Walking along small bridges and the lakeside, Aiden and Arian arrived at a small residential area by the lakeside.
The dazzling afternoon sun illuminated the fields, houses with moss starting to grow from the ground, and the calm lake.
The surroundings were quite beautiful.
While Arian gazed at the scenery of the lakeside village, she turned her head in the direction of their destination.
“...Is it over there?”
She pointed through the trees that had grown green.
The distance to the school was still quite far, so it wasn’t visible yet.
Aiden silently followed behind Arian, then broke the silence.
“By the way, have you ever killed soone before?”
“...”
Despite going to kill humans, there was no tension felt from Arian, which was why he asked.
But Arian didn’t imdiately respond.
Instead of answering, she looked at Aiden with a puzzled expression.
“What are you calling , anyway...”
Arian, who was saying that, soon stopped talking and let out a small sigh.
It was a perplexing question for her.
Vampires that never killed humans?
But, in the end, it was her fault.
Arian had never properly talked to Aiden or Sadie about her past.
She thought there was no need to.
It wasn’t a pleasant story to hear, after all.
So ultimately, Arian’s response led to this misunderstanding.
Internally blaming herself, Arian asked Aiden.
“What about you? Have you killed a lot?”
“A lot... I guess you could say that. If you count the numbers, it might be over a hundred.”
Aiden answered calmly.
Killing over a hundred people.
For an individual who didn’t rely on the power of authority or society, it was an outrageously high number.
Even for a notorious serial killer, it was an unthinkable figure.
However, even that number wasn’t particularly surprising to Arian.
“I could count mine in tens of tis more.”
Arian said it as if making a joke.
But anyone could tell from her gaze that it wasn’t a joke.
So, Aiden asked a question.
“How did that happen?”
“Well, you wanna hear?”
Arian asked, and Aiden nodded.
Then, in a calm voice, Arian began her story.
“I’ll tell you. In the world I was in, humans were enemies.”
The world Arian was in was similar to the one Aiden lived in only in appearance; many things were different.
Starting from the history.
Their history was a struggle against various monsters, including vampires, and in the end, it was a history where humanity triumphed.
Several centuries had passed since humans conquered the world.
During the long period of peace, humans beca arrogant and eventually drew their swords against their own kind for trivial desires.
And then, the war among humans escalated.
To the point that individuals appeared who awakened ancient sealed monsters just to kill other humans.
The ti when Arian was born was when such chaos was at its peak.
In a laboratory of a country on the verge of collapse, her ancestors, who were the strongest and the first vampires, created another vampire with the blood of the original.
It was for the purpose of making her a weapon for their war.
However, imdiately after that, the country fell into ruin, and Arian escaped the laboratory by the hands of a researcher who sympathized with her.
From then on, under the care of that researcher, Arian spent her childhood, but during that ti, the war among humans also ca to an end.
Humans who barely survived the war soon appeared to clean up the unleashed monsters in the world.
Under the pursuit of the church, which led the charge, the researcher who took care of Arian died.
From then on, Arian began her true escape.
“During that ti, killing a few people was nothing.”
Arian was not an ordinary monster.
She was one of the five original vampires who inherited the blood of the first vampire.
The other four had caused severe damage to humanity to the point that each one of them was recorded in history.
The church, which regulated the extinction of monsters, didn’t spare any ans to kill Arian.
So, nurous enemies ca after her, and she killed them with her own hands.
It wasn’t intentional, but it wasn’t a joyful experience either.
At that ti, she was undoubtedly tired of surviving.
“Then, I ca to this place. And... I quite liked it here.”
In her original world, Arian had no one to rely on.
Her fellow vampires despised her.
Unable to inherit the sacred bloodline, created as an experint by humans, they didn’t acknowledge her as a kin.
And other monsters and humans feared Arian.
As her kind, vampires devoured humans, and even monsters feared her as a predator.
Only pure-hearted children who didn’t know what vampires were reacted sincerely to her.
So Arian liked children.
And, she liked this world where no one knew what vampires were.
Even in a world ruined by an unknown virus, even if it’s filled with zombies, this place did not reject her.
“Still, it’s an unbelievable story.”
Aiden said in response to Arian’s words.
Arian gave a bitter smile.
It was a natural reaction, of course.
If Arian hadn’t co to this world herself, she would never have believed in the existence of such a world just by hearing about it.
“But I understand.”
“Understand?”
“You... had that kind of personality.”
Arian’s head tilted slightly at the sowhat absurd statent.
“I used to think that you might eventually beco a threat to humans.”
Of course, not the current Arian.
She, on the contrary, belonged to a more trustworthy side than others.
Showing empathy for the dying, caring for children, and such.
Arian still retained the common sense lost by this world.
But Aiden thought it was because Arian hadn’t adapted to this world yet.
She was just maintaining her past way of thinking.
Aiden worried that as she continued to live in this world, she might eventually give up on it.
“But... it seems like my judgnt was wrong.”
“What do you an?”
“It ans exactly what it is.”
Arian asked as if she still didn’t understand what he was talking about.
Without saying anything, Aiden turned his head.
After all, he didn’t originally intend to demand an answer from Arian.
“More importantly, it seems we’ve arrived.”
Aiden, who had just reached the end of a small residential area, pointed to a building visible across the road.
It was the middle school Emma ntioned.
A fairly large two-story building.
Although it had fewer floors, its size was even larger than most gymnasiums.
Moreover, the surroundings consisted of a flat plain with only a few trees scattered around, making it difficult to approach without being noticed.
