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Chapter 48
Chapter 48
[Translator – Helga]
[Proofreader – Lucky]
Chapter 48
Kane chuckled softly.
“You always have something to say.”
Thinking about the egg’s personality when Dirk Hatzfeld raised him, he was like a tame lamb now.
“Alright. Finish eating, then we’ll talk.”
[Egg’s Status: Won’t talk even after eating~ ?]
It was as stubborn as a bullfrog. Kane knocked on the egg with his fist to set things straight.
[Egg’s Status: Ouch, what if I break!]
“If you were going to break, you would’ve already. If you mess with me, there won’t be any leftovers.”
[Egg’s Status: Hmph, just wait. When I hatch, you’re just a bite-sized human. I’m really scary, you know.]
The egg huffed as if it was a child throwing a tantrum, but its demeanor felt too insignificant.
“Trying to act tough already, huh?”
[Egg’s Status: I’m angry!]
“Oonuu~ I’m so scared, I might wet myself.” Kane’s voice was dripping with mockery.
The egg shook, unable to hide its excitement, showing its will to break its shell and punch the damned human right away.
Crack-
A crack appeared on the egg.
“Are you really coming out?”
[Egg’s Status: I’m really mad now!]
Crack-
Another large crack appeared.
The egg, which was developing a significant crack, started to emit light from within.
“White light? Damn.”
Pets had grades, and white light corresponded to grades 1 to 3. Even if it was an evil creature, it couldn’t escape this grade. However, Kane had secretly hoped for a grade 4 or higher. Only then would there be a higher chance of it being born with evil traits.
“Looks like I’ll have to draw again.”
Did the egg hear Kane’s words? The light from the egg changed.
“Purple?”
It glowed with the purple light of a grade 4. But then, that purple light swiftly turned into a rainbow of colors.
“No way, a grade 5?”
He never really expected a grade 5.
He had only hoped for a grade 4 or higher, but a grade 5? As his smile grew wide,
“To draw a Evil beast in one go…”
The egg shattered completely, and a dark red light engulfed Kane.
Pop!
With a cute sound, a creature appeared in front of Kane. He opened his eyes.
[???]
Type: Pet
Grade: ?????
Description: Hatched from an egg Kane obtained in the “Cave of Species.”
*Note: A pet’s personality changes depending on how its owner raises it.
Trait: Evil beast (SSR)
Skills: Bloodsucking (S), Blood Enchantment (S)
[Status: Angry]
“Did it always look like this?” Kane tilted his head in confusion.
A voice came from below.
“I told you I’m mad, roar~!”
The creature, which looked like a mix between a pig and a tiger, tried biting Kane’s leg without mercy.
“What are you doing?”
“Roar!”
The creature clenched its jaws, but being a newborn, Kane only felt ticklish.
“Ugh.”
It seemed to be trying to say something while still biting his leg. Kane shook his leg slightly.
“Whoa!”
The creature tumbled backward. It tried to roll over and stand up but struggled due to its chubby body and short legs.
“Is this really a grade 5 ferocious evil beast?”
The probability of drawing a grade 5 evil monster was 0.0000001%. Even with in-game purchases, the chances were incredibly slim. No user had ever drawn one, so its appearance was unknown.
Yet here was an Evil beast!
A tiger with rolls of fat—this was truly unexpected.
“This isn’t the creature I knew, hm.”
Kane stroked his chin as he looked down at the creature.
“Can you help me up, pwease?” came a desperate voice from below.
As an animal lover, he couldn’t ignore it. He grabbed the creature and helped it sit up properly.
“Boi, you really are chubby,” he said, playfully squishing its face with both hands.
“Mmpphh.”
“You look so cute, I’ll let it slide,” he said, standing up and patting its head.
The creature suddenly shouted, “How dare you treat me like this?”
“What? You’re my cute pet.”
“That’s true, but… NOO! I mean, I am the guardian spirit serving the greatest evil! Do you understand?”
“And?”
“And what? I serve the greatest evil!”
“So what?” Kane’s question left the creature speechless.
A guardian spirit born to revive the demon god, this terrifying and grand being appeared before a mere human. Yet instead of respect, it was being treated so casually. It was the height of disrespect.
“I am a guardian spirit.”
“Piggy?” Kane teased.
“Noooo! I am the guardian spirit of the demon!” The creature jumped up.
Wobble, wobble.
Its clumsy reaction made Kane want to tease it more. As he continued to tease, the creature’s big eyes filled with tears.
“Waaaah!” The creature started bawling like a baby.
“S-Sorry. I didn’t mean to tease you so much,” Kane apologized, bending down to pat its head.
Despite its sobbing, the creature seemed to cheer up quickly when Kane touched it, its ears folding back as it smiled.
Despite its appearance, it looked more like a mythical creature than an Evil beast.
“Ugh. You should’ve apologized sooner,” it grumbled.
Kane tried to withdraw his hand, but the creature nudged it with its little paw.
“Not yet.”
It wanted more petting. Kane picked it up and continued to stroke its head.
“I’m not doing this because I like you. I’m granting you the honor of touching me because you woke me up. Consider it a blessing, got it?”
Kane smirked. The creature clearly enjoyed being petted, behaving more like a puppy than a fearsome guardian.
“Alright. But what’s your name?” Kane asked.
“Finally, you ask for my magnificent name. Prepare to be amazed. Do you want to know?”
