The One Searching

Author: Unicoon
Raw: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n8138gc/31/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

The night of the royal capital Romulus is dark.
Moonlight is hidden by clouds; the town is wrapped in pitch-black dark.

By King Zenon’s order, a ban on going out at night.
Because of it, not a single person was walking about.

In the midst of that, a figure moved furtively along a dim street.
It seemed to be a girl student of Romulus Academy.
With suspicious motions she slipped quickly from one building’s shadow to the next.

The figure came out onto the avenue in front of Romulus Academy.
There, she suddenly stopped.

“You there…”

“Eh…”

“You there, miss… a moment, if you would?”

A man’s voice came from the dark of a building’s shadow.

“Who…?”

“Be at ease. I am a teacher at Romulus Academy.”

What emerged from the shadow was a tall, thin man.
He wore a black robe, the mark of a Romulus Academy teacher.

“A teacher…?”

“Yes. I handle the magic classes. Bram is my name. And you appear to be a student.”

“Yes. I only enrolled the other day…”

The teacher who had named himself Bram smiled, “I see.”

“A new student, then. You may take my class someday. By the way, what in the world are you doing at this hour of night? Going out at night is forbidden in the royal capital, you know?”

“Just a little walk…”

“That won’t do… I hear a vampire is lurking in the capital…”

“That was careless of me…”

“No, no. As long as you understand…”

Their conversation continued, faces hidden in the night dark.

“By the way, Professor Bram? Going out at night is forbidden, isn’t it. Are you permitted to be out?”

“I’m a teacher, you see. I’m specially allowed.”

“But His Majesty’s order was that no one at all, whatever the circumstances, may go out except members of the guard, wasn’t it?”

“……”

“Don’t tell me Professor Bram is the vampire…?”

“Hihihih… you say such amusing things…”

The clouds over the moon slowly parted.

“Now then, Professor Bram. What in the world are you doing at this hour of night?”

“I’m looking for something…”

“My. As it happens, I was looking for something as well…”

The clouds broke; moonlight lit both their faces.

“What a coincidence… I’ve found what I was looking for…”

“Yes. It seems I’ve found what I was looking for as well…”

The girl student—Charlotte—smiled fearlessly.
Seeing that, Bram breathed out, “Haaa,” and laughed unpleasantly.
In the moonlight, sharp fangs showed from his open mouth.

“Charlotte Anne Romulus… the finest prey…”

Killing intent and mana surged from Bram’s whole body.

“Tonight’s prey is a big one… If I lay hands on royalty, that person will praise me…”

“I’ve found you, vampire!”

Charlotte drew her staff in a flash.
But the man was gone from the staff’s tip.

“Wha… where!?”

“…Behind you…”

A black shadow rose behind Charlotte.
Bram had changed to mist in an instant and circled behind her.
And then—

“Behind you!”

A cute voice rose behind Bram.
The next instant, a hard shock ran through his back.

“Wha—guaah!?”

Bram spun in a panic.
Two girls stood in front of him.

Natasha with her sword raised, Olivia with her staff raised.
Charlotte joined them and raised her staff again.

“Vampire! Prepare yourself!!”

And so the battle with the vampire Bram began.