1.4

As the sun began to peek over the horizon, Helena climbed the modest hill path, taking in the view of the village below.  

‘From this perspective, it looks like nothing has changed….’  

“It’s truly a beautiful village, isn’t it?”  

“…Isaac.”  

Although his sudden appearance might have startled others, Helena, having already noticed his presence, calmly called his name. She couldn’t take her eyes off him as his figure gradually became illuminated by the dawn light.  

Had he always looked like this when he was younger? 

The boy who had once seemed merely cute had grown into an unfamiliar man. Squinting slightly against the glare of the light shining behind him, Helena chose instead to focus on the gentle tone of his voice.  

“You’re here early. From a distance, I thought it might be you, so I came to greet you.”  

“You’re very thoughtful.”  

“It’s what I promised to do. Please, follow me. I’ll show you around the chapel. The High Priest is currently in the middle of morning prayers, but he said he would greet you once he’s finished.”  

Helena let out a quiet scoff.  

‘How many facilities could that tiny chapel possibly have to warrant a tour?’

Helena, following behind Isaac with a disinterested attitude, was soon genuinely surprised by the drastically changed facilities. She had thought it had only been twenty years, but the difference between her time and the villagers’ twenty years was quite significant.  

“This is a garden the High Priest created as a pastime. He planted some herbs and vegetables, and over there, he’s raising small animals.”  

Helena observed Isaac’s profile closely as he explained in his soothing, low voice. His glossy hair no longer had its curls, his once-soft cheeks had been replaced by a sharp jawline, and his broad shoulders filled out the black priestly robes that buttoned up to his neck. As she studied his upper body, she let out a soft, amused chuckle.  

‘Well, the little boy has grown into a man exuding masculinity during that time… If someone’s hands can change a chapel, then it’s no surprise.’  

At the end of her gaze, she noticed beads of sweat forming on his forehead. It seemed that the increasingly warm weather was affecting even the composed priest.  

“Isaac, aren’t you hot?”  

Her pale, delicate hand barely brushed against his forehead before moving lower to unbutton the collar of his robe. At her touch, Isaac instinctively flinched and turned to look at her, now standing slightly apart. His face flushed as if the early summer heat had seeped into his cheeks, and he took a deep breath, feeling his heart race inexplicably. He imagined catching a faint whiff of a rose-like fragrance from her and let out an exaggerated cough, trying to dispel the illusion.  

“Ahem. Even in the summer, one must maintain a proper demeanor.”  

As he said this, his trembling fingers rebuttoned the collar she had undone. Watching him, Helena guessed that his lack of immunity to such touches stemmed from his priestly life. If he had been a man familiar with women’s bodies, he would have been much easier for her to seduce. A pure man like him, oblivious to her intentions, could only flail in embarrassment when faced with her sensual touch. Helena clicked her tongue softly at the sight.  

‘This might be harder than I thought.’  

“You’re very diligent.”  

Helena smiled mischievously at his reddened face, but in her mind, she was already contemplating how to seduce Isaac. Simply releasing pheromones and sinking her fangs into his neck, as most vampires did, wouldn’t qualify for the bet. According to Dennis, “the hunt” meant Helena’s unique way of hunting—drinking the blood of her prey only after they had fallen in love with her.  

“…I-I’ll show you to the treatment room now.”  

As he walked ahead, his broad, sturdy back in view, Helena found herself, for the first time, anticipating the taste of his blood. How delicious would it be to drink the blood of a pure, untouched body as it embraced her, gasping for breath? Her gaze shifted to the tips of Isaac’s ears, which had turned bright red, and she swallowed her saliva.  

“Please, lead the way.”

For vampires, the taste of blood was influenced by the emotions of their prey just before the bite. Emotions such as fear, s*xual arousal, unconsciousness, or love determined the flavor of the blood. For Helena, who still harbored a reluctance toward feeding, the only types of blood she could tolerate were those thickened by s*xual arousal or sweetened by love.  

It was easy to guess that Dennis mentioned both “hunting” and “love” because of her peculiar taste.  

“This is it.”  

Helena calmed her previously heated mood and took a look around the small treatment room. There was only one bed, the medicines consisted solely of various herbs and holy water, and the sole priest doubled as an apothecary. The lack of a doctor made the conditions seem far too inadequate.  

The priest, who had been preparing medicine, noticed the two of them and greeted them in an excited voice.  

“Well, well! Priest Isaac, who is this stunning lady?”  

