Vol 5 Chapter 2 (1/2)

The Clan Member Doth Devastate

[Night is near

That girl was only the beginning

This island will soon return to its rightful state]

When this short e reached the hed it off as a prank from someone who had read about the murder in the newspaper

But when the second body was found, and anotherto the location of the third body, it was determined that the mysterious letters were from the killer or an accomplice

There were no newpersons reported since, but the island tre the people

And it was to worsen that treroup remained on the island

<=>

Somewhere on the island

“What’re we going to do now, Juna?” Asked the sound recordist

“Obviously, we’re going to keep chasing leads” Replied Juna Riebeluka, the reporter from ZZZ Network There was no hint of hesitation in her tone

“We can’t let the incident at the square just pass us by A girl as turning into a as taken away by another girl That’s norends, but this time it’s different The sheer quality of infornore the number of witnesses”

Juna was not just a reporter, but the field leader of the ZZZ Network crew From her relative youth, it was likely that she was backed up by a great deal of talent In fact, this particular story was not assigned to her—Juna’s great interest in the case hat brought the crew to the island

“You came to this island for your first story, eh, Juna?” One of the crew h some documents

“Yes Although it’s been over five years now It was for a Halloween special—‘Do Werewolves Really Exist?’ Back then, I was just a newbie And I was angry that they made me cover such an idiotic story”

She looked up, her gaze piercing the evening streets

“…That’s when I was involved in an unusual incident”

The revelation she held back see now, but none of the crew members pointed that out

“Now that I’ve built up so on this island And this is just a gut feeling, but that ”

Though she could not be certain, Juna trusted the instincts she had honed over the years

With a confident smile, she turned to the cameraman

“Guard that ca on this island, soe”

As the crew lances, Juna declared:

“This erous story to cover But I think there’s so worth that risk, hidden in the dark side of the island And think about it this way… our story could change the very way the world thinks Doesn’t that get you excited?”

<=>

The skies over Growerth

Relic had left the throne rooo see Hilda

But at thenext to Waldstein Castle

He was not hesitant about going to see his girlfriend Relic was just about to dive into the sky over the city, but the moment he turned his body into a flock of bats, his keen sense of hearing picked up sobeats, discrete from his own

“…?”

He looked up at the source of the sound Some of the stars had been blotted out of the sky

To be more accurate, part of his vision was obscured by patches of black even darker than the night sky

A flock of bats, little different froh above hiht towards the castle, just passing Relic by

‘I wonder who that is’

He could tell at a glance that the flock was not a natural one The wingbeats of the bats were synchronized within a perfectly cubical formation towards the castle

‘What kind of formation is that?

‘I wonder if that’s what’s popular with the vampires on the mainland

‘But it’s definitely not someone from Growerth’

Thanks to the darkness of night, the sight would go unnoticed to the eyes of the huround

There was a gigantic black cube flying through the night sky

Humans would probably describe it as an UFO, but the cube was, in reality, so

Not even a vampire like Relic had seen one of his own kind fly in such a formation

Thethat the bats overhead had simultaneously shot him a look

Was it just his iination? Relic could swear that it was an icy look of utter condescension

Relic flew in circles for aabout the flock of bats

It was heading towards the castle after all, slowly descending towards the garden

If the flock really was a visitor, then perhaps it would be rude to leave the castle as its Lord, perfunctory though his role was

And what if this visitor was here withthe Carnale Festival?

Or if the guest was a friend of his father, who oodwill?

He pondered the possibilities, circled over the city once hed to himself as he returned to the castle

<=>

Waldstein Castle gardens

Waldstein Castle was the foremost tourist destination on the island of Growerth

Though it was supposedly still dwarfed by Neuschwanstein Castle, it was still an important historical and cultural artifact as well as a cornerstone of the island’s tourism industry

The castle’s great gardens were open to the public during the day Being in the arden, but there were countless points of interest contained within—like sculptures by Carnald Strassburg, hedges cut intoater fro the two

However, the gardens closed before sunset There were no people, let alone tourists And without a lively crowd to populate it, even a tourist destination was no different from a shady mountain path With the exception of events like the Carnale Festival and Halloween, Waldstein Castle denied huht

And as though in exchange, residents of the Night began to roaardens

Under the veil of darkness here in Waldstein Castle—

The symbol of the hidden side of the island—vampires

“Say, y’think maybe we need some sort of a charm point?”

