Ominous Movements
We had chased Mother's trail without a second thought, all the way to this unfamiliar country in the far east—but it did not take long to realize that, for us, this place was hell.
Eyes of surveillance in every direction. A society so tightly bound through social media that the instant contact broke, everyone around would know. ID checks and inspections as ordinary as breathing. Streets so bright even deep into the night that finding a patch of darkness was nearly impossible.
A hot, humid climate. Garlic consumption so rampant the smell hung in the air itself. Red crosses wherever you looked. Noisy singing. Nowhere a dwelling fit for members of our house. Countless rivers cutting straight through the heart of the city.
In short, the environment itself denied and rejected the very existence of vampires.
Not all of us were vulnerable to crosses and garlic, so a few families still enjoyed a little freedom—but even they could not properly take blood.
In this society, blind spots simply did not exist.
And even if you found one, dragging a human there unseen was impossible, so all that remained was to starve.
Those who lacked self-control, or who were desperate for blood, could not endure the thirst and rushed out to feed—but none of them ever came back.
They were either hauled off by the authorities until contact simply ceased, or slaughtered on the spot by a magical girl the moment they fed.
Families who tried to seize pre-drawn blood met similar ends. Even if we abandoned human blood and settled for the blood of beasts, there were no beasts to be found here either.
It was hell itself.
On top of everything, the language barrier made even luring prey with words—or simply holding an ordinary conversation—an ordeal, and that made it worse still.
"Ilie… this time, I think you really were wrong…"
My sister, who had asked for a private audience, had grown so gaunt in only a few days that it showed at a glance, and she begged me to consider going back even now.
"…Go back to our territory—already occupied by those things?"
"It'd still be better than here! And don't talk like it's someone else's business. How many of your own children have already gone silent?! How can you act like it doesn't even touch you?!"
Having finally snapped, she poured out her resentment, insisting that if we had never come here we could at least have died with our dignity as nobles of the night intact.
"Yeah… you're right. At least we wouldn't have had to worry about not being able to take blood."
Even I, the one who had insisted we come, could not bring myself to argue. I could only admit it, bitter and quiet.
"See?! So even now…!"
"No, Elise. It's already too late. And… I still haven't even asked Mother what she's thinking."
At that, her face darkened at once, and she spoke in a voice thick with hostility.
"…Even if every last one of us dies worse than beasts, you still mean to stay?"
Your heart already left this place a long time ago. Looking at her face, I wondered how we had ever come to this.
Because we failed to find Mother in time? Or because I took her place, saying I would carry on her dream?
There had to have been some wrong turning somewhere.
Where had it been, exactly.
"…Once we've met Mother, you can do as you please. Join with family who agree and go back, or go wherever else you like. But until then—until we find Mother—you'll come with me."
"That's a promise."
Pressed that far, even Elise could not push any further. She hooked her pinky with mine and warned that if I went back on my word later, she would not simply sit still.
"So. Have you found where Mother is?"
Having somewhat collected herself and recovered a measure of calm, Elise asked after the location of the freak who held Mother inside their body.
"Yeah. Of course I have. The humans here call it… Incheon. I'm not sure what kind of place it is, but it's a lawless zone, so taking blood shouldn't be too hard."
"…That's the most agreeable thing I've heard so far."
With that, my sister left my room as if she had nothing more to say.
When Mother was still with us, Elise and I had gotten along so well.
Mother—how on earth did you end up inside that freak's body? What on earth are you thinking?
Asking only questions that would never be answered, I drew the curtain over the sunrise that was slowly beginning to show beyond the window frame.
Reviewing once more the damage report that had come up from the Incheon branch a few days earlier, I judged that this incident could not simply be waved aside with a few empty words.
Infiltrating the branch, slaughtering the freaks who guarded it, and then, as if in deliberate provocation, picking out one of the senior researchers to kill—no matter how generously one tried to look at it, there was nothing generous to see.
If her Principle had required her to obstruct my activities, I might, as one in a similar position, have settled for a polite warning and left it at that…
But that was not the case with her, and yet she had interfered with me all the same. I could not simply let it stand.
Even among fellow countrymen, there were lines that must not be crossed. The impersonation I had been willing to overlook, figuring she must have her reasons—but an assault on a branch was not something I could ignore.
And she had been loose in this world for quite some time now. Someone needed to deliver a sharp lesson and bring her to her senses.
In that case, half-measures would hardly do.
I picked up the pager and contacted Ox, Tiger, and Pig.
"It's me, my fellow countrymen. I find myself with a favor to ask of you, and so I've contacted you in some haste. If you have a moment, might I impose?"
"What favor. If we refuse you'll come kill us, won't you. Tch. Don't waste my time with empty courtesies—just say what you want ordered."
"Rabbit, if it's your request, of course I'll hear it out. But you've got to make it worth my while again this time!"
"Chomp chomp… I'm a bit busy right now. Ghk. In the middle of… a meal."
Tiger and Pig answered with rather half-hearted attitudes, but Pig really would be busy eating, so I only made a note to correct Tiger's manners a little later, and passed on my request.
"Very well. Since you seem busy, I'll keep to the point. I wish to leave a certain lesson with the freak who ought to have taken the Dragon's seat… Hemoregia."
"This about your private outfit getting hit a few days ago?"
Tiger asked bluntly whether it was grudge, and since that was not exactly wrong, I allowed it.
"It would be a lie to say otherwise. Still, she has been running wild without the slightest restraint. If she doesn't come to her senses soon, her life itself will be in danger—so as fellow countrymen, I thought we ought to step in and help."
"Holding a grudge and still fretting over her. Ridiculous. I understand what you're getting at. You want that mad dragon beaten into the dirt, is that it?"
Tiger still sounded displeased, but the prospect of a fight seemed to put him in better spirits; his tone eased a little.
"Exactly so. Pig, Ox—the same goes for you."
"I could handle it alone. Do I really need to drag those two deadweights along?"
Tiger spoke slightingly of his colleagues, but given who he was, it was hardly surprising, so I did not press the point.
"She was made to be the strongest among us from the start. Even for you, it may not be easy. That is why I am sending the others—so do not take it too much to heart. Pig, Ox. You have no objections, I trust?"
Pig was still more interested in eating than anything else, and Ox, mild by nature, said he had no real complaint—indeed, that having comrades along would be reassuring.
"That is fortunate. Then stand ready. The next time she appears, I will ask Rat to send you straight to the scene. I pray you may fulfill your Principles."
With that formal farewell I ended the call, and turned to the next report, checking how far the collection of "misfortune" had progressed.
"…Not much longer, is it. Now I need only find the right person."
Where, I wondered, was the one who would die carrying every misfortune of this world upon their back.
"…Puechoong!"
A sneeze burst out of me while I was looking at my phone.
Had I caught a cold? Me? This body didn't seem the type for petty little illnesses.
"Pff—puhahaha!!! What kind of sneeze is that, pffft!!"
Na-rae heard it and, unable to hold the laughter in, was rolling on the floor howling.
Oh, so this brat's completely lost it now? Want me to actually drag a magical girl into the house?
Still, even I had to admit the sneeze had been pathetic and ridiculous, so I couldn't quite bring myself to snap at her.
"You. I'm letting this one slide. You laugh like that again and I really will bring Radiant White into this house, got it?? You know I don't bluff."
At that, Na-rae must have remembered that I'd told Radiant White where we were staying yesterday, because her face crumpled at once.
That's right, kid. Mind your manners, understand?
…That was one thing.
But why did I feel this strange, creeping chill?