Episode 84 〈 Rupel All Falls 〉
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I felt Rupel flinch. It looks like he is pretending to be sleeping and eavesdropping on the conversation.
White glanced at Ruppel as if he had noticed too.
To me, what White said didn’t make sense.
Are you looking for the stillborn second prince?
“Wait. Brother Rupel’s older brother? “If you were the 2nd prince…”
I stiffened.
The worst thought came to mind.
A story I heard from Harmon a long time ago.
I heard that the 2nd Prince died as a stillborn child and that 2nd Crown Princess Rose resurrected him as a ‘zombie’.
White, my father, was in charge of cleaning up the mess.
I asked, looking at White.
“Didn’t your father handle it himself?”
White smiled bitterly.
“I wanted to, but I just couldn’t.”
He couldn’t bear to kill his child.
In the end, it is said that when he was left unattended for several days, one of the archbishops of the Holy Empire helped him.
“Among the five archbishops, there was one named Walter. He said he would hold the second prince’s funeral.
It is said that an archbishop named Walter was in charge.
-If the Crown Prince can’t do it, I will handle it. Don’t overdo it.
-but.
– Leave it to me. Anyway, I plan to retire next month and spend the rest of my life quietly in the countryside with my daughter.
-I would like to be of help to the Crown Prince one last time. Please consider my loyalty.
The crown prince could only nod his head at those words.
He handed over the child.
At that time, the Crown Prince should have noticed something strange about Archbishop Walter.
The archbishop was sweating and shaking.
At the time, I mistakenly thought it was just a feeling of guilt over having to kill the prince of the Holy Emperor.
“The archbishop said, ‘The funeral was well conducted.’ They say they even made a tombstone and buried it in the mountains. And after retirement, he went to the countryside where his daughter was. I thought so too. “I always prayed for my child at the tombstone.”
But a problem arose.
That was a story from 11 years ago.
When the 3rd prince, Rupel, was 14 years old, there was a report that Aslan’s bandits attacked a village.
At that time, there were many disputes with Aslan, so the crown prince decided to step forward and subdue them.
Anyway, the next day, he was going to be a success through the ‘Succession Ceremony’.
As the next success, the purpose was to hang the heads of the warning car Aslan bandits on the wall.
That was the opportunity to learn the truth.
“When I arrived at the village, there were no bandits. No, it did exist. But all of them…”
They had become corpses.
Hundreds of villagers were dead, dozens of bandits were dead, and a child was eating the corpses.
White looked at the child.
A boy about 8 years old with red hair and eyes.
White stiffened at the words he said.
-long time no see.
* *
“father.”
White froze and looked at the child.
An 8-year-old boy.
The way he was drinking blood made him look like a vampire.
‘The child is a vampire?’
Normally, it was rare for a child to become a vampire.
In order for the progenitor vampire to create his own creatures, he must share his strength and blood magic with humans.
There was no way an ordinary child could withstand that force.
But the child in front of me was fine.
That was also difficult to understand, but what about a father?
“What nonsense?”
11 years ago, Crown Prince White glared at the boy with the Holy Knights.
The boy was startled by White’s words and made a sad expression.
“It’s too much, father. You abandoned me and now you have forgotten me? Is that something like that?”
The boy held out his hand and approached White as if toddling.
If you just look at that, it seems like the boy really misses his father.
White pulled out his sword and pointed it at the boy’s neck.
“Stop this nonsense.”
But White knew.
To vampires, humans are not viewed as creatures other than ‘livestock’.
Even if it means a family member becomes a vampire.
There is no such thing as affection. If they are not fellow vampires, they are livestock.
Knowing that, White did not let down his guard.
Even though the other person was a child, I couldn’t let down my guard or sympathize with him.
The boy who was crying lowered his head.
“You are such a great father. “Because of my father…”
The boy raised his head and smiled brightly.
“All the Holy Knights are dead.”
A bloody awl protruded from the ground.
The entire bodies of the paladins guarding White were pierced.
White swung his sword, but the horse he was riding was pierced by a bloody awl and fell.
He quickly stood up and imbued his sword with holy power. At that time, zombies gathered around the boy.
“I wanted to fight with my father once. I was curious about the power of the Son of the Holy Emperor, whom the Vampire King fears. “So…”
the boy said with a smile,
“let’s fight me. I bet that the loser will get the body.”
