The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed

Elise, who had made up her mind, knew exactly what she had to do. Salvation would not come unless she removed the soul-shackle that bound her soul.

But as a slave, Elise could not directly harm her master, Karami.

It was true, as Marcenus had said, that removing him by force could be an option, but Elise was far from eager to do so.

Knowing full well that she was a defiled clergyman, she had no interest in seeing him mock her, pretending to be the only clean one in front of her. It had bothered her from the very beginning.

"I’ll make you just like me," she thought.

She would taint him. To a point of no return. To a point where it couldn’t be washed away.

"Master, I want to take revenge."

"Revenge, you say?"

"Yes. I want to take revenge on those who tormented me."

"That’s a good idea. The ones who tormented my slave deserve to feel pain in return. Do you have a plan in mind?"

"They don’t know my plans yet. I’ll root out everything related to the experiments and tear down what they’ve tried so hard to protect."

Karami’s eyes met Elise’s. A strong will blazed in her crimson eyes.

"I see. I’ll be looking forward to the good news."

After Elise left, Karami twirled his wine glass.

The dark purple liquid, reminiscent of blood, swirled, almost spilling over the rim. The expression on his face showed a clear sense of enjoyment.

Antonius watched him quietly. He had overheard their conversation from the corner of the room and had a general understanding of what was going on.

"Why didn’t you stop her?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Why didn’t you stop her from going down the wrong path? Don’t you know that she’s a child who’s already suffered wounds that cannot be healed? Revenge will only cause her even more harm."

"That’s the path she wants to take."

"Do you truly believe that?"

"Of course."

As soon as Karami heard Elise’s thoughts, he realized the source of her current story.

****

Hansel and Gretel.

At first, he had thought it was nonsense. He couldn’t understand how Elise’s situation could be compared to the story of Hansel and Gretel.

But as he thought it through, it made sense.

Hansel and Gretel were abandoned in the forest by parents who wanted to silence them. They get lost and find a witch’s house made of candy, which is the basic plot.

In this case, Hansel and Gretel are Elise. The house represents Elise as a human, and the stepmother is the researcher who took her.

The witch’s house is the Holy Kingdom.

A beautiful, delicious, candy house that seems like something out of a dream, but in reality, it’s the evil witch’s house. It was the same as how Elise felt about the Holy Kingdom.

The Holy Kingdom, which she thought would be filled with dreams and hope, turned out to be decaying.

And in the end...

Elise had saved the children who were to be experimented on, and helped the old man who was passing by. Even after becoming a vampire, she performed acts of kindness.

This was the bread crumbs she left behind so that she wouldn’t lose her way.

Even though she became a vampire, it was an unconscious trace she left to return to her human self. A trace of the kindness of a human heart.

The hypocrisy in wanting revenge or to fool someone perfectly corresponded to the half-eaten breadcrumbs that would be eaten by birds and disappear.

"No wonder she’s been so obsessed with good and evil recently," Karami thought.

She was anxious. If hypocrisy isn’t virtue, she might lose her way back.

She was afraid she couldn’t return to her original self.

What had to be done was clear.

Destroy the witch’s house and eliminate the witch.

Before the bread crumbs disappear, return Elise to where she originally belonged.

Everything was for Elise.

****

The sky gathered the flames of burning fire and draped the cold, dark curtain of night. The evening sun struggled fiercely before sinking below the horizon.

The last rays of light slipped between the buildings and disappeared without a trace.

Night had arrived.

As the bustling noise of the midday felt like something from a distant past, a scream suddenly erupted from afar.

"AAAHHHH!"

"Run! It’s a vampire!"

It seemed as though the scream was the signal, as numerous noises entangled in the darkness.

The hurried sound of a door being locked, the shrill screams, and the metallic sound of blades being drawn mixed together, spreading like an epidemic.

"No... I’m not a vampire!"

In the middle of the street, a nun reached out to the fleeing citizens.

She was Sister Rae, one of the nuns who had once harassed Elise. Her ears had grown long like a vampire’s, and her fangs had sharpened.

Though not exactly kind-hearted, she had been a devout believer, loyal to the gods. She was the opposite of a vampire.

Until she chased away the stray dog that was loitering around the convent, only to be bitten.

"There’s a vampire around here! Don’t let them get away, search everywhere!"

A shout rang out suddenly, followed by the clanking of metal. The Holy Knights.

Though Rae believed with all her heart that she was a clergyman, she instinctively knew that if they caught her, she would not be able to explain herself and would be killed without hesitation.

Rae quickly entered the alleyway, covered her mouth, and held her breath. Not long after, the Holy Knights passed by the alley.

Only after the sound of metal clashing faded did she finally let out a sigh of relief.

"What is it? What the hell is going on?!"

A sharp cry echoed through the alley.

From being a revered nun to falling into the depths of despair in an instant.

She could no longer feel the divine power.

It meant that God had turned His back on her.

"If I tell the abbess, maybe she’ll help me..."

...Would she?

Wouldn’t she try to purify her instead?

