Reincarnated as a Vampire Who Acquires Skills Through Blood

Chapter 108 - Leaving the City [2]

A new day had arrived, bringing with it a fresh start and a clear sky over the city of Sionann. The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of the sea and the distant aroma of the breakfast stalls that were already bustling with customers.

Verc stood in the lobby of the Azure Crest, looking at Tatum and Jed. They looked much better after a full night of rest in a soft bed.

Just like yesterday—Verc reached into his pouch and pulled out several gold coins. He handed them over to the kids.

"Take these. Go out and enjoy the city again. Buy some random stuffs that you like, or try some food we didn’t get yesterday."

Verc said, giving them a small nod.

"Are you sure, Lord Verc? We can come with you if you want."

Jed asked, his voice full of gratitude but also a hint of hesitation.

"It’s fine. Consider it a reward for your hard work. Just make sure to be back at the inn by sunset. We’re leaving today."

Verc replied.

Tatum and Jed bowed respectfully. They didn’t argue further, knowing that Verc didn’t like repeating himself. They headed out into the bright morning, their faces full of excitement.

... ... ...

Meanwhile, as the two kids were enjoying all of that, Verc headed to the town’s trade district. He had a long list of items he needed to acquire. He wasn’t just thinking about today; he was thinking about the future of his territory.

He started buying a lot of stuff that they could use back in the forest again—tools, sturdy fabrics, large cooking pots, and basic medicinal herbs that were hard to find in the wild.

He moved from shop to shop, paying in gold and arranging for the items to be delivered to a central point later. Eventually, he found himself in a specialized agricultural shop. The walls were lined with small wooden drawers, each containing different types of seeds from all over the empire.

And then, as he was buying some seeds he thought he could plant in the [Cursed Forest]—wondering if the soil there would accept common wheat or corn—he felt a presence.

"Hello."

He heard a clean, and deep voice behind him.

"...?"

Verc turned around slowly. Then he saw a man dressed in very formal, expensive clothes.

The fabric was a deep navy blue, embroidered with silver thread that shimmered under the shop’s lanterns. Behind him stood two guards. They weren’t like the common street guards; these men were tall, silent, and wore high-quality plate armor that had been polished to a mirror shine.

Because of that, Verc immediately knew that the man in front of him was someone with high status.

Verc looked at him for a moment, then gave a light, respectful bow.

"Hello."

Verc said, keeping his voice neutral.

The man smiled, though the expression felt a bit calculated. He stepped forward, his leather boots clicking softly on the wooden floorboards.

"My apologies for interrupting your shopping. I have heard much about a generous traveler who has been spending quite a lot of gold in my city lately. I am the Governor of this city."

The man said.

Then, before Verc could even ask, he also told him that he was the richest merchant in the city. He explained that he wasn’t a noble by birth; he had climbed his way into his position using nothing but money and the connections he had made during his years on the battlefield.

"I am not one of those blue-bloods who inherited their power from a father. I bought this seat, and I keep it because I know how to run a business."

The man added with a hint of pride.

Verc listened, feeling a bit surprised. In a world where noble blood usually meant everything, a mercenary buying his way into a governorship was a rare sight. It meant this man was either incredibly smart or incredibly dangerous.

"That is impressive."

Verc said. It was what was in his mind, actually.

"Why have you called for me, Governor?"

Then he asked that.

The man realized he hadn’t introduced himself properly yet. He offered a slight bow of his own.

"My apologies. My name is Geremie Saligao. And you are?"

Verc had no choice but to introduce himself, but he wasn’t about to give away his true identity. He needed a cover story that matched his masked appearance and the way he carried himself.

"You can call me Cole. I am a traveling knight. I have set out on a path to clear all evil that crosses my way."

Verc said, putting on a slightly more heroic tone. It was a classic adventurer’s line, one that people in this world were used to hearing.

