Chapter 30 “The Expedition”
(I)
“Ugh…”
With a pounding headache as though his head had been hit with a hammer, Chris Evergrit, the lord of Rielli, opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, as if covered in a white haze.
“Mm…”
Chris instinctively tried to rub his eyes to clear the haze, but his hands, which were behind his back, didn’t move, as if they were caught on something.
“…?!”
No matter how much he tried, his hands wouldn’t budge. After a few attempts, Chris realized his arms were tightly bound by something.
“What?!”
The same was true for his legs. It wasn’t just his arms; his legs, too, were bound as if someone was determined not to let him move at all.
Judging by the cold, hard sensation he felt through his skin, it wasn’t ordinary rope but rather heavy chains that had him wrapped up.
‘What… Why am I tied up?’
In his state of confusion, with his entire body restrained, Chris struggled to recall his last memory before he lost consciousness. Suddenly, the memories flooded back.
‘Right…’
He had been negotiating with a zombie maid who attacked Rielli but ended up getting struck on the head and losing consciousness.
His last sight was of the zombie maid mercilessly slaughtering the soldiers of his estate. Sadly, he had no memory of what happened after that.
He had no idea what became of his estate or whether the townspeople had survived. In fact, Chris didn’t even know where he was or why he was bound in such a manner.
‘…They moved me somewhere.’
However, judging from the fact that he was lying on cold, hard marble rather than the dirt floor of Rielli where he lost consciousness, it was clear that the zombie maid had moved him elsewhere as a prisoner.
Did she see value in his title as lord?
The idea of a monster taking a human prisoner instead of killing him was laughable.
As Chris thought of the zombie maid, who kept defying common sense, a bitter chuckle escaped his lips.
“Ah, you’re awake.”
Then, he heard a voice—clear, cold as the dawn, and sweet enough to captivate anyone who listened.
Startled by this new stimulus, Chris hurriedly rubbed his face against his shoulder, managing to clear his vision of the haze. His surroundings became much sharper, allowing him to take in the scene clearly.
‘Undead…?’
Around him were skeletons, rattling their bones as they stood guard.
However, these weren’t the kind of skeletons one might find in some random shipwreck or cave. They wore finely crafted armor and were much larger in stature than typical skeletons—closer to “knights” than mere “soldiers.”
Anyone foolish enough to underestimate them just because they were skeletons would likely lose their life in no time.
“…”
At the far end of the vast space he was in, a girl sat cross-legged in a haughty posture, surrounded by the skeleton guards.
Her hair was a dusky grey that cascaded down her back.
Her eyes were a blood-red hue, as if soaked in crimson.
Her skin was pale, like white snow.
Her lips were enchanting, with fangs protruding slightly from between them.
‘A vampire…?’
Chris quickly deduced that the girl wasn’t human but a member of the monster race, specifically a vampire.
“…!!”
His face paled as he recognized someone standing beside the vampire, gazing down at him with contempt—a very familiar face.
‘T-The zombie maid…!!’
With her bluish skin, red eyes, and the greatsword strapped to her back, she was undoubtedly the very monster who had slaughtered his soldiers and knocked him out.
“Ugh…!”
A groan of terror escaped him as he tried to back away from her. But with his hands and feet chained, the most he could manage was writhing like a worm on the spot.
‘What is happening…?!’
In his desperate attempts to comprehend the situation, Chris surveyed his surroundings more carefully.
‘Where am I…?’
It was impossible for him to determine his location, but he could tell he was in a massive room. While it was difficult to assess fully with his body bound to the ground, he soon noticed something that gave him a clue.
The chair the vampire was sitting on—it wasn’t just any ordinary chair.
‘A throne…?’
The seat she was on was massive, grand, and radiant. It was a throne—the very symbol of power and authority.
A throne that represented a nation’s king.
‘A throne? A throne here? Then this is…?’
There was only one place in the country where a throne like that would exist.
Chris struggled to move his head, scanning his surroundings again.
It was then that he finally began to notice the smaller details he had missed. This wasn’t some unfamiliar location. It was a place he had been to once before.
