Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 41: The Curse of the Sun

“Come again...? Did you just say...That Princess Ardein is here?”

A woman stretched her voluptuous body as she savored a glass filled with a crimson liquid.

The natural curves of her intertwined thighs enchanted the eye. Her full breasts seemed to have a gravity of their own. And yet...The one kneeling before her, giving his report wasn’t flustered at all and waited for orders.

“What kind of nonsense are you spilling now?”

Because he realized that Duchess Vlad Shmira didn’t believe his report at all.

Honestly, he couldn’t believe it himself either. The most reasonable assumption was that the underlings had misreported, but there was evidence. The strongest proof was that the foreigner who suddenly appeared looked exactly like the Princess, before her Illness.

“The soldiers swore she even showcased her Dragon Aura. The symbol of the Imperial Family.”

“Sigh...Vellon, dear. Even I have never seen a dragon...”

The Duchess sighed as she massaged her brows.

In her view, this matter wasn’t even worthy of being brought before her.

“Do those who are not even nobility, mere low-class vampires, have the discernment to recognize the symbol of the Imperial Family?”

“Your Majesty. Whether she is the Princess or not, it doesn’t change the fact this woman is skilled enough to fully manifest her aura.”

For the vampires, the woman before him could be considered a Queen.

So, Vellon, a Vampire Lord kept kneeling before his queen as he continued.

“In my humble opinion, I believe it would be best for the Queen to meet them. Shouldn’t we at least find out why they sought you out, Your Majesty?”

“It can’t be that wench. That troublesome woman will be gone any day now, right? Even though the Emperor tried this and that, hoping to cure what even the Trinity Chruch couldn’t, no method was of any use. I still remember. The old Emperor even asked me if there was a way to cure leprosy.”

Thinking to find a way even from demons if not from gods, the Emperor even sent envoys to Grimudo.

But the Emperor gave up when the Ancient Demon Lord asked if becoming an inhuman monstrosity would be considered a success should the leprosy be cured.

The desperate Emperor sought methods even from those who are commonly considered taboo, including Harmael and Duchess Vlad Shmira.

If such a method existed...Then the Duchess would have used it as an opportunity to gain more influence over the Empire. But if even the Trinity couldn’t heal the Princess, how would wretched beings such as the ‘demons’ have a way?

Of course, demonic medicine is indeed relatively developed since demons don’t receive the benefits of Divine power.

However, even though healing magic and surgical techniques are developed, the reality is that they can’t catch up to Divine power.

Even if those who can’t find answers from gods turn their attention to herbs and decoctions, it’s rare for them to be effective.

Princess Ardein also tried all sorts of medicines, but they were all ineffective.

“Just to recap, you are saying, a woman claiming to be the Princess is standing in front of our territory? A woman who is the picture of health, mind you...Why our territory? And at a time like this, no less?”

Through their spies, the Duchess came across some critical information.

That the Emperor will pass away soon.

By now everyone worth their salt should know this, even Harmael.

The capabilities of the Imperial Intelligence Department are clearly not what they used to be, and this kind of thing is not easy to hide in the first place.

“Even if she’s truly recovered, she would want to see her father on his deathbed.”

The Princess has always coveted the Throne. If she was still alive, this wouldn’t have changed.

Failing to keep vigil at the former Emperor’s deathbed means risking the danger of the will being manipulated. If she has ambitions for the throne, regardless of her filial piety, she must keep watch at his deathbed and burst into tears. Only then can she make a good impression on the ministers and subordinates.

Once labeled as an unfilial child, a bastard, it’s difficult to shake off that reputation.

It’s obvious that no matter how much filial duty you perform for deceased parents, it can’t overturn a single act of unfilial behavior committed while they were alive.

An Emperor who is unfilial and unjust even to his parents?

Then how cruel would he be to the people and his subjects? If this fame sticks, it will become more difficult to seize the throne, and countless people will view the princess with suspicious eyes.

“If she really is the princess, how do you plan to treat her?”

“What to do, indeed. I was already looking for a gift, and a perfect one has come rolling in on its own.”

The woman who had drained the glass of blood smiled radiantly.

