Lucius the Vampire: Eternal Fugitive from Judgment
Lucius, a citizen of the former Golden Empire—now the Holy Empire—was a vampire.
Born luckily as the son of a noble, Lucius received education to follow in his father's footsteps and become an imperial administrator. Or rather, he started receiving it but never finished.
"Argh! This job's too filthy—I'm quitting! Lucius, you shouldn't become an administrator either!"
An imperial administrator was like a county magistrate in Joseon terms—a local official. It was an honorable position dispatched by the emperor's command, and by governing a town well and proving one's ability, one could rise to high office. In short, it was one path on the road to bureaucracy. Every noble wanted to become a high imperial official. Lucius's father was no different.
But Lucius's father voluntarily kicked away that honorable position and stormed out. The reason was absurdly money-related.
The imperial administrator's post was a money pit. Many nobles had to cover the city operating budget out of their own pockets... because there weren't many tax-paying citizens, just slaves and nobles swarming everywhere. After paying taxes to the emperor, there was no money left, so the administrator had to fill the empty budget from their own pocket. With individuals shouldering the city budget, how could the country function properly? Sane nobles lined up to resign, holing up in their manors like other nobles, lording over slaves and living idle lives of luxury.
Lucius's father was the same. He burned with desire to serve the empire, but reality was a cesspool.
"I give up now! Lucius! Live your life however you want!"
"Yes, Father!"
Following his now wealthy, jobless father, Lucius began a daily life of extravagant spending. He indulged in alcohol and women, collected exotic foreign curiosities, summoned mages to learn mysteries, and in bad company, even killed servants imitating a colosseum or shot people for fun with arrows.
Lucius was a wastrel, but not an exceptional one. Most Golden Empire nobles were at his level. No wonder the country collapsed.
Living a life chasing pleasure day after day, Lucius heard grim news of the future from a mage he associated with.
"What?! The world is ending?!"
If the empire fell, the world ended. Everyone would face the Final Judgment together. Lucius paled. Considering the sins he'd piled up... heaven was out of the question!
The mage whispered like a devil.
"How about becoming a vampire?"
"A vampire?"
"Give me a modest fee, and I'll turn you, Lord Lucius."
Becoming a vampire meant surviving even after the world's end—free from the shackles of lifespan. Better to flee from God than suffer eternally in hell, right?
"Fine! Turn me into a vampire!"
Fearing hell, Lucius mocked God and became a vampire. Freed from mortality's chains, he decided to hide deep underground until the Judgment ended, awakening after the world's destruction.
And so he fell into a long, long slumber...
"Nngh?"
Hundreds of years later, awakening Lucius was baffled. Why... was the sun still up? Didn't the world end?!
Panicking, he investigated the world and soon obtained shocking information. The empire had fallen, yes... but priests had revived it like voodoo, naming it the Holy Empire.
"Those damned priests!"
In the Golden Empire days, priests were as corrupt as nobles. They must have desperately rebuilt to evade Judgment. Thinking it over, Lucius despaired at the sun still shining brightly.
Fuck. I'm screwed.
With no life force left, he needed blood now. Even an undying body—how long could he evade the sun? 100 years? 200? 1,000?
Lucius sank into deep despair... and that despair erased the last shred of his humanity.
Ah, whatever. Let's see who wins.
10,000 years, a million—he'd devour humans relentlessly, dodging Judgment however he could. He became a perfect monster.
"[O Darkness.]"
As a vampire, Lucius wielded darkness like a limb. He'd studied the Maronius Language anyway, and now shared the sun's hatred.
He hunted humans with magic. Mercy? None. These wretches would go to heaven anyway—their fine God would care for them.
For days, Lucius devoured humans nonstop, ignoring consequences. Just fill his body with life force by eating more.
Vampirism supercharged his magic. He mastered Umbrakinesis, Cryokinesis, and Summoning. A cursed vampire body plus potent magic—far beyond mountain villagers' grasp. A starving vampire wiping out a village was routine.
But by coincidence—or perhaps chronomancers' scheme—mage Ian lingered in Damon's Village. A cheater from another world, scamming via his Status Window.
# It wasn't coincidence that con artist Kira crossed paths with Lucius. An exceptional Umbrakinesis master, he pierced darkness and sensed hidden movements.
"Breakfast this morning is that one."
Licking his lips at Kira, a lone woman at night? Begging to be eaten.
He lunged without hesitation.
"Kyaa!"
Startled, Kira shrieked and fell on her butt.
"Oh ho?"
That trivial action saved her life... her feminine scream stirred Lucius's lust.
Vampires were impotent—cursed flesh denied joy from food, sleep, or women. Only the ecstasy of bloodlust, life force from sunlight filling decaying flesh.
But seeing Kira splayed lewdly, Lucius got hard. Not physically—mentally. A wastrel chasing women since youth, he was a proud imperial man with expertise in lust.
