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'It's a pity I couldn't become a high-rank….'
The mission was clearly to "secure the legacy of Van Drake and win the familiar's favor," and Vasha thought she had achieved it.
'No, I mean, that should count as completing it, right? Don't tell me it doesn't count as clearing the trial just because I wasn't the one who obtained the legacy?'
Thinking about it made her feel extremely wronged. A familiar and its contractor might not be completely of one mind and body, but weren't they still bound as partners of the soul? If the familiar got it, it should naturally be the same as her getting it too!
But regretting what had already happened was useless. Especially now, when danger was approaching by the second.
"Hmph, even if I didn't come back as a high-rank, I'm not as weak as I used to be."
Back when she was among the very lowest of the low-ranks, Vasha had already been a specialist at escape, evading pursuit from high-ranks through every trick and evasive maneuver she could think of.
On top of that, her skill in manipulating shadows had greatly improved, and with her magic power strengthened, the range of shadows she could control had also expanded. Escaping their encirclement would be nothing for her.
Vasha quietly erased her presence and melted into the shadows. Her form scattered like a mirage, and soon, only a still, empty silence remained in her place.
***
The horrific incident in Noctiluca had repercussions for the Renfield villa as well. Most of the servants who had been sent away in advance to prepare for Bernardo's attack ended up caught in a vampire assault and lost their lives.
To be precise, it was because of the "cleansing" carried out afterward by the Lamphas Church.
When Melina, Laurus, and Oliver heard belatedly about the terrible events that had unfolded in Noctiluca, they were left speechless.
A few survivors barely managed to return, but they were few in number. The villa was empty, just as the whole of Noctiluca was.
With so few people, hiring replacements would take time. The mansion's atmosphere had never been particularly bright to begin with, but now, with even the people gone, a heavy gloom had settled over the villa.
As the butler, Oliver could not ignore the state of the household's mood. Moreover…
"Is the young master… still there today?"
"Yes, he's in the same place."
Melina replied in a subdued voice.
A month had passed since they returned from the auction house.
During that time, Todd either spent the entire day swinging his sword or sat motionless before the chessboard he used to play with Vasha.
He would sit there for who knows how long, and then, all of a sudden, he would abruptly stand up as if to overturn the board.
But his raised hand would only tremble violently, unable to so much as touch the chess pieces, let alone the board, before falling back down helplessly into the air.
Todd's eyes, as he stared at the chessboard, were empty. They said a familiar and a contractor were partners of the soul, and as soon as Vasha disappeared, it was as if Todd's very soul had been drained away too.
No matter how you looked at it, it wasn't normal. Oliver clicked his tongue in pity.
"…Judging from the situation, we should clear out the villa and return to the estate as soon as possible… but I'm not sure the young master will comply so easily."
Oliver could already picture Todd making a huge fuss, panicking in every direction at the thought of Vasha coming back while they were away from the villa.
But hadn't Bernardo and Matteus already found out that they were followers? For now, it seemed they were too busy dealing with Menorah's attack to act, but soon they would tighten the noose.
No, perhaps they might even take the opportunity to claim that they had cooperated with Menorah's assault, using it to sell them out.*
'If it's Lapis Ignarius, the fanatics who sold their conscience and will stop at nothing, it's entirely possible.'
The only fortunate thing was that, aside from the testimony of Bernardo and Matteus, there was no clear evidence proving they were vampire followers.
That meant going to the Renfield estate, beyond the influence of the Lamphas Church, was certainly the safer option.
However, there was a problem.
'Not only Young Master Todd, but the Count himself likely won't want to leave Noctiluca…'
After all, it was here in Noctiluca that he had encountered Lucy. If nothing else, that hope of meeting her again would keep him from wanting to return to the estate.
Laurus had shown no sign of such thoughts to Oliver, but after a lifetime together, there was no way Oliver couldn't see right through him.
As Oliver was sighing heavily with worry, one of the few remaining servants in the villa came running in haste.
"Head butler, a visitor has arrived!"
