The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed

The hall was surprisingly clean for a battlefield.

Elise stood with an impassive expression, while the vampire maids cowered in a corner, trembling.

The fight had been a one-sided display of Elise’s overwhelming superiority. Just because one descended from the True Ancestors didn’t mean they were skilled in battle.

Damian excelled in mental magic rather than direct combat. He preferred using blood as a medium to control his subordinates, making them his limbs in proxy battles.

Unfortunately, his opponent was Elise, bound by a contract of subjugation.

Worse still, Elise was a vampire who wielded divine power—a vampire who knew exactly how to kill her own kind.

Like a stake to the heart, her divine light pierced Damian’s chest.

He tried to block it with a veil of blood, but just like a priest’s divine shield, it held little effectiveness against Elise.

Their essences were the same.

Damian’s blood veil didn’t recognize Elise’s magic as an attack.

Instead, it absorbed the holy light, welcoming it in.

A beam infused with both blood and divinity shot straight through his hollow heart.

"Ghhkk..."

Vampires could only be killed by a stake to the heart.

Divine power was a force specialized in eradicating vampires.

In other words, a stake forged from divine power—through the heart—would kill them even faster.

And indeed, the effect was immediate.

Damian’s body began turning to ash, starting from his heart.

As he crumbled away, Elise smiled at him.

"May you find your way to heaven instead of hell. You’ll be quite popular there, I’m sure."

Elise’s voice dripped with mockery.

Damian responded with a smile.

"As a father, how could I leave my daughters behind? How could I abandon you when you don’t even know where you belong?"

"What are you...?"

"I see it."

"A bat that has lost its place, unable to stand on either side."

Would she side with beasts or birds?

A bat, forever teetering between two worlds, constantly weighing its options—only to end up belonging nowhere.

"Don’t worry. This father is on your side. Let me be clear, Elise. You are not a Saintess. You are not human. You are a vampire, just like us."

"......"

"I’ll be back soon. Until then, take care."

Even with only his head left, Damian continued speaking.

By the time his entire body had turned to ash, he had never once lost his composure.

The one who had wavered—was Elise.

She stared at the pile of ash, then clicked her tongue irritably and kicked it, scattering it across the floor.

"Tch."

She ground the ash beneath her heel before finally looking away.

The vampire maids, who had been cowering in fear moments ago, now sat in stunned silence, as if in a trance.

It was because all of them had been under Damian’s mind control.

The spellcaster was now gone, so the magic had broken automatically.

Logically speaking, no sane human would willingly become a vampire.

Nor would they call the monster that turned them "Father."

It was no different from locking shackles around their own necks, voluntarily becoming slaves.

There wasn’t a single person in the world crazy enough to do such a thing.

...Or so Elise thought.

"Father! Father!"

Apparently, such a madwoman did exist.

The maid who had guided Elise now sobbed hysterically, gathering Damian’s ashes into her hands. Then, she snapped her head toward Elise, glaring at her with hatred.

"How dare you kill Father!"

"You were turned into a vampire by that man, weren’t you? I freed you from that filthy monster, yet instead of gratitude, I get that disrespectful glare?"

"Gratitude? You think you saved me? It was Father who saved me from hell! The only filthy monster here is you!"

Her eyes burned with loathing.

Had Damian picked her up from the gutter?

If her life before becoming a vampire had been hell, Elise could somewhat understand her feelings.

It was still better than living a life where death lurked around every corner.

But Elise neither pitied her nor felt guilty.

"I’ve already been more than merciful by sparing you. Whether you stay here or find more vampire friends, do as you please."

Elise could not save them.

She could not turn them back into humans.

If she had such power, she would have used it on herself first. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

What could she do?

Both she and they had already crossed a point of no return.

All that was left was to despair at their fate and curse the gods.

Because that is what it means to become a vampire.

****

When Elise returned to the Holy Kingdom, she reported the situation to Marcenus.

Since he had expected Elise to dispose of Damian from the moment she began investigating him, he wasn’t surprised.

Rather, he was pleased.

He had already noticed that Damian intended to use Elise for his own gain.

With him gone, an unpredictable factor had been eliminated.

Within the Holy Kingdom, Elise’s position as Saintess had risen significantly.

Every piece was now in place for the greater cause.

All that remained was to tighten Elise’s leash so she wouldn’t act recklessly.

"Saintess, it’s time to correct this distorted balance."

He meant for her to remove the ring.

The moment she took it off, the vampiric urges she had forcibly suppressed would flood in like a tidal wave.

It was a trial she had to undergo to fully manifest her abilities.

Elise knew she had to do it.

She understood it logically.

But her ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) heart resisted.

The mere thought of tearing into raw flesh like Damian, blood splattering everywhere, made her stomach turn.

"What do you think I am?"

Elise suddenly asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. What do I look like to you? Do I look human?"

"A Saintess—one different from ordinary humans, destined to restore the world’s order."

"A Saintess..."

"Why do you ask?"

Elise recalled the conversation at the mansion.

"Damian said I was undeniably a vampire. His subordinates called me a half-breed, neither one nor the other. But you see me as a Saintess."

"It was just an attempt to sway you. There’s no need to listen."

Is that so?

