28. We can see the color of lies.
– Rumble…
The wilderness night is deep, long, and dark. Especially on days like this with heavy clouds. The locals around here call such days “bat clouds,” a rather dull but accurate description.
A campfire is burning. A stranger wrapped in a thick cloak warms their hands by the fire, gazing at the horizon. They think the vampires are particularly active today. But it’s not their concern.
Their mission isn’t recording or reconnaissance. Not yet.
– Rumble!!
That was until a massive light erupted in the distance. A light so vivid it caused a whiteout, illuminating the horizon. The thick black clouds and the town below left an afterimage on their retinas.
“Meli… Silduur’s dawn…?”
Before they knew it, they stood up abruptly, staring at the horizon. The three longswords on their belt clinked against each other with their movement. Their soft, silvery hair, shining like gold dust, brushed against their ears and scattered.
Pointed white ears, a sharp jawline, and piercing eyes. Their topaz-like eyes, resembling the blue ocean, wavered. They bit their lip slightly and hastily threw dirt on the campfire to extinguish it.
Wrapping the cloak around themselves, they quickly mounted their horse. The horse snorted in surprise. They patted its back and spurred it.
– Neigh!
“Let’s go, Imelda. Let’s check it out.”
Her mission, Leia Pin Guimerin, was to secure the rendezvous area, contact key figures, and provide escort. Having camped out for five days already, she wanted to return home immediately.
But if it was indeed Melisilduur’s dawn, she had a duty to investigate the incident in that area. It was the duty of all sea elves. Even for a half-elf.
*
“Gaaaaah! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you! You priest!!!!”
Amelia clutched her half-melted face, gasping for breath. Hit directly by the light of the World Tree, her body and mind were slowly disintegrating. The high vampire’s regenerative ability barely kept a thread of sanity intact.
“Will you repent, vampire?”
“Eeeeek! You damn priest! I’ll kill you!!”
Fernandez slowly raised his sword at Amelia, who was drooling blood and saliva. Having completely exhausted his mental and magical energy, Fernandez didn’t even have the strength to swing his sword.
‘Damn it, as expected… The Verelide school of magic is too much.’
– I didn’t think you’d actually use it.
‘I knew the formulas and mechanisms… Ugh, I overdid it.’
Among the lost schools of ancient magic, he had obtained a secret manual from a sage he had captured and tortured in his previous life.
Fernandez had once studied the ancient magic known as the [Verelide School] as a hobby.
A magic from the era of the ancient Elf Five Kingdoms, different from dark magic… Undeniably powerful, but the side effects were horrifying for a dark mage to handle.
Back then, he couldn’t handle it, and even now, before using hellish magic, he could only roughly mimic it.
And this is the result. Fernandez staggered from overwhelming exhaustion.
But if the vampire regained even a bit more strength, he’d stand no chance. In fact, fighting a high vampire like this was already a huge gamble. It was time to end the gamble.
– Clang!
“Ugh?!”
Amelia’s sword deflected Fernandez’s. Despite clutching her face and writhing in pain, she had sensed his attack.
Keeping this vampire alive was dangerous! Fernandez began to grow anxious.
Few things are as terrifying as a vengeful vampire, except perhaps a vengeful lich or dragon. That’s how dangerous she was. He quickly checked Kirhas’s condition.
– Bang! Crash!
“Tsk!!”
Kirhas was also continuing her assault, but perhaps due to the distance or her mage abilities, she managed to evade.
Everett was easily blocking Kirhas’s attacks. Time was not on their side.
Fernandez forced his numb arm to move, aiming for Amelia’s neck. At that moment, Amelia’s remaining eye flashed.
– Crunch!
“Ugh!”
“Got you, you vermin…”
Amelia, with her hand now somewhat reformed, grabbed Fernandez’s sword.
Her flesh sizzled against the blade, turning black. The sword, made of full Saint Metal, was a countermeasure against evil beings…
“Kuuuuh… Tickles!”
– Sizzle…
As her hand crumbled, Amelia steadily reformed it, gripping the sword and pulling. Like a castle gate’s pulley, an immense force began to drag the sword.
“I won’t kill you right away, Inquisition Officer! I’ll peel your bones, drain your blood, and tear your soul apart. Just wait. You won’t die as you wish, not in any of those moments!”
Amelia’s sharp fangs now gleamed under Fernandez’s chin. All he could do was resist being pulled in.
“Your Excellency!! Your Excellency!!!”
Kirhas screamed upon seeing Fernandez’s peril. It looked like he was about to be bitten any second. Kirhas gritted her teeth and swung her sword.
– Crash!
“I’ll kill you too!”
Everett roughly swung his staff, deflecting Kirhas’s sword and gathering strength. Magic was out of the question now due to interference, but he couldn’t lose to this young catgirl.
“Now die!!”
– Whoosh.
Before Kirhas could steady her stance, Everett’s staff came down toward her head.
Kirhas’s eyes gleamed. She had been waiting for this moment. Her body seemed to collapse and disappear in an instant.
“?!”
As Everett stepped back in shock, a blade was already embedded in his heart. Kirhas swiftly moved to his side, driving the blade deeper into his heart.
“Ugh… you… filthy… catfolk!!”
“L-let go of this!”
Everett, coughing up blood, tightly gripped Kirhas’s arm. With his heart pierced by a consecrated longsword, there was no hope left for Everett. But then…
“Watch your master die, wench!”
He had to buy time. For his sister! If only he could take down that Inquisition Officer, there was a chance! Amidst the impending death and the madness of slaughter, a strange thought flashed through Everett’s mind.
