#Episode 82
“Futile and meaningless matters, they say? Ha! That’s something those comfortably sitting in the central headquarters would say!”
Matteus was visibly angrier.
“We’ve been out in the field for more than just a day or two… Back when we first sent our report, they didn’t even bat an eye and simply left us to our own devices. And now, they suddenly issue a recall order?”
The timing couldn’t have been more suspicious. All Matteus could do was sigh heavily in frustration.
Bernardo, however, responded calmly.
“Someone must have intervened.”
“Could it be…?”
“There aren’t many who can influence the central headquarters.”
And Laurus was certainly one of those people.
“Shouldn’t we object to this?”
“The problem is, we’re not in a position to challenge every unreasonable situation.”
Ultimately, it boiled down to a lack of evidence. Bernardo let out a derisive chuckle.
“If we accuse Laurus without concrete proof, the Holy Kingdom will just say, ‘Look at them. They’re so obsessed with chasing vampires that they’re suspicious of everything and everyone.’ They’d dismiss us as paranoid fools.”
It was a deadlock.
To think Laurus had acted first. Bernardo clicked his tongue in frustration, unable to deny that Laurus had outmaneuvered him this time.
As Bernardo muttered bitterly to himself, Matteus grumbled in response.
“Well, maybe if you’d worked on maintaining your reputation a little…”
“Even if I had managed my reputation, do you think the Holy Kingdom would have taken my word for it?”
“True, it still wouldn’t have matched Laurus’ standing…”
Matteus’ cheeky comment, which only served to fan the flames, irritated Bernardo even more. His face grew darker by the second.
‘At this rate, I’m going to get hit!’
Finally snapping out of the awe from meeting Laurus, Matteus began to pick up on Bernardo’s mood. Trying to avoid further aggravation, Matteus quickly changed the subject.
“So, by when do they want us to return?”
“……….”
Bernardo remained silent. Judging by his displeased expression, the deadline must have been quite tight.
Matteus grumbled in disbelief.
“They clearly know we’re chasing a vampire…. Moreover, since we’ve hidden the vampire’s rank from the Holy Kingdom, they don’t even know if it’s a low-rank or a high-rank vampire, right? Yet they still issue a recall order. Something is off about the Holy Kingdom these days.”
Bernardo agreed with Matteus’ assessment. It was an open secret that the Holy Kingdom had recently been neglecting its mission to eradicate vampires.
Even this incident was a clear example.
If Bernardo hadn’t discovered the delayed report of a vampire sighting near Haidus and sent out a dispatch request, the report would likely have been ignored.
And the fact that the vampire had settled in Noctiluca would have gone unnoticed by everyone.
However, Bernardo wasn’t in a position to challenge such negligence.
No matter how much he was praised as ‘The Flint’ and capable of conducting heresy trials alone, he was ultimately just a knight.
Defying decisions made by higher authorities was beyond his jurisdiction.
“Regardless, we cannot disobey an order from the Holy Kingdom.”
“So, are we just going to give up and return, just like that? After all the trouble we’ve gone through to get to Noctiluca?”
Matteus’ eyes gleamed provocatively. His challenging gaze made Bernardo smirk faintly.
“Excuses are easy to come up with. The Holy Kingdom didn’t assign us a new mission—just a recall order. That gives us some leeway.”
“Then…”
“We’ll stall and hold out for as long as we can. Meanwhile, let’s infiltrate Laurus’ mansion. That should give us the evidence we need to tie the vampire to Laurus. No matter how much the Order tries to feign ignorance, they can’t deny undeniable proof.”
“As expected from my young master!”
Matteus jumped with joy, clearly pleased that Bernardo had made such a decision.
“First, let’s dig deeper into Laurus’ background. If we investigate, we’re bound to find an opening.”
Thus, the two devout yet determined individuals conspired to defy the Holy Kingdom’s orders.
***
After driving Albert away and promising the auction host to provide a painting, it was only natural for Laurus to reconnect with the auction host using the painting as a pretext.
