NAPE - 77

Judging by the name tag on his chest, he seemed to be an employee, approaching them with an unnerving, ghost-like steadiness.

“How many people?” the man asked. He seemed to think Namwon and Bibi were visitors to the arboretum. Namwon rolled his eyes and held up two fingers.

“Two.”

“You can enter right away. Please return this when you leave.” The employee handed them each a long, pointed silver stake. The tip of the stake was sharp and menacing enough to pierce something. Why would he give them these? Despite their questioning looks, the employee ignored them and held out a catalog.

“Please refer to the map drawn here for the arboretum’s terrain. It’s very large inside, so please make sure to follow the signposts, and if you happen to find a path different from the map, we recommend you just ignore it. The arboretum is connected to the mountain behind it. If you happen to encounter a bear, defend yourself with the silver stake. Occasionally, tourists are torn apart alive by wild bears, you see.”

“Good heavens, you’d have a hard time repelling a bear with this,” Namwon scoffed, turning the silver stake over and over. The employee gave an ambiguous smile and swung open the closed main gate. They were being let in without paying an entrance fee. This place was quite generous. Namwon and Bibi looked at the catalog as they passed through the main gate.

Ratanakiri Arboretum was originally a copper mine, abandoned and neglected for approximately 200 years. This disused mine was excavated in 20XX by Lord Schauer and has now been reborn as an arboretum housing an impressive 2,500 species of trees across 9 zones. The tropical trees from South America and Africa growing in the domed rainforest greenhouse are a specialty here.

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*The arboretum is very large. If you get lost, please do not wander aimlessly. Call the number provided, and an employee will come to pick you up.

(If something bear-like approaches you and shows interest, swing the stake to drive it away, but never turn your back.)

*Closing time is 7 PM. It’s an automatic door system, so please adhere to it. The arboretum at night is dangerous. If you happen to forget and cannot exit, please turn off your phone and hide in an inconspicuous place. You can move when the sun rises.

The two roughly read the catalog and shoved it into their pockets. Honestly, they had expected to get what they wanted by blindly coming here. Information about her father’s side, or perhaps meeting other pureblood vampires who could help. But now they were on a leisurely arboretum tour. They felt a little anxious.

“Lord Schauer, huh... Maybe if we meet this person, we’ll find out something,” Namwon said without conviction.

“How do we meet him?”

“I don’t know. Should I ask an employee?” Namwon looked around. But there was no one to be seen anywhere. While walking along the tree-lined paths that exuded all sorts of floral scents and were covered by green canopies, not a single employee or even a tourist was in sight. If admission was free, shouldn’t there be tourists? Was it because it was a secluded area?

Bibi, still wondering, yawned widely. She hadn’t slept a wink from the day before yesterday until today, and the spring sunlight was quite hot. The usually gray British sky was quite clear today. Thanks to that, her vision was blurry and hazy with sunlight. The muggy air made her feel like she was dreaming a daydream.

If she stood still, she felt she would truly doze off, so Bibi ignored her faint thirst and diligently moved her legs.

“Oh! There’s someone!” Namwon exclaimed, spotting something pale standing among the trees. At first glance, it looked like a scarecrow, but seeing it blink, it was indeed a person. It was a young-looking woman. She seemed to be an employee, dressed in the same uniform as the one they met at the main gate. Namwon’s face lit up, and he approached quickly.

“Excuse me, could we ask you something?”

“Welcome to Ratanakiri Arboretum! I hope you have a pleasant and peaceful time!” The employee greeted them brightly, in a home shopping advertisement tone, as if thrilled to see tourists.

“Excuse me, how can we meet Lord Schauer?”

“...Who is Lord Schauer?” The employee tilted her head with an expression that suggested she had never heard the name before. Hmm. Was she just a part-timer who wouldn’t know? Namwon clicked his tongue. Bibi, just in case, took out the crumpled paper from her pocket and showed it to her.

“Can we meet someone here who knows about this drawing?” She had brought the drawing from the frame they found in the basement the day before yesterday, but honestly, she didn’t expect a mere employee to know about it. Still, there was always a slim chance...

