#Episode 45
‘…It’s just because I feel useless now. Yeah. That’s all it is.’
As soon as Laurus appeared, Todd instantly felt powerless. He tried hard to suppress the vague feeling of discontent.
***
As promised, Laurus quickly prepared and brought a coffin.
The coffin was made of ebony wood with gold trimmings on the outside, and the inside was lined with red velvet. It was a hexagonal coffin, the classic style favored by vampires.
Vasha personally preferred gilded carved wood, but she thought, This isn’t so bad either.
In a voice unable to fully suppress her excitement, Vasha asked.
“It must have been difficult to find a coffin like this so quickly. What excuse did you use?”
“Well…”
Laurus hesitated, unable to answer immediately. However, thinking it would be more impolite not to answer Vasha, he awkwardly responded,
“Actually, it was a coffin I had prepared for myself. But I thought it would suit you as well.”
It wasn’t something Laurus had prepared for Lucy, but rather a coffin intended for himself. Feeling embarrassed, Laurus gave a shy smile.
While Vasha was at a loss for words due to the unexpected reply, Todd grumbled,
“Of course, only a follower would go to such lengths. He’s not even a vampire, yet he chooses such a coffin for himself. And ebony wood? Isn’t that too simple a choice? If it were me…”
Todd criticized the coffin, but Vasha paid no attention.
Regardless of who the original owner was, no vampire could refuse a coffin that matched their tastes this well.
Compared to the coffins in the previous world, which were indistinguishable from wooden planks or shipping boxes, this one was a treasure.
Overjoyed to have her first coffin in this world, Vasha threw herself into it, exclaiming,
“I’m satisfied! Absolutely satisfied!”
“It is an honor and a joy to know you are satisfied, Lady Vasha.”
Laurus, proud of Vasha’s reaction, glanced at Todd, who bit his lower lip in frustration under Laurus’ smug gaze.
Despite the half-century age difference between the old man and the child, neither knew compassion or respect, making the age gap seem irrelevant.
While the two were silently competing, Vasha, lying in her new coffin, carefully examined every detail.
Though Laurus was neither too big nor too small in build, his coffin was a perfect fit for Vasha.
As soon as Vasha lay down, Rasa, who had been hiding in Vasha’s pocket, suddenly revealed itself.
Flap! Flap!
Laurus was startled by the sudden appearance of the flying letter.
“A piece of paper… flying!”
“Hmph. You don’t even know what a familiar is?”
Todd sneered at Laurus. To think he was so startled by a mere familiar. Even if he knew a lot about vampires, he was no match for a Van Drake.
As Todd unknowingly reveled in his superiority, words appeared above Rasa.
[“Laurus’ mansion” has been secured as a hideout.]
[High-grade hideout secured!]
‘High-grade hideout…! Awesome!’
Elated by the unexpectedly good outcome, Vasha clenched her fists in triumph while still lying in the coffin.
Rasa folded and unfolded its edges, as if sneering at Vasha’s excitement. It seemed displeased with Vasha’s joy for some reason.
[You have overcome the quest.]
[【Illusion】 has been unlocked.]
Vasha hoped that by obtaining 【Illusion】, her memories related to this spell, similar to the ones from the time of the 【Binding Contract】, would return.
However, nothing came to mind. It was possible that there were simply too many memories tied to 【Illusion】, as it was a more versatile spell compared to 【Binding Contract】.
While this made sense, it still left Vasha feeling disappointed.
[Performance exceeding the suggested reward has been confirmed. An additional reward will be granted.]
[【Dagger of Condemnation】 has been bestowed.]
Rasa crumpled up, as though forming a shape, and soon it appeared to be wrapping around something.
When Rasa straightened out again, a ritual dagger, about the size of Vasha’s forearm, appeared in its place.
Vasha sat up and reached for the floating ritual dagger.
The dagger, adorned with skulls and thorny vines on its hilt and sheath, had a narrow, double-edged blade.
Designed to pierce the heart of a sacrifice and absorb blood, it was not well-suited for combat.
More importantly, there was an unusual power flowing through the dagger.
The moment Vasha grasped it, she felt a sharp pain in her heart, making her think this was not something to be wielded carelessly.
‘It’s a ritual dagger… or maybe for unsealing something? How am I supposed to use this?’
Vasha stared at the dagger in dismay.
For a higher-level vampire, this could have been a very useful item, but for Vasha, a low-ranking vampire, it was like giving a pearl necklace to a pig.
‘It’s not immediately useful… It’s exactly the kind of thing you’d get as a bonus gift. I mean, what kind of seal do I even need to break… Wait, seal? Now that I think about it….’
Vasha recalled a memory.
She definitely remembered seeing this dagger before.
This dagger was…
‘The key that future Todd used to awaken the Vampire Lord from its slumber…’
In the dream, the grown-up Todd successfully located where the Vampire Lord was sleeping.
However, the Vampire Lord had placed a powerful barrier to ensure its eternal rest, making physical access nearly impossible.
To overcome this, Todd opted for a spiritual approach.
He remembered this very Dagger of Condemnation, an old relic kept by his family.
It was the dagger that the first Van Drake had used to pierce the Vampire Lord’s heart.
In the future, Todd managed to recover this dagger, which had disappeared after the destruction of the Van Drake family.
With this dagger, Todd performed an intricate and grand spell.
By sharing the same wound through the same medium, the caster and the subject would have their souls linked.
This allowed the caster to delve deep into the soul or the subconscious of the subject.
Normally, when this spell was cast, the wound would be made on the finger or forearm.
However, the dagger Todd had recovered had once pierced the Vampire Lord’s heart.
The same medium, and the same wound.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Todd stabbed his own heart with the dagger.
Through this act, he reached the Vampire Lord’s soul at the cost of his own life, and successfully awakened the Vampire Lord from its slumber…
‘Damn it! This isn’t a bonus gift, it’s the source of all evil! How could they give me something like this!’
Vasha leaped up in fright. Rasa, watching Vasha’s reaction, seemed to laugh softly as its body shook before it vanished into flames, disappearing without a trace.
[The quest has ended.]
[Please wait for the next quest.]
“Wait!”
Vasha shouted, trying to grab Rasa, but it had already vanished.
Todd, who had been carefully observing the dagger since it first appeared, immediately began to question Vasha as soon as Rasa disappeared.
“What was that dagger? Can familiars deliver items too?”
Startled by Todd’s interest in the dagger, Vasha quickly hid it behind her back.
“Uh? Oh. It’s nothing.”
Todd’s eyes narrowed suspiciously at Vasha’s obviously shady behavior.
“It can’t be ‘nothing.’ There’s no way a familiar would just show up out of nowhere to give you a dagger without a reason. You must have summoned it, or the familiar thought it was necessary for some reason. But why would you need a ritual dagger? Are you hiding something from me?”
“Uh……”
As Todd continued to question her with sharp logic, Vasha’s mind raced, trying to figure out how to dodge the questions. Todd’s gaze grew even more suspicious.
“Besides, I feel like I’ve seen that dagger somewhere before…”
“A dagger is a dagger, they’re all the same!”
Vasha, frustrated by Todd’s annoyingly good memory, raised her voice.
In any case, Vasha had to make sure Todd didn’t get his hands on this dagger. If Todd recognized the dagger and started getting strange ideas, things could go wrong.
