Pasts of the Vampires

On a highway in Germany.

It was just as Gardastance’s helicopter was landing on the Mars estate.

A vampire who should have already been at the mansion was at the wheel of a white car.

She had pale white skin and shimmering white hair. Other than the warm glint in her silver eyes, she was the very image of a snow queen.

Her name was Dorothy Nifas.

She was the officer of the color white, as well as Gerhardt’s fiancée.

If things had gone according to schedule, she would have arrived at the conference early for a pleasant chat with Gerhardt in front of a toasty-warm fireplace.

But at the moment, she was driving down the highway at perfectly legal speeds in spite of her tardiness.

Because Dorothy was capable of transforming into a flock of white bats at will, she had the option of getting to the conference faster in her alternate form. But this time, she had no such intentions.

That was because of her pa.s.senger. The girl sitting next to her.

In stark contrast to Dorothy, the girl was wearing a black dress. She was Ferret, who had run off from Growerth half a day earlier.

"I’m sorry, Ferret. It might have been more comfortable if I’d rented us a plane."

"Not at all… It is my own fault for not telling anyone that I was leaving." Ferret said, slightly nervous.

Confusion was still clear in her eyes, and on occasion she glanced over at Dorothy with a look of wonder and discomfort.

‘So this woman… is Father’s fiancée…’

Ferret had recklessly charged off the island and come to the mainland, but at that point she had no idea how she should go about looking for Mihail. That was when a white bat flew over to her and spoke.

The bat soon transformed into a beautiful woman, who smiled and offered Ferret a handshake.

"You must be Ferret. I’m Dorothy—Dorothy Nifas. It’s very good to meet you. The maids at Waldstein Castle contacted me, so I came to get you."

"Oh…"

"Oh, yes! It might be a little awkward to tell you this so suddenly, but we’re going to be family one day. I hope we can get along."

"F, family?!"

The first thing that jumped to her mind was the image of a sister-in-law.

"Wh, what do you mean by that?! Honored Brother is already involved with Hilda-" She blurted out.

Dorothy went on to properly explain that she was Gerhardt’s fiancée. Ferret was so embarra.s.sed that she wanted to crawl into a hole, but she was mostly rattled by the revelation.

‘To think that Father was engaged… I had heard the rumors, but I always thought they were nothing more than jokes…’

Although Ferret outwardly claimed that Relic was all she needed, in her heart she saw Gerhardt as her father proper. Though she remained calm on the surface, the news that her father was engaged called up some indescribable emotion in her heart.

‘Just how in the world…? …With Father?!’

As much as Ferret cared for her father, it was impossible to deny that he was made of blood. Just what kind of a woman could possibly agree to marry such a being?

Or had they been engaged since before his metamorphosis?

‘What if she is after the Waldstein family’s money or power…?’ Ferret found herself wondering for a moment, but she quickly chided herself for thinking so badly of a woman she had only just met.

But she honestly could not tell how they came to be engaged. Although looks mattered relatively little between vampires, there was still a line that could not be crossed.

Noticing Ferret’s confusion, Dorothy giggled.

"What is it? It looks like you have something you want to say."

"…! …Umm… I would like to make this clear. Although Father is a part of it now… I do not think well of your Organization."

"Of course. The incident from half a year ago, and what happened with your birth parents. It’s understandable."

"…"

Ferret was somewhat surprised that Dorothy so easily acknowledged the Organization’s wrongdoings.

She had heard the story before.

That her and Relic’s parents were originally from the Organization; that they had escaped to prevent their children from being used as tools.

"Are they still after Honored Brother and his powers, I wonder."

The reason the Organization refused to leave Growerth alone was because of the power within Relic von Waldstein.

The vampires of the Organization had spent years upon years undertaking research to create an essence of vampiric power. Relic was one of the products of their research.

His powers were unmatched among vampirekind. He could wield an entire island like it was a part of the clothes on his back, synchronizing with it and transforming into hundreds of millions—or even billions of—

"I think it’s important for you to know that some members are after your brother. Especially Caldimir and Melhilm. Now, Melhilm won’t try anything if Gerhardt’s around, but Caldimir hates Gerhardt."

"…! Is Father really in such danger?"

"Don’t worry. Caldimir may hate Gerhardt, but he doesn’t have the gall to try to hurt him. In that sense, I think that mayor of yours might actually be more of a threat."

"Watt Stalf…" Ferret mumbled, hanging her head.

Watt Stalf was the mayor of the city of Neuberg on the island of Growerth. He was a dhampyr, a being who was of both vampire and human descent.

Having made a habit of pestering Gerhardt, Watt was more clearly an enemy of the viscount than the Organization.

"You are right. I wonder why Father lets him walk free even now…"

"Because your father is a kind man."

"He is merely too lenient."

"Maybe you’re right. But that’s also why he accepted your parents and let them onto the island, even though it meant turning his back on his old friend."

Ferret was silenced.

She knew very little about her birth parents. Gerhardt had often told her that they were people she could be proud of, but to her, the only image conjured up by the word ‘parent’ was that of a pool of blood.

That was why she had so valued her connection to her brother. But in more recent months, her relationship with Relic was no longer the only one that mattered to her.

