The Vanishing Light
Cabin felt every hair on his body stand on end, but he still forced himself not to turn away.
“Hahaha, hahahahaha!!”
It was the first time he had ever seen the Lord, no, Lord Evan, laugh with such unmistakable joy.
Even from a distance, it was chilling, and the weight of that presence made his head bow on its own.
And yet Cabin was driven by something like instinct, refusing to lose sight of Evan for even a moment.
The Lord, the progenitor of the vampire race.
He had already felt it keenly on the way to the Bernice Empire, but even the slightest movement from the Lord taught him something.
The technique called the Blood Mist, which he had struggled for decades to use perfectly and never quite mastered, had finally become fully usable in just a few short weeks, and it was all thanks to him.
Training beside Lord Evan made everything more efficient.
Not only did his concentration sharpen, but his blood itself felt keener than usual.
It was all because of that that Cabin had been able to follow Evan all the way into the imperial palace.
He had slipped into the palace by turning into mist and hiding inside Evan’s robe.
Lord Evan would have noticed, of course, but the Lord, despite appearances, was merciful and seemed to have deliberately pretended not to know.
Ever since the inn incident, after all, Lord Evan had occasionally shown him swordsmanship.
Slowly enough that even Cabin, who knew nothing about swords, could keep up.
He had assumed there must be some deeper meaning in it, a lesson to learn by watching from afar.
And now Cabin thought his guess had been right.
The Lord’s current form was more intense and terrifying than anything he had ever seen.
Th-that’s really Lord Evan…?
He looked so different that Cabin almost doubted whether this was the same Evan he had seen until now.
The human woman pierced by Lord Evan could not resist at all and simply collapsed, helplessly.
She sprawled on the floor, bleeding endlessly from the wound in her stomach.
Did he come all the way here to take that woman’s blood?!
Cabin swallowed hard and waited for Lord Evan’s next move.
From the moment he had emerged from the coffin until they reached the Bernice Empire, Lord Evan had never spoken in detail about his purpose.
He had only said that he needed to enter the Bernice Empire, and the imperial palace in particular.
Then why is he just standing there?
Lord Evan had attacked the woman without hesitation, but once she fell, he did nothing and simply remained where he was.
He stood before the sweet blood, so tantalizing it made saliva gather in his mouth, yet did not move a muscle.
He did not take the woman’s flowing blood, nor did he finish off the life still clinging to her body.
And he was not binding the human woman with a blood contract to make her his thrall, either.
Gulp.
Thinking there must be a purpose only Lord Evan would understand, one Cabin could not possibly guess, he watched quietly.
There had to be something to learn even from that behavior.
Definitely…
Thunk. Fwoosh.
In that instant, Cabin’s vision went white.
“Huh?”
Startled by the sudden turn of events, Cabin let out a sound before he could stop himself.
A flash of light burst for a moment and then vanished almost immediately.
When the light dispersed, Lord Evan, who had been standing quietly in front of the woman, suddenly collapsed as if he had fainted.
He fell beside the human woman who was bleeding on the floor.
Cabin was stunned.
Was this also one of the things Lord Evan wanted to show him, or was this a real accident?
What just happened?
The aura that had made Cabin’s skin crawl vanished the instant Lord Evan toppled over.
And then, a few seconds later, Cabin, who had been staring silently at the two fallen figures, began to sense that something was wrong.
It might have been a hasty judgment, a mistake, but something could have happened to Lord Evan.
Otherwise he would never have stayed like this for so long, doing nothing.
Whoosh.
Having made up his mind, Cabin turned into mist and cautiously drifted toward Lord Evan.
Even as he approached, Lord Evan gave no response at all.
It almost looked as if he were asleep.
“E-Evan…? My lord?”
Once he had entered the room, Cabin gently touched Evan’s shoulder and called his name.
Still, Evan did not react.
He really has lost consciousness, hasn’t he?
Even Cabin could tell that much.
Lord Evan had truly passed out and collapsed.
And yet, when Cabin had looked from a distance, there had been no sign whatsoever that anyone was threatening him.
Cabin reflexively looked at the woman on the floor.
Perhaps this woman had used some trick before Lord Evan struck her down.
But there’s no trace of anything like that.
The only clue was the light that had burst just now.
But the light that had wrapped around Lord Evan a moment ago had carried no hostility, no murderous intent at all.
Rather, it had been a warm, gentle presence that even a vampire like Cabin could feel as comforting, while the woman herself lay bleeding on the floor, utterly defenseless.
The only thing that troubled him was this.
S-so rich…
The scent of the human woman’s blood was maddeningly sweet.
He had never smelled anything so sweet, so thick and rich, before.
Even with Lord Evan unconscious on the floor, the fragrance was sweet enough to make the thought of drinking it creep steadily through his mind.
Gulp.
Without realizing it, Cabin swallowed.
He simply could not ignore it and walk away.
Just one drop.
Wouldn’t it be all right to taste just that much?
His body was already drawing closer and closer to the human woman’s blood when.
Clack.
“Princess…?” “Aaaahhh!!”
“Huh!”
Suddenly the door opened and another human woman rushed inside.
The moment she saw him, she let out a piercing scream.
Damn it.
Cabin felt his mind snap fully into place and moved at once.
He scooped up Lord Evan, who was still collapsed, and leapt swiftly backward.
The human woman who had opened the door alternated between the fallen woman and Cabin, her face stunned.
At nearly the same moment, other voices reached his ears as well.
“What is going on!”
