Chapter 29
"Wait...."
"Hmm?"
"I belong to the Frontier Knight Order. I am the Third Knight, Kantas."
He had a tough look about him.
Come to think of it, they mentioned there were kidnapped personnel from the Knight Order too.
I reply kindly to the man's call.
"Nice to meet you. I am Garurik."
"Sir Garurik, first of all, thank you. If you hadn't stepped up, what would have happened to all these people...."
"It is our duty. You don't need to worry about it. More importantly, you said you belong to the Frontier Knight Order."
"Yes... I heard there have been frequent disappearances around here lately. I came to investigate, but...."
"You got swept up in it."
"Shamefully enough...."
"Did you come out to investigate alone?"
"No. I was definitely with three squad members, but...."
"So their survival is currently unclear."
"That's correct."
A brief exchange of questions and answers.
Kantas, who had been hesitating all along, finally managed to bring up a topic.
"More importantly... is this organization called the Slayers truly a definitive ally?"
"A definitive ally. I don't quite understand the intention behind your question."
"You said you were vampire hunters. However...."
He kept glancing over.
It seemed he was looking at Carmilla, who was standing next to me.
The girl wearing the red mask I had handed her before we entered the ranch.
"Aha, you're wondering why we are accompanied by a vampire."
"Y-yes, that's right...."
"This is Maneur. She is a squad member who acts as my assistant. Her race itself is a vampire, but she helps our organization. She is considered an ace even within the Slayers."
"Sir Maneur? But why would a vampire hunt vampires...?"
"She has her personal reasons."
Has this guy never even watched Blade?
A vampire vampire hunter with a tragic backstory is a common trope, you know.
Then would a vampire hunting a vampire vampire hunter be a vampire vampire vampire hunter hunter?
"It would be difficult to explain the details. It is a sensitive matter. However, what I can assure you is that she is an excellent vampire hunter."
"I see. I apologize. I just grew suspicious all of a sudden...."
"It's a natural reaction. You must have suffered so much from those vampires."
I nod my head.
Kantas's eyes grew serious.
"The Slayers... vampire hunters acting in secret...."
"We operate across the entire continent. Countless members are putting their lives on the line as we speak."
"In secret, you say? Well... revealing your true identities would make you easy targets."
So that's why they wear those strange masks.
Kantas nodded, seemingly having convinced himself.
Well, I hadn't exactly gone that far.
But if he was going to misunderstand on his own, I'd gladly take it.
"Then... Sir Garurik. What will you do now?"
"We have completely neutralized all the vampires residing in the facility. In addition, we've rescued the survivors, so now we have to demolish this place. We will blow up this space so it can never be used again."
"Demolish...."
"Of course, there are some places we need to check before that."
"Places you need to check...?"
"The ghouls."
Humans who had turned into monsters after receiving the blood of vampires.
Moreover, they were also the victims of this incident.
Kantas's complexion darkened.
"There's a pit dug behind this building. They probably rounded up the ghouls there."
"The ghouls...."
"Let's go. We should at least verify it, shouldn't we?"
We began to move.
Kantas, of course, as well as the survivors hesitantly followed behind me.
Perhaps seeing me as their protector, they acted as if they didn't want to leave my side.
The pit wasn't located too far away.
"This is the place."
-Grrr...!
-Shrieeek!
The cries echoed from down below, showing just how deep they had dug it.
Though blurry, I could see things swarming inside.
It looked like there were easily at least 100 of them.
"Ah...."
Kantas, who was standing next to me, suddenly let out a gasp.
Did he spot a familiar face?
He couldn't take his eyes off the pit.
His gaze wavered from within his stiffened expression.
Soon, he bit his lip tightly and pointed among the ghouls.
"...Those are my squad members. So everyone was in a place like this."
Honestly, because there were so many ghouls clustered together, I couldn't tell who he was pointing at.
"Damn it... Those bastards, why did this happen...."
"It seems you cared for your squad members a lot."
"They were like my own children to me."
"I offer my condolences."
Was it out of guilt for being the only one who survived?
Kantas couldn't speak for a long time.
Tears were welling up in his eyes.
Such a tragedy applied to the others as well.
"N-no! My son, my son is down there...!"
"Let me go! I have to go save my younger sibling!"
"How could this happen...."
"Mom...."
Some of the survivors.
The people peering into the pit started to wail.
Could they be the people who were dragged away together at the time of their kidnapping?
"No... Dad, my dad was taken by the monsters...."
"I have to go! My son just motioned to me!"
"Snap out of it! That is not your son anymore!"
"Waaaaah...!"
It was a sight too difficult to watch with open eyes.
The other survivors also wiped their tears.
Those who were rescued, and those who were ruined beforehand.
"Princess."
I look back at Carmilla.
She, too, was staring down into the pit in a daze.
"...Ah, did you call for me?"
"I suppose there's no way to turn a ghoul back into a human, right?"
"Right... It's impossible. Vampires don't possess such authority."
"So it means while you can turn a human into a ghoul, it's impossible to turn a ghoul into a human."
"Isn't that how everything works? It's easy to make a mess of something, but difficult to clean it up."
"...."
Something that cannot be undone.
