Chapter 345: Head Servant Hoffmann

I activate

Swelling Spirit Legs

Ideoplast

>. The bluish-white spirit hand crushes the remnants of the small b.u.t.terflies, causing the b.u.t.terflies to vanish like a fleeting dream.

Is this a dream? A dream of viscous, black b.u.t.terfliesno, the Death b.u.t.terfly women, who vanished, were real.

f.u.c.k.what a failure

I recall the scene of my

disappearing. Toyzshe was a woman resembling Marianne, but now shes gone. I wish this was all but a dream, but unfortunately its reality. Its an outcome along the lines of what Marianne saidWhat ought to happen will definitely happen.

What a humiliation. I, who have become a true, perfect, spiritual being through baptism

Did I come back a second time to taste such a disgrace?

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Absolutely not!

G.o.d chose a monster to establish the true thousand-year kingdom! Yes, a monster exceeding all heretics and renegades by far! He degraded me to a blood-smeared vampire! You can call this the epitome of irony for a former clergyman to be reborn as one of the chief beings defying the cross.

Having been born into such a nightmare, I suffered at first. Though, when I awoke with the awareness of Hoffmann, I understood everything

EverydayI offered my prayers to the Lordwith feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and regret. Even though my body had turned into that of a vampire, my mind remained unchanged. Even when my body obtained abilities with impure names called skills, my feelings towards G.o.d, my Lord, didnt change.

Oh Lord, please protect me with your love and sincerity, never losing your compa.s.sionate heart

Having become evil, my body and mind were seized by sin. The number of sins is as high as there is sand at the beach, crus.h.i.+ng my heart. Oh Lord! Please save me. Please rescue me from this nightmare as quickly as possible

Praying like this was rejected by my vampiric body. And yet, without minding that, I spent my days praying to the Lord everyday.

However, the G.o.d I knew never answered my prayers. Its because this world is filled with all kinds of G.o.ds and spirits.

Because I could sense the guidance of my bloodI suffered in anguish and mortification all the more. To the extent of wis.h.i.+ng for my own death.

At this rate, Im on the way towards ruin

Having become desperate, Ia.s.saulted the city guards while screaming and lamenting. And I deliberately received the guards counterattacks with my brand new body. With the iron will to bear all my sins through spear and sword blades

Even as I felt excruciating pain from my entrails through the vibrations from the spears pierced into my chestI stoically and determinedly endured while closing my eyes and believing that I was basking in the sins of people

The guards, who considered me dead, cruelly tossed my disfigured body into a ditch.

Next I employed horse-riding bandits wearing musty vests with knight crests imprinted, and headed into the wilderness. I dug a hole with everyone in the flat wasteland. And then I entered the hole myselfasking those Ive employed to bury me in the soil.

With just my head exposedI spent my days.

At this time I experienced the sensation of having my own eyeb.a.l.l.s pecked out by crows.

Then I used oil and glowing embers to set myself ablaze. Of coursemy body kept regenerating, even while I tasted an indescribable pain and smelled the terrible stench of my skin being burned.

Following that, I ate meat infested with the bubonic plague as if the divine protection of St. Sebastian bore no meaning. Moreover, I scratched my chest apart with my sharp claws as if to gouge out my own intestines, and attempted to get beasts to eat me by entering their nest

I might have surpa.s.sed all the mountaineering ascetics of Persia and ancient Spains a.s.syria

I put my utmost effort into dying as if having completely succ.u.mbed to madness, but all of it was in vain. Because Im a vampire. But, because of all of this, I also learned about my immortality.

Back then it might have been possible for me to get annihilated if I had managed to get hit by holy water after getting hunted down by vampire huntersbut, there were no vampire hunters.

Always carrying desperation in my heart, based on all those experiences, I continued wandering. And then I lay down on the ground, sprawled.

Would I be going back to the mud like this? I might also get killed if I encountered Death G.o.d Namtar.

While thinking all that, I wasted my days by sleeping.

At that point, I suddenly heard the voice of a human woman, asking me, What are you doing?

Im wis.h.i.+ng to die.

