Chapter 37: The esteemed heroes.

The grand throne room of the Eldia royal castle was bathed in the warm, flickering light of a hundred suspended torches, casting long, dancing shadows against the weeping stone walls.

Deep within the heavily fortified heart of the estate, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense, a stark contrast to the celebratory cheers that had echoed in this exact room just a few weeks prior.

The old king sat heavily upon his ornate throne, a posture of supreme authority masking the deep, exhausted lines etched into his wrinkled face.

A heavy red crown rested upon his silver hair, symbolizing the crushing weight of a fractured kingdom. Standing elegantly by his right side was the beautiful, blond-haired princess.

She was dressed in extravagant, layered silks that pooled perfectly across the polished stone floor, her delicate hands folded neatly in front of her gown.

Arrayed directly before the elevated dais were the summoned heroes from Earth. They no longer resembled the terrified, confused high school students who had hesitantly touched the smooth black orb.

Over the passing weeks, the kingdom of Eldia had poured its vast resources into their rapid development.

They were now clad in lavish, custom-fitted armor and robes that perfectly highlighted their respective divine blessings.

Steward Limba, the bespectacled Arch Mage blessed by the God of eternity, radiated a calm, oppressive magical energy.

Beside him stood Anna Everest, the Legendary Archer, a finely crafted bow slung across her back. Rachael Onial, the Supreme Healer, clutched a glowing white staff, her previously tear-stained face now set in quiet determination.

And towering above them all was Oliver Wriker, the God Hunter, his massive, newly acquired muscular build shifting impatiently beneath his heavy leather tunic.

The suffocating silence in the grand hall was finally broken by the rhythmic tapping of a wooden staff.

An elderly man draped in the heavy, golden robes of the high clergy stepped forward from the ranks of the red-robed mages. His eyes were completely milk-white, clouded by years of peering into the volatile currents of destiny.

"My King, the omens have grown impossibly dark," the royal priest uttered, his raspy voice carrying a terrifying weight across the cavernous room. "The scrying pools no longer show just the encroaching armies of the demon realm. A new shadow has eclipsed the borders. The one you exiled. The anomaly known as Lucious Moonwalker."

Oliver scoffed loudly, shifting the massive steel broadsword resting casually on his broad shoulder.

"You mean the untalented guy who could not even get a class?" Oliver asked, his voice booming with heavy, undisguised disdain. "The maids were looking for him to clean up the dining hall before he suddenly ran off. Why are we wasting our time talking about him when the demon lord has violently broken through one of the kingdom’s outer walls?"

The king leaned forward on his armrest, his eyes locking onto the towering teenager.

"Do not interrupt the High Priest, God Hunter," the king commanded, his voice hard as steel. "Speak your vision, priest. Let the blessed heroes understand the true scope of our ruin."

The blind priest bowed his head slightly, his gnarled hands trembling against his staff.

"I foresaw a future bathed in ash," the priest whispered, the sheer terror in his voice silencing the murmurs of the royal court. "I saw the boy you cast out rising as a supreme entity. A Vampire Lord. He was commanding endless legions of undead monsters, plunging the realm into an eternal night. But the most horrifying truth of the vision was his allegiance. I saw him standing beside the demon lord, merging his monstrous forces with the abyss to completely eradicate the Kingdom of Eldia."

A chaotic buzz of panic erupted among the nobles and knights lining the walls. The heroes, however, exchanged deeply suspicious glances.

Anna Everest stepped forward, her brow furrowed in skepticism.

"With all due respect, this does not make any sense. Lucious was just a normal student from our world. He was quiet, mundane. And more importantly, you all publicly labeled him a vampire days ago. Her highness the princess stood before the commoners and declared that he attacked her and brought a dusting curse upon the guards."

Anna looked directly at the blond princess, her gaze sharp. "If he is this prophesied, world-ending Vampire Lord, how did he manage to slip away from an entire castle of elite knights after supposedly turning a man to grey dust?"

The princess did not flinch. She maintained her pristine, angelic facade, perfectly welling fat tears in her eyes as she looked back at the heroes.

