The scooter's engine hummed softly, rolling side by side with Lia's black horse. Its hooves struck the cobblestone—tok, tok, tok—echoing into the night. Along the road, iron posts topped with fire-lamps stood every few dozen steps, each flame casting a small orange circle of light while the rest was swallowed by darkness.
Chen Le's breath came out in faint mist. It wasn't freezing cold, but there was a strange pressure in the air—his ears felt clogged, and every nerve reminded him this wasn't his original world.
[ Delivery Route Established ]
[ Distance to Destination: 7,000 meters ]
He only heard the system's voice; his view was blocked by the back of the woman's head resting against his scooter's dashboard.
"Seven kilos…" Chen Le muttered, keeping the tires steady so they wouldn't slip on loose stones. "That's… quite a trip."
Lia didn't spare him a glance. Her posture was firm, eyes straight ahead, reins steady in her hands. Even the cargo sack hanging from her saddle seemed to twitch at times, as if whatever was inside was still alive.
The head lying on Chen Le's dashboard chuckled. "Seven thousand meters is nothing. I've wandered between worlds, you know. From the snowy seas of Ymmar to the crimson jungles of Kethar. I've challenged emperors, saints, even gods."
Her black hair fluttered in the night wind, her empty eyes glinting faintly in the torchlight, smile bitter and distant.
Chen Le swallowed hard. "…You really went through all that?"
"Of course. I was searching for the strongest enemy… the greatest battle of my life." Her smile cracked into a grimace. "And at last, I found it. The Demon King Crocolandoda."
Chen Le nearly lost his balance. Wait—Crocolandoda? That giant crocodile with the crown?!
The head slowly turned, smile vanishing.
"You mean…" Chen Le gaped. "The crowned crocodile?" He asked.
She burst out laughing. "Yes! That bizarre crowned crocodile, ahahaha!"
"A… uh… so are you like some kind of battle golem doll or—" Chen Le couldn't finish his question.
Her hair, coiled around the mirror, tightened with a sharp krek, as if offended.
"Watch your tongue, Delivery Boy." Her voice hissed. "I am a Vampire. Not an object. Not a thing to be stuffed in a box."
Slowly she twisted, glaring at him, hair still wrapped around the scooter's handlebar, partly covering her face.
Chen Le quickly raised a hand. "W-whoa, I didn't mean it like that! It's just… the system called you a 'Living Figure,' so I thought—"
"Living Figure is a category," she cut him coldly. Her hair lashed in the air, wrapping tighter around the scooter. "I was forced into that label because I couldn't return after being torn apart by that crowned crocodile. I'm alive. I have a name, a clan, a blood-soaked history older than your ancestors."
Her pale face leaned forward until it was almost pressed against his. "Call me an object again… and I'll drain your soul dry before we reach the Citadel."
Chills ran across Chen Le's scalp. He forced a dry laugh and twisted the throttle, making sure to stay side by side with Lia. "R-right. Vampire. Not an object. Clear as day. I get it."
The head's lips curved faintly before she turned back toward the road.
The torches flickered. The cobblestone path stretched endlessly, dense forest closing in on both sides. From afar, a wolf's howl drifted—long, hollow, unnerving.
Chen Le shivered. It was only the beginning of the delivery, yet his scooter already felt more like a moving coffin than a ride.
The torches ahead blinked in and out like a heartbeat, each one briefly revealing Lia and Chen Le before plunging them into darkness again. The scooter's tires rattled gently on the stones, its exhaust purring like a lazy snore.
Chen Le yawned. The road was too calm. His eyes blurred, and even the speedometer looked hazy—the needle jerking, the digital numbers swaying, as if this world itself wanted to hide them.
But the system's voice was clear in his mind.
[ Remaining Distance: 6,200 meters. ]
[ Remaining Distance: 5,800 meters. ]
[ Remaining Distance: 5,000 meters. ]
Chen Le arched a brow. "This is starting to feel like some medieval horror tour…" he muttered.
Just as he was about to glance at Lia, the woman turned first. Her gaze was sharp, her tone calm.
"You can go faster with that wheeled mount of yours, can't you?"
Chen Le almost grinned reflexively. "Eh? Yeah, I can… why?"
The head on his dashboard quivered, black hair coiling tighter. A pale smile spread across her lips, as if she already knew Lia had her reasons.