Ch.113Chapter 113. The Noble Warrior Jung Seo-ryul

# Vampire.

They believe themselves to be elegant and refined, and are cautious about reproduction, which is why their numbers are quite limited.

No matter how threatening each individual might be, since they couldn’t exert widespread influence, their treatment couldn’t exceed that of heinous criminals causing social disturbance.

Seoyul Jung, who was chosen as a Hero after coming to this world, initially thought the same.

Until she achieved consecutive accomplishments and ultimately received direct sponsorship from the imperial royalty.

“So, you are Seoyul Jung, currently one of the most outstanding Heroes in this empire?”

But when the moment came to meet with the leaders in private, the truth she witnessed was utterly shocking.

The leaders who had previously sat on the imperial throne looking down upon crowds and vassals were now bowing their heads to a single vampire lying in a bedroom.

“Why would a vampire… to the royal family…”

“Hehe, no need to be so hostile. To us, humans are merely livestock, but we recognize that occasionally, treasures emerge from among the cattle.”

Livestock? Do even the royals appear that way to that arrogant monster?

No, since when did they start bowing to vampires?

During the Hero summoning? Or even before that…

Had humanity in this world been ruled by vampires from the beginning?

“And to discover such treasures, the pen where the livestock are kept needs to maintain at least a semblance of order.”

She felt herself becoming dumbfounded by this truth, but he continued speaking regardless of her reaction.

While ordering the royals—entranced by his mesmerism—to lick his feet and trample their heads as if they were truly livestock.

“…What do you want from me?”

That scene made Seoyul lose even her minimal will to resist.

She had been serving corrupt nobles steeped in decadence and luxury, pretending to get along with fools intoxicated by playing hero—all to increase her social standing by gaining favor with the royalty.

In such circumstances, to discover that the truth of the world she had been struggling in was like this… wouldn’t anyone lose their motivation?

“Didn’t I say? Even among livestock, special treasures occasionally emerge.”

But what she saw in the eyes watching her was something that could be called interest.

It was an emotion of a completely different dimension from what he showed toward the royals he made lick his feet.

“And you are one of those treasures discovered in the livestock pen… an uncut gem that has earned the right to be processed only after catching my eye.”

“Uncut gem? Aren’t I just a human you despise? What about me made you make such an assessment?”

“Well, you sought growth, unsatisfied with your current position, didn’t you? Meanwhile, other Heroes were only eager to consume the excessive treatment given to them. Like fattening up on the feed we provide.”

In his eyes, even Heroes born with special powers were viewed no differently from such livestock.

After hearing the vampire’s metaphor, the first thing Seoyul recalled was the ugly behavior displayed by those called Heroes in this world.

“…Was it all your doing that Heroes uniformly became such beings?”

Indeed, the imperial court had not imposed any restrictions on corrupt powerholders and undisciplined Heroes.

It’s a natural progression for a group to become corrupt when its leaders are rotten.

While humanity might have been corrupt, there existed a shadowy force accelerating that collapse.

“Why are you trying to ruin humanity in this world like this? What are you pursuing?”

“Let’s call it thinning out for the coming era.”

He replied to Seoyul’s inquiry about his intentions in a nonchalant manner.

“…Thinning out?”

“Seoyul Jung, do you think all of them deserve respect simply because they belong to the same species as you? Can you, who has repeatedly strived and evolved to reach this position, unsatisfied with merely filling your stomach and receiving praise, acknowledge that you are on the same level as those who have degenerated into corrupt swine through mere neglect?”

“…”

“Yes, you feel it too. In this world, too many inferior beings occupy positions they don’t deserve.”

She had been thinking about this in her original world as well.

She just didn’t express it outwardly.

After all, “eugenics”—the idea that those who aren’t superior or who suffer from disabilities should be eliminated—is a value system that can never be welcomed in modern times.

“In the gradually collapsing world ahead, resources will be limited, and only a few will be able to seize them. Yet, to invoke idols like Heroes and say that those of high caliber should spare no sacrifice for those beneath them… isn’t that too wasteful?”

And that logic was precisely why vampires had secretly fostered such a society from behind humanity’s back.

They dream of creating a “utopia for the chosen ones” by discovering talents from the vast livestock pen of human society that meet their standards.

