Chapter 223: The Appearance of the Final Boss
“Haha…”
As Mesaria let out a dry laugh, she staggered through the changing room and walked toward the indoor bath. The bath in the best room of the inn had been utterly destroyed. Just witnessing that devastation was enough to make one feel dizzy.
In the indoor bath, there lay a corpse with a katana protruding from its chest.
…Ah, I need to retrieve that katana later.
The water was dyed a deep crimson, and shattered glass was likely scattered across the bottom of the tub. The outdoor open-air bath was also partially damaged, causing the water to drain away rapidly. Surrounding the area were eight silent figures, now mere corpses.
“Hmm? It seems there’s a survivor, so I’ll go check it out.”
“Be careful. I’ll go see how Ivan is doing.”
“Got it.”
I headed outside to check on the survivor. Their presence felt significantly weakened, and if left alone, they might die. I had no obligation to help, but…
Opening the door leading to the bath, I stepped into the indoor area. A heavy scent of blood wafted through the air, which I dispelled with Wind Magic. I also retrieved the katana from the corpse in the bath before making my way toward the remaining attacker.
“What do we have here? A vampire woman.”
“…Ugh.”
Her lower body and right arm were severed, yet surprisingly, there was little blood loss. Upon further inspection, I found that her HP, which had been around twenty thousand, was now reduced to a mere tenth. Considering how much she had left, it seemed that as a vampire, she wouldn’t die unless her head was severed. Still, judging by her condition, it felt like a fatal injury.
Her status showed “Subjugation (Temporarily Nullified),” with a strikethrough on the subjugation effect. It seemed there was a way to negate the effects of the Collar of Subjugation.
“It looks like Ivan is uninjured. He’s sleeping just like Phonia-chan…”
“I see, that’s good to hear.”
Since I had cast a Spatial Isolation Barrier before the attackers arrived, Ivan should have suffered no harm. Feeling relieved by Rio’s report, I began to contemplate the fate of the surviving vampire.
“Oh, and it seems the vampire woman is still alive.”
“Oh? Quite resilient, isn’t she? I thought her torso was split in half.”
For a moment, I considered eliminating her, but I was curious about the method to negate the Collar of Subjugation. If we were to face her head-on, it didn’t seem like it would be a tough battle, and since it was temporarily nullified, it would eventually return. If I could just learn how to temporarily nullify it, we could avoid future conflicts—
“Incoming!”
A warning bell echoed in my mind, reaching a deafening pitch. I could see an attack speeding toward us from outside like a flash of light. While notifying Rio through telepathic communication, I instinctively deployed a Spatial Isolation Barrier, but the warning bell continued to ring. I rapidly layered multiple barriers, angling the outermost one diagonally to deflect the attack upward.
I barely managed to set it up in time.
At the same moment, a high-pitched sound, reminiscent of metal grinding against metal, reverberated through the air. Some of the flashes were deflected upward, but a small portion broke through the outer barrier and reached the second layer.
“Whoa, that was close…”
“Shuu!”
Rio, having left Phonia by Ivan’s side, rushed into the indoor bath upon hearing the noise.
“Ah, we’re fine here… But seriously, are they trying to completely destroy this top-tier inn?”
“Oh my, I didn’t expect to be thwarted.”
After fending off two attacks that came in quick succession, the figure responsible emerged from beyond the open-air bath. Since I had only extended my Presence Detection to the river, I hadn’t noticed them approaching from the opposite bank.
They were cloaked in black robes from head to toe, obscuring their features. Their voice suggested they were male, but their slender form could easily be mistaken for a woman.
“Excuse me! You do realize this is a Fairy Inn, don’t you?!”
Mesaria, the innkeeper, stepped forward to stand beside Rio. She must have been furious about the destruction of her inn, but it felt a bit dangerous to confront the attacker like that. Moreover, her tone implied that the Fairy Inn had some other role beyond just being an inn.
“Who dares to disrupt the peace of this establishment?”
Emerging expressionlessly opposite Rio was Laila. She seemed to radiate a dark aura, appearing calm but likely seething with anger beneath the surface. I decided to assess our opponent while I had the chance.
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Name: Unknown
Race: Unknown
Class: Unknown
Status: Normal
Status: HP 9543
MP 104320
Strength 3544
Vitality 4132
Agility 7943
Dexterity 15432
Mental Power 34512
Magic Power 65342
Luck 2432
＝＝＝＝＝
Unknown?
I had never encountered a situation like this before. This must be what it feels like to face a true final boss.
“Name and class are unknown. This one has higher stats than the vampire woman and appears to be a magic user. Stay alert.”
“Understood… I didn’t know such a thing was even possible.”
“They probably have some kind of disguise or similar skill.”
“Of course, I am well aware of that.”
The robed figure responded with exaggerated gestures.
“This is the finest Fairy Inn in this town—”
Just as they began to gather their Magic Power with both hands spread wide, Rio’s Gravity Magic unexpectedly ensnared the black-robed figure.