Chapter 74

Chapter 74

***

The night clearly had something that intoxicated people, like strong wine.

Darkness, streets with few people, a strange sense of incongruity, faint moonlight... these things slowly drew out dirty desires hidden deep inside people's minds.

Thus, there were many people addicted to the night itself. They regained vitality only when night came, like nocturnal animals.

The people going to the performance hall called 'Rose Garden' were such a kind of people. In formal attire, their behavior was polite, but from their smiles filled with incongruity, some impure desire was felt.

And strangely, everyone was young; handsome and pretty people. Even if they were older, they didn't seem to exceed their early 20s.

Rickart and Ice could mix among such people sufficiently, but they felt alienated somehow.

Should I say the species is different even if the appearance is similar? It felt like my difference from these people would be discovered immediately.

Entering the building, bright light welcomed them first. Enough to forget momentarily that it was night.

A guide, dressed impeccably like the audience, inspected the invitations; his skin was pale and his pupils were deep red. He seemed to be openly announcing, "I am a vampire."

But whether people thought it was makeup or regarded it as a kind of concept, they didn't mind at all.

As Rickart handed him the invitation, the guide grinned, revealing his fangs.

"Welcome. Traveler. Please enjoy the performance."

Rickart, wearing a top hat, lifted it slightly as a greeting and to show he understood.

Passing the guide, a curtain was drawn. Lifting it and entering inside, this time thick darkness seemed to swallow the two of them.

Only the thin light coming through the gap in the curtain behind barely brightened the interior; a very wide performance hall came into view. But the seats for the audience were fewer than thought.

The structure was such that people sat far away from each other unless they came together as a party, and the stage was covered with a curtain as if preparing for the performance.

Rickart and Ice took seats in a suitable place and looked around. However, smacking sounds were heard from the darkness.

Wondering what they were eating, he looked, and here and there, men and women were engaging in acts of affection. Rickart received a big shock beyond absurdity, and his eyes opened wide. What? Are they beasts?

Perhaps because he came from the conservative inland, Rickart lost his words at the open sexual culture of the coastal city. To the extent that he felt hostility.

But the more surprising point was that men with men, and women with women, were also doing that sort of thing.

"Seem to have entered the wrong place."

Ice said. The request was the request, but he also seemed to have thought this was not a place they should be. Even while not afraid of vampires, bearing such a heterogeneous culture was difficult.

Since it was an era where traffic and communication hadn't developed, encountering another culture was almost no different from seeing aliens.

Even within the northern part, people from other villages felt strange, so people from far away were bound to feel even more so.

The smacking sounds here and there became worse as time went on; it really was an embarrassing situation just to sit in his seat.

About the time he was thinking, 'Should we really go out?', fortunately, the curtain covering the stage opened.

And beautiful harp sound.

The sound of stroking strings captured Rickart's ears at once. And the stage lit up from bottom to top with special lanterns.

Soon, a man wearing clothes sticking to his whole body and a wreath on his head ran out lightly like a butterfly.

He made this and that elegant motion as if boasting of his perfect body shape, then said toward the audience.

"God created the world, and in the beginning, there was paradise. Here, look at the man and woman walking in paradise."

And he ran lightly again and exited the stage.

A background painted with grass or trees on a wooden board appeared on stage, and male and female actors came out and started acting. By the way, the man who appeared first and the actors coming out now were all vampires.

Oh, reciting lines doing blah blah... whoever saw it, it was a play enacting the contents of the Bible. But, daresay, is it okay for a vampire to act?

But leaving aside other things, since Rickart was seeing a play for the first time, it was very fresh and shocking.

Even though it had crude stage devices and lines in a stiff form, Rickart got the feeling he was witnessing the scene of the beginning, as if he had traveled through time.

Because the vampires were pouring their souls into acting, literally with all their might.

The acting continued, and suddenly a huge sound effect like hitting a big tray burst out. It sounded like hearing thunder right in front of his eyes.

Kwagwagwang!

"Heueok!"

"Kyak!"

People gasped in surprise, and Rickart also flinched.

And the scene where the first man and woman got to know good and evil and were expelled from paradise was directed.

But afterwards, as if trying to relieve the tension of the audience, acrobatics unfolded out of the blue.

A female vampire riding a swing hung on the high ceiling passed over the heads of the audience, whoosh whoosh. Then she jumped in a flash and switched places with the person riding the swing on the opposite side.

