Chapter 133: Growth of the Dragon’s Blood
“Fuaah…”
Inside the large carriage, I was savoring some alone time for the first time in a while. When I stretched my body, it made cracking sounds.
Cassandra, Cornelia, and Lily were currently changing in Eleonore and Claudia’s large, royal-exclusive carriage. They were probably freshening up as well.
I hear that women take a long time to get ready. I’ll wait patiently.
Whereabouts are we now, I wonder?
I spread out a map in my mind.
There are no detailed maps in this country for national defense reasons, so it’s just a guess, but are we perhaps past the halfway point to the Royal Capital?
As expected, it takes a long time to get from the eastern frontier to the Royal Capital in the center of the country.
In the game, the protagonists acquire a ship in the late stages. That allows for a significant reduction in travel time, but while that’s fine for the western side of the kingdom which faces the sea, Baumgarten Territory, an isolated landlocked area on the eastern side, can’t benefit from ships.
“I wish we had a sea…”
We could gain wealth through trade, and ships can carry far more cargo than carriages, as well as travel faster. And seafood is not to be overlooked. I suddenly have an intense craving for saltwater fish.
“Guess I’ll eat some fish when we get to the Royal Capital.”
A large river runs from the Royal Capital to the sea, and trade is conducted by ship. Trade goods from other countries and seafood, preserved in ice by mages who can use the ice attribute, are transported this way. It’s a bit pricey, but you can eat seafood even in the Royal Capital.
“There should still be time before the Evil God’s revival. Maybe it’d be nice to go sightseeing at the sea. Speaking of the Evil God, I wonder how Reinhardt is doing? It would be good if he’s grown a little…”
Perhaps he’ll need another boost. I can provide him with equipment and money, so I’ll support him from behind the scenes.
In the game, grinding for experience points was tough, but so was raising money. It’s a hard slog to earn money by steadily hunting monsters.
Come to think of it, there was a slot machine minigame in the game. The slot machine prizes included equipment like weapons, armor, and bracelets that could only be obtained there. Other than that, you could also simply increase your money.
Of course, I’ve obtained all the items in the game before, but winning at the slots was a pain. However, now that I have fame and a large fortune, I might be able to buy the prizes without having to play the slots. I’ll try negotiating, even if it’s a long shot.
As I was idly thinking about such things, the carriage stopped.
However, the scenery visible from the window was a peaceful forest path. It didn’t seem like we had arrived at a town. Could there have been some kind of trouble?
Bang, bang, bang!
“Count-sama! Bandits! We’ve been surrounded!”
The coachman’s voice, reporting an emergency.
Bandits? Ridiculous. We’re using a carriage with the Baumgarten crest on it, you know? They should know it’s a noble’s carriage, right? Moreover, there are two royal-exclusive carriages in tow. I didn’t think any fool would dare raise a hand against royalty… It seems these guys are even bigger fools than I expected.
They probably thought that since the carriages were luxurious, they must be carrying something valuable.
Dealing with fools is a pain.
This time, because I didn’t want adventurers from Baumgarten Territory to leave, I only brought Crimson Vow as escorts. Perhaps they’re underestimating us because we have few escorts?
Well, it’s pointless to try and understand what fools think. Let’s just get this over with quickly.
“Haaah…”
Sighing, I stepped out of the carriage. A tree had fallen in front of the carriage, blocking the way. And about ten men were looking at me, grinning foolishly.
“Whaddaya got? Just a kid?”
“Should we take him hostage?”
“Let’s do that.”
“Ain’t his skin color kinda weird?”
“Probably got some foreign blood in ‘im. A nobleman’s fancy, I bet.”
“Don’t move, kid. And order those women escorts of yours to surrender.”
“What about the women?”
“That’s obvious, ain’t it!”
What scum… Not worth letting them live. Evil must be swiftly slain.
“You all guard the carriages!”
I issued an order to Crimson Vow, then smoothly drew the twin Holy Swords from my waist and dashed forward simultaneously.
“Huh?”
“He’s gonna fight!”
The bandits also drew their swords, but they were overwhelmingly slow.
“Schwarz Lanze!”
The ground beneath the bandits’ feet suddenly darkened, and spears erupted from below, impaling the men. I killed them instantly, giving them no time to even utter a death cry. That takes care of six of them. Four remaining.
“A magic user!?”
“Were the swords just for show!?”
“Kill him!”
“If you have time to talk, you should be moving your limbs…”
“Fast!?”
Kicking off the ground, I accelerated rapidly and beheaded two bandits with my twin Dark Holy Swords. The headless bodies spurted blood like fountains in time with their heartbeats before collapsing with a thud.
“No way!?”
“A m-monster!?”
“Calling me a monster is harsh…”
After quickly dispatching the remaining two, I wiped the blood from my twin Holy Swords and sheathed them at my waist. Well, now… That wasn’t even a warm-up. However, it did serve as a test for the twin Holy Swords. As expected of Holy Swords. Their sharpness is incredible.
“Hm?”
Just as I was about to return to the carriage, I suddenly noticed something. What is this? My body feels hot. It was a sensation like gaining experience points, similar to what I feel when I dispel a cursed item.
But I didn’t defeat any monsters, did I?
Looking at the bandits’ corpses, it was clear they weren’t monsters in disguise.
Then why…?
I shouldn’t be able to gain experience points from killing humans…
“Ah…!”
Could it be… the dragon’s power?!
My body has been altered by bathing in dragon’s blood. What if the draconic part of my body is growing?
“I see. We humans gain experience points by defeating monsters. Then, what about monsters? What if they can gain experience points by defeating humans…?”
I tried activating my Mystic Eyes, and my fifth Mystic Eye had become usable.
“Just as I thought…!”
My joy was short-lived. Because, if I want to grow my dragon power, I have to kill humans. Even if nobles are permitted to strike down disrespectful commoners, I don’t have the means to kill a large number of people.
It would be different if there was a war or something…
As far as I know, no wars between humans will occur.
So, what should I do…?
Now that my Gift has reached its growth limit, if there’s a part of me that can still grow, I want to pursue that growth greedily.
Stagnation is unacceptable in a dangerous world where the Evil God will revive.
“Hm?”
At that moment, like a current running through my head, I remembered a certain group.
Could I hunt them freely?