84
I hate black blood!
I paused for a moment and tried to catch my breath.
I turned my head slightly to check my surroundings.
I saw a city on fire.
‘You set fire because you were excited? You uncivilized bastards.’
They were completely unreasonable. Of course, it didn’t matter because it wasn’t my city.
Screams and the sound of guns being fired were heard everywhere.
The city was such a mess… It was clear that the Karzan Guard was really bad at their job.
Knock knock.
At that moment, a black, blood-covered lung fell in front of me with a small sound of footsteps.
With dilated pupils and flushed cheeks, this place, where vampires were everywhere, seemed like an amusement park to the savage.
I took the fangs that the stray dog had stuck out and stuffed them into my waistband, then took out a piece of cake. It was a cake I had picked up by chance in a house where I had to break through a wall because the situation was urgent.
The price paid for catching three vampires around that house was more than enough… no, it could be said that it was excessive.
The round-eyed Lung-gyeop held out his hand covered in black blood. In response, I took out a handkerchief from my bosom, wiped Lung-gyeop’s gauntlet roughly, and placed the cake on it.
“wait!”
I said it as a joke, but he didn’t care about the taste and just put the cake in his mouth. Then he stared at me with his usual expressionless face. However, his cheeks were swollen.
‘Come back, is that all I can ask?’
It still seemed like it was too much to wait.
I turned my head, smacking my lips again.
Thanks to some diligence, the vampire smell has faded.
At first it was hard to tell them apart, but the more I caught them the easier it became.
At some point, the vampires would bark and show their fangs whenever they saw me. Some of them even got wet in my pants. Thanks to that, the progress was much faster.
As they were being caught indiscriminately, they must have felt a sense of crisis because they exposed their fangs.
There were also vampires who slyly hid among people and swung pickaxes at vampires.
I watched him quietly because it was funny, and he really did hit the vampire’s head with a pickaxe. The vampire that was hit with the pickaxe swung its claws and he was stabbed. Then the guy took out his fangs and was beaten by the people around him before disappearing.
‘There are all kinds of people out there.’
The lungs shook their shoulders.
It was a signal to move on quickly.
I took a moment to relax, looking at the low building in front.
This was the vampire’s secret location that the prostitute vampire had told me about.
The prostitute vampire must have been quite popular, because all the information they gave me was very useful. No matter where you went, there were great attractions that were half air and half vampire.
The sergeant nodded, holding up his greatsword horizontally.
It was a signal that he was ready.
There was a small door, but it was funny and tasteless to knock and politely go in.
Since ancient times, raids have been…
“FBI!!”
I shouted and slammed my head into the wall in front of me.
The wall collapsed in an instant, probably due to poor construction.
“···?”
The vampires who had been waiting around the door opened their eyes wide as they saw me appearing next to them.
They must have planned it out in detail, because one was aiming for the upper part with its fangs, and the other was aiming for the lower part. And there were vampires spread out next to them. It was a crane wing formation… no, it was a sucker wing formation.
‘You must have prepared hard.’
I felt sorry for no reason when I saw the embarrassment on their faces as they just turned their heads with a stiff posture.
“Huh… It’s the vampire hunter Takgu!! Takgu has appeared!!”
Kyaaaaaaaah!!
The one with the yellow fangs pointed at me and screamed, and the rest of them started barking along with me.
Takgu began to be known as a truly legendary vampire hunter. As expected, believing in yourself was the most important thing in anything.
Nod.
At that moment, a swarm of idiots came through the hole I had broken and rushed towards them.
The heads of the men appeared in the thick lines drawn by the greatsword.
‘There are two more places left now.’
I looked at the excited lungs and adjusted my grip on my sword.
The night was almost over now.
***
Ugh- Ugh-.
Grun, the leader of the cute rabbits, was panting with breath that reached the tip of his chin.
I was approaching forty soon, and my back was aching. I thought I would faint if I tried to fight a vampire.
But there was one reason why I kept moving.
That black blood was being sprayed all over the streets.
He moved his body to its limit.
“If only we could have pushed this away from the beginning···.”
Grun shook his head at the muttering next to him.
‘No, if it weren’t for that man and that woman…’
The legendary vampire hunter Tak-gu and his trusted inquisitor, the Heretic Inquisitor. If the two of them hadn’t been there, things would have been completely different.
As the vampire hunter Takgu began to move in earnest, the vampires that had been hiding tightly came out openly. Even in the all-out war that followed, the inaction displayed by the vampire hunter Takgu and his confidants was so fearful that even Grun, who was not a vampire, was afraid.
