Laika – V1 Chapter 1

However, “Laika 44” was not listed on any state-issued maps, and there were no registered inhabitants. Furthermore, it was named “Laika City” from a coal mining city located forty-four kilometers south; though, the two are completely unrelated.

This was a government-led camouflaged campaign to gather intelligence against the United Kingdom.

“Laika 44”,[a closely administered region] where Liev lived, was an existence which itself was a state secret. The population was obligated to swear to confidentiality—it was strictly prohibited to speak of work content, residence, etc, outside of the city. If violated, then the secret police, the National Preservation Committee—a.k.a. the [Express Company] personnel would visit them early in the morning and have them dispatched to the mines.

Thus, even though a majority of the nation’s populace new of the successful man-made satellite launch, they were not aware of the state of affairs of space development.

“To deceive an enemy, first, you must a friend.”

This thorough secretiveness is a traditional means of the republic.

Municipalities which were veiled in secrecy were troublesome to reach. To fly within the sphere of these regions were prohibited, and railroads did not pass through them, so, they could only be reached by automobile.

Departing from the main thoroughfare onto a side road which cut through a plain, there were signs which said “Future Dead End” and “Off-Limits Area” through certain checkpoints; when weaving through the coniferous forest, having completely lost sense of direction and time, finally, the outer wall encircling the city would come into sight.

Going along the exterior of the outer wall, there is only one entrance and exit which had guards with machine guns and military dogs guarding the steel gate to sniff of the scents of suspicious characters.

Liev, who had stepped off of the bus, went through the gate after showing is ID and residence license.

“Oi, Liev!”

His supervisor, Lieutenant-General Viktor, with a drunken-red face hailed to him with a hoarse voice. He was in a military uniform where the buttons were bulging from his muscularity and had an extraordinary amount of medals as well as scars on his forehead that signified that he was a war hero with unyielding strength.

“What is it, comrade Lieutenant General?”

Liev straightened his back, preparing for a scolding—Lieutenant General Viktor furrowed his eyebrows intensely and glowered.

“Come to the Chief’s office at the training center. The Chief wants to speak to you as soon as possible.”

“The C-Chief!?”

That name was unexpected; Liev was struck with an icy shock that traveled down his spine.

The chief, Slava Korovin, was the genius who manufactured the “Parushni I Model” and the first design director. Like “Laika 44”, his existence was state secret, and he was an extremely key figure. The government was vigilant of the United Kingdom using assassinations, so Korovin was hidden from the world. When it was only necessary to announce to the public, he was addressed as the “Chief Designer”, and the results were confidential; the United Kingdom feared that “there is a sorcerer in the east”.

If he were called by such a big shot, then it wasn’t for a trivial matter. There was a rumor that before long, the names of the twenty or so cadets would be whittled down even further, but had they started a cutback in advance??

—And Liev had a bad feeling; Lieutenant General Viktor raised his voice.

“Head to the director’s office!”

“Y-yes!”

Lieutenant General Viktor smacked Liev’s shoulder, making him stagger.

Surrounding cadets unanimously called out to Liev.

“What’d you do this time?”

“Finally demoted even from being a spare huh…”

“Liev. Stay healthy.”

“Hold up, hold up! Don’t drop me out of your own accord!”

Even though Liev brushed aside the grieving gazes, he was at a loss for an answer to “Why were you called?”

“… A-anyways, I’ll see you later.”

Liev had been appointed as this year’s cosmonaut cadet of the spring; because of a certain incident in the summer, he was demoted to spare personnel. Unless a miracle occurred, he would no longer be able to be the “first cosmonaut in human history”.

“Still, I hope I could fly someday. The important thing is not to be the first in history. It’s getting to soar into the cosmos.”

And, although it was good that Liev stayed positive and didn’t get discouraged, the situation was intense.

The Training Center, located within the city’s development sector, was a rustic three-story concrete building; you couldn’t feel any sense of space at all from its exterior.

Liev anxiously preceded through a corridor with a celestial globe on display and found himself before the chief’s room. On each side of the oaken doors stood men[Transportation Agents] with long, black leather coats with National Preservation Committee badges that gleamed, observing Liev’s every movement.

“… Alright.”

Liev tightened his tie, knocked on the door, and stated his name.

“Cadet Liev Lepus has come!”

The door slowly opened—cigar smoke streamed out.

“How discourteous!”

 

Liev eyed everyone who was expecting him inside; about two to three steps into the room, one of the men[Transportation Agent] shut the door firmly behind him. He gulped.

Next to Lieutenant General Viktor was a middle-aged man wearing a white coat with a thin physique—Mr. Mozhaysky, the head of biomedical research, was waiting. He had gleaming, black hair that had been combed down and a pointed handlebar mustache. He was a doctor that frequently experimented on flora and fauna and even achieved sending dogs into space.

In the middle of the room, a man past his prime sat in a black leather armchair letting out purple smoke—Korovin. He had grey, swept-back hair. He was brimming full of confidence and energy. A firm body that was unexpected for a civil officer and thick skin that covered his hand was a sign that he has endured harsh labor in the mines after he was imprisoned under false charges.

Korovin shot an intense glint, like that of a bear, at Liev as if he were his prey.

“It’s been half a year, my little winged-dragon(Zilant[2]).”

“Yes, comrade Chief.”

An unpleasant drop of sweat ran down the back of Liev’s neck. Although Korovin was the smallest in the room, he exuded a large aura.

