactly what had happened, but they understood that the vampire in front of them was shaken.
If this was the case, it was a common practice in battle to take advantage of that.
The unrest in Kalinikos, the leader of the group, would extend to his kin as well, the former adventurers.
Hugh slashed the sword arms of the two former adventurers, whose movements had grown just slightly duller, and then, without a moment’s pause, decapitated them both.
It was truly a divine feat.
Even Roman, who was watching from the corner of his eye, was amazed by his swordsmanship.
(As one would expect from a Hero of the great war and renowned former A-rank adventurer…)
“Damn you … I didn’t expect this.”
Vampire Kalinikos wrung out those words.
As he said that, Kalinikos, perhaps instantly boosting his physical capabilities, stepped back so fast that even Roman had difficulty following him, and moved a short distance away from Roman and Hugh.
Then he chanted softly.
“<Slave>“
At that moment, a kind of haze appeared in Roman’s and Hugh’s heads, cutting off their consciousness.
Roman gritted his teeth and held on, while Hugh involuntarily fell to one knee.
That scene was visible to the ten people in the rear guard.
“What happened?”
Niels uttered reflexively, but no one could give a clear answer.
If he had heard the word <Slave> chanted by Kalinikos, Ryo might have understood.
But even if he had not heard the chant, something flashed through the mind of the Priest Graham.
“No way, Dark Magic …”
He muttered to himself, then readied his staff and chanted.
“<Evil Protection>“
The air distorted slightly, creating a hemisphere with a radius of about five meters around Graham.
“Hurry up and get inside!”
He called out to Niels and Amon, who were a short distance away, and the two of them tumbled into the hemisphere.
Then they looked at the front line.
“What the hell is going on?”
“It is likely the Dark-Attribute Magic <Slave>. It’s a troublesome spell that allows the caster to control the target at will.
Niels asked to no one in particular and Graham answered.
“Then, those two are …”
“Roman will probably resist. The magic resistance of the Hero is the strongest of mankind. But … nobody apart from Roman is capable of resisting the Dark-Attribute Magic of a Count-class Vampire. Even Saints and Saintess can’t. I fear Master McGrath …”
Graham answered Etho’s question with a frown.
“In other words, Roman and Hugh will face each other.”
It was Ryo who said that.
Ryo recalled that on the way back to Rune from the Royal Capital, the same Slave spell was cast on him and was almost manipulated in the same way by a priest who believed in a dark god.
At that time, Abel was wearing an item that resisted mental interference-type magic and the Slave spell was ineffective.
“Does Hugh have any items that resist mental interference-type magic …?”
He asked Graham, thinking that perhaps Hugh might have … an item of that sort.
“I fear we can’t hope for that. Items of that sort are national treasures, both in the Western Countries and in the Central Nations. Not even Master McGrath, a former A-rank adventurer and renowned hero, would wear one …”
Graham replied, shaking his head.
(Why the heck is Abel wearing such an item? …)
Ryo’s mind was filled with questions, but now was not the time.
“How do we dispel the Slave spell?”
“There is no other way than to defeat the sorcerer who cast it.”
Alicia, the Wind-Attribute Magician, asked and Graham answered. With the bitterest face they had seen on him until now.
Hugh, who had been kneeling on one knee, was seen standing up by the rear guard as they were talking about this.
“Hugh!”
Hero Roman noticed that Hugh’s air as he stood up was different from before.
He had been easygoing with an air of strength around him but now as he stood up, he was what could only be described as a mass of aggression.
When his eyes met Roman’s, he slashed at him with his sword without a moment’s pause.
Roman, who had sensed the change in the atmosphere, was not caught off guard.
That sword strike was so swift that if he had been careless, the fight would have ended with just that one strike.
(As expected from the Swordsman called the hero of war, 『Master of the Sword』 McGrath.)
Perhaps Roman was superior in terms of speed and power.
But just a couple of clashes showed … the overwhelming difference in skill.
Even in the clash in the Royal Capital with Abel, Abel had the advantage in skill but the advantage would have shifted to Roman as time went by.
But the man in front of him was different.
He parried Roman’s high-speed strikes perfectly.
The timing of his sword strikes, the angle, and the counterattack after parrying, everything was overwhelming.
(I would be ruined with just the slightest misstep.)
Roman was under a pressure he had never experienced before.
The 『Hero』 Roman and the 『Hero of war』 McGrath.
The sword fight between these two men would have been awe-inspiring entertainment for those who had nothing to do with it.
Both were Swordsmen representing the western and central countries.
In fact, even those involved were transfixed.
“Amazing….”
Even the Fire-Attribute Magician Gordon, who was a wizard and had no interest in sword fighting, was transfixed by the sword fight.
The Swordsman Niels was crying for some reason.
Even if it was an exchange of lives, people unconditionally felt emotional in the face of something wonderful.
It was a battle between two of the greatest Swordsmen that might never see again.
Just by being able to see it, Niels’ sword technique would probably increase by a notch.
The 『real deal』 had that much influence.
But in contrast, there was another Swordsman watching the swordfight between the two.
It was Amon.
He was staring transfixed at them, not missing a single movement.
