Vivian Platonis.
The last witch remaining in this world and the central figure of the Prince’s plan.
And the person I wanted to protect before entering here.
‘Are you really going to protect her?’
Before we entered the Imperial Palace, when I had been thinking about encountering her, Flang approached and pleaded for to give up my obsession with her.
‘…Flang.’
‘You know, Master. She is the one who provided the ans to draw the Demon King into the Empire. Even if her will is not her own, she cannot escape responsibility for bringing disaster to the Empire.’
I couldn’t help but feel shaken as well.
What I had to protect was clear, and I had reasons to return alive.
So, if I were to set priorities, it would be towards Airi, with whom I had a bond.
If Vivian were to block my way even once, I might have to point my sword at her by my own will.
‘And yet… you still won’t give up on her?’
Flang’s expression towards my conflict was one of concern, not resentnt.
Perhaps she worried that I couldn’t shake off my feelings for her and would act impulsively.
‘…Then, let’s make one thing clear.’
Then ca an unexpected story following her concerns.
‘Before arriving at the Palace, there’s sothing I need to tell you about her.’
‘…About Vivian?’
‘Yes, please don’t panic and listen carefully.’
At that mont, I couldn’t tell whether it was ant to persuade or serve as a warning.
But either way, if it involved Vivian, I had an obligation to listen.
‘…Pope Martina.’
As I quietly listened, Flang began to speak about what she knew.
‘Before she toyed with the demons in the sanctuary and drove away the vampires, she was regarded as the successful product of the experints led by the church.’
‘The Pope, a successful product…?’
‘Yes, beings like Lord Phobia were failures of those experints. Only after the numbers of those failures were sufficiently increased could they produce the sole successful product known as Pope Martina.’
I had certainly heard that beastn were born under the leadership of so faction, but hearing that it was the church was a first for .
It was shocking that those who served God led inhumane experints…
But what I couldn’t overlook even more was the story about the successful product born from those experints.
‘The successful product, which possesses human reasoning and emotions while only awakening the powers of a witch.’
An existence that wielded witchcraft with human strength…
I had encountered such an existence once.
In fact, the Prince, who was the mastermind behind all of this, wielded abilities akin to those from another world, and I had once heard that many sacrifices were made to obtain that power.
If those sacrifices were due to the experints led by the church, it was highly likely that the relationship between the Imperial family and the church reached more covert aspects.
‘And then…’
Then what connection could such a relationship have with Vivian, the witch…?
The answer to that question was soon resolved through unexpected words.
‘The Pope had, for so reason, the sa face as Vivian.’
‘…What?’
‘Though she has aged, I am sure of it. The Pope definitely had the sa face as Vivian.’
To think she looked exactly like Vivian, just older.
Could it be that they were blood relatives?
Or was there so hidden connection to the experints as well?
‘I don’t know the details either. While I have dealt with many different beings, witches tend to disrupt the laws of the world, making them nearly infinite variables to consider.’
While Flang also couldn’t provide a detailed answer, the facts weren’t sothing she paid much attention to.
What mattered right now was that Vivian had brought danger to the Empire, and the Pope’s identity heightened suspicions regarding Vivian.
‘However, the witches I know are beings who regard even destroying the world out of re curiosity as trivial. If such an inhuman being were to act with intentions beyond re exploration or show emotional aspects, it is likely they were born in a way different from the norm, like the Pope.’
Purpose beyond intellectual curiosity, and emotional expressions…
Both applied to Vivian, as I knew her.
From our first eting, she had shown kindness towards , as well as anger at being obstructed in her research.
The reason she was furious enough to wipe out a cri organization by herself was that she had a clear reason: to et her mother again.
‘Master, I won’t say anything more about how you should think of her.’
I felt a disconnect between her explanation and that past, but Flang didn’t force anything else upon .
She didn’t express resentnt towards my indecision, nor did she lant the possibility of fighting again.
‘Just one thing… I want you to rember.’
She simply offered a warning filled with concern and then stepped back.
‘She might be… a being with even more dangerous secrets than the witches I know.’
Yes, she was still respecting until the end.
Even knowing the dangers of witches, how should I treat the witch I’d co to care for?
She chose to entrust everything to , even without entering the Palace with .
“Viv—no…!”
The woman who was the source of that conflict stood before at that mont.
With her arms hanging limply and her vacant eyes turned towards the void, she silently stood in front of , blocking my path alongside the vampire.
“Vivian, can you hear ? Viv…”
But it was different from what I had initially expected.
I thought I might have to aim my spear at her, yet why was she staring blankly into space without responding to ?
-Splurt!!!
Before I could voice all my questions, a burst of sound rang out.
With that, a fountain of blood erupted, and Vivian’s body began to collapse uselessly to the ground.
“…Huh?”
What on earth just happened?
Before I could grasp the situation, sothing dropped in front of as I stood there, bewildered.
It was an object resembling a ball, entangled with scattered strands.
