Chapter 83 – Aftermath With The Strange Children (2/2)

”You mean this is a recent thing?”

(An entire race? Being recently discovered?)

”Strangely enough, yea. Though I say that, the first sighting seemed to be before I was even born though.”

A new race appearing out of nowhere, and recently at that? It didn't make any sense.

I couldn't help but wonder if maybe these were the results of humunculi experimentation or something. Though aside from those two greyed out skills, there didn't seem to be any real issues with these kids' bodies.

Whether there were any mental issues though, I wouldn't be able to find out without talking to them once they wake up of course.

I needed to know more. A lot more.

”Still, these bindings are good. I doubt any of them will be able to escape like this, these alone aren't enough.”

The leader pulled out a strange little wooden box from his magic bag. It was only as big as his fist, though those were pretty huge in of themselves. It felt like those meaty palms could envelope my entire head if he tried.

Once he opened the little box up, a smaller, metallic object small enough to fit inside the palm of his hand revealed itself. It was roughly rectangular and had a faintly glowing crystal embedded in the centre. All around it, the metal was engraved in an intricate pattern. When the leader palmed the object and inserted a little bit of mana into it, the ingrained lines let off a little bit of light and a faint, almost imperceptible aura quickly expanded from the little device. The faint aura seemed to continue endlessly. At least further than I could see from so close inside.

The leader started to give instructions to the little object. Or rather, it sounded like he was giving orders to someone through it.

A little voice came back, confirming that it really was some sort of magical communication device.

It sounded like he was calling to get some people sent over to pick up our prisoners. As I didn't really have anything to contribute on that side, I went back to continue examining the little kids.

No matter how much I looked, they really seemed like ordinary kids of various races who were somehow imbued with some of the most notable vampire traits, yet also done in some half-assed manner. The fangs were too short and they didn't have access to the primary vampire skills. Their nails didn't seem to be strong enough to be used as weapons either. At most they were sharp enough to scratch ordinary people and weak monsters, but not anything that could be used in combat.

”Master! I'm sorry!”

Claret flew down from above and fell prostrate as she asked for forgiveness.

I quickly checked my surroundings. The leader was handing out instructions to the other adventurers and none of the others were paying any attention my way.

While still a bit wary about attracting unwanted attention, I turned to my familiar spirit in a way that I hoped wouldn't look suspicious.

[What happened?]

”I couldn't fulfill your order.”

The shadow spirit looked particularly ashamed regarding this. Frankly, too much for my tastes.

[Raise your head and tell me in details.]

”Yes master.”

Finally after me expressly ordering her, Claret got up and went back to floating in front of me. But she still refused to raise her head.

”I went to the forest ahead as you ordered, but I couldn't find any spirits to contact.”

[There weren't any there?]

”Not a single one inside the forest. I even asked around the few spirits that were in the surrounding area, but aside from the occasional group that entered or exited the forest, they didn't know anything.”

[And those groups that go in and out of the forest?]

”Yes! It seems like they all have vampire-like auras! I think these ones here were some of the groups that the little ones spoke of.”

[I see. Good work.]

”Master!”

Claret finally raised her head, her expression a mix of surprise and joy.

[You might not have been able to do exactly as I asked, but you managed to understand that it wasn't possible and did the next best thing. There's nothing to be ashamed about being unable to do the impossible. In fact, you should be proud instead of your accomplishments.]

”Master!”

The foolish spirit of mine flew right into me, wrapping her arms around my back as she started to rub her cheeks against mine.

Claret really was a handful, but the pure innocence of hers was so incredibly endearing. I couldn't bear to keep her depressed, especially when it was about something she couldn't help.

[So Claret, do you know anything about these kids?]

Once the old spirit calmed down a bit, I asked her my next most important question.

”Aside from the fact that they came from somewhere inside that forest, nothing.”

[So, not even what they are? Why they seem to have some vampire characteristics?]

”No. I hadn't even heard of such things. Even you yourself spent a long time researching that sort of thing before, remember?”

Again, something regarding my predecessor, rather than me.

[...No, I don't.]

”Oh, umm, right. Well, for as long as I remember, you've always been looking for a way to get a family. To make one of your own flesh and blood like how the mortal races do it.”

When she explained it that way, I did remember her talking about such a thing before. The previous Scarlet was extremely interested in the idea of families and wanted one of her own.

(Actually, now that she mentions it...)