"Your father is a wonderful man." Dorothy said with a warm smile.

"Pardon?"

"Anyone could tell just by looking at you."

"What do you mean…?"

Ferret was not expecting that answer. She could not hide her bewilderment.

"Oh? You’re trying to sneak into the Organization’s conference for the boy you love. Anyone could see just how wonderful your father is, raising such an outgoing and considerate daughter."

"Wh, what are you saying?! I, I only…"

"’You only’…?"

"I… I only wish to stop Mihail before he does anything foolish… Because he is a friend of Honored Brother… I, in any case! I intend only to bring that foolish human back to the island before he makes a mockery of us all! I have no ulterior motives!" Ferret babbled. The snow-white vampire smiled gently.

"You remind me a lot of Gerhardt when he was younger."

"…! …? Father… when he was younger?"

"That’s right. A long time ago, when he was still in human form. He would always try to act so confident. Now that I think about it, you may not be related, but you and Relic do resemble him somehow."

"…"

The sudden mention of her father’s human form aroused Ferret’s curiosity. But something else came to her first.

"You must have known Father for a very long time."

"Yes. Since before the Organization was founded, in fact. Although we weren’t engaged until later."

"…I would have expected a fiancée to follow her future husband out of the Organization." Ferret said sarcastically. She immediately regretted what she did, and despised herself for thinking in such a direction.

As she wondered if she should apologize, Dorothy responded as though she was unaffected.

"You’re right. I stayed behind… and Gerhardt returned to Growerth."

Nostalgically recalling the past, Dorothy narrowed her eyes.

"That was about when Gerhardt and I agreed to marry."

"Pardon…?"

‘They were engaged just as they were about to part?’

Ferret looked at Dorothy, waiting for an answer.

A smile remained on Dorothy’s face, although the sentiment behind it shifted. Her lips curved up slightly, as though she was embarra.s.sed.

"Well… where should I begin?"

After a moment of thought, Dorothy asked Ferret a question.

"Do you like humans?"

"…?"

The question seemed to come out of nowhere. Ferret fell into thought.

Dorothy’s questions never seemed to follow a set flow of thoughts, perhaps speaking for the fact that she was difficult to read. But her question just now was not one that could be easily laughed away.

Ferret hesitated, her fingers tightening over the hem of her skirt.

"…There is an insurmountable wall between humans and vampires. Emotions such as ‘liking’ or ‘disliking’ are on too low a scale to compare. Or do you wonder if I like humans in the same way I like cats or dogs?"

Ferret was talking in the same pompous way she spoke to Relic and Mihail, but there wasn’t as much energy behind her words this time.

Dorothy replied in a lighthearted tone.

"That’s fine too. Are you a dog person? Or a cat person? Or a human person?"

"P, please! This is no time for jokes!" Ferret protested. Dorothy snickered and turned the steering wheel.

And with that same smile, she paused.

"You know, I despise humans."

"Wha…"

Ferret found herself gasping.

"Don’t get me wrong. It’s not as though I want all of humanity dead. There are humans I respect and like, but there are more enemies among them than friends. In that sense, I despise the human race."

"…"

"That’s why I manipulated Gerhardt into creating the Organization."

"…You ‘manipulated’ him?" Ferret frowned.

"I think it’ll be best that I tell you this in person, rather than you hearing it second-hand from someone else… Let’s talk about how the Organization was first founded."

Ferret was silenced. All Gerhardt told her about the Organization was that it was a sort of social club. She was curious to know what the Organization was to other vampires.

Dorothy took Ferret’s silence as a ‘yes’ and quietly began to explain, her voice tinged with nostalgia, sadness, love, and countless other emotions.

<=>

Hundreds of years ago, somewhere in Northern Europe.

She was as beautiful as snow.

But her heart was crushed, and snow eventually turned to ice.

Dorothy Nifas was born a vampire.

Her parents were also vampires, and judging from their skin and hair colors, they were probably close relatives.

Or perhaps one was originally human before being turned by their spouse. But that mattered little to Dorothy.

She had the so-called ‘demonic’ power to freeze the air around her.

She was indeed a near-demonic creature, but she was not very aware of that fact at the time.

She had been traveling through many countries in Northern Europe with her parents.

Her physical beauty and the color of her hair were much too conspicuous to humans eyes.

On occasion, when they pa.s.sed by a human settlement, her parents would tell her,

"You must never allow yourself to be seen by humans."

Until she matured fully, they always veered very far from settlements. And in that era, that was enough for them to steer clear of human contact.

But tragedy struck one day, when Dorothy helped a young man—a human—whom she found collapsed on the snowy mountains.

The young man was nearly frozen, very close to death. She took him to a cabin nearby and started a fire in the fireplace, knowing that her touch would only kill the man faster.

She must not be seen by humans.

Although the lesson was clear in her mind, Dorothy could not fight her curiosity. Humans looked very much like vampires. They spoke the same language. And they were much more numerous. She could not help herself.

When the man finally recovered, he thanked her. He must have realized that Dorothy was not quite human.

She asked the young man to keep secret the fact that he met her, and the young man agreed to do so.

