Volume 3 Chapter 44 (1/2)

Chapter 044 – Breaking In

—Third person POV—

The Vlad Castle in the Demon Continent Up until a few months back it was the home of the whole family of Dan Gate Vlad and their servants. However, they fell into the patriarch of the Vampire house’s trap, and the family scattered. The servants were also forced out of the castle.

Now the patriarch of the Vampire clan Pylkkänen Vlad and his younger brother Ravino live there.

Their wives, daughters, sons, and family stayed at their own house. Pylkkänen and Ravino settled down in the Vlad castle while they were in the middle of checking through its a.s.sets. They investigated business capital, bonds, household goods, and other things that could turn into money. Living in the Vlad castle was convenient for that purpose.

Count Dan’s wife, Lady Seras Gate Vlad, was imprisoned in the top floor of the Vlad castle. There was also the pretense of keeping her under guard there.

Because there was the fear of the former servants of the Vlad house coming to rescue Seras, the former head of guards Gigi was entrusted with the castle’s defense. It was because he was the one with the most knowledge of the terrain inside and outside the castle. Just in case, there were also 30 of the Vampire house’s magicians ranked B-minus and over prepared for defense. Pylkkänen was not so dumb as to leave the defense to a traitor such as Gigi.

As their wages were paid from Count Dan Gate Vlad’s fortunes, the brothers’ pockets were barely hurting.

Seemingly having been thinking of something, Gigi knocked on the door to the room leading to the dining hall with his usual unfriendly face.

“…… Excuse me.”

When he entered the room, the patriarch of the Vampire house Pylkkänen and his brother Ravino were eating meat while making loud [munch munch] noises. The elder brother was rotund and fat, while in contrast, his younger brother was thin and lanky.

This was the place where Count Dan, Lady Seras, and their daughter Chrisse used to amicably enjoy their meals, surrounded by their servants. Gigi knew of those days of gentle atmosphere and pleasant conversations.

For that reason, he was the one who felt the biggest gap with the two pigs currently devouring their meals before him, but he did not say a word of it and fulfilled his role as the head of guards.

“I will be delivering today’s report on Lady Seras Gate Vlad. Will it be alright?” “I don’t mind, continue.”

With Pylkkänen’s permission, he continued his report.

“She’s taking her meals properly as usual, and is fine physically. If I dare say so, she seems to be lacking in exercise. She has ceased acting violently and is quietly abides by our orders, but she hasn’t lost the s.h.i.+ne in her eyes. She is probably saving up strength and looking for a chance to escape.” “Hmph, she’s cheeky for a woman. My brother really has bad eyes for women, I’m appalled.” “Indeed, elder brother.”

The younger brother was sucking up to his brother with his words.

“Also, I have the report from the slave house that the transport of Dan Gate Vlad had been completed without problems.”

Gigi continued his report, not showing any reactions.

“Hmph, this way he won’t ever set foot on Demon Continent soil ever again. Fool that he is, he is still my blood-related brother, so I won’t take his life with my own hands. He should be thankful for that.” “Indeed, elder brother.”

Actually, it’s not that they felt afraid that Dan would break out of his magic prevention choker by his own power and come back to them for revenge, but they didn’t have the courage to kill him themselves, so the reality was that they sold him as a slave because of that reason.

Simply because the patriarch of the vampire house Pylkkänen and his brother Ravino were small fry.

The former butler Merry and the others had already found out that Dan was sold as a slave. They failed to take him back. But they still hadn’t given up.

If only they could save Seras from confinement, Dan could return to them using his own strength. This is what they strongly believed.

So they desperately tried to rescue her, but no matter if they did day or night attacks all of them ended in failure.

“In order to break their spirits, we’ll need Chrisse.” “Indeed, elder brother.”

By simply increasing the rescue targets to two people it would make the objectives harder to fulfill. Also, in order to make the mother, Seras, do as she’s told, there is nothing more effective than her child. Then even if in the one in a million chance Dan came back, they could prevent him from doing anything by holding his daughter hostage.

“Then have you finally found Chrisse’s whereabouts?” “…. No, that is…” “You still haven’t found her!? Why couldn’t you even find ONE girl, and a good for nothing that couldn’t even use magic, at that!” “Probably she had somebody’s help and left the continent…” “Then catch her, go all around the world if necessary! You blockhead!”

Pylkkänen took hold of a plate with half-eaten meat in it and threw it at Gigi.

The patriarch’s half-eaten meat splattered on his face and clothes, but Gigi’s expression did not change in the least.

Pylkkänen let out a yell.

“Listen, you now have no other place to go but here. If I threw you out the former servants with a grudge on you would stab you in the back and kill you. If you don’t want to happen then give me some results! Understood!?” “…. Understood. I shall make certain to bring Chrisse-ojousama to patriarch-sama.”

Gigi slowly bowed his head. While they were having that exchange, there was a knock on the door.

Gigi’s next in command, a beast race man, entered the room alone. He whispered in Gigi’s ear.

“…. Patriarch-sama. It seems like Merry is organizing a large group planning a rescue operation at the harbor town.” “Tch, those idiots again… Gigi, go take your men and kill Merry and his gang. Be careful not to touch anyone from the other families.” “Patriarch-sama, this might be a diversion. They had done so many attacks but this is the first time they started one so openly. It’s a trap to attack us with a flying column while our defenses are being shorthanded.” “Don’t make me say it again! Our castle is strengthened by the Vampire house’s magicians in and out! Go take your men and kill those fools already! Or maybe you’d rather be kicked out of this castle right now!?” “….. My apologies. I will immediately face them with my men.”

