Luna sprinted. Her speed was far beyond that of a horse, and she could easily leap over buildings. As the immortal king, she had never unleashed her full power, and her physical abilities surprised even herself.
Her destination was Khan’s mansion.
The barrier was still intact, keeping people away.
The forbidden research materials in Khan’s room had already been confiscated. But Luna didn’t need them; she had confirmed the research’s contents with Luciana.
Instead, magical materials and catalysts were in Khan’s room, placed there not by Khan but by Luciana at Luna’s request.
Luna gathered these items and descended the stairs behind the remnants of the bookshelf. She hadn’t known about these stairs until just before the ritual when Khan was alive.
The basement remained unchanged since the battle with Rath and the others. Khan’s ashes were still there.
Necromancy’s core is communicating with the dead to see the future and the past. In other words, conversing with the dead.
Luna had mastered this magic, and as the immortal king, she now had the power to summon any spirit.
Naturally, the spirit she was about to summon was Khan’s.
Luna placed the items she brought around Khan’s ashes.
Then, she solemnly began to chant the spell.
Khan had surely gained various knowledge in preparation for becoming the immortal king.
Luna hoped that within that knowledge was a way to save herself.
As she finished the long chant woven in ancient words, the ritual reached completion.
With an enormous amount of magical power supporting the spell, it was far easier than Luna had imagined.
Smoke rose from Khan’s ashes, slowly forming a vague human shape.
“…Luna?”
The figure spoke to Luna in a cracked voice.
“Master.”
Luna gazed at the smoky figure with indescribable feelings.
However, no matter how much magical power Luna had, a spirit could not remain indefinitely. The remnants of the spirit forcibly gathered by magic could disappear at any moment.
“Master, is there a way for the immortal king to avoid drinking blood?”
“…The bloodlust… about an hour a day… if you endure it… the hunger won’t return until the next day.”
“Is there a way to endure it?”
“…Go where no one is… that will suffice.”
Luna felt dizzy. Khan’s spirit spoke simply, but he couldn’t possibly understand how excruciating that hunger was.
“Is there a way to overcome the thirst for blood itself?”
“…I don’t know.”
Luna’s shoulders slumped at Khan’s words. She had suspected there was no way, but hearing it explicitly denied still disheartened her.
“…Logan might… know…”
The name Logan rang a bell. Khan had mentioned him several times as his own master.
“Where is Logan?”
“…In the city of Asra… at the ruins of Banukht… he has… made his home… with a barrier… that keeps others away…”
Luna knew about Banukht, the city built by the Asra people.
It was unavoidable in the history of magic.
Although it was far from the kingdom of Rama, Luna had no choice but to go.
The smoky figure was beginning to collapse. The remnants of the spirit were about to dissipate.
“Master…”
“…Luna… I’m sorry…”
The smoke vanished. Luna felt something wet on her cheek.
///
continue
///
When Luna climbed the stairs and emerged in Khan’s room, Luciana was there.
“Is Rath okay?”
Luna asked.
“No problem. He’ll be out of action for a while due to anemia, but his life isn’t in danger,”
Luciana answered with a faint smile. After confirming Rath’s safety, she had come here. She had left Rath in Killian’s care.
“I’m going to Banukht. My master’s master, Logan, might know the answer.”
“Logan… the legendary grand magician? So, Khan studied under him. He might indeed know. But Banukht is quite far. What will you do about the bloodlust in the meantime?”
“Master said to go where no one is. He said it would subside in about an hour.”
Luna replied brightly as if it were nothing. But Luciana, who had observed Luna’s struggle with bloodlust, knew how severe it was.
“Would you like to drink my blood? If it makes things easier…”
“No, I promised Rath not to drink anyone else’s blood. He’d get jealous,”
Luna said with a smile.
Luciana thought it was a boast and felt a pang of sadness.
“I’ve prepared your things over there.”
Luciana pointed to some supplies. They included water and food, a considerable load.
Luna had promised Luciana she would never return to the kingdom of Rama. These were small preparations for that departure.
“Thank you, Luciana.”
“…I’m sorry, Luna.”
Luciana gently hugged Luna. To Luciana, Luna was a dear friend. But for Luciana, Rath was paramount, and she was prepared to sacrifice everything for his path to kingship.
Luna understood this. She hugged Luciana back gently, saying her farewell.
“Well, I’m off.”
Luna easily lifted the heavy load. As the immortal king, her strength was beyond human capability.
Then, Luna left Khan’s room.
Luciana watched her go with a lonely look.
Leaving Khan’s mansion, Luna immediately set out for Banukht. The load on her back was no burden and didn’t slow her speed.
Even so, Luna was anxious.
Banukht was months away by carriage. No matter how fast Luna was, it wasn’t a day’s journey.
This meant she would have to endure the bloodlust several times.
(I drank a lot of Rath’s blood, so I’ll be fine!)
Luna reassured herself.
She avoided people as much as possible, heading west toward Banukht.
Still, she was anxious, so she decided to sleep as far from human habitation as possible at night when the bloodlust might strike.
If she saw the lights of towns or villages, she feared she might be unable to resist the urge and head straight for them. Naturally, she limited her sleeping places to mountains and forests.
These were dark and lonely places where she felt on the verge of madness. As she hid alone in the darkness, she regretted leaving the palace.
However, the dreaded bloodlust didn’t come on the first and second nights.
It was likely because she had consumed a large amount of blood before leaving.
In the morning, Luna forgot her nighttime worries and set off running toward Banukht.
But on the third night, it struck.
She felt the bloodlust in the forest. An unbearable hunger. Her entire body felt parched, craving blood.
Drinking water and eating food did nothing to quell it.
Naturally, there was no one around, and even biting her own arm provided no relief.
In frustration, she punched a tree. The trunk cracked, and the towering tree slowly fell. Luna’s fist was unscathed.
Sensing something, the forest animals fled her presence.
(I must go on.)
Luna thought. Not to reach Banukht, but to find people.
She sprinted through the forest, faster than during the day. Though she wasn’t weakened by sunlight as an upper-class vampire, her power was stronger at night.
She broke out of the forest, found a road, and ran along it. Finally, she saw the faint lights of a distant town and bared her teeth. Her canines were more developed, forming fangs.
She unknowingly wore a ferocious smile.
And then—just as she was about to reach the town, the urge subsided.
An hour had passed. Luna collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
TLNOTE : While waiting, I implore you dear readers to read other masterpiece novels that also written by the same author :
- When the Monster Meat I Ate Led Me to the Throne (LN)
- Who killed the Hero?
- The Wicked Princess and 12 Eyes – The Strongest Squires and the Legendary Evil Woman, the Second Time in Her Life
- The Exiled Merchant Saves the World with the Power of Gold (translated by my friend meerkat)
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