<b><i>The Land of Vampires, Beltane (5)</i></b>


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    Fortunately, Ripley didn’t shout ‘Not needed!’.


    Ond slowly organized the information about his kin and exined it to me.


    Chief Warrior Tashmad.


    Top-ss warriors Aldred and Grimeld.


    And about 20 high-rank warriors, countless mid and low-rank warriors.


    That was the Termen’s military strength within Ludenark that Ond revealed.


    If we include the Termen warriors who likely became Death Knights after death, the number would be much higher.However, as I listened to this, I thought it wasn’t as many as I had expected.


    ‘Quality is more important than quantity.’


    I don’t know how skilled the Chief Warrior and top-ss warriors are since I haven’t encountered them.


    But I roughly know the skills of the high-rank warriors.


    Just at the level of S-grade monsters.


    The Termen Death Knights I encountered in <Land Touched by Death> were high-rank warriors, so this should be urate.


    And S-grade monsters are at a level that S-grade Holders can hunt alone. Even A-grade Holders can easily hunt them in raid units.


    In other words, 3 warriors surpassing S-grade, and 20 at the level of S-grade monsters.


    The rest are all A-grade monsters or below, so there’s no need to confirm them in the first ce.


    ‘…Really not as many as I thought.’


    It was an unexpected gain.


    All the vampires are at the baronial level.


    Termen has only 23 warriors of high rank or above.


    At this level, they wouldn’t pose a significant threat when the Ludenark attack alliance gathers.


    ‘So that’s why they had Caroline carry out the terror attack.’


    Now I understood the strategy of the Ludenark school.


    The reason for trying to iste vampires and Termen warriors to inflict damage on the current world.


    It was because they themselves knew well that this wasn’t a force with good odds in a direct confrontation.


    -Ahem, ahem. Was that helpful, Countess Ripley?


    Ond, who had been freely divulging information about his kin, now cleared his throat and asked Ripley.


    Of course, Ripley’s gaze was directed at me.


    “Do Jae-hyun, was that helpful?”


    “Yeah. Personally, I’ve almost achieved my purpose foring to Beltane. Thanks, Ripley. It’s all thanks to you.”


    Although we were lucky to have Ond, Caroline’s contractor, being able toe this far was all thanks to Ripley.


    For me, she was the one who acted as a guide in <Beltane> where I had no information, and the one who searched for Caroline’s castle and room within the barony.


    …Getting Ond to answer a small question (threat) was a bonus.


    “W-What are you saying? I brought you here because I had a purpose too, so don’t say such embarrassing things.”


    Is this embarrassing…?


    Anyway, as we achieved our goals, Ond cautiously asked.


    -Um… Countess Ripley? Can I leave now?


    Hearing this, I suddenly became curious.


    Caroline’s barony was the territory owned by Caroline, who was a vampire.


    Probably, seeing that Ripley still has her own county, it seems that even if one defects, they maintain ownership of their territory.


    However, Caroline was eventually executed after interrogation following the New York terror incident.


    Although vampires are adapters capable ofmunicating with humans and specialmanders, she was still a criminal who killed civilians.


    With her deep connection to the Ludenark school and opinions that she mightmit additional crimes, the International Holder Association confirmed her execution.


    In other words, Baroness Caroline is currently deceased.


    Then, like this.


    What happens when the owner of the territory is not just ‘defects’…


    But reaches ‘death or annihtion’?


    That question was unintentionally answered by Ripley.


    “Where are you going? Caroline’s barony will be a neutral area anyway.”


    -Pardon? Weren’t you nning to annex this territory, Countess Ripley?


    “Are you crazy? Why would I annex Caroline’s barony? Such a barren and uselessnd of death.”


    -…Isn’t all of Beltane and of death?


    “Seeing you keep nitpicking, maybe I should use magic after all-“


    -…That’s what our kin in the neutral area would think! Haha. But Ipletely agree with Countess Ripley’s opinion. There’s no reason for the Countess to annex this ce. Yes.


    After the conversation, or rather banter, between the two that was no longer clear which it was, Ond slowly entered the closet where he had been when we first arrived.


    -Well then, please make yourselvesfortable. Even if the barony is soon dered a neutral area, I will remain here, recognized in my position as the former contractor… If you’re curious about my news, you cane to this castle.


    Kuuung-.


    With that, Ond handed over the valuable information and entered the closet.


    …Maybe because the closet is so old, it feels like he’s entering a coffin.


    I sat down with a thud on Caroline’s bed next to me.


    Then I looked at Ripley.


    I had achieved everything I aimed for, but there were still questions remaining.


