episode_0083

[Last night, incidents of attacks on crossbreed citizens occurred across the nation, causing great shock…]

[The attackers mostly displayed a reckless attitude…]

[Current police investigations are underway, and experts are advising to ‘never provoke crossbreeds’…]

“Ugh…”

A faint voice of a news anchor coming from outside the room.

Rubbing my eyes, thinking it’s time to get up, I see Jaehyuk watching the news with a serious expression as I step out of the room.

…What could be in that content to make him look like that?

Curious, I approach, and as if he heard my footsteps, he turns his head and greets me quietly.

“Up early? How are you feeling, okay?”

“I’m fine. Didn’t really get hit anywhere yesterday.”

“Still, after going through something like that, how can you not worry? What do you want to eat for breakfast?”

“Um… just a sandwich? By the way, what were you watching?”

“…The news. The attacks that happened yesterday, it wasn’t just you who experienced it.”

Stopping the video he was watching, Jaehyuk hands me his phone.

Then, putting on an apron, he earnestly suggests watching the news.

“While you make the sandwich, watch it slowly. It’ll be quicker for you to see it yourself than for me to explain.”

After saying that, Jaehyuk heads straight to the stove to prepare the meal.

I glance at his back, then quietly shift my gaze to the phone.

“…These crazy people.”

The news was so shocking that curses almost involuntarily slipped out.

As I heard the police station continuously muttering nonsense, I thought it was just a simple random crime committed by a mentally ill person.

But it seemed quite different from what I had in mind.

Considering the incidents nationwide and the significant number of victims, especially with most perpetrators being hate-driven towards crossbreeds.

Could this have been orchestrated by some organization or group?

“…I may not know which group, but one thing is certain: their ideology is twisted.”

It’s a fact that crossbreeds have caused trouble since the species mutation incident two months ago.

I can understand having feelings of ‘hatred’ as well.

Didn’t my precious studio apartment almost disappear in flames due to an anger management disorder dragon?

If there’s guilt, it must be paid for.

I fully agree with that argument.

Attacking even innocent crossbreeds was clearly a wrong act.

“Seriously, and they didn’t even touch the more dangerous species? Those guys are real jerks, aren’t they?”

The attacked individuals were mostly not from the highly dangerous species.

It was truly a display of cowardice and bullying behavior.

I silently prayed that they would receive some proper education by accidentally provoking a dragon.

Having these thoughts, Jaehyuk, who had finished making the sandwich, brought the food to me.

“…Did you finish watching?”

“Yeah, doesn’t seem like it will end soon, right?”

“Are you okay? Can you continue working at the bar?”

“Pfft, what wouldn’t be okay.”

After bursting into laughter, I take a big bite of the sandwich.

And then, I think.

Truly.

Such silly worries.

Life after turning into a vampire was a constant trial every moment.

Outwardly fine, inwardly a wreck.

Constantly startled, living in fear.

Just recalling the adjustments made to adapt to them, I could easily dismiss the attacks of the mentally ill as ‘nothing.’

Would pouring a handful of salt into the sea dramatically change anything?

For me, the attacks by the haters were just that level of threat.

And.

“Hiding is something done by those who have committed wrongs. I haven’t committed any crimes, so why should I hide?”

Have I ever harmed anyone?

Well, at least I’ve never done anything to a human being.

I have no reason to hide, and I’m not a criminal, so why should I conceal myself?

Shrugging his shoulders, Jaehyuk nodded with a faint smile.

“…But if it gets tough, just tell me anytime. Just like how you helped me when I was struggling, I’ll help you too.”

“Ugh, that’s so cringy. Let’s go eat a sandwich.”

“What, when did you finish it? How was the sandwich? Was it good?”

“It was okay. Ah, should I take a shower? If you come in, I’ll kill you, seriously.”

“You said it’s fine for me to come in anytime?”

“…Be quiet.”

After muttering quietly, he entered the bathroom and immediately locked the door.

Leaning against the wall, he placed his hand on his left chest.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

His heartbeat quickened at the sudden words that pierced through.

Trying to calm his increasingly rapid breaths, he muttered curses under his breath.

“Damn it…”

No matter how many times he thought about it, his body felt truly worthless.

Today, it seemed like a cold shower might be necessary.

He turned the lever all the way to the right and started filling the bathtub with water.

—–

“…Reporting.”

“Yes. Go ahead.”

