Chapter 5: The Full Moon from a Thousand Years Ago (4)
(I)
────The princess was murdered by a vampire.
I ran barefoot towards the princess’s chambers the moment I heard the shocking news in the early morning. Tina and Alfred followed close behind, without looking back.
“…This can’t be happening.”
It had been less than eight hours since she smiled warmly and told me she would help. Her soft laughter was still fresh in my mind.
But to hear she was suddenly found murdered, it was incomprehensible, and a fact I didn’t want to accept.
On top of that, the killer was suspected to be a vampire, just like me. The mere thought of it was disgusting, and it made me frown in repulsion.
“….”
The princess was gentle and optimistic, living without making a single enemy. Yet, just eight hours after declaring she would help me, she lost her life.
And now, they suspect a vampire.
“…It’s the same person.”
The one who spread false rumors about me acted before the princess’s investigation could expose their identity and murdered her. The scene had been staged to make it look like a vampire had killed her, clearly in an attempt to pin the crime on me.
By removing the princess, who was a threat to them, they could further tarnish my reputation at the same time.
It was obvious without even seeing the crime that this was a deliberate act by ‘someone’ with a clear motive.
“…But how did they know?”
How could ‘that person’ have known the princess was about to start investigating them?
If they were going to kill her, they would have done so much earlier. The fact that they chose today to act means they must have learned that an investigation into them was about to begin.
The only ones who knew about the princess’s investigation were me, Lilianel, and the now-deceased Princess Sophie herself.
If you exclude the victim and me, the only person who could have passed information to the killer was the elf, Lilianel Greenfield.
Could Lilianel really be…?
“…No, that can’t be.”
I immediately shook my head.
Lilianel and the princess were even closer than I was to her. Their friendship had lasted for ten years since the war against the Demon King began. There was no way Lilianel would have knowingly passed on information that would lead to the princess’s death.
She might have chosen silence, but the Lilianel I know would never betray a friend.
Lilianel, the guardian of the Green Forest, values loyalty and promises above all else. She’s the elf who fought alongside me to defeat the demons. She couldn’t possibly be involved.
Besides, if Lilianel had passed along the princess’s plans, that would mean she was also complicit in the false rumors spread about me, and she had no reason to do that.
That leaves me with one hypothesis.
“Wiretapping.”
The person behind all this, wary of how close I was to the princess, must have planted some kind of listening device either on her clothes or in my room to prevent this kind of situation.
That theory made the most sense at this point.
If not, someone might have been instructed to eavesdrop on us from outside the room when we gathered.
Whatever it was, they had certainly prepared in advance to spy on our conversation.
“You filthy bastard…”
The culprit who killed the person who trusted me more than anyone else—the most precious friend I had in this world. They had crossed a line, one they could never come back from.
Swearing to make that mastermind pay for this, I sped up, running even faster towards the princess’s chambers.
*********************
(II)
Since this was a ‘murder’ involving a member of the royal family, Princess Sophie’s room was already crowded with people.
— “It’s Elzerba.”
— “How brazen.”
— “The culprit always returns to the scene. Typical.”
“….”
At my arrival, the people started to murmur. Since the rumor was that the princess had been killed by a vampire and I was the only vampire in the castle, their suspicion of me was understandable.
“How dare they act like that towards you, Master….”
Tina growled at the crowd’s attitude. But I didn’t have time to respond to their nonsense.
Ignoring the murmurs, I made my way quickly to where Sophie’s body lay.
“….”
The closer I got to the crime scene, the more prominent figures I recognized, including high-ranking nobles and members of the Hero’s Army who had avoided me up until now.
“Hmph.”
“….”
Even that idiot Vellius was here. I hadn’t seen him since I rejected his marriage proposal, which was about three months ago.
-“Elzerba!”
-“Elzerba, how dare you show your face here!”
The Hero’s companions shouted in fury as soon as they saw me. But I ignored their meaningless yelling and moved towards Sophie’s corpse.
Sophie’s body, preserved for investigation, was horrifying.
“Sophie….”
Her eyes were rolled back, showing only the whites.
Her face twisted in terror, frozen in her last moments of fear.
