The First Vampire

The night was pitch black, but the Holy Light Cathedral was as bright as day.

The holy beam of light descending from the heavens forever banished the darkness from taking its place.

Yet, in such a solemn and sacred place, the atmosphere tonight was not solemn.

“We must retaliate! Otherwise, where will the church’s dignity and prestige be?”

“Exactly! We must let those damned nobles know, their authority comes from the Supreme Lord!”

“Indeed, if we do nothing, wouldn’t that be admitting that the Emperor of the Empire doesn’t need the coronation of the Church? That Monarchy trumps Theocracy?”

…

Pope Mensai stood expressionless before the statue of the Lord of Glory, listening to the vehement accusations of the high-ranking church officials around him, showing no reaction.

Upon closer inspection, one would find that the Pope’s eyes had lost their focus, presumably lost in thought somewhere.

Not receiving a response from the Pope for a while, Cardinal Kendall finally couldn’t help but call out.

Mensai finally came back to his senses, cleared his throat lightly, and casually asked:

“What’s the matter?”

Kendall replied, frustrated:

“Your Holiness, are you really prepared to do nothing? Are we just going to let Colin St. Chapman do as he pleases?

His hostility and threat to the Church are unprecedented. We must retaliate!”

“How can we retaliate?” Mensai asked, his face expressionless.

“Of course, with drastic measures!” Kendall said through gritted teeth, “Just as we dealt with the Chapman Family three hundred years ago!”

“Three hundred years ago?” Mensai twitched the corner of his mouth, pulling out a grim smile, “Do you think it’s still three hundred years ago? Or do you think the Duke St. Chapman from three hundred years ago is comparable to the current Duke St. Chapman?

The Duke St. Chapman of that time was not a Holy Knight, nor did he have the prestige of commanding the battle of Luwal Valley, let alone control of the Empire’s most elite army!

You tell me, facing Colin St. Chapman, even if we send out the Temple Knight Regiment, could we really kill him?”

Yet Kendall did not back down, replying coldly:

“Your Holiness, are we truly incapable of dealing with Colin St. Chapman? Let us not forget the Golden Horn!”

At the mention of the Golden Horn, Mensai’s eyes flashed, and his complexion instantly darkened:

“Golden Horn? Are you certain it would be of use?”

“Your Holiness, have you lost faith in our Lord?” Kendall applied sharp pressure with his gaze, asking a question that left Mensai speechless.

Mensai stared at Kendall, murderous intent chilling his heart.

“The matter is too significant, it calls for a great deal of deliberation! Moreover, the Orcs are still lingering in the Westland, it’s certainly not a good time to instigate infighting.”

With that said, Mensai turned and walked out, not giving Kendall any more chances to protest.

His retreating figure, however, fell upon the eyes of the high-ranking Church officials, immediately sparking a round of discussion.

Kendall observed this scene, a triumphant smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

Exiting the Prayer Hall, Mensai ascended the spiral staircase all the way to the Pope’s private room at the top of the tower.

Upon entering the room and closing the door, the facade that Mensai had barely been maintaining crumbled spectacularly, and a torrent of curses spilled out of his mouth.

After venting for a while, Mensai finally regained his composure.

He casually took off his golden priest’s robe, and threw his tired body onto the soft leather sofa.

“Your Holiness Mensai.”

The sudden voice in the room startled Mensai.

He sprang up from the sofa, and turning around he saw that there was suddenly someone seated at the round table.

“Who are you? When did you come in?”

Mensai’s tone was somewhat shaky, after all, in the heavily guarded Holy Light Cathedral, no ordinary person could come and go freely, unless…

It was a Holy Field!

Mensai almost thought that Colin St. Chapman had come to assassinate him.

But when he got a clear view of the person’s face, it wasn’t him.

Moreover, he found the person’s face somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before…

“Your Holiness Mensai, do you really not remember me?”

“You…” Mensai stared at his face, a name flashing across his mind, “Are you… Kurd? No, impossible!”

“Yes! It’s me, glad to see you remember!” Mage Kurd laughed heartily, standing and approaching Mensai, spreading his arms as if he wanted to embrace an old friend.

But Mensai recoiled as if he had seen a ghost. While shaking his head and repeating “Impossible… Impossible…” he retreated.

Mage Kurd was unsatisfied with Mensai’s reaction, sighed and said:

“Mensai, don’t you understand? In the hands of a powerful mage, what is impossible? If my student can kill and take over a Holy Knight, why can’t I rejuvenate?”

“Rejuvenate?” The tone of Mensai’s voice finally had some changes.

“That’s right.” Kurd poured himself a glass of water, drinking as he spoke, “The world is becoming more and more boring, and I miss my old friends more and more. Mensai, would you like to join us?”

“Join you?”

“Yes. I have mastered the secret of rejuvenation, and I want to find some old friends to share it with. There are already quite a few old friends in the Eastland who have chosen to join, so, Mensai, would you like to join?”

“The troubles in the Eastland were created by you?”

“Indeed. How can the Duke of Eastland let a wet-behind-the-ears brat take the role? This world still needs us mature and wise old fellows. Plus, I heard you’ve encountered quite a bit of trouble recently… ”

Mensai felt his heart pounding, but he still forced himself to calm down, asking solemnly:

“Kurd, what is your purpose in doing this?”

“My purpose… Hehe, don’t you know?”

Mensai clenched his fists and muttered through gritted teeth:

“I will never cooperate with a blasphemer like you… ”

“Blasphemer?” Kurd scoffed, “As a Pope, aren’t you clear on what a deity really is? Why do you continue to deceive yourself?

Of course, if you remain stubborn, unwilling to accept my help, then I shall seek someone else.

For example, Cardinal Kendall there, I’m sure he will be more than willing to cooperate with me… ”

“How did you achieve rejuvenation? Was it through sacrifice again?” asked Mensai, his tone already showing signs of waver.

“Of course not.” Kurd shook his head, “All it requires is a strong heart and some simple arcane materials.”

“A strong heart?”

“Alright. The specifics of the secret you won’t understand even if I explained. But with me, a living example, standing right in front of you, what else do you have to question?

If you cooperate with me, not only can I rejuvenate you, but I can also help you deal with your biggest enemy!”

Mensai lowered his head in silence, clearly undergoing immense internal struggle.

Mage Kurd waited for a while, seemingly losing patience, and turned to leave, saying:

“Since you still need time to consider, I’ll leave first… ”

“Wait!”

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