70 – Episode 70
# 70
Former Golden Empire. Current Holy Empire, Lucius, is a vampire.
Lucius, who was fortunate enough to be born as a nobleman’s son, received an education to become a government official, following in his father’s footsteps.
Or so he thought.
“Ugh! I’d rather punch a government official than become one! Lucius, you should never become a government official either!”
Being a government official in the empire was equivalent to being a local official in Joseon Dynasty.
It was an honorable position dispatched under the emperor’s command, and if one managed the local region well and proved their abilities, they could become a high-ranking official. In other words, it was one of the career paths.
If you’re a noble, you want to become a high-ranking official in the empire. Lucius’s father was no exception.
However, Lucius’s father, foolishly, gave up his prestigious position as an administrator and ran away.
The reason was absurdly simple: money.
Being a high-ranking official in the empire was a money-eating hippopotamus.
Many nobles had to cover the city’s operating budget out of their own pockets… There were not many citizens who paid taxes, so only slaves and nobles benefited.
After paying taxes to the emperor, there was no money left, so the empty budget had to be covered entirely from the pockets of the administrators.
If individuals had to bear the burden of the city’s budget, could the country function properly?
Sensible nobles resigned from their administrative positions one after another and lived a life of playing with slaves or indulging in pleasure, just like other nobles, locked in their private gardens.
Lucius’s father was no exception.
Although he had the desire to work for the empire, there was no escape from reality.
“I don’t know anymore! Lucius! Live your life the way you want!”
“Yes, father!”
Following his wealthy unemployed father, Lucius also began a life of spending money recklessly every day.
He pursued alcohol and women, collected exotic items from foreign lands, and even summoned magicians to learn their secrets.
Then, he made friends with bad people, pretended to imitate the Colosseum, and even killed some servants for fun. He also shot and killed people just for amusement.
Lucius was a scoundrel, but he was not an exceptional scoundrel. Most of the nobles in the Golden Empire were at Lucius’s level.
The country collapsed because it deserved to collapse.
Living a life of pursuing pleasure day after day, Lucius heard from a magician he usually interacted with about a gloomy future.
“What?! The world is going to collapse!”
If the empire perishes, the world will collapse. Then, everyone will receive a harmonious final judgment.
Lucius turned pale.
From the sins I have committed so far… it seems like I won’t be able to go to heaven!
The magician whispered in a demonic voice.
“How about becoming a vampire?”
“A vampire?”
“If you give me a little compensation, I will turn you into a vampire, Lucius.”
If he became a vampire, he could somehow survive even after the world was destroyed. It was because he would be free from the shackles of lifespan.
Wouldn’t it be better to live running away from God rather than suffering in hell forever?
“Fine! Turn me into a vampire!”
Afraid of hell, Lucius insulted God and became a vampire.
Freed from the shackles of lifespan, he decided to hide in the depths of the earth until all judgment was over, and wake up after the world was destroyed.
And so, he fell into a long, deep sleep…
“Huh?”
After hundreds of years, Lucius woke up, confused.
Why… is the sun still up?
Didn’t the world perish???
Perplexed, Lucius investigated the world and soon obtained shocking information.
It was true that the empire had perished… but the damn priests resurrected the fallen empire like voodoo.
And it’s called the Holy Empire.
“Those damn priests!”
During the Golden Empire era, the priests were corrupted just as much as the nobles. It was clear that those who feared judgment had created a new empire.
Lucius, who thought the judgment had ended, still despaired while gazing at the brilliantly shining sun.
Damn it all!
Now that there is no remaining vitality, I have to drink blood.
Even if I have an immortal body, how long do I have to live while avoiding the sun? 100 years? 200 years? 1000 years?
Lucius sank deep into despair…
That despair even made the remaining humanity in his heart disappear, as small as a fingernail.
Ah, yes. Let’s see who wins.
Whether it’s 10,000 years or 1 million years, I will devour humans as they come and somehow avoid judgment.
He became a perfect monster.
From Noble mtl dot com
“[Oh darkness.]”
As a vampire, Lucius was able to control darkness like a limb.
It was because he had already studied Maronius’ magic and had become a being who detested the sun just like darkness.
He hunted humans using magic.
Mercy? There’s no such thing.
Anyway, aren’t these guys the ones who can go to heaven after they die? I’m sure the Almighty God will take care of them.
For several days, Lucius relentlessly devoured humans.
