Chapter 111 : Enemies Meet on a Narrow Bridge.
Enemies Meet on a Narrow Bridge.
To Vern, the Demon King was a godlike being.
In fact, not only to Vern, but to all the vampires in Mewzealand, the same was true.
Due to the atrocities committed by humans, vampires had been driven to the brink of extinction as a species.
Though there were some vampires with national-level combat power, they were all useless before the guardian deities that protected humans.
Just as they trembled in fear, waiting for annihilation, a young man appeared.
The youth—with white hair and horns—looked like an ordinary demonkin, yet swept away the armies of the guardian deities that had seemed utterly invincible.
What's more, after risking his life in desperate battle, the youth even killed one of the eight guardian deities who had persistently tormented the vampire nobles.
At that moment, the youth had taken on the shape of a giant bat, and the vampires who saw him understood intuitively.
They had finally met the object of their worship.
As the king of the vampires—and as one who had witnessed it at point-blank range—Vern's devotion was bound to run deep.
That was why Vern had meticulously recorded a book of quotes from the youth, who would become known as the Demon King.
So that one day, he could spread the gospel to the whole world.
And yet...
"I, I canceled... the publication."
"Well done."
The book called "Great Quotes", written for the purpose of spreading that gospel, was thus canceled before publication.
With Vern's authority as Hand's chairman, all it took was picking up the phone.
.
.
Thankfully, the biggest crisis had passed.
My dark past—something that must never be revealed—had almost spread across all of Korea.
Since Vern—the book's author—was currently Hand's chairman, anything written by Vern and displayed on bookstore shelves would sell out in a flash.
Given the nature of the hunter profession, since they risked their lives in battle, many people bought every book even remotely related.
But "Great Quotes" contained no tips for hunters, only a bunch of cringeworthy lines.
If countless hunters bought that and read it, what would they think?
'Yikes, and that's the level of Hand's chairman...?'
Not only would the reputation of Hand plummet, but so would that of the entire nation of Korea.
The Hand chairman writing a book filled with crap you wouldn't even see in a trashy NovelFire—if you realized all that drivel came from me, it was enough to choke the breath out of me.
Just canceling a book publication felt like I'd stopped a nuclear missile from launching.
"In any case, thank goodness...!"
"Was it that serious of an issue?"
"Of course! My humiliating history almost got leaked—how could that not be serious?"
"..."
As I shouted, Vern looked absolutely dumbfounded.
Maybe publishing the book was his true goal? That didn't matter; no way would I have allowed it.
Still, from Vern's point of view, his reaction was understandable.
Back in Mewzealand, as my constant attendant, Vern's loyalty had been no joke.
To put it simply, the entire vampire nobility was like a religious cult that had deified me.
─Though putting it that way is pretty embarrassing.
"Demon king... you really are so different from how you were in Mewzealand. If not for your majestic demonkin form, even I would have mistaken you for an ordinary student."
"It's that jarring?"
"Of course! Even though Karen contacted me beforehand, I never imagined it would be to this degree..."
In fact, Vern would remember me as the young demonkin with white hair.
It wouldn't be strange if he couldn't recognize me without my demonkin form.
Though, it's not like I look totally different.
My current student look is actually a younger version of the way I looked as the Demon King.
"But remember this going forward. I'm not going to speak in those grandiose tones like back then anymore—and actually, I never did so in private anyway, so you better get used to it."
"Such a..."
"Don't make that disappointed face! This is only normal!"
Destroying a child's innocence, maybe, but if Vern wanted to keep serving me, adaptation was a must.
Vern smiled, raising his head.
"Still, you are unmistakably the Demon King. Your tone is different, but your actions haven't changed a bit."
As expected from someone who'd served as my attendant so long—he understood me well.
There was no risk anymore that that cursed book would spread.
"And also, who would have thought you'd enroll into Hand."
"I reincarnated as an infant, so I had to start from childhood all over again."
I told Vern about how I'd lived after being reincarnated on Earth.
About the daily routine I led for a comfortable life.
That included various incidents and accidents at Hand and elsewhere, which naturally surprised Vern.
"So, you were the one who caught the student involved in that dismemberment case back then...!"
"Michael? Yeah, I caught him."
"That's a relief. I was worried the Sura guild brats were trying to sully my school."
It was a strangely twisted incident, but when I said I'd resolved it myself, Vern accepted it swiftly.
From the way he talked, Vern seemed quite wary of the Sura guild.
"Do you see that one back there?"
"Oh, that guy?"
He was the one I'd ridden the elevator with on the way here.
Was his name Choi Jin-young? He'd introduced himself as the new homeroom teacher and tried to crush my hand under the pretense of a handshake.
Of course, my own grip was much stronger, so it had no effect.
In return, the guy had ended up devoured by Vern's bat familiars, turning into a mummy.
"He used to be a Hand student, but I personally expelled him for bringing disgrace to Hand. Looks like he changed his name and appearance to get a job undercover, but my tongue can't be fooled."
He'd disguised himself so completely that only a DNA test would have worked—but he'd picked the wrong opponent.
Vern never forgets the taste of blood once savored.
You could call Vern a walking DNA identifier.
"No doubt he was sent by the Sura guild. You know well enough that they're from Mewzealand, Demon King."
"Yeah, I've already fought them a few times."
"Then that makes things easier! I just so happen to be preparing a plan to bring them all down at once!"
Looking truly excited, Vern drew out a tablet.
He popped up the screen to show off the title of his plan.
"It's the plan to assassinate Sura!"
"Ah..."
