Chapter 23: CH 22

『Hey, what’s happening?』

Said Takahiro, who had stayed in the room, opened the room and looked out, having heard the commotion in the yard.

The, Takahiro saw the chief inspector standing behind Detective Kang and greeted him sarcastically.

『Look who we have here, if it isn’t Inspector Tanimura. It’s been a while.』

『……! Takahiro-kun. What are you doing here?』

『That’s none of your business. Rather, what are you doing here, inspector?』

Did they know each other? I guess it made sense that executives of Yeopsa unions acting in Gyeongseong and police officers from the Jongno Police Station in Gyeongseong would be acquainted.

Surprised to see Takahiro for a moment, the inspector made a nodding gesture towards Takahiro while looking at Detective Kang.

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『……Explain to him.』

『Yes.』

Detective Kang, who was wearing a leather jacket, stepped forward and explained to Takahiro what he had told me earlier. It was in Japanese this time around, and it was in a much more polite tone than he had used towards me.

『The thing is…… Do you remember the incident in the tea house a few days ago? The culprit, a Joseon man named Kye Hyeong-bok, was found dead, and Shirabayashi-kun here has been included as a suspect.』

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He gave more detailed information than when he explained to me earlier. So the name of the Joseon robber was Kye Hyeong-bok. Takahiro, having heard Detective Kang, asked back with a dissatisfied tone.

『Dead? Suspect?』

『Yes.』

『When, where, how was the corpse discovered? Huh? Speak in detail!』

As Takahiro asked in a threatening tone, Detective Kang looked at the inspector for a moment and began to explain the incident in more detail.

『That is, this morning, under the Cheonggyecheon Ogansu Bridge…… Yes, yes. Near Dongdaemun. It’s not too far from here, right?…… There, Kye Hyeong-bok’s body was discovered, dry and dead like a mummy, without any blood in him. We rushed to send it for an autopsy to find the exact cause of death, but we think it is the work of an Awakened who was involved in the tea house incident-』

『Hah! As if that makes sense…….』

Takahiro smirked at Detective Kang, and then turned his head and looked at the inspector.

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『Hey, mister Inspector. Cadet Shirabayashi here has an alibi. He went to his hometown in the countryside with me yesterday, and we only came back to Gyeongseong this morning.』

『Ah……』

After a moment’s hesitation, intimidated by Takahiro, the inspector turned to me again and asked.

『Is that true, Shirabayshi-kun?』

『Yes.』

I answered patiently. To begin with, as Takahiro had said, I had a definite alibi.

『I have the stamped tickets for the trains from yesterday and today, and you can contact my parents’ house in Suwon if you want further proof.』

『Did you hear, mister Inspector? Cadet Shirabayashi has nothing to do with it, so go back.』

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Takahiro threatened the inspector once again. Wow, was this the power of the Shimazu Gumi. In the end, the chief inspector said,

『Hmm……. I understand. We shall get going, then.』

He drooped like a dog in the rain and disappeared out through the front gate with Detective Kang. Having seen this, Takahiro said

『Tsk, damned pigs…….』

Muttering and spit on the ground. Looking at Takahiro doing all of this, I thought to myself.

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‘This guy, he’s rather useful.’

Of course, I had a definite alibi, and there was nothing to be afraid of if I used my parents, but it would have been annoying to have to go all the way to the police station to phone home or to provide evidence.

Something that could have been a huge nuisance was completely solved just with the breath of an executive of the Shimazu Gumi.

‘Anyway, bled to death like a mummy…….’

I stood in the yard for a moment and thought about what the police officers had mentioned regarding the cause of death. The culprit was found dead, like a bloodless mummy, due to an Awakened’s abilities.

I wondered what it must feel like to die from having your blood slowly drained. Your body would become weak, and slowly you would go into a daze, losing consciousness……

‘Wait.’

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Having thought so far, there was someone that came into mind.

‘……Lee Yu-ha!’

The symptoms Lee Yu-ha was suffering from. She wasn’t sick but felt weak, and felt dizzy, as well. On top of that, she was out of breath and looked pale.

‘Those are the symptoms of anemia. When you are short of blood…….’

