Ch.35Expanding the Clan

After raiding a human village, I was looking around to see if there was anything worth taking.

“Yap!”

A cute battle cry that naturally caught my attention.

Turning my head slightly, I saw Aurel crouched down, stretching her hand out toward a small sparrow.

“Yap!”

Wondering what she was doing, I watched her intently for a while.

Aurel sighed with a disappointed expression.

“Aurel.”

“Ah, Charlotte.”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to make my own subordinate.”

“Your subordinate? With this sparrow?”

“Yes.”

Aurel nodded with a bright smile in response to my question.

If this tiny sparrow became Aurel’s subordinate, they would certainly make a good match, but what could one possibly do with just a sparrow?

“So. Did you succeed?”

“No…”

Aurel shook her head with a dejected expression.

But it seemed she wasn’t planning to give up.

“Yap!”

-Chirp chirp…

Aurel stretched her hand toward the sparrow once again.

By the way, I wondered where Hwang-gu had gone.

I searched for Hwang-gu among my subordinates who were bustling about.

“Hey Aurel.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know where Hwang-gu went?”

“I saw her carrying a human corpse to a corner earlier.”

“Ah…”

It seems she wanted some meat.

I nodded and headed toward the place where the smell of human blood was coming from.

The place I arrived at was behind a container.

She had chosen a spot well hidden from others’ view.

Crunch-

Munch-

As I approached, I heard eerie sounds.

Not wanting to disturb Hwang-gu’s meal, I leaned against the container wall and waited for her.

After some time had passed.

The sound of bones breaking continued for quite a while.

Then a small girl’s head peeked out from behind the container.

“Charlotte?”

“Did you enjoy your meal?”

“Yes!”

Hwang-gu answered with a bright smile to my question.

Fresh red blood was smeared all around her mouth.

“We’ll be leaving soon, so wrap it up.”

“Ah. Understood!”

Now that I’d found Hwang-gu and gathered what we needed, I called my scattered subordinates to assemble.

“Everyone gather around!”

Girls came running at my call.

They were all slightly shorter than me, making them look like younger sisters.

I examined the expressions of my subordinates.

Most of them still looked confused, having just completed their transformation.

With time, they would come to accept their changes to some extent.

“All of you wait quietly until I call for you again.”

The girls nodded with anxious looks at my words.

I pushed my subordinates into the shadows.

The sight of over 30 girls melting into the shadows was truly magnificent.

“Aurel, Hwang-gu!”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Aurel and Hwang-gu came running at my call.

Hwang-gu had completely cleaned the blood from around her mouth.

-Chirp chirp…

I looked at the sparrow Aurel was holding tightly.

Seeing it chirping while drooping limply, it seemed the subordination process hadn’t started yet.

Aurel really wanted to make this sparrow her subordinate.

“Let’s go down.”

“Where are we going this time?”

“We’re going to meet another vampire clan.”

“A-are you really going to hunt that Fenrir?”

I nodded at Aurel’s question.

After watching the battle between ten human users and Fenrir, I was convinced.

That I could defeat that Fenrir.

Though not alone, of course.

“Shall we go then?”

I went down the mountain with Aurel and Hwang-gu.

Since we were following the same path we came up, we didn’t encounter any unnecessary traps.

We arrived at the bushes where I had hidden my motorcycle.

“Sniff sniff…”

As soon as we arrived, Hwang-gu started sniffing around.

Leaving Hwang-gu behind, I approached the bushes.

Rustle- Rustle-

“Huh…”

I tilted my head as I searched through the bushes.

I definitely parked my motorcycle somewhere around here…

My memory wasn’t wrong. The tire tracks also led to this spot.

But the motorcycle was nowhere to be seen.

What could have happened?

“Sniff sniff… Charlotte…!”

At that moment.

Hwang-gu, who had been sniffing the ground with her nose, called out to me.

Wondering what was wrong, I turned my head to see Hwang-gu pointing at the ground.

“Human! I smell humans!”

“Humans?”

“Yes! Humans stole your motorcycle!”

I checked the tire tracks Hwang-gu was pointing at.

Indeed, the tracks extended far beyond the bushes.

“Humans…?”

“Grrrr…!”

Are you saying that humans, actual humans, stole my motorcycle?

I stared blankly at where the tire tracks led.

A straight line without hesitation.

Tire tracks leading in the exact opposite direction from where we came.

“Hiss…!”

I gritted my teeth and started running along the tire tracks.

Aurel and Hwang-gu followed behind me.

Tap- Tap- Tap-

After running hard, we arrived at an asphalt road.

This was a problem. If they took this road, there would be no more tire tracks to follow.

I sighed and sat down on the ground.

“Haah…”

“Ch-Charlotte…”

When I sat down on the road, Aurel looked down at me with a sympathetic expression.

She placed her hand on my shoulder, seemingly trying to comfort me.

“Sniff sniff…!”

Hwang-gu was still focused on sniffing.

