Chapter 56

“Huu…”

The moment I found Roka collapsed on the bathroom floor, I was beyond shocked. Thankfully, the child was sound asleep. The bathroom was completely cracked and shattered, and nothing in the once-luxurious bathtub remained intact. I was just glad I could hold this child in my arms again.

‘At least the Lord has safely returned you to my side.’

I pulled a blanket from a shabby jar, laid it on the floor, and gently placed Roka on it. Carrying the sleeping child to the bed might wake her up, so I decided to let her sleep deeply for now. Explanations could wait.

“It’s best not to wake her now.”

The Princess, upon seeing Roka, spoke up.

“That child seems to have gained some kind of enlightenment. I can feel magical power rapidly flowing into her. When she wakes up, her magical capacity will likely have increased significantly.”

“Did she fight someone?”

“Probably.”

Roka’s body had cuts here and there, and her clothes were torn to shreds as if slashed by something sharp. When I infused divine power into her, the sleeping child’s expression softened.

Still, it seemed she had won. The mysterious entity she fought was nowhere to be seen. Or perhaps, Roka herself…

‘That ash.’

Maybe she had succeeded in killing her own enemy.

‘Did the vampire burn up from the power of the sun?’

You wouldn’t normally find a pile of ash in a bathtub, so it probably wasn’t there originally. Whether this was the child’s first kill or not, the shock must have been immense. How should I comfort her when she wakes up?

“As for that, you don’t need to worry at all…”

“Huh?”

“No, never mind.”

She seemed to have a lot to say but didn’t want to speak. Just as I was about to ask, the sound of footsteps echoed.

The Princess had already noticed the commotion but didn’t even draw her sword. She probably believed she could subdue them all with just her index finger.

“What on earth… is going on?”

The half-destroyed bathroom door opened, revealing familiar faces. Led by Duke Layton, what appeared to be the castle’s servants and maids, all vampires, looked around in utter confusion.

The Princess, with her hands behind her back, shouted.

“Can’t you see? Duke Shimira attacked us. The clash between me and that traitor caused shockwaves, and this is the result.”

“Wha—? The Queen… no, that wench Shimira directly attacked Her Highness? That’s absurd…”

“You look surprised. You didn’t really think you could guide us here without knowing the Duke’s schemes, did you?”

“I truly didn’t know. Perhaps the other lords were aware, but not me.”

The Duke rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a cracked glass bottle.

I couldn’t mistake it. I had made it myself. Seeing the empty bottle of baptismal water, I was stunned. Duke Layton scratched his head and continued.

“After guiding Her Highness and the Priest to report to the Duke, I was struck by the Blood-Sucking Spear and collapsed. If it weren’t for this bottle and the holy water you gave me to heal my son, I wouldn’t be here now.”

“Duke Shimira attacked you?”

“That wench doesn’t deserve to be called a Duke anymore. A Queen who sees her own kind as expendable is no Queen at all…”

For a moment, deep sorrow flashed in his eyes before disappearing.

The Princess seemed to notice but didn’t press further.

“By the way… I thought the ground was shaking a bit even in the basement. So it was because Duke Shimira died.”

“She didn’t die. She fled. She’s as fast as a rat when it comes to running away.”

“Shimira is alive and fled?”

Duke Layton, startled, trembled and shouted.

“This is bad. Even though I used the bell you gave me to break free from her control, her power hasn’t disappeared.”

“Uh, Duke. You don’t need to worry about that.”

At that moment, a vampire from the group approached Duke Layton and spoke.

“Just now, I met my wife running into the castle. She seemed very anxious, saying she felt a strange sensation, as if there was nothing above her.”

“Nothing above her? That can’t be. I used the bell to break free from the control, but there should still be other lords. Even if Shimira died, they should still be around.”

Then it happened.

“Breaking news, breaking news! The communication using the power of control isn’t working, so I came to deliver the news myself. Please open the gates quickly! Hurry! The sun is about to rise!”

A loud voice echoed from outside the castle. The vampires, startled, rushed to open the gates, and soon brought in a man gasping for breath. His heart was pounding as if about to burst, so I infused him with divine power, and he finally calmed down, expressing his gratitude.

