Chapter 70

# Chapter 070

Charlotte disappeared into the darkness.

She did not reveal any murderous intent or draw her weapon.

She simply crouched low to the ground and silently slipped away like a shadow.

“……”

Ian, who was left alone, scratched his nose.

He sharpened his senses to track her movements, but he could not tell where she had gone.

‘Indeed, she seems more suited to be an assassin than a warrior. I wonder why she dislikes it so much.’

Thinking this, Ian bit into the dried meat.

He had completely adapted to Charlotte's strange behavior over the past few days.

Though he still couldn't understand it.

She didn't show any hostility towards him; rather, she seemed to be trying hard to win his favor.

So he decided to let her be, as it was better than her constantly trying to outsmart him.

‘Still, going hunting alone in the middle of the night…’

He suddenly recalled a friend's story about a cat that kept bringing bugs to the bedside.

Though he doubted she was after bugs, he couldn't help but chuckle.

Zing!

A sharp noise echoed from a distance at that moment.

Ian, who had been leaning against his bag, sat up.

He turned to the direction of the sound but saw nothing.

The event was happening beyond his line of sight.

Crack! Zing! Rumble-

Unusual sounds continued.

They moved quickly to the side and continued.

Ian's gaze followed the direction of the sound.

In the distance, the shadows of bare branches swayed, and the northern nocturnal creatures took flight, startled by the commotion.

His gaze eventually stopped at the wagon by the bonfire.

‘…Is she really okay on her own?’

There shouldn't be any reason for her to go all out.

As he thought this, Ian reached for the sword sheath beside him, and the noise suddenly stopped.

The silence felt heavier in contrast.

After a while, the sound of limping footsteps and something being dragged approached from behind the wagon.

The smell of blood wafted past his nose.

Ian frowned as Charlotte slowly came into view.

“…A bit late.”

Despite her casual tone, a long scratch ran from below her ear to her chin.

Blood was clotting and soaking the fur around it.

The protective guard on one of her arms was missing, and there were several scratches on the arm beneath it.

The gems on her armor were faintly flickering, indicating she had almost exhausted her mana.

But Ian did not comment on her condition first.

“…Ho?”

He noticed a corpse in her grasp, its head held by her hand.

The blood-soaked silver hair and the frail, naked body were familiar.

“A woman who was following you. She was doing strange things. She tried to run, so I followed and killed her.”

Charlotte said, dropping the corpse in front of him.

A dagger was embedded deep in the back of the corpse's head, only the hilt visible.

Through the tangled silver hair, a face with the dagger's blade protruding from the forehead was revealed.

“Tesaya….”

Ian narrowed his eyes and said.

Wiping the blood from her face with her hand, Charlotte sat down beside him.

“Do you know her?”

“Yes. As you can see, she's a demon.”

“A demon…?! She was a demon?”

Charlotte's orange eyes widened.

Ian nodded.

“A vampire. I saved her from being captured in Agel Ran before. She tried to bite my neck.”

“…So, she followed you from the western frontier all the way here?”

“It seems so. She said she would meet me again.”

Ian recalled the rumor he had heard from Miguel in Agel Ran.

The rumor of a monster that drank the blood of hunting dogs.

He had doubted it then.

‘She followed me all the way to the north without giving up.’

Charlotte purred in satisfaction.

“Then I dealt with a threat you didn't notice. And it was a demon, no less.”

“Yes. Now you understand how dangerous it was.”

“It was nothing. I'll be fine in a day.”

Trying to show off, as if to prove she wasn't a warrior.

Ian chuckled and took out a cloth and bandages from his bag.

As he started to bandage her face, Charlotte stiffened.

“Next time, don't go off on your own. If you die, I'll be the one to deal with it.”

At his added words, Charlotte hastily averted her gaze.

“It won’t happen. She was just a strange woman. She wasn’t my match, and it wasn’t hard to kill her.”

“You only think that because you didn’t kill her.”

“What…?”

Charlotte turned to him sharply.

A look of disbelief.

Ian pressed the bandage tighter and looked down at the sprawled body of Tesaya.

The dagger blade that had been protruding from her forehead was now almost completely pushed in.

“Vampires don’t die that easily. Even if you cut off their head or split their body, they still live.”

“……”

Ian, who had finished bandaging her, started to wrap her arm with a cloth and bandages.

“Demons have very resilient lifelines. If you had brought the dagger out, you would have been ambushed on the way.”

“Such….”

Charlotte's eyes trembled.

It was a reasonable oversight, given that she had never faced a demon before, but she didn't seem to think so.

Moreover, for Ian, this was actually a better outcome.

“Still, thanks to you, things are easier. Restrain this woman. I'll teach you how to kill a demon.”

It was an opportunity to kill Tesaya directly.

She would likely give a significant amount of experience, and perhaps even complete a quest he hadn't received before.

Of course, he intended to have a few words with her first.

Considering the effort she had put into following him, a few taunts would make him feel better.

“…Alright. I understand.”

Charlotte nodded, even though she looked dejected.

Ian kicked Tesaya's body to make her lie flat.

Charlotte, who had been testing the movement of her bandaged arm, pressed Tesaya's back with her knee and grabbed her arms, bending them backward.

The significant difference in their builds made it look like an adult tormenting a child.

“This woman's nails have grown. But it won't help her now.”

“She can also use her blood as a weapon. Don't let your guard down.”

“I understand. Don't worry. She can only struggle a bit.”

