Chapter 37 - New Destination
Yesterday, before leaving Warsaw, I had returned the motorcycle.
Well, sort of.
I had parked it a few streets away from the Continental branch and walked away.
After accepting Jane’s rather generous donation of one hundred thousand Credits, stealing her motorcycle felt a little excessive.
I still had standards.
From there, Ysvéra and I went shopping before leaving.
She and I took a taxi out of the city before changing vehicles several times.
Now we were sitting in a small town hundreds of kilometers away, blending in with travelers.
I checked my smartwatch and browsed through the news.
But there was nothing.
No breaking headlines.
No mention whatsoever of the massacre beneath the vampire mansion or the scene at the Continental.
Even social media remained strangely quiet.
"..."
That wasn’t normal.
Something on that scale should have exploded across every news platform within hours.
Instead, it was as though someone had reached down and erased the incident from public view.
’The authorities?’
Or perhaps...
The Continental?
Either way, someone was controlling the flow of information.
The world had already moved on, as if nothing had happened.
That suited me just fine.
There was, however, another issue waiting to become a headache.
Ysvéra.
She couldn’t exactly continue existing without an identity.
Because officially, she didn’t exist.
’I want to be a young master...’
I looked up.
Ysvéra was peacefully eating a cream-filled bun, despite being a vampire.
"Hm?"
She noticed me staring, then something else caught my attention.
"Where are the shopping bags?"
She blinked once.
"I put them away."
"Where?"
"My treasury."
She answered so naturally that it took my brain several seconds to process it.
"..."
A vein twitched on my forehead.
’She could have done that the entire time.’
I spent the whole night carrying enough shopping bags to open a small clothing store.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.
"No reason."
There was every reason but I decided to preserve our fragile peace.
After finishing the last bite of her bun, she brushed the crumbs from her fingers.
"Where are we going now?"
I opened the map on my smartwatch before pointing toward a large island surrounded by brilliant blue waters.
"Our next destination."
It was one of Europe’s most famous tourist destinations with beautiful beaches.
Reaching it meant crossing multiple countries first.
Fortunately, the European Union made traveling between member states remarkably convenient.
There were flights, high-speed rail, buses and countless options.
But, only one problem persisted as I looked at Ysvéra.
"Can you hide yourself? And I mean actually hide not disguising yourself."
The last thing I wanted was for a random strong person to take an interest in her.
She nodded.
"I can."
Then her expression became slightly reluctant.
"But I refuse to stay hidden forever."
She then pointed toward my smartwatch.
"And buy me one of those."
"Why do you need a smartwatch?"
"I need to understand the human world, I have slept for far too long."
"Fine."
It wasn’t a bad idea.
If she was going to remain by my side, she needed to learn about modern society.
By my estimate, the journey would take roughly five days.
Five days was enough time to accomplish several things.
Teach Ysvéra about the modern world.
Learn more about our mysterious bond and practice blood manipulation.
Ysvéra had already admitted that I would eventually gain access to her abilities as our bond deepened.
There was no reason to waste that opportunity.
Besides, I was almost certain she was still hiding quite a few things from me.
Vampires also weren’t known for complete honesty.
"Let’s go, Ysvéra."
She rose without complaint.
Together, we continued our journey once again.
’Come to think of it.’
I had traveled more during the past few weeks than I had during my entire previous life.
It was an oddly satisfying feeling.
As for the fake identity I used, the mysterious Zero Order of the Continental.
I could only hope that particular mess resolved itself without dragging me back into trouble.
God.
I really had no idea how spectacularly wrong that assumption was.
***
Warsaw — The Continental, Highest Floor.
A man with long silver hair slowly closed the report in his hand before looking across the office.
"So, what do you have to say for yourself, my dear niece? We have even lost his trail."
Jane stood with her head lowered.
Her hands were tightly clenched behind her back.
The man sitting behind the desk was the Master of the Warsaw Branch.
And, Jane’s uncle.
Despite every resource the Continental possessed, they couldn’t easily find a single trace of Evren Sorin.
"I-I..." Jane bit her lip.
"I failed."
Those two simple words carried an immense amount of frustration.
She had been completely fooled not by some centuries-old mastermind.
Or not by a legendary Continental operative.
But by an ordinary-looking young man who somehow possessed classified knowledge about the organization.
She had willingly provided him with a VIP invitation.
A motorcycle.
A customized pistol.
One hundred thousand Credits.
And, most humiliating of all.
She had personally convinced herself that he was an existence beyond the her understanding.
Someone from the Zero Order.
"..."
Her uncle let out a long sigh.
He wasn’t angry.
If anything, he looked disappointed.
"You are too naive."
Jane lowered her head even further.
"You wanted to believe, so you ignored every inconsistency."
His voice wasn’t loud.
Yet every word struck harder than a slap.
"Remember this Jane, the greatest weapon a con artist possesses is the victim’s own imagination."
Jane remained silent.
She had no excuses.
"I’ll investigate this matter personally and If he truly deceived the Continental then he is either extraordinarily talented... or extraordinarily lucky."
Jane instinctively wanted to argue.
To insist she continue the investigation herself.
Yet instead, she simply bowed.
"Yes uncle."
As she left the office, the Master quietly watched the door close.
"Innocent fool," He muttered to himself.
Jane stepped into the elevator as the doors slowly closed.
She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.
’How could I have been fooled so easily?’
The elevator descended in silence.
Then, halfway down it stopped.
Ding.
The doors slid open as an elderly man slowly entered.
He wore an old-fashioned black coat and leaned on a polished wooden cane.
Despite his advanced age, his back remained perfectly straight.
The old man glanced toward Jane.
"Oh? Aren’t you Jane?"
Jane immediately frowned.
"Do I know you?"
The old man chuckled.
"No, but I know your uncle. I met you years ago when you were still a little girl."
Jane relaxed only slightly.
"I see..."
The old man smiled warmly.
"Oh, yes. I should also introduce myself to you now. I am one of the Zero Orders."
Jane froze.
"...What?"
"I happened to be passing through Warsaw so could you tell your uncle I would like to–"
A blade suddenly appeared beneath his chin.
Jane’s knife rested only centimeters from his neck.
Her eyes were ice cold.
"Not again."
The old man blinked.
"What are you doing?"
"You think you can fool me too?" Jane’s voice trembled with suppressed embarrassment.
"Enough! I’m not falling for that trick a second time."
The old man stared at her for a long moment.
He sighed.
"My-my, What rude manners you’ve developed."
The instant those words left his mouth.
Boom.
An invisible pressure descended upon the elevator as Jane’s pupils contracted.
"!!!"
Her legs gave out instantly as she crashed onto one knee.
It felt as though an entire mountain had landed on her shoulders.
She couldn’t breathe or move.
’Impossible!’
Cold sweat ran down her forehead.
The old man simply stood there with one hand resting on his cane.
He looked completely relaxed as though he wasn’t doing anything at all.
"I merely wished to ask your uncle for directions."
He looked at the knife that had fallen onto the elevator floor.
"And yet you greeted an elder with a weapon."
He clicked his tongue.
"I suppose I’ll have to discuss this with your uncle as well."
The pressure disappeared as suddenly as it had arrived.
Jane gasped for air as her entire body trembled.
’H-He is the real deal.’
Her face instantly turned pale.
She slowly picked herself up from the floor.
It seems, a second round of scolding waited for her today.