It was bright. As if it had turned to day.
Just moments ago, night had been descending.
“AAAHHH!!!”
“Oh, my god…”
A female vampire, who had been helping outside, screamed as a human prisoner, captured by the Beastmen, mumbled in a daze.
Seeing a few vampires hurriedly dashing indoors made me feel a bit relieved as I looked at Plona. Even though everything was illuminated, she didn’t seem too troubled, perhaps because the light’s properties were different from sunlight.
Martini and Jeil, who were outside, appeared the same way.
I had no idea what this sudden phenomenon was, but only after confirming it posed no immediate danger did I stop my intention to use the eclipse.
“Is it the work of the Luminous Kingdom’s Palace…?”
The voice escaping my throat felt strangely cold and rough.
I felt dizzy.
Watching the slow swirling light-like mist expanding its territory, devouring the night sky around a massive pillar of light that erupted through the clouds made all the hairs on my body stand on end.
I gripped my trembling right hand, pressing it against my chest.
BANG, BANG, BANG, my heart thundered as if ready to burst from my mouth with how fiercely it was pounding.
Perhaps my furious heart was trying to express its wishes—an unfamiliar and intense impulse bubbled up as if the blood in my body began to flow backward.
“Your Majesty, what’s going on?”
Martini approached swiftly, her face showing confusion.
I didn’t really know either.
All I could vaguely understand was that the blood coursing through my veins, my instincts engraved in this body, had an irrational aversion to that light.
But it was clear that whatever it was, I couldn’t leave it as it was.
I had to find out what was happening. There was no option to retreat if I didn’t intend to abandon the captured Randell.
Compared to the worst-case scenario I had envisioned, the damage to our forces wasn’t irreversible yet, but I couldn’t ignore the sacrifices of so many who died on my command just because I was uneasy.
“…Select personnel to move to Lusser.”
“Are we attacking immediately?”
“First, we need to ascertain what’s happening, so we’ll only have the minimum number of personnel. However, prepare to act immediately after understanding the situation, whether it’s an attack or a retreat.”
“I understand.”
Having entrusted the task to Martini, I looked back up at the sky.
The once-thriving pillar of light gradually thinned and disappeared, but the remnants of light, twinkling like dense fog, continued to swell in size.
*
The Luminous Kingdom is a city-state.
While it’s divided administratively into the capital Lusser, Randell to the west, and Belag to the south, the land itself isn’t that large, and the main palace in Lusser is structured to serve as a fortress in emergencies. However, there is no outer wall that separates the regions.
Regardless, Randell and Lusser were practically attached, allowing us to set up a reconnaissance team and arrive at Lusser in just a few hours.
It would be impossible to infiltrate the main palace with only a small elite group, but perhaps we could gather some clues about the cause of this unusual phenomenon by circling around the area.
…That was the thought that led to the formation of the reconnaissance team.
“Everyone, stay hidden.”
We could step on Lusser’s land with striking ease, absurdly without any resistance whatsoever.
And what we witnessed there was the sight of humans collapsed all over the streets.
It was an utterly incomprehensible spectacle.
“What’s the cause?”
“I can’t identify it. There are no external wounds, and it doesn’t seem like they were affected by mind-altering magic.”
After briefly examining the scattered humans nearby, Stella shook her head in response.
Once she fell silent, an eerie stillness enveloped us.
It felt as if the entire city were holding its breath.
Aside from particles emitting an unnatural light akin to a daylight scene that’s been cut and pasted in the night sky, the once-bustling Lusser, one of the most thriving cities on the continent, was eerily silent without even the common sounds of daily life.
“…Let’s head to the Luminous Kingdom’s Palace.”
Exercising the patience similar to holding back the urge to feed on blood, I suppressed my still-thundering heart and issued the command.
In truth, stepping into the glowing particles floating above Lusser was unsettling; however, my instincts urged me to move forward instead of fleeing.
It had also been determined that this particle didn’t seem immediately harmful to our bodies, and considering we had come this far for information, retreating because of the holy knights would be unthinkable with no hindrances to escape.
Of course, it was doubtful we could enter the palace, but we had to keep pushing forward to uncover the source of this extraordinary event as much as possible, at least until I felt no further progress could be made.