His arms and legs moved just slightly, and in his mind he was simulating what would happen if he moved with his own body… although only Ryo noticed that.
Ryo, too, was at first fascinated by their swordfight.
However, after ten rounds of clashes, it became clear that Roman was losing.
In that situation, he could not just stand there and watch.
If the 『Hero』 died there…
Yes, the same reason why he had stopped Roman and Abel when they had fought previously.
『The Hero is needed to defeat the Demon Lord』
Of course, he didn’t want Roman to die and he didn’t want him to become a Strigoi.
However, Hugh’s skill exceeded Roman’s speed and power.
Perhaps in the eyes of all but Ryo, they were evenly matched.
That’s how tiny the difference was.
But there was certainly a difference.
A difference that Roman could not overturn.
If that was the case, then someone in the rear guard had to do something.
(The <Slave> that we faced in the hidden temple … Abel overcame it with items, but I resisted all by myself. It was probably the effect of the 『malice purification』 that Sera talked about. And it should work on those near me too … That’s why Sera hangs around near me … not because of my charm)
Ryo got depressed for some reason.
But he quickly got back on his feet.
(No, that is my constitution, so instead it’s my power! The guardian beast of Niels’ village also said that just by staying close to me, her lifespan was extended … Okay, let’s do it.)
Ryo held the Murasame that was at his waist in his hand with the blade formed.
Then he shouted.
“Roman! Switch with me.”
“Eh?”
Roman could not understand what Ryo suddenly shouted from the rear guard.
“You switch with me. On my signal, move to the rear. Three, two, one, switch.”
At that moment, Roman jumped far backward.
Naturally, Hugh chased after him, but Ryo suddenly appeared and thrust at him with Murasame, with the blade of ice formed.
Thrust.
Thrust. Thrust. Thrust.
With a barrage of thrusts, Roman outstripped Hugh’s charge and retreated safely to the rear.
The swordfight then switched to Ryo vs. Hugh.
Surprised at the sight, but seeing the switch, Vampire Kalinikos grinned and said.
“I’m still in the middle of activating <Slave>. Somehow it didn’t work on the young Swordsman, but you can be my slave.”
“I refuse.”
Without a moment’s delay, Ryo continued his swordfight with Hugh.
At that time at the hidden temple, he fell to his knees the moment Slave as applied on him, partly because it was his first experience, but this time he continued to fight without a pause in his movement at all, even when he came out into the space of the Slave spell.
After he clashed with Hugh five, ten times, Kalinikos eventually noticed something was wrong.
“You … why are you unaffected?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps it’s my constitution?”
Ryo replied to Kalinikos’ question as if he was making fun of him.
“Don’t be ridiculous! I am a Count. There are not many people who can withstand a Count’s <Slave>!”
“It didn’t work on the young swordsman just now, did it?”
While having such a conversation with Kalinikos, Ryo was still handling Hugh’s sword deftly.
In the first place, he did not plan to defeat Hugh with a sword.
In that case, he just had to protect himself.
He was good at defending himself.
Even against Sera clad in her <Wind Equip> who boasted overwhelming speed, power, and superb technique, he had recently been able to maintain the balance for nearly two hours.
Even Hugh would not be able to easily overcome Ryo’s ironclad defense.
The total number of the clashes must have exceeded 200.
At last, the timing that Ryo had hoped for had arrived.
Hugh took a big swing and miss, and dropped to one knee with his head down.
“Wh-what’s going on?”
Kalinikos could not grasp what was happening.
All he saw was Ryo dodging Hugh’s lateral cleave.
What actually happened was that … Ryo merely dodged Hugh’s lateral cleave.
Hugh went down on one knee for another reason that.
The other reason was …
“Damn you …”
A small murmur escaped from the man on one knee in front of Ryo.
As soon as he looked up, something flew out of his left hand.
The flying object was a dagger.
The destination was between Kalinikos’ eyebrows.
Kalinikos deflected the dagger away with his Bloody sword.
But that was, of course, Hugh’s trap.
As soon as the dagger was thrown, he closed the distance between himself and Kalinikos at once.
By the time Kalinikos had deflected the dagger, Hugh had already moved into his space.
Four streaks of light that could only be described as sword flashes. These were drawn by Hugh’s sword.
He cut off both of Kalinikos’ arms and legs.
“Guha!”
Even vampires, as expected, felt pain when they were cut.
‘You son of a bitch … But it’s no use. I will recover soon … Huh? Why aren’t they moving?”
Kalinikos looked at his arms and legs that have been cut off.
Normally they might have returned to his body immediately but this time there was no sign of that happening.
‘It’s no use, Vampire. I hold the Holy Sword Galahad. It’s a sword that seals the regenerative abilities of things like you.”
Hugh looked down at Kalinikos, who had lost his legs and was now shorter.
“The Holy Sword? There should only be three adventurers in the Central Nations who have holy swords…”
“You’re well informed. I am one of them. My introduction is late. My name is Hugh McGrath. A former A-rank adventurer.”
Hugh bowed politely and introduced himself.
“Hero of the Great War … I never expected such a big name to come at the very beginning … I was too naïve to recognize that.”