Tak-Pong, a vampire hunter who pulls out a vampire’s head with his hands.
His right-hand man, the Inquisitor, decapitates someone and then maces the head that falls to the ground.
The brutality was so great that even the knights hesitated and retreated.
‘How on earth did Dante… no, how did Danso know such a man?’
It was highly likely that Danso’s sudden movement was due to the vampire hunter Takgu.
Although Karzan had suffered significant bleeding and damage, it didn’t matter as long as he could push the vampire away.
Suspicion and fear that someone around me might be a vampire. In a situation where no one can be trusted, blood-sucked corpses appear every day, and people drown in the trials of the Inquisitor. Until then, Karzan was nothing but a living hell.
‘It’s hell right now, but… the fire will eventually go out.’
Phew···.
Grun sat down, breathing heavily.
Next to him was the corpse of a vampire with a thorn in its limbs. He was a leather merchant, but his personality had changed recently, so I guess he was a vampire…
‘A dog-like vampire.’
He had no regrets. If it weren’t for now, he or his family might have been eaten by the bastard.
Grun shook his head slightly and looked around.
The city was burning and corpses were everywhere, but everyone was laughing. Everyone felt it instinctively. They had driven out the vampire.
“Were you here?”
“···Yeah. You’re safe.”
“You look regretful.”
The leader of the cold daggers, Joe Anderson, spoke with a tired smile. Grun looked up at him and chuckled when he saw that one of the bastard’s hands was missing.
“I knew you’d do that since you have bad habits.”
“Half of them are dead, so is this a big deal?”
That was true. One hand was a cheap price to pay for getting through the night.
“By the way, the market kid still hasn’t moved.”
“It’s not like those imperial bastards have been doing this for a day or two.”
At that moment, Danso, who looked a little tired but still expressionless, approached.
Grun clicked his tongue slightly as he looked at the healthy guy. If things continued like this, the guy’s influence would only grow.
“Everyone, follow me.”
Danso glanced at them, spoke briefly, and turned around.
“Where did you get the order from…”
Joe Anderson objected, but Grun tapped him on the shoulder and followed the short story.
Phew-.
Joe Anderson, who had spat, reluctantly followed him.
The place we arrived at following the short story was a place called Gwangjang.
‘What’s going on here···.’
Everything around was in ruins. The walls were completely torn down and the rubble of buildings filled the square.
The things painted on top were black corpses.
‘···Were there this many vampires?’
Grun gulped at the sight of the packed vampire corpses.
It was a ridiculous number of people cheering for having caught a vampire.
Lone wolves were pacing around busily. They were picking up things around the vampire corpses.
When I squinted at the bizarre sight, there he was, in the center.
‘The Legendary Vampire Hunter Table Tennis!’
In the center was a giant whose entire body was painted black.
Around him, the heretic inquisitor who had shown an unforgettable appearance earlier was striking something with a mace.
“I brought it with me.”
“okay.”
He stood up slowly and Danso knelt down towards him. It was the first time Grun had felt that a person could have such a large presence.
He looked down at them for a moment and then slowly came down.
The vampire below burst and black blood soaked his feet. Grun gulped and watched him in an ambiguous manner.
As he walked, the pressure grew, with a mixture of heavy noises and popping sounds. The closer he got, the louder it felt.
Grun’s posture gradually became lower. When he turned his head slightly, Joe Anderson was already kneeling like a dagger.
‘Why is the vampire hunter···.’
Grun struggled to stop his knees from bending.
“Hmm… I smell a vampire from somewhere.”
“···yes?”
“It came from somewhere.”
He muttered as he took another step closer.
He was wearing a black helmet, so I couldn’t see his face, so I couldn’t guess what he was thinking. The heretic inquisitor behind me tilted his head and got up.
Grun’s heart sank at the sight.
“Huh… Are you saying there are vampires?!”
Joe Anderson stammered in a terrified voice.
“Isn’t it? I smell a vampire…”
The man muttered, playfully twiddled his fingers at Grun and Joe Anderson.
Joe Anderson shut his mouth tightly, sensing something strange. Grun quickly lowered his head to the piece of flesh caught in the seam of his black helmet. Soon, his feet were right in front of him.
“When I look closely… aren’t your heads full of baskets… no, vampires?”
A scratchy voice mixed with laughter.
