WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 131: Helsing Family (2)

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The Helsing Family had all kinds of equipment for fighting powerful vampires, spanning the ages.

Adrian had dismissed them as antiques, but from what I could see, they were more than worthy of joining the Pastor Kim Collection.

They were treasures that valuable, so I couldn't borrow any. I armed myself with one of Helsing's state-of-the-art rifles instead.

"You said this was a coming-of-age ceremony. How does it work?"

"You hunt a vampire. Hunt it and bring back its blood."

"Why the blood? Ah."

I knew well enough how vampire blood was used.

The potion-like stuff called vampire elixir was sometimes used to regenerate and treat injuries.

Of course, even that was only a side benefit. The real purpose was something else.

"Isn't this coming-of-age ceremony a little brutal, though? What if you die?"

"That, too, is the fate Helsing vampire hunters must bear."

Was that really true?

Pastor Go said he would watch over us with Gari.

He said he would step in if things got truly dangerous.

He had even brought the remaining vampire elixir, so the preparations for emergency treatment were complete.

For all I knew, he was watching somewhere nearby.

Maybe they hadn't told the Helsing family's youngest young master because he might relax if he knew there was a safety net?

It could have been a Helsing family rule about raising their heirs tough.

"So? What are we doing now?"

They had just handed us weapons and dumped us in the middle of Amsterdam.

There was no way our mission was to find a vampire in this huge city without so much as a clue.

"First, we're going to a cathedral we're allied with."

"A cathedral?"

"The Basilica of Saint Nicholas. All information on monster-related incidents in this area goes through Saint Nicholas."

I rode with Adrian to the Basilica of Saint Nicholas.

Even on a weekday, the basilica was crowded.

There were plenty of worshippers, but it was also a historic cathedral, so there were lots of tourists.

"Why do they handle vampire information in a place like this? Wouldn't a quiet, secluded church be better for keeping secrets?"

"The longer a cathedral's history, the less evil things can intrude."

"They can't come in because it's old?"

"Old things tend to hold mysteries within them."

Like those treasures.

"But doesn't our young master Helsing use old things?"

"You want to fight vampires and werewolves with a sword? I wouldn't recommend it."

Fair enough.

I'd fought them myself, and they weren't enemies you could take on clear-headed.

Usually, I had to recite the courage prayer and rush in with my eyes rolled back.

And fight things like that with a sword?

"Having a gun is reassuring."

"Right? As long as you land a silver bullet properly, you can send them straight to Hell."

Speaking of silver bullets, there had been some in the Pastor Kim Collection this time too.

Consecrated silver bullets were not hard to obtain, but the ones in the pastor's collection had been stored in ammunition boxes.

Each bullet was wrapped in paper with a name written on it. Saint Giovanni, Notre-Dame, Cologne, and several others.

"We need to go in through the back door."

"Okay."

When we entered through the back with Adrian, a nun greeted us as if she had been waiting.

"I will show you in."

It was Dutch.

I didn't understand much of it, but it was obvious she intended to lead us somewhere, so I followed.

It was an area tourists and worshippers could not enter.

The nun knocked on an old wooden door that seemed to lead to an office for the cathedral staff.

"Come in."

An elderly clergyman was inside.

Judging from the cross on his chest and the ring reserved for bishops, he appeared to be a bishop.

"Welcome, young vampire hunter of the Helsing Family, and..."

"I'm Baek Yohan. I'm from Gangnam Holy Temple Church."

Fortunately, the bishop spoke Latin.

Latin seemed to be the agreed-upon common language among exorcists. Thank God for that.

"Gangnam Holy Temple Church... yes. Cardinal Rosinald told me about you as well."

This place was part of the Exorcist Network too.

Then perhaps he had heard what happened in Eastern Europe.

"...Are you famous?"

"A little?"

"My name is Constantine. Have a seat first."

Bishop Constantine was an old man with a gentle expression.

With a soft touch, he picked up a small envelope and slid it toward us.

As we opened it and looked inside, the bishop continued.

"This report came in three days ago. A nun stationed in Den Haag sent it."

The Hague? I didn't know Netherlands place names very well.

Seeing my puzzled expression, the bishop added an explanation.

"In English, it's called The Hague."

"Ah... that Hague?"

