18th of Red Moon

It has been ten days since the shipment has been delayed. Armen and Amare Na Xivia have yet to find concrete evidence that would convince Pretta Oro Ricca Oro. Even after witnessing what actually happened using Memoria, the two vampires were doubting the veracity of the story.

“If there is indeed someone or something capable of jumping bodies, then it’s also plausible that it wasn’t Randy who committed the crime.”

“It could also be that this unknown villain appeared after the murder. Either way, we were tricked and have no more need for the body.”

A few days have passed since they recovered Randy’s lifeless body and it has already started to rot and emit a foul smell.

Instead of dumping it in an inconspicuous spot or getting rid of it using magic, the vampires took it to Addy, Randy’s partner.

Since the two were known to be close, they hoped that Addy might be able to provide some clues.

“T-this?”

The private investigator jumped to his feet as he saw Randy’s body appear out of thin air. With a pale face and quivering lips, he approached the dead man and examined it with trembling hands.

“He… he’s dead.”

“Yes. My condolences.”

While Amare stood at the back and maintained her silence and expressionless face, Armen did the talking. A sigh escaped his lips as he felt a tinge of sympathy when Addy started sobbing silently.

“We saw the Bloated Murderer kill him five days ago.

Addy controlled his emotions and wiped his tears as he nodded. “Yes… he was doing the field work and investigating the case. He was wont to disappear for a few days, but since he survived the Bloated Murderer’s first attack, I thought he would have been more careful.”

“Oh? If you don’t mind, would you tell us more about that?”

To add to their credibility and avoid any unnecessary complication, the vampires properly introduced themselves to Addy, who did not seem bothered to talk to vampires.

Although he did not delve into many details, the private investigator still recounted how Randy was attacked by the Bloated Murdrere and returned unscathed, but he disappeared a second time shortly after the first incident.

“Did he act a bit differently? Did you notice any inconsistency?”

Ironically, the vampire was questioning the investigator. Although confused, Addy soon regained his composure and answered everything.

Their conversation was short-lasting and when it became clear that Addy knew nothing of import, Armen and Amare left the office.

But, right in front of the building, the young vampire girl halted her feet and turned to face her companion.

“Didn’t you find it weird?”

“Hm?”

“His colleague just died yet he cried for a minute then returned to normal. The fact that he unhesitantly answered all of your questions seemed strange.”

“Maybe they weren’t as close as we thought?”

“Still… I don’t think he was as surprised as he made it seem.”

“Then what? Do you think he’s our quarry?”

After pondering for a bit, Amare shook her head.

Evening of the same day, Addy received another unexpected visit.

“Oh… what brings you here?”

The slim man was clutching his ruffled long hair and staring at the documents in front of him. A couple of paces away laid Randy’s corpse, which made the stuffed room smell like death and rot.

Upon seeing Randy’s corpse, Arthur frowned and feigned astonishment.

“Is this?”

With an expression of sadness and grief, Addy meekly nodded his head.

“They found him today. No doubt he was killed by the Bloated Murderer.”

Looking serious, Arthur, using Leonis’ body, solemnly examined Randy then sat across the quiet Addy.

“I’ve come to inform you that we’ve ‘caught’ the Bloated Murderer.”

“You did?!” Addy banged on the table and stood up in surprise.

“Yes. However, it wasn’t possible to capture him alive.”

“...”

Addy stared intensely at the parasite, his beady eyes silently demanding more details.

Unfortunately, Arthur did not deign to say anything more. He wryly smiled and added,

“What matters is that no more innocents will be killed.”

“Y-Yes… you’re right. Thank you for your help.”

“Think nothing of it.” Arthur glanced at the corpse again and continued, “Maybe you should take a few days off to clear your head. It’s bad for your mental and physical health to hole up in this cramped room from dawn to dusk.”

“...”

Addy did not respond, he sighed and sat back and leaned his head back, looking relieved but exhausted.

“Where did you bury the body?”

“We burned it.”

“Ah… okay.”

“What are you standing here for? I told you to find him!”

With the death of her lover and shady people invading her home, Pretta was constantly in a bad mood. She was usually kind to her loyal and confidant, but, today, she kept berating him and ordering him to do something productive.

All she received in response was either silence or a sincere apology coupled with a deep bow.

