The Hero and the Vampire

About an hour after Arashi and Seo-hyun’s accompaniment was decided.

Having completed all preparations to head to Mount Seorak, we were currently at the airport in Zone 34.

In the meantime, Yeon-ah also showed signs of wanting to pack her bags and come along, but it wouldn’t do for two team leaders to be absent from their posts.

Moreover, unlike usual, Yeon-ah had a pile of work today, so she was immediately shot down by my and Neon’s words to focus on her work.

Therefore, in front of the unmanned aircraft carrier prepared at the airport now, only I, Esi, Arashi, and lastly Seo-hyun in an outfit quite different from her usual formal attire were standing.

Thud—

The figure of Seo-hyun wearing a sleek, tight-fitting suit while holding a greatsword larger than her own height.

At that appearance, which was clearly different in aura from the hunter exam, I let out an exclamation of admiration.

“Oh, is this the full-power appearance you mentioned before?”

“Umm, yes… Since it’s a place where three Ancestors are gathered, I prepared to give my all in case anything happens.”

“Whoohoo, this is the appearance of our Seo-hyun who is called a hero, Lady Shin-yeon?”

Arashi’s words, introducing Seo-hyun as if proudly showing off her child, added to Seo-hyun’s words.

Looking at Seo-hyun blushing at her words, I cast my gaze at the greatsword she was holding.

“This is quite a unique shape…”

『A double-edged greatsword with two blades. How interesting.』

The greatsword with a red blade that Seo-hyun was holding, like her hair.

Unlike the umbrella greatswords she had been holding when fighting me last time, this greatsword took the form of a double-edged sword with identical swords attached above and below.

Two greatswords attached on both sides to a single handle in the middle.

At that unfamiliar appearance of the sword that could only be described as unique, I asked Seo-hyun who was holding it.

“How do you use that sword? It seems like you might cut yourself using such a sword?”

It wasn’t a joke, it really seemed like she might cut herself if she swung it wrong.

How could one not worry when Seo-hyun, who was about 175cm tall, was swinging a sword a head taller than herself?

However, Seo-hyun’s answer to my question was beyond my imagination.

“Ah, it was originally made for that purpose. It’s designed to cut the opponent while also cutting myself.”

“…Huh?”

『You mean it cuts even yourself?』

At the unexpected answer, not only I but even Hwa-gon burst out with a questioning voice in disbelief.

To think that the sword was made to cut oneself when I had asked out of worry that she might cut herself.

So as I let out a hollow laugh after the questioning sound, Seo-hyun said with an awkward smile:

“But because of that, my fighting is rather unsightly and dirty in many ways… I hope there won’t be any occasion to show it if possible.”

“Now that you say that, it makes me want to see it even more.”

“Ahaha… Still, wouldn’t it be better if there were no such occasions?”

Certainly, until just now, I had thought like Seo-hyun that it would be good if there were no unnecessary incidents on the way to Mount Seorak.

But now that I’ve heard such words that stimulate curiosity, although I felt sorry for her, I couldn’t help but secretly hope inwardly.

‘…I hope one big incident happens.’

If possible, an incident where I could properly see the skills of Seo-hyun, the team leader of the Punishment Team who is called a hero.

『What a mischievous fellow!』

Although I received harsh criticism from Hwa-gon who read my thoughts, I deliberately ignored him and led everyone who had been just standing in front of the aircraft carrier.

“Alright, then let’s slowly get going now.”

We’d have to hurry if we wanted to go and come back before the end of today.

“That’s right, let’s depart now, Lady Shin-yeon.”

“I’m also eager to see our mermaid clan’s treasure soon.”

“Then let’s all go.”

At my words, the three uttered one sentence each and entered the aircraft carrier via the stairs.

Finally, as I boarded the aircraft carrier, the door closed completely.

Right after, with the sound of mana stones resonating, the aircraft carrier we boarded began its flight.

The fastest flight towards Mount Seorak.

---

“Ancestor of the Judgment Team… Esi, was it? I have something to say to you.”

The flight that started from the airport in Zone 34.

The flight proceeded at a fast pace without any particular problems.

The aircraft carrier with its stealth function activated flew without being detected by most monsters, and even if detected by monsters, they were no match for the mana-concealed mana cannon shots.

As a result, the aircraft carrier had been flying smoothly for about 10 minutes.

Inside such an aircraft carrier, Arashi suddenly approached Esi and requested a conversation with her.

“…To me? What do you want to say?”

Although Esi was a little taken aback by Arashi suddenly starting a conversation, she soon composed herself.

