“Ahah, ahahaha!”
Suddenly, Aria erupted into laughter like a mad person, causing Ludrik to frown.
‘…What is this?’
Surely, she couldn’t be mocking his foolishness for trying to threaten him with something as trivial as a slave.
He already knew that she held affection for the dragonkin slave beyond mere master-servant relations.
Just like how he had used beastmen to lure Eleonora today, Ludrik had already secured testimonies from beastmen in advance.
‘If she thought it was okay to abandon that slave, she wouldn’t have taken such pains to look after her.’
Ludrik clearly remembered the testimonies from the beastmen who worked with Eleonora. He had struck a deal with the leader of the Beastman Resistance Army just to ensure that the slave got proper meals. He had agreed to provide the labor of the dragonkin slave in return, but he had been careful not to push too far, warning them after visiting several times.
Furthermore, various other statements he had gathered indicated that this arrogant girl indeed favored the dragonkin slave quite a bit.
That’s why Ludrik executed today’s operation in this manner, knowing that that brazen girl would never willingly give up her slave.
‘Has she lost her mind?’
Her beloved slave was about to die, and yet she left an emotional comment, clutching her belly and sniffling with tears in her eyes.
Although he was the one in control, her audacity was unsettling enough that some of his subordinates appeared frightened.
As Ludrik, feeling irritable, was about to speak up to assert who was in charge, Aria abruptly stopped laughing and became serious.
“Let her go.”
“…Do you not understand your position? That girl is a hostage. If you offer your neck first, I’ll promise to return her safely.”
Ludrik retorted roughly, feeling momentarily pressured.
Of course, he had no intention of keeping that promise even if she did comply. The losses he had suffered due to her were far too significant. It would be insufficient to tear that arrogant girl to shreds and drain the blood of the slave.
However, it seemed Aria didn’t believe Ludrik at all. She repeated the same words mechanically, showing no change in expression.
“Let her go.”
“Kneel and bury your head in the ground.”
“Let her go.”
“…Crazy girl. Let’s see if you’ll keep repeating those words like a parrot.”
Ludrik signaled to his subordinates.
It would have ended easily if she had simply surrendered without a fuss, but in truth, he hadn’t truly expected that to happen.
If that had been the case, he wouldn’t have needed to gather all his subordinates either. From the beginning, Ludrik intended to fight. The hostage was merely a means to gain an advantageous situation.
“Strike.”
The vampire, who had been stepping on the unconscious Eleonora, slowly drew his sword in a showy manner.
Despite having tough skin, there was no need to use a weapon to take the life of a fainted dragonkin.
The reason Ludrik’s subordinate unsheathed his sword in this situation was a clear message.
‘Let’s see if you can withstand this.’
The sword twisted toward the sky before coming down toward Eleonora’s neck.
-Boom!!!
In that instant, Aria kicked off the ground and raced toward Eleonora. The explosive momentum kicked up debris from the ground, and she closed the distance in an instant.
Simultaneously, the vampires began to move as well.
First, Ludrik pulled out something he had hidden behind his back to block Aria. He swung an object toward Aria, who was ignoring him and leaping toward Eleonora.
Yet Aria never shifted her gaze away.
If she had hesitated for even a moment, Eleonora’s life would have been forfeit. But she completely disregarded defense, successfully snatching Eleonora just before her neck fell.
-Fwoosh!
“You foolish girl. If I knew it would be this easy, I wouldn’t have bothered bringing all my subordinates. This is utterly draining.”
“…Master, you. What’s happening…? ”
Eleonora groaned out weakly, her eyes fluttering open again from the noise and impact.
Ludrik’s sneers.
Eleonora’s despair.
Amidst the waves of conflicting emotions, Aria, the source of it all, remained silent.
Suddenly, a bright red streak of blood rapidly spread from Aria’s chest, swallowing the torn hem of her clothes.
The spear that had pierced her back and lodged itself in her heart.
The sword that had sunk deep into her left shoulder, originally aimed at Eleonora’s neck.
And the numerous weapons thrust in by the late-arriving subordinate vampires.
The commonality among the countless weapons piercing Aria’s body was that they were made of silver.
Originally deadly weapons used by humans to kill vampires pierced through Aria’s entire body, including her heart, the source of life.
Aria succeeded in saving Eleonora before her neck fell. However, by prioritizing Eleonora’s protection, she couldn’t spare her own body.
“It’s okay.”
I whispered to Eleonora, who was gazing up at me with a terrified expression while cradled in my arms.
Despite my calm tone, blood flowed from my mouth.
Damn it. Here I am, trying to show off but getting interrupted by her.
My heart hurts.
