Chapter 34
“Huff…”
I felt my vision blur for a moment.
‘Too much blood loss…’
Though I had managed to avoid any critical wounds, the sheer extent of my injuries was too great.
The mercenaries had probably already disappeared from view while I bought them time. My fight with Dragul had lasted longer than expected, and my body was in worse shape than I thought. I staggered forward, barely able to move.
Whatever the reason Dragul had retreated, this place was far from safe. With multiple bleeding wounds and deep lacerations, I had to admit—I couldn’t move any farther.
“So tired…”
After moving quite a distance since Dragul vanished, I leaned against a massive tree. My eyelids were unbearably heavy. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep them open.
I knew I should at least put up some kind of safety precaution—but I didn’t even have the strength to lift a finger.
‘If I’m unlucky, this might be the end…’
That fleeting thought was the last that passed through my mind as my body slumped sideways.
“Wake up…!”
A familiar voice, one I felt I’d heard somewhere before.
“Karl, wake up!”
The voice pierced my ears again. Just as I felt the warmth of someone’s arms around me, trying desperately to open my eyes, my body tilted over fully.
‘Anne…?’
As I collapsed, a name I shouldn’t be hearing here flashed through my mind.
Why was her voice echoing here?
It wasn’t as if we had such a deep connection. That was the last thing I thought before losing consciousness completely.
“What should we do?”
“Carry him.”
“Me?”
“Or should I do it?”
“…I’ll do it.”
One of the two who had appeared beside me lifted me onto their back.
“What about this place?”
“Erase the traces.”
“As you wish.”
Moments later, all traces that I had been there vanished. Wearing matching brown robes and masks, they erased my trail and disappeared.
***
As the rustling of blankets stirred around me, I slowly regained consciousness but kept my eyes shut, focusing my senses.
‘I remember…’
Up to the moment I collapsed behind that large tree.
The warm blankets and the fact that I wasn’t bound suggested that whoever brought me here wasn’t an enemy.
Still, I feigned unconsciousness, keeping my breathing slow and shallow.
Creaaak.
The door opened, followed by the sound of footsteps. Judging from their size and rhythm, a woman—followed by a man, whose slightly careless stride was oddly familiar.
“Going this far directly… isn’t that a bit much?”
“Are you complaining?”
“No, not really…”
Hearing their voices, I realized everything since the black market had finally come together.
‘Did they approach me on purpose from the beginning?’
No—it wasn’t like that.
There had been no sign of hidden intentions in her tone, gaze, or behavior. And she had disappeared without asking anything from me.
That crest.
I recalled the emblem of the Gloster Imperial Family that she had carried. I had suspected there was more to it.
“They’re blatantly collecting relics of ancient heroes. Isn’t it obvious what they’re after? The resurrection of the Death Knight.”
As I lay with my eyes closed, I connected their conversation with my earlier talk with Philip.
Philip had said that in times of chaos, monsters, sorcerers, fairies, dwarves, and countless others from myths would reappear.
Certain legendary relics were used to summon beings called Death Knights.
Though I hadn’t been much of a gamer in my past life, I at least understood how games changed through updates, adding new events and shifts in the story.
‘So Dragul was a vampire.’
Even without gaming experience, recent events had sketched out a rough picture.
The problem was—I had no faction to belong to. And I’d rarely played these types of games before.
I had been a complete workaholic in my previous life.
“When did you regain consciousness?”
Anne’s familiar voice interrupted my thoughts as she walked up.
“Just a little while ago.”
“Then you must’ve heard most of it?”
“Roughly, yes.”
“For the record… I didn’t approach you on purpose last time. I hope you didn’t misunderstand.”
“I didn’t.”
“…I’m glad.”
A strange silence hung in the air between us. Sancho, sensing the awkward tension, had already slipped away.
“Have you been well?”
“I mean… it hasn’t been that long.”
“True.”
“Aren’t you going to ask? What my identity is, or what I wanted from you?”
“You said it wasn’t intentional. No reason to ask, then. I’m curious about your identity, yes, but you’ll tell me when you’re ready, won’t you?”
“…You’re right.”
Again, silence—but this time, they both smiled more naturally than they had before.
“I can’t reveal everything, but just know this—I’m on the opposite side of Tarantula. One day, I’ll be able to tell you everything.”
I nodded in response.
Considering the Necklace of the Gloster Imperial Family she wore and her declaration of being on the opposing side of Tarantula, only one group came to mind.