Elise wanted to ask.

Isn’t it the same with all of you?

But she didn’t.

She already knew the conversation would do nothing to ease this suffocating feeling.

It would be a waste of time.

"Just wait a little. I haven’t sorted out my thoughts yet."

This ring was her last line of defense.

She couldn't make a hasty decision.

She needed to hear another perspective.

There was only one more person she could talk to.

****

Where does a bat belong?

With the beasts or with the birds?

Who am I?

She still hadn’t found the answer.

"Welcome. You’ve had a long day," Karami greeted her with a soft smile as she entered the inn.

He was one of the few people Elise could have an actual conversation with.

By now, this inn had become familiar.

She realized something—though she had never wanted to come here at first, it had turned out to be the only refuge from the asylum of lunatics that was the Holy Kingdom.

All because of Karami.

It wasn’t that he had done anything in particular.

The world was full of madmen, but he was a different breed.

She had figured out what everyone else wanted—but Karami?

She still didn’t know what he wanted.

Even though he knew who she really was.

She had no idea what his goal was.

He never showed his hand.

What kind of Elise did he see?

A Saintess?

A Vampire?

That was why being around him was comfortable.

Because he didn’t expect her to be anything.

She didn’t have to pretend in front of him.

But now, she was curious.

"Master, what do you see me as?"

She wanted to know what she was in his eyes.

"Elise is Elise."

"I know that much. I am Elise. But what kind of Elise do you see? A Saintess? A Vampire?"

"A Vampire Saintess."

"Do you really have to choose one?"

Karami chose neutrality.

Technically, he wasn’t wrong.

But that wasn’t the answer Elise wanted.

It only meant that, in the end, she belonged nowhere.

"Why the sudden identity crisis?" he asked.

"It’s nothing. It’s just that my sire called me his daughter."

"Playing at being your father, huh? How ridiculous. Elise belongs to me. If he wants to stake a claim, he should bring me thirty million gold coins."

"With that much, even a human could buy their way to sainthood."

"Not that I'd take the job if offered."

Elise let out a small chuckle.

Then her expression turned serious.

"You once told me I had no right to be freed. What would I need to do to earn that right?"

"When you achieve what you truly desire."

"You don’t have to worry. I’ll make sure it happens."

"What I truly desire..."

Karami smiled, his expression warm and kind.

His words sounded sweet.

The kind of certainty only a god would have.

But Elise didn’t believe him.

She was sure that behind that mask, something sinister lurked.

"You think you know what I want?"

"It doesn’t matter."

"Because I’ll do anything."

"Anything?"

"Yes, anything."

And at that moment—

Thud!

Elise lunged.

She toppled Karami from his chair, sending him crashing to the floor.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

"Elise?"

She pinned him down, gripping both his wrists, restraining him.

Elise hovered over him, her red eyes gleaming ominously in the backlight.

"You said you’d do anything."

"Then what if I tell you to become a vampire like me?"

"If that’s what Elise wants."

His response came without hesitation.

Elise felt no emotion.

She was sure it was an empty lie.

After all, she couldn’t directly harm Karami because of the contract.

...But then—

?

Elise froze.

The restraint—that subtle, invisible force that should have stopped her from hurting him—

Was gone.

If she tightened her grip just a little, she could break his wrists.

If she sank her fangs into his neck, she could turn him into a vampire.

But she hesitated.

"Why are you stopping?" Karami asked. "Weren’t you about to turn me?"

"...Where does your confidence come from?"

"Confidence? There’s nothing to be confident about."

"Even if I became a vampire, nothing would change."

"If that’s all it takes to put your mind at ease, then by all means, go ahead."

Elise’s eyes flickered, uneasy.

Karami smiled.

"But I don’t think it would make a difference, would it?"

"......"

"If I become a vampire, that means I get to spend centuries with you."

"I didn’t realize you wanted to be with me for that long."

"How romantic of you, Elise."

"...Tch."

Elise released him and stood up.

She had meant to test Karami, but instead, she had been tested.

"This is why I hate talking to you."

"Master," Karami corrected.

Sitting up, he casually rotated his wrists.

Red finger-shaped bruises had already formed where Elise had grabbed him.

Elise looked at them—then quickly turned away, almost as if fleeing.

"Was that enough to convince you of my sincerity?"

"No. You knew I wouldn’t bite you, so it doesn’t count."

"Strict as ever. Then tell me—how can I earn your trust?"

Trust.

A meaningless word.

Even Elise herself had no answer for what it would take for her to trust someone.

If anything, she wanted to ask.

In a world filled with lies and hypocrisy, what kind of mindset did one need to believe in someone?

A childish thought popped into her head.

"Master."

"Would you fall into ruin with me?"

A petty, cowardly question.

She was surprised at herself for even asking.

It was obvious what Karami would say.

A man like him, who knew how to win people over, had only one possible answer.

It was a loaded question with a pre-determined answer.

Yet Elise had asked anyway.

Because some part of her wanted to believe that someone—anyone—would stay by her side.

Even if the words were empty, she wanted to hear them.

That was her selfishness.

But Karami—

"No?"

—crushed that hope without hesitation.

"Why would I fall with you?"

"I’m not an idiot."