Ch.465Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

# Philosophical Reflections on Light and Darkness

Philosophical contemplation on light and darkness boasts a long history.

It even appears in the Bible, in John 1:15, where “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” The word “understood” is a translation of the Greek καταλαμβάνω (katalambano), which carries both the meaning of “to understand” and “to overcome.”

Good and evil,

Truth and falsehood,

Golden age and dark age,

Glory and terror.

Philosophical contemplation on light and darkness not only boasts a deep history but has also established itself as clearly distinct polar concepts.

But if someone were to ask, “Can light truly overcome darkness?” Well…

Although I’m not a philosophy major, at this moment, it seems like a question I cannot easily answer.

“……”

In the research wing of the facility shrouded in darkness.

I approached the cedar coffin with heavy footsteps.

## Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

Francesca surveyed the interior of the facility, her hand hanging loosely with the rune sword.

“This appears to be a facility for researching vampires.”

“To be precise, it was established to research the undead. It’s a research institute owned by Al-Yabd.”

“I see.”

Francesca nodded once, then walked to a table in the corner to check the research data. Until the accident occurred, countless researchers had been investigating vampires here.

The scattered documents seemed to testify to the urgency of the situation at that time.

While Francesca examined the research data, Camilla, who had been looking around the cedar coffin and its surroundings, let out a small exclamation.

“I was expecting something like Twilight when I heard about vampires. But this is more like Van Helsing.”

“…Are you really talking about movies right now?”

I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.

When I glared at her with sharp eyes, Camilla shrugged and played innocent.

“Isn’t it better than being too tense to say anything?”

It was a plausible answer, but her slick attitude had a knack for turning people’s moods upside down. I was about to give her a light knock on the head but managed to calm my boiling insides.

Camilla looked around like a spectator. The silent darkness that had settled in the research wing couldn’t be completely driven away no matter how much light was shed.

Camilla’s expression as she wandered through the deeply shadowed chamber remained unchanged from usual, but a slight fear stemming from the darkness was somewhat visible.

I cautioned Camilla and went to find Francesca. She was scanning through documents with quite an interested look.

“Found something interesting?”

“Pursuing forbidden knowledge is always fascinating. There’s no more thrilling happiness than exploring taboos.”

She was saying that knowledge concealed by religion is interesting just to explore.

They say all magicians have some degree of mental illness, and all magicians are mentally ill. True to being a magician, her answer had a slightly perverse feel to it.

“Don’t get too absorbed. As they say, when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.”

“Are you worried about me right now?”

A playful smile appeared on her lips. With that smile, Francesca said she would heed the advice and returned her gaze to the documents.

“A coffin made of cedar… They used special materials. Normally, coffins made of fragrant wood are used only by those with great power like royalty or high officials, and cedar coffins are mainly used by religious figures like clergy. It’s strange that a vampire’s coffin is made of cedar.”

We thought that was strange too.

If the coffin had been made of fragrant wood, it would have been grounds to assume the vampire was an incredibly wealthy person, royalty, or nobility in life. But the creature’s coffin was made not of ordinary wood, but of cedar.

This meant that the vampire had been involved in the clergy when it was human, and since coffins are not used in Al-Yabd funerals, the “vampire in a cedar coffin” was likely connected to the Church.

I heard from Veronica that this caused debate within the Vatican. Some argued that an outstanding priest had made a cedar coffin when sealing the vampire 800 years ago, while others suggested that the vampire might have originally been a clergyman.

Whatever the reason, the claim that an impure and evil being was associated with them was not welcome from the Vatican’s perspective. Especially for a Pope who was a former head of the Inquisition.

That was one of the reasons why the Church was desperately trying to eliminate the vampire.

I glanced at the cedar coffin and carefully began to speak.

“By the way, it’s strange. The vampire broke the seals of both the Church and Al-Yabd and escaped. Did the Inquisition and the Punishment Committee let their guard down because vampires were a species they had eradicated hundreds of years ago, or was the vampire a being beyond imagination?”

