"What is that light?" Marcus came to a stop, thinking projectiles was flying through the sky. Turns out it was a battle of sorts.
"Is that… Luke?" the overwhelming golden light had Luke's signature but it was unstable, as if he was slowly losing himself. It felt like… pieces of Luke was being torn away from his very soul.
What was once a pure, immoveable signature, was now a precious vase on the verge of cracking.
"What happened, Luke…? I need to go there right now…" he looked around to check if there were any other demonic monsters. After making sure it was safe in this area, he activated his full strength and jumped across the city with incredible speeds.
"Lauran…?" while jumping, he noticed someone crouched next to a black-haired girl outside his estate.
'Is that James Caervil's daughter…?' she seemed to be comforting Lauran while looking pale herself.
He hurriedly went over, finding a trembling Lauran with widened eyes, a large wet stain in her tracksuit pants.
"W-What's going on with her?" he asked Elizabeth.
She answered with a trembling voice, "D-Demon Lord…"
Two of the empire's strongest magicians were trembling like this. The future Archmage was even so scared, she couldn't control her bladder.
"Demon… lord?" Marcus looked up.
With his enhanced perception, he could see that Luke was fighting a woman in black armor. Luke's signature was very chaotic, as if his emotions were overlapping with each other and about to combust.
"Is he fighting without his sword!? How is that possible!?"
"I don't know…" answered Elizabeth, "He became like that after… after seeing that girl turn into a demon."
Hearing that, Marcus slowly looked away from their battle and down at Elizabeth. In a situation like this, no one would have the energy or will to make jokes.
"By 'that girl' do you mean…" she nodded.
Marcus' face turned pale then he jumped over the fence and looked towards the manor.
The dimly lit front door lights illuminated a creature that was pacing around without an aim or goal in mind. It didn't even seem to know where it was.
He jumped down the fence and approached it with his spear drawn.
it seemed cautious, watching him silently while stepping back. It was like looking at a curious toddler, not a monster.
He came to a stop when he was a few meters away from it.
Marcus used Warrior Sense then the breath caught in his throat.
It was the same signature.
"Dammit!" he cursed. The demonic monster got spooked by him so it ran around the corner and hid. Its personality was a stark contrast to that lively girl who made so many friends in this neighborhood.
Thinking it was best to leave her alone, he stepped back, deciding to go get his family instead. Since he cleared the way here with the palace knights, there's a short window to escape to the cathedral. But it's not guaranteed.
When he neared the front door, he found someone sitting on the stairs, her blank eyes staring up at the red sky: Teresa.
"My mother… My sister… I lost both of them… Why are the gods so cruel…?" he was about to speak to her but stopped when he heard her monotonous voice.
As if they heard Marcus' yell from earlier, the other family members also came outside.
"Lord Marcus! Thank goodness you're here!" everyone sighed in relief seeing him here.
"All of you, follow me to the cathedral." Since there wasn't time to chit-chat, he revealed his intentions for coming here.
"What about Luke? He was fighting with that demon woman…"
"Ah, and that boy!"
"Boy?"
'Are they talking about Nait?' for some reason, that kid was asleep on one of the rooftops. He was safe so Marcus decided to fetch him later once everyone is ready to leave.
"I'll handle them. All of you should follow the knights stationed outside. Temple priests from the cathedral came with us so you should be safe when moving. Just don't wander too far."
All of them nodded repeatedly.
'I don't sense Melina. That girl is always causing trouble somewhere.'
It's likely that she went to the palace to play with Jack and Judith but since the palace grounds was so large, Marcus just couldn't find her.
Just in case, he'll do a sweep of the district.
Once everyone left for the gate, Marcus knelt before Teresa, "It's not safe to stay here. You should come with us."
"But my sister!"
Even though she said so herself—that her sister was gone—the hope seemed to be as fierce as the glare of the red light peeking between the blood-red clouds.
Seeing the glare in her eyes, he thought that convincing her to leave will be impossible.
As such…
"!" he hit the back of her neck, knocking her out. He then told the servants to carry her.
Taking one last glance to Norn—the monster—he clenched his fists.
If only there was a way for him to become stronger. Then even he could contribute to taking down the demons. But since he knows how weak he is right now, he has no choice but to watch as tragedies like this happen.
Even if he wasn't here, he believes he could've prevented it somehow.
What greatness is there left of him for him to be considered one of the "Great Nobles"?
◊◊
'Hm, what a peculiar scene…'
Mumulbur had sent a bat to where he sensed Lauran's life energy. It was no hovering near the Berkley villa, across the street.
There were currently two heroes in this empire so he can't just prance around without a plan. He was fifty kilometers in the sky with the dragons.
One hero even awakened right when he got there so going down now would be suicide.
'Even when I overcame death—something no mortal or monster has ever done—I'm still inferior to the gods' champions. But once I have that girl's body…' he clenched his bony hand.
'Anyway, the Hero will be preoccupied with that woman. I wonder why she calls herself a demon lord? I don't sense Arsnoria's blessing.'
