I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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As the Harker Clan requested a comprehensive support plan for Harriet’s Territory, the amount of goods that needed to be transported from Caprice to Count Harker’s sphere of influence suddenly increased.

Harriet’s Territory is just a small city. Naturally, the surge in the movement of goods wouldn’t suddenly increase because of the support plan for Harriet’s Territory. However, at the same time, Harker began purchasing not only support supplies from Caprice but also weapons produced at the Magic Tower.

While there were some nobles who viewed the Harker family’s rapid military strengthening with suspicion, the royal family and the council approved the purchase of these weapons without any objections. They even accepted separate requests to borrow unused cannons and gunpowder from the warehouse for free.

The ones who gained work from this were the transporters who owned carriages. And since this matter involved a very important strategic asset—the weapons produced at the Magic Tower—it received special protection.

Bernard, who was in charge of security, sat beside the driver of a freight wagon with a sullen expression, staring blankly ahead.

“Silver Point, I’ve heard rumors that this area has been rather dangerous lately. Is it true?”

Hearing this, the driver and transporter, Violet, had an inkling. Violet was a sharp-witted woman who, having caught wind of imminent legislation on the prohibition of alcohol at the council, quickly abandoned her tavern business.

Shortly after, smelling the news of the No Member Fortress construction, she used the capital from selling the tavern to buy a freight transport wagon and actively participated in the transportation of materials, eventually purchasing even more wagons and hiring additional employees, becoming a promising entrepreneur.

The royal family seemed to have deemed her somewhat reliable since she owned several generations of carriages and even attached Bernard, a hero’s friend, to her security detail, sending them to Count Harker’s Territory.

“What rumors? I’m not too familiar with what’s going on in the north, but I haven’t paid much attention to the south.”

“Oh, that’s unfortunate! Since you’re a war hero who’s been active at the frontlines. Still, these days, there are sometimes ominous rumors circulating in the south. Uhh, what was it? I heard something about monsters gathering… where was it again?”

“It must be the Monster-Infested Mountain Range. If you’re going to work in these parts, you should at least study the geography a bit, don’t you think?”

“Right, I know, I know! The Monster-Infested Mountain Range. They say a huge number of monsters are pouring south through there. I’ve heard that even the Imperial Army can’t deal with the mountain range. Is that true? Like, why wouldn’t they clear out the mountain range during the war?”

“That rumor is quite accurate. Yes, indeed, the Imperial Army can’t handle that mountain range properly. It’s right next to the Elf Nation, and the terrain isn’t exactly friendly. Besides, other than the large fairies, not many can cross even one mountain without struggle, so how could they send troops to subjugate them?”

“I’ve heard the Demon Race can easily cross through, though….”

“That’s exactly why we’re getting pushed back in the war.”

Bernard muttered as if feeling strange, while Violet’s eyes widened, seemingly perplexed by his response.

“Uh, no! I didn’t mean to dismiss those fighting on the battlefield. It’s just that running a tavern means I overheard a lot of rumors, especially since this job just started and so many rumors are flying around! So sometimes I might carelessly say something…”

“Be quiet.”

“I’m sorry. Don’t take it personally! I really don’t want to turn the world’s greatest hunter into an enemy—”

“Shut your carriage and be quiet!”

Bernard shouted sharply, causing Violet’s face to turn serious. Even a woman as oblivious as Violet understood Bernard’s reputation as a hunter and his keen instincts.

When he raised his voice like that, it was evident something unusual was happening, so Violet quickly stood up and signaled to the approaching carriages to stop, halting her own as well.

Silence and stillness fell in an instant. To an ordinary human ear, other than the sound of the wind rustling the grass, not a single sound could be heard.

“It’s quiet.”

Violet remarked, and Bernard nodded.

“Not a single bug or bird is making a sound. When does such a thing happen, huh?”

“When there’s a predator nearby?”

“When a demon is close by. It’s when there are demons among them who don’t know how to conceal their presence that such things occur.”

The late realization of Bernard regarding the demon’s presence was significant. Recently, this seasoned hunter had been facing only especially powerful demons, most of whom were capable enough to hide their presence even from birds.

For instance, in the case of powerful demons like a Lich that uses magic or a Succubus specialized in illusion from the start, nearby birds and insects would not notice their presence and wouldn’t avoid them. Therefore, simply recognizing their presence by the absence of surrounding noise was impossible.

