Like any other day, the hardworking citizens of Krasilov greeted an ordinary morning (those who weren't hardworking were already dead) and gazed at the still-dark sky with satisfaction.
"I must have woken up unusually early today?"
The night sky was nearly pitch black, suggesting it was still close to midnight. And naturally, as proper Krasilov citizens, they wouldn't entertain lazy thoughts like "since I woke up early, I should sleep more."
Once awake, these people immediately began searching for work, moving with greedy determination. They hoped that today, at least, they might receive one extra potato in their rations.
Upon arriving at their workplaces, citizens suddenly realized, "There seem to be many people who woke up early today."
After five hours passed with the sky still dark, they wondered if they had woken up even earlier than they thought.
After twelve hours with the sky remaining dark, any experienced Krasilov resident would have thought of "polar night."
Of course, polar night was impossible at this latitude, and it certainly couldn't occur during summer, making it a completely incorrect assumption. But generally, logic tends to favor "what people want to believe" rather than "what is rational."
People fear inexplicable phenomena. And many prefer not to understand what they fear. So Pritzenkaya continued as normal for two days after the first polar night.
By the third day of continuous darkness, this was undeniably something extraordinary. People stopped talking, locked themselves in their homes, and began to pray. Those who could leave had already fled, while magicians racked their brains trying to understand.
Enrique was no exception.
When daylight disappeared, it was somewhat reassuring that the most powerful race was on their side. Lucia immediately went to find her master.
Her master was lurking in a dwelling within the underground sewers. In this luxurious nest without a single candle lit, Lucia knelt before the glowing red eyes that shone in the darkness.
And simultaneously thought:
Why stay in the sewers when there's no daylight? The person who would normally be the first to respond to anomalies in Pritzenkaya, why...
As if hiding...
"Master, we've been experiencing polar night for three days now. Do you have any idea what—"
"Did you meet anyone on your way here?"
The sharp voice cut in before she could finish her question. Lucia looked up at Enrique. Her master was someone who always smiled calmly in any situation. Yet now, she seemed anxious.
Anxious? No, Lucia was a vampire. Though half her bloodline was still human, her other half possessed vampire senses.
Just as mosquitoes can "see" carbon dioxide, vampires can perceive others' "emotions." Though not with perfect clarity, vampires can smell their victims' fear.
Enrique was afraid right now.
This realization shocked Lucia into silence. Who could possibly frighten this powerful Elder Vampire, one of the strongest individuals of this era?
Looking into her eyes, Enrique also read Lucia's emotions—more easily than Lucia could, being the stronger vampire.
Reading the fear in her beloved disciple's eyes, Enrique smiled with difficulty.
"Lucia, leave this city."
"Master, but—"
"Call Ivan. Tell Elizabeta not to come to this city for now."
"I want to help too, Master. Even if I can't be of much assistance, at least I could serve as a shield..."
Enrique looked down at her with tired eyes and made a gesture. Lucia's legs, which had been firmly planted in determination to stay, moved of their own accord.
"Master!"
"Go, take your companions and leave."
It was an Elder's command. She had never used "commands" on her disciples before, but now was an exception. She had neither the time nor the energy to persuade.
After Lucia left, her nest fell silent again. Enrique closed her eyes, sinking into darkness.
The whole world is dark.
The sky above this great city, and the underground passages below. All buried in shadows. Her blood-sharing kin, and the rats, wolves, and bats that moved at her command—all had fallen silent.
Not dead. Silent. The monsters lurking throughout the city were silent. They had cut off communication, ignoring even a high vampire's commands.
This could only mean one thing.
A higher vampire than herself had arrived in the city. Considering when things began, they must have been in a carriage that entered the city three days ago.
From the moment "it" entered the city, her minions began their silence. The polar night started that evening. People began disappearing from corners of the city. Darkness was slowly swallowing the citizens.
Yet Enrique dared not move. She was gripped by fear.
Was she afraid of defeat? No. Afraid she might die in battle? Absolutely not.
If that were the case, she would never have joined the Hero Party. She wouldn't have embarked on that journey where victory was far from guaranteed and death could come any day. She was indifferent to both life and death.
