Chapter 10

My world, Your world (2)

    Forbidden

    The brick color changed slightly, and a musty smell, unfit for a library, mixed with the scent of iron, sulfur, and indescribable elements, hit him. Esther swore he smelled food for a moment, but it disappeared as soon as he sought it out.

    The forbidden books section was filled with old wooden bookshelves lined up eerily. Despite seeming ordinary, the grandeur of being in such a castle-like room made it all the more magnificent, especially with the ceiling much higher than usual, making the highest shelves seem towering. The highest shelf was about the normal three-story building – one might have to be able to fly to take these books out.

    ‘If the shelf collapsed here, I'd be flattened like a pancake,’

    "Tartarus, can't we find information through regular books? Or search that network thing? Or maybe ask Snow?"

    "I want something serious," Tartarus mumbled, "And I don't want to rely on that thing."

    "Sorry to interrupt," the monotone voice softly echoed, barely audible. "As the inheritance is complete, this place is entirely yours now." A large sheet of paper emerged from the key's tip, astonishing Esther with its size. That paper would never fit the size of the key.

    "The map is embedded in the key. You can transfer it to your watch if you like," the voice explained coldly. "Need anything else?"

    "A bottle of cold green tea," Esther joked, unfolding the map. "Sugar-free, please."

    "Food and beverages are not allowed in the library."

    "...What about if I don’t drink here?"

    "Poof." A bottle of green tea nearly missed being caught by him.

    "Here, everything is available, just like in the cursed building," Snow continued, ignoring his action. "But consuming it within the library will result in strict action, even for the keyholder."

    'My goddess, why is everything related to that building so abnormal? Weapons, spirits, AI, and it's not like it's trying to kill me like when I was in there.'

    "Esther?"

    He was startled by the voice behind him. The spirit girl, who should have been in the cursed building, was in front of him, slightly translucent and seemingly a bit upset at being left alone.

    'Great, thinking of the spirit, and the spirit appears... Can't I have something normal in my life?'

    "Why? I'm not a place-bound spirit, you know. Don't act as if I'm a nuisance," Victoria said with displeasure, her actions suggesting she was quite angry at Esther for making a disgusted face, even though he couldn't see her expression.

    "Hmm, Victoria, aren't you supposed to be in the same place?" Snow inquired, even though she didn't appear visually, "That's weird."

    Esther hadn't expected the two to know each other. He looked puzzledly at the spirit girl, indicating from the conversation he had overheard that she must have been somewhere else long before the cursed building, a fact he quietly noted behind his uninterested facade.

    "Snow, some things are better left unsaid," the knightly spirit calmly interjected.

    "..."

    "Staying silent is good," Victoria added, seeing the other side go silent. From the tone, Esther thought that besides his own grimacing at her, the two must share some secret he was unaware of, sparking his curiosity even further.

    It seemed that the newly arrived knightly spirit might be the most powerful after all...

    "This is absolutely unacceptable,"

    A man in a black suit, exuding authority, spoke in a dim room. His gaunt face tensed, and his red eyes sparkled menacingly upon hearing about his subordinates' failure the night before. The leader's face was filled with rage and irritation, as if ready to kill someone on the spot.

    "Can't even kill a single man properly. And you call yourselves assassins?"

    "Uh... Boss, that man is a bit special. His weapon and the spirit--"

    Bang!!!

    The sound of his hand hitting the luxurious wooden table resonated, immediately turning it to dust. Though his face didn't show blood circulation, the anger was palpable. His murderous intent was so intense that everyone in the room fell to their knees.

    "I won't accept any excuses. We are the mafia; we can't let anyone disrespect us like this," he thundered, gesturing forward. "As Raven Valpurgis, the 37th leader of the family, I order you to kill him as soon as possible. If you won't, I'll go myself."

    "But... Boss," his subordinate was nearly peeing himself.

    The family leader was burning with a vengeance after learning someone dared duel his daughter and even tied her to a stake. According to the laws of the vampire city of Ardhal, crucifixion was a severe punishment.

    "This vendetta must be settled. Esther Devald," he said, clenching his fist so tightly his pale nails pierced his palm, causing blood to spurt. The blood coalesced into a solid black revolver adorned with bat wings, the blood fog around its barrel visible to the naked eye like a bloody aura.

    "That damn human... He must have been slaughtered ten or a hundred times. No… Needs to be bled dry, turned into a ghoul, and killed twice a day. Better yet, kill him out of turn until he forgets his humaneness. Daring to do that to my beloved daughter... This has gone too far!!!"

    With each word more venomous than the last, the room's atmosphere thickened with the imminence of gang war. The fearful subordinates began to share their leader's anger, especially the more they imagined the sight of their beloved young mistress, who was like their master being crucified, the furious they felt.

