Preparation (1)

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“Here you go.”

“…..”

Ripley was at a loss for words looking at the certification badge I handed over.

The neutral zones of <Beltane> give out something called an ‘owner certification badge’ when you successfully challenge and conquer each area.

It’s a certification badge engraved with the image of blood on a metal that emits a gray color. Just by looking at its appearance, you can tell it’s an object related to vampires.

“Is this all…”

“Yeah. I’ve completed conquering all the neutral zones you mentioned, Ripley. I’ve cleanly taken care of those Termen guys.”

And the certification badges in my hand totaled 9.

These were the certification badges for the 9 neutral zones that Ripley and I had initially planned to conquer.

I succeeded in conquering all the targets in less than a day after telling Ripley, ‘I’ll be back’.

Ripley alternately looked at me and the certification badges as if in disbelief, and then burst into laughter.

“Do Jae-hyun, this result is just like you.”

“What do you mean by, just like me?”

“Hmph. Everyone knows except you? Even I know, and it hasn’t been a month since I contracted with you.”

I kind of get the feeling.

She probably means how I tend to handle assigned tasks as quickly as possible.

It’s an unavoidable characteristic of my personality.

Because I’ve become so strong in such a short time through various runes including [Rune Hunter], I’ve developed a habit of quickly resolving problems using that power when they arise.

At first, it started with trying to crush the plans of the <Villain> clan or the Ludenark school, but as time passed, this habit would often manifest in these kinds of requests as well.

“But Ripley, what do you plan to do with those neutral zones when I leave Beltane?”

Although I’ve become the owner of 9 neutral zones, I’m still an outsider who has to leave <Beltane> anyway.

I’m not in a position to accept ‘challenges’ from other minions or residents.

Even though I already knew this, I asked again just in case.

However, Ripley snorted and answered.

“I told you. I don’t intend to obsess over it. I’ll just leave them as they are.”

“…So you really started this just to mess with the other nobles?”

“Do you want to die?”

“Sorry.”

I feel strangely solemn when Ripley calls me ‘you’.

She sighed and answered my question.

“There’s a balance in Beltane too. The reason nobles don’t carelessly invade each other’s territories is because there’s a balance of interests and power intertwined.” 𝑅Ä𝐍ȪꞖЕs̈

Ripley continued, slightly brushing her hair.

“I just didn’t like that the Termen warriors were disrupting that balance in vampire society. I warned Count Laculize and his subordinate nobles because they were encouraging it.”

“Ah, I see…”

“Now the neutral zones will return to being truly neutral. After that, whichever resident or minion takes possession of them is no longer my concern.”

Hearing that, I somehow thought Ripley was cool.

Is this what they call the dignity of a noble vampire?

Although she’s acting nonchalant, there was a subtle elegance flowing from her tone and gestures.

“That’s cool.”

So I voiced my honest impression.

Ripley visibly flustered at that.

“W-What are you saying?”

“Nothing, just sharing what I felt.”

“Hmph! Anyway, this concludes what I needed from you in Beltane.”

“Uh… Does that mean our contract is over too?”

Ripley is clearly an exceptional being.

A contractor at a level I can’t control yet with my current rune level and leadership.

Because of that, the contract we made was also a temporary one based on her will.

And now, the conditions she wanted and the part I asked for have both ended with satisfactory results.

It could be considered that the contract had terminated.

“What are you talking about?”

But Ripley stared at me intently with her arms crossed as usual.

Her eyes conveyed a will that said she would never accept my words.

“Did you forget that you pledged your heart? You can’t escape until that heart reaches ruin.”

– To make a contract, you must offer your heart.

The first thing Ripley said when she made a contract with me.

It was a condition with a terrifying meaning, but it became a non-issue due to the cheating purification effect of the [Clear Mind] rune.

Thanks to that, I got to keep the benefits of the contract with Ripley without incurring any penalties.

And Ripley still firmly believes in that penalty.

‘…I should tell her now.’

I thought I should tell her the truth.

It might be fine to continue the contract with her not knowing, but had I grown fond of her during our short time together?

I didn’t want to continue a meaningless contract while deceiving each other.

So I made up my mind and was about to open my mouth.

“Ripley, about that…”

“I don’t know. Anyway, the contract remains in effect.”

Suddenly, Ripley turned her head as if she hadn’t heard.

Her attitude was as if she had anticipated what I was about to say.

Seeing that decisive behavior, I finally realized.

‘…She knew?’

She already knew that the effect of [Permeating Seed] had failed.

Maybe it’s obvious.

Although we haven’t spent much time together, the strong recognize the strong.

