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The shock faded, leaving the area in a silence so profound that it felt like a dead mouse had fallen from the heavens.

The flames that banished the darkness swallowed every sound in existence.

The cold texture felt at my fingertips reminded me of the magical tool I had hastily nudged, storing away the protective magic I had laid out.

“…….”

Noticing the firm barrier of magic dissipate, Francesca slowly lifted her head.

It was around the time Francesca began to survey her surroundings that Camila’s voice echoed.

“Is everyone okay?”

She stood there in the middle of the research facility, pristine and untouched, in stark contrast to the chaos that surrounded her.

“Yes. Camila, are you unharmed?”

“Yes!”

The facility, swept away by the storm, had long turned into ruins.

With every step, the charred remains crumbled underfoot as she approached Francesca, stepping gingerly over the debris she had created.

—

**Episode 17 – The Tree that Drinks Blood**

—

The magic that Camila had cast was long gone, yet the aftermath remained vividly etched within the facility.

The suffocating heat tickled our skin, while sparks of flame danced and scattered in every direction, following the currents of the air.

Though we were somewhat accustomed to the sight, lingering in the midst of a fire scene was hardly a pleasant undertaking. We decided to hastily exit the scene before things could worsen.

“Whoa!”

Bursting through the swirling embers, Camila set us down on the ground. In the fraction of a second, when flames engulfed her body, she showcased a feat of agility, covering dozens of meters in an instant.

Naturally, Francesca, who knew a thing or two about magic, recognized Camila’s incredible prowess.

Sitting on the ground, Francesca gazed at Camila with a hint of surprise etched across her face.

“…Is that teleportation?”

“Oh, you figured it out?”

Is it really strange to have recognized it?

Camila tilted her head, almost as if caught off guard, then murmured a remark.

“Teleportation magic is a proud legacy cherished by all magicians, regardless of their school. With records lost and the predecessors who could have continued its legacy vanished, I thought I’d never see it again…”

“The professor taught me.”

Francesca seemed to understand, nodding her head in acknowledgment.

If an ordinary magician were to claim they had learned practical magic from a renowned figure, most people wouldn’t believe it, scoffing at them as a fraud.

But Camila’s case was different. Especially considering the one who taught her was one of only two Archmages in existence.

If it were anyone else, they would likely clamp down on Camila and spill their thoughts about how astonishing the magic she learned was, and how significant it was to be taught by an Archmage. They might even have spewed jealous rants.

However, Francesca was another kind of person altogether.

“If only you’d learned something better…”

Her voice dripped with disappointment, hinting at the many treasures she could have extracted from the Duke; why settle for just that?

This caused Camila to let out an awkward chuckle.

“I wanted to, but time was short. Next time, I’ll learn something better.”

Francesca replied in a calm tone.

“Magic is often compared to a lonely, solitary journey one must walk alone, but without inspiration, it’s all too easy to lose your way. The Duke’s magic must have a lot to offer.”

It was an urging for her to receive more teachings and find more inspiration from the Duke, a piece of advice directed at a fellow traveler on a different but similar path.

Camila smiled gently at Francesca’s heartfelt advice, then suddenly donned a soft smile, offering a compliment.

“By the way, Francesca’s magic was incredible too! You managed to hold your opponent in a way I never imagined.”

“Ah, are you serious?”

Francesca raised her gloved hand dismissively, as if the matter was trivial.

“It’s nothing special. Just a common trick.”

Though her words seemed to downplay it, she couldn’t have been talking about an ordinary technique. Drawing magic from runes left behind by the founder of the Rainieri family, an Archmage, and manifesting it with threads was something I had never even heard of before.

Perhaps due to the relaxation that followed the tense situation, the two shared different stories for a moment.

“That vampire… It surely has perished, right?”

“Probably, yes.”

At Camila’s question, Francesca gazed at the devastated research facility and mumbled.

“Who could possibly emerge from there alive?”

While she hadn’t witnessed the vampire’s demise firsthand, anyone who had just seen that scene would likely utter the same words.

The power of the magic Camila had cast was staggering.

No matter how ancient a monster might be, the thought that it could withstand that assault was quickly erased from the mind.

Following Francesca’s gaze at the ashes of the research facility, Camila suddenly began to inquire.

“Still, wouldn’t it be prudent to double-check?”

“Fortunately, I don’t think that will be necessary.”

Francesca, who had placed down her rune sword, began pointing at my wrist. To be precise, she indicated the silver cross attached to my wrist.

“The holy relic isn’t reacting.”

The lack of response from the holy relic meant that there was no presence of negative or malevolent energy to detect.

During both the department store terrorist incident and the battle against the demon in the Northern Regions, Lucia’s cross always reacted first when trouble arose. This was a truth we had all experienced firsthand.

Thus, the absence of a response from the relic was almost synonymous with proof that the vampire had been extinguished.

Camila began to nod as if she understood her argument. Then, suddenly she tilted her head and posed a question to us.

“By the way, was that really a vampire? It seemed a bit different from what I know, or rather, a lot different.”