The Demon King blesses all her servants, which makes them stronger. She's a god-like being, after all. Since he fought alongside Lyra, the Vulris magic race's queen, he received the blessing as well. This made him aware of others that have it.
'Did she just pull out Star-Class magic items!?' he was perplexed by the familiar artifacts she pulled out, thought to be lost to ancient times.
He's been alive for ten thousand years so he's seen most of this world's history and witnessed humanity's discoveries. One being that he saw the rise and decline of relic tomb explorations.
That wasn't the strangest thing about this woman.
'Not only does she not possess Arsnoria's blessing, she actually had her servant knock the boy out instead of killing him.' Mumulbur could see the servant waiting somewhere nearby while that boy was unconscious from a hit to the head.
It seems their goal isn't to kill. But who are these people and what do they want?
'Hm, that servant is wearing quite the scantily-clad outfit.' Succulent voluptuous breasts, a thong that dug into her plump bottom and latex leggings that hugged her meaty thighs—this servant girl was oozing with sex appeal. Any man that saw her would have thoughts of pushing her down.
'Haa, though I have no libido, I do miss feeling something down there…'
"—Shouldn't you be fulfilling your role somewhere?" a woman's voice came from behind Mumulbur's bat. Even though he was undead, even he was frightened by the stink of death and dread that came from that person.
Looking back, he saw a woman with pale white skin and white hair as well as red eyes. She wore an elegant black dress that accentuated her voluptuous frame and the collar was so low cut, that most of her cleavage was bare.
You'd think she came back from a party with that dress.
That ferocious signature… She was a vampire lord.
But something was different about this vampire lord. Normally they aren't this powerful. Mumulbur can crush any monster lord, and can even go toe-to-toe with a Dragon Lord if he goes all out (using his summons of course). But in front of her, he knew it was best not to appear arrogant.
The last thing he needs is make an enemy out of her.
"What do you mean?" his voice flowed through the bat calmly.
"Now's your chance to take over Lauran's body. That's what you want, right?"
"…Who are you? How do you know that girl?"
She glanced at Luke exchanging blows with the "demon lord".
"Brynhildr is my name. Lauran is… a friend of a friend."
"…Are you friend or foe?"
"You don't need to worry, Mumulbur. I'm on no one's side in this war."
"What's your goal here then, Brynhildr…?"
"It's just observation at the moment."
"What do you mean by 'at the moment'?"
"Circumstances can change."
'She's not going to give me a straight answer, is she?'
It's better than being openly hostile. This woman is definitely as strong as a dragon lord or even demon lord.
"Since you know my name, were we acquainted in the past?"
"Not really. But I've heard about you—the necromancer who caused famine and plagues everywhere you marched with your army of undead every five hundred years." Her red eyes glowed, "I can't let you use your Blight Magic in this empire just so that you can kill the heroes like a coward from afar."
"A monster lord siding with humans. Don't you find that shameful?"
"On the contrary. I want to live among humans. Through fighting for them and coexisting, I won't forget my humanity."
"You should know that humans hold a disdain for every monster, even if they are intelligent enough to seek coexistence. During my days as a lowly skeleton soldier, I was hunted for simply wandering outside my master's dungeon despite not carrying any weapons or threatening humans. Forgive me if I don't share your strange perspective of the world, Brynhildr."
"I know everyone's experiences are different," Selia said softly. "But even if they hate me and want me dead, I still want to coexist with them."
"Why is that?" Mumulbur asked.
"Because someone I love dearly is a human. She fights for these humans even after both of us were trapped in this world. She never left her compassionate heart behind. But I left mine, and I'm afraid of losing my humanity too."
"Aha, so that's why you don't want me using curse magic in the empire. Your precious little lover is in this world."
"She's not my lover… She's my family." Selia's eyes narrowed slightly. "And no, she's currently outside the empire on an important mission. My motivations are solely my own, not a performance to look good in front of her.
Mumulbur studied her.
'So, her love for humans is genuine? She'd protect them even if they hate her?'
His rational, undead mind categorized the sentiment as foolish. As an apex predator among her own kind, she had no logical reason to lower herself to the level of mortals. Yet, her desire to cling to her humanity confirmed a lingering suspicion: she wasn't born a vampire. She was once human.
"But I don't expect someone who hates the living to understand my point."
"…I hold no disdain for the humans," Mumulbur replied. "I have long since forgotten my hatred for the living." In truth, petty hatred was a flaw reserved for low-class undead. As an entity who had escaped the natural laws of mortality and was destined to rule over death itself, such emotions were beneath him.
"You are more understanding than I thought," Selia noted.
"Haha. I am curious about one thing, though."
"What's that?"
"Why do you not care for the life of the Archmage girl? Once I claim her vessel, I will be able to ascend my power to rival the Demon King in a century."
"Whether she lives or dies is up to destiny. I don't intend to change her fate."
Mumulbur internally clicked his tongue.
'She knows something I don't. It's frustrating, but it's not like I can beat it out of her.'
"…I see." He glanced down at the battle raging below, where neither the fake demon lord nor the Hero was backing down. "Are you just trying to exhaust the Hero? That is a massive amount of Golden Aura spilling out all at once. I don't think he can maintain that form for much longer."