She feared only one thing: the vampire's curse—subjugation to a higher vampire. It was this fear that had driven her to devour her own Elder and become an Elder herself.
In vampire society, defeat doesn't guarantee death. It means subjugation, or rather, something even more desperate—enslavement. The defeated are either devoured or controlled.
So Enrique hid in darkness. She sent away all her minions and curled up alone, sealing her nest.
"My disciple."
Thinking of the man who would inherit everything from her, who could stand against her alone.
"Come quickly. It's difficult."
Smiling, as if joking.
Einar could face an army. He alone could charge in, defeat legions, and break through.
Beolgrin could destroy fortresses. He alone could fly up and collapse multiple fortresses in a single day.
Patricia could defy death. Even with limbs severed and heart stopped, under her prayers, one could be revived as if newly born.
Gilbert could face any opponent. No matter how powerful the adversary, he would stand his ground without taking a single step back.
And she—Enrique—could face cities.
Even alone, given enough time, she could bring a city to ruin. She could make citizens hate the night, fear it, weep at the sight of dawn for having survived, and prepare for death at dusk.
Behind every shadow lurks a vampire's trace. Rats watch people from every street corner, and bats filling the night sky reveal the location of prey.
A powerful vampire cannot be harmed by weapons. She could toy with knights who traverse time and make priests who call upon God's name wither away.
By passing on her bloodline and increasing her minions, the task becomes even easier.
Fathers fear sons, mothers fear daughters. Lords become wary of knights, knights become suspicious of citizens. Those enchanted by vampires will stab their own parents without doubt or resistance and offer their blood.
So she alone could face a city. She simply chose not to.
And now, at this point, being defeated by "another Elder" would mean surrendering all her abilities completely to the enemy.
A defeated Enrique would offer her disciples and citizens to "it" as prey without hesitation.
As long as there was even the slightest possibility of defeat, she dared not move. Not because she feared defeat or death, but because she feared what would come after.
She feared a future where she would destroy everything she loved with her own hands.
The powerful thief who once followed the Hero Party is gone now. To stand at the forefront against enemies—she now had too many things she loved.
She had grown a heart. Hot blood flowed through her. She had developed an unprecedented weakness for a vampire.
So she hid in darkness, quietly murmuring one man's name.
"Ivan. Little Ivan... my disciple."
The only man who could accomplish everything she could.
The name of the man who could stop her, even if she were ultimately captured.
Patricia greeted another morning without sunrise, laughing wryly and thinking that perhaps she herself was bringing crisis wherever she went. If such incidents followed her everywhere, wasn't she likely the problem?
Lord, I am a sinner, a sinner, a sinner.
The sun is fundamentally a symbol of the Lord. It proves that the Lord loves all creation and is evidence that the Lord is always with us.
And now it has disappeared. This is different from divine power. Humans can live without divine power, but they cannot survive without light.
Polar night is, of course, a natural weather phenomenon. But it should occur in the far Northern Demon Territories or at the edge of the Northern Territories, and even then, rarely during the depths of winter.
For this to happen in Pritzenkaya during summer—this was no ordinary sign.
People of this era aren't stupid. They don't claim thunder is divine punishment or that eclipses are the work of demons. They're rational enough not to perform rain rituals when there's no rain.
But when polar night persisted for five days in midsummer, people began turning to superstition rather than reason or logic. The incomprehensible must be addressed with the incomprehensible.
So they gathered at churches. The six churches in the city, including Pritzenkaya Cathedral, were packed with people carrying torches.
"Saintess, my daughter... My daughter hasn't returned! Please, Lord... Lord, protect my daughter..."
A woman sobbed loudly. After searching throughout the cathedral for her missing daughter, she finally collapsed before a sacred image, stammering repeated prayers.
Such cases were increasing daily. Many had disappeared into the darkness. Those who left the city never returned.
Magic lamps stood at the city's boundaries. Thus, the city itself hadn't completely sunk into darkness, but beyond those boundaries was another story.
Few could venture onto the muddy roads beyond, without a single magic lamp, into the wilderness. And even if it were safe outside the city, not many could leave immediately.
