I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

Chapter 71




Jeongjae first called Bernard and the two transporters who were accompanying him into his office. Since there weren’t enough chairs in the office, Jeongjae even brought in an extra chair and sat down at the desk himself, placing Bernard and a girl named Violet, who was a transporter, opposite him.

Jenis and Margaret sat on each side, prepared to listen to the discussion. Jeongjae asked Bernard a question first.

“So, Bernard, you’re saying there are vampires?”

“That’s correct. Brother, you know as well as I do that we’ve fought them before and understand what they’re like.”

In any case, Bernard’s words proved that Count Harker’s warning was certainly not unfounded. It was indeed clear that vampires were roaming the southern region.

“Please tell me more. The circumstances surrounding the ambush, any notable events that occurred during the attack, and anything you think I should know.”

Bernard nodded and began to explain in detail what he had experienced. From the fact that they had been ambushed in the broad daylight of the afternoon, to the battles fought using crossbows and grappling hooks, and ultimately being pushed back but then suddenly being overtaken by a colleague from the other side.

After hearing the entire story, Jeongjae let out a sigh of relief.

“So, no one was hurt then?”

“Thank goodness! If anyone had gotten hurt by a vampire, handling it would have been a real pain in the neck. Damn, it must have worked out somehow with the princess here.”

“My ability only works in situations prior to their transformation into vampires. Once symptoms become serious and cross a line, even fairy magic can no longer exert its power. Saving people is a tremendous achievement, Bernard.”

Margaret commented, recognizing the hunter’s contributions. Bernard bowed his head in thanks toward Margaret.

“So what happened after the ambush? Did you enter Harker Count Territory?”

“That’s right. It was the closest territory, and I thought it would be safe as long as we were within the bounds of a secure territory. Plus, I had work to do involving the Count anyway.”

“I assume you reported this to the Count?”

“Of course. The Count reacted very sensitively and seemed unsure of what to do. He clearly had prior knowledge about the vampires.”

“I heard my father suffered a similar ambush not long ago. It seems he was unharmed thanks to the protection spell I cast on the carriage, but he had to give up attending the Imperial Assembly to return.”

Jenis explained, and Bernard nodded, indicating he understood what she meant.

“That explains why the Count wasn’t present at the assembly that day. It must have been a hassle for the Hero as well while dealing with Count Koesernis.”

“Koesernis? He must have demanded the local conscription of soldiers. Did that go as he intended?”

Jeongjae seemed to take interest in the somewhat irrelevant topic. Bernard frowned slightly as he responded.

“Thanks to His Majesty the Emperor, it got muddled. But brother, this isn’t the topic we should be discussing right now.”

“Oh, I see. I’m curious about the Count’s reaction to this. Please tell me more about it, Bernard.”

“More details… When he heard about the vampire attack, he was very flustered. He anxiously asked to see the weapons we brought with us, then boasted that he’d take more weapons than originally planned. Young lady, what was the exact amount?”

“We originally had 300 spears and 30 sets of armor, but we increased that by 33 percent to take 400 spears and 40 sets of armor. He said he had plenty of troops ready to arm immediately.”

Violet answered Bernard’s question, and Jeongjae chuckled as he nodded.

“Looks like he was quite rushed. Well, we don’t have an urgent need for spears and armor, so it’s fine if the Count pilfers a bit of what’s meant for us.”

Right now, Harriet’s Territory might be lacking in spare spears, but armor was not really a problem. In fact, it exceeded what was necessary. Since there were only 12 troops in the territory, there weren’t nearly enough supplies to arm them all.

Jeongjae’s insistence on having spears and armor included in the royal retrieval plan was primarily to recreate a sort of landing obstacle, so it made sense for Count Harker, who was urgently dealing with vampires, to claim a little more for himself without any reason for resentment.

“On paper, he requested to borrow weapons from Harriet Territory. But if that’s his position, wouldn’t a transfer agreement do just fine?”

“Well, that’s not really a matter to discuss right now. So what did Count Harker say in response to that?”

“When he heard the name Dracula, his face went completely pale. He was mumbling about finally hearing that name… No, brother, why do you look like that? His face was just as white as yours right now!”

There was a reason for Bernard to say such things. The moment Jeongjae heard a name he never expected to hear escape Bernard’s lips, he forgot to breathe, his lips trembling in confusion.

Margaret and Jenis simultaneously snapped to attention, rising in alarm. Jeongjae remained pale, not even moving a finger, his eyes blinking rapidly.

“What did you just say, Bernard?”

“I said the name Dracula… Do you recognize that name? How did a professional undead hunter like me hear a name I’ve never come across before…”

Bernard nodded knowingly.

“Brother, could it be a name known not in this world, but in your world? So that vampire is being discussed with lots of unfamiliar titles attached?”

“What titles were attached to that name? Do you remember exactly?”

“Something like the ‘Boyal of Transylvania, Protector of the Szekely?’ Or was it the other way around? It was something similar. I’ve never heard anything like it; do you happen to know—”

“But that’s impossible!”

Jeongjae suddenly slammed the desk and stood up, startling Jenis, who was slowly approaching him, causing her to take a step back, while Margaret remained still, merely watching his expression.

Violet looked around nervously, trying to disappear from the spot, but when Jeongjae’s gaze met hers, he gestured.

“Miss Violet, you can leave now. You can rest wherever you like. Thank you for your testimony.”

At Jeongjae’s words, Violet hurriedly bowed her head and dashed out of the office. Bernard glanced back toward Jeongjae before returning his focus.

