Chapter 142
Chapter 142
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: The Curse's Culprit
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Rumble!
As the retainer's blood aura clashed with the dark magic, a thunderous roar exploded through the narrow passage, as if lightning had struck.
Amid the merging and scattering of pitch-black magic and crimson-black blood aura, the sole light source tore through it all.
"Ah...."
Clay gaped in awe at the dazzling sword light rampaging through the evil magic.
He could never have imagined that a vampire—one of the Dark Race—could shred the darkness with such a blindingly beautiful beam.
But Eugene pierced through the superficial spectacle, fully taking in Galpredic's swordsmanship.
*Impressive. He's improved even more.*
Eugene had learned Galpredic's swordsmanship when he took him as a retainer.
Yet the technique Galpredic now displayed against the Death Knight was undoubtedly a step beyond what it had been then.
Galpredic was slicing, parting, and pulverizing magic powerful enough to damage the spirit of living beings—or even undead vampires—with a single sword.
At the same time, he intermittently bashed the Death Knight's body with the mace in his left hand, restricting its movements and parrying attacks.
Had the opponent not been a Death Knight incapable of feeling pain, it would have screamed and retreated.
But the Death Knight refused to yield or collapse, even as its armor was pierced by blades through the gaps and its entire body battered.
*Impressive.*
Eugene inwardly admired the Death Knight's resilience, but he wasn't worried about Galpredic or concerned he might lose.
After all, Galpredic was a rare, exceptionally skilled 'knight' reveling in this duel against a Death Knight foe.
Proof of that: he had passed up several chances to sever the Death Knight's head, holding back instead.
But now, seemingly bored of that, Galpredic blocked a downward slash with his mace, then thrust Wolfslayer like lightning into the bottom of the creature's helmet.
Graaaaaah....
A horrific wail erupted as black smoke leaked from the spot pierced by Wolfslayer.
In that instant, Galpredic swiftly withdrew his sword to the right, then slashed back across the opposite side in a flash.
Slash!
The Death Knight's half-severed head dangled limply before dropping with a thud.
"It's over? Huh?"
"Grra?"
Eugene and even Galpredic froze.
The Death Knight, staggering as if it would collapse without its head, suddenly bent at the waist and began groping the floor for its fallen head.
Eugene was momentarily speechless at the grotesque, bizarre, yet comically absurd sight.
Galpredic, equally dumbfounded, just watched the Death Knight fumble about.
Soon, the Death Knight picked up its head from the ground, pressed it to the severed neck, and twisted it several times like assembling a toy.
Now seemingly fine again, the Death Knight let out a mighty roar.
Raaaaargh...!
Somehow, the display left them deflated.
"Master, do we have to keep fighting this thing?"
"Looks like we need to hunt down whoever turned that guy into a Death Knight. Just toy with it for a bit."
"Got it. Let's see how many times I can reattach it before it gives up."
Galpredic charged back at the Death Knight, and Eugene turned away.
"Let's go."
"Huh? Oh! Y-yes, my lord! As you command!"
Banneret Randolph, the mighty knight who had no equals near Brighton aside from Baron Riward.
Cloy hurriedly followed Eugene, exhausted by Galpredic treating even this enhanced Death Knight version as mere sparring practice.
Whoosh! Slash! Clang!
As they took a few steps behind Eugene, another sound rang out—the head being severed again, helmet and all. Then came the rustling of it picking something up.
Uuuoooh....
"Weird. Wonder if it'll try reattaching arms or legs too?"
Whoosh! Slash! Thud!
Huuuuh....
"Whoa? What if... its junk?"
*'Guh! Banneret Randolph! Just hold on a bit longer! I'm so sorry!'*
Cloy bit her lip, feeling immense guilt and a touch of pity for the ill-fated Banneret, now reduced to the Vampire Duke's plaything.
* * *
After another thirty minutes of travel, Eugene and Cloy arrived in an empty chamber roughly ten meters high and five or six times wider.
