“Well, it appears you’ve declared war,” Shinso said to Abel later as they rode in his carriage. “But you don’t expect to win on your own, do you, Abel?”
“What about you? Gonna help me?”
“No, I’m simply a...guide. My role is to explain the rules to you and your camp, since you don’t know them. I won’t be joining as a combatant.” Shinso chuckled. “Besides, even if I aided you and we won, it wouldn’t be a true demonstration of human strength, would it?”
“So you’re a vampire too.”
“I am. You have most likely already ascertained that all the nobles of this land are vampires, except for the archduke’s family.”
“I figured as much.”
As they talked, the carriage passed through a large gate, entered a garden, and then stopped.
“The proper preparations are necessary for battle. I shall bring what you need.”
With that, Shinso stepped out of the carriage, and a butler appeared to greet him.
“Drab, I’m aiding the Kingdom’s delegation in the ‘civil war.’ Be so kind as to bring me all the stun rings we have on hand.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The butler returned to the mansion.
“What are these ‘stun rings’?” Abel asked as he disembarked.
“Unfortunately, a normal sword won’t kill a vampire—but that is neither here nor there. In any case, there is an alchemical tool that paralyzes a vampire when you decapitate one or pierce one through the heart. During games such as this war or in mock battles between our kind, we attach it to our swords. It is very much like a ring. All you have to do is attach it to the guard. It doesn’t interfere at all when you swing the sword, yet—” Shinso stared intently at Abel’s sword. “Yours is quite interesting.”
“Yeah, it’s a magic blade.”
“Hm, yes, of course it is. However, that wasn’t what I meant...” Then he lowered his voice and muttered so quietly that Abel didn’t even hear him. “It feels like a sword Richard might make.”
✦ ✦ ✦
As Abel and Shinso watched the mansion’s staff load the goods onto the carriage, the swordsman’s gaze landed on the vehicle’s crest: two curved swords crossed, with a blue ball of flame above them. On their way here, they’d passed several knights and guards who had stood at attention and saluted the moment they saw the crest...
“Hey, they called you ‘Lord’ Shinso, right?” Abel asked.
“What of it?”
“What’s your rank?”
“Rank?” Shinso repeated with a curious tilt of his head.
“All of those knights and guards saluted you. Not to mention, Lillo and the others couldn’t defy you. That’s not normal, is it?”
“Ah, I see.” Finally understanding, Shinso nodded several times. “I hold no official position. I suppose I’m a sort of...aristocrat, though I don’t have an official title.” He finished with a chuckle.
This, of course, made no sense to Abel. Shinso had neither an official position nor title, yet he was treated with such respect—or was it fear?
“The answer to your question has to do with my role among the vampire race,” Shinso said with a smile.
“Then why are you helping me?”
“The biggest reason, of course, is Ryo.”
“Ohhh...”
“Don’t worry, I won’t eat him. I simply wish to...chat.”
“I’m not actually too worried about that,” Abel said honestly. He felt like Shinso and Ryo would hit it off, probably because they were both birds of the same insane feather. Sure, one was a vampire and the other a human, but that didn’t really matter.
“And then there’s you, Abel.”
“Me?”
“In truth, you’re the Kingdom’s second prince, Albert, aren’t you?” he said in a completely casual tone.
Abel wasn’t particularly surprised. He had already suspected Shinso knew his real identity.
“I refuse to answer that question.”
“Of course. I’m not fussed at all.”
Rhetorical questions were common in this world too.
“I wanna know one thing,” Abel said.
“Go on.”
“How many people are actually vampires in this country?”
“I...can’t really answer that. Honestly, though? Not many. Why do you wish to know?”
“To figure out how many I’ll have to kill.”
“Ah, I see...” Shinso said with a nod. “All the nobles are vampires.”
“Yeah, you mentioned that earlier.”
“However, there are also vampires among those who serve the nobility, as well as a few who serve while holding titles of their own. For example, Drab, my steward.” He gestured to the man carrying cargo to the carriage. “He’s a vampire and a baron.”
“Wait, seriously?” Abel cocked his head curiously.