What was that? Thats a language Ive never heard before.

While lying on the ground, I had answered her in the language of my previous world.

So far as it goes, I also know the common language

After I awakened, I understood the language of this land. After all, it felt more like waking up than awakening.

Oh, you could talk normally then, huh? So, what are you doing right now?

I want to die.

Haah? What stupid stuff are you saying despite still having all life ahead of you? After sighing, she expressly bent one knee, grabbed my hand against my will after making sure to prop up my body, and helped me up.

She was a strong woman to lift a man, even disregarding that I didnt have any decent personal belongings on me. Her light brown hair was adorned by a beautiful hair decoration with a coloring as if to complement her hair color. The smell of grapes hung in the air.

Youve got a

sulfur smell

, dont you? But, look, you can still walk, right? She forcibly pulled my hand, dragging me all the way to her home.

It seems like I was clad in a rotten smell, and not one of grapes. It was probably because of

or

.

Why are you helping me?

Youre saying such things again! Do you want to be eaten by jackals? She scolded me while pressing one hand against her hip and pointing a finger of the other at me.

Since she had big b.r.e.a.s.t.s, they swayed in response.

While looking at her chest, I have already experienced being eaten by stray dogs.

Pfft, how can you be alive after getting eaten? Youre so silly!

She apparently interpreted it as a joke, and thus laughed loudly. When I saw her cheerful smile, I felt like I could forget my despair towards G.o.d.

While wetting my lips, I explained, Thats because Im not normal.

I couldnt tell her about me being a vampire, though.

Once again youre spouting some incomprehensible stuff, blondie. Youre so dirty despite having such a nice face Are you possibly a fallen n.o.ble from some place?

She was a woman yapping lots and often.

Im not

Well, youre here in the Highgland Forest, so no one will ask you about any details. And, youre truly lucky. After all, the knights under Arebanos-sama have cleaned up all the monsters in the area, you see? Though there seem to be rumors circulating that a dragon and the Barrier King are still around.

I see.

Then again, I would also be included among those monsters.

Come on, blondie. If you can walk, its this way.

What are you going to do after saving me?

What ought to happen will definitely happen.

Hmm? I dont understand. Is that a family motto or something?

Whats your name? The woman asked for my name without answering my question.

Hoffmann.

I see. Youre free to despair, but Ill regret it if it happened on my familys plot of land. What ought to happen will definitely happen is simply something gramps always told me. Right now, our fields are about to fall into ruin. Its because were lacking manpower. She told me while pointing a sharp look my way.

To be honest, she wasnt much of a beauty. But, she had a well-tempered character, and an impressively bright smile reminding me of a sunflower.

I was taken aback for a while, but she forced me along anyway. The place she led me to was a hut with the trees on its left and right side having been cut down. Her family lived in that hut.

She introduced me to her family with the simple words, This man called Hoffmann is going to work here as a live-in from today, resulting in a vampire like me working in the fields

I remembered how I had helped out on a farm during my youth in my previous life, before I stood on a platform as a priest

Why was a vampire like me? Why didnt I kill her by sucking her blood? Why didnt I kill her after obtaining the ability to peek into the brain by tearing apart a head?

While such questions crossed my mindI decided to obediently work on the fields, believing that it was the perfect opportunity to learn the language of this area.

However, I felt grat.i.tude towards her. I, whose flesh was swelling as a vampire, naturally felt nauseous because of my contradicting mind But, back then I might still have had some of my memories as a human left.

And thus I began to live together with that woman. Her name was Marianne.

As I lived with Marianne and her family, I gradually learned their language. I probably could have learned it easilyif I had used the skill

, but I didnt use it at that time. Something like a new language was a breeze compared to dealing with a French woman.

Ah bonEt alors?De

I posed as human as I repeatedly worked hard while feeling the wind caressing my cheeks like the hands of my mother. I continued a life where I constantly worried whether Id experience love just like in my previous life.