In truth, silver weapons have some special effects on beings other than the progenitor of vampires.
Ludrik wouldn’t have prepared such a thing if he knew I was the progenitor; silver wasn’t a particularly threatening weapon against me. The issue was with the wound locations.
An unpleasant and chilling foreign object was felt in my feebly beating heart.
I had hoped to avoid my heart, but while I managed to take on the others, I could clearly feel the spear Ludrik stabbed penetrating the edge of my heart.
No matter the material of the weapon, damage to the heart was fatal.
Even a vampire as strong as I could die in an instant if the heart were injured. And I, for one, was no exception.
I slightly twisted my body to avoid a direct hit, but the wound was certainly not light. No, it would be bizarre to think it was light when my heart was punctured.
I turned one arm backward and felt my back. My arm moved slower than I expected. It’s been a while since I’ve felt my body not obeying me like this.
Was it because they think they’ve already won, or is it from being overly cautious?
I wasn’t sure why, but Ludrik and his subordinates showed no reaction to my slow movements.
Perhaps they wanted me to feel the slow despair of dying.
“I-I’m sorry. For this…”
Tears dropped from Eleonora’s eyes like chicken droppings as she struggled to continue speaking with a broken voice.
The face of the young dragonkin girl was full of regret. She hadn’t done anything wrong specifically. Why did she look like she had sold her country?
But it was because of you that I saved her.
Yeah, she was worth saving. But that doesn’t mean I plan to die.
One by one, my fingers brushed against various weapons as I searched. Each time I touched a weapon, the pain signaled where it was embedded in my body.
Not this one. Not that one.
While mechanically feeling around, my fingers brushed against a cylindrical, long object.
When I lightly touched it with my fingers, a ripping pain rushed down my heart like a bolt. What I had touched was the shaft of the spear.
Ah, it hurts. I feel a bit dizzy.
But I found it. This is it.
“It’s okay.”
I assured Eleonora once more as I gripped the spear shaft and pulled it out.
“Huuh.”
A flood of pain surged through me all at once. And like a fountain, torrents of blood gushed forth.
Once the foreign object blocking my path was removed, my punctured heart began to spray blood violently through the hole in my back.
“Just wait a little.”
I laid Eleonora down on the ground and braced myself on my knees.
My legs trembled. The many weapons still embedded in my body impeded my muscles’ contractions.
But enduring pain was something I was all too familiar with, so slowly regaining my balance, I managed to rise with my own strength.
When I turned my head, Ludrik’s gaze met mine. For some reason, he flinched and took a step back.
Coward. You’re the one getting scared in front of a dying girl.
In truth, I wasn’t anywhere near death yet, but the fact that if we fought here, it would definitely be disadvantageous for me was clear.
“…How can you stand?”
Ludrik asked with a shaky voice, as if unable to believe it.
Why can I stand? It’s because I’m still alive.
I haven’t counted exactly, but I’d say I’ve taken more than two thousand lives of humans until now. And that’s not just a simple kill; I’ve taken the lives of those I’ve killed through their blood.
And even counting the blood I’ve consumed from the livestock blood collected by the dukedom, the amount of blood I’ve drunk must be far greater.
If you had completely shattered my heart in one blow, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never experienced losing my heart completely, so I wouldn’t know if I could regenerate.
The enormous life force accumulated in my blood.
From the beginning, my regenerative abilities weren’t inferior to ordinary subordinates, but the recovery power I have now, achieved by piling countless corpses, allows me to move as long as I avoid immediate death.
I had never intended to die for Eleonora from the start.
I always prioritize my own life, and I would never sacrifice myself for another.
However, there has been a slight shift. While my life is still my top priority, it’s no longer my only unique value.
Once, Eleonora asked me what a happy life meant to me.
At that time, I answered that it was living in an environment where I wouldn’t be threatened by any life-threatening event in a healthy body. Because I hadn’t been allowed to dream beyond that.
But now, if I were to be asked the same question again, how would I answer?
My life is the most precious. But now, the lives of those within my walls are precious as well.
Instead of a life that exists alone, I’d be happier with someone who fully accepts my existence alongside me.
Eleonora, at one time, I was willing to consider abandoning you if it meant increasing my chances of survival even slightly.
And even now, I still can’t say I’d die for you.
But…
“I can’t die, but it’s worth trying to walk, right?”
I might not be able to die for you, but if there’s a chance for us both to survive.
For the happiness I dream of, maybe I can take a slightly risky gamble.
“Come at me, coward.”
I mocked Ludrik, laughing harshly.
Despite my trembling body being closer to death than ever, the fighting spirit boiling up within my veins was clearer than ever.
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