Judging by how he changed the subject, I apparently wasn't the only one who felt uncomfortable after the duke thanked me.
«In any case, this is the end of my story. It seems that I was not able to tell you about the world of that time since I only talked about mine and mine. It seemed like you were more interested in the first one».
It was like he said. However, the more he talked, the more I immersed myself in his story, so I didn't get a chance to say otherwise.
«I've already said what I had to say, so you can ask me whatever you want», the duke said helpfully. «I will tell you everything I know without exception».
Finally our question time began. It was interesting to hear the story of this vampire, but what made me most curious was the world of that time.
«Duke, do you even know the identity of the witch?».
«I don't know much. I know it was a woman... but everything else about her was mysterious. However, the pilgrims who followed the witch believe that one day they will die and head to the Land of Dawn.»
«...Land of Dawn?»
«A land where everyone is free and equal, where there is no agony, suffering or discrimination. A land where you can go wherever you want». When I didn't respond, he added: «That's what the pilgrims said. So before I heard your story, I was hoping that maybe this was that place. I hoped my prayer would be heard before I died».
«I see...» I didn't tell him about the Land of Dawn that existed on the eighth floor of the labyrinth. They only had the same name but were probably completely different places.
«In any case, going back to the main story... The empire said that the world would end if the witch was not defeated... but I didn't believe them».
«Why was that?
«The empire had done something similar in the past. You may not know it, but in ancient times it was said that there were five gods. However, two religions were eliminated from the empire for political reasons. I have heard that a lot of blood was spilled during that period».
It was ancient history coming from someone I considered ancient history. However, he didn't seem to know much about the five gods either, so I moved on to the next question.
«What kind of place was the empire?» i asked.
«It's hard to answer a question like that».
«Anything goes for me. Tell me everything you can think of».
I kept hearing about the influence of the old empire, its culture, its disposition, etc. It covered one third of the continent and exerted considerable influence over the other two thirds. It was a huge nation. That was enough for me.
«Do you even know the Rafdonian Palace, or its territories?»
«Rafdonia...», the duke muttered. «You mean the city you currently live in, right? Unfortunately, this is the first time I've heard it from you».
True, so I didn't know. That was a little unfortunate, but I tried hard not to express that emotion and continued: «Did your time have monsters too?».
«Of course. Goblins, Yetis, Ogres... all kinds of monsters lived in many parts of the empire. Well, there are some differences from what I've heard from you».
«As in...?»
«First of all, we didn't have the 'essences' or 'mana stones' you talk about. And most of these beings were intelligent. In the cases of the Goblins and Kobolds, for example, they lived in tribes in the mountains and sometimes interacted with humans.»
He even said that the Orcs were considered a force of their own.
«And what about elves and dwarves? Or the dragonians?» I asked myself, spurred by a spark of curiosity. «What positions did they occupy on the continent?».
The old vampire tilted his head as if I were speaking in tongues. «Elves? And the dwarves? Aren't they fairy tale beings?».
«…¿Eh?»
What had he just said?
My mind went blank for a second, but it didn't seem like I was joking at all.
«Duke...» I started carefully. «What race do I look like?».
From his response, I realized one thing.
In the ancient world, before the end of the world, monsters existed.
However...
«...Obviously a human?»
Non-humans did not exist.
***
Humans, beast people, elves, dwarves, dragonians, barbarians... These were the six races that formed the final citadel of Rafdonia.
The duke, however, said otherwise.
«So there were only humans...?».
The barbarians lived in the harsh wilderness of the north and south and made a living fighting monsters. The dwarves created cities underground and had their own nation. The blessing of the forest in which the elves lived provided them with security from monsters. As for beastmen, they had lived intermingled with humans for a long time. Since there were not many records about the dragonians, it was difficult to know their particular history.
And before the world ended, those non-humans reached the final bastion that was Rafdonia. Castilians who needed their power gave non-humans many concessions and even designated their own special areas to live. That was the holy land.
...It doesn't make sense.
Fragments of stories and traditions from that time continued to be transmitted in the holy land even now. The barbarians continued to raise their children in community and, when a daughter was born, she received her mother's name as her surname, while a son received his father's name as his surname. He had also heard that spiritual imprints were a secret technique passed down from ancient times. But in ancient times, barbarians did not exist?
Was their world different from ours?
The possibility passed through my mind that there was something similar to the parallel worlds that sometimes appeared in movies or cartoons. Maybe, but I couldn't be sure of it.
In the end, the duke admitted: «I was a little surprised by your size. Weren't you a human?».
«...Not according to the classification of my world».
I took the opportunity to explain the six races, and then discussed with the duke how it could have happened. But unfortunately, we couldn't come to a clear conclusion, and I went back to digging up all the information I could about ancient times.
Honestly, I wanted to keep talking forever, but as always, things had to come to an end at some point.
«...This is the first time in a long time that I've enjoyed something like this, but it looks like we should end our talk here».
The questioning mirror.
«Truly... my old lack of sanity is starting to return».
Only then did I notice his gaze: the whites of his eyes had turned red and the veins in his forehead and neck were coming out.
Even in that state, the duke spoke calmly. «Now, finish me off... while I'm still myself».
