The Ball (Complete)
"Ugh."
Imitating Lucia's tone as best I could, I somehow ended up pleasing Faye as well.
Since I had to avoid drawing eyes from at least two people, I deliberately wandered into quieter corners.
But then...
"Ah, is that... your name...?"
"Would you like to dance a waltz with me?"
"My name is [Name]. Would you care for a drink after?"
"I'm sorry. Ah, I'm rather busy right now. I have prior engagements..."
"Haha, sorry..."
Without meaning to, I had attracted every possible aggro.
A crisis where I couldn't loosen the tension even for a second.
Most women vampires, I suppose I should be enjoying this... but not right now.
Wandering around, I finally found a relatively quiet spot and picked up a bottle of champagne.
Better to sip something than do nothing, after all.
There was a staircase leading up. I climbed a few steps and leaned against the railing.
"Hoo..."
Now I could finally breathe.
I pulled out the emblem tucked away in my pocket, reminiscent of her emerald.
Even just the jewel-encrusted emblem must have been incredibly valuable.
She'd definitely come to the lab for sure.
My head was already throbbing.
"Why me...?"
Why did someone so capable have to be so lacking?
I could have just found someone who fit and lived happily.
Until today, I hadn't known she was such a girl.
The temperature difference between human and vampire was so stark.
Was there no decent vampire at first glance?
I couldn't understand it at all.
'Still...'
There was something to harvest.
This emblem, the faster turning into a vampire, the absence of blood dripping from the mouth or internal tremors as warning signs.
My senses had also expanded a little, feeling wider.
I could even hear distant conversations.
"Quite delicious."
Without thinking, I downed the champagne I'd brought.
As I prepared to refill and head back down the stairs...
Thud.
I collided with a shoulder coming up the stairs.
A burly man reminiscent of Bold.
"Ah, sorry."
"Eh... it's fine."
After quick apologies, the two parted ways without incident.
Returning to my spot with the champagne, I felt a strange sensation.
That fleeting moment, the man had scanned my appearance from head to toe.
Curious who he was, I closed my eyes and focused on the voices.
Among the many, I picked out the man's voice from the short conversation earlier.
[It was like that.]
[That was... a few years... ago.]
His voice faintly from afar.
With a clear thread, I focused solely on the man's voice.
[About three years, right?]
[Yeah. When I was at the lab trying to make money, that guy bumped into me.]
[What was his name... I think he was really famous. Yuria...? I forgot.]
[Hmm, that was the feeling. That scrawny guy from earlier... if he was like back then, I'd have killed him on the spot.]
[Gunter, watch your mouth. Kid, you're a noble now too. When will you grow up...]
Seowoo quietly listened to the group conversation involving the man called Gunter.
The man named Gunter seemed to be the burly man's name from earlier.
"Hoo... what good words."
Even if I listened, there was nothing I could do.
It would have been better to just ignore and rest.
When I opened my eyes again...
My heart rate surged rapidly, amplifying the already expanded senses.
"Why, why is this?!"
My body didn't listen, like a broken control device.
Goosebumps covered my body as unknown killing intent took over.
Instead of my will, my feet moved toward Gunter as if something else was controlling them.
Thud.
Thud.
Seowoo had closed in on Gunter's vicinity, raising his sharp claws and not hiding the overflowing killing intent.
'Please stop! Please...!'
Seowoo poured all his strength into regaining control of his body.
I couldn't cause a commotion in such a visible place.
Especially not a bloody fight!
Clench.
Fortunately, Seowoo's desperation made the emotion-filled fist clench.
Blood dripped between his fingers.
Like extracting blood from a corpse by cutting the hand when dead.
With rough breaths, he slowly regained control of his body.
"...Hoo."
Dizzy.
Did I have to consider this a side effect of being a vampire too?
Seowoo sat at the table and met Gunter's eyes.
Holding blood in his hand, the situation felt extremely bizarre.
"Hey, enough. What are you trying to do."
"Damn..."
His followers tried to stop him.
When Gunter turned his gaze away, Seowoo could finally leave.
At the moment he heard the conversation, it felt like someone had taken control of his body.
And even now, the bad feeling lingered in his body.
Frightened, Seowoo quickly returned to the railing where he had been.
"..."
His back was soaked in cold sweat, making the clothes cling uncomfortably to his skin.
