NOVEL NEXT Chapter 539
Chapter 539: Evidence and Witness
“……That’s reassuring.”
Valentius, lost in recollections (mainly of Lily’s beauty), received a vague smile and nod from Steven.
“However… I’m not doubting you, Lord Valentius, but…”
Even so, can you really feel at ease? Well, that’s only natural.
The lives and livelihoods of the subjects are at stake, so if one were to simply breathe a sigh of relief based on mere words, that would be a problem for a noble.
(After all, the term ‘defeated in a short time’ is quite ambiguous…)
The truth is, the vampire hiding underground was dispatched in just a few tens of minutes, an hour at most. If I were to state this plainly, it would likely be misinterpreted as a bad joke, calling into question my sanity and character.
“I too found it hard to believe such a vivid display of skill,” Valentius whispered.
“However, one of the vampire hunter’s allies, the forest elf Lord Orderju, has proclaimed the hunt in the name of the Tiyul family.”
“What!?”
Steven’s eyes widened. No matter how noble he was from the Dwarf Kingdom, if he wasn’t aware of the eight major clans of the Holy Great Tree Alliance, he’d surely be a fraud.
And being noble, he understood the weight of mentioning a family name.
“Are you saying it was truly a member of the Tiyul family who dispatched the vampire?”
“It’s only natural to doubt. However, based on my assessment, the possibility of deception is virtually nil.”
Valentius leaned forward, continuing his tale.
“I mentioned earlier that I was bitten by a vampire—truthfully, I was in a state of confusion, having lost my rationality, to the extent that my retainers were unsure whether to deliver a mercy blow; I was in such a critical state that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was almost too late.”
“!!”
“However, thanks to the treatments from Lord Orderju and Lady Lily, I was saved. Truly, they are practitioners of what can only be called a ‘miracle’…”
“Well…”
Steven mused. It’s common knowledge that one bitten by a vampire or wounded by blood magic could fall to a mindless lowly vampire. It’s said that only high-level uncurse or detoxification miracles could heal such a condition, and if symptoms progressed to a certain point, even with some remnants of rationality, they’d have no choice but to put the victim down mercifully.
That Valentius, having been so grievously injured his rationality nearly vanished, could now stand here spryly is hard to believe.
However… it’s also true that Valentius has no reason to lie. With everything he’s said, Steven began to think there might be credibility to it.
“Even though the Tiyul family has declared the hunt, just to be cautious, I stayed with my subordinates in the village that was attacked for several days, and the vampire never showed its face again.”
Since that day, there have been no reports of further vampire attacks.
“Come to think of it, there were daily petitions arriving from my territory, but they stopped coming just yesterday and the day before… Is that a coincidence, or…?”
—Is a skilled vampire hunter showing remarkable effectiveness in the rear?
“If that’s the case…”
Steven’s expression softened slightly as if he had found a glimmer of hope.
“Truly, that’s reassuring news… We can just focus on what lies ahead.”
“I’m already planning to do just that. I’ll leave the vampire matters to those gentlemen.”
Valentius and Steven exchanged somewhat awkward smiles.
Even as they faced forward, an incredibly troubling issue awaited them—the Demon Lord Army…
“Enough! We should demand the Holy Church delegate command to us…”
Suddenly, the Lord Turnlack, who had been hardly paying attention, began to say something radical.
Valentius and Steven exchanged glances that clearly said, (What’s wrong with him?) (Is he sane?) as they sighed.
“That’s a bit much.”
“That’s unacceptable.”
…They wanted to focus solely on the enemy in front of them.
But it seems like that’s not going to happen…
†††
After struggling to rein in the runaway antics of Lord Turnlack, the rather stressful meal ended, and Valentius walked through the corridors with noble elegance—
(I’m exhausted…)
Internally, he felt drained. If a high-ranking commander appeared gloomy after meeting with other nobles, unease would spread among the common folk, so he made an effort to maintain the facade of a “confident and cheerful noble youth.”
(As it turns out, thanks to Lord Turnlack playing the fool, we found a way to vent our internal frustrations. Seeing that mess helped everyone regain their sanity.)
Locally, there’s a lot of dissatisfaction with the Holy Church’s support.
However, that doesn’t mean they should demand command or try to proceed without support from the Church; those conversations aren’t where things stand.
(After all, we too lack experience in large-scale battles.)
Most soldiers are familiar faces from their territories, so nobles, as the local commanders, have an advantage in understanding the individual soldiers better than outsiders from the Church, but strategies against the Demon Lord’s army and magical support are the Church’s areas of expertise.
No matter how inexperienced they might seem, heroes trained in combat since childhood in the Church are likely to be more competent commanders than local nobility.
(Furthermore, even if full command returned to us now, our fighting strengths are divided among the territories, leading to a predictable weakening…!)
