The Spearmaster and the Black Cat-Novel

Chapter 239: Rebecca’s Tears & Blood Collection

I explained the details about the golden caterpillar, Catiza, nicknamed, Ca-chan ― the three person < Apostle of Light Evil > who could transform into a finger, arm or head.

“Eeeeh!?” Yui’s black hair – similar to the coat of a wet crow – swayed as her pupils widened.

She didn’t activate < Eyes of Baycala >.

“Finger, arm, and even a head, oh, there’s really another finger. Ah, Eva, you’re stroking Shuuya’s new finger too much.”

Eva’s touching of my finger felt nice.

“Caterpillar, head, being able to transform into three people…it’s kind of hard to imagine.” Viine stared at her own bluish white fingers and then at my new finger.

Since I don’t quite want Ca-chan to change into a head, I have no intention to show it…

I mean, the golden caterpillar is unexpectedly cute…

“Wait a moment! Keep it like that. Eva, your hand is in the way. I’m going to draw it now――” Mysty drew a picture on a parchment.

“Nn, I checked the new finger by touching it. It looks normal, but――” Eva clad her body in violet mana.

She moved her body, bringing her face close to my ear.

“…Three memories? One has very few, two are…deeply confused.” Eva muttered in an adorable whisper while looking doubtful.

Since Eva’s breath reached deep into my ear, I trembled a bit in excitement. Eva apparently read the three personalities on the surface.

The one with little memories is probably Liliza? The two refer to Purin and Tsuan. Both souls and memories, huh…?

Tsuan mentioned that he was a former templar. His hometown is some city in 【Religious State Hesliphat】. Tsuan crossed the northern Great Goldix Desert and the Mahaheim Mountain Range…and arrived in this 【Labyrinth City Pelneet】. And then he joined 【Eyes of Twilight】 which got crushed in the dark guild war.

He crossed the Goldix Desert without even having a divine beast-like partner. Honestly said, that’s amazing. I mean, Tsuan is a human.

Though it might have been surprisingly easy, since there are plenty of magic beasts like Popobumu…

No wait, the desert is infested with a great number of monsters, so it should have been quite the arduous journey.

Tsuan, the human, crossed a Sahara-like desert, coming to this place in the south. It must have been a life of ups and downs.

As expected, even Eva, who was continuously growing, was apparently unable to read the memories of the < Apostle of Light Evil > which combined three personalities.

I’m going to show them Ca-chan’s arm mode, too.

“…Everyone, take a look at this. Mysty, is it okay for me to make it transform from a finger to an arm?”

“Yep.” Mysty’s drawing, which had a touch of being skill-based, was fast.

She has also drawn my face together with the new finger…it’s kind of funny how she has even drawn a kiss mark on my cheek.

After I separated my hand from Eva’s, “Ca-chan Liliza, transform.”

The new finger turned into an arm.

“”Ooooohhh.””

Including the combat slaves, everyone present in the room made a stir.

“Wow! Master acquired a new arm! Towards a new legend as three-armed spearmaster!” Viine was excited.

She bent her slender arms at the elbows and powerfully clenched her fists, assuming a triumphant pose.

“Only now that I see the new arm, the sense of it being real actually kicks in…”

“Nn, a finger doesn’t stand out, but it’s different for an arm.”

“I have to draw it once more!”

“So his new techniques are going to increase…” Rebecca-san, who was gradually becoming more perverted recently, muttered.

Afterwards all kinds of impressions about my new, long arm circulated in the room.

Since it looked as if it could take some time, “Alright, next I’m going to show you the golden caterpillar Ca-chan.”

With those words, I made my arm transform forcefully. The fleshiness of the arm transformed while wriggling around to change into a golden caterpillar at the end. Ca-chan went down on the floor right after transforming.

“”Uuuaaaahhh””

“It’s true, a caterpillar!”

『This is, a golden caterpillar…』

Everyone, including Helme in my left eye, revealed startled and surprised expressions. Come to think of it, I hadn’t shown Liliza’s caterpillar mode to Helme either.

“It’s golden, but below, there are pretty, violet spots…oh, it also got small tentacle horns.” Mysty observed her in a way a scholar would do.

Certainly, there are violet specks. Are those going to change into something in the future?

“There’s an abundance of caterpillar and worm monsters in the underground as well, but still, I have never seen a golden one.” Viine said, approached the golden caterpillar while walking like a model, and bent down as if to show off her seductive hips.

Just like that she extended a finger towards the caterpillar. The caterpillar made its torso skin twist. Advancing by winding while undulating in waves, it released a cute “Pyui pyui” from the part that seemed to be its mouth, and pressed its mouth against Viine’s finger.