Unlike yuki-onna of j.a.panese legend, she did not make him swear to secrecy on pain of death. The thought did not even occur to her.

She did not tell her parents about the encounter, only allowing her heart to race in excitement at the thought that she had finally met one of these curious beings.

But there were a few things she should have realized.

Just as she broke her promise to her parents, humans were capable of breaking promises as well.

And that humans loathed beings they thought to be ‘Others’.

<=>

Present day.

"The day after the man went down the mountain, he came back up." Dorothy said quietly, her hands on the steering wheel. "Along with many people from the village."

"…"

"The last I saw, my parents’ throats were slit as they slept in their coffins and set on fire."

Although there was little gravitas in Dorothy’s tone, Ferret could not bring herself to say a word.

Gerhardt had told her that her own parents had been murdered by Hunters.

She found herself picturing the parents she never knew, burning to death. In her mind, they naturally had the same faces as herself and Relic. A chill ran down Ferret’s spine.

"It was nothing unusual. The young man I helped knew about us from the very start. He was from a scouting team that searched abandoned huts on the mountain where strange monsters were said to live. …It was my own fault. If only I’d told my parents about what I did. If only I hadn’t broken my promise. They might still be alive. I might have met Gerhardt differently."

"…Do you… resent that young man and the villagers?"

"No. Not anymore. I told you, it was really my own fault."

A faint smile crept up on Dorothy’s face. But there was a mysterious chill in her lips.

"After all… They’re all dead and gone now."

"…"

That was only natural, considering the lifespan of humans.

But did the young man and the villagers really die natural deaths?

The cold note in Dorothy’s voice made Ferret wonder.

But instead of asking for confirmation on every question she could think of, Ferret decided to wait in silence for Dorothy to continue.

"For a long time, I couldn’t trust anyone. I went out into the sea as though escaping from the humans, using my white coffin as a boat… If I were weak against flowing water, I would have died for sure. But in that state, I guess I would have been all right with turning to ash."

Dorothy chuckled m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.tically. The chill in her voice was now nowhere to be found.

"To me, there was nothing more to life than traveling with my parents. And having lost that… I had no need for a world full of those creatures who murdered my parents."

The car shook briefly, perhaps having run over a rock.

Ferret still could not say anything. She continued to listen as an audience of one.

"I thought to myself… If I fled to the sea and somehow make it back alive… I would destroy humanity."

In the flood of emotions Dorothy spilled, Ferret recalled a certain woman.

An Eater named Shizune Kijima.

In the past, Shizune had worked with Watt Stalf for the purpose of destroying every vampire in the world—and perhaps she still wished to do so.

Gerhardt had explained that Shizune threw herself into revenge after her family was ma.s.sacred by a vampire.

Dorothy and Shizune. Two women from completely different backgrounds who had walked the very same path.

They were not the only ones.

Ferret herself had also seethed in rage, desiring revenge, when she was attacked by the armored Eater.

As her thoughts reached that point, she was quickly seized by a terrible fear.

"Umm… I do not wish to interrupt, but…"

"Oh? What is it?" Dorothy asked pleasantly. Ferret decided to get straight to the point.

"That armored man who attacked Mihail. What is he doing now? If he happens to run into Mihail at the conference…" Ferret trailed off, her fears surfacing over her mask of confidence.

Dorothy looked at her affectionately and answered.

"They might run into one another there, but I don’t think he’ll be attacking Mihail."

"That is impossible! That man was clearly insane! I cannot see him changing his mind so easily!"

Recalling the bone-chilling emotion she felt when the armored man attacked her and Mihail, Ferret panicked.

But Dorothy remained calm.

"You’re right. …Rudy’s will wouldn’t bend so easily. But that’s why… he was broken."

"What…?"

"The way he is now… He wouldn’t be able to fight, even if he wanted to."

As though reminded of something, Dorothy glanced at her watch.

"Oh. Now that I think about it… The conference should be starting soon."

<=>

At the same time, inside the dining hall of the Mars family’s country house.

The vast room was made not for the residents of the mansion, but for its guests.

Vampires of all shapes and sizes were gathered in the dining hall, which was large enough to house five hundred people.

Of the officers, some came alone; others were accompanied by nearly a dozen subordinates. Even their appearances were scattered across the spectrum, from a girl in cosplay gear to a pool of blood to a chihuahua.

They were currently in the middle of a conferences, discussing the ma.s.s disappearance that took place in a mountain village east of the Mars family’s country house.

In front of each officer was a laptop provided by the Mars family, and the meeting progressed based on the information that came up on the shared screens.

One Mars family servant was behind each officer for the convenience of those who could not use computers. They provided all sorts of a.s.sistance, from working the interface to interpreting between languages.

The conference was almost a show of excessive consideration.

In the midst of all this, one particular pool of blood explained very plainly the incident in question.

[Though we have no proof of vampires’ involvement in this incident, it is true that there are such rumors floating around the city.]

He was making use of his peculiar talent of writing in the air and simultaneously typing on the keyboard to show his words on the shared screen.

Gardastance, sitting behind the nameplate labeled ‘Gold’, spoke up.