"A visitor?"
A visitor at such a turbulent time? Oliver frowned at the unwelcome news. And his bad premonitions were never wrong. As expected, the report the servant delivered made his face contort at once.
"Yes… it's the Holy Knights!"
***
The night before the Lantern Festival.
The Menorah launched simultaneous attacks throughout the entire Herodes Kingdom, an unexpected assault on a sacred day.
The humans were completely unprepared, and the blood of countless people, spilled by the vampires, dyed the kingdom red.
Thus, the lights of the festival were extinguished, and the world was plunged into darkness.
People named that hellish night the "Night of Extinction."
From that day on, the once-comforting nights seemed like a lie, leaving only fear of the dark, the beginning of the vampires' resurrection.
After the "Night of Extinction," darkness descended upon Noctiluca, a city once famous for its sleepless nights.
Most of the people working in the pleasure district had been swept away in a mass "cleansing" by the Holy Knights, causing every entertainment venue, from theaters to casinos, to shut their doors.
Even among the nobility, not a few had been caught up in the Night of Extinction. For them, Noctiluca was no longer a "city of pleasure."
The Lighthouse of Dispelling Evil, which had once shielded them, could no longer ease their anxiety.
This was because it was Lapis Ignarius who had activated the Lighthouse of Dispelling Evil in this latest incident, and rumors had begun to spread quietly that the bishop was incapable of invoking the holy relic himself.
By the time the bishop heard the rumors and tried to salvage the situation, the nobles who had experienced the Night of Extinction firsthand had already turned their backs.
With the nobles gone as well, all that remained was an empty, desolate cityscape. Since most of Noctiluca's economy relied on the entertainment industry, the city declined rapidly.
Being someone who had risen to power through cunning schemes, the bishop quickly realized that this chain of events was no mere accident, but rather the handiwork of someone trying to undermine him.
But who could it be?
It was as hopeless as trying to find an elephant in the dark by touch alone.
In any case, the bishop knew he needed to tighten his grip over the city, even just a little.
He sowed seeds of discord among those who remained and fanned the flames.
The market leaders and other influential figures had long since perished in the auction house massacre on the Night of Extinction, so there was no one left capable of uniting Noctiluca against the bishop's schemes.
Under the ominous light the bishop had kindled, people began to suspect one another of being vampire lackeys, undermining and accusing each other.
And so, ten years passed since the Night of Extinction.
The city's past glory was a distant memory; Noctiluca had declined so badly that calling it a metropolis felt almost shameful. The number of poor swelled, slums expanded, and crime ran rampant.
While the crime rate had never been particularly low, given that the entertainment industry had been its mainstay, it was nothing compared to now. Murder, theft, assault, arson…
Normally, a city the size of Noctiluca would receive intervention from the kingdom long before reaching this state. But after the Night of Extinction, countless other cities had been ravaged by continued vampire attacks, leaving the kingdom overwhelmed.
Their only measure was to repeatedly request that the Holy Nation send a bishop capable of activating the Lighthouse of Dispelling Evil. If they could secure a "proper" bishop, nobles fearful of vampires would return to Noctiluca, and the city would stabilize without direct intervention from the crown.
However, the Holy Nation itself was short on manpower, struggling to deal with the vampire infestations across the kingdom, and so Noctiluca's matter was delayed again and again.
It was only natural that Noctiluca, abandoned by all, became little more than a lawless wasteland.
With so many impoverished, tithes could no longer be collected properly. Repeated vampire assaults made it difficult even to maintain a steady supply of Lamphas stars to defend the city, and soon vampires began to infiltrate and run rampant within Noctiluca itself.
It became a hellish pit beyond salvation, untouched by the light, abandoned even by the sacred dragons.
Those who still remained in Noctiluca could only sink into despair, waiting helplessly for death to come for them.
It was then...
The turning point for Noctiluca came with a single man.
Todd Renfield, heir to the Renfield Countship.
🍓; *By making that claim, they could betray someone else, sacrificing them for their own advantage.
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