The bustling metropolis of Tarak, teeming with people coming and going.
Three men and women leisurely strolled along the well-maintained main street in its heart.
"...Indeed, it's just as I've heard. They say vampires are flourishing in the west, and I can certainly feel it now that I'm here."
High Elf Lydia muttered, glancing at an alley beside the main street. A few mercenaries who had been causing trouble at a street stall were being dragged away and sternly lectured. They would probably only be released after paying a fine and donating blood as fees.
Lydia turned her gaze from the alley and took a bite of the butter-roasted corn in her hand. Seemingly pleased, her green hair, connected to the wind spirits, swayed gently under her hood.
"It's probably largely due to the influence of the neighboring Talia Kingdom, which is ruled by vampires. I heard they received a lot of help from them at the Kingdom Alliance level. Also, Tarak, where the Hubert Company's headquarters is located, is the city with the most active exchange with vampires."
Isea calmly replied, her eyes, tinged blue with magic, scanning the surroundings. She held a skewer of assorted meats and a bottle of something to drink in each hand.
Munch Munch
Glug Glug
The two women busily moved their mouths as they moved their eyes around. They were enjoying the unique food culture of this place while continuing their investigation of the city.
"...Iseah, is that black drink really that delicious? I didn't find it palatable at all."
"It's the best. I regret not staying longer when I was here last time. Ah, was it introduced recently?"
At Lydia's question, Iseah looked intently at the drink in her hand with a serious expression. This was a special menu item – cola – sold at 'Dancing with Orcs', a famous restaurant in Tarak directly managed by the Hubert Company.
'I heard that the Hubert Company handles products from Earth, but… I never imagined they could do this. What kind of unique skill allows for such large-scale distribution?'
She clicked her tongue, thinking about the unidentified Awakened within the company. Of course, these products weren't yet fully popularized. Perhaps due to limited supply, there were restrictions on the quantity per person, and the price was jaw-droppingly expensive. A small bottle of this drink cost as much as a full course meal at a top-tier restaurant.
However, such monetary issues were nothing to Isea Pristine, the great Archmage of the Hero's Party, Countess of the Azerion Empire, and close confidante of Crown Princess Riley. No, considering that she could taste a piece of Earth's civilization in this distant world, it was an incredibly cheap price.
'Haa— This feels so good. How long has it been since I last had cola?'
Iseah sighed with a relaxed expression and savored the taste. It had already been nine years since she came to Auterica. Next year would mark a full decade since she landed in this world. With the essence of Earth's civilization, cola, being transfused into her veins, she felt invigorated, as if oil had been applied to a rusty machine.
'I want to buy a lot and stock up, but it's a shame there's a daily purchase limit. I'd like to meet the supplier directly sometime.'
Someone with this ability would be a high-ranking member of the Hubert Company, the continent's top trading company. Their identity would be thoroughly concealed, so it wouldn't be easy to meet them. Perhaps even Hubert, the owner of the company, was an Awakened from Earth.
'Well, there will be a chance soon.'
If she revealed her identity and requested a meeting, it might be possible, but as a member of the Hero's party secretly investigating the city, she couldn't have a private meeting with a local figure.
As she sipped her cola sparingly, a thought suddenly crossed her mind.
"... Sir Heinrich. Now that I think about it, didn't you say the Hubert Company has close ties with the Main God's Church?"
Heinrich, who had been leisurely following a few steps behind, shrugged at her question. He was clad head to toe in a common, full suit of armor to conceal his radiant appearance.
"That's right. We exchange help in various ways. More than anything, it's also the place where Harley is a co-representative."
"···That guy is more capable than I thought. How many titles does he have?"
A member of the Hero's Party to protect the world, the Fighting King of the Calcos Tribal Alliance, the Mercenary King of the mercenary world, and the co-representative of the Hubert Company, the continent's largest trading company.
Isea and Lydia were both impressed by this unexpected side of the man they had only known as a gluttonous maniac who laughed incessantly.
"Anyway, we can't make any exceptions right now. You never know what people are really thinking."