"He'll learn how to control his power before that happens," she replied. As always, a frustratingly vague response.
"—So, you have a hand in this."
A little girl's voice drifted from the rooftop of the building Mumulbur and Selia were hovering over.
"Hm?" Selia glanced down, her eyes widening slightly as she read the peculiar title floating above the child's head. "…Fragment of Fate?"
"You really are one of the Highborn, huh? To be able to figure out who I am from a single glance…" The little girl chuckled dryly. "I guess I now understand why you're doing this. It's all for the sake of humanity… even if some lives must be lost. At least, that's the lie you tell yourselves."
Intrigued, Mumulbur and Selia descended, landing softly on the roof to meet the girl face-to-face.
Selia recognized her instantly. "Melina von Berkley. The youngest daughter of the Berkley family. Rumors painted her as a peculiar, painfully lonely child who couldn't make friends. Her storyline was tragic and so was the end she met from the secluded life of innocence she lived."
"…"
"…What is a highborn?" Mumulbur asked. He had heard tales of such anomalies, but if this child was a fragment of a goddess's soul, she possessed knowledge far beyond his own.
"Possessors of a biological artifact known as The System. They are omniscient mortals—which is why we call them highborn." the girl answered.
"Biological artifact…?" Selia murmured. She recognized the "System" part, but to hear it classified as a physical, biological artifact was a jarring first. Mumulbur, too, seemed entirely at a loss for words.
"You don't even seem to know the true purpose of your existence as a Highborn—" the girl stepped forward and whispered Selia's original, true name so softly that only the vampire could hear it.
Selia flinched. "So, you know everything, huh?"
Melina nodded. "You don't seem to like being called by your old name."
"I want to leave my old life behind. I can never return to it anyway."
"I understand. I also understand why you feel you must do… this." The little girl gestured toward the city below, where destruction reigned and demons rampaged. No matter how valiantly the humans fought, the demonic tide wasn't thinning. "You can put an end to this whenever you want. You possess the power, yet you sit up here observing until you see satisfactory results."
"Is that so wrong?" Selia's voice hardened. "If the heroes don't awaken now, the responsibility will inevitably shift to someone else. To avoid that, they need to grow—for themselves and the world."
"You desire to live among humans, yet you refuse to share their burdens?"
"Some burdens must be carried by them alone. I don't want them to have expectations."
Mumulbur let out a hollow, echoing laugh. "For someone so desperate to maintain her humanity, you sound no different than a tyrant."
"My way of maintaining my humanity is by sparking admiration, awe, motivation, and love," Selia shot back. "Not by fighting their battles for them."
"A tyrant who plays at being a muse," Melina added.
"I refuse to be mocked by a goddess who stole a mortal's body and is deceiving her loved ones."
That girl might still be alive in there but she doesn't have control over her own body. Mumulbur knows that when a god takes over your body, there's no way for you to get it back by yourself.
"…" Melina's face drooped and she looked away again, "…I had no choice. If I didn't find refuge after splitting my soul, the Star Beast would've consumed me and gained more of my powers."
This got a reaction out of Selia.
"You seem to know about it as well." The Fragment concluded seeing her expression then continued as she looked up at Luke whose golden aura lit up the entire empire like a second sun, "I have fragments all over the world, waiting for the Hero to surpass his predecessor."
"You want to use Luke to fight the Star Beast…?"
"If not him, then who? Zephyros isn't in his prime anymore and his sons are all useless. That's why I placed my faith in Melis to choose who to bless with the pantheon's power."
"By pantheon, do you mean…?"
She nodded, "All the Gods in Melis' faction sacrificed their lives and expended all their lifeforce just to help Melis bless Luke. He now has the potential to surpass Promethius and… he doesn't have to resort to consuming the flesh of his children just to ascend to a higher plane of power. We allowed our hesitation to lead to such a tragedy, believing one god's blessing alone was enough."
She stopped just when she was about to continue, "I'd like to share more with you, knowing our lives are intertwined since we know the direction the future is heading towards, but I shouldn't worry this girl's parents."
"…Alright. I'd like to hear what happened with you and the Star Beast. That will solve one of the mysteries."
She nodded at Brynhildr then looked forward.
"It looks like the fight is over." The 'demon lord' vanished as Hero Luke's rampage came to a conclusion. "If you want to know more about how you ended up in this world, I'm free to chat anytime—after this war, that is."
"You want to use us, don't you?"
At that remark, she silently nodded.
"Then I expect great rewards from you, Goddess of Fate. Neither I nor my companions will move unless you give us that."
"…I understand."
"I'll take you back. Can't have a random demon kill Arnold's sister on my watch." Selia disguised herself as a knight, a black smoke putting armor on her, "We'll speak again soon, Mumulbur. If you survive, that is."
"Humph."
The three parted ways as the golden glow faded in the reddened sky.
"I feel quite uneasy… As if my plans won't go how I want them to." he said to no one in particular.
That uneasiness was caused by the nonchalance of someone who knows the future—Brynhildr. She didn't seem worried in the slightest.
'I'll have to prepare contingencies.'