Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!-Chapter 491: The Great Purge

Cassius frowned slightly, unsure if he’d heard her right. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"A what?"

"A vampire!" Aisha said again, her voice rising with fear and awe. "She had fangs and crimson eyes, Cassius, she’s a vampire. An actual one! I thought they were just myths! No one’s ever seen a real vampire for centuries, not since before the Great Purge! I—"

She stopped, trembling slightly as the realization hit her harder with every word she spoke.

Cassius frowned, his brow furrowing as he stared at Aisha, who was still trembling slightly.

"Wait, hold on." He said, looking confused. "This is a fantasy world, right? With dragons and elves. So isn’t it natural that vampires should exist here—just like beastkin like you, or elves, or slime girls?"

"Why are you acting like it’s some kind of miracle? Are they really that rare?"

Aisha shook her head quickly, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Not rare, Cassius." She said, her voice low and tense. "Extinct! Completely wiped out! There hasn’t been a single recorded vampire on the continent for hundreds of years."

Cassius raised a brow. "Extinct?"

She nodded gravely, her tail flicking anxiously behind her.

"In the distant past, the vampires were actually one of the noblest races on the entire continent. Even the elves—who consider themselves the most pure beings alive—couldn’t compare to their lineage."

"Their bloodlines were ancient, stretching back thousands of years. They were powerful, graceful, and almost immortal, not to mention that it was rumoured that they could control others using their eyes."

She swallowed hard, her tail flicking nervously as she continued,

"And because of that...everyone feared them. Feared their beauty, their strength, their bloodline."

"But the truth was, they were a secluded race. They rarely involved themselves with anyone outside their own kind. They lived in isolation, hidden deep within their ancestral lands. They didn’t attack, they didn’t conquer."

"They simply existed...away from the world that hated them."

Cassius frowned, crossing his arms. "And let me guess...the world didn’t like that."

Aisha gave a small, bitter laugh. "Of course not. Everything changed during what came to be called the Great Purge."

Her tone turned sharp and hateful as she spoke, her voice trembling with disgust.

"The human nobles and royals back then—they were jealous. They wanted the vampires’ eyes, their power. The church claimed those eyes could manipulate people, bend their will like puppets. So, the humans twisted the story."

"They branded the vampires as demons—monsters from hell who needed to be exterminated in the name of the gods. The church led the crusade, and the human kingdoms followed like obedient dogs."

Cassius’s expression darkened, as Aisha went on.

"They sent entire armies, missionaries, mercenaries—anyone they could. Settlements were burned, children slaughtered, whole families massacred just for having red eyes. They even gouged out the vampires eyes and collected them as trophies."

Aisha’s voice shook now, her claws curling into fists.

"They killed every last one. Men, women, children—it didn’t matter. Until there were none left. Not a single vampire was spared."

There was silence for a long moment before she gave a hollow, broken laugh.

"And do you know what the most horrifying part was?...It was all for nothing. The vampires never had the power to control anyone. That whole story about their eyes being magic—it was just a rumor."

"A lie spread by greedy humans who wanted an excuse to slaughter them. Even after collecting hundreds of those eyes, they found nothing. No power. No secret."

Cassius stared at her, speechless, as she whispered.

"The entire race was massacred because of human greed. Because the nobles and the church wanted power that never even existed."

Then her tone hardened, and she gritted her teeth.

"Damn them! Those greedy, disgusting human nobles...always ruining everything for everyone."

Hearing this, Cassius blinked, raising a hand sheepishly.

"Aisha, uh...I’m also one of those human nobles you’re talking about."

Aisha froze, her face instantly flushing red.

"N-Not you, Cassius!" She stammered. "You’re different! You’re not like them!"

Cassius gave a small amused smile, holding his hands up in surrender. "I’ll take your word for it."

He then turned his gaze toward the chains still dangling from the ceiling, his tone shifting back to serious.

"So, you’re saying the vampire race is completely extinct, huh? That not a single one survived? Then what about her?" He pointed toward the direction the woman had fled. "Are you sure she’s a vampire? Couldn’t she be something else? There are other races with fangs. Some beastkin, demons—hell, even some elves have sharp teeth. You too, for instance."

"Not to mention that I thought that vampires have pale skin from not being in the sun, but she’s much more tanned"

Aisha shook her head firmly.

"No. It wasn’t the fangs that confirmed it Cassius, it was her eyes. Those crimson eyes are unmistakable. They’re the same kind that you have."

Cassius blinked, caught off guard. "The same as mine?"

She nodded again, hesitating before continuing.

"You probably don’t know this, but when you were born, there were...rumors. People said the Holyfield family had given birth to a vampire child. Your crimson eyes terrified them."

"Some said you were a demon’s spawn, others that the gods cursed your bloodline. Even though it was proven false later, the rumor stuck. That’s one of the reasons people always whispered behind your back...why they called you the ’demon child’ even without your father pushing you down."

