The Full Moon of a Thousand Years Ago (4)
The princess had been murdered by a vampire.
The moment that shocking news reached me in the early morning, I ran barefoot toward the princess's chambers. Tina and Alfred followed close behind without so much as a glance back.
"...This can't be."
Not even eight hours had passed since she'd smiled so brightly and promised to help me. Her gentle laugh was still vivid before my eyes.
And yet she had been found murdered. It was a fact I could neither understand nor bring myself to believe.
Worse still, the culprit was presumed to be a vampire like me—news so revolting it made me scowl just hearing it.
A princess of gentle, optimistic temperament who had lived without making a single enemy. And that princess had lost her life a mere eight hours after declaring she would stand with me.
On top of that, the culprit was believed to be a vampire.
"...It's the same bastard."
The one who had spread those false rumors about me had struck first—murdering her before the princess's investigation could expose his identity. Staging the scene to look like a vampire's work was clearly meant to pin the crime on me.
Eliminate the princess who threatened him, and further poison the people's view of me at the same time.
Even without seeing it, the intent of that "someone" was all too transparent.
"...How the hell did he find out?"
Then how had that "someone" known the princess was about to begin an investigation?
If he meant to kill her, he would have done it long ago. The fact that he specifically chose today meant the culprit had somehow obtained word that an inquiry into him was about to start.
The only ones who knew the princess intended to investigate were the three of us gathered in my room last night—myself, Lilianel, and the now-dead Princess Sophie.
Excluding the victim and myself, the only person who could have passed that information to the culprit was the elf, Lilianel Greenfield.
Could Lilianel really have...?
"...No."
I shook my head at once.
Lilianel and the princess were even closer than I was with her. Their friendship had endured for ten years, ever since the war against the demonkin began. There was no way Lilianel would have handed the culprit information about the investigation knowing full well the princess would die.
She might have chosen silence—but the Lilianel I knew would never betray a friendship.
The guardian of the green forest who held promises and loyalty above all else. That was the elf who had fought the demonkin at my side—Lilianel Greenfield.
If Lilianel had told the culprit about the princess's plans, that would make her an accomplice in spreading those false rumors about me. And she had no grudge against me whatsoever—no reason to do such a thing.
That left only one hypothesis.
"Wiretapping."
...The culprit, wary of my closeness with the princess, had planted listening devices in her clothes—or in my room—to prevent exactly this situation.
As of now, that hypothesis seemed the most likely.
Or perhaps, when we gathered, he had ordered someone outside the room to eavesdrop.
Either way, he had clearly taken measures in advance to overhear our conversation.
"That piece of garbage..."
He had killed the person who trusted me more than anyone—my most precious friend in this world. He had crossed the line far too far. I would never forgive him.
Swearing that I would make that mastermind, whoever he was and whatever he was plotting, pay the price no matter what, I ran even harder toward the princess's chambers.
As this was a murder case involving a member of the royal family, Sophie's room—the crime scene—was thronged with people.
"E-Elzerva."
"What thick skin she has."
"They say the culprit always returns to the scene of the crime—and sure enough..."
"..."
At my appearance, the gathered crowd began to stir. With the claim that a vampire had killed the princess, and me being the only vampire in this castle, their wariness was perhaps a natural reaction.
"How dare they speak to Master like that..."
Tina growled at the crowd's attitude. But I had no time to react to every little slight.
Ignoring their reactions, I hurried toward where Sophie's body lay.
"..."
As I drew closer to the crime scene, important figures—renowned nobles and the like—began to appear one by one. Members of the hero's party, who had been carefully avoiding me until now, also came into view.
"Hmph."
"..."
That idiot hero's face was there too. This was the first time I'd seen him since rejecting his marriage proposal—roughly three months since we last faced each other.
"E-Elzerva!"
"Elzerva, do you even know where you are, coming here?!"
The hero's companions immediately flew into a rage and shouted at the sight of me. But I let their meaningless howling wash over me and approached the princess's corpse in a daze.
The princess's body, preserved for detailed investigation, was horrific.
"Sophie..."
Eyes rolled so far back that only the whites showed.
A face frozen in terror before death.
Tear tracks etched like tattoos.
