Novels online

Chapter 396

< an unknown threat (2) >

Tarak is a bustling metropolis every day with countless people coming and going..

Three men and women strolled leisurely along the well-maintained main street in the center..

“···It's exactly as I heard the rumor. They say that vampires are on the rise in the West, and I can definitely feel it when I come here..”

High elf Lydia muttered as she looked at the alley next to the main street..

There, several mercenaries who had been engaging in mischief against street vendors had been forcibly brought in and were receiving harsh training..

After it's over, you'll probably have to pay a fine for tuition and even donate blood to be released..

Lydia looked away from the alley and lifted the butter-roasted corn in her hand to her mouth..

She must have liked that quite a bit, as her green hair, linked to the wind spirit, swayed gently as if dancing under the hood..

“This will probably have a big impact as it is adjacent to the kingdom of Thalia, where vampires are in power. It is said that they received a lot of help from the kingdom union level. In addition, Tarak, where the headquarters of the Hubert Company is located, is also the city with the most active interaction with vampires..”

As if receiving her words, Lee Se-ah, who was scanning the surroundings with magical, blue eyes, answered quietly..

Holding assorted skewers and a bottle of drink in each hand.

Muttering

sip, sip, sip—

Two women moving their eyes in all directions while also moving their mouths diligently.

While continuing to research the city, they were enjoying the special food culture unique to the city..

“···Se-Ah, is that black drink that delicious? I don't like it at all..”

“It's the best. So much so that I regret why I didn't stay longer the last time I came. Oh, did I mention that this started to spread recently?···?”

In response to Lydia's question, Isea looked down at the drink in one hand with a serious expression..

This was a special menu item that began to be sold at ‘Dancing with Oak’, a famous Tarak restaurant directly managed by Hubert Company – Cola..

‘I heard that Hubert Trading Co. handles products from Earth, but... I never thought I could do this. What kind of unique skill do you have that makes such large-scale distribution possible??’

She clicked her tongue as she thought about the unidentified awakened person who belonged to the company..

Of course, these products have not yet become completely popular..

Because supply is limited, there is a limit to the quantity purchased per person, and the price is jaw-droppingly high..

I told you all that, the price of one small bottle of soda was equivalent to a full course meal at a high-end restaurant..

However, such money issues were nothing to Isea Pristine, the great archmage of the Order, Count of the Azerion Empire, and Princess Riley's closest confidant..

No, considering that you can taste Earth's culture in this far away world, it could actually be said to be an incredibly cheap price..

‘Haha - I think I'll buy it. This is the first cola I've had in a while?’

Lee Se-ah sighed with a relaxed expression and ate her appetite without realizing it..

It's already been 9 years since she spent time at Outerica..

Next year will be 10 years since I fell on this earth..

In that situation, when the essence of Earth's civilization called Cola was transfused into my blood vessels, I began to feel exhilarated, as if my rusty hair had been greased..

‘I want to buy a lot in advance and stock up, but it's a shame that there is a limit to the amount I can purchase per day. I wish I could meet the supplier in person sometime..’

If you have this kind of ability, you must be quite high-ranking in Hubert Trading Company, the continent's top business..

His identity will also be completely hidden, so it won't be easy to meet him..

Perhaps the store owner, Hubert himself, was an awakened person from Earth..

‘Well, there will be a chance soon.’

It would have been unknown if she had revealed her identity and requested a meeting, but since she was secretly investigating the city as a member of a hero's party, she could not have a private meeting with the local official..

However, as she was sipping her cola little by little with a regretful heart, a fact suddenly flashed through her mind..

“···Heinrich. Come to think of it, didn't you say that the Hubert Company also has a close relationship with the main church??”

Heinrich, who was leisurely following her a few steps behind, shrugged his shoulders..

He was dressed from head to toe in the ubiquitous full-body armor to hide his shining appearance..

“Yes. We are helping each other in various ways. Above all, it is also the place where Harley was the co-representative..”

“···That guy was more capable than I thought. How many tricks are there??”

He is a member of a deadly force to protect the world, and at the same time, he is the King of the Calcos Tribal Alliance, the king of mercenaries in the mercenary industry, and the co-representative of the Hubert Company, the top company on the continent..