“The militant guards have been informed, my lady.”

“And? Will they just stand guard outside and that’s it? Someone tried to steal my crystals!”

“My lady, possession of Blood Crystals is illegal. It would be unwise to garner more attention.”

Pretta covered her head with a pillow and shouted at the top of her lungs, but not even that served to calm her anger.

Not only did someone sneak inside her office, but they also found the hidden crystals and almost stole them. While the outcome could have been much worse, Pretta was still infuriated and stressed.

She had no immediate place to hide the crystals, so she could only rely on her knights and the dispatched militant guards to increase security and ensure no one would invade the manor unnoticed.

“Whoever it was… I will make them pay for trying to steal from the Ricca Oro family!”

“Yes, my lady. I shall not rest until the criminal has been captured.”

“Shall not rest? Aren’t you resting and doing absolutely nothing now?!”

“...”

“We need to test something first.”

“Test what, master?”

“I’ve checked and the Ricca Oro household has increased its security. I’ve even seen militant guards stationed all around it. Breaking in will be more difficult, especially with a human body.”

“Then what do you intend to do?”

“Gauge their reaction. To sight an undead in the Residential District would cause quite an uproar. I need to see how the Duke would react. Will he go all-out and use all the militant guards for Mort or would there still be guards around Pretta’s manor? If it works in our favor, she will consequently lose the additional protection.”

“But that takes us to square one, Master. Even without the militant guards, it would still be quite difficult to infiltrate the manor, especially after the first failed attempt to steal the crystals. Furthermore, Pretta could hide them in another place.”

“Correct. For that reason, we will not act directly. His failure notwithstanding, your former colleague would not give up so soon. As for Amare and Armen, while Pretta might not have informed them that someone broke into her manor, they would surely have heard of the invasion. They are prioritizing the crystals and delaying the shipment, which means they will keep a close eye on their prize.”

“What if Mort gets captured? There are exceptionally strong people amongst the militant guards.”

“If there’s one thing Mort is good at, it’s running away. I instructed him to show himself then escape outside of Blackcrest.”

Thus, with Arthur surveying from above using the Little Bunting as a host, the plan sprung into motion. With the aid of his master, the zombie snuck into the Residential Street undetected then showed himself to the patrolling militant guards near the residence of Pretta Oro.

As expected, the unsuspecting guards were astonished to see a zombie appear out of nowhere. However, they did not panic or flee, all of them immediately gave chase. One of them took out a hand-sized bell and infused some Mana, resulting in a deafening sound to reverberate across half of Blackcrest.

The loud bell sound woke up any sleeping soul and alerted everyone. Only in extreme cases would the bell be used, and the sighting of an undead was one of them.

In just a couple of minutes, the speeding Mort was chased by dozens of fully armed militant guards.

Arthur spectated the unfolding events while leading the swift zombie. Torches illuminated the dark streets Mort fled towards, but thanks to the parasite, who guided him through the safest routes, Mort was spared from battling anyone.

When he reached the towering wall, he started climbing like a monkey while a handful of his pursuers cast long-ranged magical spells, all of which missed their target.

As chaos reigned over Blackcrest, Armen was in the dimly lit street, tasked to watch and follow Addy. As much as he did not agree with Amare, he could not fault her thinking and since she was often right, he was left with no choice but to comply.

He kept watch over the private investigator holed in his office. Even when the bell sound echoed across the city, Addy did not budge from his seat.

Time crept by and the man was as motionless as a statue, seemingly in deep thought as his eyes were glued on Randy’s dead body.

Finally, when Armen grew bored and was about to leave, Addy stood up and walked to the window. He subtly pulled the curtains and peeked at the empty street.

A minute later, as Armen was wondering what was happening inside the office, a white mist spilled through the door and slowly made its way outside.

Startled, the vampire’s eyes glowed with a red light as he kept a safe distance and soundlessly followed the mist.

Unlike the dense green mist of the Bloated Murderer, this one was thin and barely noticeable, especially in the dead of night.

Like a snake, it slithered in the air and made its way to one of the local inns while avoiding any illuminated spot. After several minutes, it reached its destination, which was one of the rooms in the building.

It entered through the open window and crashed on the wooden ground, soon transforming into a misty figure.

