NAPE - 118

Side Story 29

What objection? Bibi blinked, looking at Doyoon. An objection here isn’t in the scenario... What is it?

“The head of the London Hunter Association here tried to embezzle the silver bullet manufacturing method and raw materials. He also exploited hounds and tried to enslave them. The heir of the Dawkin family indirectly participated in this.”

“So?”

“They’re no different from traitors to society. Even if you are the Enforcer, showing mercy to them cannot be tolerated.”

Doyoon’s black eyes gleamed like a wild dog thirsty for blood. The Executioner’s instinct demanded that Bibi, who had just shown mercy, become merciless. Everyone looked at Bibi, wondering what she would do. Albi and the Elder Council chairman waited for Bibi’s decision with intrigued eyes.

She hadn’t heard anything about this part... Bibi couldn’t hide her bewilderment at Doyoon’s attitude.

She wanted to live peacefully, but... to protect Lord Schauer, and to protect herself, she had to conclude that the head of the London Hunter Association had conspired with Roel Jack, not the trainer. She couldn’t leave any loose ends. Setting an example would also be important.

“Do as you please.”

It was the first time Bibi had been selfish and ruthless.

“W-what...! This isn’t what we agreed...! Urgh!”

As the Dawkin family heir desperately tried to shout something, Doyoon’s hand moved first. Bibi held her breath and turned her head. She didn’t want to show a weak side in front of people, but somehow she felt like she shouldn’t look.

Crack, crunch.

As the moonlight shone sacredly upon the white marble, the sounds of bones crushing and skin tearing could be heard. Bibi watched the shadow on the wall. Her heart plummeted with a chill. A colossal figure was separating a shell from a watermelon. It reminded her of a mythical monster devouring its sacrifice. What kind of expression was Doyoon wearing?

Would it be his usual indifferent expression, doing his task as always, or... would he be rejoicing in the finally permitted slaughter?

She felt she could accept anything, and she was curious, but she couldn’t look. Doyoon wouldn’t want her to. Bibi squeezed her eyes shut and left everything to her imagination.

As soon as the suffocating Court of Interrogation ended, the vampires fled, scurrying away as if escaping. In no time, only Doyoon, Richard, Bibi, and Lord Schauer remained in the chamber. When she collected herself, the floor was clean, as if nothing had happened.

Bibi quickly approached Lord Schauer. She was finally able to properly face him. Although his eyes were hollow, it was a relief that there wasn’t much difference from when she saw him at the Ratanakiri Arboretum.

“Bibi-nim... I am truly sorry.”

Lord Schauer bowed his head deeply, at a loss for what to do. He dared not meet her eyes. He had seemed relatively composed when he refused to plead and accepted execution. Bibi took his hand and helped him up.

“I’m glad you made it through safely. Although you received a sentence of repose, still... you’re alive. I believed in you, Lord Schauer. That you wouldn’t betray or conspire against us.”

“Actually... I... perhaps I even wanted vampire society to collapse.”

Lord Schauer confessed with a somber expression.

“What are you talking about?”

“A long time ago, when the trainer came and threatened me... he said that even though he eliminated the Enforcer, the vampires who didn’t help Excold were also accomplices. He said if I handed over the seeds and cultivation methods, I could become their calamity. He told me to dream of revenge. The Excold family was being eroded by time, and I think I felt a little angry that other vampires were living well as if nothing had happened.”

“......”

“Of course, I didn’t hand them over immediately upon hearing that. The real reason I had no choice but to give them was... because he threatened to burn down the botanical garden and kill the Master’s familiars living within it.”

Richard, who had been quietly listening, stepped forward solemnly.

“Lord Schauer, Isabella regrets not being able to help properly then.”

“...I don’t resent the Executioner. I also know that she was preparing for childbirth.”

“Regardless, there was also the responsibility of not being prepared. The Volpithon is strong, but it only responds to its master’s orders and command, so I couldn’t do anything at the time. Isabella still feels sorry about that. The early succession to Doyoon was to prevent such incidents.”

Lord Schauer nodded bitterly at Richard’s words.

“More importantly... what happened? I never thought the Executioner would help so actively. Roel Jack and the Hunter Association head conspiring... What was that about...?”

At Lord Schauer’s question, the three exchanged glances. Everything that had transpired in the Court of Interrogation today was a script completed in just two days.

After finishing the video call with Lord Schauer and discovering the Enforcer’s surveillance system on the USB, Richard suggested a direct confrontation to Bibi. And he immediately called Doyoon.

• “So you have information about other vampires’ wrongdoings... That’s quite good. The Executioner has limits to using force indiscriminately, but if given a pretext, he can be unleashed. However, instead of compromising and asking for Lord Schauer’s pardon, it would be better to say that everyone will receive fair punishment.”

Doyoon said calmly after hearing the situation.

“Aren’t you going too far? It’s reckless. Are you planning to start another war?”

• “We need to clearly show them who they dared to provoke.”

