Chapter 506
Chapter 506. The Highest Peak of the Continent
Ironically, instead of the broken Adamas, I had Barbara’s thrusting sword strapped to my waist and a small silver shield on my left arm, giving me the convincing appearance of a typical Vampire Hunter focused on mobility.
Leila was a light magic user, and Liliana and the others were forest elves assisting us.
We were to be guided to the village where the infamous vampire had been reported.
“Lord Vals! I shall go ahead and inform everyone of your safe return!”
“Thank you. Also, please let them know about the arrival of the Vampire Hunters.”
“Leave it to me!”
One of the knights rushed off as a messenger. Apparently, some of Valentius’s subordinates were left behind as defense forces in the village. Well, it’s only natural; if all the knights retreated just because their lord was taken down by a vampire, the villagers would be left in despair.
“However, Sir Alexa. Why on earth were you so late? I am not blaming you, but…”
After introducing myself, Valentius directly asked, and I couldn’t suppress the bitter feelings welling up inside me.
“…Actually, Demon Lord’s Prince Zilbagias appeared in the Hamilton Principality.”
“Ah, yes. I’ve heard about the clash between the Kaizaan Imperial Army and the Demon Lord’s Prince… I can’t believe it, but…”
“Yes… Originally, the main members of the Vampire Hunters were supposed to come here via Aulitos Lake, but upon hearing of the Demon Lord’s Prince’s attack on the way, they set out to confront him. …All of them were killed in battle.”
I did that…
“What?!”
Valentius gasped in shock. The other knights looked stunned as well, but soon they began to burn with rage.
“Damn that Demon Lord’s Prince!! I’ll never forgive him!!”
“Scaling the alliance territory without so much as a courtesy, that beast!”
“If he shows his face before me, I shall turn him into rust for my sword!!”
While they were all fired up,
‘If it were that easy to turn something into sword rust, we wouldn’t have to struggle so much, huh?’
Arthur mumbled, almost unintentionally. I’m really sorry… that I didn’t turn into rust for Excalibur…
‘Even the Kaizaan Imperial Army’s royal knights are in such a state. And these guys don’t seem superior to those royal knights. There are also fewer of them. Even if we gathered to fight together, I doubt we’d last even ten seconds.’
Hmm. At a glance, the armor is indeed of dwarf kingdom quality, no less than those of royal knights… However, they don’t seem to have as many protective charms, so without the support of heroes or priests, it would probably end up one-sided.
“What a disaster… The Vampire Hunters must be terribly regretful. Oh God, may their souls find peace after death…”
Valentius offered a prayer with a sorrowful expression.
‘It’s a rather strange feeling to be mourned for my death in front of me.’
‘It’s not peaceful at all, unfortunately.’
‘Even if I die, I won’t truly die; I’ll haunt you all~’
I sincerely, truly apologize…!
‘Oh ho~’
It’s not an “oh ho~” kind of situation!
†††
After a while of traveling down the highway, we finally arrived at the village in question.
Despite it still being daytime, it was eerily silent, and the faces of the villagers wandering outside were somber. Their fear was palpable.
“Lord Vals! Thank goodness you are safe…!”
“The Vampire Hunters have arrived! The Vampire Hunters are here!!”
“Hooray! We’re saved now!!”
“Hunter! Please save our village…!!”
As I stepped off the carriage, the villagers swarmed me. I could sense their trust in the Vampire Hunters. There was a burden separate from my responsibilities as a hero.
We heard the villagers’ accounts.
It began when an elderly couple vanished without a trace. One by one, residents went missing until one day, a desiccated corpse was found at the edge of the forest, determining it to be the work of a vampire.
Thanks to reports to the Holy Church, knightly support, and protective charms sent from the dwarves, they had somehow managed to endure, but one by one, casualties continued to rise, making it increasingly difficult to repel the ever-growing vampire threat — that was the situation.
“Ugh…”
Just listening to the families of the deceased was enough to tear at my heart. If only Bishop Lexar had rushed here promptly… this would not have happened…
‘…It’s frustrating, but it’s also true that we were held up by the Imperial Army.’
As if aware of my inner thoughts, Bishop Lexar spoke resentfully.
‘If we had smoothly made our way to the west bank of Aulitos Lake aboard the Third Alun and bypassed the Imperial territory to enter the Dwarf Confederation… how many days do you think it would have taken us to reach this village? Thinking about that… damn it.’
This was the first time I had heard Bishop Lexar openly curse.
“Currently, vampire-related incidents like this are on the rise within the country. We can’t move frontline forces, and that makes our response to the situation inadequate.”
Valentius, with a pained expression on his noble-like face, continued.
Afterward, we were led to a cave in a small hill near the village. This was where Valentius had encountered the vampire.
