Vampire Hunter D: Dark Nocturne Page A

balance.
    â€œSnap out of it!” he shouted as he grabbed her and staggered to his feet. The pale countenances were right in front of him. Amne’s body twitched in his arms. The people of the night advanced effortlessly toward the pair.
    __
    When the two of them reached the surface again, they collapsed exhausted on the grass. The world brimmed with sunlight and the scents of life.
    â€œI guess we made it . . .” Amne muttered, the words sounding more like a question directed at herself.
    â€œYeah,” Ry said through ragged breath.
    â€œBut how? I passed out when they surrounded us, so I couldn’t tell. Are you really that tough?”
    â€œI don’t know. But I do know that they all started to sing.”
    â€œA song? Down there, at a time like that? That’s like something out of a comedy,” the girl said, though her face was still pale.
    â€œBut it’s the truth,” Ry told her, closing his eyes.
    It all came back so quickly. Strangely enough, the scene didn’t fill him with revulsion. Who could’ve imagined the song of the crystal-clear night would flow from the lips of filthy people clad in rags? As he’d shoved his way through them, Ry had felt a pang of regret in his chest. The song was that sad and forlorn. For the last twenty or two hundred years, probably nothing save that song had passed their lips down in that hole in the ground.
    â€œThose called by the song didn’t crave blood after their return, but merely wandered the village by night singing that song—the legends must be true!”
    â€œImpossible,” said the girl. “I’ve never heard of such victims.”
    The two of them looked at each other.
    From behind them, a rough voice declared with naked delight, “Sounds like you two saw some pretty interesting shit. Tell us all about it.”
    A handsome young man and another man in a uniform stood ankle-deep in the sea of grass. Ry realized in an instant that these two were the ones that’d been following him.
    â€œYou said something about singing, didn’t you?” Price said as he came closer. “Who did? Those things underground? I suppose we’ll have to dispose of them.”
    Although his tone was decidedly cruel, Price’s remarks were perfectly justified. The law of the Frontier was that every last person who’d received the kiss of the Nobility was to be isolated and eradicated. As a matter of fact, Amne nodded a bit at his remark.
    Ry couldn’t understand why he then stood up and shouted, “No! You mustn’t kill them!”
    Bijima’s eyes bulged in their sockets.
    Price wore no expression at all—his eyes simply shome with a new gleam. A dangerous glint.
    â€œYou heard the song, too, didn’t you?” said the beautiful warrior.
    At Ry’s side, Amne gasped in surprise.
    â€œA lot of people must’ve heard it just as we did. And yet, only the two of us came to this village at the same time, almost as if we’d been invited. Why do you think that is?”
    â€œI don’t know anything about your situation,” Ry said as he shielded Amne. He could feel the tension radiating from every inch of Price so keenly it hurt. “I wanted to hear the song my father sang one more time. So I came here. That’s all there is to it.”
    â€œAnd I can’t say I blame you for wanting to do so. However, I get the feeling that merely by undertaking the same endeavor as myself, you’ve become an obstacle.”
    Ry didn’t know how to respond.
    â€œStep aside. We’re going to execute the requests of our employer. And the Nobility and their entire ilk must be destroyed.”
    â€œStop! You can’t do that!”
    The change in Price’s expression was truly a sight to see. Shades of something that wasn’t quite perplexity alternated with a look akin to understanding, but before settling on either emotion, the warrior asked,