They had fought three more battles en route, but ghouls, zombies, and skeletons posed no threat to Eugene.
On the contrary, they brought him an unexpected windfall.
"Got everything secured?"
"Y-yes, great one!"
Cloy, now demoted to pack mule, bowed deeply with utmost courtesy.
She wore a large backpack once belonging to a ghoul, stuffed full of coins and jewels.
"Who would've thought they'd use this as an escape route."
"T-this humble one never imagined it either, my lord. The maps were lost ages ago, so no one ever came here."
The undead haunting Brighton's combined sewer and aqueduct weren't just the sacrificed search parties.
Judging by their attire and condition, many seemed to be wealthy nobles and their attendants.
Likely refugees who fled underground during some war or chaos.
And every one of them carried money and valuables, granting Eugene this surprise haul.
"Hmm. Circling back might yield even more."
"K-kee! Scary, but if master wants... N-no. Ghosts are still scary. But no! Loot first. Gotta scrape up every coin. Keeh!? M-my inner pirate's awakening! M-master! Stop me... Keeek!"
Eugene stuffed the spirit, losing its mind between fear and greed, into a leather pouch. His eyes then met Cloy's.
Seeing her expression—mingled fear, awe, and anxiety—stirred a faint pang of conscience in Eugene.
"We can handle the rest at our leisure."
"T-this one merely follows the great lord's will."
No matter that Banneret Randolph had been her superior for decades; he couldn't compare to the Origin at the clan's pinnacle.
"Still, I gave my word, so I'll keep it. Looks like dark magic is pooling over there at the far end—probably the culprit who cursed your master, or their gear."
"I am unworthy of such grace."
Cloy was truly moved.
*So merciful! Truly befitting the one who oversees the entire clan.*
The round dome-shaped chamber seemed meant for collecting river or rainwater, sealed by a massive stone door.
As Eugene slowly crossed its center, he halted and spoke lowly.
"You—drop to the floor now."
"As you command!"
Without daring to ask why, Cloy flattened herself prone.
Moments later, the wails of hundreds of undead echoed from all directions.
Grooooaaar...!
Huuuuaaaah...!
"Cover your ears."
Before Eugene finished speaking, Cloy clamped her hands over her ears.
Even so, the horrific cries pierced through, and the vibrations from hundreds of undead surging into the chamber transmitted through the ground.
*Ugh....*
Cloy's body began trembling. Steeling herself, she peeked up—and sure enough.
Hundreds of undead of various kinds, all with mutilated and decayed bodies in gruesome states, surged toward them like a tidal wave.
"......!"
Shock froze her solid.
Krooooaaaargh!!!
The Origin's roar fused with the blood aura surging from his body, erupting as a translucent shockwave in all directions.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The hemispherical blast centered on Eugene swept over the undead horde like a tsunami.
Boom boom boom boom boom!
Cloy couldn't believe her eyes.
The undead caught in the translucent, crimson-tinged shockwave exploded one after another.
Most crumbled from the knees up, leaving only grayish dust, but fresher corpses with lingering blood spewed red mist.
That blood mist was drawn to the Origin—lord of blood before lord of darkness.
Whoooosh.
Hundreds of thin blood streams converged at the center in a spectacular sight.
Every race's blood soaked Eugene's body before being absorbed into his Black Scale Mail.
Though from those revived once, the massive blood influx made Eugene's eyes snap open, now gleaming ruby-red, deeper than before.
His gaze fixed on the chamber's far end, where someone stood.
Draped in a beast-hide robe with a goat skull over its head, the figure staggered back.
It was the one who turned Randolph into a Death Knight and raised the underground dead as undead.
"****** ********!?"
Cloy couldn't understand, but Eugene—thanks to the red mana stone from devouring the drake—comprehended the species tongue instantly.
"You don't need to know what exalted clan member I am. Just die."
Bang!
