‘Mist form.’  

Vampires were stronger than ordinary awakened individuals of the same level.  

One of the most troublesome traits they had was turning into Mist.  

‘Essentially a second life, an overpowered ability.’  

Even though I quickly adjusted the blade’s path when the heart turned to mist,  

I only managed to sever her right arm.  

‘I missed the best chance.’  

I should have killed her here.  

Would I get another opportunity like this?  

“I will ensure won’t die easily.”  

The Queen shouted.  

Even though I had severed her right arm,  

Since I hadn’t strangled her,  

It only made her anger grow stronger.  

“I will drain all the blood from your veins and fill the empty space with my own.”  

“Hah.”  

“You will lose consciousness and become my puppet. You will stand at the forefront of the war to establish my kingdom, living as a slave for the rest of your life.”  

A puppet, huh?  

Fine by me,  

“But being at the forefront is a bit much. As a chef, I’m more of a support role.”  

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, but fine. Let’s see how you fare!”  

With her sharp claws outstretched,  

She charged at me with renewed intensity.  

“Ugh!”  

I barely dodged her attack.  

I picked up the severed right arm of the vampire Queen that had fallen on the floor.  

Then,  

“Run!”  

I fled with all my might.  

“You! Where are you going!?”  

“If it were you, would you fight someone like the Vampire Queen!?”  

Fortunately—  

The cooking-related buffs were still in effect.  

[Light of Exorcism]  

A buff that grants even greater power against demonic entities.  

Thanks to this, I was able to flee from the pursuing Queen as much as possible.  

‘If I were my normal self… I might have lasted 10 seconds.’  

The buff was still active.  

And,   

“Geez, where is this place now!”  

Unlike the initial assumption that this was her home turf,  

this world…  

No.  

‘At least this fortress is an unknown space even to her.’  

As a result,  

I was able to evade her for longer than expected.  

“I got you!”  

But it didn’t last long.  

“Ugh!”  

The Queen finally caught up to me, grabbing my shoulder.  

She then pulled my arm, seeming to embrace me,  

and buried her face in my neck.  

“Urgh!”  

I managed to push her away.  

But as I brought my hand to my neck, it was sticky.  

“…The disgusting scent of those paladin may linger, but the taste of your blood is exquisite.”  

She clicked her tongue, the blood from my body still staining her lips.  

‘With my stats being relatively high, I must seem like fine cuisine to these vampires.’  

No, not just the taste, perhaps my blood was also healthy for them.  

The right arm I had severed, now in my hand was steadily regenerating.  

No matter how much damage I inflict in battle, the moment she drinks my blood, it’s all healed.  

In this situation, there’s no way the fight can be even.  

“Well then, I suggest you surrender now.”  

The enraged expression from earlier had vanished, as she approached me in a casual manner.  

‘Just when I thought I had a variable is this really how it ends?’  

Seeing no solution, I obediently lowered my head.  

At that moment,  

[Alert! Alert! Alert!]  

“…Huh?”  

“You, what have you done now!?”  

A mysterious mechanical voice echoed throughout the fortress.  

[Detected a decline in the Lord’s vitality]  

[This has been classified as a Level 1 crisis]  

 ‘Lord, what?’  

[Initiating the fortress’s autonomous situation assessment]  

 I had no time to decipher the meaning of those words.  

[Autonomous Assessment Result]  

[Concluded a crisis situation for the Lord due to an intruder within the fortress]  

[Activating the autonomous defense system]  

Simultaneously, the gray buildings inside the fortress, seemed to distort, and then-  

BOOOOOM!!!  

“Ugh!!!”  

Directly striking the vampire Queen’s body.  

‘What the heck is that!?’  

The buildings moving on their own was shocking enough, but now they’re attacking the enemy?  

[Ingredient Identification (Enhanced)]  

[Autonomous Defense System]  

[Lv. Max]  

Even the Queen seems unaware of the fortress’s true nature.  

The echoing mechanical voice, and the buildings autonomously attacking the Queen –all of it was utterly incomprehensible.  

…No.  

‘I shouldn’t try to understand.’  

Attempting to comprehend the inexplicable would be a waste of time and effort.  

I don’t have the luxury for that right now.  

Though I don’t fully understand the situation,  

What’s important right now is one thing:  

‘This fortress is trying to protect me.’  

[Warning!]  

[The analysis has revealed the summoning was incomplete]  

[Relevant personnel are urgently requested to attempt a proper summoning]  

[The effectiveness of the autonomous defense system has been significantly reduced]  

[The duration of the autonomous defense system has been significantly shortened]  

[It has been confirmed that the fortress’s power output is severely compromised]  

[The fortress’s full capabilities cannot be utilized in this state.]  

[Relevant personnel are urged to promptly dispatch defensive units to protect the Lord]  

“You… where do you think you’re going…”  

BOOM!  

“Kyaaa!”  

Whenever the Queen tried to approach me, the surrounding buildings struck her body.  

‘So, it’s buying me time. But…’  

It’s still too early to be completely at ease.  

[The autonomous defense system’s power will be greatly reduced]  

[The autonomous defense system’s duration will be greatly reduced]  

The buildings currently aiding me, the [Autonomous Defense System],  

seems to be in a significantly weakened state for some reason.  

“Such power… this fortress…! Ugh!”  

BOOM!  

“The ancestral castle of the great progenitor wasn’t even this powerful… Kyaah!”  

THUD!  

While the buildings are merrily beating up the Queen, they seem unable to inflict any fatal blows.  

‘While these buildings are buying me time, I need to find the answer.’  

And as always, my profession is that of a chef.  

The answer I should seek is, well…  

 It’s pretty obvious.  

“I don’t know why you’re helping me, but since you are, I have one more request.”  

Since you’ve decided to help me, I might as well ask for this much, with a slight sense of expectation.  

“I need a place to cook.”  

[Command received]  

[Activating the navigator system]  

Suddenly, a path revealed itself in my mind.  

I dashed towards it with all my might.  

In front of me stood a massive building.  

[Dining Hall]  

[Lv. Max]  

BOOM!  

I burst through the door, entering the dining hall.  

In my hand was,  

[Vampire Baroness’s Forelimb Meat]  

Not exactly the most appealing ingredient but this would do.