Codename Vestia

「He avoided it?」

 

The woman mumbled in an unknown language. Then she glanced at Doyeong, and quickly picked up a long branch that had fallen on the ground.

 

Doyeong clenched his hand around the knife. It was his first time dealing with a vampire while being naked and without a firearm— literally only in a piece of underwear— but it wasn’t like he had any options since the other side had a real weapon.

 

The woman moved one step forward, with the tree branch in her hand skimming the floor.

 

Kung!

 

“What… .”

 

Doyeong was stunned. Why does it sound like this when she is merely swinging a branch, and not a bar of steel? But he had no time to think past that point.

 

The branch that struck the ground appeared before his eyes. It was evident that it would cause injury even if it just swung by your skin.

 

Doyeong, getting caught up in his survival instinct, leaned away. The branch cut through the air, making a creepy sound that should be impossible to make. When Doyeong evaded, the woman widened her eyes and was startled.

 

There was a cliff behind, it would be possible to make her fall if he pushed well.

 

This time, Doyeong swung the knife. The woman blocked it with her arm. She raised her eyes and looked at him with red eyes that were like fire. Then she grabbed Doyeong’s arm and kicked his leg.

 

He literally yelped.

 

“… !”

 

Doyeong didn’t even swear at the excruciating pain that shook his body.

 

But he got through. Pain is fleeting. Comparing the pain of this moment here to death, death is eternal. Doyeong thought as he aimed at the woman’s neck.

 

The woman must’ve broken his leg, and she looked surprised at Doyeong who didn’t stop.

 

But it didn’t seem like she wanted to hit him the same way twice. The vampire’s eyes were there for one second, and gone on the next.

 

The woman rushed and suddenly grabbed Doyeong, then turned her body around, successfully switching their positions, and then let go of him.

 

“Putain… .”

While being pushed off, Doeyong spat out swear words.

 

His body began to fall from the high place. Then, he started to drown.

 

The water was still, as if all the chaos were lies. He struggled to come to his senses as he had hit his head and gradually lost consciousness. I was fine even when I jumped from that height.

 

He didn’t know if it was a correct comparison, but he thought that this case is just like a phone that was still fine though being dropped several times from a high place, but the screen suddenly broke when it fell off the desk only once.

 

‘I turned into fish food just like this.’

 

A faint shadow was reflected on the surface of the water where he was staring with blank eyes.

 

Kung.

 

And then there was a commotion in the underwater world as if a heavy object had fallen into it.

 

After the bubbles subsided, the woman stretched out and began to swim towards him. As vampires are still land creatures, they cannot breathe in the water, so her appearance with inflated cheeks and shut mouth looked silly.

 

It looked like he was not turning into fish food, but vampire food.

With that, Doyeong lost consciousness completely.

 

***

 

Camar dragged the man to shore and laid him down on the damp ground. She then took a few steps back and hid under a large, broad leaf.

 

She watched him for a while. The man just lied there, still wet, and did not move at all. He seemed to have lost consciousness. It was obvious that his muscles were relaxed, so it shouldn’t be an act.

 

When she got attacked unexpectedly, she had been so surprised because the man had realized that she had been following him, even though she had been merely watching.

 

Camar approached the man warily. She turned his face to the side and poked him in the cheek.

 

“Umm… .”

 

The man unconsciously turned his head to the front, making the water drops scatter like a swarm of startled fish down his face.

 

Camar looked at the man more closely. He looked unfamiliar. His face was pretty as a woman’s, but his body was built like a warrior’s. He didn’t look like a human when he was fighting, even though he was one.

 

‘Was I mistaken?’

 

To think that you’re human. 

 

Camar tilted her head, still looking at the man’s face. A steady breath was heard.

 

Drops of water ran down the tanned man’s chest and down his sides. Water was pooling in the firm, well-shaped abdomen.

 

Camar lifted her head like a meerkat and listened for other signs.

 

Buzz. Tick.

 

Only the familiar crowing of insects could be heard from the grass.

 

She then carried the man on her back. Because the man’s body size was larger, his body was hunched over her. Camar repositioned his body once, and went straight into the woods… Only to return a short while after to pick up the t-shirt that had fallen on the ground.

 

***

 

When he regained consciousness, Doyeong opened his eyes in a haze. Something sparkly flashed across his eyes.

 

The first thing he saw was a mobile, made of colored glass, stones, and seashells, hanging like dried persimmons on a wooden ceiling. The glass reflected the sunlight towards where he was.

 

(mobile)

 

It was dark and humid everywhere, so he wondered for a moment if she wanted to cook him first by putting him inside an oven, probably for a recipe that requires the sous vide method. The lukewarm temperature filled the space, thanks to the shade.

[Sous vide, which means “under vacuum” in French, refers to the process of vacuum-sealing food in a bag, then cooking it to a very precise temperature in a water bath.]

 

Doyeong shook his head. The hut in which he was lying was empty, and bright sunlight shone through the cracks in the wooden walls, which told him that it was still daytime.

 

‘Where… .’

 

Both of his wrists were tied with ropes, to be precise it was a rough braid of tree veins, whose ends were tied tightly to a pole. A splint made of wood was attached to his leg. He was wearing a t-shirt on top, but his bottoms were only his underwear.

 

‘How long has it been?’

 

All wounds had been treated with primitive methods, and a bowl of water and food was placed within reach of the rope. Beside him were the well-dried trousers of his combat uniform.

 

‘Did the vampire leave them here…?’

 

Like a philanthropist who fixed a swallow’s broken leg, the person who had broken his leg and also healed it seemed to be the female vampire.