“Now, Seoyul. Drink. You have the qualifications to become a being like us.”

She had met the criteria to enter that utopia.

Facing the wine glass filled with blood presented to her while being taught this, Seoyul swallowed and asked with a serious face:

“…What happens if I drink this?”

“You can become more special than anyone. Of course, you can leave here without drinking it if you wish. It wouldn’t be much of a problem for me even if you revealed the truth to humanity.”

Even if revealed, the truth would be buried under the machinations of vampires standing behind humanity, and the one who revealed it would fall as a corrupted Hero, becoming an enemy of humanity.

But he deliberately refrained from mentioning such disadvantages.

“Instead, you would remain confined within the framework of humanity, living your entire life as nothing more than livestock.”

He was already confident at this point.

That a woman with ambition among corrupt swine would never reject an opportunity to transcend her limitations.

***

Yes, Seoyul Jung had always been hungry.

Even in her original world, she lived with superior family background and talent, but the country she was born in, under the name of democracy, demanded that she return her talents and wealth to society.

The reason one must conform to such social norms is that even a person with abundant resources cannot become a perfect being without society’s help.

But such patience becomes unnecessary once one transcends humanity.

Seoyul realized this after accepting his blood and becoming a vampire.

That if one evolves into a higher being, one gains the right to be liberated from all the annoying constraints that have bound them.

“Dragon remains… this is quite tempting.”

One day, as she continued her days as a newly transformed confidant of the vampire who had given her this realization, Seoyul was summoned by him, who showed interest in important news that had reached the imperial court.

It was a moment when he, who typically regarded all threats targeting humans as trivial, showed unusual interest. For Seoyul, this was something she couldn’t ignore.

“Is this something even someone of your caliber covets?”

“It’s more than coveting. Dragons are beings at the pinnacle of this world, entities that are parts of the world itself and can be considered small worlds with their own will.”

A being that cannot be compared to merely having a noble birth.

His comparison of it to a world contained admiration and longing for such a powerful entity—one that enslaves even the leaders of humanity.

“But it’s troublesome indeed. If the empire officially retrieves it, those without qualification will try to divide its power…”

And to him, humans were just greedy, ugly swine.

Seoyul, who had observed him closely for a long time, immediately understood that he didn’t want that power to be used as a public resource.

What mattered was what came next.

“So if possible, retrieve that power. Even if not the entire remains, you alone should be able to monopolize the powerful magic of the dragon’s heart if you seize the opportunity.”

“…Are you sure you want to entrust this to me?”

“Is there a problem?”

Seoyul couldn’t help but hesitate to answer.

He must know that she harbors ambition.

Even after transcending the human framework, he must know her desire to go beyond being his confidant to establish an equal relationship with him.

“…If you don’t come along, I might try to monopolize that power for myself.”

Such an opportunity to approach the source of power that even he admires.

Couldn’t this be interpreted as permission to betray him if she had the chance to seize that power?

“If you can handle it.”

Despite her cautious thoughts, he smiled at her, saying that was the correct answer.

She immediately understood it wasn’t a lie.

For vampires, what they value more than their own lives is “aesthetics.”

Adhering to one’s firm philosophy proves the luxury they possess due to their noble birth.

“Seoyul Jung. My confidant. The words I speak now are an oath made upon my blood.”

So he doesn’t lie for the sake of his aesthetics.

Furthermore, his longing and respect for superior beings doesn’t exempt even himself.

“If you attain a higher caliber than me, I will gladly discard my dignity and bow my head to you.”

“Bow your… head?”

“I’m giving you the opportunity to use those like me, whom I consider the noblest in this world, as tools according to your will.”

If she truly succeeds in monopolizing the dragon’s power, she could place even beings that transcend humans beneath her.

For Seoyul, who had always suffered from a hunger for birth status, this was an irresistible temptation.

“What do you say, will you do it?”

“…If that’s what you desire.”

For this purpose, Seoyul, as usual, pretended to be a Hero for humanity, joined the expedition, and diligently carried out the task of subjugating the undead at the excavation site.

By the time a Hero had died and she had secretly waited until discovering the dragon’s heart, planning to assassinate Heroes who might interfere when the opportunity arose and disguise it as an accidental death.

Seeing this as an opportunity, Seoyul planned to gather Heroes who could be instigated and eliminate them all at once.