But, slowly but steadily, my vampire flesh swelled. I tried to repel the thoughts born within me one after the other, as befitting of a former, knowledgeable priest, but each time I did, I was repeatedly a.s.sailed by nausea, dizziness, and s.h.i.+vering. I couldnt suppress my desire for blood. My past, pious thoughts vanished My heart of compa.s.sion continued being worn down.and eventually resigned.

Now, even the beautiful women filled with radiating youth as they wore rosaries on their heads looked to me like no more than prey. I hesitated while confused by this, buteven their lips covered by rose extract didnt look like anything but flesh stuffed with blood-smeared desires.

In my youth I had really liked the bewitching movements of the pure-white fingers of a woman with an alabaster-like skin tone plucking a koto. But, now everything had changed.

On a certain nightmy body moved unconsciously. It desired blood, blood, and more blood. Although I should have sucked the blood of an animal the night before, I couldnt resist my urge for human blood

Once I came to, I was already hugging Mariannes back.

At last, you feel like a.s.saulting mefufu.

While gently grasping my arms, she tried to turn around. I remember that I felt very happy about Mariannes words. I, who was thirsting for human bloodburied my face in her nape while pondering in my head about her words of a.s.saulting herand stabbed my extended canines into her delicious nape.

I kept sucking her blood little-by-littleher wonderful blood And then, Marianne with her pretty brown hair, shedied while making me feel the autumn with her hair illuminated by the morning sun.

SorryMarianne. I knew that you loved me. And yet, I ended up killing you after succ.u.mbing to my desire for blood.

Ahaha, ahahahathere is something on her cheekoh, t-these are tears of blood?

At that moment,

Permanent Skill acquired

Dont f.u.c.k with meits a skillbut, why dont I feel any sadness?

I knew the answer to that. I completely understood it!

Mariannes face was soaked with my b.l.o.o.d.y tears.

While gazing at themI irredeemably and repeatedly answered the questions of my own feelings.

Ever since then, my voice became hoa.r.s.e, as if blended with the voice of a woman, and my tone changed as well. I was sure that I had been hit by Apollo and Dianas arrows

Thereafter, so as to not meet a woman like Marianne, befitting of a vampireI continued a life of wandering from one cemetery to another, all similar to each other, while performing

experiments in underground crypts located in desolated, old enclosures.

I kept catching a glance of the fragments of this worldlearning that it was a devastated world with disputes which were full of angry bellows, saturated with the clas.h.i.+ng of weapons, and never died out in this strange era. Wars repeated themselves with the weak beings always weeded out in the most gruesome ways.

Even during times of peace, epochs of widespread disgrace and fraud continued under the cover of a false tranquility.

This resembled the activity of the Popes special envoy of my previous world. It was no different from the activities of the northern, b.l.o.o.d.y Crusades and the politics deeply dyed in corruption under the banner of a peaceful diplomacy. It was an a.s.sembly of all kinds of opposing principles.

I learned about the futility of trying to regulate evil with peaceful means while hoping for the advent of a messiah. G.o.d literally only shows his power through miracles, in the end he never saves people.

I became aware of vampire hunters who chased my sinful existence, and learned about religions such as the Holy Church of Light, but those were different from the church I knew. There were no two opinions either. Only ghosts with enraptured faces were dancing right above large, darkish rivers. Even the intense rain was made out of blood.

And then, another war started. n.o.bles of low standing, called Broken Lances, merchants, bandits, beggars, and animals all kept dying with their throats being torn apart, being devoured by beasts, and their limbs being plucked off while suffering in resentment. The sin with the name war invited grudges and crimes, creating a worldly order where sins covered the world.

Evil swords, an evil with the touch of a caricature, and riches were the rulers of this world. Evil, swords, and money were all that mattered in this society.

It made me wonder whether the abilities I had acquired werent the perfect counterbalance.

,

, and a skill related to those two,

, which drew on the power of 250

living devils

that were summoned from a city filled with things excavated from the depths of the abyss outside the dimension. And on top of that,

which allowed me to steal abilities.

The great diversity of skills, including

and

, which I had plundered over several thousand years, became powerful weapons for me.

