# Chapter 118
—
Arthur tilted his head.
*“I was struck by a curse, yet nothing happened?”*
Wasn’t the Monkey’s curse the very one that even Tacen had struggled to endure?
That was why Arthur found it strange.
At that moment, a sudden burst of light erupted from his chest.
**Wooong—!**
Startled, Arthur slipped a hand into his chest.
His fingers brushed against something—
the black card that Whitebeard had once handed him.
“Oh…?”
From the black card, a radiant light was spilling out.
Watching that sight for a moment, Arthur muttered,
*“Don’t tell me… this card blocked the curse?”*
Unbelievable, but the situation pointed that way.
The curse the Monkey had hurled at him had definitely struck his heart.
But before it could dig in deeper, the black card had intercepted it.
It made no sense logically, yet Arthur accepted it, the corners of his lips curving up.
*“Well, if it’s Whitebeard’s card, that makes sense.”*
The Monkey might have been a formidable black mage who had trained for 80 years,
but Whitebeard was one who had trained for a thousand.
And given that a mage’s strength scaled with the time they trained,
the gap between them was immeasurable.
*“If it’s Whitebeard’s card, then it could very well block the Monkey’s curse once.”*
Arthur’s guess was dead on.
**Paaat—!**
The black card that had been glowing burned away to nothing.
At the same time, dark smoke burst forth and scattered in the air.
Arthur, watching, let out an exclamation.
“Unbelievable… the card really did absorb the curse.”
Scratching his head, Arthur let out a small sigh.
*“Tsk… I always end up getting help from Whitebeard at times like this.”*
But then he shrugged.
Whitebeard hadn’t been giving out favors with pure intentions anyway.
*“He’ll come to collect the price one day. I’ll just have to settle it all at once then.”*
With that thought, Arthur turned his gaze.
The Monkey was blinking in disbelief, muttering.
“W-what? How are you fine? You should’ve collapsed… how…?”
To those words, Arthur swung his blade.
A nearby Dormund knight, who had been barely catching his breath, fell to that strike.
“Urk!”
With a short death cry, the knight crumpled to the ground.
Leaving the body behind, Arthur strode forward.
The Monkey, dumbfounded, flinched.
“Y-you’re really fine?”
Instead of answering, Arthur pulled the trigger of his Beast.
**Bang—!**
With a burst of fire from the muzzle, the Monkey rolled desperately across the floor.
The bullet barely missed, shattering the spot he’d been standing on moments before.
“…Shit! What the hell is he!?”
Cursing harshly, the Monkey gritted his teeth.
The leisure he had held earlier was gone.
His twisted brows furrowed further as he planted his staff on the ground.
*“Damn it! He’s not someone I can handle!”*
Given the situation, escape was the only option.
As he made that decision and prepared a teleportation spell—
Arthur appeared before him through a spatial leap, smiling brightly.
“Where are you off to?”
“……!”
The Monkey’s eyes widened in horror.
At the same moment, Arthur’s sword slammed down, colliding with his barrier.
**Crackle—!**
Sparks burst where sword energy and barrier clashed.
But sparks were all—his barrier couldn’t withstand Arthur’s sword.
With a crack, the barrier shattered, and one of the Monkey’s arms was severed.
“Kkkiiiieeeek!!”
A grotesque scream tore from his throat.
Arthur raised his sword to finish him—
—but suddenly, the Monkey’s spell completed.
**Flaash—!**
With the casting of teleportation magic, the Monkey vanished.
**Craack!**
Arthur’s magic sword cleaved only into the empty floor.
Eyes narrowing, Arthur muttered,
“Teleportation even now… as expected of the Monkey.”
Slippery, always finding a way to escape—it suited his nickname perfectly.
At that moment, Leon rushed over, clutching his head.
“Damn it… even in that state, he could still use magic. We’ve been completely played.”
Arthur shot him a glare.
“Leon.”
“Huh?”
“Why is it you never do anything properly?”
“……?”
Leon looked dumbfounded at the rebuke.
“W-what? What did I do wrong this time!?”
“Remember? I was to handle the knight, and the Monkey was your responsibility.”
Arthur’s words struck home. Leon closed his mouth before excuses could come out.
“……”
After a pause, shuffling awkwardly under Arthur’s gaze, Leon finally muttered an apology.
