The inside of the tunnel was thick with yin energy. The breath of the evil spirits drifted heavily above the floor like watery mist spreading across the Samdocheon, and the spirits clinging to the walls stared at Ian with grotesque faces, matching his pace.
“.......”
Ian tapped the salt bottle in his hand with his fingers, exchanging glances with them.
Now that a usage limit had been placed on his Recreation magic, he could no longer simply grab ghosts and use magic on them without question as he had before.
So what he had brought was salt.
Since ancient times, salt had been the symbol of an exorcist and a holy object bearing the power of purification and exorcism. Evil spirits were utterly helpless before its might and were neutralized entirely. The tunnel’s spirits were no different.
“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.”
Ian took out the cross he’d kept in his pocket and scattered salt all around him. The evil spirits that had been watching for an opening let out screeches of “Kieeeek!” and dispersed.
It went without saying that powerful evil spirits could not easily be exorcised with salt alone. Rather, they tended to take it as provocation and rampage even more fiercely. Yet the tunnel spirits shrieked like women the moment the salt touched them and fled. They were nothing special.
Perhaps they had noticed Ian was a mage and taken flight. Perhaps they simply wanted to wander the netherworld a little longer rather than become ingredients.
Either way, it hardly mattered to Ian. He scattered salt about haphazardly as he replayed in his mind the scenes he had witnessed before his regression.
*The vampire is probably that black-haired girl.*
The village, having taken the full brunt of the Nazi assault as well as the Moon’s mental attack, was the first place on Earth to become Lunar territory. All living things had been turned into worshippers and shamans of the Moon, and they stood hand-in-hand in the village center, singing hymns to the Moon.
And among them had been a girl, her mouth stained with blood and her red eyes gleaming.
A girl far too beautiful to be called a monster, yet far too alien to be called human.
She was most likely the vampire who had nested in this village.
*That saves me the trouble of asking around.*
Tracking had always been an ordeal from the very moment of locating the target. Having lightly skipped over that most basic and important step, the difficulty of the commission was bound to drop significantly. All that remained was to wander the village, find the vampire, and capture or retrieve its corpse.
*Since countryside villages tend to reject outsiders, it’s better to move alone and ask around as little as possible.*
Lost in such thoughts, he soon arrived at the tunnel exit.
No Nazi ghouls were in sight. No corpses were strewn across the road. It was simply wide open.
“……Should have ridden my bike.”
He had parked it outside the tunnel just in case. Had he known it would be like this, he would have just driven it through.
Oh well. Coming all this way only to turn back again would look strange, so Ian slowly made his way along the asphalt road on his two perfectly fine legs.
“.......”
Perhaps due to poor maintenance, the road was riddled with cracks and potholes.
They were not man-made scars. The rain, snow, and wind had probably done this naturally. At least, it did not look as though ghouls had smashed it directly.
*The ghouls must be hiding somewhere in the mountains too.*
Ian walked on, gazing at the trees and thickets spreading out on both sides of the road.
Even in the daytime, sunlight barely penetrated the nameless mountain, and from within, a deep chill seeped out slowly. For some reason, there seemed to be a faint scent of blood in the air, and a weak, foul odor seemed to drift over as well. It might have been his imagination, but it seemed wise to remain on guard.
“.......”
Ian tapped the pistol tucked inside his coat with his fingers, feeling the hard sensation of metal.
Every bullet in the magazine was silver. Besides that, he had packed plenty of stakes, crosses, and garlic in his backpack. For breakfast, he had even eaten aglio e olio pasta. Since this was his first time facing a high-ranking vampire, he had made every preparation possible.
Complacency was poison, but excessive preparation often proved helpful. Ian had no doubt it would be the same this time.
“Hmm.”
While lost in thought, he arrived at the village entrance.
There was nothing particularly special about it. It was not a village with a proper name, so there were no signs or placards posted anywhere. Only a few village guardian totems sat abandoned beside the road. Each one looked as though it had been swept away by a typhoon—not in very good shape.
