Traveler Starting from Type-Moon, Demon Lord Rimuru! Chapter 27

"Alright, now that it's just us?" Altrouge looked at Rimuru with a smile in her eyes: "You killed them, so I've lost a portion of my bargaining chips."

"Both of our scales have lost a portion, and because of that, I've also lost potential allies." Rimuru glanced at the nun, who was kneeling on the ground with her eyes tightly shut and her hands pressed against her chest in constant prayer, and couldn't help but mock Altrouge: "If anything, I've already been forced by you to step one foot into your camp."

"But to be honest, Rimuru." Hearing this, Altrouge shook her head and said: "Even if you hadn't met me, your abilities would eventually lead you to study Dead Apostles and gain their powers, thereby bringing you into contact with us."

She extended her hand and waved it forward, as natural as a serious young girl trying hard to persuade someone else: "And have you ever thought about the fact that your trait of being able to devour others' abilities will sooner or later be targeted by those old fogies at the Clock Tower? Wouldn't it be better to leave yourself a way out and have one more option?"

"Heh, let's be direct, Altrouge." Rimuru didn't want to argue about such issues; human hearts were indeed the most unpredictable things, but it would be biased and paranoid to stop trusting everyone because of that. At the very least, he was quite willing to trust Liddell: "I need you to help me lift Brad's curse."

"Tsk, then you're overestimating me far too much." Upon hearing this, Altrouge chuckled: "A curse planted by a Dead Apostle using the concept of 'immortality' as a sacrifice—to put it bluntly, that law of fate known as the Blood-Sucking Impulse has already struck at the Akasha, entangling you for the rest of your life. It's an existence comparable to magic; let alone me, even the Crimson Moon might not be able to help you lift it."

"Even if I had other Dead Apostle Ancestors do the same?"

Rimuru raised an eyebrow, feeling somewhat dissatisfied.

"Do you think a vampire's curse is a wish?" Hearing Rimuru's naive thought, Altrouge burst into a giggle: "But you can try? Because I'm not sure either, but you can't expect me to sacrifice myself for your sake, right?"

"However, since it's a curse, there must be a way to purify it. The method definitely exists, it's just that I don't know it... or perhaps, I know it but don't want to help you?"

Altrouge spoke these irresponsible words just like a mischievous young girl.

"We don't need to use those petty tricks, Rimuru."

"You know I can't help you lift this, because it's a restriction placed on you by my most loyal subordinate at the cost of his life. And I also know you definitely wouldn't want to sign a contract with me and become a Dead Apostle converted by me. Therefore, that curse is my only restriction on you and the proof of your status as a Dead Apostle."

The purpose of asking for the moon is simply to negotiate the price; Altrouge understood the goal behind Rimuru making such an impossible request, so she said quite straightforwardly: "I can help you suppress the Blood-Sucking Impulse, but I don't recommend it. The best method is actually to satisfy the Blood Craze, and the higher the quality and magical energy of the blood, the longer it lasts. Actually... the Blood-Sucking Impulse is just a side effect of the Blood Craze, and you've already experienced the benefits of the Blood Craze, haven't you?"

The Blood Craze allows Dead Apostles to discern the magical intensity of enemies through blood and track the traces of blood they have locked onto. Of course, most importantly... it can continuously strengthen a Dead Apostle's physique and magical energy, and quickly recover magical energy and vitality by drinking blood.

It can be said that the final form of the Blood Craze is the immortal essence of a vampire. Under this essence, as long as there is blood to drink, a vampire cannot even be killed by conventional means—though, of course, those guys from the Church don't count; they call that purification.

"I can periodically send you high-quality fallen Dead Apostles so you can..."

"I want your blood."

"What?" Altrouge was slightly stunned, feeling somewhat incredulous.

The Black Knight silently drew his magic sword.

"I said, I want your blood as a means of suppression." Rimuru calmly shrugged his shoulders, acting as if it were only natural in a provocative manner: "If I have to drink, I want to drink the best."

"...You really are bold... aren't you afraid I'll get angry?" Altrouge paused for a moment, looking deeply at Rimuru as if she had realized something: "You wouldn't happen to be able to obtain my power through blood, would you?"

Rimuru gave a noncommittal shake of his head: "Is it possible?"

Altrouge's level of intelligence was even higher than he had imagined, but this felt okay. Aside from being difficult to fool, it also just went to show that Altrouge shouldn't become a dead weight and drag him down.