“Well… I find your actions more puzzling than that, Sir.”

“Mine?”

Before I could ask what she meant, her answer came.

Francesca, who had been leisurely examining the data, cast her gaze at me.

“That man Akande you brought from Necropolis. You went through the trouble of bringing him all the way here, but then you prevented him from entering the facility.”

As soon as she finished speaking, I recalled the incident that had occurred earlier. When I was about to enter the facility with Ibrahim, Akande suddenly appeared with a serious expression, blocking the way and asking to be taken along.

But his request was ignored. And the person who rejected Akande’s plea was me, the very one who had guided him here.

Emerging from my thoughts, I answered dismissively.

“Because he’s not someone I can trust.”

“No trust?”

Francesca asked back questioningly, and I nodded with an indifferent look.

If the vampire hadn’t escaped, I would have brought Akande here. But the vampire had broken the seals and barriers, and the facility was effectively closed.

In such a dangerous situation, bringing someone I had only recently met was tantamount to inviting danger. Especially when the safety of Camilla and Francesca was at stake.

“I can’t entrust my life to someone I don’t trust, can I?”

She must have had similar thoughts, as she didn’t argue or object. Having satisfied her curiosity, Francesca began to read the data that the researchers hadn’t retrieved.

“Attention, everyone.”

Everyone turned to Ibrahim, who had softly spoken up.

Having captured everyone’s attention, he issued orders to his subordinates.

“We’ll now begin searching the research wing. Rachel and Daniel, check the central control system; Isaiah, inspect the seals and barriers.”

*

The Templar Knights dispersed to their respective positions upon receiving the commander’s orders.

Rachel and Daniel, tasked with securing the central control system, took two additional members with them, while Isaiah began to wander around the cedar coffin with the remaining two members.

“Hero. Please come out for a moment.”

“Ah, yes.”

A member shone a light on the barrier laid on the floor. The barrier was a band of coarse salt. The salt formed a circle around the cedar coffin.

“What’s this salt for?”

“It’s consecrated salt. It contains energy that suppresses impure things.”

Camilla nodded in understanding at the kind explanation.

The Templar Knights inspected the seals and barriers placed throughout, and Camilla, her eyes shining with curiosity, watched them, bending down with her hands on her knees.

Unable to contain her curiosity, she dipped her finger in the salt and put it to her tongue.

“Ugh. It’s salty…”

“Of course it’s salty, it’s salt.”

I lightly scolded Camilla, who was making a face, and then observed the Templar Knights.

Some were caressing statues shaped like angels, while others were examining talismans, turning them over.

Curious about what this meant, I asked Ibrahim, who replied that it was a basic method of checking seals and barriers.

“When impure and evil beings or energies pass by, the seals and barriers inevitably develop problems. The most representative phenomenon is discoloration. If their energy touches even slightly, it turns into an ominous black color that’s visible to the naked eye.”

“So that’s why you placed salt?”

“Yes. Pure white salt, like a blank canvas, can be visually checked immediately if it changes color.”

After the religious wars faded into history, the main enemies of the Templar Knights changed to cults and the undead.

In that sense, Ibrahim could be considered an anti-undead expert. He continued his explanation based on his experience.

“In Kierkegaard, we received a government request to eliminate a criminal organization that had made a pact with evil spirits. After receiving reports from local authorities, we placed salt barriers at every entrance to a cave where evil spirits had been sighted, and whenever the creature passed through, the salt in that area would always turn black.”

“So the salt barrier couldn’t prevent the evil spirit from entering?”

“It wasn’t a barrier meant to block. It was a kind of alarm placed to detect traces.”

An alarm. That’s an interesting application.

I interpreted this to mean that barriers could be modified for different purposes, or that different types of barriers had different uses.

“So was that salt barrier also an alarm?”

