Hey, whats happening?
Said Takahiro, who had stayed in the room, opened the room and looked out, having heard the commotion in the yard.
The, Takahiro saw the chief inspector standing behind Detective Kang and greeted him sarcastically.
Look who we have here, if it isnt Inspector Tanimura. Its been a while.
! Takahiro-kun. What are you doing here?
Thats none of your business. Rather, what are you doing here, inspector?
Did they know each other? I guess it made sense that executives of Yeopsa unions acting in Gyeongseong and police officers from the Jongno Police Station in Gyeongseong would be acquainted.
Surprised to see Takahiro for a mont, the inspector made a nodding gesture towards Takahiro while looking at Detective Kang.
Explain to him.
Yes.
Detective Kang, who was wearing a leather jacket, stepped forward and explained to Takahiro what he had told earlier. It was in Japanese this ti around, and it was in a much more polite tone than he had used towards .
The thing is Do you rember the incident in the tea house a few days ago? The culprit, a Joseon man nad Kye Hyeong-bok, was found dead, and Shirabayashi-kun here has been included as a suspect.
He gave more detailed information than when he explained to earlier. So the na of the Joseon robber was Kye Hyeong-bok. Takahiro, having heard Detective Kang, asked back with a dissatisfied tone.
Dead? Suspect?
Yes.
When, where, how was the corpse discovered? Huh? Speak in detail!
As Takahiro asked in a threatening tone, Detective Kang looked at the inspector for a mont and began to explain the incident in more detail.
That is, this morning, under the Cheonggyecheon Ogansu Bridge Yes, yes. Near Dongdaemun. Its not too far from here, right? There, Kye Hyeong-boks body was discovered, dry and dead like a mummy, without any blood in him. We rushed to send it for an autopsy to find the exact cause of death, but we think it is the work of an Awakened who was involved in the tea house incident-
Hah! As if that makes sense.
Takahiro smirked at Detective Kang, and then turned his head and looked at the inspector.
Hey, mister Inspector. Cadet Shirabayashi here has an alibi. He went to his hotown in the countryside with yesterday, and we only ca back to Gyeongseong this morning.
Ah
After a monts hesitation, intimidated by Takahiro, the inspector turned to again and asked.
Is that true, Shirabayshi-kun?
Yes.
I answered patiently. To begin with, as Takahiro had said, I had a definite alibi.
I have the stamped tickets for the trains from yesterday and today, and you can contact my parents house in Suwon if you want further proof.
Did you hear, mister Inspector? Cadet Shirabayashi has nothing to do with it, so go back.
Takahiro threatened the inspector once again. Wow, was this the power of the Shimazu Gumi. In the end, the chief inspector said,
Hmm. I understand. We shall get going, then.
He drooped like a dog in the rain and disappeared out through the front gate with Detective Kang. Having seen this, Takahiro said
Tsk, damned pigs.
Muttering and spit on the ground. Looking at Takahiro doing all of this, I thought to myself.
This guy, hes rather useful.
Of course, I had a definite alibi, and there was nothing to be afraid of if I used my parents, but it would have been annoying to have to go all the way to the police station to phone ho or to provide evidence.
Sothing that could have been a huge nuisance was completely solved just with the breath of an executive of the Shimazu Gumi.
Anyway, bled to death like a mummy.
I stood in the yard for a mont and thought about what the police officers had ntioned regarding the cause of death. The culprit was found dead, like a bloodless mummy, due to an Awakeneds abilities.
I wondered what it must feel like to die from having your blood slowly drained. Your body would beco weak, and slowly you would go into a daze, losing consciousness
Wait.
Having thought so far, there was soone that ca into mind.
Lee Yu-ha!
The symptoms Lee Yu-ha was suffering from. She wasnt sick but felt weak, and felt dizzy, as well. On top of that, she was out of breath and looked pale.
Those are the symptoms of anemia. When you are short of blood.
Why hadnt I thought about it earlier? It wasnt a cold. These were symptoms that showed when you were lacking blood, or when a big amount of blood had been drained from you.
