Codename Vestia

chapter 22



Chapter 22: Joonie

The children were feeding the cows in the barn.

The Satadi Tribe farmed and raised livestock. They hardly seemed to hunt. If there was a paradise on Earth, it would probably feel like this. The fertile land yielded ample crops, there was no need to hunt for meat, and they could catch fish as big as a forearm from the river.

“There aren’t many men around.”

Doyeong remarked as he looked around the tribe. In response, Tora, who was carrying dozens of bundles of firewood at once, replied.

“There are more women.”

Doyeong glanced up and down at Tora.

“It must be heaven for you.”

“I’m just a toy to them.”

Tora said this without showing any particular emotion. In fact, he remained in his usual slightly excited state.

As he turned back around, he asked, “But aren’t you going to help?”

Doyeong stared at Tora for a moment.

“A vampire talking to a human.”

“Even vampires find heavy things heavy.”

“How do you think it feels for humans, then?”

Tora shook his head side to side.

The Satadi Tribe didn’t seem to need carts or cranes. Since they had legs to take them anywhere, they were like living carts and cranes in terms of mobility.

Despite maintaining a primitive lifestyle, their houses were quite large and sturdy wooden structures.

Though he spoke that way, Doyeong eventually helped move the wood and said, “Why not just get married? I feel like you could live with a bunch of women if you wanted.”

“That won’t do. I can’t have children. The tribe’s line would end.”

That statement suddenly sparked a thought.

“Now that you mention it…”

Doyeong turned to look at Gamal, who was moving a stack of firewood taller than herself.

“How did you become a vampire?”

Tora and the twins were infected by Gamal, but Doyeong had never heard how Gamal got infected. It wasn’t like there was a Patroness…

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

Doyeong asked again, and Gamal nodded.

“One day, I just ended up like this.”

“No incident at all?”

“Yeah.”

Doyeong frowned.

“That doesn’t make any sense. Something must’ve happened.”

“I… fell into a swamp.”

Gamal answered cautiously, as if she was unsure whether she should be saying this.

“What?”

Doyeong asked in surprise. His reaction was stronger than Gamal had expected, prompting Gamal to respond with a question of her own.

“Huh?”

“You fell into a swamp?”

“Well… yeah.”

Gamal, feeling like she might have said something wrong, answered hesitantly. Doyeong pressed on.

“Was there a vampire hiding in the swamp or something?”

“No. I don’t remember getting bitten by anyone. Why?”

Doyeong started to say something but then just shook his hand and walked away.

“Never mind.”

Tora glanced over, his eyes asking, “What’s with him?” Gamal shook her head, looking puzzled.

“There have been rare cases reported of people turning into vampires after falling into a swamp.”

Doyeong recalled something a researcher had once said.

“As I mentioned, the first vampires were people infected by the original X virus, which crash-landed on Earth from space. But those original vampires went extinct, like the dinosaurs, and the prototype virus also disappeared.”

Perhaps due to low blood sugar from working late nights, the researcher had continued talking while sucking on a lollipop.

“But you’ve heard those stories, right? About mummies found in swamps that didn’t decompose even after thousands of years. Similarly, there were traces of the original X virus sometimes left at the bottom of swamps. So, occasionally, people would get infected after accidentally falling into one.”

In other words, the idea of a vampire emerging from a swamp was not impossible. However…

“With all the reckless development, even those kinds of swamps don’t exist anymore. It’s a shame. If they were still around, they’d be valuable samples. Anyway, it’s a scenario that could only happen in ancient times.”

“14th century BC.”

Gamal was born in ancient times.

Doyeong turned around, looking like he had something to say. However, Gamal and Tora were quietly talking to each other in hushed voices. He raised an eyebrow.

“What are you two whispering about?”

Tora turned around with a smile.

“We were just talking about what to have for dinner.”

“I hope that dinner isn’t me.”

Given the atmosphere, he couldn’t help but think they might be pondering how to cook him up.

Gamal shook her head.

“We’re not eating Doyeong.”

“Don’t talk like it’s something you could do but choose not to. So, what’s for dinner?”

Gamal looked at Doyeong.

“Um…”

“Taro stew,” Tora answered. Doyeong responded with a slightly exasperated expression.

“You eat it all the time. Do you really need to discuss it?”

“We were thinking about adding other ingredients.”

Doyeong stared at him. Realizing the implication, Tora playfully added, “I don’t want to use Tawa’s body. It seems too tough with all those muscles.”

“So, if it didn’t seem tough, it’d be fine?”

Doyeong turned away. It wasn’t the right time to bring up the swamps yet. He still wasn’t certain, and there was always a chance that Gamal had been bitten by a vampire hiding in the swamp without remembering it.

As Doyeong disappeared from sight, Tora spoke quietly.

“Be careful. He’s got a sharp sense, so he might catch on.”

Gamal nodded with a tense look. She was about to leave when Tora stopped her.

“But are you really not going to say anything? About why Marti hides on the island.”

“That’s…”

Gamal hesitated, then murmured as she turned away.

“I don’t want to be hated.”

Doyeong lay in the hut, staring up at the ceiling.

The people of the tribe all seemed simple and kind, and he could somewhat understand why Gamal had reasons to stay on the island and not leave. In fact, that made things more complicated.