"Is that a particularly pressing problem? It’s possible that a vampire unaffiliated with the Organization is behind the incident. We have a great deal of precedent for such cases."

[Of course, my friend. But this incident has become too large of a news item in the world of humans.]

"What does that matter? In America, most believe it was the work of terrorists. …Or perhaps you had something else to bring up at this conference?" Gardastance asked plainly. Gerhardt sloshed in place.

[In fact, yes. We have received a joint letter from three of the Clans. They seem to suspect that the Organization was behind this incident.]

‘Clans’.

The very mention of the word visibly stirred the dining hall.

Caldimir, now recovered from his injuries, continued where Gerhardt left off.

"Those accursed fossils can’t be much keener to get rid of us. They even brought up the ma.s.s murderer from over ten years ago."

[Of course, we responded with a definitive ‘no’ to those accusations. Doubs Hewley should have gone to confirm the facts for himself… Hm? Now that I think on it, he has yet to arrive…]

<=>

There was a small group listening in to the conversation from outside the dining room.

"I can’t see him yet, but I’m glad the viscount’s doing all right."

Mihail, Doubs, and Fannie.

They were standing in the hallway with their backs to the door, clearly eavesdropping. Doubs waved at the servants in the corridor. Fannie looked at him, uncertain.

"Mr. Doubs, why aren’t you going inside?"

"It won’t do to be anything but fashionably tardy, don’t you agree?"

Fannie looked astonished, but Mihail nodded in understanding.

They were also watching the shared screen through a laptop given to them by a servant.

One word in particular caught Mihail’s interest.

"Say… what’re ‘Clans’ supposed to be?"

"Ah, yes. I suppose you could say that they are groups of vampires discretely different from the Organization. They are composed of pure-blood vampires of the same bloodline, not mixed with any other lineage… A family of vampires, if you will. And not just one generation. If a family of vampires grows over many multiples of years to have over thirty members, it comes to be known as a Clan."

"Oh, so it’s one of those huge families!"

"I suppose you’re right. After all, if two immortals had a child once every ten years, they would have a hundred children by the end of one millennium. Some Clans do, in fact, have over two hundred members. The only reason they don’t reproduce like rats is because that would lead to self-collapse. The Clans keep reproduction seriously and severely in check." Doubs explained, pulling up an internet browser on the screen separately from the shared one.

He browsed to a page about vampires on an internet encyclopedia, which listed all sorts of characteristics and examples.

"Vampires from Clans are very much like the vampires you humans usually imagine. They suck humans’ blood, lord over werewolf and witch servants, and think of vampires as superior to humans. They transform themselves into fog and flocks of bats, live deep in the forests, and put up macabre magical shields that repel humans. These typical vampires you see in cartoons and films are the kind you would find in a Clan. Of course, no Clan thus far has been able to use all abilities equally, and none are powerful enough to dream of conquering the world like you see in movies… At least, not until rather recently."

"Huh… So you mean…"

One vampire in particular came to Mihail’s mind.

As though having waited for that conclusion, Doubs put on a gleeful smile.

"You are correct! Your friend Relic von Waldstein. Deftly deduced. Your reward is money!"

"W, wait! I can’t take that!" Mihail stammered. Doubs chuckled, saying he was only joking, and continued to explain.

"You see, Relic was born with the power of all such vampires—with power enough to surpa.s.s them. He was born to become the ultimate vampire. To be blunt, Clans—although there are differences between families and individuals—generally do not welcome vampires outside of their own lineage. From their perspective, we are vampires who cross the line of normalcy. In other words, they see us as lowly and disgusting monsters."

Fannie, who had been silent all this time, cut in.

"They’re… really awful. They tried to kill me without a second thought."

"What?"

"They said I wasn’t a true vampire… That I was just a fake that didn’t evolve from a human."

In the little boy’s eyes was a look of intense rage and a sliver of fear.

What had happened to him in the past? His eyes alone were enough to show how much he had suffered.

Although Mihail wanted to hear more about the Clans, the shared screen suddenly shifted to the next topic. He decided to follow the conference for now.

<=>

[The people of the city point to the wounds on the girl’s neck as so-called proof, but we unfortunately have no way of knowing if they were caused by a vampire. Although it is worth noting that the young lady has been seen walking in broad daylight.]

Gardastance rubbed his chin.

"If it’s confirmation we need, I’ll gladly buy out the hospital, or the relevant law enforcement officials."

Caldimir’s temples twitched visibly.

"Every camera and reporter from the entire world is swarming around the city, turning over every rock they can find! If you engage in underhanded deals like that, the Gardastance Group will be suspected!"

"Of course. I suppose that means I should buy out the media, as well."

"Are you even listening to me?!" Caldimir squawked.

At that point, a tan-skinned man who had been quiet during the meeting raised his hand. He looked like a Native American, but he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt with sandals and sungla.s.ses. His physique was a full-figured mix of muscle and fat, making him look very much like a born thug or the president of a neighborhood venture business.

The man laughed leisurely and addressed Gardastance.

"Hah hah hah… Unfortunately for you, Mr. Gardastance, one of my TV crews is on the scene as well. Please don’t make the mistake of a.s.suming my company can be bought out so easily. Hah hah hah."

