We gazed out of the private compartment window, watching the scenery as it passed by.
I had no desire to interact with the other passengers.
Most of them were wealthy or nobles, and I was tired of that kind of socializing.
The kind of people I’d enjoy talking with wouldn’t be riding on this magic train in the first place.
If I just wanted to pass the time, enjoying the scenery and chatting with the people here would suffice. And if I wanted a change of pace, I could simply step outside.
The sun was setting, painting the sky a vivid red. The view of the crimson sky from the magic train was striking.
In that moment, as I was watching the scenery, my vision briefly went dark. If it hadn’t been for the sharp sense of discomfort, I wouldn’t have noticed.
When I glanced around the private compartment, Arnella, who should have been there, was gone.
Noel didn’t seem to have noticed yet.
“Where’s Arnella?”
“Huh? Wait, she’s not here?”
It was only after I pointed it out that Noel finally realized. Normally, Noel would have noticed right away.
Something had clearly been done to her.
When I looked at Mastema, she stood up reluctantly.
“Ahavain, you noticed?”
“I can tell something was done… but we need to find Arnella.”
“She’s above.”
Mastema looked up. Then, she started preparing to punch through the ceiling, and I hurriedly stopped her.
“Stop! There’s a proper way out.”
“And what if we’re too late?”
“With you and me here, we won’t mess up like that.”
“…I’ll go through the window. You follow right after.”
With that, Mastema opened the window and climbed up. Her small body allowed her to do that easily.
Leaving Noel alone in this situation would be dangerous. I took her with me and stepped out of the compartment.
There was nothing out of the ordinary inside the train. I peeked into the staff room, but no one was there.
The bartender was polishing glasses, looking bored.
“Are there no crew members around?”
“That can’t be… is something wrong?”
“A companion is missing. She’s probably above. Is there a way out?”
“There’s a ladder between the carriages that leads up, but…”
The bartender eyed me with suspicion. That was understandable, I couldn’t blame him. Still, my gut told me that whoever had taken Arnella wasn’t inside the train.
“Let us use it.”
“Very well, this way.”
The bartender led us to the ladder.
I climbed up first, followed by the bartender for confirmation, and Noel came up last. It would be bad manners to climb under a lady.
Noel seemed to have trouble climbing in her dress, so I grabbed her hand and helped her up halfway.
“Thank you.”
“Yeah.”
Strong winds swept across the top of the train. Noel followed closely, holding down her skirt.
Ahead, near the front of the train, Mastema stood with her red dress billowing in the wind, facing a man holding Arnella.
Blood dripped from Arnella’s neck. Her blue dress was stained with it.
This… a vampire?
The man was dressed as a crew member. Had he infiltrated the train in disguise or snuck on somehow?
Vampires are a different kind of natural enemy to humans than demons.
They drink human blood, manipulate consciousness, and increase their ranks. What’s more, they gain strength from the blood they consume.
There was a time when vampires were a clear threat to humans. They were said to have their own kingdom back then.
But unlike demons, vampires were too close a threat. And they weren’t as strong or advantageous as demons.
Humans, faced with an enemy that sought to destroy them, showed no mercy.
A holy army, led by the church, was formed, and every vampire kingdom was burned to the ground. The holy relics obtained during that campaign even led to the summoning of angels, so vampires had been a bother to me as well.
Most vampires were hunted down, and the few remaining survivors lived in hiding… or so I had heard.
As I stepped forward, Mastema stopped me with a gesture.
“You’re not fully recovered, are you? Just protect Noel.”
“Got it.”
I stepped back. Truth be told, I wasn’t fully back to my usual self yet.
“Sir, what is…?”
“It’s a vampire. Just leave it to her.”
“A vampire! I’ll alert the guards immediately!”
I didn’t stop the bartender from leaving. It was part of his job, after all.
Mastema turned to face the vampire.
“Let go of Arnella. She’s my attendant.”
“What’s that scent? I’ve never smelled anything like it.”
“Pathetic, dying species. I’m not patient. I’ll say this one more time: release Arnella.”
“Refuse. How could I resist such exquisite prey so close by?”
With that, the man licked Arnella’s neck. She appeared to be unconscious.
“I hate when people touch what’s mine.”
Though technically, Arnella was my slave, not hers… but since Mastema had been relying on her more than I had, maybe she felt that way.
Still, why would a vampire do something like this? If he had infiltrated the train as a crew member, he could have just stayed hidden.
Did he really lose control of himself, unable to resist? It seemed too reckless.
As I was thinking, Mastema stepped forward. The vampire reached for Arnella’s neck, but his hand was sliced clean off.
Mastema had done it with just her gaze.
The vampire stared at his severed hand in disbelief.
But it didn’t regenerate. Vampires are known for their incredible regenerative abilities, yet this one was completely nullified.
Black flames flickered at the edges of the wound.
“This is… who are you?”
Mastema approached the vampire, grabbing his head with her small hand. The vampire looked at her with shock.
“A demon? This wasn’t supposed to happen. I was tricked? Impossible, I…”
The black flames pouring from Mastema’s hand engulfed the vampire from the head down.
The flames carefully avoided Arnella as they consumed him.
Mastema held the freed Arnella in her arms.
Everything was done according to Mastema’s will. Both vampires and demons are natural enemies of humans, yet the difference in power was overwhelming.
A lone bird had been watching the whole scene.
The moment it tried to approach, a bolt of lightning struck the bird, burning it.
Only Ahavain watched as the bird fell from the sky.