Blood!
Suddenly, I rembered the rumor about Professor Kurobe that Yang Bok-ja had ntioned, about his nickna being Professor Dracula.
No way, Professor Kurobe?
Of course, he couldnt be Dracula, the vampire from legends. However, considering the research he was conducting, it was quite possible that he was the culprit.
An Awakeneds blood could beco a dium for mana in itself, and it would be effective in preserving mana. So, considering he had been researching mana conservation for so long, it wouldnt be too strange to think that he would want the blood of his students.
And theres no better place to get a supply of fresh Awakeneds blood than a Yeopsa vocational school.
If Professor Kurobe was indeed the culprit, not only Lee Yu-ha, but also Aikawa, who was also staying in the dorms, was in danger.
I quickly stood up. Takahiro asked.
Are you going out?
Yes. Im not going to the hospital, but theres sowhere I need to go. You, dont follow , and stay here and make di-
I stopped half-way through my sentence and looked at Takahiro.
Should I take this guy?
If Professor Kurobe was actually the culprit, I wouldnt be able to deal with a senior professor like him by myself, in my current capacity.
Considering the situation, it was clear that it would be of great help if I had Takahiro soone who, in 21st century terms, had B-class Hunter abilities and was an executive of the Shimazu Gumi by my side.
I scratched what I was about to say and asked.
Or you would rather not, right?
?
Takahiro, who was making a sour face when he was told to stay and cook dinner, had an expression of curiosity as the order turned into a question. I urged Takahiro, who was sitting in an awkward pose.
Alright, grab your sword and get up. Lets go out.
Where are we going?
Our destination was, of course, the schools dormitories. I answered Takahiro, who was coming out with his sword.
To catch a vampire.
***
It was already in the evening by the ti I arrived at the school with Takahiro.
Since it was a Sunday, there were very few students walking along the campus. I headed straight to the dormitory building. However,
I ca all the way here, but I cant go in
The first floor of the dormitory building was freely accessible, but there were two staircases to the second floor. One side went to the boys dormitory, and the other to the girls.
Of course, that side was a forbidden area that n were not allowed to enter.
Gah, if there was at least a girl passing by, Id ask her to call her but Hmm?
As I was muttering to myself, Takahiro tapped on the shoulder. Looking at the direction he was pointing to, a girl was standing right behind before I even knew it.
Are you, perhaps, Cadet Shirabayashi?
A small girl, with half her face covered by her hair, asked , expressionless.
Ah, yeah. You are-
I am Katsurai Osue.
Hmm, who was that. I thought I saw her in my class during the in the common period, but she was a girl without any presence and a rather gloomy impression. Well, that wasnt the point right now.
She happened to be the only girl passing by, so I asked her.
Can you do a favour? Could you call out a girl called Aikawa Satomi for ?
Understoon, Cadet Shirabayashi.
Osue glanced at Takahiro, who was standing behind , then turned and climbed the stairs to the girls dormitory. Soon after, Aikawa ca down.
Ah! Shirabayashi-kun!
Having seen , Aikawa rushed towards . As soon as I asked how Lee Yu-ha was doing,
Well, I was just in Miss Lees room but Miss Lee is still unwell. And I, as well
Aikawa answered, and looking closely I could see that she also looked pale and was seating. I took my hand to her forehead.
Let feel your forehead for a second.
Eh? Aah!
Its the sa symptoms.
When I touched Aikawas forehead and checked the status window, the status column at the bottom read anemia. The sa symptoms as Lee Yu-ha. I asked.
What happened?
Well, you see
According to Aikawas explanation, she sneaked into Professor Kurobes lab last night, but she found nothing out of the ordinary in there. Then she returned to the dormitory, and suddenly started feeling weak and dizzy.
What?
After having been to Professor Kurobes lab?
It was clear. Whether it was Professor Kurobe or soone else, it was clear that there was sothing in the school acting as a vampire.