Looking close, it was releasing something like sparkling, golden-shining steam from its small, pink tentacles on its torso. There were also several compound eyes similar to an assembled crystal body…

Is it going to be possible in the future to have her earn me a huge profit by spitting out gold dust?

“She’s reacting to my finger!”

“Pyui pyui.”

“Fufu!”

“Chyui chyui?”

So there are two types of sounds, pyui pyui and chyui chyui.

The golden caterpillar was cute as well, but as Viine’s tight waist enters my line of sight…I got the sudden urge to embrace her. I wanna touch her pretty, silver hair which closely resembled the gloss of a shell’s underside…

However, I’m going to endure here.

As I was thinking such things, the caterpillar squirmed and transformed into the human-shaped Liliza.

“Aaaahh, master, it’s her! The one we fought on the fifth floor!” Mamani roared the instant the silver-haired Liliza appeared.

She adopted a combat stance characteristic to tiger beastmen. She looked like she was going to throw Ashram.

“Milord! This bitch as our comrade!?” Bia extended her snake tongue with a hissing, appearing to be surprised as well.

Rather, I explained to them, didn’t I?

“Hiii――”

“Wai-, Fuu, even if you hide behind me, it’s impossible for me to shield you. You should go behind Bia, right!?”

“Ah, right.”

Just as Souther pointed out, Fuu was confused, but my combat slaves naturally fell into formation with Mamani in the center.

From their harmonized movements, I knew that they were first-grade. However, they are too rash.

“…You guys, didn’t you listen to what I said? She’s no evil god apostle any longer. She’s my new finger, arm, and servants.”

“…I-It’s alright. It’s just, the memory of the battle back then is still too prevalent…” Even while explaining, Mamani didn’t lower Ashram.

Haha, they are quite the wary girls.

“It’s okay.”

Did Mamani and the other slaves relax because of that comment and my smile…?

The tiger beauty regained her smile and released her combat stance.

“Seems so. I don’t feel any crooked mana from her like back then.” Bia said.

While making her soft, scaled, chubby snake torso bend, she moved calmly, approaching Liliza.

“Subordinates of Emissary-sama―― I’m an < Apostle of Light Evil >. I hold the names Liliza, Purin, and Tsuan. Looking forward to work with you?”

The silver-haired Ca-chan, Catiza bowed her head towards the combat slaves she fought in the wastelands of the fifth floor.

“…Yeah, best regards…”

“The monster woman as Master’s new subordinate…”

The slaves continued to mutter. However, having several names will be confusing.

“From now on we will call Liliza and the golden caterpillar as Ca-chan or Catiza, I guess.”

“Emissary-sama, you’re giving…a name to me?”

“Shuuya, you might have given her those names going by her golden caterpillar appearance, but isn’t that way too simple?” Rebecca pointed out.

“Subordinate-sama, what’s important is the fact that it has been Emissary-sama who named me. I’m happy with Ca-chan and Catiza?”

“Oh, I see…if you yourself are okay with it, you won’t hear anything else from me, Catiza. Ca-chan for short. I’m Rebecca, nice to meet you.” Rebecca greeted Ca-chan with a smile.

“Okay, Rebecca-sama.”

Eva left my side with her magic wheelchair, and extended her slender hand after getting close to Ca-chan from the side.

“――Nn, I’m Eva. Best regards. Show me your arm, Ca-chan.”

“Oki~”

She apparently read her mind again. Well, although she’s now my apostle, she’s been kin of an evil god originally.

“Nn, Ca-chan, you like Shuuya?”

“Yes~”

“…Nn, Catiza, what do you like to eat?”

“Let’s see. In the past the leaves of seiju and tomitomi fruits were my favorite food. In the past I also liked humans. Since I can’t absorb them now even if I eat a human, I won’t do so. Right now I want to eat plenty of leaves and tomitomi fruits?”

What’s that tomitomi fruit? Don’t tell me it’s some kind of golden fruit called scarabaeid beetle or such.

“…Nn, Ca-chan, honest. Shuuya mentioned it, but Evil God Nicross is?”

“I don’t feel anything about him.”

Ca-chan calmly answered Eva’s questions.

“Nn, got it.” Eva removed her hand from Ca-chan, and said while looking at me. She nodded with her usual smile.

It’s probably her certification that it was fine to be at peace of mind.

“…As far as I gather, she’s resembling the formidable guardian, which master fought in the treasure chest battle on the 20th floor?” Mysty asked while taking notes on a parchment.

“I think she has something close to a regeneration ability, but I believe it’s an influence of the power given to her by Nicross.”

“Yes. It’s as Emissary-sama says? Right now I’m an < Apostle of Light Evil >, but originally I have been a Golden Securion who was influenced by Evil God Nicross.” Ca-chan added information of herself.

