31. Infermur, the City Where the Dragon Sleeps (1) [Final Episode Before Remake]
Fernandez felt oddly comfortable in the damp, foul-smelling underground waterway. His early life had been that of an exile, a fugitive, a slave, and a pauper, so places like this had always been his home and battlefield.
Slums and underground waterways. In places where demons, heretics, witches, vampires, and madmen lurked, a clumsy noble bastard needed more than just luck to survive.
-Squelch!
“Ughhh…”
A half-rotted ghoul emerged from the sewage beneath Fernandez’s feet. Having anticipated this from the moment the sewage surged, Fernandez grabbed the ghoul’s skull and smashed it against the wall, splattering it.
-Thud!
“Did they find us?”
-Probably not yet… Above!
“I know!”
“Ughhh!!!”
Three ghouls clinging to the ceiling simultaneously dropped toward Fernandez. He quickly rolled forward, drawing his greatsword and slashing twice.
-Squelch!
The three ghouls fell into five pieces. Even with their limbs shattered, the ghouls writhed and crawled toward Fernandez.
-Crunch!
Fernandez stomped on the writhing ghouls’ heads, crushing them as he advanced deeper into the underground waterway. Honestly, he had expected this. If they were hiding, it had to be the underground waterway.
No light, no visitors, and even if the poor who crawled in here went missing, no one would suspect a thing. The noble elves wouldn’t come near such a stinking place, and the corrupt human soldiers wouldn’t bother searching this deeply.
“Who… are you…?”
So, when Fernandez suddenly appeared, crushing ghouls left and right, it was nothing short of a disaster for the vampires.
A thin man in a torn and tattered suit, with red eyes, glared at Fernandez from across the waterway.
“Franzrit?”
“?! What are you? You don’t seem like an elf.”
-Swish.
As Fernandez drew his greatsword and approached, the man panicked and stepped back, shouting.
“W-wait! Hold on! Let’s talk, okay? I’ve seen enough of your fighting. You don’t want to fight vampires in a place like this, do you?”
“…?”
When Fernandez paused, the man chuckled nervously.
“Good, you understand me, so you’re not one of those elf bastards. Why are you here? Humans don’t usually come this far.”
“I came looking for vampires. Glad I found you.”
The man, still wary of Fernandez, didn’t retreat further. Fernandez slowly gauged the distance between them, adjusting his grip on the sword.
Twelve steps.
“Why are you looking for us? We’ve had no dealings with humans.”
“The general sent me.”
“…? It’s not time for the operation yet, is it? Why take such a risk? What if you get caught?!”
“You’re not asking who sent me?”
“Of course not! The only one who’d send someone like you is Aildern, that bastard!”
Eleven steps.
“Wait, wait. General Aildern sent a human as a messenger…?”
“Do you think an elf would come to a place like this?”
“Ah… I guess not. Hmm…”
Ten steps.
Fernandez’s shoulders began to tense. Inside his tunic, the muscles in his arms twitched like snakes.
The man shrank back slightly at the menacing aura. How could a human seem more predatory than him?
“So, what’s the matter? The operation isn’t for a few more days, right? Didn’t they say it would start once the fleet arrives from the main base?”
“I was told to deliver this.”
Nine steps.
“What is it?”
The man was now close enough to be fully within Fernandez’s sight.
Even in the nearly lightless underground waterway, at a distance of eight steps, Diemonica’s vision wouldn’t miss him.
And at eight steps, even with a vampire’s reflexes, it would be nearly impossible to escape Diemonica.
-Swish!
“Wha-?!”
-Thud!
Fernandez’s greatsword shot out like an arrow, piercing the man’s heart before he could react.
The sword, driven in so deeply that the crossguard pressed against his chest, protruded from his back, trembling slightly.
“Guh… ugh…”
-Thud, thud.
Fernandez slowly approached the man. The man staggered, clutching at the sword embedded in his chest. He looked up at Fernandez with disbelief in his eyes.
“Ugh… ugh… gasp…”
The shock was too great. His lungs and heart were torn apart, and only the sound of escaping air came from the vampire’s mouth.
Blood streamed from his eyes. Fernandez gripped the hilt and kicked the man’s stomach.
-Thud.
The blade slid out of the man’s body, and the vampire shuddered at the sensation. With his vital organs shredded by the consecrated Saintmetal greatsword, there was no hope of survival.
‘At least I’ve found one of the traitors.’
-The Guimerin Dynasty was the most populous among the Elven Trident. Isn’t it strange that they abandoned the capital and chose to wander just because the general betrayed them?
