Chapter 2《The Full Moon from a Thousand Years Ago》- (1)
Yes, the situation of being reincarnated as a game character was something I had always dreamed of.
Becoming the character I had cherished and nurtured, possessing overpowered abilities, and embarking on an adventure through trials and tribulations.
In this harsh reality, it was an experience far beyond anything I could have even imagined. As a child, I would even pray before sleeping, hoping that when I opened my eyes, I would awaken in another world.
Thinking back on those times, the situation I found myself in wasn’t all that bad. In fact, it was something I welcomed with open arms.
After all… I woke up as the character I had meticulously customized in the MMORPG Tower of Avalon, which was nearing its 15th anniversary release.
“Where is this…?”
Pale white skin.
Ash-gray hair.
A stunningly beautiful appearance that could captivate anyone around.
I woke up as the vampire princess and necromancer lord, Elzerba, in a world strikingly similar to the one from Tower of Avalon.
The monsters I had only seen in graphics were rampaging before my eyes, and NPCs, who used to endlessly repeat the same actions, now breathed with self-awareness.
I could feel the textures of items that had once been trapped in my inventory, and my senses were overwhelmed by the smell of dirt, the wind, and the sunlight brushing against my skin.
Everything around me was so vivid and alive, that as I awakened in the body of Elzerba, all of it screamed at me that this was indeed real.
“Necromancy Summon.”
-ROAAARRR!!
On top of that, all of Elzerba’s levels and skills—who had held the top ranking for the necromancer class in Tower of Avalon—were intact.
“…100 points. This is amazing, holy crap.”
It was a familiar development from novels and anime. But I didn’t care, even if it was a cliché scenario. Just the fact that I had escaped from the monotonous hamster wheel of my previous life was more than enough for me.
“….”
The character I had reincarnated into, Elzerba, was a vampire. Like elves, she possessed an immortal body, able to live eternally unless killed.
But, having never once lost the top spot in the necromancer rankings, there was no way anyone would be able to kill me. The time given to me was essentially infinite.
I could do whatever I wanted, for however long I wanted, without being restricted by time.
“Hehehe….”
As the things I had only imagined began happening, I couldn’t stop smiling. I felt an excitement swelling in my chest, a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
*************
“Fresh fruit for sale!”
“The Minerva Mercenary Guild is recruiting!”
“….”
Once I managed to calm my excitement, the first thing I did was head to a nearby city to investigate this world that resembled Tower of Avalon.
While the monsters and general atmosphere were the same, and the names of the continents matched, this was the world I had to live in now, so a basic investigation was essential.
“The war is dragging on for too long, I’m worried….”
“I know, right? The Hero needs to resolve it quickly….”
‘Hero…?’
My investigation was not without meaning.
Contrary to the peaceful setting of Tower of Avalon, this world was in the midst of a brutal war between humanity and the demons of the northern lands.
On the human side, a hero was leading an army, while on the demon side, a demon king commanded their forces. The war had been going on for years, with both sides making meaningless advances and retreats on the front lines.
“It’s getting hard to even put food on the table these days.”
“Tell me about it….”
“….”
This was a great war where all of humanity was mobilized to fight against the demon invasion. Even in wars between nations, enormous resources are consumed, so in a war between species, the expenditure of resources and manpower would be unimaginable.
The NPCs, or rather, the residents of this world who now had consciousness, were filled with worry and anxiety. Deep sighs seemed to be heard more frequently than laughter.
“…Should I help?”
I mumbled to myself after hearing the residents’ conversations.
From what I had gathered, the soldiers of this world were only around level 100. Even the so-called special individuals like the Hero and the Demon King, being based on NPCs, probably didn’t exceed level 800.
In contrast, my level as the top-ranked necromancer in Tower of Avalon, and 15th overall in the game’s rankings, was 1180. The level gap was over 300. Even the Demon King and his minions would be no match for me.
After being reincarnated into Elzerba’s body, if I spent all my time idly lounging around, it would be no different from my life in the real world.