Vampires ere currently involved in a discussion very far reht

“Where’d that coht in your brain?” “What’s this about a charm point?” “What are chars japanese people talk about” “Like japanese sha sisters” “Glasses” “Ninjas” “Mount Fuji” “Geisha” “Wasabi!”

“Say, I’ver never eaten sushi+ before Is it any good?”

“Better ask Mage sometime”

One vampire’s question led to countless laid-back answers

They were freeloading vainally subordinates of Watt, they caainst hi about in Waldstein Castle and its underground

Free of anything that ravity, the first of the freeloaders spoke up again

“Idiots! I’otta be a reason we’ve been neither here nor there all this time”

“Oh! You finally noticed?”

“And what’s this about a ‘we’? You sayin’ we’re neither here nor there, and not just you?”

“You gotta be kidding me”

“Go snort holy water through your nose and spit it out through your eyes” “S a crucifix and pull it back out”

The ansere all rather petty for a group of supposed ‘Residents of the Night’ The first of the freeloaders sighed loudly

“Guys This is why they never stop calling us freeloaders Look at Pirie and Mage They’re getting all friendly with the bigwigs here and actually getting places And look at us Why’re ays in the background?”

“Stop it,all sad”

“What do Pirie and Mage have that we don’t? That’s right—a charh And once you talk to her, you find out that she’s surprisingly noret even e doesn’t look like anyone special, but he’s an ass-kisser, and a good one at that And he’s got that stage uys in this castle hate boredoainst ‘em”

“Aha So you’re saying we need a charm point of our own”

“dae Shrewder than a fox”

“I bet he’s laughing behind our backs even now”

As the va them spoke up

“Wait Mr Mamiya isn’t that bad of a person”

‘Mage’ was the nickname of the vampire whose surname was ‘Mamiya’ He was also a former subordinate of Watt, and a new resident of Waldstien Castle, just like the other freeloaders Even before being turned, Mage was a gifted brown-noser to the strong and a condescending poseur to the weak He was the opposite of Watt, in a sense And as the female vampire defended him, her friends all whistled

“You’re being pretty defensive”

“So it’s true you have a thing for the guy?”

“I thought sohting tournament”

The va at their friend’s love life The fes

“N, no way! What are you, twelve?! You should take after Mr Marow up!”

“In other words, you took off after Mage and climbed the stairway to maturity”

“Just like Cinderella”

“Our tiht will never arrive… In other words, Cinderella can dance with the prince forever …That sounded pretty cool, eh?”

“What?”

“dae Shrewder than a fox”

The other freeloaders were probably only teasing Mage

Though nothing was accomplished, there was peace

It was just another evening at Waldstein Castle

But an icy voice filled the garden, denying the warmth in the air

“I am disappointed”

“Wha…?!” “Who’s there?”

The vaazes upward at the voice from the sky

Floating above the in a perfectly cubical forrew sarden

Soon, the bats began to e, one into another, as they slowly took on huround, they had taken the shape of a girl Obviously, she was a vampire If not, perhaps a bat-huher level

As the freeloaders looked around at one another, the girl looked at them and approached without a sound

She earing a black dress, but unlike the kind worn by Relic’s sister Ferret, it was of a flashy, revealing design The girl’s skin was abnor contrast to the color of the dress

The black leather straps around her exposed ars made her look rather difficult to approach

But thepart of her appearance was the fact that her eyes were covered with a blindfold that matched her dress

“Who’s the gothic lolita?”

Though the girl’s sense of fashi+on was unusual, the va even more outlandish characters

“Don’t you need othic lolita?” “Frills don’t othic lolita?” “It’s a japanese fashi+on subculture based on Rococo-style aristocracy”

“Wow… Actually, I’ve always been wondering—how do you guys know so much about japan?”

“Anyho is that? From the costu”

“Or anization officer? Just like how Mr Iridescent cao”

“Speaking of, I wonder if Milhail’s all right” “Mr Gerhardt and Miss Ferret are there, so I’ over Mihail now?”

“Are you cheating?” “I’e” “You’re all so immature…”

As the conversation returned to its twisted rails,

“Might I ask that you stop ignoring me at once?”