Tear tracks etched like a tattoo.
A pool of red blood, forming a lake around her.
Everything was tragic, but one thing stood out the most.
‘Bite marks….’
On Sophie’s soft, pale neck were horrifying bite marks.
And within those marks, two large, sharp fang impressions.
…It was unmistakably the bite of a vampire.
-“What…what on earth is this?!”
“….”
A familiar voice echoed.
-“Elzerba! What happened here…?”
“Lilianel….”
The green-haired elf, Lilianel, entered the room behind me, her face pale. As soon as she saw Sophie’s body, she collapsed onto the floor.
-“So-Sophie, how could this….”
Tears flowed from Lilianel’s eyes. Losing her friend of ten years must have been a devastating blow, especially for someone who valued friendship as much as she did.
As Lilianel crumpled to the ground, a blonde girl from the Hero’s Party named Lucia shouted at me.
— “What do you think? Elzerba murdered the princess, obviously.”
Lucia glared at me with cold eyes. Following her, a man named Rex also spat accusations.
— “Elzerba, the princess cared for you more than anyone else! How could you do this? Was her blood that tempting to you?!”
They had already made up their minds. In their eyes, I was the killer.
“Ha….”
I had been framed.
Being falsely accused was one of the things I despised most, and now I was caught in the biggest lie of all. These fools didn’t even bother to verify the truth, blaming me for Sophie’s death just because of the vampire bite.
Suppressing my anger, I spoke to them.
“…It wasn’t me.”
— “What?”
“I didn’t kill Sophie.”
As soon as I said that, Lucia and Rex shouted even louder, filled with rage.
— “You conniving vampire! The evidence is right there, and you’re denying it?! Unbelievable!”
— “Elzerba, how can you shamelessly say that? Are you telling us that the vampire bite is just decoration?!”
-“You’re going too far!”
Lilianel yelled back at Lucia and Rex. With a frown, she defended me.
-“Elzerba wouldn’t kill the princess! It could’ve been another vampire that broke in! Don’t jump to conclusions!”
Lilianel was saying exactly what I wanted to say. It was true that I was the only vampire living in the castle, but that didn’t mean we could completely rule out the possibility of an outside vampire.
And I wasn’t stupid enough to kill someone and leave such obvious evidence. This seemed more like the work of a wild animal than a person.
— “…But we also can’t rule it out completely.”
— “Varius….”
Finally, Vellius Varius, the Hero, spoke. Leaning against the wall, he addressed Lilianel.
— “Regardless, there’s a vampire bite here. And the only vampire we know is Elzerba. That’s a fact we can’t ignore, right?”
— “You too, Varius….”
Lilianel glared at Varius with an icy stare, but he continued without hesitation.
— “…However, if Elzerba has some ‘evidence’ to prove her innocence, things might change.”
“Evidence?”
— “Yes, evidence. Elzerba, if you didn’t do it, surely you have some proof to back that up, right?”
“….”
Varius smiled at me.
A cunning smile, full of satisfaction and superiority.
The moment I saw that face, I knew instinctively.
That bastard was the one behind this.
That damn Hero was pulling all the strings just to ruin me.
“You filthy bastard….”
I glared at him with venom.
— “Eep!”
Varius flinched and turned away like a frightened rat, unable to meet my gaze.
“Evidence, huh….”
Though surrounded by many, only Lilianel was trying to think of a way to prove my innocence. It felt hollow.
I had helped end a ten-year war, and yet only one person was standing up for me.
Maybe life really is pointless.
— “I’ve got it! I know how we can prove Elzerba’s innocence!”
Lilianel, fighting alone, suddenly smiled brightly and shouted. She turned to address everyone gathered in the princess’s chamber.
—”We’re going to compare the bite marks. Just like fingerprints, everyone’s teeth are unique. All we need to do is compare Elzerba’s bite marks with the ones on the princess’ neck!”
—”Hmm, that does make sense.”
—”Yeah, that’ll work.”
Everyone agreed with Lilianel’s suggestion to compare the bite marks. Even the Hero Vellius Varius, who seemed determined to frame me, was nodding in agreement despite the fact that it could ruin his plan.