He didn’t think about the consequences. He only focused on devouring humans and filling his body with vitality.
Becoming a vampire made Lucius’ magic much stronger.
He was proficient in shadow magic, ice magic, and summoning magic.
The cursed vampire’s physical form. And powerful magic.
As residents of this small rural village, it was clear that they were facing an opponent they couldn’t handle. It wasn’t just a hungry vampire devouring an entire village.
But by some coincidence. Or perhaps part of the strange scheme of the dimensional sorcerers…
Ian, the magician, was staying in the territory of Count Damon.
He was a cheat user in this otherworld, boosting his morale through status windows.
#
It was no coincidence that the swindler Kira fell for Lucius.
Lucius was an exceptional shadow magician. He was sensitive to darkness to the point where he could see through it and even sense objects moving in unseen places.
“So, she’s our breakfast this morning.”
Lucius said, looking at Kira with an appetite.
A woman walking alone in the middle of the night? It was like begging to be eaten.
Without hesitation, he lunged towards Kira.
“Eek!”
Startled, Kira let out a fresh scream as she dodged his attack.
“Oh?”
That small action saved Kira’s life…
It was Kira’s feminine voice that stimulated Lucius’s lustful desires.
Vampires are lonely creatures. It’s because their bodies are cursed.
They can’t feel joy, whether they eat, sleep, or embrace a woman.
They only find delight in the sensation of blood flowing through their decaying bodies, intoxicated by the life force forged by sunlight.
However, Lucius looked at Kira, who was sitting with her legs spread in a strange pose, and felt disgusted.
It was not a physical disgust, but a mental one.
Since his youth, Lucius had been a womanizer, pursuing countless women. As a confident man of the empire with a wealth of experience in pursuing pleasure, he knew all about the pursuit of carnal desires.
Although becoming a vampire had taken away the physical pleasure, the sense of conquest and pleasure he felt when seducing women remained deeply ingrained in his mind.
Yes, for Lucius, Yas was… [a game of memories].
It wasn’t particularly fun, but it was a game that occasionally tempted him because it brought back memories of the past.
“You’re quite good-looking.”
Lucius smirked at Kira’s red hair.
For a countryside woman, she looked quite decent.
No, honestly, even when he was a human, he had never embraced a woman who looked as good as her. She had to be at the level of a top-class courtesan, but Lucius had hardly met any women from the city because he was stuck in the mansion.
Just by looking, she seemed like a woman who secretly ran away from the village to avoid the vampires.
It would be a waste if she escaped alone without any loyalty.
Lucius slowly reached out his hand towards Kira.
That’s when it happened.
“St-Stay away! You monster!”
Kira shouted as she pulled out a stick from her waist.
As she swiftly scratched the flint, flames began to pour out like a fountain!
“aaah!”
Suddenly, as the flames ignited in front of him, Lucius screamed in fright and took a step back.
What is that? Fire magic! Is it fire magic?
For a moment, he was surprised, but soon realized that he didn’t feel any sense of mystery.
That stick with the flames… was just a pretty piece of trash.
“Heh, hehahahahaha!”
Lucius burst into laughter. He didn’t forget to pretend to be cheerful, even though it was embarrassing.
If Ian had seen it, he would have definitely teased Lucius for trying to act cool.
“I wondered what kind of trick you were pulling… turns out the Empire folks made quite an amusing toy, huh?”
Of course… Kira’s fireworks had no effect on the vampire at all.
They only managed to startle him for a moment, nothing more.
“Father…!”
Kira thought that everything was over.
Thud.
So, she just sat down on the ground.
But.
That very action saved Kira once again.
Thwack!
An arrow flew above Kira’s head.
“Kraaack!”
The arrow pierced through Lucius’s arm, and black blood oozed out from the jagged wound. The putrid smell of rotting flesh filled the air.
“Kira!”
“…Ian?!”
Kira suspected her ears.
This voice… the voice of the psycho magician!
Kira turned around.
There, mercenaries holding torches and a black-armored female knight.
And there was the magician, Ian.
Thump.
Kira shouted with half anger and half sincerity.
“You’re late! You idiot!”
“You should’ve come with us!”
Ian, Belenka, and the mercenaries emerged from the darkness.
They had followed right after Kira disappeared. It was fortunate that they weren’t late.
“If you had found the vampire, instead of chasing after it, shouldn’t you have told us?”
“…It’s my, my decision!”