Not only Lee Se-ah but also Lydia were impressed by the unexpected side of this person who was thought to be a glutton who always laughs..

“Anyway, we can't make exceptions for anyone now. Because no one knows what’s inside people.”

I trust Harley, but I still can't fully trust the group called Hubert Corporation..

And wasn't the fact that he was the co-CEO a long time ago??

While he was called up to the death squad and traveling around the world, he couldn't be sure that his former partner wouldn't have changed his mind..

“Wouldn't it be most reasonable for now to be suspicious of those vampires? In fact, until just a few years ago, the perception of them was that they were no different from monsters.?”

“Well, I did. Until the Vampire King named Heinz appeared, their impulse to suck blood was something they could not control. Lycanthropes, who were treated similarly to vampires, recently attacked our Elven Kingdom and were wiped out..”

After moving to a nearby alley, the mid-term meeting began naturally..

A secret barrier had suddenly formed around them, completely blocking not only internal sounds but also presence..

“ah! Of course, I know that Heinrich was active in accepting them... Even though the King of Vampires has united them all, established discipline, and brought them to the sunny side, there is no perfect control in the world. It could be a vampire who has not yet been reformed and has been living in hiding.···.”

“I am also a little suspicious of Hubert Trading Company. As I walked around this city, I could feel that their influence was truly beyond my imagination. If a big problem arises, isn't there a high probability that it will be caused by them??”

And the most mentioned thing at that meeting was Vampire and Hubert Company..

Of course, since it was a mid-term meeting not long after the investigation began, it was more like brainstorming and did not have much meaning, but Heinrich couldn't help but feel a little bitter..

He was the saint of the main church, Heinrich, and at the same time he was the vampire king Heinz II, and he was also the lord of the Great Church, Hubert..

‘Well, I was going to treat it like I was on vacation anyway, so should I just roughly adjust the music? Later on, I just need to bring a few cursed items from the Demonic Mountain to an appropriate location..’

A few days after arriving in Tarak.

Heinrich ate delicious food every day and, filled with motivation, he and the two women split off to investigate the city..

Of course, since this work started with a saint, they were not the only ones mobilized for the mission..

At that time, the heresy interrogators of the main church who had secretly entered through the Temple of Tarak also began to move in the dark..

However, because there were too many vampires, their investigation had no choice but to be slow..

Now, unlike in the past, it was not possible to blindly suppress them, so confusion continued to arise during the investigation process..

Since it was an ‘unknown threat’ where we didn’t know exactly what we were looking for in the first place, it was inevitable..

Because the Heretic Questioners were people who lived their whole lives thinking that vampires were their enemies..

‘···Should we do this soon? Seeing everyone struggling in vain makes me feel sorry.’

In the evening, it wasn't long before I decided to join my group..

Heinrich found a reasonably quiet place and was lost in thought alone..

It must be a very dangerous item for a saint to sense it, but isn't it a bit of a waste to use something with good performance for something like this??

‘Okay, we're going to seal and erase it right away anyway, but it doesn't have to be permanent. If you make it of appropriate quality and contain plenty of Hella's magic, it will last for a few days.···.’

But then.

-Saint! I found it!

Lydia's voice flowed into his ears along with the calm wind..

-After all, he was a vampire! Here at the Hubert Chamber of Commerce···!

A voice that continued urgently.

But it was cut off before I could even finish the sentence..

‘A vampire? That too Hubert Trading Company?’

Heinrich frowned..

The same was true for Heinz II and Hubert in other places as well..

“Mulo broccoli. Immediately identify and report on the situation of the Tarak dispatchers..”

“The Chamber of Commerce security team must gather at the main building with special security posture! Contact each branch in Tarak to check for any abnormalities.!”

But the embarrassment was short-lived.

The two avatars immediately started moving.

Also, they weren't the only ones taking action..

Paaaaat—

「Great Blessing: Wings of Radiance」.

With a brilliant radiance, a pair of large wings of light unfolded from the back of the plain full-body armor..

fluttering - whoop!

With a single flap of his wings, Heinrich's body soared high into the sky..

A bright glow appeared in his golden eyes as he ascended to the sky above the city and looked down..

‘Where are you?.’

This is not the Hubert Trading Company headquarters building..

