Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Viscount Leighton
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What a handsome man. That was my thought as I looked at the smiling young noble.
It was already nightfall, the sun long set. He had thrown off his thick overcoat and come looking for us, enjoying the cool night breeze. He approached us with a bright smile, but startled when he saw Roca.
"The sun..."
A flicker of fear crossed his face before vanishing.
That was because I had hidden Roca behind me—Roca, who was like a biological weapon to vampires. Only then did the young noble give an awkward laugh.
"Ah, sorry about that. I just got flustered for a moment..."
Just as humans have nobles and commoners, vampires have their own hierarchy. At the top are the True Ancestors. Below them are the noble-class Lords. The rest are the lesser vampires called bloodsuckers.
The man before us didn't look like one of the lower class, no matter how you sliced it.
"I'm Leighton Valencia, a Lord-class vampire in service to Duke Schumira. That rank might be unfamiliar to you humans, so feel free to call me Viscount Leighton."
Indeed, by vampire standards or human ones, Mr. Leighton was nobility.
The problem was that the sun shone equally on everyone, highborn or low.
Vampires reverse their given and family names, so does that mean his given name is Valencia and family name Leighton?
As that question crossed my mind, Mr. Leighton smiled and answered.
"Reversing given and family names is a privilege of the True Ancestors. Lords and below follow the same naming conventions as you all. My given name is Leighton, family name Valencia."
So that unusual custom was just for the clan heads.
As I marveled anew at the mystique of other races' cultures, he glanced at Roca and took a slight step back.
"And I'd appreciate it if the young wolf lady over there could keep her distance a bit. Ah! Don't misunderstand. Some of my kind dislike the taste of beastkin blood, but I don't discriminate against beastkin. It's just that the solar mana she carries is truly dangerous to us."
Even nobles don't fare well against the sun, and not even queens are exempt. That's what Mr. Leighton said.
"That's why I sometimes envy you humans. I've never seen the sun myself. We have to flee to the shadows at the mere sight of sunlight. The sun is an unknown entity to us. I still have no idea what it even looks like."
He'd seen pictures. Heard tales.
But he'd never laid eyes on the real sun.
To us, the sun is the source of light and heat, an object of awe. To vampires, it's one of terror and mystery. Mr. Leighton gave Roca a strange look for a moment before shifting his gaze.
"Might you be Her Highness, the Princess of Ardein? It's an honor to meet you, Your Highness. Forgive my disloyalty in briefly suspecting you."
Was it because he was a vampire and also a viscount of the empire?
Upon seeing the princess, Mr. Leighton knelt and bowed his head. Princess Ardein narrowed her eyes curiously and asked back.
"Do you have some reason to be so certain I'm Ardein?"
"Among my kind, I'm particularly sensitive to blood scents. How could I fail to recognize the aroma of the golden lineage? Dragon blood doesn't easily dilute even when mixed with human blood; it retains its unique qualities across generations. Your Highness, please forgive us for even briefly considering you might be an imposter."
"No matter. The empire isn't so indiscriminate as to call that disloyalty."
"You're a bit different from the rumors I've heard..."
Mr. Leighton rose, looking surprised, and his gaze turned to me next.
I thought it'd pass quickly, but it lingered unexpectedly long. I felt Roca's grip tighten on my clothes.
"No need to look at me like that. Blue isn't my taste."
Had Roca glared at him? Mr. Leighton waved his open palms placatingly.
"Anyone else, I wouldn't mind, but when a young lady like you stares, it's terrifying. I may be far stronger than you, but if I accidentally got exposed to that solar mana... instant death."
"Hmm. I know the world is vast, with many races and diverse traits..."
I'd seen with my own eyes how Hans's hand had turned to ash earlier, so I fully grasped how deathly weak they were to the sun. Still, it was hard to wrap my head around it.
Sure, all things in the world have counters, but the vampire-sun dynamic didn't feel natural at all.
"I didn't realize vampires were this vulnerable to the sun. I thought sunlight just weakened you a bit."
"That's how we'd want it. If word got out that the sun is our kryptonite, our race would be in peril. Spreading half-truths was a safeguard for our survival."
Mr. Leighton bowed politely to me.