—”…Elzerba, are you okay with this?”
“Yes.”
I responded positively to Lilianel’s confirmation.
Just like fingerprints, teeth patterns were unique to each individual. There was no way my teeth would match the bite marks on the princess’ neck.
It was a simple yet foolproof way to clear my name.
—”Elzerba, excuse me. Please open your mouth.”
“…”
One of the knights in charge of the investigation brought a clay-like material close to my mouth to imprint my teeth. I bit down on it gently.
—”…It’s done.”
My teeth marks were imprinted clearly on the clay. Now, all that was left was to compare the two bite marks and clear my name.
—”Let’s compare them.”
The knight carefully compared my imprinted teeth marks with the ones on Sophie Avilia’s neck. And in that moment, everyone, including me, froze in shock.
—”…They’re identical.”
—”The size of the canines, the arrangement of the teeth, everything is a perfect match.”
—”Elzerba…”
The two sets of bite marks were completely identical. Even a child could tell at a glance that they were exactly the same, like a perfect copy.
My face twisted in disbelief.
“This… this can’t be happening.”
How could this even be possible?
Did someone manage to perfectly copy my teeth and leave an imprint on Sophie’s neck?
How could anyone do that?
Was there some magic in this world that I didn’t know about?
And how did they even know my exact dental structure in the first place?
“…”
My mind went blank. I could feel that I had been caught in a perfect trap. With the bite marks perfectly matching, no one would listen to any of my explanations or excuses anymore.
—”Elzerba, you vile monster. I will deal with you right here!”
The moment she saw the matching bite marks, Lucia immediately moved into action as if she was about to strike me down. She stepped forward, her hand reaching for the hilt of her sword.
But that was as far as she got.
“…Human, if you draw that sword, you die.”
“…!!”
Tina, my zombie maid, had drawn her massive sword with such speed that it was already at Lucia’s throat before she could unsheathe her weapon. The look of confusion spread across Lucia’s face as she realized she was completely outmatched by Tina’s speed.
—”H-how did you get there so fast?!”
Sweat poured down Lucia’s forehead. Tina glared at her with crimson eyes, burning with killing intent.
—”Lucia! You insolent undead!”
Rex, seeing this, lifted his gigantic axe towards Tina. A weapon so large it could easily shatter boulders. But, just like Lucia, Rex’s axe never reached its target.
“…You’re in the presence of the lady. It would be wise to show some respect.”
—”Arrgh!!”
Alfred, my vampire butler, shot a lightning bolt from his fingertips, hitting Rex squarely. He screamed in agony before collapsing on the floor, his axe making a loud thud as it hit the ground.
—”Lucia! Rex!”
“…”
Tina and Alfred, who fought on my behalf since I wasn’t skilled in direct combat, easily took care of Lucia and Rex. There was no way mere NPCs like them could stand up to my undead.
Normally, I would have scolded Tina and Alfred for their rude behavior, but right now, I was more than grateful for their intervention.
“How annoying.”
With the obstacles removed by Tina and Alfred, I turned my focus to Vellius Varius, the so-called Hero, grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him against the wall.
—”Urgh?!”
The Hero was powerless against my grip. He struggled, but his strength was no match for mine.
I tightened my grip, slowly choking him.
“Hey, you’re the one who did this, aren’t you?”
—”El… Elzerba, calm down, I… I can’t breathe…!”
“You killed Sophie, didn’t you, you bastard.”
—”Gh…!”
Vellius’ face turned pale as he struggled for breath.
I didn’t care anymore.
The hero’s charade was over.
I couldn’t hold back the rage surging within me.
I squeezed with the intent to crush his windpipe.
—”El… Elzerba, I… I’m going to die…!”
“Oh, die then.”
This was your own doing three months ago, when you said and did things that caused misunderstandings.
You were the one who smirked, getting on my nerves.
It’s just killing a mere NPC, nothing more.
—”Urgh…”
“…”
I justified my actions to myself, staring coldly at the Hero who was on the verge of death.
—”S-stop it!!”
“…!”
—”Ugh! Cough! Cough!”
That’s when Lilianel Greenfield, the elf with green hair, suddenly jumped between us, forcing us apart.
