A long time ago, I used to be startled even by lightning in the sky, but looking back, it seems my courage has grown quite a bit.
The sobbing cries, the swirling blood mist, and the roars that pierce the world—I could calmly watch and assist the Princess. The 3rd-ranked Demon King, Supaja Grozam, had prepared for a long time, but he summoned a massive tidal wave that swept us all away.
Grimudo, by merely releasing a portion of his magical power, covered the sky in darkness and eroded the ground. The Blood God Atorize, an evil deity who received worship and granted human wishes, left trails of bloodlotus flowers and blood-filled puddles wherever he walked.
And what about the death army summoned by Elder Lich Balzak? The continent is full of powerful beings. That’s why my adventures with Yurinel were such a significant experience for me.
By now, our party has seen so much that even Duke Shimira’s grandeur doesn’t faze us.
“Last words…? No, nothing is over yet.”
Even as Duke Shimira stared directly at us—no, at me—and muttered, or when the fallen spear suddenly rose and charged at me, I wasn’t particularly surprised.
Even if I were to die from this spear, I’d just revive anyway, but that wasn’t going to happen in the first place.
The spear, swimming through the air as if alive, stopped right in front of my nose and trembled. This place, lit by the sanctuary’s candles, is the sanctuary, and the Lord watches over me here.
“Checkmate. Princess, if you want to save your priest… huh?!”
I spread my palm, pressed it against the spear’s tip, and slowly pushed it back.
The spearhead split like a beak, and its grotesque teeth clattered. But it couldn’t bite into my hand and was forced back. No matter how vicious a weapon you are, this is the Lord’s land.
If the Princess and I had attacked the Duke first, the Lord might have temporarily withdrawn His protection, but this situation was different.
We came as guests and made no hostile moves, but Duke Shimira resorted to cowardly tactics first. In such cases, the Lord’s hand remains behind me.
“What are you doing? Quickly subdue him! Do you think I’ve been feeding you blood all this time just to see this? Hurry up!”
The spear flashed with a blood-red light and desperately charged at me. But it couldn’t even pierce my palm, no matter how much power it held.
With a crack, a line formed on the spear’s shaft, and a few teeth broke off and flew away. Any attempt to resist the Lord’s power only results in greater backlash, and the spear began to reach its breaking point.
“No matter how great a spear is, without a master, it’s just a piece of metal.”
The spear finally closed its tip and quickly retreated from me, but it was already too late.
The Princess’s sword, imbued with golden Dragon Form Technique, struck the spear’s center head-on. With the sound of metal clashing, the spear shattered into crimson fragments that writhed on the ground before finally ceasing to move.
“It’s not even as good as this sword in my hand. Saint, I’m glad you’re safe.”
“I’m fine. But the Duke…”
“Duke Shimira. You were once a Duke of the Empire, so I’ll give you two choices.”
The Princess stepped forward, pressed the Duke’s head to the ground with her foot, and pointed her sword at his neck.
“Choose between having your head cut off here or being transported to the Capital for execution.”
“Execution… nonsense… who can execute me… that old Emperor…? Haha…”
But it seemed this wasn’t the end yet.
“Let’s make a deal. If you let me go, I’ll release your people.”
“Our people? That wolf… no, Roka, is she with you?”
“My daughter Kamira wanted to collar her as a pet, so I allowed it. She’s probably captured by now. You’re not planning to leave that wolf alone, are you?”
I should have known when Roka didn’t return. Duke Shimira had been targeting us from the start.
Instead of the Princess, who was lost in thought, I spoke up.
“Fine.”
“Fine? Then release me first. I’ll order my daughter to release that wolf.”
“Promise that as soon as you’re free, you’ll return Roka to us without harming her. Swear in the name of the Lord, and I’ll release you immediately.”
“As much as you want. If you let me go, what can’t I do?”
In such matters, it’s meaningless to worry whether they’ll keep their promise or not.
Because the Lord has witnessed this promise.
“Are you sure it’s okay to release him? Duke Shimira might have more schemes. We can’t be sure he’ll return Roka.”
The Princess asked with a troubled expression, looking at the Duke, who couldn’t hide his smug smile.
I don’t trust the Duke either.
“I don’t trust her. I trust the one behind me.”
Whether she takes this promise seriously or it’s just a lie to save her life, Roka will return to us because the Lord has witnessed the promise. The Lord will guide her back to me.
“All liars will have their share in the lake of fire and brimstone. If the Duke breaks this promise, we won’t even need to do anything—He will personally push her into the darkness.”
I muttered softly as I watched the Duke flee down the hallway. The Princess didn’t press further. Then, a mocking laugh came from the end of the hallway.
“You’re so naive. After humiliating me like this, you still expect me to keep my promise? I’ll have fun tormenting that little one as my pet. I’ll play with her whenever I think of you.”
“And Ardein, you foolish girl. The Empire is already over! Just wait, I’ll return as one of the Demon World’s Queens under His Majesty the Demon Emperor. Then you’ll beg for your life before me!”
“And your priest, next time we meet, I’ll make him my eternal blood bag. I’ll never forget today’s humiliation.”
“When I return, there will be no more humans in what you call the Empire’s southeast! Only vampires and livestock on two legs!”
All her threats and bluffs were empty delusions. They meant nothing.
Duke Shimira, driven by malice, spewed resentment, but she likely didn’t truly believe her dreams would come true. If she did, there’d be nothing more to say.
Whether she keeps her promise or not, Roka will be safe.
Still, it’s better to go look for her.
“Roka will return safely, but if we find her, she’ll come back faster. Let’s search for her as quickly as possible. Together.”
I believe in the Lord, but that doesn’t mean I can just sit back and pray.
Let’s find Roka as quickly as we can.
“First, let’s head to the bathhouse.”
“Do you think Mr. Layton is involved in this? If so, then he…”
“I don’t know. I don’t like to make assumptions about things I’m unsure of.”
It’s true that Mr. Layton brought us here under Duke Shimira’s orders, but it’s unclear if he’s truly an accomplice. I can’t assume he’s an enemy without certainty.
So I’ll try to keep my promise to him as well. The promised day isn’t over yet, but I’ve already thought of some plans.
Let’s think for a moment. The Law of the Universe that opposes vampires is already a dead law.
That law doesn’t affect non-vampires. If we make a vampire no longer a vampire, they can avoid the Curse of the Sun.
‘If we reconstruct the body and remove the targeted parts, can’t we evade the curse?’
By decomposing and then reconstructing oneself, excluding vulnerabilities to the Curse of the Sun, we can surely solve the problem. But how?
Suddenly, the image of the Light Angel appeared in my mind. The Lord’s messenger, who decomposed herself into possibilities and reassembled, vividly came to mind.
‘The power to decompose oneself into waves and reassemble.’
As I followed the Princess to the bathhouse, my mind was filled with thoughts. But I think I’ve roughly found the answer.
Once I have the direction and the ability to pull it off, creating the power will be a matter of moments.
‘I tried to create it before and failed. This time, I don’t even need to go that far. Just reconstructing the body and removing the weaknesses will be enough.’
I opened my hands and extended sacredness, selecting one possibility from countless options and crystallizing it.
The sacredness took the form of a cold light, condensing into a droplet-shaped fruit in my hand.
A beautiful, glass-like fruit glowing softly like a firefly. My new power, the Firefly Meringue, shimmered faintly.
Crackle!
The droplet of light disintegrated into possibilities and vanished, but the fact that it took shape was important. If I’ve done it once, I can do it better the second time.
By the time I meet Mr. Layton again, the power should be refined enough to be useful.
