#080. Sodom is Too Kind (1)

#080. Sodom is Too Kind (1)

In the wake of Ronoah’s death, the Bloodwood’s artificial blood-mist generators, beast-breeding pens, human collection chambers, and other such facilities underwent a thorough decommissioning.

“Who are these humans to dare defy the ancient traditions of vampires?”

“Vampires obey only the commands of the strongest Vampire Lord.”

Though there was resistance from the vampires, the Theresa Clan had gained a trustworthy new ally from another race.

“If the potency of blood signifies strength, then I, Hansel, am now the one to succeed Count Dracula and newly ascend as the Vampire Lord.”

Hansel, orphaned after the loss of his mother, Gretel, had consumed Marbas, the seven-hundred-year-old elder vampire, the guardian vampires of the Lord’s Castle, the blood used in Dracula’s and Ronoah’s rituals, and even true blood, further refined through Ronoah.

Though the risk of the Ancestorization taking over his body was present, Hansel had fortunately only taken a small, purified amount of blood, allowing him to grow stronger safely.

And this was the result.

His ascension as the Vampire Lord and new master of the Bloodwood.

“From this day forward, the hunting of humans and contracts for amusement within the Bloodwood are strictly forbidden. The Bloodwood will no longer be a dark place to exploit and hoard blood, but a sanctuary for those who seek to transcend the limits of the vampire race. All those who refuse to comply, leave.”

“Are you sincere? Remember why Dracula sought to bind us together. You allow us entertainment, and in exchange, we do not challenge your place as Lord, maintaining a tacit understanding between Lord and Elder Vampires.”

“That understanding does not exist with me.”

“…A strange Lord has been born. Someday, you will regret this decision.”

“At least that day is not today.”

The Bloodwood had become a safe haven for humans.

The joys of vampirism and servitude, and the potential chance of eternal life, had vanished.

Within the Blood Forest, the vampires who remained no longer sought new actors for tragedy, bartering pleasure or eternal life.

Those left were only the ones determined to end the cursed existence of vampirism with their own passing.

This shift delivered a jarring blow to the Royal Aristocracy, which had lost its Reorganization Faction leader.

“We cannot allow noble titles within the Aristocracy to be inherited through their petty squabbles!”

“But Count Hansel held the respect and support of the vampires. Even those who abandoned the Blood Forest called Hansel ‘Lord.’ How can we deny him?”

“We *must* deny him. Not unless he intends to dole out funds and favors like Dracula did for us.”

The Administration Faction Leader was deeply displeased by this turn of events.

“The Order still refuses to punish Saint Cecilia and Inquisitor Maria. They intend to sever ties with our Aristocracy entirely.”

“Having lost both the Order and the Blood Forest, all that remains to us is the military might of the Aristocracy.”

The Blood Forest was troublesome, but the surging power of the beastfolk, now eclipsing the shrinking influence of the Aristocracy, was even more so.

The most alarming development was that the beastfolk, who’d raided cities left and right, had finally managed to capture one.

Hansel, after all, had merely replaced one cooperative master with another in lands already ruled by vampires; the royal court accepted this, intending to undermine the authority of the nobles, though they had a pretense to do so.

But the rest of the beastfolk were different.

They had begun invasion and plunder – even conquest – without any pretense whatsoever.

The entire southern region of the kingdom was completely out of control.

“The administrative forces in the center, the martial forces in the east… will these alone be enough to quell the southern beastfolk territories and the northern demonfront?”

“Doubtful. Not unless the Stasephia family, those powerhouses of the eastern martial faction, fully commit.”

“Perhaps we can invoke Theresa’s name to sway them?”

“Even if we do, how?”

“She has merit in liberating the Blood Forest, does she not? And the accomplishment of executing Ronove, that corrupt second-rate mage of the Hero Party.”

One crushes a single enemy with all one’s might, but when faced with multiple foes, it is better to instigate conflict between them and play them against each other.

In the eyes of the Aristocracy, Theresa had become a pawn, someone to be used in a scheme of borrowed swords.