Kalinikos was visibly disappointed.
(<Icewall Package>).
Ryo had not yet let down his guard against Kalinikos, who was displaying such an appearance.
Based on his knowledge of light novels, the vampire might turn into countless bats and flee, or curse them before his death, or even more directly self-destruct to bring them down with him.
『Assume the worst and hope for the best.』
A maxim that applied to any situation.
It was a quote from the British politician Disraeli. Originally, politicians were inherently good.
Yes, originally …
Chapter 0158 Kalinikos Part 2
Translator: Jay_Forestieri (Professional)
Editor: Tseirp
The vampire was confined in an ice wall invoked by Ryo.
“Well. Count Haskil, was it?”
Hugh called out to the vampire, Count Kalinikos, whose limbs had been cut off and was hanging his head dejectedly.
By then, the rearguard had moved up.
Naturally, they were within the range of the spell Evil Protection deployed by Priest Graham.
Maurice, the scout, was looking curiously at Ryo and Hugh, who were out of range but seemed unaffected.
“I’m Count Haskil Kalinikos.”
Well, he wasn’t going to keep his head hanging down forever.
He looked up and gave his name.
“You win. You do know how to kill a vampire, don’t you? Make it quick.”
Kalinikos said, with all the dignity he could muster.
“There’s something that we would like to know. And, it would be nice if you could be a little forthcoming.”
Hugh told him clearly why he would not kill him immediately.
Hearing this, Kalinikos’ mouth twisted into a wide grin and said.
“You really think I’ll tell you anything?”
But Hugh must have expected that reply as well.
Without a moment’s pause or change of expression, he continued.
“Count Haskil. If you call yourself a Count, then it means that you are also bound by Noblesse Oblige. We defeated you hands down. We defeated your entire army without a single casualty, and we even vanquished your Dark Magic. If you won’t give such worthy opponents even a single piece of information…then I guess that title only amounts to that much if you can spit on it so blatantly, right?”
It was a taunt against the dignity of one bearing the title of ‘Count’.
In negotiations, it is fundamental to make a play on what the other party values most.
Normally, it is difficult to find out exactly what that thing is, but in this case, it was easy to grasp because his intense self-esteem was evident even before the fight.
‘Noblesse Oblige, huh…?’
Kalinikos muttered quietly.
“I never thought I’d be admonished by the likes of a human about what it means to be a noble…. Very well, I will answer you, maybe not all, but you have my word.”
Kalinikos replied in a strong voice, puffing his chest.
Hugh’s plan had worked.
“The first question I want to ask you is why did you seize control of this fishing village?”
“I said I would answer your question, but you need to put a little thought into how to go about asking it. How do you expect me to answer such an ambiguous question?”
Kalinikos answered Hugh’s question with a sigh of dismay.
“Is that so? Then how about anything and everything that comes to mind then?”
“Yeah, very funny. Some things I cannot say. But…as for why I took over this fishing village, it’s simply by chance.”
Kalinikos answered without any change in expression.
“By chance, uh. So, will there be more vampires coming in after you?”
“Not a chance. I was…chased out of the country. Don’t ask me why. I simply got the short end of the stick in a power struggle, something that happens all the time. So, I was traveling by sea when a storm hit and swept me away to this fishing village.”
Kalinikos replied as he shrugged his shoulders.
“Why did you turn the villagers into Strigoi?”
“Right…there it is, that irreconcilable difference of opinion between my kind and humans. Humans raise pigs and chickens and eat their eggs and meat, don’t they? Yet, you don’t see anything wrong in that. What we vampires do to humans is no different. It may be unforgivable from your point of view as humans. But I don’t think the pigs and chickens would forgive you either.”
(That’s right…according to 『Phi』, humans are not at the top of the food chain. Back when I was on Earth, humans were basically the top dog, but here…one look at a dragon or a griffon and you would instinctively understand that there are a lot of creatures way stronger than humans roaming around. I guess humans, from the vampire’s point of view, aren’t considered adversaries either.)
That’s what Ryo was thinking.
(He is the only vampire. No backup. Meaning, there is only one thing left to confirm.)
Hugh, after sorting out what Kalinikos had said, continued.
“What can you tell me about the Majin that rests in this land.”
At the moment he asked that question, Hugh saw Kalinikos’ eyebrows move just a little.
It returned to normal in an instant, but he remained silent for a good few seconds.
Kalinikos then sighed heavily and began to speak.
“Just west of this square, in the woods, about fifteen minutes in, there is a cave with a stone coffin in the back. Perhaps you are referring to the guy inside?”
“Perhaps?”
Hugh tilted his head and asked.
“I didn’t look inside the coffin. But the moment I put my hand on that coffin, it took away half my mana. So I knew there was something terrible inside. I didn’t even want to know what was in there, so I left it alone…”
Kalinikos paused for a moment, his face contorted, then took a breath before continuing.
“It’s been left alone so far, but perhaps…it will come out on its own soon.”
“What?”
“I’m afraid by sucking away my mana, I may have accelerated its recovery considerably. That’s probably bad news for you humans.”
