"What was happening here? And did you bring Jessica here?" Rudy asked calmly.
"Yes, I brought her here because she was walking alone at night when the evil people were roaming in the town. They could have abducted her as she was walking around their territories," Rias answered.
"This town shouldn't have something like that, but…" Rudy raised one of the bodies and found a syndicate symbol. "I knew it."
"What? Do you know these people?"
"Yes, and no. They are from the underworld."
"Hell?!" Rias exclaimed in shock.
"No," Rudy shook his head and chuckled with a distant smile on his face.
"What's so funny?"
"It's nothing."
Rudy recalled the same reaction when he had mentioned the word 'underworld' in front of the vampire gang for the first time.
"These people were from the syndicate of mafias. There is an ongoing war there, and they are coming out to spread terror to the outside world. There are other cities they can go to, but this one seems like a safe place for them.
The other cities are developed enough and have police stations and stuff, but this town is still underdeveloped with no security for anyone. However, crimes are non-existent in villages, or so… I thought."
Rudy counted the bodies and asked, "So what exactly were they doing here? Bringing people here and killing them?"
Rias shook her head and said, "They were dumping dead bodies here. But they did bring a dozen alive people here a few days back and kept them chained."
"Probably people from other organizations." Rudy pondered for a while and muttered, "I will get rid of the bodies. You should go back to your house."
"Wait a minute." Rias grabbed Rudy's hand and asked, "You didn't answer my question. Who are you?"
"I will tell you whatever you want to know, but not right now. I will drop by your house tomorrow. But for now, know that I am not an evil person."
"Who are you to this girl?"
"Umm… think of me as her guardian. And you shouldn't abduct people like that anymore, okay?"
"I didn't…" Rias clenched her fists and said, "She was being followed by something."
"Hmm?"
"I was here in the forest when I sensed something watching me. So I went to check, but couldn't find anyone. And when I saw this little girl alone at night, crying and frightened, I… brought her here to save her," Rias exclaimed.
"When did you sense something? It could be me trying to find Jessica, but just to be sure, I will scout the area before leaving." Rudy smiled at Rias and said, "Stay safe."
"...I don't understand. Why do you know so much about me? How did you know my name? Have we met before?" Rias looked into Rudy's eyes and suddenly gasped.
She covered her mouth and said, "Don't tell me, grandpa Virgil sent you to punish me!"
"No, it's nothing like that," Rudy chuckled softly. "Just go home for now. I want to chat with you, but I must take Jessica back to her house."
Rias puckered her lips and muttered, "I no longer feel any hostility from you, so I guess I can believe you."
"Well, thank you. You should be glad that I unmasked you first and didn't kill you on the spot. I am glad too. You shouldn't have worn the mist like that."
Rudy carried Jessica in his arms and turned to Rias.
"You look beautiful as always."
After saying that, he jumped in the air and disappeared into the clouds.
"What was that?!" Rias shouted with a flushed face.
SIGH!
She glanced around and raised her brows before shaking her head in disbelief.
"He didn't do anything about the bodies…"
Just as Rias said that the bodies slowly turned into ashes and left no sign behind.
"…!"
Rias gritted her teeth and muttered, "He gets on my nerves for some reason! I don't like him at all!"
That was the beginning of the tale of Rias and Rudy's love story.
"Hmm~ All clear. Rias sensed me." Rudy flew above the clouds towards the house while smiling.
'This was my first time seeing Rias use her vampire powers. Since she is 90% human, her powers are very limited. Still, she looked so beautiful.'
Rudy landed near the house and saw Jessica and Elena at the door. Fortunately, they didn't see him landing as they were at the door, and Rudy landed a few meters away from there.
"Elena, what are you doing here?" Rudy asked.
"Jessica!" Elena and Rebecca rushed at Rudy and asked, "What happened to her? Is she okay?"
"Yes. She is just sleeping. Don't worry."
They went inside and placed Jessica on the bed. Rebecca also fell asleep soon after, and Elena stayed the night at their house.
"Are you sure about staying here? What about your grandparents?"
"It's okay. I will wake up early and leave before they wake up. It's too late to go back, and besides, I don't want to leave you alone."
"Hmm? Are you worried about me?" Rudy chuckled softly. "I am perfectly fine."
"So make yourself look fine, but you are not actually fine, are you?"
"..."
They left the bedroom and went to the kitchen.
"Do you want to drink something?" Rudy asked her.
"No. I just want to sleep with you."
"Oh?" Rudy pulled her close and asked, "Is that an invitation?"
Elena pushed Rudy back and squinted her eyes before replying, "I didn't mean it like that. And we are not doing it here. I also have school tomorrow, so I need a good sleep."
Rudy carried Elena in his arms and took her to the couch.
"Huh? Don't tell me that you sleep on the couch?!"
"Yes. It's very comfortable to sleep."
"That's not the point. You should sleep on the bed, or you will have body aches."
"I will buy another bed tomorrow. But for now, let's get you to sleep."
Rudy sat on the couch and placed Elena on his lap.
"What… are you doing? There is no way we can sleep like this."
"Just trust me."
Rudy laid down, and Elena slept on top of him.
"Are you feeling comfortable?" Elena asked Rudy. "This is not an idle position to sleep."
"Toss your facts and knowledge out of your head for tonight. And close your eyes."
Within a few minutes, both of them had fallen into a deep sleep.
