Lirim and the Beast ☆7
Those who rise against royal authority tend to welcome a tyrant over the current king.
If Serin tries to rule this world with good intentions, it will inevitably strip power from those who oppose his rule. Even the kindest vampire cannot tolerate someone who seeks to destroy them without harming humans; for all these factions to unite, a strong and oppressive ruler like Gordon is necessary. If someone as soft as Serin were to become Tetra Anax, the will of those opposing him would scatter and weaken.
"Came here for nothing."
Han Se-gun was in a foul mood. When he first entered the world of vampire hunters, only a few hunters formed groups to hunt together; they didn't roam openly in packs like hyenas. Group hunts naturally had a much higher success rate than solo hunts, but when multiple armed thugs roam together, it inevitably draws police attention.
That is, unless Tetra Anax protects them. If vampire hunters were caught by the police and their identities revealed to ordinary people, it would also negatively impact the vampire world, so Tetra Anax safeguards their information. In effect, those who hunt vampires have forced the vampire king to bear the costs of information security.
Han Se-gun didn't like that.
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"Well, I'm not exactly in a position to be welcomed, but being treated like this by that guy really pisses me off."
Seo-hyun felt annoyed by Se-gun's attitude. Of course, no one would welcome him, a lycanthrope. He had committed crimes and deserved to face consequences—but at least he didn't want to hear that kind of thing from that guy.
If Seo-hyun were a war criminal, he'd be a terrorist wanted by Interpol, right? He was the very person who made South Korean police wake up in the middle of the night, grinding their teeth in anger and unable to sleep, and yet he was lecturing others about living a fair and harmonious life?
"Um… if you want, you can step aside."
Kim Seong-hee, unable to bear it, spoke up, but Seo-hyun shrugged and began slicing cheese and salami with a knife, placing them on crackers.
"I don't have money."
The problem… Seo-hyun currently had no money.
The settlement fund that Serin had prepared was far too little, and Kim Seong-hee also hadn't given him much, perhaps to "teach him a lesson" early on. He'd just started a part-time job, so he couldn't expect pay yet, and his pride wouldn't allow him to ask for an advance. Going out at night would just cost more money anyway.
Or should he go home? That bizarre penthouse once used by Father Sylvester felt more like a social club than a home. Opening the door one day, he might find cultists in goat masks performing human sacrifices or summoning demons—it wouldn't be surprising.
"You should at least earn minimum wage. Show some diligence, right?"
Seo-hyun muttered irritably, slicing cheese with mechanical precision. Once he arranged the tray, the vampire hunters in the shop grabbed it without much thought. After all, hunters with irregular schedules and nighttime hunts probably needed snacks like this.
But Han Se-gun didn't even glance at the tray, chatting with other hunters. More accurately, the hunters wouldn't leave him alone after seeing him in public after so long.
"More like an idol being harassed by fans than a conversation. Lucky, getting attention from these chaotic vampire hunters?"
Seo-hyun glared at Se-gun and began collecting the used dishes to wash. He wanted to appear composed and diligent to them, though he had little else to do.
While doing the dishes, curious gazes pierced his skin. The sight of a lycanthrope prince, a ferocious cannibalistic werewolf, working quietly was certainly shocking to the vampire hunters.
"Indeed, Kim Seong-hee, Arjuna's master, is incredible. Taming such a mad dog."
Though unspoken, every vampire hunter present agreed. Who would argue that a shepherd who tames the wildest stallion isn't the best? Seo-hyun, notorious as Isaka Bergenev, wasn't widely known in Korea, but no one considered him an easy target.
Some time passed. The relaxed hunters began talking again. Even those in life-and-death professions can act foolishly before a lycanthrope, no matter how trustworthy their guarantor may be.
As Seo-hyun quietly went about his tasks, they cautiously shared their information.
"Hey, have you heard about that lately?"
"What?"
"Seems like there's a strange drug circulating among vampires…"
"Huh?"
"A drug?"
"Can we tell him?"
