Chapter 37《Night Whispers Are Heard by Vampires》 – (1)
(I)
“Oh.”
The army of Skeleton Soldiers advancing with eyes burning fiercely. Lavaheart’s decision in the face of their relentless march was to fight back.
From atop the now ice-covered, modestly high walls, sharp arrows poured down furiously.
If it were a normal human army, they might have hesitated for a moment, but my army was the emotionless undead.
They felt neither fear nor hesitation.
No matter how many arrows rained down, the accursed dead, aiming only at the humans in front of them, continued moving forward even faster.
“I wonder how long they’ll hold out….”
I watched the scene closely, a smile on my face.
Having lost their proud moat and abyss, all they had left was a shoddy wall and some measly soldiers armed with nothing but bows and arrows.
They seemed to have a fair number, but they were trembling in Isera’s snowstorm, making it doubtful they could even fight properly.
“We’re doomed! The arrows aren’t working!”
“Ugh, pour everything we have! If this place falls, we’re done for!”
“…”
Besides, ordinary arrows couldn’t even scratch my elite Skeleton Soldiers, so their desperate attempts only grew more pitiful.
“…Don’t they have any mages?”
If they could at least hurl some Fireballs, they might buy themselves a bit of time, but judging by the lack of such measures, it seemed no one in Lavaheart had any magic-related professions.
“Nothing worth seeing here.”
I had thought perhaps a hero of the turbulent age might appear and make a noble sacrifice, but it seemed there was no one strong enough for that here.
Kraaah!
“Save meeee!”
“…Yawn.”
As this city assault proceeded so smoothly, a yawn escaped my lips.
“Heh, if they’d known their place and groveled from the start, they might have had a chance to save their lives.”
“Humans are like that by nature. Arrogant, conceited, and foolish enough to believe their plans are infallible until they get hit,” Tina and Isera chimed in beside me.
They shook their heads as they watched Lavaheart soldiers fall like leaves in early winter.
“Oh, the gate is breached.”
“My Lady, perhaps it’s time to enter the city.”
Three minutes since the Skeleton Army’s advance. Most of the soldiers atop the walls were dead, and the gate was breached. It hadn’t even been enough time to cook instant noodles.
“So much for the continent’s greatest abyss….”
I let out a chuckle at the thought.
The mining city of Lavaheart, which had fallen so easily despite its grand titles, was the end of arrogant people who relied solely on their terrain and failed to invest in other defensive measures.
“I had high hopes, but this is disappointing.”
Having been touted as one of the impregnable cities alongside the fortress city of Nevirthol, I was curious to see how long they’d hold out, but it was all the same.
No members of the Hero’s Army level showed up, no unexpected surprises. It was a boringly simple assault.
“Well then, shall we go in?”
I urged my horse forward, looking at the crumbling walls of Lavaheart.
“Wait for me, Lilianel.”
…Hoping that damn elf would be here.
***
(II)
The holy war has begun.
And at the forefront stands none other than myself.
“…How glorious this is.”
The disaster of humanity, the Progenitor Vampire, unleashed from her seal after a thousand years.
And the religious state of Serion has decided to dispatch troops to the Avilia Kingdom, which has suffered an attack, in order to eliminate that monster.
The Sacred Knights of Serion, humanity’s greatest force against monsters, march in the name of the goddess Asteria to slay the legendary monster.
Moreover, it is a deployment on an unprecedented scale in the history of Serion. If this is not a holy crusade, then what else could it be?
“…This is the opportunity given to me.”
And Holy Knight Edward has been granted the honor of leading the vanguard of this support force.
When he was appointed as the vanguard by the head saintess, Isabella, the holy mission bestowed upon him made Edward’s heart throb as if it would explode.
‘This is a chance to be closer to Lady Asteria, a chance to demonstrate my unshakable faith.’
Being the first to set foot on this crusade was not merely a step forward, but the most holy and glorious step in the world, a step closer to Lady Asteria.
