Chapter 49

Chapter 49
## Chapter 49

Preliminary Preparations (3)

“Get your dried fruits here! Sweet, tasty, and the perfect snack for your travels!”

“The carriage heading to the capital is setting off shortly! Move quickly, only a few remaining spots left!”

“My goodness, that price is rather steep. Would you be willing to lower it a bit for me?”

Heinz paced calmly through the central district of the settlement.

After transferring management of the protective boundary established within the Forest of Monsters over to Hans, he had journeyed out to handle other personal errands.

Even if every single resource obtained during the Abyssal Conclave along with the items amassed by Halli were entirely consumed, replenishing the stockpile of components later would pose no difficulty.

Hans was unable to carelessly venture into the outside world, yet he commanded an immense legion of undead capable of acting as his physical extensions.

‘Provided the piece of the Immortal King is not exposed directly to the world, everything ought to remain secure. Regardless of how formidable the saint’s tracking talents might be, expecting them to oversee the entire expanse of the land and pinpoint every minor undead thrall is simply unrealistic.’

While the distinct traits of that particular piece made it challenging to completely mask, implementing a standard shroud of dark magic was more than enough to cloak his lesser undead servants.

Heinz had redirected his steps to this specific region due to a sudden recollection of certain individuals.

He was currently in the municipality of Lapella, situated within the borders of the Kingdom of Talia, over in the western territories of the landmass.

This was the very place where he had parted ways with the pair of young relatives he had initially encountered back in Ajantu.

‘Roughly seven months have slipped by since our farewells. Given how differently the passage of time operates here, that considerable duration has already run its course.’

A mere three days back on Earth corresponded to a full month inside this realm.

Naturally, because the avatar named Heinrich had remained stationed within Outerica to undergo nonstop conditioning, he had been acutely aware of every passing moment.

The sole issue was that he had become completely consumed by the unceasing, monotonous daily drills enforced by his organization.

‘As anticipated, vampires maintain a presence in this location as well. Though they do not operate with the same brazen lack of caution seen in Ajantu, they still linger here, conducting themselves with much greater discretion.’

Utilizing his heightened supernatural perception alongside his ‘Insight’, he could easily detect the hidden vampires scattered throughout the various sectors of the settlement.

Even so, Heinz advanced with an air of complete assurance, entirely untroubled by their existence.

At this stage, there was not a soul capable of penetrating his active ‘Concealment.’

That is, unless he crossed paths with someone possessing the holy blood line.

“Ahahaha!”

“Lapi! Slow down, you’re going to fall running like that!”

As he continued scanning his immediate environment while moving forward.

Right by a local provisions shop where the young pair had previously found a safe haven, a tiny young girl suddenly came bursting around the edge of a wall.

“…Oh?”

Heinz, having tracked her approach well in advance, shifted his posture smoothly to steer clear of her, yet the startled youngster lost her footing and began to pitch forward.

“Whoa—!”

“Lapi!”

She was mid-fall, tumbling in a manner that threatened to result in a painful impact.

Yet right before the youngster could slam against the stones.

Catch—

Heinz smoothly intercepted her descent, steadying her onto her feet with practiced ease.

“…Huh?”

The intervention was executed so fluidly that the little girl merely blinked up at him in astonishment, completely unfazed as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

“Lapi! I warned you to look where you were going because you could get hurt!”

A slightly older youth, racing up behind her in a panic, reprimanded the little girl while frantically examining her for injuries.

Breathing a sigh of relief upon confirming she was entirely unharmed, he let out a long breath.

“Oh! Thank you so very much! Because of your quick hands, Lapi didn’t get hurt at all. Go on, Lapi. Express your gratitude properly.”

“…Mm.”

Urged onward by the youth, the little girl, who appeared to be roughly four years of age, gave a self-conscious glance around before ducking her head in a small bow.

Immediately after, she shrank back behind the youth’s form, observing the stranger by peering out with only the top half of her face visible.

“Please forgive her. She tends to be incredibly timid around unfamiliar faces. Let me thank you once more.”

The youth conveyed his appreciation a second time, dipping his upper body forward in a highly respectful manner.

‘It brings a sense of comfort to observe that you two have been faring quite well.’

“Do not worry about it, Aron. It appears you have faced no major troubles during the intervening months.”

“…Huh? How do you happen to know my name…?”

“………”

Just as a wave of mild letdown began to surface over the possibility that the boy had completely wiped him from memory, it dawned on him that his physical features were entirely different than before.

