"Manfred ......"

The long silver-white hair, which was as hazy and dreamy as the moonlight, was draped over the white neck, and this beautiful picture like silver was stained with a dazzling red. Red, as beautiful as a rose, and as deadly as a poison, red dyed on white, with both beautiful and deadly colors, adorned on this white and immaculate neck.

Manfred couldn't help but shed tears, obviously his fangs were still gnawing at the arteries of his most beloved woman, and his heart was very eager for his lover's blood, but he still couldn't suppress the sadness in his heart, and his scarlet eyes shed ridiculous and sad tears.

"No matter what......" The beautiful woman was dying, her face extremely pale but still smiling and reaching out her hand, caressing Manfred's face.

What do you want to say?

Manfred wanted to ask her, but his mouth, which was clenching his artery, did not listen to him at all, and only sucked his lover's blood, refusing to let go.

What do you want to say, tell me......

......

Suddenly waking up from his dream, Manfred gasped for breath as he touched his bare head, which was already oozing with sweat.

"It's a dream...... Dreams? I can dream?"

Manfred, who woke up, suddenly sneered, but this smile looked very sad, the dream just now did not dissipate with Manfred waking up, and a faint sadness flowed into his heart.

Groping his broad palms on the bedside table and feeling the lenses, Manfred calmed down a little. He took his glasses and was about to put them on, only to find his tear-stained face reflected in the lenses.

"I ...... Tears?"

Fingers trembled and touched the hideous face, and the viscous blood was indeed flowing out of his eyes, even the most hideous and terrifying face, which looked very sad at this time.

"No!"

Manfred jerked his glasses out, he hadn't felt it in a long, long time, this heartbeat.

The roars and wails of monsters resounded from the dark underground, which had not subsided for a long time in the dark and winding tunnels.

——————————————————

"Manfred. ”

Young walked into Manfred's room deep in the tunnel, and when he pushed the door open, he saw a mess. While Manfred's lab was always a mess, at least he kept his room clean. It's a strange thing to say, it's a monster-like thing, but he will sleep in the same way as a normal person, as if he really needs this sleep to relieve fatigue.

"Yang ......" Manfred came out of the dark corner, his eyes were bloodshot, although his pupils were already scarlet, but the bloodshot eyes made him look even more terrifying.

"Manfred, you...... "Young had never seen Manfred like this, and who could have imagined a blood-fed guy with bloodshot eyes?"

White, silvery-white, like ......

The delirious Manfred only had Yang's white hair in his eyes, and when the silver white entered his eyes, Manfred's breathing became heavy. He walked towards Yang with stiff steps, staggering, but his goal was unwavering.

"What's going on, you ......" Yang immediately had a bad premonition when he saw Manfred swaying towards him, but before he could react, Manfred's right hand had already grabbed his slender arm, and his left arm clamped Yang tightly, making him completely unable to get out.

"Manfred, you ......" Young was taken aback, but no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't get out of Manfred's grasp.

The fangs gently pierced the skin of Yang's neck, and the sharp touch was accompanied by a slight pain, making Yang's back tremble. Even though he knew that he wouldn't turn into a monster like Manfred just by being bloodsucked, Yang couldn't help but think of those legends. Fear spread rapidly in the boy's heart, and he thought he had overcome all fears, but it was only at this moment that he realized that there was still much to be feared.

The crimson blood was sucked from Yang's neck, the sweet taste that obsessed him more than anything else to Manfred, and he could barely stop, sucking it so hard that it seemed to suck Yang dry.

It's hard to understand what it's like to be sucked by a real vampire without experiencing it yourself. And Yang now understands this feeling, obviously he is being sucked blood, and it is obviously a move that may kill him, but inexplicably, Yang has a kind of pleasure, and the psychedelic feeling enters Yang's body along the two fangs on his neck, and he can't help but gasp, and his legs are tightly straightened.

"Stop...... Manfred ......"

