New Work, Started.
Today, I plan to release two chapters a day. After that, I will update one chapter each day until Chapter 30.
Dean Nosferatu.
He was the “Immortal Sorcerer” who lived for 200 years, the “Vampire Lord” who used blood as a medium for magic, and the “Solitary Demon King” dwelling in the deep mountains.
No one knows when this sorcerer was born. All that is known is that he resides in an ancient castle on the frontier, continuing his research in secrecy. True to his name of immortality, he remains youthful even after living for 200 years. It is said that he commands monsters as his subordinates, secretly observing the world. The enigmatic “Immortal Sorcerer, Dean Nosferatu.”
I, too, who was called that, was finally approaching my last moment.
“You’ve made it this far, Lyle Carmine.”
I said to the one who entered through the door. This was my castle, Dean Nosferatu’s, in the innermost chamber. A spacious room made of stone, with a carpet laid on the floor.
“…So you were here, Demon King… Dean Nosferatu.”
The one who entered was a young man, perhaps in his late twenties. He gripped a sword tightly with both hands. He wore cloth garments and leather armor, his hair unkempt, and a scruffy beard growing. He must not have slept for a while; his eyes were sunken, and dark circles surrounded them.
He looked shabby for a hero. The only impressive thing about him was the Holy Sword he held.
However, there was no doubt that he had come here with resolve. I, too, had to respond appropriately.
“You dog of the Sacred Domain Church. You’re trembling. Do you still consider yourself a hero?”
“…”
“Your sword stance is lacking. You’re cowering. Do you really think you can kill this ‘Solitary Demon King,’ Dean Nosferatu?”
“…”
“Come forth, Hero Lyle Carmine! I, Dean Nosferatu, shall face you with all my might!!”
“…Huh?”
“What’s wrong!? Have you lost your nerve!? Do you still call yourself a hero?!”
“…Huh, huh, hehehehe!”
Bang!
“Don’t mess with meeeeeeee!!”
Lyle slammed the Holy Sword onto the floor and shouted.
“Don’t mess with me! Don’t mess with me! Don’t mess with meeeeeee!! What the hell is this farce?!”
“A farce, you say?”
“Don’t mess with me, my lord!! Why the hell do I have to kill you?!”
“Don’t cry, idiot. Pick up the sword already. Stick to the script, Lyle.”
“…My lord…”
“You decided this, didn’t you? To convince the Sacred Domain Church, you, the village chief, must kill Dean Nosferatu, the ‘Immortal Sorcerer,’ the ‘Vampire Lord,’ the ‘Solitary Demon King.'”
“What do you mean ‘Vampire Lord’?! You’ve never even sucked blood!”
“Well, that’s true.”
I had never called myself a “vampire.” But it was true that I was not like a human.
I didn’t know when I was born. By the time I realized it, I was already wandering the world in this form.
The reason I don’t age is due to my strong ability to absorb the magical power that drifts in the world. It was an innate ability, so there was nothing I could do about it. My blood contained hundreds of times the magical power of a human.
Because that magic swirled within me, I neither aged nor fell ill. The reason I was called a “vampire” was that I had used my own blood as a material for magical research. My blood was a mass of magical power, making it perfect as a catalyst for magic.
I arrived in this land 150 years ago. The previous 50 years were spent in a life of wandering, always being chased. Honestly, I don’t want to remember it. Finding this ancient castle in the frontier was the greatest stroke of luck in my life.
Since then, I had lived peacefully. At the foot of the mountain where the ancient castle stood, there were carefree people who accepted me as I was. Before I knew it, I had become a guardian deity of the village, quietly continuing my magical research.
I thought that life would continue like this forever… until a certain plague changed everything.
“You haven’t done anything wrong, my lord!”
Lyle clenched his fists and began to cry.
“You were our guardian deity, a parent who doesn’t age, family, and our lord! You haven’t done anything wrong! Why do you have to die?!”
“That’s why I said don’t cry. Stop shouting. You’re the village chief and a parent.”
“If it weren’t for the ‘Death Mark Disease,’ this wouldn’t have happened! You only protected the village, yet those from the Sacred Domain Church…!!”
Good grief. Lyle has always been a crybaby.
The “Death Mark Disease” was an illness that began to spread a year ago. When infected, black marks resembling emblems would appear on both arms, causing high fever and leading to death. In the capital of this country, the death toll reached the thousands.
The powerful religious organization, the Sacred Domain Church, struggled significantly to deal with it. They preached that if one repented of their sins, they would be healed, and instructed people to purify their bodies with holy water, providing food to the patients. Even so, the death toll did not decrease, and in the capital, there was a shortage of land to bury the dead.
However, the Sacred Domain Church was not criticized for this. They had tried their best, and neither the people nor I had any complaints.
The problem was that no one had died in our village.
In Fila Village, where Lyle was, I implemented thorough infection control measures. As soon as I heard rumors of the “Death Mark Disease,” I isolated those suspected of infection in this castle. I knew from past experience that epidemics often spread through the air.
Even with a slight fever, I kept them away from others and took care of them until their fever subsided. I couldn’t catch human diseases, so I was the perfect caregiver. I had the villagers wear filters made from “Ranimaru Grass,” which had the ability to purify the air. Of course, I also made sure they washed their hands and gargled thoroughly.
Thanks to that, there were only five infected individuals in the village. No one died. The one who had the most severe symptoms, Alice—Lyle’s daughter—had to be treated with my blood, but her recovery was good. She is now healthy and back in the village.