When Takgu saw a vampire, he would burst its head or cut its throat, but he didn’t ask anything. It was clear that there was another intention behind his question.
Grun lowered his knees, which he had barely been able to hold on to, and lowered his head. Looking to the side, Joe Anderson was also deeply bowing his head, biting his lips.
Since they survived all the way from the back alleys to here, being observant was a given.
“Hmm… Okay. That’s too bad. Vampires are my specialty.”
Grun shivered slightly at the sound of the man’s voice that was making her taste buds tingle.
Grun had a feeling that the three organizations that had been terrorizing Karzan had come under the control of a man whose face he had never seen before.
***
‘Maybe it’s because they’re guys who used to roll around in back alleys that they communicate well.’
I looked down at the two and gestured to Danso.
Danso nodded and raised the two of them.
‘You’re very clever.’
Danso was the first to suggest this to me after I finished cleaning up the vampires.
Right now, I can easily place the two remaining organizations under my control.
I nodded and it set it up like that.
It was jiggling, like perfectly cooked meat that would fall off when you put a knife to it.
I just made a simple comment.
I don’t think they’ll just eat the two remaining organizations, but if Danso does it well, it might turn out well.
‘Now if we just pull out the market, it’ll be over…’
I muttered as I looked at the large castle in the distance.
When touching the market side of the empire, I had to be more careful than usual. Not too weak, not too strong, just enough to irritate, and not leave any traces of myself…
Kwaaaaaaaaaaahh …
At that moment, I opened my mouth wide at the pillar of fire rising from the inner castle. The pillar of fire was so large and cool that I felt all my accumulated fatigue disappear in an instant.
I stared blankly at him for a moment, and then a question arose.
‘Who would do something so crazy?’
It was an empire that ate one-third of the continent. It wasn’t that they didn’t eat the rest, but that they didn’t eat it.
How can you do such a crazy thing to such an empire? Even the rebels who pop up when they’re bored don’t provoke the empire so openly, just to show their support.
‘I don’t know who he is, but he’s really something.’
I was grateful for the cool spectacle, but whoever did it was sure it wouldn’t end well.
I knew that better than anyone else.
‘The timing is a bit ambiguous…’
If we were not careful, there was a possibility that it could be placed on our side. So I hurriedly gestured to Danso.
“That must be black blood.”
I spoke firmly to Danso, who had come running, as if to say, ‘Water flows from top to bottom.’
“······Yes. That’s for sure.”
The answer was a little late, but it was the answer I wanted.
“Yeah. Definitely.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Danso, who had given a short answer, hurriedly called all the men around him together and started talking about this and that. The two men who had been recruited earlier also nodded to Danso’s words while looking at my expression. It seemed like they were having a healthy meeting.
It seemed like they understood what I meant because they dispersed right after the brief meeting.
I sat down and took out the high-quality water bottle that Danso had given me. When I pulled the cork out, a fragrant scent filled the air.
‘Ah, a pitch.’
I glanced around, took a sip, and drank heavily. The deep grape aroma and sweet taste, followed by the rising heat, drove away my fatigue.
The man next to me stared at the water bottle in my hand with slightly wide eyes.
“Can I give it to you? It’s not chocolate.”
I handed the water bottle to the nurse.
The soldier who received the water bottle smelled it, hesitated for a moment, and then brought it to his mouth. Gulp, the soldier’s throat gurgled with a refreshing sound.
Lung-gyeop continued to swallow, his eyes slightly wide, perhaps because he liked the taste or because his throat was dry.
‘Those who only want to have one bite…’
It was quite delicious, so I felt a little regretful, but I still felt bad about having to eat it, so I just left it. Lunggyup nodded vigorously as he emptied his water bottle.
But that nod wasn’t the usual straight line, it was a crooked line.
‘Is it okay to drink it like that?’
It was just a drink to me, but it was still alcohol, so I was a little uneasy.
And as always, my uneasy premonitions were proven right.
“Ugh-.”
The lung that made a strange noise fell forward.
The heavy armor made a dull thud, and mud and blood splattered on the floor.
‘Oh, a closed baby.’
I clicked my tongue at the sight of the large statue stretching out before checking the water bottle.
‘I drank all of this.’
For a moment, I felt annoyed and considered hitting the back of its head, but I held back because I felt a little uncomfortable hitting an animal.
I grabbed the back of the neck of the unconscious lung-level.