A pool of crimson blood forming a lake.
Everything was devastating—but something stood out most of all.
Bite marks...
On Sophie's pure white, soft neck, hideous bite marks were clearly imprinted.
And among them, fang marks that looked especially large and sharp.
...Anyone could see they were a vampire's bite marks.
"W-What on earth is going on?!"
"..."
A familiar voice reached my ears.
"Elzerva! W-What is this... what happened..."
"Lilianel..."
The green-haired elf with a deathly pale face—Lilianel—entered the princess's room right after me. Upon confirming Sophie's body, she collapsed weakly to the floor.
"So-Sophie, what is this..."
Tears spilled from Lilianel's eyes. The fact that she had lost a friend she had spent ten years with seemed to have dealt a tremendous shock to someone who valued friendship more than anyone.
Toward Lilianel, whose legs had given out, a blonde girl named Lucia—a member of the hero's party—shouted.
"What do you think? Elzerva assassinated the princess."
Lucia's eyes glared at me fiercely. Following her, a man named Rex also lashed out at me.
"Elzerva, the princess cherished you more than anyone—so why would you do something like this?! Were you that hungry for the princess's blood?!"
...They already seemed to have decided I was the one who murdered Sophie.
"Haah..."
I'd been framed.
The thing I hated most was being misunderstood—and now I'd been hit with a massive false accusation. On top of that, those idiots weren't even verifying the truth. They were pinning me as the culprit based solely on the vampire bite marks.
Suppressing my boiling irritation and anger, I spoke to them.
"...It wasn't me."
"What?"
"I said it wasn't me who killed Sophie."
At my words, Lucia and Rex started yelling even louder than before.
"You sly vampire bastard. The evidence is right there and you're making excuses? Unbelievable."
"Elzerva, how dare you say something so shameless! Are you saying those vampire bite marks are just decoration?!"
"You're going too far!"
Lilianel shouted at Lucia and Rex. Frowning, she defended me against the hero's party.
"Why would Elzerva kill the princess?! Another vampire could have broken in! Don't jump to conclusions!"
Lilianel was saying exactly what I wanted to say. Of course, it was true that I was the only vampire residing in this castle—but that didn't completely rule out the possibility of a vampire from outside launching an attack.
Besides, even if I'd gone mad and killed someone, would I leave such clear evidence behind? This looked more like the work of a wild beast than a person.
"...But we can't just dismiss it either."
"Va-Varius..."
The hero, Belia Varius, finally opened his mouth. Leaning against the wall, he spoke to Lilianel.
"After all, there are vampire bite marks right in front of us, and the only vampire we know is Elzerva alone. That's not a fact we can lightly ignore. Right?"
"Varius, you..."
Lilianel glared terrifyingly at Varius as he, like his companions, tried to pin me as the culprit. But Varius paid no mind and continued voicing his thoughts.
"...However, if Elzerva has 'evidence' to prove her innocence, that would be a different story."
"Evidence?"
"Yes, evidence. Elzerva—if you're not the culprit, you naturally have some evidence, don't you?"
"..."
Varius smiled at me.
A cunning smile full of satisfaction and superiority.
The moment I saw his face, I instinctively knew.
That bastard was the culprit.
That damned hero was pulling every dirty trick in the book to screw me over.
"You son of a bitch..."
I glared fiercely at his sneering face.
"Ugh!"
Meeting my eyes, Varius seemed frightened and turned away like a rat to avoid my gaze.
"Evidence, evidence..."
...Despite the many people present, only Lilianel alone was thinking of a way to prove my innocence. Seeing that left me truly hollow.
I'd ended a war that had lasted ten years for them—and only a single person was defending me.
Is this what they mean by living your life in vain?
"There's evidence that can prove her innocence! There is!"
Lilianel, who had been fighting alone, shouted with a bright smile. She passionately addressed everyone gathered in the princess's bedroom.
"We compare the bite marks! Dental patterns are unique to each person like fingerprints—so if we compare Elzerva's bite marks with the ones on the princess's neck, that'll do it!"
"Hmm, that certainly makes sense."
"Yeah, that should work."
