Codename Vestia

Chapter 42

Behind Doyeong, a sergeant asked,

“Is it just my imagination, or do you two seem a bit different today?”

“No, it’s your imagination.”

Doyeong cut him off coldly while walking ahead. However, the sergeant grinned slyly.

“Who wouldn’t notice?”

Meanwhile, Gamal entered a room. Inside the ordinary office-like space, a professor she had met a few times before was waiting.

“Hello.”

“Hello.”

After exchanging greetings and sitting down, the professor smiled and asked,

“I heard you were on vacation?”

“Yeah, I went to France. Do you know Montpellier?”

“Of course.”

The professor observed Gamal closely before smiling.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

Gamal blushed slightly. Since people usually only made such expressions for a limited number of reasons, the professor asked gently,

“Perhaps… a boyfriend?”

“Is that what it is?”

Gamal, in turn, questioned back.

“Is Doyeong my boyfriend?”

The professor chuckled.

“If you’re dating, wouldn’t that be the case?”

“Dating…”

Gamal mulled over the word. She had been married twice before, though each marriage had only lasted a night, but she had never had a boyfriend. Doyeong was her first boyfriend.

A tingling sensation stirred in her chest.

The professor placed his bag on the table.

“Anyway, shall we begin?”

“Sure.”

Gamal turned back.

Chik.

At that moment, the professor sprayed something in her face. Gamal couldn’t immediately comprehend what had hit her. Lost in a happy mood, she was so unguarded that she didn’t even think the professor had done it on purpose.

The professor smiled gently.

“Don’t worry. You’ll just pass out.”

***

Suddenly, a loud thud sounded from inside the room.

Hearing it, the soldier standing guard outside opened the door and looked in.

“What happened…?”

Gamal was collapsed on the floor, while the professor was checking on her. He turned toward the soldier with a shocked expression.

“She suddenly fainted.”

The soldier quickly approached Gamal and examined her. She seemed unconscious.

The soldier turned to the door and shouted,

“Emergency situation!”

Moments later, more soldiers rushed in to assess the situation.

The professor then pulled a silenced pistol from his bag and fired. Some soldiers reacted swiftly and drew their weapons, but the ones standing closer fired first.

The professor gave a slight nod. The remaining soldiers nodded back and lifted Gamal. She still hadn’t regained consciousness.

***

In the break room, a sergeant noticed a box of jelly and asked,

“What’s this about?”

Even as he asked, he was already opening the box and taking out a piece of jelly.

Doyeong replied,

“Don’t eat that. It’s Gamal’s.”

The sergeant paused mid-bite, smacked his lips, and reluctantly returned the jelly to the box.

Dadadada!

At that moment, the sound of people rushing through the hallway suddenly echoed. Doyeong and Sergeant Han turned their heads toward the noise with puzzled expressions.

Bang!

The automatic door burst open violently. Someone hadn’t even waited for the door to slide open fully and had forced it open with sheer strength.

It was Captain Hugh, a Luas from another team. Usually calm and composed, he looked unusually tense.

“There’s been a breakout.”

“Who?”

Sergeant Han asked. Though he was questioning, his tone still lacked a sense of serious urgency.

Before answering, Captain Hugh’s face twisted into an indescribable expression.

“The Grand Duke.”

Doyeong frowned, unable to immediately process the words. Just then, Captain Tao appeared behind Hugh, panting heavily.

“Major! Gamal…!”

***

A boat sliced through the waves, moving steadily forward.

The men who had driven to the dock transferred Tora onto a yacht.

‘It seems like they’re using an island near the coast as their base.’

Tora thought.

This area was full of private islands owned by wealthy individuals for use as vacation retreats. If news spread that a vampire terrorist group was operating among them, it would cause an uproar.

However, given how many secrets these wealthy people had, if surveillance drones started flying overhead, they would exert influence to shut it down. In that sense, it was the perfect place to hide. Especially for a small base, it was ideal for keeping a high-value hostage hidden without drawing attention.

Finally, the boat stopped at a makeshift harbor.

“Please disembark.”

A Legion agent in a suit spoke and stepped off first. Tora followed, setting foot on the island.

At a glance, it looked deserted. The surroundings were dark, and there was no sign of life.

They got into a vehicle and drove deeper inland. Through the dense trees, a mansion resembling a wealthy estate emerged.

Tora glanced sideways.

“Modern terrorists sure have refined tastes.”

“We don’t have to live in dirt tunnels and eat mud, you know.”

The Legion agent smiled faintly as he spoke.

It was now clear why Rato had been so difficult to locate. The exterior was so ordinary that even if a surveillance drone had passed by, nothing suspicious would have been noticed. It would have just seemed like the home of a wealthy individual.

And Tora was willing to bet a good sum of money that, on paper, this place was officially registered as just that.

“Well, I’m impressed either way,” the Legion agent suddenly said.

“This may be our base, but showing up here alone… I don’t think it’s recklessness.”

He scanned Tora from head to toe.

“Is it the confidence of someone from a distinguished bloodline?”

All bloodlines began somewhere, but as infections repeated, the blood inevitably thinned. Therefore, bloodlines that underwent frequent generational shifts gradually diluted, and the original source became increasingly obscure.