    “Ripley, by the way, what’s this neutral area? From what Ond and you are saying, it seems really important.”


    “Of course it’s important.”


    Ripley approaches, resting one knee on the bed where I’m sitting.


    And then, as I saw before…


    She revealed her bright red eyes and looked at me.


    “Do Jae-hyun, from now on, this is the ce where you need to keep your promise.”


    ***


    Ippotrantion


    * * *


    Thend of <Beltane> is broadly ssified into three categories.


    The first is territory.


    Like <Baron Valerof’s Domain> that we encountered when first entering this ce, or <Baroness Caroline’s Domain> where we were until just now, or <Countess Ripley’s Domain> owned by Ripley…


    These arends directly owned and managed by vampire nobles.


    Territories make up thergest proportion ofnd in <Beltane>.


    Since this dungeon itself represents thend of vampires, it was natural that the territories of the noble owners would be the most prevalent.


    The second is wastnd.


    This name was given because most of thend that makes up this category has the characteristics of a wastnd, but it was also named because it’snd where monsters that don’t serve a particr master roam around.


    Wastnds are where minions banished by vampire noblese, or where loner monsters who don’t want to belong anywhere gather.


    By human standards, it’s a kind of ‘field outside the barrier’.


    It corresponded to barrennd where people don’t live.


    And the third is…


    “Neutral areas. Land that vampires can’t upy, but their minions can im rights through territorial disputes.”


    Ripley, who said this, lightly ignites a me.


    Whoosh-!


    Kweeaak-!


    A fire attribute attack magic detonates, and Baroness Caroline’s minion that was blocking us meets its end.


    “……”


    She dispatches the minion as easily as breathing.


    It was a markedly different scene from earlier when she just watched me engage inbat.


    Probably because she needs to exin things to me now, she seemed to be minimizing unnecessary time as much as possible.


    Thanks to this, I was listening to her exnation in a veryfortable posture.


    “The criteria for dering neutral areas vary, but territories like Baroness Caroline’s domain where we are now, where the owner has disappeared, are dered neutral areas 7 days after the noble in question is annihted. That is, if another noble doesn’t annex the territory before then.”


    Listening up to there, I asked while making my own deductions.


    “But Ripley, you also said Caroline’s barony wasn’t any good and didn’t annex it. Then don’t other guys also have no need to dispute over neutral areas?”


    Ripley lightly shook her head.


    “It’snd that’s not great for vampires, but it could be a shelter for Beltane’s monsters who’ve lost their way.”


    “Ah, that’s right.”


    “And not all neutral areas are bad. Among some neutral areas, there are ces overflowing with magical materials or resources to the point where even vampires’ eyes would turn.”


    However, vampires cannot directly participate in the disputes over these neutral areas.


    This was one of the rules given to <Beltane>.


    “But those damn Laculize folks broke that rule. In a clever way.”


    “Laculize?”


    “A countess, the owner of the territory right next to mine. And also a woman who goes around with disgracefully lowly nobles.”


    Perhaps because it’s a noble she dislikes, the earlier rough cursese out again.


    And the real reason why Ripley invited me to <Beltane> wasing out.


    Countess Laculize.


    And her allied nobles were described as ‘lowly’.


    It seemed that I needed to resolve the conflict with them.


    As I listened to the story, I tilted my head and asked her.


    “But what do you mean they broke the rules? Did they upy a neutral area?”


    “Yeah, that’s right.”


    “How? You said vampires can’t get directly involved.”


    “Right. They can’t get directly involved. But it’s a different story for contractors.”


    “…Ah!”


    Contractor.


    With that word, the questions filling my head were resolved.


    Ond, the Termen warrior who had contracted with Baroness Caroline.


    He had said that there were other kin who had crossed over to this <Beltane>, and that they had made contracts with vampires and taken them as patrons.


    And that means…


    “The Termen guys made contracts and seized neutral areas. On the vampires’ orders.”


    It meant that in neutral areas where vampires’ direct participation is impossible, they were cleverly breaking the rules and indirectly participating.


    Ripley nodded.


    “And they moved as a group with those lowly nobles and cherry-picked only the good areas to seize.”


    “Ah, then…”


    Now I understood why Ripley had attempted to ‘defect’ and even went to <Room of Deserters>, Ludenark’s domain.


    “That’s right. The reason I defected to find contractors, and the reason I contracted with you are all the same. I just couldn’t stand watching those women act up in the neutral areas. So…”


    Ripley paused for a moment.


    Then she looked at me with a smile.


    “I went ahead and made a contract at a much higher level. To drive all those damn Termen guys out of the neutral areas.”


    That was the real reason why Ripley ended up contracting with me.


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