Volume 3 Chapter 224 Lady Camilla
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Is this…!?” Kian gasped.
On the temple’s left side, in a dim section shadowed by the great tree, Linca rushed toward the massive spirit collapsed there.
Kian followed slowly, scanning the surroundings.
”Linca, look at that,” he said.
”Huh? …Ms. Talia?” Linca asked, eyes narrowing.
Ahead, against the tree’s trunk, lay a blonde beauty with closed eyes as if asleep. She wore a simple yet elegant white dress, but most of her body had transformed into black obsidian—more a grotesque art piece than a corpse.
This had to be Talia’s real body.
That meant the lifeless shell before them belonged to Erynys, who had imprinted her soul into Talia’s form here. A shocking scene.
”Sir Kian,” Linca said, shifting her gaze back to Erynys’s giant frame.
She carefully placed one foot on Erynys’s hip bone, avoiding the bloodstains, then crouched beside the square-cut torso.
”What’s wrong?”
”There’s something odd about the wound’s cross-section,” Linca said.
”Hm?”
”Look here. The cut across the abdomen appears as if made by sharp claws or something similar.”
Kian peered at the corpse, confirming the clean, blade-like slice.
”You think she clawed it herself when cutting out her soul?”
”No. Most likely not,” Linca shook her head. She drew her misty magic sword and shifted aside the bloody flesh on the abdomen.
The flesh was thin; beneath, the blood-soaked ground gleamed.
”The square wound penetrates through to the back. Like using a cookie cutter—a precise, clean fatal cut.”
She deftly manipulated the sword’s tip to extract a black fragment from what remained of Erynys’s white ribs.
”Obsidian shard?”
”Yes.” Linca held the bloodied piece up to the light, examining it through her gloves.
”Not self-excised, but carved out by someone else. Considering her memories, the culprit is likely Kharab—the obsidian spirit.”
”Erynys’s memories ended when she furiously attacked Kharab after he devoured Talia’s soul. From their actions, we assumed Erynys won…”
”But apparently not,” Linca said.
Balancing on both arms, Linca hopped beside Kian.
A gleam reflected off her white forehead through the neatly parted bangs. After their rapid journey, even she showed traces of sweat.
Kian forced a serious expression despite the urge to taste the saltiness lingering on her skin.
”Kharab won. He gouged out Erynys’s spirit core, then carved her soul and sealed it inside Talia’s body.”
”They ran wild. Pathetic… glasses,” Kian muttered bitterly.
Despite all the bravado, this was a humiliating outcome.
If this were a hero’s saga, the hero, having lost someone dear, would quietly smolder with rage and crush the enemy. That end was surely the saddest for Erynys—but Kian, who liked glasses, also felt the sting.
”Could the spirit of Black Obsidian carve and reshape others’ souls?” Kian asked.
”Wait—didn’t Erynys and Kharab say they could do that fairly easily in the memory realm?” Linca replied.
”It might be possible if you manipulate your own soul directly—knowing exactly where your core lies. But if Kharab reshaped it without Erynys’s consent, it’s like how ordinary humans struggle to form complex magic circuits in darkness. Once a soul is severed, it can’t be restored.”
”So… no matter how Erynys exists now, it won’t solve our problem.”
”At first glance, yes…,” Linca said.
”Even if Black Obsidian’s spirit ‘cut too deep,’ would that change anything?”
”There’s a chance they inserted a different soul during the reshaping—like how Sir Kian fused two souls into Generals Ishtbaran and Fraus. Most remaining Knight Wraiths had low magic power and self-awareness, so they forced two vanished souls—namely Ishtbaran’s—into one new form.”
”Right. So when Ishutobarun-kai awakened, they had to carefully adjust to keep self-awareness intact.”
The vital conversation unfolded amid the battlefield’s chaos.
Linca mentioned Linca and Sarah’s rebellion, their parade through town naked—so intense it nearly made Kian’s memories skip—snippets he caught mostly during administrative work, leaving him foggy.
”In other words, exploiting Erynys’s fragile self-awareness… maybe even killing with words?”
”Low chance, but yes. Sleeping inside Ms. Talia’s body so long might cause that.”
Kian nodded, pushing gently against Linca’s back.
”Thanks for the analysis. But we must focus on why we’re here.”
”Understood.”
Linca sprinted forward.
Kian leapt over Erynys’s body, following.
”…I think I get why Erynys lost now,” he said.
Linca glanced back briefly.
”Probably just stupid overconfidence—they got careless.”
”No. Maybe they were chasing after Ms. Talia,” Kian said thoughtfully.
