Ethan was determined to see Selene, and of course, he had his reasons. He needed to determine whether this Selene was the one he knew.
It wasn't just about confirming if this was the vampire Selene from Underworld. The key was whether she was the one from his ship.
If it wasn't her, that would be better. It would mean the Tower of Babel was just a personal trial directed at him alone.
But if it really was the Selene he knew, the situation would become much more troublesome. That would imply not only that he was trapped here, but that his companions on the ship—those connected to him—might have been dragged in as well.
Now he was eager to reach Transylvania. Unfortunately, having become an ordinary person, he couldn't fly or teleport. He could only travel on foot. Fortunately, Van Helsing didn't abandon him by riding ahead, so he still had a guide and wouldn't get lost.
They walked until sunset, when Van Helsing decided to stop and camp for the night.
He pulled out some hard bread and dried meat from his pack and roasted them over the fire for dinner.
Ethan also had a small amount of dried meat, rations brought from his previous world. He warmed them over the fire Van Helsing had built. The two sat by the fire, quietly eating their not-so-delicious dinner.
After finishing the dried meat in his hand, Van Helsing finally asked why Ethan was heading to Transylvania.
"Didn't I already tell you?"
"Do you really know Selene?"
Ethan's clothes were a bit tattered, and he looked somewhat down on his luck. But from the subtle details, it was still obvious he came from a well-off background. Though his clothes were worn and old, they were clearly made of fine material—not something commoners could afford. If someone found them, a poor man's first instinct would be to sell them for money.
So, it wasn't entirely impossible that Ethan really knew Countess Selene.
"I don't know if this is the Selene I know..."
Ethan meant he wasn't sure whether this Selene was the one he was familiar with. But Van Helsing interpreted it differently.
"After receiving information about Selene, the Church commissioned me to investigate... I've read the intelligence the Church gathered. Countess Selene has most likely fallen. Once someone falls, they become completely unrecognizable. So you'd best not get your hopes up."
"..."
Ethan gave a wry smile. Van Helsing had misunderstood him, and he couldn't explain the situation yet. He could only nod helplessly in response.
After dinner, Van Helsing told Ethan to rest first. He would take the first watch.
However, when Ethan woke up in the latter half of the night, Van Helsing hadn't gone to sleep either. He was still sitting by the fire, resting. Out here in the wilderness, Van Helsing always stayed on high alert. And with someone like Ethan, whose true background was unknown, he couldn't completely let his guard down.
Ethan hadn't really slept either. He only rested with his eyes closed. He didn't dare fall asleep completely.
Van Helsing wasn't some evil villain. As a vampire hunter, he was on the side of righteousness. But since they had only just met, they were still strangers. Who knew if Van Helsing might find him suspicious and suddenly make a move?
Killing him was unlikely, but if he got tied up in his sleep, Ethan would be thoroughly annoyed.
Now that he was sitting up, although Van Helsing hadn't asked him to take over the watch, Ethan didn't lie back down. Like Van Helsing, he simply sat by the bonfire, waiting quietly for dawn.
As the sun rose and the sky brightened, the two set off again.
This time, Van Helsing didn't ride his horse but led it forward. The two still spoke very little along the way, and this silent atmosphere lasted until they finally reached Transylvania a few days later.
"We're here. This is Transylvania..."
This place looked more like a village than a town. It was where the local commoners lived, while Countess Selene, the ruler of the area, lived in the nearby castle.
Ethan looked at the small and dirty village, thinking about Van Helsing's storyline.
He knew that what he would encounter here wouldn't align completely with the original plot. The appearance of Countess Selene meant the plot was already a mess. However, he was still curious whether there would be a woman named Anna living in the village who would eventually fall for Van Helsing.
After entering the village, Ethan quickly confirmed one thing. The woman from the original storyline wasn't here.
After walking around for a while, Ethan found Van Helsing again at the edge of the village.
"It's good that you came out. That saves me the trouble of going back in to find you."
"Is something wrong with this place?"
"You haven't noticed?"