The man with the unusual laugh was, in reality, neither a thug nor a president. But in terms of influence, he was a match (or perhaps more than a match) for Gardastance.

He was Zao Dugnald, a producer at a famous American TV station. He also appeared in many television programs in person as a host or a commentator.

Gardastance took a moment to think.

"Now that you mention it… I suppose it might be rather challenging to bribe your people."

"Hah hah. There, there, my man. You’re already one of our sponsors—if you’ve got money to burn on bribes, why don’tcha help us out with our production budget?"

"I’ll consider it."

"Wait! Hold it, the both of you!"

Caldimir cut in.

"The TV station is under your influence, Zao? Then it’s simply a matter of having them report false information!"

"Hah hah hah. I’d prefer to give my little ‘family’ the freedom of press."

"This is no time for your little policies! d.a.m.n it all! I could say this to the rest of you, but why don’t you ever attend conferences with at least a hint of gravity?!" Caldimir complained. Aiji sighed.

"Calm down, Caldimir. Count your blessings that Mirald the Mirror, Hawking the Void, and Doubs the Iridescent haven’t shown up yet."

<=>

Listening in from the corridor, Doubs put on a face of utter shock.

"How horridly hurtful of Mr. Ishibashi! Treating me like a nuisance?! And on the same level as Mirald and Hawking, of all people!"

"That’s because you get in the way of every conference."

"How could you say such a thing, Fannie?! The only reason I conspire with Mirald and Hawking to get in Caldimir’s way is because of his dreadfully dull babbling! Because bothering him is really the best source of entertainment for me, and me alone!"

Ignoring Doubs, who ended up admitting his guilt, Fannie quietly listened in on the conference.

Mihail, meanwhile, read through the doc.u.ments presented on the screen, and spoke in an unusually grave tone.

"But still… I wonder what really happened in that village."

At that moment,

Fwump.

There was the sound of something falling. Mihail found himself looking up.

Standing there was a young man.

He was not very tall, probably about the same height as Mihail. He was wearing a mainly black and white Gothic-style outfit, and there was a hint of childlikeness in his face.

However, though the young man should have been in his prime, his complexion was sickly and ashen.

"You all right?"

The young man must have dropped a cloth pouch he was holding. Mihail picked it up with his left hand and held it out to the newcomer.

But the young man stared, frozen still.

"How… what are you… what are you doing here…?!"

"Huh?"

Mihail glimpsed a flash of distress pa.s.s by the young man’s eyes. It was a look of pure shock, one that surfaced when it was impossible to think of an emotion to react with.

"Uh… have we… met before…?"

Mihail tilted his head for a moment, confused. But he trailed off as a strange sensation began to emerge in the back of his head.

"Hey… that voice. I’ve-"

Mihail looked down and thought.

The young man’s face was unfamiliar to him—that much was certain.

But he had heard that fear-tinged voice before.

‘Wait…’

Without warning, a certain scene began to play in his mind.

His own bloodied body, and Ferret’s face, wracked with despair.

As his paralyzed right hand began to ache, Mihail’s thoughts were swept up in a frenzy of memories.

‘It can’t be…’

He looked up, jolted out of his reverie. He opened his mouth to speak to the frozen young man.

"…You’re… don’t tell me…"

"Ah… aaaaahhh…!"

The moment Mihail realized who he was, the young man turned where he stood and fled down the corridor.

"Hey, wait!" Mihail called with surprising energy, but the young man ignored him and ran, stumbling on occasion.

Mihail went after him, leaving Doubs and Fannie alone in front of the dining hall.

"…What was that all about? And who was that?" Fannie wondered. Doubs responded with a glint in his eye.

"That would be Rudy Wenders. One of the Organization’s Eaters. I’m sure even you must have heard of the Hunters Hraesvelgr and Nidhogg, the duo who reported directly to Caldimir?"

"Yeah. I don’t know the details, but the woman was subjugated by a vampire and betrayed us, right? And now the man is useless, too."

"Correct! Half a year ago, he half-murdered a human without orders, and was himself near death when Garde the Black managed to revive him. Of course, this particular hound is no longer useful as a warrior, at least compared to before."

"So what’s that got to do with Mihail?" Fannie asked innocently, his curiosity piqued.

Doubs’ eyes glinted as though he was struck by a sudden stroke of luck. He pressed his hat down over his head.

"You see, Mihail was the human being whom Rudy nearly murdered."

"What?!"

"To think that they would encounter one another, just like that! My heart was pounding in antic.i.p.ation for that magical moment! Scenes like this are always better candid than staged." Doubs said with a look of honest pleasure, in spite of the loathsome content of his words. "Things are finally getting more interesting. Aren’t you excited, Fannie? Dear me, I’m immensely interested in this conference, but I can’t bear to not follow those two! What to do?"

"…You’re sick and disgusting, Mr. Doubs." Fannie sighed, turning to the laptop screen.

"!"

Suddenly, he stiffened and leaned in close to the screen, eyes wide.

On the shared screen was the image of a little girl.

"What might be the matter, Fannie? Widening your eyes, making your irises look even more like contact lenses than usual."