 

‘Why is there a vampire on this uninhabited island?’

 

He truly had no luck nor support. After he managed to escape from the vampire terrorists, he still fell into a vampire’s nest in the end.

 

And no matter where he looks at it, the female vampire didn’t seem to be bounded by the law against murder that was imposed on luas these days. There are quite a few luas who hide in the jungle or underground because they didn’t like it, and perhaps she was one of them.

 

‘However… .’

 

Doyeong looked at his leg with a splint on it. Even though she tied him up, seeing that she had also healed the wounds, it seemed that she had no intention of harming him, at least for now.

 

In fact, it was him who had attacked first. But in his defense, if anyone was placed in an unfamiliar environment and noticed a dangerous presence behind, it’s not like you can just ask the other party for a handshake, right?

 

But then, an unpleasant thought flashed through his mind.

 

‘Don’t tell me she saved my life so she could draw my blood later.’

 

Like a bear that provides a gallbladder.

[Bear gallbladders have a very high concentration of what’s called ursodeoxycholic acid in their gallbladders. In humans, ursodeoxycholic acid is an effective, non-surgical treatment for gallstones. It also treats certain kinds of cirrhosis. (There’s even evidence that it inhibits the growth of tumors and thus helps prevent colon cancer.) Depending on the size of the gallbladder, it could be worth tens of thousands of dollars in a foreign market.]

 

Doyeong got up and looked at the rope that tied his wrist, all the while freaking out.

 

‘Am I really being treated like a bear?’

 

The rope was thick enough that even a bear could be tied up. This obviously was not something that a mere human could do at all.

 

In any case, whether the purpose is to draw his blood or for any other purpose, the important thing is that the vampire is not trying to kill him right away.

 

In other words, it was a priority to figure out what the vampire wanted from him.

 

So Doyeong decided to wait for the female vampire to come, and in the meantime, he looked around the hut.

 

There were several tall wooden crates all around the inside, and all sorts of things were placed on the shelves on the wall. Seeing it like this, it looked more like a log house than a hut.

 

It is unclear whether or not it was built by someone who knows a little bit about architecture, as even though the overall shape was well captured, the varnish is quite jagged.

 

‘This… .’

 

To be precise, it looked like it was built by ‘someone who doesn’t know much about architecture but has more time than anyone else to do it’.

 

The faint shadows drawn on the floor by the glass mobile reflected in the sunlight slowly flickered. Doyeong’s gaze stopped at the ceiling.

 

He didn’t realize at first glance, but there were so many mobiles hanging on the ceiling, each with a delicate knot craft, which felt like a craft of a primitive tribe. It would have taken quite a while to make it all.

 

The fabric on which Doyeong was lying also looked like it had been woven by hand. He was not so sure anymore if the appropriate expression for this place was a vampire’s den, as it felt more like a shabby, but clean, countryside grandmother’s house.

 

Doyeong looked at the door. Some moments had passed, but the vampire had not appeared.

 

‘For me to figure things out, we need to meet.’

 

He felt like some food that had been put inside an oven and had been forgotten.

 

Doyeong lied back down.

 

***

 

Creak.

 

The door was opened carefully, and a pair of pale feet sneaked in.

 

Doyeong was lying on his back with his back facing the door as if he was sleeping. He was wearing pants now.

 

Only then Camar went further inside with peace of mind and reached out for the empty bowl.

 

“I’m saying this because it doesn’t seem like you’re going to kill me.”

 

Doyeong said just then, making the hand that was about to grab the bowl twitched.

 

When Camar turned around, Doyeong had his eyes opened and was looking at her. Camar shuddered and retreated, then ran towards the door.

 

“Wait… !”

 

Doyeong jumped up and flinched because of the pain in his leg.

 

“Damn it.”

 

Doyeong muttered harshly, which made Camar stop. Then, hesitating as if contemplating whether to leave or not, she looked at him with one leg still raised, while Doyeong just sat back down.

 

“How can you help me if you’re just looking at me from over there?”

 

Camar hesitated once more before approaching Doyeong and helped him lean against the wall. Doyeong gave her a once-over.

 

“Do you understand what I’m saying?”

 

Camar nodded her head. But that was it, without a word to add. Doyeong asked again.

 

“But why aren’t you talking?”

 

Camar hesitated and spoke up.

 

“Long time… Not talking… .”

 

The woman had a beautiful voice. She could have been described with all kinds of expressions, but it seemed that the adjective ‘beautiful’ simply existed for her.

 

‘Must not be swayed by appearance.’

 

Doyeong calmed down and asked.

 

“How did you know I could speak French?”

“You say bad things in French.”

 

That made sense.

 

“Your leg, hurts?”

 

Camar looked at Doyeong and asked carefully.

 

“How could it not hurt after being kicked so ignorantly?”

 

When Doyeong was fired up, Camar asked hesitatingly.

 

“Are you… human?”

“Hey, isn’t it obvious, miss vampire? Why are you asking?”

 

Camar shook her head slightly.

 

“Never seen a strong human like you. Was surprised. Kicked your leg. Sorry.”

 

Doyeong looked at the woman carefully. She seemed like a foreigner whose mother tongue was not French, and could only communicate to some extent. However, it was difficult to determine her nationality by her appearance.

 

“Where are you from?”

 

He asked, but Camar didn’t answer. She just shut her mouth and looked at Doyeong, seemingly unwilling to speak.

 

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“Can I ask for your name?”

 

Doyeong asked cynically. He thought that she wouldn’t answer, but this time Camar nodded her head and said.

 

“Camar.”