When I pointed to the salt barrier with my chin, Ibrahim shook his head firmly.

“That was placed to prevent the vampire from escaping. The same goes for the other seals and barriers here.”

In other words, the vampire had completely ignored the seals and barriers and succeeded in escaping.

Upon hearing Ibrahim’s explanation, I couldn’t help but fall into serious contemplation. No matter how little information remained about vampires, it was strange that the seals and barriers meticulously created by the Inquisition and the Punishment Committee had no effect.

Something was off.

Sensing the ominous atmosphere, Ibrahim tried to reassure me, saying it was probably nothing. But even the words of the veteran Templar Knight commander provided little comfort.

“If the target isn’t undead, do the seals and barriers completely lose their effectiveness?”

“They can’t be effective. They were created to block impure and evil beings. If a benevolent being couldn’t pass through, that wouldn’t be the intended result, would it?”

“……”

Ibrahim spoke while looking at Camilla, who was crossing the seals and barriers. Having apparently overcome her fear, she was wandering around the cedar coffin without hesitation.

While the Templar Knights were busy inspecting the seals and barriers, the awaited report came in.

-“Arrived at the power room.”

It was news that the second team of Templar Knights, who had separated near the elevator, had reached their destination.

The deputy team leader, who had entered the power room, checked the facility’s power and magic networks and reported the issues.

-“Power and magic supply are functioning normally. All equipment is operating normally, but there seems to be an issue specifically with the lighting equipment.”

“…Only the lighting is problematic?”

-“Yes, sir.”

“Alright. Check if repairs are possible and report back.”

Ibrahim, putting down the radio, tilted his head as if finding it hard to understand.

“It seems there’s an issue with the lighting.”

“Just the lighting, and nothing else?”

“Yes.”

That’s quite strange.

Other equipment was functioning normally, but only the lighting was causing problems. I wondered if this was even possible in reality, but I couldn’t think of any clear cause other than the vampire having done something.

I scratched my chin with an ambiguous expression and muttered.

“Well, it’s fortunate that only the lighting is problematic and everything else is normal. At least the elevator is working, so our escape route is secured.”

“The rest depends on the central control room. We can check the entire facility’s access records there. If the terminal is alive, we can restore communication with the surface and find out where Saint Veronica is.”

And the vampire’s location too.

Just as I was briefly sharing information with Francesca, who had secured the research data, the inspection of the seals and barriers was roughly completed.

The Templar Knights in charge of the inspection reported the results to their commander with somewhat uneasy expressions.

“Um… We couldn’t find any problems.”

“No problems? What do you mean?”

“After our inspection, both the seals and barriers were normal.”

The Templar Knights reported that they found no signs of damage or discoloration. They also mentioned that the seals and barriers remained exactly as they had been when installed.

This was a result that even a veteran who had faced countless undead couldn’t understand.

Ibrahim looked at his subordinates with a mixture of surprise and bewilderment, and his attitude made us uncomfortable as well.

“The vampire escaped, yet there’s nothing wrong with the seals and barriers? Do you think that makes sense? Check again.”

“Yes, sir!”

Sensing something wasn’t right, I immediately went to find Camilla. She was slowly examining the cedar coffin with curiosity.

“Camilla. Can you sense anything strange?”

“Strange? What kind of strangeness?”

“Well, like when you said you felt nauseous in the department store before. Do you feel anxious or dizzy for no reason?”

If anyone could sense something others couldn’t, it would be Camilla with her exceptional sensitivity.

But the answer that came back was unexpected.

“Hmm… I don’t feel anything particularly strange.”

“Really? You truly don’t feel anything?”

“Except for the old wood smell coming from the coffin… I honestly don’t know. What’s supposed to be strange?”

Just then.

-“We’ve entered the central control room. We’ve found a functioning terminal.”

A report came in from the members who had reached the central control room.

That place, which managed the entire facility’s system, was like a vault containing the information we needed.