Everyone agreed with Lilianel's suggestion to compare the bite marks. Even Hero Varius—despite the risk of his plan to frame me falling apart—nodded along to Lilianel's proposal for some reason.
"...Elzerva, is that okay?"
"Yeah."
At Lilianel's confirmation, I gave a positive signal.
Dental patterns were unique to each person like fingerprints, so there was absolutely no chance that the bite marks on the princess's neck would match my teeth.
It was a simple and convenient method—and at the same time, an excellent way to clear my name.
"Lady Elzerva, excuse me. Please open your mouth."
"..."
A knight in charge of the overall investigation of this case brought something like clay toward my mouth to take a dental impression. I gently bit down on it.
"...Done."
My bite marks were clearly imprinted on the clay lump. All that remained was to compare the two impressions and clear my name.
"I'll make the comparison."
The knight carefully compared my bite marks on the clay with the ones engraved on Sophie's neck. And then the expressions of everyone—including myself—hardened in an instant.
"...They're identical."
"The size of the fangs, the arrangement of the teeth—everything matches perfectly."
"E-Elzerva..."
...The two sets of bite marks were perfectly identical in form. So much so that even a child could tell at a glance—the two dental patterns matched completely, like doppelgängers.
My expression twisted at the sight.
"That's impossible."
How was this even possible?
Had someone perfectly copied my dental pattern and imprinted it on Sophie's neck?
How was that possible?
Could there be magic in this world I didn't know about?
How did they even know my dental pattern in the first place?
"..."
My thought process froze. The gut feeling that I'd walked perfectly into a trap hit me hard. With the bite marks matching perfectly, there was no one left who would listen to my excuses or alibis.
"Elzerva, you cunning monster bitch. I'll cut you down right now!"
And the moment she saw that, Lucia immediately sprang into action as if she meant to subjugate me. She took a step forward and reached for her scabbard to draw her sword.
But that was as far as she got.
"...Human. Draw that sword and you die."
"...!!"
Zombie Maid Tina had drawn her greatsword at a speed invisible to the eye and pressed it against Lucia's neck. At an action completed before she could even draw her sword from its sheath, Lucia's face filled with shock.
"H-How did you—?!"
Cold sweat ran down Lucia's forehead. Tina glared at her as if to kill, her red eyes blazing.
"Lucia! This lowly undead!"
Seeing that, Rex raised his axe toward Tina—a massive axe that looked like it could easily smash boulders. But just like Lucia, Rex's axe never got the chance to swing at its target.
"...You stand before my lady. I would ask that you show some manners."
"Gyaaaaah!!"
Struck by the lightning the vampire butler Alfred fired from his fingertips, Rex collapsed on the spot, crying out in pain. His axe rolled across the bedroom floor with a dull thud.
"Lucia! Rex!"
"..."
Tina and Alfred, who fought in place of a necromancer weak in direct combat. There was absolutely no chance that Lucia and Rex—mere NPCs, not even mid-tier monsters—could win against my summons.
Normally I would have scolded Tina and Alfred for their rude behavior, but right now I wanted to praise my summons instead.
"This is pissing me off."
Tina and Alfred had cleared away the nuisances. With no more obstacles blocking my path, I walked without hesitation toward Hero Varius, grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him against the wall.
"Khuh?!"
The hero was lifted helplessly by my hand. He tried to resist, but with strength inferior even to the Demon King, he could do nothing.
I tightened my grip, choking him.
"Hey. You did this, didn't you."
"E-Elzerva, calm down—I-I can't breathe...!!"
"You killed Sophie, you son of a bitch."
"Guhk...!!"
Varius's face turned blue as he choked.
I didn't care about any of it.
The hero play was over.
I couldn't hold back the surging rage.
I applied every ounce of strength in my hand, intending to crush his neck bones.
"E-Elzerva, I-I'm really going to di—"
"Yeah. Die."
This is what you get for those misleading actions and words three months ago.
This is your fault for that smile that scraped my nerves raw.
I'm just killing one NPC.
"Guhk..."
"..."
Rationalizing it to myself, I stared with cold eyes at the hero on the verge of death.
"S-Stop it!!"
"...!"
"Guhk!! Cough! Cough! Cough!"