I thought I'd heard of it. Wasn't it where international conferences were held all the time?

Inside the envelope were a few documents and photos bearing the seal of a Catholic cathedral.

"The first sign was in an alley in The Hague. The victim was a woman in her thirties. There were wounds on her neck, as though a dog had bitten her."

The second photo showed a skeleton found in a drum barrel at an abandoned factory.

"A body was found. Homeless people reported it."

"Couldn't it have been an ordinary murder in the slums?"

"The victim was a fit young man in his twenties. It would take more than normal human strength to crush the neck bones of a man like that."

The next photo was a blurry CCTV image.

Nighttime.

Someone was walking beside a river.

As they passed under a bridge, it looked as though someone lifted them up. Then blood began to flow, and they collapsed.

"Vampires don't show up in mirrors. The same goes for CCTV."

I remembered the vampire-tracking job I'd taken before.

There had been pictures of ghouls, but I didn't remember seeing any photographs of the vampires themselves.

Even the original Dracula story says they don't show up in mirrors. Those bastards probably had traits that let them commit perfect crimes.

Though this time, it had not been a perfect crime.

"There's no need to see any more. A vampire did this. We'll go hunt it immediately."

"If you need any support, just ask. The Vatican and the Helsing Family have cooperated for a long time."

Just as we were about to leave with the information we needed, the bishop spoke again.

"Young Baek Yohan. You... have something to discuss with me, don't you?"

"Me?"

My face must have clearly said I had no idea what he meant, because the bishop's kindly expression creased slightly.

"If you came from Holy Temple Church... then you should know about Saint Nicholas Cathedral's request. Your church owes us."

"Owes you?"

What was that supposed to mean? When I looked even more confused, the bishop's face nearly turned tearful.

"H-Hey. Didn't they tell you it was a loan? It's been twenty-three years. When exactly are they going to return it?"

"A loan...?"

"Our cathedral's silver cross! Pastor Kim borrowed our cathedral's silver cross, one over a hundred years old, and still hasn't returned it!"

Wait, that happened?!

Pastor Park never said anything about that!

"But the silver cross was hanging there just fine when we came in?!"

"Pastor Kim tossed that one in after making us a brand-new replacement!"

So it had been brand new.

No wonder it gleamed so brightly.

"It must be there, right? You just haven't found it yet. Pastor Kim passed away, so you didn't get the chance to recover it. Isn't that right?"

"Uh..."

I thought of the Pastor Kim Collection I had inherited.

There was a box containing only silver bullets from the European history series...

"I think I've seen the name Saint Nicholas Cathedral."

"Oh! You found it? You found it? Oh, Lord! Previous bishops, I will finally recover our cathedral's relic!"

I showed the radiant bishop the photos of the Pastor Kim Collection saved on my phone.

"Um... I think it's this."

"This is... silver bullets?"

Seven silver bullets wrapped in paper inside a box marked Nicola. More precisely, it read <Nicola 7/32>.

"Ah..."

The bishop realized it meant only seven of the original thirty-two bullets remained.

"Guhk!"

We had to quickly get out after settling down the bishop, who had collapsed clutching the back of his neck.

I should make a donation later.

Wait.

Did that mean all those silver bullets were...?

* * *

We arrived in The Hague.

It was close to Amsterdam, so the trip had not taken long.

Rain fell over the city after two in the morning.

Streetlights stretched across the wet asphalt as a black sedan driven by Edward stopped beneath a bridge.

"So this is the place from the photo."

"We need to start here and track the vampires."

"But how?"

There was a canal nearby.

Brick buildings, wet pavement, streetlights.

And yellow police tape stretched out like a barrier, marking the crime scene.

The investigation appeared to be over, since there were no police in sight.

"There are lots of footprints, but I think we only need to narrow them down to two."

"Oh? How can you tell?"

"The recent footprints will belong to the police and forensic team. One set belongs to the victim."

The victim had been wearing sneakers. The material the bishop gave us included the police investigation report.

"We just need to find the unusually shallow footprints. Vampires are naturally light."

"Why?"

"They split their bodies apart when they turn into mist or bats. Wait, Yohan, you don't even know something that basic?"

"This is only my second time hunting a vampire."

I didn't have the knowledge of an expert, obviously.

