Reincarnated as Twins: And Then, I Was the Only One Abandoned - ☆35 The Village Consumed by Eternal Darkness

☆35 The Village Consumed by Eternal Darkness 

The village of Grimmsdorf was located northwest of Zephiron. It was about a three-day journey by carriage. Once a fairly large settlement, its younger residents had gradually moved to cities like Zephiron. It left it a quiet village with only about 300 inhabitants. 

While in the carriage, we received another explanation of Orion and Elios’s abilities. 

Orion apparently had the power to merge with shadows using his own mana. 

Could he move freely within shadows, ambushing enemies from behind? 

That sounds kind of like a cheat ability. 

Not that I should be the one to say that. 

I wasn’t sure how it worked in terms of physics, but it was bound to be useful when infiltrating the vampire’s lair. 

Elios, on the other hand, was a straightforward brute-force fighter. He wreathed his entire body in an aura of lightning. 

The electrical energy he emitted could not only paralyze enemies but also drastically enhance his own attack power. 

His combat style was simple. But his overwhelming strength and speed would be a nightmare for any opponent. 

I also introduced Kai’s buffing abilities. 

Lilith widened her eyes in surprise, while Kai was flustered. He waved a hand and said, “Oh no, it’s really nothing special.”—though he looked pleased nonetheless. 

“That said, I’m not strong at all myself. So you better make sure to protect me, alright?” 

He made sure to add that, looking slightly apologetic. 

◆◆◆

We were scheduled to meet our client, a young boy, along a road a short distance from the village. 

By the time we arrived, it was already dusk. The sky was painted in brilliant shades of orange and purple. They deepened as the sun dipped lower. The distant mountains stood as dark silhouettes. They blend beautifully with the gradient of the sky. 

“Oh, isn’t that him?” 

As I idly gazed ahead, I noticed a lone figure sitting on a small rock. 

The carriage slowed and came to a stop in front of him. 

We stepped down from the carriage. 

“Hey, are you Lucian?” 

Lilith asked casually. 

In the dim light, his blonde hair seemed to glow. And his emerald-green eyes held a certain mystique. 

He blended into the quiet evening scenery. Yet, there was an almost bewitching aura about him. 

“Yes, that’s me. I’m the one who submitted the request to the guild. However…… as you can probably guess, I won’t be able to offer much of a reward.” 

He lowered his head apologetically. 

“Don’t worry about that. This mission was assigned directly by the guild master. If left unchecked, the situation could spread to nearby towns. So the guild has allocated funds for it.” 

Hearing that, Lucian lifted his head. 

“Since we can’t exactly walk into the village with you right away, let’s hear the details here. Can you explain what’s going on?” 

Lilith asked in a serious tone. 

“Yes… It all started about three months ago when a beautiful woman visited our village.” 

Lucian then began his explanation. 

Her name was Kistopia. 

Her graceful demeanor and warm smile were like rays of sunlight. It brightened the entire village. Her long black hair swayed in the wind. Her porcelain-white skin was smooth like fine china. And her deep crimson eyes held an enchanting, almost hypnotic glow. 

The villagers were captivated by her old-fashioned way of speaking. They were soothed by her kind words. 

She played with the children, listened to the elderly, and treated everyone with kindness and warmth. 

Her presence brought new hope and vitality to the declining village. 

But, that was the last peaceful scene Lucian had witnessed. 

For two months, he had been away in Zephiron. He was working to earn money. 

When he returned, everything had changed. 

A sinister aura loomed over the village. It was thick with ominous mana. 

As he stepped inside, unease gnawed at him. 

The villagers he once knew were no longer the same. 

They wandered aimlessly, as if they had lost their sanity, with twin puncture wounds marking their necks. 

The moment he approached, his mana was drained from him. 

Barely escaping with his life, he had been camping near the village ever since. 

“Why didn’t you just stay at an inn in Zephiron?” 

I asked, curious.

Spending the night so close to such a dangerous place… What would he have done if he got attacked? 

“I wanted to stay at an inn, but… I couldn’t bring myself to spend the money I worked so hard to earn. Besides, I knew I could hunt small animals and find edible plants around here. So, I figured I’d manage.” 

Ah, I see. That makes sense. 

“I get it. A textbook vampire disaster. That Kistopia—she’s likely a pureblood. Anyone she feeds on becomes her thrall. Those thralls, in turn, sustain themselves by draining mana from humans. They then grow stronger in the process.” 

Lilith rested a hand on her chin. She had a troubled expression. 

“So that means the entire village has been turned into thralls? Three hundred people, was it?” 

“Yes, most likely.” 

Lucian responded without a change in expression. 

Lilith let out a deep sigh before speaking again. 

“Good grief… A pureblood alone is already a nightmare to deal with, and now there’s a whole village of thralls? Once someone becomes a thrall, their original self is gone. They exist solely to serve their master. There’s no way to turn them back into humans. So… you understand what that means, right?” 

In other words, we have no choice but to kill them. 

“Yes, I’ve already steeled myself for it. We have to prevent this from spreading any further.” 

Lucian’s eyes burned with unwavering resolve as he met Lilith’s gaze.