C151: Victor and the Inspectors
In the late afternoon, when the sun had begun to sink and cast a layer of orange light over the rooftops and empty paths, the Inspectors approached the church of Winterin with vigilance. The long shadow of the church stretched across the ground, and the air grew increasingly peaceful.
“Captain, are we truly bound to heed her word?” Hazel cast her captain a skeptical gaze, her brows drawn together in irritation. “Can we even trust her?”
Gregory shook his head, his face solemn. “It is far more prudent to heed the warnings of a Foreteller, rather than rush forward blindly to our own undoing.”
He took a slow drag from his silver pipe, the smoke rising into the air as his eyes scanned the perimeter. “The situation in this place... is far more intricate than we expected.”
“To delay our execution of the arrest until the afternoon...” Hazel sighed, adjusting the high collar of her long coat, before casting an irritated glare toward the annoying lovebirds nearby. “Meanwhile, there are those among us who find this delay rather agreeable.”
“Affection is a most precious sentiment, Miss Hazel,” Troy remarked, smoothing his neatly combed hair back with a hand as he smiled. “I advise that Miss Hazel should soon seek herself a soulmate, only then shall you comprehend it.”
Naomi shyly held her white cane closer to her person, her cheeks flushing a deep rose as she looked down at the grass.
“Tch.” Hazel glared at him with disgust. “As if I would indulge in such folly.” She turned away, deciding not to probe any further into the lovebirds' affairs and their unbearable atmosphere.
They soon approached the church grounds. The children had already left for their homes, and all that remained was an empty stretch of grass beneath the fading afternoon light.
The place felt strangely quiet without the usual noise of children. A few fallen leaves shifted in the breeze, scraping against the ground with dry sounds.
Hazel narrowed her eyes, studying the church, before looking back toward Gregory once more.
“Captain, the intelligence contained in that letter… Should it prove false, what then?”
It was the warning detailed within Marion's anonymous letter.
Gregory offered no verbal response. He closed his eyes, continuing to clean the silver bowl of his pipe with a handkerchief.
“Prepare yourselves.”
Hazel clicked her tongue in annoyance, but she did not utter another word. Instead, she steeled her resolve as her body grew tense.
If the information in the letter were indeed accurate, then their next target was a vampire.
They were... exceptionally troublesome.
—
“““May the White Monarch be with you,””” the three inspectors intoned in unison, their voices echoing off the walls of the sanctuary.
“May the White Monarch be with you,” Father Victor followed suit, bowing his head.
Inside the church, in the dim light of the shrine room, the four figures stood in a solemn row before the towering statue of the White Monarch, each with a gloved hand pressed against their chest as they offered their prayers under the flickering of the altar candles.
The shrine was quiet, filled with the scent of old incense. Pale light seeped through the high windows, falling across the statue’s solemn face and the cane held in its carved hand, making the white surface look more authoritative.
Hazel opened her eyes discreetly, her gaze lingering on the cane held in the Monarch statue’s hand for a brief moment before she lowered her eyes again.
After completing their prayer, they returned to the schoolroom hall of the church.
In the hall, the white walls were lightly dusted and stained with a few black marks. Hazel shifted her eyes, gazing at the religious paintings, to the ink drawings of saints, to the alphabet,... everything was neatly arranged.
As they walked to the center of the hall, before the raised platform where the teacher's desk stood, she glanced at the large blackboard hanging behind it. Moral teachings remained on the board as a reminder:
"Cleanliness is next to Godliness,
Diligence is a gift to the soul.”
Sunlight streamed through the tall opalescent glass window, casting long shadows on the floor and the teachings, a constant reminder for them.
Unlike yesterday, where all five of them had sat down on the old pews, this time they remained standing, facing one another.
“Father, forgive our intrusion, but as Inspectors of the Proctor Cross, we must conduct our official investigation within these grounds,” Gregory said, his voice flat as he confronted the priest.
Victor clasped his hands behind his back and narrowed his eyes.
“Deacon, I had believed we concluded our discussions on this matter yesterday? What is the cause of this sudden, repetitive investigation?”
Gregory shook his head, his expression unchanging.
