202 Chapter 44.4 - Investigation

As Astron left the library, he immediately returned to the accommodation. It had been hours since he was on the field looking for clues, and he was on his foot from morning to this hour.

After the fight and everything, he was not in his peak condition, so he needed a rest. He took a cab immediately and then went to the hotel they were going to stay at night. Amelia had already arranged it, spending her own money.

-FUSH! As the automatic door opened, Astron stepped into the entrance.

"Ah...You are here."

There, he was welcomed by the two girls waiting at the front door, drinking teas. Amelia and Sylvie looked up as the door opened, their eyes reflecting both concern and relief.

'They must have been anxious."

"Astron!" Sylvie was the first one to come at him. She immediately looked at him from head to toe, seizing his looks. "You are okay?"

"Of course I am."

"...."

Sylvie didn't say anything in his response, but it was evident that he was relieved.

'So, she still can't get over it.'

It made sense for Astron; after all, no normal human could get over such a scene instantly, he thought.

"Were you able to find anything?" Amelia called out, standing up from the couch.

"A little."

"I see... Come, let's sit first. You must be tired."

The lobby was pretty desolate; only the receptionist was there standing in front of the small computer. And, his attention wasn't on the three youngsters either.

"A little," Astron replied as he followed Amelia's gesture and sat down.

"Do you want a tea?" As the trio settled down, Amelia asked, pointing at the small kettle on the sides.

"I would like."

"Okay."

Sylvie poured a cup of tea to him while also filling hers at the same time. After Amelia waited for a little while for Astron to get comfortable, she finally raised her questions.

"So, what did you find?" Her curiosity and restlessness were evident in her voice. Her eyes were narrowed, but small dark circles had already started appearing underneath them.

"I wasn't able to find much," Astron began, meeting Amelia's expectant gaze. "I focused on revisiting the place where Sylvie and I clashed with the demon followers. It's the only lead we have so far, and I thought there might be something we missed."

He certainly wouldn't be able to mention visiting the places where the other victims had last seen since that would certainly expose his way of obtaining information. Therefore, he could only reveal a little about what he found.

Even though Amelia wasn't a bad person, neither was Sylvie, but that didn't mean they weren't human. As long as one had a mouth, the information they knew was always prone to spreading.

Sylvie flinched a little at the mention of the fight, but she still listened attentively, her eyes searching for any hint of progress. Amelia nodded, encouraging Astron to continue.

"The place was deserted. There were no signs of the demon followers or anything unusual since they were professional. But, as you know, my focus wasn't on them."

"Did you notice something unusual?" Amelia asked.

"I did."

At his words, Amelia got slightly agitated. "Wha-" She raised her voice but stopped as she saw Astron's raised hand.

"Calm down." The primary upload of this chapter happened on N0v3l/B1n.

"...Right." Realizing that she was a little too excited, she stopped herself. "So, what was it?"

"First, I found landing marks on the roofs. It must have been Senior Maya since, according to what you described, she was flying."

"That's right. She fled using wind magic."

"And, after confirming that it was Senior Maya, I followed her tracks. After she landed, she didn't leave much trace, but as I followed, I reached the exact location where Sylvie and I fought with the demon followers."

"She went to there?"

"Yes. I am pretty sure our fight was the reason why she suddenly flew away."

"Then...."

"Of course, I hadn't encountered her. But the weird thing wasn't her coming to this place. There were traces of clashing and claw marks around the whole place.

"Claw?"

"Claw. I am sure of it. Those marks belong to a monster or something non-human. There were also signs of clashing there."

Astron didn't mention how his blood was licked or other things. But, even then, what he said was enough to make Amelia understand a little.

"So, you are saying she was attacked by that when she arrived there?"

"That's right," Astron affirmed, his gaze steady. "It seems like she wasn't alone in that place. I sensed remnants of demonic energy, but whatever attacked her left distinctive marks. It wasn't just a normal fight; it was something else."

Amelia's brows furrowed in concern. "But Maya is so strong. Who or what could have done that to her?"

Astron shook his head. "I can't say for sure. Whatever it was, it left marks of unnatural strength. Senior Maya might be powerful, but this adversary wasn't an ordinary foe. I could sense that it was something beyond the usual things we would see."

"I see...." Amelia lowered her head. If this foe was strong enough to take over Maya, that meant they were no match for it either.

After all, Amelia might also be a Senior, but she herself knew the disparity between her and Maya in terms of combat strength. Maya was overwhelmingly stronger than her counterparts, and she could even fight third-graders on her own.

Astron also noticed that she was down and decided to change the topic.

"So, were you two able to find anything related to the past?" Astron inquired, shifting the focus from the dire situation at hand.

Amelia looked up, trying to shake off the worry clouding her expression. "Yes, we did our best. Sylvie, why don't you tell Astron what we found?"

Sylvie nodded, her weariness momentarily forgotten as she began, "We went around the town and asked the locals about any legends or unusual tales related to Western Uxbridge. Most of them were quite hospitable after they learned we were students from Arcadia Hunter Academy. Surprisingly, we got quite a few interesting responses."

