I Want to Break Free from the Vampire’s Blood Bag

The Duel (2)

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

A heavy thundering sound.

Just as I tried to deploy blood magic to block it, the lightning sphere oxidized upon colliding with another magical wavelength.

And it seems the ring barely failed to activate.

Shhhh…

Perhaps they did something to my ring to prevent interference.

“I almost died…”

“Step back, Ha-yu. Huh.”

It was none other than Arein who blocked Isabella’s attack.

She was breathing heavily.

“If you interfere, I’ll kill you both!”

Isabella’s high-pitched voice rings out in excitement.

Kill us, she says. The problem is that this statement isn’t heard by the noisy spectators or the academy officials watching.

It seems only Daim, who’s serving as both referee and observer, can hear it. And he’s pretending not to hear.

The match continues without interruption.

‘She bought him off.’

PAK!

Seta attacked continuously to prevent me from thinking about anything else.

‘This is dark magic.’

What’s certain is that Isabella is gaining mana by using Seta’s life force as collateral.

Seta requested my cooperation.

“Isn’t canceling the familiar bond your goal? Let’s not interfere with Lady Isabella anymore.”

“…Why are you doing this?”

“You should know.”

“?”

“You’re a commoner too. Our fate was decided from birth.”

SWOOSH PAK!

Our bodies continue to clash against each other.

Coming from South Korea, which pursues liberal democracy, I can’t easily empathize with the class system.

Of course, I’ve been forcibly educated here for 10 years with my life at stake.

“……”

When I didn’t respond, Seta gritted her teeth and said,

“Social status can’t be overturned. You just get used to living with the label for life.”

PAK!

“So you chose to be a mana battery?”

“Yes. I’ll die. But my family will be able to live like humans.”

Did she entrust her life to Isabella with her family as collateral?

This is disgusting. To face such a situation.

Seta said while stomping her foot down at me.

*SMACK!*

“I thought someone in the same situation would understand. But I guess not.”

“……”

Her voice was filled with anger.

The distance between us widens again.

“The difference between you and me is family. From what I hear, you have nothing to protect, do you?”

“That’s right. But if you die, won’t your family be sad?”

Something to protect. I counter her obvious statement with an obvious question.

But instead of answering my question, Seta brought up something else.

“A war is coming soon anyway. Commoners like us will just be meaninglessly sacrificed in between.”

“…War?”

“Yes. The endless war between the Empire and demon race that repeats every century – Lady Isabella will end this cycle. Then there won’t be any more war refugees like us.”

Let me match this with what I know.

First, from what Iris told me, Isabella is trying to kill Arein.

And according to Harold, Isabella has some scheme.

Now Seta is saying that Isabella is trying to start a war.

Putting it all together, does this mean… killing Arein to start a war? Is that it?

This must be Isabella’s plot.

I don’t know why Iris and Harold only told parts of it,

But I’m starting to see the whole picture.

Certainly, if Arein dies in an Academy duel, it would be suspicious. The demon race would demand an investigation.

Even if not war, a cold war would naturally follow.

I asked Seta.

“Then… let’s say war breaks out. What crime have those victims committed?”

“I’m the one who’s been sacrificing until now. Why should I care about others? It’s all for the greater cause.”

Right. This is definitely a game.

Weighing immediate lives against greater lives in the future.

It’s definitely like a game story.

But hearing it directly and feeling it personally is different.

Something’s not right.

Of course, you can’t put a price on life, and war breaking out isn’t a good development.

If the game’s main flow changes, it will affect my ability to see the ending too.

So what ending can I see on this route?

– – – – Three endings are available:

Attend the Imperial Academy and interact with royalty and nobility!
Defeat the Demon King with your strengthened character!
Get caught in the center of chaos, in the midst of rebellion and empire’s turmoil!

An ending where I defeat the Demon King?

Should I take that route?

Then can I just go along with this flow?

-BANG! CRASH!

Several more flashes followed.

“Hnngh.”

A shallow groan escaped from Arein’s lips.

She was trembling, seemingly cornered and exhausted.

Isabella smiles at that sight.

And then she screams at me.

“Lee Ha-yu! If you interfere one more time, you’ll regret it!”

“……”

“Seta! Do it!”

“Yes, master.”

-RIP RIP!

Seta suddenly starts tearing her clothes.

Questions erupted from the audience.

-???

And she, now wearing tattered clothes, lay down on the floor.

Through her torn clothes, her bare skin was covered densely with what looked like ancient rune characters.

Just looking at it, the handwriting was creepy and eerie magical formula.