    "Ringggg!!!" The sound of a cell phone broke the tension. Raven hurriedly pulled it from his pocket and answered without looking.

    "Hello?"

    "Hi, Dad... How are you?" A cheerful voice from his daughter on the other end indicated she was speaking.

    "I'm great, honey. Completely fine. How did you manage to call, though?" He was puzzled, as Grace rarely called unless necessary, not due to estrangement but because their communications from the university were limited while the father often talked too long.

    Talking to his daughter, his demeanor changed completely, his face brightening up as if he had won the lottery, bringing smiles to his gang members' faces too. After losing his wife, the family head Raven, who could have any woman he wanted, showed no interest in anyone else. He dedicated himself to raising his precious daughter alone, so his protectiveness and such a reaction were not surprising.

    Almost everyone in the gang felt a similar way.

    "It wasn't difficult at all. I just told the professor that I needed to contact my family, and as soon as he heard my last name, he immediately lent me his phone."

    "Very smart, honey. You know how to use your power to your advantage," said the proud father. Raven believed that anything within one's grasp should be utilized for personal benefit, a lesson he imparted to his daughter as well.

    "Dad, about what I'm going to say,” She paused. “... listen carefully, okay?"

    "Yes?...."

    "I kindly ask you-not-to-interfere with my battles."

    Her emphasized words hit him like bullets, word by word. Raven's cheerful expression gradually faded. It was the first time his only daughter had refused his help, leaving him speechless, reminiscing about the days when his little golden-haired girl used to play around him.

    'Oh... My little bat is ready to leave the cave,'

    'All my concern, only to be outright rejected.'

    'It's okay, darling... If that's what you want.'

    "Alright, no problem. I'll stop sending people to bother your opponent," Raven sighed and mumbled into the phone, "I'll talk to each of my subordinates about this to avoid future issues..."

    "Yay, thank you so much! I love you the most, Dad." Her cheerful response made the father extremely happy. His ruby eyes not only sparkled with joy but also hinted at further schemes, something his daughter surely couldn't see.

    "Take good care of the family, and don't be too harsh on them. That's it for now," she instructed before hanging up. Raven assured her with a firm promise before pocketing his phone. His silver hair, neatly combed, strangely stood on end as if electrified.

    "Where are you headed, Boss?" his closest subordinate asked.

    "War," Raven responded, causing an immediate uproar in the room. Despite mixed reactions, the room fell silent as their leader headed for the door. Everyone lined up again to send off their boss, with one person stepping up close.

    "Boss, didn't Miss Grace specifically ask us not to interfere? Maybe it's better if we stay out of it, especially since you promised her..."

    "I said I wouldn't send anyone. It doesn't mean I can't go myself," Raven’s shameless claim with a serious face silenced any objections. His goal was to achieve his ends by any means necessary. He considered any loss acceptable if it meant gaining something greater.

    "If he's weak, I'll keep killing him until he resigns. But if he can defeat me... then we'll have a new leader." His red eyes shone with intense seriousness.

    "Aren't you going to consider Miss Grace's opinion?" Another man stepped forward with a question.

    "Ha ha ha! My daughter said so herself, but we all know her true nature, don't we?" Raven asked rhetorically, not expecting a serious answer. Grace's personality was much like Raven's: she never opted for negotiation even slightly more headstrong.

    The entire room nodded almost simultaneously, acknowledging his statement.

    "Don't bring too many subordinates; it draws attention. I alone am enough." After issuing his final command, everyone acknowledged and lined up once again to send off their boss.

    "We'll see whether it's just another commoner or the future son-in-law of Valpurgis."

    Meanwhile, the young vampire girl, feeling relieved after speaking with her beloved parent, her father, felt reassured by his promise. She knew her father never broke his promises, despite understanding Raven's cunning nature. She assumed nothing bad would happen.

    Grace had been raised solely by her father since her mother's passing many years ago. As the youngest child, she received special care not just from her father but from everyone in the family, due to both her endearing nature and her resemblance to her mother. The gun she carried was also a family heirloom.

    'Father wouldn't come himself, would he?'

    As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she immediately dismissed it, her lips moving rapidly in denial, "No, no, that can't be. Dad surely wouldn't come, right?"

    Trying to distract herself from such thoughts, for considering the events earlier only pointed towards her father's imminent arrival. The conclusion her mind reached was to find something to do to forget the ridiculous notion from moments ago.

    "Better head to the library," she said to herself before making her way out of the administrative building.

    Upon reaching the library, Grace naturally gravitated towards the old building, as vampires often prefer dark places. The moment she stepped through the glass doors, a chill assaulted her so suddenly that she paused in surprise. Even though they are accustomed to snow, not adjusting quickly is always normal.

