Chapter 56:《The Uninvited Guests of the Royal Capital》 – (2)
(I)
‘There’s no chance of winning.’
That was the first thought that came to Milan’s mind.
Having never experienced a single defeat in her life, she had never known what helplessness felt like.
But now, she understood.
The emotion she was feeling at this moment was helplessness and fear.
A sense of despair that told her no matter what she did, victory was impossible.
The fear of standing before an existence beyond comprehension.
…Suddenly, the words she had once spoken to her comrades in the past flashed through her mind.
-The Progenitor Vampire? A single fire spell is enough to take down a vampire. Holy magic would be even better. Don’t be so afraid.
“Haha…”
How arrogant.
She wasn’t even facing the Progenitor Vampire, just a mere subordinate—and yet, she was being completely overwhelmed.
What fire magic?
What holy magic?
Her entire premise had been wrong from the start.
When confronted with them, she couldn’t even use magic at all.
“Cough, cough!”
With a violent cough, blood spilled from Milan’s lips.
The rate of mana erosion was accelerating, and now, even her vision was growing dim.
‘There’s no time…’
At this rate, her mana would be completely consumed by the Vampire Butler’s.
If that happened, she wouldn’t just lose her ability to use magic—her life would be in danger.
…Mana was the very lifeblood of a mage.
For one’s mana to be overwritten was the same as having one’s blood replaced with another’s.
If this continued, the mana within her would explode, and she would meet the most horrific death imaginable for a mage.
“Le… Levitation…!!”
At this point, Judith didn’t matter anymore.
Milan followed her instincts, abandoning everything else, and took to the sky.
It was an act unbefitting of someone called the Great Mage, but she had no choice.
This was not the ending she had envisioned for herself.
She was meant to be honored by all and to rest eternally in the Hall of Knowledge.
She refused to die here.
And she absolutely refused to die a painful death at the hands of a vampire.
…She had to survive now and plan for the future.
‘At least I still have enough mana left…’
Grateful that she still had enough untouched mana to cast her levitation spell, she shot upwards at full speed.
“…Where do you think you’re going?”
“…?!!”
But the Vampire Butler had no intention of letting Milan escape so easily.
With a single wave of his hand, ominous shadows extended like tendrils, latching onto her legs and forcefully dragging her back down.
Crunch.
“AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!”
The moment the shadow gripped her right leg, it completely shattered.
With a deafening crash, Milan was slammed into the marble floor of the Central Plaza.
“Khuh…!! Gah…!!”
She writhed in agony, groaning through clenched teeth.
Glancing down at her right leg, she found it utterly crushed—flattened as if it had been caught under a massive boulder.
“C-Cure….”
With a trembling hand, she hastily attempted to cast a healing spell.
The sheer intensity of the pain was making her mind reel.
“Urgh….”
A soft blue glow emanated from her hands, enveloping her mangled leg.
However, instead of relief, a new wave of searing pain coursed through her body.
“AAAAAAAAAHH!!”
Another bloodcurdling scream tore from her throat.
Looking at her leg, she realized—
Not only had it not improved, but the dark mana was devouring the wound even further.
‘Ah… Damn it.’
Only now did Milan realize her mistake.
With her mana already eroded by the Vampire Butler’s, any magic she cast would inevitably be tainted with his dark energy.
And she had just injected that very same mana into her own wound.
It was no different from poisoning herself.
“Damn it….”
Biting her lip, she cursed her own foolishness.
The longer she stared at her ruined leg, the deeper she fell into despair.
“…Did you truly think you could leave this place as you pleased? How foolish.”
The Vampire Butler was now approaching her at a slow, deliberate pace.
He seemed to tower over her like an insurmountable mountain.
Milan’s face paled.
“D-Don’t come any closer!! Fireball!!”
In desperation, she cast a fire spell—knowing that monsters were typically vulnerable to flames.
A crimson sphere erupted into existence and hurtled toward the Vampire Butler.
However, due to her corrupted mana, its form was dangerously unstable.
“Hmm….”
The Vampire Butler simply observed the approaching fireball with mild interest.
