Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 51: The Chime of Freedom

-Layton...Layton...Do you know what I hate the most? When someone pretends to follow my orders but harbors different thoughts behind my back...That...Infuriates me.

-I heard you had a son...A deformed child.

-Your abomination of a child will be killed, while your wife will sire another offspring from a better seed.

-If she gives birth to another deformed child even after receiving another man's seed, then I'll have to dispose of her too.

Duchess Shmira’s words continue to echo in his mind.

Continuously. Endlessly. And forever.

The loyalty and devotion he had given so far were repaid with a dead son and a wife given away to another. And he is already powerlessly lying on the floor, only waiting for death.

I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you!

Even though he couldn’t even muster the strength to gnash his teeth and could only vent his anger in his mind, he actually knew.

No matter how much he curses in his heart like this, not a single hair on Duchess Shmira’s head will be harmed. Come to think of it, who else is there to blame? Only himself, who devoted loyalty to such a lord.

How ridiculous must he have looked to Duchess Shmira? How absurd must he have seemed, contributing to her until his back broke?

In the end, his spine only became a hearty broth, sucked dry, and he was completely betrayed, falling to the bottom of the abyss.

Even his life was used as nourishment for the Duchess’ spear.

Isn’t this too tragic?

Bloody tears flowed from his eyes that had already lost their light. Those tears were both a lamentation for himself, who didn’t use the Bell of Enlightenment even after obtaining it, and the sorrow of a vassal betrayed by his lord.

Right.

But there is something he can understand only after falling into this abyss like this.

The feelings of those he directly pushed into the abyss.

Who can I blame? I only received back exactly what I did.

A mongrel that can’t maintain the vampire bloodline.

Layton really thought of the deformed children born every time like that. Until his wife received his seed and gave birth to a deformity, he really thought that way.

Even while suppressing parents trying to protect their children with the power of domination and killing the children, he couldn’t feel the slightest guilt. It was only after hearing the story that Duchess Shmira killed his child that he could do so. Only now could he realize what sins he had committed.

His tears were also a manifestation of that guilt.

A sin that will never be washed away. That will never be pardoned.

What’s the use of realizing it now? He can’t even apologize anymore.

Even if he realizes something after dying, he’ll die without being able to change anything anyway.

There was nowhere to appeal to that helplessness.

Ironically, at times like these, Humans would often pray to whatever Deity their dying minds conjured.

A desperate human would even pray to the Evil God Omerta without hesitation.

But the same wouldn’t happen to a Vampire. The race was abandoned by the Divine.

God.

However, Layton couldn’t forget the image of the Angel of the Night in his final moments.

That...Magnificent being...That...Solemn existence...

In fact, Layton wasn’t even the person the Angel focused on, he didn’t even hear the being words, or receive a revelation...But his dying mind couldn’t help but think about what kind of God such a being served.

The God that Kyle worshipped.

Somehow, it seemed like that god would listen to his prayer.

At least, it seemed like he wouldn’t ignore him. It’s just a feeling.

No one knows whether the God of Hope will answer his prayer or not.

O, nameless god. I am Layton Valencia, the eldest son of the Valencia family.

That prayer, which he couldn’t even utter out loud, was naturally heard by no one.

However, he decided to believe that He would surely hear it. Count Layton put a sneer on his lips and continued his prayer. The target of that sneer was himself.

I received the title of Viscount from the Empire, but now I am just a sinner.

Squeak.

A small sound was heard from inside his chest.

But Layton didn’t heard it as he continued his final prayer. His cognitive state, having been drained of too much blood, was already abnormal.

It doesn’t matter what happens to me. It’s okay if this body is torn to shreds. Please, just give me one chance. One chance to ring this Bell Of Enlightenment.

What he wanted to obtain with the Bell was his own freedom, but now it’s different. Freedom was not something only he needed.

Duchess Shmira. A woman who thinks of her subordinates as mere consumables. That woman must no longer dominate the vampires.

He only realized this now, but that woman would destroy their entire race if it meant her own ascension. If only he could bring freedom to his kin, he didn’t care if he was thrown into eternal hell afterward.

Layton’s final wish was to free his race with the Bell of Enlightenment.

Even if I can’t do it, please do it yourself. Please grant us freedom. I will gladly accept that freedom even if it strangles my neck and drives me to death.

Was it because Layton’s prayer reached the heavens? Or was it because Duchess Shmira broke her promise?

Or was it because the glass bottle, which was damaged from the impact when he collapsed, finally shattered?

The reason is unknown, but the result was the same. The front of the Count’s chest became damp.

Pop!

Water leaked through the shattered gap. The holy water contained in the Baptizer’s Water Bottle flowed over Layton’s body.

Wherever it passed, the blood stopped, wounds were washed away, and life returned.

After a moment, his hand, which had been motionless, trembled. Vitality returned to his eyes, and his pierced abdomen healed as if nothing had happened. His left hand stroked his stomach, leaving no scars.

This, this is...

Count Layton, who came to his senses, hurriedly got up and rummaged through his chest with his hand. The moment he took out the cracked bottle with liquid leaking out, a shudder ran through his whole body and his head tingled.

Is this a coincidence? No, it can’t be.

Even someone as rational as him couldn’t help but believe it.