“As you are aware, we have been manufacturing products to help fulfill the dream(Miechita) and quickly advance the development of the “Miechita Project”. I am willing to do anything necessary to be successful at human space flight, even if it means cutting those hamburger-eating assholes down to size!”

Korovin said imperiously. Just the other day, due to the first mars probe launch failing, he might have been urgently ordered to succeed by First Secretary Gergiev. Liev thought this to himself and silently listened to the story.

“The plan can be successful, however, there is one major issue. Man’s safety in the zero-gravity of space has not been verified. Isn’t that so, Dr. Mozhaysky?”

Dr. Mozhaysky twirled his mustache as he spoke.

“Numerous plants and animals have been apart of launch experiments; dogs that were launched also returned safely, although, there were a few abnormalities observed like nausea and vomiting. Via telemetry, we were able to obtain physical condition changes, however, it’s unreasonable to conclude that humans can be equally treated as the same.”

Korovin stubbed out his cigar and stood straight up.

“Under these circumstances, a decision was made by the central government. Following the launch of a manned spaceship to space, it will be announced globally through national broadcasting.”

“Eh…?”

Liev couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Up until now, the republic’s government held the notion of “There is no failure allowed when it comes to space exploration”, and as a result, only cases of success have been announced. One previously failed mars exploration case was secretly dealt with behind closed doors without appearing at the table.

In other words, it was an unusual exception for disclosure during an experiment.

While Liev was lost in thought, Lieutenant-General Viktor spoke.

“If the live broadcast is successful, it will be a blow to the United Kingdom in which they will be powerless to act against.”

Korovin tightly balled and raised his fist.

“We seek a one hundred percent success rate! The should be no imperfection during the time of sojourning in space, during the return, and after the return! But no-one has ever been out into space until now, so how can we verify that it is sufficiently safe?”

There were far too many uncertainties.

How would space impact regions of the human brain and body?

Do humans undergo more functions besides vomiting like a dog from altitude?

Could one’s spirit withstand “seeing the earth”?

Would one behave abnormally when being faced with death adjoined by dread?

If you returned safely, would any serious prognostic symptoms come up?

There were various issues with no answers surging through the exploration site.

Korovin made a sour expression.

“If the crew members behaved strangely on the live broadcast and died, we would be blamed for their deaths from all over the globe. Even I am extremely reluctant.”

Dr. Mozhaysky suddenly addressed Liev with a grand and overwhelming question.

“Mr. Liev. Would you think of using monkeys instead of dogs for these experiments?”

“Eh, Ah… Yes.”

A monkey was closer to a human being than a dog.

On the contrary, though, Dr. Mozhaysky discontentedly twiddled his mustache.

“It’s no good. Monkeys were placed aboard a model boarding cabin, then the switch and sensor which were installed were destroyed and torn out. In comparison to a dog, which is cute and obedient, they were crafty and cunning, full of vim and vigor, fond of unconventional thoughts. There was also the issue of being unable to communicate through language.”

Korovin jested in an exaggerated tone.

“It’d be a different story if the monkeys were influenced by cosmic rays and suddenly involved into humans! Look, comrades! The first birth of an alien in history!”

It was a dicey joke; everyone forced a misguiding smile and went “Haha…”.

Though, Liev still did not know as to why he had been summoned, even after listening to the conversation.

The atmosphere didn’t feel like a cadet being notified of failing.

No way, is he going to secretly substitute me with a monkey? 

The world would launch a false mannequin….

Did Korovin guess Liev’s inner thoughts? He suddenly turned his body towards Liev and looked straight at him.

“Comrade Liev Lepus.”

“Sir…!”

Liev prepared himself

Korovin took a small pause, then spoke.

“Do you know of bloodsuckers(Nosferatu)?”

Toward the unexpected question, Liev blinked in disbelief.

“… I’m sorry, what now…?”

“The Bloodsuckers(Nosferatu).”

“… Ah, yes. The fabled extraordinary bloodsuckers… or the bloodsucking races which dwelled in remote regions of the country of Lilith[3]…”

“Yes. I’m speaking of the latter.”

Lilith was a neighboring country west of the republic which had been invaded by an enemy encampment and was scorched; the nation collapsed during the Great War. A bloodsucker(Nosferatu) clan, which lived in the quiet recesses of the mountains, were prohibited from leaving the village by the government’s “Control Policy” due to its citizens which had a deeply ingrained idea that they had a “Cursed Seed”.

It was this reason why most citizens had never seen bloodsuckers appear in photographs either; Liev was the same. He had heard talk that gave an image that the bloodsucking clans were grotesque monsters during his childhood; they gave the impression that they were “fierce monsters that sucked blood night after night”.

However.

Liev cocked his head, racking his brain.

Why did he start to talk about the bloodsuckers(Nosferatu)?

Being asked a question which was unrelated to space caused Liev to grow even more confused.

“Listen carefully.”

Korovin coughed, clearing his throat.

“From now on, you are going to keep what I’m about to inform you of confidential.”

“Y-yes, sir……!” Liev’s heart hammered.

Lieutenant General Victor and Dr. Mozhaysky completely turned their eyes to Liev.

And, to break the unpleasant silence, Korovin spoke in a low and severe tone.

“Prior to launching humans, higher-ups decided to experiment, the “Nosferatu Project”, to send bloodsuckers(Nosferatu) into space.

