What Truly Defines Justice Is Eliminating Evil; Who You Work With Doesn't Really Matter

What Truly Defines Justice Is Eliminating Evil; Who You Work With Doesn't Really Matter

Murphy had to admit that he'd underestimated his adorable little players.

After hearing Lumina explain her plan, even he, a proper vampire, had stood in the woods for a good ten seconds before coming back to his senses. Now, as he looked at Lumina's innocent face, his expression had turned rather complicated.

He knew players loved coming up with all sorts of bizarre schemes, but this... even by a great villain's moral standards, it seemed a little over the line.

Then again, by the negative moral standards of vampires, members of the Midnight Kin, it was just right. Was this sunny-looking international student girl naturally sadistic? Maybe even a little yandere?

Could she really be that ruthless?

Murphy hesitated for only a few seconds before making up his mind.

"Your suggestion carries some risks. I'll have to give it careful consideration."

Murphy spoke to Lumina with the composure befitting an NPC, then took the weapons and armor from the psionic pack at his waist and handed them to the players to try on and familiarize themselves with.

They included some alchemical explosive rounds confiscated from the Witch Hunters, as well as the powerful but so-heavy-it-was-hard-to-move Automatic Hunter Crossbow.

"Why is everything a melee weapon?!"

A little over twenty minutes later, Meow Brother and his group returned with the expert in tow.

Banzai Happy Stick had already covered the notebook Murphy had given him with notes and figures. He'd found a spot in the woods that was perfect for an ambush, but when he came back and saw their weapons and armor, he could barely keep it together.

"I don't know much about melee combat."

Happy Stick picked up a vampire-style rapier and gave it a few swings. At a loss, he said to Meow Brother:

"But I know a few guys who do historical reenactment battles. They're really good. They've got that windmill sword technique down pat."

"We'll talk about that later. Just tell me if this stuff will work."

Meow Brother waited for the verdict. Happy Stick inspected their current equipment, and when he spotted the Automatic Hunter Crossbow, his eyes lit up.

He hurried over and fiddled with it a few times. After Niu Niu told him about its rapid-fire capability, he thought for a moment, slapped his thigh, and said:

"Mount this thing on the carriage! Let's make a simple armored carriage and use it as a fire support platform. You, miss!" He turned to Lumina. "Meow Brother says you're a good shot, right? Then you can be our sniper.

"I can play the role of a long-range specialist, too. We can also use those black explosive rounds to rig up some land mines or something."

Happy Stick sat down with the air of a general and raised a hand.

"If we're starting tomorrow, we need to start digging fortifications now. The other side has soldiers with guns. Even World War I-level firepower calls for a few foxholes.

"If possible, we should dig an anti-vehicle trench, too! They're transporting military supplies, so they definitely won't be carrying them by hand. If they have vehicles, an anti-vehicle trench will be useful.

"The road through those woods is abandoned. They only have one route they can take.

"Too bad we don't have enough gunpowder. Otherwise, we could rig up a few homemade cannons or something."

"You're making this sound more and more illegal."

Meow Brother rolled his eyes, then had a sudden idea and immediately went to report to Murphy. When he heard that the players planned to work through the night and build fortifications here, Murphy froze for a moment.

He didn't mind the players staying here as free labor. After all, he'd already reported that he had blood thralls to Lady Femis.

He was just surprised that the little players were more fired up about this than he was.

But then he thought about it. They couldn't really die, and they could treat it like a military game. That was a lot better than his situation.

"Sounds good!"

Murphy nodded.

"I'll get you some tools. Go ahead and do what you need to do."

With that, he left the woods and handed the rest over to his players. He returned to his carriage with Maxim, then called Mirian aboard.

"I have a task for you."

Murphy took a deep breath and spoke quietly to Mirian.

"I'm going to draw Lady Femis's servants away in a moment. While they're distracted, go to the carriage where the Witch Hunter prisoners are being held. They've been tortured and interrogated by vampires for the past two nights, but they should still be conscious."

"What are you going to do?"

Mirian looked horrified.