    The sight of the group inside made her stop dead in her tracks, unnoticed. Their attention was diverted by the man in the center, she found a moment to hide behind the numerous bookshelves. Although potentially visible, Grace chose to secretly observe... because the familiar figure was there.

    "My world."

    The voice of the young man who had once tied her to a cross echoed in the library. The playful tone of Esther, as distinctive as the tattoos on his arm, was hard to erase from her memory.

    ‘That guy… 'What's he doing here?’

    Curiosity piqued, Grace watched, hidden. Not even a week into the semester, and the man in question had caused enough trouble to be secretly blacklisted by the faculty, something she knew from overhearing their conversations. His predicament might not have been severe, but it certainly made him stand out among his peers. What puzzled her was why the teachers focused solely on him when there were other interesting characters.

    Grace masked her aura and watched from her hiding spot until a bottle of green tea fell onto the head of the hapless prisoner. The young vampire chuckled to herself at the sight, hearing every word of the non-human conversation in front of her, using the bookshelf as a cover.

    "That spirit really does belong to Esther," she muttered, recalling the spirit she encountered in the woods near the university.

    "An intruder detected."

    The monotonous voice echoed through the library, causing everyone to look around as if facing a life-or-death situation.

    "Grace?"

    A young woman in a kimono emerged from Esther's side and dashed towards the bookshelf where Grace was hiding. The small girl stood face-to-face with the blonde vampire who was panicking and unable to act. "Heard anything? Since when? Spill before you turn into a bat steak."

    A black chain emerged from the ground, dragging the uninvited guest from her hiding spot.

    "Am I really that bad at hiding?" Grace laughed.

    "Blood has a unique scent. Plus, you smell like Esther. It's not surprising you were found," the spirit woman flipped her hair, adjusting her glasses. Her face, though smiling kindly, veiled a lethal intent.

    "What should we do, Master?"

    The human-form mythic chain asked the only man there cheerily.

    'This girl... calls me "Master" only when there's fun to be had, doesn't she? Too overbearing, right?'

    Esther didn't just catch Grace because she knew about the area's contract. He wasn't sure how much he could trust the vampire in front of him. Just knowing the identities of Tartarus and Victoria was problematic enough, let alone witnessing the contract. If word got out that he could freely roam War and claim areas 'before' the war started, it would be disastrous for others.

    'What to do with her?'

    Esther looked at the woman before him, creating a scenario. He smirked lecherously, sticking out his tongue and making suggestive hand movements, startling Grace.

    "Don't come any closer!"

    Her scream echoed through the library's inner section, startling him with the fear of unexpected visitors because he didn't actually intend to molest her; it was just a scare tactic.

    "The sound is muted," came Snow's calm voice, still unseen. "Scream as loud as you want."

    Hearing this, tears quickly welled up in Grace's blood-red eyes. Esther, who intended to tease, found himself unable to continue when he saw his opponent trying to escape as if seeing a ghost, despite being bound by chains. This made him stop his act and stand still, with Tartarus speaking on his behalf.

    "If you won't be quiet... maybe we should just make a slave pact with you," Tartarus said seriously, making even Esther turn pale.

    A slave pact or bond is a magic that binds one's life to another, but the superior party can do anything to the bonded without exception. If Grace really became bound by such a pact, she would be unable to disobey Esther's commands at all.

    Of course, it's illegal... but anything can happen in War.

    "Sob, sob..." The woman, struggling to hold back her cries while bound, elicited even Tartarus’ pity. She sighed deeply, crouched down, and gently held the opponent's face to look into hers. The single gray eye peered deeply into the other's eyes as if to etch the fear into her brain, stopping Grace from crying immediately.

    "Remember, you didn't see anything. Say it," Tartarus momentarily put aside her friendliness. For her, the master is more important than anything else.

    "I didn't see anything," Grace said, her voice distant.

    "I didn't hear anything."

    "I don't know anything."

    "That's enough already." The young man stopped his weapon before she could brainwash a civilian. "Whatever you're going to do, be a bit more careful. I know you're doing it for me, but you don't have to go this far. If she ends up brain-damaged permanently, who's going to be responsible?"

    "Heh Heh," the bespectacled girl chuckled mischievously. Tartarus knew he would come to stop her for sure. The spell she used just now was a simple memory erasing spell she concocted on her own. She wasn't sure how he could tell, but she willingly canceled the brainwashing.

    "Let's make a deal then," the fierce weapon owner proposed to the vampire girl, who had regained her consciousness.

    "I have an offer you can't refuse," Esther said with a sinister smile immediately.