Then he laughed without making a sound, the edges of his mouth contorting into a wide smile.
“How terrible…”
It was Rashata, the Folklore Officer, who muttered quietly.
“Sure enough, I am running short of blood…can you put an end to my misery now.”
Kalinikos’ voice sounded much quieter than it had at first.
His complexion remained unchanged, as he was originally pale, but it was clear that his death was imminent.
“That’s all from me. Does anyone have anything they would like to ask?”
Saying this, Hugh turned to Priest Graham.
But Graham shook his head. Saying he had nothing to ask in particular.
“Oh, if there’s nobody, then may I ask something?”
Ryo raised his right hand asking Hugh for permission.
“Sure, go ahead.”
Hugh nodded his head and gave up his spot in front of Kalinikos to Ryo.
“Count Haskil, you said earlier that you were ‘exiled’ from your country. Could you tell me the location of the vampire country?”
The question was heard by everyone in the group, and many of them opened their eyes.
He certainly mentioned about being exiled from the country…which stands to reason it meant, from a vampire nation.
“Hmph. I guess I slipped up. And here I was feeling relieved the question and answer session was finally over…only for you, kid, to come over and ask me a tedious question at the last minute.”
Self-mockery was the only thing Ryo could think of befitting the expression on his face.
‘Exiled from the country.’
That sentence, however, had a rather serious meaning for humans.
At least in the Central Nations, the existence of vampire countries was not known.
The fact that a vampire had been expelled from his country and had made his way to this place alone…meant that there was a high possibility of there being a vampire country somewhere in the vicinity, as opposed to some imaginary location in one corner of the world.
That was a serious problem.
“I did say I would answer your questions, but I can’t answer the kid’s question. That would be putting my former compatriots in harm’s way. I do have a grudge against the ones who drove me to exile, but I cannot betray the rest of my kin.”
“I see, that’s too bad.”
Hearing Kalinikos’ reply, Ryo withdrew without any particular resistance.
He knew he wasn’t going to tell anyway.
He only wanted to confirm one thing.
‘There was actually a vampire country, and it seemed to be nearby.’
If it were at the ends of the earth, or in the western or eastern countries, the ‘Count’ in front of him would have answered.
However, the fact that he refused to answer was itself proof that it was ‘nearby’.
Of course, Ryo was not thinking of destroying the vampire country, but was merely asking out of curiosity.
Kalinikos muttered in a voice so tiny that only Ryo could hear it.
It might have been meant for someone back in the vampire country.
“To think that we spent a century emphazing the reciting of chants such that they would only be able to invoke feeble magic Yet, none of these lot recited a single chant the entire time.”
Ryo had finished his questioning and was in the process of moving to give the spot in front of Kalinikos to someone else. Then the muttering reached his ears.
“Sorry, what was…”
But Ryo’s words were interrupted by Graham.
“Then, I will put an end to this vampire. Ryo, please undo the ice wall.”
Ryo missed the timing to ask Kalinikos because of the request.
He then dispelled the ice wall that was covering Kalinikos.
Kalinikos looked at Graham’s outfit as he came in front of him…probably saw the symbol of the Western Church hanging from his neck, and gave a small snort.
“I didn’t realize there was a priest from the Western Church among you…oh, you’re the one who was chanting Evil Protection, huh.”
“I’m afraid you’re wrong, vampire.”
Graham said and pulled something out of his staff.
Ryo looked at it and thought.
(A sword cane! )
A straight sword appeared from within the staff like…it was a scene straight out of Zatoichi. (TLN: Reference to a 2003 Japanese film of the same name)
“I am not a priest. I’m an archbishop. It’s Archbishop Graham.”
Graham said, holding the straight sword.
“Archbishop Graham…? Wait a minute…the Inquisition Commissioner…vampire hunter…master…Graham…”
Kalinikos’ eyes widened in astonishment.
“I’m afraid you’re wrong again, vampire. Not master, Doctor Graham. In vampireology, you see.”
Kalinikos’ eyes went from astonished to furious.
“You lowly wretch…. How many vampires have you killed so far…”
At that moment, Graham’s straight sword decapitated Kalinikos and, without a moment’s pause, pierced his heart as well.
“You are the 256th.”
Chapter 0158 Kalinikos Part 1
Translator: Tseirp
The front line.
Hero Roman and Hugh were facing off against Vampire Kalinikos and two Strigoi, who could be said to be his entourage.
Up to that point, eight Strigoi had been killed in the blink of an eye.
However, these two were completely different from their previous opponents.
To begin with, what they were wearing was different …
“Former adventurers huh …”
Hugh muttered quietly.
“Correct.”
But he must have heard his muttering as Kalinikos grinned and answered.
If he had been an adventurer before his death, he would not be able to hold his own in a fight against a Hero and the hero of war at the same time.
But now that he was a Strigoi, his physical abilities had been pushed beyond their limits, and what he lacked in skill, he made up for in speed and power.
“I too shall kill some time.”
Kalinikos said and produced a crimson sword from his palm.
“Bloody sword…”
Roman looked at the red sword and muttered.
“That’s correct too. You lot know a lot about vampires, don’t you? That’s unusual for adventurers from the Central Nations.”