“That’s a tough question to answer. Vampires were believed to have been eradicated centuries ago. Even the cult firmly believes that, and there hasn’t been a scholar who thoroughly studied the supposedly extinct undead…”

With centuries having passed since their supposed extinction and not a scrap of remaining documentation, there was nothing one could confidently assert.

Just as she was about to say that—

-Whoosh…!

The ashes, barely holding their form, crumbled away.

Within the tempest of flames…

As the surviving iron frame was lifted, the burned ash powder began to swirl chaotically all around.

And the heavy sound of metal echoed.

“…What is that—”

Pow! Something charred surged up through the ashes. A familiar-looking gauntlet.

The instant I beheld the armor emerging from the debris, a sensation like a taut string pulling at my neck accompanied a warning ringing in my head.

– Thud!

Francesca snatched the rune blade and leaped up. As blue magic power danced in the air, vials freed from her grip splashed onto the concrete and rock walls.

With a magic circle drawn above the sloshing liquid, it began to thicken.

As the venomous solution gradually took shape, gears tossed into the air spun repeatedly, absorbing surrounding objects and morphing into a golem’s form.

– Whirrr~!

Came Camila, transformed into a flame, emerging from the ash mound.

Gathering every ounce of magic power she could muster, she swung her arm down, painting a trajectory of crimson flames in motion.

Behind her, a cube gifted by the duke floated, shimmering in strange hues as it resonated with its owner’s magic.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Just as the scarlet flames aimed to pummel the ashes—

– Boom ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶!!

Camila’s magic, rushing forth, seemed to be blocked by a barrier, scattering everywhere with a tremendous noise.

“Wha—!”

Surprised, she hurriedly attempted to prepare her next spell. But her opponent was a step ahead.

Armored in ash, a piece of heavy plate armor soared up from the rubble and hit Camila, who was hovering in mid-air.

“Ugh!”

She hastily took a defensive stance, but it was impossible to withstand the blow without the support of protective magic. Camila was flung backward as if thrown.

Francesca also unleashed a fierce volley, but it was of little use.

Unlike the panicked escape from threads of despair, the creature absorbed every single attack aimed at it.

It shattered the gooey alchemical solution with a punch and brushed aside the charging golem’s massive body with a single kick, effortlessly dodging Francesca’s blue slash.

“…Have you ever seen such a monster?”

“Francesca! Behind you!”

A sharp warning cut through the noise of battle. As she swiftly turned her head, a heavy suit of armor and a rough helmet appeared before her.

– Crunch!

The surging gauntlet grasped Francesca by the collar. The rune sword, filled with blue magic, dashed toward the joints of her armored form, but before the blade could touch, her body was flung far away.

– Crash!

Francesca’s form vanished into the ruins. She landed in a spot surrounded by protruding rebar and sharp shards—an empty, flat bottom.

The missed rune sword clinked eerily as it hit the debris.

As the knight who had tossed both Camila and Francesca slowly turned their head—

– Caw!

Sinister blades began to glimmer from the darkness.

Bombs flew like they intended to crush the armor, followed by steel-core bullets.

The knight, staring at the onslaught of explosives and blessed ammo, folded his arms neatly. And then, he focused intently on every attack hurtling toward him.

– Roar ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶!!!

The moment two gauntlets collided, it felt as if time had stopped, freezing all objects in mid-air.

The halted bullets fell like dust, powerless, while the stalled bombs detonated without a proper explosion, simply dissipating into dust.

I pulled out the flamethrower as I switched cartridges, ready to push him back. But the sacred flames were pushed away, unable to reach him.

It was like the flames themselves were rejecting contact with him, as if they possessed some will.

– Woooosh!!

He approached, pushing back the cascading flames. In desperation, I switched on my UV lantern and thrust it toward him.

The vampire’s weakness was sunlight. And the antibacterial and chemical effects of sunlight are achieved through ultraviolet light. That’s why artificial lights using UV rays are depicted as weaknesses against vampires and zombies in movies and dramas.

Whether it was a coincidental truth discovered by the collective imagination of the world or just the author’s fanciful delusion, it was a different issue; right now, I had no other choice. I activated the UV lantern and thrust it into his face—

“…Huh?”

Nothing happened.

The creature hesitated briefly upon encountering the purple light, but that was all.

Shielding his eyes from the blinding light, he merely alternated his gaze between the UV lantern and me, as if asking, “What on earth is this guy doing?”

“Sigh….”

It was foolish of me to believe in movies.

– Crack!

The moment I received a kick, it felt like being struck by a car, and I went flying.

“Guh!”

Holding my abdomen, I steadied myself on the ground, searching for a usable weapon. I tossed aside the stupid lantern and grabbed the gun that might do some good.

As if he read my intent, he stomped on the rifle, blocking my way. Just when I was about to draw my greatsword strapped to my waist—

The silent creature finally opened its mouth.

“…Who dares to attack me?”

It felt as though a voice echoed from my head.

“Who are you? A cult?”

No.

It wasn’t an illusion.

“Are you the Dawn Association?”

I used my hand that was supposed to grab the greatsword to shield my eyes.

“…What is this now?”

The knight in plate armor aimed a heavy greatsword at my throat.

A red radiance enveloped the knight’s shoulder.

 

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