Before entering the village, Ian considered lighting one last cigarette, but stopped for fear of unnecessarily irritating the residents. He cleared his throat a few times, then slowly entered the village wearing a friendly smile.
*From now on, keep thoughts to a minimum. I might get caught by mind-reading.*
The village was largely composed of rice paddies. Most of the houses were single-family homes, with gazebos and benches set up here and there. Elderly people sat upon them, chatting in groups.
“My granddaughters contacted me recently. They said they’d stop by on Parents’ Day. I wish May would hurry up and come already…….”
“Will you even be able to hug them when they come? You said your back hurt.”
“Even if I’m old, I still have the strength to hug my little rascals!”
Ian stared at the two old men sitting in the gazebo talking, then approached them with a bright smile. The two men, who had been chatting about granddaughters and health, sensed Ian’s approach and turned their heads.
“……Who’s this?”
“A face I’ve never seen before.”
The chattering old men tilted their heads at the sight of Ian. Ian laughed amiably and bowed his head.
“I’m a traveler passing through. I’m touring the country on a motorcycle, but the engine suddenly died, so I found myself visiting this place out of necessity.”
“Hmm…… is that so? But our village doesn’t have any lodging establishments…….”
“Ah…… I see. Then I’ll have no choice but to sleep outside for a night. Thank you for letting me know.”
Ian bent deeply at the waist, answering with as much courtesy as he could muster. Perhaps owing to that, one of the old men who had been silent adjusted his glasses and opened his mouth.
“Tsk tsk…… if you sleep outside in this weather, your lips will freeze off. Don’t do that, follow me. If you ask at the village hall, they should let you stay for about a day.”
“Ah…… are you sure that’s all right?”
“Of course, young man. We’re not those narrow-minded folks you see on the news. We can certainly put up a visitor for a night.”
The old man tutted and laughed, struggling to rise. Ian hurriedly supported him.
“Please rise carefully.”
“……Hoo, such a polite young man. It’s like seeing my younger self. Hm?”
“I imagine you were much more popular than I am when you were young, sir.”
“Right? I actually thought so myself. Listen here. Back when I was young, women just lined up…….”
Ian gave the old man his earnest attention as they moved toward the village hall together. The other old man followed them as well.
The village hall was an ordinary brick building. The old man, supported by Ian, flung open the door and went inside. The elderly men playing Go-Stop snapped their heads toward the creak of the door.
“What, Yeongsu, didn’t you say you were going for a short walk? Why are you back already?”
“We have a guest, you fools!”
The old man called Yeongsu patted Ian on the back.
“He’s a traveler, and his motorcycle broke down so he has nowhere to sleep! Put him up here for the night!”
“Ah, really? Then it can’t be helped. Hey there, young man! What’s your name?”
“Uh, I’m Sin Ian.”
“Oh, that’s a pretty name. Come, come, sit down. Have you eaten?”
A gray-haired old woman came out in bare feet and led Ian away. Ian gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
“I had breakfast, but not lunch yet.”
“Eek, it’s already past two? That won’t do. Sit down quickly. I’ll bring you some food right away.”
“What? Ah, no, you don’t have to go through the trouble…….”
“It’s fine. Make yourself comfortable. You remind me of my son. I’ll be right back, okay?”
She forced Ian to sit on the floor and went into the kitchen with a hearty laugh. Ian maintained his poker face while scratching his head apologetically. No matter how one looked at him, he appeared to be a pure-hearted young man.
The old men playing Go-Stop smiled and spoke to him.
“Don’t just sit there, come play a few games. Do you have cash?”
“Well…… I have a little. Then shall we play a bit before I eat?”
“I like that fiery spirit, young friend. Come, come. I’ll bleed you dry right down to the marrow.”
“It won’t be easy.”