Though vampirism stole physical pleasure, the conquest's thrill lingered deep in his mind.
Yes. For Lucius, sex was a nostalgic game. Not fun, but occasionally craved for old memories.
"Not bad-looking."
Grinning lewdly at her red hair, quite fine for a country bumpkin. Honestly, even in human days, he'd never held such beauty—top courtesan level, but stuck in his manor, he'd missed city girls.
Clearly fleeing the village secretly from the vampire. Useless without loyalty. He reached slowly for her.
Right then.
"B-back off, monster!"
Kira yanked a stick from her waist and yelled. Quick flick of the striker, and sparks erupted like a fountain!
"Gaaahhh!"
Flames bursting before him, Lucius recoiled in shock. What?! Pyrokinesis? Pyrokinesis?!
Startled briefly, he realized no mystery resonated. That spark-stick was just pretty junk.
"Kuhahaha!"
Face flushing, he laughed boisterously to mask embarrassment. Ian would've teased "cringe."
"What parlor trick... Imperials made amusing toys, eh?"
Of course, Kira's firecracker did zilch to a vampire. Just a momentary scare.
'Father...!'
Kira thought it was over. Thud. She slumped.
But that saved her again.
Pheew!
An arrow whistled over her head.
"Grahhh!"
It pierced Lucius's forearm. Black blood oozed from the gash, reeking of rot.
"Kira!"
'...Ian?!'
Disbelieving her ears—that psycho mage's voice! She turned.
There: mercenaries with torches, a knight in black armor, and mage Ian.
Overwhelmed, half-relief half-genuine, she yelled.
"You're late, idiot!"
"Even when I come, you bitch!"
Ian, Belenca, and mercenaries emerged from the dark. They'd chased right after Kira vanished—good they weren't late.
"Spot a vampire, you tell us instead of chasing alone!"
"...It's my heart!"
Ian shook his head. Sigh. Such a precious brat. Mages were all so willful.
As Lucius staggered, Belenca charged with terrifying speed, sword flashing.
Ian assumed she'd crush the vampire easily—her prowess was top-tier so far.
But unexpectedly, she struggled. Her swordplay was sharp, but the vampire's physicality matched or exceeded it.
'Need to help somehow...'
Then Ian spotted an opening. The excited vampire muttered odd curses mid-fight.
"You damned faithful! So eager to meet your God?!"
Damned faithful... Ian grinned at the insult. Curses reveal complexes—people curse what bothers them most.
Ian easily inferred the vampire hated hearing "You can't even believe in God?"
He launched mage mode: trash talk.
"What? Can't hear the loser godless nerd~?"
"You, you, you... right now...!"
"Suck blood forever~ Still hell-bound on death? Medieval torture full course reserved for Final Judgment~?"
"You... bastardttt!"
Hearing Ian's taunt, Lucius spat blood—literally. Vampires vomited rotten blood when enraged.
Ian hit the nerve. Already regretting vampirism...!
Fuck, if I'd known the world wouldn't end, I'd have died properly! You prick!
With rawest anguish, he screamed.
"I'll kill youuuu!"
Lucius's eyes rolled back—vision gone. Ignoring blocking Belenca, he charged Ian.
Belenca seized the chance, longsword severing his arm.
Thud.
Clean cut, but rage-maddened Lucius didn't stop.
Now Ian panicked.
"Hey, vampire! Your arm...!"
"Shut up! I never had an armmm!"
"What the hell! Crazy bastard!"
Even Belenca yelled, shocked he'd sacrifice a limb.
"Ian! Careful!"
Kira panicked too. 'Wh-what do I do!'
Belenca too far, mercenaries just reaching. 'Gotta do something...!'
Desperate, Kira activated her sole specialty: fireworks show. No real aim—just better than nothing.
"Ian!!!"
I'll help!
Whoosh! Pfeew~!
Flames pillar erupted spectacularly. Useless, but dazzling.
Ian stared, mesmerized—not absurdity, but a memory.
Blazing flames? Not Pyrokinesis.
A past-life documentary snippet: flame pillar... solar flare.
Cosmic explosion turning to warm light flashed in mind.
Almost unconsciously, he drew Anorilsil—the sun-powered magic sword.
He didn't know how to wield its full power yet... but this sparked something.
Wasn't the sun an exploding flame pillar?
Images merged: exploding sun, surging flames.
Ian thrust Anorilsil, channeling mage will.
"[Explode!]"
⟨ Solar Flare ⟩
That instant, Anorilsil's blade erupted in midday sunlight brilliance!
"Kaaahhh!"
Heaven's wrath scorched the cursed one. Magic-born sunlight gruesomely burned Lucius.
"H-how...! S-sun...! Light...!"
Exposed vampire flesh crumbled to black ash.
Ian crushed Lucius's head underheel.
"Elven craftsmanship."
Amid scattering ash, Ian caressed the magic sword. Somehow, the blade felt warmer.