She trusted Harley, but she couldn't fully trust the Hubert Company as a whole. Moreover, his co-representative position was a story from long ago. She couldn't be sure that his former business partner hadn't changed during the time he was summoned to the Hero's Party and traveled the world.
"Wouldn't it be most reasonable to suspect the vampires for now? Until just a few years ago, they were practically treated as monsters."
"Hmm, that's true. Until King Heinz, the Vampire King, appeared, their bloodlust was uncontrollable. Lycanthropes, who were treated similarly to vampires, recently attacked our Elven Kingdom and were annihilated."
After moving to a nearby alley, an informal meeting naturally began. Secret barriers had been formed around them, completely blocking not only the sounds inside but also their presence.
"Ah! Of course, I know Sir Heinrich was actively involved in accepting them… But even if the Vampire King united them, established rules, and brought them into the light, there's no such thing as perfect control. They could be vampires who haven't been reformed and are still living in hiding…"
"I'm also a bit suspicious of the Hubert Company. Walking around this city, I could feel their influence is truly beyond imagination. If a major problem arises, there's a high probability it will be caused by them."
And what was mentioned most in that meeting were vampires and the Hubert Company. Of course, it was just a brainstorming session since it was an interim meeting held shortly after the investigation began, so it didn't hold much significance. However, Heinrich couldn't help but feel a bit bitter.
He was Saint Heinrich of the Main God's Church, Vampire King Heinz II, and also Hubert, the head of the company.
'Well, I planned on treating this as a vacation anyway, so should I just play along? I can just plant a few cursed Demon Realm items in suitable locations later.'
A few days after arriving in Tarak.
Heinrich ate delicious food every day and investigated the city separately with the two women, who were now full of energy. Of course, since the Saintess initiated this, they weren't the only ones mobilized for the task. Inquisitors of the Main God's Church, who had secretly entered through the Tarak Temple, also began to move in secret.
However, their investigation was inevitably slow due to the sheer number of vampires. Since they couldn't just indiscriminately subjugate them like before, there was constant confusion during the investigation process. It couldn't be helped, as the 'unknown threat' they were searching for was unclear. The inquisitors had lived their entire lives considering vampires as enemies.
'...Should I do it about now? I feel bad seeing everyone working so hard for nothing.'
In the evening, not long before the agreed meeting time with his companions.
Heinrich, who had found a suitably secluded spot, was lost in thought. If the Saintess could sense it, it must be a considerably dangerous object. But wasn't it a waste to use something so powerful here?
'Well, since we'll be sealing and removing it immediately anyway, it doesn't need to be permanent. If I imbue it with a good amount of Hela's magic power and make it last for a few days···.'
But then.
-Saint! I found it!
Lydia's voice flowed into his ears with a gentle breeze.
-It was vampires after all! Here, at the Hubert Company's···!
Her urgent voice.
But it was abruptly cut off before she could finish.
'Vampires? And at the Hubert Company?'
Heinrich frowned. It was the same for Heinz II and Hubert, who were in different locations.
"Mulo Brokoslak. Immediately assess the situation of the Tarak dispatch team and report."
"Security team, assume emergency alert and assemble at headquarters! Contact all branches in Tarak and check for any abnormalities!"
But their surprise was short-lived. The two avatars immediately sprang into action. And they weren't the only ones who reacted.
Flash
「Grand Blessing: Wings of Radiance」.
A pair of large wings of light unfolded from the back of the plain full-body armor, accompanied by a brilliant glow.
Flap Whoosh
With a single flap of his wings, Heinrich soared high into the sky. A bright glint appeared in his golden eyes as he looked down at the city from above.
'Where are you?'
It wasn't the Hubert Company headquarters building. He was already grasping the situation there in real time through Hubert, who was currently there. Like looking through a microscope, every element of the city was analyzed at a glance based on certain conditions and organized in his mind.
'The culprit is a vampire. The location is related to the Hubert Company.'
His head became complicated. He hadn't imagined that vampires would actually be the problem. And in Tarak, which he thought he had a firm grip on!
What a disgrace.
'Think later. Solving the problem comes first.'
