Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 47: A Mere Trifling Threat

Gold.

The radiant color that incites desire.

Since ancient times, Gold has captivated the minds of many beings. I don’t know if Duchess Vlad Shmira intended it, but her castle was entirely surrounded by the radiance of gold.

“Hm? Oh yes, it may be surprising for outsiders, but the walls are here made of gold...Even the floor is pure gold... The Duchess’ family has liked that sort of thing for generations.”

Mr. Layton informed us while we were being guided to the reception room.

“No matter what, isn’t this luxury going too far?”

Unlike Roka who had no interest in gold since it couldn’t be eaten, Her Highness frowned.

It was more of a feeling of seeing something incomprehensible rather than anger.

“I don’t mean to insult you, but was Duchess Shmira wealthy enough to make even a single wall out of gold? I’ve never heard of this territory being particularly affluent.”

“We work without receiving a salary. Where do you think all that money went?”

“Ah.”

Her Highness immediately showed an expression of understanding.

But if you work without even getting paid, isn’t this just slavery?

“If you think about it, the Vlad Family is now the only True Ancestor Clan left. For an outsider, the Duchess may be only a noble, but the woman herself probably thinks she’s the rightful ruler of an entire race....Still, it would be nice to receive a salary...”

Mr. Layton tried to smile, but the smile was very bitter.

The castle was excessively large compared to the territory, and we had to pass through several rooms and corridors before we could get to where we would be staying. We couldn’t meet Duchess Shmira right away.

“For now, I will report to her, so please rest well for today.”

There are many things to do, but it is late at night now. For vampires, for whom day and night must be the opposite, the night is a lively time, but for us humans, it is time to sleep.

Staying up all night is not a fearful thing for me, and Her Highness can easily endure it for a day or two as well. But it’s a different story for Roka.

Already, the child’s tail fur seemed a bit fluffy. Her eyes also looked drowsy and half-closed.

Although it is possible to drive away sleepiness and maintain the body’s condition with mana, or with the Lord’s Divinity, it’s better to just rest when tired than to rely on such means.

“It’s only natural since we came without an appointment. So when can we meet Duchess Shmira?”

“Her Majesty will probably have time around tomorrow evening. Until then, I will order the maids to attend to you.”

We all nodded our heads.

After a while, those who revealed themselves as maids of the ducal family came to see us. They said they would guide each of us to our own rooms, but Roka shook her head and Her Highness expressed her refusal.

“It’s fine. It’s fine. This priest here will share a room with me.”

“Oh my... Ah, I understand. We will prepare it that way. Shall I guide you to the guest room with the largest and widest bed?”

“Do that.”

As the blushing maid withdrew, Her Highness finally explained her true intentions.

I believed it. I believed that there was some meaning behind that action.

“Saint. You need to be more careful with your actions. The vampires have seen and recognized that you healed them. Do you know what that means to them?”

“I know.”

“Yes, they may kidnap you, Saint, out of a desire for your divine power, confine you in a remote place, and use you as a tool to extract divine power. You have no combat ability, Saint... Do you know that?”

Of course. I can’t say I’m smart, but I at least know that to some people, the Lord’s power is more precious than gold.

Among them, there may be those who try to intimidate or persuade me to achieve their goals. But if I start fearing such things, I won’t be able to do anything.

“I do not fear that someone will covet me for the Lord’s divinity. Such things are merely external dangers, small risks. What is truly dangerous is harboring prejudice and wicked thoughts because of that fear. I don’t know about others, but I must not do that.”

The great danger lies not outside but within me, and I must think only of what threatens my soul. Others may be wary of me, but I must not do the same.

Yes, a priest must never be wary of his neighbors.

The Lord watches over me. This is a great privilege I have as a priest.

If I receive such help and yet fear something, if I do not dare to face even a little threat for my own safety, the Lord will also withdraw His outstretched hand from me.

“Saint, you...”

Her Highness’ face showed a complex expression as she tried to say something.

Only after swallowing the words she was about to say did she open her mouth again.

“Still, please be a little careful. You, Saint, are someone who possesses far greater value than you think.”

While I was talking with Her Highness, Roka disappeared, saying she was going to wash up for a bit.