“Let’s say his situation is complicated, and we’ll leave it at that.” Shinso smiled wryly.
Once everything was loaded into the coach, Abel and Shinso set off.
“As I said before, you can’t win alone, Abel. You’ll need allies.”
“You mean skilled allies, right?”
“Naturally. You need to prove your strength.”
“There are adventurers who might be willing to help, but...they’re citizens of this country. They might suffer later if they rebel against the nobility.”
Abel frowned. He was dealing with aristocrats who had taken control of the central government and captured the archduke, the country’s ruler. He was honestly hesitant to ask for help.
“Hmm. Don’t fret on that score,” Shinso replied. “I can guarantee they shan’t suffer any consequences.”
“Who are you really? Your position among the vampires alone wouldn’t allow you to guarantee something like that.”
“Fine, fine, if I must answer... I am the curator of a private library.”
“I don’t get it,” Abel said with a shake of his head.
Yet, for some reason, he was getting a vibe similar to a certain water magician...
Later, Abel saw a familiar face as they were passing the adventurers’ guild. “Stop!” he yelled.
The carriage came to a halt, and he opened the door and stepped out.
“Abel?” asked Ceferino, leader of Five Mountains, in surprise.
“We were just about to head to your place.”
“Our house?”
“Yep. I had a favor to ask.”
“The answer’s yes,” Ceferino replied immediately.
“I haven’t even said anything yet,” Abel said, taken aback.
“The atmosphere around the castle is tense. Even we adventurers can sense something is going on with the nobles. Plus, you went to the trouble of coming to us, in such a surprisingly impressive carriage no less, and now you’re jumping out to ask me for a favor... Well, I can tell this isn’t normal for you. I figure the delegation might have been dragged into whatever’s going on. So, the answer’s yes.”
It turned out that Ceferino had given it a great deal of thought.
“Damn, okay. I appreciate it, then. You’re spot on about the nobles being involved. High-ranking ones too—we’re talking marquises and counts. There’s a chance they’ll go after you for helping me...”
“If that happens, I’ll just move to the Kingdom.”
“Whoa now...”
Abel was once again astonished by Ceferino’s immediate reply. However, the other four members of Five Mountains only smiled wryly. No one stopped him.
“Ya know, the normal thing to do here would be for one of you to object,” Abel said in exasperation.
“Contrary to his appearance, Ceferino is the party leader,” the magician, Ilana, replied with a laugh.
Still, he hesitated.
“Abel, once you’ve made a decision, you should stay the course,” Shinso remarked as he stepped out of the coach.
But for a moment, it sounded like Ryo was the one talking to him.
“Yeah... Yeah, you’re right. Ceferino, my friends and everyone else in the delegation are being held hostage. I wanna rescue them. Negotiating won’t work, though. We’ll have to use force, and I need your help with that.”
“Done.” Once again, Ceferino didn’t hesitate.
The rest of his party nodded in agreement.
“They must be strong if you’re willing to rely on them, Abel,” Shinso said. “But they’re not enough.”
“How many more do I need?” Abel asked.
“The battle will take place indoors, more or less. So, six people, including you, should be enough for the strike team. But to secure the area, protect the hostages, and defend the perimeter, you’ll need at least ten B-rank adventurers, or twenty C-ranks.”
“All right, time to hit the guild,” Ceferino said immediately.
Shinso seemed surprised. “You’ll be able to recruit that quickly?”
“Leave it to me. It might not look like it, but I have connections at the guild headquarters. I’ll round them up, so you folks go on ahead.”
“Understood. I hereby guarantee that once this matter is resolved, no harm will come to you or any other adventurer. Oh, one more thing...” Shinso removed the ring from the middle finger of his right hand and handed it to Ceferino. “Show this ring to Guild Master Candelas. I’ve known her for ages, and she will vouch for me.”
“For ages? But she’s over seventy, and you’re—” Ceferino began, scrutinizing Shinso’s face. No matter how he looked at it, the other man seemed to be in his twenties.
“I only look young,” Shinso replied with a smile.