I moved cautiously, sensing the life forces around me in case of ambush.
Yet, only weak heartbeats echoed faintly here and there, remnants of warmth remained.
Contrary to the expectation of some form of interruption along the way, we encountered no moving humans at all until we approached close enough to visibly spot the Luminous Kingdom’s Palace.
“Is there a way to hide the form of a barrier magic?”
Nothing was felt near the palace.
There was no trace of the holy magic that could weaken vampires like being thrown into sunlight, nor could we feel immense barriers blocking physical access.
The palace was the final bastion of the Luminous Kingdom.
While Randell might be unguarded, it was impossible for the palace to be unprotected.
It should have been that way. It had to be.
But at least, I couldn’t sense any magical presence from the structure before me.
“Uh… it seems there are no active barriers.”
“From what I see, that’s correct.”
The two experts in our group, who were the most knowledgeable in this field, shook their heads in agreement.
If Stellar, who had seen the famed Mist Labyrinth of Albresia, and Lavina, who had broken through a barrier before, couldn’t detect any, then it’s safe to say it wasn’t simply concealed but genuinely wasn’t there.
What’s going on? How could this be?
Though it was hard to believe this result, trusting the experts’ opinions was more reasonable than my unfounded unease.
“Contact Martini and Jeil. Request immediate reinforcements, and we will proceed to the palace as is.”
“I’ll inform them right away.”
It would be most secure to wait for reinforcements and enter together if possible, but since the barrier might reactivate unexpectedly, it’s better to enter while we can.
Once Stella quickly completed the communication, we glanced around one more time before charging straight toward the front of the palace.
In an instant, we reached the front of the palace, leaping over the stairs, standing before the white door embellished with golden patterns.
Taking a deep breath as I swung the door open, I felt a shiver along my nape, an unsettling sensation as if space had warped.
“…There’s someone inside.”
As Plona, Eleonora, Lavina, and Stella followed me in, they grew tense at my words.
What on earth could be happening here?
Until we stepped into the interior of the palace, there weren’t any signs of life around.
However, here, unlike the sight of people who simply lay collapsed, confirming their existence but looking like corpses, I distinctly sensed the presence of two… two beings.
The clarity of their life signals was muddled, as if there was noise involved.
But this was certainly a signal of life, carrying the unique discomfort of holy magic.
I instinctively understood that this uncertainty was minimized by the presence itself, yet I could still feel the overwhelming source it emanated.
I unconsciously placed my right hand over my chest.
BANG, BANG, BANG, my heart began to race at an unprecedented speed.
I didn’t understand what was going on, but for some reason, the instinct inscribed in True Blood loathed that presence on the other side while simultaneously feeling fear.
My instinct to flee as if dictated against my will clashed violently with the urge to dive in and tear apart that unknown enemy.
But holding back was my specialty, right?
Like enduring pain, and resisting the urge to feed, I forced my instincts that were thrashing wildly within my veins into submission.
“Let’s go.”
As we crossed the long corridor, a door leading to the chapel appeared at the end.
Upon reaching this point, I knew without saying.
This was the place where the pillar of light I had seen in Randell originated.
The potent magical signature of holy magic, far more intense than anything experienced so far, throbbed with life, just beyond this door.
Slowly raising my hand, I rested it atop the door.
Creeeak—
Leaning my weight onto my outstretched hand, the chapel door swung open, and blinding light poured forth.
As Stella and Plona caught up from behind, I quickly extended my arms, casting a shadow to shield us.
With a crackle, the overflowing holy energy dispersed like fog.
Preparing for the next attack, I narrowed my eyes, staring beyond the entrance.
And I finally witnessed it.
“Have you arrived? You’re a bit late.”
On a glowing circle adorned with intricate patterns stood a figure.
A calm old man welcomed us with a shining sword in his right hand while raising his friendly left hand.
“…Pope Argo Servinus.”
Stella hissed, but my gaze was not on him.
An instant later, I heard someone behind us sharply intake breath.
The top figure of the Luminous Church.
Pope Argo Servinus. Clutched in his right hand, the tip of the glowing sword pierced through another human.
The man with the red hair, impaled through the heart, resembled the strongest knight from my memories.
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