#Episode 76
The owner of the body sluggishly lifted themselves up, and only then was Vasha able to take a look around.
In the center of a grand hall resembling a noble’s mansion. The crimson light Vasha initially thought was fire turned out to be blood splattered everywhere.
The floor was pooled with blood, and the hands resting on the ground were also covered in blood. The front of the clothes, visible in glimpses, was soaked in blood as well, and judging by the rising exhilaration, it seemed the body had just finished drinking blood.
The pillars supporting the glass-decorated ceiling were adorned with marble carvings, but even those carvings had been splattered with blood, a testament to how extravagant the feast must have been before coming to consciousness.
Tap, tap.
The sound of rain beating against the glass window grew louder. Lightning flashed repeatedly beyond the precariously trembling glass, causing the room to flicker on and off.
“Haha, hahaha…”
In the middle of the pool of blood, the body’s owner let out a strange sound—half crying, half laughing—as they curled up.
Bang!
At that moment, the enormous front door of the mansion burst open with an earth-shaking roar. Rain poured in through the open door as lightning struck.
And amidst the chaos, a towering man stood in the doorway.
The man, who appeared with the howling storm, took in the tragedy unfolding in the hall and cried out in despair.
“How could it be you?!”
His grief was so intense it felt as if it were tearing apart his insides. Without hesitation, the man advanced toward ‘Vasha.’
The hatred laced in his voice was unfamiliar, but the aching in the depths of the heart it evoked was all too familiar.
<Lullaby, lullaby, my dear baby. Don’t lie down under the moonlight.>
The man’s once-gentle voice dissolved into a cry of enmity, shattering the tender lullaby into something that felt like it had never existed. His rage wiped away every trace of the past.
With a squelching sound, his footsteps left prints in the pool of blood. Before long, the man approached, grabbing ‘Vasha’ by the collar.
The body’s owner offered no resistance, letting their hands dangle as they stared blankly at him.
Whether due to the shadows cast by the dim light or the confusion of memories, his face was shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to discern any features.
All that was visible were his golden eyes, glowing with hate and locked onto ‘Vasha.’ Those were the only emotions readable from him.
“I should never have taken you in! If I had killed you back then, none of this would’ve happened!”
Each word he spoke was as sharp as a knife plunging into Vasha’s chest, ripping it apart.
Vasha had no idea who the man was or what relationship he had with the body’s owner.
But the pain of this moment caused by the man, and the vile pleasure of ruining everything with their own hands, felt vividly real, as if they were Vasha’s own emotions.
Drip, drip.
Water dripped onto Vasha’s cheek. The glass ceiling above remained intact. What Vasha thought were raindrops were actually the man’s tears.
The blood that had stained his face was washed away by his tears.
The body’s owner reached out a trembling hand toward the man. But before the hand could touch his cheek, the man unsheathed a blade, raising it high as he shouted.
“I curse you. Until my soul is worn away to nothing, I will make sure to destroy you. If my soul alone isn’t enough, I’ll even stake the souls of my descendants!”
With a desperate declaration of resentment, the blade he had raised came down like lightning, piercing Vasha’s heart. A blinding flash of lightning followed, as if it would scorch the eyes. The body’s owner offered no resistance, merely closing their eyes in submission.
Beyond the darkness, the afterimage of the lightning left everything enveloped in white.
***
Bang!
“Ouch!”
Waking up, Vasha shot upright instinctively, only to bump her head against the coffin lid. Grumbling irritably, Vasha clutched her head before pushing the lid open and sitting up.
It felt as if her heart had just been pierced, the ache sharp and vivid. Vasha gingerly placed a hand over the throbbing spot on her chest.
“It didn’t hurt this much during Hudel’s time…”
From the beginning, this dream felt different from Hudel’s. When dreaming of Hudel, Vasha had always been an observer, watching from the sidelines. This time, however, the events unfolded directly within her, as though she were living through it.
Experiencing it so vividly, even the pain felt real, as though it were being transferred into her body.
If she had experienced all the suffering Hudel endured in his life from a first-person perspective… Vasha shivered unconsciously at the thought.