Kalinikos was not yet aware of the identity of Hero Roman and the group.
However, he understood that Roman and Hugh, who had come to the front, were stronger than the adventurers he had made into Strigoi, so he quickly joined the battle.
It was never just to ‘kill some time’.
Kalinikos was one-on-one with Roman, with Hugh taking on the two former adventurers.
Kalinikos’ swordsmanship was of a very high level.
At the very least, there was no clear difference between the two such that Roman could easily defeat him.
If that was the case, then as a vampire, he could be said to have much greater stamina than humans.
It seemed that the more time passes, the more advantage Kalinikos would have.
Up until this point, Kalinikos was full of confidence.
But his composure was shattered when he saw the Strigoi attacking the rear guard had their movements slowed and they were decapitated one by one.
“What is happening …?”
It was completely unexpected that fifty Strigoi would be annihilated without killing a single adventurer.
Neither Hugh nor Roman, who glanced at the scene, knew exactly what had happened, but they understood that the vampire in front of them was shaken.
If this was the case, it was a common practice in battle to take advantage of that.
The unrest in Kalinikos, the leader of the group, would extend to his kin as well, the former adventurers.
Hugh slashed the sword arms of the two former adventurers, whose movements had grown just slightly duller, and then, without a moment’s pause, decapitated them both.
It was truly a divine feat.
Even Roman, who was watching from the corner of his eye, was amazed by his swordsmanship.
(As one would expect from a Hero of the great war and renowned former A-rank adventurer…)
“Damn you … I didn’t expect this.”
Vampire Kalinikos wrung out those words.
As he said that, Kalinikos, perhaps instantly boosting his physical capabilities, stepped back so fast that even Roman had difficulty following him, and moved a short distance away from Roman and Hugh.
Then he chanted softly.
“<Slave>“
At that moment, a kind of haze appeared in Roman’s and Hugh’s heads, cutting off their consciousness.
Roman gritted his teeth and held on, while Hugh involuntarily fell to one knee.
That scene was visible to the ten people in the rear guard.
“What happened?”
Niels uttered reflexively, but no one could give a clear answer.
If he had heard the word <Slave> chanted by Kalinikos, Ryo might have understood.
But even if he had not heard the chant, something flashed through the mind of the Priest Graham.
“No way, Dark Magic …”
He muttered to himself, then readied his staff and chanted.
“<Evil Protection>“
The air distorted slightly, creating a hemisphere with a radius of about five meters around Graham.
“Hurry up and get inside!”
He called out to Niels and Amon, who were a short distance away, and the two of them tumbled into the hemisphere.
Then they looked at the front line.
“What the hell is going on?”
“It is likely the Dark-Attribute Magic <Slave>. It’s a troublesome spell that allows the caster to control the target at will.
Niels asked to no one in particular and Graham answered.
“Then, those two are …”
“Roman will probably resist. The magic resistance of the Hero is the strongest of mankind. But … nobody apart from Roman is capable of resisting the Dark-Attribute Magic of a Count-class Vampire. Even Saints and Saintess can’t. I fear Master McGrath …”
Graham answered Etho’s question with a frown.
“In other words, Roman and Hugh will face each other.”
It was Ryo who said that.
Ryo recalled that on the way back to Rune from the Royal Capital, the same Slave spell was cast on him and was almost manipulated in the same way by a priest who believed in a dark god.
At that time, Abel was wearing an item that resisted mental interference-type magic and the Slave spell was ineffective.
“Does Hugh have any items that resist mental interference-type magic …?”
He asked Graham, thinking that perhaps Hugh might have … an item of that sort.
“I fear we can’t hope for that. Items of that sort are national treasures, both in the Western Countries and in the Central Nations. Not even Master McGrath, a former A-rank adventurer and renowned hero, would wear one …”
Graham replied, shaking his head.
(Why the heck is Abel wearing such an item? …)
Ryo’s mind was filled with questions, but now was not the time.
“How do we dispel the Slave spell?”
“There is no other way than to defeat the sorcerer who cast it.”
Alicia, the Wind-Attribute Magician, asked and Graham answered. With the bitterest face they had seen on him until now.
Hugh, who had been kneeling on one knee, was seen standing up by the rear guard as they were talking about this.
“Hugh!”
Hero Roman noticed that Hugh’s air as he stood up was different from before.
He had been easygoing with an air of strength around him but now as he stood up, he was what could only be described as a mass of aggression.
When his eyes met Roman’s, he slashed at him with his sword without a moment’s pause.
Roman, who had sensed the change in the atmosphere, was not caught off guard.
That sword strike was so swift that if he had been careless, the fight would have ended with just that one strike.
(As expected from the Swordsman called the hero of war, 『Master of the Sword』 McGrath.)
Perhaps Roman was superior in terms of speed and power.
But just a couple of clashes showed … the overwhelming difference in skill.
Even in the clash in the Royal Capital with Abel, Abel had the advantage in skill but the advantage would have shifted to Roman as time went by.
But the man in front of him was different.
He parried Roman’s high-speed strikes perfectly.
