Chapter 202
The resistance from the vampires was incredible.
About twenty of them rushed in all at once, and before long their numbers had increased to about sixty.
The one taking Mien was an extraordinary one. With a single leap, he soared up to the roof of a three-story building, carrying the unconscious lady with one hand.
He hopped across rooftops and ducked into the entertainment district. He was a bit slower than me, but because he kept changing direction, it was extremely tricky to catch him.
Darting down an alley in the red-light district, he then smashed through a third-floor window of a building on the right. I, too, jumped and dove through the same window.
Daggers immediately flew at me.
Tadang—
I summoned the Sword of Light to my hand and knocked them aside, slashing the throats of the vampires who had thrown them as I charged through.
Was it the instigation rally that had turned them into vampires?
It had already been well over three months.
The number of individuals may have exceeded ten thousand.
With so many vampires being made, some must have gone mad with hunger for blood. Those unable to control themselves would feast on human blood, leading to murders.
And then there were the slaves that Duto had seen.
They were surely drained of blood by the vampires and their bodies fed to monsters.
"Donnie! East side!"
—I'm on my way!
The man sprinted down the stairs at speed. True Demon is a devil, so he probably wasn't in this world just yet, but this one seemed to be a vampire bitten by True Demon.
He must have turned Lady Mien into a vampire, and the lesser vampires below him had been created by Mien. Those vampires would then create even weaker vampires.
Kwa-kwang—
He smashed through a door and dashed out.
I instantly gave chase as he vaulted the wall. Dozens of vampires from the nearby buildings jumped down simultaneously.
Vampires came at me like mad lions.
If I stopped to deal with them, I'd lose the leader, so I ignored them and leapt right away.
Yet there were still ones who jumped up to grab me. I kicked them in the face and punched others out of my way. I had to channel magic power just to knock them down.
Landing, I quickly resumed the pursuit.
He was fleeing east. He still hadn't removed the Spirit Blade from Mien's heart. He just didn't want to touch it.
—High-end entertainment district, east side alley!
"Tuji and Uson, take him down with bows!"
—Yes!
I saw the team members joining in. The head vampire quickened his pace, bounding from rooftop to rooftop. Hans lunged for him, but was easily dodged.
Tting—
Moreover, he deflected the Arrows of Light loosed by Tuji and Uson with ease. His reflexes were tremendous. This was no ordinary human turned vampire—he wielded magic power.
Chwaaaak—
The squad was cutting down the onrushing vampires and closing in on him. But trying to catch him, everyone ended up converging all at once—it was difficult to surround him.
He seemed intimately familiar with this upscale entertainment area. Whenever we tried to cut him off, he slipped away as if he'd vanished. This probably meant he had a business or residence here.
To the east lay wealthy residential areas where many magnates lived, and along this street were luxury shops and expensive bars patronized by them.
Who on earth is he?
He didn't attend the coronation banquet. I'd never seen him before—a hidden master of the capital.
One of the magnates.
Someone who never appeared in public.
Someone who must have good reason for that.
"Squad leader!"
—Yes, sir?
"Among the people Mien met, was there anyone who's a crime boss or kingpin of the capital's underworld?"
—Yes. A man named Kas.
"Where's his residence?"
—A mansion with a red roof in the upscale eastern district. He owns several houses, so it's unclear if he lives there.
He's probably heading for his own house.
He'll need somewhere safe to treat Lady Mien. This entertainment area is where his businesses are.
"What kind of person is he?"
—He's not a crime boss. He's called the Crown Prince of the Night and is known as the most handsome man in the empire.
"Young?"
—Mid-twenties.
"Investigate him. And his establishments."
—Understood.
Watching where he was headed, I chased after him. He dodged pursuit by leaping across rooftops or passing through buildings at will.
—He's entering a six-story building!
I circled around to the back of the building.
There were thumping noises inside. He was coming down.
—Second floor!
He was heading my way!
I sprinted.
The moment I felt his presence!
I flung myself toward the window.
At the same time, he crashed through it.
Crash—
Thud—
I caught him as he plunged out the window, and together we tumbled through the air. Lady Mien was gone. He must have left her in the building just now!
During the fall, he drove his elbow into my back. The force was incredible, but it barely affected me.
We slammed into the opposite wall.
Pubbuck—
We crashed down together. Even then, I grabbed him by the collar and landed a punch right in his face.
Wham—Thunk—
The moment we hit the ground, I ripped off his mask.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
Roman?
In that fleeting instant of shock, he jumped away, kicked off the wall, and launched himself toward the building across the way.
Pubbuck—
Uson's Arrow of Light hit him squarely in the back, sending him crashing down. Splash—a sound of water.
I immediately hopped the wall in pursuit.
There was a small pond inside the wall.
Even after a moment, he didn't come up.
"You two, look for Lady Mien!"
"Yes!"
The rest of the squad gathered around.
This garden with the pond belonged to a top-tier restaurant frequented by nobles and magnates.
"There must be a secret passage in the pond."
"I'll go in."
Mont jumped into the pond.
Suddenly—
Kwakwa-kwaang—
An explosion tore through the pond's edge. In an instant, the structure beside the pond collapsed completely.
"Mont!"
Thankfully, Mont was safe.
He surfaced from the water.
"There was some kind of passage in the pond, but suddenly something exploded and it caved in."
"Hurry out. The water's draining out."
Whether the passage was sabotaged or not, the pond's water was rapidly draining away. It had always been a secret tunnel. The restaurant's owner was most likely our man.
"Did you see his face?"
"Yeah. He looks like Roman."
"No way."
"Blonde. Blue eyes. Even the face is similar."
"The physique, too."
I agreed.
"Could he be Lady Mien's son?"