Then, with a mere snap of his fingers—
“…Huh?”
The fireball vanished.
Gone.
Not even a trace remained.
Milan’s face stiffened.
‘Anti-Magic? No, he didn’t chant anything…’
Her eyes trembled.
There was a spell called Anti-Magic, which could nullify enemy spells, but it required an extensive incantation.
Yet, this vampire had erased her magic with nothing more than a snap of his fingers.
Her hands shook, but she forced herself to cast another spell.
“Fireball!!”
“…It’s useless.”
“…?!!”
Once again, the fireball disintegrated before it could reach him.
Twice now, her magic had been completely neutralized.
Milan’s mind raced.
‘What the hell is going on? If it’s not Anti-Magic, then how…?’
Then, a horrifying realization struck her.
‘Wait… Has my mana erosion already exceeded 50%…?’
If more than half of her mana had been corrupted—
Then any spell she cast would contain more of the Vampire Butler’s mana than her own.
In other words, her magic no longer belonged to her.
The moment the erosion surpassed 50%, her magic was no longer under her control.
It belonged to him.
“Ah….”
As the truth dawned on her, warm liquid trickled down her legs.
Tears of fear streamed down her cheeks.
A crushing terror gripped her entire body.
‘If I can’t use magic… then what am I?’
Even a Great Mage was nothing without magic.
She had spent her life in scholarly pursuit—never training in swordsmanship or martial arts.
Physically, she was weaker than a common farmer.
Against the Vampire Butler, there was nothing she could do.
“A-Aah….”
The answer was simple.
…She could do nothing.
“D-Don’t come any closer!!”
She screamed in terror, scrambling backward.
In a final act of desperation, she grabbed a handful of dirt and flung it at him.
But of course, it was utterly meaningless.
“Stay back! Stay back! If you come any closer, I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll kill you!”
She continued her frantic retreat, but after a few moments—
Her back hit something solid and cold.
“…Huh?”
She had reached the far end of the Central Plaza.
A massive stone structure blocked her escape.
There was nowhere left to run.
“…”
“Ah…?”
The Vampire Butler stepped forward, wordlessly closing the distance.
Milan’s face turned deathly pale.
Faced with no other choice, she finally abandoned her pride and spoke the only words that mattered.
“Pl… Please….”
“….”
“Please spare me….”
She begged for her life.
Tears and snot ran down her face as she cast aside her dignity.
“I… I was wrong. I’ll leave immediately. Just, please… spare me….”
In the face of true death—
An agonizing death—
Pride, honor, and reputation all meant nothing.
“Hmm….”
The Vampire Butler finally came to a stop in front of her.
Looking down at the sobbing mess that was once the Kingdom’s Greatest Mage, he sighed.
“I thought you might be competent, given how boldly you fought. But you are far below my expectations. Disappointing.”
“I-I’m sorry….”
She immediately lowered her head in submission.
“…Very well.”
He sighed and shook his head.
Then, in a cold, indifferent tone, he asked—
“Who are you? And why did you enter this place?”
The Vampire Butler questioned the reason for intruding into the Royal Capital, knowing full well that it had been overtaken by the Progenitor Vampire.
Without a second of hesitation, Milan Edran weakly pointed at Judith Evergrit, who lay collapsed on the ground.
“I… I came to capture that criminal. I have no other reason.”
Her response carried an unspoken implication—
Forget about me and take Judith instead.
“Hmm…”
The Vampire Butler followed Milan’s fingertip, briefly observing Judith before shifting his gaze back to the small-framed Great Mage.
“I see. Understood.”
“…!!”
The Vampire Butler nodded.
A nod was usually a gesture of agreement, and in that moment, hope flickered in Milan’s heart.
But the next words that followed shattered that hope into pieces.
“…Like a rat scurrying around for scraps, you have come here for a truly pointless reason.”
“Huh…?”
The Vampire Butler raised his palm.
As he moved his gloved hand through the air, Milan’s body lifted off the ground, floating helplessly in response to his rhythm.
“Wha…? W-Wait?!”
Her control over her own body had been completely stolen.
