Chapter 93

“I recognize that woman.” “What? You can’t have…” “She’s a vampire. But what is she doing here…?” “…If that’s true, we can’t let her escape. Are you up to this, Acryl?” “Of course.” “All right. Let’s go, then. I’ll cover you with my magic, and the knights will have your back. Don’t do anything rash, okay?” he cautioned. “I don’t need you to tell me that!” I leaped into the trees and tried to reach the woman before the wolves could. “Pull back! Ice Needle!” Al cried, summoning up countless icicles from the forest floor and sending them down on the wolves. While the beasts were hindered by this surprise attack, I aimed my spear for their necks, separating their heads from their bodies. Now fully aware of our presence, the surviving wolves turned to us with vacant eyes. “Wh-what?!” The woman was agape. “Don’t move! You’ll get us all in trouble!” Al declared, placing a hand on the ground in warning. The next moment, icy pillars shot up from the earth to create a boundary around her. The wolves attempting to close in on her were forced to drop back, while the woman herself was unable to move. In essence, Al had prevented her from escaping, while still protecting her from further attacks. “Attack! Destroy them all!” Al shouted. The knights unleashed their magic, sending fire and wind through the air to knock the rest of the pack off their feet. Even lying on the forest floor, however, the wolves still bared their teeth at us. “I knew it! They’re just like those monsters…!” “Don’t hold back! Tear them all to pieces if you have to! Make sure you finish them off!” The bloodied wolves continued to fight, even those who had lost limbs. The sight was truly grotesque, and some of the knights faltered briefly. But only briefly—they quickly resumed the attack on Al’s order. The magical bombardment increased, descending on our foes until they were completely immobilized. Al and I rushed in to finish them off, either taking their heads or piercing their hearts. “Tch! They’re regenerating!” “That’s the problem with these weird monsters!” Every time a wolf rose back to its feet, we knocked it down and slew it, nearly gagging on the blood in the air—when at last, they were no more. Some of the knights looked ready to vomit at the reek from the carnage. It truly was an awful sight. It wasn’t long ago that I had been trapped in an environment just like this… The mere thought of it sent a shudder through my body. “Master Algard! Whoa, what the heck?!” The adventurers must have heard the commotion—and they quickly found the gruesome spectacle. “Be careful. Some of them might still be breathing. If they are, crush their heads or hearts to make sure they won’t get up again!” Al ordered. The knights and adventurers moved to inspect the battlefield to take care of any survivors. Meanwhile, Al and I approached the vampire woman trapped in the cage of ice. She was sitting exhausted on the ground. She slowly took notice of us, turning from me to Al and back again, and surprise appeared on her face. “You… You look familiar. No, it can’t be. You’re the runaway Lycant…?” “Be silent,” I growled, pressing my spear against the woman’s neck. This vampire was one of those responsible for throwing me into that living hell. I wanted nothing more than to tear her to shreds. The woman, however, was unimpressed by my threat. Didn’t she care about preserving her life? Or did she honestly think I wouldn’t kill her? “Are you a vampire?” Al asked. “…You ask, as if you aren’t one yourself? I didn’t know there were other vampires unknown to us…” “We recognize each other, then. Good… I’m taking you into custody, and you’re going to tell me everything you know. Like what your people are up to.” The woman cackled at Al’s sharp tone. Then, with a fatigued expression, she looked up at us. Her laughter grew. “Hah! Ha-ha-ha! You do like to take your time! If you want to live, why don’t you hurry up and kill me?” “What…?” “If you’re going to kill me, get on with it! Before it gets here!” “It…? What are you talking about?” “You think I have time to explain?! If you’re not going to kill me, I’ll just have to do it myself!” With that, the woman grabbed my spear and tried to thrust it deep into her throat. I frantically wrenched the weapon from her hands while Al held her back. “Kill me! Kill me! Be quick about it! Before that fiend finds me again!” “Guh! What’s wrong with you…?! Calm down!” Al urged as the woman fought to shake him off. “You won’t be able to save yourselves, you hear me? It’ll take you all! All of you! It will devour you and keep devouring you! It will kill you again and again! You won’t be granted the peace of death!” With no other way to silence her, Al wrapped an arm around her throat. Unable to breathe, the woman shook violently for a long moment before losing consciousness. Al broke into a stern frown as she fell limp. “…What exactly is going on here?” he murmured. “I know not. What did she mean by it will kill you again and again?” I asked. “No idea… Anyway, let’s restrain her and bring her back for interrogation,” Al muttered, rubbing his temples. “I guess we should let my sister and the others know that we’ve captured a vampire from the Kingdom of Cambus. And…” He paused there, glancing back at the remains of the fallen monsters as the knights and adventurers inspected the bodies. There was so much gore. I doubted that any of us would be getting the smell out of our clothes for a long while. Al surveyed the trees and forest floor, dyed dark red with blood. “We have to let them know about these monsters. If there are others out there, we’re going to be in for a world of trouble…”