“Indeed… to use Sodom, already at odds with the Beastfolk Revival Society, to keep the beastfolk in check?”

“A sound strategy, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Excellent, truly. It will at least buy us time to dispose of an inconvenient holding and flee overseas. Impressing upon merchants that the kingdom is now employing talented individuals will have them swarming over.”

Power was paramount; no matter how much wealth one possessed, titles were bestowed only upon those who contributed devoutly to the nobles.

Seeking to foster this perception, the Aristocracy proposed to the King that Theresa be granted the position of Grand Duchess, ruling over the Westwood region in the kingdom’s west.

The King, naturally, found it suspicious that the nobles would bring forth a proposal that weakened their own power, but he did not reject this sweet offer.

Thus, Sodom became the new center of the Westwood region, and with the newly elevated city of Sodom at its core, the order of Westwood began to be reorganized.

Of course, Theresa was the new master of Sodom.

And Theresa was presented with a choice.

* * *

“Ian. How are you feeling?”

Since returning from the Blood Forest, Theresa had been running around frantically due to the machinations of the Aristocracy.

She was appointed as the new Grand Duchess of the Westwood region; the number of people she needed to care for and oversee increased; and she was obligated to manage the newly vacant administrative duties, oversee the finances, and collect taxes to send back to the capital.

These tasks were tiresome and bothersome, but people came of their own accord.

Those oppressed by the nobles.

Those oppressed by the beastfolk.

Those oppressed by their own kind in the alleys.

Because Theresa’s past, of taking care of all the weak, became known, people of goodwill had gathered on their own.

There was another variable at play here, too.

Teresa’s son, Ian.

Now, regardless of his own desires, Ian’s reputation – the fact he was truly called a Saint – was that variable.

“My mind is more uncomfortable than my body. It feels like I’m wearing clothes that don’t fit.”

“Endure it. You’ll get used to it soon. It’s not like I welcome this, or that it’s familiar to me. But if I don’t do it, the trash we’ve seen so far will settle into this position.”

Teresa’s words were correct.

If I don’t step forward, a less capable, more villainous person will settle into this position.

Driven by their own desires, they’ll engage in injustice, unfairness, and corruption, causing tears of blood to flow from the eyes of many.

Ian did not want to see Sodom, which was now beginning to feel like his true home, treated like that in the future.

Especially not the people who had just migrated from Bloodwood, taking a great risk to become self-sufficient with their own human strength, not as vampires. He couldn’t bear to see them crumble.

“If my presence is needed for the peace of the town, no, the city, I will gladly play the part of the Saint. But I don’t think this lie can last forever.”

“Why?”

“Cecilia recognizes and accepts me, but the other people in the Revolutionary Order won’t. Maria only condoned me belatedly because she was new, but if the Inquisition learns my true identity…”

In principle, Mind Controllers are to be killed on sight.

No quarantine, no recruitment.

“I won’t let that happen. Neither will Cecilia.”

“You’ve become awfully polite lately. Using formal speech and all.”

“Is that… undesirable?”

“No. Keep doing it.”

Acknowledged, perhaps.

By Ian.

Teresa did not dislike Ian’s formal speech.

Ian, too, was just a bit embarrassed by Teresa’s reaction.

He hoped that Teresa’s family, which had truly gained peace after Ronove’s death, would continue to thrive.

But he knows.

The game waiting for the Player extends beyond Part 3.

Part 4, the Northern Front.

The Demon Lord’s invasion, and the resurgence of the Demon King.

The only one who can stop it is the Hero Party and their isolated position, along with the ‘Player’, who can raise Sodom City’s mercenaries to the point where they could be called a legion, and successfully launch a large-scale dispatch.

Fortunately, Ian has strong allies.

Another Saint of the Order, the Adoration Saint Cecilia.

And Teresa, the new Grand Duchess of Westwood, and the owner of Sodom City.

His mother and his girlfriend.

-…I’m sorry. I can’t forgive myself for not trusting you back then.

Maria said her farewells, tears streaming down her face.

Remembering the effort he had put into protecting her, he felt empty, but Maria wasn’t leaving Sodom completely.