Cassius fell silent for a long moment, his expression unreadable.

"I see." He finally said, his voice quieter than usual.

But before he could ask more, a sharp, terrified scream echoed down the corridor—

"Ahhh!"

—the sound of children crying out in panic.

Aisha’s ears twitched upright. "That came from the tunnel!" She gasped.

But when she turnes to Cassius, she found that he was gone.

Cassius was already halfway down the passage, his cloak billowing behind him as he sprinted toward the source of the screams.

The air in the tunnels grew stuffier the closer he got, and then—he saw it.

Julie stood at the front, sword drawn, its gleaming edge pointed toward the intruder. Beside her, Skadi had her claws bared, fangs visible, her tail flicking furiously in agitation.

Both were staring down a tall woman who was apparently a vampire on the opposite side of the chamber.

She looked calm, eerily calm. Her posture was elegant, almost regal, her blood-red eyes sharp and cold, yet there was no fear in them at all.

She stood as though she were facing two mere pests, not two of the most dangerous warriors on the continent. Even bound by torn remnants of iron around her wrists, she exuded power.

Behind her, the children huddled in terror, pressing themselves against the far wall. Some whimpered softly; others simply stared at her, their faces pale.

Julie turned sharply toward him the moment she saw him arrive.

"Cassius!" She shouted, her voice tense. "What happened on your end? You were supposed to be watching the rear!"

"She came from your direction, Master." Skadi growled, pointing a claw toward the woman. "One second everything was quiet, then suddenly this woman just appeared."

"I didn’t even see her move until she was already attacking. I barely managed to block her strike, and it hurt." She flexed her hand, still trembling slightly from the impact. "Even for me, that was painful. She’s strong. Really strong."

Julie nodded grimly.

"We managed to drive her back, but she’s just standing there now, not saying a word. We don’t know who she is or what she wants."

Cassius exhaled slowly, glancing past them at the woman.

"She was chained up further down the corridor. Aisha and I found her suspended by four limbs, and when we freed her, she attacked. We didn’t even have time to ask questions before she bolted this way."

Aisha arrived a moment later, panting as she joined them.

"And there’s one more thing." She added, her voice trembling slightly. "She’s a vampire."

Both Julie and Skadi flinched.

"What?" Skadi’s ears twitched violently. "A vampire? You mean—those things? The ones that drink blood, burn in sunlight, and get scared of garlic?"

Julie frowned deeply, her brows furrowing.

"That’s impossible. Vampires were wiped out centuries ago—every record says they were completely exterminated during the Purge."

She turned her gaze back toward the woman, eyes narrowing.

"But if what Aisha says is true...then her speed, her strength—it all makes sense. Vampires were said to be apex predators. Faster and stronger than almost anything else."

She tightened her grip on her sword.

"Still, extinct or not, I don’t care what she is. She’s between us and the children, and I’m not letting her harm them."

"Yeah." Skadi growled, crouching slightly, her claws digging into the stone. "Even if she’s strong, she can’t take all of us at once. Let’s end this fast."

Aisha raised her wand, runes glowing faintly. "I’ll back you up. We’ll take her together."

Cassius opened his mouth to say that a battle would not be ideal with the children around—but then something caught his eye.

The woman’s head had turned slightly and for just a fraction of a second, her crimson gaze flicked toward the children.

And in that instant, Cassius saw something that froze him in place

Warmth.

There was a soft, fleeting fondness in her eyes. A tiny, fragile smile tugged at her lips. It was gone almost instantly, but Cassius didn’t miss it.

The children, however, saw it too—and they recoiled in terror, pressing themselves further against the wall.

The woman’s faint smile faltered, replaced by quiet sadness. She looked down, as if ashamed that her very presence frightened them.

And then he saw something else.

Her stance.

It wasn’t an attacking posture. It was defensive—her body angled between the group and the children, her weight shifted ever so slightly forward.

She wasn’t preparing to attack.

She was preparing to protect.

"Wait..." Cassius muttered, realization dawning.

The others didn’t hear him. Julie raised her sword. "

On my mark—"

Cassius’s voice then boomed through the corridor before she could finish.

"Hold your ground! Don’t engage!"

Everyone froze, including the vampire.

Julie whipped around, her eyes wide. "Cassius, what are you—"

"I said stand down." He ordered, his tone sharp, commanding in a way that instantly silenced even Julie.

Skadi frowned, confused. "But Master, she’s dangerous! If we don’t act first—"

"Lower your weapons." Cassius said again, his voice calm but firm. "That’s an order."

A heavy silence filled the corridor.

The vampire watched them closely, wary and uncertain of his intentions. But she didn’t move as even though she was confident she could take on the three women in front of her for atleast a little while.

The man with crimson eyes just like her was an entirely different case and she couldn’t get a reading on him at all, which only made her even more wary against him and wonder why he was going to say.