Chapter 53: 《Fanatic》- (1)
(I)
“Hey.”
While crossing the Desert of Silence on my spectral steed, I called out to the cactus monster, my new toy.
“Yes? Yes! Please speak, Miss Elzerba.”
The cactus answered quickly, its head cradled in Tina’s arms.
It seemed that, being a plant at its core, it could survive just fine with only sunlight and water—even as just a head.
Self-sustaining in food and care, it was the ultimate pet. I marveled once again at the cactus’s versatility and asked it something I’d always been curious about.
“Do you remember 800 years ago?”
“Eight hundred years ago? That was the so-called ‘Era of War,’ wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
At the cactus’s response, I gave a short nod.
According to the history books I read in the library of Ermaile, 800 years ago was known as the Era of War, a time when monsters and humans waged a massive conflict.
The history books claimed that a fairy united the monsters and led an invasion against humanity, but in the oral tales, it was recorded as a war between humans and vampires trying to retrieve me.
Since the oral tales had already revealed the truth of the “hero’s illegitimate child,” I wondered if the part about the war might also be true.
So I casually asked the cactus about it.
“Do you remember anything from back then?”
“Of course. A great many people fled into this desert to escape the war, so you could say I remember almost everything related to the Era of War.”
“That’s convenient.”
The cactus gave a positive response to my question. Skipping over minor details, I got straight to the point.
“So, 800 years ago, did humans really fight against monsters?”
“…!!”
The cactus’s head twitched at my question.
A trembling voice slipped through its sharp teeth.
“Well, technically, that’s not entirely incorrect….”
“Not entirely incorrect?”
“…That’s because vampires are also considered monsters, after all.”
“…!”
The word “vampire” from the cactus’s mouth struck my ears.
A wave of satisfaction, like solving a complex math problem, surged through my entire body.
“Tell me more.”
I pressed the cactus for details.
According to the oral tales, the vampires waged war against humans to retrieve me from my seal.
Since I was the central figure in this matter, I couldn’t dismiss it lightly.
“There was a man known as the king of all vampires.”
The cactus monster began to recount its memories calmly, like a kindergarten teacher telling a fairy tale.
“His name was Arbelion Lwaiar. He was a young man, not even 200 years old, but he ascended to the throne and became the most powerful vampire of his time, suppressing everyone with his overwhelming might.”
“Arbelion Lwaiar….”
Arbelion Lwaiar, the king of vampires.
It was an impressive name with an equally impressive title, but unfortunately, I had no recollection of him.
…I silently listened to the cactus’s continued story.
“And there was one vampire he didn’t just respect but practically worshipped.”
“Oh, really?”
The idea of a vampire king worshipping someone piqued my interest.
Could this be some sort of progenitor vampire, a pureblood among purebloods?
“…No, that was you.”
“…What?”
The cactus’s firm response left me momentarily speechless.
Pointing to myself, I asked again.
“Me…?”
It made no sense that a vampire king would worship me.
First, I didn’t even know who Arbelion Lwaiar was.
Second, I’d never done anything to earn the respect of vampires.
Third, at that time, I was rotting away, sealed in a labyrinth.
“Well, you were an unprecedented vampire who fought alone against three nations—Avilia, Serion, and Tenma. That left quite an impression on him.”
“….”
“The first thing he did after ascending to the throne was to make a religion centered around worshipping you as his goddess.”
“….”
At that moment, a line from the oral tales I had nearly forgotten flashed through my mind.
-“The descendants of surviving vampires live in the western continent, worshipping the Progenitor Vampire as if it were a religion.”
“They made a religion out of me….”
I’d always wondered why such a thing was written.
It turns out that Arbelion Lwaiar, this so-called vampire king, was the lunatic who started it.
He created a religion to worship me.
Should I be happy about this or feel insulted? I couldn’t decide.
“Well, in any case, Arbelion Lwaiar had a lifelong wish ever since he was a child. That wish was to meet Miss Elzerba, the goddess he revered.”
“….”
“But since Miss Elzerba had been sealed by humans, freeing you would mean waging war against them. Young Arbelion didn’t have the strength to do that at the time.”
“….”
“However, when he became king, he finally gained the power to do so.”
“….”
“Exactly ten years after ascending the throne, he finished his preparations for war. His goal was to reclaim the ancient ruins where Miss Elzerba was sealed, and so he invaded the Avilia Kingdom.”
“I see….”
Listening to the cactus’s explanation, the bigger picture began to form.
A vampire so insane about me that he started a religion and waged a war just to free me.
For one reason alone—to meet me in person.
“…What a madman.”
Though I appreciated the sentiment, it was honestly unsettling that he spent ten years preparing and risked the survival of the vampire race just for me.
…The leader who declared war and the vampires who followed his reckless decision—it only reinforced the notion that vampires, too, were creatures who lived by the law of power.
“Oh, and that’s also why Miss Elzerba is called the ‘Progenitor Vampire.’”
“Huh?”
The cactus’s additional remark made my ears perk up.
“Really? Why? Why the hell am I called that cursed ‘Progenitor’?!”
I shouted, clearly agitated.
The sophisticated titles like “Elzerba” or “Necromancer Lord” were discarded, and I was stuck with the ridiculous and incomprehensible title of “Progenitor Vampire.”
No matter where I went, it was “Progenitor Vampire.”
Everywhere I turned, people screamed, “Ah! It’s the Progenitor Vampire!”
I wasn’t the progenitor of vampires, nor was I some ancient species or vampire lord.
So why was I labeled with the title of “Progenitor”?
Please, just call me by my name….
“Ahem, well, as humans suddenly started pondering why vampires would want to reclaim Miss Elzerba, why they suddenly invaded like this,”
“And then?”