…And all of it set Edward’s heart ablaze as a Holy Knight and a devout believer.
“Make haste! We must reach the Avilia Kingdom quickly!”
They needed to cross into Avilia as soon as possible, to join the crusade and behead the disaster known as the vampire before Avilia completely fell.
To cross Avilia’s border even a second sooner, Edward urged his subordinates on, day and night.
“…But, Commander, I am not sure this is the right choice.”
“Huh?”
In the dead of night, as they marched guided by torches and moonlight, a Holy Knight quietly spoke to Edward. The voice that escaped from inside his silver helmet was faintly trembling, as if nervous.
The Holy Knight glanced around and continued speaking.
“I understand that time is pressing, but is it truly wise to pass through this monster-infested forest, the ‘Great Western Forest’…?”
“…”
As if responding to the Holy Knight’s words, an eerie wind blew through the dense bushes around them. All 500 knights of the vanguard swallowed dryly, but Edward alone remained unfazed.
“Are you… afraid? Huh?!”
Edward looked at his subordinate, who was visibly shrinking, with disdain. He exaggeratedly spread his arms and gestured to the surrounding forest.
“How many times have we been through this forest over the past 300 years, and how many monsters do you think we’ve slain here?”
“Well, that’s….”
“This place is practically our home. Though many monsters live here, no creature has posed a serious threat to us in the last three hundred years.”
As Holy Knights of Serion, protectors of humanity against monsters, they often roamed this forest, which was considered a den for monsters.
The Great Western Forest, where monsters had retreated and hidden after losing the war against humans 800 years ago.
Though it was vast and they hadn’t confirmed every creature, Edward recalled that no monster in this forest was formidable enough to threaten an ‘army’ of 500 Holy Knights.
The only concern was that night was a time when monsters tended to be more active, but Edward thought it wouldn’t make much difference.
‘Well, it’s inconvenient, but….’
Ideally, they would have used a Teleportation Hub to enter the Avilia Kingdom directly. However, since all Hubs in Avilia were shut down to prevent vampire infiltration, Edward had no choice but to take this shortcut through the Great Western Forest.
“Who are we, after all? Are we not the knights who serve the great goddess Asteria? Whatever happens, the goddess will protect us, so relax.”
“Y-yes! Understood!”
Edward patted his subordinate’s shoulder to reassure him.
“In this time, we could have walked a hundred paces more. Come on, let’s go! This forest poses no threat to us!”
Encouraging the rest of his men, he resumed the halted march. Moonlight filtered through the trees here and there, which he took as Asteria’s blessing, urging him forward with cheerful thoughts.
…Just as he was about to take that first step forward again—
“Hmm, is that really what you think?”
“…?!!”
A strange voice came from ahead of them. Hearing a human voice in this monster-infested forest was unfathomable, and all the Holy Knights instinctively turned their heads.
“Do you really think you’re the rulers of this forest?”
“W-who are you?!”
In front of them stood a man. Casually seated on the fallen trunk of a tree, he had dark purple hair and bright red eyes.
…And the sharp fangs protruding slightly from his lips revealed that he was far from human.
‘A humanoid monster? In the Great Western Forest? Is there a monster like this here?’
Edward’s mind fell into confusion at the sight of this type of monster he had never seen before in the Western Forest.
‘Fangs? Could he be a vampire?’
He quickly scanned the strange humanoid monster up and down. His appearance was strikingly similar to the vampires frequently depicted in books. However, the fact that a mere monster would speak in their language was shocking.
The mysterious vampire who had appeared out of nowhere looked at the knights and smiled brightly.
“Hmm, I hate revealing my identity to impolite humans who only ask their questions without answering mine.”
“…”
“But, I’m in a good mood, so I’ll make an exception.”
The vampire with purple hair introduced himself in a cheerful voice, standing with the moonlight behind him.
“…I am Arbelion Lwaiar.”
His sharp fangs gleamed.
“I am the king of the vampires who dwell in this forest.”
—
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