”So they lost on purpose? But if it’s their beloved enemy—the one who killed someone dear—they wouldn’t lose in a scene like that.”
Linca muttered quietly, “Sir Kian—you’re that kind of person, huh.”
”If it were me… say if Sir Kian got killed by Erynys, I’d probably just think ‘whatever’—willing to die myself. No resistance, because revenge wouldn’t bring Sir Kian back.”
«────»
”Erynys, did you think while fighting? Why do you keep fighting? Talia isn’t in this world anymore. Did you realize desperately fighting means nothing?”
”So you stopped fighting? You let your future be carved away blindly?”
”Yes. Erynys is also a victim. But that doesn’t justify what she’s trying to do now. We have to defeat her here and now.”
«────»
”This is it,” Linca said, stopping beside the temple behind the massive fallen spirit.
The giant’s body bore a round emblem and complex patterns—ancient symbols and mysterious beasts woven without clear meaning.
Kian blinked several times, eyes adjusting to the shifting black-and-white pattern.
He remembered the exact magic circle’s shape burned into his mind.
Consciously etched in his brain—he would never forget.
He could summon the memory anytime.
”Measure the magic circle’s size, and replicate it precisely. Wait a moment,” he ordered.
”Understood. While you research the person, I’ll watch the perimeter.”
”Please.”
Linca summoned a water spirit, extracting crystalline formations and white wood—the second-stage tools.
Beyond this point was expert territory. No curtain left for Kian.
Using threads in his left hand, Kian skillfully climbed, erased his presence with shadows, and silently continued his seven-year mission on the battlefield.
* * *
About an hour after standing, Kian suddenly sensed the faint approach of a small creature racing this way and that. The footsteps belonged to Linca’s shikigami [T/N: spirit familiar], a tanuki.
”Linca. Your shikigami has returned,” Kian said.
”Is that so?” Linca replied.
She still focused intently, continuing her sketch with quick strokes.
Meanwhile, the tanuki’s movement was faster than expected. Within five minutes, it had entered the sanctuary.
The tanuki shouldn’t have the key, yet it approached without any hindrance. Perhaps the sanctuary’s barrier didn’t recognize it as a hostile entity—or maybe it wasn’t even considered a living thing.
”Pon, pon, Tanū~!” the tanuki called cheerfully.
”Is that really your cry?” Kian asked, stepping down from his perch to greet the tanuki.
The creature twitched its nose, as if wondering whether a tiny old man might be inside, while pointing a finger toward the direction of the sanctuary’s main gate.
”Tanū, Tanūnu, popopōn!” it chattered.
”I only understand the common and eastern dialects, plus Azrael language. Speak human if you want to communicate properly,” Kian muttered.
”Popopōn!” the tanuki repeated.
”Tch, the dialect must be local. Enough,” Kian said, brushing it off.
”Poff!?” the tanuki squeaked.
”Don’t tease Tanū like that! — Well done, Tanū. After this mission, we’ll show you around,” Linca said warmly.
She addressed Sōdo Kain with a pleading tone as the tanuki continued its serious pace. Her hair looked roughly 90% dyed now.
”Tanū seems to have found a keyhole toward the sanctuary’s direction,” Linca explained.
”Oh? That’s perfect timing. We were about to search for records of magical contracts exchanged between Princess Talia and the spirits at the sanctuary,” Kain said.
Linca licked her lips and said, “The mission’s almost over.”
* * *
One would assume Kian had finished sketching the magic formation on the treetops purely from memory—guess that’s what he was doing—though parts might only be understandable to Linca, the specialist. So he stayed silent.
Just ten percent more to go. Probably only a few minutes left.
—I’ve done it.
”Shall we head for Castle Cain next? If we find a keyhole the tanuki spotted, we’ll drop by there too,” Kian suggested.
”Yeah,” Linca agreed.
”No need to gather materials from Erynys’ body, right?”
”Right. Taking parts of her might alert her,” Linca warned.
She carefully folded the copied sheet and let Mizuchi swallow it.
”Understood. Then, off we go.”
Again, the running began.
Kian and Linca, led by the tanuki, retraced their steps.
The tanuki kept pace with Linca’s full speed.
Once they passed through the sanctuary’s Iron Gate, darkness unfolded abruptly.
Sight blurred for an instant, then adapted—eyes adjusting to the gloom as the surroundings sharpened.
They sprinted down the straight road in under ten seconds, reaching the fork where paths split toward Moonshore and Castle Cain.
The tanuki veered sharply toward the castle’s towering spires on the small hill—it had found a keyhole near Castle Cain.