“…They came to the conclusion that Miss Elzerba was the Progenitor of Vampires.”
“Ah.”
“The vampires who had grown their strength for 200 years came to rescue their progenitor. This hypothesis firmly took root among humans.”
“….”
“…After that, everything else was forgotten, and naturally, only the name ‘Progenitor Vampire’ remained. All of Miss Elzerba’s names were replaced with ‘Progenitor Vampire.’”
“Ha….”
Hearing the cactus’s words, I let out a deep sigh.
…Well, from the perspective of ignorant humans, it could have looked like the descendants of vampires were coming to save their ancestor.
A progenitor would certainly have powerful strength, and at the time, I had shown such power by facing three nations alone before being sealed.
Moreover, there was no way that Lilianel, that meddler, would have left such a powerful keyword like “Progenitor Vampire” alone.
She must have used it to erase, overwrite, and manipulate all records of my achievements and deeds, completely erasing the name “Elzerba” from history.
“Arbelion Lwaiar….”
The man who had gifted me the grand title of “Progenitor Vampire.”
If he were still alive and I met him, I’d want to use a lethal spell of true intent just for him.
“Ah, anyway, the vampire invasion that started somehow progressed smoothly. Their numbers were small, but each individual was incomparably stronger than humans.”
“….”
The cactus continued the story.
“…However, when the theocracy of Serion began to fully support them with sacred artifacts imbued with holy magic, the tide of the war changed.”
“Serion…!”
“In the end, vampires are monsters. They couldn’t withstand the ceaseless torrents of holy light, blades, and maces of the Celestial God raining down from the skies.”
“….”
“They held out for about a hundred years, but in the end, the vampires suffered catastrophic losses at the hands of the army led by the Hero of Avilia and were scattered across the continent.”
“Hmph….”
I furrowed my brow.
Defeat brought about by Serion’s sacred artifact support.
In the end, it was Serion again.
The chains forged by the goddess that sealed me had also come from Serion.
It seemed Serion was a constant nuisance.
By now, news of my unsealing would have surely reached their ears.
They could even be working on creating artifacts that surpass the ones they used before.
There was no reason to give them the luxury of time.
“…I’ll need to move faster.”
Since Serion was already on my revenge list, I decided that as soon as I wrapped up my affairs with Lilianel, I would head for Serion.
I’d erase the Celestial God they worship, Asteria, from this world.
“…I don’t know how these stories have been passed down in the outside world, but this is everything I know.”
“….”
The cactus concluded its story.
Indeed, aside from the oral tales, the cactus’s account couldn’t be found in any of the other records I’d seen.
The Era of War was a story from 800 years ago, which was more than enough time for Lilianel to cover up and rewrite history.
It wasn’t incomprehensible.
It just made me bitterly resent the thousand years I had spent sealed away.
“…So.”
“Yes?”
“So, what happened to the Vampire King, Arbelion Lwaiar? Is he alive?”
…Asking about the whereabouts of the one who initiated the Era of War, I brought up Arbelion Lwaiar.
“I’m not sure. I don’t have any memories of his final moments.”
The cactus’s voice sounded regretful as it curled slightly. Its words left me murmuring blankly.
“…He could still be alive.”
Not having a witness to his final moments meant that, at the very least, he hadn’t been captured and killed by humans.
While I couldn’t be certain, there was a chance he had escaped and survived.
“Yes, that’s possible.”
The cactus nodded its head in agreement.
“If he’s still alive,”
“….”
“He’s probably desperately searching for Miss Elzerba right now.”
***
(II)
“Prince Arbelion.”
In the Great Western Forest, under the ominous red light of a blood moon, a beautiful blonde vampire knelt before someone.
Her gaze was fixed on a mountain of corpses piled high, and at its peak sat a man with elegant purple hair.
The blonde vampire bowed her head toward her king and sovereign, Arbelion Lwaiar.
“…I’ve finally found her.”
“Oh….”
At his subordinate’s report, Arbelion leapt gracefully from the mountain of corpses.
With his landing, a helmet bearing the insignia of the theocracy of Serion fell from the pile.
Clink.
A dull sound tickled the ear, but Arbelion paid it no mind. He simply walked toward his subordinate.
…Once he stood before her, he smiled faintly and asked,
“So, where is she?”
“About two days ago, our retainers confirmed her entering the Desert of Silence with an army.”
“The Desert of Silence!”
At the mention of her confirmed whereabouts, Arbelion’s lips curled into a wide grin. His face flushed red with frenzied excitement as he questioned further.
“So, where does it seem she’s headed? Can you deduce her destination?”
“Well, we’re not entirely sure where she’s heading, but it appears she’s traveling north.”
“North… North, you say….”
Arbelion repeated the subordinate’s report quietly to himself.
The Desert of Silence was situated nearly at the heart of the Avilia Kingdom. Beyond that blazing hell to the north—what lay there?
“If it’s somewhere worth leading an army to, could it be the northernmost fortress city? Or beyond that, the land of demons?”
He speculated for a moment, but no clear answer came to mind.
Well, what did it matter?
She was beyond the comprehension of a lowly vampire like himself.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Arbelion let out a faint chuckle before issuing his orders to the subordinate.
“Prepare everyone. We will head north immediately to follow her divine footsteps. Make sure we don’t lose her trail.”
“Understood.”
The subordinate nodded and disappeared into the shadows.
Now, only Arbelion and the red blood moon remained in this place.
“Ah, I’ll finally get to meet her.”
…With madness gleaming in his eyes, he clasped his hands together and offered a desperate prayer to the crimson moon in the night sky.
“This time, I will surely be of service to you.”
My queen.
My eternity.
My goddess.
“…Miss Elzerba.”
—
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