I recalled a beautiful woman who introduced herself as Sumeragi Fubuki. She talked about coming from the Land of the Rising Sun in the East, Nihon Country. And to be precise, from a place called Toukyou and Teito. She asked me whether I know about the terms Sumeragi family, Twelve Distinguished Families, or Kikuchi Okaryuuzou, but was that something like the Habsburg family?

As I kept staring into her eyes while appropriately giving her confirmations to allow the conversation to go onthe black-haired woman immediately trusted me. She probably fell for my

.

The

and

abilities she possessed were a tremendous boost to my power. After all, they raised my physical abilities and boosted the ability of Ten Evil Stars Lanwen which I had taken into my body by using

.

Fuhahaha! Thinking back to that time, it makes me laugh!

I cant forget the expression of despair on the pale face of that woman while I tore her forehead apartand stole her abilities. And as thanks for giving me such a pleasant feeling, I closed up her severed forehead againthinking that she might be still tenaciously clinging onto her life, somehow.

In addition, I repeated blood experiments using

and

, both skills derived from

. I could feel my growth, knowing that blood was my nourishment and source to keep living.

A blood-stained power brought about by the Valmask family. This would become the truth of a new thousand-year kingdom.

Thats why I was born and thus accomplished my second advent as vampire

And then I was discovered by the empress, the top of the Valmask family, and managed to even climb all the way to becoming her

But. Even my contributions to the family as

in the battle against the Death b.u.t.terfly women.

Although I can create new

its extremely painful to have lost Toyz, Biano, and Yuo whom I had given precious abilities I couldnt use myself through

and blood experience spanning over a long time. The work of several hundred years has turned into dust within an instant

The puppet research, which was in the middle of close examination after having managed to combine living beings with blood, was gone, and my precious items and materials were unreasonably stolen as well.

Rare Treasure

Card of Golden Tortoise Eeron

Succubus Princess Diperils

Honey of Kingly Lewdness

Secret Arts Book

Knots Original

, a favorite of Spirit World Eight Sages Sedeluguo Seil

Karamnian Book

Secret Town of Maids

G.o.d of Order Orimils

Counterfeit of the Guilds Hidden Arts Book

Collar of the Blue Sealing Stone

Divine Picture Scroll of the Twelve Barrier Masters in the Sea of Trees

Nine Purple Inst.i.tution Tergamot Senior Correspondence

Misran Demolition Style Book

Immortal Mountain Wizard Liver

of Sky Emperor Phyffindo

Wild G.o.d Gujuts

Gujuts Oily Skin

Skill G.o.d Abkuls

Abkuls Golden Dark Pot

All of thesewere not inferior to the Six Treasures. Even though I had gained enough trust to be entrusted with experiments using such precious items by the Empress

For the blood factory to have been destroyed again right after the earlier incident with the alchemist

At this rate, Im going to go through the h.e.l.l of becoming an agenda for the Grand Elder Council. I guess I cant complain here after having blamed Lunz over having lost his

.

Theres a limit to how long you can continue failing. However, its extremely rare for the Death b.u.t.terfly people to leave their territory. Isnt that no more than simply having had bad luck then?

Ive been negligent after having obtained tremendous power. So far, its still far off from being anything beyond a house of cards.

However, Ive pondered it over many times, but how should I report this to the Empress? What should I say at the Grand Elder Council?

At this point, its undeniable that Arnald, who has devoted himself to just reconnaissance and information-gathering, obtained

Bustard Jewel

, one of the Six Treasures. Butbeing frustrated about this wont solve anything either.

Its set in stone that Ill lose the Empress trust. I thought Id hold back for several thousand years on stealing her abilities, but I didnt expectto keep failing like this.

The Death b.u.t.terfly people are strong. They wield powerful weapons reminding me of Adamas Scythe. They swung them around with a speed as if their shoulders were blurring while using the scythes with a staggering finesse.

I was showered by diagonal slashes thrown up from the ground. And the sharpness of the blades

Its been quite a while since I could last experience a fresh, bleeding wound.

They put all their spirit into their slashes. Well, I also wounded the white moth woman with my magic swords, but it probably didnt work on her as well as her slashes worked on me. Lanwens

didnt get through either. Even

using

couldnt bring her down.

