113. Noble Hero Jeong Seoyul
113. Noble Hero Jeong Seoyul
Vampires.
Convinced of their own refinement and elegance, they reproduced with great care, and so their numbers were exceedingly few.
No matter how threatening each individual might be, their limited capacity for broad influence meant they were treated no better than heinous criminals who stirred up public scandal.
When Jeong Seo-yul first came to this world and was chosen as a Hero, she had thought the same.
That was what she believed—until she racked up success after success, and at the end of it all, an opportunity arose to receive direct patronage from the imperial family itself.
'So, you are Jeong Seo-yul, currently one of the most exceptional Heroes in this Empire.'
But the true state of affairs she witnessed when the moment actually came for a private audience with the leaders was utterly shocking.
The leaders who had always sat upon the imperial throne, looking down on the masses and their vassals, were now bowing their heads to a single Vampire lounging in a bedroom.
'Why would a Vampire be with the imperial family...?'
'Hehe, you need not be so hostile. To us, humans are nothing more than livestock, but we do recognize that, on rare occasions, treasures can emerge even from among the herd.'
Livestock. Did that arrogant monster view even the imperial family in such a way?
No, since when had they even been bowing their heads to Vampires?
Was it partway through conducting the Hero summonings? Or even before that...?
Had humanity in this world been under the dominion of Vampires from the very start?
'And to excavate such treasures, the pen that confines the livestock must at least serve as a pretext.'
She felt her mind go blank at this revelation, yet he carried on speaking without paying her reaction any mind.
All the while commanding the imperial family, their minds stolen by his mesmerizing technique, to crush their own heads and lick his feet as if they were truly nothing more than livestock.
'...What is it you want from me?'
That sight caused Jeong Seo-yul to lose even the smallest shred of her will to resist.
Serving the debauched and luxury-addled, corrupt nobles, pretending to get along with fools drunk on playing Hero who were toyed with by those same nobles—it had all been to catch the imperial family's eye and elevate her own social standing.
And yet, this was the truth of the world she had struggled so hard in? How could her motivation not shatter?
'Did I not say so? That special treasures occasionally emerge even from among the livestock.'
However, what she saw in the eyes now observing her could only be called interest.
It was an emotion on a completely different plane from the contempt he showed the imperial family he made lick his feet.
'And you are one of those treasures I have discovered within that livestock pen... an uncut gem that has earned the right to be refined, now that it has caught my eye.'
'An uncut gem? Am I not also a human you show contempt for? What part of me do you see that warrants such an assessment?'
'Well, have you not been pursuing growth, unsatisfied with your current position? The other Heroes, meanwhile, were given excessive treatment and did nothing but scramble to gorge themselves on it—just like fattening up on nothing but the feed thrown into a pen.'
In his eyes, even the Heroes born with special powers were seen as no different from such livestock.
Upon hearing the Vampire's metaphor, the hideous behaviors exhibited by those called Heroes in this world were the first thing that came to Jeong Seo-yul's mind.
'...Were all Heroes reborn into such beings because of the machinations of you people?'
Indeed, the imperial house placed no sanctions whatsoever on the corrupt powerful or the self-indulgent Heroes.
It was simply a natural progression for a group to rot once its leaders had putrefied.
Humanity may have become corrupt, but a mastermind had existed to accelerate that collapse.
'What is it you ultimately seek, going so far as to ruin the humans of this world in such a manner?'
'A culling, you could say, in preparation for the era to come.'
To Jeong Seo-yul, who questioned his intent, he answered in a tone of utter indifference.
'...A culling?'
'Jeong Seo-yul, do you believe that all beings deserve respect simply because they share your species? You, who were not satisfied with merely filling your belly and being praised by others, but continued to strive and have thus arrived at this very place—can you accept being on the same level as those who degraded into corrupt pigs simply from being left to their own devices?'
'.......'
'Indeed, you must feel it as well. That in this world, the inferior occupy far too many undeserved positions.'
She had at least thought as much even in her original world.
She simply never showed it outwardly.
Because the value system of 'Eugenics'—that those who are not superior or suffer from disabilities should be culled—could never be welcomed in the modern era.
'In the world to come, which will slowly crumble, resources will be finite, and those capable of seizing them will become a small minority. And yet, to bring up idols like Heroes and insist that those of high standing must selflessly sacrifice themselves for those who are fundamentally lesser... would that not be an awful waste?'
And that logic was precisely why the Vampires had secretly cultivated the current society from behind the scenes of humanity.
They dreamed of excavating talent worthy of their gaze from within the vast livestock pen that was human society, to create a 'Utopia for the chosen.'
'Now, Jeong Seo-yul. Drink. You possess the qualifications to become an existence like us.'
She had met the criteria to enter that Utopia.
