"Brother, please... try to stay alive."
The words slipped out like they came from somewhere deep within me. I didn't fully understand why I said them. Maybe because he's the only family I have now in this world. The only person who's shown me that warm smile.
But deep down, I know the reason Arc was never mentioned in the novel. It's because he's going to die. And I'm too powerless to change it.
As I glanced at Arc's frozen face one last time, I turned and headed toward the car.
*Sigh...*
Despite the car's old appearance, the inside was surprisingly luxurious. It lacked the mana integration features that the Author used to describe in the novel—probably because this was an older model—but I didn't care.
My mind was occupied with other concerns.
I glanced at the address again and pressed down on the gas pedal.
The gate, which I had tried to escape from earlier with my life on the line, now stood wide open, welcoming me to leave—this time, in a car, and with respect.
That's what having a diamond finger does for you.
The guards stationed nearby were clearly frustrated. Their faces clearly displayed it. Of course, they wanted me dead. Who would want a slave from another day, someone they once looked down on, to murder their colleagues and just drive off like nothing happened?
But that's how the world works.
Now, back to the main topic: **Blood Dawn**.
Arc claimed to have founded this organization. It sounded vaguely familiar, but it didn't match what I remembered from the novel. In the story, **Blood Dawn** was a villainous group made entirely of vampires, with a sole mission: resurrect the Blood Emperor, Dracula III.
They called him the strongest being to have ever lived.
Though, of course, that wasn't exactly true.
Ugh, it's all so confusing.
This is exactly why I hated this novel—full of plot holes and inconsistencies. Even the extra who had read the original book never mentioned anything about the Stevenheart family.
So who are these people?
People?
Right now, it's just me and Arc. And I was supposed to die in that cave. Meaning, originally, the only Stevenheart was Arc.
The situation was more complicated than I thought.
If Arc and the Stevenheart family weren't mentioned in the novel but Blood Dawn was—and if only vampires were supposed to be capable of blood magic—then something larger must be at play. Arc's death feels inevitable, orchestrated by forces far more powerful than he currently is.
It could be Ragnar, or it could be the vampire race, but someone is actively erasing the Stevenhearts from existence.
I'm sure Arc knows something about it, but he chose not to tell me, even with that free-spirited attitude of his. The truth must be so important, that it was dangerous for me get in-depth.
But right now, I can't focus on unravelling that mystery.
Not yet.
There's a bigger more evident issue at hand: that bastard Extra.
Stevenheart is or not, doesn't really impact the story much, at least not as far as the novel goes. It wasn't even mentioned, so in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't change anything.
But the Extra? He's different.
No matter how hard I try to live a quiet life, far away from the chaos of the main storyline, I don't have a choice. If the Extra isn't stopped, the world will end. Just two years from now—everything will be in chaos.
That's how it was written.
See this is the reason why I hate lazy writing...
But If I somehow manage to take him out, the original protagonist can handle the rest. His ridiculous harem and plot armour will carry him through the peaceful route, just like in the original novel.
Tsk! Now I have to also find a way to kill him before he gets any more overpowered.
Because the worst part is, the Extra already has a cheat system, unlike me.
With that he could literally influence the events of the novel, or better to say, the world that I now live in.
Now not only, do I have to find a way to kill him but also because of that forced Oath, I have added a ridiculous task to my list.
To help rebuild, Stevenheart!
AHHH! Nothing is going the way I wanted,
However much of a nerd I used to be, and maybe still am, I was actually a pretty good driver. As I sped down the road, I found myself overtaking the sleek, mana-powered cars one by one. This old classic car wasn't fancy, but it had its own kind of power.
It was beast, way more fun than I expected.
The feeling of the wind hitting my face, the bullet-like sound made by the silencer, and the rush of speed made me feel something I hadn't in a long time,
Freedom.
Finally, I reached the city of Windfall. The city of shattered dreams.
After the Great Agantha War, which took place about a decade ago, all the humans united under a single banner:
The Great Human Nation.
Yeah, the author didn't even bother coming up with a more creative name.
The title of "Windfall" was also pretty straightforward. It was a city where people flocked after giving up on their dreams. A place for those who failed or gave up halfway through, only clinging to desperation.
Essentially, it was a gathering of glorified rogues.
In simpler terms: a lawless zone.
So, I wasn't too surprised when the address led me here. Blood Dawn was still a small organisation, and with the heavy law enforcement in the Human Nation's regular cities, operating freely there would've been impossible.
Sigh...
I finally arrived at a large, wide bungalow on the outskirts of the city. It was big, but not luxurious. It had a dark, eerie vibe like the kind of place kidnappers might hang out in.
If it weren't for my passive skill that kept me calm at such time, and the warm smile Arc gave me before I left, there was no way I'd have even considered stepping foot inside—especially not in my current, weakened state.
But now, without overthinking it, I parked the car and approached the villa.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door.
Thud!!!
And suddenly, the door fell straight off its hinges.
A chill ran down my spine as I stood there, surprised. When I peered inside, I saw a man, maybe in his thirties, sitting casually in the dark, smoking a cigar with his feet propped up on the table.
"Are you Asuka?"