39 – The Flutter of a Mosquito
Vampires are high-ranking demons. What that means is simple and clear.
They are highly dangerous.
Unlike humans, the dominion system of demons approximated a system of the strong ruling over the weak. It wasn’t truly a lawless society, but the dominant species was a race that believed only the strong were worthy of ruling.
Among the demon races that held high positions within these dominions, vampires were the only ones.
Unless they displayed their power, they were indistinguishable from humans, not only in appearance but also possessing abilities that couldn’t be easily discerned by common sense.
That’s why vampires had no trouble blending into human society. Because unless they forcefully revealed their power, there was no way to tell them apart.
Therefore, the encounter between Harte and the vampire, as he blocked Glen’s way, was straightforward.
The vampire unleashed its inherent power, and Harte sensed the disturbance in his bedroom in an instant.
Stepping onto the balcony, assuming a stance, Harte vigorously rushed from the duke’s mansion to the scene of the incident.
The sequence of events unfolded in the blink of an eye.
Having identified the mastermind behind the vampire plot, Harte, ready to kidnap the children, struck the vampire’s jaw with his fist as if wielding a hammer.
A ferocious echoing sound of impact reverberated, followed by Glenn’s astonished gaze at the sudden turn of events.
… Also, reaching Elpisia in a drowsy state, blinking sleepy eyes in the couple’s bedroom.
It was a busy night for everyone.
After going through these events, the monster lay on the ground, nursing its head.
“Our little one seems to be engaging in quite a dangerous night’s play.”
“How did the headmaster end up here…?”
“Well, the sound of mosquitoes was bothering me, so I decided to take a night stroll.”
Harte observed the girl wrapped around Glenn’s waist with an intriguing look. Then, with a mischievous smile, he teased Glenn.
“This is it, the quiet cat comes to various places first. It seems to have made friends with a secret companion.”
“N-no, that’s not it!”
“You were so lonely that Elpisia was really worried… Fortunately, there’s someone to reassure her now.”
Harte continued the conversation gracefully, not intending to mock the children without a reason. He tried to comfort the surprised children as much as possible, making it seem like no big deal.
It was when Harte tapped Glenn’s head and turned his gaze to the vampire.
“Is that the famous Holy Knight…!”
“That person… Well, too many people can guess, so it’s inevitable.”
Harte was already the most famous figure in the Empire. If the vampire, who used to work as a spy in the institution, didn’t know him, it meant she was disqualified as a spy.
“By the way, vampires are indeed vampires.”
The surprise attack was perfect.
If it had been any ordinary race, they would have been dead already. The vampire was dripping the blood they had sucked up until now, but they held onto their consciousness firmly. Their pupils were flickering with intense desire.
“The bloodlines of the Fragment and Basquille in one place… It’s an opportunity that can’t be missed even if the opponent is weak. In that case, this level of dominance should be allowed!”
Flutter!
They spread their cloak wide like the red cloth of a matador.
The vampire’s cloak was woven with their life force, a unique weapon and ability. It was also one of the powers that caused darkness to spread around Glen and Echo.
Among these abilities, the pinnacle was the connection to the otherworld.
Any vampire who had made a contract with themselves could summon the cloak as a catalyst.
Thud. Thud.
Footsteps resonated from somewhere.
The black cloak, spread out like wings, rippled like a pond. Then, a pair of black shoes emerged from behind the cloak, stepping forward.
The revealed demon was indeed another vampire. However, the atmosphere emanating from them was different from the vampire who summoned them.
“… My apologies for the inconvenience caused by my footsteps, Your Excellency Chepesu.”
“It’s fine. The bloodline of Basquille is worth forgiving for dominance.”
“It’s not just that. The grey-haired girl over there is the Fragment.”
“Oh…”
Harte, who overheard their conversation, was bewildered. The fact that Echo was the Fragment was news to him.
“That child is the sacred Fragment?”