First, lets go to Professor Kurobes lab. But before that, wait.
What if Professor Kurobe ca here while I was at his lab? If that happened, I wouldnt be able to protect them. I turned to Takahiro.
Takahiro.
Yes, sir.
From this mont, I want you to stay here and protect the dormitory. Borrow the phone from the Residence Hall Directors office and call so of your n as well. Dont let Professor Kurobe enter. Theres sowhere else I have to go to.
Takahiro answered.
Understood. But, who is Professor Kurobe?
Aikawa, here, knows what he looks like.
I pointed to Aikawa as I answered. At my words, Aikawa put her hands together and asked.
H-Hey! Shirabayashi-kun! Where are you going to go?
To Professor Kurobes lab. If Professor Kurobe cos here, contact to his lab.
With that said, I left the dormitory and headed to the professors research building. It was already dark by the ti I passed a long path and got to where the research building was.
It seed all the professors had already left work or hadnt co out because it was Sunday. The dark research building was silent, without a single person.
To avoid making noise, I took my shoes off and put them in my bag, picked up a pair of rubber slippers from the shoe rack at the entrance of the building and put them on.
As I carefully walked through the dark hallway, I found a professors lab with a plaque that read Magicology Kurobe(). There was so light leaking through the crack in the door.
Is this it.
I held my ear to the door for a while and listened, but I couldnt feel any human presence inside.
I took the door handle and turned it. The door opened as if it wasnt locked.
As I went in, it slled like dicine and alcohol like a hospital. What I saw in front of was a lab filled with glass beakers, test tubes and Petri dishes, like those you see in old science textbooks.
Professor Kurobe wasnt inside.
Judging by how the lights were on, Professor Kurobe had probably stayed in his lab and just went out for a bit. Had he gone to get dinner?
I had to find so solid evidence before he ca back. I searched the empty lab. Then I felt so mana coming from a bookcase to one side of the lab.
It was a low-level magic barrier.
It was a ticulously set up barrier, but, like the iron stake barrier at the training grounds, it was sloppy compared to what I had seen in the 21st century.
When I put my hand to the weakest point and projected so of my mana, the barrier unraveled easily and the whole bookcase began to spin.
Creak
There was another room beyond the bookcase, which spun like a revolving door.
What the hell!
In that room, as Yang Bok-ja had said, were half-dissected, small-sized monsters. And what was organized on the shelves were glass tubes full of red liquid and sealed with a cork.
It was blood.
As I got close I could see that the test tubes filled with blood were labeled and arranged in order. What was written on the labels were dates and peoples nas.
23rd of Dec, 1921,
11th of Feb, 1922, ,
12th of Feb, 1922,
The labels were dated as far as a dozen years. At the end were nas I knew.
7th of April, 1939, Lee Yu-ha.
8th of April, 1939, Lee Yu-ha.
8th of April, 1939, Aikawa Satomi.
What the hell, the rumors were true?
That wasnt all. At the end, there was a Petri dish labelled 9th of April, 1939, Kye Hyeong-bok, skin tissue.
Kye Hyeong-bok is!
Clearly, it was the Joseon criminal who was found dead under the Cheoggyecheon Bridge this morning.
There was no reason for doubt, anymore. Professor Kurobe was the culprit.
Damn it, what do I do?
Professor Kurobe was clearly the culprit, but could I beat him? Ability aside, he was one of the senior professors at this school. Just by looking at the dates on the blood samples, he had been doing this for decades.
And yet hed never been caught, probably because having a few students expose him wasnt enough to do anything to him.
I had no choice but to do sothing by myself, right here, right now.
But, it wasnt like if I didnt stand a chance. Professor Kurobe would soon be back to his lab. Not knowing I was hiding in here. If I ambushed him then, I would have a chance.
I grabbed a sharp scalpel from the lab table and thought.
Ill wait here.
Even if Professor Kurobe decided to head to the dormitory before coming here, he wouldnt be able to commit a cri there, in front of so many witnesses. On top of that, Takahiro and his n were on standby there. Those guys that were in the level of executives of the Shimazu Gumi would be able to stop them.