Geremie smiled at that, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Cole, is it? An admirable mission, Sir Cole. The world could always use more men with such a strong sense of justice."

Verc just casually shrugged, acting like it was no big deal.

"It’s just something I do."

But then, the Governor went straight to the point. He stopped the pleasantries and looked Verc in the eye.

"You, or rather, Cole... you caught my attention after words about you buying a lot of stuffs in the city circulated around. A man who spends gold like water and buys out entire stocks of supplies is someone worth knowing."

Geremie stepped closer, his guards following like shadows.

"Do you need something? Anything at all? I am willing to help you with your preparations. A friend of the city is a friend of mine."

Verc noticed the intent immediately. The Governor wasn’t being kind out of the goodness of his heart. He was trying to make a connection with Verc, who was obviously rich and powerful.

By helping Verc now, he was hoping for a favor or a partnership later.

Verc realized he could use this to his advantage. Instead of refusing and making things awkward, he decided to accept the help.

"Since you offered... I need a couple of carriages for a lot of people later. I’ll be moving a large group out of the city. Can you help me with that?"

Verc asked.

"Hmm?"

Geremie thought to himself for a while, tapping his chin with a gloved finger. He was likely calculating the cost and where he could pull the carriages from on such short notice.

Then later on, opening his mouth—

"I can handle that. It is a simple request for someone in my position. Where do you need them?"

He asked.

Verc smiled behind his mask.

"Just bring the carriages to the front of the Azure Crest. They should be there by the time the sun begins to set."

Geremie nodded, looking satisfied that he had found a way to be useful.

"Consider it done, Sir Cole. You can expect the carriages later in front of the Azure Crest. They will be high-quality and ready for a long journey."

"I appreciate it."

Verc said, smiling.

... ... ...

After their talk, the Governor left with his guards, their heavy footsteps fading as they walked back out into the street.

Verc watched them go for a moment, then came back to his shopping. He finished buying the seeds and moved on to the next store.

*****

Night came and the sun has set, casting long, dark shadows across the stone streets of Sionann.

The lanterns were being lit, their orange glow fighting against the encroaching darkness. With the time for his appointment approaching, Verc started heading to the slave shop again.

... ... ...

He reached it not long after. The building looked even more grim in the moonlight, its dark stone walls seemingly absorbing the light.

There, he saw Moyap at the entrance, seemingly waiting for him. The slave trader was pacing back and forth, but his face lit up the moment he saw Verc.

"Sir Verc!"

Moyap happily greeted him with a huge smile. He rushed forward, bowing low.

"You’re right on time! I have been waiting for you."

Verc just nodded at him, his eyes scanning the area.

"I trust everything is ready."

"Oh, yes! Absolutely! I had prepared all the slaves in my shop just as you requested. They have been fed, and they are wearing the clothes you paid for."

Moyap said, gesturing toward the interior of the building.

"Let them all out."

Verc ordered.

Moyap didn’t hesitate. He called for his guards and instructed them to open the cages and let all the slaves out into the open area in front of the shop.

It took some time...

The sound of clinking chains and shuffling feet filled the night air as the captives were led out...

Some were blinking at the sudden moonlight, while others were huddled together, looking around with fearful eyes...

All the slaves were eventually lined up in front of the shop—the humans from the upper floor and the other slaves with different races from the basement.

They stood in ragged lines, their new, simple tunics looking clean but doing little to hide how thin and tired they were.

"..."

Verc nodded, seeing them.

And after that, he started counting. He used [Vibration Awareness], his senses rippling out to detect the heartbeats and movements of everyone in the crowd.

And after doing so--a frown suddenly appeared on his face.

He counted the heartbeat of the slaves.

Yesterday, he had counted fifty-three of them. But now; there are only fifty-one of them.

"???"

He tried searching if they were left inside the facility, his awareness piercing through the stone walls and into the dark rooms. But it didn’t seem to be that case. The building was empty except for a few guards and staff members.

