Liang Lin and Liang Di exchanged a glance.
"So… can you tell us what you saw? I’m kinda curious," Laura said. Chatty as ever, she glanced around warily. Seeing no one nearby, she crouched down and whispered into their ears, "That woman… not a trace of color on her face—like all her blood had been drained. I didn’t get a clear look back then; I was too scared and ran. Later, when the knights investigated, I sneaked a peek. You know what I saw?"
Liang Lin held her breath.
"No wounds at all on her body! How eerie is that? All the blood gone, yet not a single cut! Then… I overheard the knights mention… tiny holes on her wrists…" Laura’s face paled. Rubbing her arms—goosebumps already rising—she whispered, "The other nuns said it was a vampire! Had to be!"
Huh?
"V-Vampire?" Liang Lin froze for a second, then burst into laughter, cheeks flushing. "Hahaha~ Isn’t that just the bedtime story adults tell kids who won’t sleep? There’s no such thing as vam— Uh."
Her laughter cut off. She looked at Liang Di.
*Well… tentacle monsters exist. So vampires? Honestly? Makes sense. Totally reasonable.*
"That’s why I said Father was right…" Laura mumbled, head drooping. "Must’ve been stress. A hallucination."
"Mm."
Liang Di took Liang Lin’s hand. "Let’s go."
Before leaving, she glanced back at Laura and added meaningfully, "Laura… better avoid going out at night lately. And stay alert in daylight too."
"Ah… thank you for your concern, Miss," Laura replied, dazed—completely missing the warning.
"So… that’s it?"
On the path back, Liang Lin kept glancing behind.
"We’ve confirmed the priest’s suspicious. No need to talk to that nun anymore. Let’s check the woods—see if we run into something… you know."
"Mm…"
Watching Liang Di’s focused expression, Liang Lin felt disoriented. This sharp, serious Liang Di felt like a different person from the sadistic one days ago. *Kinda… likable.*
*But I still need to kill her.*
No matter what changed, that resolve never wavered—only her ability lagged.
"Do you think vampires really exist?" Liang Lin asked.
Sunset cast a gray haze over the woods. Liang Di scanned the shadows while replying, "Maybe. Or not vampires exactly… someone like me. Someone with an abnormal body."
*Can someone like that still be called human?* Liang Lin kept the thought silent.
Deeper in, silence thickened. Only birdsong and insect rustles remained. A snake flicked its tongue from a branch, then slithered into the grass.
*Would a killer dump bodies here repeatedly?*
The sun shrank to a sliver.
"Phew~ Good thing I brought the lantern."
Liang Di struck a match. Candlelight bloomed, illuminating nothing but leaves and shadows. After a fruitless search, she sighed. "Tch. Let’s head back."
"Wait…!"
Liang Lin grabbed her arm, squinting ahead. "There… something’s there. Yeah—something’s *sitting* there!"
*Something?*
*Sitting?*
A chill prickled their spines.
"Let’s check it out."
Bold as ever, Liang Lin snatched the lantern and strode forward. Liang Di called after her, "Be careful."
"I’m fine."
Closer now, Liang Lin’s nose wrinkled. A rotting-meat stench hit her. Dread mixed with thrill—*this was it*. She bent low, lantern light pooling on the figure. Horror-movie clarity revealed a decomposed female corpse.
"Ugh…"
Liang Di gagged, throat crawling with nausea. Ants and beetles swarmed the body beneath fallen leaves.
Liang Lin covered her mouth. Battlefield corpses were one thing—but this decay? Unfamiliar. Unbearable.
"S-Should we… examine it?"
*No way. Touching it means bugs, stench, filth.*
She elbowed Liang Di with a sly grin. "Hey… since we’re alone… why not use your *tentacles*? Flip her over for us?"
Liang Di went pale. "…You do realize those are *part of my body*, right? That’s like asking you to grab this corpse barehanded."
"Uh…"
Stalemate.
Liang Di’s eyes glinted.
"Big Sister Liang Lin~"
*Oh no.*
"Could it be… you’re *scared*?" Liang Di teased, reaching for the lantern. "Just say so! I won’t force you~"
Perfect. Liang Di knew *exactly* how to push her buttons.