"Logically speaking, I should refuse..." Altrouge floated quietly in front of Rimuru, then suddenly realized she had to look up to meet his eyes, and said with dissatisfaction: "First, change back into your own appearance."

"...Is that important?" Rimuru felt a bit strange, but he still changed back into the appearance of a young boy with light blue hair. This made Altrouge look him over twice, and she said with great satisfaction: "Based on your looks, I agree!"

"...?" This left Rimuru feeling a bit dazed.

In this kind of atmosphere, is it really okay for you to be so unserious?

"However, if you want my blood, you have to trade your own for it." Altrouge met Rimuru's golden eyes and whispered: "Do you know why I noticed you in Germany?"

"Wasn't it because I was asking about Dead Apostles?"

"Of course not. There are plenty of mages asking about Dead Apostles, but you are different."

Altrouge leaned gently toward Rimuru's ear, her soft, warm breath exhaling against his neck: "Because your scent... smells very good."

Hearing this, Rimuru was speechless. Rather than saying it was my scent, isn't it more like... she's eyeing my blood?

"Fine, but I will extract the blood myself to trade with you. You are not allowed to bite me—" Rimuru agreed, while maintaining a certain distance. If he remembered correctly, the method for a Dead Apostle to convert others was to infuse them with their own blood while sucking their blood.

Rimuru didn't want to be signed into a contract by Altrouge for no reason.

"Do I look like the kind of person who bites people at random?" Rimuru's questioning made Altrouge very dissatisfied. As the King of Dead Apostles, she had forgotten how long ago it was since she last signed a contract, and she only bit people when signing contracts. As for blood, she only drank offerings and... collected it after killing enemies.

"Also, as my subordinate, I like this appearance of yours. Don't go changing your look randomly in the future. Hmm... from now on, just continue to follow me under the name of Brad."

"Follow you... but I have many things I need to do, and I need to hide my identity."

"You really have a lot of things to do." Since the general direction had been settled, Altrouge suddenly seemed to change, glaring at Rimuru like a spoiled young girl, her nose wrinkling as she said: "I will give you some time to handle your own affairs. As for your identity, I will give you a Noble Phantasm to hide your face. Most people won't associate you with that person from the Clock Tower, right?"

Rimuru pondered for a moment and wanted to speak, but saw Altrouge put her hands on her hips in dissatisfaction and point at the nun who was still praying...

"Fine." Rimuru agreed reluctantly.

So much for not using the nun to threaten me?

Heh, women.

No sense of honor!

"Also, since I've joined you, I hope I can have the right to order Dead Apostles to do things for me. This will make it easier for me to handle some of my own affairs."

"Of course." Hearing this, Altrouge curled her lips and said generously: "Not just my subordinates; if you have any needs, feel free to request them of me as well."

"I, Altrouge, treat my subordinates..."

"Always with special care."

Chapter 036, Attack! Einzbern!

In the dead of night, atop a high mountain in Croatia, a petite figure stood silently. She gently opened her left hand, revealing a drop of blood as crimson as a pearl, reflecting the brilliant light of the silver moon.

Rimuru stared at the blood of Altrouge in his palm for a long time, then suddenly chuckled and raised his right hand, casting a divine purification spell.

Blood-red and gold intertwined, much like the crimson hidden within his golden eyes.

"Interesting. I've actually become a legendary... vampire who uses holy light..."

With a soft whisper, Rimuru unhesitatingly clenched his hand around the blood. His palm instantly transformed into thick black mist—devouring, analyzing!

A trace of the essence and concept of a True Ancestor was instantly analyzed by Great Sage and absorbed by Gluttony. Ancient power was ignited by his vast magical energy, and a flash of red light flickered in Rimuru's eyes. In that instant, beasts in the mountains began to howl and scatter, birds took flight in a panic, and bats fled their caves in terror.

This aura even startled Altrouge, who was wandering elsewhere... causing her to instantly look up in the direction of Rimuru—

In London, within the Clock Tower, Rimuru was reading a document when a red light flashed through his golden eyes. He quickly suppressed the suddenly surging magical energy in his body, looked up at a lawyer, and said, "You should go back first. I'll consider it for two days."

"Uh, Professor Rimuru, this really is the most generous offer. If it weren't for the Queen feeling that the location is too close to the castle and being unwilling to let other magi approach..." The lawyer clearly misunderstood Rimuru's intentions, thinking he was holding out for a better price, and began to explain.