“Can you check the access records?”

Ibrahim asked, and a prompt answer came back.

-“We’re viewing the records with the terminal’s administrator privileges.”

“Check thoroughly, focusing on the research wing.”

The sounds of typing on keyboards and rummaging through items could be heard loudly. It was the sound of the members thoroughly searching the control room and terminals.

Ibrahim, bringing the radio closer, listened with an anxious expression. I stood beside him, eagerly waiting for good news.

And finally.

-“Found it!”

A member who had hastily grabbed the radio spoke with an excited voice.

-“We’ve discovered Saint Veronica’s access record. She entered the research wing at 18:03 and moved further inside at 18:45.”

I checked the watch on the inside of my wrist. The current time was 19:12.

In other words, Veronica—

“So she was in the research wing just 25 minutes ago.”

Ibrahim instructed them to check if there were any other records. He meant to find all of Veronica’s movements recorded.

While the members in the control room tracked her movements, Ibrahim ordered the second team to find Veronica as soon as the lighting was restored. The deputy team leader replied that the lights would be on soon and that they would look into search routes for the research wing.

Only then did I finally put down my worries.

“Thank goodness. Let’s evacuate Saint Veronica first as soon as we rescue her.”

“Absolutely. Once we establish contact with the surface, I’ll request reinforcements. So we can transport the staff to the hospital.”

“Sounds good.”

Finally, this damn vampire is finished.

We would soon meet Veronica, and once reinforcements arrived, we would kill the vampire for sure. We could even trap it underground by having Camilla set fire to the facility, effectively burying it alive.

Whatever the case, it was good news. With the tension released, I shared the news with Camilla and Francesca with a brighter face.

“You found my sister?”

“Yes. We’ll meet her soon.”

“That’s good news.”

Francesca responded with a gentle voice. Her complexion was as bright as her gentle tone.

Relieved by the news that we could meet Veronica, she began to wear a generous smile. She turned to Camilla and spoke in a refreshing tone.

“That’s a relief, isn’t it, Hero?”

“……”

“Hero?”

Camilla didn’t respond to the voice calling her.

She had been looking at the cedar coffin but had now raised her head and was staring at the ceiling. The ceiling and corners of the vast research wing were still shrouded in darkness, as light couldn’t reach them.

“What’s wrong, Camilla?”

“……”

“…Camilla!”

“There’s something up there…”

Just as I raised my voice, sensing something was off.

-“Commander?”

An ominously foreboding report began to come through the radio.

-“While tracking Saint Veronica’s traces, we found a strange record. It’s an access record for the research wing… Checking the log, it shows as unidentified?”

The report immediately reached Ibrahim’s ears.

He, who had been rechecking the seals and barriers with his subordinates, grabbed the radio attached to his bulletproof vest.

“An unidentified access record? All personnel and cargo entering the research wing are registered with the control room. What do you mean by unidentified?”

-“That’s what we found strange, so we’re reporting it.”

“Tell me more.”

The member who checked the system with the terminal said:

-“Looking at all accesses recorded in the last three months, there were only two unidentified access records not reported to the control room. The first record is after 18:00 today, showing an exit from the research wing.”

“……”

-“The second record is at 19:00 today, in the research wing…”

At that moment, the member’s report suddenly stopped.

Ibrahim called out to the member due to the sudden silence.

“Rachel?”

-“Get out.”

“What?”

-“You need to get out of there right now! Someone is in the research wing—”

That’s when it happened.

Thud! A rough, unidentifiable rumble spread through the facility. The Templar Knights raised their weapons and guarded the surroundings, and Francesca noticed the source of the sound.

“…The lights are coming on.”

The dark corridor was brightening.

The lights that had been off until just a moment ago began to work again as if by magic. As I watched the lights turn on one by one from the end of the corridor, instead of the relief I should have felt, a strange anxiety crept over me.