That’s the nature of being nobles—each noble commands their own small to medium-sized troop, complicating the command structure and making cooperation exceedingly difficult.
In that regard, having heroes or priests in command, organizing troops as a singular force according to the Church’s ranks, is more rational.
In the long history of humanity, the structure of the Church and society has evolved to what it is now because it is optimal for fighting against the enemies of mankind…
“Ugh…”
Even so, the weight on his heart was heavy. Even if the current situation is optimal, it’s still true it’s far from perfect…
Could we truly fight effectively against the Demon Lord Army?
Such worries linger around.
—Exiting the castle.
Tents had been set up in great numbers around the castle for the countless common soldiers and attendants unable to fit inside. Soldiers were napping inside tents or eating, gathering around pots to devour porridge and soup.
Some were quietly and intensely engrossed in card games or gambling, making sure not to disturb those around them as they should be resting their bodies in preparation for the Demon Lord Army’s possible attack tonight.
Noticing the approach of Valentius— a handsome young man exuding the grace of a high noble— those engaged in games became flustered, hurriedly stowing away their playthings, sporting awkward expressions. However, Valentius merely gestured to indicate “take it easy” and showed no sign of anger.
(This might be the last time…)
Who could blame them for turning to games to distract themselves from the looming dread of battle and death? Particularly because the chances for common soldiers to survive this ordeal are— not particularly high. Being overly strict could lead to desertions, making things tougher for nobles.
In any case, as long as they weren’t causing trouble for those around them, Valentius was prepared to overlook it.
(Now then… I wonder how my subordinates are doing?)
His subordinates should be resting their bodies by now. Or perhaps, anticipating that Valentius might return for a check, they might still be eating…
“……Huh?”
At that moment.
Valentius stopped in his tracks as he walked between the tents.
A rather eccentric duo was approaching from ahead.
One was a man in a dark red leather coat despite it being summer. He had the meticulous appearance of a well-mannered steward or butler from some noble house. This impression was further enhanced by his extraordinary monocle—likely a magical item. Two long swords hung at his waist, swinging like pendulums with his steps. As he pulled out a pocket watch, he remarked to his companion, “This won’t do; it’s nearly noon.”
The man beside him, receiving this remark, exuded an air akin to a moss-covered statue. He was muscular, wore a frown that looked perpetually grumpy, and his scruffy white hair had inexplicably been painted with green pigment in places, resembling moss. He carried a long, slender sword that was as big as he was on his back and had silver spikes tied to his belt and boots.
“—Excuse me, sir,”
Valentius found himself speaking without thinking.
“……What?”
The meticulous-looking steward-like man responded with a hint of wariness.
“Forgive my rudeness, but I seem to recognize you as a vampire hunter…”
“……Yes, that is correct.”
“Oh! So it was true…!”
Valentius nearly raised his voice in excitement, quickly dampening it as his face lit up. Surprised by his friendliness, the duo of vampire hunters blinked and softened their demeanor slightly.
“My name is Valentius Ton Ferminidia Feretoria Ignotia Aro Pitara Margaria Sel Opsgaldia. Just call me Valentius; the full name is quite long.”
It’s common for foreigners to look at him like (That’s long…)—he’s aware of it. However, as a noble, he couldn’t just abbreviate it, being of the lordly lineage. It was a striking paradox.
“I am Tiisan.”
“……Nice to meet you, I’m Leiter.”
The duo bowed in response.
The meticulous steward-like one was Tiisan, while the moss-covered statue-like one was Leiter. Coincidentally, they seemed to be the veteran vampire hunters Steven had mentioned.
“Actually, the other day, I was helped by a skilled vampire hunter… on the verge of disaster, they saved me.”
Valentius didn’t have any special business with the two.
—But, personally curious about Alexander, I thought I’d try asking about him, with a casual attitude.
“Oh?”
The words sparked considerable interest from Tiisan and Leiter.
“To think there was someone already dispatched to this country besides us…”
“And a skilled one at that, how reassuring! Forgive the bluntness, but can you tell us that person’s name—?”
“Yes,”
Valentius was quick to respond, grinning as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
“—It’s Lord Alexander. He was accompanied by Lord Orderju and Lady Lily as ally forest elves.”
…Tiisan and Leiter blinked slowly.
“……You know him?”
“Don’t know him.”
The two exchanged puzzled glances.
“Unfortunately, we do not.”
Their expressions were filled with confusion.
“As far as we know, there isn’t a vampire hunter by the name of Alexander.”
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Tiisan: “Being ‘skilled’ means he’s not a newcomer…”
Leiter: “If he’s not a newcomer, then he should be a familiar face…”
Ti & Lei: “Who the heck is Alexander?”