As the sun set, the other members of the group returned to the inn.
After gathering everyone, Tarman spoke.
"Alright, let's exchange information."
Cald was the first to speak.
"It's about the Count Brelant."
The Count Brelant was a middle-aged man turning 46 this year. His wife had passed away early while giving birth to their son, leaving him with only one family member.
The Count, who deeply loved his wife, did not remarry and lived devotedly taking care of his only son. However, the son was born so frail that it was said he would not live past twenty.
"Even the divine power of the Seven Goddesses Churches cannot cure this incurable disease."
While the holy healing spells of the Seven Goddesses Churches are indeed remarkable, they also have clear limits.
The regeneration of limbs, resurrection of the dead, and congenital incurable diseases are all beyond the healing powers of the holy spells. These are the natural laws of the world set by the Goddess.
"It would be more accurate to say that he's still alive thanks to the Seven Goddesses Churches."
Tarman nodded in agreement.
"This is the kind of situation necromancers can easily exploit."
The more people fear death, the easier they are deceived by necromancers.
What is impossible with holy spells can be achieved with necromancy. By sacrificing others in a wicked manner, even the Goddess's providence can be defied.
Of course, there is a heavy price to pay for it.
Inquisitor Alice also shared the information she had gathered.
"Recently, the security of the territory has greatly improved."
This was because the Count Brelant had taken decisive action to capture and expel bandits, thieves, and vagrants from the territory.
"On the surface, he appears to be an excellent lord, but..."
At Alice's words, Cald shook his head.
"It's suspicious."
"Exactly. We didn't hear such stories on our way here."
They had visited several villages on their way from the capital to this place, but they hadn't heard any such rumors.
At first glance, it might seem plausible, but it's actually hard to understand.
"What are the chances that criminals, who were expelled even from their own homes, would quietly settle in other villages?"
It's also strange that Tarman and his group never crossed paths with these exiled individuals by chance.
So where did these expelled people go?
"Large-scale disappearances like this often occur when necromancers are involved."
"It seems clear that the Count is hiding something shady."
Muttering to himself, Tarman gave a cold smile.
"I personally visited the Count's castle."
Of course, he didn't mention anything about the cult. He didn't learn much from the meeting with the Count Brelant.
The important thing was that he had entered the castle.
"While touring the Count's castle, I found something interesting."
There were unusually thick curtains hanging over several windows.
"It's as if they were trying to block out the sunlight by any means necessary."
Cald and Alice's eyes lit up.
"That sounds..."
"It feels oddly familiar."
Both of them seemed to have an idea of what it could mean.
Tarman waved his hand.
"Let's not jump to conclusions. We don't want to fall into the trap of prejudice."
The investigation wasn't over yet.
Until they had solid evidence, they had to keep all possibilities open.
"Until then, we must reserve judgment. Caution is also a duty of the King's Order."
***
As they were in a learning position, Karnak, Baros, and Serati remained silent and just listened.
But they already knew the answer.
[What lives in this village, young master?]
[Vampire.]
For Karnak, searching or asking around was pointless.
Serati sent a curious magical message.
[How can you even know something like that?]
She understood that Karnak had reached the pinnacle of necromancy. He could easily detect even the slightest traces of darkness.
But even so, it was hard to comprehend.
[I can sense dark energy to some extent too, you know? I even focused intensely and scanned the entire village. But I couldn't detect anything.]
Even Inquisitor Alice, an expert in necromantic detection, couldn't find anything.
[Are we really that dull?]
[It's not just that.]
No matter how skilled Karnak was, being human meant he could sometimes miss extremely faint traces.
[It's not that I sensed the vampire's aura itself. They hid it very thoroughly.]
The necromancy used to erase all traces was perfectly executed. Even if Alius himself came, he wouldn't have found any clues.
What Karnak detected wasn't the vampire's presence but the methods they used to conceal it.
[The entire territory is covered with spells designed to block vampire detection. How could I not notice?]
Whenever necromancy is involved, it's impossible to deceive Karnak's eyes.
If the traces are left alone, he'll notice them immediately.
If they're erased, he'll detect it through the method used to erase them.
[But what if they cast another spell to prevent even the detection of the blocking spell?]
[Isn't that still necromancy?]
[Ah, I see... it's pointless then.]
Serati subtly asked another question.
[So what do we do now?]
[What do you mean, what do we do?]
[Shouldn't we inform them of this?]
[Why bother? They probably already suspect the target is a vampire.]
Knowing the answer isn't enough.
The process of proving why that answer is correct, and what evidence supports it, is equally important.
If you've discovered the answer through unconventional means, you need to be able to explain how you arrived at it to avoid suspicion.
[Let's just quietly watch and learn from the sidelines. That way, we can use it ourselves in the future.]
***
At the same time, in the ancient castle of the Count Brelant.
In a dining room shrouded in darkness, a young boy in his mid-teens was sipping from a glass.
The Count looked at the boy and asked,
"Are you full?"
"Yes, Father."
The boy smiled as he set down the glass.
The Count looked at the blood in the glass and asked again,
"...Do you resent me?"
