The sun had risen from the horizon far beyond the barrier between the two Kingdoms.
I stood on a hill near Rose Barony, enjoying it with a smile and letting my body bask in its light. It would be a perfect morning if there was no Heretic trying to escape the [Binding Rope] on my side.
Even with no legs and a body full of blood, he didn't stop trashing around. I knew Priero's goal was to kill himself and get revived in his revival point.
However…
"<Heal>."
A soft light covered his body and restored his HP to 60. A simple <Heal> couldn't bring back his legs, but this was enough to keep him alive and close his wounds.
"Don't you realize that killing yourself is useless?"
This guy was a fool. Even now, he was still moving around, crawling on his front. Then… It made me think.
'Why does he try to run?'
Priero didn't struggle to free himself but to run. Well, that was probably normal. He probably knew that escaping from the [Binding Rope] would be impossible, thus thinking of another way.
To keep him from struggling, I knocked him unconscious and carried him on my shoulder. Then I contacted Lucy, telling her that I would arrive in the Border City soon and headed out.
It had been a long time since I visited here. The last time was when I took Vivian away, and that was a month and a few days ago.
Finding the Border City's entrance from the outside was a bit of a chore. It was hidden behind a rock formation, and one needed to look carefully.
Thankfully, I had visited through the real entrance with Linda before. So, finding it hidden a bit away from Rose Barony was easy. The rock formations stood out from afar near the rocky mountain, and I wouldn't confuse it with other things due to how distinct it was.
'It's behind the smallest and the medium rock.' I thought as I looked around.
After a few seconds, I found the entrance hidden behind clothes that looked like dirt, camouflaging it from the surroundings.
I entered immediately and went through a dark tunnel. It was a short one, and I needed to take a few turns before I saw lights at the end of it.
When I stepped out of that light, the Border City spread in front of me. Two guards from the Raven Group looked at me warily because I wore a cape and brought a legless man on my shoulder.
"It's me," I spoke calmly, and both recognized my voice immediately as they straightened their posture and tightened their grip on the shaft of the spear.
"Welcome!" They greeted me with an energetic voice as they gestured for me to pass.
The Vampire girl had been watching me since I entered the area from her tower. She looked dissatisfied, probably because I suddenly messaged her in the morning when she should've been sleeping and resting.
She walked inside and didn't even bother greeting me as we would meet later.
I smiled slightly, amused by her cold behavior. It wasn't like she hated me, but more like she got so flustered and hid her real feelings under that thick ice so she wouldn't break. This usually happened to girls who had just entered adulthood.
In short, Lucy had a late adolescent period. But still, she probably had lived for more than a hundred years. How lonely was her life before that?
'Anyway…'
There was no time to spend here. I should return fast after getting the information to prepare for Queen Eve's coronation.
The Elf elder also hadn't announced his support yet. I hoped he would do that on the coronation day.
I jumped through the roof and went to Lucy's tower. When I entered the Vampire district, I noticed some new dots around the edge of the district. One of them had a blue-friendly one, while the others were neutral.
'The assassins from the Den have arrived, huh?' I thought as I glanced in their direction. 'I will make a stop later. Interrogating this guy is more important.'
In front of the tower, two girls stepped out. One of them was Lucy, with her typical gothic dress and twin-tailed white hair. The other one was the former shy nun, Mia, who had fully turned into a vampire and chose to stay in this place.
Unexpectedly, she wore a similar dress. A black, sleeveless gothic dress with a red vest and frilly white skirt. The corset pushed up her big breasts, and she fidgeted nervously when she looked at me, shaking her head and causing her long green hair following the movement.
I stopped in front of them and smiled.
"Good morning, both of you." I greeted, then turned to Mia. "You look beautiful in that dress, Mia."
Hearing my words, Mia's face blushed red, and she smiled widely in happiness, "T-Thank you. Y-You also looks amazing in that cape, Sir Arthur."
"Thank you, Mia."
I appreciated her attempt to praise me and patted her head. I remembered she liked it, and her face seemed to melt in happiness as she snuggled against my hand, seeking more touch like a small, cute cat.
Of course, Mia was far from a cute cat when she rampaged, and I wouldn't forget it for my safety.
Also… I turned back to Lucy and narrowed my eyes slightly.
"Is the torture room ready?"
Lucy nodded, "I have vacated the blood room. We moved that crazy Princess to Melissa's place. The Succubi would be able to look at her more than us."
"Alright, then. As long as she doesn't run away or anything, I leave all the decisions to you."
I pulled my hand from Mia's head. She looked sad. Her now slightly sharp ears fell down, dispirited.
That gesture made me want to pamper her, but as I said earlier, there was a priority.
"Put this guy inside the blood room and get information about the Hell's cult from him. But don't turn him into a Vampire. I don't know whether he has something hidden inside his body, so be careful and force him to spit out the information."
I threw Priero to the ground in front of Lucy, and he didn't react at all. He was perfectly unconscious.
"So he's a dangerous kind of guy?" Lucy asked, crouching in front of the tied Priero and poking his forehead, "As you said, his blood smelt strange. There is maybe something mixed… It's really foul."
"So my guess is correct."
There was no way some crazy heretics didn't plant something inside their body. It often happened in Horizon Online, and the most common thing in that place was planting a magic bomb that could kill Level 80 players in one hit inside their bodies.
Those guys believed that when we died, we wouldn't really die in real life and would instead get revived as our character. What a joke and what a pity. Now I was in my character in another world, alive and breathing with Tris on my side.
'They would be so mad if they knew about this.' I laughed inside and watched Lucy take the long rope used to tie Priero.
"I will try to get information from him. Without turning him into a Vampire, it might take 3 to 7 days, depending on his resistance."
"I can wait." I nodded, satisfied with Lucy's answer. That was still within acceptable time as I would only depart to the Sin Kingdom in 15 days. "If you have anything to report, just contact me with [Earring of Communication]. I will wear mine for 10 days straight."
"I understand." Lucy nodded in understanding, "I will go first. Mia, you can accompany Arthur for now. This will be hard, so assist me when you're finished."
"Ah, yes," Mia answered with a bright smile. "I will return soon."
"Take your time."
With that, Lucy turned around and dragged Priero behind her, entering the tower. I was left alone with Mia, and she looked at me with a flushed face.
"Umm, Sir Arthur." She called out, "Umm, may I ask something? I-It's not a problem if you can't, but…"
Before she finished her sentence, I patted her head gently and caressed her hair.
"Don't hesitate, Mia. Tell me what you want."
"T-Then…" Mia opened her mouth hesitantly, her blue eye flashing red and turned bloodshot. Her fangs grew, and she looked at me with a bright smile. "May I get your blood, Sir Arthur?!"
"My blood?" I asked, trying to confirm that I heard it correctly.
"Yes!" She exclaimed happily. "To be honest, Miss Lucy broke all the tubes containing your blood due to something. Umm, I only got normal blood, and they taste disgusting. I… I can only drink yours."
Mia's face was now covered in red as her grin widened from ear to ear, like a true yandere. Her bang swiped to the side, revealing her other red eye.
Still…
"If that's all, feel free to drink it." I rolled up my sleeve and presented my left arm to her. "Be careful not to drink too much, okay?"
"Hnn!" Mia nodded energetically.
"Thank you very much, Sir Arthur! Then…" She held my arm gently and brought it into her mouth. "I-I will partake in your blood." Then she bit it, her fangs dug inside.
It hurts…
