NAPE - 67

It was strange. She had entered the Vampire Hunter Association, but she wasn’t as nervous as before. This was thanks to her time spent in the Tudor family. Bibi now understood the position of a pureblood vampire well. A noble being that neither vampires nor even hunters could carelessly touch.

“Sit here. Coffee for both of you?” As they entered the luxurious-looking reception room with leather sofas and a black marble table, the automatic door closed behind them. Namwon took out plastic drinks from a mini-fridge next to the sofa and placed them on the table. Doyoon opened a bottle cap and brought it to his lips, then put it back down. Seeing this, Bibi moved closer and asked,

“You said there was something you needed to check. What is it?”

“...”

“Hm?” Doyoon didn’t answer. He just stared at the plastic bottle on the table, then glanced at Namwon, as if asking for help.

“Ah, right. You said to check this!” Namwon patted his head as if he’d forgotten and brought a box from behind the sofa. It was packed with document files. Doyoon hurriedly pulled out the documents, unfolded them, and began to look at them. No, he pretended to look at them. Strange... he wasn’t acting like himself today.

“Hey. What are you doing? Don’t just play around, you look too.” Namwon admonished, pulling out some documents and handing them to Bibi. What on earth was she supposed to look at? Bibi, her red eyes gleaming sharply, heard a strange sound. A peculiar buzzing or crackling noise came from Doyoon’s coat. Wait... could it be?

“Hey, what are you doing!”

Ignoring Namwon’s scream, Bibi lunged at Doyoon, wildly tearing off his hat, sunglasses, and mask. The person struggled fiercely, but it wasn’t difficult to subdue him. This was because he was weaker than Bibi. Of course. The person was...

“...You’re not Doyoon.”

Bibi blinked, looking at River in front of her. She had no idea what was going on, but one thing was for sure: she had been fooled. By Doyoon! Again!

“What is this? No wonder you looked ugly today!”

Bibi grabbed River by the collar and shook him. He stammered, his face pale.

“Bibi-nim, I, uh...”

“Ah, damn it. Must have been a temporary blackout because we’re underground. But we’ve achieved our objective, so whatever.” Namwon sighed in resignation and slumped onto the sofa.

- Sorry, Bibi. I had no choice.

Doyoon’s voice came from inside River’s coat. Bibi, with an angry face, rummaged through the inside of the coat. A cold phone met her hand. The screen showed “In Call.” So... he tricked her with River pretending to be Doyoon? Bibi was momentarily silent in disbelief, then raised an eyebrow.

“What are you doing, Doyoon? What is all this?”

- It’s not because I don’t trust you. This was the best option. I can’t just hand you over to him on a silver platter.

“...What are you talking about? We were supposed to go to the last place Luna Servant was seen!”

- We were. But I thought a preliminary reconnaissance was necessary.

“Why are you doing reconnaissance without me?” Bibi spoke with a sharp voice for the first time in her life.

- You’re really mad this time. I guess I deserve a good scolding later.

“...”

- See you later.

Click.

The call ended.

“Doyoon...?”

Holding the phone blankly, she called out to him again. Of course, there was no answer. What on earth was happening? In her dazed state, Bibi suddenly stood up and ran to the door. A ominous premonition struck her.

The package she received last night came to mind. Jack was dead. It was an extremely rare occurrence in the vampire world, almost unprecedented. Normally, bodies were consumed by fire or destroyed by silver bullets. Dying with only the head remaining was almost unheard of.

The sender wasn’t listed, but she could guess who it was. The trainer. It was definitely sent by him. It was both a warning and a declaration of war.

Bibi surmised that the trainer had followed her to England and sent the package to the Tudor family. Perhaps he knew her every move.

If so... she had to go to Doyoon immediately. Bibi’s danger perception had rarely been wrong. The trainer was omnipotent. Even Doyoon would be in danger going alone!

Bibi grabbed the handle of the solid iron entrance door and pulled. But no matter how much force she applied, the door wouldn’t open.

“Open it,” Bibi commanded, baring her teeth fiercely at River and Namwon. Her red eyes burned like fire, emitting a chilling aura. At her piercing gaze, the two flinched but shook their heads firmly.