“…Sorry. I really did try, but his magic was faster.”
Arthur didn’t scold him further.
Instead, he gave a new order.
“I’m heading off to kill Ian, so you take care of the Monkey.”
“…Hmph. Fair enough. I’ll finish the Monkey this time.”
“You can do it properly this time, right?”
“Even if I can’t, I must. Since you need to stop Ian, I’ll finish the Monkey no matter what.”
Hearing this, Arthur thought for a moment, then fumbled at his waist.
Leon’s eyes widened when he saw what appeared.
“…A staff? Where did you get that?”
Shrugging, Arthur replied,
“I took it from a mage I killed recently. I’ll lend it to you, so make sure you kill the Monkey this time. Got it?”
Arthur gestured threateningly with the Beast.
Leon swallowed dryly and nodded.
“…I’ll kill him for sure. But—you said you took this staff from a mage?”
“Yes. It’s imbued with a high-grade Fire Spirit.”
“…A high-grade Fire Spirit? A-are you serious!?”
“Yes. It’ll help you kill the Monkey.”
Leon’s jaw dropped.
*“This staff really has a high-grade Fire Spirit…?”*
If true, it was a priceless artifact worth thousands of gold.
No—an item like this couldn’t even be bought with money.
*“Just who did he kill to get something like this…?”*
Leon pondered briefly, then shook his head.
Now wasn’t the time to wonder about the staff’s origin.
The escaped Monkey was the more urgent matter.
Though injured, a black mage of that caliber could cause anything to happen if left alive.
With that in mind, Leon accepted the staff.
“I’ll make good use of it, Arthur. I’ll definitely kill the Monkey.”
“Don’t mess up this time, Leon.”
Leon nodded, then halted briefly as he turned away.
*“I wanted so badly to see Arthur Bayern kill Ian Dormund with my own eyes… but it seems I can’t.”*
Letting out a deep sigh, Leon thought,
*“It’s my mistake this time, so I can’t complain… I’ll have to settle for the Monkey.”*
He was disappointed not to witness Ian’s death, but the Monkey was still a decent prize.
Decision made, Leon turned his body.
“Well then… I should be off.”
It was time to hunt the vile beast.
—
—
After the raid on the cultists’ city, Ian hadn’t lingered at the rear—he moved immediately.
*“The Holy Grail of Blood… who knows what will happen if it falls into the hands of vampires.”*
There were countless legends tied to the Grail:
that the right master could gain eternal life,
that one could wield spells rivaling those of dragons.
Tales so absurd they were dismissed as mere myths.
But Ian knew.
Sometimes, legends turned out to be true.
That was why he left the Monkey and the knights behind to deal with the rest,
and personally went to recover the Grail.
Finding its location wasn’t difficult.
*“The Blood Grail is the vampires’ sacred relic… they would hide it in the grandest and most splendid place.”*
Ian headed straight for the largest temple in the grotesque city.
**Creeeak…**
As he arrived, the great doors before him swung open as though waiting.
Ian muttered unconsciously,
“…So, you’ve been expecting me?”
Smirking, he strode in without hesitation.
**Thud. Thud. Thud.**
What greeted him was a straight corridor.
The sound of Ian and his ten knights’ boots echoed along it.
No need to worry about directions—
their footsteps fell in steady rhythm.
Yet the damp darkness clinging to the passage made it impossible to see far ahead.
Still, for Ian and the knights, who had surpassed human limits, this was no issue.
After some time,
that darkness grew sticky, and strange laughter echoed occasionally in their ears.
Amidst that disturbance, Ian stopped.
“…Another gate?”
Stroking his chin briefly, he drew his sword.
**Shing—**
A royal blade once looted by Dormund.
A sword said to be sword energy itself—its gleam shone in the dark.
Ian tightened his stance and swung mightily.
**Craash—!**
Darkness split apart, the gate cleaved in two.
With a shake of his blade, Ian stepped past the broken halves.
His lips curled.
“…There it is.”
On a small altar, glittering—the reason he had come this far north.
The Holy Grail of Blood, treasure of the vampires.
As he approached, the air filled with the stench of blood.
“……!”
Ian recoiled instinctively,
his ten knights forming a protective circle around him.