“Come to think of it, the dagger that man wielded…”
A skull and thorn-covered handle. A narrow blade. It was a familiar sight.
Driven by a hunch, Vasha retrieved the Dagger of Condemnation to examine it. It matched perfectly with what she’d seen in the dream.
The Dagger of Condemnation was the weapon the first head of the Van Drake family had used to pierce the Vampire Lord’s heart. It didn’t take long for Vasha to recognize the owner of their dream.
‘So I dreamt of the Vampire Lord? But why?’
Vasha tried to recall the dream.
The faceless man in the dream must have been the first head of the Van Drake family. Judging by what he said, it didn’t seem like he and the Vampire Lord had been enemies from the very beginning…
‘Following Hudel’s dream… I don’t understand why I’m having these dreams.’
At first, Vasha wondered if it could be some deeply buried memory of her own. But once she realized it was the Vampire Lord’s dream, she dismissed the idea—it was absurd.
‘Well, it’s probably just a vision from the dagger…’
The dagger that had pierced Vasha’s heart in the dream, leaving her drenched in blood, now gleamed with silvery light in the palm of her hand.
Staring blankly at the dagger, Vasha’s mind swirled with confusion.
At that moment, a letter appeared, fluttering into existence out of nowhere. It was Rasa’s long-awaited arrival.
Vasha was delighted at the chance to regain her memories after such a long wait, though the current circumstances made it hard to be entirely pleased.
“You, why are you only showing up now—no, never mind that. How did you even appear here?”
Vasha was currently deep within her sanctuary, where her coffin resided.
And yet, this figure had torn through space itself to appear, evading even Vasha’s own senses in her own domain.
Vampires kept sanctuaries for a reason. A vampire’s sanctuary was shielded by a magical [Veil] that concealed both their presence and power. Even for high-ranking vampires, detecting and breaking into a lower-tier vampire’s sanctuary wasn’t an easy feat.
‘The master of Rasa must be unbelievably strong…’
Realizing that even her sanctuary wasn’t safe, Vasha gave a dry sigh and looked at Rasa with a mix of exasperation and resignation.
“Ugh, whatever. You won’t tell me even if I ask. But you’d better explain this! Why the hell did you give me this thing? I’ve been having strange dreams because of you!”
Vasha shouted in frustration, but Rasa, as always, ignored her words entirely and delivered its message.
[You’ve recuperated in your high-grade sanctuary and adapted to this world!]
[Time has passed, and with the onset of cold, the nights are growing longer.]
[To ward off the darkness and evil that linger in winter, people light lanterns in a ceremony just before night overtakes the day.]
[That ancient ritual has grown more elaborate over time, and today it’s known as the ‘Lantern Festival.’]
As Rasa droned on, its explanation carried a growing sense of foreboding. It wouldn’t bother mentioning this if it weren’t important. Unease began to creep into Vasha’s expression.
[Before the Lantern Festival, a charity auction is held, where nobles offer rare and treasured items.]
[Trial: Secure the Van Drake Heirloom from the ‘Lantern Festival Charity Auction’ to gain your familiar’s favor!]
“Gain Todd’s favor?”
Vasha’s face twisted with irritation.
First, Rasa had her take Todd as a familiar. Then, it had her secure a sanctuary in Noctiluca, which would become Todd’s future base.
And now, it was demanding she procure a Van Drake heirloom to win Todd’s favor. It was blatant manipulation, so much so that Vasha wasn’t even surprised anymore.
‘Judging by this, the one controlling Rasa must be a very high-ranking vampire. But what do they want?’
Being entangled in the plans of such an enigmatic figure left a sour taste in her mouth.
Why were they maneuvering her to stay so close to Todd?
In the future, Todd would awaken the Vampire Lord from Vampire Lord slumber. Perhaps the one behind Rasa was already aware of that.
If so, did they want Todd to awaken the Vampire Lord? Or was it the exact opposite?
‘And what about the Dagger of Condemnation? Did they pass it to me because they think I’ll never give it to Todd? Or… something else?’
