A considerable amount of time had passed.

No, in fact, only one or two minutes had gone by, but to Charlotte, it felt like almost an entire day.

As she stared at the photograph for so long, the two black dots on the back of the man’s neck in the picture seemed to grow larger and larger.

Charlotte covered her mouth as if she was about to retch and took deep breaths.

As she lowered her head, Matiel frowned, leaning over the counter and peering at Charlotte’s face.

“Hey, are you alright?”

Charlotte slowly nodded and straightened up.

Then, as if trying to distance herself from the newspaper, she pulled in her chin and straightened her back stiffly.

“It can’t be.”

Charlotte said. Matiel frowned again and leaned obliquely against the counter.

“What can’t be?”

His voice was low but clear.

Just as it had clearly penetrated Charlotte’s consciousness in the middle of that noisy hall last night.

And Charlotte realized what that voice meant.

This guy knows something. Charlotte thought.

He knows who, no… ‘what’ did this.

He not only knows what leaves marks like these, but he believes it.

Matiel, who had been staring back at Charlotte’s gaze, tilted his head.

“Are you saying this murder can’t be the work of a vampire?”

Charlotte opened her lips with a momentarily lost expression, then frowned.

“Vampire.”

Charlotte pronounced each syllable as if hearing the word for the first time, then tapped the counter.

“The work of a vampire, this serial killing? Are you serious?”

“Of course I’m serious. Otherwise, why would I…”

For a moment, Matiel’s eyes moved slowly as if observing his surroundings. His expression was arrogant and unimpressed.

“…come to a pharmacy like this? I’m too young to have back pain.”

“I think you were about to say ‘such a shabby place’.”

Matiel shrugged.

“It’s not luxurious.”

This is ridiculous. Charlotte let out a humorless laugh. But now was not the time for such childish arguments.

She turned back to the photograph.

She hoped those distinct black dots might have disappeared, but they hadn’t.

They were still there, as clear as ever, without any blurring.

This meant that it wasn’t just an ink stain, but something that actually existed on this man’s neck and was captured in the photograph…

Matiel said,

“I believe this murder is the work of a vampire. To be precise, I’m not the only one. There are a few people who suspect it. The reason I came here is because I need your opinion.”

“My opinion?”

“You can deal with monsters. You know about them, and you can actually handle them. Then surely you must know something about vampires too. Isn’t that right?”

Charlotte closed her eyes and let out a heavy, short breath.

As she lowered her head, her shimmering silver hair cascaded forward. It was like a blizzard of snow, or a pouring waterfall.

Charlotte swept her hair back and walked behind the counter, past Matiel.

“Many people besides me know about vampires. Don’t they? You must have heard about it too. The vampire who terrified the Kingdom of Roanoke about 100 years ago… I mean the legend of Duke Malebranque. The bastard of the dragon, Dryden’s henchman, the disease spreader, the vampire. Numerous names belonged to him, and numerous fears and nightmares were his as well.”

Matiel nodded. He didn’t look particularly serious.

“I know. When my brother and I were young, a thoughtless servant almost got fired for scaring us with that legend.”

Charlotte said,

“Yes, yes. But he’s dead.”

“Can vampires die?”

“If you use the correct method, of course they can be killed. Just as you can exorcise a demon, or eliminate a ghost, or catch a monster, you can kill a vampire. And another important thing, Malebranque is actually dead. They drove a hawthorn stake through his captured heart and burned his body.”

“Who did?”

“The monster hunters of that time, I suppose. It’s a story from 100 years ago, remember.”

Matiel was silent for a moment, looking lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Charlotte flipped over the newspaper on the counter.

The photograph seemed to be staring right at her, making her feel nauseous.

The vampire Malebranque was a real monster. Charlotte said “100 years ago,” but it was actually 85 years ago.

At that time, Malebranque had devastated five villages and turned the entire kingdom upside down.

His appearance led to the churches in the kingdom gaining enormous power.