Why hadn’t I thought about it earlier? It wasn’t a cold. These were symptoms that showed when you were lacking blood, or when a big amount of blood had been drained from you.

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‘Blood……!’

Suddenly, I remembered the rumor about Professor Kurobe that Yang Bok-ja had mentioned, about his nickname being Professor Dracula.

‘No way, Professor Kurobe?’

Of course, he couldn’t be Dracula, the vampire from legends. However, considering the research he was conducting, it was quite possible that he was the culprit.

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An Awakened’s blood could become a medium for mana in itself, and it would be effective in preserving mana. So, considering he had been researching mana conservation for so long, it wouldn’t be too strange to think that he would want the blood of his students.

‘And there’s no better place to get a supply of fresh Awakeneds’ blood than a Yeopsa vocational school.’

If Professor Kurobe was indeed the culprit, not only Lee Yu-ha, but also Aikawa, who was also staying in the dorms, was in danger.

I quickly stood up. Takahiro asked.

『Are you going out?』

『Yes. I’m not going to the hospital, but there’s somewhere I need to go. You, don’t follow me, and stay here and make di-』

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I stopped half-way through my sentence and looked at Takahiro.

‘Should I take this guy?’

If Professor Kurobe was actually the culprit, I wouldn’t be able to deal with a senior professor like him by myself, in my current capacity.

Considering the situation, it was clear that it would be of great help if I had Takahiro – someone who, in 21st century terms, had B-class Hunter abilities and was an executive of the Shimazu Gumi – by my side.

I scratched what I was about to say and asked.

『Or you would rather not, right?』

『……?』

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Takahiro, who was making a sour face when he was told to stay and cook dinner, had an expression of curiosity as the order turned into a question. I urged Takahiro, who was sitting in an awkward pose.

『Alright, grab your sword and get up. Let’s go out.』

『……Where are we going?』

Our destination was, of course, the school’s dormitories. I answered Takahiro, who was coming out with his sword.

『To catch a vampire.』

***

It was already in the evening by the time I arrived at the school with Takahiro.

Since it was a Sunday, there were very few students walking along the campus. I headed straight to the dormitory building. However,

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‘I came all the way here, but I can’t go in……’

The first floor of the dormitory building was freely accessible, but there were two staircases to the second floor. One side went to the boys’ dormitory, and the other to the girls’.

Of course, that side was a forbidden area that men were not allowed to enter.

『Gah, if there was at least a girl passing by, I’d ask her to call her but…… Hmm?』

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As I was muttering to myself, Takahiro tapped me on the shoulder. Looking at the direction he was pointing to, a girl was standing right behind me before I even knew it.

『Are you, perhaps, Cadet Shirabayashi?』

A small girl, with half her face covered by her hair, asked me, expressionless.

『Ah, yeah. You are-』

『I am Katsurai Osue.』

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……Hmm, who was that. I thought I saw her in my class during the in the common period, but she was a girl without any presence and a rather gloomy impression. Well, that wasn’t the point right now.

She happened to be the only girl passing by, so I asked her.

『Can you do me a favour? Could you call out a girl called Aikawa Satomi for me?』

『……Understoon, Cadet Shirabayashi.』

Osue glanced at Takahiro, who was standing behind me, then turned and climbed the stairs to the girls’ dormitory. Soon after, Aikawa came down.

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『Ah! Shirabayashi-kun……!』

Having seen me, Aikawa rushed towards me. As soon as I asked how Lee Yu-ha was doing,

『Well, I was just in Miss Lee’s room but…… Miss Lee is still unwell. And I, as well……』

Aikawa answered, and looking closely I could see that she also looked pale and was seating. I took my hand to her forehead.

『Let me feel your forehead for a second.』

『Eh? Aah……!』

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‘It’s the same symptoms.’

When I touched Aikawa’s forehead and checked the status window, the status column at the bottom read “anemia”. The same symptoms as Lee Yu-ha. I asked.

『What happened?』

『Well, you see……』

According to Aikawa’s explanation, she sneaked into Professor Kurobe’s lab last night, but she found nothing out of the ordinary in there. Then she returned to the dormitory, and suddenly started feeling weak and dizzy.

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『What?』

After having been to Professor Kurobe’s lab……?