Fortunately, Yang still retained his sanity, and he struggled hard, because he was trapped by Manfred, and he couldn't even pull out his sword. In order to avoid his blood being sucked dry, Yang struggled to gather his magic power and used a push spell to make himself rush towards the door at high speed.

Manfred grabbed Yang tightly, he naturally wouldn't let go easily, although the force of pushing the magic was great, but he was still not thrown away, and Yang was pushed by the magic together, rushing towards the door.

"Boom"

Manfred's bare head slammed into the doorframe, and although the pain was as light for Manfred as a mosquito bite, Yang achieved his goal, and the reaction force of the violent impact knocked Manfred's head backwards, and the fangs on Yang's neck naturally loosened.

Perhaps this collision did work, and Manfred, who let go, seemed to be a little sober, he let go of his hand, his expression was still a little dazed, and his head seemed to be a little dizzy.

He looked at Yang, and there were still two bite marks on the young man's white neck.

But Manfred didn't seem to see it, he glanced at Yang in a daze, and then suddenly raised his hand.

"Good morning, Yang. ”

——————————————————

"I'll leave you with Artemis for today's task," Count Hecate, sitting behind his desk, handed Manfred a document, "It's okay for the rest of the matter, the Jericho family needs to be cautious, but don't worry too much, after all, as long as they don't cause any trouble, we don't need to interfere." ”

Manfred took the papers, and he glanced at Count Hecate, his expression a little dazed.

......

The white thorn stake was driven into Manfred's heart, and he felt so tired that his tall body fell like this, and he no longer had the strength to attack the man in front of him who had driven the stake into his heart.

"She doesn't belong to you anymore, Mad Count!" the man grabbed Manfred by the collar and pulled him off the ground again, "the brand you left her is gone, and she has nothing to do with you anymore!"

Hearing this, Manfred's hand, which had no strength, clenched into a fist and swung it towards the man's abdomen with all his might.

But the man had already been prepared for this move, and he was agile enough to block Manfred's fist.

"Thou hast betrayed thy subjects, thou hast betrayed thy lord, and the Franconians have perished because of thee, and even if they go down to hell, your brethren will not give up their hatred of thee. ”

The broad palm slammed down hard, and the white thorn stake was nailed into another inch.

And Manfred couldn't help but vomit blood, even if he had this almost immortal body, he vomited blood, like any seriously injured human, Manfred looked like he was about to die.

"End here, Mad Count, your ambition, your madness, it's time to disappear. The dead never know how hard it is for the living, and when you start this wave of death, you don't care about the impact it will have on the world. However, whether you live or die, the world will continue to function, although the survivors will have to bear a heavy burden, but we will still be strong, not like you, because you can't bear the weight of being a human being, you let yourself become a monster, no longer care what the world will become, you will only cry out how pitiful you are, this is not a human posture!"

"The ...... of Humanity Gesture?" Manfred struggled to spit words out of his mouth, the stake nailed into his heart nailed his soul to the black earth, his magic and life force almost dissipated.

"Human gesture...... And what?" Tears flowed irrepressibly from his eyes, but these tears were no longer clear, and the viscous and turbid blood was just as sad as his sad body, although it was sad, but it was not worthy of pity.

The man's palm pressed against the white thorn stake, withstanding Manfred's life, leaving him completely immobilized.

"I don't think you will understand, if you really understand what a human posture is, you will not give up your dignity as a human being and turn yourself into a monster. Because if you understand, then you would rather endure countless humiliations and scoldings, and would rather bear the infamy of not resting for the rest of your life or even after death, and you will choose to live in shame. To live, this is the heaviest choice of man, there is nothing more difficult than it, there is nothing more important than it, whether it is to die, or to become a monster, it is just an irresponsible relief, you are abandoning your responsibility, the moment you make this decision, you can no longer save your compatriots, the Franconians died because of you, forever perished in history, perished in the hearts of the world. ”

Manfred's lips trembled, and the man's every word tormented him, it was a punishment worse than death, and the man was right, death was just a relief, as easy as turning into a monster.

