"Those families didn't really mind sending their daughters to a stranger?" Austin found it difficult to believe.
"And on top of that, based on what you claimed, they were aware that this stranger wasn't even human but a vampire!"
"You're underestimating the desperation people felt back then," Alysia remarked, bringing her car to a halt in front of a massive automatic gate.
As they waited for the gate to open, she continued her explanation. "During those times, the world wasn't as kind and comfortable as it is now. People were constantly forced to move from one place to another, searching for fertile and safe lands to grow crops and feed themselves. When you arrived at a land with an empty stomach, plagued by hunger, and witnessed others who had settled early, joyous and well-fed, do you think they'd hesitate to send their daughters to the local overlord?"
"But isn't that a bit evil for families to just send off their own daughters like that?" Austin couldn't help but comment.
"Evil?" Alysia chuckled. "That's a rather simplistic perspective you've got there."
The gate finally opened, and Alysia pressed the gas pedal, moving the car forward.
As the car passed through the massive gate, Austin was immediately greeted by the sight of vast land packed with dense forest. The only road available was now occupied by their vehicle.
"Are you building your mansion in the middle of a jungle?" Austin asked, feeling shocked.
He had assumed the mansion would be located in a complex where the riches gather. It turned out he was completely mistaken.
"We're in the Southwest of Alves. Just twenty kilometers away from the city." Alysia explained.
"Oh, that's quite close. And this place does seem nice for retirement; the air and environment here look fresh," Austin remarked as he rolled the window down, sticking his head outside, inhaling the fresh air unpolluted by the filthiness of the city.
"Heh! You won't think like that if I were to tell you what once happened in this place," Alysia smirked.
"What? What happened to this place?" Austin asked, his head still outside.
"Do you see those wooden crosses outside?" Alysia asked.
"Yeah, they look freshly planted and sturdy. Is there a local church here?" It wasn't hard to spot these wooden crosses; they were at least three meters in height and placed about every fifty meters, forming distinct groups.
However, when he saw those crosses, he felt something inside of him stir, it felt like he was witnessing something repulsive and utterly disgusting!
"Is it normal for me to feel disgusted by those crosses? It's like I just saw a pile of shit and want to get rid of them immediately," Austin confessed.
"That's normal. After all, you're a demon now. Objects like crosses and other sacred items naturally become something that disgusts you," Alysia explained.
Austin nodded in understanding as Alysia spoke again.
"By the way, what if I were to tell you that those wooden crosses have been here for at least five hundred years?"
"Huh? Please don't lie to me. I'm not that stupid to not know that wood can't last that long. If I'm not mistaken, a hundred years should be the limit, and that happens only when they are made into furniture kept inside the house, providing a perfect environment for preservation. However, these wooden crosses, clearly out in the wilderness, exposed to harsh sunlight, rain, and even animals," Austin immediately fixed his gaze on the wooden crosses in curiosity, wondering what was so special about them. However, he immediately regretted his choice as it only disgusted him more, giving him a slight urge to puke.
"That's because they were blessed by Divine Power. That's why their durability is many times stronger than ordinary wood," Alysia told him.
"So, that's the secret."
"Then, how about I share another piece of information: those wooden crosses were all used for executions?"
"E-executions?"
"Not only were those people executed by hanging, but they were also burned alive! Moreover, they likely weren't burned by normal flames, but holy flames with significantly higher temperatures, yet controllable. This means if the executioner was willing, they could choose to burn their victim slowly, but at a much higher temperature!"
!!!
Austin was stunned.
There are at least thousands of crosses here, and you're telling me these crosses were used to hang people and burn them. Doesn't this mean the area around here was basically just a massive cemetery?!
Chills ran down his spine.
He instinctively ducked his head inside the car and promptly closed the window, no longer in the mood to breathe the air outside. It felt as if what he inhaled was the lingering remains of those burned, and it sickened him!
