NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20
The outside had already darkened as the sun set.
“Well, it really suits you. Don’t you think so, Charlotte?”
“Well…”
Even though she knew how I felt, her question was nothing short of sadistic pleasure. I nodded vaguely with a sour expression, and yet, seemingly unfazed, Leticia stared intently at the collar around my neck and casually remarked.
“As long as you don’t look closely, it won’t be noticeable, so don’t worry.”
“…That’s not the problem. It’s clearly visible to begin with.”
“It’s fine. From a distance, it looks like a black choker, so no one will care.”
Is that even something to say?
Who would mistake a collar for a choker?
My skin was so pale that it could be described as ghostly, and with a black collar around my neck, how could it not be noticeable?
At least Leticia wasn’t holding the leash attached to the collar in her hands. If she had, I would have refused from the start since that would mean I was being treated like a pet out for a walk.
If I were to be treated that way, I would never go outside again. Of course, the important thing right now was that I was walking down the street with a collar around my neck. Thankfully, this was a back alley with no signs of people.
Imagining the aftermath if I had wandered into the academy, let alone a crowded area, made me shudder. Rumors about me, not to mention Leticia, would surely spread, but Leticia wouldn’t care at all.
On the contrary, I was the only one at a loss not knowing what to say. I absolutely wanted to avoid becoming a clown in the newspapers. With a disgusted expression, I tugged at the leather collar and firmly said.
“I’ve told you multiple times, I’m not your pet.”
“That’s not what I’ve been treating you as.”
“…That level of treatment is definitely pet-like.”
“Don’t talk back. Before you start whining like a pet, dragging you around with a leash.”
Leticia’s harsh words made me bite my lip and fall silent. I knew from experience that any further words would lead to trouble. Leo, who had been silently listening to our conversation, cleared his throat softly and spoke up.
“Let’s cut the conversation short. We’ve arrived.”
Stopping in his tracks, Leo spread his fingers and pointed to the location where the incident occurred. As I turned my gaze to where Leo was pointing, I was greeted by a spot that looked distinctly dangerous. There were streetlights around, but they emitted a dim and precarious light.
It was a light that wouldn’t be strange if it went out at any moment. Moreover, while the body had been removed, the blackened blood that had smeared around remained on the walls.
It was evidence that the vampire hadn’t cleaned up after their victim properly. If they had bitten the victim’s neck and dealt with it quickly, there wouldn’t have been any blood stains left on the walls.
“This seems… like there was resistance. They must not have gone down without a fight, huh?”
“…Even if someone hasn’t experienced battle, a person’s instincts tend to awaken at the moment of death. This is evidence of a human desperately resisting for their life.”
“They were likely attacked by a weaker individual among vampires. Nobility-level vampires haven’t been coming out much in the Demon World lately.”
Occasionally, a vampire overpowered in a power struggle might come over, but for an academy student to be attacked was a first, Leticia frowned.
It wasn’t surprising that she felt uneasy since such an incident had occurred at the academy where she was a teacher. It was no problem to cover up if the victim was an orphan and a commoner, but if the child of a noble had been attacked, it would have been much more problematic to brush it under the rug.
‘It’s only unfortunate for the student that has actually died.’
In a world where nobility is prioritized, I’d like to see the corpse of a student who has been drained of blood if possible, but that might be too much to ask. As I knelt down with one knee, placing my hand on the wall and touching the blackened bloodstains, a sudden scream echoed from a distance.
“Kyaaaaahhh—!”
Along with the desperate scream coming from the darkness was the stench of blood. It was unmistakably the smell of blood. With the scream ringing right in front of me and the thick scent of blood, Leo immediately tightened his grip on the hilt of the holy sword at his waist.
“Impure and ominous mana… Ha, it looks like the protagonist of the incident has come to us in person.”
Leo said in a suddenly somber tone.
“There’s only one presence, but don’t let your guard down. It could be a vampire, so be cautious.”
“I’ll cover you. If it looks like they’re going to attack, rush in and capture them.”
There’s a saying that the culprit returns to the scene of the crime, but I wondered if they were really a vampire. Looking at Leticia, who conjured a simple magic circle in her palm without a staff, I casually asked.
“Can I kill them?”
“I hope you can capture them alive if possible.”
“…That’s a demanding request.”
