And that is exactly what boggles him so much.

They should also be able to sense his overwhelming presence. They should be able to tell that they are nearing an enemy. Yet, they continue marching on. They don't turn back and run.

He has been waiting for the moment they try to run away, the moment they back off, to launch an attack.

But, they have merely kept marching on, as if they don't see him as a threat at all.

Walter: "Are they just stupid or something?"

He questions himself, unable to understand the situation.

The group has finally started to enter his naked vision. Till now, he has only sensed their aura but now they are actually becoming visible to his naked eye.

And as that happens, he realizes that they are a battalion of the Vampire Kingdom.

Walter: "�� Don't tell me they are actually trying to fight me."

It's not hard to see why he would come to that conclusion. However, he can tell from their aura that is not the case.

Walter: "What the h.e.l.l is even going on?"

Confused and starting to feel anxious, Walter stops in his tracks.

For all intents and purposes, they are in the middle of a city. Yes, it is night. However, that doesn't mean there's no one out on the streets. So, the battalion isn't marching in a group.

They are walking at safe distances from each other, as if they are all people with no connection to each other.

This would be enough to fool most people.

However, those who can sense the aura can sense that these Vampires are relaying information constantly, taking glances at each other, and all in all, coordinating their movements, despite how unorganized they look.

Walter: "Tsk!"

And that leaves the h.e.l.lfire even more confused.

If these Vampires were a bunch of insane freaks who couldn't think properly and therefore, were approaching him, it would make sense. However, if they can coordinate like that, how can they not sense the danger he is to them? And if they can sense him, why aren't they backing off?

It just doesn't make any sense.

As his mind keeps thinking and he starts to become wary of them, they approach him, relatively less nervous.

The man at the forefront takes a glance at him and then turns away, as if Walter is nothing more than a stranger you'd pa.s.s by and instantly forget the face of as you do.

Walter: "…"

This man, Walter recognizes him.

He is a leader of the Vampires as well as a reputed army general. He is known for his general intelligence and his loyalty to the Vampire Kingdom and the queen of the Vampire Kingdom. His name is Reid.

And seeing him, a person who is known to be level-headed at most times and even more importantly, intelligent, it is only more mind boggling why he is just casually ignoring Walter.

A woman he does not recognize but who seems to be one of the more powerful Vampires in the battalion also glances at him and then turns away.

The soldiers following them do the same.

Their nervousness is not completely hidden, which just goes to show that they know who he is.

Walter: "W-what the heck … is going on?!"

He voices all his emotions in those words. And as he does so, he realizes that, in the midst of all these Vampires, there is a human whose presence Walter overlooked because of him likely being just a pa.s.serby.

However, that is not the case. He is not a mere pa.s.serby, not at all.

This human, walking among the Vampires, is in fact someone more complicated than all those Vampires.

Bronzer: "Well, well, isn't that a refres.h.i.+ng sight?"

Walter: "…"

This human, casually stands back-to-back with Walter as he says with a smirk,

Bronzer: "To think that a bunch of Vampires would not give more than a glance to you and walk away, you must be humiliated."

Walter: "…"

Bronzer: "But the thing is, Walter Schmidt, you are not as much of a big shot as you think you are."

The strongest man in the present war stays silent as the weakest man in the war continues speaking.

Bronzer: "After all, even with all the powers you have, can you take the burden of an entire race's fate on your hands and win an impossible war?"

Walter: "…"

Bronzer: "You can't, can you? That is to say, that even though you are infinitely more powerful than I am, you cannot do what I do."

His smile finally fades, and the strategist says with bloodshot eyes.

Bronzer: "So, as you can see, you are not that amazing, not at all. In fact, you are no one."

Walter looks straight ahead, at the few Vampires who still haven't crossed them.

Walter: "I see. So you are the immensely hyped-up strategist of the Vampire Kingdom, the man the entire race's fate rests on."