"You must be the priest who healed our soldier. Ah, I've kept my guests standing too long. Please, everyone, board the carriage. It's humble, but it has the best ride in the territory. Pulled by our local specialty, the pureblood horse."
The spacious carriage could fit all five of us with room to spare. We could have sat comfortably, but Roca and Her Highness sandwiched me tightly on both sides. Before I could protest that it wasn't necessary, Her Highness whispered in a low voice.
"Kyle. With vampires around, I'll call you Kyle for now. Would you mind calling me Your Highness in turn?"
"Your Highness. Is there really no need to sit this close...?"
"No, we must stay close. Being a priest who can heal vampires isn't as simple as you think. It's no surprise if word of you has already reached Duke Schumira's ears."
"You have no idea how blatantly that man was staring at Master."
Roca chimed in. The girl had latched onto one of my arms like a guard dog staking its territory, beaming proudly.
Hey, you're the one making me uncomfortable.
"If you're that wary, it hurts my feelings, haha."
Mr. Leighton entered the carriage, removed his hat, and set it aside. He sat opposite us and called for departure. The coachman acknowledged, and soon the carriage lurched into motion.
It hadn't gone far when Mr. Leighton smiled brightly.
Not at the beautiful princess, nor the cute Roca, but right at me.
"Priest—or perhaps the young lady there. If you're bored, care to solve a riddle?"
No one had said they were bored, but it felt rude to cut him off.
Especially since Mr. Leighton launched into it with such enthusiasm.
"What's the most powerful thing in the world?"
"Grimudo."
Her Highness snorted and answered instantly.
"Not that I know why you're asking."
"Haha, but that's not it. Grimudo may be stronger than all of us combined, but could even he claim to be stronger than the sun up there? Could Grimudo's power extinguish that sun which brightly lights the day?"
"Then... is it time?"
Something stronger than the sun. Probably a greater star, or time. Even stars have lifespans, just like us.
They just have far more time allotted to them.
"Time. Indeed, time is one of the world's most powerful forces. But time itself is just one of the universe's laws."
"Laws...?"
"Yes, young lady. The laws of the universe. Absolute rules no one in the cosmos can escape, incomparable to the laws we mortals make."
He paused for a moment, then murmured slowly.
"Before that overwhelmingly chilling power, everything in the world loses all meaning. When our ancestors dominated the continent, deeming themselves rulers and believing they'd conquered all..."
"The laws of the universe changed. It was truly unprecedented. No vampire, no matter how strong, could escape it. We're all residents of this universe, after all."
The woman beside me replied as if asking why he was recounting what everyone knew.
"I know that your kind, the vampires, were cursed by the Ancient Gods."
Her Highness knew, but it was news to me. Cursed by the Ancient Gods? Weren't they just figures from legend?
"The Ancient Gods, embodiments of the universe's laws themselves, grew wrathful and inserted a new clause into their own being, at the cost of their self-annihilation."
Apparently not.
"Thanks to that, we went from continental overlords to continent's bats. Truth be told, though, I don't know much about it. What does some ancient glory from before I was born have to do with me? I don't think vampires need to reconquer the continent."
Only then did I understand why Mr. Leighton had been staring at me so steadily.
Fortunately, it wasn't romantic interest.
"But isn't it too harsh? The sins of ancestors we never even saw their bones passed down to us innocents."
"Are you telling me this because you want me to solve that problem?"
"Priest. Let me be direct. I can't force you, but please tell me the truth."
His smile faded completely for the first time.
As if steeling himself for a serious talk, he took a deep breath before speaking.
"The only way to circumvent the laws of the universe is with another law. Is the one you serve... an Ancient God?"
I couldn't answer that question. Because I wasn't even sure if Ancient Gods truly existed. Weren't they just from stories?
My Lord an Ancient God? Did that category even exist separately?
I knew nothing about it, nor about my Lord, so how could I reply? I stayed silent for a moment, then looked at Mr. Leighton and asked.
"What exactly do you mean by Ancient Gods?"
"Pardon?"
I might have been part of the hero's party, but it was embarrassing to admit ignorance.
Still, better to ask than make up an answer when I knew nothing.
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