I can't begin to imagine how Lena found such a desolate, abandoned house.
"Sister Lena, why on earth are you going in there?"
"Well, um…"
"Sister, be honest. You're not really thinking about exploring this place, are you?"
"Ugh…"
"Tell me the truth."
Finally, Lena lowered her head and confessed.
"Zeon, this might be hard to believe, but it's true."
"Yes?"
"My mother... she died of illness when I was young. But yesterday, she appeared to me... as a vampire."
"..."
"She bragged about having a lover and told me to bring him to meet her... She said she wanted to see your face."
"How much did you tell her about me?"
"I told her your name, what you look like, and what you do."
This house... it's clearly a trap. I know from reading the novel that Lena's mother was resurrected as an undead, siding with the Demon Lord. The Demon Lord's forces are probably already aware of me. After what happened with Aris, Kazan, and our run-in with the spider hero Margurshas, it's likely they've caught wind of my existence. Lena's mother must have realized I'm a prime target and set this trap to lure me in.
To persuade Lena, I knelt down, meeting her eyes.
"Sister Lena, it's not a good idea to go in there."
"But… my mother asked to see me."
"Lena, she's a vampire."
"Mom said she doesn't drink human blood."
Clearly, Lena's mother had deceived her with sweet, manipulative words. Simply telling Lena her mother is dangerous wouldn't work here.
"Sister Lena, do we really need to meet her today?"
"What do you mean?"
"That abandoned house looks far too dangerous. I don't understand why your mother chose such a place. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if other undead are lurking there."
"But wouldn't my mother protect me?"
"Of course. But if your mother already came to your room to speak to you, why do we have to meet her at this dangerous place?"
"Uh? Like that?"
Lena began to hesitate, doubt creeping in.
"If your mother truly cares for you, she doesn't need to meet you in that house. She could return to your room later. Or we could wait for her at a motel or something."
"But Mom doesn't know where any motels are."
"We can leave a note for her during the day."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. It's unfortunate, but we should leave this place today."
"Yeah…"
I took Lena by the arm and gently led her away, her expression downcast. Now, I had to find a way to reveal the truth about her mother and deal with her. Luckily, I have strong allies like Aris, Jenny, and Kasha.
'Should I bring everyone here? Kasha or Aris could easily take down a vampire. Or maybe I could convince Jazlin to lend me some of her elite guards?'
As we left the slums, dark figures suddenly surrounded us.
"Ugh…"
"Kyaaa…"
Just as Lena and I were about to scream, the figures covered our mouths, dragging us into a nearby alley.
'What the hell? My luck stat of 300 isn't helping?'
"Are you Zeon?" A man asked in a calm voice.
"Uh? Dad!"
Lena's eyes widened as she cried out.
"That's right. It's your father. Keep quiet."
The man placed a finger to his lips, and Lena clamped her hands over her mouth. From the contents of the novel, I recognized him. This must be Obius, Lena's father and the owner of the Magic Tower.
Next to him stood a woman about the same height as Lena. She lightly poked Lena's cheek, her expression irritable.
"Lena, you're always causing trouble."
"Inora, sister…"
From Lena's reaction, it was clear this was her real sister, Inora. The situation was growing more and more confusing.
'Why are Lena's father and sister here? And who are these strong-looking people around us?'
Leaving Lena and me standing in the alley, Obius began to explain.
"You two, listen carefully to what I'm about to say. My wife, Bianca, has become a vampire, and she's luring you into a trap."
"Mom wouldn't do that!"
"Lena, I know. Bianca wasn't always like this."
"Then…?"
"But the Bianca who became a vampire isn't the Bianca you remember. She's a vampire now, with the ability to manipulate and lure her loved ones into becoming vampires too. Vampires often disguise this as a blessing, but to the living, it's nothing short of a curse."
"But Mom said she only drinks animal blood…"
"That's a lie, Lena. You've read about vampires in books before, right? How they trick people and drag their families into ruin?"
"That's true… Sniff… Sniff… Ugh… Wooaaaeang."
Lena nodded, but then the tears began to fall. She buried her face in my chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Without a word, I held her close.
