NOVEL NEXT After purchasing a bunch of preservative food and a hefty cloak I didn’t even need, I found a suitable inn to enjoy a day of human cosplay. The moment the sun rose, I left Envalt.
Unlike the eastern castle gate I passed yesterday, the western gate let me through without even a cursory inspection.
Is it that different from the eastern gate, which connects the inside and outside of the country?
Well, since I’m just moving around within the kingdom, it’s quite plausible to think that, unless you’re a big group like a merchant guild in a bustling city, it’s a hassle to keep an eye on each and every mercenary’s movement.
Although it turned out to be nothing more than a rather simple identity check, having one is certainly more convenient than not having one. I had no reason to complain about that.
Ten days later, I found myself in yet another mountainous area.
I didn’t intend it, but it seems I keep climbing mountains. At this point, I might as well call myself a mountaineer.
Thanks to the effects of repeated learning, I’ve gotten both faster and more skilled, effortlessly navigating rough mountain paths without breaking a sweat.
I had originally considered using a carriage from Envalt. Martini had given me more than enough money for it, but I figured it would be better to walk if I wanted to leave as little trace as possible.
Still, I won’t deny that my choice to trek through the rugged mountains instead of walking on flat ground comes from pure personal desire.
Having escaped the city, I figured it was about time to think about food too. I don’t know if hiking is a popular hobby in this world, but if someone happens to appear and I don’t plan on pretending to choke, that would be a lie.
“After all, it’s easier to find food on a well-trodden path with plenty of people and carts, but it’s more troublesome to clean up afterward,” I thought.
Naturally, it makes sense for someone like me, who needs to be cautious, to prefer these secluded paths even if the chances of encountering people are low.
Besides, if I had to point it out, traipsing across the mountains is actually shorter in distance, so why not?
Sure, the difficulty of hiking means it’ll take longer in reality, but hey, I’m going anyway, so I might as well think of it as a benefit.
Just then, a wisp of wind stopped me in my tracks.
The scent of blood.
There’s no way I’m mistaken; that unmistakably reeks of human blood.
It seems like there’s a slight mix of other scents in there—could that be the smell of other humanoids?
It reminded me of the Beastman Slave I caught a whiff of back in Envalt. I can’t be certain since I was just passing through the market then, but still…
In any case, I couldn’t resist the lure of free food! I swiftly and quietly followed the aroma carried on the wind, not wanting to let this long-awaited chance slip by.
They were farther away than I had expected. Just from the smell, I figured they’d be pretty close, but it seems my sense of smell has improved significantly.
Well, considering how much I had eaten back in the duchy, it makes sense that there would be some development.
The blood of a Strong One contributes significantly to my growth, even if it’s the same amount.
Plus, the blood I drank back in the duchy had an unusually sweet, aged quality—whatever it was, it was definitely blood from some formidable beings.
Yet I never really got to feel how much stronger I’m getting, considering I was always getting my ass kicked by Martini. But it seems that everything I consumed hasn’t entirely vanished yet.
…My thoughts wandered. I focused on maintaining enough distance for safety while observing the humans’ movements.
The first thing that came to mind was that they were likely settlers.
Of course, I didn’t actually think they were farmers; it just looked like they were a pretty established group, not merely merchants who camped for a few days with tents strewn about.
The fact that there was a completely cleared ground surrounding the tents, plus the evident work done to clear nearby trees, suggested they weren’t just passing through.
I couldn’t tell who they were, but it was clear they weren’t sticking around for just a day or two.
From what I could see, they weren’t armored, but there were guards standing by, weapons in hand. Judging by the number of torches I could see, their size must be quite considerable.
From the smell, I figured it was unlikely any individuals strong enough to detect me were lingering far off, but since I wasn’t exactly certain about my olfactory abilities, I couldn’t make any guarantees.
According to Martini, my sense of smell was more about gauging the strength of the opponent rather than a pure sensory experience. If an enemy stronger than me made an effort to hide, it could feel like their scent completely vanished.
But really, you can’t know everything just from hearsay. In the end, I’d have to face them directly.
I quietly approached the tents, trying to suppress any signs of my presence as much as possible, just in case. Thankfully, I got close enough to overhear the guards’ chat without them noticing me.
“Hey, I heard that kid’s getting sold soon?”
“Really? Wow, someone actually is buying that expensive brat. I thought no one would come with that outrageous price.”
“How would common folks like us know what the nobles spend? I heard it’s the same buyer who got the Elf Slave last time.”
“Didn’t that same guy just wipe out all the Beastman Slaves too? He’s clearing out our stock. It’s good business though.”
Who could possibly blame these guards for letting out such sensitive info late at night in a secluded area where no one usually passes through?
If I were to defend them, it’s not like I had amazing hearing; they just weren’t being discreet enough.
Plus, even if they talked a little louder, there probably wouldn’t be anyone to hear them most of the time—makes sense they could become complacent.
Anyway, I had zero complaints about their chattiness. Thanks to them, I could glean the info I wanted without much effort.
But seriously, a Slave Trader? I don’t know the details, but something smelled fishy.
The Armes Kingdom is a country where the slave industry is legal.
