Chapter 76: 2 (Part Two)

Chapter 76: 044 . Imperial Prince is Enjoying the Hunt -2 (Part Two)

**

-You’re truly beautiful .

Its murmur was bassy and heavy . The tone of the voice indicated that the creature was forcing itself to speak in the human tongue .

Hilda was sitting demurely on a chair, her eyes faintly open . Both her arms and legs were bound in steel chains .

Next to her was Archbishop Raphael, also bound in chains but covered in some blood . Perhaps to stop him from offering any divinity-infused prayers, his mouth was gagged and his eyes were blindfolded .

-I’ve been watching you since a long time ago . You have displayed the valour of a warrior .

Its voice continued resounding out from within the darkness .

Once Hilda’s eyesight became used to this dimly lit environment, she began spotting things in her surroundings .

A humanoid beast was sitting on a throne made out of animal bones . It wore armour and a helm, and was also currently letting a few dwarves perform manicure and pedicure on its claws .

-The sight of you hunting down my blood-creations was arrestingly beautiful . Those gruesome and desperate battles! That’s when I fell head over heels for you .

Hilda’s eyes quivered at its words .

The beast with a rather openly lustful glare in its eyes walked over to her position .

-I’m truly tempted to bite you and turn you into a zombie, so that I can keep you by my side forever . However, if I do that, the Theocratic Empire won’t sit still .

The lycan’s leader lowered its head and looked down at the sitting Hilda on the chair .

-And that’s why I wish to negotiate with you . I want to enter an alliance with your empire, and as the sign of this alliance…

The lycanthrope, Redmoon, licked its lips avariciously while staring at her in a strange light .

-…Oh, the Imperial Princess of the Theocratic Empire, Hilda Olfolse! I wish to take you as my bride . So, how about it, noble Imperial Princess of the empire filled with devout followers?

Despite hearing Redmoon’s proposal, Hilda wordlessly stared up at the lycan . Her expression remained completely emotionless .

-If you wish, I’m prepared to wait until your dying day . I shall permit you to remain as the noble Imperial Princess that you are . Except, I wish you to be forever by my side after your passing .

Her head slowly tilted to one side . “You’re getting long-winded here . Get to the main point . What benefits will there be if we form an alliance with you?”

Redmoon glared at her for a little while .

-Very well . These are the conditions we want to see fulfilled . A territory to call our own, freedom, and finally, a fixed amount of human slaves handed over periodically . Since we want slaves, that shouldn’t present you with problems . Those would be sufficient for us .

Redmoon smacked its lips . It didn’t take a genius to figure out what it wanted to do with the human slaves .

…Probably to ‘devour’ them .

-Our eyes and noses can differentiate Vampires from humans, so if you unleash us the lycans, never mind a portion of the Vampires, you will be able to completely drive out their whole kind . How about it? A world without any Vampires, does it not sound enticing to you?

Hilda spat out a groan .

The condition being put forward was ‘ferreting out the Vampires’? And in return, Theocratic Empire had to sacrifice its territory and its subjects? What truly absurd demands they had .

“…Where are the other captive dwarves?”

Her voice sounded frigid and indifferent .

Redmoon furrowed its brows at her response that didn’t line up with its expectations .

-Your heart is indeed magnanimous . Even in this situation, you are more concerned for your subjects rather than your own wellbeing?

“I wish to see them . ”

-A commendable mindset . The Imperial Princess who lets herself be captured for the sake of the dwarves? Your subjects will be most moved . Very well, to successfully conclude an ongoing negotiation, one needs to show that the hostages are safe and sound . I was at least taught that .

“You were taught?”

-By the Vampires .

Redmoon straightened itself up .

Hilda glanced to her side, at Raphael next to her . “I wish to go along with my servant . ”

-You also care for your retainers, it seems .

“He’s been assisting me ever since I was young . ”

Redmoon took a look at Raphael’s condition . He was an aged Priest, a face that hadn’t been seen before around these parts .

Blood trickled down from somewhere in his head and he was moaning with some difficulty . Meanwhile, the old man’s hands were faltering from the weight of the steel chains .

With how his mouth was gagged, not to mention the blindfold over his eyes, a Priest wouldn’t be able to utilise his magic at all .

Indeed, he was only a frail little old man .

-Very well .

Redmoon nodded its head .

**

Redmoon the lycanthrope was walking down an underground cavern .

Archbishop Raphael’s hands were resting on Hilda’s shoulder while she helped him walk forward .

She scanned the surroundings beyond the hulking frame of Redmoon . After memorising the layout of the cavern, she cast her gaze to her front .

Clang-! Clang-! Clang-!

What greeted her was a sight of hell filled with the sounds of metallic clangs .