—”…Lilianel.”
I looked down at the elf who had intervened, pulling me away from Vellius, with cold eyes. Lilianel’s eyes were filled with tears as she spoke.
—”S-stop it! Elzerba, you know this won’t solve anything!”
“…”
—”Sophie, our dearest friend, is dead. Do you want to add more death to this?”
“…”
—”Let’s solve this in a better way. Please, I still believe in you. I’ll help you.”
“You…”
—”So please, for my sake, stop this… please…”
Lilianel sat down and broke into sobs. Seeing her in that state, my emotions were in turmoil.
Lilianel, who had been the only one to stand by my side.
Lilianel, who was probably the most shocked to see my bite marks match Sophie’s.
Lilianel, who had lost a precious friend, now crying bitterly in front of me—something tugged at the last remaining thread of humanity within me.
The final chance I could offer.
“…Damn it.”
In the end, I cursed under my breath and released my grip, turning away from Vellius Varius and walking out of the princess’ bedroom, leaving behind the cold, grim scene of murder where only the sound of Lilianel’s sobs echoed.
“Consider yourself lucky, human.”
“…There won’t be a second chance for proper manners next time.”
Tina and Alfred followed after me. I was the most obvious suspect, but no one dared to stop or apprehend me.
They must have realized that trying would only cost them their lives.
“…We leave this kingdom at dawn.”
“Yes, mistress.”
“As you wish, my lady.”
The last bit of mercy I could grant them was sparing their lives. A fleeting act of compassion, for Lilianel’s sake.
“Sigh…”
I forced down my anger as I headed for my quarters, a place no one could disturb.
*****************
(III)
—Bring out the monster who murdered the princess!
—Elzerba, the royal knights are here! You’re under arrest for conspiring against the kingdom!
—Avenge the princess! Let’s hunt the monster warned by the gods!
“…”
Whether in this world or another, the masses are foolish.
They don’t care for facts or proper judgment. They only believe in their own sense of justice and act accordingly.
Driven by the loudest voice, without thinking about the consequences.
“…”
That night, under the blood-red full moon…
—Bring out the vampire!
Outside the royal palace, tens of thousands had gathered, demanding that I, the vampire warned of in the prophecy, be dragged out and punished for the murder of Princess Sophie.
—Elzerba, if you don’t come out, we’ll use force!
—No matter how strong you are, you can’t escape this siege!
On the other side of my bedroom door, countless knights were preparing to storm the room.
“How pitiful.”
Had they just left me alone for one more night, I would have departed without causing further trouble. But in their stupidity, they had stomped all over the opportunity Lilianel had fought so hard to give them.
“…Full marks for courage, zero for intelligence. Utterly hopeless.”
I couldn’t tell whether they acted out of bravery or just sheer stupidity.
They should have known that I had single-handedly destroyed the demon forces and that even the hero’s party was no match for me mere hours ago. What were they thinking, provoking me like this?
Still, I had to give them credit for their bravery.
“Tina, Alfred.”
“Yes, mistress.”
“At your service, my lady.”
When I called their names, my faithful servants knelt before me. Smiling, I gave them their orders. The moonlight filtering through the window illuminated my crimson eyes.
“Go greet our guests.”
“As you wish, mistress.”
“Alright.”
The zombie maid draws her grotesque greatsword, and the vampire butler puts on a pair of black leather gloves.
With faces twisted in rage, they prepare to step outside the room, where the soldiers who’ve come to arrest me are gathering.
“They’ve initiated a PVP, so I have to accept…”
After sending Tina and Alfred out, I look at the crowd visible through the window.
—”What are the knights doing? Drag Elzerba out immediately!”
—”Kill the demon from the prophecy!”
They were so eagerly awaiting my appearance that, as a superstar, I had no choice but to meet their expectations.
“The prophecy says a gray vampire will destroy Avilia, huh…”
The prophecy came from the papal state of Serion.
I’m sure it’s nonsense made up by some idiot hero, but seeing them so desperately clinging to it, I, with my soft heart, feel like I can’t help but fulfill that prophecy for them.
“Now then.”
It’s time to make them face the consequences of their choices.
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