"Who… is this girl?"

"Ah. She would be the survivor from the ma.s.s disappearance case. She’s only twelve years old. But she does look rather resolute for her age… Has she stolen your heart?"

In terms of appearance, she looked to be about the same age as Fannie. The photograph must have been taken at school before the incident; there was an innocent smile on the girl’s pretty face.

Ignoring Doubs’ teasing, Fannie mumbled blankly.

"She’s… the survivor…"

"Yes. Thanks to the two marks on her neck, which look very much like marks from a vampire’s bite, she’s under suspicion of being connected to—Fannie? Are you listening to me? Fannie?"

"…She looks delicious…"

The vampire in the shape of a little boy stared at the image, mesmerized. Saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth.

"Oh no, what to do… My heart’s pounding. I can feel it… I want to suck all her blood and make all her flesh and blood mine… But before that, I just want to hold that slender body tight and sink my fangs into her neck…"

As the boy descended further and further into madness, Doubs chuckled and stretched.

"Goodness me. Your unfortunate… tastes… are showing again, Fannie. Now, I wonder which of us is the truly disgusting one?"

Ignoring Fannie’s fixation on the laptop screen, Doubs muttered to himself.

"…But then again, I suppose nothing you think of doing to that girl will matter if she’s not in one piece when you meet her… After all, sometimes, humans are capable of things that even disgusting monsters like you could never imagine."

<=>

A day earlier.

After giving his testimony at the police station, Horst picked up Alma and headed for the doors.

It had been two days since his house went up in flames. According to the police, it was probably an act of arson. But they had no idea who could be behind the crime.

“It’s the a.s.sholes who drew that graffiti on my wall. It’s got to be them!” Horst had said. The detective nodded, but told him that it would be difficult to find a concrete connection between the vandalism incident and the arson case.

When Horst asked why, the detective answered thus:

"Because we have too many leads."

"What…?"

"Do you have any idea just how many people around here think Alma was bitten by a vampire and turned into one of their slaves? Or how many people think she is a vampire? I’m not talking about some religion or an organization. I’m talking abouteveryone, anywhere and everywhere."

"You’ve gotta be kidding me!" Horst stood, ready to say something, but the detective cut in sharply.

"We’re not stupid enough to buy into those ridiculous rumors and let them get away with it, d.a.m.n it! But there’s just too many of them. If we’re just going by that one motive… we’d have over a thousand suspects on our hands if we’re lucky. I want to tell you that we’ll put all our efforts into the investigation, but I can’t even do that. All our men are busy with the disappearance case."

The detective could not hide his irritation.

After all, the people the police were supposed to protect were the ones being swept up by rumors, stirring up malice in the community.

The worst part about all this was the fact that the individuals that made up the community had no ill will.

For example, even when Alma and Horst were walking around the neighborhood, no one glared at them or called Alma a vampire to her face.

After all, anyone who did such a thing would be labeled as ‘an idiot who actually believes in vampires’.

The city was swarmed by the media; no matter how much the residents of the city suspected Alma, the girl was known to the rest of the world as an innocent victim.

Because the people were scared, those who wished to hurt the girl were afraid of having their own actions labeled as ‘evil’.

After all, they had no ill will—or at least, that was what they believed.

That was what vexed Horst the most.

If it was like a case of bullying in school or at a workplace, where the bullies showed themselves to the victim, he could probably work up the determination to fight back and refuse to be defeated.

When he first heard the rumors going around town, Horst was prepared.

‘They might ignore me if I try to talk to them.’

‘They might throw rocks at us.’

‘They might swear at Alma and call her a vampire.’

‘They might refuse to sell to us and kick us out of their stores.’

‘They might even attack us outright.’

Horst would probably have preferred that his a.s.sumptions came true.

After all, then he could face the people head-on and talk back properly.

But the people’s malice left behind only devastating conclusions in its wake, never allowing itself to be seen.

It was like finding a dead cat in your desk, only to find that the rest of the cla.s.s treated you just as kindly as they did before. An indescribable sense of unease.

It was different from the sadness and anger of being the only one left out of a gathering of friends. There was only a heavy chill in the air, a sharp sense of his innards turning inside-out.

There was a venomous air over the city, much like being around a person who posted all sorts of malicious comments on the internet yet behaved warmly in real life.

His foes did not give him a chance to retort. They did not give him the chance to glimpse their form.

And though Horst was only receiving this abuse second-hand, Alma was being subjected to it directly.

‘I… I have to do something…’

He had not yet told his parents about the fire. Not only was he reluctant to worry them, he was also afraid that his parents would suffer as a result of his connection to Alma.

Horst wondered if an ordinary postman like him could protect Alma. But then again, he had nowhere to turn at this point.

After all, he did not know just what places in this city were safe.

He wondered if he should turn Alma in to the police for protection, but since she had closed her heart to them, he could not see that as a valid decision.

‘I’d better seriously consider leaving town…’ Horst thought to himself, stepping out of the police station. Suddenly, he felt someone’s gaze on him.

He looked around without thinking, but the streets around him were no different from any other day.

Was he being paranoid now? As he questioned himself, he began to begrudge the unfairness of the situation.