It was clear. Whether it was Professor Kurobe or someone else, it was clear that there was something in the school acting as a vampire.

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‘First, let’s go to Professor Kurobe’s lab.…… But before that, wait.’

What if Professor Kurobe came here while I was at his lab? If that happened, I wouldn’t be able to protect them. I turned to Takahiro.

『Takahiro.』

『Yes, sir.』

『From this moment, I want you to stay here and protect the dormitory. Borrow the phone from the Residence Hall Director’s office and call some of your men as well. Don’t let Professor Kurobe enter. There’s somewhere else I have to go to.』

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Takahiro answered.

『Understood.…… But, who is Professor Kurobe?』

『Aikawa, here, knows what he looks like.』

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I pointed to Aikawa as I answered. At my words, Aikawa put her hands together and asked.

『H-Hey! Shirabayashi-kun! Where are you going to go……?』

『To Professor Kurobe’s lab. If Professor Kurobe comes here, contact me to his lab.』

With that said, I left the dormitory and headed to the professors’ research building. It was already dark by the time I passed a long path and got to where the research building was.

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It seemed all the professors had already left work or hadn’t come out because it was Sunday. The dark research building was silent, without a single person.

To avoid making noise, I took my shoes off and put them in my bag, picked up a pair of rubber slippers from the shoe rack at the entrance of the building and put them on.

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As I carefully walked through the dark hallway, I found a professor’s lab with a plaque that read 「Magicology – Kurobe(黑邊)」. There was some light leaking through the crack in the door.

‘Is this it.’

I held my ear to the door for a while and listened, but I couldn’t feel any human presence inside.

I took the door handle and turned it. The door opened as if it wasn’t locked.

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As I went in, it smelled like medicine and alcohol like a hospital. What I saw in front of me was a lab filled with glass beakers, test tubes and Petri dishes, like those you see in old science textbooks.

Professor Kurobe wasn’t inside.

Judging by how the lights were on, Professor Kurobe had probably stayed in his lab and just went out for a bit. Had he gone to get dinner?

I had to find some solid evidence before he came back. I searched the empty lab. Then I felt some mana coming from a bookcase to one side of the lab.

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It was a low-level magic barrier.

It was a meticulously set up barrier, but, like the iron stake barrier at the training grounds, it was sloppy compared to what I had seen in the 21st century.

When I put my hand to the weakest point and projected some of my mana, the barrier unraveled easily and the whole bookcase began to spin.

Creak……

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There was another room beyond the bookcase, which spun like a revolving door.

‘What the hell……!’

In that room, as Yang Bok-ja had said, were half-dissected, small-sized monsters. And what was organized on the shelves were glass tubes full of red liquid and sealed with a cork.

It was blood.

As I got close I could see that the test tubes filled with blood were labeled and arranged in order. What was written on the labels were dates and people’s names.

23rd of Dec, 1921, ……

11th of Feb, 1922, ……, ……

12th of Feb, 1922, ……

The labels were dated as far as a dozen years. At the end were names I knew.

7th of April, 1939, Lee Yu-ha.

8th of April, 1939, Lee Yu-ha.

8th of April, 1939, Aikawa Satomi…….

‘What the hell, the rumors were true?’

That wasn’t all. At the end, there was a Petri dish labelled ‘9th of April, 1939, Kye Hyeong-bok, skin tissue’.

‘Kye Hyeong-bok is……!’

Clearly, it was the Joseon criminal who was found dead under the Cheoggyecheon Bridge this morning.

There was no reason for doubt, anymore. Professor Kurobe was the culprit.

‘Damn it, what do I do?’

Professor Kurobe was clearly the culprit, but could I beat him? Ability aside, he was one of the senior professors at this school. Just by looking at the dates on the blood samples, he had been doing this for decades.

And yet he’d never been caught, probably because having a few students expose him wasn’t enough to do anything to him.

I had no choice but to do something by myself, right here, right now.

But, it wasn’t like if I didn’t stand a chance. Professor Kurobe would soon be back to his lab. Not knowing I was hiding in here. If I ambushed him then, I would have a chance.

I grabbed a sharp scalpel from the lab table and thought.

‘I’ll wait here.’