Human zombies were carrying cargo around . Meanwhile, the dwarves were being forced to manufacture weapons .

They were tough people always filled with boisterous laughter, yet the ones found here were all emaciated and staggering on their feet .

The place visible beyond the steel bars, it… was a weapon factory .

Spears, shields, and even armours meant for a lycan’s usage were being manufactured here . It felt like she was witnessing a preparation for war .

Hilda’s face remained expressionless while she continued staring at them . However, the light in her eyes still trembled slightly . “I wish to speak to them . ”

-Speak, is it?

“Correct . Will you not permit it?”

Hilda looked up at Redmoon, and the latter stared at her while tilting its head .

“Will we not stay next to each other forever? I’m merely asking for a small favour . I wish to chat to them quietly among ourselves . ”

Redmoon’s eyes went visibly round from what she said . It seemed to be rather pleased with her words since its tail began wagging side to side .

The lycan rubbed its chin in a slight bit of hesitation before coming to a decision .

-Very well . However, only for a brief period . And if you try anything foolish, your servant will die .

After Redmoon issued his warning, two lycans walked up to the still-bound Raphael .

Hilda was then guided into the prison with the wide floor . Redmoon entrusted the security detail to the other lycans and went elsewhere .

The archbishop was now left standing in between the two lycans . As they were still wary of him being a Priest, he wasn’t allowed to step foot inside the dwarves’ prison .

When the dwarves discovered Hilda, their eyes widened with shock .

She counted about twenty of them . Thankfully, their hands and feet were unshackled . They seemed to have already heard some things about her capture because they immediately began forming expressions of despair .

“Ah, ah! How could this be…!”

“Dammit, dammit, dammit!”

“We’re so sorry, Lady Hilda . Because of us, you had to…!”

The dwarves planted their butts on the ground, and some of them even began shedding tears of sorrow .

Hilda could only look on bitterly at their response . She hugged them one at a time and tried comforting them .

To get a better understanding of the situation, she began asking them a few things . “Are all of you the only ones who’s been captured?”

“No, my lady . There are a few more . ”

“How many?”

“About ten more at another workshop…”

“How are your bodies?”

Hilda asked them about their wellbeing while touching their hands .

The dwarves tried to say they were fine, but still ended up softly sobbing away .

“We’re fine, my lady . ”

“However, several of our comrades suffered from overwork, and they have already…”

“Sons of b*tches!”

The glow in Hilda’s eyes sharpened considerably .

However, the rage-filled glare gradually died down . She managed to calm her breathing and rein in her emotions before speaking again . “What exactly were you doing here?”

“We were manufacturing weapons they wanted to use, my lady . ”

“Yes . Weapons and armours…”

“Can you use them yourselves?”

“Pardon?”

Hilda shifted her gaze . “I’m asking you if there are any equipment you can use for yourselves . ”

“The armours are out of the question, but we can use the weapons . ”

“All in all, there are about thirty hostages then . Do you know the exact coordinates of where things are? How about the layout? The status of the security?”

The dwarves hurriedly responded to Hilda’s questions .

While listening, the corners of her lips curled up .

This wasn’t inside a forest . No, they were currently underground, and in addition, this place was apparently a graveyard as well .

The dwarves had been forced to construct the underground tunnels, but overall, the passageways generally remained narrow . Honestly, this place suited the short-statured dwarves far better than anyone else . And finally… the worst headache currently plaguing Hilda fiefdom, Redmoon the Progenitor lycan, was also hiding here .

She now learned that the dwarven hostages were mostly safe, and even got an accurate picture of the nesting ground of the monsters on top of that .

Redmoon was a beast with too much ego . And also rather stupid .

It only barely managed to imitate a human being, yet its arrogance caused it to not pay much attention to either herself or Raphael .

Now this was a truly satisfactory result .

With this, she had no need to lead an army down here nor wait for the back-ups to arrive .

“Things will be easier than I thought,” said Hilda before turning her head towards Raphael, currently standing beyond the steel bars that blocked the prison’s entrance . “Oh, Raphael Astoria . ”

As the lycans by his sides looked on, the gagged-and-blindfolded Raphael raised his head .

“Carry out the original duties you meant to perform after coming to this place . Hunt down these beasts!”

After her voice resounded out, Raphael quietly bowed his head .

He was gagged and even blindfolded too . But ever since arriving in this place, not even once did he reveal his true self . Even if he didn’t, however, the lycans boasting a level of intelligence no better than animals wouldn’t have known anything about him in the first place .

Especially the fact that he was the ‘one dispatched to hunt down the lycans’ .

Divinity suddenly gushed out from Archbishop Raphael Astoria’s body .

Fin .