“…I feel interest about the biology of a Golden Securion welling up in me…oh, I’m Mysty, nice to have you with us.”

“Catiza who can become a new arm, best regards. I’m Yui.”

“I’m the < Servant Leader > Kaldo. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Okay~, all of you are Emissary-sama’s subordinates, right?”

Since Ca-chan doesn’t seem to be overly intelligent, she might be unable to remember the names of all my friends.

“I’d like to see your Golden Securion form once more, Catiza.”

In response to Yui’s words, Ca-chan replied cheerfully, “Understood.”

And once her human shape fell apart after she transformed the flesh of her milky choco skin, “Chyui chyui,” she reverted to her golden caterpillar form.

“Waaahh, cute! Can I touch you? Since Viine touched you earlier, it woke in me the wish to touch you as well…” Yui said.

“Chyui chyui~?”

“It seems that she’s okay with it.”

“Okay――” Yui swiftly drew close to Ca-chan, and crouched down.

She extended one of her slender fingers, touching the ping tentacle horns. Given that Yui was only wearing a mini-skirt-like chainmail below, I could naturally see her leather panties between her white-peach-colored thighs. For an instant I was about to stare, but I stopped myself.

I looked at Yui’s finger as it lightly poked Ca-chan’s tentacles. Apparently the tips of the small tentacle horns were soft. They gave in upon touch, and immediately expanded again once no pressure was applied to them.

Yui was totally engrossed with pressing the tentacle horns.

…She must be doing something interesting. Thinking that, my other chosen bloodkin and combat slaves started to talk and tamper with Ca-chan.

After a little while of playing around, Ca-chan returned to being my finger, and I announced, “Well then, based on what we’ve experienced this time, I’m going to collect your blood as a safety measure.”

…We poured the bloodkin’s blood into empty potion bottles, and carved their names onto each of them. The blood collection itself came quickly to an end.

At the time when I thought about storing them away in my item box, 『Your Excellency, if it’s blood, I can store it as well』, pointed Helme out from the edge of my visual field.

『Does that mean you can differentiate the different bloods?』

『To some extent, yes.』

Hooh, that’s a handy ability.

『Then stock up small amounts of the bloodkin’s bloods in these bottles.』

『Understood.』

In the next moment Helme flew out of my left eye in a spiral and landed on the floor as water. A part of the floor had turned into a deep lake, shining in blue colors.

We’re indoors. And even though the sun isn’t shining, it’s a light that makes me feel a brilliance. It’s twinkling.

“Yay…how beautiful～”

“Spirit-sama as lake.”

“How mysterious~”

My bloodkin mumbled while watching the Helme lake.

When I met Helme for the first time, it was also at a small lake.

Once the lake started to wave silently, the central area, where the waves piled up on each other, started to swell up, and turned into a shape similar to a sea monster. A part of the liquid sea monster-shaped Helme drew an arc in midair, and plunged into an uncovered bottle with blood. The part of Helme that had entered the bottle dyed crimson, and it looked like the blood whirled inside the liquid, but then it uneventfully returned to the Helme lake that seemed to be the main body.

The collection of one bottle finished in no time. After she repeated the same for all bottles, I stored the bottles away into my item box, and Helme immediately returned into my left eye.

『It’s done.』

Helme-chan informed me while in her nurse outfit. Blood was inside the tiny syringe in her hands. Well, I’m not going to poke my nose too deeply into this.

Alright, all that’s left are Mimi and the maids. But, before that, I guess I have to talk about the future guidelines, albeit it still being in the distant future.

“Even though I finished the collection of blood, there’s still something I want to tell you. I spoke to Kaldo already, but I plan to go traveling once the underground auction comes to an end.”

“Eh!?” Mysty was surprised.

“To Dad?” Yui looked at her father.

…Her look asked, “Before me?”

“…Yep.” Kaldo-san revealed his agitation by widening the pupils of his narrow eyes.

Kaldo-san wouldn’t even twitch when pranked by Rollo, but…when it came to Yui, he was apparently weak-hearted.

“Again…” Viine received a shock.

“Nn, just like the time when you collected the mirror?” Eva looked as if it was nothing of concern.

“…I see. Okay…”

Huh? Rebecca’s reaction is the most unexpected one. She’s quiet. Although I expected her to yell, “What should I do with all the dead maps I bought!?”

“My objective, or rather my main calling is to be an adventurer, after all.”

“Nn, I love you Shuuya, so I will be alright no matter how far apart we are. I’ll be sad, though. Also there’s something I want to do as well, a goal.”