The entire village was enveloped in a strange pressure. Combined with the dark clouds overhead, even though it was nearing noon, which should have been the brightest time of day, everything remained dim.
Moreover, though the villagers continued with their daily routines, their expressions and moods were abnormal. If no one talked to them, they didn't speak on their own. They just moved mechanically through their tasks.
"This place is too strange. Staying here isn't a good idea."
Van Helsing had already strapped various weapons to himself. One of the main purposes of his heavy leather coat was to carry these tools of war.
"So I think it's best for you to leave as soon as possible."
"It's too late to talk about leaving now, don't you think?"
Ethan glanced around, his gaze falling on the longsword hanging from the horse's side. He tossed aside the wooden staff that had been with him for so long, casually picked up the longsword, and hung it at his waist.
"..."
Van Helsing didn't show any displeasure at Ethan's actions. Instead, he asked, "Besides the strange atmosphere, did you notice anything else?"
"There isn't a single young girl in the entire village."
Van Helsing nodded. "That matches the intel I've seen. Which means we're about to face a terrifying creature that has completely fallen into darkness."
"You don't have to keep repeating that."
"I just want to be sure. You're really not leaving?"
"I said, it's already too late." Ethan tilted his head and pointed toward a shop nearby. "Didn't you notice that someone is missing from there?"
Van Helsing looked over. Of course, he had noticed it, but the fact that Ethan had noticed too once again proved that Ethan was no ordinary person.
But he didn't have time to dwell on that now. Van Helsing had accepted the Church's commission to investigate the situation, and at this point, it could basically be confirmed that the information they received was mostly accurate. What he needed to do now was gauge the Countess's strength.
If her strength was manageable, he would eliminate her on the spot and add to his list of accomplishments.
If she was too powerful... then it would depend on whether he could survive. If he did, he would report the situation to the Church. What they did with that information would no longer be his concern. If he didn't survive... well, nothing more needed to be said.
"What do you plan to do?"
Ethan drew the longsword and swung it a few times casually.
Just from those few simple movements, Van Helsing could tell that Ethan had a solid foundation in swordsmanship. He was testing the weight and balance of the blade. Only someone with real experience would care about such details.
"The host already knows we're here. It would be rude not to pay a visit."
"Well said... but judging from your tone, are you planning to walk right in?"
Although Van Helsing was on the side of righteousness, he didn't insist on honor when it came to hunting vampires. His original plan had been to sneak into the Countess's castle and look for an opening to launch a surprise attack.
"Of course."
The castle wasn't far from the village. After exiting the village, you could see it from the road ahead.
With such a short distance, if they lingered in the village at all, the Countess would have already received word. It was likely she was already prepared.
A surprise attack was impossible. They even had to be wary of being ambushed.
"We actually made it here this smoothly?"
Van Helsing had prepared to fight their way through, but the road to the castle was completely unobstructed. They arrived at the castle gate without incident.
What surprised him more was that Countess Selene had actually sent someone to greet them at the entrance. It was the shopkeeper from earlier, the one Ethan had pointed out was missing. After reporting back to Selene, he had been sent out to greet them. The Countess was deliberately provoking them.
Van Helsing and Ethan both observed the man closely. His eyes were dull, and his expression vacant. It was clear he was being controlled.
Ethan tried to figure out what method Selene was using, while Van Helsing examined the man's neck.
No bite marks. Not a vampire?
Following behind the man who looked like a walking corpse, Van Helsing and Ethan kept their hands on their weapons. But nothing happened along the way. The two were led smoothly into the castle and brought to a massive wooden door.
As they arrived at the corridor, an overwhelming scent of blood filled the air. Van Helsing frowned immediately. Even as a vampire hunter, he had never encountered such a strong smell of blood. This was not normal.
Ethan, who was well-informed, immediately concluded that an enormous amount of blood had been exposed to the air.
Passing the servant, they pushed open the heavy door and entered the room. Both of them were stunned by the sight before them. Ethan made his judgment without hesitation.
"This person is definitely not my Selene."
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
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