Thirty years ago, when he had briefly visited to be formally appointed as the lord of Rielli by the Prime minister. This was the audience chamber in the royal palace of the capital, Lexia.
And for the first time, someone was sitting on the Throne of Avilia, which had always been vacant due to the frailty of the king.
But it wasn’t the king, the Prime minister, or a member of the royal family—or even some noble—who sat there.
No, it was a vampire.
‘A-a monster… sitting on the throne?’
Chris trembled at the sight. The mere thought that a monster could sit atop the pinnacle of human society was absurd and unacceptable.
…Yet, the scene before him was no lie. The vampire was sitting on the throne, flanked by a zombie maid and a vampire butler, who both stood by her side as if they were servants.
‘So that’s it…’
A vampire had taken the throne of the capital.
She had a zombie maid, an extraordinary combatant, by her side.
And her skeletal knights weren’t ordinary either.
‘…An ancient vampire.’
As Chris rapidly pieced things together, he realized that this was indeed the royal palace of Lexia, and that the girl before him was the legendary ancient vampire—responsible for the collapse of both Ermaile and the capital, a catastrophe in her own right.
‘Damn it…’
Chris furrowed his brow.
Had she attacked Rielli out of anger because he refused to cooperate with her? Was that why she sent the zombie maid to wipe out his estate and capture him?
…The terrifying truth, which he had desperately hoped wasn’t real, was now undeniable.
‘I’m scared.’
Chris glanced cautiously at the vampire sitting on the throne with trembling pupils.
If her zombie maid could single-handedly massacre his soldiers, how powerful could the ancient vampire herself be?
…The sense of dread that washed over Chris surpassed mere fear. The realization that there was no way to fight back, no way to escape, filled him with utter despair.
“Hello.”
The vampire’s voice reached him again.
With her charming smile, the gray-haired girl, whose beauty seemed to defy her monstrous nature, gazed at Chris intently.
“You are Chris Evergrit, correct?”
“…”
Chris froze at her question.
He deliberated intensely on whether responding to this monster, the very creature who had slaughtered thousands and invaded his land, was the right choice.
However, if Rielli was still intact and only he had been captured, it would be unwise to provoke her. The safety of his land, more precious than his own life, needed to be protected.
“Th-the land…”
“Hmm?”
“My land, Rielli… is it safe?”
Chris, instead of answering her, asked first about the state of his territory. Whatever actions he might take, he needed to know about the condition of his land.
“…Your land?”
The vampire’s red eyes gleamed.
A chilling voice dripped from her lips.
“Well, that depends on what you do from now on. So you’d better answer my questions properly.”
“Ugh…”
Depending on his actions, she had said. Was she using his land as leverage?
Chris bit his lip, overwhelmed by the rising sense of helplessness.
But with his land held hostage, there was only one choice for him.
…Chris squeezed his eyes shut and answered.
“Yes, I am Chris Evergrit. What do you want from me?”
“Good, you catch on quickly.”
The vampire smirked, a mysterious energy radiating from her face. Her voice brightened considerably as she continued.
“Now, tell me.”
“…”
“Where is Lilianel?”
“Pardon…?”
Lilianel Greenfield.
For some reason, this vampire was asking for the whereabouts of the Kingdom of Avilia’s Prime minister. Was she planning to kill the kingdom’s highest authority and take full control?
Though a smirk tugged at her lips, her eyes were sharp and deadly as she inquired about the Prime minister’s location.
“I… I don’t know…”
But Chris couldn’t answer that question.
No, it wasn’t that he wouldn’t answer. He simply couldn’t.
He genuinely had no idea where the Prime minister was.
If anything, in this urgent situation with the capital fallen, he himself wanted to ask where she was.
“You don’t know?”
“…I really don’t know.”
Chris nodded in affirmation toward the increasingly cold vampire.
It seemed she assumed he hadn’t cooperated with her because he was allied with the Prime minister. But neither he nor Rielli was aligned with anyone.
They served only the king.
He hadn’t cooperated with the vampire simply because the people of Rielli despised monsters more than anything else. And because his daughter, Judith Evergrit, the pride of the land, was a companion of the Hero.
He had no connection to the Prime minister or her inner circle, so he had no way of knowing where she was.