And that was when the green-haired elf threw herself between us.
"...Lilianel."
I looked coldly at the elf who had forced us apart with all her strength—Lilianel Greenfield. Lilianel spoke with thick tears welling in her eyes.
"S-Stop it! Elzerva, you know as well as I do that this won't solve anything!"
"..."
"Our closest friend Sophie is dead. And you still want to kill someone else here?"
"..."
"Let's resolve this the right way. Okay? There's definitely a way. You said you're innocent. I still believe in you. I'll help you."
"You..."
"So please—for my sake—please just stop..."
Lilianel collapsed to the floor and burst into tears. Looking at her, a complicated whirlpool formed in my heart.
Lilianel, the only one who had taken my side.
Lilianel, who must have been more shocked than anyone that my bite marks perfectly matched those on Sophie's neck.
Lilianel, who had lost a precious friend, sobbing so bitterly—a thin thread in my heart caught hold of something.
...It caught hold of the last chance I could give.
"Fuck."
I finally spat out a curse and turned away. Then I slowly left the princess's bedroom—this cruel murder scene where only the sound of sobbing could be heard.
"Count yourself lucky, human."
"...The next etiquette lesson will not be this gentle."
Tina and Alfred followed behind me. Even though I was the most likely suspect, no one even thought of grabbing or stopping me.
They must have sensed that if they did, their heads would come off immediately.
"...We leave the kingdom tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Master."
"Understood, my lady."
...The last chance I was giving them was none other than letting them live. A speck of mercy I'd barely squeezed out after seeing Lilianel.
"Haaah..."
Forcing my rage to settle, I stepped toward my chambers—where no one could interfere.
"Drag out the monster who assassinated the princess!"
"Elzerva, this is the Royal Knights! You are under emergency arrest for conspiracy of rebellion!"
"Avenge the princess! Subjugate the monster the gods warned of!"
"..."
Whether in reality or here, the masses are primitive.
The facts hadn't even been properly verified, and no verdict had been reached—yet they believed only their own judgment was correct and acted on it.
Swayed by the loud agitation of a single person, never considering what consequences it might bring.
"..."
It was the night the blood-red full moon rose.
"Drag out the vampire! Drag her out!"
Outside the royal palace, tens of thousands of people had gathered, trying to drag out me—the vampire who had assassinated the princess and whom the gods had warned of—
"Elzerva, if you don't come out on your own, we will use force!"
"Even you cannot break through this encirclement!"
—while outside my bedroom door, knights beyond counting prepared to invade my room.
"Pathetic."
If they'd just stayed quiet for one night, I would have left on my own. But they themselves stupidly kicked away the chance Lilianel had barely secured for them.
"...Courage score: 100 points. Intelligence score: 0 points. Absolute worst."
I couldn't tell if they were doing stupid things because they had courage, or if they had courage because they were stupid.
They'd clearly seen me single-handedly smash the demonkin, and just hours ago watched the hero's party unable to do a thing against me. What on earth were they thinking, doing something like this?
...Still, I'd give them high marks for that courage alone.
"Tina, Alfred."
"Yes, Master."
"Your command, my lady."
At my call, my loyal summons knelt before me. I smiled at them as I spoke. Moonlight streaming through the window gap illuminated my crimson eyes.
"Greet our guests."
"...As Master wills."
"Understood."
The zombie maid drew her hideous greatsword, and the vampire butler pulled on black leather gloves.
Their faces twisted with rage as they prepared to go outside the room where the soldiers who had come to arrest me were gathered.
"They want to start a PVP... so I'll take them up on it..."
Having sent Tina and Alfred out, I looked at the crowds visible through the window.
"What are the knights doing?! Drag Elzerva out already!"
"Kill the demon from the oracle!"
They were so eagerly hoping for my appearance. A superstar had to live up to the public's expectations.
"The ash-gray vampire shall destroy Abilia..."
The oracle that came down from the Holy Empire Serion.
It was clearly some bogus superstition that idiot hero had cooked up—but if they believed in that oracle so desperately, soft-hearted me couldn't help but feel I had to make that oracle come true.
"Alright."
It was time to make them take responsibility for their choices.