“Tell me.”
“If you insist, I shall. My name is…”
The creature lifted its head proudly and said confidently, “Vladimir Bu Pavil Legilere. Isn’t it grand?”
“Your real name is even longer.”
“You know my name?”
“I only know up to Vladimir Bu Pavil.”
The name ‘Legilere’ wasn’t part of what Dirk Hatzfeld used to call it. He only used the first part, so Kane couldn’t know the rest.
“I have many incarnations.”
“That seems to be the case.”
Kane thought of the creature Dirk had raised.
Indeed, it looked completely different. Unlike the fat tiger-like creature in front of him, its counterpart had been quite impressive.
“From now on, you’ll be called Blata,” Kane said, ignoring the creature’s protests as he swiped his hand through the air.
“I said, call me Vladimir Bu Pavil Legilere!”
[Would you like to save the pet’s name as ‘Blata’? (Y/N)]
“Save.”
[Pet name has been changed.]
[Command ‘Blata’ has been created.]
After finishing the hologram setup, Kane called out to the creature.
“Blata.”
The creature blinked but didn’t respond.
“Blata, bark.”
“Arf!” The creature roared without realizing it.
“What… what just happened?”
“Your name is no longer Vladimir Bu Pavil Legilere. From now on, it’s Blata.”
“What!?” The creature’s—now Blata’s—face crumpled in indignation, pride wounded.
Kane opened a new screen.
[Would you like to change the pet’s name?]
[Name change will cost 1,000 gold.]
“Do you want your name to be Piggy or Blata?”
Seeing Kane’s serious expression, Blata quickly changed its mind.
“Blata is good. I wanted a name I could use across the continent, and this is perfect. Thanks.”
It was a quick change of attitude. “Piggy” just didn’t sound right. It conjured the image of a fat pig-tiger. “Blata” sounded more formidable.
“You made a good choice. From now on, you’ll be known as Blata, short for Blood Tiger.”
Hearing the explanation, Blata was momentarily moved to tears.
* * *
After vanquishing all the monsters in the west, Kane was walking towards the center of the territory.
It was the third evening since the initial turmoil. Due to the wartime situation, lights were on all over the estate. As he walked, he overheard similar conversations repeatedly.
“Wouldn’t it be safe if we took refuge near the eastern gate where the Rehinar family is?”
“If we go there, the Rehinar family will protect us. They wouldn’t just ignore us, right?”
“I haven’t even negotiated the land prices yet. I might have to sell it cheap and head to Dyer.”
These were the kinds of things people were saying. Among them were many nobles, even with their own guards to protect their property. In wartime, all noble forces were supposed to be mobilized. This was one of the conditions the Rehinar family had set when they ceded the land they lived on.
However, these people had not mobilized their guards.
“They’re useless. Keeping them around won’t benefit Rehinar at all.”
“Humans are less loyal than us.”
“You see it that way too?”
“They’re full of greed. Their nasty hearts make them likely to betray anyone at any time,” Blata said, wagging his tail.
“If even you see it that way, there’s no hope,” Kane said coldly to the air.
“I know you’ve been following me.”
Ten members of the Guardian Knights appeared before him.
“We greet the Young Master.”
“There’s something I need you to do.”
“Command us.”
“Sprinkle this among those people.”
Kane handed them a red bottle. It was a flask filled with his blood.
“You mean the corrupt ones?”
“Yes.”
“What for?”
“It’s a kind of mark.”
“A target, then.”
“Correct.”
“Could you reconsider…?”
“Are you saying it’s okay for your comrades to die because of these corrupt motherfuckers?” Kane’s voice was icy.
Yannick answered him, “We don’t want to protect them either. It’s not like we aren’t upset.”
“So?”
“The Guardian Knights follow Duke’s will, and he’d definitely want to protect everyone.”
“Stubborn as fuck bruh,” Blata said, pounding his chest in frustration.
“This idiot won’t understand until the family is gone.”
The youngest knights widened their eyes at the sound of Blata’s voice coming from Kane’s arms.
“A-A spirit beast?”
“Something like that.”
“Hmph. I’ll graciously tell you my name. I am Vla-”
Kane clamped a hand over Blata’s mouth.
The creature was eager to share its name with anyone.
“Phew!”
Breaking free from Kane’s grasp, Blata changed his tone. “There’s no need to tell unworthy humans my name. Unless they pay the price.”
“Are you schizophrenic?”
“No! Call it quick thinking!”
Ignoring Blata, Kane turned to the youngest knight.
“Select all of them, nobles included. This is an order from the acting head of the family.”
With Duke Carl bedridden, Kane’s orders as acting head were absolute. That was why the Guardian Knights hadn’t moved within the family even with mutant monsters appearing.
“We obey.”
The Guardian Knights vanished without a trace.
Blata genuinely felt disappointed. “They seemed like they wanted to know my name.”
“Maybe I should’ve just told them, considering how kind-hearted I am.”
“If they heard my name, they’d tremble with awe and reverence, right? That would be uncomfortable, so I better hold back.”
Mumbling seriously to himself, Blata was deeply regretting not sharing his name.
“Damn, the one with Dirk never talked this much. Maybe something went wrong during it’s birth this time,” Kane mused.
But Blata didn’t hear him. He was still lost in his own world.
[Translator – Helga]
[Proofreader – Lucky]