“…… Eh?”

Liev couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Up until now, the republic’s government held the notion of “There is no failure allowed when it comes to space exploration”, and, as a result, only cases of success have been announced. One previously failed mars exploration case was secretly dealt with behind closed doors without appearing at the table.

In other words, it was an unusual exception for disclosure during an experiment.

While Liev was lost in thought, Lieutenant-General Viktor spoke.

“If the live broadcast is successful, it will be a blow to the United Kingdom in which they will be powerless to act against.”

Korovin tightly balled and raised his fist.

“We seek a one hundred percent success rate! The should be no imperfection during the time of sojourning in space, during the return, and after the return! But no-one has ever been out into space until now, so how can we verify that it is sufficiently safe?”

There were far too many uncertainties.

How would space impact regions of the human brain and body?

Do humans undergo more functions besides vomiting like a dog from altitude?

Could one’s spirit withstand “seeing the earth”?

Would one behave abnormally when being faced with death adjoined by dread?

If you returned safely, would any serious prognostic symptoms come up?

There were various issues with no answers surging through the exploration site.

Korovin made a sour expression.

“If the crew members behaved strangely on the live broadcast and died, we would be blamed for their deaths from all over the globe. Even I am extremely reluctant.”

Dr. Mozhaysky suddenly addressed Liev with a grand and overwhelming question.

“Mr. Liev. Would you think of using monkeys instead of dogs for these experiments?”

“Eh, Ah… Yes.”

A monkey was closer to a human being than a dog.

On the contrary, though, Dr. Mozhaysky discontentedly twiddled his mustache.

“It’s no good. Monkeys were placed aboard a model boarding cabin, then the switch and sensor which were installed were destroyed and torn out. In comparison to a dog, which is cute and obedient, they were crafty and cunning, full of vim and vigor, fond of unconventional thoughts. There was also the issue of being unable to communicate through language.”

Korovin jested in an exaggerated tone.

“It’d be a different story if the monkeys were influenced by cosmic rays and suddenly evolved into humans! Look, comrades! The first birth of an alien in history!”

It was a dicey joke; everyone forced a misguiding smile and went “Haha…”.

Though, Liev still did not know as to why he had been summoned, even after listening to the conversation.

The atmosphere didn’t feel like a cadet being notified of failing.

No way, is he going to secretly substitute me with a monkey?

The world would launch a false mannequin….

Did Korovin guess Liev’s inner thoughts? He suddenly turned his body towards Liev and looked straight at him.

“Comrade Liev Lepus.”

“Sir…!”

Liev prepared himself

Korovin took a small pause, then spoke.

“Do you know of bloodsuckers(Nosferatu)?”

Toward the unexpected question, Liev blinked in disbelief.

“… I’m sorry, what now…?”

“The Bloodsuckers(Nosferatu).”

“… Ah, yes. The fabled extraordinary bloodsuckers… or the bloodsucking races which dwelled in remote regions of the country of Lilith[3]…”

“Yes. I’m speaking of the latter.”

Lilith was a neighboring country west of the republic which had been invaded by an enemy encampment and was scorched; the nation collapsed during the Great War. A bloodsucker(Nosferatu) clan, which lived in the quiet recesses of the mountains, were prohibited from leaving the village by the government’s “Control Policy” due to its citizens which had a deeply ingrained idea that they had a “Cursed Seed”.

It was this reason why most citizens had never seen bloodsuckers appear in photographs either; Liev was the same. He had heard talk that gave an image that the bloodsucking clans were grotesque monsters during his childhood; they gave the impression that they were “fierce monsters that sucked blood night after night”.

However.

Liev cocked his head, racking his brain.

Why did he start to talk about the bloodsuckers(Nosferatu)?

Being asked a question which was unrelated to space caused Liev to grow even more confused.

“Listen carefully.”

Korovin coughed, clearing his throat.

“From now on, you are going to keep what I’m about to inform you of confidential.”

“Y-yes, sir……!” Liev’s heart hammered.

Lieutenant General Victor and Dr. Mozhaysky completely turned their eyes to Liev.

And, to break the unpleasant silence, Korovin spoke in a low and severe tone.

“Before launching humans, higher-ups decided to conduct an experiment, the “Nosferatu Project”, to send bloodsuckers(Nosferatu) into space.

“…… Eh?”

“The mission code is ‘N44.’ ”

“… Y-yes…”

Liev blankly stared as Dr. Mozhaysky gave a lengthy explanation at a level which exceeded his ability to understand.

“Compared to monkeys, Nosferatu are much more… well, they are quite close, biologically speaking, to humans. Not only in physiological structure, but tests reveal that their blood has similar readings to that of the average human. They are a suitable replacement for these experiments. However, since they are not taxonomically in the same category as humans, even if they were launched into space it wouldn’t be recognized as ‘a milestone for mankind’.”

Lieutenant-General Viktor nodded his head deeply.

“The first for mankind ought to be from our motherland.”

Dr. Mozhaysky tautly pulled on his mustache.

“The experiment will be ready for launch within two months. The contents of the experiment are similar to those of the dogs’. Verification of the safety of the boarding cabin, the measure of the influence of cosmic rays and zero gravity, and investigating any abnormalities upon return.”

Liev finally caught up and understood. Long story short, mankind was using the Nosferatu as substitutes.