The fact that my predecessor worked so hard on this yet had nothing to show for it as far as I, and especially Claret, could tell, suggested that it wasn't possible for vampires to be born any way aside from the natural way. That was, to come into existence spontaneously as a fully mature being.

But the very existence of these kids that attacked us earlier contradicts such a thing.

The only explanation I could reason out was that someone figured out how to either convert existing people into pseudo-vampires, or they discovered how to create new vampires, even if they were only existences that could marginally be considered such a thing.

As I thought. I really need to find out more about the origin of these kids.

The problem was, humonculi were illegal. If it was suspected that I was interested in such a thing, it could end my career as an adventurer. It could even end my ability to overtly act in any civilization in this world.

At the very worst, I needed to at least act like I wasn't particularly interested in humonculi. Especially if these kids ended up being exactly that.

”Hey Miss, we're going.”

”...Huh?”

When I looked up, the leader was standing over me with his arms crossed.

”You focused so much on these kids that you weren't listening to what I said?”

”Oh, umm...yea...”

It was best to let him believe that. Though to be honest, the biggest part of why I wasn't paying attention was because I didn't think what he was saying concerned me.

”The injured and a few others are going to stay to watch over the prisoners until the guard get here to take them back to the city while the rest of us are going to move on to the forest to find the bandit hideout. The ones staying behind will concentrate on healing their wounds, and once the guards collect the prisoners, they will follow after us.”

”I see.”

It sounded like a risky strategy, but we were against the clock, so it made sense.

”Depending on how things go, we'll either take on the hideout with just us, or wait for the rest to join up. Got it?”

”Yea.”

”Good.”

With that, just under two thirds of our group marched off while the rest stayed behind, one of our healers tending to the wounded while the group kept watch in case one of the kids tried something.

”And next time pay attention.”

”...”

I didn't have any words to return.

Despite it still being dark, we continued through and had entered the forest. The light of the stars and moons had quite a lot of difficulty in penetrating through the canopy. While I was fine with that, the others weren't.

Several of them took out various lighting implements, from lanterns to some sort of magical tool that emitted light. Those things were pretty annoying. Especially the latter, but the light from even regular lanterns made it harder to enjoy the environment. Not like this was the time to enjoy it, but the way the shadows continuously flickered all over the place as the light sources moved around constantly was annoying as well.

That said, the presences within the forest was even more space than that of the plains surrounding it.

It was as if most of the monsters here were wiped out already.

Considering that so many kids lived in this forest, if there were a lot more in the hideout they lived in, that would most likely be the reason why there were so few monsters in this area. They had already hunted them all to the point of near extinction.

Well, it wasn't that bad, to be exact. Just that the density of monsters was low enough that you weren't likely to just walk into one randomly. There were still enough that they could be hunted by determined and experienced hunters, or people who cheated with [Sense Presence] like me.

That said, the bandits did basically nothing to hide their tracks inside of the forest. The tracks were so obvious that even a complete amateur like myself had no trouble following them.

Footprints that numbered so many that the ground was covered in them, lines carved in the ground that suggested something was being dragged, and tons of broken foliage littered a tight path. The tracks were so obvious that I was a little worried that another ambush was waiting for us.

But I couldn't detect such a thing.

It wasn't just the monster presences that were few in numbers, but any others as well. Nothing that felt like a patrol or people standing watch.

I couldn't help but think that maybe everyone that wasn't needed to guard the bandit base itself had already been sent out and we had dealt with them or something.

But wishful thinking like that was a quick ticket to the grave if I didn't keep them in check.

Even still, I did hope that there weren't many more kids that were forced into banditry to survive. Whatever the reason why those kids were involved in the first place. There was the off chance that we were wrong and those kids weren't a part of the bandit group we had been following, but the chances of that were so minuscule that I wasn't worried about the possibility. They were more likely being raised as additional bodies to be used by the bandits, and it wasn't something I liked in the slightest.

For now though, as the night deepened while we followed the bandit tracks, I could only hope that the village survivors were still alive and in decent health. And that there weren't more kids being raised into banditry.

I really worried about the future of the ones we had captured, and hoped that when they were judged, they were given leniency due to being kids. Though considering the societal level of what I had seen so far, I wasn't able to put in much hope.

Ninetailed_Furball

Hi everybody! It's your usual furball! (/◕ヮ◕)/

Sorry for the slightly late release, but at least it's here now! (^.^)

Hope everyone enjoys the chapter!

For now, I have to wake up in four hours for work, so ciao! (^^)/