‘That guy. Didn’t he say he was Diemonica?’
“Your Excellency!!!! No!!!!”
Kirhas screamed as she pulled her arm free. Amelia’s jaw opened wide, closing in on Fernandez’s throat.
A massive shock struck Everett’s mind. The blood of the Diemonica Inquisition Officer flows with divinity!
“Big sis!!! No!!!”
His desperate voice didn’t reach Amelia, who was consumed by thirst and madness. Fernandez watched as Amelia’s fangs approached, as if time had slowed.
If only he had a bit more stamina, he could have dodged such a clumsy attack… But his body was already wrecked from overusing his magic.
-In the end, I die once. Very clumsy.
‘The last part of Plan B was for me to be drained of blood. With my current strength, I can’t take down a high-ranking vampire without that sacrifice.’
-Crunch!
“Guh.”
Amelia’s jaw clamped down on Fernandez’s throat. Blood gushed out. Amelia’s eyes curved like crescent moons as she smiled.
Sweet, fresh blood. The pure blood of a priest… Amelia felt strength gradually returning to her body.
Her shattered body was healing at an incredible speed. Gulp, gulp. The hot blood flowing from Fernandez’s throat soaked her body.
Vampires could only feel warmth in this moment. Only when drinking the hot lifeblood of the living.
‘Ah, it’s warm. No, it’s hot.’
Amelia was entranced, lost in the act of drinking blood. She could feel Fernandez’s body growing cold.
‘Hot. My body is hot…?’
-Whoosh!
“Guh?!”
Blue flames began to rise from Amelia’s body! The fire, starting from her half-healed torso, grew larger and larger.
“Ugh!!!! What, what is this?!!!”
Blood is the currency of life. The divine essence within Diemonica’s blood, even bearing the Stigma, was burning the vampire’s body and soul!
-Thud!
“Huh…?”
Amelia struggled, shaking her burning body, then suddenly froze at the cold sensation. A shining silver stake was embedded in her chest.
“You… bastard…?”
“Huh… dying once made me feel better.”
“…Immortal…?”
Fernandez twisted his neck with a snap and laughed. His magic, mental strength, and stamina had all returned somewhat. He slowly twisted the stake embedded in Amelia’s chest.
“Guh… ugh…!”
“I think, Faijashi. The blessing of immortality seems to mess with the timeline.”
-That’s what I think too. The way your stamina and wounds recover isn’t healing, but restoration.
Amelia looked at Fernandez with eyes full of confusion. It wasn’t the gaze of someone looking at a person, or even a living being. Fernandez’s eyes were as emotionless as glass beads.
“Interesting. Worth dying once for. Is there a limit to the resurrections?”
-If this was the last one, wouldn’t you die in the next experiment?
“With the Stigma embedded, it’s safe to assume the effect is permanent, right?”
-Reasonable.
“Now… ugh… what nonsense are you… spouting… alone…? What, what are you…?”
Tears of blood streamed from Amelia’s eyes. Her blood, her life, was rapidly dissipating. Fernandez pushed Amelia’s weakened body to the ground.
“I am Inquisition Officer Angelo.”
In that moment, Amelia seemed to realize something. Her gaze lingered on Fernandez’s back for a moment. Then, her pupils dilated.
“Your Excellency! Your Excellency!!!”
“Not going to ask how I survived?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes! I’m so, so glad you’re alive!”
Kirhas, who had freed herself from Everett’s grip, ran over and hugged Fernandez. Fernandez patted Kirhas’s head and spoke.
“If we’ve killed the extermination squad, an investigation team will be sent. We need to leave before tomorrow night.”
“Where should we go?”
“Obviously…”
A clear, singing voice rang out.
“To Infermur.”
Kirhas’s ears perked up in surprise. Fernandez patted her and spoke without turning around.
“Will you guide us?”
“Of course, it’s quite interesting too. Inquisition Officer.”
Her silver hair shimmered like gold dust in the wind. Under the moonlight, her skin glowed as brilliantly as a white sand beach. Three longswords clinked as she walked out, her hand resting on her sword belt.
Leia stepped forward. Fernandez chuckled and looked at her.
“It’s an honor to meet the old ruler of the continent. If I may, your name?”
“Leia Pin Guimerin. And you?”
“Angelo, no surname.”
“Did you know? We can see the color of lies.”
Leia smiled, her blue eyes gleaming. Fernandez slightly bowed his head.
“My apologies. I’ve heard of such legends. I beg your forgiveness. Our kind cannot live without air, law, the sun, and lies.”
“I understand. You’ve always been that way. It’s only natural… Alright, so you wish to be called that. Angelo?”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
“Don’t mention it. Bats are our friends. For now, at least. Now, there should be a letter left for us by our lion?”
Fernandez pulled out a sealed letter from his pocket. A letter stamped with Franzrit’s seal, written in chicken blood. This extermination squad must have come to seize this letter.
“Somehow, I ended up with it, but the lion’s last wish was to deliver it directly to the Serpent King.”
“I am the Serpent King’s daughter.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“Our kind does not lie.”
“Then you should see the color of lies now?”
At Fernandez’s words, Leia slightly frowned and gripped her sword hilt threateningly.
“Are you mocking me now, human?”
“We’ve both lied once, so let’s call it even this time. I request an audience with the Serpent King.”
“Hmm… You’ve got spirit. Alright. I like you.”
Leia smirked and shrugged. What an interesting human. I wonder if he’ll keep that posture in front of His Majesty. Leia found Fernandez somewhat likable.
![[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TS-Obsessed-Gamer-The-Ultimate-Return2.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return")
