Chapter 82
“Please… Please, light… Grant me strength…!”
Cecili-ah prayed and prayed earnestly.
But reality was cold and harsh.
The two unconscious knights didn’t even twitch, let alone wake up.
The light emitting from her hands was weak and dim.
Because she had consumed too much divine power in the battle just now, the purification wasn’t working properly.
“Because of my lack of virtue, such a thing…”
A crushing sense of guilt weighed on her chest.
A terrible sense of helplessness washed over her, knowing she could do nothing while precious people were dying right before her eyes.
She was called a saintess, but at heart, she was merely a young twenty-year-old girl.
Unable to bear the overwhelming weight, tears welled up and spilled out.
“…”
She could feel the gaze of the Wolf Mask standing nearby, staring down at her.
She knew in her head that she shouldn’t show weakness in front of the true ancestor’s retainer.
But there was nothing she could do.
All she could do was clasp her hands together and continue to pray to the light.
However, regrettably, the great light remained silent.
Cecili-ah knew it well, too.
The will of light was fair to everyone.
Just as the sun in the sky shines down on everyone, whether one was a saintess or a layperson, if their divine power was depleted, their prayers could not be answered.
She fully understood this.
But because this was her first time in such a desperate situation,
Cecili-ah unconsciously had an impious thought for the first time in her life.
‘Even if it isn’t the light… Please, anyone else is fine, so please help…!’
And it was right at that moment.
Vwoom - !
The violet dimensional gate that the Wolf Mask had popped out of earlier rippled greatly, and someone revealed themselves from beyond it.
A black dress with trailing frills, a black and red parasol, and silver hair as pure white as moonlight.
A young girl wearing a Fox Mask appeared.
“Y-you are…”
Cecili-ah looked at the other person blankly.
Thud!
At that moment, the Wolf Mask standing nearby dropped to his knees on the ground.
“Ah, liege monarch…! True ancestor…! Have you personally descended to the mortal realm…!”
“…!”
True ancestor.
It perfectly matched the appearance in the photo that had briefly been uploaded to the climber community.
But an aura on a completely different level from what she had seen in the photo was radiating.
A massive presence momentarily overwhelmed even Cecili-ah, who had faced countless powerhouses from all over the world.
Rather than just being strong, it was an existence that suited the expression “exalted”.
However, in the arms of such a true ancestor, a chubby little black dragon was quietly being held.
As Cecili-ah saw that unusual sight, her mind went blank.
An incredibly peaceful and everyday attitude, as if a noble young lady out for a walk was holding her pet dog.
Just a moment ago, they had been facing tremendous abyssal monsters.
Her comrades were wandering the borders of life and death.
Did the true ancestor consider this entire situation as nothing more than a light outing?
Presently, the true ancestor wearing the Fox Mask looked down at the fallen knights and Cecili-ah, and opened her mouth.
“What a truly miserable state you are in, saintess.”
“…”
“Struggling against a mere abyss…, and you came to catch this true ancestor? How truly laughable.”
An arrogant and overbearing voice.
But Cecili-ah couldn’t bring herself to deny it.
She gritted her teeth and lowered her head.
“…Did you come to mock us, true ancestor?”
At that, the true ancestor answered without an inch of hesitation.
“Indeed. How could I not mock such a laughable sight?”
“Ugh…”
Cecili-ah’s shoulders trembled with shame and anger.
The moment she bit her lip, she was blaming herself for her helpless situation.
“And I have come to save you.”
“…Pardon?”
Cecili-ah flinched in bewilderment and jerked her head up.
Did she just say she would save them?
It was before she could even fully understand the meaning of those words.
Fwoooosh-!
From the small dragon the true ancestor was holding in her arms, a brilliant golden light suddenly burst forth.
“…!”
Cecili-ah’s eyes widened in surprise.
The true ancestor tilted her black parasol and approached with elegant footsteps, click, clack.
In the alleyway covered in the blood and slime of the abyssal monsters, the silver-haired girl walked forward while embracing a blinding golden light.
It was a sight akin to an angel descending upon the mortal realm.
Presently, golden light touched the bodies of the two knights collapsed on the ground.
A miracle-like event occurred.
“Mmm…”
“Ugh…”
The expressions of the knights, which had been contorted in pain, became peaceful as if washed clean.
Their fading breaths were returning to a regular rhythm.
They were clearly being purified.
Cecili-ah, who was staring blankly at the sight, couldn’t help but instinctively realize it.
“That is… divine power.”
It felt slightly different from the power she used, but that clear and warm energy was undeniably the divine authority of light, a divine power.
A vampire using divine power?
It was utter nonsense.
In the first place, divine power was a force completely antithetical to vampires.