"Why would I resent you?"
The boy was genuinely smiling.
"For the first time in my life, I've realized how comfortable life can be."
The relentless headaches that plagued him all day, the lethargy in his limbs, they were all gone.
He no longer woke in the dead of night, screaming in agony from unbearable pain.
The boy looked at himself with newfound wonder.
"Other people… they've all been living without this pain."
The Count cautiously continued his questioning.
"Are you satisfied with living as a vampire?"
His son had now become a monster, craving the blood of others and condemned to live forever in darkness.
Is he truly satisfied with that fate?
It seemed so.
"After all, humans also need to kill something in order to sustain their lives. In that sense, Father, you seem rather merciful."
He couldn't drink the blood of beasts. He couldn't drink the blood of monsters either.
He was a creature cursed by fate, doomed to only consume the blood of his own kind.
However, his son had not yet killed anyone.
The people providing him with blood were devotees prepared by the cult of the Dark God. They offered a certain amount of their blood in exchange for a generous payment.
There was nothing morally reprehensible about it.
And as for not being able to see sunlight…
"I couldn't see it before anyway."
His son had been so weak that he would quickly get dizzy under the sunlight. Now, he was much more satisfied with being able to move around freely even after the sun had set.
"My eating habits have changed a little, and there are more things I need to be cautious about. But all things considered, it's better than dying."
Only then did the Count smile as well.
"That's a relief."
At first, he had planned to save his son and then turn himself in immediately.
But now, he no longer had that intention. Things weren't as bad as he had expected.
Of course, his son's life would not be easy in the future.
Vampires are hideous monsters, and once the world discovers his son's true nature, they will do whatever it takes to hunt him down.
They wouldn't even consider it killing. Vampires are undead, merely corpses that move around.
For a moment, the Count was filled with anger.
'My son, a corpse? When he's walking around, talking, and laughing so normally?'
His son hadn't changed.
He was still the polite, noble heir who had inherited everything from him. His personality and wisdom were completely intact.
Now he understood.
The teachings of the Seven Goddesses Churches weren't wrong. Their teachings followed the natural order of the world.
Until now.
But the world had changed.
Everything in this world is impermanent before time; everything constantly changes, and even the teachings of the Goddesses are no exception.
The cult of the Dark God is not a heresy.
It is simply the new truth for a new era.
The Count whispered to his beloved son.
"Just be patient a little longer. You won't have to live in that body forever."
When Tesranak descends, his son will be able to live a normal life as well.
A paradise will open where both the dead and the living can coexist in harmony, freely choosing their life and death.
The Count Brelant had made up his mind.
He would dedicate the rest of his life to ensuring his son could live with pride. He would create a world where his son could live freely.
"The fading light of the Goddesses will dim, and the world will be enveloped in darkness..."
He recited the teachings of the Dark God as if in a trance.
"When the darkness is at its deepest, dawn will break, and a new world will come..."
***
The next day, Tarman and his group continued their information-gathering efforts.
They roamed around, showing wanted posters and pretending to search for fugitives while trying to understand the strange happenings in the village.
Following Alice around, Serati asked cautiously,
"...It's a vampire, right?"
"I didn't mention it on purpose, but…"
Alice gave a bitter smile.
"When it's this obvious, I suppose it doesn't matter."
Zombies and ghouls are just moving corpses, so they don't need to maintain a daily life. Evil spirits and wraiths wouldn't be dealt with by simply hanging some curtains. As for necromancers who extend their lives through life-drain spells, they may weaken in sunlight, but it doesn't kill them.
Liches or Death Knights? Creatures that powerful wouldn't be harmed by a bit of sunlight.
"If an undead creature is thickly curtaining their home, they're most likely a vampire."
Nodding, Serati asked again,
"So, are we going to keep looking for evidence like this?"
"Yes. It's a tedious task."
However, it could end surprisingly quickly.
"Sometimes luck is on your side. Though calling it bad luck would be more accurate."
When continuing such investigations, there are usually two types of reactions from cultists.
The first is to avoid stirring up trouble and simply ignore them.
Bounty hunters wandering around looking for fugitives is common enough.
Some cautious cultists prefer to hide and wait it out, fearing that revealing themselves might lead to their capture.
The second reaction is to eliminate the threat before it escalates.
Interestingly, some hot-tempered cultists do this quite often.
"The chances are about fifty-fifty."
That's why they planned to wander around after sunset starting tomorrow.
"With some luck, they might even attack us first."
"Indeed, that sounds like bad luck—danger and opportunity coming hand in hand."
As the two women were talking and walking down the street, a young man approached them from a distance. He was a member of the vigilante group under the Count's command.
"Are you Miss Mellah, the bounty hunter?"
For reference, Mellah was the alias Alice was using.
"What's this about?"
The young man handed them a piece of paper.
"We've found the fugitive. They asked me to inform you."
"Pardon?"
The young man left without further explanation, seemingly just following orders.
Serati and Alice looked at each other.
"How did they find a fugitive that doesn't even exist?"
"Indeed. This is the first time I've encountered something like this."
[T/L: Please support me: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]