I Became a Fake Priest the Saintess Is Obsessed With

27 – The Bloodstained Party (2)

The viscount was sitting by the window, drinking.

I recognized the drink in his glass, as Tina had forced me to drink it before.

Trisanka… it was a strong liquor.

I quietly stood behind him.

Sensing my presence, the viscount glanced at me and then took a sip of his drink.

“A distinguished guest has arrived. Thank you for coming all this way, Father.”

“Shall I be the only one to thank you for your efforts, my lord? You must have truly worked hard to prepare such a grand party.”

After a brief exchange of simple greetings, we momentarily locked eyes.

In that fleeting moment, a silence froze the air, swirling between me and the lord.

It was the lord who broke the silence first.

“Do you have some business with me that brings you here?”

“Yes. If it’s not too much trouble, would you indulge me in some conversation?”

“Hmm… very well. It was getting a bit lonely drinking alone anyway.”

I took a seat in front of the lord.

Lord René Akied extended a glass towards me.

“How would you like a drink?”

“I’m a bit wary of alcohol… I’ll politely decline.”

“Too bad. On such a joyous day, one should enjoy a drink.”

“Rather… may I ask a few questions?”

“…Today is a good day, so I’ll answer any questions.”

I hesitated for a moment at the lord’s unexpectedly permissive attitude.

Then, realizing why this person was acting this way, I brushed it off and prepared to ask my questions, sweeping my face with determination.

“Let’s dispense with pretense and formalities. Why did you organize this party in the first place?”

“To celebrate a joyous day. Parties are usually held for such occasions.”

“Is that so? Is it not just to divert attention from the atrocities you commit in obtaining the ingredients for the entity you seek to create?”

When I received the invitation from the lord, when I heard of the lord’s misdeeds from Mabel, when I treated the entity – at each of these moments, I wondered, for what purpose is this party being held?

However much I pondered, I couldn’t discern the purpose.

Even if I asked those around me or searched the mansion for hidden clues, I couldn’t figure out his intentions.

It wasn’t until this morning, when the children disappeared, that I realized the purpose of this party.

Viscount Akied’s aim was to capture the escaped children who were originally meant to be turned into a fusion entity.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“If that’s the case, let me explain it so that you can understand. This party is your scheme to weaken the surveillance in the alleyways and capture the children.”

Although he had already pinpointed the children’s locations using the fusion entity, he couldn’t move freely.

No matter how weak the surveillance in the alleys was compared to some parts of the empire, eventually, it would catch the emperor’s attention.

He wanted to capture the experimental subjects who had escaped quickly, but as long as the surveillance was active, the viscount couldn’t move easily.

So, he played his hand.

His plan was to open the party, causing the surveillance to become lax.

Under normal circumstances, the empire would have suspected the viscount’s abnormal behavior and assigned people to watch him, but now, they were in a state of war with the Demon Lord’s army.

They needed to monitor the viscount’s suspicious actions, but with no personnel available.

The headquarters abandoned the surveillance in the less crucial alleyways, focusing instead on keeping an eye on the viscount.

Thus, the alleyways became blind spots without anyone watching, even allowing daring priests to easily enter the space.

With the surveillance network gone in the alleyways, the viscount could now bring the children from there.

I carefully explained this to the viscount.

“…Even if what the priest says is true, isn’t it more suspicious? I’m being watched, how can I go to the alley…”

The viscount, as if acknowledging the oddity of the story, smirked and said, “Underground.”

I stamped the ground with my foot to cut him off.

“There’s a very long sewer underground.”

“Hmm… What’s the point of that?”

“At first, I thought it belonged to the Aechid territory. But no matter how I looked at it, the straight extension seemed suspicious.”

“…”

“Out of curiosity, I followed the sewer. After walking for quite some time, I saw an entrance leading down into the underground, and when I went down there, I realized where it led to.”

What was in the underground sewer was evidence of something being transported and the dead body of a ratman.

A body that seemed to have been killed by something.

A flask that hadn’t been burned.

It was the same evidence I had seen in the sewers before.

“I was truly surprised to find a passage leading to the back alley of the mansion’s underground sewer.”

There was a brief silence.

