#Episode 23
<Oh right, the only way to escape madness and be free is to somehow kill the Vampire Lord. And that is the mission of our family.>
Abraham spoke solemnly. At that time, Todd, who was still only six years old, found it difficult to understand the words of his aunt and father. Reading Todd’s expression, Abraham bitterly smiled and roughly ruffled Todd’s hair.
<You may not understand now… But as you grow older, you will know everything.>
<What’s in the basement?>
<You will know what’s in the basement if you realize the mission. Until then, you must never enter the basement.>
His father was very strict about Todd not sneaking into the basement again.
<But… for now, I must train you as my successor. I have let you be too free, and now you’re running wild like this.>
After that, Todd learned about the habits of vampires, their behaviors, abilities, and how to kill them.
<Abraham, Todd is only six years old. He’s too young to hold a sword already!>
Todd’s mother argued that the successor lessons were too early, but his father shook his head.
<It’s been a hundred years since the Vampire Lord hid it appearance. It’s clear that the Vampire Lord is plotting something wicked. We don’t know what might happen, so there’s no harm in being prepared. Over-preparation is a virtue for survival. You know this well, too, Sarah, since you were also a vampire hunter.>
<But still…>
<We must kill the Vampire Lord somehow. Todd is our only hope for that.>
However, Todd did not realize his mission as a Van Drake and never found out what was in the basement.
‘Before gaining freedom, they were all killed by humans, father…’
Half of what his father said was right, and half was wrong.
Thanks to the early successor training, Todd was able to survive alone while the Van Drake clan was being exterminated.
But instead of killing the Vampire Lord after surviving, he became the familiar of the vampire he so hated.
Not only did he have to helplessly watch vampires feed, but later, he might have to assist in her feeding.
Despite the situation, Todd’s anger and desire for revenge did not target the vampires…
Yet, for some reason, looking at Vasha made his eyes redden and his heart race, just like his aunt Wilhelmina said.
‘Is this the madness that my aunt talked about? But she said madness strikes at fifteen.’
Even when standing still, his heart felt like it would burst as if he had run a full sprint. Unable to understand this phenomenon, Todd frowned.
‘Maybe my blood is boiling because I’m watching vampires feed as a Van Drake… Damn it, does this mean I have to suffer every time that vampire feeds?’
Todd grumbled. It seemed slightly different from madness, but he couldn’t think of any other word to describe the situation.
Todd’s heart continued to beat uneasily, unable to settle down, after he had dismissed the strange phenomenon that occurred to him.
***
Vasha, who had just finished brainwashing the milkman, realized that she had completely forgotten about Todd and started looking around for him.
Not far away, Todd was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, glaring at her. His golden eyes blazed like the flame of a candle wick. He seemed very angry at Vasha.
‘Thinking back, eating blood in front of a Van Drake was a bit inconsiderate…’
Vasha awkwardly smiled and made an excuse.
“You might find it unpleasant, but it can’t be helped. This is the most effective way.”
“What did I say? Just clean around your mouth properly. It’s messy.”
“Hehe.”
Vasha awkwardly wiped around her mouth at Todd’s sharp remark.
She expected her face to be smeared with blood, but nothing came off on her hand.
Watching Vasha rub her mouth for a long time because of his single remark, Todd felt a strange sense of superiority.
It was a petty sense of pride that came from the fact that his words carried weight against a vampire who could subdue an adult man in an instant.
‘A low-rangking vampire is mindful of me and I feel proud? Over such a trivial thing! How shameful you are, Todd Van Drake!’
Feeling ashamed of himself, Todd scolded himself inwardly with a scrunched-up face. However, he didn’t reveal his inner thoughts outwardly and asked in his usual grumbling voice.
“So, what do we do now?”
“We have to hide.”
“Where? In the milk can? It seems like only my head would fit in there.”
Todd assessed the milk can. It was about the size of Todd’s torso, but the opening seemed too narrow for him to enter.
Vasha, who hadn’t thought of putting Todd inside the milk can, imagined him falling headfirst into it with just his legs sticking out, and laughed loudly for a while. Wiping imaginary tears from her eyes, Vasha pointed to the milk vendor.
“You can pretend to be this minion’s relative. Just mess up your hair a bit…”
Vasha reached out and tousled Todd’s hair. His sharp eyes, which didn’t look like a child’s, were soon covered by messy bangs, making him look like an ordinary shepherd boy.
Every time Vasha’s hand brushed through his hair, Todd smelled a faint rose scent. Feeling unnecessarily embarrassed, Todd pulled back and asked.
“What about you?”
“I’ll hide under the driver’s seat, at the bottom of the cart.”
Vasha asserted proudly with her hands on her hips. Sighing, Todd pointed out his concern.
“Even if you manage to hide and pass the inspection, how will you prevent the Star of Lamphas from being contaminated?”
“I have a way for that too.”
Vasha grinned. Then she gently stroked the neck of the mule tied to the cart. As soon as Vasha’s hand touched it, the mule, which had been struggling until then, froze stiff and stopped moving. Vasha laughed broadly and patted the drooping mane of the mule.
“Oh, good kiddo.”
“Hey, the mule is terrified.”
“Let’s move. It’ll take some time to prepare, and we don’t know when someone might come here.”
Ignoring Todd’s remark, Vasha led the mule by its reins. The mule followed her, dragging its feet, and the minion followed behind in a daze.
With everyone moving, Todd couldn’t just stand alone in the middle of the road.
“Phew.”
Sighing, Todd followed in their direction, tugging at the bangs that Vasha had tousled.
***
Late at night, a mule pulling a cart loaded with milk cans trudged towards the gates of Noctiluca. The guard cheerfully greeted the familiar face.
“Haha, Klaus. You’re late today.”
“I was asked to bring my nephew today, but look, he even fell asleep in the meantime.”
“Ouch.”
The milkman, Klaus, gave his nephew’s head a light smack. The nephew pouted and held his head, looking aggrieved.
Seeing this, the guards burst into laughter.
“Your nephew? Is he your sister Louise’s son? Has Louise returned?”
“She stopped by for a bit. It’s so bothersome. Telling me to do this and that, take my nephew to the city…”
Klaus grumbled, glancing at his nephew. His voice was filled with annoyance.
But all of it was just an act.
The milkman Klaus was Vasha’s minion, and the child pretending to be his nephew was none other than Todd.
Klaus perfectly played the role as if Todd were really his relative, and the guards did not suspect anything about the sudden appearance of the nephew.
Todd felt relieved inside. Whether it was a coincidence or not, Vasha had chosen the right person.
‘Having a connection with the guards is advantageous.’
As expected, the guards, after exchanging a few jokes, barely inspected the cargo and let them pass.
As their cart passed the guards and entered through the main gate, Todd unconsciously held his breath. If there was any problem with the Star of Lamphas, the guards’ spears would immediately turn towards them…