However, the fact that no one died drew the attention of the Sacred Domain Church.
The priests of the Sacred Domain Church summoned Lyle, the village chief, and interrogated him.
“Why did no one die in your village?”
They knew about me. And I, the monster, was just the perfect scapegoat for them.
They claimed that the “Immortal Sorcerer,” Dean Nosferatu, had spread the “Death Mark Disease.” They suggested that the reason no one died in Fila Village was that the “Immortal Sorcerer” had turned the villagers into his subordinates through wicked magic.
The Sacred Domain Church ordered the villagers of Fila.
“If you are not being made into subordinates by wicked magic, kill Dean Nosferatu with this Holy Sword. That will serve as proof that Fila Village is innocent.”
With the royal family’s approval. They even provided a document stating that if I were killed, Fila Village would be declared innocent.
As a final push, they sent their “Holy Knights” to the village. If Lyle failed to kill me, they would punish the villagers.
As a result, the village chief, Lyle, was forced to come and kill me.
“Why me—why do I have to kill you, my lord?! You are our most important family!!”
“Listen, Lyle.”
“What am I supposed to tell my daughter, Alice…? She insists that she wants to marry you…”
“That child is still young… When she grows up, you can help her find a human partner.”
“Please, my lord. Just run away… We will find a way to deceive the Sacred Domain Church. Beyond the ancient castle is the mountain. They won’t be able to chase you that far. If they do, we will stop them, even if it means fighting!”
“Do you even understand what kind of organization the Sacred Domain Church is?”
“…”
See? He fell silent.
The Sacred Domain Church monopolizes powerful Ancient Magic and Ancient Artifacts, making them a formidable combat force. Lyle must understand what it means to turn them into enemies.
“If you let me escape, you’ll find yourselves the ones being hunted. The surrounding villages and towns will become enemies of Fila Village.”
“…Ugh.”
“That’s enough. Just give up and kill me, Lyle Carmine.”
Time is running out.
Footsteps are approaching. Many of them. They must be the Holy Knights.
It’s a small castle after all. The villagers’ efforts to buy time are reaching their limit.
Bang!
The door to the room burst open, and the Holy Knights of the Sacred Domain Church charged in.
“The Lone Demon King, Dean Nosferatu!!”
“As Holy Knights, we shall bring down the hammer of justice upon you!!”
“──!?”
Reacting to the Holy Knight’s voice, Lyle readied the Holy Sword.
──Now.
“Foolish Holy Knights, do you think you can defeat me, Dean Nosferatu? Let’s start by turning this villager into a blood sacrifice!!”
I leaped into the air.
Lyle looked at me, his eyes wide open.
I descended, covering Lyle with my body.
──So that my heart would meet the tip of the sword──
And then──
“────That actually hurts more than I expected.”
Lyle’s Holy Sword had surely pierced my chest.
Well done.
“……My lord… you bastard.”
“…Don’t cry, you fool.”
Well, it wasn’t a bad life.
I never had children, but I formed something like a family.
I messed up in the end, though.
I failed to hide, caught the attention of a massive organization, and was cornered with no way out…
But that’s fine. I’ve had enough.
“…You’ve made me go through all this trouble. Don’t waste it. Got it?”
“…Ugh.”
Lyle nodded silently at my final instruction. Good.
I pushed Lyle’s shoulder and distanced myself from him.
“……Impressive, hero.”
I said.
At that moment, blood gushed from my mouth.
It hurts. Really.
After all, I wasn’t immortal; I just didn’t age.
If stabbed by a sword, blood will flow, and if mortally wounded… I will die.
My consciousness is fading… my vision is… blurring.
I can barely see Lyle, drenched in my blood, and his Holy Sword.
…Lyle. You still have things to do. Don’t just stand there.
Steady yourself. Inhale and shout. Come on.
“…The evil sorcerer Dean Nosferatu has been vanquished by Lyle Carmine of Fila Village!!”
Well done, Lyle.
The rest is up to you.
My role ends here.
Next is my own… task to…
(…Activating magic. Releasing the soul from the body…)
I initiated the magic I had prepared.
I knew this would happen. I had a plan for what came next.
There’s a Bat by the window…
I’m about to sever my soul from my body and implant it into the familiar Bat.
By doing so, I will continue to live within him──
Thud.
Uh-oh. It’s happening faster than I thought… my consciousness is fading quickly.
The soul transfer magic… isn’t working… properly…
…Failure?
It can’t be helped…
I’ve had nothing but failures. Truly, I have.
I should have understood humans better before it came to this.
If I had, I wouldn’t have dragged Lyle and the others into this… peacefully.
If there’s a next time, I’ll study humans properly and live a life that suits me──
『──Will you reincarnate?』
A voice echoed.
『You have met the conditions for reincarnation────』
『You can reincarnate as────』
『Will you once again be reincarnated into this world────?』
(…If possible)
I found myself answering without thinking.
『Confirmation of consent received』
The voice slowly faded away.
No, it’s my consciousness that’s fading.
『You will be reincarnated as a human』
With that final voice, my consciousness slipped away──
“…See you later.”
I’m not sure if I actually spoke those last words or just thought them,
but I felt as if Lyle nodded in response.
Even now, I can’t tell.
I recalled such things on my tenth birthday.
Three years since regaining my past life’s memories. Now, I’m thirteen.
Reborn as the second son of a Baronial House, I continue to live like this.
The next episode, Chapter 2, is scheduled to update this evening.