No matter how you put it, Liev felt that it was inhumane, but he couldn’t comment on the decisions of the country.

Korovin turned and faced Liev.

“You will now be informed of your mission.”

“Yes.”

“I want you to monitor the subject until its launch, as well as overseeing it in its training… a manager, so to speak.”

“Ehh, manager…?”

At the astounding proposal, Liev’s eyes blinked with excitement. Several questions came to mind, but his primary concern was the reason as to why he was selected.

“Chief, may I speak…?”

“Permission granted.”

“Why was I nominated…?”

“You don’t need to know. It has already been decided.”

“Forgive me.”

Liev felt remorseful for being excessive in pressing Korovin for his reasoning.

“To succeed in code ‘N44’ is the same as accomplishing the ‘Miechita Project’… a momentous step in realizing mankind’s dream. Will you take charge?”

Indecisively, Liev cast his gaze downwards. Keeping watch over test subjects was not a task given to cadets. He wondered if he was being given this duty out of pity for his job as a spare. Or, did all of the technical officials refuse to take over?

There was also the fear of Nosferatu in the back of his mind preventing him from answering right away.

Liev, who was courageous, passed with flying colors and knew no fear, was the kind of person that wasn’t good with monsters or apparitions. During his childhood, he was scared by his parents countless times to a bed-wetting degree.

However-

Now, in his position as a spare, if he were to refuse, then he would be labeled as a disqualified cadet later on. On the contrary, if he were to be stripped of his qualifications as a pilot, then his path to space would be cut off forever.

He wanted to avoid that.

Liev lifted his gaze, catching Korovin’s gaze right in front of him.

“If you do not mind, it would be my pleasure to serve.”

The corners of Korovin’s mouth rose with satisfaction.

“I am entrusting the launch to Lieutenant-General Victor and Dr. Mozhaysky. You are to follow their orders.”

“Acknowledged!”

Lieutenant-General Victor slapped Liev’s back in response.

“I will inform all of the cadets.”

With the combination of being a spare and this Nosferatu situation, his position among the cadets seemed to be growing increasingly complicated. Liev broke out in a cold sweat internally.

“Now, Liev. I think that you already understand, but the test subject needs to be treated as an ‘object.’ Now is especially not the time to be conceited.”

“Yes!”

Unease rose in Liev’s chest as he wondered if he would have to deal with those terrifying monsters in a manner like that.

“Well then, Liev, come with me.”

Dr. Mozhaysky bowed to Korovin then briskly made his way to the door.

Liev bowed to Korovin and tried to exit the room, but was stopped, however, when Korovin called out, “One last thing.”

“To be selected as a cosmonaut, the likelihood of you being chosen right now, as a spare, is currently zero.”

“Yes…”

Though he already knew that, it was tough to be told so.

“—Yet, I have great expectations from you in the future.”

“Eh…?”

Korovin made a suggestive smile.

“Go, my Zilant.”

“Yes, Sir!”

Liev stood at attention again, then bowed for a second time. He grew excited at the possibility of being reinstated as a cadet.

As the hue of the sky changed and the afternoon turned to dusk, Liev walked with Dr. Mozhaysky through the red-pine forest behind the training center. Eventually, Liev’s nose became accustomed to the choking fragrance given off and finally arrived at a quaint, hospital-like building.

“This is the innermost facility for the experiment.”

It was a separate biological research institution from the animal development and experimentation facility. There were a lot of facilities in the city that the cadets were not allowed to enter—this was one of them.

Dr. Mozhaysky presented his identification card to the guard stationed at the entrance, which was surrounded by a steel fence.

Liev entered the building, nervously wondering about being experimented on himself.

In the hallway the walls were covered with linoleum, a grey pipe running along the ceiling like a fat serpent. The ventilation was poor and the air was dense. From somewhere far off, a dog’s barks could be heard.

Compared to the training center, this place had a gloomy atmosphere.

Feeling uncomfortable, Liev proceeded further into the interior, passing through the section where the animals’ cages were lined up, eventually reaching a large, hexagonal room.

Each wall had a series of Roman numerals from ‘I’ to ‘V’ over thick iron doors; in the center stood a small cubicle with a note which read “Guard Office” attached to it.

Witnessing such a bizarre sight, a shiver went down Liev’s spine.

“What exactly is this place…?”

“They are cells for human beings.”

Replied Dr. Mozhaysky forthrightly.

“N-no way, you’re doing human experimentation…!?”

“No. These were made just in case the occasion ever came up, but they have never been used. The subject of this experiment is the first one ever to use one.”

Though he’d suspected it, Liev shuddered at the thought of such a facility existing. Suddenly, a densely covered fuzzy object emerged from the guard office.

“Huh!?”

Is that perhaps an escaped beast, or maybe a Nosferatu?

Liev readied himself, but to his surprise, it was actually a human girl in a fur coat.

The girl, who was small and probably a head shorter than Liev, looked towards Dr. Mozhaysky with a bright expression.

“Sir!”

“Did anything unusual occur?”

“Sir, it has been peaceful!”

When the girl saw Liev, she immediately bowed.

“Pleased to meet you!”

“Hello. Are you the doctor’s daughter?”

“Not at all!”

The girl opened her coat and thrust forth her identification, showing Liev.

“I’m a researcher affiliated with the Air Force Medical Institute!”

“F-forgive me!”

Liev hastily bowed his head to apologize.

Dr. Mozhaysky introduced the girl to Liev.