Although she was not raising her voice, there was clearly a hint of annoyance in her tone

It was ie of a vairl had the appearance of a sixteen-year-old

Her dark hair cascaded in the wind as she looked upon all with condescension

“Waldstein Castle, known as the vampire’s paradise I had wondered just what sort of vampires inhabited this place But to think they would be an uncultured rabble, little different from those lowly humans I fear I have overestimated this castle’s renown I am truly disappointed”

The freeloaders’ eyes turned to dinner plates at the insult as they quickly huddled together

“Hey We just disappointed someone we met for the first time”

“How?” “Maybe ‘cause you look hideous” “asshole”

“Maybe she thought this castle’d be full of attractive people like Christopher Lee”

“OrInterview With a Vampire”

“It’s true that a lot of va”

“That’s because a lot of va humans”

“But then again, we’ve got s like you around”

“You’re an idiot, you know that? I’ll have you know that I was the biggest heartbreaker in japan a thousand years ago!”

“Being pudgy was the standard of beauty in ancient japan only because fat was linked with having food to eat It’s not quite the say people attractive”

“That’s our professor of japanology for you”

“Wait, wait, wait Didn’t you just get turned five years ago?”

After a round of whispers, one of the vampires turned to the newcomer

“Well, uh… sorry to disappoint you, Missy Try to cheer up”

“…?”

The girl frowned under her blindfold, not knohy the va at her with pity

The freeloaders nodded sympathetically

“Can’t believe anyone would overesti to survive in the real world?”

“Be careful, or youdefrauded”

“You hear about stuff like that all the ti all nice, but he turns out to be a Hunter It’s too late to say ‘I overestih your heart”

“What we’re trying to say is… don’t give up, ya hear?”

The newcoround her teeth

“Silence, you plebeian cos like you!” She cried, i all hints of civility from her tone The freeloaders shrank back

“Scary!” “In a different way fro than Ferret” “I think I came a little”

“Sicko” “Sicko” “Sicko” “Sicko”

The freeloaders whispered ast themselves, but the newcomer’s ears did not fail to pick up on their voices

“Y, you peasants… If Master Diuil had not forbidden me, I would have annihilated you where you stood!”

“Chill out, Missy You’re face is getting all wrinkled”

“And who’s Di a blindfold, anyway?” “Did you get hurt somewhere?”

The girl’s rage neared the breaking point But she er

“Is it not obvious? There are far too s in the world not fit to be seen by one’s eyes Lowly humans, lowly plebeian vampires, loolves, lowly cities, lowly countrysides, lowly air, and lowly sunlight I have sealed away s borne of our Clan’s bloodline”

“…” “…” “…” “…” “…” “…”

The freeloaders exchanged dubious glances

Though the girl was talking like an actress straight out of theater, her honesty was as clear as day She sounded like a cultist as convinced she was doing the right thing The freeloaders felt a different sort of pressure now

“If she can’t see us, it ht?” “I got called fat for nothing Thanks a lot”

“Anyhat do we do?” “What do you irl is really scary”

Though the vanore her pride They quietly began to debate their next course of action

“Weren’t there people like her in the Organization?”

“The Steel Blue Steel Monster Or Okuichimonji”

“Mr Melhilm and Mr Caldimir are kind of like that, too Wonder if they’re on the same level as her”

“Or wait Maybe she’s just cosplaying and getting really into character”

“That’s it!” “That sounds about right” “Anyway, nohat?” “Let’s try and get the story straight”

This tiirl’s ears unnoticed A hu could not pick up their voices from even ten centimeters away

“What is the matter? Have you finally realized your oliness? My name is Pauil, one of the cornerstones of our exalted Clan Though I am but a humble attendant, keep in ether”

The girl proudly rubbed salt in the freeloaders’ wounds They put on stiffened grins

“Wow That’s a Plain folks like us couldn’t even compete”

“Even your clothes radiate class!”

The sarcasirl’s head as she snorted proudly

“So now you finally understand By Sunfold tradition, lowly vampires like you would ordinarily be annihilated But Master Diladly allow your sustained existence so long as you reht”

“!”

One of the freeloaders finally reacted

‘Wait Wait Sunfold?

‘That’s the bullheaded Clan that’s hostile to the Organization!’

At that point, the freeloader realized that nothing about Pa dead serious

It was not difficult to i from the Sunfold Clan, renowned for their pride

‘So why the hell is someone from one of those Clans on Growerth?