Well, its not like I used all 250 secret summoning techniques at once, butthat applies to the Death b.u.t.terfly people as well. Theres no way that they used all their trump cards.

However, that arrogant, condescending att.i.tude From the beginning to the end, they fought as if they were just messing around They looked down on me quite a bit.

To make a fool out of me who survived several thousand years as a vampire

However, since I failed to kill them in the end, it might be only natural for them to take me for a fool. For me to be unable to pursue them even after using

of

Aaaaaarggh, I cant calm down but then again, no point in fretting over spilled milk. Ill just replenish my blood here

At this point, I stop moving so as to survey the air. My sight is blocked by the trees, but its the usual sight. For now Im going to return to the destroyed blood factory, and start over from scratch, huh?

However, earlier I spotted the spearmaster fighting against one of the Death b.u.t.terfly women in front of the cave. Why was that spearmasterin this place? Was he on a request as an adventurer? Or did he also have some business with my blood factory? Was he here to steal precious information and items? Or did I get simply caught up in Lunzs mess?

No, thats impossible, I think. If he had business with me as an individual, he should have chased after me. He didnt look like was chasing anyone in the area.

a.s.suming that the spearmaster had the objective to crush the Valmask familyhe should have marched straight for the

Great Tomb of the Blood Court

.

Still, its a fact that he was there. Its also true that he fought more than evenly against that Death b.u.t.terfly woman and forced her to retreat. Negotiating or forcing them to pull back through powerwas nothing I was capable of.

In the first place, the Death b.u.t.terfly people are beings as they usually appear in legends. Are they beings you can negotiate with? In such a case, just who is that spearmaster?

Its also possible that hes still investigating the blood factory. He possesses his own, peculiar blood smell, an abnormal person requiring special attention as holder of powers that repelled templars. Based on the battle at the Dignified Heavens Shrine, the Empress has strictly ordered to not turn him into an enemy

But, right now Im thirsting for blood. If I meet him, its possible that I wont be able to restrain my urge to steal his unknown abilities in addition to resupplying my blood Still, Im not reckless either. I cant believe that Ill be able to steal his abilities, if I couldnt even do the same to the Death b.u.t.terfly women, who crushed my ambitions. On top of that hes an irregular opponent whos strong enough to make the Empress herself speak up.

Im not that foolish at my ageto start a battle because of my hunger for blood and my interest in his strength. Ill resupply my blood with the small fry lying around all over.

Fuhaha, I might call them small fry, butits possible that they possess valuable abilities. Fortunately, the Sea of Trees is teeming with the smell of blood even without me using

.

Theres lots and lots prey

Kuuhthe Death b.u.t.terfly peoples words are

While thinking that, Hoffmann caused his b.l.o.o.d.y crimson eyes to light up. Half of him was a blood wave, an abnormal creature of darkness representing a blood world.

The blood wave drifted through the air while swaying. It looked like a crooked patching for his mantle that was full of patches.

Hoffmann proceeded through the forest at a crazy speed. Even though he was Familias

he was thinking to himself that he wanted to take a peek into the Empress head through

and steal her abilities if only an opportunity presented itself.

The abilities related to his

were manifold and diverse, such as

,

which he used in the fight against the Death b.u.t.terfly people,

,

,

, and many more.

However, the Empress also possessed bottomless power. Hoffmann predicted that he wouldnt be able to win as of yet. And, although Hoffmann boasted the strength of a

cla.s.she didnt hate being under the influence of Vampire G.o.d Lugnad.

Though, he himself didnt know whether this stemmed from his loyalty for having been discovered by the Empress, the charm of blood, loyalty towards the Valmask family, or because he had loved Marianne, albeit only for a short moment.

At once, I spotted prey through the scent of blood. Its just around dusk. A perfect time. Im not one of those s.h.i.+tty Death b.u.t.terfly people, but this time Ill be the one to play around

I powerfully focus on

, and then

, ordering the

, who are resembling Lucrezia Borgia

White-haired women with Chinese characters written on tokens that stick to their foreheads appear from the body half with

. Theyre pretty women with all of them having white forelocks. Everyone holds a longbow in their hands and has a black eyepatch covering an eye.