“I see.”
…But that response didn’t seem to satisfy the vampire. The legendary monster’s displeasure was clear. She radiated a dark, oppressive aura as she posed another question to Chris.
“Then, at least, you know where the Hero is, right?”
“…!!”
At the mention of the Hero, Chris’s chained body trembled.
He didn’t know about the Prime minister, but the Hero was a different matter.
His daughter, Judith Evergrit, was one of the Hero’s companions. He could find out the Hero Party’s location immediately through communication.
…If he wanted to, he could link the vampire directly to the Hero through a message bird.
And if the Hero could be reached, it would also be possible to locate the Prime minister. The vampire must have known this, which is why she asked.
“I-I’m sorry, I don’t know that either.”
The moment he connected his daughter to this vampire, he wouldn’t be able to guarantee Judith’s safety anymore. There was no telling if this capricious monster would kill or spare her.
No matter how important the land was, as a father, he couldn’t put his daughter in danger. He couldn’t tarnish her honor either.
Trusting the Hero seemed to be the best choice for now.
“…I see.”
Upon hearing Chris’s answer, the vampire leaned her head back against the throne with a sigh. She revealed her sharp fangs, speaking with a mocking tone.
“So then, this ‘Judith Evergrit,’ the Hero’s companion, has nothing to do with you, right?”
“…?!!”
“…So it’s fine to kill her along with the Hero, isn’t it?”
“…What?”
Chris felt a chill run down his spine as her words registered.
‘How… how does she know?’
His face froze.
How did she know his daughter was one of the Hero’s companions?
Had she already gathered all the information on them?
No, did she attack Rielli from the start knowing that he was Judith’s father?
“W-wait…!!”
Instinctively, he called out to the vampire.
Given that she knew about his relationship with Judith, no matter what answer he gave now, he needed to find a way to de-escalate the situation.
…But the vampire’s expression had already gone cold.
“Too late.”
“…!!”
“You should’ve taken your first chance.”
The vampire rose from the throne, walking gracefully towards him, her steps as light as snowflakes falling to the ground.
“You people always regret after making mistakes. Did you really think I wouldn’t have investigated you?”
“Th-that’s…”
Looking down at him with disdain, the vampire spoke.
“I’m tired of asking. Now I can’t even trust if what you say is true.”
“…”
“I may be angry, but I won’t kill you.”
“Ugh…!!”
The vampire grabbed Chris by the hair, lifting him up to her eye level. Completely bound, Chris could do nothing but dangle helplessly in her grip.
Their eyes met—hers, blood-red and full of menace; his, wide with terror. In a cold voice, she whispered to him.
“Do you know what they call a parent who loses their child?”
“…”
“There’s no word for it.”
“….”
“When you lose your husband, you’re a widow. When you lose your wife, you’re a widower. When you lose your parents, you’re an orphan. But there’s no word for a parent who’s lost their child.”
“….”
“Because no word can express the pain of losing a child, they say there’s no term for it.”
“Ugh…!!”
The vampire threw Chris back onto the floor. Bound by chains, he rolled helplessly across the marble.
“So just look forward to it.”
The legendary vampire looked down at the groaning Chris, a mad smile twisting her face.
“I’ll keep you alive so you can watch with your own eyes as your daughter and your country fall apart.”
“Ugh….”
Chris trembled at the mere sound of her sinister warning.
This wasn’t just any vampire.
This was a demon.
A creature entirely consumed by rage and evil—a pure embodiment of malice.
She was the very calamity of mankind, the scourge of the world.
From Chris’s mouth, a word escaped almost involuntarily.
“A… demon….”
“A demon?”
The vampire laughed at his words. Her crimson eyes gleamed as she continued.
“Did you think I was an angel?”
*************
(II)
“….”
I watched as ‘Chris Evergrit’ was dragged off to the dungeons by the skeletons. He seemed completely out of it, staring blankly into space, muttering to himself. Given that he had just been threatened with his child’s life, it would be odd if he were still in his right mind. After the fear I’d instilled in him, his time in the dungeon would be nothing short of hell.
—A… demon….
“….”