“...If you demand punishment instead of compromise... there will be strong backlash. What if they really try to eliminate everyone, including executing Lord Schauer?”

• “It doesn’t matter. I was going to find the head of the London Hunter Association and advocate for his pardon anyway. I’ll make him give false testimony, saying that he conspired with Roel Jack, not the trainer. If we say Roel Jack held the family’s legacy hostage, at least Lord Schauer’s choice can be seen as an unavoidable act for his master. Vampires like that kind of story. Oh, and I’m also going to coordinate with the Dawkin family heir at the Queens Romane Casino.”

At Doyoon’s words, Richard still worried but nodded, thinking it wasn’t a bad idea. Bibi, who had been listening to the conversation, was so surprised that she snatched the phone from Richard’s hand.

“Doyoon! You had such a plan?”

• “I was trying to find a way.”

Bibi had no idea that Doyoon had been struggling in places she didn’t know about. She was genuinely grateful to him. Tears threatened to fall, yet there was a part she couldn’t understand.

“Then why did you say it was best for Lord Schauer to die? Why did you accept the idea of me executing him myself?”

• “It wasn’t a certainty that things would be handled, so I was going to tell you later. Having hope and then being disappointed is more emotionally painful. Besides, if things went wrong, that would truly be the last resort.”

For Doyoon, this incident was not an unresolvable one. It was something where he could achieve the desired outcome through force.

However, time was short. He had to find the fleeing Hunter Association head, capture Dawkin and get their stories straight, and bring a hostage in case they didn’t comply. It was such a tight schedule that he had to prepare for any contingency.

• “Bibi. Just as I do my best, you do your best too. If I can’t capture those two, you at least have to execute him yourself. And... for you to be that resolute puts my mind at ease. Because my priority is you.”

Promising beforehand and convincing on the spot determines a completely different level of promptness. Hesitating only reveals weakness.

Doyoon believed that if he couldn’t capture the Association Head and Dawkin, then a complete severing of ties would truly be necessary. Additionally, he wanted to teach Bibi to act selfishly. That’s why, for the past few days, he had been persuading her to make decisions only for her safety and for them, not for anyone else.

• “If it comes to you having to execute Lord Schauer yourself... I promise I’ll find the culprit behind this incident and make them suffer the same fate.”

In the end, Bibi agreed. At the same time, she prayed and prayed that such a moment would never come. She had no idea how anxious she had been, waiting for Doyoon to appear on time today.

“I was so scared, thinking Doyoon wasn’t coming.”

Bibi shivered, recalling the Court of Interrogation. Doyoon smiled languidly, watching her. Through this incident, Doyoon also learned a lesson. He once again keenly felt that Bibi was a being for whom he would stake not only his status and family but also his very life.

His life until now hadn’t been bad, but he wouldn’t have been too disappointed if he were to disappear at any moment.

Vampire normalization was just a topic of interest and a game he’d picked up out of boredom; it wasn’t something urgent or desperate. But... this time was different.

Even though he knew Bibi wasn’t that weak, he felt anxious when she wasn’t in his sight. In Thailand, Doyoon even felt fear.

Thanks to Bibi, Doyoon’s days became precious, as if he had never felt boredom. For an immortal being, having each day become precious was almost unheard of.

“Ah, this month was truly the worst. It annoyed me that Richard was next to you instead of me...”

Doyoon reached out to Bibi, grumbling like a child.

“Hm? Henry, I have no intention of taking your lover’s place. Bibi drinking my blood was an accident.”

Richard, who had been talking separately with Lord Schauer, turned around with a startled expression and hastily blurted out an excuse. Doyoon’s eyes widened.

“What?”

“Huh?”

There was a brief silence. The two looked at each other, trying to grasp what the other was talking about. Doyoon, who had been thinking quietly, suddenly froze.

“Bibi... drank my father’s blood?”

No! Doyoon mustn’t know!

Bibi screamed internally. She opened her mouth and flailed her hands like a startled hamster.

“...That wasn’t... the topic.”

Richard scratched his cheek, looking embarrassed. Doyoon remained motionless, staring at Richard. His eyes instantly turned fierce. It was the look of a male seeing another male invading his territory, not his father. The relaxed atmosphere immediately became taut, as if about to explode.

Doyoon, who had been assessing the veracity of the situation, turned his head and looked at Bibi.

“Bibi.”

“Uh, yes?”

“Did you drink Richard’s blood?”

“...J-just a few drops...”

“So you did drink it?”

Bibi was fidgety. Not yet skilled at lying, all her inner emotions were revealed on her face. For Doyoon, it was as good as getting an answer.

“Hah.”

Doyoon’s lips curled into a faint, chilling smile. A smile appearing on an expressionless face. She swore it was the most terrifying sight Bibi had ever seen in her life. A primal fear surged through her, like looking into a darkened sea just before a storm.

Namwon would have expressed such a situation in one word:

We’re screwed.