As they neared the academy's back gate, Phaga folded his wings and descended slowly to the ground. Rina had been waiting for a long while. The moment she saw Phaga and Ellen approaching, her expression brightened, her eyes lighting up with relief.
"Phaga! Thank goodness—you look unharmed."
Reaching across the Ellen cradled in Phaga's arms, Rina pinched Phaga's cheek and brushed away a leaf that had somehow gotten stuck in his hair.
"Hey!"
Seeing Rina suddenly radiate maternal energy, Ellen grew displeased. She wriggled furiously and tore herself free from Phaga's arms. She immediately grabbed Rina, spun her around, and shoved her toward the path ahead.
Cheeks puffed out, Ellen urged, "Hurry up! We're short on time, aren't we?"
It was the first time Rina had ever been pushed around so forcefully by Ellen, and she found it oddly refreshing. While leading the way, she still remembered to remind her:
"Actually, as long as we didn't get caught right away, we still have plenty of time… Also, Ellen, even if you're off the clock, you should still maintain your Victoria Maid manners! Don't be so rough."
"This isn't work, and look at the situation!"
Ellen gritted her teeth, anxiety rising in her chest—then she suddenly froze, as if realizing something.
"Wait—Rina, what did you mean by 'plenty of time'?"
"Well…"
Rina was about to answer when she spotted an off-road vehicle drifting in from the far end of the road. Her eyes lit up instantly. She waved and shouted, "Lord Lycaon, over here!"
Lycaon, behind the wheel, seemed to notice something. He glanced toward the roadside, immediately spotting Rina waving. His gaze slowly shifted—bit by bit—toward Phaga.
Huu—
The tension in Lycaon's brow finally eased, the weight in his chest settling at last. Then he slammed the accelerator.
The SUV surged forward like a wild horse breaking loose, charging straight toward them. Just twenty meters away, he stomped the brakes and yanked the handbrake.
The brake pads screamed, the steering wheel twisted sharply, and two deep black skid marks carved themselves into the thick asphalt.
Boom!
The SUV screeched to a stop. Hot gasoline fumes whipped through the air, searing their lungs with a single breath.
Click—
Right in front of Phaga and Rina, the door swung open automatically. Lycaon sat with his right hand still on the brake, his face unusually stern. The moment the door opened, he jerked his chin and ordered, "Get in."
Hearing him, Rina hurriedly pushed Phaga and Ellen forward, shoving them into the backseat one after the other. She shut the door and rushed into the passenger seat.
Once everyone was aboard, Lycaon dropped the handbrake, hit the clutch, and slammed the accelerator.
First gear, third gear, fifth gear!
20, 40, 80!
The SUV shot forward, nearly becoming a streak of afterimage down the boulevard. The engine's roar detonated between the buildings, its heat echoing long after they passed.
As he drove, Lycaon glanced at the rearview mirror and said in a low voice, "Sorry. Had to deal with a few people."
"Certain… people?"
Curious, Ellen leaned forward, bracing herself on the passenger seat headrest. Her brows furrowed. "Who?"
"TOPS Alliance? City officials? Not sure yet. Could be any of them."
Lycaon sighed, then his eyes sharpened. "But I'm leaning toward city officials. Their failed military action cost them face. They have more reason than TOPS to kidnap Phaga."
"Besides, TOPS has a member of the vampire clan. They won't acknowledge Phaga as one of theirs, but he's clearly a vampire. The vampire clan would never let the city officials take him. It's a matter of principle."
A vampire who had broken no laws being arrested on fabricated charges—such provocation was absolutely intolerable to the vampire clan.
Phaga closed his eyes. He never thought he'd one day receive his clan's protection simply because of his bloodline. It felt almost ironic. But soon enough, he let the feeling fade. This bloodline had brought him nothing but hardship since childhood. He owed the clan nothing—and never would.
"Where are we going next? The Outer Ring?"
Phaga suddenly asked. At times like this, only a place forgotten by civilization—like the Outer Ring—seemed far enough to escape the city officials' reach.
But Lycaon only arched a brow and gave an unexpected answer: "No. We're going home."
Thud!
The road suddenly dipped into a downhill slope. The low-suspension SUV briefly lifted off the ground. The several-ton steel beast growled deeply before slamming back onto the asphalt. Gravel scattered helplessly beneath its tires as it tore forward at full speed.
Phaga tightened his grip on the door handle, steadying his body. His fingers curled inward, trying to calm his trembling heart.
"Mr. Lycaon, did you just say…"
"Home is enough."
