Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Episode 28.
Yuron dragged in a massive cross-shaped torture rack and a wooden chair from the underground prison.
Aiden securely fastened the mutant's limbs to the pillars before sitting down opposite it.
He drew a dagger from his breast—the very one Deril had handed over when pledging his life.
"Do you remember a paladin who came and went a few weeks ago?"
The creature responded only with an unpleasant screech, like nails on metal, making Aiden's head throb painfully.
"I see."
Aiden nodded calmly and plunged the sanctity-infused dagger into the mutant's thigh.
An even more horrific scream echoed through the hall.
"I'll ask again. Do you remember Tyruun?"
The mutant gasped, enduring the pain, then suddenly looked down at Aiden with a hollow laugh.
"...Brat, how many years do you think I've lived?"
At least a century, if not more.
"I don't care."
Aiden twisted the dagger. The stench of demon flesh burning under holy power assaulted his nose.
Between shrieks, the mutant cackled. The reaction of a demonic ascetic only deepened Aiden's disgust.
This was why interrogating demons was unbearable. The urge to crush its skull had to be forcibly suppressed.
Madness began to frost over the creature's eyes.
"A hundred and fifty years! Every inch of my body has been carved open. I've lost count of how many times I've seen my own entrails with these eyes. I spent over two decades buried in the abyss without breathing!"
The mutant burst into maniacal laughter.
"Hah! And?! Do you think your petty tricks will make me talk? Where's the creativity in your cruelty? Holy power? A dagger?! Hah!"
It laughed uncontrollably for a long while before the outburst finally subsided. Then, with a sly grin, it stared at Aiden.
"I've seen you. You crave power more than anyone. There's nothing you wouldn't do to fill your vessel, is there? I'll give you power. Become one of us, and no one will dare oppose you."
Aiden nodded.
"I see. What you truly fear isn't pain—it's death."
Even now, it was scheming for survival. It must have endured countless tortures out of sheer obsession with living. Aiden suspected its resilience stemmed from that.
Moreover, it was tied to Brunyu's power—the ability to usurp a thrall's body to prolong its own existence.
A vampire's power often sprouted from human desires.
This one's was linked to survival.
Not just living—but escaping the shackles of mortality.
The mutant's face twisted in rage.
"Me?"
"Let's test it."
Aiden slowly rose from the chair.
"Tell me about Tyruun. I'll spare your life."
The creature smirked venomously.
"Brat, do I look that stupid to you? I've spent a hundred and fifty years with the Church's mongrels. Generations change, but their drivel stays the same. Pathetic. Limited by your fleeting lives. I offer eternity. Come closer."
Aiden had zero interest. If the vampire route had been viable for clearing his mission, he'd have sought a pureblood from the start.
He stepped right up to the mutant. As it bared its fangs with a vile grin, Aiden grabbed and yanked them out.
The mutant howled in frenzy. Ignoring it, Aiden pressed the sanctity-coated blade to its forehead.
The demon's skin bubbled and boiled. It thrashed violently, screaming in agony.
"Did you share blood with Tyruun? Answer, and I'll spare you."
"Lies! Shut your filthy mouth, you mongrel!"
Aiden pushed the blade deeper. Flesh melted away, revealing white bone beneath.
"Stay silent, and you die."
Crack—a fracture spiderwebbed across the skull.
"You bastard! W-wait!"
Its pupils burned crimson. The rack shuddered violently.
Aiden gripped the back of its head with one hand and slowly drove the blade in.
Past something hard, then a soft resistance.
The mutant's eyes rolled wildly. It gasped, drool dripping.
Aiden's guess was right. As death loomed, the creature's smug face trembled with terror.
The mutant convulsed, screaming.
"S-swear! Swear by your god!"
"Fine. I swear by Vacheksar's name. Speak, and I'll spare you."
The demon, sensing something amiss, clung to hope anyway.
"I... I gave him a choice."
"Speak clearly."
Aiden nudged the blade. The mutant paled, panting.
"...Inferiority. I preyed on Tyruun's envy of talent. But he never drank my blood. He took it in a vial. That's all! I just offered—nothing more!"
Likely Brunyu's method—using illusions to dredge up insecurities and push victims toward corruption.
Tyruun taking the blood suggested inner conflict.