“As a surrender gift to the Demon King... No, to His Majesty Harmael who has now formally ascended to the position of Empress, wouldn’t the 1st Princess of the Empire be just perfect? For us, who have sided with humans all this time, to return to the side of demons, we’ll need a gift of that caliber.”

Once the Emperor dies, the Empire will fall anyway.

It’s becoming clear that no other imperial family member can replace that position. Was Duchess Shmira so deeply loyal as to keep riding on a sinking ship?

Loyalty my ass!

She was the only vampire who still remembered the glory of vampires. Long before she was even born, the time when vampires ruled the continent.

The glory of that era was something her grandmother and her mother always reminisced about. She couldn’t forget even if she wanted to. Because they always held her when she was young and entreated her to become the one to reclaim the clan’s glory.

“The Sun’s Curse...”

Crack. Duchess Vlad Shmira gritted her teeth.

“If it weren’t for these damned shackles, I wouldn’t have been satisfied with this small territory either! I am a queen! The true ruler of the Vampire clan! Do I, of all people, have to cower and hide in this wretched place?”

The vampires of that wonderful era used both humans and demons as livestock.

They used them as living blood bags, drinking from them whenever they were thirsty, and selected the clever ones among them to become their thralls.

However, even in their golden age,

There was one existence the Vampires couldn’t challenge.

Someone so powerful that it was an insult to call him a demon.

The ancient Demon King was someone even the vampires of that era feared and didn’t dare to even think of touching. Some arrogant Blood Lord had provoked Grimudo before, but none of them survived.

It was neither Grimudo who brought down that great era nor the dragons who would later come to this land.

Ironically, it wasn’t even the Primordial who did it. When the Primordial calls the end of a cycle, most intelligent beings would use all their reason to resist the Primordial’s call.

If one is lucky enough to survive even after the cycle passes, they realize they can’t remember anything. The history of the cycle remains as a history of blanks.

In the long history of the Vampires, there wasn’t a single mention of the Primordial being. They didn’t even know of its existence.

And they didn’t need to know. Because it wasn’t the primordial beings that caused their downfall.

Elysia, the Goddess of Light, may have light as her domain, but she herself isn’t ‘Light’ itself.

That is the realm of the ancient god. The ancient god of light, born at the same time as the universe, saw the life of one man and took notice of him. Becoming a saint of the ancient god, he broke free from the bondage of vampires, formed a resistance, and even waged war against the blood-sucking fiends that ruled the continent.

During this rebellion, the Vampires managed to quell the insurgents, and in the process, they killed the Saint of the Ancient God.

Everyone thought the threat was eliminated and rejoiced, but the true threat had not diminished in the slightest.

The ancient god, having lost his saint, raged against the dying of the light.

He sacrificed his newly found reason, and his ego, and placed a mortal curse upon the vampires.

The curse of the sun.

Since Ancient Gods are the laws of the universe personified, a price must be paid should a Law move on its own.

However, once the law changes, nothing in the world can escape it. The laws of the universe are the most powerful things in existence.

And when they are converted into weapons, nothing can be an exception.

The sun, which originally shone without any meaning, became the natural enemy of vampires as the laws of the universe changed. No matter how strong they are, it doesn’t matter.

Whether they are Blood Lords, Vampire Kings or Queens, and even a True Ancestor what does the petty power of individuals matter when the laws of the universe have changed? What meaning does it have?

In an instant, the law changed, and the vampires who enjoyed the sunlight turned to ashes and disappeared.

It was meaningless to use mana and blood power to block the sunlight. Because that too was the power and part of vampires.

Even that burned to ashes. Putting up barriers was worse than using a parasol. In the face of this astonishing catastrophe, only a tiny minority of vampires could survive.

Looking around, there was nothing but ashes fluttering, and the survivors were stunned.

But that was just the beginning. The moment those they enslaved were exposed to the sunlight, the restraints and curses the vampires had put in place melted away like ice.

Those who were liberated by chance pointed their swords at the vampires, and a difficult time began. Vampires never regained their former prosperity.

The death of one saint, results in one curse.

A curse that became a fatal blow that brought down a civilization and pushed a race to the brink of extinction.

This is the power of the ancient gods. This is also the reason why Grimudo let Kyle, who had dealt a heavy blow to him, escape.

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The Ancient Demon King witnessed the vampires suffering this great disaster with his own two eyes.

