"Clan?"
Phaga repeated the word under his breath, then raised his head. "What do you mean?"
"Just… the usual meaning. You've been doing pretty well lately, and the vampires' reputation in New Eridu has improved because of it. The clan sent you Sacrifice No. 2 as a reward. You already received it, right?"
Kovei subtly lowered one hand, trying to nudge Kunmutu's barrel aside.
But Phaga's expression sharpened, his gaze turning razor-cold.
Kovei felt his heart clench as though seized by an iron grip. Forced to raise both hands again, he continued quickly:
"And you've noticed it too, haven't you? Sacrifice No. 2 is valuable. It was never something the clan would hand out lightly. They paid a heavy price just to make its delivery to you seem reasonable."
Phaga's eyes flickered, his thoughts turning toward the clan's motives.
Good performance improving the vampires' reputation in New Eridu?
Anyone who believed that was an idiot. A race's reputation didn't change because of one individual—especially not when that individual belonged to Victoria Housekeeping, whose work was entirely covert and never public.
If anything, Sacrifice No. 2 had ended up in his hands only because Bern had blown things up earlier. The outcome was already set. The clan calling it a "reward" was nothing but them saving face.
Then a thought struck him. Phaga asked, "So who sent the rebels to kill me? And you still haven't explained why you're awake."
"You're really relentless. Luckily, both questions share the same answer."
Kovei let out a slow breath, then said:
"The answer is…"
"The clan!"
The clan.
Phaga's pupils shrank, murderous intent flashing instantly in his eyes.
Cold sweat poured down Kovei's back. His heart skipped a beat, his whole body flattening against the stall door as he blurted:
"Wait! Put the killing intent away—just hear me out!"
Phaga stared at him silently, deep in thought.
Suddenly—
Bang!
The dormitory door was kicked open. Billy burst in dual-wielding pistols.
"Phaga! What was that gunshot? Mr. Lycaon was worried, so he sent me—"
He stopped mid-sentence as he saw the scene, his gaze landing on Kovei.
"Huh? Aren't you the defense lawyer TOPS sent to help Perlman?"
Phaga turned his head, narrowing his eyes. "So you're from TOPS too?"
Because of the fourteen-million commission, Victoria Housekeeping and TOPS Alliance had already clashed.
TOPS had even outsourced an assassination from Outer Ring's The Vanquishers Lucius—practically a blood feud.
"Good. Now I have one more reason to kill you."
Phaga spoke calmly as he raised Kunmutu again.
"Wait! Wait! Bro! Pops! Ancestor! Let me explain! Did hanging around the Wolf-Thirens make you go feral every full moon?!"
Kovei was nearly in tears, close to collapsing to his knees.
Heaven bear witness—he was a top-tier lawyer, a true elite. When had he ever suffered this kind of humiliation?
But he had no leverage.
The airship was under their control, and they had more than enough combat ability to "accidentally" make him disappear.
Desperate, Kovei blurted, "The chance to kill you was something the clan fought hard to secure from TOPS!"
"Hm? You fought for it?"
Phaga's expression shifted dangerously. His arm tightened as he prepared to raise Kunmutu again.
Billy saw this and quickly lifted both his pistols toward Kovei as well.
In an instant—three guns pointed at him.
Kovei nearly collapsed.
Smack!
He suddenly slapped himself hard across the face, cursing himself for misspeaking at the worst possible moment. The slap was so forceful that his cheek swelled, faint traces of blood rising beneath the skin.
Phaga raised an eyebrow. Seeing a shred of sincerity, he lowered Kunmutu again.
Kovei, overjoyed at the chance, rushed to explain:
"Killing you was originally TOPS's decision. The clan didn't dare let them handle it—they were afraid."
"Afraid those people would take it seriously. If they did, you'd be dead for sure!"
Hearing that, Phaga's expression wavered.
Kovei's face looked genuinely earnest.
Kovei pressed on, "So the clan fought to take the job themselves. At least that way, they could control the difficulty—send some small fry instead."
"So you handed the commission to the rebels?"
Phaga's arms were tired from holding the gun, so he lowered it to rest.
Billy was watching, so he wasn't worried.
Kovei completely misread this, thinking he had gained Phaga's trust. Excitement crept into his voice:
"Yes! Easy to deal with, right?"
"That much is true," Phaga admitted.
In terms of combat strength, the rebels were indeed trash.
But there was still one more question.
Phaga asked, "And you? Did you come to this airship to represent your clan's goodwill toward me?"
"Goodwill… you could call it that…"
Kovei's lips twitched—he wanted to correct Phaga's phrasing.
But one glance at Kunmutu on the floor made him swallow the correction.
Instead, he continued, "I came aboard for two reasons."
"First: I really am TOPS's top lawyer. Defending Mr. Perlman is my job—I have to be here."
"Second: I am a half-blood vampire representing the will of the clan."
The moment he said this, Kovei's expression transformed.
Under Phaga's surprised gaze, he stomped his foot, straightened his spine, smoothed every crease in his clothes. His demeanor and presence shifted entirely, no longer timid but carrying a solemn, unwavering resolve.
As though the words "will of the clan" were sacred—powerful enough to give him the courage to die for them.