It was quite heavy, perhaps because of the heavy armor, but it wasn’t so heavy that I couldn’t lift it. I also took the rolling greatsword and headed to the ‘choked pig’ that I had promised.
Vampire Hunter Takgu’s work is done.
Cleaning up was something that the people who lived here had to do.
‘Did they open it when there was such chaos?’
Thinking back to the last Karzan, I think it might have been opened.
Of course, the city was burning now to a degree that was incomparable to that time.
Thanks to that, it was warm.
***
The ‘Choked Pig’ was open. From what I heard, it seemed like Shawn had borrowed it separately, paying several times the amount.
‘You got promoted, so you’ve become more extravagant.’
I headed to the central seat where I used to sit. I gathered up the chairs, placed the waste paper on them, and placed the great sword next to them. Then I gave a silver coin to the female employee and asked her to do my laundry. It seemed like this place also had a laundry service, since I liked it very much.
I took off my helmet and set it aside, wiping my face and hands with a damp cloth. The smell of sweat and stale air filled my body, and I desperately missed the washing machine. When I came out, I realized how comfortable my life had been at Cassidyk.
I rinsed my mouth with lukewarm water and roughly wiped the oil off my head. Then, feeling a little tired, I took out my sword, placed it within arm’s reach, and closed my eyes.
A little later, I heard a noise and opened my eyes to see Shona sitting across from me.
The guy was still smiling, but he felt a little down, unlike usual. I could tell from the black blood and dirt on his sleeve that something had happened.
“Ah! Aaron! Did I wake you up? I was just trying to sit quietly…”
“Okay. How’s the work?”
“It’s ending well. Those black blood bastards must have gone crazy because they burned the imperial flag or something.”
“···Until the imperial era?”
“Yes, it’s a total mess. All the first-class managers have been summoned now-.”
Shawn began to chattering away. However, his voice occasionally trembled, and I didn’t bother to ask him about it.
Soon, the waiter brought out a large piece of pork foreleg.
I roughly tore it apart and stuffed it into my mouth. Shawne didn’t eat it, but just looked down at the meat.
‘This house is well-maintained.’
As I was eating my third plate, Shawn opened his mouth.
“Aaron, there was a senior I respected. He was a very popular person because he was very good at his job and took good care of his juniors. He didn’t discriminate against people based on their background and only looked at them based on their abilities… He also had such a great personality that people around him would always praise him. He was the complete opposite of me.”
Shonae didn’t eat the meat he was told to eat and just kept talking. I nodded and raised my hand to add more meat.
The waiter with a tired look on his face brought me a bigger piece of meat this time, and I started to tear into it diligently again.
“Penne had a son. Her husband died of a high fever, so she was left with only one son. His name was Henne. He was so cute, I even gave him some money, even though I was poor.”
I shook my empty glass. Two waiters came over, muttering about, and brought me a barrel of wine. I picked it up and filled my glass.
“···But when Henne turned nine, she started to lose weight. She used to be a child who liked to run around, but she couldn’t even leave the house. So I visited her often. I liked Fenne, but I was also close with Henne.”
Shona pressed the knife into the meat. Blood flowed out slightly from the side. I licked my nose with my finger at the strong smell. Black stuff covered my fingers.
“···But I haven’t been able to go out and play lately because I’ve been so busy. Those vampires have been really rampant, haven’t they?”
“There are usually a lot of mosquitoes in the summer.”
“Mosquito? Anyway, after all this, I suddenly thought of that kid today. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Fenne. So I dragged a few people over and ran over.”
After finishing speaking, Shone bowed his head deeply. I looked at the mismatched hat he was wearing and took the meat stuck between my teeth.
“···They were dead. Both of them.”
Shona muttered again in a voice that was half-sobbed. Her voice was so small that it sounded like a breath.
I looked at the black blood on Shawn’s sleeve and guessed roughly how the situation had unfolded. I didn’t really have anything to say.
“Aren’t you going to eat that?”
I asked, pointing to the meat that Shawne had cut.
“···.”
Shawn looked at me with watery eyes and his mouth wide open.
“Then I’ll eat it.”
“···I’ll eat! Aaron ate a lot!”
Shoney shoved the pork into his mouth with a “Bak-” sound. Shoney somehow managed to get it in his mouth and move his jaw.
I looked at him and smiled bitterly, sipping my wine.
When Shawne was halfway through eating the meat and retching, a weasel came in.
“···lol.”
As if he had lost all his fortune to coins, the weasel smiled stupidly and sat down next to me.
