6.2

‘Village Chief, I’d like to live here if that’s possible.’

‘Of course! We would love it if you could stay longer.’

‘But before that, I need to visit a place for a few days, so I’ll have to leave the house for a while.’

‘Really? Then it would be best to go quickly. I heard the Central Holy Order is arriving in the neighboring village tomorrow.’

‘Already? They’re moving quite fast this time.’

‘It seems they suspect it’s the work of a vampire they’ve been keeping an eye on. You know well, Helena, that when the Holy Knights arrive, the villagers won’t be able to come or go freely.’

‘Damn it.’

It was all because of that cursed vampire, Dennis. If the Holy Knights arrived in the neighboring village, the town would be locked down for at least a month. Moreover, if several Holy Knights decided to hunt down the vampire, Helena herself wouldn’t be safe either. The best choice for her was to leave and search for her uncle while the investigation was ongoing. And by the time she returned, she might even be human again.

As she was busily preparing to leave, Lena felt someone’s gaze from behind and turned around.

“Dennis. Could you stop sneaking up on people?”

“What’s the rush, Lena?”

“It’s because of you.”

Helena glared at Dennis with a slightly irritated tone. She didn’t want to leave like this, as if she were running away, but there wasn’t enough time.

“Ah, so the Holy Knights are finally coming.”

“You’re so carefree. They’re knights trained specifically to kill us.”

“They’re just humans, after all.”

Helena sighed and shook her head at his arrogance. She had to leave by tonight at the latest.

“Do as you please. If I hear news that you’ve been killed by the Holy Knights, I’ll mourn for you.”

“I’m glad you’d mourn my death, Lena.”

“Crazy…”

Muttering a curse, Helena finished her preparations to leave. Her luggage was as small as it had been when she arrived. She left behind some bulky medical tools at the market. If she became human, even this small bag might feel burdensome. Dennis, watching her intently, finally spoke.

“That kid said he’s quitting being a priest.”

“That wasn’t one of your lies?”

When she had overheard Dennis talking to Fred a while ago, she had dismissed it as a lie to manipulate Fred. She couldn’t imagine Isaac quitting his role as a priest. If it was true, though, it could only be because of her. Realizing Isaac’s love for her once again, Helena unknowingly smiled.

“…I only heard about it while the kid was consulting with the priest. Today, a human named Johann told me.”

For Helena, this was the best news she could have received. Even if she returned to being human, she couldn’t marry Isaac while he remained a priest. Of course, since he had already lost his purity to her, it was unlikely that Isaac, with his sense of guilt, would continue being a priest. But there was a difference between a confirmed fact and mere speculation. Helena bit her lip to suppress her emotions.

“You’ll move at night, right, Lena?”

“Yes. It’s easier to move then.”

At night, she was faster than any beast, but during the day, she had to walk slowly to avoid drawing attention. She had already told the Village Chief she would leave at dawn tomorrow, so leaving tonight wouldn’t arouse suspicion. Dennis forced a smile as he spoke to Helena.

“Lena. Am I really not good enough to be your partner?”

“Dennis… I—”

As she was about to reject his persistent proposal once again, Dennis interrupted her.

“Goodbye, Lena. See you later.”

Helena calmed her restless heart as she watched Dennis vanish, leaving only a faint trace behind. Despite countless rejections, why couldn’t he give up on her? Even if their intimacy had amplified his pheromones, it shouldn’t have been to the point of such obsession.

Drip, drop, drip-drop—

The air had felt humid for some time, and now, rain had finally begun to fall. However, it didn’t seem like it would last long, so she thought it wouldn’t be too late to leave once the rain stopped.

***

After finishing his final prayer of the day, Isaac was tidying up the prayer room. He stood before the Goddess Statue, offering a prayer. Though his faith had already crumbled, the force of habit was terrifyingly strong.

“Please forgive me, even if I abandon my position as a Priest, and absolve me of yesterday’s sins.”

After concluding his short prayer, Isaac looked down at his palm and brought it to his lips.

‘I love you.’

The sweet memory of her cold touch still lingered. At that moment, the sound of footsteps and a low voice echoed through the prayer room.

“Why… Why does it have to be you?”

Isaac turned to face Dennis, who was approaching him. Soaked from the rain, Dennis exuded an ominous aura.

“I was the one who stayed by Lena’s side. I was the one who found her ‘Uncle’. I was the one who loved her first.”

“It’s her choice.”

“Her choice? How dare a pathetic human like you speak as if you know her completely.”

Before Isaac could react, Dennis closed the distance and grabbed him by the collar. The flickering candlelight illuminated Dennis’s golden eyes, making them even more vivid. Isaac was now certain—this man was undoubtedly the vampire who had attacked the villagers and himself back then.

“Ugh—!”

Isaac twisted Dennis’s cold, solid wrist with both hands, and with the sound of joints cracking, the grip loosened. He kicked the vampire hard in the stomach, creating some distance between them.

“Argh!”

Crash!

Dennis tumbled backward, colliding with the prayer room’s chairs. Isaac silently thanked the rain. Without it, he, unarmed, would have been no match for the vampire. Meanwhile, someone was watching their struggle from afar.

‘Priest Isaac is in danger…!’

Fred, who had been cautiously following Dennis after noticing something strange, was shocked by what he saw through the crack in the prayer room door. If Dennis was also a vampire, Isaac would need a weapon to stand a chance. Fred quickly dashed toward the basement where the Holy Sword was kept. 

In the meantime, Dennis, who had risen from the floor, wore a furious expression.

“How dare you!”

A tense silence filled the space between them. Normally, Dennis would have already snapped Isaac’s neck, but the rain had significantly weakened his powers. Though he found this fact frustrating, Dennis refused to admit that, at this moment, he was no different from a human. He lunged at Isaac in anger.

Thud.

Isaac hit the ground, pain surging through his body from the impact. His shoulder, which Helena had stitched up not long ago, throbbed. But he couldn’t afford to collapse now. He grabbed Dennis’s fist, which was aimed at him, and held on. He knew well that merely defending himself wouldn’t lead to victory. He had to stop the vampire before the rain ceased.

‘How…?’

Isaac desperately recalled the vampire hunting methods Johann had taught him, hoping that one of them might be useful in this moment.