“Please go to the Luna Greenhouse. It’s a closed area from a long time ago, so it’s not marked on the map. Walk along signpost number 8 and take the shortcut you encounter in the middle. Oh, and be careful around the wetlands. It would be a big problem if you slipped and fell in, wouldn’t it? There are Venus flytraps around there, and they’re sensitive, so be careful not to get too close. If anyone recommends you see them, we strongly advise you to ignore them as much as possible, leave the area, and go home. Oh, and please ignore any rumors related to the arboretum. Like the rumor that corpse flowers were planted to bury people and erase their scent.”

The employee said with a bright smile. Bibi, delighted to have found a clue, readily expressed her gratitude.

“Welcome to Ratanakiri Arboretum! I hope you have a pleasant and peaceful time!” From behind them, the employee echoed the same phrase like a parrot. Namwon and Bibi carefully consulted the map and continued walking straight along signpost number 8.

The wide, flat path gradually narrowed, becoming a slightly sloped forest trail. The densely packed trees curved like an old man’s back, forming an arch. Her entire vision was a faded green.

Tiny specks of light buzzed and glided through the air. Mayflies, perhaps? Their wings shimmered like rainbows in the sunlight, a beautiful sight. Perhaps they were very small fairies. To human eyes, they might look like insects, but to those with pure souls, their true forms might be visible.

Was the strange scent in the air causing these odd thoughts?

After walking for a while, they reached the end of route 8. Instead of the Luna Greenhouse Bibi had hoped for, a crude Ferris wheel, like one found in an amusement park, stood before them. As expected, there were no tourists.

The crudely painted Ferris wheel spun rapidly, even though no one was riding it. From one side, a childish melody, like something from a circus, played. The speaker seemed broken, continuously crackling with static.

“Did we take a wrong turn? Should we go back?” As they pondered, they spotted something pale standing at the Ferris wheel’s entrance and exclaimed. At first glance, it looked like a scarecrow, but seeing it blink, it was indeed a person. It was a young-looking woman. She seemed to be an employee, dressed in the same uniform as the one they met at the main gate.

Namwon’s face lit up, and he approached quickly.

“Excuse me, could we ask you something?”

“Welcome to Ratanakiri Arboretum! I hope you have a pleasant and peaceful time!” The employee greeted them in a home shopping advertisement tone, as if thrilled to see tourists.

“How do we get to the Luna Greenhouse?”

“The Luna Greenhouse doesn’t exist in our arboretum. Would you like to ride the Ferris wheel? Oh, but unfortunately, it’s almost closing time.” The employee looked regretful.

“But it’s only 5:50 PM? The catalog says closing time is 7 PM.”

“No, it’s 6 PM. It’s very large, so you should start heading out now. There’s a shortcut near the wetlands, so keep that in mind. There are many insectivorous plants there, including Venus flytraps, so it will be a nice diversion on your way. They’re very well-trained and gentle. Oh, and if by any chance you can’t get out in time, please contact the caretaker.”

“Hmm? When we entered, we were told not to contact anyone and to find a safe place until dawn?”

“Who told you that when you entered?”

“Here, in the catalog.” Namwon and Bibi took out the catalog from their pockets and showed it to her. The employee’s eyes widened.

“Oh my, our arboretum has never produced a catalog like this.”

“Huh?”

“And these silver stakes look dangerous; may I collect them?”

“Well... sure.” Bibi and Namwon, looking bewildered, handed over the stakes they were holding and turned to leave.

“Welcome to Ratanakiri Arboretum! I hope you have a pleasant and peaceful time!” From behind them, the employee echoed the same phrase like a parrot. Namwon and Bibi carefully consulted the map and continued walking straight along signpost number 8.

“This arboretum is a bit weird.”

“Tell me about it. They need to re-train their staff. They’re not keeping up with updates themselves. That’s just how the British are, I guess. They emphasize, emphasize, emphasize that you have to leave by 6 PM, just in case they’re late for quitting time. If this were Korea, I’d have filed a complaint right away.”

They got lost on the way back. The signposts they had seen on the way in had completely disappeared. By the time they finally reached the main gate where their car was parked, it was 6:30 PM.

The iron gate, which had been wide open, was now firmly closed. The gate and fence were covered with over three meters of barbed wire, making it impossible to climb or jump over. A sinister sheen, similar to that of a silver bullet, emanated from it, making it seem quite painful if one were to get pricked. The thought of escaping on their own was immediately dismissed.