The housekeeper stretched her neck slightly, murmuring to herself, “They came so quickly…”

  And that night, in four other residences scattered across the city, scenes much like this one quietly unfolded.

  The next morning.

  Glenn rose early, knocked on the door next to his room, and roused Danni from sleep.

  After breakfast with her and Ricky, he told them briefly that he had business to attend to and left alone, driving off in his deer-drawn carriage.

  In truth, he didn’t even need his nose to track them—he could have simply asked any passerby and learned where Luther and the others were. After all, so many refugees suddenly arriving in one place was bound to draw attention.

  In a slum known as the Old Wind District, Glenn finally found the displaced families.

  The area had been tidied up somewhat, though the traces of hasty repair were clear. It seemed the local authorities, following orders from above, had done their best to make room for the refugees.

  The air was thick with unpleasant smells that made Glenn wrinkle his nose.

  Dozens of displaced souls huddled together here, the place crowded and uneven.

  Stepping carefully over potholes and weaving through the crowd, Glenn came to a shaded spot beneath a low eave—where he found the Carter brothers, eating in silence.

  “Well, I finally found you two,” Glenn said as he approached.

  Recognizing their employer, both brothers jumped to their feet, delight written all over their faces.

  “Sir! You’re all right! We were so worried about you,” one exclaimed.

  “Relax,” Glenn replied with a faint smile. “The demons didn’t make it as far as Dood. Everything’s fine there.” He glanced around. “Where’s Luther? I don’t see him.”

  “Luther went to buy breakfast,” said Kajin. “He hasn’t come back yet.”

  “Sir, you mean Dood’s really safe? Then we can finally go home?” Kater blurted eagerly. “I’ve had enough of living like this!”

  Glenn chuckled. “Truly, I came here just to tell you that. I’m sure someone official will come to confirm it soon.”

  “Thank the heavens!” the brothers exclaimed in unison.

  Smiling, Glenn found a seat beside them. “When will Luther be back?”

  “Should be soon,” said Kater. “He’s been gone for a while.”

  “Then let’s wait.”

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  They passed the time chatting idly. Glenn did most of the talking, describing in vivid detail the great battle between the kingdom’s army and the demons, as seen from a common man’s perspective.

  To ordinary folk, such tales were irresistible—a story they could later repeat with pride.

  Half an hour passed before Luther finally returned, his expression uneasy and eyes darting.

  “Listen, everyone, I think we need to—Mr. Glenn?!”

  He froze mid-sentence, startled to see Glenn sitting there.

  “You’ve been gone a long time,” Glenn said, rising. “Something happen?”

  “Yeah, we were starting to worry,” Kajin added.

  Luther’s voice trembled. “We need to leave—now. I ran into someone outside. He was watching me. My gut tells me he’s dangerous, very dangerous.”

  As he spoke, he gave Glenn a subtle glance, one filled with meaning.

  Glenn understood immediately—the man must have been targeting Luther’s son.

  “You mean… that man?” Glenn asked, nodding toward a tall, hawk-nosed figure standing not far away.

  Luther turned, then quickly faced forward again, paling. “That’s him! He’s after me, I know it! We have to go—”

  But before he could finish, a cold, mocking voice came from behind them.

  “Ah, I’ve been spotted. How troublesome.”

  Luther spun around—and nearly screamed. The very man he’d been running from was now standing right behind him.

  “W-What do you want from us!?” Luther stammered.

  The man sighed softly. “You have something… special about you. I find it fascinating. But unfortunately, I’ll have to end you here—along with your friends. Believe me, I take no pleasure in it, but if the Special Enforcement Division were to find out, it would be quite the headache.”

  He looked almost regretful.

  “I feel the same,” Glenn replied evenly, mirroring the man’s tone.

  The stranger blinked, puzzled—then his eyes widened in horror as the protective ward around him shattered like glass. Glenn’s hand clamped over his mouth and nose, and with a swift twist—

  Crack.

  The man collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

  Glenn glanced around. No one seemed to have noticed. Only then did he exhale, lowering the corpse gently to the floor.

  “Find a sack,” he said to the three stunned men. “We’ll take him out of here.”

  “Y-You… you killed him!?” Kater stammered, his lips trembling.

  “Of course I did!” Glenn shot him a sharp look. “He was a dark sorcerer. If I hadn’t, he’d have killed us instead!”

  He bent down and retrieved a pitch-black wand from the corpse, holding it up for them to see.

  At the sight of it—reeking of malevolent power—their fear began to subside.

  “Let’s hand him over to the constables,” Kater suggested weakly.

  Glenn shook his head. “Let the guards find him on their own. We won’t be involved.”

  “Why not?” Luther asked.

  “Because it’ll be a mess of questions and paperwork,” Glenn said quietly, still touching the corpse.

  “Why do you sound so… experienced?” Kajin muttered.

  “I just know when to act,” Glenn replied.

  Under his direction, they carried the bagged body out discreetly.

  Not long after, two patrolling officers discovered a foot sticking out from a burlap sack at a street corner.

  With that matter settled, Glenn led Luther and the others back to the inn. After introducing them to Danni and her son, he checked out, gathered his things, and set off again.

  The deer carriage was now uncomfortably crowded, so Glenn had Danni and the boy sit beside him at the front.

  In a distant clock tower, four vampires gathered once more.

  “My target’s been dealt with,” said Murphy, scanning the others. “What about you?”

  “All done,” the three replied in unison.

  “Too easy, wasn’t it?” the male vampire muttered.

  “Indeed. You’d think he’d have taken some kind of countermeasure,” one of the women added.

  Murphy fell silent for a moment. “All the same, we should leave while we can. Our disguises won’t fool the humans for long.”

  They had come equipped with artifacts that masked their presence, cloaking them from most mortal detection. Their skin tone and scent had been altered—they no longer looked pale or cold as vampires typically did.

  But just as they turned to leave, glowing words materialized in the air between them:

  “You won’t be leaving so easily.”

  All four vampires narrowed their eyes.

  “So, he has sensed us,” Murphy murmured.

  “He’s probably alerted the Special Enforcers. We’ll split up,” the male vampire said.

  Without another word, the four of them scattered into the night.

  Even if the human enforcers weren’t strong enough to truly threaten them, dealing with them would still be… inconvenient.