Gigi bowed his head politely and left the dining room with his subordinate in tow.

—Lute’s POV—

It was one in the morning and even the plants had become quiet. Defenses were laid out with the castle in the center. It’s as if the enemy were proclaiming [we’re on guard against any attack from outside].

This is all going as we wanted it to.

Merry-san and the others gathered at the port town as a diversion to draw the enemy’s eyes. Then as planned, they were wary of attacks from the outside. The plan is for Snow and I to use a pa.s.sage that leads inside the castle and rescue madam.

The one to get in touch with the vigilant Merry-san and the others was one of ojousama’s friends—the Lamia, Muir Head.

According to Karen, it seems that she is the best at catching people’s eyes. It’s surely because she’s a snake, right?

Thanks to her the details of the plan safely reached Merry-san.

“But I thought they would take more people to Merry-san’s side. Well, this much is still within expectations.”

Beast race men were riding horned horses out of the castle. They proceeded towards the harbor town.

The ones left in the castle was probably the vampire house—the magicians and men confident in their abilities.

Right now, the place we’re returning to was in the middle of the woods behind the castle. I was in the middle of getting as close to the castle as I possibly could and spying on the situation. Because I had finished what I needed to do, I retreated back to the log cabin in the middle of the woods.

After about one hour I was back at the small cabin. Inside the log cabin, Snow and Meiya were already waiting. Since there were only these two that had bad relations with each other (though it’s just Snow hating Meiya…) there was a delicate and difficult atmosphere.

When I appeared, their faces brightened up in several senses of the term.

“Welcome back! Lute-sama!” “Welcome back Lute-kun. How is the castle?”

“I’m back. They took the bait as planned. How are your preparations?” “I’ve finished laying down the last of the traps in the woods. Chrisse-chan is ready, too.” “I’ve finished my preparations as well. I can go any time.”

“All right. Well then Snow, should we begin our preparations.” “Un, all right.”

Snow and I skillfully put on the equipment that were laid down on a rough table.

I was already wearing all-black clothes.

I put in two AK-47 banana magazines in each of the belt pouches hanging from my waist. I also put a magazine in each magazine pouch attached to my vest.

I loaded the AK-47 with a magazine and pulled the c.o.c.king handle. One bullet made its way to the firing chamber. I equipped a knife on my waist.

In my previous life, I think the number of a.s.sault rifle magazines prepared by army infantrymen [one loaded on the gun] + [6 spares].

I loaded one on the gun and prepared 6 spares, for a total of 7. Which is about the average number.

Snow pushed the [S&W M10 4-inch] and [S&W M10 2-inch] into holsters hanging from her waist and breast. The cylinders had of course been loaded with bullets. Because I was busy with work on the sniper rifle, I had no time to make her her own AK-47, so I handed over my revolver. With this Snow became a dual-wielding gunner.

Snow had 2 speedloaders in both pockets. (6 bullets × 2. By the way, speedloaders are accessories that arrange bullets into a circle that allow revolvers to be reloaded more quickly.) On the vest that she wore just like I did, a loader called a [speed strip] was put in. Compared to the speedloader that arranges the bullets in the same circular shape as the cylinder, the [speed strip] arranges 6 bullets with their primers down in a line.

The speed strip is a product that overturned the concept of unwieldiness. As a result, it became as thin as the average auto-pistol magazine and could even be carried in hand. As its weakness, loading bullets became a little bit slower but that can be compensated with the speedloaders.

Snow also had a knife equipped on her waist. She was also shouldering a small sack.

Our bullets had a little bit of the heads removed from them and a thin piece of silver stuck in. Silver is deadly poison to vampires.

The combined amount of our armaments is, by simple calculation, just enough to be able to kill all the guards in the castle. However our goal in the end was madam’s rescue. We didn’t intend to ma.s.sacre all the castle guards in the least.

The sky was cloudy and there was no light from the stars. There was no signs of rain going to fall, either. It was the perfect weather for a surprise attack.

I stretched my hand towards the log cabin’s fireplace. I had already examined the gimmick that opens the hidden pa.s.sage as soon as I arrived at the cabin.

I strongly pushed on one part of the fireplace’s interior wall. Like in the fireplace inside the residence, one of the bricks in the flooring rose up. When I carefully pulled it up, it revealed an iron handle from behind it.

I took hold of the handle and opened the cover to the hidden pa.s.sage with all my strength.

Firstly I poked just my head inside to check the situation.

“….. All right, there seems to be no problems.”

There was nothing on the dust piled up in the pa.s.sage besides my footprints from when we left the castle, showing that n.o.body had used this hidden pa.s.sage besides me. The patriarch of the vampire house did not notice this hidden pa.s.sage.

I entered the pa.s.sage first, followed by Snow. After we went in, Meiya replaced the hidden pa.s.sage’s cover, and headed for her post.

“We should go then, Snow. Tell me if anything strange happens.” “Un, alright, Lute-kun.”

We talked to each other then started off on the hidden pa.s.sage towards the castle.

Last time, I was carrying ojousama, and a one-way trip took 1 hour. With me and Snow on foot, it took about 50 minutes. We didn’t activate body strengthening to avoid notice from the guards on the surface.

Magicians are sensitive to magic power. Which is why it is hard to kill a magician through a surprise attack using magic. Since they could detect the magic power before the attack happens.

If on the off chance we were detected here by the guards on the surface, then the surprise attack will be a failure.