“An intruder! It’s an intruder! The princess, the princess was—!”
I need to get out of here first!
Tap.
Sensing instinctively that he could not stay here a second longer, Cabin carried Lord Evan and fled the room at once.
The humans reacted with astonishing speed.
As though the imperial palace truly was the imperial palace, guards were converging on them in an instant.
Countless presences were closing in fast.
“Ahh…!”
For now, Cabin hurled himself into a nearby patch of bushes and thought quickly.
How could he get Lord Evan out of here safely?
Uh, uh…
His mind had gone rigid, and no solution came to him.
“Scatter!”
“Request reinforcements! Her Highness the Third Princess has been attacked!”
“The intruder is still somewhere nearby!”
The guards were drawing near with every passing second.
Bit by bit, their retreat was being cut off and the encirclement tightening.
Lord Evan is unconscious, so turning into mist is impossible. Then should I cut my way through the humans? But can I even do that?
Now that he had barely regained his senses, a dozen thoughts flashed through Cabin’s head in rapid succession.
Wh-what do I do…!
But there was no solution that could get them out of this mess.
No matter how he looked at it, there was no way for both of them to escape from here safely.
“…Ah.”
As he continued thinking, a single clever idea flickered through Cabin’s mind.
There was no need for both of them to get out.
...Phew.
Having settled his thoughts, Cabin carefully laid Evan down in the bushes and took a deep breath.
Once his mind was clear, he felt calm.
If both of them could not escape safely, then at least one of them would.
Lord Evan will definitely be able to get out safely once he wakes up.
That much was beyond doubt.
If it were Lord Evan, he could break through even the barrier spread around the imperial palace if he had to.
Then Cabin’s task was simple.
Draw the guards’ attention and lead them as far away from Lord Evan as possible.
It was only a short time, but I’m grateful for everything.
Just as Cabin offered a farewell that would never reach its recipient and was about to leap out of the bushes.
“This way.”
“…?”
“Quickly. This way.”
Someone’s voice was speaking directly to Cabin.
A low voice, small but unmistakably clear in intent.
“No time. Hurry.”
The owner of the voice, whom he had no idea had been nearby until now, stepped out into the moonlight.
An all-too-familiar face.
It was a face he had never imagined he would see here again.
“Uh…?”
Cabin stared in disbelief at the person who had appeared at this desperate moment.
What came first, before surprise or even relief, was this:
I... might survive!
With overwhelming relief, Cabin quickly scooped Lord Evan up again.
*
“Shouldn’t we move on to the next stage soon?”
“Exactly. We’ve taken care of that thorn in our side, the commander of the knights!”
“Hahaha!”
Laughter spread among the men seated around the wide table.
Their voices were full of satisfaction, proud of their achievement.
Confidence spilled from them all.
And it was only natural.
The feat they had just accomplished was greater than anything they had achieved in their entire lives.
They had personally dealt with Evan Erche, the man known as the empire’s strongest, the Blood-Red Sun.
It was a sentence no one would believe, but it was the truth.
Even if they had used several “cowardly tricks” along the way, such as the power of monsters and a witch’s elixir.
“Are you sure this is all right?”
A woman’s voice, the only one not joining in their laughter, cut through the room and stopped the men cold.
Her words, devoid of any discernible emotion, dragged the atmosphere back down.
Perhaps irritated by that, another slightly displeased voice followed.
“Of course it’s all right. Didn’t I say so? Evan Erche is gone, too. No matter how much of an imperial princess she is, compared to the commander of the knights she’s no different from an ordinary woman, so stop saying unlucky things.”
“All you need to do is provide support like you did last time. We’ll handle the rest.”
The men’s mood had cooled, but their voices were still brimming with confidence as they spoke to the woman.
The woman simply sat there and listened.
And after a moment, she finally opened her mouth.
“I will relay it to him.”
“Hahaha! Good! Once this founding anniversary celebration is over, we’ll carry out the plan naturally.”
Her words, that she would relay it to him, rekindled the room’s excitement.
To say she would “relay it to him” meant, in effect, that their opinion would be accepted.
“And that drug from last time was truly something remarkable. I still can’t believe something like that could be made.”
“Exactly! To think we could deal with the Sword Demon, Evan Erche, that easily.”
“Honestly, one of us had even prepared to die for it! Hahaha!”
The men still seemed eager to boast and trade war stories.
That was only natural.
Outside this room, there was nowhere they could openly speak of having dealt with Evan Erche.
Any time they chose, saying they had brought down the empire’s Blood-Red Sun with their own hands was a story worth savoring.
“As promised, he must be handed over alive.”
“I know. That was the agreement from the beginning. But.”
The man with the longest hair among those gathered wore a meaningful expression as he asked,
“In any case, all that matters is that he be sent out alive, yes? Whatever happens to him before that is of no concern?”
“...Yes.”
“Heh, heh-heh. I see.”
The long-haired man nodded exaggeratedly, with a sly smile.
With that exchange, the meeting-that-was-not-quite-a-meeting was nearing its end.
Just as everyone began to gather themselves and stand.
“Hm?”
“What is it?”
One of the men pressed a hand to his temple and frowned.
As though something troublesome had come up.
“An unexpected matter has occurred.”
At the words of the man who had jumped to his feet, everyone’s attention turned to him.
Even the woman, who had been sitting expressionlessly the whole time.
“The target... appears to have been attacked. We’ve received word that his life may be in danger.”
“What?”
The friendly atmosphere went cold all at once.