5.1
A pitch-black night where even the chirping of insects could not be heard.
With a short scream, Fred woke from his sleep, gasping for breath. He hugged his trembling body with both arms. Ever since he had seen her true form, he had been plagued by nightmares, thrashing in his sleep, only to wake up at the sight of Isaac’s lifeless body in his dreams.
He couldn’t even remember how he had made it through the prayer meeting. Johann and the Priest had noticed his poor condition and asked why, but he lied, saying he must have caught a cold from being out in the rain. Three days had already passed, yet the monster showed no sign of leaving the side of the man he respected. Fred gnawed nervously at his thumbnail.
“…Should I tell someone? But this time, she might actually kill me.”
‘Live quietly, as you always have. Pretend you don’t know anything.’
The words, which felt like a curse tightening around his throat, left Fred unable to sleep again. He got out of bed, straightened himself, and changed into fresh clothes. For some reason, the path to the prayer room felt unusually long today.
Step, step.*
Unlike his quiet footsteps, another set of footsteps echoed clearly behind him, sending chills down his spine. Fred quickly turned around, only to see a man behind him, who greeted him with a faint smile.
“May the Goddess’s grace be with you.”
The man was called Dennis. Though Fred denied that Dennis was a monster, rumors were already rampant in the village that he was the monster’s lover. As such, Fred couldn’t help but feel even more tense.
“…May the grace be with you. What brings you here at this early hour?”
“My heart feels restless, so I came to offer a prayer to the Goddess.”
Dennis brushed past Fred and entered the prayer room. Fred quietly followed behind him.
At the front of the room stood a statue of the Goddess with outstretched wings, and rows of candles on either side illuminated the darkness. Dennis sat in the frontmost pew, gazing up at the statue, while Fred took a seat a little further away, clasping his hands together.
“How much do you know about Priest Isaac?”
Fred didn’t answer Dennis’s question. It seemed Dennis hadn’t expected a reply, as he continued to speak calmly, as if talking to himself.
“Then… what do you think of Isaac, not as a Priest?”
“That man…! He would never do such a thing!”
‘Isaac, not as a Priest.’ The mere suggestion of such an idea made Fred bristle with indignation. But he quickly composed himself and finished his sentence. For a brief moment, he thought he saw a strange glint in Dennis’s golden eyes, but he dismissed it as a trick of the light.
“What if it’s not of his own will, but because he’s being brainwashed by someone?”
“Brainwashed? That’s absurd…”
“Do you know why humans fall prey to vampires?”
Fred frowned at the sudden mention of vampires but quickly realized Dennis was referring to Isaac and Helena. Though Fred had initially intended to avoid engaging with Dennis, the conversation had drifted into a topic that mirrored his own concerns, and he found himself drawn in.
“It must be because of their heightened senses and superior strength.”
“No. It’s because of pheromones.”
“…Pheromones? That’s not written in the scriptures, nor is it taught by the Central Holy Order.”
“Because most people don’t know. The pheromones vampires emit are perceived by humans as nothing more than a pleasant scent.”
Fred had heard something similar before—that vampires were said to have a sweet fragrance. However, he couldn’t understand what Dennis was trying to imply and stared at the man intently.
“Pheromones captivate people, making them unable to resist. They can brainwash or even arouse s*xual desire. That’s why those exposed to a vampire’s pheromones mistakenly believe they are in love with the vampire.”
“…I don’t quite understand why you’re telling me this.”
Fred vaguely understood what Dennis meant but couldn’t figure out why this man knew so much about vampire pheromones. Growing increasingly wary, Fred’s thoughts turned suspicious. Dennis, noticing Fred’s tense demeanor, smiled widely, his handsome face lighting up. The prayer room, which had been filled only with the scent of burning candles, began to fill with a rich, honey-like fragrance.
‘What is this…? Did Priest Johann put out some rare beeswax candles?’
As Fred inhaled the sweet scent, he assumed there must be a beeswax candle mixed among the others. Little did he know that it was the pheromones Dennis had just mentioned.
“Ah, I forgot to mention something important. By chance, I overheard Priest Isaac speaking with the High Priest. They were having a shocking conversation about him falling in love with a woman and deciding to leave the priesthood.”
It was truly shocking news. Fred’s eyes widened in disbelief. Isaac, leaving the priesthood? Only then did Fred realize Dennis’s intentions. If what Dennis said was true, Isaac must have fallen victim to the monster’s pheromones.
“…Do you also know about her?”
“Oh, I love her—that vampire.”
“……!”
Fred’s eyes grew even wider.
How could he speak so casually about such a thing? Was this man also a monster?
Fred’s heart began to pound again, but the heavy, honey-like scent dulled his senses, leaving him in a daze.
“The villagers don’t need to know, but shouldn’t he at least be told? She cares for this village. If you tell just one person, there’s no risk of rumors spreading, is there?”
As the beeswax-like scent continued to fill the room, Fred began to accept Dennis’s words. The monster herself had said something similar:
‘Wouldn’t it be better if no rumors spread?’
That didn’t mean he couldn’t tell Isaac, did it? Fred’s eyes gradually lost focus, becoming cloudy.
“You’re right. Priest Isaac must know. He needs to understand that what he thinks is love is just a vampire’s hunting mark.”
Fred, nodding as if agreeing with his own words, slowly left the prayer room. As Fred’s footsteps faded into the distance, Dennis turned toward the Goddess statue and began to pray.
“May the servant of the Goddess safely return to Her embrace.”
The flickering candlelight cast shadows that made it seem as though the Goddess wore a sorrowful expression.
* * *
Fred climbed the stairs to the second floor of the chapel, his mind consumed by the thought that he needed to tell Isaac the truth about Helena. He didn’t even consider that it was still too early in the morning. Before the sun had risen, he knocked on Isaac’s door.
A moment later, the sound of rustling came from inside, and Isaac emerged from his room.
“Who is it…? Fred? What brings you here so early?”
“Helena is a vampire.”
Still half-asleep, Isaac thought he must be hearing nonsense—or perhaps he was dreaming.
“What? Fred, as I’ve told you before, you can’t make baseless accusations—”
“I saw it. I saw that monster sink her teeth into your neck and drink your blood.”
Fred pointed to Isaac’s neck, exposed above his pajamas. Normally hidden beneath the high collar of his priest’s robe, two distinct red marks were visible there. They were traces left by Helena, who had been unable to erase them due to her weakened abilities from the rain. Isaac had noticed the odd marks before but dismissed them as simple bite marks, unaware that vampires rarely stop feeding in the middle of a hunt.
“Fred, as Priest Johann said, this is something that requires caution.”
“Yes, rumors must not spread. But Priest Isaac, at least you must know.”
Fred’s eyes were unfocused as he spoke, but Isaac, overwhelmed by confusion, didn’t notice.
“For now, ha… come inside so we can talk. We can’t let the others overhear this.”
Isaac grabbed his junior priest’s hand and pulled him into his room. In Fred’s mind, a voice urged him to tell Isaac everything: the connections he had uncovered between Ippolita and Helena, the fact that he had followed Helena, and the pheromone story Dennis had shared.