Chapter 181 : I’ll Do It Anyway
“Let’s stop here.”
A sudden call came while I was waiting for the Blood Alliance’s next move. I thought they had finally set their next target and were going into a strategy meeting, but Vincent was there with an unfamiliar face.
“I didn’t expect the Blood Alliance’s backlash to be this big. To even touch an underboss… aren’t you basically asking for a war?”
“Are you trying to point out that it’s our fault? You’ve come to the wrong address.”
Judging from what he was saying and Vincent’s attitude, he seemed to be a messenger from Shadowfang.
“It’s not like we’re beasts, so we don’t listen to nice words. Our response has become more aggressive. If we’re going to talk about who’s right and who’s wrong, you guys crossed the line first.”
“……”
Vincent’s words were firm, as if there was no room for compromise. In fact, it was a part that had already been decided.
It was revealed that Shadowfang had started this to restore the pure bloodline. And the Blood Alliance had decided to interfere, even if it meant risking the exposure of the vampires’ identity.
It was impossible to stop the dispute in the current situation. On the contrary, Shadowfang’s intention to seek reconciliation now was a suspicious matter.
“……I admit it. Yes, we apologize for not seeking the Blood Alliance’s understanding before we got ahead of ourselves and started this.”
“……”
And even an apology. It was the reaction that the Blood Alliance had expected when they aimed for Victor Laznik, but…
Vincent sank deep into his chair and crossed his arms. He emitted a sharp gaze, as if to pierce the other party’s true intentions.
“We only caused a commotion to assert our demands to the city government, we did not want a civil war with the Blood Alliance. The Brotherhood, aren’t we comrades who share the same shade? What good would it do for us to fight among ourselves? We’re just doing a favor for others.”
“If you had said that before we laid a hand on Victor Laznik, we would have accepted it positively.”
“Everyone makes mistakes. Isn’t what happens after that more important? We’ve admitted our mistake, so let’s talk about resolving the situation now.”
His attitude was surprisingly flexible for a werebeast. That’s probably why he was chosen as a messenger. Come to think of it, Vincent, the messenger of the Blood Alliance, was also a sincere guy, unlike a vampire.
It was strangely comical to think that the two groups had sent out their ‘negotiation experts’.
“I’m sure the Blood Alliance doesn’t want this commotion to get any bigger. Don’t you want to avoid attracting the attention of the Public Security Bureau? To be honest, that’s why we were being bold. We thought that if we just dragged it out, the Blood Alliance would restrain themselves. But you had to bring this person in.”
The topic shifted to me there.
“Contractor Allen. First, he brought down Taser Gale, and this time, even Victor Laznik. They say he’s the new star of the industry who has succeeded in requests against the Mad House, and as expected, he lives up to his reputation. We had been putting out warnings to contractors because of this asymmetric power, but it’s a shame.”
The Blood Alliance had realized that they could do whatever they wanted if they held Shadowfang’s ankle. Well, it seemed that was the meaning.
“So let’s do this.”
“……?”
“Stop interfering with our work and give us a hand.”
Vincent’s tone was sharp.
“Why should we do that? I agree with the argument that we should stop cutting our own flesh. But I can’t accept that we should just let you guys have a good ending.”
“Once we achieve our goal, we will share the money and interests to a level that will please the Blood Alliance.”
It was a generous offer.
“We have already lost our underboss. If you add the fact that we will not hold you responsible for that, it will be enough of an apology for the mistake of not seeking the Blood Alliance’s cooperation. As a member of the same Brotherhood, please put aside the old grudges and think only of the future of the organization.”
It was certainly more than enough as an apology. Enough to tempt even the pride-wounded Blood Alliance.
And the content that emphasized that they were one organization, even if they had gone astray for a while. There was no flaw to be found in the justification.
…If I hadn’t known what they were aiming for, I probably would have fallen for it.
‘I see.’
I knew why Shadowfang had finally opened the window for negotiation. It was because the Blood Alliance knew their cards, but Shadowfang did not know the Blood Alliance’s cards.
‘Shadowfang doesn’t know that we know their purpose.’
They knew that I had dealt with Victor Laznik. They probably thought that I, a contractor, would not know about the pure blood of a werebeast, regardless of my skills.
Even the head of the Blood Alliance had not been able to accept my claim just by looking at the underboss’s corpse. Shadowfang’s misunderstanding was the result of a logical calculation.
“Hmm, I see.”
The voice changed. Vincent’s calm momentum suddenly changed and began to sway like a wave. The man, who had stiffened his expression for a moment, hurriedly bowed his head.
“Your Majesty. Have you been well?”
“That’s a funny thing to say. Do you think I would have been well?”
The vampire’s reply was venomous.
“And I don’t want to be treated by a beast. Think about it. Wouldn’t it be bizarre if a stray cat saw you and suddenly bowed?”
“It is merely an expression of respect for the ruler who leads the Brotherhood.”
“You talk well for a beast. Never mind, you said you’d hand over the interests to our satisfaction, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good, then Shadowfang should get out of this city.”
“……Hmm.”
It was a bold demand, enough to make the flexible man speechless.
“Hand over all the interests that Shadowfang maintained in Gellerg City. Then I’ll help you.”
“That’s…”
“Why? You said you’d hand them over to our satisfaction. You’re not saying you can’t, are you?”
“It’s too much.”
“Too much? I think it has to be at least this much for me to endure and overlook the insolent things you guys have done.”
The man wrinkled his nose and showed his teeth. It was the expression a beast makes when it’s angry.
But the opponent was the opponent. He soon composed his expression and said calmly.
