Chapter 8 : Second Night: Staying Here

The First Cathedral

Underground Containment

Piercing wails and monstrous roars echoed from the shadowy depths below.

The golden holy flame on the torch in the girl’s hand flickered uneasily, as if sensing something unsettling.

Her left hand lightly brushed the silver dagger at her waist, feeling the blessed weapon in her palm, which brought her a measure of reassurance.

Steeling herself, she squared her shoulders and strode resolutely toward the suffocating darkness ahead.

Each containment cell along the corridor bore a blurred number plate.

In a fleeting moment, those numbers seemed to come alive, dancing and beckoning to the girl.

But the girl, who seemed to blend into the darkness itself, paid no heed to the illusions tugging at her mind.

Her black nun’s robe, slightly oversized on her small frame, did not hinder her movements in the slightest.

Her ink-black hair, tucked beneath a headscarf symbolizing humility and purity, was tied into a simple braid that rested on her shoulder.

The emblem of the Church of the Creator God was prominently displayed on her headscarf: four spikes encircling a central circle, forming an odd cross.

Only the eastern spike gleamed gold, while the others were ashen gray.

This marked her as a cleric of the Eastern Church.

Selunia’s expression remained calm, ignoring the contained entities trying to lure her.

These objects, eternally imprisoned by sacred runes, were beneath her concern.

A faint scarlet glint occasionally flashed in her gray eyes, and her barely concealed fangs peeked through the seam of her lips.

Her inhuman traits became more pronounced the deeper she ventured.

Though she typically despised her other half, she had to admit in moments like these that her vampiric bloodline was… exceptionally useful in this world filled with anomalies.

The blood of the Lord of the Night silenced the lesser anomalies locked in their cages.

Once they sensed her identity, the contained entities dared not peer into the corridor.

They were afraid—terrified of the source her bloodline pointed to.

But as Selunia pressed deeper, her expression began to falter.

She had been assigned an extraordinarily difficult task today: to retrieve the vampire held in Containment Zero, deep within the facility.

Due to special circumstances, the Saintess, far away at the world’s edge, needed to meet this vampire.

Selunia was to escort the vampire to a special ritual site to face the Saintess’s distant projection.

But the thought of that wretched vampire brought a sharp pang to her stomach, still sore from the kick she’d received that night.

The memory of her effortless defeat filled the devout young nun with bitter resentment.

If she had her way, she’d never see that monster again.

The chaos outside might very well be part of that creature’s schemes.

But she had no choice—she had to complete this task.

Her mistake in targeting the wrong person had turned public opinion against the monastery.

If not for the Cardinal’s intervention, the Church’s deacons would surely have punished her team.

Yet this only deepened Selunia’s guilt.

Because of her error, more innocent lives would be lost to that vampire.

But why?

The vampire’s aura matched the one left at the crime scene perfectly.

This vampire was undeniably of pure vampiric blood.

It was highly likely an accomplice to the murderous vampire… so why was the public blaming the Church?

The tide of public opinion was baffling.

The masses demanded the release of this dangerous vampire, and the Upper House insisted on transferring it to their custody for interrogation.

It was madness—did they not realize this vampire could obliterate the Tribunal’s most elite squad in an instant?

Selunia couldn’t comprehend it.

Her simple mind couldn’t unravel the motives or conspiracies behind the outside world’s actions.

All she felt was grievance and sorrow.

And yet, that wasn’t even the worst of her troubles…

They had no way of releasing this vampire or handing her over to other factions.

Ever since they captured her from the hospital blood bank, this vampire had clung to the monastery like sticky candy, refusing to leave.

Originally, the nuns had hoped to pry open her mouth and extract the whereabouts of the murderous vampire.

But no matter how they interrogated her, it was futile.

The usual methods for dealing with vampires—crosses, silver, garlic, holy water, charms, sunlight—had no effect on her.

Interrogation was out of the question.

This wretched vampire only paid attention to the prettier nuns.

Clearly, she was a lecher!

Even more absurdly, this vampire could effortlessly break free from Containment Zero’s restraints and wander outside to bask in the sun.

She didn’t resist when they brought her back—she’d just casually stroll out whenever she felt like it.

It was as if she treated the monastery like a free inn.

They couldn’t drive her out, nor could they overpower her.

They could only watch helplessly as she repeatedly “escaped,” wreaking havoc on the monastery’s students.

Yes, this beast frequently seduced the students.

The last time an enforcer nun caught her wandering outside, she was rolling in the bushes with a female student, pressed close together.

She claimed she was “hungry” and needed some “nourishment.”

If the nun hadn’t seen that both she and the student were unclothed, she might have believed it.

After all, vampires do need blood… heh.

The Church’s higher-ups, aware of these incidents, were nearly driven to madness.

Such scandals in the pure monastery—if word got out, the social repercussions would be catastrophic.

So, the Church had remained silent in the face of external criticism.

They sealed the academy gates, forbade students from leaving, and quietly vented their frustrations on the city’s other factions.

They tried every method to expel this vampire.

But no one could handle her.

Even if they threw her out the gates, she’d slip back in no time.

Her exact words were: “I’m not some casual woman. Since the Church captured me, they have to take responsibility for me forever!”

“They have to keep me for life!!”

Thinking of the events of recent days, Selunia’s eye twitched, and her lips spasmed.

Soon, Containment Zero, located in the deepest part of the underground, appeared before her.

It was a cell forged from mithril, sealed with sacred runes.

Normally, no matter how terrifying the entity, once locked inside, they’d never see daylight again without the Church lifting the seal.

But…

Selunia took a deep breath, raised her holy flame torch as a key, and dispelled the sacred runes sealing Containment Zero.

Creak—

The sacred runes glowed for a moment before fading, and the heavy mithril door slowly opened, emitting a grating metallic screech.

The magical fluctuations from the dispelling runes stirred the air in the windless depths, lifting the hem of Selunia’s oversized nun’s robe.

Her pale calf briefly peeked out from under the skirt before retracting like a shy mimosa.

From the dim cell came the strange cries of the vampire princess.

“Mmph! Mmph—!”

What the—?!

Seeing who had opened the door, Lilith was stunned, thinking, Why is it this little one today?!

Selunia, expressionless, smoothed her robe, ruffled by the magical surge, and stepped inside.

She didn’t immediately look at the creature making odd noises but casually inserted the holy flame torch into a wall sconce.

The faint golden glow illuminated the entire cell.

It revealed a petite figure, bound tightly and suspended from the ceiling beam.

Silver hair, like moonlight, swayed with the ropes.

The small girl, unclothed, was bound with red ropes soaked in holy water, her snow-white skin faintly pink where the ropes dug in.

Her hands and feet were tied behind her in a humiliating pose, her body hanging from the beam, displaying her delicate curves.

The red ropes segmented her pale skin, leaving critical areas exposed.

Her body was completely unguarded, open to anyone entering the cell.

She looked like a vulnerable plaything, the kind abused at depraved noble parties.

But Selunia felt no pity.

Because she had tied herself up like this!

With a cold smirk, Selunia freed a hand and grabbed a whip from the nearby rack of torture tools.

So, people really do laugh when they’re speechless!

Crack!

The whip’s whistle as it cut through the air and struck the stone floor echoed through the empty underground containment.