The hunters were conscious of Seo-hyun. Understandable—no matter that he was Arjuna's master under Kim Seong-hee's protection, his true nature was lycanthrope. While vampires and lycanthropes are different, to humans and vampire hunters they appear the same, making sharing valuable information difficult.
Then Han Se-gun stepped in.
"Go on."
"Uh… well… it's a rumor circulating among vampires…"
The hunter hesitated, glancing at his peers. Se-gun was respected among vampire hunters but wasn't sociable; people might admire him from afar, but he wasn't easy to approach. Still, he had no grounds to refuse his request.
"Recently, the Qingbang… a new rumor says there's a strange potion circulating among vampires…"
"A potion among vampires, huh."
Se-gun clicked his tongue. Vampires' desires—hunger, sleep, sexual—ultimately all converge on the need for blood.
"I'm sleepy, so I want to drink blood.""I'm cold and tired, so I want to feed.""I'm sexually stimulated, so I want to drink blood."
No drug could affect vampires whose desires are so singular. The more they feel these urges, the more blood they need, and mindlessly feeding on humans is always dangerous.
Vampires loyal to Tetra Anax rely on medical transfusion packs, but others indiscriminately attack humans on the streets, attracting vampire hunters. So what kind of potion could possibly affect such vampires?
"What does it do? Qingbang… are they a branch of the Beidou Star Corps?"
Qingbang was a Chinese mafia alliance claiming roots from the Boxer Rebellion and earlier Odomi cult times. Though primarily a criminal organization, one branch leader was Beidou Star, a vampire deity. Other factions included lycanthrope associations and various subgroups.
A vampire-related rumor from Qingbang couldn't be ignored, though it seemed suspicious, like a door-to-door water purifier salesman invoking NASA.
"Not sure on the details, but that's what they say. Hahaha."
The older hunter spoke respectfully while avoiding specifics. Se-gun inwardly snorted at the evasiveness.
"A potion, huh."
Unlike Se-gun, Seo-hyun listened intently. The assassins who attacked him had claimed Tetra Anax's era was ending—but could such a thing even be possible?
Tetra Anax's control over information, telepathy, and precognition sustained the entire world of Moonlight. Losing that power meant the destruction of Moonlight. That's why Serin's sudden rise as the new Tetra Anax was accepted—not for wealth or power, but because the title of Tetra Anax cannot be earned by status, wealth, power, or force alone. Only those who can maintain Moonlight deserve the name.
Thus, the era of Tetra Anax is Moonlight itself. Did the assassins claiming its end even realize what they were saying?
Yet a potion circulating among vampires… Seo-hyun recalled the assassins moving in broad sunlight without apparent pain.
Then…
"…What is it?"
Se-gun crossed his arms and looked at Seo-hyun. Startled, Seo-hyun looked around; other hunters had stepped back, leaving him sitting in front of Se-gun, apron and all.
"Oops. Maybe I overthought it."
Guided by their conversation, Seo-hyun had moved to this spot, wearing a wry smile. Se-gun just stayed put, a giant presence, while the other hunters kept their distance, wary of a sudden outburst.
Seo-hyun had long been a feared and admired mercenary; seeing people step back in fear was nothing unusual.
But now, he was Seo-hyun, not Isaka Bergenev. He wanted a clean identity, not the reverence of the past. Vampire hunters might be chaotic humans, but he couldn't afford enmity. He needed to navigate carefully…
Seo-hyun looked at Se-gun again, eyes wide with astonishment. Encountering a UFO on the highway might not have been as shocking.
Because he was seeing the black undulation enveloping Se-gun's entire body.
Seo-hyun remembered this black shimmer—it was similar to the Haunted state seen in veteran vampire hunters… but this was beyond that. Only one entity had displayed such darkness before.
"Lilith?!"
Lilith, mother of Seo-hyun and Serin, the dark witch who bore Siwon's magic.
The darkness surrounding Han Se-gun had now transformed to resemble Lilith's.