Chapter 9: 1.8

Michael didn't understand the thought process of the Vampire Duke in front of him. He was obviously his enemy. The Duke should've just killed him here if he wanted to, or he could just leave him alone in this forest. Without his holy book, Michael wouldn't be able to do a thing.

Yet, the Duke returned with his holy book and even urged him to treat his sprained ankle.

Truly, Michael couldn't understand the Duke.

Michael took the chance and opened one page of his holy book, he chanted something and a warm light came from his hand. He put his hand on his sprained ankle, slowly, the ankle was covered in warm glow.

"How long will it take for your ankle to return normal?" Yunyu asked impatiently. He just wanted to make sure that Michael was safe before he ran away from the mansion temporarily. He didn't want to be a skewered vampire in the kingdom.

"It still needs at least three hours before healing completely," Michael said.

Yunyu sighed. He turned his back and crouched in front of Michael, "Hop on."

"What are you going to do?" Michael asked vigilantly.

"I still need to escort you back to safety. This forest is very dark at night, you'll die here without me. Now hop on my back and we'll return."

Michael gritted his teeth. But it was true, he didn't know how to get back to the main road, and his ankle was still recovering. Michael swallowed his pride and hopped on the Duke's back.

The Duke carried him and they walked slowly through the forest. The forest was dark and scary, but Michael was focused on the Duke who carried him now.

The Duke had a thin figure, but he was surprisingly strong. Michael still had prejudice in his heart, but he couldn't help to ask, "What is your intention? You can just kill me in the forest, or you can let me die, mauled by that wolf."

"I can't," Yunyu replied, "I will not leave someone who needs my aid."

"… what if that person doesn't like you at all? In fact, that person hates you and wants to kill you," Michael asked again.

"I will still help him," Yunyu replied with certainty in his tone. "If he wants to kill me after I helped him, then at least I died a good person. I died after I saved someone."

"That's stupid," Michael gritted his teeth. Again, he had this guilt in his heart after the Duke answered him. He was determined to kill the Vampire Duke, he had his holy book now, he could just chant one page and burn the Duke who was still carrying him.

But he didn't want to have guilt in his heart after he did it. Thus he asked again, "If I kill you here, wouldn't you be angry?"

"Of course, I would," Yunyu replied, "But I'd be more than afraid, rather than angry."

"Afraid of what? You're afraid of hell?"

"I'm faithless, I don't believe in your preach," Yunyu snorted, "I'm not afraid of death, nor afraid of hell. But I'm afraid that no one would feed the abandoned in the slum. No one would help that old lady to feed her grandchildren, no one would feed the poor kids, and no one would donate enough in the orphanage. The orphanage has a lot of new kids inside that needs to be cared of, because…"

Michael saw the trace of deep grief in the Duke's eyes, "Because what the grand church ordered, the grand church had killed three hundred people, and left their children dying on the street. The orphanage took all of them, and they need a huge amount of monthly spending to feed all of them. If I die… they will be starved to death…"

Michael was silent.

This person who carried him now, was a powerful Vampire Duke that could kill anyone easily. He was also resistant to the holy aura of the Saintess. However, the same Vampire Duke was the one who took care of many poor people. He sheltered them and fed them.

It was Michael, it was himself who ordered the massacre of three hundred non-believers. He never thought about the children of those non-believers.

Turned out, the Duke had sheltered all of them.

Michael knew that he was immune to any kind of mind control from demons-alike. After he got his holy book back, the Duke couldn't manipulate his mind. So at least, the Duke's world had certain credibility.

Michael was unsure, Was Duke a pure hearted angel disguised as monster, or was it him, a monster who disguised as an angel?

Michael didn't know what was in his heart anymore. He instinctively tightened his arm around the Duke's neck. They were in this solemn forest together with silence.

Yunyu looked calm in this solemn forest, but his heart was beating fast right now. Michael could kill him with only one holy chant, but he only tightened his arm around Yunyu's neck.

[System, please tell me it works. I don't want to die after doing so much for him!]

[Pupa: Breakmeter 70%, Fatemeter 45%. Congratulations, you horrible human.]

[What do you mean a horrible human!?]

[Pupa: You've progressed the task through lies, horrible human.]

[I did not lie… at least not completely.]

Michael was too tired today. Everything came like a storm in his mind. He had been conflicted in his heart since morning. He really thought that the Duke was a gentle person that would not hurt anything. He was a perfect personification of purity, albeit he was faithless.

But now, when he saw blood dripping from the Duke's fangs, him being a Vampire and a skilful killer. The Duke was able to kill that ferocious wolf without breaking a sweat.

Michael was not stupid enough to believe a Vampire. Vampire was the most manipulative monster out of them all. The Duke said that he never killed humans, but Michael found that absolutely ridiculous.

Michael had encountered a vampire once when he was only thirteen. The Vampire disguised himself as a good hearted man, he seduced a young maiden and killed her, he sucked her blood until the maiden's skin shrivelled, like an autumn leaf, the maiden wilted on the ground.

The Vampire was purged immediately, but that everlasting image scarred Michael's mind. That was the moment when he turned into a devoted young priest, he wanted nothing but to protect the follower of god and purge all evil in this world.

But the Vampire that carried him now, Michael admitted that he did have hesitation in his heart. No, rather than hesitation, Michael grieved in his heart. He grieved that his duty as a priest clashed with his heart.

"If Your Highness wants to purge me, please wait until I've transferred all my wealth to the orphanage and the abandoned. I will arrange helpers for them," Yunyu said.

"Why did you say that? Are you trying to trick me to let you off?" Michael asked. His arm tightened around Yunyu's neck. Michael gritted his teeth, "I will never let you off."

Yunyu smiled, he shook his head gently. His steps were steady, "I've lived for more than three hundred years. I've seen everything, from my race's extermination, the kindness and maliciousness of humans, and the beauty of helping others."

"When it is my time to leave this world, I want to have no worry before I leave. Don't worry, I will not go anywhere. You can always purge me, but I will have to leave my wealth first. The Duchy will dissolve after my death, I want the money to be given to the charity."