“Choose. Will you die following the orders of incompetent commanders and foolish nobles, or will we monopolize the dragon’s heart and place even the empire’s leaders beneath us?”

Some were afraid of becoming wanted as corrupted Heroes, or thought it was too reckless despite their arrogance.

But the fact that they didn’t immediately refuse meant there was a possibility of persuasion.

If necessary, she would use her innate vampire mesmerism, and at the critical moment, sow discord to make them fight among themselves.

Then assassinate the surviving Hero to eliminate all threats to herself.

It was a perfect plan up to that point.

If only the undead hadn’t invaded at the moment she executed the plan, and one of the Four Knights hadn’t immediately entered the area.

“But even that was within expectations.”

The opponent was one of the worst calamities targeting humanity.

Nevertheless, Seoyul was prepared to fight him without hesitation.

“After defeating him, I will seize the dragon’s power and place even humanity’s rulers beneath me.”

She believed without doubt that she would soon grasp such a future, even in the face of calamity.

But…

*****

“…Cough.”

Seoyul Jung coughs in the midst of the ongoing battle.

From that point, she felt not only her movements becoming sluggish but her entire being collapsing.

It was a battle she had clearly expected to dominate.

No matter how much the opponent embodied calamity, she was not only the most outstanding among Heroes but had also inherited the blood of the True Ancestor.

Why was her body, which had attained such transcendent physicality, breaking down so severely?

“Are you done playing around?”

The White Knight of Plague rises with his broken body, facing Seoyul who is bewildered by this.

Spores sprouting from between the crushed body parts cause new flesh to grow on the rotting body, soon restoring it to a condition no different from before the battle.

If there’s a limit to regeneration, she just needs to kill him until he dies. If she doesn’t break down first.

“What did you do…”

“Puhehe, well… I’ve learned something too valuable to keep to myself. Even a Hero called the Hope of Humanity has strayed from being a pure human. It’s pitiful that my brother uses his power to save such humanity.”

“Answer me, what did you do to my body… Uweeek!”

For the first time since becoming a vampire, her knees buckled.

Amidst pain so intense it made her forget even such humiliation, Blight spoke in his characteristically playful voice.

“Coincidentally, I didn’t do anything just now. The thing I laid down in advance is already eroding your body, so I just stimulated it a bit.”

“Erosion… what are you…”

“Well, the dead who awaken by my hand spread disease around them. If you’ve had experience eliminating the undead in this garrison area, wouldn’t disease vectors naturally be dormant in your body?”

Indeed, she had carried out undead subjugation missions to fulfill her role as a Hero.

But there had been no abnormalities at that time.

Is it plausible that a disease dormant in her body could damage it so rapidly just by encountering its source?

“If you had received holy power even once, you could have easily handled a dormant disease… Oh right. Vampires’ bodies collapse when they receive holy power, don’t they? Puhehe!”

As he said, vampires, like the undead, are vulnerable to holy power.

Therefore, out of caution, she had consistently rejected the goodwill of clerics trying to heal her.

Using the convenient excuse that it would be humiliating to rely on holy power to deal with undead that she could cut down as easily as breathing.

‘Blood, the blood.’

But as a result, blood pouring from every orifice in her body turned black as it spilled onto the floor.

Septicemia.

A disease that rots blood was the most fatal illness for a vampire who gains power through the blood they consume.

‘This can’t be happening…’

She feels herself collapsing as the disease accelerates.

‘How did I come this far, how did I come this far…!!’

Even a noble being who placed the pinnacle of humanity beneath them acknowledged her, and she who pursued even more than that.

She felt herself crumbling just before the moment she could achieve her goal.

“Feeling powerless?”

The calamity approaches, as if mocking her.

“Do you find it powerless that despite having power, dreaming of ideals, and making efforts, you’re futilely broken by unexpected disaster?”

“Ugh, aaaah! Die!”

Seoyul Jung rushes forward, finally losing her reason at such provocation.

Her blade carried the resentment and emptiness of efforts that bore no fruit, and the desperation of not wanting to give up despite everything.

“That’s why we rose from the graves!”

But before a natural disaster, an individual’s scream is futile.

-SLASH!!

The touch of a calamity with will.

It carved out the body of a social evil that was eating away at humanity all too easily.