(No notable villages lie on the way to Castle Cain, so maybe the keyhole is inside the castle corridors.)
If so, this tanuki’s bravery surpassed even its master’s.
At least Linca wouldn’t dare infiltrate that ghostly fortress—it was daunting enough to intimidate anyone.
…Or so Kian thought, but as a top warrior monk, Linca probably had snuck into city castles at night before. Maybe that judgment was naive.
”Tan–nu! Tan-Tan–nu! Ponpoko kokorin!” the tanuki called, hopping beneath the castle hill at a cliff’s edge.
It veered off the main route.
Instead of climbing the winding left path to Castle Cain, it took the right path down—heading beneath the fortress.
”Stop that barking. It’s getting on my nerves,” Kian muttered.
”Huh!?”
”Just kidding.”
”…Po,” the tanuki murmured.
”Sir Kian, where should we head? I don’t want us to split and investigate separately,” Linca said cautiously.
”I want to check the tanuki’s side first. Searching spirit contract records will take time. Let’s quickly handle the easiest option. If there’s nothing promising, we’ll cut it short,” Kian decided.
”Then let’s examine the keyhole the tanuki found.”
The group veered onto the right path, chasing the small shadow hopping down the slope.
Eventually, they reached a small iron door embedded in rock.
It was twice Kian’s width, gleaming shiny black with no rust or decay—bright and polished, betraying no age.
A sturdy lock fit the mysterious keyhole on the handle.
”Good work, Tanuki. Here, have some dried meat,” Kian praised.
”Tanu! Munch munch gobble gobble,” the tanuki responded with silly animal noises.
”You eat so messily. Beastly, as expected,” Kian said with a grin.
”The ominous atmosphere is intense, but are we really going inside?” Linca asked, glancing past Kian’s shoulder at the door.
”Castle’s underground basement? Probably no weapons inside,” she added.
”Structurally, it’s not a basement—more like an isolated storage room. Maybe a warehouse for unused items. Could be gear suited for me,” Kian replied.
He inserted the key into the lock.
It fit perfectly.
A satisfying click sounded as the lock released.
The heavy iron door creaked open deliberately, groaning eerily as it swung inward.
Inside, a staircase descended into darkness.
”W-wait, that’s not a torture chamber or anything, right?” Linca asked, nervous.
”Possible,” Kian said.
”No way! That’s scary!” she protested.
”Even for a female warrior monk, you’re a scaredy-cat. You’ve faced far worse alone,” Kian teased.
”Female warrior monk or not, I’m scared!” she insisted.
Despite protesting, she summoned a fuyō bi [T/N: demon fire or spectral flame] and floated it before Kian.
A warm, moist breeze drifted up from below, revealing a slightly messy hairline on Kian’s forehead.
”…It smells sweet,” Kian said, wrinkling his nose as he sniffed eagerly.
”And—is that a spice smell?”
”Cinnamon, indeed.”
Linca puffed her cute little nose against Kian’s shoulder.
”There’s cardamom and clove, too.”
”Looks like it’s not a torture or blood-extraction room,” Kian guessed.
”But I don’t think there are weapons or armor. What do you suggest?”
Kian paused, then nodded. “Let’s check inside.”
”They probably store medicines or rations. We don’t know what lies ahead, so stocking up is wise,” Linca said.
”Whether Erynys kills us or we return safely, food isn’t the main concern now. But okay, maybe we’ll find something unexpected. Let’s go.”
She nudged Kian forward.
Hope she doesn’t trip on the stairs—it’d be bad to fall.
* * *
She descended with three additional fuyō bi, glowing faintly.
Partway down, Kian clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
”What’s wrong?”
”The echo helps map the structure. The bottom’s wide—a rectangular room. The walls are covered with countless sound-absorbing items.”
”Bats?”
”That’s rude. I’m a vampire-human hybrid—that’s what I am. As suspected.”
Kian raised the fuyō bi overhead, illuminating the space.
Linca increased her count of spectral flames, brightening the basement beneath the stairs.
In the orange glow, a massive underground chamber appeared—about 50 meters deep.
Stone paved the floor, walls, and ceiling with precise, even slabs.
Piles of brown leather bags stacked high around the room.
The sweet scent thickened, so heavy it nearly made Kian’s keen nose gag.
He scanned the basement more closely. Amid the towering heaps of leather bags, wooden shelves and boxes lay scattered in chaotic disarray. Some boxes held old glass bottles balanced on top.
”This—it’s sugar!” Linca called out, having drifted from Kian and rummaged through the leather sacks.