Astron leaned forward, curious about what they had discovered. "What did you learn?"

Sylvie took a breath, "The town has a history of supernatural occurrences. Do you remember what Miss Jones said to us at that time?"

"The possibility of mana already being here even before the day of Nexus Convergence?"

"That's right."

"How are the two related?"

"Well, many of the locals said their ancestors had told a series of ritualistic events that happened many years ago. Rumors spoke of a cult practicing dark arts, attempting to summon an entity."

"Okay, but what does it relate to Nexus Convergence."

"Well, they said most of those records were remnants of this town, and the calendars used belonged to an old empire."

"The calendars belonging to the old empire?"

"Yes. Even the alphabet belongs to them."

09:42

"I see..."

Astron nodded his head. It wasn't that uncommon for cities to hold old history since most of the new cities were actually founded over the old ones, restoring the old cities.

As Astron absorbed the historical context Sylvie provided, she delved into a specific tale. "There's a particularly eerie story that caught our attention. It's about an old count who ruled over this town centuries ago. According to the locals, one day, this count underwent a drastic transformation."

Astron's interest piqued. "Transformation?"

"Yes. The tale goes that the count, seemingly overnight, changed into a completely different person. He became violent and unpredictable. One day, without any apparent reason, he assaulted his own servants, and in a frenzy, he feasted on their blood."

Astron's expression shifted, a mix of curiosity he was showing for the first time. "Feasted on their blood?"

Sylvie nodded solemnly. "It's a disturbing part of the tale. The count's actions became so heinous that the entire city turned against him. In an attempt to escape the wrath of the townspeople, the count retreated into the tunnels beneath the city. Legend has it that he used his own blood to block the entrances, sealing himself inside."

'Tunnels.'

At the mention of the tunnels, Astron's eyes widened a little, but neither Sylvie nor Amelia saw that.

"After that, the tale becomes shrouded in mystery. No one heard from the count again. It's as if he vanished entirely. The townspeople, fearing the dark events surrounding the count, avoided the tunnels, considering them cursed. And over time, the tale became a cautionary legend, passed down through generations."

Astron nodded, masking the emotions he was feeling. "It's a dark history, indeed."

Sylvie also nodded his head. "I know they are nothing but stories, but it is certainly scarier than usual."

"This was the reason why we came to this city, wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

As the conversation settled, Astron decided it was time to take his leave. He stifled a yawn, rubbing his eyes. "I appreciate your efforts, both of you. You've done well gathering this information. I think I need some rest; it's been a long day."

Even if he had said that his eyes were actually shining in contrast to what he said.

Amelia smiled, "We should rest as well. It had been a hectic day. Sylvie must also be tired."

"I-I am..."

"Just rest."

"....Okay."

Just like that, the group each went to their own rooms after Astron got his key from Amelia.

Top of Form

******

The moment I entered my room, I immediately sat on the bed and started weaving together the fragments of information I had gathered.

The haunting tale of the old count, the concealed tunnels beneath the city, and the unnerving accounts shared by the librarian – each piece etched itself in my mind.

'She said the count feasted in the servant's blood.'

The mention of feasting in the blood was the first trigger. Since that moment, I remembered how my blood was licked. But, the second trigger was the mention of tunnels underground.

'If this is really the case, then that explains how the demon was able to move around the city freely without ever getting caught.'

After all, there wasn't a specified location where the demon was captured.

'A demon sealed underground.. If that was the case, maybe it was recovering its strength at the start..'

「 Those bastards call themselves Elegance of Night, but the only thing I can see is primitiveness and barbarism. They use their disgusting blood magic to capture every other human, like livestock, and turn them into their underlings. 」

09:43

Leaning back in my bed, I gazed at the ceiling, allowing the thoughts to dance and twirl in my mind. The connection between Senior Maya's disappearance and the city's ominous past seemed more than mere coincidence. The demon I pursued might be intricately linked to the count.

'And targeting Awakened individuals makes perfect sense.'

With this revelation, my earlier observations clicked into place. The demon deliberately chose Awakened humans. It could also navigate the city's shadows using the concealed tunnels, staying elusive and feeding on its chosen prey.

'The count used his own blood to seal the entrances..Usage of his own blood..Using blood..Something is familiar with that.'

I started exploring my memories from the game, referring to such a thing.

「Those fanged bastards. You are not different from them. 」

Then, a small line made me remember where this was familiar. A scene that would happen at very later stages of the game.

'Fanged bastards.'

「Just like them, you are also looking for my kin. Both of you want our blood and hunt us like we are animals. 」

As I remembered those words of a certain villain, everything started getting into the picture.

「 Those bastards call themselves Elegance of Night, but the only thing I can see is primitiveness and barbarism. They use their disgusting blood magic to capture every other human, like livestock, and turn them into their underlings. 」

As those words came into my mind, naturally, the enemy I was facing with.

'A vampire.'

My finals are approaching. The moment they end, I will send it and will post two chapters a day. Also, hope you liked recent chapters. What do you think about them? Were you able to get the feeling of investigating, or were they bad? Please comment on them.

Darkness_Enjoyer