I also took out a candle, lit it, and quietly placed it on the table. It’s a pity there’s no candlestick, but it doesn’t matter if there isn’t one. The candle will not melt, will not diminish, and will continue to burn.

“Do you always light that candle?”

“It’s a kind of habit. I always light it because it doesn’t hurt to have it lit.”

This is also a habit that developed while traveling with Yurinel’s party.

Because even this small candle was enough to illuminate the four of us, it’s all in the past now, a story that remains only as a memory.

“Saint, could you tell me a little about your adventures?  I’ve become a little curious about the Hero’s party.”

“Of course. Yurinel and I were originally childhood friends. But one day, the church...”

Then, while I was telling my adventure story for a while, I suddenly realized.

Is Roka still washing up by any chance?

*****Duchess Vlad Shmira was someone to be feared. As a True Ancestor, she could use the power of Domination on every single Vampire, and not risk being dominated.

That’s why Layton’s footsteps were heavy as if walking on a thorny path, as he went to see Duchess Shmira.

To be honest, Duchess Shmira was a superior whose personality clashed greatly with his.

What fault will Her Majesty find today...?

Anyone can know what kind of personality Duchess Shmira has if they work in this territory for just one day.

The Duchess wants her subordinates to be absolutely obedient to her words. No, she doesn’t want it, she thinks it’s natural.

She thinks it’s natural that not even a handful of objections are raised, so there have been many times when Layton, as a working-level official, felt like his head was going to explode.

Sigh.

She was so obsessed with her role as the queen of the clan that she even ordered the execution of plans that Layton thought were absurd. She said that vampires should occupy the southeastern part of the Empire and establish a kingdom at this time when the Empire was declining.

Even if they are all gathered, the vampires do not even have the population of a small city like Larpentia.

And those lives will burn away before the dreadful sun.

With such a small population she wants to establish a Nation. Completely absurd.

Even if they become independent from the Empire, it’s no different from the nation being doomed from the start. It would be much better to remain as part of the Empire as it is now.

If she had given an excellent plan or strategy, or even a sufficient budget, Layton would have wracked his brains to do something, but there was none of that either. Only orders.

It’s the downside of vampires dominating lower-ranking members with the ‘power of domination’ instead of salary. They don’t understand that budget is essential for everything. They can dominate other vampires without pay, but can they do the same to humans? Even if they can, what’s next?

Would the Trinity Church just stand still and watch?

What about the Empire? Even if the Empire is leaning this way and that, its foundation has not yet been damaged.

Layton desperately tried to dissuade Duchess Shmira, but from that day on, he noticed that the way she looked at him was not the same as before. Only then did he realize that in the kingdom of the blind, the one with eyes is a cripple.

To vampires, humans are insignificant and stumbling beings.

They are incomparable to themselves and have no choice but to carry out orders from above, whether they like it or not. However, Layton, who has been observing humans while acting as the public face of the Duchy, knew.

He knew that in that dissonance, various opinions are born, presented, and sometimes moved toward a better direction.

While it could be argued that the ability of an entire race to move with one heart and one mind was scary, there was no complexity in that movement. The hands and feet only follow what the head tells them to do.

On the other hand, countless human forces are rampant without a head. Even the Emperor is only a representative of all the forces in the Empire, and cannot make them absolutely obedient.

However, that autonomy continues to create new things and has made humans the representative race of the continent.

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

If anyone makes a mistake, someone else can replace them. But what about vampires?

When the Queen falters, the entire race will follow. The fate of an entire race depends on just one person.

A revolution or replacement is impossible.

They are a race that has evolved that way.

Even mere bees replace the queen if she can’t lay eggs, but vampires can’t even do that. In some ways, they are an inferior race to bees.

Perhaps in ancient times, the Power Of Domination may have been a great tool, but as civilizations flourished, this trait no longer fit the times.

“Your Majesty. This is Layton. May I report to you in your presence?”

Well, it’s not like realizing it makes much difference.

Layton entered the royal presence and prostrated himself.

As he knelt down and glanced up, Duchess Shmira was quietly looking at him, one hand lazily stroking her golden throne.

“So, it seems certain that the woman is a Princess. And you don’t know if the Priest is a priest of the ancient gods?”