“Anja Simonyan. Field of study: Bloodsucker ecology. Only eighteen years old, but she is competent and excellent.”

*Ahem* Anja puffed out her chest with pride.

“Well then, Liev. The test subject is in the ‘I’ cell.”

Liev went to stand before the room indicated by Dr. Mozhaysky, imagining some sort of monster beyond the thick door which separated them.

Crimson eyes like that of blood.

Great fangs to puncture necks.

In a dark tuxedo covered in blood.

Pale skin as if they were dead.

“…”

Liev felt chills on his neck.

On the other hand, Dr. Mozhaysky and Anja, who had already been aware, indifferently prepared a meeting.

“Please open the door.”

“Yes, sir.”

Anja lightly knocked on the door, unlocked it, and grabbed and turned the handle without hesitation after a “Please enter,” answered.

“!”

In a flustered manner, Liev quickly hid his neck with his collar in fear of being abruptly bitten.

As the door slowly opened, the metal gave off a creaking sound.

It was a dim and enclosed concrete room with bare walls. There were no windows, the only light source originated from a small electric light which hung from the ceiling, and in the back was installed a washbasin and toilet.

Alongside the wall, a girl with black hair sitting atop a coffin read a textbook on astrodynamics.

Anja pointed towards the girl.

“She’s the test subject.”

are equivalent or better than those of you cadets. Also, there were no incidents of any of the subject’s inspectors being bitten, so be at ease.”

The dim electric lighting was reflected off of Irina, the light making a buzzing noise.

“Moving on.”

Liev continued to review the document, speaking to Irina.

“Two: Pay attention to make sure that the inhabitants of the city do not become aware of the subject’s true identity.”

“Only a few people are aware of Nosferatu. Even with the national committee and technical officers combined, there are only about one hundred people. As far as anyone else is aware, she is just an ‘Air Force First Lieutenant.’ ”

Liev broke off from the document. “Is there no problem with walking around the city?”

Naturally, Dr. Mozhaysky nodded.

“When raising a dog for an experiment, we have to take it for a walk and let it enjoy itself for its mental health. This is no different.”

Liev was shocked by the doctor’s statement and stole a sidelong glance at Irina. Yet, even though she was being compared to a dog, she wore a cold expression as if she were completely unrelated to the discussion.

While bearing a sense of discomfort, Liev continued to read aloud.

“Three: Monitor and prevent the subject from escaping. In the scenario where it attempts to escape… you are to execute the subject.”

Execution was not just a threat. Liev bore a feeling of dread as Dr. Mozhaysky elaborated with a cold tone.

“This is a measure to prevent an information leak. In the situation that it escapes, you will be charged and imprisoned, Liev.”

If she tried to escape, she was to be killed without question. Liev warned the girl, who was likely unaware of how callous the Republic was.

“Please do not do anything foolish. For argument’s sake, even if you were to escape from this city, the [Express Company] would pursue you until the ends of the earth.”

Irina let out a short breath as if she were exasperated; her fleeting fang peeked out.

“I will not run away.”

Hearing her voice for the first time, it was clear like pure water that soaked into his heart. Liev thought that not only was her appearance similar to a human, but her voice was too.

“Next, Liev.”

Prompted by Dr. Mozhaysky, Liev read out the last item.

“Four: The manager will share a room next to the subject…hm?”

Whilst reading that, he quickly grew pale.

“E-excuse me. Am I supposed to live here?”

“That is correct. While you were gracefully parachuting through the air, the Express Company moved your luggage from the communal dormitories to the ‘II’ room.”

“…”

In the face of such an unexpected situation, Liev was at a loss for words.

“Isn’t that nice?. Going from a shared room in the communal dormitories to a personal room with a toilet, that’s quite an upgrade.”

“Eh, that’s…”

“Rest assured, your room will have a bed for human beings, not a coffin. By the way, the showering room is in the ‘V’ room.

Dr. Mozhaysky took Liev’s hand forcefully without his consent, giving him a ring of keys.

“Haha…”

Liev had no choice but to laugh. If he refused Korovin’s proposal, then it would truly be farewell to “Laika 44”.

“Well then, Liev. my role in this is over. I entrust the rest to Anja.”

Not a second after saying that, Dr. Mozhaysky pivoted and walked away.

“Eh, the doctor’s… ‘done?’ ”

Looking over his shoulder, Dr. Mozhaysky replied to a flustered Liev.

“I have business involving the main process of the ‘Miechita Project’. I must continue experiments with launching flora and fauna. Pleasant dreams.”

With that, Dr. Mozhaysky tautly strung his mustache and left like the wind.

Anja briskly made her way before Liev.

“Please rest assured. I am authorized by Dr. Mozhaysky!”

Although she looked young and uncertain, he had no choice but to rely on Anja.

“I’m in your care, Anja. I was just appointed and still don’t understand anything.”

“My job is to check the readings of medical data collected. Since I normally stay within the laboratory, I’ll have you accompany her to training and through her daily life.”

In other words, the two would work together. Liev scratched the back of his head, wondering if this would be alright.

“Well then, let’s proceed with the conversation! Irinyan—”

“Wait a minute.”

Irina stopped Anja with a sharp voice.

“What is it?”

“What’s with that ‘Irinyan?’ ”

“I was being affectionate,” replied Anja.

“There is no need for that.”

She turned towards Liev since she had completely shut down Anja.

