-Officer, I know information that will surprise you. What do you think?
-Are you trying to negotiate with me now?
The captain’s voice coming through the speaker was tinged with incredulity. Suspects attempting to negotiate with the police in exchange for information are common. Rarely, those with truly useful information might get reduced sentences. But the Doctor wouldn’t have such luck. Not only was tampering with drugs a serious crime, but he had also committed fraud by claiming people could become vampires.
Evading the investigation network showed some skill, but he was still just an ordinary con artist. Yan and everyone else didn’t believe the Doctor actually knew any valuable information. Yet he remained confident.
-Let’s see if you maintain that attitude after hearing what I have to say.
-Alright, let’s hear it.
-You see, my drug really does contain… vampire blood. And not just any vampire’s blood, but an S-class vampire’s blood.
His voice, which dropped to a whisper as he reached the crucial part, sounded almost truthful. It was the characteristic way con artists speak to bewitch people. But the content was so absurd that even if someone wanted to believe it, they simply couldn’t.
“Does he think we’re idiots? How could someone like him get vampire blood?”
Oliver muttered. The captain seemed to share the same thought, wearing a mocking expression, but he didn’t interrupt the Doctor.
-This happened about half a year ago. I happened to encounter an injured vampire. He was covered in blood and his face was pale. I was scared, thinking he would hunt me down immediately, but surprisingly, he proposed a deal. He said he would give me something in return if I let him feed on my blood.
-And then?
-I offered my neck, what else could I do? If I refused, he might kill me without any deal… But fortunately, he was a gentleman. After drinking my blood and regaining his strength, he asked me what I truly wanted in return.
-Did you ask for money? How much?
-I was tempted, but no. Money is spent, and then it’s gone. I wanted sustainable benefits. Something good for both him and me… what you call a win-win?
According to the Doctor, they agreed to exchange blood once a month. It wasn’t a bad deal for the vampire either, as he was in a position where it was difficult to obtain blood through legal routes. The Doctor used that blood to make his drugs. While most of the components were bogus, the few drops of real vampire blood gave a temporary increase in strength. This made customers trust the Doctor even more.
Having heard this much, Yan found it a bit strange. It was fine that he was cooperating with the interrogation, but this was just an explanation of his methods. Where was the valuable information in this story?
As if reading his thoughts, the Doctor spoke in an even more secretive voice.
-Officer, aren’t you curious about who that vampire is?
-Should I be?
-Of course. You’ll be shocked when you find out…
With a gesture that said ‘let’s hear it,’ the captain arrogantly nodded. The Doctor, in the disadvantaged position, lost the subtle battle of wills. He rolled his eyes slowly and began to speak.
-That guy… it seems he’s living among humans these days.
-…
-Sirius.
Yan momentarily doubted his ears. Sirius? Why was that name coming up here?
-When I heard that man had become a vampire hunter, do you know how much I laughed? A vampire hunting vampires, for heaven’s sake! Even dogs don’t kill their own kind.
“What…?”
Yan Circuitz unconsciously clenched his fist. His fingers trembled with tension. What did he want to do with this fist? Strike the doctor who was spouting nonsense? Or perhaps Sirius…?
Even Yan didn’t know the answer. He decided to calm himself first. He couldn’t be swayed by the testimony of a petty criminal trying to reduce his sentence. His colleagues looked at him with concern.
“Are you okay?”
“Why?”
“No, your breathing…”
“It’s really rough,” Oliver said, just as the captain spoke.
-Guys like you don’t usually reveal your backers or connections so easily. You’re typically afraid of retaliation after release. The fact that you’re talking means—
-Yes, I am afraid! I’m terrified he might harm me!
-So you’re trying to hide behind the authorities?
The captain continued speaking, ignoring the doctor’s frantic outburst. As if hitting the mark, the doctor lowered his head while raising only his eyes. His shoulders trembled slightly, finally showing signs of fear. What this previously bold and brazen man feared wasn’t the interrogation room or the captain, but Sirius.
-You’re in the business of dealing with this sort of thing anyway, so can’t you help me? Who knows what that vampire will do when he finds out I’ve been caught!