“Hehe!”

Then Isabella mutters in an ancient language.

-……

“Urgh! AAAGH!”

Seta screams in response to Isabella’s incantation.

“Insane.”

-Creeak creeak.

The rune characters written on Seta crawl onto the arena floor with an grotesque sound.

She’s trying to execute ancient black magic across this entire place.

So she’s going all in…?

Isabella has completely lost it.

“Ha-yu… dangerous… step back… behind me…”

-Thump.

Arein collapsed in place, seemingly out of strength.

But she still won’t surrender.

Even if I retire, Arein will try to win through evil means.

The match won’t be stopped.

Then the result is obvious.

Arein will die, and war might break out as Isabella wants.

The black magic that’s already been cast can’t be stopped.

A proper checkmate indeed.

‘Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.’

What am I supposed to do? What’s the right thing to do?

Maybe I should just surrender, retreat like Arein said, and just save my life, living a long but thin existence as an unbonded being?

Yes. Even in times of war, if I go to the Holy Maiden, she’ll take care of me.

The Holy Maiden’s bright smiling face came to mind.

The sunset of Norris village and its small but beautiful monastery.

‘Ha-yu. The children here are the same.’

‘The same?’

‘Yes. They all lost their parents. So for these children… the monastery is their home.’

The monastery where the Holy Maiden resides also serves as an orphanage.

Children who lost their parents to war, or whose parents abandoned them when their families fell into ruin.

If another war breaks out, the monastery will become even more crowded with new children.

The Holy Maiden and I would have to work frantically for the monastery.

The Holy Maiden is too kind, and I’m not good at refusing, so we’d endlessly take in children.

This path might be very difficult.

But wouldn’t there be happiness in that too? If I’m with the Holy Maiden, there would be moments of laughter from time to time,

Like preparing meals, doing laundry, helping with farming, sharing warmth with villagers, just such simple things.

Teenagers would tease us about our relationship. We would look at each other awkwardly and laugh.

Isn’t that enough? The Holy Maiden… probably likes me.

‘Well, what’s wrong with that.’

It’s a common sad story. This is a fantasy world, and maybe it’s a game.

Maybe it’s the kind of story that happens often on Earth too.

‘Anyway, I just need to defeat the Demon Lord in the end, right? Wouldn’t that be a happy ending?’

Great causes require sacrifice. As Seta said, this might be the best option.

Such thoughts begin to consume me.

.

.

.

‘Kuk.’

I laugh again for a moment.

What was I thinking?

The Holy Maiden… would be sadder than anyone to see the monastery become overcrowded.

‘Ha-yu is the kindest person I’ve ever met!’

[※Equivalent Exchange is released]

‘What pathetically soft thinking.’

‘What are you doing!! Referee!’

The crowd murmurs. They must be wondering what’s going on as Daim, the referee, just stands there.

On the contrary, the section where the officials are seated is quiet.

Are they all in this together? Are there this many people who want war?

“…Blood tempered by blood.”

I speak the activation words, though there’s no real need to.

I feel the simultaneous gazes of Isabella, Arein, and Seta.

-Riiiiiiiiiiing!

[Used 14!]

[Spell Maximization!]

[Used 11!]

[Used 9!]

[Used 10!]

[Spell Maximization!]

[Used 10!]

[Used 12!]

[Spell Maximization!]

[Used 13!]

[Spell Maximization!]

[Remaining Blood: 50]

-Whiiiiing.

I frantically deployed the blood veil around my body.

A transparent crystal membrane envelops my surroundings.

‘Should have invested more in flexibility.’

-Splash.

“Argh!”

Intense pain started throughout my body. The holy grail inside me sloshes once again.

So this is what happens when you use too much blood at once.

“What, what are you doing!!! You commoner! Don’t you want to be released from being a familiar?!!”

-Crackle!

Isabella shouts at me while firing consecutive spells.

-Bang! Kaboom!

Well, it would be difficult to penetrate this veil even with direct hits, but Arein blocked them for me anyway.

“Ah, Arein!! You wench!”

“Haa. Haa.”

Isabella’s power seemed weakened, probably because she was in the middle of performing the ritual.

-Creak.Creak

Most of the letters had already left Seta’s body.

Seta let out a hollow laugh and questioned my actions.

“What… what are you trying to do now?”

“Good. Shall we begin.”

It’s difficult to disrupt black magic that’s already in progress.

Unlike magic that uses simple mediums, this uses demanding materials like curses, emotions, and specific person’s blood.

