The Bloody Valkyrie

A lesser vampire.

With all of its blood sucked dry, it was one of the bandits that attacked them previously.

“I have a question for you. Are we near your hideout?”

The lesser vampire turned to its master and nodded deeply. It let out a voice that was neither a moan nor a scream.

“—it says we are, Shalltear-sama.”

“I see. Why didn’t they prepare more traps?”

Instead of stopping with a single bear trap, it would’ve been more advantageous for them to have prepared an alarm system or more traps. However, they were nowhere to be found.

Shalltear began to survey her surroundings. Believing that their master was looking for anyone hiding their presence in the area, the two vampire brides followed suit. Only when Shalltear shook her head did they stop.

“… It’s alright. It’s not like you have any searching skills anyway…”

Upon hearing her mutter those words, the vampire realized why she was forgiven.

Including her master, the three of them did not have any skills for finding traps, and thus would not have been able to notice the bear trap before it was sprung. That must have been why she was spared. Her master did not punish others for failing a task that was impossible to begin with.

“It may have been better for us to borrow the girl.”

Solution’s class was one that dealt in assassinations. For her, who possessed skills from the rogue class as well, it would have been easy to detect traps.

“Well, there’s no point in complaining about it now. Let’s hurry to the bandit hideout.”

Before long, they arrived at the vicinity of the mercenary hideout. As they neared their destination, the clumps of trees began to thin out, and eventually disappeared completely. What greeted the party was a stretch of prairie with a few rocks jutting out from the ground.

They had arrived at the land of Karst.

At the heart of a flower-shaped basin, was a large hole dug into the surface. A faint light could be seen seeping out from the hole. From the light, the inside was probably a gentle slope that continued downwards.

The two structures that stood on either side of the cave entrance were obviously man-made.

There stood two wooden barricades, each about half as tall as a person. The craftsmanship was unremarkable at best. It was just a stack of logs held together by rope. Two guards were stationed at the entrance, with each standing behind a barricade. It seems their plan against intruders was to use the barricades as cover against arrows while raising the alarm.

In a normal battle— if they were to advance from here in plain view, without a doubt, reinforcements would come rushing out. The early alarm would allow their opponents ample time to make preparations. A slower approach, hidden under cover, was also impossible. The bandits had cleared the area of any boulders large enough to conceal a stealth approach.

Additionally, the ones stationed outside each had a large bell around their shoulder. Even if a surprise attack on the guards proved successful, the loud chiming would still alert the ones inside.

Their defenses were well thought out.

But there was one way to break through this seemingly hopeless situation.

Magic.

Cast 「Silence」 then kill them, or approach with 「Invisibility」, or lure them out with 「Charm Person」. Destroying the bells directly was also an option.

While pondering which way would be the most enjoyable, Shalltear realized that she was missing a crucial piece of information.

“Is there only one entrance?”

The lesser vampire stiffly nodded its head in affirmation.

Shalltear’s face bloomed into a smile. If that’s the case, then there was nothing more to think about.

A strongly fortified position is strong against surprise attacks, this holds true even when facing a superior number. But it was different for Shalltear and her party.

For those with overwhelming power, there was absolutely no problem with meeting these humans head on. It was a simple matter to crush them like the insects they were. Their only worry would be another exit for their prey to escape.

“Well, we came all this way so there’s no need to hide anymore, is there? It isn’t in my nature to skulk around like a spy.”

“Shalltear-sama is always shining brightly, after all.”

“Stating the obvious isn’t flattery. If you want to flatter me then put more thought into it next time.”

Ignoring her servant that was now begging for forgiveness, Shalltear reached out her hand and grabbed the lesser vampire.

“I’m giving you the important mission of being the vanguard. Now, go.”

With a flick of her skinny arm, Shalltear threw the lesser vampire, and a sound like air being torn apart exploded. The scrawny, corpse-like body spun into the air countless times, and spiraled towards one of the sentries in the distance.

Upon impact, the sentry’s head and chest exploded into a bloody mist. It was a scene that was hard to believe.

The smell of blood was fresh in the air. The other sentry looked at the cruel remains of his partner in a daze, as if he couldn’t process what had just happened.