The only thing she could do was let her terror be reflected in her expression.
“…Humans hunting other humans. How arrogant. Before absolute power, you are all nothing more than rats.”
“W-What are you trying to do…?”
At the vampire’s ominous words, Milan’s voice trembled uncontrollably.
She had lost the ability to use magic.
Now, even her physical autonomy had been stripped away.
With no options left, she once again pleaded for her life.
“…I was wrong. Please, spare me….”
“….”
“A-Ah! I am a member of the Hero’s Party!
If you spare me, I could be valuable as a hostage!
So, please, just my life…!”
Milan even abandoned the dignity of her status, selling herself as a potential hostage in a desperate bid for survival.
It didn’t matter what role she played, as long as she lived.
“…Did you just say ‘Hero’?”
“Huh…?”
The Vampire Butler’s expression darkened instantly.
A suffocating aura, thick with rage, began seeping from his body.
“Kh—Khh…!”
The sheer malevolence in his mana made it impossible to breathe.
Milan struggled, thrashing desperately, but she couldn’t even move her fingertips.
It was as if she had been sealed in place.
“Kh… R-Release… m-me….”
“….”
She could feel it.
Her mana was moments away from being completely eroded.
If it happened, her body wouldn’t be able to withstand the foreign energy and would explode like a bomb.
Yet, the binding spell constraining her remained firm.
“…If you are a companion of the Hero, then there is even less reason to let you live.”
The Vampire Butler’s aged lips parted, his voice as heavy as a death sentence.
“Remain bound, and accept death—
Just as your ancestors once did to my Lady.”
“W-What are you talking ab—?!”
Milan had no time to understand the meaning behind his words.
She could feel something swelling from within her.
An indescribable pain, a terror beyond words, began consuming her body.
“A-Aaaaaahhh!! P-Please save meeeee!! I beg you!! Pleaseeeee!! Aaaaahhh!!”
Her mouth was the only thing left unrestrained, allowing her to scream as loudly as her lungs would permit.
But the Vampire Butler showed no intention of loosening her restraints.
“Please!! Please, s-spare meeeee!!
M-My body—! It’s about to burst! My mana—!!
I-I’ll become your servant, just let me liiiiiiive!!”
“…You can beg for mercy in Hell.”
“Urgh—!!”
Milan’s body bloated like a balloon—
And then—
A massive explosion erupted.
“Urgh….”
The deafening blast filled the air with light and sound, an overwhelming detonation of mana.
Lying far away, Judith Evergrit instinctively turned her head to avoid the sight.
Splat. Splat.
Yet, even without looking, the grisly remnants of Milan—her blood and flesh—splattered across the Central Plaza, entering Judith’s field of view.
‘T-That was… horrifying….’
For a Great Mage to be reduced to such a state—
For someone once so proud to be obliterated so thoroughly—
Just how much pain had she felt?
Just what kind of magic was that?
…Just how powerful was this Vampire Butler?
“Ugh…”
A chill ran down Judith’s spine.
Paralyzed by fear, her whole body trembled uncontrollably.
“D-Damn it….”
She tried to move, desperate to escape.
But the injuries she had sustained from Milan’s attacks were too severe.
She could barely lift her upper body, let alone run.
“Now then, that leaves just one.”
“…!!”
The Vampire Butler turned his attention toward Judith.
Wiping away the remnants of Milan’s flesh from his coat with a handkerchief, he slowly advanced toward her.
“Hmm….”
“Ugh….”
Judith cowered, trembling as though she were facing a tiger in the wild.
She instinctively knew—
This was not an enemy she could resist.
Milan and the Hero had at least put up a fight, but this man was on an entirely different level.
Any wrong move would instantly mean death.
“So, you are the criminal?”
“Ugh….”
“What crime did you commit?
And why, as a mere human criminal, have you come all the way here?”
“Ugh….”
He asked several questions.
Judith tried to answer, but fear choked her voice.
“Th-The Hero….”
“…The Hero? Are you also part of the Hero’s Party?”
“I— I pointed my sword at him….”
