Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 48: Demonic Blood Spear

“Hmm...She’s taking too long...”

I wonder how long I talked with Her Highness. When I suddenly looked at the clock, more than two hours had already passed. Maybe Roka passed out in the bathhouse or she got lost.

“No...With her nose, she shouldn’t have gotten lost.”

Her Highness’ expression also became serious. After finishing our conversation, I got up from my seat.

It may be overprotective, but it’s natural to be worried when Roka has been away for a long time without a word.

“I’ll go look for her.”

“Even though she’s a child, she’s not helpless you know? Is there a need to worry so much?”

“I am her guardian.”

The Empire is vast and has diverse customs. In some places, they treat you as an adult once you’re over fifteen.

It’s not that I don’t know that, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m Roka’s guardian.

“It’s the same as Your Highness’ parents still seeing you as a child they need to protect.”

When I said that, Her Highness flinched.

Why is that? Belatedly, a single gasp burst out from her face that had been frozen for a moment.

“Oh no!”

“What’s the matter?”

“I forgot to... notify His Majesty before leaving...”

...What did you say?! You left the Imperial Palace without a word and came here?

When I asked, she nodded her head feebly. Oh my god. Her Highness was much more reckless than I thought.

“But, I left a message with the maids, so wouldn’t His Majesty have known...?”

I’m not blaming the fact that the Imperial Princess left the palace without a word.

The problems that arise from that are all political. I know that even a small matter becomes a big deal when the word politics is attached to it, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a small matter.

What I really want to blame is that as a child, she left home without a single word to her parents. It ended up working out well, but if you don’t know the result, who would think this is a good thing? If she had left home and still hadn’t returned, it wouldn’t be strange to think she died on the road.

I don’t know how great the shock His Majesty and the Empress will receive from that.

I can only guess. Imagine if Roka was terminally ill, and without any notice to me, she left a single letter and disappeared from home to somewhere...

And if she doesn’t come back even after a month passes and two months approach, how would I feel?

“Then we need to hurry. Let’s ask the Duchess to send a letter as soon as we meet her tomorrow. We need to quickly inform them that you are alive and have recovered from your illness.”

I didn’t know that and was traveling at my leisure.

We could have gone to the City Hall in Larpentia and asked them to send an official document, the message would have been sent by now.

As I opened the door, leaving the red-faced Her Highness behind, a strange smell pierced my nose.

Even though my sense of smell isn’t as sharp as Roka’s, it’s not dull either. It’s a smell I’ve experienced far too often.

It would be strange to mistake this. This strong stench flowed down the corridor towards us.

“Blood?”

Realizing something was amiss, Her Highness also hurriedly drew her sword and came to my side. But if the smell of blood is strong enough to waft like this, somewhere in the corridor should be drenched in blood, but I couldn’t see anything like that.

At least in my view, I couldn’t even see anything resembling blood.

“Where on earth is this blood smell coming from?”

I’ve had a similar experience before, but I hope it’s not that.

The fact that there’s a smell of blood but no blood means someone swallowed the blood.

Just like how the Blood God Atorije, whom we encountered at Yurinel’s party back then, did.

An evil god...? But why would something like that suddenly appear here?

During our travels, we came upon a small village northwest of the Empire. The villagers there worshipped strange altars, cutting their fingers every day, to spill their blood upon it.

Having absorbed the villagers’ faith and blood, a God was born, but the God soon grew unsatisfied with the villagers’ offerings and demanded more.

One day, a group of bandits attacked the village, but they also became believers.

The eerie and wicked divinity was not satisfied with just that. It manipulated the believers to devour and erode the neighboring villages. These calamitous, evil gods like this are the primary enemy that the Trinity  Church is more wary of than demons.

The Trinity would have subjugated it in time anyway, but somehow our party encountered it first.

Even if it’s just a minor deity, a god is still a god.

It was such a difficult being that fighting a high-ranking Demon King would have been better. We succeeded in annihilating it with the Lord’s help, but if a similar being has infiltrated this place, it becomes a huge problem.

Evil gods that feed on and grow from malice are something ordinary people cannot handle.

If it’s still a Evil Spirit before becoming a god, there are many ways to deal with it, but once it acquires divinity, the only way is to suppress it with force.

With the Lord’s Divinity aiding the Holy Sword, we managed to deal with it. But it’s difficult to subjugate a god without borrowing the power of another god.

Click-Clack.

Footsteps walking down the corridor, coming this way.

At the sound that didn’t even hide its approach, I gripped the candle and prayed. The sacred candlelight burning on the candle shone reliably.

This small candlelight incinerated and extinguished the divinity of the Blood God Atorije. I can only pray that it can do the same this time.

“Saint, please step back for now. I will...”