Ian lowered his head.
Ugh. That stubborn woman. Magicians are all the same, doing whatever they please.
While Lucius was staggering, Belenka swiftly swung her sword and charged.
Ian thought Belenka would easily subdue the vampire. After all, her combat skills were top-notch.
However, contrary to his expectations, Belenka struggled against the vampire.
Belenka’s swordsmanship was sharp, but the vampire’s physical abilities were equal to, or even greater than, her swordsmanship.
‘Somehow, I need help…’
At that moment, Ian discovered a gap.
Amidst the fight with Belenka, an excited vampire spewed out strange curses.
“You damn believers! Do you want to meet your god so badly?!”
Damn believers…
Ian chuckled upon hearing the vampire’s curses.
Curses reveal a person’s complexes. People curse based on what they find unpleasant.
Ian could easily deduce that this vampire despised the idea of “not believing in gods.”
Ian immediately took action as a magician.
He responded with a retort.
“What did you say? Can’t hear the words of a faithless loser~?”
“You, you, you… right now…!”
“Suck blood all you want, but it won’t change the fact that you’re heading to hell, right? How about reserving a medieval-style torture session until the final judgment?”
“You… you bastard!”
Upon hearing Ian’s taunts, Lucius erupted with rage on the spot.
It was not a metaphorical expression; he actually vomited blood. Vampires have a habit of doing so when they get excited.
Lucius was genuinely provoked by Ian.
As if he didn’t already regret becoming a vampire…!
Damn it, I thought I’d die in peace, just like everyone else! You son of a b*tch!
Lucius shouted with a voice filled with genuine anguish.
“I’ll kill youuu!”
Lucius’s eyes rolled back.
It means he couldn’t see anything.
Despite Belenka blocking his way, he rushed towards Ian, ignoring her.
Belenka was not going to miss that opportunity.
She swung her longsword and cut off Lucius’s arm.
Thud.
His arm cleanly severed, but Lucius, his mind consumed by madness and anger, did not stop.
This time, Ian was taken aback.
“Hey! Vampire! Your arm…!”
“Shut up! I never had an arm to begin with!”
“What are you talking about? You crazy bastard!”
Belenka, shocked and flustered, shouted, perhaps not expecting Lucius to charge even without his arm.
“Ian! Be careful!”
Even Kyra was in a state of confusion.
“What, what should I do!”
Belenka was too far away, and the mercenaries were now charging towards Ian.
“Something, I have to do something…!”
But Kyra didn’t know what to do.
And so, Kira activated her only long-range weapon and skill.
It was a fireworks show.
There wasn’t a specific goal in mind. It was an act carried out under the judgment that doing something, anything, would be better than nothing.
“Ian!!!”
I’ll help you!
Whooooosh!
Psssh~!
A pillar of flames shot up in a dazzling display.
It didn’t help at all, but the fireworks were magnificent.
Ian, as if entranced by the flames, watched Kira’s fireworks display in a daze.
It wasn’t so much astonishment…
It was because a certain image came to mind.
Burning flames? But it wasn’t the mystery of flames that he was thinking about. Even with a fiery explosion, he couldn’t stop Lucius’s charge that was more like a self-destructive attack.
What Ian recalled was a part of a documentary he had seen in his past life.
Fireworks. Pillar. And…
Solar explosion.
The process of that massive cosmic explosion transforming into warm light was vividly drawn in his mind.
Almost unconsciously, Ian drew his magic sword from his sheath.
Anorisil, the magic sword imbued with the power of the sun.
He still didn’t know how to unleash the power of the magic sword… but seeing that explosion, he felt like something would come to him.
Wasn’t the sun originally a burning pillar of fire?
The image of the exploding sun and the soaring flames merged into one.
Ian extended his Anorissil and shouted with a strong will of a sorcerer.
“[Explode!]”
At that moment.
A brilliant radiance, like the midday sunlight, exploded from Anorissil’s blade!
“Ka…Kaaah!”
The wrath of the sky descended upon the cursed one.
The artificially created sunlight gruesomely consumed Lucius’s body.
“H-How…! The s-sun…! The light…!”
The vampire’s body, exposed to the sunlight, turned into black ashes and crumbled.
Ian crushed Lucius’s head under his heel.
“It’s the work of skilled fairies.”
Amidst the scattered ashes, Ian slowly sheathed his magic sword.
Strangely, the blade felt a little warmer.