Chapter 199: The Vampire Family (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 199: The Vampire Family (1)
“The day you hear the voice of God will never come.”
The voice of God.
Hearing a divine oracle was Elize's long-held wish, her very purpose in life.
And Antonius had just denied it completely.
Elize’s brow furrowed at his declaration.
“And on what grounds do you say that?”
“I should be asking you the same. Where did you hear such a thing, to make you believe the voice of God even exists?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it…?”
God wasn't some abstract entity. Divine power, distinct from mana, was a tangible force derived from God's own strength. There were even celestials, said to be the descendants of angels.
In moments of crisis, when a believer prayed with all their heart, miracles would sometimes, albeit rarely, occur in response.
God clearly existed.
He had to be watching from the heavens, from a place even higher. It was only natural for Elize to expect an oracle. God couldn't possibly be a mute, could he?
“There was a time when I, too, held such hope. I firmly believed that if I prayed to our Lord, I could overcome my circumstances. I never doubted that salvation would come.”
“……”
“But it never did. No matter how much I begged and prayed, salvation never came. Only after it was all over did I realize the truth: salvation does not come to those who simply wait.”
Antonius’s tone was bitter, his eyes steeped in deep regret.
A faint fear stirred within Elize—the fear that she, too, might end up like this old man, denied salvation.
Looking at him felt like sinking into a mire.
Elize shook her head, casting the anxiety aside.
“I am different from you. I am qualified.”
She was a saint who embodied balance. A corrector who would usher in a new order. Even among the faithful, she was on a different level from the common masses.
“Wait idly? No. Unlike some, I won’t even have to pray. He will come to me first.”
Because I will make it so.
“So if you have anything you want to say to him, you’d best think of it now. I’ll pass the message along for you.”
Elize turned and left for the cathedral.
Watching her go, Antonius clutched his Rosaria and prayed silently.
May that poor child not fall to despair at the end of her story.
May she find salvation.
Please.
*
“Elize, have you ever met another vampire? Not one you created, but one who was born a vampire.”
Karami asked. The downside to liberating Elize was figuring out which version of her story this was. The upside was that once he knew, the rest would be easy.
This was the Hansel and Gretel version of Elize. He had to eliminate the witch and the witch’s house. To do that, he needed to gather information on everyone involved in the experiment.
After that, all he had to do was pick the right options to get the true ending. That was why it was easy.
Because I already know the answers.
He didn’t have to go through the trouble of sneaking around and digging up classified information. He already knew which choices to make. He just had to find the right people and beat the answers out of them.
Of course, he couldn’t just blurt out the information; that would raise suspicion. He had to be careful.
“No, I haven’t. Why do you ask?”
“If you were turned into a vampire by a blood injection, then doesn’t that mean the vampire who provided the blood must exist somewhere?”
Elize nodded. It was a valid point, a logical conclusion.
They wouldn’t have just grabbed any random vampire off the street and drained its blood. They couldn’t use inferior blood for the creation of a saint.
Her own experiment had been over a decade ago, and the project had been running long before that. There had to be a vampire who provided blood on a regular basis.
Understanding the implication, Elize let out a dry laugh.
“I’m not even surprised anymore. Clergymen, joining hands with a vampire.”
They could talk all they wanted about their great cause, but in the end, they were people who deserved no salvation.
“You should ask them about it, subtly. They might be hiding more than you think. Perhaps they know something about this vampire.”
The next day, Elize went to Marcenus and asked him point-blank.
Marcenus studied her for a moment.
“Why do you ask?”
“For personal revenge, and for the greater good. Once we eliminate the vampire, we can frame it as the culprit behind this whole affair. Wouldn’t the ignorant masses just love that?”
A little plausible spin on the truth could be doubly persuasive.
Besides, Elize held all the cards. She was creating a situation where Marcenus had no choice but to answer.
“Why aren’t you answering? Surely you’re not siding with a vampire over me, your Saint?”
“Of course not. I would give you the information if I could, but unfortunately, I was not the one leading the experiment. I’m afraid I don’t know the finer details.”
“If you don’t know, then who does?”
“Why not pay a visit to Roman? I’m sure he knows about the vampire.”
“Hmph. Fine.”
Elize immediately went to find Roman.
“Ah, the vampire! Yes, I certainly have information on him. Do you require it?”
“Yes.”
“Indeed! Since you inherited that vampire’s blood, one could interpret it as a sort of family reunion, couldn’t they? Going to see your parent—!”
Roman’s babbling mouth snapped shut. Elize was glaring at him with a look so cold it promised to send his head flying if he uttered another word.
To shut Roman up like that… The killing intent was immense.
