Chapter 14
Chapter 14. Cooperation
O’Brien was completely dumbfounded.
He felt as though this was not Dean’s trial—but his own!
The Holy Light, the very power Paladins prided themselves upon, had actually been manipulated by a vampire! If this were to become known, it would likely stir up a massive upheaval across the entire plane—perhaps even beyond it.
O’Brien panted heavily. His faith had nearly collapsed just now. When he saw Kyle controlling the Holy Light, his first instinct had been to immediately cut down this vampire who dared to profane it.
Yet the last shred of his reason told him that if he raised his sword against a ‘person’ acknowledged by Holy Light, then what exactly was the belief he had upheld all his life?
“You! Just… how… did… you… do that?!” O’Brien’s eyes were bloodshot as he struggled to calm his violently pounding heart.
Caitlin covered her mouth with both hands, staring at her younger brother in utter disbelief.
That was Holy Light!
An existence that would reduce ordinary dark creatures to ashes at the mere touch!
Even the elders of their family would not dare to touch Holy Light—yet in her brother’s hands, it moved as obediently as his own arm!
“You shouldn’t be asking how I did it,” Kyle’s voice was as calm as a still abyss. “You should be asking—why Holy Light chose me!”
O’Brien seemed struck once more by a heavy blow, yet he gritted his teeth and asked, “Then… why… did Holy Light choose you!”
“Your definition of Holy Light as purity, redemption, hope, and justice is not wrong—on the contrary, it is very accurate. The mistake lies in how narrow your understanding of purity, redemption, hope, and justice is!”
“Holy Light has never shown favoritism based on race or bloodline. It only responds to the essence of one’s will.”
Kyle summoned another strand of Holy Light, letting it flow between his fingers.
“You regard dark creatures as alien beings that must be eradicated, yet you forget that true evil originates from the corruption of the heart. The will of the heart shapes the soul—that is why Holy Light can illuminate the soul in different colors.”
“But will itself does not equal corruption! What Holy Light truly burns and rejects is a ‘fallen heart’!”
Kyle extended the hand entwined with Holy Light toward Caitlin, looking at her encouragingly.
Caitlin stared blankly at the radiance in her brother’s palm—the light that made her very soul tremble. Suppressing her instinctive fear, she reached out with trembling fingers and clasped his hand.
The searing pain and burning she had anticipated never came.
Instead, an unprecedented warmth flowed through her entire being. There was no rejection, no harm—only an indescribable, strangely comforting sensation.
“Th-this… how is this possible?”
O’Brien could not comprehend the sight of a second vampire ignoring Holy Light before his very eyes.
“You… you… How can dark creatures disregard Holy Light? That is the power of light!”
“No. Holy Light is the power of spiritual will—the power of the soul. It merely manifests outwardly as light. Light and darkness are natural attributes. If Holy Light were truly a light attribute, then even I would be absolutely incapable of controlling it, because… I am indeed a dark creature.”
“In battle, you generally rely on sacred power to invoke Holy Light. And most dark creatures are born from twisted and evil wills—so naturally they fear it.”
“You who are accustomed to swords and blades—how would you ever notice that beings like us Blood race, whether transformed by dark power or born purely of it, as long as our will has not fallen and our hearts are not consumed by distorted desire, then how could pure Holy Light harm us?”
O’Brien felt overwhelmed by the torrent of worldview-shattering revelations. His head spun; darkness clouded his vision.
After a long time, he finally spoke slowly.
“This matter… cannot be known by others!”
If such a thing spread, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Kyle rolled his eyes hard.
“Has Holy Light dazzled your brain? A vampire running around proclaiming he can ignore—or even control—Holy Light? What, do you think my coffin is too new and needs replacing?”
“And yet you dare reveal this in front of me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll sell you out?”
O’Brien glared at the bastard who had shattered his spiritual foundation!
“I naturally have my own confidence,” Kyle sneered dismissively. “Besides, this is a gamble in itself. And it’s the prerequisite for building trust!”
With the ability to observe causal threads—did you really think you could slip out of my grasp?
If you were a Legendary Paladin, I’d have fled already. Would I still be standing here explaining all this?
“Trust?!” O’Brien’s eyes hurt from glaring. This bastard dared to speak of trust?
“Of course! It just depends on you. I’ve already shown sufficient sincerity, and even deepened your Paladins’ understanding of Holy Light. If that still cannot earn trust, then I can only say I overestimated the Paladin order as a whole,” Kyle said matter-of-factly.
“Hu—”
It hurt.
It hurt too much.
O’Brien felt a pain in his chest that defied description. Why did every encounter with this bastard leave him so infuriated?
Ignoring the two vampires, O’Brien turned his gaze back to Dean, who was gradually awakening from the baptism of Holy Light.
As the Holy Light slowly receded, Dean opened his eyes. His entire being radiated a vitality unlike anything before.
“Not bad. In such a short time, you’ve gained Holy Light’s acknowledgment. It seems you haven’t done much in your life that goes against your conscience. How do you feel?” O’Brien asked in a deep voice.
Dean carefully sensed his condition. There was an indescribable sense of lightness.
“It feels like I’ve let go of many things… yet also taken on more.” He met O’Brien’s gaze. “But I’m clearer than ever about what I want to do.”
“Very good!” A glimmer of approval flashed in O’Brien’s eyes. The lingering gloom stirred up by Kyle dissipated somewhat.
Many candidates who underwent the baptism still remained confused about their path, merely following in their mentor’s footsteps… just as he once had… until his own mentor passed away, and he was forced to seek his direction alone. Only then had he realized how terrifying it was to be lost about one’s future path.
O’Brien turned toward Kyle and Caitlin. “From here on, Dean will follow me for systematic training—until he graduates or chooses to give up. Do you have anything further to say?”
Caitlin stepped forward instinctively, only to halt halfway. Her silver-white hair drifted softly in the breeze, her eyes filled with concern and reluctance. “Little Dean…”
“Stop, stop, stop!”
Seeing his sister’s overly sentimental tendencies about to flare up again, Kyle quickly cut in. “You can see him anytime you want. This old man is definitely staying in Coral Thorn City for the short term. If our cooperation goes smoothly, this old man probably won’t be leaving for decades!”
O’Brien’s temples throbbed as Kyle called him ‘old man’ again and again.
He very much wanted to curse out loud—‘Your whole family are old men! Who doesn’t know you vampires are a bunch of ancient monsters!’—
But the discipline of a Paladin forced him to swallow the insult.
“Cooperation?! What cooperation do you want?”
He truly wanted to hear what kind of cooperation a vampire sought with a Paladin.