Bronzer: "Indeed."

Walter: "Well, it doesn't seem like you are anything that impressive."

Bronzer cackles. Why wouldn't he? It makes sense, completely makes sense for him to cackle at that remark. It makes complete sense, at least in his mind.

Walter: "But you are right, I can't take the burden you are taking on. That said though, if taking that burden has made you so r.e.t.a.r.ded that you'd stand next to the man who can kill you with a flick of his fingers, I can't possibly feel jealous of you."

Bronzer: "Ha! Ha! Ha! Haha! Haha! Haha! Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahaha!"

Deliberately, Bronzer laughs. His laughs can be discerned as fake by anyone. Even so, he keeps laughing.

Walter: "…"

And, for some reason, Walter Schmidt doesn't stop him.

Hence, the weakest person keeps laughing. He keeps laughing until his throat feels dry. And then,

Bronzer: "Walter Schmidt, don't die. Survive!"

Walter: "…"

Bronzer: "Survive, so that when the time comes, I can kill you myself."

Saying so, finally, the strategist starts walking again. And so does the h.e.l.lfire.

They walk away, walk away from their greatest enemy in the war, doing nothing to hinder the other.

*******************************

Trisha: "I was terrified. I was utterly terrified and helpless."

Considering the fact that she had seen a former colleague been murdered by Vampires right in front of her eyes, and in her own house nonetheless, 'terrified' and 'helpless' would be the most normal reactions to it.

But, what I am more concerned about is the man standing near the fireplace.

Trisha: "That white-haired man looked at me with a gaze of pity and told me to dispose of the clothes and repair the windows if I didn't want to suffer the same fate in the near future."

Is that so?

Trisha: "He, or rather, his Vampire minions, took her bloodied corpse."

So, the gist of it is that some Vampires were stalking her for a while, probably that 'white-haired man' was texting her all these puzzles and riddles that always ended with a pretty negative remark.

She ended up freaking out and coming to Trisha's house that night but that is when they attacked her and Trisha became a witness, and in trying to save herself from being framed for the murder, she also became an accomplice.

Abgere: "Why didn't you call the cops?!"

Stunned by what he has just heard, Abgere asks so.

Trisha: "Would the cops have believed me if I told them that a bunch of Vampires did all that? And if I had tried to fabricate some lie, that might lead them to some inconsistency and I would have become a suspect anyway."

Ethan: "Hmm."

Hearing all that, Ethan merely sighs and then, sighs again.

Looking at the fireplace, he asks,

Ethan: "That white-haired man, was he taller than me and Kais? Did he have natural-colored skin? Were his eyes silvery blue? Was he a quite handsome person?"

Trisha: "… H-how do you know all that?"

So, it really is like that.

Ethan: "This former colleague of yours, did she happen to be a sister at some orphanage?"

Trisha: "Y-yes, that is where we met and worked together for a year. B-but, how do you know that?"

He cackles, and says,

Ethan: "Why don't you ask your crystal ball?"

Hearing so, and as it seems like a fair suggestion, Trisha puts her hand at the crystal ball. A moment later, as I surmise that she would have understood the situation, she finds herself completely shocked.

And, seeing that,

Ethan: "Ha! Ha! Ha! Haha! Haha! Haha! Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahaha!"

Deliberately, Ethan laughs. His laughs can be discerned as fake by anyone. Even so, he keeps laughing.

And for some reason, I don't stop him, neither does anyone else present here, regardless of whether they understand the situation or not.

Ethan: "You know,"

As his deliberate laughs come to an end, he says while directly looking at me.

Ethan: "When the opportunity comes, I want you to kill someone for me."

I … do know who he is talking about.

And the thought of a man like that even existing, it is equal parts terrifying and equal parts fascinating.

Oh well, I guess, despite trying my best to be a normal person, I am a nutcase myself.

So,

Kais: "Well, when the opportunity comes!"

I smile.

*******************************