White looked at the distraught boy and cursed,
“Fucking monster.”
White fought with the boy.
He slaughtered the zombies around him and finally pushed the boy.
“As expected, father.”
The boy’s entire body was cut off. Swords imbued with holy power cut into the boy’s body.
A small baby wriggled out of the boy’s body.
The baby’s appearance was grotesque.
It looked more like a monster’s baby than a human child.
It was stained with blood, and the body was rotted or swollen with tumors growing on it.
In particular, the neck area was dented like an umbilical cord mark.
“If only the body had been in good condition, I would have won.”
The baby looked at White in exasperation.
White could see the child’s face and called the child’s name.
“…Rupel.”
* *
“That was definitely Second Prince Rupel. “I could feel it when I saw that kid.”
White groaned and touched his forehead.
His voice cracked from the extreme pain.
“He was also an intelligent child. A vampire, not a zombie. Someone turned that kid into a vampire. Damn it!”
It had only been 16 years since the 2nd Prince Rupel was born.
It is difficult for a baby to become a vampire who learns language, gains knowledge, and judges the situation in just 10 years after becoming a zombie.
But it’s not impossible.
This is possible if someone artificially injects magic power and knowledge.
Although it is a case of extremely dangerous ‘black magic’.
I forgot what to say.
“In the end, I couldn’t kill him and lost. I escaped using the warp. After that day, the grave was dug up to find out the truth about this incident. There was nothing. So I went to Archbishop Walter to ask about it, but I couldn’t find him. He said even his daughter was missing. “He must have been murdered.”
Archbishop Walter’s daughter was taken hostage, and Walter handed over the zombified child to the vampires.
White laid out on the table the latest information about vampires he had received from the Seonghwang family, as well as the information he had.
I looked through the documents.
Among them, there is one that stands out.
“This?”
I looked at 1st Crown Princess Yulicia’s report and looked at him.
“I was able to hear news of Yulicia when I was in the Roman Kingdom, a civil war zone.”
To be exact, the rumor spread a month after Yulicia died and I was able to hear it.
The sins committed by vampires.
It was an incident in which the crown princess was murdered and a curse was placed on the first prince, Luan.
White was furious and infiltrated the imperial palace.
We investigated the entity that killed Yulicia and placed a curse on the first prince.
I met Luan, who was sleeping as if he was having a nightmare, and confirmed his curse and found out that his magical power was similar to that of the second prince.
“It appears that the Count of Pomor’s family, as found out by the Holy Imperial Family, had arranged for vampires to infiltrate the Imperial Palace. Among them was Rupel.”
White presented another piece of data.
“Second Prince Rupel Orfols. He’s different from other vampires. Even after attacking the imperial palace with the creatures, he was able to escape with ease. “It was hard to handle back then, but it’s probably grown even more now.”
I took the material and looked through it.
“Also, Luan’s curse is a result of that guy. I had no way to cure Luan. It must be a warning of sorts. A warning that vampires give to the Holy Emperor.”
It was natural.
My heart would have burst the moment I tried to treat it.
If it weren’t for me, Luan wouldn’t be in this world anymore.
“The only hope was to find the second prince. If only I could find that guy, I would have been able to find out how to lift Luan’s curse and find out who was behind them. Also, all the vampires hiding in the imperial palace.”
“Why didn’t you inform the Seonghwang family?”
White looked at me as if it was obvious and said.
“Don’t you know that the atmosphere at that time was beyond words? My father was angry that Yulicia had died. “What do you think would happen if you found out that the second prince had gone beyond being a zombie and became a vampire, and that the archbishop was connected to that?”
Just what happened within the Seonghwang family was a big deal.
However, Seonghwangga was played by a vampire. If the rumor spreads, it will become uncontrollable.
Public sentiment will become anxious and distrust will arise in the royal family.
Furthermore, indiscriminate ‘purges’ will begin in Seonghwangga.
“Although they were threatened, Archbishop Walter, who served the Holy Family for his entire life, and his entire family related to him will be executed, and the Darina family that turned the second prince into an undead will also not be able to avoid that responsibility.”
Archbishop Walter’s family and all members of the Darina family, who have worked for the Holy Family all their lives, will be exterminated for the crime of polluting the blood of the Imperial Family. Everyone, including men, women and children.
White probably wanted to protect his loyal subjects and his beloved wife.