"Wow!"

"Ooh!"

People were busy enjoying it, completely losing their minds to the play and acrobatics. However, Rickart rather became indifferent at the acrobatics part.

"Just continue the play, what is this?"

"Ricky, don't forget our request."

Ice gave a caution. Rickart nodded. He didn't lose his mind as much as the other people, but honestly, the play was impressive.

After the swing stunt ended, the female vampire's limbs were bound to a large board, and a dagger acrobat came out and threw daggers, whoosh whoosh.

People watched with bated breath, and daggers stuck right next to her face or between her crotch marvelously. Then he said toward the audience seats.

"Is there anyone to volunteer!"

He wondered who would do that kind of thing, but surprisingly, volunteers came out here and there. Mostly women.

"Me! Me!"

"Please let me do it! Adam!"

The vampire came down directly to the audience seats, chose one volunteer, and took her onto the stage. People clapped hands as if enjoying it, and that woman's limbs were bound to the wooden board.

Sharp daggers were thrown toward the woman. One, two, three, and.

Whik! Pak!

One dagger stuck accurately in the woman's heart. Strongly enough that only the handle remained visible. In an instant, people froze, and the dagger acrobat showed a playful "oops" expression like a clown.

But immediately, along with a rattling sound, the wooden board turned over completely, and the dagger stuck in the heart disappeared without a trace. Only then did the audience clap, relieved.

"Swapped the woman. Did you notice?"

Rickart said to Ice. The woman from just now really died, and another woman transformed into that woman in an instant revealed her appearance. And the newly appeared one was the female vampire.

The vampire took the woman to the audience seats again, but the man who came with her seemed not to notice. No, he seemed to know but not care.

Rickart noticed intuitively. That guy is a vampire slave.

Vampire slave meant those who served a vampire as a master while being human.

By the way, the female vampire sitting in the audience seats instead of the original woman grinned, looking back at Rickart and Ice. Her long fangs flashed.

Even though it was a dark performance hall where one's spine might chill, Rickart snickered and grinned back. And sent a warning with his eyes: You might die.

Then the female vampire, as if finding it unexpected, erased her smile and tilted her head.

The play unfolded again after that, but because he saw the mean deception, Rickart lost interest.

The acting was quite worth seeing, but he felt that it was all fake. They should have just continued the play.

The first man and woman expelled from paradise wandered the desert, suffered all sorts of hardships, and somehow settled, eventually giving birth to children: Cain and Abel.

And the tragedy dividing human and vampire earnestly occurred.

"The first murder happened! That is the thing that happened between brothers! Strike the head with a stone and kill! A new world will open!"

Kwagwagwang!

A huge sound effect burst out again. However, somewhere one man was dragged out, and he had an extremely scared appearance.

The person playing the role of Cain grabbed him roughly, threw him down, and actually struck his head with a stone.

Puck! Peoeok! Puck!

That was not acting but actual murder. But the audience couldn't distinguish whether this was fake or real. No, they seemed to want to believe it was fake, thinking, 'Surely, is it real?'

The man died in an instant, and vampires wearing black cloaks flocked and tore into the newly dead fresh meat to their heart's content. That happened openly on stage. A perfect deception.

And along with a popping sound, smoke rose from behind the stage; suddenly, one female vampire appeared.

She was wearing very peculiar attire and was very alluring.

Pure white skin and bright red lips; her dress was slit long sideways, revealing her long legs. Voluptuous breasts and a body shape curved like the hill of a field. Whenever she walked, her pelvis swayed greatly left and right.

Rickart noticed immediately. That woman was Lehman's younger sister, Lemania.

Wearing black gloves that came up to her elbows, she held a bright red apple, looked at it, and said to the audience.

"God gave us an excellent gift called instinct. So suppressing that is a foolish act. Restrain appetite, keep away lust, suppress anger? No, eat to your heart's content, trample to your heart's content, destroy to your heart's content. That is the most human, and so we are all brothers and sisters."

With that, the curtain came down. As if they had been waiting, a curtain call burst out from the audience seats. People gave a standing ovation with cheers. Not even knowing she was a vampire.

No, actually it didn't matter whether she was a vampire or whatever. Because they enjoyed the performance, satisfied overflowingly, and sympathized intensely with the words to be faithful to instinct.

