The journey continued in the early morning, three carriages already marching forward at the break of dawn. Sylene hadn't seen that rich man again—lucky. In fact, he had completely forgotten about him until Michel brought it up.
"Those people should just die. We could ransack his manor—that'd make us rich enough to travel in automobiles instead of these carriages," Michel grumbled.
Bire nodded in agreement, while Simon remained silent, his expression unreadable. The young man, resting his elbow in amusement, turned to Sylene, his eyes glinting with mischief.
"What do you think? You want to join us in ransacking his mansion?"
Sylene considered it for a moment. Gold would certainly make life easier, but he had no real interest in it. Instead, a slow smirk tugged at his lips.
"Rather than that, I think it would be more fun to watch his face when he loses everything."
Michel gulped before bursting into laughter. "Huh, didn't expect someone who looks so soft to have that kind of taste!"
"Say, boy, you look so young and easy to push around. How about building some muscle?" The young man flexed his arms, trying to make an impression. "They'll think twice if you show them this!"
His muscles were lean, small, but well-shaped—pleasing to the eye, though nowhere near the size of Simon's, Bire's, or the other mercenaries in their group. And truth be told, the young man had the best-looking face among them all.
Sylene glanced at Michel, who was still proudly showing off. "For what? So when someone annoys me, I can just flex my muscles at them?" He frowned.
"That'd just make him look like the idiot he actually is, haha!" Bire roared with laughter.
Michel shot him a hateful glare, speechless.
"Say, Simon, this guy here is the ripest one among us, but I've never seen him flexing before throwing a punch or firing his vampire exterminator."
Bire patted Simon's massive arm with a grin. "Because he's not an idiot."
"You're still young. Your brain probably still needs to develop," Bire added teasingly, ruffling Michel's hair. Michel scowled and angrily brushed him off, ignoring him with a huff.
Sylene smiled, watching their playful banter. They looked like they were having fun.
It was close to noon. The sun remained hidden behind gloomy clouds, casting a dim, gray light over the land.
Then—
A loud sound echoed from the nearby forest.
The laughter faded.
Sylene stilled, senses sharpening. His ears strained to catch anything beyond the sounds of the carriages and their group.
Nothing.
Since when?
Since when had the forest gone silent?
There were no birds, no rustling of small animals in the underbrush. Not even the faint hum of insects.
He had been enjoying his time, caught up in the warmth of human and hybrid companionship—so much so that he hadn't realized.
Something was wrong.
"I didn't hear anything. Not even animals."
The carriage fell into silence as the group tried to confirm the boy's words.
"Ahh, we're already in that area. Beware, kid." Bire whistled, glancing out the window.
Outside, the old man's people were already on high alert. The carriages kept moving, their wheels crunching against the cold dirt road.
"It's cloudy and cold," Simon muttered. "Well, they'll go away when the sun comes up."
"If necessary, we can always clean them up," Michel said, cracking his knuckles.
"Have you seen ghouls before?" His tone turned teasing. "Well, maybe you haven't. A pampered-looking hybrid like you shouldn't have come across them. Don't worry, we'll protect you until we reach Luen. We always keep our promises."
The group turned to Sylene, their eyes filled with quiet pity.
The sight of ghouls could be disturbing for first-timers.
"If anything happens, just stay in the carriage," Bire reassured him. "Don't worry—we have our VX ready."
Through the window, Sylene saw Bryent and two other mercenaries already outside, their massive weapons strapped to their backs. These VX weapons—Vampire Exterminators—resembled railguns, though Sylene had only seen their outer casing before.
Bryent was already unpacking his VX, the barrel angled toward the forest's edge. Beyond the treeline, the shadows stirred—ghouls. A pack of them lingered just out of range, their movements slow but restless, drawn by the scent of life.
Though called Vampire Exterminators, these weapons served far more than their namesake. Their adaptable nanoparticle technology made them invaluable, able to recharge within moments—either through a short power cycle or solar energy. Fuel and ammunition were available for purchase, but the cost was steep. These were not common weapons, after all.
But to mercenaries and military forces, they were worth every credit. The constant conflict with vampires had made the VX a staple in their arsenals. And even in the eerie quiet of the past twenty years—when vampires had retreated into their territory—the weapons had found new prey. Other enemies still lurked. Against them, the VX was overkill.
Simon and Bire stepped out next, their boots crunching against the frost-bitten ground.
The winter wind howled through the carriage, slicing into the warmth within. It carried with it a putrid, rotting stench—ghoul scent—seeping through the open door like an unwelcome guest.
Michel shivered, a brief tremor betraying his unease before he quickly slammed the door shut.
The carriage driver, gripping the reins with white-knuckled fingers, darted a wary glance around the clearing. His shoulders tensed—but then eased as his gaze landed on the mercenaries, already on duty.
"As always, I get stuck with babysitting duty," the young man grumbled, rolling his eyes.
He glanced at Sylene, who remained silent. Michel assumed the boy was afraid.
"Don't worry, kid. We got this. Ghouls are nothing but small fry. Our group is full of experts." He smirked, crossing his arms. "We've even fought vampires when the government paid us. Those bastards are way more annoying than a pack of ghouls."
Outside, the creatures stirred. Some began crawling toward Bryent and the others, but before they could get close, Simon's VX railgun roared to life. A heavy blast of fire tore through the air, ripping the ghouls apart.
Chunks of decayed flesh splattered across the ground, their putrid stench thickening in the cold wind.