Although she had seen her face by chance and subsequently shown her own face to maintain relations, they were still in a state of hiding many secrets from each other.

‘She seems quite sharp-minded, so it would be better to be careful.’

And because she had already known from Arashi’s words and actions so far that she was not to be taken lightly, Esi swallowed her tension inconspicuously and looked at her.

She showed a confident attitude as if it didn’t matter what she was approaching to say, although Esi didn’t know what it was.

“Since you also seem to have built a friendship with Lady Shin-yeon, I came to say one thing.”

“…What is it?”

Then Arashi declared that she would make a declaration to Esi herself and said so.

At her appearance, Esi slightly narrowed her eyes and looked at her.

“As a friend of Lady Shin-yeon, wouldn’t you like to share useful information about her with each other from now on?”

“…Huh?”

At those words that were not even in the realm of expectation, Esi unknowingly asked her back.

She thought Arashi had approached like this, hiding from Shin-yeon, to talk about secrets about herself or information she had dug up about Esi, but to think the words she brought up were of this content.

However, regardless of whether Esi was dumbfounded or not, Arashi cleared her throat and continued her words.

“Personally, I think a friend’s friend is an important third eye that can see aspects I can’t see. I’ll share the information I know about Lady Shin-yeon, so please tell me the information you come to know about Lady Shin-yeon as well.”

“Um… I don’t know where to start, but first of all, I’ve never established a friendship relationship with her…?”

To begin with, the relationship between Esi herself and Shin-yeon was only a relationship connected by a transaction.

Esi herself to find the mermaid clan’s treasure entrusted to the goblin clan in the past, and Shin-yeon to satisfy her curiosity aroused because of Esi.

It was merely a transactional relationship where they temporarily cooperated for mutual benefit.

And when Esi calmly stated that fact, Arashi covered her shocked face with her fan and shouted with a surprised expression.

“You, weren’t you friends with Lady Shin-yeon?!”

“No… why did you think we were friends in the first place?”

“Well, because Lady Shin-yeon tried to respect your opinion. So I thought you were friends…”

“This is…”

Although it was an understandable statement, why did she only think of the fact of friendship from seeing that fact?

Esi wrote down new information about Arashi in her mind and stirred her tail in the water droplet she was riding.

Although it was an absurd situation in many ways, starting a conversation with Arashi was important for Esi.

‘Since I don’t know anything about her…’

Because Arashi was someone Seo-hyun had been so protective of, Esi had almost no information about her.

However, even though an absurd reason was the start of the conversation, it was a situation where she could now have a conversation like this.

She had also just learned that Arashi had a strange notion about friendship, so Esi decided to use that to try to extract information from her, and as she was about to open her mouth carefully choosing her words, it was at that moment.

“Hmm, first of all…”

BOOOOOM—–!!!!!

“Urgh?!”

“Kyaah?!”

Just as Esi was about to open her mouth, the aircraft carrier’s body violently shook.

At the shock that transmitted even to the interior, Esi and Arashi who had been standing in front of her swallowed their screams, and when they tried to figure out what was happening.

Seo-hyun, who had been looking out the window up front, came running and shouted with an urgent voice:

“It’s a flame-based attack that came up from the ground! We’ve temporarily stopped the aircraft carrier’s movement, but is everyone alright?!”

Seo-hyun explained the cause of the current situation and asked about everyone’s well-being.

And at her shout, Shin-yeon, who had been sitting up front as well, waved her hand and said:

“Well, we’re fine since it wasn’t a direct attack, but what kind of monster attacked? Can a ground monster even cause damage this high up in the sky?”

“Just a moment… I’ll bring up the screen right away.”

It was as Shin-yeon said.

The current altitude at which the aircraft carrier was flying was about 10,000m.

It was absolutely not a height that a ground monster could attack, let alone flying monsters.

Moreover, there was no ground monster that could give this much shock to the mana alloy body of an aircraft carrier-class vessel.

Therefore, Esi and Arashi also looked at Seo-hyun, who was manipulating the internal program with curiosity, and soon on the translucent screen that appeared above Seo-hyun, the image of the monster that had attacked the aircraft carrier appeared.

“…?!”

“…What is that?”

No, the word monster would not be correct.

What appeared on the translucent screen was not a monster but a human.

If there was anything slightly different from an ordinary human, it would be the bat-like wings attached to her waist and the face exuding an alluring aura.

“…A vampire?”

And Seo-hyun’s murmur upon seeing that being echoed clearly.