Chapter 51

– Layton. I hate it the most when someone pretends to follow my words on the surface but harbors different thoughts behind my back.

– You have a son, don’t you? A deformed child who doesn’t fit the bloodline.

– I killed that disabled little brat. I sent your wife off to marry someone else.

– Even if she bears another deformed child from another man’s seed, I’ll just dispose of her then.

—

Closing his eyes and covering his ears, the screams kept echoing.

Duke Shimira’s mocking laughter repeated endlessly in the man’s mind. Over and over. Forever.

The loyalty and devotion he had shown all this time returned to him as a dead son and a wife given away to another. And now, he lay powerless on the ground, waiting only for death.

—

‘I’ll kill her. I’ll kill her!’

—

Even without the strength to grind his teeth, he vented his rage in his mind, but deep down, he knew.

No matter how much he cursed in his heart, Duke Shimira wouldn’t lose a single hair. Thinking about it, who else was there to blame? Only himself, who had pledged loyalty to such a master.

—

How ridiculous must he have looked to Duke Shimira? How absurd must his desperate efforts to serve her have seemed?

—

In the end, his spine was sucked dry, turned into nothing but marrow, and he was utterly betrayed, falling into the abyss. His last breath became nourishment for the Blood-Sucking Spear, used as its tonic.

—

Isn’t this too miserable?

Tears of blood streamed from his lifeless eyes. Those tears were a lament for himself, who had obtained the Bell of Enlightenment but never used it, and the sorrow of a servant betrayed by his master.

—

‘Right.’

—

But only after falling into the abyss did he understand something.

The feelings of those he had personally cast into the abyss.

—

‘Who can I blame? I’ve only received what I’ve done to others.’

—

A hybrid unable to maintain the vampire bloodline.

Layton truly thought that way about the deformed child born every time. He truly thought that way—until his wife bore his own seed and gave birth to that hybrid.

—

Even as he used the power of domination to suppress parents trying to protect their children and killed those children, he felt no guilt. Only after hearing that Duke Shimira had killed his child did he feel it. Only then did he realize what sin he had committed.

His tears were the manifestation of that guilt. A sin he could never atone for, not even in eternity.

—

What does it matter if he realized it now? He’s already in a state where he can’t even apologize.

Even if he realizes something while dying, it won’t change anything. He’ll just die.

There was no one to appeal to for his helplessness. In times like these, humans pray even to gods.

—

He clung desperately, not only to the god he believed in but even to the ankles of the Evil God Oberta, whom he wouldn’t have glanced at normally. A desperate plea from a race abandoned by the gods—something unthinkable for demons or vampires.

—

‘God.’

—

Layton Valencia, rejected by all the gods of the continent, including the Five Great Deities, finally remembered the majestic and grand angel of the night in his final moments.

Though he had never met, heard, or received revelation from that angel, he thought of the mysterious god that angel served. The god that Priest Kyle served—a god whose purpose was unknown.

—

Somehow, he felt that god might listen to his prayer.

At the very least, he felt that god wouldn’t ignore him. It was just a feeling.

Whether the God of Hope would answer his prayer, no one could know.

—

‘Nameless god. I am Layton Valencia, the eldest son of the Valencia family.’

—

That prayer, never spoken aloud, was of course heard by no one.

But he decided to believe that the god was listening. Layton Valencia, with a sneer on his lips, continued his prayer. The target of that sneer was himself.

—

‘I received the title of Baron from the Empire, but now I am but a mere criminal.’

—

Squelch.

A small sound came from his chest.

Unaware of the sound, the Baron quietly continued his prayer. His cognitive state was no longer normal after losing so much blood.

—

‘It doesn’t matter what happens to me. Even if this body is torn to shreds, it’s fine. Please, just give me one chance. One chance to ring the bell.’

—

What he had sought with the Bell of Enlightenment was his own freedom, but now it was different. Freedom wasn’t just for him.

Duke Shimira. A woman who sees her subordinates as mere tools. She must no longer rule over the vampires.

—

Only after suffering did he realize. She is a woman who would grind all vampires to dust for her own rise. If he could bring freedom to his clan, he wouldn’t care if he was thrown into the depths of hell afterward. The Baron wanted to use the Bell of Enlightenment to grant freedom to all.

—

‘Even if I cannot do it, please, you must. Please grant us freedom. Even if that freedom strangles me to death, I will gladly accept it.’

—

Was it because Layton’s prayer reached the heavens? Or was it because Duke Shimira broke her promise?

Or was it because the glass bottle, damaged by the shock of his fall, finally shattered now?

The reason was unknown, but the result was the same. The Baron’s front became damp.

—

Plop!

—

Water trickled through the cracks. The holy water from the baptizer’s bottle flowed over Baron Layton Valencia’s body. Wherever it passed, the bleeding stopped, wounds were cleansed, and life returned.

A moment later, his motionless hand trembled slightly. His eyes regained their sharpness, and the hole in his abdomen healed as if nothing had happened. His left hand caressed his stomach, now without a single scar.

