"What did you find, Lord Nyx?" Xarles barged over and looked for himself.

He couldn't hold his surprise to see the wound on Xelene's neck.

"That! Is that a wound created by the monster?" Xarles blurted out.

"Monster? What monster? What is wrong with me?" Xelene panicked. She rubbed her neck in an aggressive manner, trying to feel what was wrong. But she wasn't feeling any pain nor discomfort at all.

"You don't feel anything, do you?" Siderius said.

Xelene bit her lips and nodded.

"Calm down. You were only bitten by the monster. Everything will be alright. Can you stand over there for me, Xelene?" Siderius said.

"Okay…" Xelene stepped out of line and went to a different location.

"How did you know someone will be bitten, Lord Nyx?" Xarles couldn't help but wonder.

Siderius smirked under the mask. "Would you be able to stop eating for a day, Xarles?"

"Of course. I wouldn't feel so great about it but I can go on for days without eating." Xarles mumbled.

"But would you starve yourself if food is all around you?"

"Of course not…"

"This vampire feeds on human blood. This town has more than enough humans for it to feed to its desire. There is no reason for it to starve itself. It just needs to make sure the food won't go bad." Siderius said.

He went on and checked the rest of the villagers. Aside from Xelene, there were also two other villagers that were bitten in the night or had bite marks on their neck.

Siderius separated them from the rest of the villagers.

"Here is what you need to do. I want you to step directly into that sunlight. Can you all do that for me?" Siderius said.

The three villagers looked at each other. They didn't know what was going on and didn't have a reason to refuse. The three villagers took turns walking into the sunlight.

The last two had no problem standing under the sun. However, when it was Xelene's turn, her body suddenly released dark smoke.

"Burn! It's burnt!" Xelene screamed out in pain. She tried to run away but Siderius caught her and held her in the sunlight.

"Shhh. I know. I know. It hurts. But you have to endure. Or else you will turn into a hideous monster."

Xelene writhed in Siderius' arms at the beginning. But soon, she found the pain slowly diminished and the cloudy feeling in her mind disappeared. Her breathing calmed down and she sat peacefully in Siderius' arms.

She fell to her sleep in the end.

"What just happened, my lord?" Rea widened her eyes.

"Purification. Vampire's Necrosis damage is very powerful. But it has a very big weakness. That is the sun.

Someone gets over here and carries Xelene to somewhere she can rest."

A few of the villagers came over under Xarles' order to pick Xelene up. They brought her to the church and let her lay in one of the guest rooms.

"The monster can feast on us without us actually knowing it… How?" Xarles grabbed his head in confusion.

"Because of its eyes, Xarles. Keep everyone on the streets and in the sun. I will fish this monster out."

"What are you going to do, Lord Nyx?"

"I told you before, didn't I? A vampire looks like a human, thinks like a human, and talks like a human. It has needs exactly like a human, except for its appetite.

Who else isn't here?"

"I don't see Priest Xeros around. There is also the town's healer. His name is Xonder. An old lady named Xene.

Xene is too old to walk around so she doesn't go out in the morning. Xonder has a disease that prevents him from going outside. As for Xeros, he should usually be here but I don't know where he is."

"Only three people missing, huh? I think I have a good guess on who the monster is. Keep your villagers out on the streets and under the sunlight. The sun will protect them.

Don't go anywhere else and don't go indoor. I will take care of the monster quickly." Siderius said.

Xarles nodded. "You heard the lord! Everyone walks into the sunlight! Now!"

Rea approached Siderius and whispered to him. "Should I go with you, my lord?"

Siderius shook his head. "No. You will be safer here with them. Go and fetch Lycan. He should be around Red in the stable. He can protect you while I'm gone."

"Understood, my lord!"

Siderius left the crowd and went to Xene's house first. He thought that Xonder should be the mysterious vampire but still, he would like to make sure his theory was correct. Trusting in your ability is confidence. Blindly believing in your ability is arrogance.

Siderius stood in front of Xene's house and knocked on her.

"Xene! I am with Bailiff Xarles! I need to speak with you!" Siderius shouted but there was no answer.

He banged on the door a few more times but only silence replied.

Siderius flipped the fireswitch over and pulled out the flaming sword.

"Xene! I'm going in!"

The hunter kicked the door down. The darkness of the house was revealed to him.

He slowly got inside the house and looked around.

The place was covered with cobwebs and dust. It didn't seem like everyone was living here for quite a while.

He found Xene sitting on her chair. Her body decomposed beyond unrecognizable. Luckily the Joker Mask prevented him from smelling the vile stench in the air.

"She died of old age. No sign of struggling."

Siderius put his sword away. "As I suspected. Xene couldn't be the vampire. Vampires should be young or at least appear to be young. Xene is just too old to be one.

There are only two people left. Xeros and Xonder.

I just hope that it isn't you, Priest Xeros."

Siderius left Xene's house and went on to Xonder's house. The village's healer lived in a lonely house far away from the rest of the villagers. His house was near the woods the most.

When Siderius approached his house, he spotted a corpse of a dog near the fence with a leash on its head.

Siderius squatted down and examined it.

"One hit to the head. Instant death. This was a mercy kill. I wonder why he killed the dog?"

Siderius approached the door. He didn't bother to knock. Instead, he pulled out Blazing Soul and kicked the door down.

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