"He deceived us all," the princess cried out softly, playing the innocent victim to absolute perfection. "He hid his demonic nature until we were alone in the corridor, and then he summoned a vile creature from the depths of hell. I barely escaped with my life. He is a monster."

Steward Limba pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his highly analytical mind processing the conflicting information.

"If he truly is what you call a vampire, then we know exactly how to kill him," Steward declared smoothly, drawing the immediate attention of every single person in the throne room.

"You possess knowledge of this foul beast?" the king asked, his wrinkled face turning toward the Arch Mage in profound shock. Back when the summoning orb had first displayed the word, the king had absolutely no idea what a vampire was.

"In our world, vampires are creatures of myth and fiction, but their rules are universally documented," Steward explained, pacing slowly before the dais. "They are nocturnal parasites that feed on human blood. But they are far from invincible. They possess critical, fatal weaknesses."

"Name them," the hulking silver knight demanded from the opposite side of the hall, his hand dropping instinctively to the hilt of his broadsword.

"Direct sunlight," Rachael Onial chimed in, stepping beside Steward. "The rays of the sun violently burn their flesh, reducing them to smoking, blackened ash."

"A wooden stake driven directly through the heart," Anna added, recounting the classic lore. "Wood is a critical weakness to their race. It acts as a lethal infection."

Oliver grinned a deeply arrogant, sadistic smile. "Holy magic, silver weapons, and garlic. If he really is a vampire, he is nothing but a walking target. Give me a squad, and I will hunt him down and mount his head on the castle gates before dinner."

The tension in the grand hall shifted from paralyzing fear to a dangerous, calculated confidence. The heroes were heavily armed, blessed by the gods, and completely certain of their victory.

The king nodded slowly, visibly relieved by the tactical knowledge the Earth students provided.

"Very well," the king bellowed, his regal authority restored.

"We cannot allow this Vampire Lord to join forces with the demon realm. You heroes have trained long enough within these walls. It is time to prove your worth. I am officially dividing you into specialized teams. You will each be placed in different core cities across the realm to rule over specific sectors and hunt down the demonic threat."

The old monarch raised a wrinkled hand, pointing toward the heavy wooden doors of the throne room.

"But before you march against the demon lord, this anomaly must be neutralized. Lucious Moonwalker must be found and dealt with."

Suddenly, the princess stepped forward, placing a delicate hand on her father’s arm.

"Father, wait," she said sweetly, her melodic voice cutting through the bloodlust in the room. She turned to face the summoned heroes, offering them a benevolent, merciful smile that expertly masked the cold, manipulative venom churning in her heart.

"If Lucious is truly growing in power as rapidly as the High Priest claims, simply executing him might be a waste," the princess reasoned, her bright eyes scanning the faces of her loyal subjects.

"He was once your classmate. He might be confused and corrupted by his new monstrous nature. I wish to reason with him first. If we can capture him and bring him back in heavy chains, we might be able to forcefully harness his necromantic powers to fight the demons for us. He could be a useful weapon."

Her internal motive was dark and absolute. She knew she had kicked him into a pitch-black dungeon to die simply because he lacked a shiny hero class.

If the heroes found him and spoke to him, her vicious lies would be exposed.

She needed him dragged back in absolute subjugation, or she needed him quietly slaughtered in the shadows where no one could hear his final words.

"Where is he?" Anna Everest asked, her grip tightening on the polished wood of her legendary bow.

The blind priest struck his staff against the floorboards.

"The currents of fate are muddy around him," the priest rasped. "But the last clear vision showed him traveling far from the central capital. He was seen heading toward the outer edges of the kingdom. He is currently residing in the Border City."

Anna took a confident, heavy step forward, separating herself from the group.

"I will go," Anna volunteered, her voice ringing with absolute certainty. "Give me a team of elite knights. I will travel to the Border City, track down Lucious, and bring him back to face the crown. I will not let him destroy this world."

The king smiled proudly at the legendary archer.

"It is decided," the king declared, the heavy finality of his words echoing off the high ceilings. "Prepare your supplies, hero. You ride for the Border City at first light."