Accustomed to facing such foes, Bernard had belatedly recognized the unusual signs around him.

Bernard heightened the tension throughout his body and moved his hand toward his weapons.

While the powerful demons could conceal their presence, that certainly didn’t mean they were weak demons. Even the lesser demons like Orcs or Goblins would easily hide from birds without leaving a trace.

A chilling sensation. Bernard instinctively caught the faint scent of blood in the air. In fact, it wasn’t that blood was wafting through the air, but all signs clearly indicated the presence of a vampire.

Without the sound of wings or shadows, he didn’t think they were too close. The hunter, drawing two daggers from his waist, turned slightly to Violet and asked.

“Where’s the spear?”

“It’s in the second carriage. They’re magically enhanced items, so they should work against most demons.”

“Then arm all of the drivers with those spears. Hand me two!”

“Right away!”

Fortunately, this wagon train was one carrying military supplies. The first wagon was filled only with cannons and gunpowder, but the second wagon was packed with spears and armor.

While it wasn’t efficient to don armor at the moment, taking a spear for each person in case of emergencies was not a bad decision.

Receiving two spears from Violet’s fellow transporters, Bernard put his daggers back in their sheaths and held a spear in both hands, keeping vigilant.

In Bernard’s keen senses, he felt the presence of enemies drawing closer. It seemed that the enemies realized their presence had been detected by Bernard and chose to approach rather than flee.

In that moment—

“Danger!”

Bernard shouted like lightning, hurling both spearheads into the air. A huge bat-shaped shadow appeared from the empty air, and the merchants screamed, ducking into their wagons.

Violet maintained composure, tightly gripping her spear, but sweat began to drip down her face as well.

Though the bat-like figure perfectly avoided one spear, it could not evade another entirely and was grazed on the wing. The dark shadow emitted a piercing shriek as it writhed. Bernard pulled out his specialized dagger and climbed onto the roof of the carriage, gripping it tightly with both hands.

If Bernard were just aiming to catch that vampire, he would have jumped right into the fray. However, as a hunter, today’s mission was to escort this wagon. A simple hunt wouldn’t suffice. His responsibility was to protect these people from being harmed, ensuring they weren’t bitten by the vampire.

The writhing form transformed into a winged woman, with her bright red eyes glimmering ominously.

At first glance, she bore a provocative resemblance to a Succubus, yet the elongated fangs and burning red eyes were distinct features not found in a Succubus.

With bat-like wings and traits cursed by malevolence rather than allure, Bernard became certain that he was facing a female vampire floating above him.

“What the hell are you?! Reveal your true identity!”

Bernard momentarily gestured for Violet to hide inside the wagon before glaring at the vampire and shouting. The vampire, circling the air in a way to keep Bernard in sight, answered with a grotesque voice.

“Vampire! A loyal servant of the Demon King! What more explanation do you need, ghost-hunter Bernard Silver Point!”

“Then you must be a foe I need to annihilate.”

“You’re the trophy I desire!”

At the moment the vampire dove down, Bernard drew his crossbow. With one hand holding the sword and the other the crossbow, he pulled the trigger to release a volley of shots while swinging his sword widely.

The vampire, dive-bombing straight down and getting hit by several arrows, hastily ascended into the air before getting too close to dodge Bernard’s crossbow and blade.

Capable vampires were the kind of species among the Demon King’s army that could fly after wyverns. Their flying skill was distinctly superior to that of Succubi who predominantly used their wings more for defense than for flight.

Bernard, either to save his arrows or check the flight trajectory of the vampire, continued to fire arrows skyward. The vampire deftly avoided Bernard’s arrows with graceful maneuvers. If it had been Margaret, she would have surely hit at least once by now, but unfortunately, Bernard was limited by the fragility of a human being.

That said, the arrows fired lacked meaning. After firing arrows for about five minutes and nearly exhausting his quiver, this experienced hunter was more than ready to deliver a substantial blow based on the enemy’s flight path.

At the moment the last arrow left Bernard’s crossbow, he threw down the weapon and quickly pulled out the harpoon attached to a rope.

His hand movements were so swift they could easily be mistaken for a magician’s. The vampire deftly avoided the arrow exactly in the direction Bernard anticipated, only to find the harpoon waiting where she dodged. It was undoubtedly a lightning-quick display of skill.