It didn’t seem like a bad idea to help the Hero, the protagonist of this world.
“Alright.”
With the goal of testing Elzerba’s skills in a real battle and resolving one of this world’s unique quests, I immediately headed for the northern front, where the war with the demons was raging.
“Welcome to the Avilia Alliance Army.”
“Yeah, nice to meet you!”
I joined the Hero’s army without hesitation, eager to gain battle experience, amass wealth, and build overwhelming fame and honor, things that had been far out of reach in my previous life.
************
“That’s impossible….”
“She wiped out all those soldiers in one blow…?”
“W-what have we even been doing until now….”
“….”
Exactly one month after I joined the Hero’s army, the human side, which had been slightly losing ground, pushed the frontlines without hesitation. Thanks to the undead army I summoned, we eventually surrounded the Demon King’s castle.
“N-no way, how could I, the Demon King, fall to a mere necromancer…!!”
“Pathetic. 7 points. The worst.”
“7… 7 points….”
And so, with little effort and minimal casualties, I finally dealt with the Demon King. Despite being the Hero’s nemesis, the Demon King was weaker than even a mid-tier boss in Tower of Avalon.
“We’ve won!!”
“Victory! The war is over! Evil is no more!”
“….”
The war between the demons and humans, which had raged for over a decade, came to an abrupt end with the participation of a single necromancer, Elzerba—me.
Both enemies and allies were stunned by the unprecedented power of my skills, but who cared? The war was over, and the Hero, myself, the soldiers, and the residents all celebrated together.
“Elzerba!!”
“The necromancer who crushed the Demon King!”
“You’re amazing!”
“Kuhaha! Praise me, louder!”
When we returned to the Hero’s stronghold, the Kingdom of Avilia, I was welcomed with greater honor, fame, and glory than I had ever anticipated.
“Our kingdom will be forever grateful for your efforts and will provide you with every resource you need for the rest of your life.”
“…1000 points! The best!”
The hero and I were the key figures who ended the war.
Though I might be a necromancer who appeared out of nowhere, the kingdom couldn’t ignore my contributions. They granted me the privilege to stay in the royal palace for the rest of my life.
Every day, I live in a room better than any luxury hotel suite and enjoy lavish meals three times a day.
Outside, I am almost as popular as the hero, admired by everyone. Thanks to ‘Elzerba’s’ customization, I even surpass the hero in popularity—among men, at least.
A mysterious vampire girl who defeated the Demon King? It was bound to catch people’s attention.
Considering the time I spent customizing Elzerba and the money I spent on ‘appearance change tickets’ to tweak her here and there, this kind of reaction was only natural.
…But the problem was that even the hero was affected.
*************
“Elzerba, I have something to tell you.”
“Something to say? What is it?”
One night, under an unusually bright full moon, the hero, Vellius Varius, called me to the royal garden. If it was just small talk, he could’ve done it in my room or his own. The fact that he summoned me here meant it was something important.
Was the Demon King’s army being resurrected? Or perhaps a new enemy had emerged?
“It’s… it’s important.”
Sweat beaded on the hero’s forehead as he fidgeted awkwardly. Seeing his rare nervousness, I grew curious and urged him to speak.
“What is it? Just say it.”
“Here goes…”
The hero, Vellius, took a deep breath. Then, kneeling on one knee, he pulled something from his pocket and extended it toward me.
“Will you marry me, Elzerba?”
“…What?”
In his hand was a beautiful ring. My face froze in disbelief at his sudden proposal.
“Marriage?”
“Yes. I’ve loved you since the first time I saw you. I want to devote the rest of my life to you.”
“Wait, what? All of a sudden…”
I was flustered.
A proposal out of nowhere, and from the hero, no less. He said “since the first time,” but when did he start feeling this way?
“Even though a human’s life is but a fleeting moment to a vampire, I promise that in that brief time, I’ll make sure you won’t regret being with me.”