The timing of his sword strikes, the angle, and the counterattack after parrying, everything was overwhelming.
(I would be ruined with just the slightest misstep.)
Roman was under a pressure he had never experienced before.
The 『Hero』 Roman and the 『Hero of war』 McGrath.
The sword fight between these two men would have been awe-inspiring entertainment for those who had nothing to do with it.
Both were Swordsmen representing the western and central countries.
In fact, even those involved were transfixed.
“Amazing….”
Even the Fire-Attribute Magician Gordon, who was a wizard and had no interest in sword fighting, was transfixed by the sword fight.
The Swordsman Niels was crying for some reason.
Even if it was an exchange of lives, people unconditionally felt emotional in the face of something wonderful.
It was a battle between two of the greatest Swordsmen that might never see again.
Just by being able to see it, Niels’ sword technique would probably increase by a notch.
The 『real deal』 had that much influence.
But in contrast, there was another Swordsman watching the swordfight between the two.
It was Amon.
He was staring transfixed at them, not missing a single movement.
His arms and legs moved just slightly, and in his mind he was simulating what would happen if he moved with his own body… although only Ryo noticed that.
Ryo, too, was at first fascinated by their swordfight.
However, after ten rounds of clashes, it became clear that Roman was losing.
In that situation, he could not just stand there and watch.
If the 『Hero』 died there…
Yes, the same reason why he had stopped Roman and Abel when they had fought previously.
『The Hero is needed to defeat the Demon Lord』
Of course, he didn’t want Roman to die and he didn’t want him to become a Strigoi.
However, Hugh’s skill exceeded Roman’s speed and power.
Perhaps in the eyes of all but Ryo, they were evenly matched.
That’s how tiny the difference was.
But there was certainly a difference.
A difference that Roman could not overturn.
If that was the case, then someone in the rear guard had to do something.
(The <Slave> that we faced in the hidden temple … Abel overcame it with items, but I resisted all by myself. It was probably the effect of the 『malice purification』 that Sera talked about. And it should work on those near me too … That’s why Sera hangs around near me … not because of my charm)
Ryo got depressed for some reason.
But he quickly got back on his feet.
(No, that is my constitution, so instead it’s my power! The guardian beast of Niels’ village also said that just by staying close to me, her lifespan was extended … Okay, let’s do it.)
Ryo held the Murasame that was at his waist in his hand with the blade formed.
Then he shouted.
“Roman! Switch with me.”
“Eh?”
Roman could not understand what Ryo suddenly shouted from the rear guard.
“You switch with me. On my signal, move to the rear. Three, two, one, switch.”
At that moment, Roman jumped far backward.
Naturally, Hugh chased after him, but Ryo suddenly appeared and thrust at him with Murasame, with the blade of ice formed.
Thrust.
Thrust. Thrust. Thrust.
With a barrage of thrusts, Roman outstripped Hugh’s charge and retreated safely to the rear.
The swordfight then switched to Ryo vs. Hugh.
Surprised at the sight, but seeing the switch, Vampire Kalinikos grinned and said.
“I’m still in the middle of activating <Slave>. Somehow it didn’t work on the young Swordsman, but you can be my slave.”
“I refuse.”
Without a moment’s delay, Ryo continued his swordfight with Hugh.
At that time at the hidden temple, he fell to his knees the moment Slave as applied on him, partly because it was his first experience, but this time he continued to fight without a pause in his movement at all, even when he came out into the space of the Slave spell.
After he clashed with Hugh five, ten times, Kalinikos eventually noticed something was wrong.
“You … why are you unaffected?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps it’s my constitution?”
Ryo replied to Kalinikos’ question as if he was making fun of him.
“Don’t be ridiculous! I am a Count. There are not many people who can withstand a Count’s <Slave>!”
“It didn’t work on the young swordsman just now, did it?”
While having such a conversation with Kalinikos, Ryo was still handling Hugh’s sword deftly.
In the first place, he did not plan to defeat Hugh with a sword.
In that case, he just had to protect himself.
He was good at defending himself.
Even against Sera clad in her <Wind Equip> who boasted overwhelming speed, power, and superb technique, he had recently been able to maintain the balance for nearly two hours.
Even Hugh would not be able to easily overcome Ryo’s ironclad defense.
The total number of the clashes must have exceeded 200.
At last, the timing that Ryo had hoped for had arrived.
Hugh took a big swing and miss, and dropped to one knee with his head down.
“Wh-what’s going on?”
Kalinikos could not grasp what was happening.
All he saw was Ryo dodging Hugh’s lateral cleave.
What actually happened was that … Ryo merely dodged Hugh’s lateral cleave.
Hugh went down on one knee for another reason that.
The other reason was …
“Damn you …”
A small murmur escaped from the man on one knee in front of Ryo.
As soon as he looked up, something flew out of his left hand.
The flying object was a dagger.
The destination was between Kalinikos’ eyebrows.
Kalinikos deflected the dagger away with his Bloody sword.
But that was, of course, Hugh’s trap.
As soon as the dagger was thrown, he closed the distance between himself and Kalinikos at once.
By the time Kalinikos had deflected the dagger, Hugh had already moved into his space.