As a direct consequence of undergoing the ‘Mixed Blood Evolution’, Heinz’s skeletal frame had shifted significantly, elevating him into the status of a Noble bloodline, and most importantly, he had deliberately reshaped his facial structure to sever any visible connection to his primary form.

“Ah… It is Heinz. My physical appearance has shifted slightly due to various circumstances since the period we last crossed paths.”

He really should have reverted his facial features back to their previous state prior to entering the area.

With that opportunity missed, he had no choice but to offer that basic explanation.

“…Is that truly you, mister?”

“It is.”

“………”

Accepting such a claim on faith had to be incredibly difficult.

While he stood there debating his next course of action…

All of a sudden—

“Mister—!”

Aron plunged forward, burying himself tightly against Heinz’s frame, his voice thick with rising tears.

‘He places his faith in me far more rapidly than I anticipated.’

Heinz offered a soothing, gentle pat against Aron’s shoulders.

Following their brief moment of reconnection, Aron grabbed hold of his younger cousin Lapi’s small hand—who belonged to the household of his maternal uncle running the provisions store—and began guiding the way forward.

“Uncle is going to be completely shocked when he lays eyes on you! We have spent such a long time hoping for your return, and it feels so silly that I failed to spot who you were at first!”

“La-la-la~♪”

Aron chatted away with boundless cheer, gently rocking Lapi’s arm back and forth as they walked.

It was evident that the youth had grown highly attentive regarding the little girl’s daily care and upbringing during the period Heinz had been away.

They soon arrived directly at the threshold of the provisions business.

Diana was already positioned near the entryway, sorting through inventory pieces atop the main service desk while watching the path.

“Big sister! Look who I managed to bring along with me…”

“Mister—!”

Step— Dash!

Before Aron could even complete his sentence, Diana sprinted straight forward and threw her arms around Heinz’s frame.

Pressing her face flat against his chest armor, her emotional state mirrored her brother’s perfectly, completely overwhelmed by the sudden reunion.

“…Wait, how did you manage to identify him instantly, big sister?”

Setting aside the puzzle of how Diana had known him without a single moment of hesitation.

The instant he sensed a presence preparing to exit from the deeper sections of the business, Heinz pulled his fabric hood low over his features.

“Diana! What in the world is causing all this commotion… Oh?”

“Greetings, Mr. Bolt. It has been quite a while since we last spoke. I am Heinz.”

Heinz offered a calm, grounded greeting to Bolt as the store owner stepped into view looking startled, while simultaneously soothing Diana’s heightened emotions.

He then guided the group inward along with the youngsters, taking the opportunity to voice the specific query that had left him puzzled.

“Well… The scent of blood that used to linger around you is entirely gone. Even so, I could still sense a familiar essence that belongs uniquely to you… Oh, I don’t quite know the proper words to describe it. My instincts simply told me it was you.”

It proved quite startling to Heinz that Diana possessed the capability to pick up on his identity with such immediacy.

This development indicated that she had effectively perceived right through his active ‘Concealment’.

‘The complete absence of any metallic blood scent confirms that my efforts to cloak my vampiric characteristics have been fully successful. I put an immense amount of focus into masking that specific aspect.’

Even so, the reality that she could partially bypass the ‘Concealment’ of a far more advanced version of Heinz pointed toward an extraordinary innate sensitivity.

Provided her capabilities were properly cultivated and guided, she possessed the potential to develop into an incredibly remarkable asset.

“Everything has been going wonderfully for us. I walk over to the local preparatory school alongside Aron during the morning hours to master basic literacy and calculations, and once the afternoon arrives, I pitch in around the storefront. Our family insists that such labor isn’t required of me, but I genuinely desire to be useful.”

It appeared that every two or three days, their preparatory school granted them blocks of leisure hours to peruse texts or participate in comparable enriching activities. Master Bolt, the siblings’ maternal uncle, was evidently upholding his prior commitments with integrity.

“I simply found myself navigating past this region and decided to check in, and seeing you all thriving brings me immense satisfaction.”

“Ehehe, we owe this comfortable life entirely to your kindness, mister. Have your own journeys been safe and well?”

Diana offered no real inquiries or remarks regarding the stark alterations in his facial structure. Given her pre-existing awareness that he was a vampire, such physical transformations likely didn’t strike her as anything particularly unusual.

“Mm… Indeed, things have proceeded quite well.”

He had successfully fulfilled a variety of milestones and maintained a distinct objective on his horizon.

