Chapter 105

Ch.105 Apostle of the Goddess of War

‘Something ominous is coming.’

Sion’s ominous premonition had never been wrong before. At least so far, it had a 100% accuracy rate.

It wasn’t exactly a pleasant thing.

But when it came to survival, it was an excellent sense.

Throughout his entire secret movement inside the castle, he had felt uneasy. It was like walking on the surface of a volcano just about to erupt.

‘It’s not just the feeling of chasing the Apostle of Blood.’

Something far greater seemed to be waiting for Sion.

By now, under normal circumstances, he should have felt a tingling sensation at the crown of his head or a warm energy guiding him.

Had the Goddess of War been guiding him, his footsteps would have moved on their own. But not now.

Now, he had to walk alone, make his own judgments, and fight by himself.

It felt like being dropped into the middle of a vast ocean.

Yet Sion wasn’t afraid.

He believed that no matter where she was, the Goddess of War would protect him.

Somewhere along the way, Sion had come to trust Goddess Achille completely.

That meant the path he walked was never wrong—it was a journey of faith.

Humming, buzzing.

Sion quietly listened to the noise from the upper floor. Lagan had apparently succeeded in drawing attention effectively.

They weren’t fighting, so this level of commotion should be considered minor.

The real problem was on Sion’s side.

‘Did I get discovered?’

At least the castle staff didn’t seem to have noticed. It would have been stranger if any of them could detect Sion’s stealthy movements.

Even most martial experts would find such a feat difficult.

At this point, if someone could do it, they’d have to be at least at the Sword Master level.

‘Unless a Sword Master is working as a servant.’

As he entertained that thought, he swung open a door at the end of the corridor, a place that seemed deserted and untouched.

That was when it happened.

Whoosh!

A sharp fingernail stabbed at him instantly. Sion leapt high, narrowly avoiding the surprise attack.

With just the jump, he reached the ceiling of the corridor.

Kiiing!

In midair, a sword instantly appeared in Sion’s hand. The sharp blade had already knocked away the fingernail.

Drip, drip.

Blood droplets fell to the floor. Beside them lay a severed human hand.

“Not bad at all.”

The owner of the wrist slowly emerged from beside the door.

Sion landed and looked puzzled.

“A servant?”

A strange woman in a maid’s uniform.

From her presence, to her appearance, timing, and location— nothing about her was normal.

More than anything else—

“How did you detect me?”

The fact that she had sensed Sion’s presence was the biggest shock.

‘A Sword Master-level servant?’

That was Sion’s immediate thought as he stared intently at the attacker.

“What are you staring at? Never seen a skilled maid before?”

The woman spoke. Even with her wrist severed, she showed no panic at all. She was no ordinary person.

“This is the first time I’ve seen one, actually.”

“I thought so.”

With that, a brief silence fell. Neither of them broke eye contact.

Without turning his face, Sion moved only his lips.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?”

The Sword Master-level maid slowly parted her red lips.

“You’re the one who should answer that. The Order of the Holy Sword guests are on the second floor. Did a little thief cat sneak in?”

Sion studied her carefully, thinking: Is there an opening? How strong is she really?

Nothing seemed easy.

It wasn’t just a guess—this woman truly seemed to possess Sword Master-level skill.

And soon, Sion became certain.

Sharpening his gaze, he spoke.

“You’re a vampire, aren’t you?”

“Hmph.”

The woman picked up her severed wrist and reattached it to her arm as she answered.

“How crude. There’s a more elegant term—Vampire Lord.”

“What in the world—”

“I’m surprised too. I came out just to observe the Order of the Holy Sword’s movements… and met someone strange?”

The woman gave a seductive smile. The slight tilt of her head was incredibly alluring.

An ordinary man might have willingly handed over his guts and gallbladder.

‘Beautiful appearance. A trait of blood vampires.’

But Sion was too cold and rational to be enchanted and show mercy.

Kwajik! Whoosh!

His body spun halfway around, pivoting on his right foot. A rotational force added to his sword strike.

Ka—ang!

The heavy sword blow clashed with her claw, reinforced by blood magic. Both were in a position where discovery would be problematic. They exchanged no flashy, noisy techniques.

Instead, they silently agreed to a battle decided only by concise, efficient skills.

Chak, chachang!

‘This can’t drag on any longer.’

It wasn’t just dangerous for Sion—if it continued, Lagan’s side could also be compromised.

Calling the Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword ‘in danger’ wasn’t quite accurate. It meant the situation was turning unfavorable.

For the sake of others, he had to end this fight within seconds.

No sooner had he finished thinking—the vampire seemed to have the same idea, as she began slicing her fingertips and freely manipulating the blood that flowed out.

But she had picked the wrong opponent.

“What?”

The moment Sion saw her blood magic, he shattered it.

The whipping lash of blood disintegrated into dust the instant it touched Sion’s divine power.

Wuuu—!

A hazy black light began to swallow the corridor.

“…?”

By the time the Vampire Lord regained her senses, she was already in the middle of a pitch-black universe.

Before she could fully comprehend the situation—

Sion’s blade flashed.

A decisive strike, infused with the light of the only shining star in the universe, grazed the vampire’s neck.

Wuung!

The sound rang out a beat late. The woman’s eyes slowly widened as she belatedly realized what had just happened.

The Vampire Lord’s mouth slowly opened.

No—just as she was about to scream—her head slipped sideways.

Her bloodshot eyes, wide with emptiness, laid bare her shock.

Thud, thud…

Click.

As her head fell, Sion sheathed his sword.