The hazy silhouette faced the sleeping Leonis then it approached him and reached for the magical bag right next to him. However, before it could grab it, a fast white shadow jumped from the side, startling the unwelcome invader.

The mist dispersed and drifted to the corner of the room as its user stared at the screeching rabbit with glowing crimson eyes.

The familiar crouched then performed a swift and impressive leap as it bared its row of pointy teeth and successfully managed to hit the seemingly intangible mist.

There was thud, followed by the appearance of Addy, who had a nasty bite mark on his hand. He was glaring at the rabbit, which jumped at him again only to be blown away by a strange-looking white whirlpool.

Addy gritted his teeth and returned to his misty form, opting to flee rather than prolonging his stay and alerting the sleeping Leonis.

During the brief fight between the rabbit and Addy, Armen was watching from the roof of the building across the inn. His quarry was so distracted that the vampire did not need to hide himself.

“What did I just witness?”

Surprised and confused, he glanced at the rabbit which calmed down and laid on the bed, then continued to follow the mist, which turned out to be the private investigator.

A Short while earlier.

At the top floor of the Fleur Rouge, in a large room decorated with all sorts of red furniture and paintings, the thin glass-doors leading to the balcony slowly opened and a black-haired boy appeared out of thin air.

“Sweet Halric, did I not always tell you to knock first?”

A seductive voice came from the back of the room, belonging to a young woman wearing a flashy and short vermilion dress. She sat on a rocking chair, her legs crossed and dazedly inhaling from an exquisite tobacco pipe.

Her azure eyes, contrasting her outfit, focused on the kid. As she saw his solemn face and subtle yet restless movements, she chuckled as if enjoying the sight.

“What brings you here in the middle of the night? And don’t bore me with your Alchemy nonsense. I’m not in the mood for that.”

“I came bearing a deal.”

“From who? You or the Duke?”

“Me.”

Upon hearing this, she raised her long and thin eyebrows and put down the pipe. Her free hand beckoned for him to sit down, but he remained motionless, his eyes glancing outside, at the night sky.

“Big old Halric wants to make a deal with me? Now that’s a first!”

Her laughter lasted for a second as her expression turned serious. Her inquisitive azure eyes scrutinised Halric, silently urging him to speak.

“I will cut through the chase. There’s a parasite in Blackcrest.”

“...”

The moment he mentioned a parasite, the woman’s face drastically changed. Her eyes narrowed to a dangerous degree and even contained a hint of anger.

“Before you ask, it’s not the one you’re looking for. This one is… weird, for want of a better word. Even after watching him for a while, I still cannot ascertain which category he belongs to, which is why I did not make a move.”

“Did you capture him?”

Halric scoffed at her words and retorted, “Capture a parasite? Did you not hear me? I’m certain he is a parasite but that’s all I know.”

“Ah! The ever-cautious Halric.”

“I call it being safe. He could belong to a group of parasites and I’m not taking such a big risk. The Duke is busy and unlikely to agree to my proposal, therefore, I came to you.”

The woman did not respond, she stood up and walked toward a curved sword suspended on a thick black pillar.

Halric did not press her for an answer as he saw traces of the big scar on her body, stretching from left thigh to her shoulder.

“What do you want, Halric?”

“I just told you.”

She snorted and lowered her arms, her back facing him. “Do you want to kill him? Because, clearly, you’re too scared to try and capture him.”

“A parasite is too precious of a test subject. However, parasites are wont to be extremely elusive and, honestly, I don’t have the means to fully capture him. I don’t even know what he’s capable of. From what I’ve seen, either he’s weak or he’s hiding his powers.”

“I will have to refuse. Since he’s not the one I’m looking for, I simply don’t care.”

“I have not told you the terms of the deal yet, though.”

“No, Halric. I’ve heard enough. Also, I’ll advise you to give it up. Even if you succeed in killing him, it’ll only alert the others, then you’ll have more than one parasite in here. By now, I thought you would have learned to stay quiet and simply watch.”

“...”

As a long bout of silence flowed between the two, the bell sound reverberated across the city, soon followed by the shouts of the militant guards.

After contemplating his choices for a long time, Halric sighed and nodded his head.

“Fine. I, for one, will be content with spectating. As for you… maybe you could try talking to him? See if he knows something about you-know-who.”

“Halric.”

“Alright alright. Sorry for the sudden visit. Good night.”