"Possible. But he's far stronger than Lady Mien. That means he's a higher-rank vampire than her. If he were her son, he'd be the same or lower."
"That's true."
They must be blood related.
That's why he resembled Roman.
I looked back at the garden.
"Find the owner of this restaurant. Even if he's not the owner, there's definitely a connection."
"Understood."
Two squad members came out of the building he'd dived from.
"She wasn't there?"
"No, she wasn't."
"He didn't have time to hide her, right?"
"Yes. He entered the third floor, then straight to the second and jumped out. We chased immediately."
"If he smuggled her out, she can't have gone far."
"Wait a moment."
I gestured at something.
Soon, the Spirit Blade that had been driven into Mien's heart came flying to me from quite a distance.
"Let's go. It's already too late."
I turned my steps toward the Imperial Palace.
The suspect was Kas.
Would there be any information on him in the Imperial Archives?
// // //
I went to meet Roman, the Emperor.
It was after breakfast.
"How are you feeling?"
"So bored. Learning all these unfamiliar customs is hard, and I have to watch every word I say. I do like all the books in the archives, though."
We drank tea together.
Roman wasn't a vampire, and he wasn't the man I'd met yesterday either. There was never any mention of Roman having a twin.
But there was blood relation between that man and the lady. Since vampires are said to be immortal, there could only be one connection. The lady was born between a vampire and a human.
When I first met Lady Mien, her hands did not emit light. Maybe I just didn't notice at the time, but it seemed she wasn't a vampire then.
But after coming to the capital, there were moments her hands glowed—because there were vampires nearby. Her attendants, as well as Kas's subordinates, had been watching me.
The capital's magnates feared Lady Mien because Kas was backing her. It was Kas who'd had her sent to the palace as a palace maid.
"What are you thinking about?"
"It's nothing."
"You must have great worries for the country. The chamberlain tells me the Imperial finances aren't good."
What should I say?
That's not something the chamberlain should reveal lightly. The fact he did meant he wanted me to prepare.
"To be honest, the Empire doesn't have many years left."
"I see."
Roman seemed pleased.
It must have still been uncomfortable for him.
"In that case, can I declare dissolution myself?"
"In fact, there's been some unrest—magical monsters popping up and so on. The situation may worsen. I think it would be better for you to step down naturally."
"I suppose you're right."
"If you step down, what will you do?"
"Go to a new territory."
Looking into Roman's eyes, I could tell he was sincere.
The only reason I entered the palace was because he had to be Emperor. I, too, have no attachment to hollow power.
Who would have guessed things would end up like this?
If the Imperial family had had more funds, I might have tried to save the empire somehow—as long as Roman was Emperor.
"I'll serve you until the day the empire breathes its last. Until then, please rule as Emperor."
"Yes, young master."
I bowed respectfully.
Even after becoming Emperor, Roman continued to call me "young master."
As if waiting for the day I return to being a priest.
// // //
Two days later.
I headed to the high-end entertainment district. Kas was quite famous, so it wasn't hard to gather information.
Emperor of the Night, king of the social scene. So handsome that even noble ladies dreamed of meeting him. The man known for resembling Roman—Kas—was none other than that famous person.
Amazingly, kas turned up for work the day after the chase. He didn't lay low or disappear. That was either absolute confidence—or a trap.
So I went alone.
Didn't want to endanger the squad.
I walked past luxury boutiques and into an area filled with flashy buildings. I stopped in front of a high-end bar, where affluent young people were hanging around.
"Do you have a reservation?"
"Mal Tan."
"One moment, please."
A man in a designer suit patted me down. Another checked the reservation list. I was currently passing myself off as the son of a newly wealthy merchant from Tris.
"We charge a special service fee for first-time guests. This applies to all VVIPs. Please understand."
I produced six gold coins.
"One's for you."
"Thank you. Right this way."
"Yes."
With a staff member leading, I entered the bar.
It was more a theatre than a bar. Dancers performed on stage, and the clientele lounged almost horizontally while drinking.
Everything was first class.
The hostesses were dressed almost like nudes, serving drinks or entertaining guests. There were plenty of female guests as well.
Those female guests were there to see the owner, kas. Kas was known to personally greet every new guest—as a matter of customer management.
I took a vacant seat.
It was made of white fur, thick and soft, with a high cushion on which I could rest an elbow and recline.
From my magic pouch, I secretly pulled something and hid it up my sleeve. The staff had searched me, but didn't know about the magic pouch. The hostess would likely frisk me lightly, but that was all.
"I'm Iril."
"I'm Aren."
Two hostesses sat on either side of me.
Soon, an expensive drink arrived—Parde estate's specialty, a bottle costing a gold coin.
A fierce light leaked from between the fingers of the glove on my right hand. Even the spirits were sending danger signals. Ever since I entered this bar.
"What kind of person is the owner?"
"Handsome and charming."
"Here, have a drink."
The hostess poured me a drink, which I received and downed.
The dancers' performance ended, and from the side door by the stage, bodyguards appeared—followed by Kas, who walked out with a radiant smile.
"Kyaaah!"
The female patrons shrieked.
Kas bowed deeply with his hands together.
He went first to the women's tables. Chatting as he moved, he eventually approached me. Was I really the only new male customer today?
Standing before me, kas bowed politely.
His demeanor was extremely courteous.
"Does the food suit your taste?"
"Yes, it's excellent."
"I'm Kas, the owner here. May I join you for a chat?"
"Please, go ahead."
"Then, if you'll excuse me."
Kas perched an arm on the side of an auxiliary couch and sat facing me. He smiled, and the resemblance to Roman was uncanny.
There was a file in the Imperial Archives.
He was the son of an ancient True Demon vampire.
A blond, handsome man.