3.4

“Ugh-.”

After finishing what had seemed like an endless lovemaking session, Helena carefully laid down Isaac, who had finally collapsed due to the pheromones accumulated in his lungs, and let out a stifled moan. Her waist felt beyond aching—it felt like it might break. His milky fluid, which had filled her to overflowing, trickled down her smooth thighs.

‘His blood was truly delicious beyond restraint.’

Fortunately, she had drunk his blood during their encounter; otherwise, she might have fainted and greeted the morning in this place.

‘How soundly you sleep…’

She gently stroked his hair. The bite marks that had been on Isaac’s nape had already healed, leaving no trace. In contrast, Helena’s once-pristine body was now a mess. From head to toe, there wasn’t a single unmarked spot—red traces that Isaac had left were everywhere. The desire of a boy who wanted to possess something for the first time was endless.

“‘I am yours’…”

As she mulled over the words she had spoken to him, Helena suddenly wondered how this child would react when he discovered her true identity. And how she would feel when that happened.

‘…I suppose I can’t remain a good memory like Ippolita did.’

Helena swallowed a bitter smile. These memories had become precious to her without her realizing it, and the feeling of tainting them for her goal didn’t sit well with her. Even if her feelings weren’t love.

“Quickly, tell me you love me, Isaac.”

That way, she could leave while fully preserving these memories. Perhaps when time passed, if she became human, she might seek him out again with these memories.

Thinking that she would like to spend her entire life here when that time came, Helena left Isaac’s room.

* * *

After the night when Helena and Isaac mixed their bodies for the second time, peaceful days passed by, and on a certain summer day in the forest, murmuring voices spread through the undergrowth.

“Should I dig this up?”

“That’s right, Isaac. You’re doing well.”

In the forest where hot sunlight streamed through the leaves, Isaac and Helena were gathering medicinal herbs side by side. When she had mentioned going to collect herbs, Isaac had followed her eagerly. Fred had tried to interfere, but thanks to the perceptive Johann who stopped him, the two were able to go out together intimately. As they amicably gathered from the same small pile of herbs for quite some time, their hands suddenly overlapped.

“Ah…!”

Isaac exclaimed softly in surprise, but Helena didn’t miss the opportunity and gently caught his fingertips. His hand fidgeted hesitantly but ultimately didn’t escape from hers; instead, their fingers firmly intertwined. Her cool temperature spreading through his warm hand made Isaac feel elated. Perhaps that was why his lips moved of their own accord.

“If, if only…”

Since dreaming of mixing bodies with Helena for the second time, he didn’t know how to describe the emotions that welled up whenever he saw her. Looking at his hand held in hers, Isaac voiced the words he had been hesitating to say for days.

“If I weren’t a priest…”

‘What would have become of us?’

The unfinished sentence caught in his throat and wouldn’t come out. Instead, he habitually fingered the Goddess’s wing pendant hanging around his neck. Watching Isaac with his lips firmly sealed, Helena laughed silently. For the past few days, he had been acting like this, seeming as if he might cross the line but never quite doing so. He was a naughty boy, applying the same teasing skills he used in bed.

“An ‘if’ is something you hypothesize because it can’t be realized. But you, Isaac, are different.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Even if you stop being a priest, it doesn’t mean you’re leaving the Goddess’s side forever.”

She was telling him to leave the Goddess and come to her. After uttering words no different from a devil’s whisper, she smiled more innocently than anyone. Then she released his hand and stood up.

“If I were to say I love you, would you accept me?”

She used the word “if” because such a thing should never happen. She shouldn’t fall in love with him.

‘And if you fall in love with him, you lose, Lena.’

Recalling the terms of the bet that Dennis had added, she looked down at Isaac with a smile still on her face. For some reason, her heart seemed to beat faster. He clutched his necklace tightly with a flushed face before abruptly standing up.

“I-“

Isaac’s words were interrupted by the rustling sound of branches. Unable to hear the rest, Helena looked at the people who appeared, disrupting this important moment. She had sensed their presence approaching from afar but thought she would hear Isaac’s answer before they arrived; however, his deliberation had taken longer than expected.

“Oh my! If it isn’t Dr. Helena and Priest Isaac!”

Looking at the unwelcome intruder who greeted them cheerfully, Helena asked with a hint of irritation that had risen within her. 

Why now, of all times?

“Nielson. Are you out hunting?”

“I was, but… there’s a strange rumor going around in the neighboring village, so I’m on my way back.”

As Nielson spoke with an ominous expression, Isaac, who had become equally serious, asked:

“A strange rumor…?”

“About a hunter who lived at the entrance of the neighboring village. They say he was bitten and killed by a vampire.”

The hunter in question was a man Helena knew well. After all, he had been one of her discarded prey.  

‘…There’s no way he could’ve died from just that amount of blood loss. He even came to the treatment room not too long ago, looking perfectly fine.’  

Something felt off. Deep in thought, Helena asked Nielson,  

“Were there any other victims?”  

“Fortunately, no, but… the atmosphere in the village is quite tense.”  

“Were there any peculiar signs? Has the central Holy Order said anything about sending someone?”  

Faced with her barrage of questions, Nielson stroked his beard as he relayed the rumors he had heard.  

“Ah, right. They say vampires each have their own hunting methods, don’t they? This one seems particularly cruel. Not only did it leave no blood behind, but it also broke the victim’s wrist after killing them.”  

Hearing this, her face twisted in discomfort.  

‘Dennis.’  

It wasn’t hard for her to guess who the culprit was. Ordinary vampires usually lost interest in their prey after feeding. Only Dennis had the peculiar habit of breaking the wrists of his dead prey. And it was always the men she had been intimate with. That act of his seemed almost punitive, as though he were punishing the men who dared to touch his woman.  

‘It seems he’s come to check things himself, with the time running short.’  

While Helena was lost in thoughts of Dennis, Nielson continued speaking.  

“The Village Chief from the neighboring town said he requested an investigation from the central Holy Order today. I’d expect them to send someone within a month.”  

Isaac, who had been silently listening to their conversation with a worried expression, finally spoke.  

“Just in case, we should prepare ourselves as well.”  

“That’s probably for the best. While killing those creatures is difficult, we can at least threaten them.”  

As soon as Nielson and Isaac returned to the village, they organized a night patrol and prepared holy water, sacred weapons, and torches with the village guards. Isaac, busy as he was, came to Helena late that evening.  

“Dr., could you possibly make this for us?”  

What he handed her was a recipe for vampire-killing bullets.  

“…I’ll give it a try.”  

‘These won’t work on Dennis, though.’  

Someone like him, who had lived as long as she had, would find things like garlic and purifying herbs laughable. Besides, Dennis wouldn’t recklessly attack this village. She had issued a warning to the vampires 20 years ago.  

‘If anyone even so much as lays a finger on that village, I’ll tear them limb from limb.’  

After the great massacre 300 years ago, there were only a handful of vampires older than her. Younger vampires wouldn’t dare defy someone like her. If it wasn’t Dennis, she could deal with the matter herself. And if it was Dennis, he wouldn’t do anything she hated. Still, just in case, Helena mixed herbs that were known to be weaknesses for certain vampires into the bullets. Every vampire had at least one herb that was incompatible with them.  

‘This won’t kill him, but…’  

While it wouldn’t be fatal, it would slow him down enough to give the villagers time to escape.  

“These were made in a hurry, so I can’t guarantee their effectiveness.”  

“I trust you, Dr. Helena.”  

“…And I trust you, Isaac. Please, come back safely.”  

“I promise.”

Just the thought of Denn