-Plop.
No, it wasn’t a ball.
It was a human head.
One belonging to the woman who had been standing next to that vampire just monts ago…
“Viv.”
“Vivian…?”
The head of the person I wanted to protect.
It had rolled to my feet, severed by the vampire’s claws.
“Ahahahahahaha~!!”
A laugh rang out, stirring confusion in my mind.
The vampire approached, leaving behind the beheaded torso, and began to mock with a thin smile.
“Ah, seeing your shock, I suppose you were quite close to her~. Could it be you had a romantic relationship with a re doll that looks human?”
A doll? What on earth was she talking about?
Vivian was just Vivian.
She was a woman, a witch and a human, and even though she had unreasonable power, she never used it against .
So I thought we could be together, that with around, she could live as a human…
“Ah~ Does it hurt your heart? Are you in pain from losing sothing precious?”
How could that loathso vampire smile so cheerfully after taking away soone so precious?
“But don’t worry. If you accept this as a trial and endure the pain, you will beco even stronger than you are now.”
A trial? Is she talking about Vivian’s death?
She brings about this herself and then tells to endure and move on?
“My master also hopes for your growth. You must beco a leading figure in the new era after leaving this place…”
-KWAANG!!!
A spear thrown in a fit of rage pierced her body and exploded.
Her body scattered into ashes, or rather, transford into mist and fled.
Like other vampires, she hid her body to mock and deceive .
“Co out, now!”
Yes, it must be her goal to block here.
So I must kill her.
I must take revenge for Vivian.
“Get out here right now!!! You bitch!!!”
“Hahahahaha! Ahahahahahahaha!!”
“Uwaaaaaah!!!”
Mockery echoed throughout the banquet hall.
Even with the chaos caused by weapons exploding in all directions, the stake lodged in my heart sank even deeper.
Even if I succeeded in revenge here, Vivian would still be dead.
Vivian would never return to .
“Why…?”
Why does this world take away precious beings from in this way?
No matter how hard I struggled, it was the sa.
Such events kept repeating, forcing to abandon everything and run away.
Does that an Airi will also leave my side in the sa manner?
Does a happy ending I desire truly exist before ?
“Why is it only …?!”
“Get a grip, you fool.”
At that mont, chaos ceased with a loud noise.
Soone gripped my cheek painfully and started to glare at .
“What are you doing, losing your mind after coming this far?! Have you forgotten that you’re in the middle of enemy territory?!”
Annabel.
A manifestation derived from and my only companion who supported .
“I don’t know what that dead woman ans to you, but didn’t you co here for a reason? And now you’re losing your mind and ssing everything up?!”
“But, Vivian…”
“If you lose your cool here, what will happen to that child who trusted you and followed you here?!”
Her hand swung in anger.
The head that had been held fell behind, revealing the sight of Ga-ram, who had succumbed to the vampire’s charm and collapsed.
The child I had risked my life to save…
If I lost my cool here, that child might beco another victim, lying dead not far from .
“Get a grip. You have to face more than just that vampire here.”
Annabel lightly tapped the back of my head, bringing back to my senses as she reentered my body.
Her voice still held a scolding tone, but the calm I finally regained was sothing I couldn’t have achieved without her.
“…Thank you, Annabel.”
-Don’t ntion it. You foolish idiot.
She returned my gratitude by helping control my power.
As she said, this was the middle of enemy territory, and the darkness around us was thick with the presence of not just vampires but others as well.
There were dozens of them… It was a situation where I couldn’t afford to lose my composure against them.
No matter how much Vivian had been decapitated before , I had people to protect who were very much alive.
-Thud, thud.
As I gathered my focus, the sound of footsteps echoed.
I prepared to aim my spear at the enemies erging from the darkness.
“…Huh?”
Yet, I did not swing it towards them.
This wasn’t a natural outco.
An event that shouldn’t be happening right now unfolded boldly before …
“Vi…”
Yes, it was impossible.
She was undoubtedly decapitated before .
Her corpse was still lying on the ground.
“Viv, are you…?”
But why was there soone who looked just like her standing before with those empty eyes?
-Thud, thud.
No, there wasn’t just one.
Others were erging from the shadows as well.
They all had the sa face and body as Vivian, approaching with their vacant gazes.
What is this? Am I dreaming?
“Oh dear, what’s with that expression?”
A faint voice echoed from the darkness.
A vampire erged, releasing the mist and playfully smiling, placing her hand on Vivian’s body in front of her.
“Is it not a welco sight? Your dead friend’s duplicates are overflowing before you.”
“What do you an…?”
Duplicates? What on earth is she talking about?
Are all of them duplicates of Vivian? Then where is the real Vivian, the one who just died?
If they are all duplicates, then what about the Vivian I know…?
‘For so reason, the Pope looked just like Vivian.’
The one I wanted to protect.
What difference is there between her and the ones I’m facing now?
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