Four streaks of light that could only be described as sword flashes. These were drawn by Hugh’s sword.
He cut off both of Kalinikos’ arms and legs.
“Guha!”
Even vampires, as expected, felt pain when they were cut.
‘You son of a bitch … But it’s no use. I will recover soon … Huh? Why aren’t they moving?”
Kalinikos looked at his arms and legs that have been cut off.
Normally they might have returned to his body immediately but this time there was no sign of that happening.
‘It’s no use, Vampire. I hold the Holy Sword Galahad. It’s a sword that seals the regenerative abilities of things like you.”
Hugh looked down at Kalinikos, who had lost his legs and was now shorter.
“The Holy Sword? There should only be three adventurers in the Central Nations who have holy swords…”
“You’re well informed. I am one of them. My introduction is late. My name is Hugh McGrath. A former A-rank adventurer.”
Hugh bowed politely and introduced himself.
“Hero of the Great War … I never expected such a big name to come at the very beginning … I was too naïve to recognize that.”
Kalinikos was visibly disappointed.
(<Icewall Package>).
Ryo had not yet let down his guard against Kalinikos, who was displaying such an appearance.
Based on his knowledge of light novels, the vampire might turn into countless bats and flee, or curse them before his death, or even more directly self-destruct to bring them down with him.
『Assume the worst and hope for the best.』
A maxim that applied to any situation.
It was a quote from the British politician Disraeli. Originally, politicians were inherently good.
Yes, originally …
Chapter 0158 Kalinikos Part 2
Translator: Jay_Forestieri (Professional)
Editor: Tseirp
The vampire was confined in an ice wall invoked by Ryo.
“Well. Count Haskil, was it?”
Hugh called out to the vampire, Count Kalinikos, whose limbs had been cut off and was hanging his head dejectedly.
By then, the rearguard had moved up.
Naturally, they were within the range of the spell Evil Protection deployed by Priest Graham.
Maurice, the scout, was looking curiously at Ryo and Hugh, who were out of range but seemed unaffected.
“I’m Count Haskil Kalinikos.”
Well, he wasn’t going to keep his head hanging down forever.
He looked up and gave his name.
“You win. You do know how to kill a vampire, don’t you? Make it quick.”
Kalinikos said, with all the dignity he could muster.
“There’s something that we would like to know. And, it would be nice if you could be a little forthcoming.”
Hugh told him clearly why he would not kill him immediately.
Hearing this, Kalinikos’ mouth twisted into a wide grin and said.
“You really think I’ll tell you anything?”
But Hugh must have expected that reply as well.
Without a moment’s pause or change of expression, he continued.
“Count Haskil. If you call yourself a Count, then it means that you are also bound by Noblesse Oblige. We defeated you hands down. We defeated your entire army without a single casualty, and we even vanquished your Dark Magic. If you won’t give such worthy opponents even a single piece of information…then I guess that title only amounts to that much if you can spit on it so blatantly, right?”
It was a taunt against the dignity of one bearing the title of ‘Count’.
In negotiations, it is fundamental to make a play on what the other party values most.
Normally, it is difficult to find out exactly what that thing is, but in this case, it was easy to grasp because his intense self-esteem was evident even before the fight.
‘Noblesse Oblige, huh…?’
Kalinikos muttered quietly.
“I never thought I’d be admonished by the likes of a human about what it means to be a noble…. Very well, I will answer you, maybe not all, but you have my word.”
Kalinikos replied in a strong voice, puffing his chest.
Hugh’s plan had worked.
“The first question I want to ask you is why did you seize control of this fishing village?”
“I said I would answer your question, but you need to put a little thought into how to go about asking it. How do you expect me to answer such an ambiguous question?”
Kalinikos answered Hugh’s question with a sigh of dismay.
“Is that so? Then how about anything and everything that comes to mind then?”
“Yeah, very funny. Some things I cannot say. But…as for why I took over this fishing village, it’s simply by chance.”
Kalinikos answered without any change in expression.
“By chance, uh. So, will there be more vampires coming in after you?”
“Not a chance. I was…chased out of the country. Don’t ask me why. I simply got the short end of the stick in a power struggle, something that happens all the time. So, I was traveling by sea when a storm hit and swept me away to this fishing village.”
Kalinikos replied as he shrugged his shoulders.
“Why did you turn the villagers into Strigoi?”
“Right…there it is, that irreconcilable difference of opinion between my kind and humans. Humans raise pigs and chickens and eat their eggs and meat, don’t they? Yet, you don’t see anything wrong in that. What we vampires do to humans is no different. It may be unforgivable from your point of view as humans. But I don’t think the pigs and chickens would forgive you either.”
(That’s right…according to 『Phi』, humans are not at the top of the food chain. Back when I was on Earth, humans were basically the top dog, but here…one look at a dragon or a griffon and you would instinctively understand that there are a lot of creatures way stronger than humans roaming around. I guess humans, from the vampire’s point of view, aren’t considered adversaries either.)
That’s what Ryo was thinking.
(He is the only vampire. No backup. Meaning, there is only one thing left to confirm.)
Hugh, after sorting out what Kalinikos had said, continued.