“My apologies, Father. But rumors have circulated among the locals regarding the presence of a monster lurking within this village.”
“Ah, that.” Victor nodded, a look of mild amusement passing over his features. “That is fair. Although I have already compiled my official report and forwarded it to the church high echelon, I doubt they have found the leisure to study it with proper care.”
Gregory's expression remained unchanged, but his mind was a storm of presumptions.
‘Echelon…’
Victor’s voice was pleasant and polite. Yet his words, although filled with positive and proper meaning, somehow carried an undercurrent of sarcasm that Gregory could feel.
Besides, no priest of the Church of White would use the word “echelon” to describe the Holy Court.
“Before we proceed to that, I realized I had neglected a minor duty yesterday,” Gregory said. He produced a leather bag from his inner coat pocket that jangled loudly with the sound of coins.
“This represents the official stipend and maintenance fee for the church. Since Father has performed an exemplary service in preserving and spreading the teachings of the White Monarch in this remote place, you have fully earned this reward.”
Victor’s eyes lit up.
“Why, my deepest thanks, Deacon.”
He raised his hand and took the clinking bag, pulling the drawstring open to peer inside before his eyes widened in surprise.
“This is… generous,” he murmured, closing the leather bag.
“I offer my gratitude, and I pledge to utilize these funds to improve the condition of our sanctuary.”
“Pray, do not mention it,” Gregory replied, his tone dry.
He then nodded, closing his eyes.
“So, tell me, Father, are you a vampire?” he asked in a calm tone.
Victor offered a pleasant smile, his face completely relaxed.
“That’s correct, Deacon. I indeed am.”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“...”
Silence filled the room, broken only by the flickering lamps and the distant chirping of birds beyond the window.
No one drew breath. Gregory didn't move. Hazel's fingers twitched, trying to suppress her racing heartbeat.
The stillness stretched, tense and fragile like ice on a winter pond.
“?”
Victor frowned, raised a hand to cover his mouth in confusion.
He had just realized what had happened.
“Wind!”
A piercing command shattered the stillness of the church!
Hazel swung her green arrowhead in a wide arc, sending an air blade toward Victor's throat!
Caught off guard by the sudden assault, Victor instinctively raised his arm to block the path of the wind!
“!”
The blade of wind severed his left arm cleanly at the elbow, a spray of dark blood painting the church floor. The heavy bag of coins fell from his hand, clattering loudly as the coins spilled across the stone.
Victor immediately threw himself backward to put distance between himself and Gregory, retreating away from the path of Hazel's follow-up strike.
As his severed arm fell to the ground, his figure distorted. His human facade warped and shifted until he transformed into a man with a pale face and black hair.
“How are—!”
“Wind, Na!”
“!”
Not waiting for him to finish his sentence, Hazel attacked Victor viciously with the wind ability of the arrowhead. The wind blade sliced through the air with a shrill hiss, cutting across the hall toward Victor's chest.
Victor waved his remaining hand. Dark red liquid surged around him, moving in a wide circle around his body.
The blood curved into a spinning ring and stopped the wind blade instantly, scattering the force before it could reach him.
At the same time, Victor’s pupils shifted toward Hazel. His eyes flashed violet.
Instantly, his severed left arm exploded into blood. The flesh and bone burst apart into crimson droplets, converging in the air. They hardened into many small bullets before shooting toward Hazel.
Hazel raised her hand, her pupils flashing with a brilliant gold!
[Barrier!]
An invisible barrier manifested in front of Hazel.
The blood bullets struck the barrier one after another, stopped by the invisible wall as ringing sounds reverberated through the church.
Victor’s figure exploded, transforming into a chaotic black mass.
Bat transformation!
[“Transformation is disallowed!”]
[“Exit is disallowed!”]
Exhaling smoke from the pipe in his hand, Gregory shouted two Restrictions!
“Hgghh!”
The swarm of bats converged instantly into Victor’s figure, forcing him back into human form, hovering awkwardly midair directly beneath the platform table.
His eyes twitched, gazing at Gregory in anger. His left arm had already fully regenerated, the pale flesh smooth and unblemished. His white priest vestment was sprayed with blood, the sleeve on his left forearm cleanly cut away where the arm had been severed earlier.