“Um…”
Vellius, apparently prepared for this moment, spoke heartfelt lines effortlessly.
A handsome face, a sincere heart, and the title of hero! Most women would’ve nodded without hesitation. But the problem was—I wasn’t like most women.
My appearance may be this, but inside, I was still a man. There was no way I could accept his proposal in good conscience.
Just because I possessed Elzerba didn’t mean my gender identity had changed. My beliefs and instincts from my original world were still very much intact.
“…Sorry.”
I gently closed the ring box Vellius was holding out. There was no way I could accept his proposal. I couldn’t just abandon my identity like that.
“I think things are better between us as they are.”
I tried my best to let him down easy, knowing this must have taken a lot of courage. I recalled lines from dramas I’d seen, and as he knelt before me, I said,
“I think the feelings I have for you are different from yours. I’d rather you stay as my 100% dependable companion. Can we stay that way?”
“What…?”
I had tried to be as kind as possible, but his face stiffened. The elegant ring box slipped from his trembling hand, landing on the ground like a dry leaf.
“Stay… as companions?”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
“Elzerba… think it over. I can take care of you!”
“I’m sorry.”
Vellius seemed more devastated than I expected. But despite his desperate plea, all I could offer was my apology.
“If you marry me, you’ll gain wealth and fame far beyond what you have now! It’ll be incomparable!”
“I’m sorry.”
“You could become a queen! No, we could conquer the continent together!”
“I don’t need that.”
As the hero’s desperate appeals grew increasingly intense, I furrowed my brow and answered firmly.
“You… don’t need that…?”
His face twisted as he heard my resolute reply.
“That’s ridiculous…”
His fists clenched tightly, trembling with anger.
“How dare a mere vampire…”
“What…?”
His tone had changed. The surprise that had previously clouded his voice was now replaced with fury.
“You’re rejecting the hero’s proposal? How dare you?”
“…”
When humans muster the courage to confess and are rejected, their first instinct is to hide or cover their embarrassment. For Vellius, a man who stood at the top, this rejection hit him harder than most.
And being rejected by a vampire rather than another human? That must have felt like a double humiliation.
“You lowly creature, I took pity on you and allowed you into the hero’s army, and now you’ve forgotten your place?”
He strode toward me, each step radiating a chilling fury.
“…I’ll make sure you change your mind, by force if I have to.”
“…”
The hero, now blinded by rage, threw a punch at me. His attack was full of anger and completely serious, powerful enough to obliterate a lesser monster in one hit.
But someone weaker than the Demon King could hardly leave a scratch on me, the ‘Necromancer Lord.’
“…”
“Guh!”
I easily dodged his punch by tilting my head and countered with a light palm strike to his unguarded chest. Even though I didn’t hit him hard, he immediately collapsed, gasping for air.
“El… Elzerba… how dare you…”
Just moments ago, his eyes had been filled with love. Now, they were filled with humiliation and rage. I sighed deeply and addressed him.
“I’ll keep tonight’s incident a secret. You should leave before anyone else finds out.”
“How dare you order me around…”
“Whatever, do what you want. This is pathetic.”
Disgusted by the hero’s growing disgrace, I cursed under my breath and left the garden without looking back. As I distanced myself, I could hear Vellius’s voice, a mix of fury and desperation.
“Elzerba, I’ll make you regret this. You’ll be the one kneeling and begging me soon enough!”
“Idiot.”
I scoffed. How did the hero, who couldn’t even defeat the Demon King, think he could take me on? If he tried, he’d just end up as another of my skeleton soldiers.
…But his approach was more cunning than I expected.
****************
—Elzerba! You are under arrest for conspiring rebellion!
“What…?”
—Kill the damned vampire!
—That wretched creature has brought disaster upon us!
—For the princess’s sake!
—I knew she was suspicious the moment she used necromancy!
—Off with her head!
“What is this…?”
──Didn’t I tell you I’d make you regret it?
“…”
It only took Vellius, the rejected hero, three months to turn me into the enemy of all humanity.
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