Charlotte growled.

You're listening well now.

As he thought this, Ian pulled out the dagger that was slowly pushing itself out of Tesaya's head.

Swoosh-

The blood that had clung to the dagger blade flowed back into her wound.

The puncture wound, connecting her back and face, quickly healed.

At the same time, the dullness in her pupils returned to a sharp focus.

Tesaya, who had blinked as if waking from sleep, turned her head to the side, feeling the restraints.

“Let me go and we can fight again. You're just a bloodthirsty beast.”

Her voice was bright but filled with anger. Charlotte sneered.

“You're a dead woman talking. Try to escape if you can.”

Charlotte applied more force with her knee and arm. The bandage on her arm turned red.

Tesaya gnashed her teeth and struggled.

“If I had a bit more strength, I would have-”

Thud.

Tesaya's tirade was cut short.

The dagger that had pierced her head was now embedded in the ground in front of her face.

Her crimson eyes, which had been glaring at her back, finally looked up.

The expressionless face looking down at her, the cold, dark eyes.

“…Long time no see, Ian.”

Her voice softened.

A sly smile spread across her face.

A beauty that seemed both girlish and womanly, as if carefully crafted.

Of course, it didn't affect Ian.

“Long time no see, Tesaya.”

“Did I ever teach you my name…?”

“I don’t remember teaching you mine either.”

“You can hear my name even if you don’t want to. But it doesn’t matter. I’m glad. Can we put this beast aside and talk? I have something important to tell you.”

“I like this position. Your determination is impressive. Following me all the way here.”

“I can smell you from the end of the continent. Besides, following you means food falls into my lap.”

Is that it?

A wry smile appeared on Ian's lips.

Indeed. He had been on a bloody journey. The remains of the humans and monsters he had killed would have been enough to keep her from starving.

After examining her hair and face, Ian finally spoke.

“You look a bit thin for someone who has been following me.”

“I had my reasons. As I said, I wanted to talk to you about something. But I was too scared to approach you. Now, we have this opportunity.”

Tesaya smiled faintly.

“So, can we sit and talk? The smell of this beast is terrible. I’ve been eating rabbits and squirrels lately, and the smell of beast blood makes me want to vomit.”

You’re making a joke.

Ian chuckled and looked at Charlotte, holding the dagger.

“Watch carefully. A normal blade can’t kill a vampire.”

Crack-

“Kyaahh-!”

The dagger was embedded in Tesaya's shoulder.

She screamed.

Ignoring her, Ian continued.

“This only puts them in a temporary coma or makes it hard for them to move. Of course, they aren’t immortal. There are many ways to kill them.”

“……!”

Tesaya gasped for breath.

A look of disbelief.

Charlotte nodded seriously as Ian continued.

“The simplest way is to cut their head or heart with a silver weapon. But silver weapons are hard to find and rarely used. So usually….”

Flame, fire sprang from Ian's hand.

“Burn them until all their blood is gone, or melt their brain and heart with holy power.”

“…Wait. Ian? Can we talk for a moment? Please?”

Tesaya pleaded.

She seemed to realize that Ian was telling the truth.

Flick, Ian extinguished the flame on a snow pile and picked up the Sword of Judgment.

“Burning takes too long, so I’ll use holy power now.”

“Ian? Ian. Wait. Please.”

Tesaya's voice became urgent.

The calmness left her face.

Charlotte moved her hand, grabbing Tesaya's arms with one hand.

She licked her lips and whispered in Tesaya's ear.

“Thanks to you, I learned something valuable, you bitch. I’ll keep it in mind when hunting your kind next time.”

“Shut up, beast. I don’t have kin. Ian, please, I beg you. Save me. I didn’t follow you to kill you. I did at first, but not anymore. Seeing what you’ve done, I realized I can’t kill you. So I decided to just eat the remains you left- Ahh-!”

Tesaya screamed again.

Charlotte twisted the dagger in her shoulder.

Tesaya's desperate voice continued.

“I’m serious, Ian! Please save me. I don’t want to kill you. I can’t. I can’t die here. I can’t!”

“Such cliché last words, Tesaya.”

Ian slowly drew the Sword of Judgment.

“Call me Tessa. Tessa. It’s fine.”

She twisted her body, forcing a smile.

But she couldn't escape Charlotte's grip.

Her nails grew and shortened, her claws protruded and retracted.

The blood from her shoulder bubbled and sizzled.

“I really have something to tell you. Listen to me, Ian. Please.”

Ian looked down at her desperate, red eyes.

She seemed to have almost no strength left.

Given how much energy she had expended fighting Charlotte, she was clearly much weaker than in the game.

Of course, he couldn't expect the same rewards or experience.

But there were others he could make up for.

Lusad's vampires.

In the game, most of them had been eaten by Tesaya, leaving few to fight. This time, it would be different.

The guide mentioned that if he went and eliminated them before Tesaya killed them, he could weaken her and gain more experience and loot.

So if he killed Tesaya now, he could deal with the vampires without time constraints.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t finish drinking your blood, Tessa.”

“It’s not a lie! Please, just listen to me for a moment. Please! I beg you, it’s a request! Yes! I have a request for you!”

Ian's raised hand paused.

…A request?

His eyes narrowed.

“You’re a mercenary, Ian. When a request comes in, you can at least listen, right? Even if the client isn’t human?”

Tesaya, with blood around her eyes, pleaded.