—

‘Th-this is…’

—

Regaining his senses, Baron Layton Valencia hurriedly got up and rummaged through his chest. When he pulled out the cracked bottle leaking liquid, a shiver ran through his body, and his head tingled.

—

Is this a coincidence? No, it can’t be.

Even the rational Baron couldn’t help but believe. The moment he realized the god had protected him, an immense courage surged within him. He was no longer afraid of Duke Shimira.

—

He was already a dead man. What’s the worst that could happen? Dying twice?

As he regained his senses, he rushed out of the hall. A passing maid saw him and greeted him, but Baron Layton stopped her and gave an order.

—

“Is there anything you all need to do right now?”

“Need to do…? No, not particularly.”

“No special orders from the Queen or the Princess?”

“No, there aren’t.”

—

For vampires, following orders is a given. The maid didn’t even question why he was asking. If a higher-up gives an order, you just do it. That’s the life of a vampire.

—

“Then go around the castle and tell everyone you meet to come to the basement. Spread the word to all vampires below me. Make sure to say it’s my order.”

—

This is what’s good about times like these. The maid didn’t hesitate and went off to carry out Layton’s orders. She soon found others and spread the word that Baron Layton had called for a gathering, and they joined the chain of communication.

One person called two, two called four, and soon almost everyone had heard Layton’s summons.

—

This process flowed naturally because all those above Layton were absent. Duke Shimira, their de facto queen, had temporarily left the castle to avoid the Princess, and most of the other lords had been killed by the Death God.

—

The walking baby spared no one. Anyone involved in the culling, no matter who they were, couldn’t escape the Death God’s grasp.

—

“Is everyone here?”

—

Seeing far more people gathered than he expected, Baron Layton wasn’t surprised. After nearly dying and being revived, he had become a fanatical believer in the will of the gods.

Even coincidences seemed like signs that the gods were aiding him. It felt natural that almost everyone in the castle had gathered at his command.

—

“Baron. May I ask why you’ve called us here? Is it related to the trade guild again?”

—

A vampire stepped forward politely and asked Layton. Their gaze was warm because, although he had killed deformed children under Duke Shimira’s orders, they weren’t their own sons or daughters. Baron Layton was far more respected than he realized.

—

Duke Shimira is the type who needs everything to go her way. She has a habit of blaming her subordinates’ morale when things go wrong, implying that she’s always right, and it’s the underlings who mess up.

—

The only one who dared to voice even slight opposition among the lords was Baron Layton, and it was possible because he was naturally smooth-tongued. He sometimes disagreed with the lords’ opinions but never confronted them directly, only subtly resisting from behind.

—

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course. If it’s you, Baron, we’ll believe you.”

“Among the lords, who else looks out for us like you do?”

—

Of course, even this approach made Shimira dislike him. Yet, he hadn’t been targeted until today because he was the biggest source of income for the territory, running trade guilds that brought in money and luxuries from outside.

—

Perfumes, bags, dresses, jewels… He was the talent who brought in things the duchy couldn’t produce on its own, so even if he was annoying, they left him alone.

—

Of course, after allying with Harmail, they could trade with her demon merchants, Olrok, so his value decreased, and that’s why he got stabbed.

They overlooked the fact that Baron Layton’s true worth wasn’t in the trade guild but in his abilities. They didn’t realize how precious a subordinate who could bring in money while others only spent it was.

—

The practical workers knew well that Baron Layton was the one keeping the territory afloat. Naturally, their view of him was favorable.

Compared to other lords who abused their power of domination to treat them like slaves, this man was a true gentleman. Seeing this, the Baron nodded and pulled out a bell from his chest.

—

“What’s that?”

—

A vampire tilted his head and asked.

The Baron replied shortly.

—

“Freedom.”

—

—

—

—

—

A moment later, the Bell of Enlightenment rang. The sound wasn’t loud enough to shake the world, nor even enough to fill this basement, let alone the castle.

—

But the moment the bell rang, everyone present felt a tremendous vibration. It wasn’t something external but an internal tremor.

—

An indescribable melody of eight notes created gentle ripples, sweeping over them all. Like reeds swaying in the wind, something inside them tilted and made a sound.

A sound that would determine the fate of an entire race played within everyone’s hearts, harmonizing into music. A sweet, unheard melody played for about ten seconds before fading.

—

“Huh…!”

—

One of the vampires, entranced by the otherworldly sound, shuddered as they realized something.

The shudder spread, and gasps erupted.

—

The great chain that bound them. The unbreakable hierarchy they were born into.

The power of domination no longer existed anywhere.

—

—

……

—

So, no one noticed the baby toddling toward Layton.

The baby, startled by the bell’s sound, stopped in its tracks. In its eyes, now ascended to the realm of gods, it saw what the vampires, including Layton, could not.

—

For a moment, the baby stared intently at Layton, then gave up on killing him and left. The Death God was born unnoticed and left unnoticed.

Wherever it went, death would bloom like flowers, welcoming the arrival of a god, but at least the Vlad territory was spared from the Death God’s grasp.

—

As babies do, it would reach for food when hungry.

As babies grow, it would soon start looking for toys to play with.

How far could this baby grow? That would depend on how strong the darkness in human hearts could be.

—

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