I replayed his last words in my mind.
To humans, I must have seemed like a demon. After all, I had slaughtered hundreds of thousands and issued unspeakable threats. How could they see me as anything else?
But I had been sealed away for a thousand years in the deepest part of a dungeon. What kindness, what acts of mercy, could they expect from me?
Did they expect me to simply be sealed away again?
Or maybe I was supposed to live quietly in some forest somewhere?
Or perhaps they thought I should suppress all my emotions and live like a slave?
…Impossible.
The thousand years I had spent in that void of despair and pain—it was all too much to forgive.
If they stood in the way of my revenge, if they continued to raise their swords against me, I would turn their lands to ashes.
If they called me a monster, if they called me a demon, then I would become something far greater than even that.
I had repeated this vow to myself over and over for the past thousand years.
“Uh….”
“Hmm?”
At that moment, ‘Mizael,’ the kingdom’s chamberlain, entered the throne room, her face pale with fear. Trembling, she approached and stood before me.
“Ah, you’ve come at just the right time.”
I greeted her warmly as she bowed low.
She was quite competent, likely due to her position as chamberlain. She understood her place immediately, never raising a single objection, and carried out every task I gave her with impressive efficiency.
Not to mention her extensive connections—her network reached all across various territories, making her one of the few humans worth keeping alive in the capital.
I asked her, “So, has any territory responded?”
I hadn’t told Chris, but two days had already passed since I had annihilated his domain. By now, news of Reilly’s destruction should have spread throughout the kingdom.
I expected some territories or lords, gripped by fear, might offer up Lillianel’s whereabouts in exchange for safety.
…But Mizael shook her head.
“Only one territory has responded.”
“One?”
“The lord of the agricultural city ‘Jelita’ sent a message, but even they did not know the Prime minister’s location. There was no useful information….”
“Hmm….”
Even after making an example of Reilly, the other territories remained silent.
Did they really think they were safe?
I looked down at Mizael coldly from my throne.
“…You’re not lying, are you? If you’re lying, you die.”
“N-no, of course not! It’s the truth! Please, believe me!”
“….”
Mizael broke into a sweat, bowing deeply before me.
Over the past thousand years, while I was sealed away, humans had developed a magical tool called the ‘Crystal of Truth’—a sort of lie detector. Knowing this, no one would dare risk delivering a false report.
“Alright, I believe you.”
I sighed and nodded.
…Sitting around, begging for answers, waiting endlessly—that wasn’t my style.
I asked Mizael another question.
“…Mizael, if Lillianel were to hide somewhere, where would she go? The sturdiest, most fortified city?”
“The sturdiest….”
Mizael, who had been bowing low, lifted her head slightly and rolled her eyes, thinking. A tense voice soon escaped her lips.
“If the Prime minister is hiding, I believe she would head to either the continent’s largest abyssal mine, the mining city ‘Lavaheart,’ or the northernmost fortress city, ‘Nevirthol.'”
“A mining city and a fortress city….”
Did she think that by barricading herself in such places, she could simply wait for the answer to come to her? Time isn’t always the answer.
“…Where are they located?”
“Both are north of the capital. However, Nevirthol is located at the far northern end, so it will take a bit more time to reach.”
“Well, alright.”
Having heard her answer, I stood up from my seat.
If they didn’t respond to my warnings, then there was only one option left.
“…Alfred, stay here and guard the capital.”
“Understood, my lady.”
“Tina? Get ready to depart. We’re heading to ‘Lavaheart’ and ‘Nevirthol.'”
“Yes, master!”
First, we would stop by those two cities where Lillianel was most likely hiding, destroying every city we passed along the way.
If she didn’t emerge, then I would raze the entire kingdom. And if I still couldn’t find her, I’d turn over the entire continent.
A peaceful approach had never suited me anyway.
I could wage war a hundred times over if it meant finding that damned elf.
“…We march.”
This country, the era of humans—it was coming to an end.
The age of the undead was about to begin.
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
-> MAKE ACCOUNT AND GET [50] COINS FREE!!
Rate/Review This Series on NOVEL UPDATES and Help us Grow!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click Here – DISCORD
Comment