”Amazing… The purity is extraordinary. Pure white and beautiful like jewels…” she murmured.
”This bottle here has spices. I’d say the same about the wooden boxes. Bottles that don’t fit inside are stacked on top.”
She picked up a bottle containing a thin stick.
”That’s cinnamon.”
She lifted another with pale, oval-shaped grains beside it.
”Cardamom.”
All were precious treasures—rare, nearly impossible to acquire without passing through Azrael.
Combined with this high-purity sugar, this basement alone could rival the fortune of a lord ruling a whole territory.
”Huh… but I don’t see any weapons or armor,” Kian said.
”Yeah. Say, Linca—can Mizuchi absorb everything in this storeroom?”
”It could, but it’s useless unless we defeat Erynys. The divine realm can’t take worldly riches with them.”
”Still, it’s a shame to leave such a mountain of treasure behind…” Kian muttered.
As he spoke, a flicker caught his eye at the edge of his vision—something strange deep in the back of the 50-meter-long basement, hidden behind two wooden shelves.
”Is something wrong?” Linca asked.
”There’s something there.”
”—!? But no magic sense detected… Could it be Remi Cain!?” she whispered.
Remi Cain could evade detection by magic sense.
But what Kian spotted didn’t move.
He gently fanned three nearby will-o’-wisps to lure them closer, then edged forward behind the shadow of a wooden shelf.
(This feels like that scene back in the Labyrinth of Roses…)
Back then, he and Oswald dealt with the vampire’s reincarnation—a puppet of flesh sleeping underground.
Kian peered into the ‘V’-shaped shadow of the wooden shelf.
”…a corpse,” he said.
”!?” Linca gasped.
Kian shined his light on the dried, flattened shape.
A mummified human about two meters long, its face unnaturally large.
No—it was probably a vampire’s mummy.
In life, it must have been quite fat; the skin stretched strangely over the body.
Based on its pelvis, likely female.
”W-what is that—a corpse!?” Linca said, relief coloring her voice as she stepped closer.
She popped her head out beside Kian, staring down at the ugly, plump female vampire mummy.
”Is it a monster!?” she asked.
”It’s a vampire,” Kian replied. “Wow, it looks like a big, shriveled leather sack.”
”…Who… called it… a… leather sack…” a rough voice croaked.
”Excuse me, Sir Kian. Respect the deceased, please?”
”I haven’t said anything about that,” Kian said.
”Eh?” Linca echoed.
”Eh?” the voice repeated.
”…A゛…A゛, A゛…” the mummy rasped again.
Kian and Linca froze, eyes wide, as the loose leather-like mummy raised its right arm in awkward, jerky motions.
”Kyaa, monster!!” Linca shouted.
”Wait, stop it!” Kian warned.
A flash of lightning crackled.
Linca’s fist was wrapped in a powerful impact— energy.
At unthinkable speed, she unleashed it toward the mummy’s skull.
The shot—energy propelled instantly, piercing the fragile skull.
Kian instinctively stretched out his left arm, blocking the attack to shield the mummy.
His wall—shattered into pieces; his left arm burst open in a spectacular spray of blood.
Linca’s momentum slammed the wooden shelves on each side loose; they crashed against the wall with a loud, jarring gacha [clack] gacha gacha doon.
”Sir Kian!? I-I’m sorry! Healing immediately!” Linca cried.
”Wait, it’s unnecessary,” Kian said calmly.
He restrained Linca, then held his shattered arm near the mummy’s mouth.
He let the dripping blood flow inside.
A high swallowing sound—gulp, gulp—echoed.
The mummy drank Kian’s blood.
”A゛…A゛…” it croaked.
”If you turn your fangs on us, I will compel you,” Kian warned.
He spoke clearly—syllable by syllable—with precise pronunciation.
”But if you cooperate, we’ll help you like this. What’ll it be? Will you cooperate?”
”A… yeah…” the mummy rasped.
”Say ‘yes’ and nod twice,” Linca prompted.
She leaned closer.
Two red, revitalized eyes flickered inside the mummy’s hollow sockets.
They greedily lapped at Kian’s face.
Behind her, Linca, frightened, covered her mouth with both hands, watching nervously.
(What does it mean to be an excellent female warrior monk?)
Slightly exasperated, Kian confirmed the mummy moved its jaw up and down twice, then channeled healing ki into her.
”Haa…a…!!” the mummy cried out.
Its body jumped.
In the dim darkness, blood vessel–shaped circuits glowed bright red beneath the loose skin like veins.