“The information.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!” Roman hastily scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to her.
“Um… Saint? I understand your feelings completely, but he is a very valuable client to us, you see. It would be… inconvenient if you were to, say, kill him~”
“If you lose your Saint, you won’t need a client, will you…?”
“Ah! Well, we can always find a new vampire! Have a safe trip!”
Elize spread her wings and fluttered up into the sky. She checked the paper Roman had given her.
Vampires typically resided in the demon realm, where sunlight never reached. The moment they were exposed to the sun, whether a lesser vampire or a vampire lord, they were sent straight to the afterlife.
But the paper from Roman listed not the demon realm, but a city on the continent.
He’s got some nerve. He’d turn to ash if he were discovered.
Then again, a sane vampire wouldn’t have given his blood to the Holy Kingdom in the first place.
Let’s see what this bastard looks like.
Elize flew straight toward her destination. Traveling by air, she arrived in no time.
The city of Morva.
It was a small city, similar in size to the one where Elize had spent her childhood. Ordinary people, neither believers nor vampires, walked its streets.
When she was young and naive, she had desperately wanted to go to the Holy Kingdom. How foolish she’d been. It wasn’t a paradise for the faithful, full of dreams and hope, but a den of madmen.
Letting out a self-deprecating laugh, Elize descended. She landed in front of a mansion on a mountain overlooking the city.
Demian Velcador, the Count of the Night.
This was his mansion.
The House of Count Velcador had supposedly occupied this estate for a hundred years, passed down from ancestor to ancestor. The count never emerged from the mansion during the day and was only rarely seen at night, a trait that had earned him the moniker “Count of the Night.”
Anyone could see he was a vampire.
What ancestors? It was probably just him the whole time, hiding his identity and steadily amassing wealth. It was a miracle he’d survived this long without being discovered.
Perhaps he’d been guaranteed safety in exchange for providing blood to the Holy Kingdom.
Well, the details didn’t matter to Elize. However he had lived, all she had to do was get her revenge.
Knock, knock.
Elize rapped the knocker on the mansion door.
A moment later, the door opened, and a maid appeared.
“Welcome. Father is waiting for you.”
Her tone suggested she knew Elize would come. She must have sensed the blood circulating within Elize’s body.
Elize scanned the maid from head to toe. She stood at the very edge of the entryway, just beyond the reach of the evening glow.
A vampire.
Elize recognized her identity at once. The blood flowing through the maid’s veins was the same as her own, meaning she, too, had been turned by Count Velcador.
But she called him ‘Father,’ didn’t she? Could she be his actual daughter? It was puzzling.
Without lowering her guard, Elize stepped into the mansion.
The vampire’s mansion, her first, was… something else.
Monstrous stone statues that looked ready to pounce, a red carpet, and a crimson chandelier reminiscent of blood. The decor practically screamed, “I’m a vampire.”
“What are you to Father?” the maid leading the way suddenly asked. “Are you his daughter, too?”
“Who are you calling his daughter?”
“You are not?”
“Of course not.”
“Phew.” The maid let out a sudden sigh of relief.
“Why did you just sigh?”
“I was worried that a half-breed like you might share the same father as I. I’m relieved that is not the case.”
“A half-breed… you say?”
“Is it not true? You are neither human nor vampire, an outcast who belongs nowhere in this world. No one will ever welcome you.”
“Ha!” A vein throbbed on Elize’s forehead.
Of all the nerve! Now even a lesser vampire dares to look down on me?
“You must be acting this way because you have the Count to back you up. But even your master is nothing to me—”
“We have arrived.” The maid cut her off, stopping before a massive iron door. Elize shot her a venomous glare, but the maid’s expression remained impassive.
Such an insolent servant.
Just you wait.
I’ll make you cry your eyes out.
“Hmph.” Elize snorted.
Knock, knock.
“Father, the guest has arrived.”
“Send her in.”
Creeeak.
The maid pushed open the heavy iron door, and Elize stepped inside.
The room the maid led her to was some kind of laboratory.
Naked women were bound in various restraints, and tools of unknown purpose were scattered everywhere.
Bloodstains splattered the area, evidence of some act that was either an experiment or torture. At the center of it all stood a man in a tailored suit.
Pale skin. An albino. The master of the mansion, and the source of the blood flowing through Elize’s veins.
“So, you’re Demian Velcador.”
Demian, who had been watching her silently, approached.
Two pairs of crimson eyes met.
With her divine power, she could purify a vampire in an instant. Elize was weighing whether to observe his attitude or launch a preemptive strike when he spoke.
“Welcome, my daughter. Welcome home.”
Demian smiled brightly, spreading his arms wide in greeting.