Lythera walked through the corridors of her small castle when she crossed paths with two guards.
“Good morning, Lady Lythera.”
She simply gave them a faint smile.
“Good morning.”
One of the guards studied her for a few moments before speaking.
“You don’t seem to be doing very well, my lady… Have you been getting enough rest?”
She blinked in surprise.
“What? Of course I have. Oh, by the way… Has any messenger arrived?”
The two guards exchanged a glance.
“Yes. A messenger arrived a few hours ago. He said that your father is expecting you for dinner tomorrow.”
Lythera’s eyes widened.
“W-Why didn’t anyone tell me sooner?!”
The guard scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Those were your orders, my lady. You told us not to disturb you while you were working.”
Lythera buried both hands in her hair.
“Aaah… Seriously?”
She let out a long sigh.
“What could he possibly want this time…”
“Well, the castle is only a few hours away. There’s still plenty of time.”
Lythera sighed again.
“Of all times… I have so much to take care of… And what if Lioren shows up?”
One of the guards raised an eyebrow.
“Ah… The vampire?”
The other crossed his arms.
“I think it’d be best if you stopped getting involved with him, Princess.”
Lythera’s eyes went wide, and she quickly raised a finger to her lips.
“Shhh! Keep your voice down, damn it!”
“Ah… Sorry.”
She took another deep breath.
“I’m leaving tomorrow. I still have a mountain of work to finish today.”
Without waiting for another reply, she walked back into the castle.
As soon as she entered her room, her eyes settled on an elegant blue dress carefully hanging near the window.
The fabric contrasted beautifully with her silver hair.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
“Ah… If it’s a dinner, he’ll definitely want me to wear this…”
Her gaze drifted toward the window.
“Hurry back with good news, Lioren…”
High atop the roof of a house near the Lion Guild, Lioren remained perfectly still, quietly watching the people coming and going.
The guild’s front door never stopped opening and closing.
After several minutes, one of the female employees finally left the building alone.
She should know exactly where the Hero is headed.
Without making a sound, he began following her across the rooftops.
A few blocks later, the woman entered a modest house.
Lioren stayed on the roof, patiently waiting for several hours.
One by one, the lights in the neighboring houses went out.
Finally, the light inside his target’s home disappeared as well.
Now.
Without making the slightest sound, he slipped down to one of the windows that had been left open.
The guild employee was already lying in bed.
He slowly approached and gently tapped her leg.
“Don’t be afraid…”
The woman jolted awake.
“AAAAAH—!”
Before she could finish screaming, Lioren covered her mouth.
“Shhh. I only need some information.”
She immediately began struggling, desperately trying to punch him.
“I’m not going to hurt you. I just need you to trust me.”
As he spoke, his scarlet eyes began glowing faintly.
He could hear her heart pounding.
His gaze unintentionally drifted toward her neck.
The pulse…
The scent of blood…
For a brief moment, his instincts threatened to take over.
The woman noticed the crimson glow in his eyes and froze.
Lioren took a deep breath.
Suddenly, he stepped back several paces until his back hit the wall.
“Hah… hah… Damn it…”
He pressed one hand against his face.
“I-I need to get out of here…”
The woman stared at him in complete terror.
“Y-You’re… a vampire?”
Lioren raised his eyes to meet hers.
“I know the Hero is heading to Draktar, but I need to know exactly what he’s going there to do.”
Still sitting beside the bed, she asked in a trembling voice,
“Did… did you come here to kill me?”
“Does the Hero have business in Draktar’s capital?”
Silence filled the room for several seconds.
Finally, Lioren sighed.
“We’re not getting anywhere like this.”
The woman took a shaky breath.
“I… I’ve been studying vampires for several years… Every record describes them as monsters, but… you’re standing right here in front of me…”
Lioren gave a faint, bitter smile.
“Well… I really am one, but I…”
Knock.
Knock.
Three knocks interrupted the conversation.
A man’s voice came from the other side of the door.
“Are you alright, Mari? I heard you scream!”
Lioren looked at her.
“Mari?”
She took a deep breath before answering.
“I’m fine! It was just a nightmare! Thank you!”
A few seconds of silence followed.
Then the man replied,
“If anything’s wrong, just call me, alright?”
“Alright. Thanks, Glen.”
His footsteps slowly faded away.
Lioren waited a few more seconds.
“He’s gone.”
When he looked back at Mari, he found her staring at him with almost childlike curiosity.
“…A vampire…”
Cold sweat began forming on Lioren’s forehead.
“Look… I’m only searching for the Hero who defeated an ancient dragon. I need to know whether this is the right time for me to… Just answer my question.”
Mari blinked several times.
“W-What…? The Hero?”
Lioren’s scarlet eyes flashed for an instant.
“Don’t play dumb, woman. I’m talking about the Hero who traveled with a warrior and a high-ranking mage. They were together.”
Mari remained frozen, her mouth still hanging open.
For several long seconds, she simply stared at him, trying to gather her thoughts.
Finally, she swallowed hard before speaking.
“A-Alright… His name is Matsuda Ren. H-He… he’s a Hero who received a special mission from the Guild…”
Lioren slowly repeated the name.
“Matsuda… Ren…”
So that was his name.
“I just need to know exactly what he’s going there for. That kingdom is… very strict about who they allow inside, you know.”
She hesitated.
“What are you planning to do to him…? Are you going to hurt him?”
Lioren frowned.
“No. I need to take him alive… somewhere else.”
He paused for a moment.
“Let’s just say he’s worth far more alive than dead.”
Mari watched him for a few moments.
“It’s not every day that I meet a vampire… And… you seem to be telling the truth.”