The profane performance ended like that. People clapped for quite a while then exited the performance hall one or two at a time.

However, some didn't exit the performance hall but walked behind the stage. Rickart followed them with Ice.

Suddenly, a hand popped out abruptly from the darkness, grabbed Rickart's collar and dragged him. And put a face close abruptly as if about to kiss.

It was the female vampire who had climbed on stage at the end. Very ironically, he felt the thick breath of a vampire whose heart had stopped.

But before she noticed, a drawn dagger was thrust at the vampire's neck. If she had dragged him more, he probably might have sliced her neck.

Lemania made a satisfied smile, then released Rickart.

"You, you smell good. A smell as fresh as yours is a first."

Ice hadn't known Rickart disappeared briefly and appeared belatedly.

Here now was the dressing room. Lemania walked clack clack and sat on a chair, crossing her legs. Because the side slit of the dress was severe, it not only revealed her sensual legs but almost the vicinity of her buttocks.

Rickart didn't look away at such a place; holding the dagger flashing in the light, he put it away into his black cloak.

Amidst Rickart and Ice watching, Lemania took out a long tobacco pipe and bit it in her mouth. About the time she puffed smoke, a scream was heard from somewhere far away. However, it was hard to distinguish whether it was crying or laughing.

"What happened to those people?"

"Volunteers."

"What volunteers?"

"Person hoping to taste extreme pleasure, or become a vampire. We don't force. Because such a thing isn't elegant."

"......"

"How is our old brother? Doing well?"

Lemania seemed to know all the purposes Rickart and Ice came here for. Indeed, marvelous. If one becomes a High Vampire, does the ability to read a person's thoughts manifest?

"First, I liked him more than you."

"Your taste is unique."

"The play was worth seeing, but the deception was bad."

"A play is a reflection of reality. But conversely, if necessary, reality even can become part of a play."

"Really? But I don't know such things; what is the reason for inviting us?"

Lemania knew Rickart and Ice's purpose, but Rickart didn't know her purpose. Just, he knew only the 'fact' that she kidnapped her own father.

Lemania puffed smoke leisurely and said.

"Your pure blood. I won't kill and eat you. I just need a little."

"......Me? Him?"

Rickart didn't accept the current situation seriously at all, asking who she was referring to between himself and Ice.

"He's only handsome on the outside; his insides are rotten. His smell is disgusting. But you aren't. Other than reeking, the thing attracting my attention is your pure smell. From when you entered the city, I smelled your smell. Like a flower scent spreading faintly in a gutter. I can't not know."

Lemania couldn't see through Rickart's previous life like her brother. Just, she seemed to guess the trace. By smell.

"Why do you need my blood?"

"If my father doesn't waver at the smell of blood of your extent, I lost. Kill or save, do as you please."

Looking quietly, Lemania also seemed to be exhausted to the limit somewhat.

Probably persuading or threatening her long-time starving father or mobilizing all sorts of methods to make him drink blood, but there seemed to be no way.

However, in her proposal, there was one blind spot.

"If he wavers at my blood?"

"You have to die."

"Honest. I like it."

If Lemania had plotted a clumsy scheme here and there, Rickart might have just fought with her. But since she talked openly, all remaining was his own choice.

"I will go alone."

Rickart said to Ice. But as expected, he shook his head.

It seemed like he wouldn't listen if he tried to stop him, so Rickart thought deeply alone.

About when Lemania's tobacco burned all, he said again.

"Will pack weapons and come again in the morning."

"Good."

Rickart put forward a condition, and Lemania accepted.

Like that, Rickart and Ice, two people exited the performance hall safely for now.

"You smell."

Rickart said to Ice. The situation was somewhat urgent and serious, but he seemed to try to relieve the atmosphere.

"That woman's powder smell was severe too. Who's pointing out whom?"

"Her skin is white, so why put on powder?"

"Intending to cover wrinkles. She's an old hag?"

"Kukuku......"

Rickart and Ice returned to the accommodation, badmouthing Lemania, and packed their equipment. Just in case, they packed Ilya's holy oil too, and staying up all night with eyes open, they waited for morning to come.

Time flowed, becoming morning; Rickart and Ice left the inn again.

Coming out, the brilliant sunlight was lifting dirty desires. Daresay, evil things couldn't survive under that intense gaze.