"Ugh, I can't believe I have to hunt vampires with an amateur like you."

Clicking his tongue, Adrian tracked the footprints.

"Damn it, the rain cut off the trail."

We stopped in the middle of downtown.

It looked like we had no way to keep following it.

"Follow me."

"What? Where are you suddenly going?"

Adrian called after me, but I didn't stop walking.

The "stench" led us into a city alley.

European alleys felt quite different from Korean ones.

They looked somehow more sinister and gloomy.

Maybe it only felt that way because I was abroad.

"Ugh, there's even a rat here. This is only the second time I've ever seen one."

"A rat? When was the first?"

"...There was a time."

During the exorcism at Yurim Hotel, I had learned just how many rats existed in the world.

Anyway, rats were symbols of decay and disease.

It looked like I had followed the smell correctly.

"There! Something's wriggling over there!"

"What? How did you find it?!"

Adrian hurriedly drew his gun and aimed. Just as I had said, a huge figure seemed to be attacking a woman.

"S-Someone help! A monster!"

It was Dutch, but I could roughly understand what she meant.

Adrian pulled the trigger.

Pfft!

A silver bullet, its sound muffled by the suppressor, grazed the monster.

One bullet must have struck its torso, because it let out a pained shriek.

"Is it a Corrupted? An incomplete vampire!"

"What's the difference?!"

"It's a mindless monster that attacks without thinking! You shoot too!"

"O-Okay!"

I unfolded the stock of the rifle I had brought.

It was a carbine-type HK416 with a folding stock, perfect for hiding beneath a coat.

"I'll show you the power of a Republic of Korea Army infantry rifleman!!"

I held down the trigger at full auto.

Pfft-pfft-pfft-pfft!

In an instant, forty silver bullets from the extended magazine tore through the alley.

But the result was...

"Kyaaaah!"

It only made the thing angrier.

"So close..."

"You didn't hit it even once!!"

"I still hit the hundred-meter target twice..."

"Out of how many shots?!"

"Thirty?"

"This is driving me insane!"

Rifles had way too much recoil.

Adrian drove the Corrupted back with precise shots.

"Kyaak! Kyaaaak!"

But for something its size, it was incredibly tough.

Several shots had hit it, but it endured them and lunged at us with agile movements.

"Damn it! Because Corrupted are unstable, they're tougher than vampires! I didn't expect us to run into one like this...!"

Adrian hurriedly reloaded. I needed to reload too, but honestly, I didn't think I would be much help.

So instead...

"Yohan?! What the hell are you doing?!"

"Kyaaaah!"

The Corrupted charged.

But it stopped as if it had run into an invisible wall.

"What?"

"Oh, holy water doesn't work, but holy oil does."

What stopped it was a line drawn with holy oil.

The barrier created by the holy oil, which repelled evil beings, blocked its approach.

I had poured it in a straight line across the alley, and it seemed to be enough.

I threw aside my rifle and pulled out the Gutenberg Bible.

"I draw a boundary with the Lord's word. Let it become a blade that pierces the unclean."

The holy paper from the Gutenberg Bible spread out with a flutter and transformed into the shape of a sword.

It pierced the Corrupted directly, then carried it into the air.

"Kyaaaah!"

"The fire of my wrath shall burn to the depths of Sheol. It shall devour the earth and its produce, and set ablaze the foundations of the mountains."

A small flame shot out like an awl and struck the Corrupted.

The holy paper soaked in holy oil served as kindling, turning Auns's flame into holy fire.

The flames instantly wrapped around the Corrupted, burning away its body until only fragments of bone remained.

Clatter!

"Amen."

"...."

I casually stepped on the Corrupted's remains, snapping the bone fragments.

If I'd burned it a little longer, I could have turned it completely to ash.

This would be useful for destroying evidence.

"Adrian? What are you doing?"

"Uh, um... uh..."

Leaving the stunned Adrian behind, I realized my mistake.

"This was your coming-of-age ceremony. You were supposed to catch it yourself? Ah, I ended it way too quickly. But the stench is still here, so let's go hunt another vampire."

Wait.

The stench?

I had killed the Corrupted, so why did the stench remain?

The moment I turned my head...

"Kyaaaah!"

The woman the Corrupted had attacked bared vicious teeth and lunged at us.

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