With a wine glass filled with blood presented before her to instruct her in this, Jeong Seo-yul swallowed hard and asked again with a serious face.
'...What would happen, if I drank this?'
'You could become more special than anyone. Of course, you are free not to drink it and to leave this place. There would be no particular trouble for me even if you revealed the truth to humanity.'
In any case, even if revealed, that truth would simply be buried under the schemes of the Vampires standing behind humanity. And the one who revealed it would merely become branded a Fallen Hero and turn into an enemy of humanity.
But he did not bother to mention such disadvantages.
'In exchange, you would be trapped within the frame of a human, and live out your life as a being that is nothing more than livestock.'
Because, at the point she had already reached this place, he was certain of one thing.
That a woman who harbored ambition even among corrupt pigs would never pass up a chance to transcend her own limits.
***
Indeed, Jeong Seo-yul had always been starving.
Even in her original world, she had been born with superior talent into a superior family, but the nation she lived in, under the banner of democracy, compelled her to give back that talent and wealth to society.
The reason she had to conform was that no human, no matter how much they possessed, could become a perfect being without society's help.
However, such endurance was no longer necessary once one was reborn as an existence that transcended humanity.
Jeong Seo-yul came to realize this after accepting his blood and becoming a Vampire.
That once you were reborn as a being of high Dignity, you gained the right to be liberated from all the vexing things that had constrained you until now.
'A dragon's remains, you say... This is quite tempting.'
One day, as she served as the trusted subordinate of the Vampire who had instilled this realization in her, Jeong Seo-yul received his summons, prompted by important news that had reached the imperial house and piqued his interest.
The moment he, who treated all perils aimed at humanity as trivial, showed such uncommon interest—that was something Jeong Seo-yul could not afford to overlook.
'Is it an object that even a figure such as yourself covets?'
'It is beyond the level of mere coveting. A dragon is one of the existences that has reached the pinnacle of this world. It would not be an overstatement to say they are a part of the world itself, a small world with its own will.'
An existence that could not simply be compared to one born of noble lineage.
For him, who treated even the leaders of humanity as slaves, to liken it to a world itself—that must signify praise and a yearning toward such a mighty being.
'But still, it is troublesome. If the Empire were to publicly retrieve it, those without qualification would try to divide its power among themselves....'
And to him, humans were nothing more than greedy, hideous pigs.
His desire not to see that power used as a public good was something Jeong Seo-yul, who had long observed him by his side, could immediately understand.
What mattered was what came next.
'Therefore, if possible, retrieve that power. Perhaps not all of the remains, but you should be able to find an opportunity to monopolize the immense magical power held by the Dragon's Heart, even on your own.'
'...Would you truly entrust this to me?'
'Is there a problem?'
Jeong Seo-yul could not help but hesitate to answer.
He would surely know that she, too, harbored ambition.
Even now, having escaped the frame of a human, he could not be unaware of her desire to go beyond being merely his trusted aide and become his equal.
'...Because if you do not come with me, I might attempt to monopolize that power for myself.'
And yet, the opportunity had come for her, of all people, to approach the source of a power that even he admired.
Was that not tantamount to saying she was permitted to betray him if she could seize that power?
'If you can handle it, that is.'
She had been on guard against that very thought, but to her surprise, he smiled at her, stating that this was the correct answer.
She immediately understood it was no lie.
Because to Vampires, what they value more than their very lives is 'Aesthetics.'
To adhere to one's own unshakable philosophy was proof of the composure they possessed, born from having the noblest of lineages among all.
'Jeong Seo-yul. My trusted vassal. What I say now is a covenant sworn upon my blood.'
Therefore, for the sake of that aesthetic, he would not speak a lie.
Furthermore, he never excluded even himself from his yearning and respect for superior existence.
'If you ever come to possess a higher Dignity than I, I will willingly cast aside my own dignity and bow my head to you.'
'Bow your head....'
'I am giving you the chance to use beings like me, whom I consider the most noble in this world, as tools to be commanded at your will.'
If she truly succeeded in monopolizing the dragon's power, she could place even beings that transcended humanity beneath her.
To Jeong Seo-yul, who had always hungered for a superior lineage, this came as an absolutely irresistible temptation.
'What do you say, will you try?'
'...If you wish it.'
To that end, Jeong Seo-yul did what she always did: acting the part of a Hero for humanity, she joined the Expeditionary Force and quietly carried out the task of subjugating the Undead at the excavation site.
Around the time she formulated her plan—covertly wait until the Dragon's Heart was discovered, then assassinate any Heroes who might become obstacles and cover up their deaths as accidents—one Hero had died, which she considered an opportunity.
And so, Jeong Seo-yul came to devise a plan to gather the Heroes who could be instigated in one place and wipe them all out at once.