That applies both physically and mentally.

But there’s one thing. The blood of a specific person, the flower of black magic – this might work.

Among black magic elements, the magic circle and blood are the most crucial components.

And my blood contains mana, and it’s so damn delicious that vampires go crazy for it.

So… if my blood touches this magic circle, wouldn’t it cause an overload?

It’s such a simple thought.

And to supply a large amount of blood, the blood curtain would be suitable.

-Whiiiiing.

And to turn the curtain into blood… I didn’t need to do anything special. Just… just think about something else.

Then the magic will be dispelled and spill all over the floor.

“Arein…! Can’t you see?! Ha-yu is trying to release her familiar!”

“…?!”

Arein’s expression showed some agitation, but she had already exhausted her power and couldn’t do anything.

I murmur softly into the air.

“……Lady Isabella, how unsightly you are.”

“What?”

-Ching! Chi-ching!

The blood curtain wraps around the black magic circle.

This world is fucked up.

I don’t know why I have to sacrifice myself.

Right Living in elementary school? Ethics in middle school? Life and Ethics in high school?

Every time I test my moral standards that I learned so easily, I only end up losing.

So in the end, I had to pay with my death.

-Diriririring!

[Used 9!]

[Used 12!]

[Spell Maximization!]

[Used 13!]

[Used 8!]

[Spell Maximization!]

[Used 10!]

[Used 11!]

[Spell Maximization!]

[Remaining Blood: -13]

[Penalty is being generated]

[Vision Impairment]

[All abilities are reduced by half]

[※Below -17 will result in a critical condition. You may lose consciousness as a defense mechanism]

[Let’s use blood sparingly!]

-Whiiiiiiiiing!!!

The thin crimson crystal is like flower petals. It wraps around me in multiple layers.

Like a single flower.

“Wh-wh-wh-what. What are you trying to do?”

The consonants and vowels of Isabella’s voice crumble.

“What is that?”

“A magic I’ve never seen before…?”

“Shouldn’t we stop this?”

Unexpected reactions burst from the audience.

“L-Lee Ha-yu? Such foolish…”

“Shut up.”

“Lee Ha-yu…?”

Arein. That stubbornly persistent girl.

As my thoughts wander, the barrier I created earlier begins to break down.

It scatters everywhere as pools of blood.

*CRACKLE!!!*

And when this liquid touches the magic formula on the floor, it starts to overload.

*Crackle!*

But it didn’t collapse easily.

“Yes, go ahead and ruin it all.”

[Used 10!]

[Spell Maximization!]

[Used 6!]

[Used 12!]

[Used 11!]

[Spell Maximization!]

[Remaining Blood: -52]

I spend it freely like swiping a card.

[Penalty will be imposed!]

‘Well, I’m definitely going to die.’

‘……’

Seta, drained of strength, stares at me blankly.

‘Ah, I forgot she was still here.’

Whether I die or not, I use equivalent exchange before the flowers interlock.

[Used 25!]

[Power increases by 75%]

[Current Blood: -77]

‘In this wretchedly unlucky life, 77 is just perfect.’

My vision is red and I feel dizzy, about to collapse.

*Whoosh!*

“!!!”

*Thud.*

I pushed Seta away forcefully.

“Go.”

She gets pushed outside.

The curtain wraps around me completely.

“What are you doing, judge?!”

“Ha-yu…!”

Wheeeeeing…

And so, only I and the dark magic formula were trapped in the crystal.

[※Penalty: You will die in 4.352 seconds]

“Cough!”

Blood bursts out on its own even when I’m still.

….

The noisy surroundings have become completely quiet.

Like a flower bud, as if waiting to bloom.

Like a zombie movie!

“Arein! You bitch! I’m leaving. It was disgusting meeting you and let’s never see each other again!”

But it doesn’t feel cool and detached like in the movies.

Ptui!

Even if I die, Arein will just keep living while maintaining her pride.

A demon, the epitome of cruelty, and a ‘noble’ vampire at that.

That’s why I have many regrets. I’m angry. It just sucks. I lost 99% in life.

So for the last moment… wouldn’t it be okay to think about the people I love?

“……”

But death didn’t even give me that happy moment.

Zzzzt.

Clang!

The curtain shatters and falls, and everything around me, including my body, collapses like a dream.

‘Sorry to the Holy Lady, Floria, and their families…’

Bubububububoom!!!!!!!!

……

.

.

.

Ding.

[You are dead]

.

.

.

Ding.

[Removed Debuff: Vampire’s Subordinate]