A couple hours passed since I had been waiting like that. The sun was setting outside the window and the sky had grown dark,
And then the labs phone rang, breaking the silence.
Ack!
Surprised, I stood up and picked up the phone. It was Takahiro speaking.
-Young master!
What happened?
-We caught the guy nad Kurobe!
You caught him?
-Yes. Kurobe Sanosuke Hes quite an unpleasant looking fellow. He wanted to go into the dormitory, saying he had to check on Cadet Lees condition, so we tied him up for now. What should we do?
After all, he had decided to go to the dormitory instead of coming to his lab? But it was a relief. There was no need for to fight alone.
Its done!
Ill be there soon, so keep him put!
I stord out of Professor Kurobes lab and rushed out.
The dark long path, without any streetlights, that led from the professors research building to the dormitory. But not long after I had got onto the path,
Cadet Shirabayashi!
A voice called out to . When I turned, a young professor with a soft impression was there.
Saigane sensei!
It was Professor Saigane. As I stopped, Professor Saigane approached , smiling.
I was wondering who was out here as I took my night stroll! It was you, after all! But, Cadet Shirabayashi, what are you doing in school at this ti of the night? I thought you commuted to school.
Oh, there was just sothing I wanted to check. Anyhow
Since I had t up with him, I looked at his face. The hives that had been caused from his allergic reaction seed to be completely gone, and as a matter of fact, his skin seed to glow.
I got the antidote but it seems its not even needed.
Anyhow? What is it?
Uh I just ant that I should get going. I am kind of busy at the mont
Hmm. Well, you did indeed look busy. Alright, you should go.
Yes, sir. I shall see you tomo-
I was about to say bye, but I suddenly thought.
Wait, should I asked Professor Saigane to co with ?
If I, as a student, wanted to question a senior professor like Professor Kurobe, it would be helpful to at least have soone who is an adult and also a professor like Professor Saigane around. And in case of ergency
Sensei. Do you happen to have Awakened abilities?
I asked because, although slight, I could feel so mana from him. At my question, Professor Saigane burst into laughter.
Haha! Abilities, you ask?! Well, its not much, but I do indeed have talents of my own, as well. I can beco dorodoro(lty).
lty?
Yes. Would you grab my hand?
.
Without much thought, I grabbed Professor Saiganes hand, and I was frightened by the soft hand that felt boneless.
Ack!
Haha! Did I surprise you? Well, you see, its this kind of talent, Cadet Shirabayashi. This is why I did not ntion it
What the f. That did surprised , but it really is nothing.
It was probably so kind of tamorphosis, but it was probably completely useless in combat. On top of that, his mana level was low. Well, I guess that was why he was teaching general studies.
But still, compared to how little mana he has, this level of performance is quite high
Due to the slight curiosity, I decided to check the status window as I still held his hand.
Status window!
Whoop -!
Professor Saiganes status window showed up in front of my eyes.
?
But when I saw the status window in front of , I wondered if sothing was wrong and blinked my eyes. However, the status window was displayed on the visual nerves of the brain, and not the retinas, so blinking wouldnt change anything.
Haha Are you not holding onto my hand for too long, Shirabayashi-kun? Even if it is quite amusing.
And the status window didnt lie. It just analyzed the individuals soul, and the self-awareness and mana patterns engraved into each persons ghost, and then displayed everything as data.
[User information]
Na (Choi Seong-gil)
Age 27
Mana class E-class
Awakened abilities
tamorphosis/B-class
Blood absorption/A-class
Status tamorphosis maintained (121 days, 8 hours)
[Main screen]
I looked at the still smiling face of Professor Saigane, overlapped with the status window in front of , and thought.
What the fuck is this guy?
Wanna read ahead? You can access the Premium chapters ko-fi/taxingcorn117
You can check the instructions regarding premium chapters here here
Reviews
All reviews (0)