Lucius sat on the edge of the ledge where no one would disturb him—looking down at the scenery. He took out candy from his pocket. Tearing it carefully, he bit the candy.
It was food redeemed from the system. The ingredient was human souls, but it could simulate a sweet taste.
Lucius’ superb vampire taste could feel the sweetness. This is the only way he could vent his desire for blood for now.
Because he could only observe what will happen next without interfering.
Lucius sensed the forest’s unique scent in the air of this city.
The forest inhabitant had come to target this city! They would trample the city with a pace that would make the earth tremble.
There were still about 3 minutes before the impact.
Lucius continued to observe the situation below.
The situation was very awkward.
After emptying the expensive wine in his goblet, Lissner said nothing. His eyes silently gazed over the hall as if he was searching for something.
“What’s going on? If you had nothing else to say, bid your farewell to Her Majesty the Empress!” Kensel spoke as he saw Lissner’s struggle.
“Haa…”
After being silent for more than a minute, Lissner finally let out a sigh. This time, he seemed very disappointed.
“This is the end of my visit. I bid farewell to the nameless Empress.” Lissner slightly bowed his head as a respectful gesture.
He placed the wine goblet on the side table and walked out of the city hall without a word.
After he left, Kensel looked at Naiya with relief. She’d been silent for the whole time.
“Your Majesty, please don’t believe him! Your father had trusted this Empire to you. Although the burden is indeed a little bit heavy…” Kensel paused, looking at Naiya’s icy cold expression…
Running an empire wasn’t exactly just a ‘little bit heavy’ task. The weight had fallen on the shoulders of a frail young girl.
With her fair complexion and somewhat sickly appearance, could she really be an Empress who could rule the world like Emperor Dodran?
The young woman’s shoulders seemed unable to carry on such a heavy burden.
But this was all the Emperor’s orders.
“…It was my order, right? I have an obligation to inherit the throne…” Naiya suddenly spoke.
“Yes, it’s an order,” Kensel spoke of one thing the Court of the Gods valued most, and that one thing was order, rules!
“It’s an order laid down by the Empire, an order recognized by the Court of the Gods. Your Highness, please take a rest. I will ask someone to make you understand everything about this country first.”
Rules… from the Court of Gods…
The two things kept echoing inside her mind. Saints, despite possessing supreme power, could only spend their entire lives living in the city suspended in the sky, unable to touch the ground.
It was the rule. Whoever broke it would die.
“I understand.” There was an inexplicable weariness in Naiya’s tone.
Kensel looked at her weak tone and sickly appearance. It seemed it would take a while before this country would recognize the young woman as their ruler.
Kensel was about to arrange so Naiya could rest.
“Grrrr!!!”
“Arghhh!!!”
When suddenly, a roaring sound was heard throughout the city. Then the panicked screams of the city residents also heard from every direction.
What’s going on?
Kensel ran towards the city hall door and pushed it open; one thing caught his eyes. The city wall had collapsed. The walls, standing tall since the first time this city was built, had collapsed now!
The emerald green color of the Beast Forest behind the city walls was shown in front of him, and at the same time, a hideous beast appeared!
The beast’s claws crushed the shattered stone from the crumbled city wall beneath. Then its high roar proclaimed the entire city, marking the arrival of the unwelcome intruders!
Beast…
It was a name that Kensel hadn’t heard for years.
The journey in search of Her Highness the Empress was the first time he had set foot in the Beast Forest after a long time.
However, the beast in front of him was completely different from those beasts inhabiting the Beast Forest!
Most of the beasts that appeared in front of him were so small, so fragile that their existence could be domesticated by humans.
But this one beast… even humans weren’t qualified to become its pet!
The giant beast broke through the walls. The monsters that had been long forgotten by humans!
The beast from the Beast Forest finally came out from the depths of the forest to attack humans!
To mercilessly hunt down these humans!
The streets were chaotic, with civilians fleeing in all directions. Some of the guard knights scattered in different paths without formations and were quickly killed by the swarming beasts.
For humans, those beasts were nothing more than domesticated housepets!
They had forgotten the way monsters looked in packs, the way they saw humans as food, and the way they were a predator as they were supposed to be!
The tranquility was broken!
Shattered!
Kensel looked at the chaotic view with heartache.
Mankind had been too comfortable over the years that they had forgotten how to wield a sword. And the city’s army had long filled their bellies with food and wine!
Their rusty iron swords couldn’t slay many enemies.
Only the mercenaries and bounty hunters not employed by the Empire, who were still imbued with the spirits of adventure, those who wander the wild every day, could survive resisting in the streets!
