Chapter 21: Remnant Voice

"And that's what happened."

"I see. Again, this case... This is annoying."

Camille took it upon herself to give Helene a careful account of what had happened. She knew exactly what to include and what to leave out. For example, she did not mention that Damien was on the verge of losing control after his transformation.

If that information came to light, the consequences would be devastating. Not only for Damien but even for Nephelia.

The Morigerants were an organization that sought peace between the common races, and they did not want the mysticism revealed to the world. Therefore, they ruthlessly eliminated vampires and any other troublesome race.

It was not uncommon for a vampire to venture into the human world in search of new blood to satisfy their appetite. Humans are nothing more than sheep to be sacrificed to the thirst of the Children of the Night. It was for this reason that vigilant groups so fervently hated and hunted vampires.

Nephelia had been at this headquarters for a year, and still, no one had discovered her true vampire nature

This, of course, was thanks solely to a special artifact. Such items allowed vampires to blend in unnoticed. One of their race's best-kept secrets, and one that only a few noble clans could be privy to.

Nephelia nodded slightly as she listened. She remained quietly seated on Damien's lap. From time to time, her icy gaze would glance at the Big-breasted Cow who dared to give her a piercing look for standing so close to Damien, before ignoring her again.

A cold smile curved her lips as she moved closer to her darling. The warmth of his body comforted her.

Meanwhile, Damien read a book. His eyes had returned to their blue color. During the trip to headquarters, Nephelia allowed him to drink her blood, and his bloodlust subsided.

However...

Undoubtedly, the lingering mass in his chest was of great concern to Damien. Far from diminishing, it seemed to be growing, now reaching the size of an adult's palm.

Having witnessed the transformation of that Ascendant, who had lost control and turned into an inhuman monster, Damien knew very well what it meant to have that pulpy purple growth.

It was the announcement of a possible loss of control!

If he didn't find a way to get rid of it, he would probably end up as an aberration covered in that slimy mass. Just the thought of his body covered in maggots, flesh writhing like tentacles, sent a chill of disgust down his spine!

When he asked about it, Nephelia said she would explain everything when they reached her mansion.

Damien looked up from the book he was reading and rested his eyes on Helene. "From your words, I gather that this case must have happened before. Is it about an expanding sect?"

"Indeed." She nodded.

Now that Damien had officially joined the Morigerants, Helene saw no objection to sharing the necessary information with him.

"It originates from a church that worships an evil god called Xe'arth. Though known to the rest of the world as an evil god, to his followers he is a savior. This is because the followers of this god always approach people who are on the verge of despair and share with these poor souls the notebook you may have already seen. And as you well know, in desperation we are capable of doing anything".

That is, once the steps written in the notebook had been completed, this evil god would grant his worshiper's wish. And since they had found a way out after reaching the bottom of their despair, they felt that they had gone from hell to heaven.

And out of gratitude, a blind faith was born. And so they would eventually become loyal followers of Xe'arth.

Damien's face darkened. He vividly remembered the scene of an hour ago. That man had sacrificed his own daughter to this god... But in the end, he had only turned into a monster.

"That reminds me..." He shook his head to dispel those thoughts and asked, "How did he turn into a monster? He went through the whole ritual—his wish wasn't granted, is it a scam?"

Helene shook her head. "Granting wishes is not that easy, even for gods. The wish granted by this god is usually a little wealth, as with any other god, and... immortality."

"Immortality? Is there such a thing?"

"Of course," Helene replied, rearranging some papers and curving her lips into a crooked, but to Damien strangely captivating smile. "The undead are a way to become immortal, so to speak. Until you don't kill them, that is. Even for a vampire, the life expectancy is thousands of years. And the more powerful, basically indefinite."

Vampires have such a long lifespan? Damien swallowed saliva. Immortality... it was both a fascinating and terrifying concept.

Immortals would see life flash before their eyes again and again while everything else faded away. The lives of their lovers, their parents, their friends... an entire era... .... All would vanish, leaving the immortal in the solitude of an endless existence.

An existence without limits would inevitably be tantamount to a life of eternal loneliness.

Unless... there was another immortal who offered to share it. Only then would infinite longevity cease to be a curse and become the greatest blessing.

A companion, a family that would last for thousands and thousands of years. ....

'I am a vampire; as long as I am not killed, my life can be considered unlimited...'

Damien unconsciously tightened his grip around Nephelia's slender waist and lowered his gaze. She had sleepy eyes and rubbed her face against his chest like a kitten seeking caresses.

'Nephelia may join me in this eternity... but what about Sophie?' He shook his head, smiled, and pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. 'Well, there will be time to think about that later.'

Helene took a pen and clarified as she wrote, "Of course. These followers of Xe'arth are not undead, but they are not zombies either. It would be more accurate to say that they are Ghouls. They are not in a state of decay like zombies; they retain quasi-human appearance and cunning, though they feed primarily on human flesh."

"I see," Damien nodded, secretly thinking that all sorts of creatures from some anime seemed to exist in this world.

"But that man didn't turn into a Ghoul." Helene continued with a grimace. "Rather, he simply lost control. He probably didn't assimilate his Pathway Pill properly and allowed himself to be driven into madness by the 'Remnant Voice'."

"Remnant Voice?" This word piqued Damien's interest. He remembered that he, too, had heard whispers. If it hadn't been for Nephelia, he probably would have lost control.

"That's right," Helene said, setting aside one sheet and taking another to write. "You should know that strange ingredients are used in Pathway Pills: parts of monsters, magical plants, and so on. Because of this, a part of the essence, the soul of some monster, still remains in the pill. After ingesting it, the Ascendant may begin to hear the vengeful whispers of those monsters. And succumbing to them will cause you to lose control."

Pondering Helene's words, Damien absently stroked Nephelia's head, who responded with an adorable yawn. 'Mm... Nephelia mentioned something earlier, what was it? Ah!'

"Nephelia mentioned earlier that it wasn't just the usual loss of control." As Damien spoke his thoughts aloud, he motioned to Camille.

The maid nodded stoically and walked over to Helene, showing her on the phone a photo taken before they came here. Damien continued, "According to Nephelia, the characteristic of this transformation is not something a Rank 1 should possess. Could it be that something in the ritual affected him? Or was it due to some outside intervention?"

Helene took her eyes off the papers for a moment to look at the picture on the phone. For a few moments, a thick silence hung over the group.