Healing magic wouldn't work, and holy power would only end up burning the ghouls instead.
'Is there really no way.'
A staggering 100 victims.
In such a horrific state, turned into monsters without egos.
"The vampires of the New Kingdom... I wonder why they piled up the ghouls like that."
"Wouldn't it be to prepare for war? They must have been trying to increase their forces."
"Definitely. Ghouls would be perfect to use as arrow fodder."
"Honestly, just how ugly are they willing to get...."
A long, thin sigh escaped from behind the red mask.
We fell into silence for a moment.
Soon, Kantas, who had been pacing near the pit, approached us.
"Sir Garurik. Sir Maneur."
"Yes, did you call for us?"
"The ghouls... no, I don't think it's right to leave the victims neglected like that. That state is nothing but an insult to the deceased. Therefore, I want to cremate them. So they can let go of their lingering attachments and depart in peace."
"Cremation."
"They are the ones who cannot be turned back, aren't they? Both the people swarming down there, and my squad members... none of them would want to remain in such a state."
The ones who cannot be turned back.
However, I couldn't agree with that thought.
"Well."
Who says it can't be done?
I'll show you.
This fucked up world, this fucked up sight, and this fucked up tragedy.
I will shatter it by fully mobilizing all the knowledge I possess.
'As a veteran, how could I ever accept such a bitter end to an episode....'
I approach the front of the pit.
Rummaging through my inventory, I pull out a colorful Balloon Sword.
"Princess."
"Hmm?"
"Could you pick up a ghoul using Blood Manipulation?"
"It wouldn't be difficult, but... so suddenly?"
"There is something I want to test."
"Understood."
Clap, clap-.
As she clapped her hands lightly twice, streaks of blood wavered around the girl.
The blood compressed straight down, forming into the shape of a giant hand.
Following that, it snatched a ghoul out from inside the pit.
-Grrr, screech!
A ghoul dangling precariously.
Amidst its struggling movements, a woman's voice could be heard.
Perhaps, she was the mother of that young ghoul.
"Son! My son...!"
"That is not your son! Your son is dead!"
"Everyone, grab her! She looks ready to jump into the pit...!"
The woman lunged forward as she wailed.
The group of survivors was noisy in one way or another.
Setting aside such noise, I stared solely at Carmilla.
"Is this much fine? I chose a small ghoul on purpose, but...."
"That's sufficient."
Phew-.
After taking a short, deep breath, I raised my sword and took a stance.
"Princess. Now, could you throw that ghoul towards me?"
"Hmm...?"
"It is exactly as you understood. You just need to throw the ghoul."
"T-throw it, you say? Even so, it used to be a human...."
"Princess. Am I the kind of person to make such a request for no reason?"
"W-well, no, but...."
Though she seemed to hesitate for a moment, the Princess soon nodded her head.
She gently gripped the ghoul with her Blood Manipulation.
Not too strong, and not too weak.
"Understood. I don't know what you're trying to do, but...!"
-Grrr?
Following that, Carmilla threw the ghoul in this direction.
The ghoul flew through the air like a baseball pitch.
Swoosh-!
'This is a gamble.'
It was definitely a bug that triggered in-game, but I had never tested it in reality before.
That was to be expected, since I didn't have many opportunities to encounter a ghoul.
'However, it's worth a try.'
Click-.
Pressing the pocket watch in my hand, the world slowed down for a brief moment.
I swung the balloon sword towards the ghoul that had flown right in front of my nose.
Then, I executed parrying by spinning it as if peeling an apple.
Thud-!
Parrying was activated, and the ghoul, its trajectory altered, soared into the sky.
Right after, I caught the falling figure in my arms.
Those watching couldn't help but be astonished.
Because it looked as though the ghoul had pounced on me.
"Vic, Victor...!"
Did she judge it to be a dangerous situation?
The Princess hurriedly ran towards me.
However, I was already certain the moment I caught it in my arms.
Clink-!
[The Illusion Collector is reacting!]
A weak staggering sound coming from my arms.
Unlike that of a ghoul, it sounded like the voice of a young boy.
"Ah, ugh...."
A body temperature that wasn't cold.
I carefully looked down at the small body held in my arms.
"Umm... M-Mom?"
Half-asleep-.
The child couldn't react properly, perhaps because his consciousness was still hazy.
Clear eyes were looking up at me.
I smiled warmly and greeted him.
"Did you sleep well, kiddo?"
"Uhh... who are you, mister...?"
Human.
The child had returned to his appearance as a human.
His skin color returned to a pale hue, and his red-dyed pupils were also restored to normal.
Clink-!
[A new Illusion has been discovered.]
-Illusion Name : Status Effect Parrying
-Description : Status effect applied to a specific target is judged as an attack. If the System user executes parrying, the status effect can be detached from the target.
Several messages popped up before my eyes.
Without even checking them, I revealed the child in front of the people.
"Ta-da~!"
The people stared blankly in this direction.
Carmilla with her eyes wide open,
Kantas with question marks floating above his head,
And the child's Mom running towards us.
I gave a light wink towards all of them.
"It's just a simple magic trick."
Though they probably couldn't see it because I was wearing a mask.
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