The Faceless Vampire
The door to the room slid open with a rattle. Takahiro, who had apparently heard the commotion out in the courtyard, poked his head out and called in a lazy drawl.
His gaze landed on the police sergeant standing behind Detective Kang, and his tone immediately turned mocking.
The sergeant flinched visibly. "…! Takahiro. What are you doing here?"
So they knew each other. That made sense. A high-ranking member of the hunter guild operating in Gyeongseong and a cop from the Jongno Police Station were bound to have crossed paths before.
The sergeant, momentarily stunned at the sight of Takahiro, glanced at Detective Kang and jerked his chin toward him.
"…Explain it to him."
"Yes, sir."
Detective Kang, still wearing his leather jacket, stepped forward and repeated the same story he'd given me earlier. This time he spoke in Japanese, and his tone was far more polite than when he'd addressed me.
"It's about… the incident at the café a few days ago. The perpetrator, a Joseon man named Gye Hyeongbok, was found dead. Shirabayashi here has been named as a possible suspect."
This version contained more details than the one he'd given me. So the Joseon robber's name was Gye Hyeongbok.
Takahiro frowned, clearly displeased. "A corpse? A suspect?"
"Yes, sir."
"When, where, and how was the body found? Speak clearly!"
When Takahiro pressed him in that overbearing tone, Detective Kang shot a quick glance at the sergeant before launching into a detailed explanation.
"This morning, under the Ogan-su Bridge along Cheonggyecheon… Yes, near Dongdaemun. Not far from here, actually. The body was completely drained of blood, dried up like a mummy. We've launched an urgent investigation to determine the exact cause, but we believe it may be the work of an awakened individual connected to the café incident—"
"Ha! That doesn't make any sense…"
Takahiro let out a derisive snort and turned to the sergeant.
"Ah…"
The sergeant, momentarily cowed by Takahiro's presence, turned back to me. "Is that true, Shirabayashi?"
"Yes, it is."
I answered calmly. After all, Takahiro was telling the truth—I had a solid alibi.
"We have train tickets stamped for both yesterday and today, and it can be verified through contact with my family in Suwon."
"Did you hear that, Sergeant? Shirabayashi has nothing to do with this. You can leave now."
Takahiro barked at the sergeant once more. Wow. So this was the power of the Shimazu-gumi.
In the end, the sergeant could only mutter, "…Understood. We'll be on our way," before slinking off with his shoulders slumped like a beaten dog, Detective Kang trailing behind him.
Takahiro watched them go, clicked his tongue, and spat on the ground. "Tch. Damn cops…"
I looked at him and thought, This turned out to be surprisingly helpful.
Of course I had a real alibi, and my parents' influence would have protected me anyway, but it still would have been a hassle—going to the station, making calls, proving my innocence. Takahiro had swept all that annoyance away with nothing more than the weight of his position in the Shimazu-gumi.
Still… drained of blood like a mummy, huh.
I stood in the courtyard for a moment, turning over what the police had said about the Joseon robber's cause of death. An unknown awakened had apparently sucked him dry until he looked like a mummy. What must that have felt like? Slowly having your blood drained, growing weaker, your mind growing hazy as consciousness slipped away…
Wait a second.
A face suddenly flashed through my mind.
…Lee Yuha!
The symptoms she'd described. She wasn't in pain, but she'd felt drained of energy, dizzy, and mentally foggy. She'd also been short of breath and unusually pale.
That's textbook anemia. The exact symptoms of blood loss…
Why hadn't I realized it sooner? It wasn't a cold at all. Those were the signs of severe blood deficiency—or massive blood loss.
Blood…!
Suddenly, I remembered what Yang Bok-ja had told me about Professor Kurobe's rumors. The nickname Dracula.
Could Professor Kurobe be…?
He obviously wasn't the legendary vampire, but given the nature of his research, it was entirely possible. Awakened blood served as a powerful medium for mana preservation. For a man who'd spent years studying mana conservation, craving the blood of students wasn't strange at all.
And there's no better place to harvest fresh awakened blood than a hunter academy.
If Professor Kurobe really was the culprit, then not only Lee Yuha but also Aikawa Satomi—who lived in the same dormitory—was in danger.
I shot to my feet.
Takahiro looked up. "Going somewhere?"
"Yeah. Not to the hospital—I've got somewhere else to go. You stay here and make dinner—"
I stopped mid-sentence and turned back to him.
Should I bring him along?
