Chapter 59:《Union》- (2)
(I)
“….”
Right.
Ever since the cactus monster had explained the events from 800 years ago, I had considered the possibility of meeting Lwaiar someday—if I were lucky.
His death had never been confirmed, and if he was still alive, he would undoubtedly start searching for me the moment he heard my seal had been broken.
But I never expected to meet him this soon.
I had assumed that if we ever crossed paths, it would be after I had completed all my revenge, when I finally had the luxury of peace of mind.
That was a complete miscalculation on my part.
I had failed to account for his madness.
(II)
“…Every single one of the 873 vampires here! We are all faithful followers of Elzerba!! Please, use us as you see fit!”
“Uh… r-right….”
Arbelion Lwaiar was far more insane than I had imagined.
I had already figured he wasn’t an ordinary vampire—after all, he started a species-wide war just to break my seal.
But I hadn’t expected this level of insanity.
I had assumed he simply viewed me as a symbol of vampire pride, a beacon for his race that he wanted to free from imprisonment.
But I was wrong.
The King of Vampires genuinely worshipped me.
-“Ah… Look at her divine form…”
-“She is the true goddess…”
“….”
I had no idea what kind of sermons he had been preaching, but his people didn’t seem normal either.
A chill ran down my spine.
“….”
I looked back at Lwaiar.
He was still staring at me with that madness-ridden face.
His bright, starry eyes reminded me of a freshly enrolled elementary school kid.
“This Arbelion Lwaiar has awaited this day for the past 800 years!!”
“Uh….”
Eight hundred years.
Not quite as long as the thousand years I had been sealed away, but still—an incredibly long time.
An entire era could have turned over in that time, yet…
What was I to him, for him to go this far?
“O, Goddess, how lonely you must have been in that cold, dark place! But worry not! For we shall remain by your side from now on!!”
“What…?”
His words, dripping with fanaticism, made me furrow my brows.
I mean…
Yes, my imprisonment had been cold, dark, miserable, and lonely.
But the way he said it annoyed me for some reason.
I pointed a finger at Arbelion.
“Wait, you’re not planning on following me, are you?”
“Of course I am! This Arbelion shall follow Elzerba wherever she goes—even into hell itself—so please, do not worry!”
“…No, this isn’t a worrying or not worrying kind of issue….”
I shifted my gaze past Lwaiar, toward the other vampires standing behind him.
Their determined expressions told me they shared the same thoughts as their king.
“Sigh…”
I let out a deep sigh.
So, this wasn’t a coincidental meeting after all.
They had deliberately tracked me down, determined to meet me no matter what.
…Well, considering they had waited 800 years, it was only natural that they would want to follow me now.
“….”
“Heheh… heheh….”
When I looked back at Lwaiar, he was giggling like a fool.
Every time our eyes met, I couldn’t stop myself from sighing again.
It was clear that he meant it when he said he would follow me.
‘…What should I do?’
I was seriously torn.
His insanity made me instinctively recoil, but at the same time, I couldn’t deny that I was grateful to him.
Whatever his reasons, he was one of the few people who had sided with me during my long imprisonment.
One of the very few who had remembered me.
So, in a way, I wouldn’t mind having him follow me.
Unlike my mindless undead, he would be a true ally.
And that’s exactly why I was hesitating.
In three days, we would reach Nevirthol, where an unprecedented battle awaited us.
It wouldn’t even compare to the fights we had been in so far.
Without a doubt, the Holy Knights of Serion would arrive as reinforcements.
For these vampires, it would be an incredibly difficult battle.
…And if they all died during that fight?
Unlike my skeleton soldiers, who could be summoned again even if they were destroyed, vampires were different.
Once killed, that was it.
Even if I revived them, they would return as mindless skeletons.
If I lost an ally—someone who had stood by me for centuries—to Lilianel’s humans, I felt like my rage and hatred would only grow stronger, even after I achieved my revenge.
…That’s why I was hesitating.
Of course, 800 years ago, these vampires had been powerful enough to overwhelm the Avilia Kingdom.
If I kept an eye on them, they wouldn’t be in danger.
But in this world, there was never such a thing as a 0% chance of failure.
I never wanted to experience losing someone again.
“Sophie….”
The golden-haired princess, who had always smiled at me, flickered before my eyes.
The thought of her unjust and tragic death made my head lower instinctively, like ripened grain bending under its weight.
“Could it be that… I, I can’t come with you…?”
“….”
Seeing my reaction, Lwaiar’s face immediately crumpled in despair.
His expression was that of a man who had lost everything in the world.
A sigh left my lips almost automatically.
‘God, I really don’t like this….’