The same applied to the names of those bloodlines. That was why a “renowned bloodline” signified strength.

However, Tora blatantly ignored the Legion agent’s remark. Yet the agent did not drop his smile.

Before long, the vehicle stopped, and Tora stepped out. From all directions, the cries of night birds echoed through the dense forest. For someone who had lived on a primal island, this environment felt no different from home. Yet, an unsettling atmosphere lingered here, perhaps due to the unusually damp scent in the air.

Truthfully, Tora hadn’t come here without a plan. On the contrary, he always operated with a clear strategy.

Bang.

Suddenly, lights flicked on from every direction, illuminating him as though he were an actor on stage.

“Do you ever think like this?”

A voice followed, low and slightly husky.

“That you could charge into enemy territory, rescue the hostage, and fight your way out with that impressive body of yours?”

The mansion doors swung open with the sound of heels clicking against the floor.

Rahel.

A Legion recruiter and the one responsible for capturing Doyeong and though unintentionally dropping him near Satadi Island.

She wore a deep navy blue velvet dress that clung tightly to her body, rising up to her neck in a seemingly modest style. Yet, it felt even more provocative than being completely exposed, as it revealed every curve of her body.

Upon seeing Tora, Rahel’s eyes curved in a smile.

“Well, well…”

Her deep crimson eyes traced his figure as if caressing it with her gaze.

“I’m not particularly fond of my own kind, you know.”

“So, where’s Rato?”

Tora cut straight to the point. Rahel, however, let out a lingering, spine-chilling laugh.

“Ah, the noble warrior of justice, Ituhas. Do you know the greatest weakness of you so-called righteous ones?”

Behind her, a door creaked open.

“You can never imagine where people like us villains will strike from.”

Two men emerged through the door, dragging Jain along with them. Tora’s brow twitched.

Rahel let out a small, satisfied laugh.

“Snatching a lone human woman? Child’s play.”

Then, glancing at Jain, she added,

“Well, maybe not entirely. After all, she’s SAU, isn’t she?”

And as if performing a monologue, she continued,

“I’ll admit it. Humans are growing stronger. It’s like when a prodigy athlete breaks an unthinkable record, and suddenly, others start surpassing that limit too. The average ceiling rises, just like that.”

“She’s just a watchdog MCTC assigned.”

Tora spoke as if there was nothing more to say.

Rahel responded with a soft smile.

“Really? Then I suppose she’s unnecessary.”

Without hesitation, her hand sliced toward Jain’s neck. Jain’s eyes widened in shock.

However, in the next instant, Tora had already appeared beside her, gripping Rahel’s arm firmly.

Rahel placed her hand on Tora’s chest, her lips curling into a languid smile.

“A soft man is easy to read.”

Tora responded with his signature refreshing smile.

“Really? Funny, I’m supposed to be famous for being rock solid.”

Even now? Jain rolled her eyes.

Realizing Tora had just made a suggestive joke, Rahel burst into laughter.

“Amusing.”

Meanwhile, Tora turned to Jain and asked,

“Where are the others? How did you end up caught alone?”

The truth was, Tora had intentionally left the Ituhas behind to protect Jain. Even a second-rate mind could predict that if Jain were left alone, she might become a target. So why had only Jain been captured?

Jain answered seriously,

“I shook them off.”

“How…”

No, that wasn’t important right now.

“They’re still trainees. I couldn’t let them die.”

At Jain’s words, Tora was genuinely speechless.

“You really think they were just trainees?”

They were elites among elites.

Not all Ituhas worked directly for MCTC. Did she really think those in charge would be stupid enough to tie up all their power there?

Yet Jain now looked equally exasperated.

“And you’re telling me this now?”

“Do I really need to explain that?”

Wasn’t it obvious the moment they crossed blades?

Jain frowned deeply.

“Who exactly are you getting mad at right now? You’re the one who hid it from me!”

Tora bit back his irritation.

“I’m not mad at you, Lieutenant. I’m angry at them. I’ll have them kicked out of Ituhas.”

They hadn’t been promoted to elite status without reason, yet they had failed in their most critical moment. Being expelled would be well-deserved.

“Are you two dating?”

Rahel, watching the exchange with amusement, asked in a curious tone.

“Are you crazy?”

Jain practically grimaced in disgust. Tora, baffled, added,

“What’s with the ‘crazy’ part?!”

It was just a passing comment since Jain’s expression was so sour, but Rahel seemed to interpret his reaction differently.

“Congratulations. Your value just went up a little more.”

She smirked.

“I happen to enjoy taking men who are already interested in someone else.”

Tora frowned. He believed every woman had her own kind of charm, but this was something else entirely.

“Are you seriously a pervert? And for the record, I’m not”

Suddenly, he sensed movement and snapped around.

The Legion agent from before, wearing leather gloves, was swinging a baseball bat toward him. Judging by the sound, it was definitely not standard sports equipment.

He could have easily dodged it, but then

“Don’t dodge.”

Rahel’s voice came smoothly.

At that very moment, the man holding Jain by the neck visibly tensed his grip.

Tora halted.