Chapter 39: Clear goals
Bryce's appearance in an inn had caused the same ruckus as in the shop before.
People freaked out when they saw the golden-haired vampire ambling toward the reception, but as Bryce took out his mercenary identification and, out of all races, a werewolf followed him, the atmosphere calmed down. Having a mercenary identity was already pleasing, and Bryce liked it.
Bryce and Wolfgang received rooms for themselves.
Gengo felt happy to have four walls around himself and a comfortable bed, at that. He took the end of it and curled up, slowly drifting to dreamland. On the other hand, Bryce sat down and stared at the plate in his hands. It was his mercenary identification that described his achievements and mercenary level.
Achievements were missions that mercenaries did daily — the plate had a number of successful missions done and their rank, but it wasn't all merry as failures were also recorded. The mercenary level was a disguise to the mercenary's real level, just a rough estimation of what a client could expect from them.
'Mercenaries seem like the best choice for me, but-' Bryce's thoughts trailed off as he felt like going straight to the Freedom Metropolis was too dangerous, even if he were to gather experience and levels in the dungeon. Was it because of his short talk with one of their workers, the mercenary guilds in demon lands, or something else warned him the closer he got to that destination?
Familiar with those odd feelings, Bryce kept them in mind and opened his system window. He hid the mercenary identification token in his inventory, then opened a different window.
The quest was in his system.
'Those who summon ought to give quests to others, particularly with such a game-like system. I've received one from the demon lord's regalia, but I can't exclude a possibility of my hero bloodline dropping a quest, too.' Bryce wasn't surprised by the system, though it was unexpected.
But giving more thought to it, it was pretty obvious. He and Gengo don't know much about the world or have anyone to look after them. They were lucky to meet Sharla, who had given them the map toward the Freedom Metropolis, but even people from there wouldn't pass their skills, quests, and guidance to a random summoned person.
He first had to reach them.
And so, Bryce inferred that he could only improve himself to receive those quests, both mentally and physically. His acceptance of the vampire side, his will to drop his cover and draw attention, and his resolution to explore Excalibur's past and separate it from the Sword of Dracula brought him closer to his destination.
[Quest: Execute Beast Tamers of Emerea City.]
[Reward: Demonic Oath(S)]
[Demonic Oath(S) - A demon lord's skill to turn people into loyal servants. Loyalty produces inferior versions of the demon lord's surnamed skill. The higher loyalty, the stronger effects.]
[Hidden reward: Oaths of Rias Avalanche's maids.]
At last, Bryce received a quest for the skill, or rather a lack of it, which kept him confused for a while. He'd be able to turn others into his loyal servants, which everyone did in another world, but the idea of it rubbed Bryce wrong. He hailed from a different world, after all.
And recalling his mother from the vision, he believed they shared the same view.
'I'm not even that strong yet, so I ought to just adventure for my own growth now. Loyal servants and companions will find me, then,' Bryce thought inwardly, believing that loyalty couldn't be just found — it had to be earned. And with that mindset, he'd continue his adventure to find his origins.
That's when the hidden reward took over Bryce's mind. He thought of women he had seen in his vision of his mother's execution skill and couldn't help but think more of them. Were those girls even fine after losing their demon lord? If he could receive their oaths, did it mean Bryce would be able to order them like his mother had done?
That was troubling.
'I'm not the demon lord they'd swore their loyalty to.' Those maids clearly looked after his mother, and because of them, she could happily enjoy her home. Bryce would feel disgusted with himself if he were to order them against their wish. Those girls didn't deserve that after their faithful servitude. 'Hidden reward. I must get it to avoid unnecessary troubles.'
Bryce closed his eyes and once again recollected all his thoughts. He kept changing directions because of events happening in his life. Moreover, the world didn't revolve around him, so he would keep taking detours on his adventure. But nonetheless, Bryce had to make a clear goal.
He clicked a few times on his system, then opened the first messages and highlighted them.
[Demon Lord Maria L. Evilmask and Duchess Isabella have summoned you at the same time.]
[Neither could overpower the other, and your innate power intercepted their battle over you.]
'I don't believe in coincidences,' Bryce's eyes shone, 'Maria and Isabella. These two must be somehow connected to my father and mother. I must find their location and somehow become strong enough to escape them should they have malicious intent toward my parents.'
Nothing connected him to the Freedom Metropolis other than them being a bunch of 'evil' and 'holy' mana-wielders. And as some doubts appeared in Bryce's heart, he'd rather go with what he was sure of.
'I don't know father's origins, maybe Isabella, but I'm sure of vampire's side. After the dungeon experience, I'll embark on my journey to the vampire kingdom, Crimson Kingdom.' Bryce decided sternly, not allowing anything else to change his goal.
And the more he thought about it, the better he felt.
He stood up, went to the bathroom, and looked in the mirror. His features were still a problem; the golden hair and red eyes surely would make other vampires stop him in the Crimson Kingdom.
He stared at his hair and concentrated deeply, thinking about ways the vampires and other demons used to hide their characteristics. But as no quest or skill came out from his bloodlines, Bryce could only rely on what he had.
And that was him simply changing bloodlines.
Bryce repeated that process for a long time, wanting to be a vampire with just red eyes and teeth. In this way, he'd be able to cover a lot of his bloodline. He also wanted to use Excalibur and Sword Of Dracula's characteristics through a silver sword without exposing their identities, so Bryce believed this training was necessary.
When he felt exhausted from those constant changes, Bryce sighed and looked at himself in the mirror. He was currently in heroic mode with a hero bloodline coursing through him. His eyes were blue, his skin dazzling, and his hair black — with silver bangs.
Bryce squinted his eyes and pulled the streak off. "I don't have much time before others notice my identity, even though I know shit about you, father."
And after those words, Bryce went to bed.
His night wasn't comfortable, though, for someone else's memories took over him — another vision.
[Arthur, I didn't expect you to come here. You never needed my help after picking up Excalibur.]
[Holiness is enough to repair the weapon.]
[I know that.]
[But I need you to fuse Excalibur with a different sword. Evan, Master Evan, only you can do that.]