Yet the true ancestor before her eyes wasn’t taking any damage from that sacred light, and was instead handling the vast divine power far too naturally.
If so, there was only one conclusion.
“Is the true ancestor… not a vampire?”
A shock like being struck hard on the head pierced through Cecili-ah.
Of course, all the circumstantial evidence up until now had suggested that the true ancestor was the bloody calamity and an evil vampire monarch.
But thinking back on it calmly, was there not a single piece of clear evidence she had confirmed with her own two eyes?
No matter how much the circumstances forced a misunderstanding, there was no room for excuses.
The true ancestor had sent her retainers to save the life of a hostile force like herself.
She had even personally appeared and saved the dying knights.
“W-why…”
She had continuously acted aggressively towards her, and had even come to track her down in a faraway foreign land.
Drip - .
Tears flowed down Cecili-ah’s cheeks once again.
This time, they weren’t tears of helplessness like before, but tears of repentance.
She placed her hands on the ground and bowed her head deeply toward the true ancestor.
“I am truly… truly sorry.”
Her tearful voice echoed through the alleyway.
“I have misunderstood…”
* * *
This was exactly the unexpected result of the [Rapid growth] skill that I had confirmed in the special training ground.
I thought Dark would get super big and super cool.
A black flame dragon with red eyes! Something like that.
But there was absolutely no change to his appearance.
He was still in his cute baby dragon form.
Instead.
‘It’s a super rare golden luminous dragon!!!’
Ta-da!
He was emitting a bright golden light just as he is now.
I turned on [Appraisal eye] and checked the status of the two knights collapsed on the ground.
[Status: Purified by divine power. (Recovering)]
‘Oh, they’re purified! Good job, Dark!’
“Krrrng!”
The golden Dark wagged his tail majestically.
I couldn’t pet him right now because I had to keep up appearances, but I’d have to dote on him a lot later when we got back home.
It was then.
“I am truly… truly sorry. I misunderstood…”
Wasn’t the saintess suddenly apologizing to me?
“Whoa, what a sincere prostration?!”
I flinched in surprise because I didn’t expect the great saintess, of all people, to prostrate herself so flatly like that.
Her clothes were tattered and covered in dust from fighting.
The sight of her apologizing while kneeling and placing both hands on the dirty ground was pitiful.
Her pretty silver hair was also tangled and messy all over.
“Mmm…”
My heart softened slightly at that pitiful sight.
I wanted to comfort her and tell her it was okay and she should get up.
But regardless of my will, [Exalted dignity] popped out on its own.
“Hmph, raise your head. Why are you prostrating on the ground and acting so pathetic?”
The saintess carefully only raised her head while remaining on her knees.
Unable to bring herself to meet my eyes, she spoke while trembling.
“I have misunderstood… I believed that true ancestor-nim was an evil existence. There is truly no room for excuses. I do not know how to apologize for this disrespect, or how to repay the grace you have bestowed upon us…”
Hmm.
Since she’s apologizing this sincerely, should I let her off just this once?
Even though it was a bit detestable that she chased me all the way here to catch me.
Looking back, the community cyber pro-wrestling with the saintess had been somewhat helpful too.
“This true ancestor is merciful, so I shall forgive you.”
“…!”
Alright, I’m being generous!
I’ll specially exempt her from the punishment of sending a mosquito retainer every night to ruin her sleep.
“Ah, right. What about ha-eun?”
I turned my gaze and checked one side of the alley.
Fortunately, ha-eun was also safe without a single injury.
“Ah…!”
Moreover, she must have seen my cool entrance and how I healed the knights earlier, as her eyes were sparkling and shining brightly.
Ha-eun, who met my eyes, came running over and suddenly shouted.
“True ancestor-nim! I, I want to become true ancestor-nim’s retainer! I’ll become a vampire!”
“Ooh! Scout success!”
I cheered inwardly.
This wasn’t part of the plan, but it somehow ended up helping.
Do good things happen because you do good deeds, as expected? Hehe.
“Ahem. You are a wise mortal.”
I was feeling very satisfied.
“E-eh…?”
For some reason, the saintess, who had been crying and apologizing just a moment ago, was blinking her eyes with a dumbfounded face.
‘What’s wrong with her?’
* * *
Song Ha-eun, who had been so excited just a moment ago, was blinking her eyes with a dumbfounded face.
‘What’s wrong with her?’
* * *
At Song Ha-eun’s bright shout, Cecili-ah doubted her own ears.
…A vampire?
Cecili-ah’s gaze shifted back and forth between ha-eun and the true ancestor.
S-so she really was a vampire after all…?!” Eun’s bright shout. Cecili-ah doubted her own ears.
…A vampire?
Cecili-ah’s gaze shifted back and forth between ha-eun and the true ancestor.
S-so she really was a vampire after all…?!