Volume 3, Chapter 6 – The Captured Saint

“No…”

I woke up to a strange sensation. I should have been asleep in bed, yet it felt as though I were standing.

No, that’s not it. This is…?

It seemed I had been crucified. Chains bound my wrists and ankles, pinning me to a cross.

Looking around, this place appeared to be some kind of church or chapel.

Now, what on earth happened?

I remember clearly handing over watch duty to Shizuku-san before climbing into bed. Why am I in this state?

Logically, I must have been kidnapped while I slept.

However, Shizuku-san is skilled enough to have defeated Chris-san; if there had been an enemy attack, Chris-san should have woken up.

What on earth happened?

Furthermore, the fact that I’m crucified… could it be that my identity as a Vampire has been exposed and I’m about to be executed?

As those thoughts crossed my mind, the entrance door opened and a man walked in slowly.

“Felhi… the Mayor…”

I whispered the man’s name.

“Oh, you remember me. I am honored, Saint Fiene Argentata-sama.”

It seemed he had orchestrated all of this knowing full well that I was a Saint Candidate.

“Do you think you can get away with this for free?”

I glared at Felhi, who was acting with a polite yet insolent demeanor.

“Of course I do. Because after this, Saint-sama will be serving under me. Voluntarily, of course.”

As he spoke, Felhi walked toward me. Then, he removed his glasses.

“Those eyes!”

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“Yes, exactly. Now, Saint-sama, look into my eyes.”

With that, Felhi forced our gazes to meet. Then, his pupils glowed with an eerie light.

“Ah…”

hrough our locked gazes, I felt Charm Mana trying to invade my mind.

◆ Christina POV ◆

“Damn it, Fiene-sama!”

I had chased the man all the way to the town’s Central Plaza.

I had Managed to keep track of him up until then, but his speed was so inhuman that I lost sight of him.

Despite it being the middle of the night, the endless flow of pedestrians hindered my pursuit.

“Chris-dono!” “Chris-san!”

Shizuku-dono and Lumia joined me.

“Forgive me. I lost him.”

“Chris-dono, in which direction did the fellow flee?”

“Ah, that way.”

I pointed in the direction he had last disappeared.

“As I suspected, is it not? I have no proof, but I believe that Mayor is suspicious.”

“But if we go to the Mayor’s mansion without any evidence, I wonder if they’ll even let us in…”

“Is this really the time for such talk? Chris-dono’s precious master is in danger!”

I snapped back to my senses. That’s right. Compared to losing Fiene-sama because I hesitated, this was nothing! What was I worrying about?

“You’re right. If I was wrong, so be it. Shizuku-dono, Lumia, will you come with me?”

“Um, I’m saying I know where Onee-sama is.”

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“Sorry. I didn’t mean to drag Lumia into this—”

“I’m telling you! Riche-chan is waving us over, so I think she’s trying to lead us to Onee-sama!”

“What?”

“Chris-san, you never listen to people! I’m a Pureblood Elf, so I can see spirits even if Onee-sama doesn’t summon them!”

I see. That’s right. Come to think of it, Lumia was an Elf.

“I see. Then, Lumia, lead the way.”

I asked Lumia to guide us. Usually, she’s the mood-maker I need to protect, but this time, she was a great source of strength.

“I think Chris-dono could trust her comrades more. I believe Chris-dono’s precious princess is not nearly as weak as Chris-dono thinks.”

“Yes, perhaps you’re right.”

We were about to run after Lumia when the townspeople walking the street suddenly blocked our path in unison.

“We won’t let you go to the Mayor’s place.”

“You outsiders…”

Their eyes had gone completely blank. Moreover, people began pouring out of the buildings in droves.

“Chris-dono. This is…!”

“Yeah, it looks like they’ve been brainwashed by something.”

“Um! Look over there!”

I looked where Lumia was pointing. There was a group of five men. All of them uniformly possessed slightly long ears, vertical pupils, and slightly pointed fangs.

“”Vampires!!””

We shouted in unison.

“Which means, this series of kidnappings…”

“Is the work of Vampires.”

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“Then Onee-sama is…!”

“Likely with the Vampire leader. To think they intend to feast on Fiene-sama’s blood!”

“How awful!”

Lumia screamed, but we couldn’t afford to stop here.

“Forward! I’ll carve a path!”

I gripped Sesrumnir tightly, offered a prayer, and kicked through the townspeople blocking the way, charging straight into the group of Vampires.

Clang!

My strike was blocked by the sword of one of the Vampire men. However, his counterattack was sluggish and easily dodged. I leaped back to create distance.

No shadow-based follow-up attacks came my way.

“These are Lesser Vampires. They don’t have unique abilities!”

Lesser Vampires are what people become when a Vampire drinks their blood and turns them into a thrall; in other words, they are former humans.

It is said that Lesser Vampires gain power far beyond what they had as humans, but they lack the unique abilities of true Vampires, such as manipulating shadows or drinking blood themselves.

Because of this, they can operate under the sun to some extent, and are used as pawns to help Vampires blend into and live within human society.

And there is no known way to return those who have become this back to normal. Or rather, I wondered if Fiene-sama could do it, but that Fiene-sama was currently in the enemy’s grasp.

“Enemy, enemy, enemy, enemy, enemy-enemy-enemy-enemy!”

While I was thinking, the town residents began to surround us with hollow expressions.

“Chris-dono, I shall not mince words. Forgive me!”

With that declaration, Shizuku-dono began cutting down the townspeople standing between us and the Lesser Vampires. She seemed to be holding back enough to only cut their legs so they couldn’t move, but she was nonetheless ruthless.

“K-Kuh, Lumia. Keep going. We’re being surrounded!”

“Yes!”

We followed after Shizuku-dono.

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Thwip!

An arrow fired by Lumia while running pierced one of the Lesser Vampires.

“Gyaaaaaaaah!”

The man struck by the arrow let out a horrific scream of agony. White smoke-like vapor hissed from the wound.

Then, as he finally gave out, he crumbled into ash.

“Lumia, what was that?”

“I wonder? But if this works…!”

“We can do this. We shall create an opening. Lumia-dono, we leave it to you!”

“Leave it to me!”

I leaped at the group of Vampires again. Shizuku-dono and I attacked, and in the gaps we created, Lumia drove in her arrows.

Once they realized a single arrow could kill them, the Vampires began to lose their focus.

Taking advantage of that, Shizuku-dono and I struck them down one by one.

As expected, since they lacked unique Vampire abilities, they didn’t even try to transform into bats to escape.

The enemy’s numbers gradually dwindled, and we finally succeeded in defeating the group of Lesser Vampires.

“Now, let’s head to the Mayor’s mansion!”

However, as we started to run, we were surrounded once again.

And this time, it was a staggering horde of Lesser Vampires—hundreds of them.

“This… could it be that this entire town has been taken over by Vampires?”

The worst-case scenario flashed through my mind.

“Kuh, Fiene-sama! Please, be safe…”