“With my shallow knowledge, I could not be certain. But it seems certain that the Priest can heal us vampires. I personally received his divine power.”

When Kyle briefly infused Divine Power to understand the Curse of the Sun,  Layton felt an uplifting feeling he had never felt before in his life. All fatigue disappeared, his head cleared, and his body was filled with vitality.

At the very least, it is certain that his divinity benefits vampires.

“Yes, good work.”

Only after hearing the full report did Duchess Shmira nod her head.

She seems to be in a good mood today. Layton, who inwardly sighed with relief, was about to step back when suddenly his head felt dizzy and his steps staggered.

A pain like his guts being torn apart struck his abdomen as a chilling laughter echoed through the great hall.

“You have worked hard all this time.”

A spear, eerily long and dark red, as if a very thin human arm had been stretched out a little more.

No one held and thrust this spear, but the spear itself pierced through Layton’s back and popped out the front. The tip of the spear split like a bird’s beak and chewed and swallowed the torn intestines.

“Why...?”

Layton shuddered at the bizarre feeling of all the blood in his body being sucked out. Just by looking at the strange phenomenon of all his strength being drained, he could tell what this spear was.

A weapon passed down in the Vlad Clan. A malevolent spear that drinks the victims’ blood and devours their flesh.

The Demonic Blood Spear, an artifact of the ancient vampires, pierced him.

But why?

No matter what anyone says, he is not someone to be executed like this.

He never did anything deserving of such fate.

“Layton...Layton...Do you know what I hate the most? When someone pretends to follow my orders but harbors different thoughts behind my back...That...Infuriates me.”

However, it is not for him to decide whether that is the case or not.

Duchess Shmira did not think so.

“I heard you had a son...A deformed child.”

His torn chest sank with a thud, and fear engulfed his entire body. He is not afraid of dying.

He was afraid of losing something more precious than his life.

“For years I served....Please...M-My Family...At least...My Family...”

“Your abomination of a child will be killed, while your wife will sire another offspring from a better seed.”

Truly, at least for that moment, even the pain of the flesh was nothing.

A pain that felt like his mind was being torn to shreds rushed in. The wound of the heart overwhelmed the wound of the body, and he could only open his mouth without saying anything.

“If she gives birth to another deformed child even after receiving another man’s seed, then I’ll have to dispose of her too.”

He had been thinking wrong. Even if he had done a great service to the Blood Clan, to Duchess Shmira, all of that was nothing more than ‘what he should have done’ as long as he was born a vampire.

To her, he was not a subordinate or a retainer, but just a tool.

A tool that Duchess Shmira could dispose of at any time. But would that be the only one?

All vampires would look like that to her. Since she was born with the right to control life and death from birth, other vampires would not even be seen as her own kind in the first place.

Thud!

The light of resentment and regret rose and then faded in his face, which already had no blood.

As if satisfied after drinking the blood of a Lord and devouring his life, the Demonic Blood Spear pulled itself out and returned to the Duchess’ hand.

She took this opportunity to nourish the spear that had not been able to drink blood properly.

Thanks to that, the spear drank enough blood to be satisfied and its power reached its peak. A good thing.

Slice!

The tip of the spear closed again and became sharp. Duchess Shmira, who had refined the spear using a tool she was going to dispose of anyway as a whetstone, made a satisfied expression.

Passing Layton, who was already as good as dead, she left the great hall and headed for the corridor. She took out this spear because the purpose was not to kill the Princess but to subdue her.

Princess Ardein von Illumina. I’ll have to play with her for a while and use her as a surrender bargaining chip.

The Princess was known for being at the peak of the Expert Level. She had not broken through the Master Realm.

So, the Duchess was confident in her chances of subduing the Princess.

On this night without a handful of sunlight, there are no variables that can overturn that skill gap.

Right now, Ardein would be literally defenseless.

If she captures the Imperial Princess, the 1st Princess at that, and offers her to the Demon Empire, she could become an important figure in the Demon Empire in an instant. Then, where would there be a reason not to establish a kingdom?

The more her expectations swelled, the faster the Duchess’ steps became. The future she dreamed of is right in front of her eyes.

The revival of the vampires will be achieved by none other than herself. The task that all her ancestors had hoped for will now become a reality in her hands.