“Does Liev also wish to call me ‘Irinyan?’”

You just turned her down, why are you asking me?

Liev stood perplexed as Irina stared at him.

“Uhm…”

Putting the whole ‘Irinyan’ thing aside, he couldn’t call her “Subject” in the middle of town. He also couldn’t call her “First Lieutenant Luminesque” since that wasn’t how you addressed colleagues of the same rank.

Liev thought about it, preparing to refute Irina.

“I believe that to avoid drawing the suspicions of the other city inhabitants to your true identity, you should be treated just like any other cadet. So, from now on, I’ll call you by your name, ‘Irina’. You may call me ‘Liev’.”

Irina silently gazed at Liev. Her eyes carried a scarlet sheen in the light. Her beauty was beyond human understanding, causing the hairs to stand on Liev’s neck. He had trouble breathing, and his body stiffened.

“A-ah…”

“Irina will do so.”

With just a few words, the binding unraveled, and Liev could take a short breath—

“Originally, I would not have allowed a human to address me so casually, but I guess it cannot be helped.”

“Uh…”

He was breathless again in the face of such an extremely oppressive attitude.

However, she just had that sort of dominating personality. If she were to wear a gorgeous dress instead of a uniform, she would easily fit in with royalty or the aristocracy. It hadn’t necessarily been incorrect to think of her as a “princess” upon his first impression.

“I will call you Liev, is that fine?”

“Yeah. Irina.”

Anja quickly interrupted.

“Nice to meet you, Irinyan!”

Irina, who up until now had displayed an unreadable mood and hard expression, left her mouth agape.

“… Y-you…?”

“Since I’m not a cadet, our relationship is irrelevant. Please call me Anja~♪”

Irina shrugged, losing the energy for a retort.

“Do whatever you would like…”

“As you wish~”

Anja nodded with a satisfactory look, before doing a complete 180 into a stern-looking researcher.

“Irinyan will receive standard training as with any other cadet, but since she is weak to sun exposure, it will be after sunset.”

“Would she be alright if she got accidentally hit by a beam of sunlight?”

Liev knew of the traditional “turning to ashes” weakness.

“It appears that her skin will sting to a certain degree. Irinyan, you’re able to walk around outside during the day without a parasol, right?”

“That’s correct.”

Irina confirmed the question, replying with a thorny voice riddled with displeasure. But Anja, who couldn’t read the mood, complemented herself with pride.

“The other thing is, she also weak to heat and she will give show symptoms similar to heat strokes and sunstrokes. In short, crew members run the risk of potentially experiencing high temperatures while moving through the atmosphere. Therefore, if Irinyan can bear it, then humans should be able to as well.

“I see…”

Although Liev understood, he couldn’t bear to say anything with the subject in front of him. Unlike a dog, Irina could understand anything said.

Irina snorted her nose in dissatisfaction immediately.

“Anja. My race also has some points that surpass humans. You should know of them if you are such a so-called expert, shouldn’t you?”

“Of course!”

Anja held up two fingers towards Liev.

“The Nosferatu have two unique characteristics. ‘Night Vision’ to maintain vision in the dark, and ‘cold resistance’ to dress lightly unperturbed in temperatures below freezing.”

Anja also added on that in the environment of the northern part of the continent the number of daylight hours were shorter, and that winter was far longer.

“Liev. Now you understand, right?”

She said it in a high and mighty tone while glancing proudly at him. Liev felt it as her declaration that Nosferatu were a being equivalent to or even greater than humans.

“Now, Liev. Please escort Irinyan to grab a meal. In the communal dorms’ cafeteria. All of the cadets should have been gathered, so please go and introduce her.”

“‘Meal’ as in—”

Liev had imagined that since she was a Nosferatu Irina would drink blood, and he looked at her mouth. However, her mouth was closed, so he couldn’t see her fangs.

“What is it?”

“Nevermind…”

Liev turned away from Anja’s questioning gaze.

“Does that mean that I am not preparing meals?”

“Yes. The menu is the same as all of the other cadets. For data collection purposes, she must have the same eating habits as everyone else.”

“Is that so?”

Irina stepped closer to Liev, who felt a wave of relief.

“You thought it was blood, right?”

“Ehhh!?”

He became flustered as she hit the nail right on the head.

“What the hell do you think I am?!”

Though her voice was quiet, it was filled with anger towards Liev.

“W-what do you mean…?”

Irina grimaced, her fangs peeking out.

“You think I’m just like some inferior blood-sucking creature like a mosquito or tick?!”

As the sun began to set, the walled city melted into the violet of twilight. Liev and Irina passed through the pungent pine woods, exiting into a well-lit avenue lined with birch trees.

“I don’t think that you’ll try to run away, but please walk near me.”

Liev ordered Irina to walk within a short distance of him. He couldn’t leash her like a dog, so she had to stay within his sight.

“I will not run away, but I will not walk behind a human, so I will walk beside you.”

Her words were sharp to the point of being refreshing. But on the other hand, it would have been scary for her to give a bright cheerful response so her straight forward reply may have been for the better.

As Irina passed by, an old tobacconist wearing eyeglasses, who turned their head to look. His expression was not that of unease, but more so trance-like. They didn’t realize she was a vampire but were attracted to her beauty. If they knew who this girl was, what kind of reaction would they have?

In this restless situation, he headed toward the communal dormitories in the residential district.