“Th-thank you. Is that recovery magic? You’re incredibly skilled. Using magic like that without a staff…”

I just smiled in response, and he finally noticed the gazes fixed on him.

He seemed to be choosing his words carefully before finally speaking.

“Duke, all the lords except you have passed away. That includes your wife… Lady Laila.”

The first words were shocking. Everyone gasped.

The man, puzzled by the reaction, asked.

“Didn’t you all feel it? The power of control that oppressed us has completely disappeared! The presence of the lords and the progenitor class is no longer felt… B-but why is the Duke still here… I-I thought you had also passed…”

“My wife is dead? What are you talking about? What happened?!”

“D-Duke, please let go of my collar first. It’s just that…”

“Speak quickly! Who did this?!”

Sweating profusely, the man avoided Duke Layton’s gaze before finally speaking.

“I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t know.”

“What?!”

“But the cause of death for all of them… seems to be their heads exploding. But it’s not from external impact; it’s as if something inside burst out… It’s peculiar. I have no idea what could cause such a thing.”

Thud.

Duke Layton collapsed, unable to comprehend. Several vampires rushed to support him. The man who delivered the news avoided his gaze and muttered.

“The strange thing is, they were all found dead in your mansion. And another peculiar point… unlike the others, Lady Laila was found hanged…”

“The baby?”

“Huh?”

“Was there a baby with disabled legs and blind eyes also dead there?”

After a moment of silence, the man shook his head.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“What?”

“No baby’s body was found. There was nothing like that anywhere.”

“My son, where did my son go? What is going on? Why did this happen… Why did this happen…”

The Princess’s expression turned grave, and so did mine.

The Princess whispered to me quietly, her face filled with confusion.

“Saint, do you have any idea what’s going on? I have no clue. From what’s being said, all the lords are dead, and it seems even the progenitor Duke Shimira and her daughter are dead. Who could have done this?”

“May I hear your thoughts first, Princess?”

“My thought is that Duke Shimira is manipulating them to stage a play.”

I nodded, and the Princess continued.

“So she’s pretending to be dead, hiding, hoping we’ll believe she’s dead and leave this territory.”

“My thoughts are a bit different. I need to see the bodies myself, but…”

Excluding the impossible, what remains, no matter how unbelievable, is the truth.

The Commandment Bell was used. The moment Duke Layton used it, I felt it too.

They’re not fighting Duke Shimira and deceiving us.

Behind bizarre events, there’s usually a bizarre presence lurking.

I just hope that’s not the case.

“…I hope it’s just my paranoia, but this is really serious. I need to see the bodies of the deceased myself. Can you guide me there?”

“Ah, no. The sun is about to rise. If you must go, please give us some time to prepare something to cover ourselves.”

“That’s no longer a concern. Just wait a moment.”

I turned and stepped out of the bathroom. For now, I’m leaving alone, but I won’t be returning alone. After opening a few doors and stepping into the courtyard, I saw the dawn slowly rising.

For vampires, it’s the arrival of terror, but for me, it’s just the sun rising. But now, it will be the same for them.

Boom!

A spring water fountain bloomed in a corner of the large courtyard. It didn’t need to be as big as a lake; a spring-sized fountain was enough.

‘Firefly Meringue.’

I tried to recreate my unstable ability, Firefly Meringue, once more. It would last longer than before, but it was still unstable. A fruit that would return to light in less than three minutes.

So, I planned to amplify this ability with the miracle granted by the Lord.

‘Now, drink the spring water and grow.’

Splash! The spring rippled. The fruit floated on the water, trembling.

Then, countless strands of light emerged from the droplets, like roots, sucking in the surrounding spring water. The fruit cracked, and a stem grew, sprouting and blooming with a golden hue. It rose, branched out, and spread.

Sarak!

Each branch bore shimmering droplets of light. The golden tree rising from the center of the spring was adorned with numerous Firefly Meringues, glowing softly.

I plucked as many as there were vampires inside, plus a few extra, and placed them in a shabby jar. This would surely cleanse the vampires of their original sin.

The great punishment named the Sun could now be ended.