Although Grimudo considers himself strong, it’s a different story when faced with the laws of the universe. He had no desire to take on such a threat.

“Actually, I have something to tell you about that matter as well.”

It was done by the ancient god. The laws of the universe have already changed.

There is no way to reverse it, no matter who you pray to. Even the perpetrator himself would have no way to do so.

Because it’s obvious that as a price for arbitrarily changing the laws of the universe, god’s ego would also have been shattered.

If the ego can’t even endure the laws simply existing as laws, how could it handle them changing on their own?

Even the slightest change could have torn the ancient god’s ego to shreds. Otherwise, the laws of the universe would change several times a day, and not only life but even proper stars would not be able to exist.

Of course, the ancient god is immortal and eternal, whether it has an ego or not.

A new ego will emerge someday, but it won’t be the same as the ego that committed the deed.

Changing the laws that have already been changed for the vampires, while risking its own destruction? That’s nonsense. In the first place, the newly created ego will have no interest in vampires at all.

“We think a priest of an Ancient God is the Princess(?) companion. He managed to heal injuries caused by the Magic of the Sun.”

Only an Ancient God can mend what an Ancient God broke.

That’s why news of a Priest of an Ancient God wandering through the Vlad Duchy was a very serious problem.

Duchess Vlad Shmira, who had been at ease, froze for a moment with a glass in her hand, then straightened her back and looked at Vellon.

When it comes to ancient gods, all problems become serious. The vampires, who had already suffered, knew this fact more painfully than anyone else.

“Can you guarantee it?”

What can confront the laws of the universe?

Only the same laws of the universe. In other words, laws can cancel another law. Perhaps there may be a way to break free from the curse of the sun that binds them.

Compared with this news, the fact that the woman was truly the Princess or not, was now irrelevant.

The Empire was doomed anyway, and the Princess was weaker than the Duchess.

In terms of skill alone, the Duchess could be compared to a human who reached the Master Realm.

It’s just that when exposed to the sunlight, the Duchess would die instantly.

Given the nature that she could die like a mayfly regardless of her combat power if her clothes were torn during a daytime battle and exposed to sunlight, she didn’t have many opportunities to fight outside, but she had an inner pride in her skills.

Even when the imperial princess was in her prime, she wouldn’t be a match for her.

“Actually, we can’t be certain. Neither I nor Her Majesty has ever met a priest of the ancient god, so we can only speculate. But if we’re talking about a god who bestows divine power upon us, no other god comes to mind.”

The three main gods do not favor vampires. Of course, there’s no law saying other gods should do the same.

The problem is that they are the main gods, and if other minor gods of the continent go against the will of the main gods and act on their own, they may suffer. No god can take the will of the three main gods lightly.

The Heavenly God, Aldehir, and the Evil God, Omertà, are exceptions, but they also dislike vampires all the same. In fact, what god would bestow divine power upon vampires, who have been abandoned by almost all gods?

It would be a newborn god who doesn’t know the ways of the world, or a god so great that even the main gods can’t do anything about it. In the latter case, only an Ancient God comes to mind.

“Even if he’s not a priest of an Ancient God it won’t be bad for us. Summon him for now. And please do so politely.”

If he’s truly a priest of the ancient god, this is a matter of bringing him in, and even if he’s not, there’s no benefit in treating him poorly.

A god who grants divine power to vampires was a very precious resource to have.

Should they treat him as an honored guest, perhaps her daughter would benefit from it.

If that god bestows divinity not only upon us but also upon the demons...

She could secure another prized gift for Harmael.

“Layton Valencia has volunteered to bring them here. May I ask if Her Majesty would grant permission?”

“Layton...? Ah, if it’s him, he could do that. He must be in need of divine power. That resentful bastard. To think he was hiding such a half-breed from me.”

The fact that such a priest had appeared already made one of the subordinates unable to hide their agitation.

Shmira, who had already grasped the entire situation, smiled.

“Vellon. Go and convey this one’s order to Layton.”

Various preparations would be necessary to lure the appetizing prey that is the imperial princess into a trap. For Shmira, this too was entertainment.

“Tell them to politely escort them to my castle.”

Though that will probably be that bastard’s last mission.

The duchess thought to herself.