When Kian poured water from a bottle into her mouth, he heard her heartbeat flutter—weak but steady—responding to the healing ki.
”Linca, pour more water. And some raw meat dripping with blood, if possible,” Kian ordered.
Linca hesitated, then nodded.
* * *
An hour later, though still a ragged figure of loose skin and bones, the vampire woman’s mummy had regained enough strength to sit in a chair and speak.
Though she seemed dead, after consuming a few kilos of meat and water, she rebounded so fast it proved vampire bodies surpass humans in resilience.
”What’s your name?” Linca asked.
In the basement stacked with sugar and spices, a gray-bearded old woman—likely a degraded vampire—leaned on a deep, back-supporting chair crafted by Linca, slurping sliced venison.
The old woman paused mid-bite and mumbled through her chewing in response to the straightforward question.
”Camilla. Those who know me call me that.”
Her intonation was slightly archaic, and her word choice old-fashioned, but communication posed no problem.
”Now, what year and month is it?” Linca pressed.
”Mid-July, the 405th year of the Western Church calendar.”
”Wait… calendar? The era name has changed?” Linca repeated.
”Or rather—the calendar has changed.”
Behind Kian, Linca flipped through an old bundle of parchment with interest.
Apparently, this warehouse stored ingredients for vampire-favored sweet drinks.
The parchments detailed the production methods and cultivation of the plants used.
According to them, the current month’s length differed from that of Count Cain’s domain.
In other words, telling her a year and month meant nothing.
”It’s been over four hundred years on our calendar since you went into suspended animation,” Linca said.
”────────────”
The mummy’s red eyes snapped wide open, darting unnervingly.
Her white hair, reaching to her feet, bristled like a porcupine’s quills before wilting and dropping to the floor.
She remembered.
The old woman stiffened, staring upward for several seconds, then emitted a low, guttural moan from her throat.
”I was caught up in Erynys’s uprising!”
”Is that why you fled here?” Linca asked.
There was a powerful barrier sealed here. Yes, that’s right. After entrusting the key to Drake: Cain, she had fallen into a deathlike sleep deep in the basement… entering suspended animation to avoid detection by Erynys.
”Can you enter suspended animation at will?” Linca asked.
Without replying, the old woman rose abruptly from her chair.
Though still skin and bones, her frame was larger than Kian’s.
Her face, roughly the size of Kian’s chest, moved close. Her aquiline nose dug roughly beneath his jaw.
”Prepare immediately. We’re escaping.”
”You can’t run,” Kian said.
”What?” Camilla snapped.
Count Cain’s domain was severed into another dimension by the obsidian spirit Kharab.
Wherever they fled, Erynys could track their position along spiritual ley lines—if she came back here.
”What do you mean? What’s really happening?”
Camilla stepped back from Kian’s face. He gestured toward the chair.
”Explain briefly. If you understand what’s happening, you’ll gladly help us.”
=============
[ERROR]
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{
”Erynys”: “A powerful spirit; has the ability to manipulate souls; fought against Kaaraba and was defeated; her soul was sealed within Talia’s body.”,
”Talia”: “A gold-haired beauty; her body was inhabited by Erynys’ soul; was likely killed by Kaaraba.”,
”Sir/Mr. Kian”: “A skilled individual; capable of creating complex magic circuits; has inserted multiple souls into composite beings.”,
”Black Onyx”: “A spirit with the ability to reshape souls; possibly responsible for carving Erynys’ soul.”,
”Linca”: “A knowledgeable individual; skilled in magic and soul manipulation; has a shikigami named Tanuki.”,
”Kian”: “A companion of Linca; has a strong connection with glasses; speculates about Erynys’ motivations.”,
”Camilla”: “A woman; the subject of the chapter; her body was used to seal Erynys’ soul.”,
”Kharab”: “A spirit; fought against Erynys; possibly responsible for her defeat.”,
”Tanuki”: “Linca’s shikigami; has the ability to find keyholes; communicates with Linca and Kian.”
}
Notes:
• Linca – Jibril’s favorite girl. High-ranking warrior monk woman from Shin, with strong abilities like ignoring attacks and poisons.
• Kharab – The enemy who stole Talia’s soul and possessed her body; referred to by the Black Onyx Spirit; defeated by Kian.
• Fraus – Male. Son of Arminus. Member of the Black Panther Tribe. Shares his father’s enhanced physical abilities and combat prowess. Relationship: Subordinate and family to Arminus.
• Camilla – A woman; the subject of the chapter; her body was used to seal Erynys’ soul.
• Count Cain – Talia’s father.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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