Chapter 33

"It's meaningless."

Simena swept his hair back, the gesture sharp with frustration.

"The defensive line is worthless, Marjelo."

He lifted his gaze to the sky.

"The Demon King's army will invade the exact same way. I'm sure of it. I'd do the same in his place."

"Because it worked."

"Exactly. We have no way to counter an aerial assault. Mago... Mago..." He paused, remembering the second invasion.

Mago had managed to knock monsters out of the sky with javelins at the Capital. But that was only when they flew low—low enough to drop the creatures caught on his talons. That wasn't a fundamental solution.

"Sure, he hit them with spears, but that was low-altitude flight. When he flew close to the ground to shake off the monsters clinging to his claws. That's not a real, repeatable answer."

"At that altitude, we could drop them with bows or guns too."

"Right. Mago was just a good shot. But what if they fly higher—bypass us completely and go straight for the Emperor?"

"Then we'd be occupied from the inside, surrounded..."

"Annihilation. Eventually."

Simena shook his head.

"The gap between the first and second invasions—that was their window to prepare special armor and troops. It'll be the same this time. No—faster. They've done it before."

"What do you think, Captain Simena?"

"Think about what?"

"How to stop the Demon King's air raids."

"I know the method. But I have absolutely no clue how to execute it."

"What is the method, then?"

"Meet them head-on. We need aerial forces of our own."

"So..."

Marjelo pointed ahead.

A massive iron cage.

Inside, a jet-black monster thrashed violently.

The winged creature that had been transporting the green monsters.

Every time it writhed, the cage shuddered.

Beside it, ten more cages stood in a row.

All containing the same type of beast.

"You want to use these things?"

"If we can, yes."

Simena raised his head and called out.

"Louise Murphy!"

"Yes!"

Louise came running over.

While she approached, he spoke to Marjelo.

"Louise is a former hunter from the outskirts of the Capital."

"So?"

"I heard she raised and hunted with wild animals. Hawks. Eagles."

Louise arrived and snapped a quick salute.

"Louise Murphy. What's the status?"

"Well... first of all, we can't communicate. I'm sorry."

"Can't communicate?"

"When I trained hawks, I used commands that triggered specific actions. That works for dogs and cats too. I tried to condition them so human language directly translates to monster behavior... but these creatures already learned monster language first. So now they confuse my words with that. Communication has broken down completely."

"Hmm... Anything else to report?"

"No, sir. I'm sorry."

"Report any changes immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

Simena returned the salute, then turned on his heel and walked away.

"We're trying to secure an aerial force, but as you can see... it's not going well."

"Maybe we'd be better off asking the vampires for help."

"Vampires?"

"They can turn into bats. Well, more like big bat-like things."

"Useless during the day."

"Oh."

"If they could operate in daylight, I'd consider negotiating. But first of all, they're still monsters..."

"Now isn't the time to be picky."

"That's true. It's a 'beggars can't be choosers' situation. And I didn't plan it, but I've already got people looking into the vampire angle."

"Already?"

"Mago's handling it."

"So that's why he's been gone..."

"Oh? You noticed he was missing?"

"His subordinates talk a lot, Captain. They miss him. They're also curious what a sparring match between him and me would look like."

"So am I, honestly."

"But why did you send Mago to investigate the vampires?"

"He volunteered. He said he wanted to look into the death of the Head Instructor at the First Training Center. He ran off claiming the vampires might become a threat to humanity. But honestly, I doubt the vampires—who've kept quiet all this time—would suddenly side with the Demon King."

"Then isn't that even more reason to seek their cooperation?"

"I told you, they're useless during the day."

"Oh."

"You're really not listening to me."

"I am."

"Unless Mago finds a variant that can function in sunlight... for now, I just hope he learns to trust his comrades."

*

"I've heard about the Capital."

The man's eyes darted back and forth.

He looked like he was about to cry any second.

"Monsters fell from the sky. The Imperial Army has no way to counter an aerial attack..."

I couldn't argue with that.

No one knew the Imperial Army's current situation better than me.

"What if they invade the same way again? What then?"

He answered his own question.

"Everyone dies again. We retreat again. We give up more territory again."

"The Imperial Army isn't that weak..."

"There's only one superhuman like Marjelo Arnis. The rest of us just die helplessly..."

His voice started to tremble.

"I don't want to die, damn it..."

"So that's why you chose to become a vampire?"

"Yes...! What's wrong with that? Is fighting monsters the only form of courage? No— enduring the rejection process and turning into a vampire takes courage too...!"

"Keep your voice down..."

"If I can't fly away, I'm just trapped in a cage."

He fell silent after that.

At first, I was furious.

His cowardice made my blood boil.

He gave in to fear and chose to become a monster.

But I couldn't find the right words.

I couldn't confidently tell him he was wrong.

I couldn't say that humans could still win this war.

Because I had personally seen that eight years from now, the war would still be raging.

It left a bitter taste in my mouth.

It was more than anger.

Then—

"Who are you."

Madam Anne's low, gravelly voice cut through the air.

A voice that shouldn't be heard here—and from behind me.

I yanked my hood down deeper.

