Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 510 - 471: The Breakthrough

"A vampire’s daughter? A human?"

Silvette nodded, "My family turned themselves into vampires, but only I..." Silvette clutched her head, revealing a pained expression, "I... I can’t remember what happened then, when I awoke again, I was already lying in the central chapel, and Degonris had already fallen under the shadow of the vampires."

Silvette led the two to the central chapel. The church in the center of Degonris was more dilapidated and unattended than any Ralph had seen. The white walls filled with dust, and the walls also covered with horrifying black handprints, The iron doors were heavy, with strands of garlic hanging, crammed into every hangable spot, the pungent smell mixing with the smell of earth, no priest would want to stay here.

Opening the heavy iron doors, whose casting was far from fine, you could see on the uneven surface the crude traces of metal pieces roughly joined together. It was very heavy, and the townsfolk closely following Silvette needed four people to push it open slowly.

Inside the chapel, to put it discourteously, it was a storage room with one extra crucified sculpture. Apart from supporting columns, there was nothing superfluous, not a chair, not a table, much less any instrument for religious rites. Only the crucified sculpture was fixed on the cross, watching Ralph as he approached the door, emotionless just like him.

There was no scent of holy oil or incense, only the strong smell of body odor accumulated, a smell Ralph had perceived from the discolored clothing of the town’s people of Degonris.

"As soon as the sun sets, we lock everyone in this church, as during Degonris nights, this is the only safe place."

"Do vampires hunt in town at night?"

Silvette’s gaze lingered on the crucified sculpture, "At night, what roams Degonris are the cursed angels."

"The blood-soaked angels of the cursed, fallen retributors."

"Angels? On vampire land, there can still be angels?"

Silvette’s expression was hesitant, as if searching for a plausible explanation.

"It may be precisely because of Loshutar’s fall that the original divine power of the city was provoked. At night, the blood-soaked angels bring down divine punishment on the people of Degonris." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Ralph approached the crucified sculpture, identical to sculptures he had seen before, of the youthful figure of Saint Heir before his ascension to heaven. Such images varied in appearance, given that Saint Heir looked different in the eyes of different stonemasons. He glanced surreptitiously at the vampire’s daughter standing in the center, Silvette, who wasn’t praying, just like an atheist.

"How merciful the angels are, with a vampire castle not far away, yet they vent their wrath on a flock of lambs in a slaughterhouse."

Silvette, arms folded, leaned against a column, her sharp gaze fixed on Ralph’s back and the elongated box hanging behind him.

"You... are more than just emissaries of the kingdom, outsiders," Silvette said, looking right at Verlet, who was smiling at her, without giving the two a chance to speak. "You’re too calm, even after hearing of vampires, seeing gargoyles dismember creatures before your eyes, entering this haunted place of Degonris. You show no fear at all, as if you already knew, as if you aren’t normal humans..."

"Then, how do you remain normal, Miss Silvette? You and these townsfolk, in such a desperate situation, seem quite composed. Is it the promise from your monstrous father? You’re hiding something."

Ralph counterattacked, his undeniable presence turning the question back on Silvette. Though it was the first time he used interrogation tactics on a girl, Ralph didn’t feel any guilt. As a side note, the last innocent young man threatened was Mister William.

Ralph guessed Silvette would either use far-fetched reasons to hide the truth or would fly into a rage out of offense.

But neither happened. Silvette stood there, like a soulless puppet, revealing her inner thoughts to Ralph.

"Maybe I’m already somewhat mad. I’m unclear why I can stay calm under these circumstances. The frequent pain in my head and fragments of memories always make me doubt my own existence. I’m the only one left in the family, depended on by former subjects. My heart feels like it has a hole, incapable of experiencing madness or fear. I woke up to a changed world, confined in this town, barely surviving under the vampires’ shadow, and hunted by the cursed angels."

"I despise both vampires and angels, that’s probably why I speculate I was banished to this town, my memory is incomplete. My memories of living in that castle are fragmented, perhaps I was once tormented. Because I detest vampires, I refused to turn; because I am hunted by angels, I detest them. That’s probably who I am now."

The bewildered girl was cradled in Verlet’s arms, as Verlet, like a mother, patted her back, letting her rest on her shoulder while softly humming a tune amidst her fragrant scent.

"...We are demon hunters, the Hunters tasked with purging evil creatures. We received intelligence that Degonris harbors a malevolent power, so we came to investigate. Lass, do you know anything about the seal?"

"The seal? Do you mean the mysterious force buried beneath all of Degonris? I’m not sure where it comes from, but... it might be the blessing originally left by that cursed angel. The seal has protected Degonris, preventing those flying monsters from daring to enter or pass over this city, as their wings would lose strength."

Ralph opened the slender box, revealing the alchemical fire gun named Dragonfire. "We need your assistance, Silvette. Since the power is embedded in the earth itself, I believe there is definitely a way to resolve everything here. We will rid Degonris of its current plight, but first, you must help us explore every corner of this town."

"Every corner..." Silvette left the female sheriff’s embrace, showing Verlet a grateful smile, "I will cooperate with your work if you can truly do as you say."

"Please rest here for a moment; it’s getting late today, and I need to arrange the evacuation of the townspeople. Once we’ve made it through tonight, I will definitely join you in seeking a solution." Silvette left the church, leaving the two of them alone.

Verlet was cleaning the dust and mud from her clothes.

"You like that girl a lot?"

"I do like children, and I’d like them even more if they were my own."

Without picking up the woman’s conversational cue, Ralph pulled down the brim of his hat, hiding his face in shadow.

"Do you trust Silvette?"

"No, I do not trust her." Verlet, who had just been sisterly affectionate, now displayed her efficiency, "Her body is slight, and she carries no possible weapons; she’s fragile, with a high likelihood of noble origin. But..."

"Yet she shows not a hint of noble etiquette; her very gestures carry an innate grace, but her manners are like those of a peasant girl, even disdainful of a merchant’s daughter."

"The last person who gave me this strange feeling was Little Lyle."

"Lyle grew up in the slums, untaught; it’s normal for him to have inherent nobility but crude behavior."

"If she’s an amnesiac noble’s daughter, it’s plausible the intricacies could be forgotten, but not the ingrained nobility. Still, I won’t trust her. You said it yourself, Ralph."

"’If the person is a madman or suffers from amnesia, do not trust every word she says because you cannot ascertain the truthfulness of her words, even she can’t. Their speech serves only to mislead.’" Ralph inspected Dragonfire’s Hitting Hammer and ammunition, "At least one thing is certain, Silvette got one thing wrong."

"That sealing power has not kept the vampires out."

"Among the townspeople of Degonris, some are disguised vampires."

Verlet alertly recalled the situations along the way.

"How can you be so sure?"

Ralph’s answer was tantalizing.

"I smelled their stench."