If Professor Kurobe really was behind this, there was no way I could face an elder professor alone with my current abilities. Having Takahiro—whose power was equivalent to a B-class hunter by 21st-century standards and who held a high position in the Shimazu-gumi—on my side would be a massive advantage.
I changed my tone. "—or would you rather not?"
"…?"
Takahiro had been making a face like he'd bitten into something sour at the mention of cooking, but when the order turned into a question, his expression shifted to one of confusion.
I pressed him while he was still half-seated. "Come on, grab your blade and get up. We're leaving."
"…Where to, exactly?"
The destination was obvious: the school dormitory.
As Takahiro gathered his sword, I answered him.
It was already evening by the time Takahiro and I reached the academy. Since it was Sunday, there were few students walking around campus. I headed straight for the dormitory building.
But once we arrived…
We're here, but how do we get in…?
The first floor of the dormitory was open to anyone, but the staircase split into two separate paths leading to the second floor. One led to the men's dormitory, the other to the women's. Naturally, the women's side was strictly off-limits to men.
"This is tricky. If only a female student would pass by so I could ask her to call someone… Huh?"
As I muttered to myself, Takahiro tapped my shoulder. I looked in the direction he pointed and saw a female student standing quietly behind me.
"Excuse me… are you perhaps Shirabayashi?"
The girl spoke in a flat, expressionless voice. She had short stature and long bangs that covered half her face. "Katsurai Osue. That is who I am."
…Hmm. Who was she again? I was sure I'd seen her in our shared classes, but she had such a faint presence that she was easy to forget. She gave off a rather gloomy impression. Still, that wasn't important right now.
Since a female student had conveniently appeared, I asked her directly. "Could you do me a favor? Could you call a girl named Aikawa Satomi for me?"
"…Understood, Shirabayashi."
Osue glanced briefly at Takahiro standing behind me, then turned and climbed the stairs to the women's dormitory. Before long, Aikawa came down.
"Ah! Shirabayashi…!"
Spotting me, Aikawa hurried over with quick, light steps. When I asked about Lee Yuha's condition, she answered,
"I was just in Miss Lee's room until a moment ago… She's still suffering. And I… I don't feel well either…"
Only then did I notice that Aikawa's face was also pale and she was drenched in cold sweat. I reached out and placed my hand on her forehead.
"Let me check your temperature for a second."
"Huh? Ehh…!"
Same symptoms.
When I touched her forehead and pulled up her status window, the condition field clearly displayed Anemia. The exact same status as Lee Yuha.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Well… it's like this…"
According to Aikawa, she'd secretly snuck into Professor Kurobe's lab last night. There hadn't been anything unusual, but after returning to the dormitory she'd started feeling weak and dizzy.
"What?"
After visiting Professor Kurobe's lab…?
It was clear now. Whether it was Professor Kurobe or someone else, there was definitely something in the school acting like a vampire.
First, let's head to Professor Kurobe's lab. …But before that.
What if the culprit came here while I was gone? I wouldn't be able to protect them.
I turned to Takahiro. "Takahiro."
"Yes?"
"Stay here and guard the dormitory. Borrow the dorm supervisor's phone and call in a few of your men. Don't let Professor Kurobe inside. I have somewhere else to check."
Takahiro nodded. "Understood. …By the way, who is Professor Kurobe?"
"Aikawa knows his face."
I pointed at her. Aikawa clasped her hands together nervously. "U-um! Shirabayashi! Where are you going…?"
"To Professor Kurobe's lab. If he shows up here, call the lab right away."
With that, I left the dormitory and headed toward the faculty research building.
By the time I arrived after walking the long path, the sky had already grown dim. The professors had either gone home or simply hadn't come in because it was Sunday. The research building was eerily silent, without a single soul in sight.
I took off my dress shoes and stuffed them into my bag to muffle my footsteps, then picked up a random pair of rubber shoes from the entrance rack and slipped them on.
As I carefully walked down the dark hallway, I found a nameplate that read Magic Theory — Kurobe. Light was leaking through the crack beneath the door.
This is it.
I pressed my ear to the door and listened for a long time, but I couldn't sense anyone's presence. I turned the doorknob. It wasn't locked. The door opened easily.
The moment I stepped inside, the strong smell of chemicals and alcohol hit me, like a hospital. The room was filled with the kind of glass beakers, test tubes, and petri dishes you'd see in an old science textbook. But Professor Kurobe was nowhere to be seen.
The lights were on, so he clearly hadn't left for the day. He must have stepped out for a moment. Maybe to get dinner?
I had to find more concrete evidence before he returned. I began searching the empty lab.