The confused Templar Knights guarded the surroundings, and as Francesca and I prepared for battle.

The urgent voice of the member who had gone to the control room struck our ears.

-“There’s someone in the research wing!”

No sooner had those words ended than the last light brightened.

The sudden light temporarily took away our vision, which had adapted to the darkness. Beyond the hazy sight that had turned pure white, I hastily pulled Camilla, who was standing dazed, just as—

-Thud!

A dull metallic sound came from in front of us.

Having barely regained my senses, I went forward with my gun. Francesca and the Templar Knights also turned and aimed their weapons.

All gazes converged on a single point.

And at the end of those gazes appeared,

A knight in unidentifiable plate armor.

“……”

Click! The sound of a control lever turning pierces the eardrum.

The shout of Ibrahim, the Templar Knight commander who had already aimed, follows.

“Fire!”

Sharp gunshots and acrid scents crossed the research wing.

*

The movement of the bolt assembly is dynamic. The steel, repeatedly advancing and retreating, roughly spews out pure white smoke.

When an eerie flash sparkles, a loud gunshot follows. Cartridge cases rolling on the flat concrete hit the feet, and the wave that strikes the bedrock and concrete gouges the eardrums.

Although the attack began urgently, the accuracy was high. The Templar Knights retreated while pulling the trigger. Having secured distance, they instinctively hid behind cover and poured gunfire.

Despite firing several magazines, the enemy did not fall.

“……”

The vampire showed no sign of surprise.

Like a statue in a plaza that had endured for hundreds of years, it did not move even when seeing the hail of consecrated bullets. The blessed bullets fell to the floor without penetrating the plate armor, and the creature, which had withstood countless shots, did not even let out a small groan.

In this situation, it was the Templar Knights who were flustered, not the vampire.

“It’s not effective!”

At the sharp voice of a member, Ibrahim bit his molars with a frustrated expression.

“Use armor-piercing rounds!”

Led by the commander, several members began to change magazines. The rest continued firing to block the vampire’s movement and cover them.

“Cover me!”

A member who was changing magazines took out a weapon from his pouch. It was a bomb in the shape of a silver sphere with a small button.

When pressure was applied, the button went in and internal saw blades rose. The Templar Knight, skillfully gripping the bomb, threw it with all his might.

The thrown bomb begins to rotate. With added rotational force, the bomb crossed the air. The saw blades, gleaming in the light, looked like a boomerang, and the smooth body at a glance resembled a baseball.

Just as the bomb, containing holy water and silver beads, was flying.

The vampire, who had been standing motionless, showed a reaction.

-Click…!

Raising its arm, it twisted its waist, then greatly rotated its upper body and swung its gauntlet.

The heavy gauntlet collided with the bomb. The bomb, which had been following a parabolic trajectory, was deflected, unable to withstand the tremendous impact. It flew back in reverse trajectory and fell near the Templar Knights.

“Dodge!”

Bang-! A loud impact and explosion shook the cave.

The members who had barely thrown themselves managed to avoid the explosion, but because they had stopped firing and retreated, a gap was created.

And the vampire did not miss that momentary void.

-Screech, boom…!

The moment the attack stopped, the vampire tore off nearby furniture to make a shield. With tremendous strength, it ripped off a freezer weighing hundreds of kilograms from one side of the laboratory.

“It’s found cover!”

When I shouted, Ibrahim and the Templar Knights hastily poured armor-piercing rounds at it. Unlike the consecrated bullets they had been firing until then, the vampire seemed to notice they were dangerous and began actively using nearby objects.

Ratatatatata! Ratatat! The freezer was torn to shreds, and realizing the shield had lost its effectiveness, the vampire hid behind concrete.

Although it might be ignorant about the existence of armor-piercing rounds, it seemed to have noticed that iron reinforcement and concrete were the hardest materials here. At the same time, it also knew that rifle bullets couldn’t penetrate iron reinforcement and concrete.

