Chapter 62: 037. Imperial Prince is Subjugating Vampires -2 (Part Two)

Screams reverberated throughout the imperial palace.

“Halt! What is the meaning of this?!”

The Order of the Crimson Cross ruthlessly rushed towards the luxury suite where some nobles were currently staying. They pushed forward the imperial decree inscribed with the imperial family’s coat of arms at the Paladins guarding the doorway.

“We are the Heresy Inquisitors. Our actions merely follow the commands of his highness, the First Imperial Prince, Luan Olfolse. Do you have any objections?”

“The command of h-his highness…?”

“If you wish to stop our advances, then you must first obtain the permission of two archbishops, or more. If you don’t have that, then…” A cold shine radiated from the eyes hidden beneath the bird beak mask that zeroed in on the Paladin. “We’re authorised to summarily execute anyone who resists. Even the Paladins loyal to the Imperial Family are no exceptions.”

“…!”

“This is neither a revolt nor is it a coup d’etat. Even his majesty, the Holy Emperor, has permitted it. Will you disobey his decree?”

The eyes of the Crimson Cross gleamed behind their masks. They began raising their scary-looking weapons in their hands. All sorts of tools like scythes, greatswords, and maces could be seen rising up threateningly in the air.

The Paladins stumbled back before ungainly moving out of the way.

The Crimson Cross kicked the door down when their path was clear.

The nobles were taken greatly aback and hurriedly retreated, their faces filled with pure fear.

The members of the Crimson Cross double-checked the list, then scanned the ranks of nobles, servants, and maids currently present.

“Capture them! If anyone resists, cut off their heads immediately. That’ll serve as proof of whether they are Vampires or not.”

The Crimson Cross began approaching the frightened nobles.

“H-how dare you…! I’m Count Bernia! Do you think you’ll be unscathed after pulling this stunt…?!”

One of the nobles present unsheathed his sword. However, this act constituted as ‘resistance’.

The Crimson Cross members spoke at the same time, “We act according to the commands of the Imperial Family.”

“E-even if the Imperial Family has issued a command, this is still wrong! Just what exactly happened that you are…!”

The Crimson Cross wasted no more time and quickly pounced upon the one still issuing resistance in the group.

A scythe swiped across the air, cleanly lopping the count’s head off. A fountain of blood gushed out from between the severed head and torso.

The headless body fell down to its knees while the ownerless head rolled around on the carpeted floor. This lasted only for a brief moment as both of them suddenly burst into bluish flames and began burning away.

“He… really was a Vampire?!”

The knights of the Crimson Cross stared at the list with renewed shock in their eyes. Then, they shifted their glares back over to the nobles inside the luxury suite. The corners of their lips hidden beneath the masks began curling up into maddened grins.

There was no more need for doubt.

Their glares locked on the surviving ones who were backing away even now.

“Every single person in this room is now suspected of being the blood-creations. Capture them all!”

And so, screams continued to reverberate throughout the imperial palace.

Meanwhile, groups decked in crimson robes were dashing across the streets of Laurensis on horseback.

They stopped a carriage, one that was about to cross the guard station located by the gates leading outside of the capital city.

“What is the meaning of this?! I’m Count Ruran from the kingdom of Lome…”

“Count Ruran is also on the list. He’s definitely a Vampire.”

After declaring that, the members of the Crimson Cross uniformly raised their crossbows.

“What?! What are you…?!”

They fired their bolts.

Projectiles penetrated straight into the count’s torso and limbs. Despite screaming in pain, the Crimson Cross didn’t stop there and even proceeded to place a noose around his neck.

“Surely a Vampire wouldn’t die from something this minor.”

While saying this, they began dragging him back to the palace as their horses galloped forward.

From the imperial palace all the way to the streets of the capital…

…A pandemonium of blood was underway.

Citizens shivered away in fear and cried out helplessly.

Even then, the Crimson Cross didn’t hesitate nor hold themselves back. Their duty right now was to ‘Kill and Capture’; everything else was besides their consideration.

Luan stood by a window of the imperial palace and observed the events from high up.

Witnessing them capture and bring back the Vampires brought a smile to his face.

**

Count Fomor was presently shivering away from anxiety.

Like a broken machine, his head continued creaking from side to side as he scanned his surroundings.

He was currently standing inside the majestic audience chamber.

This magnificent space was meant for the emperor to grant audiences to his subjects, and normally it should’ve been filled with Paladins and loyal retainers of the empire.

Yet, not a single soul could be seen inside right now.

Was that all?

Of course not – all the windows were covered up with thick drapes as well.

Inside this hall that seemed to personify darkness itself, only the emperor’s throne received rays of brilliant sunlight, almost shining like a beacon in this place.

Count Fomor swallowed back his dry saliva and stared at the person sitting on that very throne.

“Welcome back, Count Fomor.”

It was none other than the Holy Emperor himself, Kelt Olfolse.

This man had personally summoned Fomor to this place.

Honestly speaking, he didn’t think that meeting the emperor in this fashion wouldn’t be all that difficult to pull off. He’d been fooling the old man and earning the latter’s trust for several years by now, after all. He believed he was safe with some amount of certainty.

However…

Slam!

Count Fomor hurriedly looked behind him.

The only entrance of the audience chamber had been closed shut. On top of that, he could even hear the sounds of something being locked down, too.

Fomor’s level of alertness went up a notch.

This… the atmosphere in here was too strange.

He shifted his attention back to Kelt Olfolse and asked in a trembling voice, “Y-your majesty? May I enquire as to why you’ve summoned this servant to your presence?”

Kelt Olfolse began massaging the back of his neck. “Ah, it’s nothing to fret over. Well… I thought that my littlest grandson has caused you much offence, you see. I figured I might as well heal you personally.”