By 'die,' Eugene's form had already shot forward like an arrow from a bowstring.
By 'huh,' Madarazika was embedded in the presumed black mage's goat skull.
Thud! Whoosh!
The moment Madarazika pierced the skull, the foe's body scattered like smoke.
*Magic!?
Eugene instinctively recognized it as magic.
A long flame laced with killing intent and magic hurtled at him from the left.
Boom!
A massive explosion engulfed Eugene in magic.
"***** ******! ******! Kkakakaka!"
Incomprehensible shouts gave way to phlegmy laughter echoing out.
As the eerie laugh and magic faded.
"That's your magic shield, huh, you bastard."
This time, by 'that's,' Madarazika streaked crimson-black light straight into the laughter's source.
Thud!
"Gaaaaaaah!!!"
A scream unlike any normal— as if a soul were obliterating—resonated through the entire chamber.
Whoosh!
"***! *****, ** ****......"
Even amid crimson flames, it spat a few more alien words before collapsing.
Then, leaving only clothes and items, it dissolved into crimson-black smoke and vanished completely.
"Whew."
Eugene exhaled lightly and turned to Cloy, still prone and shivering on the floor.
"It's over. Get up."
"Y-yes! Right away!"
Cloy sprang up, but the clash's shock left her swaying unsteadily.
"No injuries?"
Checking herself at Eugene's words, Cloy cried out in tearful gratitude.
"I-I'm fine, my lord!"
"Mmm! Backpack intact! Coins, gems, jewels—all safe! Keehehehehe!"
Cloy and Mirian answered almost in unison.
"Good. Glad to hear it."
"Keehehehet! Hurray!"
"Ah! Aah...."
The greed spirit rejoiced at the loot's safety. The vampire knight deluded herself that her sky-like lord cared for her.
Either way, both were thrilled.
* * *
"Cloy!"
"Banneret Randolph!"
Randolph—restored to his living, or rather vampire, form—brightened at the sight of Cloy.
"Thank goodness! Truly!"
Vampires don't cry tears. But Cloy reddened her eyes as if on the verge of blood tears, bowing to Randolph.
"It's thanks to you. Your loyalty brought me back to the clan. And you two!"
Randolph saluted Galpredic and Eugene knightly.
"I can never repay your aid with words alone. But in the name of the Revoles Clan, I offer you treasure without stint...."
"Banneret!"
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"Th-they are...."
Cloy paled, trying to stop Randolph from mentioning riches to a Duke and Origin at the clan's apex.
But.
"Treasure? How much?"
"......!?"
"Hahaha! Two chests of gold—no, three! To you both!"
"Music to my ears."
Eugene grinned, shooting a glare at quivering Cloy.
Cloy, instantly grasping the great lord's playful whim, bowed with a flattered expression.
*'The lord is amusing himself now. I must not interfere!'*
"Ah, but.... My body's aching and creaking all over. Residual curse effects?"
Banneret Randolph rubbed his neck and limbs, tilting his head.
"......!"
Recalling his final Death Knight moments, Cloy flinched and subtly glanced at Galpredic.
*'The Duke is playing along!'*
Quick-witted Cloy chimed in.
"Ah, probably? The vicious black magic's aftermath, I'd wager."
"Is that so? But... hmm."
Unwittingly stroking his sorest spot, Randolph paused and gave an awkward laugh.
"Ahaha. Guess that's it?"
Still, why did *that* hurt most?
As Randolph puzzled, Galpredic cleared his throat suggestively.
"Ahem! Better than going bald, no? Someone I know got cursed bald."
"Ah! True enough."
Randolph shuddered instinctively, stroking his lush hair.
Unless struck by silver weapons, vampires regenerated any body part—except hair.
"Keehehe! Clan had some bald seniors. Always teased. Baldness uncurable, even by magic!"
Eugene mused that, across races, curses causing baldness might be the most terrifying amid all magics and mysteries.
(To be continued)
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