“…Quick-witted, aren’t you.”

I tried to deal with the vampire using bombs and the Templar Knights’ weapons in a hurry, but it wasn’t enough.

Whether it had caught the subtle sound of the saw blades popping out and the fuse activating, the creature threw itself behind different cover the moment I threw a bomb. I threw several bombs to catch it, but failed repeatedly.

“Flank it!”

“Spread out left and right!”

The Templar Knights moved to aim at the vampire hiding behind cover. But it was one step ahead.

“…!”

The vampire, moving swiftly between covers, found one of the Templar Knights. Discovering a Templar who hadn’t yet taken position, it approached rapidly, performing the feat of dodging the hail of gunfire.

A member who was hiding behind a desk changing magazines noticed it and quickly drew his secondary weapon.

The arm that was about to pull the trigger after shoving a pistol into the hole in the helmet was blocked by the vampire’s swinging gauntlet. When the attack was blocked, the member immediately swung a knife coated with holy oil, but—

“Kuheck!”

He was sent flying several meters by a single kick from the vampire.

Some members who witnessed their comrade being attacked rushed at the vampire, but the Templar Knights’ attacks didn’t even graze a hair.

When a rifle was pressed against the breastplate, it twisted its body to avoid the shot, and when a tactical axe resembling a tomahawk was brought down, it grabbed the wrist and twisted it.

“Arghhhh!”

The wrist of the member who was bringing down a silver slash broke. The vampire, which had broken the bone with just the strength of its grip, took the axe the member was holding and swung it.

Thud! Whether it was hit with the flat side rather than the blade, a dull sound followed, and the member collapsed. Another Templar Knight tried to exploit the vampire’s opening in place of his comrade who had fallen behind the desk, but noticing this, the vampire sent the member flying with a swing of its gauntlet.

When the flying member collided with a shelf, research equipment poured down. The member, covered in fragments and debris, fell backward along with the shelf.

“Gyaaaah!”

Camilla, who had regained her senses, successfully caught the flying member safely. Francesca was also gathering the fallen members and moving them to a safe place.

Meanwhile, calmness emanated from the vampire’s movements after it had knocked down the Templar Knights.

After subduing the attackers, it stood still and began to turn its head, and I, confirming that the Templar Knights were out of the line of fire—

“Everyone, get out of the way!”

—Fwooooosh!

I activated the flamethrower loaded with holy oil.

The vampire, hit directly by the flames, retreated step by step. I controlled the firepower and shouted toward the injured and remaining members, and Ibrahim.

“Now’s the time! I’ll hold it down, so hurry and go!”

“Where are you telling us to go?!”

“Don’t you have someone to find?”

Veronica.

“Quickly go and rescue her! Leave this to us!”

“……”

“Hurry!”

Ibrahim, who had been looking alternately at the vampire surrounded by flames and us, bit his lower lip tightly and raised his subordinate.

“…I’ll call for reinforcements.”

He didn’t leave any further words, but their content was easy to guess. That’s why a hollow laugh came out.

Leave this to me and go.

Isn’t that just perfect for a death flag? I never dreamed that such words would come out of my mouth.

Fwoooosh… The momentum of the flames died down as if the fuel had run out.

The moment I ejected the cartridge that had burned to the last, the vigorous flames scattered instantly, and the vampire walked out. The armor it was wearing wasn’t even singed despite being in the fierce flames.

I sigh at the sight of the vampire, which is hard to describe as intact—it doesn’t have even a speck of dust on it.

“How do we catch that thing…”

While replacing the cartridge, I asked the two.

“The Templar Knights seem to have failed, do you have any good plans to catch this bastard?”

Camilla and Francesca answered. Their answers came almost simultaneously.

“I’m not sure.”

“We should try what we can first.”

Such reassuring answers.

Letting out a small sigh inwardly, I adjusted my weapon and opened my mouth.

“Well, let’s give it a shot.”