Because I was aware of the situation in real time through Hubert, who was there right now..

As if looking through a microscope, all elements of the city were analyzed at a glance and organized in one's mind according to the conditions..

‘The beast is a vampire. The location is related to Hubert Company..’

My head became confused.

I never imagined that real vampires would be the problem..

In this Tarak that he thought he was holding tightly to,!

What kind of bastard is this??

‘Think about it later. Solve the problem first.’

As the accident accelerated, time slowly slowed down, but it was necessary to save this fleeting moment as much as possible..

Lydia Granwood is the second strongest person in the Elven Kingdom after Harris..

He was a talent expected to reach the top in the near future..

Of course, it was never good news that the contact he attempted to make was forcibly cut off..

‘Just a little more···.’

But fortunately.

He had one ability that he could use in times like this..

A privilege that allows you to check not only the forces under your command but also the status of its members, “The Monarch’s Power”」.

Of course, Lydia Granwood was not a subordinate to both High Elf Harris and Saint Heinrich, but a colleague, so she could not directly determine their location, but there were many people under her command in this Tarak..

<Outerica>

-Hubert Trading Company - Tarak Main Branch

And after mobilizing other avatars in accelerated time and quickly scanning their status,—.

‘I found it!’

I was finally able to find it.

└Status: Critical (serious injury))

└Status: Confusion, fear

└Status: fainted

└······

Just by looking at it, you can see the status message of those in crisis..

Additionally, the location information they all shared was meaningful..

└Location: Tarak, County of Aonia, Kingdom of Tulk ??? ?? [View detailed coordinates]

Coordinates that are displayed as question marks and do not appear properly.

This was a phenomenon that only occurred when inside the world where location information overlapped..

‘This is 100%!’

The wings of brilliance spread across Heinrich's back glowed again..

Immediately after that, his body fell somewhere like a meteor cutting through the darkness..

Although the exact location was not indicated, he already clearly knew where he was going..

That's right too—.

└Name: Miropa (sponsored by Hubert Company))

└Name: Aaron (sponsored by Hubert Company))

└Name: Rafi (sponsored by Hubert Company))

└······

Most of the names of those involved in this were very familiar..

In particular, one of them was someone I saw every day..

└Name: Diana (Secretary of Hubert Trading Company))

In some ways, this girl can be said to have been born with the most unfortunate fate in Outerica..

A human being who, after growing tired of misfortune that comes at any given time, is finally able to look to tomorrow with hope..

Heinrich, with a stern expression, crashed into one of the employee quarters of Hubert Corporation..

Before I knew it, I raised a lightsaber like a huge pillar of light from the holy sword I had drawn, and used “Space Slash” to cut down everything that stood in my way..

Wow—

From the sky to a point on the ground.

Everything in the diagonal line of the falling meteor was cut off..

Air, sound, light, and···.

Everything, including the shallow barriers that divided space and defined one’s own world..

Kwaaaaang—!

The small world collapsed.

At the same time, the everyday scenery that seemed ordinary from the outside changed completely in an instant..

An old woman covered in tattoos who vomited blood and collapsed, a small girl who fainted in her arms, a crying boy who hugged them, and citizens trembling in a huddle behind them..

“saint!”

Lydia, who was standing in front and confronting someone, shouted to welcome him..

I guess I didn't know it would come this quickly.

Heinrich got down on the ground and slowly got up..

At the same time, the wings of brilliance spread wide as if to encompass the world..

A blazing aura spread in all directions and embraced the wounded..

‘The author is···.’

The knight of light who descended to the earth looked at the culprit of this situation with stern eyes..

A young boy standing in front of a girl who had fallen on the floor and glaring at her with a frown as if something had gone wrong..

The face, which appeared to be someone in his early teens, was something Heinrich had seen once before..

Not in reality, but through a montage drawn a long time ago..

“I finally found it. Temiran McClair.”

“Tsk! Are there any cases like this? Things went wrong and now even a saint appears.?”

Temiran McClair, a boy vampire who grumbles and spits out harsh words that don't match his appearance..

He is the only son of Kayla McClair, Vice President of the Zephyr Republic, who disappeared twenty years ago..

He was the second apostle prepared by the god imprisoned in the abyss..