“Yep, that’s right. After forming connections with everyone, the things I want to do have grown in number as well…my goals and dreams increased.” While Rebecca agreed with Eva, she clenched her white hands into fists.

“Goals, dreams…” Viine muttered with her eyes so teary that it was visible even through her silver mask.

She accomplished her revenge and became devoted to me, but while spending time with her friends here, she apparently obtained something similar to Rebecca. From the very start, she liked exploring.

Yui was quietly chatting with Kaldo. She’s probably asking her father about his goals and dreams.

“Well, that makes sense. Master, you’re my suzerain-sama, and I want to be with you as I love you. You’re also the beloved object of my belief. However, at the same time, we have our own beliefs as well. Well, this is also thanks to you, master, though.” Mysty is a teacher, and also has her research, I guess.

“Nn, we will be an eternal family as chosen bloodkin, but, we have other families as well.”

Eva had her childhood friend Lily and Dee.

“Yep, I know that you’re always taking action with the intention to protect us deep in your heart…as stupid Shuuya, as pervert Shuuya, as suzerain-sama, and as Shuuya, who gave us eternal lives… The party, the dark guild, this big house…in the end all of it was for our sake. And you invited us to spend time together so that we wouldn’t be lonely. Right now you don’t show it openly much, but we know that you’re originally an adventurer who loves to travel… But, I was spoiled by your kindness…!”

Rebecca cried…many big tears ran down along her cheeks…

She revealed a sorrowful expression that seemed to be filled with all kinds of emotions.

“Nn, Rebecca, must not cry.” Seemingly drawn in by Rebecca, Eva also looked as if she would start crying at any moment.

The sobbing Rebecca answered Eva, who revealed a worried expression, with a sweet smile, “…Oki.”

While nodding, she tucked up her long, golden hair, and wiped away the tears with her small palms, looking embarrassed.

“…I have known it as well. When you flew through the air with Rollo-chan on the 20th floor, you looked really happy, master. Also, your face when you listened to my talk about the legend of the sleeping princess of the Pel-Heka-Line in the Ragni Village…I won’t forget how seriously and joyfully you hung at my lips. Back then, when I heard about your skill, I was excited as well, though. I think everyone has noticed it that you truly and deeply love adventures. And that you have always given us priority, and there were also trips where we could actually experience how much we were loved by you…”

Mysty had apparently watched me all the time, even as she was…continuously reciting her shit, shit, shit while chewing on her nails.

“As expected, everyone else has seen it as well.” Yui said after having finished her talk with Kaldo.

Given the serious atmosphere, I guess I will tell them.

“…Look, my journey is still a good while away. Besides, there are the mirrors, and also blood messages.”

Yui nodded at my words.

“Yep, we know. I want to also live while developing my beloved swordsmanship even further as chosen bloodkin and < Head Servant Leader >. I also want to learn skills based on blood mana, and I want to help Dad with his dark guild.”

『Fufu, all of them have grown into good women. I think their butts will also keep developing.』

How does anything of this connect to a butt development? Since it looks like that would lead to a long rant about her extensive butt knowledge, I stopped the telepathic communication with Helme.

Given that my fellow < Head Servant Leaders > started to chat among each other after that, I took Rollo with me and headed to the room where Mimi was resting. There I collected her blood as well.

“Master, there’s no way I can keep resting like…”

The instant Mimi tried to get up, Rollo jumped on top of her with a “Nyaon――”

Mimi was startled and stopped getting up. And then she extended her slender hand, trying to touch Rollo, who was sitting on top of her chest. However, Rollo is a contrarian.

She quickly dodged Mimi’s cute hand.

“It looks like Rollo is also telling you to rest.”

“Nn, nya～”

Rollo-san meowed, “Sleep nya” with a triumphant look, I think. However, then she started to lick her front paw. And then she spread the small toes at her paw, and began to clean the gaps of her paw as if gnawing on them…thus, she might also think something completely different.

“…Fufu, understood.” Mimi smiled as she watched Rollo cleaning herself on her chest.

“Okay, then I suppose I will also take some blood from you, Isabel, Krychiwa and Anna.” I looked at the girls who were sleeping in the neighboring beds.

“Yes, Master…I will get naked.”

“My blood and body…Master.”

“Master, finally…it’s our turn.”

Naked? What are Isabel, Krychiwa, and Anna talking about…

Probably they guessed from the acts of bloodsucking and sex with my chosen bloodkin that I would suck their blood while having sex with them, or something like that. That might be what they are thinking.

“…It’s not like that, so you don’t need to become naked. Just as I collected Mimi’s blood, I will simply use a wholesome manner of doing it.”

For an instant, the idea to turn them into bloodkin crossed my mind. However, since I feel like I would need to turn all my servants into bloodkin if I made those three my bloodkin…I will have them stay normal maids.