Following a full day dedicated to treating the three youngsters, Lapi included, to an assortment of local delicacies and providing a substantial amount of coin to Bolt to assist with their upkeep, the moment arrived to venture forth once more.

“Safe travels, mister—!”

“Be sure to come back and see us!”

“Goodbye~♪”

On this particular occasion, the children offered their farewells with a display of courage, entirely free of tears.

‘Now, it is time to go evaluate the broader landscape.’

Exiting past the city perimeters, Heinz directed his steps toward his primary destination. Even though his schedule was heavily packed with cultivating Heterosis back on Earth, the vast temporal divergence between these two realms granted him ample windows of flexibility. Stepping away to gather intelligence in short intervals would not drain an excessive amount of his time.

The underlying motivation for putting forth this level of dedication lay with Heinrich; during his rigorous preparation to achieve the rank of a Paladin within the main sanctuary, he had established ties with a wide array of figures. Scattered among those contacts were numerous veterans who had personally served in the campaign to suppress the Immortal King, and by consulting them, he was able to extract exhaustive accounts regarding the specific occurrences of that war.

He learned of sharp engagements involving an assembly of dark occultists, alongside intense skirmishes against vampires and highly placed aristocrats who seemed to be acting under their covert direction.

Synthesizing these newly acquired details with the personal encounters he faced during his initial arrival within Talaria—where he had run into a female Noble-blood vampire operating within the boundaries of the metropolitan area…

‘The reach of the Brokolak Clan extends incredibly deep into the infrastructure of the Kingdom of Talaria.’

This was an organization woven tightly into the fabric of regional governance, wielding enough leverage to steer the choices of a monarchy from the shadows. That particular vampire faction, the Brokolak Clan, served as the ultimate root of the authority inherited by Heinz II.

‘An exceptionally advantageous piece to hold on the board. I could not ask for a more ideal tool.’

This reality was the precise catalyst for his personal return to this territory. He intended to amass a comprehensive ledger of intelligence prior to launching a full-scale interaction with them, particularly within Talaria, the administrative center of the Kingdom of Talaria, where the main base of operations for the Brokolak Clan was almost certainly situated.

—

“Oh? That particular gear suits your frame beautifully!”

“Haha, do you truly believe so? It is quite remarkable, honestly. This protective suit conforms to my dimensions as though it were custom-made.”

“The armorers stationed within our grand temple are widely considered the most skilled artisans across the entire continent. Allying a pre-existing set of plates to align flawlessly with a warrior’s build is basic task work for them.”

Heinrich was currently outfitted in the official Paladin armor presented to him shortly after securing his formal elevation. The defensive suit, forged from a brilliant blend of pristine white and polished silver metals, cast a radiant gleam under the light. Beneath the exterior surfaces, holy incantations dedicated to reinforcing physical defense and warding off malevolent forces were meticulously carved into every inch.

“Tell me, though, what is your plan regarding a primary armament? Under normal circumstances, by the time an initiate secures the title of Paladin, they have unlocked a clear understanding of which instrument complements their style best. Yet because your elevation occurred with such unprecedented speed, you likely haven’t found your footing yet.”

“That is accurate. For the present moment, I am employing a standard arming sword and a heavy shield to build my foundations, while concurrently undergoing instruction to master an array of alternative weapons.”

Heinrich’s foundational discipline, the ‘Holy Warrior Combat Skills’, represented a highly pragmatic style of martial engagement engineered specifically for the chaotic environments of active war zones. The training commenced with foundational unarmed brawling and expanded into an all-inclusive mastery of tactical implements, granting the practitioner the flexibility to retrieve and effectively wield whatever asset was at hand.

The moment a holy knight identified the specific implement that maximized their personal efficacy, they would transition into unlocking highly specialized, sophisticated forms tied exclusively to that weapon. However, due to Heinrich’s blistering pace of advancement, he had not yet designated a definitive signature weapon.

Living within the confines of the Rosellia Grand Temple granted him access to an abundance of retired, veteran Paladins who spent their post-active years operating as martial instructors, creating an unparalleled environment for soaking up a wide spectrum of weapon arts.

Should he express the desire, he could easily request dedicated guidance for any combat implement imaginable at a moment’s notice.

“Alternatively, you might consider aligning yourself with a specific Paladin Order that anchors its identity around the particular armament you favor, allowing you to drill alongside and absorb wisdom from the veterans entrenched there. If fortune smiles upon you, you could even receive direct tutelage from the presiding Grand Commander. Have you given any thought to which faction you wish to join? Perhaps my own Silverwing Paladin Order would be to your liking?” offered an experienced holy knight who had recently returned from the theatre of war against the Immortal King within the borders of the Kingdom of Talaria.