Lying flat on the ground, she was wagging her tail like a dog.

Suddenly, Hwang-gu’s tail shot straight up!

Like an exclamation mark.

“This way!”

With those words, Hwang-gu started running.

With a glimmer of hope, I followed after her.

Tap- Tap- Tap- Tap-!

“Ch-Charlotte…!”

I heard Aurel’s tearful voice from behind.

Looking back, I saw that Aurel was falling behind.

I had no choice.

I reached out and carried Aurel on my back.

“Oh…!”

Aurel hesitated for a moment after getting on my back, then moved her arms and legs to cling tightly to my body.

Arms around my neck and legs around my waist.

With such a secure hold, she wouldn’t fall off even if I moved vigorously.

I increased my speed and caught up close behind Hwang-gu.

After running for quite some time, we arrived at a warehouse.

It was half-collapsed, but there were signs that people had been living there.

“This is…”

“It’s here!”

Hwang-gu said with a confident expression.

She stood up straight, puffing out her small chest, and continued.

“I think your motorcycle went into that warehouse!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

Hwang-gu nodded at my question.

I patted her head.

Pat pat-

“Hehe…”

While patting Hwang-gu’s head, I looked at the large warehouse.

If it weren’t for Hwang-gu, I would have spent a miserable day not knowing the identity of the motorcycle thief.

How dare they steal my property.

They will pay dearly for it.

“Mmm… mmm…”

I frowned at the faint moaning sound in my ear.

Despite having reached our destination, Aurel showed no intention of getting off my body.

She kept rubbing against me, which gave me a strange feeling.

“Aurel.”

“Yesss…”

“Get down.”

“Ah…”

Aurel immediately released her arms and legs at my words.

She touched her slightly reddened cheeks, cleared her throat, and avoided my gaze.

“Hwang-gu.”

“Yes!”

“How many humans are in that warehouse?”

“Sniff sniff…!”

Hwang-gu immediately checked the scent at my question.

After some time.

Hwang-gu’s tail shot straight up.

“Ten people!”

“Ten?”

“Yes!”

Only ten humans in such a large place?

Something seemed off.

I tilted my head.

“And I smell vampires too!”

“Vampires? How many?”

“Forty!”

Forty vampires?

I tried to smell the surroundings after Hwang-gu’s words.

But all I could smell was the faint scent of earth carried by the wind.

“No other smells?”

“No!”

“Hmm…”

If there were only humans inside, I would have rushed in without hesitation and turned everyone into my subordinates.

But forty vampires?

Of course, since they’re the same kind, dialogue should be possible.

They wouldn’t be crazy like humans who attack as soon as they meet.

I said to Hwang-gu and Aurel.

“Aurel, Hwang-gu.”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

“Wait here for a moment, I’ll check what kind of place it is and come back.”

“You’re going alone?”

I nodded at Aurel’s question.

It seems our first meeting might not be on good terms.

If they deny stealing my motorcycle, we might have to fight.

Aurel and Hwang-gu looked like they wanted to come with me, but they listened well to my words.

So I headed alone to the warehouse.

Indeed, as I got closer, the smell of human blood and a faint scent of my kind wafted over.

They probably noticed me approaching from inside the warehouse.

I stood in front of the entrance for a while.

The door opened, and a woman walked out.

“Where are you from?”

A thin red dress that revealed her body’s curves rippled like blood.

In a world like this, only vampires could wear such clothes.

“I came to find my motorcycle.”

“Motorcycle…?”

The woman frowned at my words.

Then she looked me up and down.

“With your height…?”

I kept my mouth shut without answering.

The female vampire sighed.

“Haven’t you come to the wrong place?”

As expected, she’s playing dumb.

I frowned and activated my Mystic Eye.

My left eye began to burn.

As the distinctive light of the Mystic Eye flickered, half the world was tinged blue.

[Rosetta]

Level: 16

Race: Vampire

Health 100%

Mana 100%

Emotional state: Slight excitement, confusion

As I stared at her, Rosetta’s heartbeat gradually began to quicken.

The movement of blood flowing beneath her skin also accelerated accordingly.

“It would be better to hand it over while I’m asking nicely.”

I said with my arms crossed.

Seeing my confident attitude, Rosetta sighed.

“You, that is…”

“Charlotte.”

“Right, Charlotte. I’m sorry, but your motorcycle isn’t here.”

“No. It is.”

“I said it’s not here.”

“It is.”

I frowned.

Hwang-gu wouldn’t lie to me.

If I looked inside, my motorcycle would surely be there.

“Hah… Then come in and look for yourself.”

Finally, Rosetta invited me into the warehouse.

But I didn’t go in.

I wasn’t about to follow her inside blindly and risk some kind of trouble.

When I stood firm without moving, Rosetta spoke.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”

“What if I get attacked after going in?”

“What…?”

Rosetta asked as if she had misheard me.

She twisted her expression strangely and replied.

“What vampire would attack one of their own kind?”