The black-haired, arrogant-faced man lifted his chin, stared down at the Inspectors in hostility.
“Who are you?” Gregory narrowed his eyes, asking while maintaining a defensive stance.
“...”
For a moment, silence settled inside the church, broken only by the sound of their heartbeat.
“Grr...”
Victor growled, his sharp teeth clicking together.
He raised one hand upward, and at the same moment, blood flowed from his arms. The crimson liquid gathered above him, converging into three spheres of blood that hovered in midair.
They spun rapidly, stretching and sharpening into three jagged, crimson drill-lances, all pointing toward the three Inspectors.
[Blood lances!]
Victor pointed, and the three lances of blood shot forward, drilling through the air with a high-pitched screech!
Gregory immediately grabbed Naomi and threw their bodies to the side, narrowly evading the incoming blood lance.
Hazel’s eyes widened. She jumped flat against the floor, ducking beneath the benches.
The lance pierced through Hazel's barrier, shattering it like thin glass with a deafening crack. The crimson projectile plunged deep into the wooden benches and the stone tiles beneath, sending web-like fractures spider-webbing across the floor.
Victor’s figure blurred as he closed the distance, appearing in front of Gregory. His fingernails lengthened into sharp claws as he lunged with a sweeping claw strike.
“...”
Gregory, keeping one arm firmly around Naomi to shield her from the assault, raised his other arm to deflect the incoming attack using his silver pipe.
The three rapid strikes clashed against the pipe, sending sparks into the air and a resounding metallic clang.
“...”
Victor narrowed his eyes. He delivered a powerful kick to a shattered wooden bench, launching the shards forward to force a distance between them.
He had just remembered something.
The White Church also excelled in close-quarters combat.
Gregory was forced to raise his forearm to shield himself from the flying splinters of wood.
Exploiting the temporary distraction, Victor kicked against the ground and launched himself backward, targeting Hazel as she struggled to stand.
Simultaneously, the pool of blood from the shattered lances rose from the floor behind Naomi, shaping into a dozen needle-sharp projectiles that shot toward Naomi.
But they were immediately stopped by a barrier.
“[Shield!]”
Hazel moved her green arrowhead swiftly to block Victor’s incoming claws. The harsh sound of the impact echoed.
However, the mere physical power of the Silver Sky Stage Vampire, coupled with the kinetic force of his high-speed lunge, completely overwhelmed her Foundation stage defense.
She was thrown violently backward into the church wall by Victor’s blow.
The sound of the impact exploded through the hall as her body slammed against the stone, making the entire church rumble. Every bench caught in her path was destroyed, splintering apart into broken wood and scattering across the floor.
“Tch.”
Hazel was pinned momentarily against the cracked wall, dust and stone fragments falling around her tattered uniform coat.
Her skin flickered in golden light. It was the Shield ability, acquired when she was still an Apprentice Stage Preserver. It allowed her to apply a defense shield around her skin to protect herself.
Yet, upon close inspection, various cracks had appeared on the shield, which slowly repaired itself.
Her sharp gaze remained fierce. She waved her hand, releasing a powerful gust of wind. The force of the wind tossed her aside, pulling her away from the broken wall through the wind’s counterforce.
At that exact microsecond, Victor appeared in the space she had just vacated, his long claws scratched the empty air, carving five deep scratch marks directly into the damaged wall.
Missing his target, Victor immediately conjured two spheres of blood to hover in midair beside him.
“[Barrier!]”
A blood spear pierced Hazel’s barrier. It shattered one layer before its momentum halted upon impact with Hazel’s second barrier.
The second sphere of blood spun rapidly, stretched into another blood lance—
*BANG!*
However, before it could be launched, a deafening explosion echoed through the church.
A gunshot!
Victor widened his eyes. His pupils shifted to the side, perceived the glint of a silver bullet spinning toward him at terrifying speed!
Before he could react, the bullet lodged deep into his head.
It punched a hole through his temple, blood splattering into the air!
His figure exploded into blood. The liquefied blood converged at once, transforming into dozens of needle-like shards that launched toward the three Inspectors!
[Blood Substitute!]