The Emperor who unified the continent had created a secret organization directly under him.
No one knew their official name. People simply referred to them as White Mist.
It was assumed they disbanded after the Emperor’s death, but since no one knew their true nature, everything remained speculation.
“What exactly does Tarantula want? Dominion over the continent?”
“Our assumption is… the end of this world.”
“The end?”
“Yes. They believe that only when this world ends can a new one be born. They see everything in the current world as unfair and unjust.”
“Sounds like Ragnarok.”
“You know Ragnarok?”
“I read about it. A book about the end and the new beginning of the world.”
“…Then it should be easy to understand. Their goal is destruction. And they’ll do anything to achieve it.”
“I can tell.”
I frowned.
The hardest opponents in the world were zealots, armored in righteous delusions. Reason didn’t work on them.
“They’ve been rotting the continent for a long time.”
“Exactly. Most of the major incidents in continental history involve them. In the past, people called ‘heroes’ would appear in times of crisis. Or rather, someone resolved the crisis, and they were later called a hero. But things are different now.”
“Different how?”
“The continent can no longer unite. Tarantula’s actions are more unpredictable than ever. They seduce people indiscriminately, from high to low, using their desires to spread influence far and wide.”
Listening to her, I realized just how many were already in league with Tarantula—or unknowingly under its influence.
“And it’s okay to tell me all this?”
“You’re already entangled with them, Karl. You won’t be able to avoid them for long. We call it fate.”
“I hate that word the most. Once I’ve recovered, I’ll leave. I’ll accept your help until then.”
She watched me say I would leave this place with cold clarity.
“If you want, you could join the organization I belong to. You might even rise higher than you expect. I’m embarrassed to say it, but we’re one of the most powerful forces on the continent.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m not interested.”
My refusal stirred her emotions more than expected.
“You really are…”
As she shook her head, I lay back on the bed. Recovery came first.
“Eat and rest. I used ingredients that help with recovery. Don’t you dare leave anything.”
She handed me a pot filled with clear chicken soup.
“This… looks like a lot.”
“If you can’t even eat this much, how do you expect to recover?”
I awkwardly nodded and lifted the spoon.
“How is it?”
“It’s… good.”
It was indeed delicious. I had already tasted her cooking back at the inn, after all.
“That cursed dagger was bait, wasn’t it?”
“…!”
My sudden comment while eating struck her directly.
“Well, you probably guessed it. Yes. The dagger was bait thrown to Count Calido.”
“Unfortunately, it didn’t serve its purpose.”
“What do you mean?”
“It seems Viscount Julio had other plans. My current condition? Also thanks to that dagger.”
Anne’s face turned to one of alarm.
“You mean… Julio used it, not Calido?”
“Yes. He offered it to someone named Dragul. I’m guessing… what he truly wanted was to revive his dead son.”
“….”
The more I spoke, the more her expression shifted.
“You found me on the brink of death… but you didn’t expect this situation, did you?”
“I never thought Viscount Julio would use the dagger. But Dragul… he’s…”
Her face darkened.
“He’s a vampire, right?”
“…How do you know that?”
“I read about Count Dragul Tsepeshi in some old records.”
I responded casually to her shocked expression.
“No one knows for sure. The stories say he’s lived for centuries and drinks blood to gain strength and immortality. But we don’t know his true nature.”
“Having met him… he’s definitely not human. That finger-flick explosion thing? I’ve never even seen that on the war-torn East Continent.”
Her expression grew unreadable.
“Dragul is probably preparing for a rebirth ritual.”
“Rebirth ritual?”
“Simply put, it’s a ceremony where the demon takes over a human’s body. Demons gain power through sacrifices, but even their bodies wither in this world. So they possess new ones.”
“Do they become stronger after the ritual?”
“We’re not sure. But according to old records, the constraints on using their true powers become much looser.”
My mind suddenly began spinning sharply. Dragul’s last smile resurfaced in my memory.
‘Remember—what you see isn’t all there is.’
The old woman’s words echoed again. What was Dragul really after?
As I mulled it over, Anne stood.
“Get some rest. You really almost died. If we’d been a bit later… you’d be gone.”
I quietly looked at her, her tone slightly raised.
“What’s that look?”
“…Thanks.”
I offered a brief word of gratitude and sank back into the bed.
Anne stood there a moment longer, watching me with her eyes closed, then finally turned away.