Along the way.

Sang was treated to the finest things imaginable. He ate the best food and wore the best clothes. They even had a doctor examine him every day, afraid he might fall ill and die on the road.

Sang’s feelings were… complicated. Even when he ate dragon meat, it felt like a condemned man’s last meal.

Besides.

Sang was actually quite lonely during those two weeks. The entire knight order, fifty people in all, had no one who would talk to him. Just as the earlier metaphor put it, he was the True Ancestor’s clothing. Everyone had to treasure him and treat him like a priceless artifact, taking care not to damage him in the slightest. Even so, no one would talk to young Sang.

After all, who would talk to a piece of clothing?

Fortunately, though, it wasn’t as if no one in the entire knight order was willing to talk to young Sang. The doctor who examined him every day was human, and during the half hour she spent checking him over, they had a chance to talk in private.

Humans and the Blood Clan may have similar body structures, but members of the Blood Clan rarely get sick. That’s especially true of the high-ranking ones, whose lifespans can stretch to a hundred years or even several centuries, and who have astonishing vitality.

As a result.

Most members of the Blood Clan become knights. There are hardly any in other professions, so finding a doctor among them is extremely difficult. That’s why the doctor on this journey was human.

The doctor was a woman named Yilin, around twenty years old. She came from a medical family in Central, and becoming an independent physician at her age made her a true medical prodigy.

According to Yilin, although her family had a long history in medicine, they were still commoners. Fortunately, they had secured some business from Blood Clan nobles and built a rather delicate relationship with them, which let them get by in Central. This time, House Capet had hired her to travel with the knight order and receive the True Ancestor’s Blood Servant.

As for what kind of business Blood Clan nobles had for them:

Although the Blood Clan rarely fell ill and had powerful healing abilities, most of them were still knights who fought often. Scrapes and other minor injuries were unavoidable, so they still needed doctors.

Yilin wasn’t a noble. She had fairly common long, curly orange hair, and a kind heart that showed in her face. Her features were pleasant, if not stunning, and she had an easy-to-like look about her. She usually wore a white coat and a pair of round, gold-rimmed glasses.

This world was a lot like the old one. Every household had plenty of children.

Yilin’s family was no exception. At only twenty, she seemed to be the older sister of five younger brothers. Perhaps that was exactly why she felt sorry for the boy’s fate. The trip from Kahn Town to Central took around fifteen days—and this boy before her would probably spend the last days of his life on the road.

But then.

Gradually, Yilin realized that there was something different about the boy. He did have his moments of gloom and fear, but most of the time, he remained hopeful and optimistic.

On top of that, he often said things she couldn’t understand.

All in all, he was a very strange boy.

Sang was a lazy kid, but he was also full of curiosity and often asked her questions.

“Yilin, what exactly is a Blood Servant to the Blood Clan?”

“A Blood Servant is, to put it plainly, food—or maybe a renewable blood supply. Generally speaking, a high-ranking member of the Blood Clan will only have one Blood Servant at a time. It’s not that they’re forbidden from having several. It’s just that they’re very particular about the purity of their food. They believe drinking blood from different people would taint the purity of their own blood. Once they get used to one person’s blood, they won’t switch to someone else anytime soon, unless…”

At that, Yilin’s expression turned strangely complicated.

Sang smiled. “Unless the Blood Servant dies?”

Yilin froze for a moment. She’d still underestimated how strong the boy was. Then she nodded,

“That’s right… But you don’t need to worry about that. You’re not the Blood Servant of some noble from the Blood Clan. You’re that person’s Blood Servant.”

“By the way… What exactly is the True Ancestor like?”

As soon as Yilin heard Sang ask that, she quickly reached out and covered his mouth, afraid the Blood Clan knights outside the carriage might hear what they were saying.

Yeah.

That’s right.

Among ordinary people, even speaking of the True Ancestor was a crime punishable by death.

If young Sang talked about the True Ancestor, perhaps nothing would happen to him. But if the people outside heard Yilin talking about the True Ancestor, she’d likely be punished on the spot.

Seeing Yilin make such a fuss, young Sang couldn’t help but freeze for a moment. He didn’t say anything else.

Yilin thought it over. Wanting to be kind, she leaned close to Sang and whispered, “It’s been many years since the True Ancestor last fell asleep, but some of the rumors are still going around… They say the True Ancestor is terrifying. When you reach the Hub, be sure to stay safe.”

The rumors about the Blood Clan’s True Ancestor being cruel, merciless, and crazed for blood were probably all true.

The next second.

Sang suddenly asked, curious, “There’s just one thing I don’t understand—why was I chosen?”

“That’s one question I can’t answer.”

To be honest.

There were only two possible answers to why the True Ancestor had chosen Sang. First, as someone who’d transmigrated, Sang might really have something unusual about him. Second, well… maybe it really was just a one-in-several-million coincidence.

A little while later.

Yilin gently stroked Sang’s hair, took a piece of candy from her pocket, and pressed it into his hand. She smiled warmly. “All done for today. Here, have this and bring your blood sugar back up.”

This was Yilin’s usual trick. After every daily checkup, she’d give Sang a piece of candy.

Well… She did have to draw his blood every day.

Sang had only gotten to eat candy on major holidays while growing up. In the world he’d come from, he’d eaten his fill of the stuff, but here in another world, it felt like a precious treat. In any case, he happily accepted it.

The candy was very sweet.

As he ate it, Sang grinned. “Big Sis Yilin, you’re the first person I’ve met from outside Kahn Town…”

Yilin had finished Sang’s checkup by then. Her slender figure in the white coat had just reached the carriage door when she heard him behind her. She turned back with a smile. “Sang, I believe there must be something special about you, something that made you get chosen. I hope you make it through safely.”

This was a world without faith. There were no gods or demons, only the Blood Clan—living, breathing, and merciless.

The Blood Clan ruled, and people lived in constant fear. Their blessings were never “May the gods protect you.” They were simply, “Good luck.”

Even so.

When Sang heard Yilin’s blessing, he felt the light of this world once again.

A week later.

At last, with the knight order escorting him, Sang arrived in Central…

(Prologue, end)