The captain looked at the doctor with unease. There was no evidence for his claims. But if we ask whether evidence was really necessary—well, not quite. DNA tests could easily determine someone’s species. They just needed to capture Sirius and check.
In truth, the man called Sirius had been shrouded in mystery from the beginning. No one properly knew his background or residence. The only accurate information was that he had suddenly appeared a year ago as a vampire hunter. They had sought his cooperation because his skills were extraordinary, and hunters were naturally secretive.
“Now that I think about it, it was strange. How could a person be that strong?”
“What are you talking about? Look at Sirius’s muscles. It would be stranger for a man with such a well-trained body to be weak.”
“Well, Yan, I’ve never properly seen Sirius’s muscles, so I wouldn’t know. Even if it was due to his muscles, wasn’t his strength still extraordinary?”
Those who knew Sirius each offered their comments. Some said they had always felt something was off, while others said that thinking about it now, he did resemble a vampire. Surrounded by such remarks, Yan couldn’t utter a single word.
Meanwhile, the doctor, apparently frustrated by the captain’s silence, raised his voice.
-He’s far more dangerous than you think, officer! When I first met him, Sirius was being chased by high-ranking vampires. I only found out recently, but he’s a top-class fugitive from vampire society… Officer, you’re not going to just leave someone like that alone, are you?
The doctor’s eyes sparkled with expectation. He hoped this information would be useful to the police and thereby reduce his sentence. Better yet, if the police arrested Sirius, he wouldn’t have to worry about retaliation after his release.
But the captain disappointed the doctor’s expectations.
-Even if Sirius is a vampire, I can’t act as you expect.
-Why, why not!
-While it’s frustrating that he concealed his species, he hasn’t committed any crime. Being a vampire itself isn’t a crime.
-But, but he’s a top-class fugitive…! It’s true. I don’t know exactly what he did, but he was being chased by a Lord!
-That’s an issue within their society.
“That should be enough for today’s interrogation,” the captain said as he stood up. The doctor looked up at him, biting his lower lip. His expression of confusion made him look even younger. Had he really expected Sirius to be arrested based on his word alone? If so, he seemed quite naive despite his first impression. Yan thought the doctor was beyond naive—he was simply stupid. Both for committing crimes that would eventually be caught and for telling such lies.
“I should contact Sirius.”
The captain muttered as he left the interrogation room. Although he had just acted as if it didn’t matter whether Sirius was a vampire or a centaur, he grimaced as if the revelation had been shocking. Yan grabbed the captain’s wrist as he took out his phone.
“What is it?”
“Captain, what are you planning to say when you call him…?”
“I’ll need to summon him to the police station first.”
“And after that?”
Oliver asked the second question. The captain looked around at his subordinates with an expression that suggested he was appalled to have such fools working under him, then answered.
“We need to find out if the doctor’s words are true. If they are, we also need to investigate why he hid his species and where he might have leaked the information he’s gathered so far.”
“Won’t he cause trouble once he realizes his identity has been exposed?”
The captain nodded at Oliver’s point as if it made sense.
“Prepare the non-human species interrogation room.”
Yan wanted to shout that this was wrong. Sirius had cooperated with the police to catch vicious vampires. How he had managed to hunt only his targets so precisely was not exactly known, but it certainly couldn’t have been easy. In return, Sirius received a pittance that could hardly be called a living wage.
The idea of putting such a person in the non-human species interrogation room was unbelievable. It felt like being hit on the back of the head with a baseball bat.
“Yan, are you really okay?”
“…I’m fine.”
“Don’t worry too much. If the doctor’s words are true, we just need to investigate thoroughly.”
“They’re not true.”
“Then that’s good.”
Oliver was right. Sirius wasn’t a vampire anyway, and if investigated, everyone would know that fact. Being thoroughly investigated might be better for Sirius than being falsely accused because of some quack medicine peddler. But Yan couldn’t shake his unease.
“It’s natural for you to be upset. You were closest to Sirius.”
“…Me, close to Sirius?”
“Why are you asking me? You should know. You worked together for a week and had more personal conversations than most. Wasn’t that the case?”
“…”
“We thought you liked Sirius.”
“What?”