I don’t like it.
Not one bit.
Regardless of my gratitude, he had suddenly appeared, spouting nonsense about me being a goddess, forming a cult, and declaring he would follow me everywhere.
It really annoyed me.
It was an unexpected development that had messed up my plans—something I absolutely hated.
If I had been acting as I normally would, I would have simply blown his head off.
But—
“Sigh… I don’t know… Do whatever you want.”
…This time, I decided to let it slide.
He had waited for me for 800 years.
The least I could do was acknowledge that.
Besides, these were likely the last vampires remaining in this world.
As a fellow member of their kind, I couldn’t coldly abandon them.
“Is… is that true?! This Arbelion Lwaiar shall serve the great one until my dying breath!!”
“AAAAAH!! GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU CRAZY BASTARD!!”
“GAH!!”
I smacked Lwaiar across the face as he lunged at me in overwhelming joy.
Even though I held back, he soared through the air, rolling across the ground multiple times.
“…Was that too strong?”
For a brief moment, I worried that I might have seriously injured him.
But when I saw his reaction, that worry disappeared like dust.
“Hahh… hahh… The Great One’s hand… has touched my skin… This… This is a historic moment….”
“Ah….”
…Maybe I should just kill him.
***
(III)
“Prime Minister, the Holy Knights of Serion have arrived.”
“R-Really?!”
The fortified city of Nevirthol.
Among all the news she had received in recent days, this was the first bit of good news.
A bright smile spread across Lilianel Greenfield’s face.
Her most trusted aide, Robert, had turned traitor.
The insolent Judith had drawn her sword against her beloved Grandius and escaped prison.
And on top of that, Lavaheart had fallen.
Everything had been a disaster.
So for Lilianel, the news of Serion’s reinforcements was nothing short of rain in a drought.
“Grandius! Isera! Let’s go!”
She immediately took Vellius Grandius, the hero, and their newest party member, Isera, to greet the Serion reinforcements.
“Isera! This is your first time meeting Serion’s High Saint, right? I’ll introduce you—make sure to get close to her! It’s never a bad idea to have powerful friends.”
“…Understood.”
While Lilianel smiled and gave cheerful advice, Isera nodded in her usual blunt manner.
Ever since Isera had saved Lilianel from Robert’s private army, the Prime Minister had started keeping her as close as the hero himself.
Lilianel had already held high expectations for her—she seemed like someone who could oppose Elzerba.
And then, on top of that, she had stepped forward to save her life.
It was only natural that Lilianel had taken a liking to her.
And now, Serion’s High Saint, Marina Bergard, who rarely left her domain, had personally come here.
Lilianel saw this as an opportunity to get Isera a powerful connection.
“…You’ve arrived.”
“Marina! It’s been a while!”
As they approached the gates of Nevirthol, escorted by guards, Marina Bergard and the Holy Knights of Serion stood in formation before them.
Judging by their numbers and scale, they must have gathered every last Holy Knight Serion had.
‘Amazing. This is perfect… truly perfect…’
Seeing them, Lilianel cheered internally.
Against monsters, Serion’s Holy Knights were considered the strongest force on the continent.
Having all of them here felt like having a thousand troops added to her cause.
And more than that—
A thousand years ago, Marina Bergard had fought Elzerba in person.
That experience was invaluable.
“…I heard you needed assistance, so I have brought reinforcements.”
“Yes, I know this wasn’t an easy decision. Thank you.”
“There is no need to thank me. Killing Elzerba, that vampire, is something Astira herself desires.”
“Uh… yeah… right….”
Marina Bergard deflected the gratitude away from herself and toward Celestial Deity Astira.
That response made Lilianel give an awkward smile.
To Lilianel, Astira was a meaningless existence.
Whether Marina worshiped Astira, demons from the north, or whatever else—none of that mattered.
As long as she fought against Elzerba, that was all that mattered.
“…Huh?”
As she brushed off Marina’s words and scanned the mighty Holy Knights, something caught Lilianel’s eye.
A massive metallic contraption.
It was large enough to require a cart to transport.
Faint magical energy emanated from it, suggesting it was a magical artifact.
“What’s that? A magical artifact?”
Unable to contain her curiosity, Lilianel asked Marina.
Noticing where Lilianel’s gaze had landed, the High Saint smirked slightly before responding.
“That? Yes, it is a magical artifact. A very, very powerful one—imbued with divine magic.”
“Divine magic…?”
“Yes. It holds a power far greater than ordinary holy magic. It took a long time to develop. And at the same time—”
A cryptic smile crept onto Marina’s lips.
“—It is proof that we haven’t wasted the past thousand years.”
—
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