Heinz, however, harbored very little personal desire to officially bind himself to a singular Paladin Order, recognizing that such a commitment would place heavy constraints upon his personal operational latitude. “Rather than tethering myself to a specific Order, my true aspiration is to traverse the wide expanses of the land, rendering aid to those trapped in desperation and radiating the holy tenets of the Divine.”

“Ah, so your goal is to walk the path of a wandering, unaligned Paladin?” The veteran knight offered an understanding nod, respecting Heinz’s idealistic vision while simultaneously providing a stern alert regarding the extreme perils and grueling trials that would inevitably cross his path, particularly from zealous heretical factions.

Regardless of the incoming friction, Heinz remained entirely steadfast in his resolve to pursue this specific trajectory, fully conscious that it was a path fraught with immense difficulty, particularly for a freshly consecrated holy knight of his standing.

“Returning to our previous discussion regarding your armaments, then. It remains imperative that you select a core implement so you can begin absorbing the higher-tier combat forms. For the time being, you will be rotated through temporary deployments across a variety of distinct Paladin Orders to broaden your training, so allow yourself the necessary space to weigh your choices carefully.”

Heeding this counsel, Heinz found himself rotated through short-term attachments among various factions operating out of the Rosellia Grand Temple, with each group maintaining its own specialized set of mandates—ranging from tracking down dark occultists and cleansing demonic cults to establishing security over critical zones or high-ranking dignitaries.

His initial attachment placed him inside the ranks of the Sky Shield Order, the faction charged with maintaining the external defensive perimeters safeguarding the Rosellia Grand Temple, where the vital nature of their defensive obligations was continuously drilled into the personnel. Fortunately, throughout the entire duration of his deployment there, the sector remained completely devoid of security breaches.

Following that rotation, he transitioned into the ranks of the Sunwolf Order, whose primary charge involved anchoring security across the sacred territories. Once more, his tenure with the unit passed without a single disruptive incident, which was entirely expected given they were operating deep within the heavily fortified heart of the supreme Divine Order.

As the months rolled by amidst continuous drills and shifting responsibilities, Heinz also unlocked a high degree of mastery over the ‘Blessing: Leap,’ a supernatural gift bestowed upon him during his sacred consecration rituals. This particular trait granted him the ability to instantaneously cross a specific measure of distance within the span of a single day, either utilizing the entirety of the spatial jump at once or separating it into smaller, tactical movements, albeit with an enforced period of rest required between successive activations.

As his martial conditioning reached deeper levels, Heinz began to completely re-evaluate his foundational strategy for identifying a core combat implement. Backed by his specialized ‘Boneless’ physical trait and his blistering rate of skill acquisition, it became clear to him that confining his capabilities to a singular weapon category was entirely unnecessary.

Consequently, he made the executive choice to master an expansive spectrum of weaponry, anchoring his starting efforts upon the traditional sword and shield configuration due to its universal utility on the battlefield. Maximizing the benefits of his ‘Rapid Healing’ trait, he deliberately trimmed away unnecessary rest periods and personal downtime to carve out massive blocks of hours for supplementary conditioning.

He absorbed refined blade arts while operating alongside the Sky Shield Order, and transitioned to mastering polearm dynamics while drilling with the Sunwolf Order. His near-instantaneous comprehension of complex forms left both his senior instructors and fellow holy knights in a state of absolute disbelief.

Throughout the subsequent stretch of months, Heinz threw himself into an unceasing regimen of weapons conditioning, eventually forcing the manifestation of a newly consolidated trait known as ‘Comprehensive Weaponry.’ This particular sub-skill, when unified with his pre-existing grasp of ‘Holy Warrior Combat Skills,’ automatically elevated his baseline lethality and technical precision with absolutely any instrument of war he placed in his hands.

He came to understand that this highly adaptable skill set would scale dynamically alongside his personal progression, transforming into an even more devastating asset as his overall power tier expanded. Furthermore, this accumulated technical mastery would directly empower his alternative avatars down the line.

For the present moment, Heinz stood as the solitary avatar utilizing physical armaments in active combat, yet this deep well of technical expertise and muscle memory, forged within the finest training ecosystem available, would inevitably yield immense strategic benefits whenever his future forms required immediate combat proficiency.