Only now did Kensel see that those vulgar and unruly folks he once despised turned out to be powerful.
Damn it! How could the Imperial Army be defeated by civilians…
“You! Escort Her Highness towards safety!” He ordered two members of the Emperor’s Knight to protect Naiya.
He alone drew the blade he hadn’t drawn for a long time. The blade reflected the sunlight, pointing at the beasts that were hunting down humans in the streets.
“Emperor’s Knights!!! Draw your swords for the Empire!”
Kensel wasn’t sure if his knights could stop the raging beasts. But they had to!
It’s a knight’s duty!
The rations they ate weren’t for nothing!
The knights immediately drew their swords and awaited Kensel’s next orders.
“First and second regiments draw the beasts’ attention. The third regiment, assist the civilians in evacuating, fourth regiments, follow me to charge! The time had come when the Empire needed you the most!”
………….
Lucius stood on the ledge of the city hall, where he could observe the entire city.
Looking at the chaotic situation, human screams, and the insignificant resistance, Lucius suddenly remembers a famous book quote.
“The day humans finally remembered the fear that was under their control and the humiliations of being imprisoned in a birdcage.”
Or something like that.
But the humans of this world were perfectly capable of resisting the beasts, if only they knew how. But it was their fear that was holding them back.
Once the humans overcome their fear, these beasts were nothing more than lambs, ready to be slaughtered.
Lucius bit a candy in his mouth; his gaze shifted towards a different place, a closer one.
Naiya was escaping. With the two knights escorting the ‘sickly and weak’ Royal Highness towards safety.
“Hahaha…” Lucius bit the candy and softly laughed.
Suddenly, two huge beetles appeared from the ground behind the city where no one expected a beast to appear.
With the size larger than an ox, the two beetles suddenly appeared at the feet of the fleeing knights.
After tripping the two knights whose life forms were no more than Level 3, the beetle cracked open their hideous mouths and attacked the humans.
The knights screamed as the beetle attacked them. After killing them, the beetle began to gnaw on the fresh human meat in front of Naiya.
Naiya just stood in silence before the scene as blood splattered all over her feet.
She was enraged.
Lucius felt Naiya’s rage.
She was feeling pity towards these humans. A vampire, feeling pity towards the humans that were being hunted down by the beasts.
Naiya’s shoulders were slightly trembling.
Lucius gazed at her, knowing what she was thinking.
She wanted to save those humans. It was a peculiar thing to do for a vampire, but it was common sense for a human. Naiya was a human; she hadn’t become a vampire for a long time.
Lucius understood this better than anyone else.
Even after turning into a vampire, Lucius couldn’t completely eliminate her human blood. Before being transformed, she was half-human.
That was the reason she could walk freely beneath the sunlight, and she could even taste human food.
Lucius was a little surprised by the compatibility of the bloodline called the ‘dragon blood’ in her body.
But most importantly, she harbored a human heart.
For years, she had been living in this world as a human.
Naiya was a good girl, a kind child. It was just her vampire heritage that would make her lose control. But when she encountered Lucius the monster, she had no kindness left in her heart.
It’s just… unfortunately, Lucius needed her kindness right now.
Naiya’s kindness seems ridiculous towards humans.
The humans couldn’t hold any longer. They needed a hero that could lead them to defeat these monsters invading their homes!
“You want to protect these people?”
Hearing Lucius’ voice, Naiya trembled. It was fear… a fear felt by subordinates towards their higher-ups. Naiya didn’t want to displease him.
If she saved humans, Lucius wouldn’t be pleased because he hated humans.
“Don’t think of me in such a twisted way. I actually quite like humans.”
Indeed, because of their taste. Humans were just too tasty!
“Do you want to save them? I’ll be troubled if they all died.”
It would be trouble if I starve without any delicious food, right?
“You want to know how strong the power I gave you? Now is the best way to prove it. This time, you won’t be seen as a monster by humans. They will feel grateful for you instead!”
A violet and black greatsword appeared in Lucius’ hands. The weight of the two-handed sword was featherlike to a vampire. Lucius threw the sword upwards, and it stabbed into the ground in front of Naiya.
Naiya looked at the greatsword and realized it was something given to her by Lucius.
“It’s not for killing, but for protecting. You’ve been a very good girl, Naiya.”
“!”
When she heard it, all the hesitation left her heart.
No matter what his true intentions were, it seems like Lucius was encouraging her to save those humans.
Naiya couldn’t stand idly and watch the scene anymore!
She held the sword and slashed the two beetles.
Lucius looked at the splattered blood.
Lucius smiled lightly.
“Be a hero, little Naiya…”
