Chapter 327 - Devil’s Temptation

"With these preparations, we are almost assured of victory. What remains is the tactical arrangement, which depends on how many people we can actually summon. We will decide at that time."Gaven turned to Kopofiel and said, "You have another issue to face on your side: how to survive tonight. Now is a critical moment for the unsealing of the Dwarves Elf Vampire Lord. Those vampires will definitely send their derivatives to scavenge for blood and will not spare your village."

Kopofiel confidently said, "Previously, not knowing who the enemy was allowed them to succeed time and again. Now that we know, we can make appropriate preparations. They won’t be able to take away my villagers from my hands again. If really necessary, we can gather all the villagers together and stay awake through the night."

Gaven’s gaze flickered, wanting to say something, but he forcefully swallowed the words.

Always at the side as a tool, executing orders, the Dog Demon suddenly spoke up, "I have a better suggestion."

At this, the soldiers behind Kopofiel were taken aback.

As warriors, they did not possess strong Perception and had not detected the true origins of the Dog Demon.

Uncharacteristically, Gaven did not scold it for being talkative, but instead followed up on its comment, "What better suggestion?"

In the Dog Demon’s orange eyes flickered the distinct slyness of a Devil as it said, "I suggest doing nothing in the refugee camp tonight and just watch how things unfold."

"What do you mean by watching how things unfold? You mean to say, let those vampires take our villagers away?" Kregi, upon hearing this, immediately exploded with anger, "Have you gone mad? How can you give such an inhumane suggestion?"

Shock and anger were undisguised on Kopofiel’s face as well, but he also had a calmness that Kregi did not, gesturing with his hands, "Kregi, control your emotions. We are discussing tactics here. We need a pool of ideas. To veto someone else’s proposal, at the very least let them finish speaking. Sir, why do you want us to do this?"

"The reason is simple: to prepare for later tonight, we have set up traps in your village. Rashly charging into the vampires’ den and engaging in all-out war is the most foolish act.

In the battlefield we have prepared, we will first eliminate a wave of the enemy’s living forces, then follow up with an attack on their den. Our chances of success will be greater. But to catch them off guard, we can’t let them be wary," the Dog Demon implied simply that using the village refugees taken tonight would numb the vampires, making them send people again the next night.

Before Kopofiel and Kregi could speak, Gaven sternly chastised, "Enough, no more. Your suggestion is purely devilish behavior. How could we trade our own villagers, our own kin for a bit of advantage?

General Kopofiel, do what you must tonight to ensure that not a single villager is taken by that group of vampires. Once we gather our forces tomorrow, we will attack the vampire’s den and rescue all the villagers within."

The Dog Demon uncharacteristically added somberly from the side, "My suggestion, though inhumane, has deeper benefits. You’re only considering those who haven’t been captured, not those who have been..."

"Enough," Gaven bellowed, "Shut up. If you dare say another word, be careful, or I’ll send you straight back to Hell."

Kopofiel’s expression changed drastically, asking repeatedly, "What will happen to the people who were taken?"

The Dog Demon this time firmly closed its mouth, adopting the demeanor of an obedient servant, ready to comply with its master’s arrangements.

Kopofiel asked several times, but the Dog Demon refused to speak.

Left with no choice, Kopofiel turned to Gaven and said, "Mr. Gaven, please let him finish speaking. After all, this concerns the lives of fifty villagers, and I must weigh the matter."

Gaven sighed with resignation and said, "I apologize. I was mistaken earlier for even allowing this devil to speak. What he is going to say will surely be the words of a devil, putting you on the rack over a fire. With the lives of villagers at stake on both sides, the slightest carelessness will result in you being cursed and losing the trust of your villagers."

"My reputation is a small matter; the life and death of the villagers is what’s important." Kopofiel spoke with resolve, "Regardless of whether it’s the words of a devil, I want to hear it."

Gaven nodded to the Dog Demon and said, "If that’s the case, speak. But remember, you won’t be credited for today’s events. I’ll settle the score with you afterward."

The Dog Demon then reluctantly began, "Have you ever considered why those who were taken are still alive?"

Without waiting for a reply, it answered its own question, "Of course, it’s to maximize their benefit by extracting more blood from those villagers for their own use.

But this is based on the assumption that they have the absolute advantage.

When they realize that this situation cannot continue,

will they still keep those villagers as livestock to continue extracting blood?

I don’t know what those vampires would do, but if it were me, I would definitely kill all these villagers immediately, extracting every drop of their blood, even their souls, to unseal the Dwarves Elf Vampire Lord.

Even if it’s not possible to completely unseal them, it would still release more strength for their own use, gaining a greater defensive force.

So, we either do nothing, or we strike the vampires like thunder, not giving them a chance to harm those taken villagers."

This time, even Kregi had no way to rebuke the Dog Demon.

Because the analysis made absolute sense.

The situation, as Gaven feared, pushed them onto the scales of moral choice.

On one side are the villagers who haven’t been captured; on the other, the captured ones.

Should they prioritize protecting the captured villagers, or focus on rescuing them, allowing the vampires to take more villagers in the meantime?