The fact that the eastern city of Envalt, which I just passed through, thrived due to brazenly abducting and selling Beastmen from the border is proof enough.
Strictly speaking, this isn’t limited to just this country; all nearby human nations have some form of slavery. The Luminous Church, which dominates the religious forces in the Terra continent, despises Ain to the utmost, so the rights of Ain, aside from Dwarves, are non-existent anywhere.
So why is a legal slave trader holed up deep in the mountains? Naturally, they must be hiding something they don’t want discovered.
It always seems that the more unsavory individuals tend to exploit the law to their benefit.
No matter how much one disrespects the law, when it suits their interests, they scream to uphold it at the top of their lungs.
One can easily find thieves calling the police after having their own goods stolen or drunks claiming assault after throwing the first punch. They’ll even turn around and sue someone for defamation when they expose their misdeeds—those are all classic examples.
I suspect this Slave Trader is no different. If they had nothing to hide, there’d be no reason to stay hidden like this.
Honestly, I have no interest in or knowledge about the Armes Kingdom’s laws, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were skirting taxes or harboring illegal slaves.
I don’t really care about the reasons. The more shady types people that just disappear one day, the better they’d fit as my daily sustenance.
Should I try out what I’ve learned? I can only do the basics, but the dark magic Martini taught me fits perfectly for situations like this.
Magic in this world can be mind-boggling when approached through Earth’s logic.
Leaving aside the fact that it achieves things that are physically impossible, it also starts from entirely different premises than those based on scientific understanding.
The foundation of magic is the concept of spirits corresponding to every phenomenon and substance found in nature.
Coming from a background where I was used to fictional spirits, I first thought of creatures like fairies when I heard ‘spirits’, but apparently in this world, spirits are literally concepts of natural phenomena, not creatures.
The crucial point is that all natural phenomena arise from these spirits. Magic is, therefore, the act of artificially interfering with these spirits’ properties to temporarily twist the laws of nature.
Humanoids have categorized phenomena they can interfere with—like fire, water, wind, lightning, earth, darkness, and light—into spirits and formalized the system of magic.
However, coming from Earth, I was particularly bewildered to find that the classified spirits didn’t adhere to their literal meanings.
What I mean to say is, just because there’s a spirit of light doesn’t mean it only illuminates and just because there’s a spirit of fire doesn’t mean it can only create flames.
For instance, take the spirit of darkness.
If I think of darkness with Earth’s knowledge, it seems to signify the absence of light rather than something with a tangible existence, right? By that logic, the spirit of darkness shouldn’t even exist.
Yet, the spirit of darkness does exist. What this darkness means in the spirit system isn’t just the absence of light—it encompasses concepts like nothingness, despair, chaos, and sensory deprivation—all those that come to mind upon hearing ‘darkness’.
The spirit of light is similar. Healing magic, which has nothing to do with light, is categorized under light magic because it’s associated with bright and hopeful concepts and miracles.
Thus, strictly speaking, names like fire and wind are merely classifications for the convenience of humanoids. It’s a classification system more akin to humanities than science.
This method is grounded in perception and subjectivity, so it lacks clear standards, rendering many elements vague, and I spent most of the time in Martini’s magic classes trying to wrap my head around this.
On a brighter note, the fact that the Progenitor of Vampires is regarded as an avatar of the spirit of darkness might be fortunate for me.
It seems the very concept of darkness has taken on corporeal form with a self; thus, my aptitude for dark magic is said to be exceptionally high.
So, for dark magic, I might not fully grasp the mechanics, but I can wield it intuitively as if my hands and feet are in sync. And if I don’t try it out now, when will I?
I moved like a third, invisible hand, creeping up on the two guards engrossed in their chit-chat, effectively blinding their eyes.
“Ugh, I wish the shift change would hurry up. I’m dying of boredom.”
“Stop whining. We still have at least an hour left.”
The two continued their banter like nothing was amiss. Even when I approached boldly, they were completely oblivious to my presence.
So this is how it works.
The method Martini explained, where I push an entire sense into darkness and disrupt the perception, might be terrifying for the opposition, but this subtle hindrance of partial perception seems rather useful too.
My only issue is that illusion-type magic is costly to cast and only works on those who lack resistance.
Thanks to that, those holy magic-wielding paladins, who pack a punch while being sturdy in their mental resistance, can often only use dark magic defensively, essentially as a barrier. But still, it might come in handy to know how to use it.
I reached out to the nearest guard’s face and snapped his neck.
At that moment, the other guard’s gaze turned toward me, his expression morphing into sheer horror.
“What! Where did you—”
I covered his mouth with my hand while hurling the dead body aside, quickly sinking my fangs into his neck and greedily sucking.
With a crack, the last man slumped lifelessly.
“I… startled me when you suddenly went limp.”
I guess he finally registered the change as his companion just fell over, breaking the unexpected reality of the situation.
The spike in his apprehension seemed to shatter the illusion magic.
Mental resistance isn’t fixed for everyone; it fluctuates depending on their state of composure. This will be quite a handy bit of data for field experiences.
Fortunately, it seems no one noticed the commotion at the entrance.
I engraved the realization that I should focus on physical agility into my heart as I swiftly absorbed the blood from the two guards.