It was just another ordinary day.
He woke up early in the morning, had breakfast with his beloved family, and headed to the elementary education facility built within the ‘Association Employees’ Residential Area.’
“Aaron, good morning~!”
“Oh! Aaron’s here? Have you heard the news? In this intersection of Mishang…”
“You’re early again. You’re such a diligent student.”
Aaron was quite the popular figure there.
Not just with the kids receiving education, but also with the teachers employed.
In fact, it was only natural.
This facility was entirely created and operated by the Hubert Foundation, and most of the parents of the kids attending worked for the Hubert Association.
‘And I’m the younger brother of the secretary who is the right-hand man of the association’s head.’
Though he was called a secretary, in reality, he was practically the second-in-command.
The head of the association trusted him and bestowed authority upon him.
A faint wry smile formed on his lips.
He felt a bit proud that he was receiving such treatment thanks to his amazing sister, but at the same time, the overwhelming pressure was no small matter.
Hadn’t he lived a life akin to the lower class until he came here?
‘Even now, I can’t quite believe it. That I’m living like this.’
The position of the Hubert Association in the upper world was irreplaceable.
It was growing to the point where it could be counted among the top in the entire continent, surpassing not just Tarak and nearby commercial areas but even the Tulke Kingdom.
Not only was their financial power tremendous, but they also wielded great political influence—no one would dare treat them lightly in the Aonia Count House, where Tarak was located, or in the Tulke royal family for that matter.
‘Though I’ve heard they’re rather pleased to have given me so many privileges instead.’
Based on that foundation, the Hubert Association started making significant investments in Tarak, establishing various facilities including the education center Aaron attended, leading to a more pleasant working environment for public institutions thanks to the foundation’s support.
As a result, the economy was becoming more and more lively, and the peace was stable enough for one to wander around even at midnight, meaning the entire city was receiving direct benefits from the Hubert Association.
Given those circumstances, it wasn’t strange for Aaron to receive such extravagant treatment.
There were even rumors that he might become the association head’s brother-in-law, making it all the more peculiar.
‘I don’t really feel it, though. If the other party is a guy, I’d totally be on board… I wonder what my sister would think?’
In truth, he already knew.
That ‘uncle’ who saved them was Hubert.
At first, he had been unable to imagine it, so he hadn’t realized it, but watching his sister, whom he had spent his whole life with, he couldn’t help but come to that conclusion.
He had to be perceptive to survive in extreme environments.
‘Well, it must be because of magic or something.’
Isn’t it said that one experiences all sorts of things in business?
It wouldn’t be strange for the owner of a mega-corporation like the Hubert Association to disguise his identity for safety.
“I’m back.”
“Oppaaah!”
“Ugh!”
As Aaron returned home with his friends after school, a small figure thudded into his stomach with all her might.
A lively girl who looked about six or seven years old.
His cousin, Rafi.
“I’m going to Grandma’s house, let’s go together!”
“…I need to do my homework first.”
“Quickly! Hurry! Grandma’s making meat cookies! She said to definitely bring you along because you look so weak and she’s worried!”
“No, I’m not that weak…”
But ultimately, with a sigh of resignation, he had no choice but to head outside again at his sister’s insistence.
He had been entrusted with taking care of Rafi while his uncle and aunt were working, and he simply couldn’t refuse such a request from the little girl.
“Hehe… You timed it perfectly! The cookies just came out of the oven, so sit there and wait.”
“Okay!”
“I’ll prepare the drinks.”
“Alright, then.”
The two headed to the house of the elderly shaman who lived next door.
Covered in tattoos, the grandmother may appear intimidating at first glance, but she had been a friendly neighbor since their family first moved to this city.
Rafi, who frequently visited, even regarded her as a real grandmother.
“Thanks for the meal.”
“Nom nom— Grandma, it’s delicious!”
“Hee hee… Child, I made plenty, so take some home with you.”
“Thank you!”
With a mouthful of cookies and mumbling, smiles appeared on the faces of the old woman and Aaron.
A serene everyday life.
Peaceful days.
While the outside world buzzed with talk of war against the Undead King and whatnot, Tarak… their neighborhood seemed to be untouched by such chaos, remaining exceptionally calm.
Even if a great war were to occur, this place would surely be safe.
With many people, including the uncle and his sister, protecting and nurturing this space, it would undoubtedly become an absolute fortress.
In such unfounded faith, a day like any other wound down.
And then—
Knock knock—
“Excuse me.”
A sudden knock was accompanied by an unfamiliar voice.
A soft tone not even masked by the polite speech.
Aaron, who happened to be at the entrance with Rafi, hurriedly opened the door.
“Who are you?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m looking for someone urgently.”
What appeared through the crack in the door was a young boy.
He looked to be about Aaron’s age, maybe even younger, standing at the door with a bright smile.
“…If you could tell me the name of the person you’re looking for, I think I could help.”
However, Aaron accidentally spoke formally.
