Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Juni
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Tora kissed Jain. Whatever had happened, Jain didn’t refuse. She joined in even more fiercely.
The moment she looked into Tora’s eyes, nothing else mattered. She would become prey for this beautiful beast. And the fact filled her with ecstasy, as if she had finally discovered the purpose for which she was born.
Clang.
As the two tangled fiercely, they knocked the knife on the floor, producing a metallic ring. It was a very small sound, but it was enough. They pulled apart as if burned by fire.
Tora’s face showed just as much shock at her own actions as Jain’s did. After a moment, she muttered,
“I’m sorry.”
Jain couldn’t tell if it was an apology for drinking more blood or for the kiss, but she didn’t ask. Any answer would shake her. But this wasn’t the time for that anyway.
“Let’s go. If you can.”
Jain stood, and Tora rose as well.
“Can you open it?”
Tora checked the iron bars and nodded. She hadn’t been able to use her strength before drinking blood, but now that the urgent fire was out, it wasn’t a big problem.
As promised, Tora smashed the prison door open. To avoid repeating the earlier mistake, she carefully scanned the surroundings before stepping out.
As they went down the corridor, Tora said,
“I think you’re really tough, Lieutenant.”
“It’s not easy.”
When Jain looked at her, not understanding, she added,
“The harder it is, the more it’s worth achieving.”
“You really don’t have a twisted bone in you. It’s not something easy to do.”
Jain swept Tora with displeased eyes.
“Are you mocking me?”
“No way. I was just thinking if Nika had a personality like yours, Lato and I never would’ve become vampires.”
“Either way, isn’t it good to be alive and see better days?”
It wasn’t belittling the weight of the tragedy Tora had endured; rather, Jain hoped she could think that way.
“Watching the world I knew change is more painful than I thought. Humans are creatures of habit.”
That’s why Tora stayed longer on the island. It didn’t change.
“Uh...”
Jain, about to speak, suddenly staggered and grabbed the wall. Dizziness prickled her spine like chills.
Tora grabbed her arm to support her and asked worriedly,
“Sorry. You okay?”
This was definitely an apology for drinking too much blood.
Jain looked at Tora.
She had gritted her teeth and worked hard for something meaningful in this life, nothing grand. But now, her only thought was that she wanted to be this man’s prey. It was a shock. And the fact that it made her happy instead was an even bigger shock.
Jain showed her hand to signal she was fine and stood properly. Then, as they walked again, she said in a casual tone,
“I just wanted to be a man because I grew up getting beaten by my drunkard father, hoping it’d make me strong.”
Not long ago, Jain had said she’d learned how to handle that crazy woman “with her body.” So Tora had some idea of her circumstances.
Enlisting right after high school graduation wasn’t something a girl from a normal environment could easily do.
And becoming a soldier, what she wanted to protect was probably her younger self. Or kids like her younger self.
Jain let out a hollow laugh.
“Thinking about it, it’s futile. If it was a dream that couldn’t come true, I should’ve at least dreamed of becoming Superman.”
But Tora didn’t pity Jain. Who had the right to pity someone who had walked out of nightmares step by step on sturdy legs?
Jain turned around.
“Tora, you can change the world. That’s as good as becoming Superman.”
Tora gave a wry smile.
“A strong body alone can’t change anything.”
“No. That mindset is what can’t change anything.”
Tora rolled her eyes and muttered,
“Wow, you say embarrassing things so easily.”
Jain rolled her eyes. When she was gasping from lack of blood, she had a delicate charm, but now Jain felt like making her spit up blood again.
“Say whatever you want.”
They checked that no one was around and went outside. Sticking to the wall, Jain seriously scanned ahead. Beyond the open field with no cover, a forest was visible not far away. If they could just cross the field, they could hide in the woods.
Tora watched her and suddenly asked,
“Lieutenant, wanna be friends?”
Jain turned and scanned Tora up and down as if she’d spoken an alien language. Tora smiled faintly.
“The one good thing about this mess is meeting you.”
“Yeah.”
Thinking about it, it wasn’t a bad proposal. Drawing a line as friends might actually help her keep boundaries. Keeping lines was one of the things soldiers did best.
But Tora’s expression turned strange.
“You accepted it more readily than I thought. I figured you’d say no.”
Jain turned her head.
“You’re right. Now that I think about it, no.”
Then Tora quickly grabbed the end of her sleeve and said,
“Nope. No take-backs.”
No take-backs... Jain was exasperated. What was this house-sized vampire saying? Why was it cute?
And that grinning face didn’t fit the situation and was cute...
Jain snapped out of it before she could think it. In a life-or-death situation, what was she doing? Being around this guy made normal thinking impossible.
“Let’s move.”
Jain spoke and took the lead. They moved while seeking maximum cover.