"I said, go back first." Rimuru smiled gently. He didn't offer much explanation, simply letting a sliver of the aura from his pupils leak out as he glanced at the man.

In an instant, it felt as if the shadow of a primordial beast had lunged at him; the intimidating pressure forced the man to take a step back in terror.

His back was instantly soaked in cold sweat, and his entire body went limp. After casting a terrified look at Rimuru, he scrambled away in a panic, as if afraid that Rimuru might devour him alive the next moment.

"Surprising deterrent power." Rimuru watched the man's fleeing figure, reached out to clench his hand, and frowned as he whispered, "But I still ended up cooperating with a Dead Apostle..."

"This is unavoidable. After all, whether we choose to fight or flee, we cannot guarantee the safety of the nun."

"Hmm... it's raining." Rimuru stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the students in the school—still bustling about despite the late hour—begin to quickly take cover from the rain, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Though, rather than being forced, it's more like the best possible choice by sheer coincidence."

"Originally, going to Germany was meant to study the power of Dead Apostles. Stumbling into joining them can only be called... changing my approach, I suppose."

"The biggest benefit should be the ready-made influence. Although the Mage's Association is powerful, it requires seniority and public standing, which means your period of growth would be delayed until after you become a Lord. The appearance of Altrouge just happens to fill your power vacuum, but it is not without its downsides."

"Doing a few things for Altrouge and leaving behind some stains... as a price, it's not unacceptable." Hearing the analysis from Great Sage, Rimuru nodded faintly in agreement. "I just hope Altrouge is truly as I imagined... a rather good partner... or rather, an object to be utilized."

"The world of Dead Apostles is a naked law of the jungle. It is indeed very suitable for my current wild growth. Moreover, the power of Altrouge herself exceeded my expectations. Although a single drop of blood isn't very strong, if it accumulates over time..."

"Thinking about it this way, it's not bad." Rimuru thought casually. "After experiencing a hell-difficulty start, what I've gained is the opportunity to play both sides of the fence."

"The Blood-Sucking Impulse is temporarily suppressed by the blood of Altrouge. If you stop drinking blood, Liddell will definitely notice something. I do not suggest you be honest about it."

"Indeed. So, isn't this a ready-made excuse?"

Upon hearing this, Rimuru glanced lightly at the drizzling rain outside the window. He flicked his hand, releasing a burst of cold air, and the raindrops instantly turned into ice-like snowflakes falling by the window. On the reflection of the dark glass in the night, an extremely beautiful face seemed to emerge.

"It's time to pay a visit to the Einzbern family as well."

"Coincidentally, didn't Altrouge say she would help me? Let me see... the capabilities of the Dead Apostles."

"Looks like you absorbed it quite well?" Altrouge looked at the youth catching the breeze on the mountaintop, tilted her head, and smiled. "I just wonder how much of my power you obtained?"

"..." Hearing this, Rimuru turned his head slightly and glanced at Altrouge from the corner of his eye. "Is the matter with the nun handled?"

"Your tone makes it sound like you're the princess... but yes, more or less."

"What do you mean by 'more or less'?"

"You wouldn't let me take her away, you wouldn't let me hurt her, and I couldn't use magic that would cause too much mental damage... so what was I supposed to do?" Altrouge glared at Rimuru with dissatisfaction and tossed him a mask that was white overall but carved with blood-red patterns, with a tear mark carved near the left eye. "I just placed a suggestion. Within half a year, she won't consciously think about what happened today."

"She will only remember that she saved someone like you, and then encountered my attack."

"Half a year... is it?" Rimuru sighed softly. "That's fine."

As he spoke, he flipped the mask in his hands. It was a magical craft similar to a Ghost Mask. Touching it, he felt a cold, contradictory sensation that made his blood boil.

"Can this thing hide my identity?"

"It can isolate most prying eyes. It originated from the Far East." Altrouge clearly had no intention of explaining further, or perhaps she didn't know much about the mask herself, after all... there were too many spoils of war, and remembering them all was simply too troublesome.

"Then, what are your plans next?" Rimuru shrugged, his voice sounding muffled after putting on the mask. "You went to such lengths to recruit me; you must have something you want me to do, right?"