‘There must have been a reason. Now, let’s hear that reason.’
-Just one more to catch.
Fernandez dragged the fallen vampire’s corpse deeper into the waterway. Vampire bodies were sturdy.
They could serve as shields against sudden attacks. At the very least, they could be bait.
*
-Knock knock.
“Leia. Do you have a moment?”
“Ah, Your Highness. Yes. Please come in.”
Leia answered while wiping her blade with a dry cloth. The door opened, and an elf youth entered. His beauty was like a marble sculpture, and his flowing silver hair accentuated his androgynous charm.
Ainard Fin Guimerin. The only legitimate son of King Guimerin. A man who embodied the delicacy unique to pure-blooded elves and the toughness and sharpness honed from a young age as a warrior.
Leia looked at him with a playful smile.
“Isn’t it a bit late to visit a lady’s chambers?”
“Haha, cut it out, sister. I heard you brought a human man to the audience chamber?”
Ainard laughed heartily as he sat across from Leia. Leia sheathed her sword and poured him a glass of water.
“He was an Inquisition Officer from the Temple of the Gods. The Franzrit messenger died while fleeing, and he took up the mission. He insisted on meeting His Majesty personally to deliver the secret letter.”
“I’m not here to interrogate you, sister. Why do you treat me as your superior rather than your brother?”
Ainard’s eyes were filled with affection. His sister, Leia, was a half-elf. A half-elf ‘created’ by Guimerin himself. She was intentionally crafted by King Guimerin to serve as his agent on the continent.
After the Celestial War, a curse befell the elves who abandoned their gods: [You shall never set foot on the continent again.] Elves who stepped on the continent rapidly lost their power and withered.
However, the curse did not pass on to half-elves born from unions with humans. Leia was created to exploit this trait, a source of pride and, simultaneously, a curse.
Ainard always felt a mix of pride and pity for her.
“I want to hear more. What orders did His Majesty give after meeting with the human?”
“He commanded us to find the heretics who have infiltrated this city. And according to the secret letter…”
Leia narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice.
“There is a traitor among the five generals, colluding with the head of the Franzrit clan.”
“…What?”
Ainard’s eyes widened in surprise. Leia sneered and nodded.
“That’s right. It’s truly foolish.”
“How insolent.”
After the disappearance of the Elven God from the Temple of the Gods, the Elven King has always held a status akin to their deity. An immortal and a leader. An immortal who has ruled the clans since before the Celestial War. To betray him?
Leia wondered what on earth they were thinking to commit such an act.
“They must have something they believe in. Even if all five generals… no, even if four generals besides my brother betray, if my brother and His Majesty personally lead the charge, would there be any match for them?”
“…What do you think? What could they possibly believe in to commit such an act?”
“The secret letter mentioned the Franzrit bloodline and human nobles, but they alone are not enough. They cannot dare to oppose the Guimerin Dynasty’s fleet at sea.”
There are only three weapons in this world that can effectively damage the Elven Serpent King’s flagship: the Ancient Dwarven Flame, the Dragon’s Breath, and the Curse of the Great Demon.
And all three have the commonality of being prepared in advance and not existing in the Material World.
Thus, the Guimerin Dynasty’s fleet is nearly invincible. Vampires can never invade the City of the Awakened Dragon at sea. Therefore, it must be inland.
Inland matters were her mission. Leia looked out the window at the fading Port City.
“Are you worried?”
“It would be a lie to say I’m not. His Majesty is wise, but the treachery of the inland often strays from the norm.”
“Your heart is kind. What about that human?”
After a brief pause, Leia nodded cautiously.
“He is clearly young. But that alone is hard to explain.”
“Is he strong?”
“He is an excellent warrior, but not stronger than my brother. However, he can use magic, and his will is firm, and his mind is deep. His Majesty also ordered special surveillance on him.”
“His Majesty? That’s strange. What do you think, aside from His Majesty?”
“…He’s a decent man.”
“Haha! Ah, youth.”
Ainard laughed and stood up. He ruffled Leia’s hair and walked towards the door.
“Are you leaving already?”
“His Majesty has given you a mission, how can I take more of your time? Little sister, come visit me from time to time and tell me about the world. I’ll be waiting.”
“Understood. Rest well.”
“Take care.”
Ainard closed the door and left. Leia sat for a moment, took a sip of water, and then strapped her sword belt around her waist.
“Della, are you there?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What is the human doing?”
“He hasn’t left his room yet.”