That's when I noticed a faint mana reaction coming from one of the bookshelves. It was a low-level mana barrier. Quite meticulously cast, but by 21st-century standards it was crude and full of holes—just like the iron stake barrier from last time.
I placed my hand on a weak point and channeled mana into it. The barrier dissolved without resistance, and the entire bookshelf began to rotate like a revolving door.
With a heavy grinding sound, the rotating shelf revealed another room behind it.
Oh my god…!
Just as Yang Bok-ja had described in the rumors, the room contained half-dissected small magic beasts. On the shelves were rows of glass test tubes sealed with corks, each filled with a deep red liquid.
Blood.
Up close, I saw that each tube had a label with a date and a person's name, neatly organized in order.
The dates went back more than a decade.
And at the very end were names I recognized.
April 7, 1939 — Lee Yuha.
April 8, 1939 — Lee Yuha.
April 8, 1939 — Aikawa Satomi…
Crazy. The rumors were true?
And that wasn't all. The final item was a petri dish labeled April 9, 1939 — Gye Hyeongbok Skin Tissue.
Gye Hyeongbok…!
That was definitely the Joseon criminal whose body had been found under the Cheonggyecheon bridge this morning.
There was no longer any room for doubt. Professor Kurobe was the culprit.
Damn it. What now?
It was clear he was guilty, but could I actually defeat him? Setting aside his abilities, he was one of the academy's senior professors. The dates on those blood samples proved he'd been doing this for over a decade without getting caught. A single student's accusation wouldn't be enough to bring him down.
I had no choice but to handle this alone right now. But it wasn't entirely hopeless.
Professor Kurobe would return to the lab soon. Without knowing I was hiding here. If I ambushed him then, I might have a chance.
I picked up a sharp scalpel from the lab table and thought, I'll wait here.
Even if he headed to the dormitory first, he wouldn't dare commit his crimes there with so many eyes watching. Besides, I'd stationed Takahiro and his men there. If they were high-ranking members of the Shimazu-gumi, they should be able to stop him.
About two hours passed like that.
The sunset outside the window had long since faded into complete darkness when the lab phone suddenly rang, shattering the silence.
"Whoa!"
Startled, I jumped up and snatched the receiver. Takahiro's voice came through.
"What is it?"
"You caught him?"
So he went to the dormitory instead of returning to the lab? Actually, that was better. I no longer had to fight him alone.
Perfect!
I kicked open the door of Professor Kurobe's lab and sprinted out. The path from the faculty research building to the dormitory was a dark trail with no streetlights.
But I'd barely stepped onto the path when someone called out to me.
"Shirabayashi!"
I turned around. It was a young professor with a gentle, friendly face.
"Professor Saigane!"
It was Professor Saigane. When I stopped, he approached with a smile.
"Oh, I wondered who was taking a night stroll. It was you! …But what brings you to school at this hour, Shirabayashi? I thought you were a day student."
"Ah, I had something to take care of. By the way…"
Since we'd run into each other, I studied his face. The hives he'd had from the allergy were completely gone. In fact, he looked healthier than ever today.
I went through all that trouble to get the antidote, but it looks like he doesn't need it anymore.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Um… I should get going. I'm kind of in a hurry right now…"
"I can see that. Go on, then."
"Yes. See you tomor—"
I was about to leave when a thought occurred to me.
Wait. Should I ask Professor Saigane to come with me?
If a mere student like me was going to confront a senior professor like Kurobe, it would be better to have another professor—especially an adult like Saigane—there as support. And in case of an emergency…
"Professor. Do you happen to possess any awakened abilities?"
I asked because I'd sensed a very faint trace of mana from him. Professor Saigane burst out laughing.
"Haha! My ability, you mean? …I never mentioned it because it's nothing special, but I do have one little trick. I can turn all dorodoro—floppy and squishy."
"…Floppy and squishy?"
"That's right. Here, take my hand."
"…"
Without thinking much of it, I took his hand. The moment I did, I recoiled in shock. His hand felt soft and boneless, like a lump of jelly.
"Whoa!"
"Haha! Surprised? Yes, that's the extent of my ability, Shirabayashi. That's why I never bothered to mention it…"
Whoa… I was startled, but it's really nothing special.
It was probably some kind of body transformation ability, but it didn't seem useful in a fight at all. His mana level was low too. No wonder he was teaching in the general studies department.
Still, for such a weak mana output, the effect is pretty impressive…
Curious now, I kept holding his hand and opened his status window.
Status window!
I stared at Professor Saigane's smiling face and the status window floating before my eyes, my mind reeling.
What the hell is this bastard?