This was the first time with such an enemy.
With rising anxiety, he scanned his surroundings repeatedly.
His heart pounded so loudly that, despite the noise around, he only heard the throbbing sound.
Thinking that staying here could lead to real trouble, instead of hiding his identity, he moved to find a place to sit.
Plop.
Seowoo threw himself into the chair like collapsing.
He felt sudden exhaustion.
In a short time, it felt like he had endured a grueling journey.
"Haa..."
His nerves were on edge from the strange body state, and being surrounded by vampires didn't help.
Even on a day off, his mind and body were so drained.
'It should be time to calm down the vampire rage...'
His eyelids were heavy.
Just closing them a little would plunge him into sleep.
How much time remained until the ball ended?
With various thoughts, his head drooped.
* * *
A pristine white space resembling the lab.
When I opened my eyes, intense white light struck my retinas.
"Umm..."
With a soft groan, I shielded my eyes with my palms.
The last memory was sleeping at the ball.
With my senses amplified, I would have noticed if anyone touched me.
"...Where am I?"
Seowoo looked around with a disheveled face.
The clothes I was wearing were the white patient gowns worn by the livestock pen experimental subjects.
The familiar view beyond the partition walls, where researchers would be.
Was I dreaming a nightmare?
Countless hypotheses burrowed into his mind.
[What are you so serious about?]
At the same time as a youthful voice from behind, the stage darkened.
Spotlights lit up at the sound's source, and Seowoo's head turned as well.
A boy sat on the chair, as if only his face had been cut out.
"...Who are you."
[Hey~ Not to say boring things.]
The boy gestured smoothly as if he were a smooth talker.
"...Then?"
Because my vigilance had risen sharply after arriving in Nectar, even facing the boy was cautious.
[You woke me first. I called to greet you.]
"I don't know who you are and I never woke you."
What kind of sudden event was this?
The conversation without explanation was very impolite.
[No, no. Remember well. Have you already forgotten what happened earlier?]
The boy mimicked a puppeteer on strings.
"...So you took control of my body?"
[Yes. Thanks to you using my power, this happened.]
"...Impossible."
The power mentioned by the boy in front was likely that of a vampire.
[Ah, you don't have to be so cautious. I'm on your side.]
The boy covered his unseen mouth and giggled.
Seowoo's vigilance only rose further as he swallowed dryly.
I never imagined a parasite like this growing inside me.
Was this a late resolve to not become a vampire?
[No? Too late. Since I woke, it's already started. And a parasite is too much.]
"What...!"
The boy answered as if reading Seowoo's thoughts.
[Don't worry. I'm really on your side.]
"...React like that and expect me to believe?"
[Of course, under the assumption that you listen to my words.]
Cunning speech made the listener angry.
[Still, thanks to you, I found my way.]
"Way?"
[You'll know soon.]
The boy stood from his seat and approached Seowoo.
[Sorry, but it's time to part. I can't stay here long.]
"Eh, wait...!"
I hadn't finished speaking yet.
[Goodbye.]
When the boy's hand pushed the space, Seowoo felt like falling from a cliff and was pushed to the other side of the world.
*
*
*
"Haaah...!"
Flailing from the dizzy sensation of falling, Seowoo grabbed his chest and sat up.
The familiar ball scene and the reality of his wildly racing heart.
Yes. This was the real world.
"Are you awake now?"
A familiar gray-haired boy peeked out from the side.
"Eh, Lucia-nim...?! Ah...! Sorry."
"It's fine. I brought you here anyway. Did you have a nightmare?"
Seowoo hurriedly covered his face with his palm, recalling the memory of becoming a vampire.
Why had everything flowed so quickly?
Seowoo, not in his right mind, didn't even realize he had returned to being human.
Moreover, only Lucia and himself remained at the ball.
"But why cover your face?"
"Ah, that...! I was trying to clear my mind."
What kind of nonsensical excuse was this?
It would have been better to say I was ashamed of screaming.
Seowoo hurriedly wiped his face as if washing it.
"Haha... I see. Everyone went home, so let's go too."
"Ah... yes..."
"It was unforgettable... in many ways..."
"Eh...?"
"No. Hurry up. The magitech train is coming soon."
Lucia turned with a faint smile, looking very happy.