“Is that so?”

I normally collected the blood from the maids who looked disappointed.

Afterwards I went around the mansion, collecting the blood of my servants. I repeated the plain work of scratching their names into the surface of the bottles with their blood, put them into a bag, and stored that bag away into my item box. And then I left my mansion through the front gate while taking Rollo with me.

We walked through the Martial Arts District at a leisurely pace. Next are the members of 【Remains of the Moon】, huh…?

Different from the maids and servants employed by me, they are members of a dark guild who enjoy actively taking part in the spiral of killing and being killed on their own accord. I’m just a figurehead guildmaster, but still, I am their guildmaster. Let’s do what I can do until the auction at the end of the year.

“Rollo, we’re moving to the Twin Moon Restaurant. I leave it to you.”

“Nn, nyaa――”

We ran through Pelneet.

◇◇◇◇

After we arrived at 【Twin Moon】, “Rollo, you’re as fast as ever.”

“Nn, nya?”

Rollodeen’sHorse Lion answer felt like 『That’s only natural nya』.

I lifted my legs and got off her. Once Rollo shrunk and climbed on my shoulder, we entered Twin Moon.

Inside I spotted the leaders Mel, Benett, and Zeeta. Since they were having a meal around a round table, I took a seat there while greeting them.

“Guildmaster, did you get our message?”

“Aye, I did, so…”

I asked Mel about the state of the dark guild battles and Demonoid Zarlp.

“It looks like 【Hands of Baycala】, who had been backing 【Black Glove】, completely withdrew.”

“In the first place, from which city did that 【Hands of Baycala】, which is one of the Eight Lights, come?”

“Their main turf is 【Ocean Current City Cesdolzen】, located south of Royal Capital Gromheim. It’s a strategic point in the south where Oseberia’s navy is stationed.”

I think that strategic point is facing the Radford Empire and Seven Pholia. Besides, I like the sound of navy. Boarding a private warship and seizing pirate ships or such…has some adventurous spirit to it.

But, rather than that, 【Hands of Baycala】, huh?

“…I’d like to hear a bit more about 【Hands of Baycala】.”

“Sure. The scaled race Garon Arkoneet is said to have a lot of pull in the navy, among the fishmen, and also among the pirates, but in reality he’s the loyal dog of the Minister of the Navy, Marquis Langrid, who’s governing Cesdolzen.”

The Marquis’ dog, eh?

Mel continued while peeking at me, “…When we interrogated the soldiers of 【Black Glove】, they said that 【Hands of Baycala】, which had made its preparations behind the scenes, used the destruction of 【Owl’s Fangs】 to try getting a foothold in Pelneet by using the remnants of 【Black Glove】, but the leaders of 【Hands of Baycala】 didn’t participate in the battles. They only provided funding and some of their small fry soldiers. Given that we haven’t actually seen anyone related to 【Hands of Baycala】 during the fights, there’s some credibility to it, albeit it’s no more that information from low ranks.”

So they used 【Black Glove】?

“What about the remnants of 【Black Glove】 who were willingly used for this?”

“At the point when we killed two leaders and their friends, they scattered. We pursued them, but it was impossible to chase after all the enemy soldiers.”

“I see. It’s good that you didn’t try the impossible, but I will leave the professional dealing with this matter to you, Mel.

“Yes, please do.”

And then I talked about wanting blood from all of them.

“You want our blood, you say? I had already wondered when you’d ask, seeing how you’re a vampire.”

“Well, that’s how it is.”

Since it might increase my workload unnecessarily, I didn’t tell them about my skill that would allow me to trace them. I collected the blood from the guild members.

I was taught a lot of stuff about bloodsucking insects by the maji user Zeeta, but I will omit that here.

After carving their names onto the bottles with their blood and sealing the lids, I put all of them into a bag and tossed it into my item box.

“…Where’s Veronica?”

“Because she has finished creating horned puppet soldiers that can be used for rearing to some degree, she should be working as Iriel in 【Lodging Moon of the Labyrinth】. She loudly laughed while saying, I’m waiting for the first dogs of the Valmask family to come attacking.” Mel explained while imitating Veronica’s voice.

“Okay, I will try heading over to the inn then.”

“…At the end, let me confirm the appearance of Demonoid Zarlp. His weapon is a katana and bloodstained fingers. His entire face is covered by a mask, and he wears pants and a coat. Just like Mel, he has – depending on the situation – black wings growing out at his feet. That’s correct, yeah?”

“Yes, Guildmaster.”

“Okay. If I spot him, I will put in some effort to capture him.”