They manipulate a flock of magic arrows with embedded crimson gems, swaying around them. They are dressed like pure dolls, seeing how their bodies are clad in whitish one-pieces, but even among the 250 devils, theyre specialized in ranged combat. They are capable of shooting their arrows consecutively with an unparalleled accuracy.

Those Araginus line up next to me, and all at once bent their slender legs, genuflecting with their heads bowed.

Spare the formalities. Its time for hunting.

Yes The Araginus answers with upturned eyes.

The token stuck to their forehead s.h.i.+nes crimson.

Lets go.

The Araginus nod all at once. They spread out as if melting into the darkness of night, befitting of darkness kin.

Now then, Ive also confirmed several people who seem to be adventurers in the distance. Suddenly, a blood arrow stabs the head of one of them. Once the arrow starts to absorb the blood, the adventurer dries up in no time.

Fuhaha, well done, Araginus.

Next is my turn!

As typical for me, I diligently adhere to the basics. Ill simply use a leg charged with mana.

I begin moving as if dissolving my darkness half into the twilight. While cautious of my surroundings, I look at a walking adventurer. It looks like her accuracy in mana detection is low

Well, Im a vampire, so thats why. If you have

, you can cope with mana and wind detection techniques.

Using

, I soundlessly creep up on the adventurer from behind while remaining vigilant. At the same time as I slip out of the darkness, I entangle the adventurers entire body with

. Its spirit threads expand into a binding armor.

Fuhaha, the female adventurers p.u.s.s.y is in plain view. With a long and thin toy stuffed into her mouth and her legs spread to the sides, everything is exposed without any pity. The net-like armor composed of blood spirit threads makes her armor vanish. New, semi-transparent threads have coiled themselves around her body, including her nipples, immobilizing her.

I cant use this skill during battle, but its the most reliable one among my skills when it comes to a.s.saults.

Aaahh

Having mostly become naked, her face is filled with ecstasy.

isan ability I stole from a male reincarnatorthe natural enemy of any woman.

Now then, shes a weak woman, but she might actually possess valuable abilities. I guess Ill take a peek while enjoying myself to get rid of the bad aftertaste thanks to the fight against the Death b.u.t.terfly women.

I place a finger on her flus.h.i.+ng face, gently tracing it down all the way to her chin.

Nnh, aahhnn

With the womans heavy moaning as a signal, I lift my finger from her slender chin, and move it to her forehead. And then, while pressing it against her forehead, I activate

. The finger transforms into a knife. Of course the blade is made out of blood

I move the blood knife sideways, cutting open her forehead and skull in a straight line, and the instant I obtain a clear look on her brain, my finger transforms once more. The knife breaks apart in many smaller parts, looking like tiny hands.

The flock of tiny hands invades the womans brain, and her abilities flow into me. Theyre nothing worth mentioning, but it allows me to obtain a sensation different from magic elements and blood However, it looks like she doesnt possess any abilities I can take in.

This is inevitable since its a matter of affinity. Its not unusual for me to not be able to use a skill even though I stole it.

The woman seems fl.u.s.tered, donning a mysterious expression as if having gone through a special pleasure. Well, Ill lead her to true death now. Leaving the forehead open, I bury my face into her slender nape, and bite her. My canines enter her neck, and I immediately suck out her blood.

After he brain glows for an instant, the human woman dries up.

Fresh blood is great.

While tossing away the dry flap in my hand, I look at the Araginus who seem to be envious for some reason. A part of them breathes out hot, lewd breaths with their lips glistening.

Can you go ahead for the next one as well?

One Araginus hands me the magic arrow which has collected blood earlier. I absorb the blood stored in the gem

And then, while indirectly telling them that I dont intend to answer their feelings, No, thats plenty for a resupply. You can do as you please for the next.

Affirmative

The Araginus have guessed my feelings. With their faces becoming gloomy, they disappear as if a.s.similating with the world of darkness.

That spearmaster

Thousand-Year Countrynonot yet.