Revelation

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Hmm, you really thought I was dead, huh?"

Because he was supposed to be completely dead in the past. I had heard rumors that Lux killed him in a final confrontation, and the next thing I knew, his kingdom no longer existed.

"Well, it's good that your little human pet isn't with you... what was his name? I forget."

Clicking my tongue, I dismissed my sword and kicked off the ground to make some space. I retreated near the entrance and re-summoned my blade.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, just a little reunion with my niece, hm?"

"I never saw you as family."

"How cold... well, I came here just to check if you were doing alright."

Ignoring whatever nonsense he was spouting, I pointed my sword straight at him. His irritatingly calm smile as he walked around and talked so casually was putting me entirely on edge.

"Oh, sorry about your golems, niece. They suddenly lunged at me, so I broke them."

"Oh, also, is Theta, you know, the fairy still with the humans?"

"It seems she is still with the humans, huh... did she already tell you about you being the catalyst for the dungeons to appear again? Hmmm, it seems she hasn't."

As far as I knew, there was indeed a connection between my existence and the return of the monsters and dungeons. But my interrogation with the fairy wasn't finished.

"Alright then, let me explain it to you. You see, all creatures other than humans and animals, like us vampires and other races were called 'fantasy races' by humans."

"When the Demon Lord was defeated by the human hero—your dog, Lux—most monsters were supposed to die alongside the Demon Lord."

"It seems his decision to spare you was his fatal mistake. Because, you see, since you are still alive, the concept of 'fantasy' still has an anchor in this world."

"Because of that, even though it took a thousand years, I theorize that because a single vampire like you survived, other fantasy creatures inevitably followed."

Listening to all of this, I froze in absolute silence. Everything suddenly connected, making me feel violently ill.

Monsters had reappeared because I was still alive in a world where only humans were supposed to exist.

"Th-that's..."

"Looks like something just clicked inside your head, huh? I feel bad for the hero now. He killed all those people, and now they are just coming back."

"Wh-what do you mean by that?"

"Hmm? Oh, right. The hero and the kingdom didn't just kill monsters; they eradicated all other races. Vampires like us, elves, dwarves, and others... he killed them all, regardless of whether they were old or young."

Seeing him smile made me fill with absolute dread. If that was true, then Lux and the human kingdom had massacred everyone.

"How could that be?"

Pressing my palm against my face, I looked down, rubbing my face in horror. It was something I could not even fathom... that Lux...

"Did... did I do all of this, then?"

“What did Lux feel having to do all of this?”

As Mael giggled, I steadied my breathing and repositioned my stance. But for some reason, my body refused to move forward.

"Hah~ niece, you really make me laugh. You know, you are so clueless about everything, even the things right next to you."

"Shut up!"

He didn't know why I ran away. He didn't know why I was here, or why I locked myself away. And yet, he spoke as if he knew everything. It infuriated me.

"You really are just a coward... you disappoint me."

"I said shut your mouth!"

Gritting my teeth, I jumped forward, manifesting every type of blood weapon I could think of with the intent to slash him into pieces. But while I was mid-air, my momentum completely stopped. The next thing I knew, I was pinned face-down on the floor with immense weight pressing against my back.

"What?"

"Oh, good job, everyone. She really cannot move now."

Struggling, I tried to force my body to move, but as I did, I detected other presences stepping out from the shadows.

“Tch, the monsters that can turn invisible.”

The monster I had let escape previously must have cast an invisibility spell on all these creatures. They quickly surrounded me, and these robed creatures pinned my legs and arms to the floor.

"Tch, you are still being a coward, just like usual."

"Well, thank you for the compliment. But yeah, it would just be stupid to fight you directly, after all."

With my face smashed against the floor, I watched Mael walk closer. I then felt a heavy weight step on the back of my head.

"I should thank you for living and becoming the catalyst that brought fantasy back to this world."

"But I still hate you and your little human pet... Oh, maybe this information will make you glad you met me."

"Did you know what happened to your pet, the hero, after he killed all the fantasy creatures except you?"

"Well, you see, the greedy kingdom nobles were terrified of him and all magic users... so he was executed."

My eyes shot wide open. My entire body went freezing cold hearing that. This was not something I ever wanted to hear.

"! Th-that..."

Because I had run away back then, I never knew what actually happened to Lux afterward. I could feel something inside me crack, leaving an empty, hollow void. I gritted my teeth and tried to push myself up to break free, but I couldn't move an inch.

"You lie!"

"Well, I am not. That is just what happened. It is normal for humans to be scared of something they don't understand, after all."

"You lie! B-because if that is true, then what was the point of him fighting and sacrificing everything?!"

"Hahaha, that is exactly why humans are the real monsters. Fufu."

After saying that, he removed his foot from the back of my head. He and the other robed monsters began to leave while I was still completely paralyzed.

"Well, I will bid you farewell for now. You'll be able to move again after some time. While you're at it, stay here. Because when you finally look outside, all you will see is blood. Hahaha."

"Arghh!"

I tried to violently rip through the binding magic using pure physical strength. I had to stand up. I knew I had to stand up right now, or something terrible was going to happen.

“Please, move!”

“I beg you, move!”

“I do not want to regret anything ever again, standing by helpless to do anything about it. Please!”

Slowly forcing myself onto all fours, I finally managed to push myself onto my feet, and then...

"ARGHHH!!!!"

I quickly looked toward the exit. They were already outside. The vampire turned back, flashed me one last smile, and I rushed toward them with everything I had.

"Take this!"

"Oh, no, no. You shall not leave this place, or you will ruin my plans."

Before my sword could reach the group, massive rocks erupted from the ground, completely sealing the tunnel. If it were normal rock, I knew I could break it. But my sword couldn't even pierce this.

"You shall stay there. Hahaha."

I could hear his voice echoing from outside, surrounding me as if he were still here.

"Arghh!"

I pierced, struck, and slashed at the stone over and over again until my sword shattered into pieces, but it didn't leave a single scratch.

"Arghh! Just break!"

Switching to my bare fists, I punched the rock. The dull thud of flesh hitting hard stone echoed throughout the entire castle.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

"Arghhhhh... uwahhhh~"

I cried. All I could see were my own bleeding, mangled fists and the red blood smeared across the stone, without a single crack to show for it.

"Why am I so powerless? Why am I so weak?"

"Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?"