Ian grinned and naturally joined the Go-Stop game.
That day, he was fleeced for 50,000 won by the elderly cartel.
*
Only when night had fully fallen and the sun had set did Camilla wake from her sleep. She blinked her red eyes, which gleamed brightly even in the darkness, then slowly raised her upper body and threw off the blanket.
“……Hoo, refreshing.”
For vampires, the need for sleep was a desire that could be indulged or ignored, but Camilla always took the necessary amount of rest. There was no grand reason for it; she simply felt good when she woke up.
“Hmm.”
She roughly brushed her disheveled hair aside and checked the clock on the wall.
6:30 PM. It was not extremely late, but it was enough time for the winter sun to set. Camilla ran her hand down her face, pondering who to kidnap and feed on tonight.
Then her cold expression transformed in an instant into that of an innocent child. She touched her face here and there to confirm nothing was out of place, then opened the door and headed toward the village hall’s living room.
Thump, thump.
As she slowly descended the stairs to the first floor, she heard the voices of old men who sounded somewhat excited.
It was no big deal. She had long known that the elderly had dramatic mood swings. Without giving it much thought, she opened the sliding door and entered the living room.
“Grandma! Grandpa! I woke up!”
Along with the sliding creak, Camilla’s bright voice cut through. But unlike usual, not many gazes turned toward her. Most were watching the two people sitting in the center of the living room playing Go.
One of the Go players was a familiar old man, and the other was a young man she had never seen before.
Camilla tilted her head at the unfamiliar young man, then her eyes grew wide and her cheeks flushed bright red at the sweet scent wafting from him.
“Oh my, Camilla’s awake. Come here. You need to eat dinner.”
“.......”
“……Camilla?”
“Ah, ah, yes. Grandma. I’m listening. But who is that person……? I’ve never seen him before……?”
“Ah, you mean that child?”
The old woman who looked after Camilla giggled and waved the spatula in her hand.
“He’s a traveler passing by, and he’s staying here for today due to circumstances. I think he’ll be using the room next to yours, so bear with it for a day.”
“Ah…….”
Camilla opened her mouth and exhaled heated breath. Saliva pooled in her mouth involuntarily.
*What is this smell! I want to sink my fangs into his throat and kill him right now!*
She bit her lips tightly at the sweet fragrance she had smelled for the first time in her life. An intoxicating sensation that made her dizzy just by inhaling it. She wanted to use mind-reading to find out what he was thinking, but there were too many people around, so she gave up. If more than five people were within the range of her mind-reading, her brain would overload; it couldn’t be helped.
But thoughts hardly mattered. Camilla’s body trembled with the bloodlust and pleasure coursing through her entire body as she stared at Ian.
Then Ian, who had been playing Go carefully, felt her gaze and raised his head. Their eyes met in the air.
“.......”
Clatter.
The stone Ian had been holding fell powerlessly onto the board. His opponent, who had been sweating cold sweat, raised both hands with a wide grin.
“You dropped it! You dropped it! I win, see? I win!”
“Damn it, old man! How could you drop the stone there?! I had the game won!”
Despite the noisy voices of the old men, Ian stared at Camilla without much reaction. He gazed at her blood-red pupils, the corners of his mouth twitching, then soon turned to the old men with a bitter smile.
“Ha ha…… I’m sorry. I suppose my concentration lapsed since it was the last game. But who is that child?”
“That child? Ah, you mean Camilla.”
“……Camilla? She doesn’t look Korean.”
“That’s right. She’s a child staying in our village due to some circumstances.”
“……Hmm.”
“You’ll be staying in the room next to hers for today. Well, why don’t you say hello?”
“……Shall I, then?”
Ian grinned, rose from his seat, and approached Camilla. Then he looked down at her and extended his hand.
“So you’re Camilla? Nice to meet you. I’m Sin Ian. Shall we get along well tonight?”
The corners of his mouth stretched up into a wide smile.