The city was separated into two districts— the residential district, and the development district; cadets were sent out every day to the development district located at the city’s outer circumference.

In addition to the training center, there were also special training facilities, research institutions where technicians worked and so forth, various large and small buildings scattered about, 80-meter tall watchtowers were on the outskirts of the town assigned as parachute training facilities as well as monitoring services.

The development district was surrounded by the residential district with standard housing complexes, which were surrounded by schools, hospitals, libraries, marketplaces, and restaurants.

As a counterpart to the “stick” of confidentiality, a “carrot” had also been properly prepared in the form of items unavailable to the general public such as televisions, washing machines, or refrigerators. Regardless of the small scale of the city, there was an abundance of leisure establishments such as theatres and football fields, and at the corner of town, there was a man-made lake where one could ice skate.

Liev and Irina walked to the residential district without exchanging any words. You could see the steeple of the church from above all of the houses. The blue, onion-shaped roof with a golden cross on top stood out in the city due to its magnificence.

“Aah…”

Liev suddenly realized something extremely important and stopped.

“What?”

With a reluctant expression on his face, Liev spoke to Irina who had a puzzled look on her face.

“To get to the dormitories, we can avoid passing through the church ahead, but it’d be dreadfully roundabout…”

Before he was even finished speaking, he was hurled a cold gaze.

“Do you think that I am worried about crosses?”

 

After vampires, Liev wondered whether he had stepped on another landmine.

“Then by perchance, is it not a weakness…?”

Irina nodded deeply.

“Long ago, to strengthen the authority of the church, rumors and hearsay were propagated.”

“Are you really all right…?”

“Truly…”

Not a second after she said that, Irina, without warning, plunged into Liev’s bosom and glanced upward with a glare, licking her revealed fang with her tongue.

“?!”

He fell on his back. This was different from Korovin’s overbearing aura—a ghastly chill came from within his body.

“Liev.”

“W-what is it…”

If one were to receive such a gaze from those crimson eyes in the glow of twilight, they would be left completely immobile.

“From now on, it will be troublesome to repudiate everything each and every time. Thus, to begin with, I want you to start telling me everything that you are aware of concerning bloodsuckers.”

The more she sighed and brought her head closer, the more flustered Liev got as he panicked.

“I u-understand…! I understand, so could you back off…?”

“Why are you so frightened? I won’t bite.”

He was not discomposed because of that, but because of her face; he felt fear from looking at a beauty of the opposite sex drawing near which was causing him to get flustered, but it didn’t seem that Irina understood.

“T-too close…!”

Liev’s body had grown hot, and he worried whether his cheeks had already grown red.

“I understand. I’ll move away.”

Irina took a step back, crossed her arms, and put her chin up.

“Come on, speak.”

“N, aah…. Well, you know, that you uh…”

After the trembling had subsided, Liev composed himself and began to pull bits of authentic and ambiguous folklore from the bottom of his memory.

“… Bite into the napes of necks and use thorny tongues to suck blood.”

“Thorny…?”

Irina stuck out her tongue.

It wasn’t thorny, just a fair pink color.

“It’s a misunderstanding…”

“Next?”

“… A Bloodsucker can augment its retainers by drinking their blood… is that not a thing?”

“Impossible. Next.”

“You cannot ‘enter’ someone’s abode unless you’re granted permission.”

“Would you enter at your own convenience?”

“… No, I wouldn’t come in.

Irina distorted her mouth with evident displeasure.

“Besides that?”

“… When lots of millets or seeds fall to the ground, you want to count them over completely.”

“Why would we count it?”

“Well…”

“Next.”

“Weakness to garlic.”

“It just smells. Asparagus is a true horror[6].”

He couldn’t endure the feeling of continuously stepping on landmines. However, in order to avoid future slip-ups, he had to clarify what was right and wrong.

Liev was about to break but still continued on.

“The ability to transform. To change into bats, wolves, fog.”

“Are you trying to make a fool of me?”

“Being unable to die unless your head is lopped off or you’re staked through the heart.”

“Don’t be absurd. Either one is more than enough to kill me…”

Up until now, Irina’s expression had been distinctly cloudy, and now Liev felt a little regretful of how insensitive he had been.

“… That’s true. My bad.”

“Humans are the worst. Eternal life, immortality, and other such fantasies…”

“Hm…?”

When Irina averted her gaze from Liev, she began to look up at a twinkling star in the night’s sky, muttering a soliloquy.

“… To be born normal, and die normally…”

As Liev stepped in front of Irina, her light pink eyes seemed to tremble sorrowfully.

“What did you say just now?”

Although he asked to hear what she said, Irina only shook her head.

“Nothing. At any rate, if I get injured it hurts and I can get sick too”

Liev couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more there, but—

“Next-”

As the conversation continued with an unyielding force, he gave up on pursuing this and recommenced stepping on landmines.

“A fear of flowing water and the sea.”

“I’m not afraid.”

“Incurring damage from silver.”

“I use the silverware.”

“Having no reflection in mirrors—”

“I have a reflection.”

“Having no shadow.”

“Do you have bad eyes?”

Irina pointed towards her feet. A shadow was formed by the illumination of an overhead streetlamp.

“Ah…”

“Haa…”

Irina became fed up and let a sigh escape.

“I’m truly sorry. I was an idiot to believe in legends without doubting them. I’ll be more careful from now on.

Liev deeply bowed.

