Elf Tensei Kara no Cheat Kenkoku-ki

Book 05: Chapter 16-1: The War Begins

「This… this is the gratitude thou showest to one who hath delivered the world from peril?」 I shouted, clutching my daughter's lifeless body in the royal castle's underground, my white hair disheveled. My daughter had married into the royal family in an attempt to bridge the gap between vampires and humans. She was a bright and cheerful girl, but now she would never move again. At some point, the letters that had been regularly sent from my daughter stopped coming. Worried, I sent a letter to check on her, and a reply from her came back immediately. But that only fueled my anxiety… The handwriting in that letter was a fake, imitating my daughter's. Unable to stay put, I stormed into the royal capital, only to be struck by grief. My daughter had been killed. Vampire blood had the effect of slowing aging when consumed by humans. My daughter was merely used as a tool to produce this elixir of immortality and died due to a human's "careless mistake" of draining too much blood. The prince, who loved my daughter and whom I believed would protect her, was betrayed and overthrown by his brothers, blinded by greed. He was killed before my daughter. Many soldiers tried to kill me as I followed my daughter's scent to this place. Maybe they were scared. Maybe they just wanted a new blood bag. Just a few months ago, I had been hailed as a hero who led the vampires to save the world, yet they did not hesitate to turn their blades on me. Perhaps if it had been the fault of just a few humans running amok, and if there had been an official apology, I might not have been able to forgive them, but I could have swallowed my anger. But I wasn’t so much of a saint that I could smile and forgive after what had been done to me. 「Once, We too harboured dreams of peaceful coexistence. Alas, it seemeth that humans and our kind are destined to be forever at odds. Blood Realm Magic: [Crimson Moon, White Night].」 In the basement of the royal castle, I activated my unique magic. It created a different world ruled by a blood-soaked moon. It was a voracious magic that drained the magical power and souls of all living things within a radius of several hundred meters. The drained magic power and souls were absorbed by me, strengthening me, and the stronger I became, the more the radius of the magic expanded. Using such a spell in the castle, located in the heart of the royal capital would kill thousands, if not tens of thousands. But I no longer cared. Humans… no, mere livestock perishing in droves were of no concern to me. I would devour every human in this city and use them as nourishment. 「Rise, O humans, for the hour hath come when thou shalt receive thy comeuppance.」 And then I, who had killed the Demon King to protect the humans, would become the new Demon King to destroy humanity with my own hands. ◇ 「Hah, hah, hah…」 I sat up. My heartbeat was painfully loud. This was my house in Erucy, shared with Lucy and Yukino. Next to me, Lucy and Yukino were sleeping peacefully, their breaths gentle and rhythmic. 「Another dream about one of my past lives, huh?」 Lately, I'd been dreaming about my past selves every night, always about tragedies or moments before death. The despair of the knight Deet, who was born into a game-like world, and after living a life adhering to the code of chivalry, ended up losing his beloved. The regret of the blacksmith Kuiro, who continually crafted weapons too powerful and was feared for it. He never kowtowed to the powerful and sought only to create the supreme sword, only to be murdered before completing it. The lament of the vampire Gramdeal, who saved people, was betrayed by them, turned into the Demon King, and sought to destroy the world, only to be slain by a hero. Their pain resonated within me as if it were my own. Was this what it truly meant to become one with my past selves? I wondered how long I could remain myself… 「Lucy… as long as I have Lucy, I'm sure it will be alright.」 I was still dreaming. I kissed Lucy on the cheek, and the pain that felt like it would tear me apart faded away. As long as she was with me, I should be able to remain myself. ◇ 「The reason I've called you all here today is none other than this: the final war is beginning.」 I had gathered the key figures of Erucy, including Kurao, the acting village chief, Roleau, the captain of the elite unit Nettle, and Kuu, the representative of the fire foxes, to hold a meeting. A letter containing a declaration of war from Ashno had arrived. It seemed that the Empire would depart in two days. They would likely reach Bell Erucy in about ten days. It was improbable that they'd break through that robust fortress head-on. If they took a detour, it would take an additional fifteen days from there. In other words, if there were no delays, they were expected to arrive in twenty-five days.

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