I sent the guy who smelled sour to Shoney. He sat down next to Shoney without saying anything and laughed again, saying ‘hehe’.
The waiter brought the pork in front of the guy, and the guy put his head down and started eating it like crazy. Shona, who was next to him, opened his eyes wide and slightly distanced himself.
After a moment, the weasel raised its head, looked at me with clear eyes, and opened its mouth.
“older brother.”
“why.”
“I will be with you even if you fight against the empire.”
“What the hell is that···.”
I was so startled by the sound of that dog’s bark that I couldn’t help but curse.
There’s chaos outside right now, so I have to be more careful with my words and actions than usual, but making such a dangerous statement…
“I will be with you even if you fight against the empire!”
The weasel shouts again to strengthen his spirit.
My head was spinning at the subtle nuance.
The burning stick lent to the weasel, the weasel suddenly singing about the empire, and the smell of fire coming from the guy.
Beep beep beep-!!
A whistle is heard outside.
···Fuck.
I looked at the guy, muttering a soft curse.
The stick was not visible.
But that kind of firepower from that stick?
My thoughts quickly followed my survival instinct.
‘Witnesses?’
The guys I saw when the guy used the stick in the mansion have already come out and taken all the lungs out.
The following is an eyewitness at the scene…
If he had caused such a huge explosion himself, it wouldn’t have been that clean. If that’s the case, then it must have exploded later…
‘Stick malfunction?’
There were many cases where magical weapons would explode. In the first place, there was no way that the uncivilized medieval people could make proper items.
‘With that much fire, the stick would have no shape.’
I went back to the beginning again to see if I missed anything.
After repeating this three times, I finally came to a conclusion.
‘It’s not bad. You could say it’s good, but… it’s unknown what kind of impact it will have since it’s an issue involving the Empire.’
Knock, knock. I nodded, tapping my fingers on the table.
It depends on how well Danso handles his work.
No, since it’s a matter related to the Empire, the other residents will desperately cooperate, and if it goes well…
‘···It’s rather good.’
I came to a not bad conclusion.
bang!!
I slammed my fist on the table.
Shona, who had his mouth full of meat, and the weasel, who was laughing stupidly, looked at me.
“You black-blooded bastards!! Declaring war on the Empire!!”
I screamed and slammed my fist down again.
bang!!
The table shook, Shawn tilted his head, and the weasel opened its eyes wide.
“You black-blooded bastards! You’re after the mayor! You bad guys!!”
I slammed the table again.
“Black blood!”
The weasel’s eyes lit up with a look of polite meanness, and he slammed the table harder than I had.
“What···suddenly···.”
Shawn groped with his eyes wide open.
“Black blood! The empire will not fall! Our empire! The eternal empire! The supreme empire! The Roman empire!”
I jumped up and raised my right fist and shouted. I was so sincere that tears welled up in my eyes.
“You damn black-blooded bastards! How dare you aim for the Empire! I, Dylan, a citizen of the Empire! I will never forget the humiliation of that day! From now on, I will not even drink wine!!”
Likewise, the patriotic weasel shed tears of anger as his feelings for the empire boiled over.
“Our Empire! Our Wonderful Empire! Our Best Empire!”
“You vicious black-blooded bastards!!”
I continued to exchange words with the weasel.
***
The Abbot of Brighton, who had used his divine power to the limit, shook off the hands of those who were holding him and headed to the meeting place.
My legs were weak because my divine power was depleted, but I desperately gathered my wits to maintain an upright posture.
Arriving at the ‘Choked Pig’ shop, the Abbot of Brighton pushed back his disheveled hair and straightened his clothes.
‘No matter how much of a beast it is, a pig that died from choking. How could it have such a name…’
Brighton vowed to speak out, trying to come up with an appropriate phrase in his head.
Brighton had dealt with children, so he knew a lot of phrases that children would not get tired of hearing.
The moment I pushed open the door and went in, I remembered the one that had the best reaction among them.
“I love the Empire!”
“Okay! Okay!”
“I hate black blood!”
“No! No!”
Aaron climbs up to the table in the center and claps his hands while shouting. Below him, Dylan responds with tears in his eyes.
Employees holding silver coins in their hands and smiling brightly as they shout out the slogan.
And a little further away, Inquisitor Joanna Ethan, arms outstretched and swaying to the beat.
‘Hmm… Now that I think about it, I guess I should go to the monastery first.’
The Abbot of Brighton cautiously left the shop, taking back steps.