I took a deep breath and slowed my breathing. My heart was heavy. Not because I couldn't keep talking to him for more information, but because of something else.
It would have been easier if he had lost control and just attacked me...
However, that did not mean that he would deny this old man his request.
I raised my hammer. «I'll say it now, but I don't know how to cleanly kill someone».
«I know it just by looking at you». The old man smiled satisfied before closing his eyes and standing up. However, something seemed to occur to him at this final moment. «Ah, I have one last thing to tell you».
«Go on.»
«From the moment you talked about how you met me in the maze, something faint began to come back to my mind. However, it wasn't just a memory about you».
His closed eyes opened again.
«I don't know for sure... but in that place, I was always without conscious thought and fighting something. Probably those adventurers you were talking about...»
His bloodshot eyes looked into the empty air, but it seemed as if he was looking at something invisible.
«This is just a theory of mine... but maybe, I was here all those times and they called me to fight. Every time I needed to fight someone again...»
«That... seems reasonable».
«What do you think? Was useful?»
I responded without hesitation. «Absolutely.»
What he told me was information that could take us one step closer to revealing the secrets of the stone statues in basement 1, and even the secret of the cracks. This would certainly be useful to me in the future.
«Is that so...?»
As if that were all, the old man closed his eyes again and spoke the words: «Am I real or fake?».
He muttered as if talking to himself.
«When this heart fades, where will I go?».
I didn't answer.
I kept the thought locked inside me. That after death, the place he would go would probably not be the afterlife that the Church of the Three Gods preached nor the Land of Dawn that the pilgrims spoke of. That he would relive once again and forget today's memories to fight again and again in the same damn battle.
However...
«Alright. It doesn't matter where I go... if I can only pay for my sins even a little more».
Then, with such a calm and peaceful voice, the old man spoke.
«Now it's over with me».
The moment he told me he was ready, I hit my hammer, putting all my strength behind it so that there was no time for pain, even as he was crushed.
¡Vwoong!
The hammer reached the heart that it had barely reached in the past using dozens of Bursts of Flesh.
¡Crujido!
For some reason, the all-too-familiar sound of light scattering in this stone room gave me chills. The essence of the rainbow also appeared there. It was a sight I had witnessed countless times since I became an adventurer, but today I only watched it in silence.
Shine!
Until that bright, radiant light disappeared.
***
It was complete Chaos when I went out through the portal again. After going to kill a vampire, I never came back, no matter how long they waited for me.
«Sir...!»
«Is he hurt? Is he hurt somewhere?»
«Yandel...! What happened inside? No, it doesn't matter what happened. You are now prohibited from re-entering...»
Amelia even said something ridiculous about being banned from coming back in.
Fortunately, however, not everyone reacted as if someone had come back from the dead. Maybe it was because they were able to confirm that he was alive because the portal was not working?
«Three hours, twenty-one minutes...»
Oh, and even in this moment of Chaos, the recording magician kept his records.
«Get out of the way», I said, pushing my way forward. «You can stop worrying too. It wasn't that dangerous to begin with».
«So why did it take you so long to get back out?». Raven, who was in charge of educating the adventurers about the Guardians, approached me and spoke in her piercing voice.
I was about to do it.
«The Guardian I knew inside had intelligence. That's why I spent so much time talking to him for information».
«...Was the Guardian intelligent?»
«Yeah. In the end he lost his mind, but before that we could still talk».
I didn't go into all the details, but I revealed to them the entire content of the conversation between the old vampire and me. He couldn't prove something if he kept it a secret.
«Because of that, I have something I want to ask the next person to come in...». I informed everyone who entered after me to do their best to talk to the vampire.
«...Yandel, what you said didn't happen».
«Me neither. As soon as I walked in, he said something about his bloodlust and attacked me».
«I couldn't talk to him either...»
Amelia, Erwen, Missha and everyone else who came in didn't encounter the same thing as me. My questions only grew because of it.
What was different about me?
Why was Duke Cambormere able to keep his mind in front of me? And why were all the other Guardians different?
Just like the last thing he said...
«But maybe, I was here all those times and was called to fight. Every time I needed to fight someone again...»
If these statues here were the originals, and this space we found on this underground floor acted as a kind of storage unit for them, why didn't the other Guardians show a similar reaction?
I was not sure. The more I thought about it, the more insecure I felt.
In the end, I decided to move on to something else for the moment.
«Yandel, are you going to kill that one now?»
«Oh, I have something I want to check first.»
«...Leaving that for last won't hurt you».
When I went to clean the unknown stone statues, the ones we didn't even know what floor they were from, Amelia revealed her concern to me, but I had no intention of changing my mind.
«Don't worry», I calmed her down. «At most, they are rank 5 monsters. It won't be dangerous».
With that, I went and touched the stone statue of the Troll. Inexplicably, I felt a little weird.
A Guardian Troll...
Normally, I would have been more motivated by the opportunity to see a rainbow troll essence. But now, I was curious about a totally different thing.
Did this guy have his circumstances too?
What would happen to him if he reached the Gate of the Abyss?
Would I be able to find peace then?
Although I left them in the air, thoughts continued to circulate through my mind.