Ordinary citizens couldn't even consider abandoning their homes and assets to leave penniless. In this era, leaving one's community was tantamount to death. The world wasn't kind to vagrants.
The trains had already stopped running, and most nobles who could control the city had died during last year's coup. The administrative nobles were equally confused, and the military and monarchy who should provide leadership weren't in the city.
So citizens gathered in churches, trembling with fear. All this in just five days.
"Is there still no contact from Sister Enrique?"
"No, none of the priests who entered the underground have returned yet."
"Lord help us."
None of those who went underground to contact Enrique had returned alive. Whether they got lost in the lightless underground or met with misfortune, we don't know. Priests without divine power are utterly helpless.
Patricia looked helplessly at the sky and thought:
'It's not the Seven Dragon Generals. Definitely not. There's no divine power.'
As someone who once wielded divine power stronger than anyone else in the world, she quickly realized that what was happening in the city had nothing to do with divine power.
Yet the city's magicians couldn't solve or understand this situation. If it wasn't magic or divine power, what on earth was happening?
When Lucia returned to Isabelle's mansion—where Isabelle herself was absent—the Hero Party immediately began a somber meeting.
"Lady Enrique has secluded herself..."
"The Saintess says she doesn't know what's happening either."
"Disappearances are frequent. Several children have already vanished from the orphanage."
"The military can barely guard the city gates, let alone do anything else. They lack the manpower."
"All diplomatic residences are closed. I know the Tilles ambassador, but they wouldn't even open the door. I don't think anyone's inside."
After sharing their observations, the Hero Party members sighed deeply.
"My master told me to escape the city."
"This must be related to demons, right?"
"I suppose so."
As Yu-jin agreed, Oskar nodded calmly.
"Then we can't run away. People are disappearing."
"Even though the Hero Party doesn't dare to fight?"
"Aren't we the Hero Party?"
In response to Yu-ri's words, Oskar declared firmly. He stood up and concluded:
"Those who want to flee can flee, those who want to fight will stay."
"How? Who are we fighting?"
"We need to find out. If someone is kidnapping people, it means they at least have physical form."
"Well, you're not wrong..."
Elfihera sighed and stood up with Oskar.
"I guess we can't hide behind Lord Yeremov forever. If we solve this cleanly before they return, that's what makes us the real Hero Party."
"Right, I heard Bella even defeated the Seven Dragon Generals. We'd look bad if we fall too far behind."
As Asidis also rose from her seat, the other members prepared for battle without much protest.
After all, how could the Hero Party be afraid of mere darkness?
A true hero should be able to march forward proudly even in the heart of demon territory.
"All train routes to Pritzenkaya are blocked?"
"Yes, yes, Sir Knight. All the tracks heading that way are damaged. They're being repaired, but we don't know when service will resume..."
"What about carriages?"
"We can't run regular carriages during this season. No, sir."
Ivan nodded at the station attendant's words. During the rasputitsa season, roads just outside urban areas become virtual swamps.
A carriage would get its wheels stuck every hour. Horses would collapse from exhaustion before half a day passed.
Should he use the underground passages again? But without a dwarf guide, finding one's way through dwarf tunnels is nearly impossible. It's like a labyrinth.
It's not one massive tunnel. To excavate suitable tunnels that wouldn't collapse even with excavation artifacts required much trial and error, resulting in a three-dimensional maze of potentially unstable tunnels below.
Trying to use newly created tunnel networks without a guide in such conditions would be suicide. In Andgrund, he had found his way by following "relatively old tunnels" as a reference point. The older the tunnel, the more reliable it was.
But all the tunnels dug for the current march route are "new tunnels." It's difficult to navigate using his previous criteria.
That's why he wanted to use the train. If safety could be ensured, trains were faster than any other transportation in this world. But now, all lines to Pritzenkaya had collapsed.
And given the current expectation of an attack on Pritzenkaya, this was too clear a sign.
"Isabelle."
"Yes, uncle."
"Running training."
"Oh come on, from here? Really? On foot?"
Ivan nodded, calculating the estimated time it would take to run from the border to Pritzenkaya.
Isabelle's face turned pale.