At the maid’s words from outside the door, Leia frowned. He didn’t seem like such a lazy person. Leia stood up and said.
“Prepare. I must go see him myself.”
*
-Whirr, whirr, whirr.
“Boss!! Boss!!! An intruder has appeared in the western passage!”
“What?! They were just in Sector 13!! How did they break through so quickly?”
“Qu-quick, you must escape…!”
In the massive drainage facility of the Underground Waterway, a man as pale as a corpse hurriedly stuffed books and experimental tools into a bag and shouted.
“Hold them off! Buy time no matter what!”
“Yes, yes!!”
A skinny man hastily bowed and ran into the dark passage. The passage, lined with alarm magic, was chaotic with loud sirens and red lights.
The talents gathered by the Franzrit family with all their might. The necromancers here were scholars from the Western Necromancy Academy.
Losing them would not only damage the academy’s reputation but also greatly harm their standing in the international community.
The man stood before the entrance leading deep underground and manipulated the sealing device. This was a solid seal that would take at least a day and a half to break, even if the family head came personally.
He felt sorry for the necromancers working inside, unaware of the outside events, but only their work’s completion could save them all. The man headed for the exit, lifting his luggage.
-Thud.
Then, with a familiar presence, bats swarmed in. The man frowned.
“How long has it been since you left? What happened to him?”
-Thud… thump.
The bat took human form and fell to the ground with a thud. The man, startled, turned towards the sound.
“What the…?”
A man with a hole in his chest was writhing on the floor, blood gushing from his body! The man trembled as he looked in the direction his subordinate had flown from.
-Whirr, whirr, whirr.
The passage was flashing with red warning lights. Each time the lights went out, the afterimage burned into his retinas.
The darkened passage was so deep and dark that even a vampire’s night vision couldn’t penetrate it.
“Escape…”
-Thud.
The subordinate convulsing on the floor stopped moving after those final words. The man, forgetting his escape route, stared blankly at the passage.
From deep within, something large flew towards him.
-Squelch.
“H-h-hiiiiik!!!”
A vampire’s corpse, cut in half, fell at the man’s feet. The man stepped back in horror. The sealed underground passage’s entrance hit his back.
-Clunk.
The luggage in his hands fell to the floor and scattered. Far away, at the entrance of the western passage, a longsword gleamed under the red light.
Soon, a slender young man slowly approached him.
“W-who are you? Why are you attacking us…? Did the elves send you?”
“…”
“H-how much were you paid? We’ll, we’ll give you that ship!”
The stranger stopped in the shadows and looked at him. He wore a light tunic, but his body was almost entirely covered in blood.
The man was certain it was his subordinates’ blood.
He didn’t even need to bet on it.
A low growl, almost beast-like, reached his ears. Or so it seemed to him.
“What are you plotting?”
“Uh… uh…”
If I speak, I die! To both the family head and the elves! But if I don’t speak, can I survive? The man before him stopped approaching, his eyes slowly glowing. The eyes of a predator.
“Do you know Amelia von Franzrit?”
“A-Amelia…? W-why her…?”
“Is she stronger than that vampire?”
In the Franzrit bloodline, only the family head and his direct descendants were stronger than Amelia. The Franzrit’s hunting dogs weren’t called hunting dogs for nothing.
The twin siblings were strong enough to execute traitors within the bloodline and figures like the Red Hunger.
When he didn’t answer, the man took another step forward and slowly pulled his arm back.
“I’ll have to control my strength. Don’t die.”
“W-what?!”
-Swish!
“Gaaaaah!!!!!”
The longsword flew like a flash of light and embedded itself in the man’s abdomen. The man knelt on the floor, gasping. How? Why? His confused brain screamed.
-Thud, thud.
He’s coming! The man screamed and fell back, scrambling away.
“Gaaaaah!!! D-don’t come!!! Stay away!!”
“What are you plotting, vampire?”
-Thud.
The man’s sturdy leg stomped on his chest. Terrible pain surged from his abdomen and chest. The man slowly gripped the sword hilt embedded in his abdomen and pulled it out.
“Gaaaaah!!!”
“What’s inside here?”
The man looked at the tightly sealed passage entrance and asked.
“W-will you spare me if I talk?”
“If I feel like it.”
“A… a dragon…”
“…?”
Huh?
For a moment, the man’s body froze. A dragon? The dragon? The dragon I know? The man looked panicked.
No matter what the vampire thought of him. Fernandez was indeed panicking right now.
‘A dragon?’
-A dragon???
Why is a dragon here…? Rarely, even Faijashi was panicking.
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