The moment he realized that God had blessed him, tremendous courage suddenly surged within him. At this moment, he didn’t fear the Duchess.

He had already died once. At most, he could only die a second time, right?

He came to his senses and rushed out of the hall. When a passing maid saw him and greeted him, Layton stopped her and asked,

“Is there anything you have to do right now?”

“Anything we have to do... No, not really.”

“The Queen or the Princess didn’t specifically instruct anything?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

For vampires, following orders from above is natural. The maid didn’t even ask why he was asking such a thing. If a higher-up orders, you just do it. That’s the life of a vampire.

“Then go around the castle now and tell everyone you meet to come to the basement. Have them spread the message to all the vampires lower than me. Make sure to add that it’s my order.”

That’s good in times like these. The maid left to carry out Layton’s order without the slightest doubt. She soon found other personnel and told them that Viscount Layton had summoned the workers, and they also joined the spreading wave.

One person calls two, two people call four, and at the end of that wave, almost everyone hears Layton’s order to gather.

This process was as natural as flowing water because all those higher than Layton were absent. Duchess Shmira, their queen in name and reality, had temporarily left the castle to flee from the Princess, and most of the other lords had been killed by the Herald.

The walking baby didn’t spare anyone. Anyone related to the culling, no matter who they were, couldn’t escape the Herald’s grasp.

“Is everyone gathered?”

Count Layton wasn’t surprised to see far more people gathered than he expected. After nearly dying and coming back to life, he became a fanatic believer who blindly believed in God’s will.

Even coincidences seemed like signs that God was aiding him. It even seemed natural that almost everyone in the castle had gathered according to Layton’s order.

“My Lord... May I ask why you called us? Is it related to the merchant group again this time?”

A vampire politely stepped forward and asked Layton. Their gazes toward the Viscount were warm because even though he killed deformed children according to Duchess Shmira’s will, they weren’t their own sons and daughters. In fact, Layton was very popular with a vast majority of Vampires.

Duchess Shmira is someone who can’t be satisfied unless everything goes according to her will. She has a habit of blaming her subordinates’ when something goes wrong.

She was always in the right, and if something went wrong? Well, then it must have been her subordinates’ fault!

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When this happened, the only Vampire who stood up to defend others was none other than him.

He sometimes disagreed with the lords’ opinions, but instead of clashing head-on, he only rebelled in small ways behind the scenes.

“Do you believe in me?”

“Of course. If it’s your word, My Lord, you wouldn’t lie to us.”

“Among the lords, who else is there that looks out for us as much as you, Viscount Layton?”

Of course, even taking this approach, Shmira was still irritated by him. Nevertheless, the reason he didn’t become a target until he was stabbed with a spear today was that he was the biggest source of money in the territory and operated a merchant group to earn money and luxury goods from outside.

Perfumes, bags, dresses, jewelry... He was a talented person who brought in things that the Duchy couldn’t supply on its own, so even though he was an eyesore, they left him alone.

But, after joining hands with Harmael, the 2nd-ranked Demon King, the Duchess was able to trade with Olloc, the demon merchant under Harmael’s command, so his value decreased, and that’s why he was stabbed with a spear.

It was because they overlooked the fact that Viscount Layton’s true value was in his abilities, not the merchant group.

They didn’t know how precious a subordinate who earns money is when everyone else only spends it.

At the very least, those who were working couldn’t possibly not know that it was Layton who managed the territory’s livelihood.  Naturally, they also had a good view of him.

Compared to other lords who abused the power of domination and treated them like slaves, this person was literally a gentleman.

Seeing their reaction, Layton nodded his head and took out a bell from his chest.

“What is that?”

A vampire who saw the bell tilted his head and opened his mouth.

Layton replied briefly.

“Freedom.”

A while later, the Bell of Enlightenment rang.

The sound wasn’t a loud one, honestly, even in this basement, one would have to strain their ears to hear it.

However, the moment the bell rang, everyone present felt a great vibration. It wasn’t something external, but an inner tremor.

Eight melodies that could not be described by anything swept over them all, creating gentle ripples. Like reeds swayed by the wind, something inside them tilted and made a sound.

A sound that would determine the fate of not just one person, but the entire race, played from within everyone and harmonized into music. The sweet music that no one had ever heard before played for about ten seconds and then disappeared.

“Oh...!”

One of the vampires, who had been dazed and intoxicated by the sound that seemed not of this world, realized something and shuddered.

The shudder soon began to spread, and exclamations burst out.

The great chains of existence that bound them. The innate class that could never be defied.

The power of domination no longer existed anywhere.

*****In this joyful atmosphere, no one noticed a small baby toddling his way towards Layton.

The baby, startled by the sound of the bell, stopped in its tracks. In the eyes of the being that had entered the ranks of gods, it saw things that the vampires, including Layton, could not see.

For a moment, the child stared blankly at Layton, then gave up on the thought of killing him and left.

The Herald was born unknown to anyone and left unknown to anyone.

Wherever it goes, death will bloom like flowers and welcome the advent of God, but at least the Vlad territory has escaped the Herald’s clutches.

As babies often do, it will reach out for something to eat when it’s hungry.

As babies grow up, it will soon start looking for toys to play with.

How far can this baby grow? That will depend on how powerful the dark parts of the human heart are.