Somewhere along the line, capturing someone alive had become much more difficult than killing.
In warfare, you had to kill your enemies without fail. In a war of life and death, capturing someone alive was a luxury that wasted precious time. I had no time to grieve over the deaths of friends. The three years of war with the Mazoku had taken many things from me.
For example, my emotions; I had become resolute about taking lives without hesitation. Because of this, I had a hard time on Earth.
Tap, tap.
As the sound of heels grew closer, Leo drew his holy sword from his waist with a chill expression and aimed it straight ahead. Veins stood out on Leo’s hand gripping the sword.
Wait. Is it really okay to draw the holy sword? It was basically declaring to everyone that I was a hero. With the divine light wrapped around the sword’s blade, even those unfamiliar with heroes would feel certain that Leo was one.
A red glint flickered in the darkness. Leo’s cold gaze was directed at a figure stepping out from the shadows.
“Oh my, I didn’t expect there to be another guest besides myself.”
A gentle woman’s voice resonated. It sounded slightly surprised, but it could not hide the majesty that came with her absolute being.
In an instant, the air grew heavy.
“I intended to deal with this quietly. How unfortunate that I’ve attracted the attention of the esteemed sage of the Hero party.”
The owner of the voice seemed to recognize Leticia.
Would Leo, transformed into a woman, be unrecognizable? That wouldn’t be possible. The red eyes that glowed in the dark, resembling melted blood, were piercing through Leo’s holy sword. She blinked a few times and then muttered, seemingly puzzled.
“…A female hero wielding a holy sword. I didn’t hear any news of a new hero being born; could you be the puppet the church has been hiding?”
At that moment, the darkness that covered the sky was dispelled by the moon. The pouring moonlight cleared away the darkness and revealed the opponent’s form.
“It’s too bright.”
The woman, frowning as though she didn’t like the brightness, was reflected in my eyes.
She was about 160 cm tall, not particularly tall, yet the aura she exuded was on another level. Her long pink hair cascading down to her waist and her red eyes, which gave off a different feeling from Leo, were both chilling and beautiful. While most vampires were a beautiful race, I had never seen one as beautiful as her.
“I suggest you let me go quietly, Sage. I do not wish to fight you. A wise person like you would know that there is no benefit in engaging with an unopposed me.”
With a bored expression, the woman nodded her head.
“I’m here solely to deal with a traitor. There is no other reason. There is no need for us to engage in a meaningless battle.”
I swallowed hard, my expression tense.
Perhaps back in the days of Damien Redius, that might have been possible. But now, I could never defeat that woman. Her overwhelming aura was on a different level. If, as she said, there was no need to fight, it would be better to let her go. Leo, narrowing his eyes, tightened his grip on the holy sword and called for Leticia.
“Leticia.”
“I’m listening.”
“The vampire who caused the incident isn’t of noble rank, right?”
What part of her looked like a non-noble vampire? Taking a deep breath, Leo continued.
“…Could it be a vampire that might be of noble or even Archdemon level powers behind this incident?”
“Wrong. Look at what she’s holding.”
“What’s in her hand?”
“That must be the true culprit.”
In the woman’s left hand was something covered in blood. A soft whimper confirmed it was still alive. Is that grotesque thing still alive? It reached out its bloodied limb in the spot where it had presumably just been.
And it cried out for help.
“…P-Please, save me… I’ll confess… I did wrong. If this continues, I… Aaaahh!?”
“I hear trash barking from somewhere. Can you not hear it? It’s so disgusting I can’t breathe. What a piece of trash that tarnishes the majesty of your Majesty.”
That living corpse in the woman’s hand was surely not human. Considering it was speaking, it was likely the culprit of this incident. In that split second of wondering what that woman was, someone suddenly charged forward.
“Leo!”
It was Leo.
Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal clashing echoed. Leo charged forward with the force of a gust and collided with the woman and her holy sword. Sparks flew. The woman blocked Leo’s attack with the back of her hand and brushed it aside. As her flesh burned as if it had been scorched, she curled the corners of her mouth upwards.
“Is it impossible to let it go just this once?”
“Would you just say, ‘Yes, I’ll let you go’? You waltz into someone else’s territory and have plenty to say, huh?”
“I have plenty. I didn’t come here out of my own desire.”