As the saying goes, “Occam’s Razor,” the more complex the situation, the simpler the solution should be. Despite all these premises, the simple truth was that he *had to go home.* Living on this island, presumed dead to the outside world, was out of the question.

It wasn’t as if there was no way to leave the island. If he could just convince Gamal or Tora, he could find a way out.

Lost in thought, Doyeong heard Gamal’s voice as she poked her head through the entrance of the hut.

“Doyeong, let’s go to the field.”

As usual, she was wearing the hat she had woven herself.

“Do you want to come, Doyeong?”

“I’m good.”

He had a lot on his mind.

“Alright then…”

As Gamal was about to speak, Tora, who had finished preparing to head to the field, passed by and commented.

“Second Thessalonians 3:10. ‘If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.’”

He then flashed a grin.

“It’s one of my favorite verses.”

Quoting scripture while nagging—Doyeong couldn’t tell if Tora was an adopted son or a nagging mother-in-law.

***

The green fields swayed gently in the breeze. The sunlight was hot, and the air was clear.

“Living like this isn’t bad, right? It’s the essence of a stress-free life,” Tora said proudly, holding a plow that looked like something out of a museum.

He was dressed in a way that would make women either scream and run away or rush towards him if he stepped onto the streets of a modern city. As impractical as it seemed, he had thrown on another leather vest.

“I’m a soldier, not a farmer,” Doyeong replied, not stopping his work of cutting the grass.

The sun was so strong that he had no choice but to borrow a straw hat. It didn’t quite match his military uniform, but given that his T-shirt was already so worn that it was starting to tear, it wasn’t too jarring a sight.

“Such distinctions don’t matter if you live here.”

“Tora spins the wheel too,” Gamal added.

Doyeong had indeed seen Tora spinning the wheel, sitting with the women.

His body was something Mars would envy, yet there he was, spinning the wheel as skillfully as Hestia, the goddess of the hearth and home. It looked like a picture that had been clumsily edited together.

Anyway, while working in the field, Doyeong spoke up.

“You must think I’m a fool. Your body is built for fighting.”

Gamal and Tora hesitated. But Doyeong continued in a completely casual tone.

“It’s not just because you’re a Luas. That body was trained over a long period specifically for combat.”

The smile vanished from Tora’s face. But Doyeong still didn’t turn around.

“I’ve been saying it all along. I’m a soldier. Do you think I wouldn’t notice something like that? That means you’re still hiding something from me.”

Doyeong straightened his back like someone whose back hurt from making kimchi and briefly looked out at the distant field.

“I understand that it’s not something that would harm me. That’s why I’m going along with this.”

Then he resumed his work and continued speaking.

“But that’s how life is. Just because it doesn’t directly cause harm doesn’t mean it’s truly harmless. I mean, how can you say it’s not harmful to me when I’m stuck here without even being able to report whether I’m alive or dead?”

Tora didn’t respond, only staring at Doyeong’s back.

“And your tribe, you have an extreme shortage of young men. In an environment without hostile tribes, without hunting, and with no apparent dangers.”

“…….”

“If it were a fishing village, I’d assume they’d all gone out on the boats, but there aren’t even any fishing boats in sight. It means that the young men, in other words, your fighting force, are absent somewhere.”

Doyeong kept cutting the grass. When he didn’t hear any response, he turned his head. Gamal and Tora were looking at him with speechless expressions.

But Doyeong, instead, wore a puzzled expression as he asked, “What?”

Tora gathered himself and let out a small laugh.

“We didn’t hide our tribe from the Major for any other reason. We were worried about things like this.”

Doyeong shrugged as if to say, “What’s the big deal?”

Tora sighed and spoke.

“It’s because of Marti’s brother.”

“Gamal’s brother?”

It was an unexpected answer.

“Tora, don’t say it.”

Suddenly, Gamal grew anxious and tried to stop Tora.

“Doyeong hates me.”

Doyeong looked at Gamal.

“Is your brother still alive?”

Gamal pressed her lips together tightly and didn’t answer. Then Tora spoke in a gentle tone.

“Marti, if you tell him, it might actually make it easier for the Major to adjust here.”

Even so, Gamal hesitated. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, still uncertain. Seeing this, Tora answered on her behalf, but his expression soured as if the very act of speaking the words disgusted him.

“He’s alive. He’s a dreadful person. He’s the one hunting down Marti.”

Doyeong still couldn’t understand.

“He’s her brother, right? Why would he be after Gamal…?”

In that instant, a flash of realization struck him.

Doyeong sprang to his feet. While Gamal and Tora looked at him in confusion, he grabbed a knife, typically used like a sickle, and pointed it sharply.

“Doyeong?”

Gamal was startled. The look on Doyeong’s face was one she had never seen before—an expression mixed with rage, horror, and even despair.

“You, what’s your connection to the Grand Duke?”

His voice was husky, suppressed by the shock of what he was realizing.

Doyeong had finally figured out who Gamal resembled.

Codename “Grand Duke (ANTIAIRCRAFT).” Until recently, he had been the leader of the Luas terrorist organization “SN,” which had terrified the world. He was arrested and imprisoned three years ago.


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