That’s when it happened.
Countless footsteps approached. Tora whipped around. A Legion unit was closing in like an army marching across the plain.
“Go, Jain.”
Tora pushed Jain and let go of her hand.
“Tora...”
Jain spun around frantically. Tora smiled.
“It’s not because you’re a woman or human. It’s just that I have a better chance of surviving here.”
She knew. No matter how strong she was, she was only human. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep up with her vampire comrade.
It would be a lie if she said she hadn’t despaired seeing the unbridgeable gap. But she believed humans had things only humans could do and had walked forward.
And now, what she had to do was run.
Jain started running. Behind her, Tora bared her teeth at the oncoming Legion soldiers.
“You’re not getting past this.”
Jain threw herself into the forest.
Thud. Rustle. Swish. Swish.
She ran faster than when bombs were exploding behind her. Her lungs swelled as if about to burst, and her muscles screamed.
She sensed presences.
Click, click. Click!
Jain raised both hands and stopped. She breathed raggedly. A unit in camouflage uniforms had their guns trained on her in unison.
“State your affiliation.”
One man said.
A bead of sweat rolled down Jain’s cheek.
Just because they were armed didn’t guarantee they were MCTC or other allies. They were more likely a Legion human unit. MCTC didn’t require approval for any operation.
And they wouldn’t have come to rescue her when Tora had acted on her own.
In normal circumstances.
“You guys aren’t cadets, are you?”
With Tora gone, Jain looked at the Ituha and asked.
“Huh? No...”
As the Ituha tried to protest, Jain held up her hand to stop them.
“Don’t bother with excuses that won’t work.”
She scanned them up and down in a tone that said she didn’t even want to hear it.
“I can tell you’re not simple cadets just from your walk.”
The Ituha—top warriors even among their own—couldn’t believe they were overwhelmed by the charisma of a human woman.
Jain clicked her tongue.
“He probably left you to protect me.”
‘Don’t other women get moved by that?’
The Ituha thought, but Jain’s eyes looked extremely displeased, so they wisely decided to say nothing.
“Anyway, here’s the plan.”
Jain turned and said,
“Your boss is acting tough relying on his sturdy body, but I’m the type who thinks life needs plans. So I’m gonna get caught—by those guys waiting for me to be alone.”
The Ituha couldn’t help thinking how much this woman resembled their boss. But unlike Tora, whose tough skin was compared to a tank, this one had a mere human body.
Still, before they could stop her, Jain spoke like a commander assigning missions.
“And you guys take pictures.”
“Pictures?”
It was absurd. Telling Ituha, whom world leaders would pay fortunes to hire as bodyguards, to just take pictures.
Jain said as if reading their thoughts,
“Without your level of agility, you’d get caught and killed before you could take a picture.”
Then she tapped her wristband and sent a contact.
“And send the pictures here.”
As she did, she pulled something like a pill from her inner pocket and swallowed it without water. The Ituha frowned, wondering if she was about to do something dangerous to her body, and asked,
“What’s that?”
“Don’t worry. Just a simple GPS.”
If she carried it outside her body, it’d obviously be found during a search.
Jain looked at the Ituha one last time.
“I don’t know who Legion will send to welcome Tora, but they won’t waste small fry on the Ituha boss. So since you’re taking pictures anyway, make them photogenic enough for awards. Get the face clear as possible.”
Then Jain turned and started running.
If MCTC’s approval process was cumbersome, she’d just force them to move immediately.
And Legion’s infamous recruiter Rachel was the type to make the sluggish brass jump like they were on hot coals.
Jain suppressed the burning pain in her lungs and said,
“Lieutenant Jain Summer, Intelligence Division SAU. ID code TAG092352.”
***
The door opened and footsteps approached. Gamal sat on the bed, arms wrapped around her shoulders.
The owner of the footsteps set something on the bed.
“Eat.”
It was a pack of Floss.
Only then did Gamal raise her head. The man who had brought the meal stared, momentarily speechless.
He’d thought the boss had a face more beautiful than most women, but the real owner of that face was indescribable. Unlike the boss, she gave off an endlessly pure and fragile impression...
Gamal muttered,
“Sorry.”
“What...”
The man felt something approaching his face.
Smack!
But the next moment, he felt nothing. He lost consciousness the instant he was hit by Gamal’s uppercut and slammed into the floor.
“It’ll hurt.”
Gamal stepped down from the bed. She heard footsteps rushing from outside at the noise.
Kunis still seemed to think she was as weak as when she was first infected. But despite appearances, she was a vampire who had survived three thousand years.
Even if most of that time was spent hiding and fleeing, she hadn’t just cowered and cried.
Guards appeared at the door. Gamal dusted her hands and stepped forward.