'Choose. Will you die meaninglessly following the orders of inept Legion commanders and foolish nobles? Or will we reclaim the Dragon's Heart, monopolize it for ourselves, and place even the leaders of the Empire beneath us?'
No matter how arrogant, some thought it too reckless, while others feared becoming Fallen Heroes and wanted to flee.
But the very fact they didn't flat-out refuse meant the possibility of persuasion existed.
If necessary, she used the mesmerizing technique innate to her as a Vampire, and at the crucial moment, she sowed discord to steer them into fighting amongst themselves.
And at the end, she would assassinate any surviving Heroes and block all danger to herself.
Up to that point, it was a perfect operation.
If only, at the very moment she executed it, the Undead hadn't attacked, and if one of the Four Horsemen hadn't immediately charged into this place.
'But that, too, is within my calculations.'
The opponent was one of the worst Calamities aiming for humanity.
Nonetheless, Jeong Seo-yul resolutely steeled herself to fight him without hesitation.
'I will defeat him, and seize the dragon's power. I shall place even the rulers of humanity beneath my feet.'
What awaited her after this was seizing the dragon's power and placing even humanity's rulers beneath her.
Even in the moment she faced the Calamity, Jeong Seo-yul believed without a doubt that she would soon grasp such a future.
But......
*****
"...Cough."
In the midst of the raging battle, Jeong Seo-yul hacked out a cough.
From that point on, she felt her movements not only dulling, but her entire body crumbling.
It was a battle she had been certain she would dominate.
No matter how much the opponent purported to be a Calamity, she was the most exceptional of the Heroes and had even inherited the blood of a Progenitor.
So why was her body, which had become such a transcendent physical vessel, breaking down to this extent?
"Finished with your little games?"
In response to the bewildered Jeong Seo-yul, the Plague White Knight rose up, re-forming his ruined body.
Spores sprouted through the gaps of his crushed form, causing new flesh to bud from the rotten meat, and soon his state was no different from before the battle had begun.
No matter. His regenerative power had limits, so she just had to kill him until he was dead. So long as she didn't break down before then.
"What did you do... to me?"
"Puhehe, this is really something.... To come all this way and learn a secret too good to keep to myself. To think that even a Hero called humanity's hope has stopped being a pure human... My sibling, who labors to save such humanity, is truly to be pitied."
"Answer me! What the hell did you do to my body... Uwe-eck!"
The moment her knees first buckled since becoming a Vampire, a pain so immense it made even that humiliation seem forgettable wracked her body. Blight spoke in his characteristic jesting voice.
"Funnily enough, I didn't do any direct tricks just now. I simply had something latent already eating away at your body, and I just stimulated it a bit, that's all."
"Eating away... what on earth, is...."
"Well, the dead that awaken at my hand spread disease all around them. If you had experience clearing out the dead in this garrison zone, naturally, wouldn't the disease vectors be lying dormant in your body?"
Certainly, to maintain her guise as a Hero, she had performed Undead subjugation duties.
But she had noticed nothing out of the ordinary back then.
Could a disease dormant in her body from that process really accelerate this rapidly, devastating her body from merely coming face-to-face with its source?
"If you'd received Divine Power even once, you could have easily purged a dormant disease like this... Ah, right. Don't Vampires' bodies break down if they receive Divine Power? Puhehe!"
Just as he said, Vampires, like the Undead, were fatally vulnerable to Divine Power.
And so, as a precaution, she had made a point of refusing the goodwill of clerics who offered to heal her, one by one.
Using the convenient excuse that it was humiliating to rely on Divine Power's aid simply to handle lowly Undead she could brush aside as easily as breathing.
'The blood, my blood is....'
But as a result, the blood gushing from every orifice of her body had turned black and was pouring onto the floor.
Sepsis.
A disease that putrefies the blood was the most fatal illness for a Vampire, who derived power from the blood they consumed.
'Th-this can't be happening....'
She felt that disease accelerating as she collapsed.
'After everything I did to get here, after everything I did...!!'
She, who had been acknowledged even by a noble being that held even the pinnacle of humanity beneath him, and who had sought to go beyond even that, felt herself breaking down on the verge of achieving that goal.
"Does it feel futile?"
The Calamity closed the distance, as if to mock her.
"You possessed power, dreamed of an ideal, and put in the effort, yet you were swept up in an unforeseen disaster and broken senselessly. Does that reality feel futile to you?"
"Uuu, AAAAAHH! DIE!"
Finally losing her reason at such a provocation, Jeong Seo-yul charged.
Within her blade existed all the resentment and emptiness over her fruitless efforts, and yet also the desperate resolve not to give up.
"It is because of such a world that we rose from our graves!!"
But in the face of a natural disaster, an individual's outcry is a futile thing.
-Craaack!!
The touch of the Calamity, possessing a will of its own, gouged out the body of the social evil that was eating away at humanity with terrifying ease.