Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Translator: Penny
Chapter 33
Six Fingers 6
The Priest broke out in a cold sweat as he watched the vivid blue flames blaze to life through the darkness.
An overwhelming presence, unlike anything he had ever encountered, was surging nearby.
Is this a human or a god of death?
His twelve fingers fidgeted nervously with the chains.
The sight of those bone-chilling blue flames reminded him of the fire that had haunted him since his distant past.
A cursed child!
A voice screamed in his ear from somewhere.
A damned child!
The Six-Fingered one has always been called the Demon's child! He must be abandoned in the mountains!
The villagers brandished torches, threatening him and his family.
His parents, powerless to resist, could only remain silent. The Priest, still a young child, was driven out of the village without a chance to protest.
From that moment on, his life became a relentless series of hardships.
Nowhere would accept him.
He survived by eating wild grasses and fruits from the mountains, barely staving off starvation.
As he grew older, he would descend to the village to steal chickens or goats for food. Occasionally, he would even threaten lone travelers on mountain paths to extort food from them.
One day, someone reported him, and the Inquisitors came to arrest him.
Upon seeing the Priest's six fingers, the Inquisitors bypassed all proper interrogation procedures and immediately tied him to the stake.
Flames surged upward, engulfing him. The Priest cursed everyone as he accepted his death.
At that moment, dark storm clouds gathered, and rain poured down from all directions.
That was his first encounter with the Ananta Pontiff.
After that day, the Priest became Ananta's loyal sword, growing into an assassin who killed without hesitation.
All in the hope that the Demon Lord would descend and punish all humans on this land.
It's almost time...! I can't let them escape here.
He understood his role perfectly.
His own death was irrelevant.
But letting the enemy before him escape would undoubtedly become a major obstacle for Ananta.
He had to kill them, even if it meant sacrificing his own life.
Wiping his sweat-soaked palms on his priestly robes, the Priest gripped the chains and pulled with all his might.
Crack!
The axe, which had been lodged somewhere, came loose and fell into his grasp.
"For Ananta's future, I pray you find eternal rest here!"
An astonishing surge of power erupted from the Priest's entire body, causing the axe to swing wildly in all directions like a berserk weapon.
KWA-GA-GA...!
No matter how strong they are, they're still just human.
They feel pain when struck, die when stabbed—mere mortals.
Few can withstand the edge of this axe.
He gauged his enemy's condition from the swirling dust and stinging stone fragments that filled his vision.
"This is the end!"
The axe, which had been scraping across the ceiling and floor, lunged straight into the blue flames flickering at the center.
KWA-AANG!
He could guarantee it: they couldn't have survived that.
The Priest, panting heavily, used the chains as a guide, slowly approaching the spot where the axe had struck.
Then,
Charrrrk—!
In the darkness, the chains were yanked with terrifying force.
"Ugh...! Ugh...!"
The Priest strained his twelve fingers, desperately trying to stop the chains with a panicked cry.
But it was a futile effort.
Thud!
The Priest lost his balance and was pulled into the darkness along the chain, his fingers still hooked through the links.
At that moment, the chain stopped moving, and something massive and wall-like blocked his body.
"Ah..."
A piercing, azure gaze that seemed to devour the darkness bore down on the Priest, as if about to crush him.
"Nameless Assassin," a vibrant voice echoed, showing no trace of strain.
"...What is it?"
"Are you a warrior?"
"Ah, I'm an assassin..."
"Then you shall undergo the warrior's trial."
Agron's cauldron-lid-sized hand clamped down on the Priest's wrist and forearm.
"Wait, hold on...!"
"I hope you'll understand if a little personal emotion creeps in."
Crackling, tearing sound...
"Ugh— Ughaaahhh!"
The priest's skin ripped away, blood soaking his robes.
Agron clicked his tongue and grabbed the priest's other arm.
"I didn't realize your flesh was so tender. I'll ease up a bit."
"Ugh... Ugh...! I-I'm not afraid of martyrdom."
"Martyrdom? Don't be ridiculous."
Agron frowned and shook his head.
"You won't die, even if you want to, until you've spat out everything you know."
For a moment, the priest's expression froze.
He wasn't afraid of death, but that didn't mean he couldn't feel pain.
"I have a potion the Elder made for me. I'll just repeat this ten times."
Agron tore the Priest's robe and shoved the cloth into his mouth.
"Some of them bite their tongues when the pain gets too intense."
"Mmph—! Mmmph!"
"Don't worry. I'll take my time getting the answers."
"Mmmph—!"
In that instant, Agron twisted his palms in opposite directions, viciously twisting the Priest's skin.
Blood gushed out as excruciating pain surged through the Priest from his toes to his head.
"Kuhhh—!"
"Endure, Assassin! A warrior can endure more!"
"Aaaah! A-a-i...!!"
"Yes, you can become a warrior!"
"Aiyao!! Hwaaa!"
Elena, who had Saiki and Temurin as her thralls, gathered information from them and headed to the Abandoned Church.
On the way, she encountered Jacob, who was carrying Baek Woon on his back as he ran. They decided to travel together.
When they arrived at the Abandoned Church, it was already a small battlefield.
"Master, are you alright?" Elena rushed to Agron first, noticing his blood-soaked hands.
"Hmm, Elena? I'm fine."
"That's a relief. But what's this crimson rag on the floor?" Elena asked, pointing to the dark red object sprawled across the ground.
"It's a person. They say he was the leader of the 'Six Fingers.'"
