Volume 3, Chapter 41 – Felhi, Once Again

“Why is Felhi here?”

Did my Purification Magic not work?

It was true that I hadn’t confirmed whether I had annihilated Felhi, since I had purified the entire town in one go.

But was it really possible to escape from that light of purification?

“Are we going, then?”

“Fiene-sama, I believe there is a high chance that this is a trap…”

“If we don’t go, I suspect they’ll infiltrate while we’re asleep, just as they did in Tukat.”

“But are we certain it is actually him? For him to have escaped Fiene-sama’s Purification Magic…”

“No, it is almost certainly him. There were no witnesses in the town of Tukat. And since we haven’t reported the name ‘Felhi’ in Yurgu, no one other than us should know that the vampire in that town was named Felhi.”

“Is it revenge against me, perhaps?”

“Most likely.”

“Let’s go for now. In the worst-case scenario, I’ll just purify the whole town again.”

“But having seen that, wouldn’t he have come prepared with some kind of countermeasure?”

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“Still, we won’t know the situation unless we go. Also, please do not look into the vampire’s eyes. He will cast Charm Magic on you.”

As a precaution, we cast Antidote Magic on ourselves, put on our robes, and headed toward the lobby.

As we descended into the inn’s modest lobby, there sat Felhi, waiting for us with an air of leisure on the sofa.

Looking around, the inn’s receptionist and the other guests all had vacant eyes.

It seemed they had already been charmed.

“Felhi, you bastard! Why are you alive!”

Chris-san threatened him with such intensity that she looked ready to slash him at any moment.

“Ah, I have been expecting you, Saint Fiene Argentata-sama. You are as beautiful as ever today.”

“You have some nerve showing your face before me. This time, I shall purify you thoroughly.”

“My, my, such frightening things to say. Have I done something wrong?”

“This bastard…”

Felhi was wearing a disgusting smirk.

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“Please do not glare at me with such a scary face. It ruins that beautiful countenance of yours.”

“It seems you’re eager to be purified.”

I gathered Holy Attribute Mana in my hand as a threat.

“Now, now, please don’t be so angry. Today, you see, I have brought a wonderful present for the Saint. Come, please look here.”

Felhi snapped his fingers. The inn’s doors opened, and ten women with vacant expressions entered the lobby, each leading a small child with the same vacant eyes.

In the next instant, the women pressed blades against the children’s necks.

“What!”

“Well? Do you like it? These are mothers and children. I have placed them under a deep charm to manipulate them. Whether I die or give the order, they will stab their own child without a moment’s hesitation.”

“How could you! Release those children!”

As I spoke, I let the Holy Attribute Mana in my hand dissipate. If I purified Felhi, the mothers would be forced to kill the children. I couldn’t let something so cruel happen.

I used to watch anime and manga where protagonists who had their hostages taken would say cliché lines like “Release the hostages!” and I would watch with cold eyes, thinking, Why are you saying that? There’s no way they’ll just let them go.

Now, I understood exactly how it felt to want to say it.

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“Furthermore, I’ve arranged it so that the mothers regain their senses the very moment they stab their children. Tell me, isn’t that wonderful?”

“You… piece of trash…”

Felhi looked as though he were enjoying himself from the bottom of his heart.

“And now, it is arranged for the Lesser Vampires who have newly become my thralls to run wild in the town and slaughter every single human. However, Saint-sama, if you agree to hand yourself over to me, I shall refrain from massacring the townspeople.”

“Ugh, why would you do this…?”

I stalled for time, trying to think of a way out.

“Hahaha. I wondered what you were questioning, but do you truly not know something so obvious?”

Obvious? What did he mean?

“The blood of a fellow Vampire Saint-sama… imagine how much power I can obtain by sipping it. With that power, I could even aim for the title of Demon Lord.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“My, my, you really don’t know. I shall tell you once you have offered me all your living blood and become an empty shell. Though, you likely won’t be alive by then.”

Felhi flashed a vile smile.

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“How foolish, really. Humans are nothing more than food. But this is convenient for now. Come, surrender your body to me.”

My mind raced as I tried to find a solution to this situation.

First, I had never used Charm Removal, but I should be able to.

As for the Lesser Vampires, I could just purify them all at once. No, the problem was that these ten pairs might not be the only hostages.

“Fiene-sama, the world cannot afford to lose you in a place like this.”

“But!”

“Oh? Is a great Saint like you unable to make a decision because you fear for your own skin? Well, it can’t be helped. I suppose one person will have to die. Yes, Saint-sama, it was you who made this pitiful mother kill her child. Yes, it is your fault. Hey, you. Kill.”

Felhi gave the heartless order.

Squelch.

“Wait—”

The woman closest to Felhi drove a small knife into her child’s neck, around the Adam’s apple, without a shred of hesitation.