“What can you tell me about the Majin that rests in this land.”
At the moment he asked that question, Hugh saw Kalinikos’ eyebrows move just a little.
It returned to normal in an instant, but he remained silent for a good few seconds.
Kalinikos then sighed heavily and began to speak.
“Just west of this square, in the woods, about fifteen minutes in, there is a cave with a stone coffin in the back. Perhaps you are referring to the guy inside?”
“Perhaps?”
Hugh tilted his head and asked.
“I didn’t look inside the coffin. But the moment I put my hand on that coffin, it took away half my mana. So I knew there was something terrible inside. I didn’t even want to know what was in there, so I left it alone…”
Kalinikos paused for a moment, his face contorted, then took a breath before continuing.
“It’s been left alone so far, but perhaps…it will come out on its own soon.”
“What?”
“I’m afraid by sucking away my mana, I may have accelerated its recovery considerably. That’s probably bad news for you humans.”
Then he laughed without making a sound, the edges of his mouth contorting into a wide smile.
“How terrible…”
It was Rashata, the Folklore Officer, who muttered quietly.
“Sure enough, I am running short of blood…can you put an end to my misery now.”
Kalinikos’ voice sounded much quieter than it had at first.
His complexion remained unchanged, as he was originally pale, but it was clear that his death was imminent.
“That’s all from me. Does anyone have anything they would like to ask?”
Saying this, Hugh turned to Priest Graham.
But Graham shook his head. Saying he had nothing to ask in particular.
“Oh, if there’s nobody, then may I ask something?”
Ryo raised his right hand asking Hugh for permission.
“Sure, go ahead.”
Hugh nodded his head and gave up his spot in front of Kalinikos to Ryo.
“Count Haskil, you said earlier that you were ‘exiled’ from your country. Could you tell me the location of the vampire country?”
The question was heard by everyone in the group, and many of them opened their eyes.
He certainly mentioned about being exiled from the country…which stands to reason it meant, from a vampire nation.
“Hmph. I guess I slipped up. And here I was feeling relieved the question and answer session was finally over…only for you, kid, to come over and ask me a tedious question at the last minute.”
Self-mockery was the only thing Ryo could think of befitting the expression on his face.
‘Exiled from the country.’
That sentence, however, had a rather serious meaning for humans.
At least in the Central Nations, the existence of vampire countries was not known.
The fact that a vampire had been expelled from his country and had made his way to this place alone…meant that there was a high possibility of there being a vampire country somewhere in the vicinity, as opposed to some imaginary location in one corner of the world.
That was a serious problem.
“I did say I would answer your questions, but I can’t answer the kid’s question. That would be putting my former compatriots in harm’s way. I do have a grudge against the ones who drove me to exile, but I cannot betray the rest of my kin.”
“I see, that’s too bad.”
Hearing Kalinikos’ reply, Ryo withdrew without any particular resistance.
He knew he wasn’t going to tell anyway.
He only wanted to confirm one thing.
‘There was actually a vampire country, and it seemed to be nearby.’
If it were at the ends of the earth, or in the western or eastern countries, the ‘Count’ in front of him would have answered.
However, the fact that he refused to answer was itself proof that it was ‘nearby’.
Of course, Ryo was not thinking of destroying the vampire country, but was merely asking out of curiosity.
Kalinikos muttered in a voice so tiny that only Ryo could hear it.
It might have been meant for someone back in the vampire country.
“To think that we spent a century emphazing the reciting of chants such that they would only be able to invoke feeble magic Yet, none of these lot recited a single chant the entire time.”
Ryo had finished his questioning and was in the process of moving to give the spot in front of Kalinikos to someone else. Then the muttering reached his ears.
“Sorry, what was…”
But Ryo’s words were interrupted by Graham.
“Then, I will put an end to this vampire. Ryo, please undo the ice wall.”
Ryo missed the timing to ask Kalinikos because of the request.
He then dispelled the ice wall that was covering Kalinikos.
Kalinikos looked at Graham’s outfit as he came in front of him…probably saw the symbol of the Western Church hanging from his neck, and gave a small snort.
“I didn’t realize there was a priest from the Western Church among you…oh, you’re the one who was chanting Evil Protection, huh.”
“I’m afraid you’re wrong, vampire.”
Graham said and pulled something out of his staff.
Ryo looked at it and thought.
(A sword cane! )
A straight sword appeared from within the staff like…it was a scene straight out of Zatoichi. (TLN: Reference to a 2003 Japanese film of the same name)
“I am not a priest. I’m an archbishop. It’s Archbishop Graham.”
Graham said, holding the straight sword.
“Archbishop Graham…? Wait a minute…the Inquisition Commissioner…vampire hunter…master…Graham…”
Kalinikos’ eyes widened in astonishment.
“I’m afraid you’re wrong again, vampire. Not master, Doctor Graham. In vampireology, you see.”
Kalinikos’ eyes went from astonished to furious.
“You lowly wretch…. How many vampires have you killed so far…”
At that moment, Graham’s straight sword decapitated Kalinikos and, without a moment’s pause, pierced his heart as well.
“You are the 256th.”
