#Episode 7
Daniel, having put aside his suspicions about Thomas, continued talking without noticing Thomas’s gaze at all.
“You know I’m scared because I know too much. My great uncle died because of vampires. Since childhood, I’ve been told how terrifying vampires are, over and over again.”
Daniel shuddered. His fear of vampires had made him more devout, and the more he learned about their evil deeds, the greater his fear grew.
“Anyway, it’s good that you came at the right time. I’ve been holding it in because I really need to use the bathroom, waiting for you.”
“Hurry up and go.”
Daniel felt guilty. Leaving his post without getting consent from the person on duty with him was a mistake worthy of reprimand.
As soon as Daniel finished speaking, Thomas grabbed his waist and awkwardly ran toward the bushes. It was the opposite direction of the restroom inside the castle gate.
Daniel, confused, asked,
“Why are you going that way?”
“I’m in a hurry. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting?”
Thomas, seemingly desperate, hurriedly disappeared beyond the bushes. It wasn’t unusual for guards to relieve themselves in the forest when the restroom was far away.
However, wasn’t there a possibility that vampires could be lurking near the village? No matter how urgent it was, going into the forest at midnight during such times took a lot of courage.
Time passed. When Thomas didn’t return for a long time, a worried Daniel called out cautiously.
“Thomas?”
But there was no response from Thomas.
“Tho-Thomas?”
Daniel’s voice trembled as he asked again.
In a fleeting moment, the worst possible scenario flashed through Daniel’s mind.
“Tho-Tho-Thomas!”
Daniel almost screamed out Thomas’s name, his legs trembling and tears welling up in his eyes.
“Be quiet! Do you want to wake up the whole village?”
Thomas’s voice came from beyond the bushes. Soon, Thomas emerged, and Daniel sighed in relief.
“You scared me! Why didn’t you answer?”
“I was out of my mind too.”
“Who is that? A child?”
Only then did Daniel notice the child in Thomas’s arms. The child was in filthy rags, covered in wounds from head to toe.
“I found him collapsed in the forest. Seems like he was the one who groaned and startled us earlier.”
“Where did this kid come from? Ugh… You should have just left him.”
Daniel looked at the child with a wary gaze. Thomas shook his head as if it was ridiculous.
“If I hadn’t seen the kid, maybe. But after seeing him, how could I just leave him? It looks like he was chased by a wolf… Hold on. I’ll take him to the hospital.”
Hearing Thomas say he was taking the child to the hospital, Daniel jumped.
“You’re going to leave me alone?”
“Didn’t you leave me alone earlier to fetch the priest?”
“That was different…”
“Even so, we can’t both leave our post. If the captain finds out we both left, we’ll be in big trouble.”
Despite Thomas’s words, Daniel hesitated for a while.
“You told me you want go to the bathroom earlier.”
“It’s different now…”
In the meantime, Thomas had made Daniel’s heart pound five times. Daniel, who had seemed brave earlier, now had no courage left to guard the castle gate alone.
Thomas’s eyes gleamed strangely as he looked at Daniel. But that odd feeling soon disappeared. Returning to his usual self, Thomas suggested naturally.
“Then do you want to take the kid to the doctor?”
“Me?”
Daniel cast an uneasy glance at the child in Thomas’s arms. He didn’t like staying here alone, but he also didn’t want to take the mysterious child.
Seeing through Daniel’s thoughts, Thomas added,
“The priest said earlier that the star will protect us from the darkness. Don’t worry too much.”
Thomas had a point. More than anything, Daniel feared Thomas would leave him if he refused. Reluctantly, Daniel nodded.
“…Alright.”
Daniel wasn’t completely heartless. It was just that his fear outweighed his compassion.
Handling the child as if touching something unpleasant, Daniel took the child in his arms.
Daniel kept glancing behind him as he entered the village with the child.
In front of the castle gate, Thomas was waving at Daniel, and the star above still shone brightly.
“Right. If something evil enters, that star is supposed to turn black. Since there’s no change, this child must really be lost…”
With that thought, the weight in his heart lightened, and his steps felt lighter as well.
Thomas silently watched Daniel’s retreating figure until he disappeared. His eyes shone unusually bright blue in the darkness.
***
Only after receiving emergency treatment at the hospital did the boy’s labored breathing ease. They splinted his broken right arm and applied medicine to his bruises.
His small face was covered with bandages and plasters, making it hard to distinguish his features, but his delicate appearance still stood out.
It was about half a day after the treatment when the boy’s eyelids fluttered.
As his eyes slowly opened, they revealed irises that seemed to be crafted from molten gold. He looked around, trying to grasp where he was.
“This place is…”
The bed wasn’t particularly soft but was reasonably firm and clean.
The room had four beds lined up, separated by curtains. It gave an impression of cleanliness, and there was a lingering smell of medicine.
It was clearly a hospital.
The boy seemed to be alone in the room. Holding his throbbing head, he groaned.
“How did I…?”
While being chased by the Lamphas Church, he had not seen the cliff and had fallen off.
He thought he was going to die right then….
The boy recalled his past memories. Bits and pieces came back to him. Someone had carried him through the forest.
He couldn’t see his rescuer because his eyes wouldn’t open, but he remembered the scent of roses mixed with the smell of blood from the person carrying him.
Just thinking about it made him dizzy.
“Ugh…”
The boy struggled to sit up. Even that simple movement made his bones feel like they were shattering in pain.
But he needed to pull himself together quickly. Being brought to a hospital suggested the person who rescued him had no ill intentions. However, if they discovered his true identity, their attitude might change.
He needed to escape before that happened.
‘At least I’m lucky to have received emergency treatment. I should heal soon.’
The boy, Todd Van Drake, had excellent regenerative abilities thanks to his bloodline’s powers.
Even in situations where a normal human would die instantly, he would survive and recover from any injury quickly.
That’s how he survived the fall from the high cliff, and even with just some emergency treatment, he could move his body soon after.
All these abilities were meant for fighting vampires, not for surviving among humans.
A bitter smile that didn’t suit his age crossed young Todd’s face.
The Van Drake family was an ancient vampire hunter family that had appeared in history a thousand years ago, with the birth of the Vampire Lord.
Their resilience and regenerative abilities were only part of their bloodline powers.
Vampire mental magic didn’t work on the Van Drake’s family, and their strength and power matched that of vampires.
The Van Drake family, with their superhuman strength, would stop at nothing to exterminate vampires, even sacrificing everything they had.
People revered the Van Drake for risking their lives to hunt vampires, but not everyone admired them.
The Van Drake, in their relentless pursuit of killing vampires, often disregarded the authority of the royal family and the Lamhpas Church, which earned them the resentment of those in power.
However, since no one but the Van Drake could deal with the Vampire Lord, they had no choice but to tolerate them.
Then, an unexpected variable arose.
The Vampire Lord suddenly vanished.