She realized things were about to go wrong, but Murphy didn't give her a chance to refuse. What he said next didn't come from his mouth. Instead, he used ventriloquism to send the words to Mirian's ear.

The more she listened, the wider her eyes grew. By the end, she was so terrified that she clapped her hands over her ears and screamed:

"You're insane! If they find out, we'll—"

"Then don't let them find out! Don't worry. This is how we vampires do things. Even if word gets out, the other vampires will just praise me for being ruthless, and I'll happily take it as a compliment.

"The problem is, you need to act right away."

Murphy covered Mirian's mouth with his hand and said:

"Don't be afraid. At noon, when the sunlight is at its fiercest, even vampires like Lady Femis have to sleep in their coffins. As long as you don't foolishly lift the lid, no one will jump out and hurt you.

"All you have to do is pass on a message!

"Think about it.

"Even if the Witch Hunter prisoners refuse to cooperate, they won't betray you! And even if they do tell, the vampires will just think it's a malicious ploy to sow discord.

"They'll be taking action tomorrow!

"If the prisoners don't seize this last chance, they'll face a fate worse than death when they return to Cadman City.

"Against the methods of a psionic interrogator, their will is useless. Their secrets will be dragged out of them in the end, bringing death and destruction to their comrades.

"Believe me, Mirian. This is an opportunity for all of us!

"I promise that whatever happens tomorrow, you'll be free afterward. When we get back to Cadman City, I'll personally arrange for you to join a merchant caravan heading to Chardo Port.

"I swear it in the name of my elder, Lady Triss!"

Mirian stared at Murphy. After nearly a minute of silence, she gritted her teeth and asked:

"Why are you doing this? They're your own kind! You're pushing them into a trap."

"They're not."

Murphy half-closed his eyes and waved a hand.

"I smiled at them, and they mocked me in return. Didn't you hear what they called me these past two nights? A rat from a muddy hole. Cadman City's trash!

"I may be easygoing, but I'm not so forgiving that I can pretend I didn't hear all that. Nor do I plan to entrust my fate to the possible—or nonexistent—mercy of that young lady.

"I have only one true kindred in the darkness.

"She's waiting for me at the estate in Cadman City.

"If I die, Triss will be lonely and heartbroken. And have those vampires been good to you, Mirian? Why worry about what happens to them?"

"Why not send Maxim?"

Mirian wrapped her arms around herself, frightened.

"He's more loyal. You should trust him more."

"Maxim is loyal, but he's not good with words. You, on the other hand, have the wits to convince those prisoners."

Inside the dim carriage, Murphy laid a hand on Mirian's trembling shoulder and spoke softly.

"I've never asked, and you've never brought it up, but we both know you have something that could help those Witch Hunters escape."

"You have to get me safely to Chardo Port once this is over! And you have to give me enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life!"

Mirian had bitten her lip until it bled, but she finally made up her mind. She lifted her head, grabbed Murphy by the collar, and scolded him:

"I'm never coming back to this godforsaken place called Transia! You owe me this, Murphy! You hear me? You owe me big!"

"Yes. I promise I'll repay you, and do everything I can to make sure you benefit from it for the rest of your life."

Murphy grinned, took out his battered pocket watch, and checked the time.

"About an hour until the sun reaches its peak. The vampires' senses will be at their weakest then. Be quick about it. I'll have Maxim meet you."

"Lady Adele, my blood thralls have gathered in the woods and started digging fortifications for Miss Femis's operation tomorrow."

Thirty minutes later, Murphy came to stand beside Lady Femis's blood thrall. He was wrapped in a cloak from head to toe, but the sunlight still left him wilted. He addressed the mature woman before him, who wore a butler's uniform and had a cold expression, but at least an E cup.

"But they need tools and more hands, so I'm going to take all the human servants in your caravan over there to help."

"That would be against regulations, Mr. Murphy."

Lady Adele, who was resting beside a carriage, glanced at Murphy. Her clear black-and-white eyes were full of scrutiny and suspicion.

She'd been observing Murphy for the past two days.

But the more she watched him, the more she realized he was unlike every vampire she'd ever met. If she hadn't been certain he was a vampire, Lady Adele would have thought he was a bona fide cunning human.