"Oh my, how pitiful. If he dared defy Master, he deserved this fate."
"Do you think you can heal them? Potions aren't working anymore."
"If it's your command, how could I refuse?"
Elena lowered her head slightly and snapped her fingers.
The blood pooling around them coalesced into a single mass and was drawn into the Priest's body as if being absorbed.
She mixed a small amount of her own magical energy into the blood.
Just as human blood nourished Vampir, Vampir magic nourished humans—and it was more than just nourishment.
"─Hah...!"
The Priest gasped for breath, his eyes snapping open as he sat up.
He blinked, looking around.
When he recognized familiar faces, his eyes flashed with anger.
"Saiki, Temurin?! What are you doing? The enemies are right in front of us!"
Saiki and Temurin blinked their crimson eyes, answering as if the question were absurd.
"Our Master is Lady Elena."
"If you call her an 'enemy' again, you'll regret it."
"W-what...? Have you been brainwashed?"
"It's not brainwashing. We've simply found our true Master."
"Exactly. We've been chasing after mere demons all this time."
The priest pressed his lips into a thin line, silenced by Saiki and Temurin's brazen attitude.
Low-Grade Vampirs shouldn't be able to create thralls. He couldn't fathom how this was possible.
"Master, how should we deal with him?"
"Extract information about Ananta. And find out who ordered the assassination of my parents. I keep fainting when I try to do it myself."
"Understood, Jacob!"
"Yes, Lady Elena!"
"You heard me? Take him and make him spill everything."
"Understood!"
Jacob, who had once worked as a torturer, found this task easy.
He bound the priest, who was barely clinging to life, and vanished into the darkness.
"Elder, are you hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine. Oh, by the way, the two 'Six Fingers' we fought are dead."
"That doesn't matter. How's Lawrence?"
"That pathetic whelp is unharmed."
"Good. Let's head back now."
Agron decided to postpone the investigation until tomorrow and return to the mansion to rest.
It wasn't so much physical exhaustion as the need to sort through the chaos in his mind.
The Ananta Veilain Branch had no members left besides the "Six Fingers."
It was said that the branch had once been quite active, but its fortunes had declined sharply due to difficulties summoning demons and a scarcity of sealed subspecies.
Then came the incident that sealed its fate: the "Herb Tiger" cave incident.
While attempting to summon an extremely rare "Sealed Vampir," a mysterious accident resulted in the deaths of all involved.
The problem was that the entire Summoning Division had been deployed for the operation.
Even if the entire Summoning Division had perished, it might have been acceptable had the Vampir been successfully summoned. However, when the Vampir vanished without a trace, the higher-ups were deeply displeased.
As a result, no further personnel were assigned to the Veilain Branch. The remaining "Six Fingers" were left to operate solely as an "Assassination Squad."
"Are Sealed Vampir common?" Agron asked.
"No, I don't think so," Jacob replied. "There used to be many Vampir living in seclusion. Lady Elena and I were forced out by fierce battles..."
"But we can't be sure," Elena countered, shaking her head. "I haven't searched for other Sealed Vampir since I was sealed."
"I see. And did you find out who assassinated my parents?"
"Yes, but they had no connection to Ananta."
Normally, assassins are bound to silence about their clients, even unto death. But that was before my suffering surpassed death itself.
As Jacob meticulously began his work, the Priest confessed everything he knew, reciting the information like a prayer.
"The assassination of Count and Countess Ragnar Veilain was commissioned by a criminal broker known as Ink Moon."
"A criminal broker...?"
Jacob dragged Josef, the bartender who had been waiting outside, into the room.
Shackled hand and foot, Josef shuffled inside and knelt.
"Explain criminal brokers," Jacob ordered.
Josef hesitated before opening his mouth. "Just as assassins don't meet clients directly but go through Dark Guilds like mine, some clients avoid dealing with Dark Guilds directly and contact brokers instead."
"Why go through such a complicated process?"
"Dark Guilds don't discriminate—they'll take commissions from anyone, noble or slave, as long as the money's good. But brokers, as far as I know, primarily deal with nobles and royalty."
"So, to put it simply, they only deal with verified individuals...?"
"Y-yes, that's right. In other words, from the nobles' perspective, the broker is also a verified individual."
Agron nodded.
Powerful figures like nobles and royalty couldn't afford to casually contact the Dark Guild. If their involvement in dirty deeds like assassinations were exposed, they could face trial, and even worse, their entire family could be punished and wiped out.
But by using a broker as an intermediary, the broker would handle all direct dealings with the Dark Guild, providing an extra layer of security.
"Is this 'Ink Moon' organization well-known?"
"They're quite famous in the underworld."
"Can we find them?"
"...It's impossible. They always initiate contact first, setting the time, place, and method of communication."
Agron crossed his arms and pondered for a moment.
"Count Agron, should I contact other Dark Guilds?" Jacob suggested.
"No, capturing the assassin is enough for now. I'd like to see the face of whoever hired him, but with these layers of security, I doubt we'll find them even if we try."
Agron's intervention had clearly disrupted the "client's" plans.
When the time was right, they would likely make contact first.
"Jacob."
"Yes, Count?"
"You and Josef will manage the Night Alley."
"Yes...?"
Both Jacob and Josef, still bound in chains, stared in disbelief.
"We'll maintain the Night Alley as it is. Eventually, Ink Moon, the broker, will contact us. When they do, we'll seize the opportunity to capture them."
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny