You're Not Human, Right?
"You... you're not human, are you?"
"That's right."
Judain replied leisurely.
"Why say it so seriously? You don't really care anyway."
Pfft— Eun-a relaxed her stern expression and flashed a playful smile.
"Busted, huh? Yeah, honestly, your age doesn't matter to me."
"The only thing I'm interested in is your abilities. Age is just a facade."
"But I have a condition of my own."
The playful smile vanished from Eun-a's face, replaced by a serious demeanor.
"You look about eight or nine right now. Even I have a conscience about that."
"So, I need to protect you."
Judain's eyes cooled icily.
"Does that mean you won't let me join the mission?"
"No, you'll join. I'll just assign bodyguards to watch over you."
"You're still young and lack combat experience."
Eun-a lightly tapped Judain's hat.
"How's that? You can accept it, right?"
"As long as it doesn't block the mission, it's fine."
Judain straightened her disheveled hat.
"Good, then shall we move on to the second prologue?"
"I have no idea how brutal the second one will be."
Judain shrugged with a sly grin.
"Our guest has such sticky mana."
Eun-a leaned in close to Judain.
"Like blood, almost."
She whispered softly into Judain's ear.
"What are you trying to say?"
Judain's voice turned subtly chilling.
"You're not human."
Eun-a placed her hand on Judain's mask.
"How rude."
Judain lightly swatted Eun-a's hand away.
"I've heard that a lot."
"You know, I deal with otherworlder races coming through gates every day, so that kind of mana feels awfully familiar."
Judain said nothing.
What could this guild leader be after? She's a hunter who fights otherworlders. And now she's asking if I'm one. Is this a threat?
But Eun-a's eyes held only amusement and curiosity.
As Judain stayed silent, Eun-a teased playfully.
"Shall I guess your race?"
"Hmm~ Elf? Or maybe a fairy, given how tiny you are?"
Judain realized what the woman wanted to hear while watching her play around.
"Hah, you already know and are pretending otherwise."
Judain spoke up again.
"Yes, that's right. I'm a vampire."
"So, what now? Gonna start a fight here?"
Judain boldly met Eun-a's gaze once more.
Eun-a's eyes widened slightly, as if caught off guard.
"Puhaha! Do you even know who you're saying that to?"
"Of course. You're a hunter who catches otherworlders from the gates, aren't you?"
Pfft—
"You're such a fun kid! I would've been disappointed if you'd frozen or run away!"
Eun-a wiped a tear from her eye.
"How'd you figure it out? I thought I acted pretty well."
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"If you really meant to kill me, you'd have held a knife to my throat from the start."
"And... you were terrible at acting."
"I didn't sense any killing intent."
Judain chuckled.
"You didn't feel that as killing intent?"
"Most people get terrified just from this much."
Eun-a's gaze deepened with even more interest.
"So, you'll keep my race a secret?"
Judain met that look nonchalantly.
"Naturally. There are plenty of people here with grudges against otherworlders."
"And no one else has the senses to identify your mana as otherworlder like I do."
"But hey."
Eun-a tapped the edge of Judain's mask.
"You gonna keep wearing that mask? I'm curious what you look like."
"Curious about my face?"
Eun-a nodded vigorously.
"Then I'll show you. No point hiding more now that my race is out."
Judain slowly removed her mask.
"What! You're this cute and pretty?"
"God really is unfair, huh?"
Eun-a stared openly at Judain's face.
"Why stare so hard? My face'll wear out."
"'Cause you're cute. So cute."
Judain glanced at her watch.
"So, when do we draw up the contract?"
"That's the main point, yeah."
"Secretary! Bring the contract!"
Eun-a shouted loud enough to be heard outside the room.
Moments later, the secretary outside brought the papers.
"Here you go."
"Shouldn't you usually have the contract on hand?"
Judain eyed Eun-a curiously.
"It's blank. I just asked for paper."
"Anyway, my most important condition is this."
Eun-a quickly scribbled on the paper.
Contract Conditions
• No solo actions
• Must be accompanied by 2+ people
• Restricted access to high-risk zones
"Oh, and I won't compromise on these at all, so keep that in mind."
"Understood. I'll accept."
"Come at night. Can't call a vampire out in the daytime, right?"
Judain knew Eun-a was misunderstanding but didn't correct her.
She could only come at night anyway, while Mom slept.
"Oh, and don't worry about scams with money or whatever."
Eun-a said as she gathered the contract.
"I wouldn't have come if I thought you'd pull that."
"How would an eight-year-old know that?"
"Still... I didn't come wrong. Guess I have good instincts?"
Judain shrugged.
"Well, business is done, so I'll be off."
"Yeah, bye~ See you next time~"
After Judain left, the secretary standing nearby looked worried.
"Was that the guest you were waiting for?"
"Yep. You look like you have something to say."
"It's too dangerous. She's just a child."
"Even with protection, bringing a kid into the guild..."
"You didn't see her eyes?"
Eun-a walked to the window and looked outside.
"If I'd refused, she probably would've gone off and done it alone anyway."
"Better we protect her than let that happen."
Eun-a said firmly.
"Wouldn't it be better to report to the Hunter Association?"
"Nah, that's tricky. She has some special secrets."
Eun-a put a finger to her lips and winked.
"...Yes, understood."
The secretary nodded and left the room.
I woke up naturally in the morning.
Glancing at the clock, I'd slept about ten hours.
Was I that exhausted yesterday...?
My abilities must still be unstable, putting a strain on my body.
Something rustled last night, I think.
Probably Judain sleep-talking.
Is Judain sleeping well?
Looking beside me, Judain was sleeping soundly.
Seeing her like that made my heart feel all warm and fuzzy.
"Mommy..."
A soft call of my name escaped her lips, and before I knew it, I pulled Judain into my arms.
I want to protect her.
Is this what family feels like? Just her presence fills my heart... but it also makes me anxious. What if this little one gets hurt? What if something happens when I'm not here?
...So I hugged her tighter.
Because I have to protect her.
Have I ever cared this much about anyone?
Probably not. No, definitely not.
Watching her sleeping face makes me want to hold her more, to do more for her.
...These feelings are all new to me.
I could stay like this forever.
Judain was born from my wish—does she feel the same fullness?
I want Judain to be happy.
I hope she never has to suffer like I did, living her whole life wrapped in warmth.
I felt like I could do anything for this child.
"Mmm... Mommy..."
Judain burrowed deeper into my embrace.
Her uniquely vampire cool body temperature felt even more vivid.
Is she cold...?
She's a vampire, so this must be normal.
But... you never know...
My head accepted it, but my heart didn't.
Before I knew it, my hands moved on their own.
I covered her with my blanket, put my outer clothes on her, picked up the fallen blanket from the floor—and suddenly there were three layers of bedding piled up.
This might be too much.
As I tried to remove one layer,
"Nngh..."
Judain whimpered.
I hurriedly covered her back up.
Her whimpering stopped, and I gazed quietly at her face.
So innocent, like she knew nothing of the world.
I didn't want to show this face to the outside.
I feared she'd get hurt out there.
Should I just never let her go out?
The thought rose naturally.
No... that's going too far.
Then, Judain opened her eyes.
"Mommy... it's hot..."
Her voice was drowsy.
Only then did I see the situation clearly.
She was bundled up like winter gear.
In spring, of course it'd be hot.
"...!"
I hurriedly removed the blankets.
"Was it too hot? Sorry, I thought you were cold..."
"No... I liked that Mommy was worried..."
Judain burrowed back into my arms.
And so the morning passed quickly.
I fed Judain some green onions, ate my own breakfast.
I should head to the Hunter Association today.
I recalled the message from yesterday.
I felt guilty leaving Judain alone so often.
I'll go quick and come back to spend time with her.
I resolved as I prepared to leave.
"Mommy, where are you going?"
"To the Association. It's not bad—it's good news, so don't worry."
I gently stroked Judain's head.
"Okay! Come back quick, Mommy!!"
I waved goodbye to Judain and stepped out the front door.