"First, I, Kovei Kunmutu, on behalf of the vampire clan, extend our deepest apologies to Phaga—the exiled remnant of our kind."
"Because of our negligence, you wandered in hardship from childhood. We apologize."
He delivered the word "apologize" with firm weight, bending into a deep 90-degree bow.
"But…"
Straightening up, his tone shifted sharply:
"The vampire clan is willing to provide Sacrifice No. 2 as compensation. But we refuse to accept Phaga's return to the vampire clan."
"What?"
Phaga froze. Billy was equally stunned.
They acknowledged Phaga's vampire identity—but refused to let him return.
What was that supposed to mean?
Phaga frowned. "Why?"
He didn't want to rejoin the vampire clan anyway—but he was deeply curious about their reasoning.
"Because of civilization."
Kovei spoke each word clearly, his expression severe:
"The vampire clan has its own civilization. You grew up entirely in human society. There is a profound ideological gap between you and true vampires."
"Therefore, even if you possess pure vampire blood—or an even higher lineage—we cannot recognize you as one of our clan."
"The Elders have defined you as: [A human bearing vampire blood]."
…
"Am I… human?"
The airship had already landed, and Phaga had returned to the others.
Yet he still stared at his palm, mulling over the identity the vampire clan had forced upon him.
"Seriously, you're so exhausted I have to carry you. Could you stop thinking about weird nonsense and wasting what little brainpower you have left?"
Ellen complained, shifting Phaga on her back until she found a more comfortable position.
After a moment, she muttered:
"And really, what's wrong with being a human with vampire blood? I'm a human with shark blood!"
"Fair enough."
Phaga couldn't help but laugh, finally relaxing against Ellen's back.
He'd figured it out. From now on, he'd just be a vampire-Thiren.
But Ellen suddenly flushed bright red—because Phaga's breath was warm against her pale neck.
Warm.
Damp.
Dangerously distracting.
Heat rushed across Ellen's face, and her tail flailed wildly against the ground, smashing several fresh craters into the rooftop.
"Hey—wait—don't fall asleep yet!"
"At least turn your head! You're breathing right on my neck!"
"Phaga! Phaga!!!"
Lycaon glanced over at the chaos on Ellen's side and sighed.
Forget it. Put that aside for now.
He then turned to Billy, one of the only two conscious survivors on the airship.
"The Public Security Bureau will be arriving to investigate. I trust you already have a statement prepared."
"Yeah, I'll say I did everything!"
Billy shot him a thumbs-up, perfectly confident.
"Good."
Lycaon nodded, then signaled to Rina and Corin. The two hurried over as he turned to leave.
"In that case, Victoria Housekeeping looks forward to our next collaboration with Cunning Hares."
"Corin, Rina… and Ellen, quit fooling around. Time to go home."
Twenty minutes later, Billy scratched his head as he watched Victoria Housekeeping's vehicle disappear into the distance. He glanced around at the unconscious people strewn across the Ballet Tower rooftop and muttered:
"That knockout gas is crazy strong. Wonder when Boss Nicole and the others will wake up."
He shook his head and started to stand.
Suddenly—he heard a tremendous roar.
From behind him?
No—
The airship!
…
"Haha! That dumb robot and that wounded vampire didn't realize I woke up early at all!"
Inside the cockpit, a short, round figure laughed smugly as he moved across the controls with surprising agility.
Such arrogance and shamelessness—anyone present would instantly recognize him as Perlman.
Through the windshield, he spotted Billy on the rooftop below, sprinting toward the airship with everything he had.
"Hmph! Idiot! Flying is faster than running, isn't it? You think you can stop me?"
Perlman sneered and pulled the control lever.
Whoooosh—
A blast of scorching exhaust erupted from the airship's sides, forcing Billy back and making him shield his face.
By the time he opened his eyes again, the airship was already soaring high into the sky—far out of reach.
"Hahahahaha!"
Perlman burst into triumphant laughter, giddy from head to toe.
"I really am a genius! Even the TOPS can't kill me!"
"Just wait. One day—I'll get my revenge!"
"Really?"
A quiet voice drifted from behind him.
"Of course."
Perlman didn't even notice. He was too absorbed in his own fantasy.
"Once I escape this time, I'll use the intel I have to launch a media attack. Hmph! TOPS wants to kill me? One day their CEO will kneel and beg me to speak!"
"Hey—wait, who are—"
At last, Perlman realized someone had been standing behind him the whole time.
But before he could turn his head—
A tremendous force slammed into the back of his skull, pressing his face onto the control console.
"What—what are you doing?!"
"Relax. I'm not going to kill you."
Kovei stood behind him, face cold and expressionless.
The veins on his hand bulged as he pressed down, his strength so overwhelming that Perlman couldn't even struggle.
"H-how are you… this strong?"
Perlman had been awake long enough—
Long enough to know exactly how pathetically submissive Kovei had acted in front of Phaga.
"As a half-breed vampire, I simply lack the innate strength of purebloods. That doesn't mean I don't have the right to gain other forms of power through effort."
Kovei stared down at him, icy and calm.
Everything up to this point was still within the clan's plan.
After a moment, he continued:
"Don't worry. In a way, I still have to help you escape TOPS. Think of me as your companion—for a while."
"Oh? You want to know why?"
"For the supreme ambition of the vampire clan, of course."