As the harpoon pierced through her wing, the vampire let out a sharp scream mixed with pain. Bernard, showing no concern for her cries, forcefully yanked on the rope, sending the vampire plummeting to the ground.

With a thud, the monster crashed to the ground, and Bernard released the rope, leaping onto the fallen vampire’s spread wings and chest simultaneously.

Though the vampire grasped Bernard’s ankle as she struggled, Bernard retaliated by delivering a kick to her chin. The blade of Bernard’s sword ripped through the vampire’s wings mercilessly, and she wailed in agony, pushing the hunter away.

The vampire and Bernard, both who had fallen, quickly regained their footing and stared each other down.

With the vampire unable to fly due to her injured wings, the battle could only continue on the ground. Bernard, letting out a loud war cry as he swung his sword, saw the vampire respond by slashing with her long claws at him.

Thus began the grappling of both sides.

Typically, a vampire’s strength exceeds by more than double the strongest human. From a purely physical perspective, Bernard would be the underdog, but their differences in combat experience were significant. Despite the vampire having undoubtedly lived for longer than Bernard, she continued to falter against the hunter’s technical skill and experience.

Prying into the vampire’s weak points, Bernard cut through her claws as if trimming nails. He landed a knee strike to her solar plexus to knock the breath out of her, then pushed her to the ground holding his blade to her neck.

“Speak! Who are you?! No, it doesn’t matter. Who is the one who ordered you to do this? Who else besides the Demon King is directing you?!”

“Will you kill me?!”

The vampire feigned stubbornness while delivering a piercing scream. Though her appearance was charming enough to confuse with a Succubus, her voice lacked any seductive allure.

“What were your orders?! Who commanded you to ambush people in a place like this?!”

“We only follow the orders of Lord Demon King!”

“A lowly demon like you wouldn’t receive direct orders from the Demon King! Who’s the commander overseeing this operation?!”

It seemed fruitless, but it might hold crucial information. Bernard became determined to extract every bit of information he could from the vampire while holding her down.

At that moment, thinking the situation had calmed down, Violet quietly walked out from the wagon. Bernard hurriedly gestured for her to get back inside.

“It’s still dangerous! Get back inside now!”

“Oh, yes. Yes, I’ll do that!”

As Violet hurriedly returned to the wagon, perhaps due to her turning her head, Bernard’s sword lightly grazed the vampire’s neck, starting to draw blood. The vampire grimaced in pain, recognizing the sting of the injury.

“My… My lord who gives me orders is…”

“Speak! If you don’t want your throat slit right now, tell me!”

“Count… Count…”

“Count?”

“Count Dracula! Lord of the Seikai Tribe! Guardian of Transylvania! We pledge our loyalty to him!”

At that moment, another vampire, who had been undetected until now, swooped down from above. Bernard momentarily panicked, preparing to attack upwards with his sword, but the descending vampire quickly snatched up the downed vampire beneath him and ascended into the sky.

It seemed the vampire’s intention was merely to rescue her comrade, rather than to engage in combat.

Looking at the fleeing vampire disappearing into the sky, Bernard asked Violet, who peeked out from the wagon.

“What time is it?”

“It’s around 2 PM. Why, are you hungry?”

“I am certainly feeling hungry. But it’s fortunate to realize the enemy’s presence at this hour. If it had been after sunset, it would have been difficult to handle them on my own, especially two of them. They were probably just lurking around here, waiting for dinner time.”

“I’ve heard powerful vampires can operate in the sun just like at night.”

“Such vampires are a dime a dozen these days. Their leader, the vampire lord, can even bask in the sunlight and enjoy sunbathing. So is Dracula his name? Or just one of the vampire lord’s subordinates? Names like those mentioned seem unfamiliar to me even as someone attuned to worldly affairs.”

Having muttered while lost in thought, Bernard finally straightened up and hopped onto the wagon.

“It’s not the time to be standing around. Quickly, let’s go! We need to get into Count Harker’s Territory before sunset. If they come back during dinner or at night, we might all find ourselves dead! Hurry!”

Understanding the urgency, Violet hurriedly set her transport carriages moving forward. Fortunately, they encountered no further vampire attacks before reaching the border of Count Harker’s Territory.