The Vampire Hunter woman, witnessing this scene on the spot, stared in a daze.
The silver sword in her hand nearly slipped from her grasp as she looked toward the wall on one side.
Gazing at the hole pierced through hundreds of houses, stretching all the way to the horizon beyond the city, her eyes were filled with an incredulous expression.
"Is... is this something a human can do?!"
The woman pushed aside the extinguished Ghoul, muttering in disbelief, then returned her gaze to Yuki.
Initially, she hadn't paid much attention to this man, as she had been focused on dealing with the vampire.
But now it was different. She could finally take a good look at Yuki.
And when she got a close look at Yuki's face, the woman's crimson eyes, matching her hair color, trembled violently.
'So... so handsome!'
The woman inwardly marveled at Yuki's appearance.
"Others may not be able to, but that doesn't mean I can't, Miss."
Yuki smiled slightly, addressing the Vampire Hunter before him.
The purpose of coming to this city was actually for this woman before him.
Or rather, for the one she wanted to protect.
"Uh..."
Interrupted by Yuki's words, the woman was momentarily taken aback, then coughed lightly.
"Ahem!"
"Greetings. My name is Mary. As that vampire said earlier, I am a Vampire Hunter."
Vampire Hunter Mary sheathed her sword, patted the dust off her clothes, and formally introduced herself to Yuki and the other.
"Hello, Mary. My name is Rin Yuki."
"And I'm Akane Nishino."
Yuki and Akane politely introduced themselves in return.
"Nice to meet you."
Mary nodded, then turned her gaze to the huge hole in the nearby building.
"To possess such immense strength... Mr. Yuki, you probably had that situation completely under control earlier."
"My intervention likely felt a bit unnecessary."
Mary sighed, speaking with a touch of sentiment.
A light smile appeared on Yuki's face as he nodded gently.
But then he shifted the tone, also acknowledging Mary's actions.
"However, Miss Mary's righteous intervention is still very much appreciated."
"Ahaha, 'righteous intervention'... it's not that noble!"
Hearing Yuki praise her, Mary felt somewhat embarrassed.
She knew perfectly well why she hunted vampires; her motivation wasn't simply intervening because vampires harmed people.
Instead, it was entirely based on her own will that she chose to hunt vampires.
So her purpose wasn't as noble as he made it sound.
"I know."
Yuki glanced calmly at Mary and nodded.
Feeling Yuki's gaze, Mary suddenly felt an inexplicable sensation.
It was as if she had been completely seen through—all her secrets laid bare before him.
How could that be? Is it my imagination?
Mary couldn't help but wonder to herself.
"Miss Mary, you look really cool in that outfit."
"Do all vampire hunters dress like this?"
Akane, finding Mary's attire quite stylish, commented.
The outfit with the half-cape-style cloak and the tricorn hat was almost exactly like the famous vampire-hunting character Van Helsing from storybooks.
"Is that so? It's alright, I suppose."
"I don't know about other vampire hunters, but this is how I dress."
Facing the two, Mary felt an inexplicable sense of goodwill.
So she didn't mind chatting with Akane a bit more.
"Shall we continue this conversation elsewhere?"
Seeing that the commotion had attracted other onlookers, Yuki suggested moving to a different location.
Hearing this, Mary paused for a second, then nodded.
"Alright."
Though she didn't know what Yuki wanted to discuss, after witnessing his incredible strength, she was indeed curious about him and wanted to learn more.
The three then left the alley, ignoring the astonished gazes of others, walked down the street, and disappeared around a corner.
After about five minutes, they arrived at a tavern.
Finding an undisturbed corner and sitting down, Yuki got straight to the point.
"Miss Mary, would you like to save your Master?"
Yuki smiled, looking at the valiant, rather voluptuous beauty before him.
"Huh?"
Hearing Yuki's question, Mary's heart jolted violently. Her eyes widened like full moons, her pupils rapidly contracting.
She hadn't expected Yuki to ask something that touched upon her greatest secret.
Instinctively, her hand went to the sword at her waist.
But then, remembering Yuki's unbelievable strength, she eventually released the hilt.
"You... how do you know that?"
"What else do you know?!"
"Just who are you?"
Mary fired three questions in a row, leaving the confused Akane completely in the dark.
Yuki, however, simply smiled and replied:
"First question: In this world, no one has secrets before me."
"Second question: I know everything, including your past and the matters concerning the Queen you serve. I know it all, no matter what."
"Third question: I already answered this at the beginning. I am Yuki, that's all."
Yuki answered Mary's three questions.
Hearing this, Mary's expression fell into silence.
"What are you two talking about?"
"Miss Mary... served a Queen in the past?"
Akane looked completely baffled.
She turned her gaze to Yuki, as if asking him to explain.
Seeing this, Yuki smiled, ready to explain to Akane.
But he was quickly interrupted by Mary beside him.
"I'll do it."
She chose to tell it herself. However, before speaking, she glanced around.
Clearly, she was worried this secret might be overheard by others.
"Don't worry, Miss Mary."
"I've already established a barrier. No one besides us can hear our conversation."
Yuki smiled as he explained to Mary.
Hearing this, Mary felt somewhat reassured and began to recount her past to Akane.
Before becoming a Vampire Hunter, she was actually a vampire herself.
Not only that, she served beside the Vampire Ancestor—The Blood Queen Elisabeth—acting as her right hand.
Vampires, who once fed on human flesh and blood, often hunted humans as a habit.
Then one day, after humans discovered methods to kill vampires, their numbers plummeted, nearly vanishing from public view.
But unlike other vampires, the Vampire Ancestor, the Blood Queen, chose to live in harmony with humans.
Hoping to coexist with them, she took the initiative to break the habit of drinking blood.
As her subordinates, they naturally followed their Master's decision.
Under those circumstances, vampires gradually lost their powers.
But in return, they gained other things, such as the ability to survive in sunlight.
However, breaking the blood-drinking habit was easy for ordinary vampires, but for the immensely powerful Ancestor, it was extremely difficult.
Because the Ancestor struggled intensely to resist the urge to drink blood.
In the end, her Master was tricked by another subordinate—Crimson—who mixed a trace of human blood into her food, completely shattering the Vampire Ancestor's resistance to the blood-drinking impulse.
She fell into a frenzied bloodlust, rampaging for three days and three nights, slaughtering every living creature in the area she inhabited.
The entire city ran with rivers of blood, a scene of utter horror.
Afterward, when the Ancestor regained her senses, she couldn't forgive herself for her actions.
She plunged a dagger into her own heart, falling into a deep sleep, sealing herself away within a coffin in the Crimson Tower.