The Man Who Was Too Early

Just as I’d expect from a Progenitor Vampire’s Vault.

I’d never seen so much loot in my life. I was practically shaking with joy.

However, as I was busy sifting through the piles thinking this looks good and I’ll definitely take that, I remembered that I only had so much carrying capacity.

Basically, I had to pass on anything art-related. I didn’t have a reliable way to fence high-end pieces. Naturally, the place was packed with fine art more than anything else.

Next were the gemstones and precious metals. Small ones were fine, but the big ones were too bulky and hard to liquidate.

That narrowed down the target significantly.

To get the most bang for my buck with maximum efficiency, there was only one choice—gold coins.

Each one was about the size of a 500-yen coin and worth 100,000 Zeny. Plus, they were legal tender, so I could spend them without having to exchange them first.

They were overwhelmingly efficient and reliable.

It felt a little sad and hopeless to be standing in front of all this treasure and thinking about it in such pragmatic terms, though.

"Well, I guess that’s just reality for you..."

I muttered a farewell to the glittering piles of jewels and gathered up a massive haul of gold coins.

Of course, I’d already figured out a way to transport them.

Taking a page out of Epsilon’s book—she is the leading expert on the Slime Bodysuit, after all—I started embedding the coins directly into my suit.

She uses slime to "enhance" her figure, so I’ll just use gold coins.

I pressed them into the bodysuit, the longcoat, and even the hood until there wasn't a single gap left.

Actually, that’s a lie. I left the joints clear so I could still move.

Even so, I managed to shove over a thousand coins into the suit.

A thousand gold coins. That was 100 million Zeny. My math was definitely right.

I planned on living for at least three hundred years, so this was still nowhere near enough. But any more than this would be a risk.

I could easily handle the weight of a thousand coins by reinforcing my body with Magic Power, but they were physically in the way. My movements were already getting a bit stiff; if I added any more, I’d be as rigid as a board.

Besides, a thousand coins didn't change my silhouette too much, but two thousand would probably start looking suspicious.

"I could carry them easily if I didn't have to worry about looking weird, though..."

I still had a boss battle with the "Queen of Blood" to get through, after all.

She was a Progenitor vampire. That meant she had to be strong. There was no doubt in my mind. Progenitors are always top-tier enemies; that’s just how the world works.

Because of that, I’d already decided on my battle plan.

Usually, I like to be the one who shows up at the very last second. But since I was up against a big name like a Progenitor, I figured I’d flip the script and be the first one on the scene.

I’d engage the Queen in a world-shaking death match, and then the protagonists would arrive right in the middle of it. They’d be struck with awe, saying things like: "What a terrifying battle! We can't even get close to them!"

Yeah, that’s the play.

So, I had to be the first one to find her. If I dawdled, someone else would beat me to the punch.

I hauled my stash of gold coins over to the door of the treasury.

"I'll come back for these later."

I wanted them in an easy spot to grab once the event was over or if things went sideways.

Praying for their safety, I sprinted up the tower at full throttle. There was no time to lose; I had to get there early.

CRIMSON

"Finally, the moment is at hand..."

Crimson muttered, a crazed smile spreading across his refined features.

The sacrifice was ready, and the moon had turned a deep, bloody crimson. It was time to resurrect the "Queen of Blood," Elisabeth.

He reached out to the massive coffin sitting in the center of the room and slowly pushed back the lid.

The contents were revealed.

But there was no sign of Elisabeth. There was only a shriveled, blackened lump.

Crimson picked up the mass with reverent care, cradling it in his palm.

"It has been a long time, my 'Queen of Blood'... The world is finally ready to be bathed in gore..."

On closer inspection, the lump was an organ.

A shriveled heart.

After a thousand years, the Progenitor's Heart was all that remained. But for a Progenitor, a heart was all you needed to return to life.

Crimson shut the coffin and carried the heart over to the Black-haired Sacrifice lying on the floor.

He had already gouged the boy's original heart out. He placed the Progenitor's Heart into the empty, gaping hole in the boy's chest.

Fresh blood and warm flesh. This would be enough to bring back the strongest Progenitor, the "Queen of Blood" who had once plunged the world into a nightmare of terror.

"Hehehehe..."

The resurrection would still take a little while.

Crimson knew he had to leave. Immediately after waking, the Queen would be driven by an insatiable bloodlust, killing even her own kind indiscriminately. Until she regained her senses, not even Crimson could safely stand before her.

He hurried toward the door and stepped out into the hallway.

But after only a few paces, he froze.

"W-Who goes there...?"

He hadn't sensed a soul in the hallway. When he’d opened the door a second ago, the path had been empty.

But now, a man clad in a Jet-black Longcoat stood before him.

Wary of the mysterious intruder, Crimson extended his claws and dropped into a combat stance.

"Leave this place at once. Do so now, or I will ki—buhyuッ!?"

Crimson’s body was suddenly split in two.

He had been cleaved from head to crotch in a single vertical stroke. He hadn't even seen the Jet-black Blade move.

However, he was a High-ranking Vampire. He could regenerate from a puny bisection in an instant.

"Who the hell are you!? You dare strike me with such a pathetic—bihyaッ!?"

His head was sent flying mid-sentence.

Even though he was on guard, he hadn't seen the attack. Again.

"H-How dare you! You think you can actually defeat m—pugeroッ!?"

Both his arms were severed.

"Fool! A vampire empowered by the 'Red Moon' is the stron—pigyaッ!?"

Both his legs were cut off, and then his entire body was hacked into mincemeat. Finally, his torso was sliced into neat little rings.

"W-What?! I can't heal fast enou—bufoッ!?"

As soon as a limb regenerated, it was instantly sliced away and shredded.

"W-Wait! Just hold on a second!! Let's talk this ove—guhyaッ!?"

His neck was severed, and his head was reduced to confetti.

Finally, the man delivered a single, precise thrust through the only thing left: Crimson’s heart.

Crimson crumbled into ash.

The man in the Jet-black Longcoat stepped over the remains, entered the room, and stopped before the large coffin.

"My name is Shadow. I lurk in the shadows and hunt the shadows..."

He waited.

And waited.

And waited...

"Queen of Blood... I know you’re in there..."

He kept waiting.

He waited some more...!

"...You are in there, right? I don't feel anything, but you're just hiding your presence, right?"

Shadow finally reached out, flipped the lid of the coffin, and peered inside.

It was empty.

"Wait, seriously? Which trope is this?"

He scanned the room until he spotted the corpse of the Black-haired boy with the hole in his chest.

"Are you the Queen? No, you're a dude. And you're dead."

He tilted his head and looked back at the pile of ash by the door.

"Was that vampire from before the Queen? He had red hair... but no, he was definitely a guy. He had a real boss-like vibe, though... but he was also way too weak..."

He stood there, agonizing over the situation for a while.

"Is this one of those rare cases where the boss is a no-show? Like, the 'She Was Never Here' trope, or 'Already Been Assassinated,' or maybe 'Out on an Errand.' Well, for now, I’ll go grab my gold coins and then start a proper search..."

He turned on his heel and walked out.

"Sigh... was I too late? I even rushed... This sucks..."

Muttering to himself, he vanished.

The Red Moon shone into the empty room, casting an eerie, fantastical glow over the floor.

Suddenly, the sacrifice’s body twitched.

Thump. Thump.

The heart embedded inside the boy began to beat.