The sacred Fragment, or simply the Fragment, was a part of the power that had separated from the gods. Although they couldn’t perform miracles on the scale of those with baptismal names, they each possessed one unique miracle as their characteristic.
“I can’t feel anything. Is there a separate condition for manifestation?”
Otherwise, it would have been impossible for a low-level vampire like me to sense the presence of fragments that I couldn’t feel. Harthe postponed the interrogation and completely concealed the children’s true forms.
“Hmm.”
Thud. Thud.
The vampire called Chepeshera loosened his neck and stared at Harthe. His bright red pupils flickered as if measuring his opponent.
Finally, he let out a laugh that seemed to be filled with poison and asked.
“Aren’t you going to negotiate?”
“I refuse.”
“You’re just going to ignore and push me away?”
“After all, you’re willing to sacrifice the kids, aren’t you?”
“…”
Silence.
Chepeshera, who seemed to have been struck in his weak spot, became dumbfounded. In response, Harthe firmly expressed her refusal once again.
“Even though I’m the director of an orphanage. I can’t even show my face if I get involved in human trafficking.”
“hahahaha…even if the whole world gets involved in the fight, your thoughts won’t change?”
“That’s why I’m considering proposing a negotiation this time.”
“Let’s hear it.”
Chepeshera’s words were not entirely wrong. This area was densely populated and expected to suffer considerable damage.
Therefore, Harthe offered a compromise.
“Judging by the looks of it, you’re probably one of the Demon King’s closest aides. I’ll let you live. So let’s call it quits here and go our separate ways.”
“This is another ingenious counterproposal. However, I will reject it.”
Following that, Chepesu pointed out the flaw and confidently declared, “If it’s the first line of defense sealed by the gods, we can certainly hold it… That’s my calculation!”
“Tsk.”
Kwaaah!
In an instant, an ominous aura, like the tendrils of a sinister shadow, attacked. Harte blocked Chepesu’s grasp head-on and kicked his abdomen, sending him flying into the sky.
Flutter!
Followed by the sound of flapping wings.
A cloak, transformed like bat wings, granted Chepesu air superiority.
‘This is tricky.’
Indeed, when facing demons, sacred powers couldn’t be used. Because the moment sacred powers were manifested, the war between humans and demons would transform into a war between gods and demons.
That would give room for the intervention of demon elites existing in the demon realm.
When sacred clashed with sacred, the only remaining path was mutual annihilation. The worst-case scenario, unimaginably dire, might unfold.
‘I sense the Duke’s presence from afar. Is he overseeing the evacuation and protection of the people?’
News of the evacuation seemed distant and unlikely to reach this side anytime soon. That was the dilemma for Harte at the moment.
The situation was different from the time of the Bloody Dragon.
The Bloody Dragon’s lair was in a desolate mountain with no signs of human presence, so it wielded its power without hesitation. However, the current situation involved too many lives that needed protection.
Therefore, Harte made a decision.
“Glen, listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”
“… Yes, Headmaster.”
“Protect that child. I can cover within a radius of about 100m, but no more than that. If the range exceeds, I’ll be on standby until I return. Can you handle it?”
“I’ll give it a try. I learned how to escape from the duke.”
“Good.”
It’s been a while since the sensation of blood rushing through veins. The intruder might be over there, but chaotic thoughts bubble up at the reality that forces sealing power on this side instead.
Harte took the first step.
“Let’s go.”
Swish!
Harte reached into the blacksmith’s shop. As he did, a longsword prepared for the fortress knights flew and landed in his hand.
Clang!
With a violent swing, Harte wielded the sword of imposing size lightly.
“Is it a reconnaissance mission!”
Chepeşu shouted in excitement. He grabbed his cloak and swung it, cutting through the air in preparation.
The fluttering cloak acted like a sharp sword, creating a defensive posture as if it had been honed for days. And just when the assault that could tear even steel resisted Harte’s swordsmanship, the confrontation branched into multiple paths.