The moment the word ‘Hero’ left her lips, the Vampire Butler’s expression grew dark again.
Panicked, Judith quickly added an explanation.
He regarded her with intrigued eyes.
“…A human turning their blade against their own symbol of hope?
Interesting.
Why did you do it?”
“T-That’s…”
Judith hesitated.
Why had she pointed her sword at the Hero?
Because she had witnessed his massacre of innocent people.
Because his blood ran blue, not red.
If she spoke too openly, this information could shake the image of the Hero—and even expose a fatal weakness of humanity itself.
Should she lie?
Should she twist the truth?
What should she say?
“…I am not a patient man. Useless rats have no value but to die. Speak quickly.”
“Hiiiik…?!”
Judith flinched at the Vampire Butler’s chilling words.
As though hypnotized, she immediately spilled everything.
“I-I was disgusted by how the Hero mercilessly slaughtered innocent humans! N-No matter how many times I watched, he only cared for the Prime Minister, never the people! S-So I couldn’t stand it anymore, and— and I…!”
“Hmm….”
The Vampire Butler smirked.
He muttered under his breath.
“…This will be useful in shaping public opinion.”
“Ugh….”
Judith shuddered.
Her father, Chris Evergrit, and the Rieli soldiers—
How had they fought against monsters like this?
She couldn’t even imagine.
“…Understood.
Now, why did you come all the way here?”
The Vampire Butler looked pleased as he asked another question.
Judith answered reflexively.
“I-I was looking for my father….”
“…Your father?”
At her words, the Vampire Butler narrowed his eyes.
He studied Judith carefully before asking—
“…What is your name?”
“I-My name…?”
Judith Evergrit hesitated, startled by the sudden question.
But refusal was not an option.
Slowly, she spoke her name.
“Judith Evergrit.”
Judith Evergrit.
The second daughter of Chris Evergrit, the lord of Rieli, and a former Hero’s Party member.
“…I see.”
The Vampire Butler nodded upon hearing the name.
Then, with a grave expression, he looked at Judith and spoke.
“Even rats seem to care about their parents. How unexpected.”
“…”
“…Regardless, you are quite fortunate.”
A cryptic smile formed on the Vampire Butler’s lips.
His deep voice echoed in Judith’s ears.
“Unlike that mage from earlier, your life is not under my authority.”
“Huh…?”
“Your life belongs to my master.”
…The right hand of the Progenitor Vampire, and her devoted servant, Alfred, recalled his master’s words from before.
— So look forward to it.
— I’ll keep you alive until the very end… so you can watch your daughter and your nation crumble before your eyes.
His master, Elzerba, had personally declared this to a certain man—
That she would execute his daughter before his very eyes.
And that man was Chris Evergrit.
His daughter’s name— Judith Evergrit— matched the girl before him exactly.
…Taking the life of a marked prey at his own discretion would be stepping out of line.
The proper course of action would be to lock her up and leave her fate to Elzerba.
“…How amusing.”
Alfred smirked.
It was entertaining to see one of his master’s chosen playthings crawl willingly into their grasp.
With that, he raised his hand in a knife-like gesture.
“W-What are you—?”
“Nothing much. Just putting you to sleep for a bit.”
“N-No! Don’t! Please, stop—!”
Judith recoiled in fear, frantically backing away.
But Alfred’s strike did not waver.
His palm precisely struck the nape of her pale neck.
“Urk….”
And with a short gasp, Judith collapsed, completely limp.
Confirming that she had lost consciousness, Alfred effortlessly lifted her onto his shoulder.
‘…An unexpected bounty.’
…His steps felt particularly light as he made his way toward the palace dungeons.
Not only had Elzerba’s target walked right into their hands,
But the information she carried was quite valuable as well.
A Hero who massacred innocent humans—
And a young comrade who, unwilling to accept such cruelty, turned her sword against him.
If used wisely, this could utterly destroy the Hero’s reputation in the Avilia Kingdom.
Internal strife. Suspicion.
And eventually—
Revolution.
“…This just got very interesting.”
Alfred chuckled.
There was much to look forward to.
—
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