“I understand. After all, we were bold against the city government, so there will be consequences. I’d rather hand it over.”
The man who had accepted this was also quite a brave man. It was a big deal, like withdrawing from a business, but he had accepted it readily. He was quite a brave man.
It was probably the last line of the conditions he had prepared in advance. If not… he had other intentions.
“Oh, you’re really going to hand it over?”
“Yes, I will.”
“Really? But you know…”
The vampire said in a mischievous tone, as if teasing him.
“I don’t believe you.”
“……?”
He wasn’t a child. It was a way of speaking that made one speechless in a different sense.
“What kind of person would give away so much just because a messenger said so, unless it was a trick to buy time?”
“I have been given full authority to negotiate. I can also leave it in writing.”
“Heh, that’s a funny thing to say. Hey, since when did we work based on contracts?”
“Then what do you want me to do?”
“Call your boss.”
The playfulness in the vampire’s voice disappeared completely.
“I need to get a direct confirmation from him. Then I’ll help you, even if it means mobilizing the full force of our faction, without any complaints.”
There was no contradiction in her statement. It was a procedure that could be reasonably requested at the point when the vampire queen, not Vincent, had taken over the conversation.
“What, are you busy? Then I’ll go and meet him myself.”
“You don’t have to go that far…”
“You guys came to us with your heads bowed first. Although we also suffered losses, cutting off the underboss was a bit much. I’ll do you the favor of going to you myself, combining those two things.”
“……”
The man was silent. It was an expression of confusion, as if he didn’t know how to take it.
“Why, you can’t do that?”
The vampire’s voice, which pierced the ears, had a sly and creepy side to it, as if a snake’s tongue had licked past, even for me, who was not the person being addressed.
“Your blood flow is getting faster. Are you nervous? What are you hiding that you’re like that?”
The vampire reached out and placed her fingers on the man’s neck. As her bent nails pierced his skin, drops of blood formed and trickled down.
“If you get caught playing tricks, it won’t end with just your wrist. You know that, right?”
“I also value my life. I have no intention of doing something so reckless against the queen.”
“Oh, your blood flow has stabilized. Your body control is quite good.”
“I will ask our leader, the great elder of Shadowfang, for his opinion and return. That should be fine.”
“Wrong.”
“Keoheuk!”
The vampire grabbed the man’s neck. It was so violent that it seemed she would break his neck, not just threaten him.
Blue veins popped on the man’s neck as he choked.
“You just said you’d go back and ask for his opinion, when I asked if it was a trick to buy time. So I’m supposed to just suck my fingers in the meantime? You’re looking down on me.”
“You… kkeuk! Requested…”
“That’s right, I requested it. But from the beginning, I was just trying to see if that guy, your great elder, could come out in person.”
And then, she told the truth.
“We know that your purpose is the restoration of the pure bloodline. I was curious if you would give up the aspiration of your clan to avoid a conflict with us, but as expected, you were just buying time?”
“……!”
The man’s body began to transform. His muscles swelled, tearing his clothes, and coarse fur grew on his skin. The transformed man grabbed the vampire’s wrist, which was choking his neck.
Only then did his breathing passage open, and his reddened face subsided.
“You will regret it. Don’t go back on the easy path. If a civil war breaks out in the Brotherhood, the one who will suffer the most is the Blood Alliance.”
“I know.”
The vampire answered indifferently.
“I’ll do it anyway.”
Putting aside the annoyance, she couldn’t stand to see the werebeasts get stronger.
“You guys will also show your teeth to us once you achieve your goal, right?”
That was the relationship between the Blood Alliance and Shadowfang.
“Krrrrk!”
The man, who had realized that it was a deal that could not be established, took out his last resort. A close distance where their arms touched.
He probably wouldn’t even dare to hope that he could kill the vampire queen. But now, she was not in her main body, but in a possessed state.
She would not be able to exert all her capabilities. If he could inflict even a single scratch, it was an excellent exchange rate for the price of sacrificing his life.
“A dog is barking somewhere.”
The vampire snorted at the man’s desperate struggle. Her pupils glowed red. The red mana that originated from her fingertips rushed into the wound that her nails had pierced.
The victory was decided with that.
“Kkeureuk!”
Even though the hand that was choking him was released, the man’s face turned red again. He touched his neck here and there, as if to shake off an invisible hand, and then.
He exploded. It was a manipulation of the blood flow using blood as a medium. The ability to read memories from the blood of a corpse was surprising, but its aggressive application was terrifying.
A thick smell of blood. It was a cruel scene, enough to break the will of a weak-minded person. If every battle was like this, I could understand why vampires were designated as monsters.
“Did you call me just to show me this scene?”
I said with a reprimand, wiping the blood from my face. There was no room for me to intervene in the series of conversations.
I could have just been told the result later. I had just been a spectator and had only gotten my clothes dirty.
“Hmph, you’re complaining even though I was being considerate. I showed you that they don’t know what we know. I reassured you that you wouldn’t fall into a trap even if you went to take their heads next time.”
“If that’s the case, you should have killed him after finding out where their leader is. Isn’t this just making them more wary?”
“You worry too much. Just watch.”
The scene I had seen before was re-enacted. The blood of the corpse was absorbed through her fingers, and several scenes flashed across her transparent retina.
“……Found him.”
The vampire smiled brightly.
“He’s set up in an interesting place. It’s impossible today, so we’ll attack tomorrow. Get ready.”
It was a sudden notification, but I nodded. As much as the wait had been long, I was also impatient.
The end of the request was finally in sight.