“I’m looking forward to it…”

The beauty Mel bowed with her eyes teary. A demonoid who might be her father, huh?

I don’t know whether I will be able to actually meet him though… Well, I will keep it in mind for the time being.

“Come on Rollo, we’re leaving.”

“Nyaon.”

We left the Flavor District along a stone-paved street that could also be called a restaurant area, heading for 【Lodging Moon of the Labyrinth】.

Making sure to blend in with the flow of the quick-paced people, my pace naturally became faster as if descending a gentle hill. Rollo, who had been chasing after me, transformed. In an instant she turned into the imposing Rollodeen who seemed to combine panther, horse, and lion.

After I jumped on that Rollodeen and grabbed the tentacle rein prepared for me, we advanced through the alleys of the Flavor District, going towards the First Ring Road. We arrived at the inn in no time.

On the left side of the entrance, there was the three-dimensional art object of a metallic tower frame. Since plenty of lanterns similar to Christmas tree decorations had been attached to it, there was plenty of illumination.

I got off Rollodeen while showered by that light, and walked across the paved ground dotted with stepping stones at the inn’s entrance door which was brightly illuminated.

“Nn.”

Rollo followed at my feet while releasing a throaty sound. Thereupon, Rollo trotted in front of me, and then stopped completely moving atop a stepping stone.

“Nn, nya, nyan.” She looked up with her round, red eyes while meowing.

I felt like she was asking 『Is it fine for me to go play nya?』.

“Sure, go for it.”

“N, nya――”

It looks like I was right. Rollo meowed happily, and then walked towards the backside from the entrance door’s side overhang. The tip of her tail was erect like the handle of an umbrella. Is she going to the place of the white cat?

Anyway, I will enter the inn normally. I continued to walk until in front of the door. The color of the door with its slight black luster hadn’t changed from before. I could see “Lodging Moon of the Labyrinth” carved in scarlet letters into the signboard. I pushed that door open with a hand.

The scent of alcohol and clamoring of the guests hit me from within the inn. And, from the dining room on the left, the voice of an elf, no, the beautiful mermaid Shana reached my ears.

It’s been a while since I last heard her…how soothing.

I walked through the dining room as if being guided by her holy voice. From a place where tables with chairs, where people were eating, chatting, and playing card games, were lining up, I watched Shana as she sang on top of the stage further inside on the left.

She had the appearance of an elf with long ears and golden hair. Her two, voluptuous tits were magnificent. Her passionate, gentle singing voice copiously surged out from that pretty cleavage like hot water. She was a pretty, elven songstress, but in reality, she was a mermaid. I’m probably the only one in this inn who knows about that secret.

Given that she’s a bit of an idol, I felt like I would make some profit with that info. The blue singing stone at her neck was beautiful as well. Right now it was releasing ripples of mana towards the surroundings together with her singing voice. It’s the song that damaged Evil God Hyuriox’ bug. It’s the same as if spreading out a barrier against that evil god around here…

I enjoyed the melody of Shana’s singing which possessed both, dynamical and delicate components. As I was charmed by her…Shana noticed me.

Pressing her palm against her mouth, she looked as if she had seen a ghost. She pointed her finger at me from atop of the stage and was about to call out to me, but she immediately pulled herself together, and concentrated on the song, her job.

She looks like a singing princess, but as always she’s a natural airhead, I guess. After I lifted a hand towards Shana, who was in the middle of doing her job, and waved as a simple goodbye, I continued looking for Veronica, wondering where she might be. Shana answered me by winking. The customers, who were mesmerized by her, started to kick up a fuss over them being the targets of the winking and such.

In order to escape from that tumult, I intruded upon the kitchen. It was a big kitchen with an array of magic stoves which could have their heating power adjusted. I discovered Kazun-san in the middle of cutting vegetables. Many beastmen cooks under his rule were in the middle of cutting bean sprouts.

“Hello, Kazun-san.”

“Oh, guildmaster. It’s unusual for you to come to the kitchen.” He answered somewhat reservedly.

“Yeah, you’re right. Today I have come to ask for some blood.”

I requested to collect some blood from him. Thereupon, Kazun-san apparently reacted badly towards the word ‘blood’, and pulled a harsh face befitting a leopard beastman.

“…Blood, you say? I recall a man who had gathered our blood…”

A man who had gathered blood?

“…A man who had gathered blood? If you don’t mind, please tell me about him.”

“I don’t really mind, guildmaster. It’ll be a help if I can treat you normally. I’m your subordinate. And as you can see here…there are plenty of subordinates working here, right?”

That makes sense. I guess, he gotta hold onto the discipline around here.

…Kazun-san, you have dignity, and are way too handsome, you know?

“Sorry, I will pay attention to it. So, when did that story with the man take place?”