Narrowing his eyes, Ian muttered,
“A lake? But… of blood?”
At his words, from the lake of blood behind the Grail, a figure rose.
A naked woman.
“……”
Ian froze for a moment, lips sealed.
Then the woman emerging from the blood clapped her hands.
**Clap—!**
At once, a refined black habit clothed her bare body.
Watching this, Ian broke the silence with a question.
“…You must be the vampire princess.”
At his words, Yenika Hazel opened her eyes.
The knights at Ian’s side swallowed dryly without meaning to.
*“Beautiful…”*
Even against an enemy, they couldn’t help but think it.
Her flawless skin, her gray-tinged hair, her straight nose, lips like cherries—
If a goddess existed, surely she was before them now.
Then Yenika Hazel slowly spoke in answer.
“Yes, I am. Prince of Dormund.”
Ian’s brow twitched.
“You know me?”
“How could I not recognize the thief who stole my clan’s relic?”
Her words made Ian laugh faintly.
“How amusing. The thief calls the rightful owner a thief.”
“Lack of conscience is the hallmark of Dormund.”
“…And you dare speak such words before the Dormund bloodline?”
“Why not?”
Smiling, Yenika continued.
“After all, I’ll kill you now and avenge my clan.”
At her words, the blood lake roiled violently.
**Rumble—!**
The already overwhelming stench of blood thickened until it burned their nostrils.
The Dormunt knights shuddered at the ominous sight.
Ian muttered,
*“Magic? …No, this is bloodline.”*
If such a phenomenon arose without a hint of mana, then bloodline was the only explanation.
As his expression hardened, the lake overflowed.
**Crash—!**
The surge of blood twisted into spears.
“…!”
Startled, the knights unleashed their sword auras.
Ian too readied his sword against Yenika Hazel’s assault.
Just as their clash was about to begin—
A gunshot rang out.
**Bang—!**
At once, the blood spears aimed at Ian shattered.
Yenika’s eyes widened, Ian’s too.
A man spun midair, landing lightly—
his gun and sword both aimed at Yenika and Ian.
“Now, now. Cutting in line isn’t polite.”
“……?”
“There’s an order to these things. Both of you, step back.”
Yenika’s eyes narrowed.
“…Young master?”
“Long time no see, Yenika.”
With a brief greeting, Arthur turned.
There stood Ian and his ten tense knights, astonished.
Arthur smiled.
“Finally, we meet. I’ve wanted this for so long.”
Ian, snapping out of his daze, demanded,
“…And who are you?”
“Hm? Don’t you recognize me, Ian?”
At that, Ian’s brows drew together slightly.
“…Black Cross?”
“Black Cross? No.”
“A mercenary chasing the Black Cross, then?”
“A mercenary, yes—but not that either.”
“…Then who are you?”
Arthur laughed.
“Haha…”
“…?”
The strange laughter deepened Ian’s frown.
*“What’s with this guy…?”*
Unable to contain himself, Arthur shook his head, laughing harder.
“Haa… I can’t stand it. I’m just so happy, I could go insane.”
Then he dispelled the artifact’s effect.
His blurred features cleared—
his true face emerging from the shadows.
Ian’s eyes widened.
“…Arthur Bayern?”
“Yes, that’s right. Arthur Bayern, Ian. Finally, you recognize me.”
Ian faltered.
“You… how are you here…?”
“Why else? Isn’t it obvious?”
Arthur raised his magic sword, aiming it at Ian.
“Of course I came to see you. To see you—and kill you, even beyond death.”
Ian’s lips pressed shut.
*“What nonsense…?”*
Came all this way just to see him?
Surpassed death? What was he talking about?
His expression twisted at the incomprehensible words.
Arthur let out a moan-like sigh.
“Ah…”
His vision spun.
The world warped and blurred.
And in that chaos, Arthur realized.
His long-suppressed madness had finally erupted.
But he didn’t resist.
*“Why would I, when it’s in front of Ian?”*
If it had been in front of anyone else, he might have fought to hold it down.
But before Ian—it didn’t matter.
For Ian was the one who had driven him insane.
Arthur lifted his sword, his voice ringing out.
“This time, I’ll kill you, Ian.”
At last, patience had ended.
It was time for vengeance.
—