"No......" The red tears flowed even more violently, and his face was already red with these tears, "I want to live, I don't want to die like this, please, let me live-"

......

"Manfred!" Count Hecate snorted, pulling Manfred's thoughts back in, "Are you listening to me?"

His eyes slowly returned to focus, Manfred looked at Count Hecate, the figures of the two men gradually separated again, and he remembered that the count in front of him was not the man.

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency. Manfred bent down and bowed to Count Hecate in apology.

"Won't you have a good rest?" Count Hecate frowned, it was the first time he had seen Manfred's appearance, "Are you going to send Yang to replace you on today's mission?"

"Forget it, Your Excellency. Manfred smiled and shook his head, "Yang is not suitable for this kind of negotiating task, and letting him deal with others will only make things worse." ”

"But you don't look good. ”

"It's all right," Manfred straightened up, his smile looking confident, as if he had swept away all the trance, "It's just remembering some of the past, you don't have to worry." ”

————————————————

Today's Triumph Avenue is still as peaceful as ever.

People come and go, traffic is busy, this symbol of the prosperity of the imperial capital is always so busy, just like this empire, people come and go, leaving behind are all contributing to this prosperity.

Manfred, who sat at the coffee table outside the red windmill, looked at the people and the carriage as he thought of something else.

Back then, when this place was not so prosperous and the Black Knight was raging, who would have thought that one day this city would become what it is today?

The past flooded into his mind, transporting Manfred to a long past.

......

"Glory to Siliuer, prosperity to virtue. ”

Shouting words of praise to the Empire, Manfred stood on the Avenues of Triumph, engulfed in flames, and watched with interest as the city was drowning in red.

"This is revenge, Your Majesty Astrad, you have always paid for bringing us Franknians to where they are today, no empire can prosper forever, even the Polis are now in decline, and pedantic maesters must pay for their arrogance. Every shining meteor is brilliant and ephemeral, a new empire is built, and then, like a shooting star, is fleeting. ”

Because of the raging plague, many people in the city have fled to the countryside, and the prosperous city of Deweide now looks so desolate that when the fire spreads, the citizens flee the city in panic, they are numb and miserable, and their only wish is to survive.

The red tide of death brought by Manfred is flooding the city that has been so much anticipated, and he has brought with him the resentment of the Franconians, returning all that the Siliurs have given them.

"The Knights of the Holy Iron?" Manfred narrowed his eyes as he looked at the torrent of iron horses galloping from the Tiamat Palace in the distance, which had not yet been renovated and built by Karin I, and as the emperor's palace, it still looked a little shabby. And the scale of the knights killed from it is not large, only a dozen horsemen, but Manfred knows that these dozen people should not be underestimated, they are all the most elite magicians of the empire, and the Holy Iron Knights formed by them are the most powerful guarantee to protect the empire from the invasion of magicians.

"History will remember this day!" said Manfred, with a hideous smile on his handsome face, and he was eager to kill the Franknians with their blood.

......

History will not remember this day.

The sudden sound in his head pulled Manfred's thoughts back.

He looked out into the street, trying to find the guy who made the noise from the crowd of people coming and going.

His gaze swept over the flow of people, and such an aimless search would naturally be fruitless, and Manfred didn't even know who he was looking for. However, he did not find nothing, and a familiar family crest caught his eye.

The midnight crow stared straight ahead with a grim gaze, and everything it looked at was like a mortal on the judgment seat, under the gaze of the judge, and there was no escape from any crime.

Jericho? I haven't seen this family in forty years—by the way, when have I seen them other than the one I did forty years ago?

Just as Manfred was thinking, a pair of emotionless eyes met Manfred's eyes.