“My childhood…the time when I lived in 【Iron Square City Lalarbuin】 close to the Heim River, left of the southern Lalarbuin Mountain. Just like you, he was a black-haired man. We were told by a man with a flat face and a goatee that he’d like to have out blood to run some experiments.”

A black-haired, flat-faced, bearded Asian man? A Japanese reincarnator? His childhood…I wonder how old Kazun-san is.

“Hoh, how many years ago was that?”

“Around thirty years…”

That’s quite a while back.

“So, did you offer him your own blood?”

“In exchange for a great amount of money, yes. We happily offered our blood, all of my friends and their parents, including me. At that time all of them were still alive…”

I guess that’s the reason why his mood took a turn for the worse. He apparently recalled the time when his family and friends were still around in the past. I suppose I will ask about the guy who seems to be a reincarnator without touching on his memories of them too much.

“Do you know the name of the man who gathered the blood?”

“He introduced himself as Makoto Tomioka.”

That’s definitely a Japanese.

“Did you talk with him about anything else?”

“It’s a special skill among a part of the alchemists or such, he said. He mentions something along the lines of 『Using the blood, I will stimulate the combination of the genetic components to create the best homunculus. Art is an explosion』. It was incomprehensible, but he gave us plenty of money.”

Kind of like creating a super warrior through some alchemy, gene recombination and homunculus? Or something like immortality? Sounds likely.

“Alchemists, huh? It looks like there are really all kinds of things.”

“Guildmaster, are you also interested in alchemy like Zeeta and that mysterious man?”

“To be honest, I am. However, I won’t put it into practice.”

“Hoh, you who are a spearmaster called Violet Death God…”

Kazun-san raised one of his bushy, black eyebrows, and spoke as if it was really unexpected.

“It’s just intellectual curiosity. So, about the matter with the blood collection…unlike alchemy, it’s simply related to Iriel, Veronica, you understand?”

I implicitly pointed towards the vampire connection.

“Oh, I see. Guildmaster, you were one of them, weren’t you? Roger!”

Kazun-san heartily scratched the back of his leopard head. Since he knew about Veronica, he had understood.

Afterwards, I had him cut his palm with a knife that was laying on the kitchen table, and pour it into a bottle, finishing the blood collection. Kazun-san released a powerful snort through his nose, and then, once he focused on his large biceps forming his arms, the blood that had streamed out of the cut naturally stopped.

Is it a skill of leopard men?

While feeling the greatness of Kazun-san, “So, where can I find Veronica?”

“She should be in the yard or the basement.”

“Okay.”

I would know right away if I used Pheremone’s Touch, but I won’t do it.

I bid farewell from Kazun-san, and left through the door directly connecting the kitchen with the courtyard. There I spotted the cute Veronica retrieving the dried laundry while wearing the classical lolita outfit of a waitress.

“Ah, Shuuya!”

Veronica turned around while dropping the basket with the laundry on the ground. It appears that she noticed me by the smell of my blood. She came close while smiling.

“Yo, Veronica. No, I guess I should use Iriel here.”

“Nah, Veronica is fine. So, you especially coming to meet me means…” Veronica placed her slender index finger beneath her chin, creating an expression as if she was pondering with all her might.

Because it looks like she’s going to misunderstand, I think I will quickly tell her what I want.

“…I came here because I want your blood, Veronica.”

“Blood? Blood, you say, eeehhh? Ufufun.”

The excited Veronica activated her blood mana. As she clad her whole body in a mist of blood, her hair style turned into that characteristic one with the rose decorations, and her clothes transformed into her wearing a velvet-made-like, black mini dress. Now she had long eyelashes and beautiful, crimson eyes. A nice gloss reflected the light on her rouge lips. She was bewitching as a little girl, and her small, bright red boots also suited her.

“――I’m happy. If it’s you――” Veronica moved her small, flexible limbs to the left and right, crossing her slender legs. “――Fufu, I will give you plenty of plenty of plentyyyy blood?”

She charged at me while skipping, trying to hug me. Before I would have avoided her with a splendid turn freely performing a rotation on my toes here, but with the idea of giving her a little startle, I jumped at her and embraced the little girl instead.

“――Eh? A-All of a sudden…” Veronica had apparently expected that I would dodge.

Her small face dyed red while being surprised. As our eyes met, she became embarrassed, and buried her face at my waist so as to not not show her expression to me. This was a reaction befitting a little girl. Since it was cute, I naturally caressed her back.

“…Shuuya, today you’re aggressive, aren’t you?”

“It’s what you call bargaining.”

“…Jeez――” Veronica recovered her devilish expression.