It was unjust. That this city, no different from usual—the city he called home—was his and Alma’s enemy.

Alma must have felt a similar sense of worry. He could see it in her eyes.

"…There’s nothing to worry about, Alma." He said, giving her a gentle pat on the head. Horst wanted to try and encourage her somehow.

"But… it’s all my fault that your house…"

"I told you not to worry about it! Those rumors are going to stop soon. Just you wait and see. They’re the crazy ones for believing in vampires— …wait, I… uh…"

He immediately regretted what he said.

Bringing up the rumors would only scare Alma more. He hurriedly tried to make up for his reckless words.

"It’s okay, Alma. I know that you’re human. So don’t pay attention to anything those people say, all right?"

Not knowing if he had properly made up for what he said, Horst glanced at Alma.

"…"

He could not look away.

She was looking up at him without a word.

In her eyes was an indescribable sense of despair. Though she had come to see Horst as family in the few short days they shared together, now she was looking up at him with nothing but despair in her eyes.

It was not disappointment or resentment, but a look thick with resignation.

Rather than surprise, it was an expression that accepted a predestined disaster.

"A, Alma…?"

Horst felt as though a icicle had been driven into his spine.

Perhaps he had done something that could not be taken back.

He did not know what that ‘something’ was.

But he knew for certain that he had hurt Alma.

"Wh, what did I…"

"No… I’m sorry. It’s nothing."

Alma quietly shook her head and began to walk away.

"…Oh… right…"

Horst quietly followed after her.

But Alma, walking just a couple of steps ahead, looked like a girl from a distant world indeed.

However, Horst and Alma were still connected.

After all, they were soon to be swept together in a veritable flood of malice.

<=>

Underground, Waldstein Castle. The laboratory.

It was about twenty hours after the girl without a home fell into despair.

A vampire who had once slaughtered countless people was sitting on his chair with a grave expression.

Addressing the boy—Theodosius M. Waldstein—was a large white coffin.

Unlike normal coffins, this one was standing upright, and had caterpillar tracks installed underneath that allowed it to move.

There were also robotic arms sticking out of the coffin, and it was even wearing a very large lab coat.

It was an appearance that was either a joke or a nightmare, but the tone of the coffin’s voice—squeaky and endearing like a kitten straight out of an anime—and its cutesy gestures made it seem like a young woman.

The coffin, known as ‘Professor’, once possessed a different body.

Doctor once had a companion; a vampire named Elsa Wenders.

But the young woman named Elsa—her body and memories—was long gone, leaving behind the character of ‘Professor’ and the body of a coffin. She continued her research alongside Doctor in this new form.

"I was just thinking about what happened in that village in the south." Doctor sighed.

Today, he was not speaking like an old man.

After the incident six months ago, Doctor stopped talking that way to Professor. He still put up a front for those not in the know, but to Professor he showed his true self.

However, he had not told her every detail of his past yet. Their relationship had neither changed nor remained the same. Perhaps it spoke for how close they were that they were not very awkward around one another after all that had happened.

"Well, Mihail took the conversation off the rails. But the man had a listen to what I had to say, and left. I think… he must have been looking into every possible lead. He told me that my experiences were a big help. But something bothers me. Doubs Hewley is not sane. He’s not like either humans or vampires. He’d destroy the border between the two species without a care, just for the sake of his own amus.e.m.e.nt."

‘Without even telling me?’ Professor wanted to add, but she held back.

After all, she swore to accept Doctor, no matter what he had done in the past.

Therefore, she had no reason to pry.

But Theo laughed self-deprecatingly and said something unusual.

"Mihail came to see me."

Professor celebrated, happy for the boy even though she had not met him many times. Doctor reacted, slowly closing his eyes.

"I thought… that Mihail would be angry at me. I thought that that was why he came."

"All this time after he recovered, I waited. I was ready for him to lash out at me—to tell me that it was my fault that he and Ferret were hurt. No… that was what I wanted."

Theo leaned back, blankly looking up at the ceiling.

"If only I hadn’t come to this island. If only I hadn’t done what I did, Rudy and Theresia would never have come to Growerth. And Mihail and Ferret would have been able to enjoy the festival together. But Mihail… he didn’t get angry at me. In fact… it was as though he forgot the fact that he was injured at all."

"…I told Relic everything, so Mihail should have heard. But in the end, he said that I shouldn’t worry, but… heh… us aside, it was like he didn’t even blame the Organization."

His chair creaked loudly. Theo lightly shut his eyes, as though prepared to fall asleep.

"Thanks to that, I remembered everything that happened in the past. And… I found my resolve. To tell you the whole story."

He slowly began his confession.

"This is something I want you to hear, but at the same time… you might not want to hear it. So stop me if you don’t want to listen anymore."

"That’s right… I was still about seven years old back then. I’ll start with that. The day I met a vampire for the first time."

Theodosius fell into a dreamlike state as he recounted his memories. As though singing a lullaby, the sadness and pain of his past tinting his future.

"I wanted to become a vampire."

<=>

The past.

The older girl he met on Growerth called herself a vampire.

Even the seven-year-old boy knew what a vampire was.