“Why do you say it’s impossible, brother?”

“I know that name. Dracula. The legendary vampire of Romania. The most powerful among vampires, who sought to conquer the world from London. I definitely know that name.”

“Then, dear Mage. Perhaps the reason you say it’s impossible is that he is already dead in your world? If that’s the case, it’s not completely impossible. After all, you crossed over to our world after passing away in your world, didn’t you? If such a thing were to happen…”

“It’s not a matter of death, Margaret. He is a fictional character even in our world!”

The atmosphere in the room turned icy at Jeongjae’s words. As no one could find an appropriate response, Jeongjae turned to Bernard and asked again.

“Bernard, in what context did that name come up? Why did that vampire mention his name?”

“It was when I was pushing that fellow back and threatening him with a knife to his neck, asking who was behind this. He started talking nonsense about being devoted to our Boyal, Lord Dracula…”

“That’s the Dracula I know. There can’t be another Dracula. But, but how is that possible? How could such a thing happen?”

“First, calm down. Sit down and explain. We need to hear what kind of being Dracula is and why you consider him a fictional character so we can judge it ourselves.”

Margaret had a valid point. Jeongjae decided he would lay out everything he knew for them.

Dracula. A horror novel published during the Victorian era, written by Bram Stoker. A material that has been endlessly adapted and transformed, vampire-themed works inspired by Dracula could easily fill several encyclopedias with just that name alone. In fact, any vampire-related creation inherently owes its existence to Dracula.

But again, the Victorian era. Again with the Victorian era. About 120 years ago. What exactly happened between Earth and this world 120 years ago?

“Dracula is a character from a novel. Admittedly, such a person with that name did indeed exist. But he is absolutely not a vampire. He is merely a real noble who inspired the writing of the vampire novel. So, it is reasonable to view Dracula as a pure creation of one author.”

“But professor, what if that noble was actually a vampire, and the contents of the novel conveyed the truth? There have been plenty of cases in our history where the novel was true and the official history was false.”

Jenis pointed out. Jeongjae shook his head at her words.

“No, that point has already been definitively proven. More than anything, it’s a highly famous novel, and plenty of amateurs who believed in what you’re talking about have researched it. Anyway, it’s certain that the stake-driving blade is definitely not the same as the vampire ‘Dracula’ from the novel—Dracula is purely a fictional character. He’s the villain in a story written by a British author named Bram Stoker. As I’ve said before, vampires don’t exist in our world. No vampires, no elves, no demons—nothing exists in that world.”

“What about the contents of that novel? It’s not necessary to go into too much detail. Just tell me the vampire’s goal and how it ended.”

Margaret asked. In truth, it had been quite a while since Jeongjae had read the original ‘Dracula,’ which is considered classic literature, so the details were a bit fuzzy. What Margaret asked was about the most Jeongjae could answer.

“Dracula was… how should I explain this? He was a noble living in a not-so-well-developed rural castle. But the local residents knew he was a vampire and feared him, so he plotted to expand his power by relocating to England, which was the superpower of the day. The ones who stood against him were Professor Abraham Van Helsing and company—Jonathan Harker, Arthur Holmwood, Quincy Morris, and… his wife, Mina.”

“Harker?”

Jenis flinched. Margaret’s expression seemed to finally understand why Jeongjae had reacted so sensitively regarding Arthur Harker.

“Count Harker’s name overlaps with two of those characters. You must have sensed some suspicion early on.”

“But… t-the professor mentioned that he heard about Jonathan and Mina and Quincy, right? I was told Mina is Jonathan’s wife, so she must also be of the Harker family, but Quincy is from a different family…”

“He’s the child born from those two. Jonathan and Mina named their son Quincy Harker. More than that, Jonathan Harker himself was the one who cut off Dracula’s head.”

“And coincidentally, it seems the family is very interested in vampires and has connections as well.”

“A noble family that began to rise in this world only about 100 to 200 years ago. Around the same time that novel was published.”

Jeongjae struck the final nail. Jenis trembled, unable to hide her bewilderment.

“Professor, I understand your suspicion of our family, but I assure you… I really don’t know anything…”

“Why would I suspect your family? I’ve already said it. Harker is the one who fought against Dracula. And besides… that cross. The cross is a symbol for opposing Dracula. Vampires are weak against that symbol.”

At Jeongjae’s words, Jenis pulled out the cross necklace hanging around her neck. Bernard tilted his head in confusion and interjected.

“Does that symbol really have an effect on vampires? I’ve never heard that before.”

“It’s a story that circulates in our world, Bernard. Because in our world, there’s a religion that considers that symbol sacred. Yes. If Dracula is indeed the one from the novel I just mentioned, he wouldn’t favor such crosses. It’s highly unlikely he would live with such a thing attached to him, let alone adopt it as his family symbol.”

“I’d better ask Walter about this. If everything is just a ‘story from a novel,’ then that won’t settle a thing.”

Margaret suggested, and Bernard agreed with her opinion.

“I was just thinking that. But before that, I wanted to hear the rest of your story, brother. Anyway, thank you for this intriguing information. I will firmly remember all this and relay it to the Hero.”

“Let me know what he says too. This issue is particularly interesting to me.”

“I will do my best, but I can’t make any promises.”

At Bernard’s words, Jeongjae furrowed his brows.

“What does that mean?”

“It means the Hero doesn’t seem to want you to know too much.”

Bernard answered. Jeongjae was left speechless, unable to respond.


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