"Mina, you're a witch."
Inside the small hut, Mina was in high spirits, cheerfully humming a folk tune from a distant town. Her relaxed expression and light movements made it obvious she was in an unusually good mood.
"Yes, yes," she responded absentmindedly, still caught up in her song.
But the moment the words left her lips, she froze. Her cheerful expression vanished. Her face turned pale, and a wave of fear washed over her.
Before she could react, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her tightly, pulling her into a warm embrace.
Snapping out of her daze, Mina shook her head in panic. Her eyes filled with worry as she looked up at Vlad, clearly wanting to explain.
But Vlad didn't ask anything. Instead, he simply held her closer, gently soothing her rising fear.
"Don't be afraid, Mina. This doesn't change anything for me."
Mina met Vlad's sincere gaze, one that held no judgment or suspicion. In that moment, tears spilled down her cheeks.
"I've been so scared… Scared someone would find out and burn me at the stake."
"And scared that if you ever learned the truth, you'd leave me."
It was like a dam breaking. Mina poured out everything she had bottled up for the past year—her dread, her isolation, her anxiety.
"It's alright now," Vlad whispered. "You're not alone anymore. I'm here with you."
He gently wiped the tears from her face.
"And I'll have you from now on," Mina said softly, her red eyes sparkling with gratitude as she smiled.
Vlad leaned in and placed a tender kiss on her rosy lips.
Then, under her shy gaze, he asked the question that had long troubled him.
"Back when those thugs harassed you, why didn't you use witchcraft to defend yourself?"
Mina looked away, a little embarrassed.
"I didn't dare," she said quietly.
"Besides, my mother-in-law always told me that not all witches are bad. We white witches are strictly forbidden from harming ordinary humans."
She looked at him with pleading eyes, clearly wanting to prove she wasn't a dangerous witch.
Though she still seemed nervous, Vlad gave a reassuring nod. He looked into her slightly swollen, tear-stained eyes and spoke seriously:
"In two days, I'll be leaving this place."
The moment she heard those words, Mina's expression crumbled with shock and sadness. But Vlad gently cupped her face and continued:
"Will you come with me?"
Stunned at first, Mina quickly nodded, her answer firm and without hesitation.
"Yes. I will!"
Vlad chuckled at her eagerness and teased playfully:
"Then I'll sell you to the most wicked king and collect a huge bounty."
"You're so mean~ I hate you," she pouted, her cheeks flushing red.
Mina playfully hit his chest, her movements light and shy. His teasing tone and the warmth of his breath sent tingles through her.
They laughed and teased each other until they tumbled onto the bed.
This time, Mina was different—more open, more passionate. It was as if she'd cast off all her fears.
Before long, they helped each other out of their clothes, baring themselves completely.
Beneath him, Vlad saw Mina's snow-white skin tinged with excitement, her flushed cheeks glowing. Her chest rose and fell as her breathing quickened, each curve trembling under his gaze—irresistibly beautiful.
Without hesitation, he pressed his lips to her neck. A tingle of pain passed through her body, and her thoughts began to drift. Her mind felt hazy and light.
A soft moan escaped her lips, then silence filled the room.
"Darling… you're not human, are you?"
Mina stared blankly at the ceiling, her voice distant and dreamy, her misty eyes filled with emotion.
She had sensed something strange in that moment of intimacy.
"Do you mind?" Vlad whispered into her ear, his breath hot against her skin.
"Then... let's be purified together." Mina replied with conviction.
As night fell completely, a long cry echoed through the room.
Two hours later.
Mina lay exhausted, her delicate body covered in a sheen of sweat, her flushed skin still tinged with the bloom of passion. She looked like a rose after rain—fragile, glowing, and full of life.
Vlad carefully pulled his arm out from under her, tucked the blanket around her sleeping form, then got dressed and walked to a nearby table. He picked up the ancient scroll he had found earlier that day.
Although he had sharp night vision, Vlad still lit the oil lamp out of habit and began to examine the scroll under its flickering light.
"In Augsburg, every three years during the Blood Moon, if the heart of a high-level creature is used as the catalyst, and twenty-three magical ingredients—including blacktail rhizome, fire crystal powder, and Regen fruit—are added to create a potion, the drinker becomes immune to fire. Witches will no longer fear the flames."
Vlad murmured to himself, "This reminds me of Witch Hunter. Muriel framed Adrianna just to extract her heart and gain fire immunity. So that's where it came from… this very scroll."
As he continued reading, something at the bottom left of the scroll caught his attention—a cluster of tightly packed, almost erased lines, as if someone had deliberately tried to scratch them out.
Vlad frowned and squinted. After a moment of careful inspection, he managed to make out only fragments:
".Di. Thousands searching for O.S. Blood Moon."
His brow furrowed deeper.
"Why were these lines erased? What do they have to do with the Blood Moon?"
"Is there a hidden truth here—one so dangerous that someone went to the trouble of hiding it?"
He repeated the phrases out loud:
"Search… O.S… Blood Moon."
"That part makes sense. Maybe it refers to someone spotting signs of the Blood Moon over Augsburg."
"But the earlier words... they're just a mystery."
He shook his head slowly.
Still, something about it bothered him. His instincts told him this wasn't random. There was a deeper secret hidden behind these cryptic clues.
Werewolves. Blood Moon.
Augsburg. Witches. Blood Moon.
As Vlad pondered, a pair of slender, pale hands reached out and gently massaged his tense brow.
Startled, Vlad turned toward the window. The first light of dawn was beginning to creep in. He'd been sitting there for hours.
"Mina? You're awake?"
He leaned back into her soft embrace and asked softly.
"I woke up and realized you weren't beside me," Mina replied sleepily.
"Why are you still awake at this hour?"
She then let out a soft "Huh?", paused her hand, and leaned over the table. Her eyes fell on the scroll.
"Wait a second… Isn't this the scroll my mother-in-law burned? How is it still here?"