Since God had abandoned her, would the abbess really help?

She was certain it wouldn’t happen.

If she died like this, she wouldn’t even be able to reach heaven.

For a saint, that was a fate far worse than death.

—

"What are you doing in the back alleys at this hour, Sister Rae?"

The sudden voice made Rae jump. A figure approached from the darkness, the sharp click, click of their steps echoing against the stone. A pair of crimson eyes gleamed ominously.

"Wh-Who’s there?!"

"It’s me."

The one approaching was Sister Elise.

Rae, who had been completely tensed up, immediately relaxed her shoulders.

"Wh-What the hell, it’s just you? I thought it was a Holy Knight or something."

"There are Holy Knights patrolling the area. Would you like me to call one over?"

"N-No?! No need! They’re busy people, why bother them? There’s no need to call them over!"

"If that’s what you want, Sister Rae."

Rae let out a relieved sigh.

"You should return to the convent. A vampire has appeared—it’s dangerous here."

"Y-Yeah... I should. I should, but...."

Rae bit her lip.

Of all people, why did it have to be Elise? They were practically enemies. If she wasn’t careful, Elise might discover the truth and exterminate her.

"Sister Rae?"

"You go ahead first."

"And what about you?"

"There might still be people who haven’t evacuated yet, right? If they run into a vampire, it’ll be a disaster. I’ll stay and help them."

"Ah, that’s true. Running into a vampire would be a disaster."

Elise smiled as if touched by Rae’s devotion.

Then, in the next moment, she wiped that expression away.

"But Sister Rae... don’t you smell blood?"

"...Huh?"

"A strong stench of blood."

Elise sniffed the air as she stepped closer.

Then, without warning, she accelerated and grabbed Rae’s wrist.

Smack!

"Urk—?"

"Sister Rae, don’t tell me... you’re a turncoat?"

"N-No! You’re misunderstanding something! I’m not! I’m not a vampire!"

"Then we’ll let God decide your true nature. Stay put—I’ll go fetch the Holy Knights."

As Elise turned to leave, Rae desperately grabbed onto her hand.

"W-Wait! Please, don’t go! I’m begging you, don’t go. Okay?"

"Hmm...."

"Sister Elise, I was too harsh on you before, wasn’t I? I’ll apologize for everything."

"What do you mean, ‘too harsh’? Everything you did was for my sake."

"Y-Yeah! That’s right! It was all for you, Sister Elise. You understood my feelings, didn’t you?"

Elise smiled sweetly, and Rae, relieved, let out a foolish laugh.

Then, as if wiping that moment away, Elise’s smile faded. She looked down at Rae, who was groveling before her.

"Could you let go of my hand? It’s unpleasant."

"Huh? O-Oh! Sorry, did I grab too hard?"

Rae quickly let go.

Elise brushed off her sleeve, as if dirt had gotten on ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) it.

Rae could only force a smile, unable to say anything in response.

"And what will you do now, Sister Rae? In your current state, even if you return to the convent, you’ll be discovered right away. I’m on your side, of course, but I can’t say the same for the others."

"...I don’t know. I think I need to get out of Kassilon... but why the hell is this happening to me?!"

"Ah, don’t be so troubled—I actually have a good solution for you."

"Really?"

At the prospect of hope, Rae’s eyes lit up.

Elise reached down and grabbed a rat that had been scurrying along the alley.

At that moment, a terrible premonition struck Rae. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Clank. Clank.

The sound of armor clinking came from beyond the alley.

"Sister Elise? What are you—"

Squish!

Elise clenched her fist.

The rat crumpled in her grip.

With a wet pop, blood splattered in every direction. Entrails and fluids oozed between Elise’s fingers.

Rae’s eyes widened in horror. She couldn’t look away.

Elise’s lips curled into a soft smile.

"Here. Bite."

She tossed the rat out into the open street.

Rae’s eyes, filled with despair, flickered toward Elise for only a moment before her instincts took over.

Against her will, her head turned to follow the rat.

Even knowing she shouldn’t—knowing this was a trap—her body lunged forward.

Like a starving beast, she shoved the rat into her mouth, devouring it greedily.

"There’s a vampire here!"

The Holy Knights had spotted her.

A spear flew.

Thud!

The spear pierced Rae’s side, sending her crashing to the ground.

The knights quickly surrounded her and drove their swords into her body, one after another.

Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab.

Rae’s body twitched like a dying frog until, finally, she stopped moving.

The knights, satisfied, departed in search of more vampires.

Elise stepped out of the alley and approached Rae’s corpse.

"My, my. Why would you suddenly run out like that? Were you that hungry, Sister... no, I suppose I can’t call you ‘Sister’ anymore."

A nun who had died with a rat shoved into her mouth could hardly be called a clergyman.

She was nothing more than a foolish vampire who had been unable to suppress her urges and had chosen to die instead.

Elise stared down at the body, then turned her gaze beyond the city walls.

The city had fallen into complete chaos.

The screams hadn’t stopped.

How long would God continue to stand by and watch?

This was only the beginning.