Although Laurus had agreed to provide a painting, the auction host didn’t have high expectations. Even a small sketch would have been more than sufficient.
However, what Laurus handed over was a large landscape painting, roughly the size of a 100-ho canvas. It was a masterpiece that fully embodied Laurus’ artistic style, with refined brushwork and a sense of maturity.
The auction host, who received this treasure far beyond their expectations, took it with trembling hands.
From that moment on, the host was desperate to accommodate Laurus in any way possible. Even granting Laurus an early look at the auction catalog seemed trivial compared to the host’s overwhelming gratitude.
“This is the auction catalog.”
No sooner had Laurus handed over the catalog than Todd snatched it eagerly. Laurus opened his mouth, intending to scold Todd for his impatience.
“There’s something you should be careful of when looking at the catalog…”
“Do you think I don’t know how to read a catalog?”
Todd scoffed and began skimming through the catalog. His natural ease suggested he was well-practiced in examining such documents.
Since Todd blatantly ignored him, Laurus silently closed his mouth. Vasha, irritated by the familiar’s insolent attitude, glanced apologetically at Laurus. However, Laurus just shook his head and smiled nonchalantly, as if unbothered.
The room fell silent except for the sound of pages flipping.
At first, the pages turned quickly. But as Todd neared the end of the catalog, his pace slowed. The confident look on Todd’s face gradually turned serious.
Todd returned to the beginning of the catalog and buried his nose in it, scrutinizing the detailed illustrations carefully.
Vasha, puzzled by Todd’s behavior, asked worriedly.
“Todd?”
“Just be quiet for a moment.”
Todd continued flipping through the catalog, examining it repeatedly.
After what felt like ages, with Todd poring over the catalog again and again, Vasha finally couldn’t stand it any longer. She peeked over Todd’s shoulder at the catalog and asked curiously.
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Huh?”
Confused, Vasha tilted her head. Todd abruptly slammed the catalog shut and shouted.
“I can’t figure out which one is Van Drake’s!”
Todd’s ears reddened in frustration. Vasha exclaimed in disbelief.
“What kind of idiot can’t recognize their own family’s belongings?!”
“Damn it!”
Remembering his earlier boasts, Todd couldn’t even come up with an excuse and instead clutched his head in frustration. Vasha, too, was left speechless.
Todd threw himself against the back of the sofa, his small frame sinking into it as if trying to disappear. Half-slumped in the sofa, he let out a long sigh and muttered.
“I guess I’ll have to go and see it myself.”
“You’ll recognize it if you see it in person? Didn’t you say its magic was completely concealed, so sensitive senses wouldn’t be able to detect it?”
“That’s based on human standards. Of course Van Drake will recognize it.”
Todd’s confident declaration made Vasha narrow her eyes skeptically.
“This time, you’re sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure!”
Todd jumped to his feet and shouted.
Laurus intervened to calm down the bickering between Vasha and Todd.
“The host mentioned while handing over the catalog that the list is not yet finalized. It’s possible that Van Drake’s relic isn’t in the catalog. So it’s not strange that you couldn’t find it, Todd.”
“You should’ve said that first!”
Todd yelled, glaring at Laurus with eyes full of indignation. Laurus simply shrugged.
“I was going to tell you, but you weren’t listening.”
Only then did Todd realize that Laurus had indeed mentioned earlier that the list wasn’t complete when he handed over the catalog.
Laurus chuckled as he watched Todd glare at him with narrowed eyes.
“If we could have identified and smuggled it out earlier, things would have gone much more smoothly. But it can’t be helped. As you suggested, Todd, the only option now is for you to attend the auction and confirm it yourself.”
“Isn’t there a risk that Todd might get recognized by the holy knights if he acts carelessly?”
Vasha asked worriedly.
🍓; 100-ho refers to the size of the canvas. In Korean, 호 (ho) is a unit of measurement used to describe the size of a canvas, particularly in the art world. A 100-ho canvas is quite large, typically used for large-scale paintings.
