Makai Hongi

Chapter 81

Myone looked like a young girl, so I had assumed she was in training. But apparently, she was a full-fledged soldier. It was hard to judge a Vampire’s age by their appearance.

“I’ve been instructed to tell you the details. And if you have any questions, I will answer them.”

“I see.”

‘Well, then…’ Myone said as she began to tell me of the events in the order that they occurred.

In brief, it was something like this.

The castle’s underground library had an impressive amount of books that Melvis had collected.

As these were Melvis’s personal belongings, no one who was under a General was permitted to read them.

However, as books can get eaten by bugs if they are left on shelves for many years, it was necessary for them to be dried and aired out once in a while.

And it was during such times that the contents could be seen by others.

In other words, there were actually quite a few people who knew what kind of books were in the underground library, even people who were not Generals.

“We do not know how Nehyor discovered it, but he somehow came to understand that Lesser Demon King Melvis’s diaries were kept there.”

“Diaries, eh?”

I don’t know. Something about a Lesser Demon King having a diary…felt strange.

I had always thought of Melvis as being an intimidating, old Vampire.

And so it was hard to imagine him keeping a diary.

Did he record all of his meals?

Or was it like a traveling journal… Hmm, I couldn’t imagine it.

“We first assumed that he must be interested in the books there. However, one of these diaries was the only thing that was taken.”

They apparently had a proper list of all the books there.

And so they knew the position of every book on the shelves.

It was no wonder, as they would have to place them back exactly the same after cleaning.

“He only took one of them?”

“Yes.”

What the hell was Nehyor trying to do?

“By the way, didn’t someone else go in there with him? I think the name was I…Igis.”

“Yes. Igis had been making reports of the books that Nehyor picked up. Judging by that information, we know that he viewed all of the diaries, cover to cover.”

“So it really was his goal from the beginning. Whatever Nehyor wanted, it was in the diaries. Is that right?”

“Nothing is certain yet. Igis was killed within the library. He was a very skilled fighter, and yet he was killed without anyone above noticing it.”

“…”

So he read through Melvis’s diaries, and then took one volume and ran.

And while doing so, he had killed the Vampire who was watching him.

It was rather brutal, wasn’t it?

“Still, we think we know what it was that Nehyor wanted. Judging by the remaining volumes.”

They knew?

“And what is that?”

“King Melvis undergoes a certain change between the volumes that is before and the one after the diary that was taken.”

“A change…what change?”

“In one volume King Melvis is not an Elder Vampire. And in the next, he is.”

“!?”

There were certain requirements you had to fulfill in order to evolve into the higher species.

For the tree fairies, they had to live for a very long time. And the Dullahan had to reunite their heads with their bodies.

For Ogres, they would get there eventually as long as they continued to eat, sleep, and kill their enemies.

It was generally easier for the weaker races to evolve.

The higher ones often required items or unique experiences in order to do it.

“Weren’t Elder Vampires…”

“King Melvis is the only Elder Vampire that currently exists.”

“So…you think that Nehyor is searching for a way to evolve?”

“That seems like the most logical explanation.”

“…”

Nehyor had always seemed so easygoing and aloof. But had such ambitions been hidden behind his expression and words?

Had using me to keep General Farneze away from the castle, killing Igis, leaving Melvis’s control…had all of that been a part of his plan to evolve into an Elder?

“After escaping the castle, Nehyor joined his subordinates, who all wore black. And they fled to the east. We have chased him and were able to confirm that he entered the territories of a Great Demon King.”

So he escaped the country.

“A bounty will be put on Nehyor’s head. Though, we have little faith in anything coming out of that.”

Everyone would say we were fools for allowing him to escape the country in the first place.

But Melvis was asleep. And it would have little effect.

“Furthermore, everyone who was under Nehyor is now under Corps Commander Felicia’s control. And we are continuing to ask people for information about Nehyor.”

And so Myone ended her report.

There was only one Elder Vampire in the whole Demon World.

Nehyor had wanted to become one, and had been waiting for his chance.

I wasn’t sure if he was very patient, or if he was being hasty.

Regardless, I would not forgive him.