And what was sporadically placed around the school building were the diagonal crosses, the symbol of the EL.
Not only were the trees stained with blood, but there were even symbols made from human bones, making it gruesoly terrifying at first glance.
“We need to find a way to approach the building first.”
However, Aiden, without paying attention to such structures, calmly surveyed the surroundings.
Arian looked at Aiden blankly.
Aiden, sensing her gaze, asked:
“What’s the matter?”
Arian, who suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, shook her head.
“It’s nothing.”
With a sigh, Arian forced a hollow laugh inwardly.
At tis like this, it was rather fortunate that Aiden was an emotionless zombie.
She explained the deploynt of forces inside the school to Aiden and planned the infiltration operation together.
And soon after.
“Enemy!”
Inside a house about 50 ters away from the school building where a noisy sound began to be heard.
Aiden, hiding in the shadows inside the building, aid through the scope at the school building, where the loud noise started.
“I can see them now... about five of them.”
Aiden muttered.
Two were guarding at the entrance on the first floor, another was inside a window on the first floor, and the other two were guarding on the second floor.
A quite well-organized surveillance posture, not easy to approach.
However, they soon began to falter, looking around in confusion when gunfire from the opposite side of the school building started.
It signaled that Arian, who decided to enter the second floor through the roof, had started to move.
“...Good.”
In response to the agreed signal, Aiden quietly observed the guard on the second floor.
Bang!
The head of one of the fanatics guarding the entrance on the first floor exploded from a gunshot.
Another fanatic, who confird the corpse, looked around in surprise.
To him, the next bullet flew.
“Hmm...”
Aiden’s role in this operation was that of a sniper.
With a silenced rifle, he only needed to shoot and kill any visible enemies from a distance.
Having infiltrated the building and prepared to flip over explosives and gunpowder, Aiden’s task was quite comfortable.
But at the sa ti, he was worried.
Arian was doing the job that was originally supposed to be his.
She entered the building alone, carrying only a single machete and ard with a gun, guarded by twenty humans.
Of course, it was Arian’s idea in the first place.
Since she had originally conceived the operation.
But... is it really okay?
Arian was so confident in pushing for it, and although he said to do it as she wished, Aiden couldn’t find any logical explanation for the operation.
Of course, Aiden knew to so extent about Arian’s strength.
The fact that her strength couldn’t be explained by common sense.
And he naturally knew that she was much stronger than them.
But Aiden didn’t think that was a reason for Arian to willingly take on the danger.
Arian insisted that this operation was the most certain, so she would take the lead even if it was dangerous.
But Aiden’s idea of the best was always the safest thod.
In that regard, Arian’s plan seed lacking to Aiden, making him uneasy.
“...”
With such thoughts, another bullet flew, silencing one of the fanatics.
It was ti for the snipers on the other side to notice the presence of a sniper, but there was no corresponding gunfire.
Rather, in the midst of their confusion, Aiden swiftly took down all five visible enemies.
And suddenly, two more who erged from the building were also added.
Seven in total.
According to Arian, there were 28 inside the school building.
Also, eight were taken by the enemy from Emma’s camp.
Even if all the hostages were dead, more than a quarter of the enemies, 28 in total, had already died.
“...I need to move.”
For a while, there was no sign of the enemy where Aiden was.
Moreover, the noise coming from the opposite side gradually diminished.
Aiden, confident that the number of enemies had decreased, quickly picked up his firearm.
Then, he quickly swept through the 50 ters, where the fallen guards were guarding the entrance.
With the rifle slung on his back, Aiden held a pistol in his hand.
As he entered the first-floor corridor, footsteps beca audible.
Tap-tap-tap-tap, urgent footsteps.
It wasn’t Arian.
Aiden didn’t miss the sound mixed with a clanking noise, indicating soone was running with a gun.
So Aiden aid the pistol in that direction.
And soon, soone popped out at the end of the corridor.
A brief hesitation passed through Aiden.
During that mont, his gaze swept over the person’s body.
Soon, he discovered a diagonal cross tattooed on the person’s forearm.
“You-“
The fanatic opened his mouth.
But before he could raise the gun, a gunshot had already been fired.
With pinpoint accuracy, the fanatic’s chest was pierced by a bullet.
As he fell, Aiden, who was once again pressed against the wall, calmly listened.
In battles within such a large building, relying on hearing was crucial.
But then.
Suddenly, a voice ca from behind him without warning.
“Oh, you’re here?”
Surprised, Aiden looked behind.
He didn’t aim the pistol because the voice was Arian’s.
Her appearance relieved Aiden, but at the sa ti, he was puzzled.
Could she move without making a sound?
“Yeah. What’s the big deal with this?”
Well, considering the abilities she had shown, it wasn’t a big deal.
Aiden let out a short sigh and asked.
“How many did you handle?”
“All of them. The one you shot was the last.”
“...Fast.”
It hadn’t been even five minutes since they infiltrated the building.
Arian’s speed was much faster than Aiden expected.
Moreover, the state of Arian, who had dealt with about fifteen fanatics, was completely fine.
Not a scratch on her, not even a speck of blood on her clothes.
While Aiden was relieved by the unhard Arian, he couldn’t help but be puzzled.
What were the limits of Arian, especially considering the stories about the world she originally ca from?
But hiding such questions, Aiden asked only the questions he needed to at the mont.
“What about the hostages?”
“They are gathered in the center of the building. But... only three left.”
“Three...”
Since Emma ntioned eight, it ant that five had died.
“For now, let’s go that way.”
Arian nodded with a firm expression.
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