"As long as you're with us, Demon King, this plan will—"
"Cancel it."
"Huh...?"
Vern looked flustered, clearly proud of this plan.
Sorry, but I had no choice. I didn't want Ah-rin to die because of my subordinates' schemes.
"Sura mustn't be killed."
"But why..."
"And even if you lot don't do anything, a few words from me could get Sura brought here any second."
"Is that true?"
"If you want, I could even put in a call for you. Want to try?"
I said offhandedly, pulling out my phone.
Ah-rin's number was stored in it, in fact.
Of course, I wasn't sure she'd answer, given her schedule.
Seeing me unruffled, Vern was momentarily stunned before clapping joyfully.
"As expected, you are truly the Demon King! You subjugated Sura before we even began to prepare...!!"
"..."
Subjugated? Not technically wrong.
But who could have guessed that the rock I tossed at her in 1st grade would have such a butterfly effect.
"If you get it, cancel the assassination. The Sura guild can be destroyed, but Sura mustn't die."
"As commanded, so it shall be."
Vern tapped the tablet several times, and a giant [cancel] flashed on the screen.
With just a few gestures, Vern had the power to scuttle such a critical operation.
Sorry to all those subordinates who'd been prepping for it.
"By the way, is it really okay to keep something like that in the chairman's office?"
I gestured toward Choi Jin-young's shriveled corpse.
Even as the chairman, in a school as closely monitored as Hand, something like that in one's office couldn't be good.
"You needn't worry. With a mere glance from me, both the cameras and security freeze. I can also hack the display to show something else."
Then nobody would ever see the gruesome scene behind us.
Without lifting a finger, Vern had utter dominance over Hand.
"Still, I should tidy up. There will be guests arriving soon."
The bats, reading Vern's intent, swiftly cleaned up the corpse.
Cleanup didn't mean putting it away somewhere; it meant eating it until there wasn't a trace.
They devoured bone and flesh, even licking up every last drop of blood.
Soon, the spot was so clean no one would ever suspect a murder had occurred there.
If you lacked resistance to otherworldly energy, you wouldn't even be able to open your eyes at the sight—but I asked calmly.
"What guests?"
"The transfer students who've passed the entrance exams. I called them for a brief interview."
"Do you need to interview them personally?"
Wouldn't the regular staff have done new student interviews already?
Surely there was no need for the chairman to handle it directly, unless there was a special reason.
"To be honest, we've recently discovered that outside forces are infiltrating Hand. That corpse from before is an example."
In short, Vern's plan was to uncover spies among the new students.
And since transfer students start at second or third year rather than first, their exams are even harder—supposedly fewer than five pass.
If they manage to pass so easily, it's worth the chairman personally checking them.
"Of course, suspecting little kids isn't ideal, but if Sura is among them, we can't just let it go."
Vern would know the 'assassination target' Sura is a young girl.
But since nobody knows her face, a disguised transfer would be possible.
"However, since you canceled the plan, Demon King, there's no longer any need to check the new students. So with ample time, might I treat you to a glass of wine? It's been a while."
"I'd like that... except, if I get caught drinking as a minor now, it'll be bad."
"Ah... that's true."
"Wait, hang on!"
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.
There was a way.
With Vern's chairman authority, this could work.
"Do you by chance have any beer?"
Fifteen years' worth of craving could finally be satisfied!
****
Night had fallen on Hand, the city lit by myriad lights.
Store fronts flashed their neon signs late into the night, and countless cars zipped by with people headed home.
Amid all that, one vehicle stood out for its extravagant luxury.
Drip drip drip—
"It's raining, isn't it?"
A girl sitting in the car remarked as she looked out the window.
From the driver's seat, Yoo Cheon-hwa, a hunter of the Angel guild, replied as he pressed the accelerator.
"I brought an umbrella in advance."
"Yes..."
"Are you nervous?"
"..."
The girl—her school uniform name tag reading 'Baek Eunseol'—folded the wings on her back and huddled in on herself.
Her destination, after being accepted to Hand, was none other than the chairman's office.
To Eunseol, who had never managed to build relationships with others, it was a strange, unfamiliar place.
"I've just received a message. It says you don't need to come anymore."
"Huh...?"
"I don't know why, but what would you like to do?"
She had a choice now: go forward, or turn back.
Her nerves screamed at her to go home, but she'd brought a gift for the chairman and turning back now felt impossible.
Above all, Eunseol had resolved to step out of her room and into society.
"It's too late to turn back now."
"You've chosen well."
Seeing the young girl's determination to overcome her fears, Yoo Cheon-hwa smiled.
The car stopped in front of the massive central tower of Hand Academy.
Yoo Cheon-hwa got out first and held an umbrella for Eunseol as she stepped out.
Rumble—
Thunder crashed, but Eunseol, unfazed, stared up at the tower.
Meeting someone so significant would be nerve-wracking, but there was no turning back now.
Her long-neglected ability to interact with people—this was the first step to developing it.
─It was then.
A high-end car stopped across from them.
There too, the driver got out first and opened the rear door, holding an umbrella in readiness.
From the back seat emerged a beautiful girl with pink hair and fox ears.
Perhaps she was also a transfer student.
Feeling a sense of kinship, Eunseol kept her eyes on the girl.
Likewise, the girl looked back, and for a long moment, they held each other's gaze.
Then, at that instant...
"Huh?"
"You're...."
Rumble—
With a flash of thunder, both girls' nerves shot taut.
A chill ran down their spines, their wariness pushed to the brink.
One by aura, one by scent—they recognized each other with a single glance.
She was the girl they'd met in the sky back then.