Lycaon lowered his gaze. Even a fierce Wolf-Thiren could show gentleness at times.
"Home is always safe."
Victoria Housekeeping's decades of accumulated strength ran far deeper than anyone imagined.
After the first attempted arrest of Phaga, the TOPS demanded the meeting be reconvened.
The sealed conference room was brightly lit, and most of the people seated inside were constantly wiping sweat from their foreheads. Even with the central air conditioning blasting cold air, it couldn't keep them from sweating profusely.
Everyone was shouting, arguing until their faces turned red and their necks bulged, each one acting like a valiant warrior passionately defending their convictions. Yet without exception, every time someone finished speaking, they cast a sidelong glance toward the table at the center.
As if to say: Look how well I performed.
At that central table, most of those seated looked half-asleep, occasionally lifting their eyes to see how many people were cheering, offering approving glances. Inwardly, they were already calculating how many bones they needed to throw out later to keep these loyal dogs howling in the next meeting.
Finally, a white-haired elder in a well-tailored suit tapped the table.
Those seated around the central round table instantly pulled themselves together, becoming slightly more serious. They knew this tedious meeting was finally moving toward its real purpose.
Bern, Chief Scientist of the TOPS was among them. He lifted his head.
The white-haired elder was no simple man—he was the Mayor of New Eridu. Though his age prevented him from seeking another term, his residual influence remained formidable.
Bern's expression grew solemn. It was precisely because the old mayor was about to retire that this situation had grown even more troublesome.
As expected, the mayor spoke first.
"New Eridu has stood for a long time since its founding. But the last time our dignity was so thoroughly trampled… we must look back to the Fall of the Old Capital."
With a single sentence, he set the tone. A political veteran, the mayor was deeply familiar with how to seize control of public sentiment.
"At that time, Hollow Zero suddenly spiraled out of control. Ether activity surged, expanding violently in every direction!"
"In that moment, countless families were swallowed by the hollow for no reason—wives torn from husbands, parents from children! So many never saw the next sunrise. And even more watched helplessly as the blood and sweat they'd poured over twenty, thirty years… were burned to ash inside Hollow Zero!"
At the height of emotion, the old mayor's voice swelled with intensity. Though everyone present had long been hardened, it was as if they were seeing the people's suffering with their own eyes, forcing themselves to wipe away tears.
Their leader—the aging mayor—was still fervent.
"You remember, don't you? Right outside these doors, looking toward New Eridu's tallest Shiyu Tower—hundreds, thousands of people lined up and jumped!"
"Later, word spread that Hollow Zero would continue expanding. Factories shut down, shops closed, students walked out. We were trapped outside the government building, unable to leave. Everyone rioted, and no one sought solutions—civilization teetered on the edge!"
"It was me. It was me!"
The old mayor suddenly slammed the table. An overwhelming pressure swept across the room, and everyone bore witness as he pushed the meeting to its climax.
"I was the one who decided to demolish the fourteen Shiyu Towers from the southwest to the northeast of Eridu, blasting open a massive rift! Then I fairly and justly assigned blame for Hollow Zero's rampage to Carole Arna of the Helios Institute, ensuring the survival of our civilization!"
"Tell me—how is this situation any different?"
"Judging Phaga, allowing our citizens to vent their pent-up righteous fury—how is that wrong?"
The room instantly went silent, as quiet as a library, with only the clacking keyboards of the record keepers echoing faintly.
But soon the crowd erupted. All of the mayor's supporters rose, passionately voicing their approval. The room surged with heat and noise, public opinion overwhelmingly one-sided.
The old mayor sat down with a self-satisfied expression, as if victory were already in hand.
Then suddenly, his face—and those of his supporters—twisted into furious shades of red.
A single, cool voice drifted through the tension.
"In other words, you intend to arrest Phaga without any evidence, correct?"
"You think our vampire clan is the Oni Clan?"
Everyone turned.
Bern had risen, slowly pulling down the mask that hid his face. His clothes rippled as his dark blue wings burst outward.
Boom!
He launched skyward, his wings shredding the table into splinters.
Amid the drifting wooden debris, the blood-tinged aura seeping through the air was far more shocking than the mayor's authority, leaving all present in stunned awe.
"You want to brand Phaga a criminal? The vampire clan—disagrees."
Immediately, another figure rose within the TOPS.
A beautiful woman in a pink evening gown stepped forward, bowing gracefully to the assembly. Her gentle smile radiated warmth.
"My apologies for putting you in a difficult position, but the Chief Scientist's stance is also the stance of the TOPS."
"To harm Victoria's child—we refuse."
...