The outcome had been decided in the blink of an eye.

Sion had calculated speed and noise to bring the fight to a swift conclusion.

Against a Sword Master, he had to unleash that much force—before fully assessing her strength.

He had ended it by deploying his mental realm.

“Perfect.”

Sion smiled with satisfaction as he offered the unidentified vampire as a sacrificial offering.

The decisive move had worked perfectly.

His breathing was slightly heavier, and his fatigue had sharply increased, but he had gained a satisfying result and valuable information.

‘So I can use the barrier—briefly, only when necessary.’

It was a good insight.

A beam of light pierced through Sion’s mind.

This sudden inspiration allowed Sion to grow once more.

Sion reactivated his senses and scanned the surroundings.

Fortunately, no movement indicated that anyone had noticed the fight. The grand feast had just begun downstairs.

Relieved, Sion began to look around the room.

She had appeared suddenly, out of nowhere.

‘Could there be a hidden passage I can’t see?’

Sion moved his hand along the wall, then suddenly froze.

He retraced his steps along the wall and closed his eyes.

“Found it.”

A wall concealed by blood magic. Sion let out a bitter laugh.

‘I found you. Apostle of Blood.’

***

The day was coming to an end. The sky darkened.

Caldenz Castle shone brightly even in the darkness. The castle, bustling with guests for once, was filled with energy.

Kung!

Lagan placed his wine cup down roughly and laughed.

“Hahaha! Did such a thing really happen?”

“Yes. It’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”

Useless gossip from the nobles. Who made a fortune recently, which Lordess had an affair with a servant, and so on.

To Lagan, who held an important role in the Light Cult, these were embarrassing topics. But the Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword’s free-spirited nature didn’t care at all.

In fact, he urged them to continue.

He said he spent all day swinging swords, so this kind of entertainment was far too enjoyable.

He coaxed Lord Vincenzo Alberone even more, and even more.

As the mood reached its peak, Lord Vincenzo finally let down half his guard toward Lagan.

‘So he really did come here just to relax.’

He said he was returning to the Holy Kingdom after half a year of being away on a mission.

He probably wanted to indulge a little.

Even Lagan, known as the ‘Hammer of Light’, was human. Such feelings were natural.

There must be times when he wanted to relax, eat and drink freely without worrying about anything, and even hold a woman close.

But in truth, there weren’t many places where the Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword could comfortably drink and have fun.

Lagan’s visit to Caldenz Castle was good news for Vincenzo.

‘I can consider this trust earned.’

It seemed his long, careful efforts were finally paying off.

‘My life has been like walking on thin ice. If I endure just a bit longer, I’ll truly enjoy glory.’

Once again, Vincenzo endured the Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword’s vulgar jokes with a thick skin.

So far, there had been no problems.

Becoming a disciple of the Blood Cult and being promised youth and immortality.

Providing a hiding place in the Holy Kingdom for worshippers of Evil Gods.

Secretly purchasing and offering human slaves.

Certainly, he had done it all well.

“But, Lord Vincenzo.”

Lagan spoke, seemingly drunk.

“Yes. Please speak, Commander Lagan.”

“There’s something I’ve been curious about today.”

“What is it?”

Here comes another annoying drunken rant, Lagan thought, pouring cold water on himself.

“Pardon?”

“You seem unusually tense. Are you hot?”

Lagan tilted his head like a meerkat and looked around.

But it was winter.

The servants and Order of the Holy Sword members were dressed in relatively thick clothing.

“Or are you unwell?”

Lagan asked calmly.

A faint smile played on his face.

He even smirked—was he drunk, or was he mocking him? It was impossible to tell.

“Haha, not really. I suppose my condition just worsened without me noticing.”

“Is that so?”

Lagan stared at Vincenzo, smiling only with his mouth.

Vincenzo began to feel an indescribable fear pressing down on him. The entire air seemed to crush his body.

Was it because he had something to hide?

Or was it because of what he’d just heard?

Vincenzo began sweating even more.

It wasn’t something he could control with willpower.

“Tsk, your complexion is deteriorating rapidly.”

Laughter erupted from various Order of the Holy Sword members’ tables. Was it coincidence? Or did they know something and were mocking him?

Vincenzo’s heart began to tremble. The waves grew stronger.

Lagan’s pupils burned as if piercing into Vincenzo’s soul.

His slurred speech, moments ago, had somehow become perfectly clear.

‘What is this?’

Did he really know something?

“Ah, I think I might have caught a cold from hunting yesterday.”

Vincenzo answered as calmly as possible, picking up his wine cup. He bit the inside of his mouth to hide his trembling.

“Perhaps you should rest, Lord.”

“…Yes. But wouldn’t it be rude to leave my guests?”

At the word ‘rude’, Lagan let out a dry laugh. Vincenzo could only weakly smile, embarrassed.

“Nonsense. Between us, there’s no need.”

“Then… I’ll excuse myself since I’m not feeling well. Please feel free to tell the servants if you need anything.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Vincenzo.”

Creeeak.

Just as Vincenzo pushed back his chair with a sour expression and stood up—

“But, Lord.”

“Yes?”

“Lord.”

“…”

Lagan’s eyes locked onto Vincenzo like blades.

In a hallucination of a blade forming, Vincenzo frantically touched his neck. Thankfully, it was still attached. He wiped sweat, pretending to wipe his mouth.

Lagan asked quietly,

“Are you hiding something from me?”

At that moment, to Vincenzo, the Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword was no longer a Holy Knight of Light.

…He was the Apostle of Death.

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