“Priest Johann, this is Helena, a doctor who will be staying in the village for a while.”  

“Ah, I’m Priest Johann, at your service! A doctor as beautiful as you—this must be a blessing guided by the Goddess!”  

Helena gave an awkward smile at Johann’s exuberance. Watching his carefree demeanor, she couldn’t help but compare him to Isaac, wondering if he was really a priest. His behavior reminded her of a mischievous boy from her memories.  

‘He must be Frederick’s eldest son. I always wondered what he’d grow up to be, and it turns out he’s a priest.’  

Seeing him in priestly robes that didn’t quite match the boy from her memory, she clicked her tongue softly.  

“Priest Johann, it’s nice to meet you. I’ll be volunteering here from time to time, so I look forward to working with you.”  

“Oh, I’d be delighted!”  

“Priest Johann handles the medicine, and as for patient care….”  

“That’s mostly my job. Who is this?”  

The introduction was interrupted as a young priest entered the room. He cast an uncomfortable glance at the unfamiliar Helena. His short-cropped hair, slightly upturned eyes, and sharp features made his expression even more severe.  

Helena tried to recall whether there had been such a boy in her memories, but no matter how much she searched her mind, she couldn’t remember his face. Just as she was about to think of someone he resembled, Isaac introduced the young priest.  

“Helena, this is Fred, the youngest priest here. Fred, greet Helena. She’s a doctor who will be staying in the village for a while and will occasionally visit the treatment room.”  

“……”  

“I’m Helena. You look quite youthful—must be because you’re the youngest.”  

“Isn’t he? Fred is only twenty years old.”  

At Johann’s comment, Helena realized that Fred had been born after she had left and nodded in understanding.  

Without a word, Fred gave a curt nod as his greeting and studied her. Pale skin, an undeniably beautiful and alluring appearance, and greenish-brown eyes that seemed capable of enchanting anyone. To Fred, the foreigner standing before him evoked the image of a vampire from the Holy Order’s scriptures, making her someone to be wary of.  

“It seems the chapel tour is over. It’s the perfect time to introduce you to the High Priest.”  

Isaac, unaware of Fred’s suspicion, guided Helena to meet the High Priest of the village.  

“Welcome. May the Goddess’s grace always be with you, Doctor.”  

“I look forward to working with you, Priest.”

The meeting with the High Priest was no different from encounters with other priests. However, he, too, seemed to see Helena as overlapping with Ippolita, a devoted servant of the Goddess who had once dedicated herself to the village. The irony was that while Helena was indeed Ippolita, she had never been a servant of the Goddess. Thus, such compliments were far from pleasant for her to hear.

“This is a small place, so it didn’t take long to look around. Then—”

“Priest Isaac, a believer who wishes to confess has just arrived.”

Fred, who had emerged from the High Priest’s room, addressed the two—more precisely, Isaac. Helena immediately saw through Fred’s adorable attempt to separate her from Isaac. With her heightened senses, far superior to those of humans, she could tell that the only people in the chapel were herself, the Priest, and the three other priests.

“Go ahead, Isaac. Thank you for today.”

“I’ll escort you to the front of the chapel.”

Isaac’s hand, barely holding onto the edge of Helena’s sleeve, trembled slightly. It was no more than twenty steps from where the High Priest had been to the front of the chapel. She wondered what it was about this brief walk that made the man so eager to accompany her. However, recalling how much time she had already spent with him today, she carefully pulled her sleeve free. There was no benefit to hastily seducing an innocent priest.

“It’s fine. I’ll see you again later.”

Once again, Fred greeted Helena with a silent nod before leading Isaac toward the confession booth. Isaac, for some reason, kept turning back to look at Helena as he walked away. Only when they disappeared from view did Helena step outside the chapel, her ears attuned to the distant voices.

—Fred, there’s no one here.

—Oh dear, I told them to wait, but it seems they were in a hurry and left.

Helena stopped paying attention after hearing Fred’s regretful sigh. If there was one advantage to becoming a vampire, it was her significantly enhanced senses, far superior to when she had been human. No animal could rival this heightened perception, which was why vampires reigned as apex predators above humanity. Reflecting on her extraordinary abilities, Helena began to ponder how to deal with the adorable meddler.

‘He doesn’t seem like the type to run away just because I scare him a little… How troublesome.’

She furrowed her delicate brows, considering various ways to frighten the meddler. Ultimately, she concluded that using pheromones to brainwash him would be the best approach.