“Could you tell me what you hope to achieve by all this…”

After I had exposed all the facts, the viscount showed a submissive attitude and admitted to everything.

I slowly stood up and gazed at him.

“Release all the captive children. And repent for your sins, putting an end to your evil deeds.”

“hahahaha… hahahahaha…”

Renet began to laugh, whether out of disappointment at having revealed everything to me or out of a bitter, mocking laughter that seemed to convey amusement at my words.

“Truly splendid deduction. It’s astounding how you managed such information, articulating a deduction with minimal details.”

“…What’s amusing that you find laughter-worthy?”

“However, it seems you’re still unaware of the precise goal behind my organized party.”

“What…”

“Capturing specimens was merely incidental. From the start, my purpose was to attract a multitude of people to this place.”

The voice of the count taunts.

An uneasy feeling sets in.

“I researched methods to save my wife. I discovered texts on soul magic and fusion, finding potential there.”

“Initially, I thought sacrificing a few specimens would create a vessel for my wife’s soul.”

“Yet, after months of experimentation, I realized it’s impossible to create a ‘mystical’ fusion with the soul of the deceased with just that.”

“Undeterred, further research into the mystical led me to the solution.”

“By using hundreds of people as the material for the fusion, I can harness the mystique born from their distortions as I please.”

The count’s words pour forth, incomprehensible.

Speaking as if confiding in a wall, can one truly understand?

However, one thing is certain.

This person is insane.

Far more thoroughly deranged than one might think.

“…Why are you telling me such a story?”

“Now, I plan to slaughter everyone in this place. Considering the presence of the priestess before me, I thought I’d repent for my sins.”

“Foolish thoughts, how do you intend to kill everyone here?”

Here, there are Resia and the Crown Prince, both possessing superhuman powers.

If the Countess behaves improperly, they will immediately intervene.

However, the Count, upon hearing my words, instead smiled faintly.

“You seem to trust your companions who came with you. Certainly, the saint of the Church of Heaven can be difficult, but… I have a way.”

The Count, rising from his seat, took his glass and strolled to the window, swaying gently.

He gazed at the moon hanging in the sky before turning around to look at me.

“Do you know about creatures called vampires, priest?”

“Well… vaguely.”

I responded uncomfortably to the sudden strange question. Vampires were already famous stories in the original world, and various books in the church recorded the characteristics of vampires in this world as well.

A species that sustains itself by consuming human blood, beings many times stronger than humans, masters of blood magic, and those who temporarily toppled the absolute fortress, the Empire.

Fortunately, the records in this world’s documents state that they were defeated and extinct in the church’s battle a thousand years ago.

Why would someone who had just committed a massacre suddenly bring up ancient monster stories… Wait a moment.

“You can’t be…!”

Realizing one fact, I urgently stared at the Count.

Vampires were said to have red hair and red eyes, like blood, in the records.

What about the man before my eyes?

Intense crimson hair, eyes as red as if filled with blood.

They perfectly matched the characteristics of a vampire.

“You catch on quickly. Your thoughts are correct. I… am a vampire.”

I must stop the Viscount right away.

The characteristics of the vampire documented, coupled with the fusion of the Viscount’s soul magic, will result in something dreadful.

I drew the dagger concealed in my bosom.

“Even if you try to stop it now, it’s too late. The preparations were finished long ago…!”

As the moonlit Viscount swung his hand, the surroundings turned red.

What met my gaze was a vast crimson magic circle, spreading as if to engulf the mansion.

I know what this magic circle is.

A representative ability of the bloodsuckers, the power that enabled them to overthrow the empire.

Blood magic.

That power unfolded from the Viscount’s hands.

“Today is the joyous day of my wife’s resurrection.”

It’s not too late even now.

If I kill that person right away…!

I tried to rush forward to strangle the Viscount, but I had no choice but to turn around at the screams coming from behind.

The bones and bone fragments of the party attendees were breaking.

People who were eerily breaking apart merged into a massive fleshy mass.

“So… let’s start the party.”

The Viscount, immersed in ecstasy, gazed at it.

Like a hero who had completed a lengthy task, he was smiling vacantly.

And thus, the blood-stained party began.