“but.”
The Crown Prince pressed his temples as he looked at the information he had recently discovered from the Holy Imperial Family.
“I can’t believe Rose was in cahoots with a vampire. “I…”
White’s eyes were bloodshot. His fingernails dug into his flesh as he clenched his fists.
“You loved and cherished the scum who was blinded by jealousy, conspired with a vampire, cursed your son, and turned him into a vampire!”
White was distressed.
I couldn’t help but feel bitter.
I could no longer see it as irrelevant to me.
I have already been dragged into the affairs of the Seonghwang family.
“Did you not know?”
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have stayed quiet either.”
White lifted his head.
“They would have torn it to pieces and killed it on the spot. “I would have made you cry tears of blood and beg at Yulicia’s tombstone.”
I felt life in the words.
That’s how angry he is.
Even though he knows that Third Prince Rupel is listening from the side, he seems unable to control his emotions.
“Then what about you, brother?”
I said, glancing at Ruppel.
Rupel, who was lying on the bed, flinched.
White glared at Ruppel.
“At that time, Ruppel was not even 15 years old. I guess he was just taken advantage of by Rose. However, there are many questions to ask about the Yulicia incident. “Not only can I not avoid my father’s anger with this incident, but I also have to talk to Rupel.”
“…”
White took a deep breath for a while, as if controlling his emotions.
And he presented other materials.
“Besides, the matter has become too big for me to handle alone. No, rather, investigating was the right thing to do.”
And he told me what he found out.
“They are becoming more cunning. It is also being built systematically. “Never before in history have vampires united to form an organization like this.”
White found and interrogated vampires all over the world and chased down other vampires.
“The vampire is targeting the Seonghwang family. To be precise, they are trying to destroy the entire Holy Empire. The reason is simple.”
White raised his head.
His face turned red.
A vein appeared on his forehead as if he was suppressing his emotions, and he gritted his teeth and said,
“They are trying to establish their own kingdom by using humans as livestock. ”
He gathered the documents and marked them one by one on a large map.
“You would have thought that the Holy Empire had expelled the vampires, but it ended up with the opposite result.”
On the map, the images of each country covering the Holy Empire.
Vampires were displayed in all directions of each country.
Vampires from each country were surrounding the Holy Empire.
The appearance was like
a “spider web.”
It was a large spider web, and the prey caught in the center looked like a thriving kingdom.
I muttered to myself and looked at the data.
The white person shown in the data was assumed to be a dark figure.
His name was.
“The Vampire King. King Blandmir.”
The king of vampires, revered by vampires.
“He is trying to devour the Holy Emperor’s Kingdom. soon.”
White looked at me and said.
“The invasion of vampires will begin.”
* *
Dark night.
It was a time when darkness colored the world and magical energy was most active.
The moonlight was dyed red by the magic in the air.
Aslan’s palace was manned by paladins.
It is the capital and royal palace of the enemy country.
No matter how victorious the country was, since it was in the middle of enemy territory, the Holy Knights did not relax security.
Aslan’s people in the capital looked at the paladin’s thoughts and fled.
Even though they follow the rules well, they know very well how vicious the winners are.
There was nothing good about getting caught for no reason.
However, there were also people who approached the Paladins.
A group of dozens of people dressed in robes, led by a small boy, approached the royal palace.
The paladins frowned.
They drew their swords and aimed.
“Stop! “Who are you…”
“Where did you learn to point a sword at the prince?”
The paladin bowed his head.
The short boy said with a bright smile.
“You did something wrong. Because of you alone…”
The paladin’s body was pierced by a bloody awl.
A holy knight was hung by an awl that rose from the end of the ground.
“It looks like all your colleagues are dead.”
The boy, Rupel, huffed and turned his gaze towards the imperial palace.
“Now, let’s get our hands on a new body. “Gentlemen.”
The boy looked back and said.
Those wearing robes took off their hoods.
Men grinning in fluttering robes. Their teeth were unusually sharp.
The paladins’ faces hardened at that sight.
The boy grinned as he looked at the paladins.
“Slaughter them all. After all, humans are livestock. “Aren’t you a piece of fresh meat? All of you.”
The boy, with blood-red eyes shining behind the red moonlight, said with a smile.
“I should die like a livestock.”
2nd Prince Rupel Olfols.
He attacked Aslan’s palace.