"Ugh..." Not only did she not mention it, but at the mention of it, Altrouge was taken aback. She tightened her small face, but couldn't hide the faint, embarrassed blush that flashed across her cheeks. "Actually... there really isn't anything."

"???"

"To be honest, my trip to Germany this time was just to go and trouble the White Winged Duke as usual... No, wait, it was a negotiation..." Altrouge helplessly extended her small fist, counting one finger at a time. "First, it was about the armistice agreement in Austria, and second, it was about the frequency of his recent expansion..."

"So, what was the result?" Recalling the great battle between her and the White Winged Duke when he was fleeing half a month ago, which destroyed nearly three cities in Germany including Berlin... he vaguely guessed something, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as he asked.

Sure enough, at the mention of this, Altrouge instantly stomped her feet in anger like a cat with its fur standing on end, gritting her teeth. "The result is that he thinks I'm dreaming and wants to beat me awake!!"

"..."

"Tsk, how should I put this? You are... well, a bit different from what I imagined." Rimuru spread his hands. "Perhaps you really do lack a guard who is good at negotiation."

"Speaking of which, if you don't have any plans for the next step, why not help your most loyal guard?"

"Hmm? Are you sure it's loyalty and not being a double agent? Tell me first what you want to do."

"I want to obtain something from a magus family in Germany. Logically speaking, I should visit as a magus family of equal standing." Rimuru paused here, then suddenly chuckled. "But since I've joined the Dead Apostles, I should act the part. I suddenly feel that if I just show up and fight my way in, it might be more convenient."

"Germany?" Altrouge raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Germany. The territory of the White Winged Duke."

"Tsk." Altrouge couldn't help but tilt her head, breaking into a smile: "That is truly a wonderful and interesting proposal."

Three days later, when Rimuru stepped onto German soil once again, he couldn't help but feel a slight sense of sentimentality.

Just half a month ago, when he first set foot on this land, he represented an ignorant magus from an ivory tower on his first trip away from home—cautious, yet lacking any real sense of crisis.

Yet half a month later, when he returned, he no longer needed to fear those unknown terrors, because he... had become one of those so-called terrors himself.

Thinking of this, he gently reached out his hand to touch the empty air in front of him. A soft rippling sound echoed, and a series of waves slowly spread out.

"This is the place." Rimuru slowly looked up. Behind him... a group of pale-faced villains hidden in the mist bared their fangs.

"Go in. Remember, you may drink blood, but... no one is to die."

Rimuru suddenly raised his arm, and the World-Breaking Formula instantly transformed into seven gleaming carved marks, shattering the barrier before him with a thunderous boom. This was a technique derived from The Arbiter, Vissera.

As the sound of the barrier shattering rang out, the previously withered landscape was instantly covered by a lush green forest—finding this place had not been easy. To locate this hidden area, Rimuru had forced the Dead Apostles to search through every noble estate in Germany that had once been granted a title.

It is worth mentioning that the Dead Apostles Rimuru brought with him were not Altrouge's subordinates. Instead, they were "cannon fodder" that Altrouge had gathered along the way by leveraging her status as a princess. Compared to the White Winged Duke, who possessed the largest territory and faction among the Dead Apostle Ancestors, Altrouge was more like a protector sought out by Dead Apostles who opposed the White Winged Duke's influence. Unlike him, she preferred to roam about rather than hold a fixed territory, bestowing the status of Dead Apostle upon interesting magi—or rather, those magi who pursued her power.

However, these actions, which were merely for her own amusement, were viewed by the White Winged Duke and other Dead Apostle Ancestors as a deliberate expansion of power, earning her the title of King of Dead Apostles and attracting a large number of followers.

This resulted in the Dead Apostles under her protection rarely being cohesive, instead forming scattered factions across Europe and the rest of the world.

But clearly, such protection came with a price.

At the very least, when Altrouge came knocking, they... were unable to refuse.

As for Rimuru, these cannon fodder were essentially expendable. When it came down to it, the Einzbern family was merely a clan of Homunculi, and even their patriarch was nothing more than a humanoid terminal created by a disciple of the Third Magician.

If he could lose to a bunch of programmed machines, he wouldn't be worthy of plotting against Zelretch or traveling through layers of worlds to find his family.

But just as a boss wouldn't personally step into the fray even if they were a master programmer, as the current White Knight, Rimuru naturally had his own status to maintain. Of course, one could not forget the most important point: to disgust the White Winged Duke.