"Sniff… Wooaaaeang… I hate everyone…"
Obius placed a hand on my shoulder, looking me square in the eyes.
"You. Lena seems to trust you."
"Yes. We trust each other."
"It's fortunate that you're by her side."
"Thank you."
"Please, continue to protect her."
"I will."
Satisfied, Obius nodded and removed his hand. Once Lena had calmed down, she looked at her father and asked, "Sniff… Dad, who are these people?"
"I brought the Magic Tower's soldiers."
"You're going to… kill Mom?"
"...Yes."
Obius' face was filled with sorrow as he confirmed it. Even Lena fell silent at the sight of his expression.
"Bian—Vampires... they're relentless. They live forever, and they'll stop at nothing until their family joins them in undeath. Even after death, they try to turn their offspring into vampires."
"Dad…"
Obius sighed and continued, "You two will need to go into that house."
"Dad?"
"What?"
Both Lena and I were confused by his sudden change.
'What? He just said it was dangerous.Why is he telling us to go in now?'
"Bianca would never suspect that we know about her. This is our best chance to catch her off guard. I'll give you two wireless buttons. If you encounter her and it becomes dangerous, press this button. It will instantly notify me, and I'll lead the Magic Tower troops to rescue you. This technology is encrypted, so unless there's a strong barrier blocking the signal, it'll always reach me."
Lena trembled slightly, so I squeezed her hand reassuringly. Obius was right; dealing with Bianca now would save us a lot of trouble in the future.
"Sister Lena, I'll protect you."
"Zeon…"
"I won't run away. I'll stay right by your side."
"Okay. I'll do my best too."
Obius smiled, clearly pleased with my response. It seemed I had earned some points with my future father-in-law.
He then handed us two bottles of water and two crosses.
"These are blessed holy water and crosses. I paid a fortune to have them blessed by a cardinal. The holy water is lethal to undead, and the cross will generate a temporary protective barrier when you channel magic into it. It won't last long, but it'll buy us time to save you."
Lena and I each took a wireless button, a bottle of holy water, and a cross, tucking them safely into our pockets.
"We'll be hiding nearby. Go on now."
We nodded at Obius' words.
"Tch. Lena, don't get hurt for no reason," Inora teased, but there was genuine concern behind her words.
A man tapped my shoulder, and I turned to see Wily, a quirky Magic Tower researcher and tutor.
"W-We'll rescue you, so don't worry! Anything random magic can't fix? Haha!"
His odd behavior didn't inspire much confidence, but I was still relieved that so many people were watching over us.
I took Lena's hand, and together, we walked toward the abandoned house. When I looked back, the street was empty, everyone hidden from sight.
Lena squeezed my hand, drawing strength from our connection.
"Zeon, let's do our best."
"Yes, Sister Lena. We can do this."
We walked together toward the house, despite the trembling in our legs.
Creaaak.
As we approached, the front door creaked open on its own. Lena and I exchanged a look before stepping inside. The space was empty, but candles flickered on the walls, casting a dim light over the room.
"Is anyone here?"
Just then, a voice greeted us from nearby.
"Welcome."
Startled, I turned to see an elderly man dressed like a butler.
"Ugh! When did you get here?"
"I've been waiting for you. My name is Willem."
"Are you a vampire?"
"Indeed. I'm here to guide you safely. Please, don't worry."
Without another word, Willem ascended the grand staircase.
Step by step.
As we followed him to the second floor, two women in elegant, medieval gowns stood in the hallway, sipping from wine glasses filled with a red liquid. They turned toward us, their gazes seductive.
"Hohoho~ Aren't these two delicious?"
"Won't you give us a kiss, dear?"
Lena's hand tightened in mine, slick with cold sweat.
"How dare you be so rude to our guests!" Willem snapped.
The two women quickly bowed their heads and vanished into the shadows.
Seeing so many vampires around confirmed what I had feared — this was definitely a trap.
'It feels like we're walking right into the belly of a beast. Damn it…'
The plan had already begun, and we had no choice but to trust the others and see where this led.
Willem came to a stop in front of a door and knocked.
Knock, knock.
"I've brought the guests."
Creeaak.
The door slowly opened on its own.
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