Though his thoughts accelerated and time seemed to slow down, he needed to save even this brief moment. Lydia Granwood was the second strongest after Harris in the Elven Kingdom. A talent expected to reach Transcendence soon. The fact that her attempted contact had been forcibly cut off was certainly not good news.
'Just a little more···.'
But fortunately.
He had an ability to use in such situations. The perk 「Monarch's Authority」, which allowed him to check the status of not only his forces but also their members. Of course, since Lydia Granwood was a colleague, not a subordinate, to both High Elf Harris and Saint Heinrich, he couldn't directly pinpoint her location. But there were plenty of people under his command in Tarak.
-Hubert Company - Tarak Main Branch
And after quickly scanning their status using his other avatars in accelerated time—.
'Found you!'
He finally found them.
└Status: Danger (Seriously Injured)
└Status: Confusion, Fear
└Status: Unconscious
└······
Status messages of those clearly in danger. And the location information they all shared was also significant.
└Location: Tulk Kingdom, Aonia County, Tarak ??? ?? [View detailed coordinates]
Coordinates that weren't displayed properly, marked with question marks. This phenomenon only occurred when someone was inside a separate dimension where location information overlapped.
'This is it!'
The Wings of Radiance on Heinrich's back glowed again. Immediately after, his body fell like a meteor piercing the darkness. Although the exact location wasn't displayed, he already knew exactly where he had to go.
It was only natural—.
└Name: Miropa (Sponsored by Hubert Company)
└Name: Aaron (Sponsored by Hubert Company)
└Name: Rafi (Sponsored by Hubert Company)
└······
Most of the names of those caught up in this incident were very familiar.
One of them, in particular, was someone he saw every day.
└Name: Diana (Secretary to the Head of Hubert Company)
A girl who could be considered as having the most tragic fate in Auterica. A human who, exhausted by the constant misfortunes, had finally found hope and could look forward to tomorrow.
Heinrich, with a hardened expression, plummeted towards one of the Hubert Company employee residential areas. Drawing his holy sword, he ignited a massive pillar of light, a light blade, and sliced through everything that blocked his path using 「Spatial Slash」.
Slash
From the sky to a single point on the ground.
Everything in the diagonal path of the falling meteor was cut down. Air, sound, light, and···.
Even the thin barrier that divided space and defined its own world.
BOOOOOM
The small world crumbled. At the same time, the seemingly ordinary everyday scenery outside instantly transformed.
An old woman with tattoos all over her body collapsed, coughing up blood, a small girl lying unconscious in her arms. A boy with a tearful face holding them, and behind him, citizens huddled together, trembling.
"Saint!"
Lydia, who had been confronting someone at the forefront, exclaimed in greeting. As if she hadn't expected him to arrive so quickly.
Heinrich, landing on the ground, slowly rose. At the same time, the Wings of Radiance spread wide, as if to embrace the world. A blazing aura spread out, enveloping the injured.
'That guy is···.'
The knight of light who had descended upon the earth looked at the source of this incident with stern eyes. A young boy standing in front of the collapsed girl, frowning as if things had gone wrong.
He had seen that boyish face, which looked to be in his early teens, once before. Not in person, but through a mugshot drawn long ago.
"I finally found you. Temiran McCleare."
"Tsk! What kind of bullshit is this? Things go wrong, and now even the Saint shows up?"
The boy vampire, Temiran McCleare, grumbled with rough language that didn't suit his appearance. It seemed he had no intention of hiding anymore. Considering the timing of the appearance of the abyssal monsters in the Demon Realm, he probably knew there was no point in denying it.
"Tsk, as expected of the so-called 'Dog of the Main God'? I thought you were a pushover, getting pushed around by the Immortal King, but I guess there was a reason why that cautious and meticulous senior failed."
The boyish vampire, Temiran McClaire, grumbled, his harsh words not matching his youthful appearance.
He was the only son of Kayla McClaire, the Vice President of the Zephia Republic, who had gone missing over twenty years ago—
And the second Apostle, prepared by the god sealed in the Abyss.