In the vast chapel where darkness loomed like ink, despite it being midsummer, a chilling aura lingered. A woman’s voice rang out brightly in that space.

“The temple results… sixteen critically injured, seventy-four slightly injured, mission failure one hundred seven.”

“What about our casualties?”

“…More than half of the followers we lost contact with. Of the remaining half, half were arrested by the police, and those not belonging to either category returned to the sect with minor injuries.”

“Any unusual occurrences?”

“None.”

As the report concluded, a man sighed deeply, expressing his disappointment.

The woman cautiously asked him with a puzzled tone, “Your Holiness, if it’s not impolite, may I ask a question?”

“Haha, of course. What would you like to know, my disciple?”

“…About them. Are they truly the vanguard of the devil?”

“Oh, why do you think that?”

As the man asked with an intrigued tone, the woman slowly recalled the scenes she had witnessed before.

Pixies brandishing starch wands and shouting vigorously, engaging in battle with crows and earth spirits.

Fighting hard, breaking their weapons and facing adversity, did they really scream and pull out their hair?

In her opinion, that was not a sight fitting for the vanguard of the devil leading to destruction.

As the woman calmly mentioned what she had seen, the man opened his mouth with a stern face.

“My dear disciple, have you considered that it might have been an illusion?”

“Illusion, you say?”

“Yes. I heard that pixies can cast illusions to show their opponents.”

“…Ah.”

As the woman sighed as if realizing something, the man continued with an amused tone.

“You were fooled by his tricks. But it’s truly fortunate. Thanks to his grace, you came back alive.”

“…!”

“If not for his grace, you might have lost your life playing along with his tricks at some point. Now, praise him quickly.”

“Oh, thank you… Thank you so much, Hanul-nim…”

Kneeling down to praise, the woman began.

The man, as if waiting, gently stroked her head and whispered into her ear with a cold voice.

“Didn’t I tell you? Hanul always watches over you. But to doubt… that’s unexpected.”

“I-I’m sorry!”

“It’s late, Your Grace. They will surely be displeased! No more blessings shall be bestowed upon you! You will soon face divine retribution.”

“Ah, ahh…!”

As the woman writhed in despair, the man, with a smirk, revealed a way to evade the punishment.

“However, there is a way to quell their anger. If you show a sincere heart, they will surely forgive you as well.”

“A s-sincere heart…?”

“Offer a sacrifice. Equivalent to the weight of your wrongdoings.”

Following the man’s words, the woman took out her wallet from her pocket and placed cash into the offering box.

Trembling hands pushed the money inside fearfully, as the man chastised her sternly.

“…Do you truly believe that the weight of sin amounts to just that?”

“W-well, this is all I have right now! I-I will show a more sincere heart next time…!”

“Hmm, if that’s the case. But remember, if that too is a lie, Lady Hanul…”

“I will, I will bring it soon! Please, have mercy!”

“Very well. Since it’s late today, you may leave now.”

With a tone of regret, the man bid farewell to the woman, issuing her a dismissal.

As the woman hurried out of the chapel, the man tapped the offering box in frustration.

“…What a pathetic woman, how can she have only that much money.”

The dignity with which he treated the woman had vanished completely, revealing a vulgar and contemptible demeanor.

After cursing the woman for a while, he soon redirected his anger towards another target.

“By the way… How foolish is Pixie exactly? I planted such deep animosity, yet how did they manage to buy sympathy?”

Having hinted at their abilities, almost reaching a breakthrough before being thwarted.

Momentarily shaken by Pixie’s incompetence, the man decided to exclude Pixie from the next attack.

Knowing the danger they posed, there was no reason to provoke them unnecessarily.

“But it’s quite amusing, really. Heh… Even if my purse strings are tight, how will these brainwashed fools handle this crossbreed later on?”

Under the guidance of these hybrids, a contingency manual had been devised.

However, it was meant as a last resort for unavoidable circumstances, not as a directive to provoke first.

Disaster strikes when one loses control, so why attack without cause?

“Well, it’s not my concern. Haha…”

The hybrids he meddled with were relatively harmless species, enduring suffering and sacrifice for stronger indoctrination, not himself but the believers.

With perfect shields already in place, even if law enforcement intervened, there would be no issues.

“All I need to do is enjoy. Hahaha!!!”

As long as the variables remained constant, his golden life would continue uninterrupted.

Overwhelmed by happiness, the man began to laugh as he left the chapel.