Harte’s reaction was swift.
He agilely moved between Glen and Minga, guarding their lives.
Clang, Clang!
Clear echoes of a military formation. Only then did those who were dozing off in their beds realize the situation.
“What, what is it?!”
“There are people fighting outside.”
“Soaring through the sky… Ugh…!!!”
“Demon! The demons have appeared!”
The battlefield transformed in an instant. Like ants scattering from a flooded anthill, people rushed out onto the main street, their faces pale with fear. Chepeşu observed the spectacle with delight, reveling as if caught in an ecstatic trance.
“How amusing! Truly fascinating! The utter chaos, a complete disregard for order… the sight of them tripping over their own righteousness for these creatures…!!!”
Flutter!
Chepeşu’s cloak gradually expanded its reach, shrouding the world in darkness like a veil cast from the heavens to the earth.
When subordinates wrote about pranks or mischief involving kidnapping children, it was all in good fun. However, Chepeşu’s trickery was a different story.
The curtain of night that consumed the life force within its reach. To put it plainly, the darkness enveloping the skin was nothing short of a sorcery akin to the fangs of a vampire.
“I should have just stayed quietly hidden.”
If they had cowered in a corner of their homes, they might have escaped the range. If they had, surely there wouldn’t have been any tragedy tonight.
With that insane idea in mind, Chepeşu decided to add one more amusement to this peaceful moonlit night.
“People! Hear me! Capture the girl with gray hair and the boy with jet-black eyes protecting her! If you do, then no tragedy will befall this night!”
“That demon… what did it just say…?”
“Is it for real, though?”
“Gray hair and jet-black eyes…!”
In an instant, the atmosphere became peculiar.
The hurried footsteps of those seeking refuge gradually slowed down, and they looked around anxiously. It was akin to the gaze of someone desperately searching for a lost possession.
Then, a blind judgment left its mark on the ground.
Kagak-!
“Kyaaah!”
That was the signal.
As soon as someone in panic screamed, the calmness of the crowd evaporated instantly. When one person expressed their desire for life, it spread through the crowd’s psychology and devoured everyone’s reason.
“Find them! Find them!”
“Where is the child with black hair and black eyes…?!”
“Hurry, we have to find them to survive!”
For someone, it was an adventure that determined life or death, but for Chepesu, who held the power of life and death over the crowd, it was nothing more than a one-act play.
He mocked the passersby while holding his sword.
“The last protector of humanity. A knight who cannot betray his mission even after seeing the shameful face of humanity. You can be as ashamed as you want.”
Chepesu sneered maliciously.
“In the end, aren’t you just like them? When pushed to the edge of the cliff, isn’t it the same savage nature of humanity that comes out?”
Chepesu made theatrical gestures. Harthe, who witnessed his debauchery, spoke up.
“Don’t spew sophistry.”
Whoosh!
He must not have taken his eyes off for a moment, but Harthe’s figure disappeared. Naturally, Chepesu’s pupils dilated. In a short moment, his eyes rolled around dizzyingly, desperately trying to control the overflowing thoughts.
By the time he sensed the presence belatedly, Harthe was already behind him, just about to swing his longsword.
An impossible posture unless he had jumped up in the air. However, the moment Chepesu realized the irrationality, the weight of Harthe’s cloak struck him.
Thud! Clang clang clang…!
Chepesu, who fell from the sky to the ground, created a path like a trench. Harthe, who had just reached Chepesu’s proximity, scattered the dust with his sword.
“The nature you defined is just a facet of the weak with nowhere else to retreat. There is no room for righteousness or music to interfere with that facet.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Everyone changes. Everything surrounding them was a factor that made up a person. That’s why someone might even change their strong will, which was once upright, and bend it according to their environment.
It was simply a matter of opportunity.
Harte believed that.
“But if you believe that’s your true nature… I will thoroughly expose your vile nature, you big mosquito.”