Count Fomor did his absolute best to smile naturally.

He immediately performed established etiquette to imply that although such a thing was an honour, he’d still have to graciously refuse. “Your majesty, this servant of yours doesn’t require such a magnanimous grace. I have already employed personal Priests, so I can simply…”

“Oh, well. Let me stop beating the bush around then. Fella, are you a Vampire?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I asked you if you were a Vampire.”

Kelt stood up abruptly from the throne, then unhurriedly strode down the stairs of the elevated platform.

Every time he took a step, Count Fomor stumbled backwards.

“I ask of you to be forgiving towards the offence I’m about to cause. If you are indeed a human, then I shall apologise to you. And I shan’t forget to bestow you with an equally-deserving compensation. I swear this in my name. However…” Kelt Olfolse spoke without a hint of expression on his face, even his eyes gleaming in a disinterested light. “…If you are indeed a Vampire, then I plan to not let this matter slide without any due punishment.”

The muscles surrounding Count Fomor’s eyes twitched.

Nothing about this made any sense.

This whole situation was barrelling down the worst possible path.

Without a doubt, things were progressing smoothly when he managed to have the Seventh Imperial Prince thrown into prison.

But all of a sudden, a loud commotion took over the imperial palace, and followed shortly afterwards by waves of divinity crashing through it. And now, he could even hear the terrified screams resounding out inside the palace.

And all those screams of desperation were unique to the undead.

Due to these events, Fomor could tell. Outside of this audience chamber, a ‘Vampire hunt’ was currently underway.

Cold sweat drops trickled down Fomor’s body as the terror of this realisation caused his body to involuntarily shiver.

Something somewhere had gone horribly wrong.

He needed to escape from this place.

Count Fomor hurriedly shifted his gaze all over the area. The doorway behind him was sealed up while the windows were blocked by iron bars.

Dammit, there was no way out!

‘N-no, wait… Think calmly about this first. I don’t have a way to get away from here. And right now, only a single person is standing before me, the emperor…’

Fomor flinched at this chain of thought before scanning his surroundings once more.

There were no Paladins in the vicinity.

Indeed, only the Holy Emperor, Kelt Olfolse, was in front of him. The old man wasn’t even armed right now.

A forced smile crept up on Fomor’s face.

Kelt Olfolse was the great hero who killed the Necromancer King Amon. However, he was unarmed right now. Not only that, he was so old that it’d not be strange for him to keel over from natural death any day now.

Look! Look at all those skinny bones visible through the gaps of the white-coloured and somewhat shabby robe!

That was the limit of the creature called ‘humans’.

Quite unlike a Vampire blessed with an everlasting life, a human was a just measly little lifeform. Someone like Fomor, who was only a step away from reaching the status of ‘Progenitor’, might be able to fight against the emperor.

“Hah. Hahah… Hahahaha!!!” Count Fomor exploded out in a loud peal of laughter. He then held his forehead. “All of you damned Imperial Family fools. You’re all insane!”

Take a good look throughout the world. Where would anyone find a place that handled matters in such a crazy fashion?

Never mind thinking outside the box, these Imperial Family bastards were all batsh*t insane. No, they were a bunch of psychos who wouldn’t bat a single eyelid even as they drowned the imperial palace and the capital city in the river of blood.

Kelt stopped walking and tilted his head when Count Fomor suddenly guffawed out.

“Oiii, old man!” Fomor cried out.

“…Count Fomor, your manner of speech has become rather unrefined for some reason.”

“You asked if I’m a Vampire, didn’t you?”

Fomor raised both of his arms, then… he began devouring them with his own mouth. He consumed these arms that used to belong to a human, and in their place, ‘the arms of a Vampire’ grew out. Bizarre-looking arms that hideously wiggled and contorted in an unsightly way.

“I am indeed a Vampire, a predator that will devour all of you!”

The count hastily made a beeline towards the emperor.

“Once I’m done with you. I will be acknowledged by the other Progenitors and earn proper nobility in the process!”

In the blink of an eye, he arrived before Kelt Olfolse. His sharp claws were raised up high.

“As long as you disappear from here, I shall…!”

Count Fomor quickly swung down his right hand. It was then easily caught by the emperor’s grasp.

He flinched nastily in shock while staring at Kelt.

His claws couldn’t break through the old man’s skin. Not only that, the claws themselves actually shattered instead and his whole hand was instantly crushed.

The hand which belonged to a frail-looking small old man had stopped the much larger hand of a monster.

“Sounds like you mosquito bastard has forgotten it. I’m the Holy Emperor.” Kelt grinned refreshingly and continued on. “I’m the man who pummelled the Necromancer King Amon with my own hands before proceeding to rip his head off. Did you really think I can’t even handle a mere gnat like you?”

Kelt’s free hand shot out and grabbed Count Fomor’s head.

“W-wait! Hold on…”

And then, a horrifying noise echoed in the chamber.

Blood splattered everywhere as Fomor’s head, alongside his spine, got ripped out from the torso.

“K-keo-hurk…”

More blood gushed out from Count Fomor’s open mouth.

The bloodied spine dangled in the air while still attached to the head.

“Now that’s a relief, you’re still alive.” Kelt smiled in satisfaction, and then he brought his lips close to Fomor’s ear to whisper the following. “Don’t die on me yet. I still need to uncover the culprit responsible for murdering the Imperial Crown Princess Yulisia, after all.”

Of course, that wouldn’t be the end.

Now was the time to filter out every single Vampire in hiding by interrogating this bastard.

< 037. Imperial Prince is Subjugating Vampires -2 Part One and Two) > Fin.

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