“This is an abandoned mine, now a dead end due to a collapse. It’s a perfect hiding spot for a vampire during the day, so we had to investigate, but out of nowhere, a vampire sprang out…”
Valentius made a grim face as he recalled being bitten.
As an aside, vampires curse and turn someone into a thrall by spilling their own blood. However, due to longstanding beliefs that being bitten by a vampire leads to thrall status, many still commonly express that being attacked in this way is synonymous with “being bitten by a vampire.”
It’s like how people say they “got bitten by a mosquito” instead of “being sucked by a mosquito.”
“What happened to the vampire that appeared?”
“In a split second, I cast light magic, and it vanished like smoke.”
“Hmm. It seems that while it is an abandoned mine, it’s not a complete dead end.”
Orderju whistled and created a whirlwind inside the tunnel.
“It seems there is a small hole too tiny for human or animal passage.”
“There’s a ‘back’ to it. If they can mists, they can slip through any gap…”
So, they’re using the depths of the abandoned mine as a base.
“What should we do … smoke them out?”
Valentius was at a loss. They get very irritated by smoke, but they won’t die from it.
The vampire lurking in the collapsed abandoned mine was hard to reach; we didn’t know how many there would be, or their exact location, making any normal extermination nearly impossible.
However.
We aren’t normal.
“I understand the situation. We will proceed to exterminate them now.”
When I stated this casually, Valentius and the knights looked surprised.
“Can we really do something about it?!”
“How will we do that…?”
“Sir Alexa, what do you plan to do?”
I felt a bit bad for the intense expectations they were directing towards me.
“…I will use a ‘secret technique.’ Unfortunately, I cannot tell you specifically what I will do, nor can I show you the process of extermination.”
When I shook my head, they seemed quite displeased.
“…We need to know the methodology going forward to learn from it, Sir Alexa.”
With a voice that seemed to be suppressing various emotions, Valentius quietly asserted.
“I understand your feelings, but I cannot. First, because it is a very special ‘secret technique,’ it is impossible for you to replicate. Secondly, spreading detailed methodologies can be dangerous.”
“What…?”
“You believe that exterminating vampires hidden beneath the earth is extremely difficult. And the vampires think the same.”
At this moment, they are off guard. Despite having suffered numerous losses, they continue lingering in the same ‘hunting ground,’ which is the best proof.
“To put it plainly, it is not favorable for you to even know that they are ‘exterminatable’ now. One of the troublesome aspects of vampires is the leakage of information due to thrall creation.”
When I pointed this out, Valentius’s face turned sour as if he were crunching on a bitter bug. Since he had just barely escaped thrall status himself, he likely felt the threat more acutely. If I spelled out the specific extermination method, and someone who learned of it became a thrall, our entire strategy could be exposed.
“I respect your noble intentions to protect your people. It’s understandable that you would be upset hearing something so selfish after my late arrival. However, I truly ask that you trust me.”
I looked directly into Valentius’s eyes and spoke.
“—Here, we have the continent’s highest-ranking Vampire Hunters.”
Valentius clenched his lips and gazed at each one of us.
…Did he just do a double take behind me? What’s up with that?
Curious, I turned around to see Liliana playing with her staff, tipping it as if playing a game of jenga.
“Um… Lady Lily, what are you…?”
At first glance, it looked like she was playing around with the staff…!
“I’m confirming the terrain and such.”
Liliana answered with a straight face. She wasn’t lying.
“Ah, I see. …Alright. I understand, I will trust you. The commanding authority rests with you, Sir Alexa.”
Exhaling softly, Valentius managed a calm expression.
“I will leave this matter to the experts. In the meantime, we shall keep the village safe.”
“Thank you.”
“…I’m counting on you.”
He offered a short yet weighty word over his shoulder.
“I will surely…”
As I replied with the same sentiment, Valentius nodded and led the knights, who seemed to have much more to say, away.
We were left alone in the abandoned mine.
“…Now then.”
As I exchanged glances with Orderju, he tapped his toes on the ground, causing the tunnel’s earth to rise up and create a makeshift screen for cover. Good help.
“Lily, where are they?”
“It seems they are directly below us.”
Liliana pointed to a specific spot with her staff.
“—Bishop Lexar.”
Suddenly, silver lightning crackled in the dimly lit tunnel.
From the void, a silver-glowing man appeared, his long coat swirling dramatically.
“Arthur.”
Without needing to call to him, he was already standing next to me.
He was the mysteriously handsome young man, the hero of Aulitos Lake. In his hand—was the Holy Sword of Magic.
And as if they couldn’t wait any longer,
The silver hunters began to materialize one after another, shimmering with magical energy.
They were the ones to herald the dawn’s arrival to the vampires!
“Now then, everyone. It’s finally time,”
Bishop Lexar said with a smile.
“We shall hunt.”
Death to the creatures of darkness.
Peace to the innocent people.
—This abhorrent night shall end here.
