Chapter 41 – Unsettling Ally

Rea​d on KatR​eadin​gCafe

Without even a moment to speculate why my mouth moved on its own accord, the vampires displayed various reactions.

Illye, with a face that seemed to say, “I knew this would happen,” murmured excitedly, “Mother…!” in a joyful tone. The vampire with the extravagant attire and blonde hair, in stark contrast to Illye, gaped and muttered, “Mother…?”

The shabby vampires beneath them seemed divided between being moved or in disbelief, indicating that factions might exist among them.

There was Illye’s faction and that flashy, blood-sucking faction.

…However, at this moment, I couldn’t care less about that.

What mattered more to me was that my mouth had moved freely according to the will of the vampire elder. That was the far more pressing issue.

“Shut up! You are not my children! I never had children like you! I am Hemoregia, not your mother! What have you done to my body? Tell me!”

Though I still hadn’t fully grasped the situation, I wasn’t about to let them misunderstand and assume anything. I immediately denied any connection between them and me.

They were not my children. I never wanted children like them. It was definitely Illye or someone like them meddling with my body, making words spill out of my mouth.

There was no way my mouth would move like that unless someone had done something.

“Mother…? Please answer, what exactly is going on?!”

“She was definitely my mother… right? What’s going on? I can’t sense her presence anymore… what is happening?”

Regardless of factions, I could sense all the vampires present were confused.

But the person most curious about what was going on was me.

“I want to know too! Who are you all? What is this nonsense? Tell me everything, or else…!”

In my frustration, irritation, and weariness, I attempted to pull out the lance made of blood to threaten them.

At that moment, the sensation in my fingertips vanished, and instead of a lance, letters made of blood floated in the air.

-Do not worry. Everything is going according to plan. I have merely altered my form temporarily to fulfill my wish. However, due to an unexpected variable, we could not fully become one. More time is needed. Until then, take good care of this body.

Although it looked like an alphabet, it was subtly different, and since I couldn’t interpret the words, I had no idea what it was saying.

However, the vampires seemed to recognize the text, as they stared at it intently.

“…I understand. From now on, I will do my best to assist, Mother.”

“I think I preferred your old body… Ugh, I don’t know. Whatever. We’ll figure something out.”

…Did it just interfere with my blood sorcery?

My fear now eclipsed both my anger and confusion.

Didn’t they call me a warden? If that was true, shouldn’t I be able to control whether these entities emerged or not?

What in the world was happening to me?

“…What have you done to my body?”

I muttered, directing my question not to the vampires before me, but to the one lurking inside me.

When I wanted to communicate with White, I had to speak out loud. So, to convey my thoughts to this entity, this was the only method I had.

‘We, child. You speak as if this body belongs solely to you. Even if you rejoice in the life you have gained, should you not show a little respect?’

Unlike my conversations with Shining White, this time, I felt thoughts forcefully intrude upon my mind.

“Shut up. You’re already dead.”

I didn’t care about hidden circumstances. The mere possibility that it could take over my body filled me with dread, making it impossible to respond with anything but hostility.

‘Do not be afraid. I am not your enemy. I am closer to being your ally.’

Despite my hostility, the vampire spoke calmly, as if it genuinely wished to reassure me.

But listen—I’ve argued with enough people online to know this.

An angry person, at the very least, listens to what you say.

The ones who act all buddy-buddy, pretending we’re on the same side—those are the real nightmares.

“Shut up. Stay inside. Do nothing.”

I growled with all the sincerity I could muster.

The vampire, as if respecting my wishes for now, merely said, ‘Very well, I shall wait. But should you wish to call upon me, you need only ask.’ Then, it withdrew.

The moment it vanished, sensation returned to my fingers, and the letters written in blood reassembled into the form of a lance.

I held onto it because I had no choice, but I had no strength left to swing it.

…

……God, I just want to sleep.

Between Shining White and these vampires, this one night had turned into an absolute nightmare.

How the hell did things end up like this?

Suppressing the overwhelming urge to collapse right then and there, I turned to the vampires, who were still staring at me like I was some kind of zoo animal.

“…What exactly are you doing?”

“We are awaiting your orders. The Forebearer has entrusted you to our care.”

For a moment, I thought it had given them some secret directive, but it turned out to be nothing more than a simple request to look after me.

…Not that it changed my opinion of the vampire elder.

But at the very least, it meant I didn’t have to treat them as outright enemies.

For now, I might as well make use of them.

Then, when the time is right, I can discard them.

It’s too tiring to think any further, so I decided to leave it at this.

“An order… huh. Fine, here’s an order. Disappear from my sight immediately. And until I summon you again, do not show yourselves. Do not do anything to stand out, and stay as quiet as a dead mouse.”

Get lost and stay out of my way.

“…Understood.”

As soon as I made my instructions clear, the vampires scattered like cockroaches in an instant.

Now that they were gone, I was the only one left in the ruins.

“…Haa.”

I gave up on fixing my disheveled hair and trudged toward my lodgings.

I don’t care anymore, I’m just going home. Whether Suhyeok saw this or not, whatever happened or didn’t happen, I just need to get home.

Right now, all I could think about was sleep.

-The call cannot be connected. After the beep, you will be directed to voicemail, and call charges may apply…

Did something happen?

She would always pick up the phone, no matter if it was late at night or early in the morning. The fact that she wasn’t answering was concerning.

Why wasn’t she picking up today when she usually answered immediately?

Was it because of what happened yesterday? That was a possibility.

They said Hemorragia appeared in Seoul and turned the city upside down.

I didn’t think she would have gotten caught up in it, but maybe she was deeply shocked by the incident.

When she first asked me to investigate Hemorragia, she spoke as if she had already given up, but it also seemed like she still hadn’t fully decided how to feel about it.

Maybe she was in shock, thinking her mother had finally gone too far.

I wouldn’t know for sure until I got through to her.

There wasn’t much I could do, and even Radiant White, the only other person I could contact, had said she was too busy. In the end, I had no choice but to try calling her again.

I hoped she would pick up.

That was all I could think about.

-Hello…

Even accounting for the poor signal, her voice was clearly exhausted.

So she really was deeply distressed.

I wasn’t sure what to say, so I decided to start by comforting her.

“The Hemorragia incident… isn’t your fault. So you don’t have to dwell on it too much.”

I couldn’t tell exactly what was on her mind.

Was she blaming herself? Or was it just resignation, accepting that what was bound to happen had finally happened?

I didn’t know.

All I could do was assume she was feeling the same way I might in that situation and speak accordingly.

Mina was silent for a long time after hearing my words.

For a moment, I wondered if I had stepped on a landmine.

Family matters are often too complicated for outsiders to interfere with.

Had I said something that upset her?

But then, her response completely defied my expectations.

-…Right? It’s not my fault, is it? I… I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?

Rather than getting angry at me, she repeatedly asked for reassurance, as if desperately seeking confirmation that she wasn’t at fault.

I was caught off guard by her unexpected reaction, unsure of how to respond. But I could at least understand what she needed right now.

So I kept telling her it wasn’t her fault, offering comfort.

Even though I didn’t fully understand why she was reacting this way.

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