Chapter 275: Debt Counts As An Asset (2)

Kai, having received what Keter claimed was a token of the Moon Rabbit Tribe, examined it closely. But even someone as knowledgeable as Kai couldn’t tell whether it truly symbolized the Moon Rabbit Tribe and was genuine.

“It's clear this wasn’t crafted with human techniques. But how am I supposed to trust that this is really a token from the Moon Rabbit Tribe? And even if it is, how can I trust that you actually know where they are?”

Keter shrugged, as if Kai were asking something obvious.

“You just trust it. That’s why trust is convenient, you know? It saves you from wasting time and money. And besides, why would I lie? If the token were fake, the Special Task Force would find out the moment they examined it.”

“If you know where the Moon Rabbit Tribe is and hide that information, that is no different from opposing the Samael Empire.”

“Sure, if I was hiding them. But what if I’m actually chasing them? If I report them to the empire, I would get a measly reward, but if I catch them myself and hand them over, I get a fortune.”

Kai understood exactly what Keter meant, even without further explanation.

“If you’re saying that you killed the brothers from the Blade Bird Tribe during the pursuit of the Seven Cursed Species, how do you plan to explain the suspicion of covering up their deaths?”

“Explain? There’s nothing to explain. Why make the empire angry for no reason? If I confess everything, the empire gets the Moon Rabbit Tribe’s location for free. Only an idiot would do that. Of course, I have to hide it.”

Kai crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

“The Moon Rabbit Tribe is in Bydent territory then.”

He hadn’t been given a single hint, yet he arrived at the correct conclusion instantly. Keter clicked his tongue, wearing the expression of someone annoyed by smart people.

“Your reasoning?”

“Bydent’s spear techniques don’t have a long history, but for some reason, they’re highly polished. If the Moon Rabbit Tribe, who excel in spearmanship, had taught them, it would explain everything. Also, a greedy guy like you saying you’ll tell me instead of catching them yourself? That was enough to be sure.”

“Perfect answer. Congratulations. You’ll still pay me the reward though, right?”

What had started as an interrogation turned into a situation where Keter was being compensated. Even though Keter admitted everything so easily, Kai remained silent for a moment, swirling his whiskey glass.

One way or another, Keter loses nothing.

To drag the Moon Rabbit Tribe out of Bydent, the Special Task Force would have to intervene. Once they step in, Bydent would go into crisis.

Would they surrender the Moon Rabbit Tribe or resist completely?

Kai believed it would be the latter.

The Moon Rabbit Tribe is quick, meticulous, and has foresight. Among the Seven Cursed Species, they are the hardest to capture. They must have ensured Bydent would never betray them.

Bydent would resist even the empire. And the ones who would benefit from the chaos were Keter and Sefira. Kai didn’t mind Keter gaining from this, but the aftermath would complicate things for the Special Task Force.

Bydent is backed by the second prince. If he wants the throne, he can’t afford to make the empire an enemy. But he also can't abandon Bydent outright.

If Rakan discarded a loyal ally without hesitation, the loyalty of the other noble families would drop in fear of them being next. As such, Rakan would fight tooth and nail to ensure the negotiations between Bydent and the Special Task Force would look reasonable.

How troublesome. Of all times for something involving the Seven Cursed Species to happen, it had to be now.

Hunting down the Seven Cursed Species, the beastfolk who rebelled against the emperor, was one of the empire’s highest priorities. However, the Special Task Force existed to do things that benefited the empire. Capturing the Seven Cursed Species belonged to the realm of revenge, not benefit, and therefore ranked lower in priority.

If Bydent resists fiercely and the second prince stalls for time, the Moon Rabbit Tribe will escape.

Even if the empire surrounded the territory, they always slipped through. Their foresight made them a nightmare.

The fact that Keter and I are talking about the Moon Rabbit Tribe right now might already have been sensed through their foresight.

If Kai were going to catch them, it had to be now. But unfortunately, most of his personnel were tied up with something even more important.

The Special Task Force had finally discovered traces of the vanished Queen Lillian. I can’t afford to redirect resources.

However, Kai couldn’t ignore the Seven Cursed Species, so he arrived at a single conclusion.

“Keter, I’ll give you an opportunity.”

Keter was just as quick to understand as Kai.

“You chose the wrong word. Not an opportunity, but a request, right? You want me to catch the Moon Rabbit Tribe for you.”

There was no point playing mind games with Keter, so Kai didn’t bother hiding anything.

“Yes. I’m hiring you. Capture the Moon Rabbit Tribe hiding in Bydent. In return, I’ll overlook the murder and cover-up of the Blade Bird Tribe, and pay you three million gold.”