She had become an adventurer.

She relinquished her position as an Inquisitor and acted as an ordinary adventurer, leading her existing party.

Fortunately, the Order allowed Maria to leave the Order due to her achievements in Bloodwood.

It was thanks to that vacancy that Saintess Cecilia ended up filling the spot.

“Ian! I handled things with the Order smoothly. Those doddering old men who dared to babble about scrutinizing the qualifications of a noble saint? They won’t be visiting Sodom anytime soon!”

“Cecilia-ssi.”

“Ian, honestly. Can’t you just call me Cecilia?”

As a man, he couldn’t deny he enjoyed being loved by such a capable and beautiful woman.

But with every instance of Cecilia’s affection, Ian felt a heavy guilt weigh him down.

“I’m a brainwasher. If the Order’s saintess were to have a relationship with the very embodiment of heresy as defined by the Order, not only would Cecilia-ssi’s standing be tainted, but all her past deeds might be defiled.”

“aaah, can’t hear a thing. Did some shorty weakling blather something somewhere~?”

“…”

Cecilia, seeing Ian’s pouting lips, grinned and casually leaned her head against his shoulder.

“Status means nothing at all. What defines who you are isn’t your job or your power, but the history you’ve built yourself. Have courage, Ian.”

Cecilia, for her part, was secretly contemplating quitting being a saintess altogether and living life at her own pace.

But some encouragements are so effective they end up embarrassing the one who offered them.

“I understand. Thank you, Cecilia. Thanks to you, I can live with courage.”

“Hehe. Then today, without a doubt…”

“I’ll do my utmost to assemble an adventurer corps to be dispatched to the Northern Front.”

“…Huh?”

“Pardon?”

“Humanity still has a warfront against the Demon Lord’s army, after all.”

“Ah, that…”

“Were you trying to say something else, Cecilia-ssi?”

“No, well…”

How could she admit she was having impure thoughts at a time like this?

Oblivious to her predicament, Ian smiled sweetly.

“You’re worrying about the Southern Front, as befitting a saintess, aren’t you? If the Suin Revival Society causes trouble in the rear, taking advantage of the adventurers being dispatched north after they occupied the region and public order deteriorated, it would be a problem.”

“Y-yes, exactly.”

She couldn’t possibly say any more.

“Then, before supporting the Northern Front, let’s work together to stabilize the Southern Front first.”

Cecilia suppressed the urge to cry and smiled back at Ian.

And before long, she profusely praised her own decision.

“So, you’ve been using your abilities like this all along…?”

A fact unknown before learning about brainwashing.

Ian had performed a great deal of brainwashing on the adventurers.

To instill courage in those who lacked it.

To imprint the benefits of trust-bound relationships on those who sought to exploit their party members with selfish intent.

To remind suicidal aspirants who recklessly challenged high-level quests of their homes and families to return to.

＜Vivid Brainwash Detection＞

The detection ability, honed through the fierce battles in Bloodforest, caught every instance of Ian’s brainwashing the moment it was applied.

Cecilia’s heart could only grow heavier.

“Powers that grow uncontrollably strong inevitably invite ruin. You… at this rate, a mind-control rampage might erupt.”

Each word he uttered, regardless of his will, began to trigger mind control.

Once a rampage begins, quelling it becomes forever impossible.

If such a thing were to happen…

Even the Order couldn’t condone it then.

“Then, we’d truly have to fight the Order to the death. Even if we defeat the Order in the kingdom, Orders from the wider Empire, from all over the world, will descend upon us. As things stand, you’re bound to die.”

“Still, someone has to unite the people’s hearts to face the approaching evil.”

“Ugh, you truly are an idiot! Why do you keep sacrificing yourself like a saint with a power so utterly removed from sainthood!”

Cecilia realized:

Ian wouldn’t stop.

To reduce the risk of his power being overused and going berserk, she needed to ensure the adventurers’ intentions converged smoothly and their survival rate increased—even without his intervention.

The method was always the same.

Before Ian stepped in, Theresa and Cecilia would clear away all the troublesome matters.