It wasn’t intentional.
It was simply a response that came instinctively without him realizing it.
“Ah… I don’t know the name.”
With that, the boy’s slender eyes took in Aaron and Rafi.
His gaze slipped over them like a snake, chilling them to the bone.
Ssshhh—
And with it, chills ran down Aaron’s spine, heightening his sense of alarm.
His mouth went dry, and cold sweat began to trickle down.
Before long, Rafi, trembling, was hiding behind him. An unrecognizable fear and unease began to tighten around them.
“…Ugh, another failure. I’m definitely getting closer, but…”
The boy, standing in front of them, muttered with irritation, but Aaron couldn’t utter a single word.
He couldn’t open his mouth, even knowing that the emotions behind those words weren’t directed at him.
“Aaron? Rafi? Why are you still standing there…?”
Just then, the old woman emerged from the kitchen and approached them, having finished cleaning up.
Her gaze naturally shifted towards the boy in front of the door.
In that instant.
Whoosh—
A gust of wind swept through the room.
And before he knew it, Aaron’s body, which had been stiffened with fear, began to relax little by little.
“Uh?”
As he snapped back to reality, he found himself sitting against the wall, having unconsciously backed away, holding Rafi in his arms.
His gaze met the back of the grandmother, who stood in front of him.
“Hm? How did I know?”
Once again, the boy’s chilling voice echoed.
But the shaman grandmother didn’t respond.
She didn’t have the luxury to utter a single word at that moment.
“…Ah, who would have thought a great mage would be here? This is complicated. I don’t want to cause a commotion.”
The unidentified boy appeared to be in deep thought.
Wondering how to resolve the current situation.
Whatever decision he reached, it was clear that it would not bode well for others.
But just before that conclusion was made, the situation shifted again.
“Grandma! Did Aaron and Rafi come here? I’m sorry, they haven’t come back yet…?”
The moment he heard the familiar and beloved voice of his sister, Aaron felt a shift within him.
“…Found you.”
The boy’s lips split into an elongated grin.
His wide smile revealed sharp fangs.
The pair of beast-like eyes had begun to glisten with a crimson hue.
Upon facing them, Aaron’s mind momentarily went blank.
His vision swayed to and fro, and a ringing filled his ears.
Confronted with an overwhelming terror, buried deep within him, his trauma floated to the surface.
“Diana! Take Aaron and Rafi…!”
“Ha! I thought I would miss it…”
“Grandma…!”
A noisy sound echoed in his ears as Aaron felt someone moving his body, but exposed to the hostile magic, he couldn’t make a single rational thought.
Had the shaman grandmother not been prepared, it would have left a permanent scar on his psyche.
But, thanks to that, he began to regain his senses little by little and could recognize the situation in fragments.
“No!”
With a scream that resembled his sister’s, the grandmother, holding Rafi, collapsed, spitting blood.
Though he didn’t understand why it happened, he hurriedly ran and embraced both of them.
“Ugh! Annoying things, making a fuss. But with this…”
Suddenly, light spheres appeared from nowhere, shimmering with dazzling colors.
Beautiful, glimmering clusters of light.
Simultaneously, a warm aura spread out, making Aaron’s mind clearer.
“…A spirit? No, a High Elf? Why are you here…?”
A trace of confusion crept into the boy’s voice.
But that was just for a moment.
He soon regained his composure and started to pressure the suddenly intruding figure.
‘Sister…’
In a space where only dusk had settled, the boy, holding the old woman and girl, stared blankly at a distant place.
There lay his one and only sister, motionless, collapsed on the ground.
‘What do I… What should I do…!’
His mind felt frozen, sluggish.
Yet even in that state, he understood the current situation.
The woman who had suddenly intervened and was blocking the boy wouldn’t last long.
A sense of despair long thought forgotten began to rise.
At the same time, the faces of the most reliable beings in the world appeared before him.
The moments when despair had been his everyday life, the simple and earnest countenance of their first meeting.
The cold and charismatic demeanor that had appeared when Rafi and the grocery store were in crisis, solving all problems.
Finally, the considerate and intelligent way they had made efforts for their good settlement in this city.
Only those figures filled Aaron’s mind as he realized how shameless it felt after receiving help all this time.
Even as he bit his lips, unable to move his tongue, Aaron shouted within himself.
No matter how aware he was that this wouldn’t reach the other party.
‘Uncle—!’
However, at that moment.
A miracle no one could have anticipated occurred.
Shatter—!
As if to answer his call, the skies cracked open.
Boom—!
The world came crashing down.
And simultaneously, the dusk that had covered everything quickly vanished in the light of dawn.
“Uh…?”
Aaron looked up blankly.
The scene from that moment was deeply embedded in his mind.
An angel with wings of light fully spread descended to the ground.
*
In the center of the chaotic scene stood a boy in his early teens, Temiran McClair.
Seeing Diana unconscious behind him, Heinrich’s brow twitched.
