Chapter 88

The atmosphere in the village was gloomy.

It was only natural.

Several misfortunes had piled up, each one enough to stir the village on its own.

To be precise, one misfortune had given birth to several others.

Tommy, who had been happily eating pizza and drinking beer just the day before, spoke to me with a shadowed face.

“Sorry to bring this up so soon, but you don’t have to teach me the cooking recipe anymore. Let’s consider the request successful, and I’ll compensate you.”

“…That’s sudden.”

“…Sorry. But I’m in no state to learn cooking right now.”

Tommy answered my question with a weak voice.

Indeed, among the missing was Trail, Tommy’s old friend and Nail’s father…

Considering how close they were when drinking together and how Nail had often come over for meals since he was young, they weren’t just casual friends.

If such a long-time friend was missing and his fate unknown, it was only natural that Tommy wouldn’t be in the mood to learn cooking.

Moreover, a significant number of warriors from the combat unit had gone missing, so it wouldn’t be strange if Tommy had other close Dwarf friends besides Trail.

“Still, I’ll give you the promised reward, so you can leave now.”

“No. I won’t leave.”

“…Why not?”

“Well, there’s a Vampire outside this village. I can’t just leave.”

I didn’t necessarily have to hunt the Vampire, but after spending several days in this village, I couldn’t just abandon it. If I left, the villagers might fall victim to the Vampire’s attacks, and that thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.

It would be good for me to help search the village and catch the Vampire.

However, Tommy seemed to interpret my words differently and smiled bitterly.

“Haha… That’s true. Wandering outside the village at a time like this could lead to a fate worse than death.”

“So, if you change your mind, let me know anytime. The recipe transfer isn’t over yet.”

“…! Thanks for the encouragement.”

With those words, Tommy left with a slightly uplifted but still dark expression.

And the gloomy atmosphere wasn’t just Tommy’s story.

Nail, the apprentice blacksmith, was also holed up at home, worried about his father.

The same went for the merchants in the market and the ordinary housewives.

The entire village had lost its vitality.

Seeing this, Mari spoke in a worried voice.

“…This is serious. A Vampire, of all things.”

“Unlike other monsters, Vampires are special.”

“With Vampires, it’s not just their combat power—their high intelligence is the real problem.”

Indeed, the danger posed by Vampires was uniquely special compared to ordinary monsters.

First, despite being treated as monsters due to their danger, Vampires are biologically human.

Thus, unlike monsters driven by instinct, Vampires act rationally and methodically.

In other words, they are capable of planning and scheming.

Second, Vampires must constantly drain blood from other humans to survive, meaning they harbor malice toward humans.

Ordinary monsters rarely have malice toward humans from the start, even if they cause casualties.

Monsters are simply wild animals twisted by mana.

They aren’t creatures filled with malice, actively hunting humans. Most casualties caused by monsters are similar to those caused by wild animal attacks.

But Vampires are different.

From the start, they act with the purpose of attacking humans and taking their lives.

Unlike monsters that can be avoided if you don’t intrude on their territory, once a Vampire reveals itself, escaping its reach is difficult.

Thus, the damage Vampires inflict on humans is several times greater than that of monsters of the same level.

Despite being biologically human, Vampires are even more dangerous because they are no different from humans in many ways.

Mari looked at me with a stern face and asked.

“What will you do, Kurt…?”

“I can’t just sit still. I’ll hunt the Vampire.”

Although I hadn’t known them for long, I couldn’t turn a blind eye when others were in trouble.

Lately, I’ve been cooking more than hunting, but despite appearances, I spent nearly 20 years as a hunter.

Searching and tracking are my specialties.

“Then I’ll help too!”

Mari exclaimed with enthusiasm at my words.

Beside her, Karina and Serena also expressed their willingness to help, their eyes shining.

While their enthusiasm was heartwarming…

I quietly shook my head, signaling my refusal.

“W-why not!? We want to help the other Dwarves in the village…!”

“No, searching alone is more efficient.”

Frankly, if I were to seriously start searching, the other three likely wouldn’t be able to keep up.

“But we can’t just sit still…!”

And my refusal wasn’t just about that.

“No, there’s something I’d like you to do instead.”

I explained what I wanted them to do, and though they were initially flustered, they soon nodded and began to move to fulfill my request.

Watching their retreating figures, I also began my search.

…

…

…

Several days passed since I started searching.

“…This is strange.”

Honestly, I was confident in my searching skills and thought I’d find the Vampire’s lair within a few days.

But after several days, I hadn’t found any meaningful clues, let alone the lair.

Well, to be precise, I had found a place that seemed to be a lair on the first day.

But it appeared to have been abandoned for some time, with no traces of any living beings.

Still, having found one base, I optimistically thought I’d quickly find a new one…

But as if mocking my expectations, the Vampire’s hiding place remained elusive.

It was as if that one base was the only trace, and it had vanished into thin air.

That wasn’t the only strange thing.

If the Vampire was meticulous enough to evade my search skills, it would be odd but understandable.

But what was truly strange was the disappearance of the Dwarf warriors.

Even if I couldn’t find the Vampire, I expected to find the missing Dwarf warriors or at least their bodies. Yet, neither the site of the clash nor any of the places I searched showed any trace of the missing Dwarves.

By the fourth day of searching, I realized I needed to change my approach.

“No matter how I think about it, this is strange. It’s just a hunch, but this isn’t the kind of case that can be solved with ordinary searching.”

At my words, Nail looked at me with a complicated expression.

I had visited Nail, Trail’s son, and Tommy.

If ordinary searching wouldn’t work, then I needed to find Dwarves who knew something about the Vampire and question them.

That was the solution I came up with.

But of course, no Dwarf would readily cooperate with a stranger poking around in village affairs.

So, I needed to use Nail and Tommy, whom I knew, as intermediaries to introduce me to other Dwarves.

Being introduced by fellow villagers would reduce their resistance to me and help me identify which Dwarves to question.

“…Were you really searching for the Vampire all this time without showing up in the village?”

“Yes. We haven’t known each other long, but we’re not strangers.”

“….”

At my words, Nail’s expression twisted as he held back tears, and Tommy answered in his place.

“To go out of your way for us… Thank you. So, how can we help?”

“First, I’d like to meet the warriors who directly faced the Vampire during the attack. I need information about what happened then.”

“I can guide you to them. I know Trail’s subordinates. The combat unit often gathered at our inn.”

“That’s good news. Please guide me.”

So, I asked Tommy to introduce me to the warriors who had survived the fight with the Vampire.

Just as we were about to move, Nail, who had been on the verge of tears, grabbed me.

“What is it?”

“…Why are you going this far for our village?”

“Why, you ask? It’s only natural. How could anyone turn a blind eye when people in trouble are right in front of them?”

“…!”

Nail’s eyes widened in shock at my words, and he let go of my sleeve. I looked at him for a moment before walking away.