But who can guarantee they will rescue all villagers alive later?

Between these two choices, no matter which one they picked, neither would be right.

In an instant, beads of sweat the size of beans covered Kopofiel’s forehead. His cheeks spasmed uncontrollably, and his eyes betrayed his indescribable pain. He had never made such a painful choice before.

Even when facing the red prow of the ghost ship, facing the pirates of the Islands of Nelanser that outnumbered his crew by tenfold, facing the catastrophic Storm’s Eye, and when the sinking of Watcher’s Call was beyond salvage, he never hesitated to make the most resolute choice.

Because at that time, the path before him was exceedingly simple, which was to lead his own family, his own brothers, out of a hopeless situation.

"Actually, this choice is not absolute; we can compromise to a certain extent," Gaven said thoughtfully, "The village has been dealing with disappearances for more than a day or two. It’s inevitable that the village is prepared. This kind of resistance won’t completely enrage the vampires, prompting them to rashly react in an extreme manner.

If the village shows some of its strength, yet is unable to pose a real threat to them,

They might change their strategy and become more aggressive, launching large-scale invasions and abductions, possibly even coming out in full force.

In doing so, we can wait at our leisure in the village tomorrow night and catch them by surprise.

However, by doing this we are turning the village into a battlefield, using all the villagers as bait, especially since we are dealing with a group of vampires. A slight mishap could result in the villagers being controlled and turning against us. That would put us in a difficult position, reluctant to make a move for fear of making a mistake," Gaven concluded.

If Gaven had suggested this from the beginning,

Even if it wasn’t strongly opposed, it wouldn’t have been well received for the very reason he had just mentioned.

But with the Dog Demon having laid out a series of reasons before, this suggestion becomes more moderate and more acceptable.

At least it means not sitting idly by and watching one’s villagers be taken away.

Kopofiel immediately responded, "Saving the villagers is a duty we all must fulfill without any excuse. As long as we can eliminate these vampires and rescue our villagers, what does it matter if the village is destroyed? As long as we are alive, we can build a new village."

"Since the General is so resolved, let us have a real fight. Those Vampire Derivatives were successful in the past mainly because we weren’t on guard.

As long as we stay vigilant tonight, everyone should try to stay awake, cover your ears, and if necessary, tie yourself to the inside of the houses. If we don’t listen to their charming words and leave our houses willingly, they’ll be helpless," Gaven spoke of another vampire weakness.

Entry is forbidden; vampires cannot enter a dwelling without an invitation from the occupants.

In other planes, whether vampires have this distinct weakness is unknown, but in Felen it exists.

This is the divine will of the gods, to protect their followers from the harm of vampires.

If this protection didn’t exist, vampires would have likely overpopulated and the whole Material Plane would have become their hunting grounds.

As for why the gods permit the existence of such cursed and evil beings as vampires,

The answer likely has to do with the balance between light and darkness in the Multiverse.

Where there is light, there will inevitably be shadows.

It is only darkness that highlights the light.

When one is extinguished, the other ceases to exist.

This is no exception even for the upper planes, where their dark reflections are not in the upper planes themselves but in the lower ones, representing a deeper balance between light and darkness.

"Not only that, but it would be best if everyone could carry a few bottles of Holy Water just in case we need to repel them," Kopofiel added further.

Be they vampires or Vampire Derivatives, they all possess terrifying regenerative abilities, making Trolls seem weak in comparison.

Not just vampires, even the lesser Vampire Derivatives can easily regenerate severed limbs in an instant.

Like Trolls’ fear of acid and fire, they fear light and flowing water.

Once exposed to light-based harm or immersed in flowing water, their regenerative abilities are temporarily suppressed.

The situation with flowing water is too peculiar; all vampires steer clear of large rivers, never putting themselves in such danger.

What’s effective is light-based harm, with Holy Water being an extension of this kind of harm.

"And the wooden stake," Regina chimed in.

Impalement with a wooden stake through the heart is the only known effective method to permanently kill both vampires and Vampire Derivatives to this point.

Gaven objected, "No, stakes are too obvious and might alarm the vampires. Tonight’s mission for General Kopofiel and his men is to drive away the group of vampires, not to wound or kill them. There’s no need for stakes. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoᴠᴇFɪre.nᴇt

This task is better left to me. Tomorrow I will bring a few Druids over. Making stakes is a trivial matter for them."

Regina didn’t insist, "Your arrangement is indeed more thorough. We’ll do as you say. It’s getting late and those vampires could act at any moment. Village Chief, the pressure is greatest on you tonight; you should go and make arrangements early.

I myself have many variables to deal with, so I must leave first to see if Mr. Darnell has left. If it’s really not possible, I’ll travel to the Monastery of the Hammer of Justice overnight to check if any other Paladins are available."

Darnell was listed as the first person to invite,

Not only because they have become closer recently but mainly out of consideration for Gaven, as he had a Devil on his side.

How Darnell will react is something that Regina cannot be absolutely sure of, let alone those Paladins whose natures are unknown. If their old-fashioned minds cannot think flexibly, and they start a conflict with the vampires before even seeing them, that would truly be a disaster.