Even if Professor Kurobe decided to head to the dormitory before coming here, he wouldn’t be able to commit a crime there, in front of so many witnesses. On top of that, Takahiro and his men were on standby there. Those guys that were in the level of executives of the Shimazu Gumi would be able to stop them.

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A couple hours passed since I had been waiting like that. The sun was setting outside the window and the sky had grown dark,

And then the lab’s phone rang, breaking the silence.

‘Ack!’

Surprised, I stood up and picked up the phone. It was Takahiro speaking.

-『Young master!』

『What happened?』

-『We caught the guy named Kurobe!』

『You caught him?』

-『Yes. Kurobe Sanosuke…… He’s quite an unpleasant looking fellow. He wanted to go into the dormitory, saying he had to check on Cadet Lee’s condition, so we tied him up for now. What should we do?』

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After all, he had decided to go to the dormitory instead of coming to his lab? But it was a relief. There was no need for me to fight alone.

‘It’s done!’

『I’ll be there soon, so keep him put!』

I stormed out of Professor Kurobe’s lab and rushed out.

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The dark long path, without any streetlights, that led from the professors’ research building to the dormitory. But not long after I had got onto the path,

『Cadet Shirabayashi!』

A voice called out to me. When I turned, a young professor with a soft impression was there.

『Saigane sensei!』

It was Professor Saigane. As I stopped, Professor Saigane approached me, smiling.

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『I was wondering who was out here as I took my night stroll! It was you, after all!…… But, Cadet Shirabayashi, what are you doing in school at this time of the night? I thought you commuted to school.』

『Oh, there was just something I wanted to check. Anyhow……』

Since I had met up with him, I looked at his face. The hives that had been caused from his allergic reaction seemed to be completely gone, and as a matter of fact, his skin seemed to glow.

‘I got the antidote but it seems it’s not even needed.’

『Anyhow? What is it?』

『Uh…… I just meant that I should get going. I am kind of busy at the moment……』

『Hmm. Well, you did indeed look busy. Alright, you should go.』

『Yes, sir. I shall see you tomo-』

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I was about to say bye, but I suddenly thought.

‘Wait, should I asked Professor Saigane to come with me?’

If I, as a student, wanted to question a senior professor like Professor Kurobe, it would be helpful to at least have someone who is an adult and also a professor like Professor Saigane around. And in case of emergency……

『Sensei. Do you happen to have Awakened abilities?』

I asked because, although slight, I could feel some mana from him. At my question, Professor Saigane burst into laughter.

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『Haha! Abilities, you ask?!…… Well, it’s not much, but I do indeed have talents of my own, as well. I can become 「dorodoro(melty)」.』

『……melty?』

『Yes. Would you grab my hand?』

『…….』

Without much thought, I grabbed Professor Saigane’s hand, and I was frightened by the soft hand that felt boneless.

『Ack!』

『Haha! Did I surprise you? Well, you see, it’s this kind of talent, Cadet Shirabayashi. This is why I did not mention it ……』

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‘What the f……. That did surprised me, but it really is nothing.’

It was probably some kind of metamorphosis, but it was probably completely useless in combat. On top of that, his mana level was low. Well, I guess that was why he was teaching general studies.

‘But still, compared to how little mana he has, this level of performance is quite high……’

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Due to the slight curiosity, I decided to check the status window as I still held his hand.

‘Status window!’

Whoop -!

Professor Saigane’s status window showed up in front of my eyes.

‘……?’

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But when I saw the status window in front of me, I wondered if something was wrong and blinked my eyes. However, the status window was displayed on the visual nerves of the brain, and not the retinas, so blinking wouldn’t change anything.

『Haha…… Are you not holding onto my hand for too long, Shirabayashi-kun? Even if it is quite amusing.』

And the status window didn’t lie. It just analyzed the individual’s soul, and the self-awareness and mana patterns engraved into each person’s ghost, and then displayed everything as data.

[User information]

Name 崔成吉 (Choi Seong-gil)

Age 27

Mana class E-class

Awakened abilities

Metamorphosis/B-class

Blood absorption/A-class

Status Metamorphosis maintained (121 days, 8 hours)

[▷Main screen]

I looked at the still smiling face of Professor Saigane, overlapped with the status window in front of me, and thought.

‘What the fuck is this guy?’

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