"Holy flames? So, the executioners were members of a Church? But why? Aren't they supposed to be kind and teach peace to mankind? Wait, were the ones hanging there considered some kind of heretics or witches themselves?" Austin asked in shock.
He was, of course, aware that there was once a period where witches and heretics were persecuted and hunted. It was said that most of the victims were actually innocent women who happened to possess high intelligence.
Now that he knows supernatural stuff does exist, does that mean witches actually existed and were servants of demons as people claimed back then?
"Didn't I tell you earlier that you were pretty naive to think the family was evil just because they offered their daughter off to the Vampire Duke? This is what you need to understand. Evil is a very subjective thing and can't be judged by one perspective alone," Alysia said with seriousness.
"However, it seems the Church Of The Truth can't grasp this simple fact and immediately labels those who hold a different opinion as heretics. As a result, all the people residing in this area were massacred, whether they were children, women, or men, none of their lives were spared."
"All of them?!"
"All of them. Why do you think the Church is so adamant about massacring these people?" Alysia asked.
"Because they lived in the land ruled by the Vampire Duke?" Austin guessed.
"Correct, but that wouldn't be enough reason for the Church to massacre everyone. In theory, they just need to set up an example, like choosing a few random people and executing them on the spot. The people who survive will naturally learn the message the Church is trying to convey. However, in the end, the Church ended up exterminating everyone. It was likely the most extreme measure an organization could possibly think of. So, what do you think led them to take such an extreme course of action?
Without waiting for Austin's reply, Alysia continued on her own. "The answer is the people stood by the Vampire Duke until the bitter end. Despite facing death threats, they stood firm. In the end, the Church was left with no choice but to exterminate everyone under the assumption they were all already under the Vampire Duke's control and could now be considered heretics.."
"However, what they didn't know was that the people at that time weren't under any control; they chose to stay voluntarily."
"Did you learn this information from the records left in the castle?" Austin inquired, recalling Alysia's mention of finding some records.
"Yes. The surprising thing is, the records I discovered were not written by the Duke or his close attendants, but just a lowly maid, one of the maidens offered to the Vampire Duke as a tribute. Did you know that around five hundred years ago, only a few people were able to write and read? And those few people were usually high-ranked nobles. For a maid at that time to be able to write can be regarded as a rare case. This also means that the maid was living in good conditions to be able to study."
"The reason she wrote these records was to practice her writing. As I studied the records more, I learned that the Vampire Duke didn't mistreat anyone and had actually treated all those maidens sent to him with respect. In order to collect their blood, he didn't even bite them and just provided them with tools that could be used to extract their blood."
"I thought vampires had to bite off their target's neck to be able to feed on their blood? Without doing so, the blood wouldn't be satisfying, and their hunger would go unfulfilled," Austin remarked.
"Actually, no. I believe biting the neck is more of a habit. It's similar to a lion instinctively pouncing at the neck of its prey. I think it's just a natural behavior for a hunter. I'm not a vampire myself, so I can't say for certain," Alysia explained with a shrug.
"It makes sense," Austin nodded in agreement before asking again. "What happened to the maid then? Was she executed too?"
"I believe so. The record ends at the part where the Church comes to their land. From her records, I also learned that she wasn't actually forced by her family to be a tribute; instead, she volunteered herself because she couldn't bear to see her younger brother starving. This is just one of many cases, though; there could be families that forced their daughters to the Vampire Duke. But now that you know the truth, you can be reassured that they were treated well by him."
"So, from the story, we can conclude that the people living here were basically leading happy lives. Families no longer needed to worry about going to sleep with empty stomachs. The maidens sent to the Vampire Duke became maids in the castle, receiving basic education and never being mistreated."
"So, what are your thoughts after knowing the truth? Do you still believe those families were evil for sending their daughters to the Vampire Duke? If they hadn't sent their daughters, do you think they could survive in the wilderness by themselves?"