Pale skin, facial features are not very impressive, appearance is not outstanding and not too bad, in some terms, it is a rule. The thin face is a little mean, especially with the expressionless expression, anyone who looks at it can't help but feel a trace of coldness, as if those black eyes can see through all appearances, go straight to the heart, and see people through from the inside out.

Of course, Manfred doesn't feel that way, he pretends that he has gotten to the point where he forgets what he was like. Being stared at coldly by Sven, he instead showed a kind smile and nodded to the other party, which was regarded as a greeting.

Swain in the carriage frowned slightly, and looked at Manfred suspiciously, but his carriage did not stop, and the Triumph Avenue was full of people, and soon, the carriage and the family crest disappeared into the sea of people.

As the carriage was gone, Manfred fell back into his memory.

......

"If you are truly all-knowing and all-powerful, save my lost soul, O Supreme Lord!"

Manfred knelt before the icon and prayed to the Lord with reverence. Although he won the title of King of Franconia and seized his own territory, Manfred was not happy at all. The hateful eyes of his countrymen at him, the taunts and insults that circulated in the streets, and the curse of Glamorgan, which pressed on his head and threatened him at all times, all of this tormented Manfred's nerves all the time, and he felt that he could no longer bear such pain, and if he could not be saved, he would rather choose an easy way to free himself.

"I am guilty, greed blinds me, jealousy drives me to betray my fellow-man, arrogance leads me astray. My soul will be tormented by Belel at the Last Judgment, so I pray to you with devotion and humility that your holiness may cleanse my soul and give me a new life. I would like to give up all the things that blind my eyes, and dedicate the rest of my life to your great glory. Please save my soul ......"

Manfred knocked before the icon, two lines of tears falling onto the cold floor. This is his last chance to be redeemed, and if even God can't save him, then he really has to let the demons take his soul.

"Pray like that anymore, your request is ungodly. ”

An old man slowly walked into the chapel and looked at Manfred, kneeling in front of the icon, his words cold and sharp, exposing Manfred's last false hope.

"The so-called piety is the firm will of the believer's heart, and look at you, look at you now, do you really believe that the Lord can save you? How can you be called reverent if you are not even firm in your faith in the Lord? How ridiculous is it that you are doing this now just to use faith as a lifeline and want the Lord to take responsibility for your mistakes. For people like you, faith is such a thing that you only talk about it when you need it, and when you don't get it, you discard it, as if faith were a bargain, and you give your prostration and praise to the Lord, and then the Lord has to do something for you. Oh, it's not a fair deal, you just have to bend your legs and say a couple of nice words, and the Lord has to do so many impossible things for you. ”

Every word of the old man pierced Manfred's heart like a needle, and with each stab, Manfred's face turned pale, and in the end, his face was no longer half bloody, as if it were a dead corpse.

"Why......" Manfred turned his face, his long golden hair covering half of his face, and the old man did not see his expression, "is it your mercy that you are now crushing a man's last hope with cold words?

"Wise man?" the old man snorted, as if he was not interested in the name, "you are confused, no one can be called a wise man, because wisdom is limited, and everyone has a lot of things that are not clear. But those who are ignorant and afraid of others like to flatter those who know more than they do as 'wise men', and then impose good qualities such as kindness on the so-called wise men. You see? It's a moral lie, no one is obligated to do good, and those who want others to do good are the ones who will benefit from goodwill. So, it only makes me feel ridiculous to say such things, even though you are a king, you are saying the same thing as asking Hanako. ”

The taunts and humiliations of the other party made Manfred unable to bear it any longer, and he didn't care that it was an old man, so he stood up and lunged at the other party.

......

"What's wrong?" asked the girl sitting across from him, sucking up the juice from the glass in front of her. However, although she asked the question, her tone was a little weak, and she seemed to just ask casually, not really caring.

Manfred's thoughts were pulled back by Artmis's voice.

"Ah, seeing a family crest that I haven't seen for 40 years, I can't help but feel a little emotional. ”

He replied with a smile, his eyes following the direction in which the carriage had left.

It's really exciting.