Chapter 179: Vampire of Automation
Ramin Solost said, “It’s because you are less faithful. A faithful believer of Night Sky like me would naturally think this way.”
Gorgota Falu spread their hands and said, "Let's stop talking about that… First, what’s with the sword?"
Surprised, Ramin dropped the sword she had been holding.
"It's not mine. I borrowed it for a moment."
"I'm not talking about the sword itself, but about your swordsmanship. I've never seen anyone move like that in my entire life."
“Isn’t the only time an official of the Parallel Nation would see swordsmanship when watching a theatrical performance?”
Gorgota took something out of their pocket. It looked like a small leather notebook, and when they opened it, there was a white embroidered pattern of a Lizardman's face. It symbolized the Hunting Minister, Deyanin, who founded the first intelligence agency.
"...So, you are from the intelligence agency?"
"I used to be a soldier. I had to take on rear tasks due to injuries, and luckily there was an open position in the intelligence agency. Thanks to that, I ended up working for the intelligence agency instead of being discharged."
Ramin took a glance at Gorgota. Although it was purely based on the rumors she had heart, it was said that the intelligence agency wasn't a place you could just easily get a spot in.
"So, you being assigned to me wasn't just an extension of the Parallel Nation task?"
"Correct. Of course, most Vampires are overseen by the Parallel Nation. But the intelligence agency instructed me to look into you. Up until now, I didn't know the exact reason. You were just designated as a dangerous person by the higher-ups, but when I checked where that came from, it was oddly linked to the Pantheon rather than the empire’s secretary office. Now that I see it, the gods seem to have taken an interest in you, Ramin."
Ramin shook her head.
“I don’t know about that. I’m not a person to be interested in.”
"Let's talk about the details in my office."
"...But I haven't done anything wrong."
Gorgota pointed at the dead bodies.
"You're joking, right?"
Shoulders drooping, Ramin followed Gorgota.
***
Sung-Woon and all the other players saw Ramin Solost fighting.
Crampus said, "...Where did something like that come from?"
Then Jang-Wan checked Ramin's stats and history and said, "She really lived for 120 years. Her swordsmanship skill is at level 4."
"Level 4? ...Isn’t that a sword master or something? Nebula, did you know Vampires could live this long?"
Sung-Woon shook his head, "I've only seen it recently too. Vampires usually die quickly."
Currently, the average lifespan of a Vampire was only about four years. Some managed to live for around a decade, which raised the average lifespan, but most died within a few years. The median was even lower than four years. This was due to the world's negative view on Vampires.
Outside the empire, it was still customary to kill Vampires and Werewolves on sight. While it was confirmed that Vampires don't age, their actual lifespan hadn’t been confirmed.
Species like Elves and Dwarves lived longer than Humans or Lizardmen, but their average lifespan still doesn't exceed 90 years. This was partly due to the ongoing war, but it was also because medicine hadn’t advanced that far yet. In The Lost World, the development of specific medical fields were delayed. Different species had varying susceptibilities to diseases, and the methods of treatment also varied.
"Just because a species can live long doesn't mean every individual will. This is truly an exceptional case,"
Crampus checked the stats window and said, “The other abilities are also evenly high. This should be more than enough to consider her an exceptional person. She should have actually had an ability penalty because she’s a fourth generation Vampire.”
“That probably means she didn’t live carelessly for the past 120 years,” Sung-Woon said. “I only discovered this very recently as well. The basic trend regarding Vampires has changed within the empire, and Vampires have started coming to surface"
Wisdom said, “I must admit she is an unusual individual, and also strange. But we already have many individuals with exceptional attributes and skills that are a burden to manage. Is there a specific reason you paid attention to her?"
Sung-Woon replied, “Everyone, look at the very top of Ramin Solost’s history.”
As they did, quiet and loud exclamations escaped their mouths.
***
“...Hwee-Kyung, you say?”
“Yes.”
Ramin said, “Hwee-Kyung was the one who bit my neck. I don’t have any regrets since I was dying at the time anyway.”
In one of the meeting rooms in Vaseniol’s intelligence agency, Gorgota shook their head in disbelief.
“So, that’s the Hwee-Kyung I know of? The legendary rich merchant who lived in the time of Lakrak?”
"That’s right.”
“It’s the same Hwee-Kyung who was there when Night Sky defeated the one they were angry with?”
"Yes. That's right."
"Um, but…I heard that Hwee-Kyung died."
Ramin was also familiar with the legend of Hwee-Kyung. Hwee-Kyung inherited Automation through the victory of Night Sky and continued to grow with the support of Black Scale. Apart from the four famous waterwheels, there were stories that she also made an organization which only merchants could join, but the most famous story was still about Hwee-Kyung’s final moments.
It was well known that Hwee-Kyung became ill at a young age. She had a lung disease, which seemed to be a hereditary illness from her maternal side. But regardless, even during her illness, Hwee-Kyung excelled at her duties more than anyone else. She brought unprecedented wealth to Automaton.
However, when it became known that Hwee-Kyung was sick, people within Automation could no longer regard Hwee-Kyung in a wholly positive light because she still didn’t have any children at that time. In particular, opposition was bad from the four royal families as well as the Hwee family because if Hwee-Kyung, the owner of the Automaton, were to suddenly die, ownership of Automaton would pass into the hands of someone else within the Automaton, rather than within the Hwee family.
