-Tap, tap.
Fernandez was grilling some jerky over the campfire, gazing at the twilight. The evening in the wilderness had a restrained beauty. Ever since gaining a new body, Fernandez found joy in observing natural landscapes.
‘In my previous life, everything was just polluted.’
-You used to say it was nice back then.
‘That was when you were still around.’
-Now you’re making distinctions? You know it’s meaningless. I am you.
‘Doesn’t that make you sound like a real lunatic?’
-Why wouldn’t it? Right now, you’re essentially talking to yourself.
Faijashi chuckled. Well, considering that the soul and essence split from the same spiritual entity, in a broad sense, they could be considered the same person. Fernandez fell into thought as he looked at Faijashi.
-So, can you survive tonight?
‘I’ve prepared. If this isn’t enough, then there’s nothing I can do.’
Night is about to fall. The enraged executioners of Franzrit will soon come seeking Fernandez’s blood.
His magic was nearly depleted. Fernandez surveyed the weapons he could use and watched the dark clouds gathering on the horizon.
The time of the vampires was approaching.
‘Vampires are heretics too, right?’
-They’re not demon worshippers, but… according to the Temple of the Gods, they are heretics.
What is this guy trying to say? Faijashi frowned as he looked at Fernandez. Fernandez gazed at the black carriage hanging on the horizon and said,
“Then it’s time for the Inquisition Officer! Kirhas, wake up!”
“Huh, huh, huh!”
Kirhas startled awake, popping out from under the blanket. She quickly wiped the drool from her mouth and grabbed her weapon.
“Let’s purify the heretics!”
-Clatter, clatter…
The black four-horse carriage was racing through the wilderness. The four corpse horses led by a skeletal coachman seemed to foreshadow an ominous future. Amelia was sitting on a velvet sofa, polishing her blade.
“Ah, sister! I told you not to draw your sword inside the carriage!”
“Keep nagging and you’ll die?”
“What do you mean ‘die’? Don’t you know we’re already dead?”
“Why are you like this today?”
-Swish…
Amelia lightly swung her sword. The sensation of slicing through the air was swift. Everett flinched and ducked his head.
“Why did our Julian have to die in such a troublesome place? An Inquisition Officer, and even fighting against a Diemonica Inquisition Officer… I don’t want to deal with that.”
“But is that guy really an Inquisition Officer? He uses dark magic.”
“Right. Isn’t that weird? Should we kill him once and bring him back to ask?”
Amelia chuckled. The sadism of a vampire overflowed from her eyes. Then, Everett exclaimed in panic,
“P-put the sword away! Sister! Get down!”
“What… huh?!”
-Boom!
A tremendous impact hit the carriage! Everett, who was ducking, was flung into the air, and one side of the carriage door shattered and flew off. The outside scenery spun rapidly!
“What the… hell?!”
-Crash!
The carriage flipped over in an instant, and Amelia and Everett rolled on the ground. They wouldn’t die from this, but the impact was immense.
The broken wheel of the carriage rolled on the ground. In the distance, the dark night sky was visible through the door.
“Ugh…”
“S-sister, are you okay?”
Everett and Amelia groaned as they struggled to get up. In their long lives, this was the first time the carriage had tipped over.
They cautiously stood up and looked at the sky outside the door. The black sky and a red sphere… red? Burning? A burning sphere…?
“Fireball?! Damn it! Sister, get out!!!”
-Snap!
Everett grabbed Amelia by the collar and leaped out of the carriage. The burning sphere, approaching at an incredible speed, hit the carriage the moment Everett escaped.
-Boom!
Everett and Amelia rolled three times on the ground to avoid the impact. Their high-end suits were instantly dirtied by the wilderness soil.
The carriage exploded and caught fire. Amelia glared at the edge of the village, seething.
“Inquisition Officerrrr!!!!”
“Oh, you’re here? Come on in.”
“Do you know what it means to invite vampires? You know, right? Fine. Fiiine! I’ll take that challenge!!”
In the sensitive vision of the vampires, Fernandez was seen leisurely smiling with his arms crossed on the second floor of a building in the distance! Amelia’s eyes turned red with rage as she prepared to charge in.
“W-wait, sister! Hold on. Calm down!”
“…? Why! What! What is it!”
“There are two traps just at the village entrance!”
Everett was a mage, and he acknowledged that the opponent was at least one, maybe two levels above him.
It’s never wise to charge into a mage’s prepared stronghold!
“You don’t know what’s in there, and you’re just going to charge in?”
“Got a better idea?”
“Well…”
“Just two humans, and you’re scared and running away before even fighting. Want to report that to the master?”
“Ugh…”
“Hey, I’m here. Don’t worry, little brother.”
Pulling Everett’s anxious arm, Amelia confidently stepped into the village entrance.
“Tsk.”
Watching the two vampires enter the village, Fernandez clicked his tongue. He didn’t expect them to turn tail and run just like that, but he had hoped at least one of them would have taken some significant damage.
Facing two high noble vampires with his current strength was insufficient. Fernandez fell into thought as he looked at Kirhas.
‘If it were Kirhas in her prime, we’d be marching on Franzrit by now…’
-Her prime is at least 30 years away.
