NOVEL NEXT Chapter 540
Chapter 540: The Mysterious Expert
―― There is no Vampire Hunter by the name of Alexander.
The moment I heard that, a rush of blood drained from Valentius’s entire body.
(What?! Could it be a fake— a fraud?)
Various suspicions ran rampant in my mind like a chaotic party.
This is bad. Very bad.
Valentius had staked everything on “Alexander” and his words. If that turned out to be a mistake— Valentius would face a fate far worse than that of a lowly gambler.
He had declared the resolution of the situation in the name of Valentius and had been speaking with a certain air of confidence to Stephen just a moment ago.
Losing trust and honor is the most terrifying thing for a noble. Especially for someone like Valentius, who, despite being born into the main family, holds a weak position in the line of succession; the loss of trust is equivalent to social death…!
And above all, if Alexander is indeed a fake, that means there are still vampires lurking in that village! That is something I absolutely cannot accept—!
(No, wait, it cannot be that straightforward.)
Yet, Valentius quickly regained his composure.
“Do you both know all the Vampire Hunters personally?”
Valentius gently asked, putting on an air of “I’m not doubting, but…”
As a noble, he had a wide network, but that did not mean he knew every noble of the Feretoria Kingdom. He had at least crossed paths with those who appeared in official settings, but memory has its limits.
Let alone, how could he claim to know all faces of a massive organization like the Holy Church that spans the continent—?
“We, the Vampire Hunters, are a small elite group with active lateral connections, but of course, we can’t say we know everyone’s face.”
While stroking his curled mustache, Tiisan calmly responded.
“We have a lot of turnover.”
As he scratched his head, Later added, almost like a soliloquy.
“The death rate of new recruits is extraordinarily high even within the Holy Church. However… if they survive for a few years past that phase—”
“—It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that almost all of them are acquainted. Even if they’ve never met directly, it’s unlikely they’d not know each other’s names.”
Tiisan asserted.
“So, that ‘Alexander’ fellow is either not a Vampire Hunter or just a newbie. But to send a newbie into such a highly demanding area right near the frontlines is difficult to conceive… thus, Val… Lord Valentius.”
Later, who seemed to recall that he was speaking to a noble halfway through, shifted from a brusque tone to a polite one. However, the massive rudeness of forgetting Valentius’s name led him to wander his gaze for a moment before conceding.
If he was unsure, he shouldn’t have spoken it out loud in the first place— yet Valentius was in shock. Who would have thought that the Vampire Hunters that spanned the entire continent (now half due to the Demon Lord’s Kingdom) would be such a small elite group?
Still.
“It’s impossible for him to be a newbie…”
Just as he was about to continue his sentence, Valentius abruptly realized that he had not seen Alexander’s abilities at all— but his companions, Orderju and Lily, were clearly extraordinary.
“I apologize for the rudeness, but was that person truly a member of the Holy Church…?”
With narrowed eyes as if to suggest he’d been tricked by a con artist, Tiisan carefully inquired.
“There is no doubt about that. He was emitting the light of the Holy Attribute.”
Valentius immediately replied, mimicking the gestures of heroes and priests who often raise their hands.
“Hmmm. Then…”
“It doesn’t seem like he’s pretending to be from the Holy Church.”
Tiisan muttered suspiciously, while Later scratched his head and tilted it. Since he displayed the Holy Attribute, he must be a hero or priest, hence it wouldn’t make sense for him to act like a fraud.
“By the way, what kind of appearance did he have?”
“A rather angular, square face with a certain elegance hidden among the ruggedness, a well-built young man who had a bit of refinement. His hair was reddish-brown with slightly tanned skin, and I’m pretty sure his eyes were brown too. He was slightly taller than me with a solid build—”
As Valentius recounted features while digging into his memories, the two exchanged increasingly perplexed glances.
“A square face… I thought it might be Archie, but he got killed by Zilbagias…”
“Besides, that guy has black hair. I’m out of options; I really have no clue. I wondered if someone was using an alias for some reason.”
“By the way, there was a high-ranking Forest Elf from the Tiyur House among the collaborators.”
““Huh?””
The information Valentius offered, thinking it might assist them, only seemed to confuse them further.
“A high-ranking member of the Tiyur House? From the eight noble clans of the Holy Great Tree Alliance?”
“Yes, he went by Orderju El Der Tiyur.”
Once again, Tiisan and Later looked at each other.
“It’s too much to know about the collaborators… they have a much higher turnover rate than us.”
“Wait, did you say a high-ranking elder? An old elf?”