She was a contractor who understood my strength and abilities better than anyone else.

She must have figured out that I have an extremely good compatibility with curse-type abilities, and that I hadn’t experienced any status abnormalities so far.

If so, she would have predicted that her ‘seed’ didn’t work either.

In fact, it would be stranger if she didn’t know.

Having thought that far, I suddenly let out a chuckle.

“Well, how should I put it…”

Now that everything is over.

She’s still indirectly saying that she wants to continue the contract.

I used to think she was just being snippy, but now I know it’s her own clumsy way of expressing herself.

So I smiled slightly and said.

“Ripley, this result is just like you.”

“Do you want to die? Why are you copying me? What do you mean by, just like me?”

“Well, I think everyone except you knows? Or maybe I’m the only one who knows? Anyway…”

I extend my right hand lightly to her.

What happened to the seed and how that process went doesn’t matter anymore.

What really matters is,

“I look forward to continuing to work with you, Ripley.”

The noble vampire countess of <Beltane>, Ripley.

The fact that she is still one of my precious contractors.

This was a truth acknowledged even by the system binding us.

And.

“Hmph. Why do you keep saying such obvious things?”

Ripley grasps my hand without turning her head.

…She was someone who did what needed to be done, even while grumbling.

***

Ippotranslation

* * *

“Why did you come back so late, whyyy-.”

“I came back just two days after going to the dungeon?!”

“I don’t care! You’re late.”

When I returned to Korea, Kim Chae-eun was the first to welcome me.

…Well, it’s natural since she lives right next door.

She scolded me, saying it felt like it had been too long since she last saw me.

Especially when she said, “Do you know how hard we’ve worked to fend off your fervent followers?”, I couldn’t understand what she meant no matter how much I thought about it.

Anyway, after returning to Korea.

I first dealt with the many pending tasks.

First, clan business.

As <Evil Hunter> is a new clan, there are tasks piling up almost every day, and I had emptied that important time for personal schedules, so there were bound to be operational difficulties.

“I greet you, Master.”

“Ah, Ms. Hye-young. It’s been a while.”

“Yes. I almost forgot what you even looked like.”

“…Your words seem a bit harsh, or is that my imagination?”

“Do you wish it was your imagination?”

“…I’m sorry.”

I bowed my head at the cold gaze of Lim Hye-young, the head of the secretarial team.

The clan master had left the clan for nearly two weeks.

It was fortunate that I spent about 3-4 days of that time dealing with official schedules in the US, otherwise I would have been a real criminal if I had left for two whole weeks just for travel.

“It’s fine. From now on, please continue to approve documents.”

“Approve? Ah, yes. Just let me know if you need anything. I even made a clan corporate card this time…”

“Not approve purchases, approve documents.”

Thud-.

Lim Hye-young lightly cut off my words and handed me a mountain of stacked documents.

Without a proxy.

Documents that require direct authorization only from the clan master.

“…Ah.”

Seeing that, I realized the reality.

That’s right.

The best punishment a secretarial team leader can give to a clan master.

As soon as I returned, I fell into document hell.

***

Ippotranslation

* * *

“Ughh… I’m dying.”

I can’t help but groan.

After spending several days working on clan business, almost pulling all-nighters, I felt like my brain was melting.

Indeed, one shouldn’t postpone things that need to be done.

Thinking ‘tomorrow’s me will take care of tomorrow’s work’ and postponing it, in the end, today’s me becomes tomorrow’s me when today passes. Nothing changes.

“You’ve become quite a whiner while I haven’t seen you.”

A dignified voice scolds me.

It was Professor Tak Won-ho, a board member of the Seoul Holder Academy Foundation.

The current location is Professor Tak Won-ho’s personal office.

I was visiting my master to deal with the second of the pending issues during my vacation, matters related to the academy.

“Master. This isn’t whining. I really almost died. From overwork.”

“That’s the weight of being a leader.”

“…Saying such cool things to me in this situation won’t work.”

Professor Tak Won-ho is known for being strict and principled within the academy.

However, when talking with me, he often throws in jokes like this.

That’s how close our relationship is.

It felt like time had flown by, as it’s been almost a year and a half since we’ve been together.

“Stop whining and read this first.”

My master suddenly got up from his seat and handed me a sheet of paper.

And on it….

<Do Jae-hyun Compensation Plan – Special Student Assistant and Early Graduation Plan>

“Because you produce top-tier results for every request you take on, the foundation’s board of directors had been wracking their brains over the compensation issue for a while. It seemed like nothing would be adequate, you see. This is the temporary plan that came out of that.”

…It contained a groundbreaking proposal that would solve my scheduling issues at the academy.


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