‘Wait That Diuy she just talked about…’

As alarm bells went off in the valy All of a sudden, a cell phone began to vibrate

“…Excuse me”

She unclipped her cell phone from her belt and turned her back on the freeloaders

She then slowly pulled back her blindfold and looked down at the screen with her oo eyes

She was looking at a texting application, upon which she was co with someone

“…She’s looking at the thing with her own eyes”

“That’s the newest Nebula model, isn’t it?”

“Guys Wait We’ve got bigger things to worry about” One of the freeloaders whispered harshly The others listened carefully

“Why d’you look so scary?”

“I just reuil They’re—“

The moment he was about to reveal the all-ied once more

Another swarbeats approached the castle Each beat was quieter than that of a bird’s or an insect’s, but the sheer nuh for the vampires to hear it clearly Unlike Pamela’s earlier approach, this one was very familiar

“…”

Pae on her cell phone, sent it, and clipped it back onto her belt

The blindfold she had re and reformed over her eyes

And looking as though nothing rong, she coldly looked up at the bats descending froarden, and took on the form of a certain boy

Relic von Waldstein, the master of the castle

Having returned to his original for in the center of the garden

“We’ve… never met before, have we? My name is Relic von Waldstein I’m the new Lord of Waldstein Castle Do you have some business here?”

It was clear that Relic was not yet used to such greetings And as though putting a price on hiirl quietly scrutinized his voice and tone

“Pamela D Rosskleim So you are the Lord of Growerth and the head of the Waldstein family?”

“Th, that’s right Although I don’t really do much as the Lord…” Relic said sheepishly Pah sound alone She then tilted her head and sighed loudly

“Unsurprisingly, I am disappointed”

“Pardon?!”

Relic was flustered by the sudden verdict “Here we go again…” The freeloaders began to whisper ast themselves

“Born as a thoroughbred aroup of vae… I had wondered just what sort of a prodigy you ”

“Uh… I’rew colder

“And to think you would so easily suber like myself… Have you no pride as a vampire? There is no security and no barrier around this castle, and you are so unguarded that you have little awareness of your own identity Hmph! I suppose I must have overestimated your existence I see now that you are but acautious for”

Pamela snorted as she condescended upon Relic

Though such an act was nors he heard on an everyday basis from his own sister

“Honored Brother, youyour noble status!”

“One wrong move, and every resident of Waldstein Castle will be shamed by your behavior, Honored Brother!”

Being already co the same mistake as the freeloaders had just earlier

“Uh… please don’t overesti people If you don’ta mistake”

Relic was speaking partly to hiement had cause trouble in the past

However, after the conversation she had with the freeloaders, Paht offense

“…How dare you?! I, I see what you are trying to do! You plotted with this rabble ahead of time to hand me humiliation!”

Pahty Relic was left in a state of flustered confusion

But the freeloaders, whispering arew confident in Relic’s presence as they began to turn their murmurs into audible chatter

“…So what the heck is a Sunfold?”

“Well, I heard they’re supposed to be a dangerous Clan But seeing that girl, I’m not so sure anymore”

“Maybe they’re not all they’re cracked up to be”

“True They’re s Clan”

“Wait, Clans? Y’ century?”

“That’s right Just like Mr Melhilm Wait Don’t tell him I said that”

The conversation began to veer into the territory of insults

“Wait, everyone Let’s not talk like—“

Just as Relic frowned and made to admonish the freeloaders, Pamela unclipped her cell phone once more

<=>

A series of text es

Pae in battle In massacre]

Diuil: [This is quite sudden, Pamela]

Pamela: [I have been shamed by these plebeians, Master I cannot let this pass unpunished]

Diuess that your unfortunate habit of unnecessarily agitating your enemies must have been the reason]

Pamela: [I only spoke the truth, Master! Perhaps I could stand for an offense against me, but if I were forced to back down in silence after the Sunfold Clan was insulted, I would have no reason to exist! I shall take my own life, Master I shall pick out my heart with an ash stake! I shall stuff the eucharist into my throat!]

Diive you permission on one condition: Under no circumstances are you to kill your opponents Is that clear?]

Pamela: [I swear by the blood and honor of the Sunfold Clan, and your cursed soul, Master Diuil, that I shall adhere to your command]

Diuil: [I understand I will not pere theitate the vampires on this island]

Pamela: [Truly, Master?]

Diht be the best way to begin Show them the power of Sunfold—no Show them my power]

Pamela: [As you wish, Master!!!]

<=>

Pamela finished off her text with three exclaht—and turned off her cell phone

Relic opened his ize