“Stop it. Kwon Doyoon is usually like this. He never properly explains his plans and tries to solve everything by himself. He’s doing it again this time. But he’s a reliable man when it comes to getting things done, so let’s question him later, okay? Here, look at this screen.”

Namwon tried to appease Bibi, opening a laptop. A screen appeared with a solid line moving rapidly up and down in a steady rhythm.

“We’re receiving the senior’s vital signs. He’s safe right now, so relax.”

Bibi, who had been fuming, stared calmly at the laptop screen. Seeing Doyoon’s heartbeat on the computer somewhat put her mind at ease.

Still huffing, Bibi snatched the laptop from Namwon and hopped onto the cabinet. She planned to watch him intently, minute by minute, to see if he was safe, and if things went wrong, she would escape somehow.

________________________________________

“It’s scary when she actually gets angry,” Doyoon mumbled, turning the steering wheel. He worried that he might lose Bibi’s trust, but he had no choice. Receiving Jack’s head had confirmed his suspicions. The trainer was tracking them, even in England, and would be patiently waiting for an opportunity.

Sending Jack’s head was probably intended to instill fear in Bibi. Last night, the image of Bibi, pale and trembling, was still vivid in his mind. He never expected her to be so terrified. Taking Bibi into such a situation... was not good in many ways. Especially given the destination they were heading to now.

Now, Doyoon’s car left the green-leaved Bluebell Hill behind and drove straight down Ringlestone Road, then entered a rugged side path.

Their destination was a small mansion located behind a deserted farmhouse, nestled among thickly leafed trees. This was the place Jack had told him about, where Servant Luna was last seen. As if untouched by human hands for a long time, the surroundings were filled with bushes and shrubs.

Doyoon parked the car in a suitable spot and, surveying the surroundings, headed towards the four-story Palladian-style mansion. Angel statues stood on the apex of each triangular roof. As if cursed, all three angels had empty spaces where their heads should have been. Their wings spread against the damp, eerie sky looked quite tragic.

Doyoon, looking around with a dry gaze, lit a cigarette and climbed the exterior stairs that led directly to the second floor, entering the interior. The dark interior of the mansion was quite chilly and dim even in broad daylight. It was filled with dirt and grime, like a house swept away by a tsunami.

In every room visible along the long corridor, furniture and belongings were strewn about haphazardly, as if someone had fled in a hurry.

A rustling sound came from behind him. Turning around, he saw a naked man slowly crawling towards him and looking up at Doyoon. He was similar to the hunting dog he had seen in the ghost forest last time, yet different. Whatever drugs this one had taken, its eyes were vacant, and saliva dripped from its gaping mouth.

Even for a vampire, there should be some hair on its body, but it had no hair, not even eyebrows. Had it come out to guide him? Either way, that was good. It seemed he hadn’t come for nothing.

“This is a terrible welcome.”

“...”

“Where is your master?”

There was no answer. Doyoon ignored the hunting dog following him and continued to explore the mansion. The moment he reached the room at the very end of the corridor, he was met with an unexpected sight and frowned darkly.

Mongrel vampires... that is, naked hunting dogs, were crowded together in the filthy room. They were packed so tightly, like sacks of rice, without a single gap, that they looked like a large mass of flesh.

Moreover, these creatures had their eyes and noses crushed, as if rubbed clean with an eraser. Their sharp, shark-like fangs were emphasized, gleaming through their gaping mouths. In hundreds of years of life, such a repulsive sight was truly rare. He only felt this during wars or terrorist incidents.

“Ugh... Ugh...”

Groans came from various places, as if they were in pain. The massive lump of flesh seemed to have sensed Doyoon’s presence. The directions of their individually turned heads swiveled towards him. The hunting dogs crushed at the very front flailed their arms. Doyoon, for now, took a step back.

“Kiyeeek!”

The hunting dog that had been following behind Doyoon let out a bizarre sound. As if on cue, the hunting dogs that had formed the mass began to contort their limbs and separate one by one. Seeing their grotesque forms, Doyoon took a deep breath.