She put power into her arms and hugged me with a force as if to break my waist. And then she moved her nose, sniffing my scent.

Since she had high physical abilities, it hurt a bit.

“…Well then, please relax your hold a bit since I’m going to take some blood.”

“Ah, oki…”

I lifted up Veronica in her gothic mini dress with a hug, and concentrated on absorbing some blood.

“Shuuya…your red eyes are dreamy. It looks like you’re really a pure blood of the originator line. I can’t see you as anything but a vampire lord. I’d like you to become my suzerain…”

Starting in the middle, she pulled a slightly sad face.

“Sorry, I can’t give you my blood. However, connecting with your blood is possible――”

Focusing on smiling, I bit her slender nape. I took only a little bit of blood through bloodsucking.

“Ahn.” Veronica released an erotic voice. However, a single tear drop ran down her cheek. “I’m happy…”

I lowered Veronica, who I had lifted up with the hug, let the blood from her nape trickle into the prepared bottle, and thus finished the collection.

“You’re taking it to replenish your blood, right?”

“It’s something similar.”

At that point, “Nyaoo.”

“Nyano, nyaan.”

“Nya, nyaaaa.”

“Nyaooon.”

It was an army corps of stray cats. Rollo and Magit were in their middle.

“What’s going on for all of you to be together?”

“Magit is excited, how unusual～”

As if blending in among the stray cats, Veronica slipped in among them.

“Nyaon.”

“Nn, nyaa.”

“Nyaaa.”

Various stray cats such calico cats, brown tabbies, american shorthairs, and egyptian maus continued to gather around me.

Cute. I caressed the cats from their heads to their backs and tails. One calico cat among them held something like a sock in its mouth. That cat dropped the sock at my feet. It might be part of the laundry, or is it telling me to play with this?

“Alright.” I grabbed the sock, and after swaying it in front of the stray cats as if flaunting it, I threw it far away.

“Nyaaa――”

“N, nya――”

“Nyaoooo”

“Nyaon――”

“Nyagoo――”

While many agitated stray cats meowed, they chased after the sock, seemingly competing with each other.

And then, the one who seized the sock thrown by me, “Nyaaa.”

It was Rollo. She threw out her chest and showed off to the stray cats with a conceited, triumphant look.

Afterwards she meowed several times, and it looked as if she was telling the stray cats about me, but I guess that’s just my imagination.

“Fufu, Magit is also happy that Shuuya and Rollo-chan have come back.”

“I see, long time no see, Magit.”

“N, nyan.” Magit, who had been lured by the sock, replied.

The green, magic jewel at her neck was safe and sound.

『Wild god Magitora…the mana in that collar shocks me every time anew.』

『You’re right. She might be the guardian deity of this inn. Unexpectedly the Valmask family might keep failing at subjugating Veronica exactly because of Magit’s existence with Veronica as her owner.』

『The probability of that is high.』

As I was holding such conversation in my mind, I perceived a smell similar to vampire turfs after the magic source responses fleetingly increased in the vicinity.

“Shuuya――” Veronica revealed a bloodcurdling expression suitable for a vampire.

Her eyes dyed crimson, and she released blood mana from her whole body like a swaying aura. She created longswords dripping with blood around her.

Apparently sensing the dangerous atmosphere, the stray cats quickly scattered. The ones remaining here were Magit and Rollo with the sock in her mouth.

“The enemies are vampires, huh? It looks like it was no coincidence that they had increased the reconnaissance personnel.”

“…Looks like it. However, since it’s been a while since I last was lured with such a blunt smell of pheromones, it might be better to be careful…”

She’s right. There’s many magic sources. And here I had planned to treat myself to some nice appraisal time after going back home and relaxing for a bit…

“An invitation by the other side? Are we going to deliberately go along with it?”

“Yep. With you here, I don’t need to worry about anything even if the opponents are of < Servant Leader > class. This time I will rip them apart so badly that they will give up on chasing me ever again!”

Once Veronica made such an enthusiastic statement, “Magit.”

“Nya.”

She called the white cat Magit and placed her on her shoulder. It was a small shoulder, but there was no sign of Magit falling off since Magit was sitting there as if holding onto her head. Veronica manipulated her blood magic while kissing Magit. She made the blood swords, which had been floating around her, gather in one place and transform into one large sword. And then she splendidly jumped as if performing qigong.

She landed with both feet atop the big blood sword. Then she smoothly moved through the back yard as if surfing through the air. She looked as if she was boarding a futuristic skateboard.

“…Rollo, we’re going as well.”

“Nya.”

For an instant I considered getting on the bonefish used by Catiza with the feeling of being a scout trooper riding a speed bike, but I desisted. While recalling two SF movie masterpieces, I chased after Veronica.