Seeing Lady Adele refuse, Murphy didn't waste time arguing with her.

He turned, opened the door of the black carriage where Miss Femis was, and reached in to knock on the young lady's walnut coffin.

Lady Adele was startled by the move.

She lost her cool, ladylike composure, leapt to her feet, and grabbed Murphy's wrist with pinpoint precision, glaring at him.

"Look, either you send your people to help, or I wake Miss Femis at this undignified hour and discuss it with her."

Murphy wrenched his wrist free from the deceptively skilled housekeeper.

That precise move had been enough to tell him that she was definitely stronger than he was—perhaps even more capable than some of the vampires in the group.

She might have been a human assassin or rogue at the Black Iron Body level, but Murphy wasn't afraid of her. Their "positions" were not the same.

He straightened his collar and pointed at Lady Adele's elegant nose.

"I'm a member of the Blood Eagle Clan. Even if the young lady wants to punish me, she'll have to wait until we get back to Cadman City. But for a housekeeper who brings shame upon her mistress, the mud of the Filthy Swamp might suit that servant's dress better."

"With all due respect, you're doing something dangerous, Mr. Murphy."

Lady Adele's voice grew even colder.

She could tell Murphy was deliberately provoking her. She just didn't know why this weak vampire was doing it. Did he really just want a few tools?

"But I'm about to lose interest in talking to you, you big-breasted airhead!"

Murphy bared his bloodsucking fangs and spoke to the housekeeper in a menacing tone.

"Know your place, you groveling bitch!"

Lady Adele's expression instantly darkened.

Her hand was already on the pistol strapped to her thigh beneath her skirt, but after a few seconds, the loyal housekeeper took a deep breath and calmed herself.

She realized Murphy was leading her by the nose, and this was clearly no time to start an internal feud.

So she stepped back, took out a silver handbell, shot Murphy a frosty glance, and rang it to summon the caravan's human servants.

The brief commotion perfectly concealed what was happening inside the carriage at the back of the caravan.

Maxim stood guard beside the carriage in his mask. His face was hidden, but from his breathing, it was clear he was nervous. He didn't know what Lord Murphy was up to, but he knew this was the moment to prove his loyalty!

Inside the carriage, Mirian was carefully making her way around the two coffins in the main compartment.

She crawled on her knees toward Natalie, the female Witch Hunter bound to the carriage with terrifying, cruel instruments of torture. Natalie was covered in blood and had clearly been tortured horribly, but when Mirian reached out and touched her cheek, she struggled to open her left eye.

Her right eye had been beaten into a bloody mess.

"Shh!"

Mirian gestured for Natalie to be quiet in the dim light. She carefully glanced at the coffin beside her, afraid the vampire interrogator inside would suddenly jump out.

Then she took a sheet of paper from her pocket and unfolded it in front of Natalie. She activated the ordinary-looking metal bracelet on her wrist, making it glow and illuminate the writing on the paper.

At first, the bloodstained face of the female hunter showed only confusion. But once she understood what was written, her eyes widened.

Mirian didn't stay long.

She had only come to deliver a message. After seeing Natalie nod, she wrote another line on the paper and held it before the female Witch Hunter.

"The raid is tomorrow night. The target is the Golden Lily Transport Team! Hold on through tonight. I'll come back tomorrow and free you."

After Mirian left, Natalie looked at the three comrades beside her in the dim carriage. They'd all been tortured beyond recognition.

Blood thralls couldn't be trusted!

She was certain of that. This had to be the vampire named Murphy's doing behind the scenes.

Still, the vampires' infighting had nothing to do with them Witch Hunters. If this battle could deal a heavy blow to these assembled Midnight Hunters, the Witch Hunters were willing to be used as a weapon.

Her teammates had died, so vampires had to die, too!

Only then would it be fair.

"Thud!"

The female hunter used the last of her strength to kick over the bucket of bloody water beside her.

The blood splattered everywhere, masking Mirian's lingering scent. Then Natalie closed her eyes and entered a meditative rest, gathering what little strength she could.

Tomorrow night.

Tomorrow night, they would make one last stand!