The emperor had promised one million gold for capturing the Seven Cursed Tribes, yet Kai offered three times that amount.

Keter shook his head.

“Three million? That’s stingy. Seven million.”

“You’re too greedy, Keter. The ones you killed were empire officials. Pardoning that crime is already an enormous privilege.”

“Fine. If I subtract their bounty, six million.”

“The empire doesn’t waste money, Keter.”

“Then forget it. Go hire someone else. Tell them you’ll pay three million to catch the Moon Rabbit Tribe.”

“Four million. Don’t you want goodwill with the empire? Or are you like the other fools who think empire is evil just because they’re strong?”

“If being strong makes one evil, then I’m a monster. 5.9 million then.”

Kai glanced at his watch, then rose from his seat. “4.7.”

He didn’t say anything else other than the amount of money. Keter rose as well.

“Deal. But there’s one condition: you have to pretend to investigate Bydent.”

“For that condition, it becomes 4.5. Mobilizing the empire’s investigators isn’t cheap.”

“You’re overpriced. Ah, since we’re friends, I’ll let it go. I’ll compromise this time.”

“Keter, I’ve given you everything you wanted. It’s a generous deal. Now catch the Moob Rabbit Tribe. If you fail, it won’t end with simply cutting ties.”

“Yikes, so scary. Shouldn’t you be encouraging me instead?”

“The empire will be watching you.”

Leaving behind words that were neither fully a warning nor fully encouragement, Kai walked away.

Keter tossed the rest of his Spider-Apple Liquor into his mouth.

* * *

After finishing his deal with Kai, Keter went to find Daat.

“Kai came, but he just left. I’m thinking of heading out too.”

The Family War between Sefira and Bydent would begin the very next day, and Keter had a strategy ready. Daat glanced past Keter’s shoulder toward the setting sun.

“You’re not going to wait for the other visitor?” Daat asked.

“If they’re coming for me, they’ll find their way.”

“I’d be relaxed if this were Liqueur... but since it’s Sefira, I’m nervous.”

“Everything is hard the first time. Get over it. We’re just getting started—if you’re scared already, that’s the real problem.”

“Who says I’m scared? I’m saying it’s thrilling.”

“Your ears are red.”

“It’s cold, that’s why. Cold!”

Keter let out a small laugh and ruffled Daat’s hair. Daat slapped his hand away.

“Hey, Big Brother! Do I look like a kid to you?”

“I was brushing snow off your head.”

“Just go already. You’re the one hesitating because you’re scared and worried Sefira might get hurt.”

“...Maybe.”

Keter summoned Amaranth and slung it over his shoulder as he walked away. Watching his back grow distant, Daat sighed.

“Once the fighting starts, death becomes unavoidable.”

It was rare for someone to kill because they enjoyed it. But humans killed without hesitation when it was their lives were on the line. Keter was human, too. He didn’t want anyone close to him to die, and he grieved. However, he didn’t defy death since that was the natural order of things.

“Anyone can die. Deputy Patriarch Hissop, Taragon, and even me,” Daat muttered to himself.

Sefira wouldn’t fall easily, and Keter wouldn’t just stand by and watch, but circumstances weren’t always fair to one side. Even the most thorough preparation could be undone by unpredictable factors. One could be prepared for everything and still die someday from a random meteor falling on one’s head.

“If death is truly inevitable, then so be it. But...” Daat raised his eyes toward Sefira’s main mansion. “At the very least, I won’t let someone die when they don’t have to.”

Daat burned with determination just as fiercely as Keter. Tomorrow, in the Family War, he swore to eliminate every variable.

* * *

Night fell. After tonight, Sefira would no longer be safe. Enemies could strike at any time, and the beautiful scenery would soon be bathed in blood and screams.

Even wrapped tightly in fur, the cold sank into the bone. Yet the soldiers standing guard had high morale. Their discipline was like sharpened arrows, and their eyes burned bright even in the darkness.

Unfortunately, they failed to sense the pale, ghostlike figure slipping between the shadows. It was a being far too advanced for normal warriors to detect. After passing effortlessly through Sefira’s heavy security, the shadow scanned its surroundings briefly and then headed not for the main mansion but for Keter’s residence. Keter’s residence had no guards, as always, almost as if it existed in another world entirely.

Click.

A woman appeared from the corridor’s shadows. She was dressed lightly as though she had forgotten it was winter and walked forward without hesitation.

Glorp.

Suddenly, a green slime dropped from the ceiling and enveloped her. It was Popo, the slime who served as Keter’s house guardian. Popo’s attacks were so stealthy that even a four-star assassin had once fallen victim to Popo’s surprise attacks, but the woman simply raised her hand as though expecting it, and...