"What business do you have with my guest?"

Her footsteps drew closer.

Each clack of her heels made my heart drop like a stone.

My pulse pounded so hard I could feel it throbbing in my temples.

"Don't take another step."

Before she could grab me from behind, I flipped my sword into a reverse grip.

"If you move, you die."

She was right behind me now.

Arm's reach.

The moment that thought crossed my mind, her left hand reached for my hood.

My hidden identity was about to be stripped bare.

I gritted my teeth and spun around in an instant.

Using the sword held in reverse, I covered my face.

And at the same time—

"Tch..."

Madam Anne narrowed her brows and dropped her gaze.

She had seen the cross-like shape of the blade.

She couldn't look at the sword directly.

Her brows furrowed. She turned her head away. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

It looked strangely familiar. Like me.

She even squeezed her eyes shut.

I knew that feeling better than anyone.

She must have felt completely powerless.

The weapon El gave me had a definite effect.

It bought me time.

I scaled the wall of an alley and climbed onto the roof of a nearby one-story building.

Before Madam Anne could give chase, I sprinted at full speed, putting distance between us.

"If it weren't for this sword..."

My head might have been struck by lightning on the spot.

But it's not over yet.

I hid the sword and raincoat, then turned back.

This time, as a staff member of Anaconda.

*

"Madam? What's wrong?"

"Mago... I trusted you with that customer, and you left them alone. Where the hell did you go?"

Madam Anne was furious, just as expected.

"I'm sorry, but I already dropped the customer off and was heading back. I did my job."

"Now's not the time for excuses, Mago."

"I'm sorry."

"So? Where did you go after leaving the wagon?"

What should I say? I racked my brain.

Whenever I got grilled like this back in the squad, there was always one thing the team members said.

The same goddamn excuse every time.

"I..."

"I..."

"I was just out for a smoke."

The smoking excuse—cheapest one in the book.

"Since when do you smoke?"

"Occasionally. Especially at dawn. Helps wake me up."

The lie slipped out easily—probably because he'd heard it so many times.

"Come here a second."

He stepped closer.

She grabbed him by the collar and pulled his face close to hers.

Naturally, she'd be checking for cigarette smoke. He never smoked himself, but the Anaconda was thick with it. After working there this long, the stench had soaked into his clothes.

"Hmm..."

She gave his shoulder a couple of pats and backed off.

He'd avoided deep suspicion. Lucky break.

"Mago, follow me."

"Yes, ma'am."

"That customer you just dropped off..."

As her words trailed off, the man came into view.

He'd remember Mago's voice, so from here on, he'd keep his mouth shut.

But that thought was rendered meaningless.

"Ugh...?"

The man's eyes rolled halfway back, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Urk...!"

He clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Sir?"

Madam Anne also turned her attention to him.

Then the man vomited blood.

Dark crimson gore.

No foreign matter.

He lay flat on the ground, groaning.

"Sir!"

Madam Anne rushed over.

Just as she reached out to pat his back—

Something burst through the fabric of his clothes from behind.

An ashen wing.

It looked, at first glance, like a bat's.

But only one. Not a pair.

Just a single wing unfurled.

The man thrashed wildly.

He slammed into the narrow alley walls, fell, got up, and fell again.

Obviously unable to control his changing body.

Mago was watching a man sprout wings.

An outsider like him.

"Madam Anne."

His voice was flat.

"What can you possibly say now?"

"Disgusting."

"...What did you say?"

That caught him off guard.

Disgusting.

Who turned him into this?

"P-please... help me..."

The man wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand and mumbled.

"Mago, step back."

Madam Anne stretched out her left arm, blocking him.

"Wait, Madam—"

He knew instinctively what she was about to do.

But there was no time to stop her.

She raised the arm that had been blocking him straight up, then brought it behind her back.

A blue flash blazed.

Her back—bare of any cloth, any ornament.

From there, a lightning bolt materialized.

Thick main branches, thin offshoots.

The electricity arced wildly.

Her other arm—her right arm.

She already held a bow of blue light, summoned by her call.

Thunder rolled in rapid succession.

"Ma-Madam... please spare me..."

The man's voice cracked as he begged.

Madam Anne ignored him and nocked an arrow made of lightning.

"Madam!"

Mago's shout was useless.

She held her breath.

The silence stretched, unnaturally long.

In truth, less than a second had passed—but when the ceaseless thunder finally stopped, it felt like an eternity.

Maybe he knew that the silence would be followed by the man's death.

Maybe he wanted to stretch out that final moment, just a little longer.

Maybe the man did too.

The moment Madam Anne released the arrow, the thunder returned, spreading wide.

A blinding flash.

Just like before, just like always.

He squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them, the man was dead.

His head had been pierced—no, not pierced.

It had simply vanished.

Instant death, of course.

"What a relief."

Madam Anne spoke.

"Whew... If I hadn't been here, that could have been dangerous, Mago. That thing... it must have been a monster, right?"

"Yes... a monster."

He stared at her impassive face.

"Our enemy."

She had been caught, tail almost pinned.

But Anaconda, like a lizard, had simply cut it off.

There was no emotion in her eyes.