Because of this, Verc turned his gaze to Moyap, his eyes cold.

"There are only fifty-one here. Where are the other two?"

Verc asked.

Moyap, hearing this, was confused as well. He looked at the lines of slaves and then back at Verc, his hands trembling slightly.

"What? No, that can’t be right. I gave the orders to bring everyone out. I am not sure why you would think the slaves had decreased, Sir Verc. Maybe you miscounted yesterday?"

He said.

"..."

Verc remained silent for a while.

But then, at that moment, a voice broke through the silence.

"T-The guards... they took two of the girls, and they never came back."

A slave human woman, who had been hearing Verc and Moyap’s conversation since earlier, said that. She was standing near the front of the line.

"What...?"

Hearing that, Verc turned to the slave.

"What did you say?"

The woman was shaking in fear. She looked at the guards standing around them, her eyes darting back and forth as if expecting a blow. But with a resolute look on her face, she swallowed hard and spoke again.

"Yesterday, after knowing that all the slaves will be bought and moved... five guards that were mainly responsible for keeping an eye on us took two girls. They dragged them away into a back room... and those girls never came back again."

Verc was silent hearing this. The air around him seemed to grow colder, his mana beginning to flicker beneath the surface of his skin. He didn’t need her to say what had happened. He knew exactly what men like that did to people they viewed as property.

After a while—

"Can you identify the five guards?"

Verc asked that, his face unreadable.

The woman swallowed a mouthful of saliva, her gaze drifting toward the group of armed men standing near Moyap. Although scared, she nodded her head.

Then she raised a trembling finger.

"It was those bastards."

She pointed to five guards standing together near the edge of the building. They were laughing quietly among themselves until they noticed they were being pointed at.

After being pointed out, the five guards didn’t look remorseful at all. Instead, they started shouting and protesting.

"Hey! What’s this? Why are you pointing at us?"

"It was no big deal! They were just slaves! We were just having a bit of fun before they left!"

"Yeah, they weren’t even worth that much! Stop acting like we did something wrong!"

They weren’t even denying what they did. They stood there with arrogant looks on their faces, thinking that their status as guards protected them.

The five guards started walking toward the woman, anger in their faces. They wanted to silence her for speaking up.

"You’ve got a big mouth for a slave!"

One of them spat, reaching for his sword.

"...!"

The woman trembled in fear, shrinking back into the line of slaves. The others around her flinched, expecting violence.

But then— S L A S H!!!

In that moment; the sound of a sword being swung echoed throughout the area.

It was so fast that none of the slaves or the other guards even saw Verc move.

When the sound settled, the five guards were no longer walking.

THUD!

Their bodies had been cut cleanly into two, the pieces falling heavily into the mud. Blood splashed onto the stone, a dark stain spreading in the moonlight.

"?!!"

Everyone in the area was shocked seeing this. The slaves gasped, some of them covering their mouths, while the remaining guards stepped back in terror.

"W-What...?!"

Moyap looked at Verc, his eyes wide and his face pale as a ghost. He looked at the bodies of his men and then at the masked knight who stood there as if he hadn’t even moved.

"Sir Verc! What... what have you done?! Those were my men!"

Moyap stammered, his voice high with panic.

Verc didn’t even look at him. He kept his eyes on the woman he had protected.

"I already paid for the slaves yesterday. Every single one of them. That means they were already mine."

Verc said, his voice straight and cold.

"And those five dared to kill two of them. It’s just right for them to die for their sins of touching what’s mine. They stole from me, and they destroyed my property. They deserve a death sentence."

He stepped over the blood, his presence so overwhelming that no one dared to move or speak.

SWOOOSH~

"Moyap, if anyone else in your shop has ’touched’ my people, speak now. Because if I find out later, I won’t stop at just five."

Moyap couldn’t even find his voice.

"..."

He just shook his head frantically, his knees knocking together.