Splash!

A crimson curtain of blood burst out, deflecting the slime in all directions.

“A lowly creature dares...!”

The curtain of blood twisted into a spear and stabbed violently into the slime.

Glop!

Sensing that this intruder was on a different level, Popo convulsed violently. The entire corridor seemed to ripple.

Crack... Crunch...!

It wasn’t an illusion. The slime expanded from every direction, engulfing the woman instantly. She was taken aback.

“A mere slime has such power?”

Surprised but unpanicked, the woman simply maintained her composure. The barrier of blood around her was impenetrable. No matter how Popo tried to corrode it with acidic mucus, nothing could break through.

“I see. You are one of Her servants, aren’t you? To think even a slime could be under Her. Ah... how omnipotent She must be.”

With an enraptured expression, she scraped her palm with her fingers and drew a blood-red hexagram.

Gush!

An impossible amount of blood poured from her hand. It was not ordinary blood, as it devoured the slime’s mucus. With a seductive smile, she licked her lips and invoked the power of a vampire.

“Release: A Cone of A Thousand Blood Nets.”

At that moment, her blood exploded outward, swallowing the corridor. Popo’s slime dissolved in an instant, and the hallway was drenched in red.

Splatter.

The woman, having defeated Popo in a single move, walked across the blood pool and stopped before Keter’s room.

“Ahh, here... I can feel Her noble presence...”

Clutching her face in ecstasy, she froze. The door had opened from within. Slowly, a small girl’s figure appeared.

The moment she saw the girl, the vampire flushed and dropped to her knees.

“I, Issera of the pureblood, humbly greet Lady Elise of the True Ancestors.”

Elise stood there like a cute doll, hugging a Keter-shaped plush tight to her chest as she gazed silently at the intruder.

Issera did not dare lift her head. Even in total darkness, the girl shone so brilliantly that looking at her hurt. Issera trembled, but it wasn’t because she met the True Ancestors,

My body... My blood remembers Her greatness.

It was reverence, fear, and terror. Her instincts told her unmistakably: if this little girl told her to die, she would vanish from existence.

Vampires possessed near-immortality. Even if killed, they could revive with blood. Hybrids also had this power, and since purebloods were exponentially stronger, it made them essentially unkillable.

Issera had never once felt fear of death until now. She was certain that this child truly was a True Ancestor.

“Why did you come to me?” Elise finally said.

Her voice was as cute as her appearance.

But Issera bowed even lower and hastily replied, “Mother of all vampires... We have come seeking the restoration of our ancient glory and rights. With the Blood King’s return drawing near, we beseech you to stand with us.”

The Elise Keter knew was an innocent little girl, but this Elise was different.

“Who is leading you?”

Her voice was adorable, but the power behind it was real. Issera felt incapable of deceit.

“Lord Vladimir, a True Ancestor like yourself, is guiding us.”

“Ladi... so he’s alive.”

When Elise spoke of Vladimir using an old nickname, Issera raised her head slightly with hope.

“Lord Vladimir wishes dearly to see you again as soon as possible, Lady Elise.”

“Go back. I’m not going.”

“...Pardon?”

Issera thought she misheard. She couldn’t believe that the Else, the mother of vampires, was refusing to join her kin.

“If you’re bound to Sefira by a contract or curse...”

“No. I’m here because I chose to be, and I will continue to choose so.”

“F-forgive me, but I do not understand. Lady Elise, you are the mother of our entire race, so how could you say that you will remain with a human family like Sefira...?”

When Issera failed to step back, Elise frowned. Even that expression was so irresistibly cute that anyone else might have smiled. However, Issera found it suffocating.

“Either Ladi mistakenly assumed my feelings had changed, or he simply didn’t tell you. It must be one of the two. Listen carefully,” Elise said, squeezing her Keter doll tightly. “I’m going to kill the Blood King. I will never join those who want to revive him.”

As Elise, the ancestor of vampires, declared she would kill the Blood King, Issera’s eyes widened to their limit. Then, she lowered her head.

“Before sending me here, Lord Vladimir left me with instructions.”

Crack!

Something shattered in Issera’s mouth. At the same time, Issera, who couldn’t even stand up before Else’s great strength, slowly began to stand.

“He said that since you have been sealed away for so long, you likely wouldn’t have fully regained your memories yet and might still be in a state of confusion. In that case...”

What burst inside her mouth was the blood of Vladimir. Though only temporary, Issera had gained the power of a True Ancestor.

She looked down at Elise and said, “... Lord Vladimir told me to subdue you and bring you back.”