“Wait a moment, that’s not a divinity...”

But it’s not a divinity. The source of the bloody smell is just a tool.

The evil weapon that devours the user when wielded by a misguided person instantly pierced Her Highness’ abdomen and protruded out. Watching Her Highness bite her lip tightly and swallow the pain, I gulped.

That wasn’t an attack you should have taken.

Even if I couldn’t avoid it despite knowing it would come due to lacking power, as a Master, Her Highness should have dodged that.

She reacted momentarily late and got hit. The Sapling Of Lineage restored her body’s condition to her prime, but her battle awareness is still dulled.

While suffering and groaning from leprosy, she naturally wouldn’t have had any occasion to wield a sword.

So she wouldn’t have had any chance to see blood while engaging in combat.

Her Highness belatedly tried to pull out the spear and break it, but the spear wriggled on its own and resisted, then bounced far away and disappeared.

Swish.

A pale and slender hand grabs that spear.

I’ve never seen this woman before, but it’s strange not to know who she is. She’s a very powerful vampire.

Yes, powerful enough to subjugate a Demon King alone.

“Duchess Vlad Shmira...?”

Her Highness asked, looking dumbfounded as she saw her. As expected, the opponent is the lord of this land. And the queen of the vampires.

It was indeed Duchess Vlad Shmira. But why? Why did the Duchess attack Her Highness?

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

The woman smiled brightly and waved her hand as if greeting an old friend.

“Hooh? It’s really you, isn’t it? Weren’t you a piece of rotting meat a year ago? Now...How have you recovered and come all the way here? Not that it matters anymore since we Vampires no longer intend to remain a part of the Empire.”

“What do you mean...?”

“This Empire is a sinking ship. Who in their right minds would allow themselves to drow with it?”

Her finger soon pointed at Her Highness.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

“Now, be obedient and let yourself be captured and bound. Who knows...? Empress Harmael might even allow you to live as her pet~. When the Demon Empire rises, we Vampires shall be granted our own Kingdom...And your head will help me with that.”

That finger then pointed at me.

“You too, priest, don’t bother wasting your energy. If you really are a priest of an ancient god with the ability to cure incurable diseases, it would be a waste for you to be in such a place. Humanity is doomed.  Her Majesty Harmael has already unified the Demon Realm, and soon the continent will follow. We vampires have also been promised the position of king by Her Majesty.”

The position of king? Does that mean the vampires will establish their own kingdom?

Did The Immortal Demon King Harmael offer such a reward to entice them? But nothing will change just because the name changes to a kingdom, right?

Even if the Duchy becomes a kingdom, it won’t make the decline of the vampires disappear, nor will the curse of the sun weaken.

Even if they proclaim themselves king, their territory won’t expand. Even if it does expand, the vampire population won’t be able to handle more territory than they have now.

But why? At least I don’t understand.

Is that ambition worth betraying the Empire for?

Is proclaiming oneself king something worth doing?

“Well, what do you think? I can treat you much better than that poor excuse of a princess over there. I can even give you the position of High Priest in my kingdom. It’s a tremendous honor.”

“If I accept Your Grace’s offer, what would be required of me?”

I couldn’t help but ask, as I had no idea what she wanted.

If it aligns with the Lord’s will, I can serve under anyone. But if not, I cannot do so no matter what is offered in return.

If Duchess Shmira needs me to save all vampires from decline, it might be worth trying to help her under her command, even if only temporarily.

Regardless of their independence from the Empire, leaving those groaning in pain is the action I should avoid the most.

“Hm~? Oh, you sweet-looking thing! It’s simple you see, all you need to do is use your Divine Powers to heal me and my daughter should we need it. If you keep doing good work for me, I might even use you to satisfy my lust.”

However, this divinity bestowed upon me by the Lord does not exist for her and her daughter alone.

This power, which should be open to all, must not be monopolized by anyone. That is the Lord’s will and my own.

“You’d better accept the offer. I’m saying I’ll bestow this much honor upon a human who was originally no more than our livestock. Surely you cannot be thinking of refusing my offer?”

“If you had respected and kept our customs and culture, I might have considered it.”

Although I’m seeing her for the first time today, I know one thing for certain. Duchess Shmira is someone I cannot join hands with.

A strand of divine power leaves me and seeps into Her Highness. The widely opened abdomen heals, and the internal organs find their places and align. Color returns to her pale face, and Her Highness lets out a deep sigh of relief.

She rubbed her belly for a moment before grinning.

“It seems your offer was rejected, Traitor.”

“Impossible...! How could you heal a wound made by my spear so easily?”

For a moment, madness flickered in the blood-red eyes that were looking at me.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. Don’t regret this choice you’re making now. Because now I really want to possess you.”