Aiden locked eyes with the mutant.
"How far does your power reach? If Tyruun became your thrall, you could've escaped by possessing him. Yet here you are."
"O-only nearby. And I can't tell if he drank it. If he did... he'd come."
All doubts resolved, Aiden nodded.
He slowly withdrew the dagger from its forehead. Hope flickered in the mutant's eyes.
"You... you're different! Keeping your word—I acknowledge you. I'll repay—"
Its eyes darted wildly before suddenly widening.
"What about the woman you love and hate? She slaughtered all my thralls. Right now, she's—"
Aiden bit his lip, suppressing emotion.
"I don't need it."
The mutant stared, baffled.
"Impossible. I saw into you. That's not something you'd force down—"
"Your delusion."
Done talking, Aiden turned toward the exit.
"U-untie me first!"
Ignoring its thrashing, Aiden glanced at Deril and Yuron.
"Confirm its death before leaving."
"Shall we finish it?"
Aiden shook his head and pointed outside.
"Understood."
"See you after."
The mutant howled with hate.
"You swore! Even biting the hand that feeds you, you mongrel! Is Vacheksar's name so cheap?! Come back! Come back, you hound! Aren't you afraid of divine punishment?!"
"Rot in hell."
Aiden strode out.
Hundreds awaited him outside.
One by one, they prostrated themselves.
The horrific, endless livestock existence had finally ended.
Someone burst into tears—emotions long suppressed by fear of the mutant now flooding out.
Parents who lost children wailed. Sons who watched fathers die lamented.
Their savior stood before them. They praised the paladin in their own ways.
"Rise."
Aiden lifted Rak, who was prostrate at the front.
His face was streaked with tears and snot.
"Finish it yourselves. It's tied up inside."
With those words, Aiden left.
A full day passed.
The vampires' corpses were gathered and burned. The dead were given simple funerals.
Aiden drafted reports for the Church and Empire in the empty lord's office.
The Empire's document detailed events at the Eternal Snowfields.
He omitted his suspicion about the White-Haired King's rise—they'd infer it anyway and likely send investigators.
The Church's report cleared Deril and Saein. But visiting the ruins had to be disclosed—the indulgence came from there.
As promised to Arhan, the ruins' location stayed secret. The higher-ups would pry, but Aiden was confident in keeping it.
In a way, it was stubbornness backed by reputation.
Now hailed as a hero by countless citizens, even the Holy Clan wouldn't dare cross him.
Aiden knew this well. He'd use every advantage.
He wanted to handle Tyruun himself but lacked time. The Church would deal with it.
As he finished a letter to the Saintess, a knock came.
"Sir Aiden, I've brought the young lord."
"Enter."
Yuron entered with a boy in his mid-teens—the last surviving heir of House Islan.
His family, including the lord, had been slaughtered by vampires.
The boy was gaunt and ragged—hardly noble-looking—but his eyes burned with life.
Aiden stood, offering a hand.
"Paladin Aiden."
The boy bowed deeply.
"Raphael von Islan. On behalf of my house, I thank you for your mercy. Please, drop the formalities. I'm unworthy."
Aiden shook his head.
"Know your position. You're this land's lord now."
The boy looked stunned.
"H-how could I—"
"Your house's pact with the late king stands. You're the only one left to honor it."
Raphael clenched his fists, staring at the floor.
"What right do I have to sit there?"
"The more you feel responsibility, the less you can run."
That was all Aiden could offer. Rebuild the house or cede the land—it was the boy's choice.
Aiden felt some guilt for failing to protect them as a Church representative. He'd grant minimal concessions.
"For five years, Islan won't pay tithes."
The Church demanded exorbitant sums. Letting the land decay despite that was inexcusable.
The boy bowed again.
"...Thank you. I'll never forget this."
"It's no favor. Just care for your people."
Leaving the tearful boy behind, Aiden turned to Yuron.
"Deliver these to the Empire and Holy Kingdom now. The Saintess's letter must stay private."
"Understood. But won't you come?"
"I have other business."
Then, someone burst in.
"My lord!"
Deril.
"A paladin's arrived outside. Likely the one the bloodsucker mentioned."
Aiden immediately grabbed his holy sword.
"Yuron, hold the Holy Kingdom documents."