‘Yeah, thinking about it now, there’s something that has been weighing on my mind.’
Up until now, he had naturally assumed it was Hela sensed by Saint Liesta.
The timing and place of the sightings aligned too perfectly to consider other possibilities.
‘But…’
At that time, when he didn’t know much about the Demon Realm, he just took it as a matter of course, but now he was sure.
Hela, who had only recently been born, was just a special high-ranking Demon, not a genuine Demon King.
Due to her innate lineage, she could have been born as a transcendental being immediately, but she lacked the necessary elements to be called a true Demon King.
Wasn’t it the case that she only drew the eye of the Demon God after crossing over to the Demon Realm?
Adding to it the changes that occurred after defeating the Duke of Beasts and absorbing the Abnormal only reinforced his thought.
“Ugh! Nothing ever goes smoothly. This dog-like situation can’t just be coincidence… This is why you need to choose the right connections from the start. Losing out in the power games of the higher-ups leads to this sloppy conduct.”
It became clearer as he observed the profane demeanor of the young boy.
Saint Liesta’s target had been Temiran from the very beginning.
Considering the exquisite timing, Hela’s emergence as a partial Demon King seemed to have stirred some events.
‘…Right, unlike me, who is merely a saint on the surface, Liesta is a true Saint. A messenger communicating the will of the Holy God. And we came to Tarak following her word.’
In other words, this whole situation was due to the guidance of the Holy God.
And reflecting on that led Heinrich to another guess.
Back then, Liesta had remarked that it felt ‘closer to demon followers than undead.’
Not demons, but demon followers.
If that was the case, Temiran was…
Sorting his thoughts quickly, Heinrich opened his mouth towards the boy with a stern face.
“Temiran McClair. Are you involved in what’s happening in the Demon Realm? Is it you who allowed the Duke of Demons to summon the monsters of the Abyss?”
“…Huh? How do you know that? How does the Holy Church Order know about the situation in the Demon Realm anyway?”
“The Holy God’s eyes are everywhere. That includes the Demon Realm.”
“You’re insane. Could your fanatics really be this capable?”
Temiran, who ruffled his hair in irritation, seemed to have no intention of hiding anything now.
Naturally, considering the timing of the Abyss monsters appearing in the Demon Realm, he likely realized denial was futile.
“Tch, I thought the so-called chosen of the Holy God were nothing but a bunch of pushovers getting pushed around by the Undead King. I didn’t expect the careful and meticulous senior to have a valid reason for failure.”
“You’re mistaken. We don’t just take it lying down. Thanks to that, humanity is gradually distancing itself from that threat even at this moment.”
“You’re quite confident, aren’t you?”
The senior he referred to was probably the revolutionary martyr from the previous apostles.
He had suspected to some extent after realizing that the revolutionary was involved in Temiran’s disappearance, but it seemed the revolutionary had wanted to prepare his successor before fully engaging.
‘For what reason he was chosen, I have no idea.’
It was unfortunate for the individual in question.
Due to some unfathomable quality, he had been kidnapped and turned into a vampire, spending over twenty years imprisoned and brainwashed.
“…Your Holy God seems quite diligent. If you are sealed in the Abyss as punishment, one would expect you to reflect and spend your time peacefully. Yet, during that time, you were extending your influence, causing the suffering of many.”
“Right? I think so too. If you’re going to do it, do it right? Why bother suffering needlessly and ending up like this? That person needs to step up before barking orders to others.”
Somehow, that answer felt out of tune.
Heinrich narrowed his eyes at him, but the boy’s face bore only irritation.
Of course, it was strange to be sane considering he had been kidnapped and brainwashed since childhood.
“Yield voluntarily. If you obediently disclose everything you know, I might spare your life. Your mother is still waiting for you.”
“…Hah, mother, huh…”
Heinrich drew out his brilliantly shining Light Sword as a warning.
Regardless of the circumstances, the opponent was a vampire.
No matter how much a chosen Apostle of the Holy God he might be, the matchup against a Saint wielding the Holy Sword was the worst possible scenario.
If he confronted directly, he would be reduced to ashes, and even an escape attempt would likely be futile since Heinrich possessed both ‘Great Blessing: Wings of Radiance’ and ‘Blessing: Leap.’
He was aware of that, which was why he had such strong airs of intimidation.
‘…After all, having a hostage is troublesome. I wish I had realized sooner.’
Heinrich wasn’t just talking nonsense.
He had been trying to find opportunities to make a move for a while but each time, the vampire had threatened the unconscious Diana from behind.
The moment he showed any sign of movement, the vampire would surely act immediately.
No matter how formidable he was, he couldn’t guarantee saving Diana while also taking down the vampire in this space.
‘That’s right, Heinrich…’
As a Saint wielding Holy Power, Heinrich was the natural enemy of vampires.
But in this world, there were also beings that were enemies of vampires in a different sense.
For example, the king of vampires awakening his divine portion through the sin of cannibalism.