“Yes, he looked to be in his 80s in human years…”
“Even if you don’t know, you’d definitely remember that! If such an old man had joined us, it would have been major news…!”
Later held his head in despair.
“Who the heck is Orderju…?!”
“Seriously, could he really be from the Tiyur family? I can’t imagine he’d show up as a Vampire Hunter unless something was really up.”
“I was puzzled by that too, but the healing miracle he performed could only be explained by someone of exceptionally high birth…”
―― Valentius was already in a state where he had been bitten by a vampire and was on the verge of losing consciousness and rationality, but with Orderju and Lily’s dispelling, he miraculously avoided turning into a vampire.
“Impossible! I’ve never heard of someone recovering from such a severe condition…!”
Tiisan, who had been speaking politely, was clearly astonished enough to break his tone.
“Is it even possible for that to happen? How many victims could have avoided the mercy of such a strike if that’s the case…!”
Later’s eyes widened, his lips trembling. Shock, doubt, anger, despair… various emotions twisted his expression.
“If such a person existed… Bishop Lexar probably wouldn’t have had to become a Vampire Hunter…”
“Yeah… that’s true…”
After the shock subsided, Tiisan and Later began to grow solemn.
Valentius also thought he understood that his recovery was miraculous, but seeing the two experts so shaken reminded him that this was truly an exceptionally rare case.
“Even Yesera couldn’t perform such a treatment… I believe she’s also said to be from a branch of a high elf clan, correct?”
“So that means this Orderju fellow is a superior of Yesera; a real deal from the main family…”
“Honestly, we would love for you to introduce us to this Orderju…”
“Wait, but why on earth is such a prestigious individual out in the field… we’re grateful, but…”
“Orderju and Lily were amazing, but Alexander was not to be outdone either. He defeated a vampire lurking deep within a collapsed mine in just a few minutes—”
““HAAAAAAAAAAH?!?!””
The Vampire Hunters erupted with shock, abandoning all decorum.
“Impossible! How could such a thing happen?!”
“If it could be defeated in such a short time, we wouldn’t be struggling like this!!”
Tiisan pulled on his mustache while shouting, and Later pulled out a silver stake and slammed it into the ground with a thud.
“Shut up!”
“Be quiet…”
“We’ve got to pull an all-nighter from tonight…”
As complaints came pouring in from the resting soldiers around, they shrank back, saying, “We’re sorry…”
“Excuse me, you two, please huddle a little closer.”
Valentius realized he had been inconsiderate, and as the discussion began to take a more ominous turn, he cast a small but strong soundproof barrier.
“Thank you for your precious magic power.”
“No, from here on, things will become very confidential… it seems that Lord Alexander is some sort of practitioner of【Secret Arts】.”
““【Secret Arts】…???””
Tiisan and Later exchanged glances once more.
“Never heard of such a thing…!”
“That’s way too intriguing! If he were here, we’d definitely know!!”
As they stomped their feet while exclaiming, the soundproof barrier allowed them to express themselves freely.
“By the way, what kind of【Secret Arts】 were they?”
“I wasn’t able to see them.”
“However… if that’s the case, how did you confirm the defeat? How did you verify it?”
“……I didn’t.”
Valentius responded with a serious face.
Tiisan’s jaw dropped, and Later responded with an incredulous, “Huh?!?”
“Why— why did you consider that acceptable? That’s unbelievable!”
“I still can’t help but think of him as a fraud…?”
“However, he did emit the light of the Holy Attribute.”
“Then he’s not a fraud…!”
“And he hasn’t requested any reward.”
“What on earth is his motive…?!”
Both Tiisan and Later couldn’t shake off their disbelief regarding the fact that “Alexander defeated the vampire.”
“I understand your feelings; I was also skeptical at first. However… well…”
Under pressure, Valentius began to falter, but continued after prefaces that it was “personal conjecture.”
“There’s no doubt that Lord Orderju holds a very high position. Following this line of thought, Lord Orderju ought to act as the leader of the group. In terms of age, ability, and bloodline.”
“…Was that not the case?”
“Yes. For some reason, Lord Orderju was stepping back and speaking in deference to the younger Lord Alexander.”
“…………”
“And I hear Lord Alexander is a practitioner of the 【Secret Arts】—”
You catch my drift, right? Valentius sent a meaningful glance.
“…Could it be that he’s of nobility?!”
“The chances are high.”
Tiisan and Later slapped their foreheads and looked up at the sky.
““There’s absolutely no way he’s in the Exorcist Division!!””