Stability was always required for power. But Hwee-Kyung had her reasons. She had someone she loved. His name was Sairan Muel, another famous figure. He was not only an exceptional warrior but also a scholar and one of the chosen ones, but if there was one issue about him, it was that he was a Lizardman. Obviously, there could be no offspring between Humans and Lizardmen.
This was a problem for Black Scale as well. Their alliance with Automation began with the meeting of Hwee-Kyung and Sairan, but as time went on, the stakes of Automation in Black Scale grew considerably. Though there was no intent to take the successor's position, Automaton was where the most foreigners gathered in Black Scale, and if Hwee-Kyung were to die and Automaton was to fall into someone else’s hands, that would lead to a major issue.
Lakrak apathetically suggested that she could just bring in a second husband, but Hwee-Kyung refused. Despite the pressure, she stood firm. Although she was a lung disease patient, Hwee-Kyung was at her peak at that time, and she had grown enough to handle any kind of battle or conspiracy. So all that the four royal families, the Hwee family, and Black Scale could hope for was for Hwee-Kyung to somehow endure her lung disease for a long time.
But then, the one nobody had expected to make a move did.
Sairan Muel left Hwee-Kyung. Details about the reasons were not well known, but there were several speculations. One of them was that Sairan was disappointed in Hwee-Kyung, who couldn't let go of power. Another was that Lakrak ordered Sairan to leave Hwee-Kyung for the future of Black Scale, or alternatively, it could have just been a simple change of heart, like many ordinary love stories. Of course, the theory people favored and found most plausible was the following:
Sairan Muel knew that Automaton was being shaken and that Hwee-Kyung was under attack from the other families because of himself, and Sairan wanted Hwee-Kyung to have a second husband and be happy. In order for that to happen, he had to leave her.
Hwee-Kyung tried every method to find Sairan, but she couldn't. There were also rumors that Sairan had died. It was an era where one couldn't be found if they left for the wilderness and wandered around, so Hwee-Kyung eventually gave up and married her second husband. He was a person from the Gyo family and an old friend of Hwee-Kyung’s. And he was one of the few people that could comfort and understand her.
Soon, a child was born between them, and Hwee-Kyung gave the child the name Muel. Only then did the four families pledge allegiance to Hwee-Kyung once again. Despite appearing fine on the surface, Hwee-Kyung's heart was rotting because Sairan never showed up again.
The reason behind Sairan's departure, or perhaps the true reason, was only revealed after Sairan's dead body was discovered. Sairan had written several books in seclusion and left behind a letter before taking his own life. While the letter mostly contained numerous apologies to Hwee-Kyung, there were some hints.
‘By the will of God.’
This meant that Night Sky had demanded Sairan to leave. However, it was emphasized that Night Sky only demanded Sairan to leave Hwee-Kyung, and that he hadn’t told him to kill himself. Like the others who followed Night Sky, Sairan only tried to accomplish more than Night Sky’s intentions. He believed that if he died, Hwee-Kyung would never find him.
However, Sairan had underestimated a part of Hwee-Kyung. Although it was unknown what emotions compelled Hwee-Kyung to do so, she planned to overturn everything that had happened until then. That was to become a Vampire.
There were ancient legends about Vampires. Vampires didn't die from diseases and didn't age. With this transformation, Automaton would forever be Hwee-Kyung’s. So she became a Vampire. Of course, nobody accepted this. While it was a tool to stabilize power, leaving a successor and possessing eternal power were different things.
The four families and the Hwee family turned against Hwee-Kyung. At that time, there was no support for a Vampire. Hwee-Kyung only had a small number of people who had admired her from long ago, Goblins who promised to risk their lives for her, her second husband, and lastly, Automaton's mud soldiers. That was about the entirety of her supporters.
The fight was fierce, comparable to the previous successor fight, and the outcome was terrible. In the end, it was said that Hwee-Kyung cursed Night Sky while dying.
This story became a famous anecdote that love couldn't continue if the species were different.
Ramin shook her head.
"She at least didn’t die then. She probably did curse Night Sky, but she survived and bit my neck."
Gorgota looked skeptical, perhaps due to the fact that they didn’t know an old legend would interfere with their mission.
Ramin added, "So, my real name is Ramin Solost Muel. She told me I was her real child.”
***
Lunda said, “Did you know she was alive?”
“I did see her running away.”
“You would’ve been able to kill her.”
Sung-Woon shook his head.
“Yeah, I probably could’ve killed her. I don’t know why I didn’t.” Sung-Woon then continued to say, “Afterward, Hwee-Kyung hid in one of your territories. But even after unification, she wasn't found. That means..."
"She went to another continent?”
"Exactly. Ramin was also a Human from the second continent."
Lunda lightly clapped.
"Oh, I get it.”
"Get what?”
“The reason why you didn’t kill Hwee-Kyung.”
“What do you think it is?”
Lunda gave him a slightly mischievous smile and leaned closer to Sung-Woon’s mask.
“Isn’t it because Hwee-Kyung cursing you would seem like she abandoned her faith?”
“...?”
“If Hwee-Kyung, who abandoned her faith, died, she wouldn’t be able to see Sairan again. Isn’t that why you weren’t able to kill her? Because we don’t know where souls without faith go.”
Sung-Woon slowly nodded.
"...That might’ve been the case.”
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