They were demonic monsters who could transform into wolves or flocks of bats, fly through the air with ease, and drink people’s blood to turn them into zombies or ghouls.

That was what movies, picture books, and cartoons always told him. So even in his young mind they were automatically branded as ‘fearful creatures’.

But the vampire Theo met betrayed his expectations completely.

Just before the lost Theo was returned safely to his parents, the girl produced a single bat from her fingertips.

"…Aren’t you afraid?"

Theo shook his head firmly.

The sight of the bat rising up from the girl’s hand, accompanied by a light fog, was magical. It engraved deep into the boy’s instincts the impression that this was not an illusion or a sleight of hand.

And so, Theo found himself a slave to the vampire.

When he was reunited with his parents, he turned around. But the girl was already nowhere to be seen, leaving nothing but an evening breeze where she stood.

But Theo was unable to erase her from his thoughts. He begged his parents to visit the island even more often.

He thought of coming back to the island as many times as it took to see her again. And once he became an adult, he would buy himself a house on Growerth. But their reunion came sooner than he had expected.

Half a year later, he spotted the girl in the castle garden. He ran outside, only telling his parents that he was going out to play.

"Oh? And you are…?"

The girl seemed to have forgotten him, but when he explained that she helped him when he was separated from his family, she remembered.

"I see. So you remembered me."

As the girl smiled, unable to hide her joy, Theo once again fell under the impression that his very heart was in her gentle hands.

"I’m a vampire. Aren’t you afraid of me?"

It was the same question she had asked half a year ago.

The boy shook his head firmly. The girl smiled just as she had on the day they met.

"I see. Thank you."

Her gentle smile became a drug that captivated his thoughts.

And without knowing, the boy and the girl began to destroy each other’s lives.

Slowly but surely, little by little, like poison welling up within their bodies—

From that day forth, Theo and the girl encountered one another many times.

On some occasions, they made plans to meet. But other times, they met by chance—on both Growerth and the mainland.

She told him that the island was like a paradise for vampires.

Though she said that countless vampires lived on the island, Theo had never seen one other than the girl. The girl was never with other vampires, either.

When Theo wondered about this, the girl gave him a rather strange answer.

"Well… that’s because I’m uncomfortable around vampires."

"Why?"

"I… I didn’t become a vampire because I wanted to. And… I like humans better. I don’t want humans to hate me."

Theo did not understand.

Who could possibly hate such a kind and beautiful girl?

Since she was immune to sunlight, no one would find out that she was a vampire unless she said so herself. And even if someone noticed, Theo was sure that they would accept her.

But with the pa.s.sage of time, his unfounded beliefs slowly began to change.

The boy began to catch up to the girl’s height little by little.

After all, the girl hadn’t aged a day since they day they first met.

In a few more years, the two of them would be perfectly matched.

It was around this time that she said something, sounding quite lonely.

"…You’re almost my age already."

"Why? You’re so much older than me, Big Sis."

"Because my time stopped long ago." She whispered, and flashed him her usual gentle smile.

"I think… this will be the last time we meet on this island."

"What…?"

At first, he did not understand.

They met as they usually did, and they would say goodbye as they usually did.

That was how things were supposed to be. That routine was what let them spend these happy moments together.

But his fantasies were so easily shattered.

As the boy blankly allowed himself to be embraced, the girl spoke, choking something back.

"But… if, if we ever meet again… I hope we’ll be able to start over."

"Wait! What are you saying?!" Theo cried in confusion, grabbing onto the girl’s hand.

But her hand slipped out of his fingers as she hugged him so very tightly.

"I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Theo."

"…!"

Her voice was stained with tears. Theo couldn’t help but choke back his own bewildered voice.

"If this keeps going… I’ll… I’ll end up wanting to suck your blood…"

"Big Sis?"

"Because I think… I think I’ll end up wanting to turn you…"

He could not understand what she was saying.

He understood the words; but he could not make sense of the meaning behind them.

It was terrifying, being unable to understand the girl he so loved. All of a sudden, it felt as though she had grown very far away. As though he was trapped in a giant bubble, separated from the world.

"But… no more. It’s over. If we ever meet again… Then—"

He did not know what she said to him then.

But he never heard the end of her sentence, and the vampire said nothing more.

Her body turned into a large flock of bats, circled once over the boy’s head, and disappeared towards the sea in the light of dusk.

He could not even cry out.

He did not know what he should say.

It never even occurred to him to try and stop her from leaving.

After all, it had happened so suddenly that he didn’t even understand that this was goodbye.

<=>

It was all Professor could do to vocalize sadly.

Theo slowly stood from his seat and began pacing around the room as he continued his story.

"I didn’t understand what she meant at the time, but now I know. This island really is a paradise for vampires."

"But for those who’ve begun to hate vampires… This island is a dreadfully addictive poison."

"But I didn’t know any of that. That was why… that was why I tried to become a vampire."

<=>

The past.

It was about two weeks later that he truly felt the sense of loss.

Though he came to the island like before, she was not there.

He wandered the island, just like he did when he first searched for her.

But instead of the hope he held before, he was now torn with fear and despair.

What really captivat