There’s the treasure room of a progenitor vampire for you.

It’s so literally buried in treasure that I am quivering with sheer emotion.

But when I sift through the piles, going ‘ooh this is good,’ ‘ooh this is also good,’ I realize that I am extremely limited in what I can bring back.

I basically have zero ability to fence off works of art, so those I will have to pass. Unfortunately, the majority of what’s here falls under that category.

Next is jewels and precious metals. Small pieces are fine, but bigger ones are bulky. And I can’t fence those either.

Thus, my target has been narrowed to a single option.

The one that is surest and most efficient at adding to my own funds, the one that I most need to grab ―― is gold coins.

One piece the size of a ¥500 coin is worth 100k Zeny. What’s more, I can use it as is.

It is the option that boasts overwhelming efficiency and reliability in comparison to all others.

What a downer of a fact to be enlightened to while looking at all this treasure up close.

“Well, that’s reality for you, I suppose……”

I mutter under my breath as if to say farewell to the massive variety of treasure before me. Then I apply myself to the task of gathering gold coins.

Naturally, I’ve already given thought to how I will carry it all.

Drawing reference from the forefront authority on slime bodysuits, Epsilon, I have decided to stuff the gold coins into my bodysuit.

Just as Epsilon stuffs hers with slimes, I shall stuff mine with gold coins.

Within my bodysuit, my longcoat, and even my hood, I line all available space with gold coins, leaving no patch uncovered.

Nah, that’s a lie. I do still have the presence of mind to keep the joint areas unlined.

Even so, the final amount that I am able to stuff is slightly above 1,000 pieces.

A thousand pieces of gold coins, which calculates to 100 million Zeny. I don’t think my math is mistaken.

I intend to live for 300 years, so it’s far from enough.

However, stuffing anymore would introduce unavoidable risk.

My magic is sufficient to offset the weight of a thousand gold coins, but it’s just hard to move comfortably. Any more than this, my movements would become all stiff

Also, a thousand gold coins is still not that conspicuous appearance-wise. But if I go for, say, 2,000, then that would be quite obvious indeed.

“It’d be fine if I’m simply carrying them, but……”

The boss battle with the Queen of Blood still lies ahead of me.

Apparently the Queen of Blood is a progenitor vampire.

She’ll definitely be strong, no doubt about it.

A vampire who is a progenitor, now that’s got to be strong for sure.

Thus, this time’s battle plan has already been decided.

Up to now, I’ve always gone with appearing last. But this time, the opponent is one with a title like ‘progenitor vampire,’ so I’ve decided to be the one who appears first.

Then in the middle of my fight with the progenitor vampire, the protagonist can appear and go “What is with this terrifyingly high level battle?! I can’t follow along at all!!” in shock.

That is the best way for this time to play out.

And so, by necessity, I need to be the first to find the Queen of Blood. The more I dally, the higher the possibility someone else beats me to it.

For now, I place the gold coins by the door of the treasure room.

“Let’s come get it afterwards.”

So that it would be quick and easy to retreive when the event ends, or in case anything unexpected occurs.

After uttering a short prayer that I would be able to safely retrieve it, I rush to the top of the tower with the full speed dash that I haven’t done for quite a while. Being early is always better than being late.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

“Finally this moment has arrived……”

So murmurs Crimson with a crazed smile on his face.

The sacrifice has been prepared, and the moon is stained deep crimson.

The moment to revive Elizabeth the Queen of Blood has arrived.

Crimson places a hand on the large coffin enshrined in the middle of the room, then slowly pushes its lid off.

With that, the inside of the coffin is revealed.

However, the only thing there is a black, dried-up mass. The figure of Elizabeth the Queen of Blood is nowhere to be seen.

Crimson carefully cups the black mass in his hands and lifts it up reverently.

“It has been too long, oh my Queen of Blood…… The preparations to steep the world in blood are all in order……”

A closer look would reveal the black mass to be an organ.

It is a dried-up heart.

After the passage of a thousand years, all that is left is the heart of a progenitor.

However, as long as the heart is intact, revival is possible. That is just how progenitors are.

Crimson closes the lid of the coffin, then brings the heart towards the black-haired man lying on the floor who is to be the sacrifice.

The sacrifice’s heart has already been gouged out in advance by Crimson. It is into that gaping hole that Crimson inserts the heart of the Queen of Blood.

The flesh and blood are both fresh. With this, the most powerful progenitor vampire in all history, the Queen of Blood, will revive in all her glory to plunge the world into terror once more.

“Kukukukuku……”

The revival process will need a bit more time.

In that time, Crimson must get away from this place. Immediately after reviving, the Queen of Blood will be starved for blood and thus will indiscriminately attack even vampires. Until she calms down, even Crimson would not be safe around her.

Walking quickly, Crimson opens the door and steps out.

But after a few steps, he stops abruptly.

“Wh-, who are you……”

There was no presence in the hallway outside the room. At the very least, there was no one there when he opened the door.

However, all of a sudden, he notices a man in a jet-black longcoat.

On full guard against this unfamiliar man, Crimson extends his claws and readies himself for battle.

“Begone from this place! Lest you di―― buhyu?!”

Crimson’s body splits in two.

From the crown of his head to his crotch, in one stroke. It was so fast that Crimson could not see it at all.

However, Crimson is a high class vampire. Mere bisection is something that he can easily recover from.

“Identify yourself, you fiend! How dare you use such a lowly blade to―― bihyah?!”

Even as he is speaking, his head is lopped off.

“H-, how dare you!! Do you actually think you stand a ch―― pugero?!”

Both his arms are sent flying.

“You fool! Under the Red Moon, we vampires are th―― pigyah?!”

Both his legs are lopped off, then diced up for good measure. Then his torso is carved up into slices.

“Wh-, what?! My regeneration can’t kee―― bufuoh?!”

The part that regenerated just now is summarily cut off and diced.

“W-, wait! Wait a second!! W-, we can talk about th―― guhyah?!”

Then he is decapitated once more, this time with the head properly diced up.

And lastly, one final stab into the only part left ―― his heart.

Crimson turns to ash.

The man in a jet-black longcoat indifferently proceeds into the room, stopping before the large coffin.

“Mine name is Shadow. He who lurks in shadows, he who hunts shadows……”

Then he waits a while.

He waits.

He waits……

“Oh Queen of Blood, I know you are there……”

Then he waits.

He waits……!!

“…… You are there, right? I don’t feel a presence, but that’s just because you’re concealing it, right?”

Then Shadow finally opens the coffin and peeks inside.

It is empty.

“Eh? Seriously? This plot development?”

He looks around the room, and notices the corpse of a black-haired young man lying at the side with a hole in his chest.

“Don’t tell me you’re the Queen? Wait, no, that can’t be. You’re a guy, and you’re dead too……”

Then he tilts his head and looks toward the pile of ash at the door.

“Was that one the Queen? I do remember red hair…… but come on, he was a guy, that can’t be right. But he did have the air of a boss…… eh, but he was a bit too weak to be one……”

He mulls for a while.

“To think that I would get the rare case of the Queen being absent…… so she either never existed in the first place, she has already been killed, or she has stepped out for a bit…… Guess I’ll just go retrieve the gold coins first and search around afterwards……”

Then he turns his heels and leaves the room.

“Haa…… could it be that I was too late…… I did rush like heck though…… seriously, man……”

So murmuring, his figure disappears.

The Red Moon illuminates the empty room with a fantastical light.

Abruptly, the sacrifice’s body jerks.

Then dokun, dokun.

The heart planted inside the sacrifice begins beating.