Lioren raised an eyebrow.
“You’re… not afraid of me?”
She smiled awkwardly.
“I thought I was going to die in that bed… But when I saw you back away… I became curious.”
Lioren looked away.
“I can usually keep my instincts under control… But I need to leave this place as soon as possible. Can you help me?”
Mari remained silent for several seconds, deep in thought.
Then she answered,
“Ren and his companions are heading to Valdros. It was a mission assigned by the Guild Master. They left this morning.”
“So they’re still on the road… Damn it. They’re headed straight for the capital…”
“…Please… don’t hurt him.”
A faint smile crossed Lioren’s face.
“You’re a really strange woman. If you truly believed I was going to hurt him, you never would have told me any of that.”
She placed a hand over her chest.
“My mind is still trying to process everything… So Ren really did defeat a dragon…”
Lioren was already standing by the window.
“I was never here. Understood?”
Mari smiled.
“C-Come back someday. I’d like to hear the story of your people.”
“Hm?”
“In almost every book in the kingdom… so much information about vampires has been lost. I want to discover the truth.”
For the first time that night, Lioren smiled sincerely.
“You’re a very strange woman…”
With a single leap, he landed on the roof of the neighboring house and disappeared into the sleeping city.
Valdros…
Damn it.
If they make it into the capital…
there’s no way I’ll be able to capture the Hero.
Mari got out of bed and walked to the window, but there was no sign of Lioren outside.
She stood there for a moment before thinking to herself,
He’s a monster, but…
he’s unbelievably handsome.
The sky was beginning to brighten.
The first birds welcomed the coming dawn.
Ren slowly opened his eyes and pushed himself up from the ground.
“Aaah… Everything hurts…”
Beside him, Garrick rubbed the back of his neck.
“I’d forgotten how much this hurts… Argh…”
The carriage door swung open.
Lysera and Mirelya climbed down, both yawning.
“Ah… Thank you, boys.”
Garrick let out a tired laugh.
“Don’t thank us… Just help me get up.”
“Wow… You look awful.”
Meanwhile, Lysera extended a hand toward Ren.
“R-Ren…”
He smiled.
“Thanks, Lysera.”
At that moment, the coachman finally woke up with a loud yawn.
“Yaaawn! Alright then, let’s get moving! The beasts are asleep now.”
Everyone climbed back into the carriage.
Garrick muttered quietly,
“That coachman looks like a complete slacker… but he’s smarter than he lets on.”
The man snapped the reins.
“We’ll reach our destination today! Get ready!”
The carriage picked up speed once more.
Ren smiled at Garrick.
“You heard him? You’ll finally be cured today.”
Garrick placed a hand on his neck.
“I sure hope so…”
Ren silently watched the dark veins that continued spreading across his companion’s face.
With every passing hour, the curse seemed to advance a little farther.
Ren continued staring at Garrick for a few moments.
The black veins were slowly creeping farther across his neck.
“Those dark veins… Man…”
Garrick frowned.
“Hm?”
He tried tilting his head to look at them, but it was impossible.
Mirelya sighed.
“Damn it… We have to get there faster.”
Ren rested his elbow against the window.
“I wonder what that old man Goro wanted.”
Garrick clenched his fists.
“There’s not a single minute that goes by without me thinking about that old coward. Poisoning his blades… That’s the kind of trick only a coward would use.”
Lysera looked away from the passing scenery.
“Actually… it’s a very effective combat strategy. You conserve your energy while gradually weakening your opponent…”
She lowered her head.
“Sorry.”
Garrick let out a sigh.
“Then why didn’t you poison him too, Lysera?”
She turned her gaze back toward the window.
“He was too fast… I never had the chance.”
Silence filled the carriage for several seconds.
Then Garrick slowly got to his feet.
“Mirelya… Would you mind sitting up here in the front? I’m tired of riding on this backward-facing bench. I keep getting thrown forward every time the carriage hits a bump.”
“O-Of course, Garrick.”
She smiled gently.
“You need to get some rest, after all.”
The two of them switched seats.
Now Garrick was sitting at the back of the carriage, while Ren remained seated beside Mirelya.
Ren suddenly remembered the moment he had seen Mirelya wearing that transparent nightgown, and he began sweating slightly.
For a few moments, his eyes drifted toward Lysera.
She was sitting with one leg crossed over the other, quietly watching the scenery through the window.
Without realizing it, Ren kept staring at her.
A moment later, Lysera slowly turned her head.
Their eyes met.
“Ren…”
He blinked.
“What?”
“What are you looking at?”
Mirelya and Garrick also turned toward the two of them, confused about what was happening.
Ren scratched the back of his head.
“Uh… W-What do you mean?”
Lysera tilted her head ever so slightly.
“Why are you staring at me?”
Ren immediately turned his gaze toward the window.
“I-I’m not… I was just looking at the scenery.”
Trying to sound convincing, he kept his eyes fixed outside.
“W-What about you? Why are you looking at me, Lysera?”
A faint smile formed beneath the cloth covering her mouth.
“How do you know I’m looking at you?”
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
“Unless…”
“…you were actually staring at me?”
Ren was left completely speechless.
From the back of the carriage, Garrick crossed his arms and leaned his head against the wall.
“When we get there, wake me up.”
He closed his eyes.
“I don’t want to spend this entire trip watching the two of you compete to see who looks away first.”
“Garrick…”
Mirelya murmured awkwardly.
Lysera looked away and folded her arms.
“…Fine.”
She spoke in a quiet voice.
“Sorry.”
Silence once again filled the carriage, broken only by the steady rumble of the wooden wheels rolling along the road.