Although with the revolution that shattered the old monarchy, the corrupt churches also collapsed, and now the very concept of religion had become vague.

Matiel, who had been silent, said,

“Are there vampires among the monsters inhabiting Schwarzvandelark?”

“I haven’t been there myself, but, well. There probably are. There are more monsters there than humans can imagine.”

“But weren’t vampires originally human?”

“That’s what people believe, but it’s not true. Vampires themselves are just monsters. They were born that way from the beginning. It’s just that they can turn humans into vampires. But real vampires… that is, vampires who were monsters from the start, and humans who died and came back as vampires are different.”

“Exactly how are they different?”

A sigh escaped between Charlotte’s lips.

“I don’t know why I should be giving you a lecture on vampires…”

“I’m asking exactly how they are different.”

Charlotte’s gaze grew colder at Matiel’s attitude of not even intending to listen to her words.

In normal circumstances, she would have chased him out immediately, but… for some reason, she closed her eyes once, opened them, and continued her explanation.

“Vampires who were monsters from the beginning, like Malebranque, have their hearts on the right side. You have to drive the stake precisely there. A stake made from hawthorn wood, that is. Then you have to set it on fire and reduce it to ashes. You can’t leave even a finger joint behind. It regenerates.”

Charlotte took a deep breath and continued.

“But humans who have newly become vampires due to vampires—monsters, that is—are closer to moving corpses than vampires. Of course, that’s only at first… Anyway, these can be killed by more commonly known methods. Silver bullets, or blessed pendants. Of course, driving a stake is included too. But there’s no need to set them on fire.”

“You said not even a finger joint should be left behind?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Matiel, who had been tapping his fingers on the counter, said,

“What if the disposal of Malebranque was inadequate?”

“What?”

“Didn’t you say it yourself? That it’s a story from 100 years ago. So the monster hunters who eliminated Malebranque back then would all be deceased by now. Moss growing on their coffins, their skeletons all rotted away. So who would know the truth? What if a finger joint of Malebranque had been left behind? What if, as you said, it ‘regenerated’ and crossed the barrier?”

Charlotte shuddered, feeling as if a cold, sharp piece of ice was scraping down her spine.

Matiel leaned towards her. As his face and neck came closer, a strange scent of oranges, herbs, and clean burnt soil wafted over.

“What if that were the case? Is it a completely impossible story?”

Charlotte could now clearly hear her own heartbeat and the sound of saliva going down her throat.

With each exhale, beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

It was a natural reaction… The possibility Matiel suggested was something she absolutely didn’t want to consider.

Especially for those like her who had to constantly face monsters, it was the most terrible and unfunny joke in the world.

“It’s not… a completely impossible story.”

But as she said, she couldn’t lie.

Hearing Charlotte’s answer, Matiel tapped the back of his hand on the counter, then straightened up and looked down at her.

“So you’re saying it’s not an impossible assumption.”

“…Yes. But it’s as good as non-existent. Above all, Malebranque was the first and last vampire to enter the kingdom and cause direct harm. The monsters that exist in the Land of Curses, especially the big ones, don’t try to pass through the barrier under normal circumstances. They’re too busy eating and being eaten by each other in there. That’s also the effect of the barrier. It makes the energy… pool inward. Do you understand?”

“No, I don’t.”

Charlotte sighed again.

“To put it simply, it’s like putting ferocious beasts of each type in a small cage, and then continuously spraying them with some kind of stimulant that drives them crazy. From outside to inside. The monsters that come into the kingdom through the gaps in the barrier are harmful, but there are hardly any big ones. They’re too busy fighting among themselves.”

“But what if a finger joint of Malebranque had been left behind? Wouldn’t it have been able to escape then?”

Charlotte, with her eyes wide open, put her hand to her forehead.

“Yes, it could have. As you said, even if only a finger joint remained, it could move with its own consciousness and will… So you’re right. Your words are not completely without merit. But I’d like to believe that’s not the case.”