Then he heard Irina’s disappointed-sounding voice.

“… In spite of being a human, you’re rather honest and humble.”

“Eh?”

When Liev looked up, Irina wore a look of surprise.

“No, after all, it’s because I misunderstood.”

“Correct, but you are not the source of the misunderstanding.”

Irina looked up to the cross of the church.

“When the Black Death was widespread back during the sixteenth century, the human church treated us as the source of the infection. If you can create a target, you can divert the criticisms of God.”

Many legends actually stated that the bloodsuckers had been born out of that age, bloodsucker hunting had been carried out stemming from the belief that the “Cursed Seed” was borne from the disease.

Irina dropped her gaze from the cross and focused on Liev.

“The numerous asinine ‘special characteristics’ were propagated by the church, as well as through novels and films. Thus, you yourself are not particularly in the wrong.”

Although he was allowed to have individual slip-ups, Liev felt pain in his chest as he was confronted by the err’s perpetrated by humankind. When he looked into Irina’s eyes with pity, the bloodsucking girl looked forward as if avoiding his gaze.

“Take me to the dining hall.”

Just as they reached the stone-paved plaza in front of the church the bell rang, it was time to give the evening prayer; the hymn of the pipe organ’s performance could be heard from within the church. As they passed through the plaza Irina closed her mouth and made a firm expression as if she didn’t want to breathe. There was only the regular peaceful routine of a flock of pigeons pecking at bread crumbs, but Liev thought that Irina might find the air intolerable and sped up.

When they passed through the plaza, Iruna, who was strangely silent, pointed to something on the side of the path.

“What’s that over there?”

In a corner in the grass, there was the statue of a rocket surrounded by clove pink (Dianthus caryophyllus). In the body of the rocket, there was a small open window with the bronze statue of a dog was enshrined.

“According to the plaque, it’s the Parushni?”

“That’s…”

Irina, who had questioned Liev, was at a loss for words for a moment, but the truth of the matter couldn’t be hidden.

“It’s the tombstone of the dog who flew into space.”

It was customary in the Republic to announce successes, but hide the failures, that is to say, there were many more dogs launched and sacrificed than what was officially announced.

For example, in 1957, the Republic had announced that the experimental rocket launch into space of the dog Marui in the “Parushni II” model. However, as a matter of fact, Marui was barely breathing as they penetrated the atmosphere. The cabin became unbearably hot because the heat shield and cooling systems failed to operate, and before long it perished from the heat.

The truth is that only a small portion of the personnel in the space program were aware of this fact, and Irina, who had resided within the deep recesses of the mountain, had no way of knowing.

Irina, with a clouded gaze, glared at the monument and walked towards it. Standing in front of it, she put her hand on her chest and bowed.

Liev, who looked at Irina paying her respects from behind, had a dark premonition that this girl would end up dead like the dog welling in his chest.

“… No. Not this girl…”

Liev shakes his head and gently murmurs.

“Even if we have to risk our life…”

Manned flight programs were chock full with some tens of thousands of drops of sweat and tears, but development was a continuous set of failures.

Prior to Liev becoming a spare, every cadet went to the rocket launch site to observe the launch of a dog. Their hearts were big with anticipation that they would see the form of the rocket taking far off into space, but immediately following the launch, it blew up into smithereens. Liev, who had personally witnessed this hell, was left with the feeling of shock and heartbreak, and for a while afterward, he couldn’t stomach anything.

Even though one could picture a magnificent dream, science and technology couldn’t catch up, and success was extremely difficult to grasp. Even if it had passed through the atmosphere, if it had gone out of orbit, then it would be lost in the void of space, and upon re-entry, it might become a fireball and burn up.

In fact, the experiment’s success rate was less than fifty percent.

Liev and many others were aware of the perils ahead continued to train. Now, the girl before him was brought as an experiment to enhance his safety.

“… but why was this girl chosen?”

Suddenly, he had more questions as soon as that left his mouth. Were the numbers of bloodsuckers so small, and had no others passed the inspection/examination?

Liev wanted to ask Irina but stopped at the last moment.

‘Experiments should be treated as objects.’

This callous way of thinking spoken by Lieutenant General Victor in the Director’s room had become a common perspective for everyone. However, it was not out of cold-heartedness.

Rather, it was the opposite, it was a lesson learned from the death of Maly.

Maly, which had been chosen as the experiment’s dog, was adorable and loved by the personnel of the space program. Then, a couple of months later, when the ‘Purushni II’ model launched, the technical operators parted with tears. They knew that with the current technology, a safe return was impossible. The responsible caretaker, Dr. Mozhaysky did everything for Marui, such as giving her water to drink, until right before the start, unwilling to say goodbye until the last moment.

As a result of Maly’s tragic death, even Korovin and First Secretary Gergiev grieved.

Since that event, a line was drawn and experimental bodies were no longer to be seen as “comrades”, but as “objects”.

Liev thought.

Likewise, should I treat Irina as an ‘object’ like a dog?

Whether he should treat Irina the same as a dog, as an object?

“… No, there is no need to force myself to think of her like that.”

Thoughts went around in his head a few times before he came to that conclusion. Treating them as ‘objects’ was in order to prevent mourning and maintaining morale.

On the other hand, Liev was assigned as Manager to “let the experimental body smoothly take part in the training and safely send her off into space”. Unlike a dog, not only can Irina hold conversations with humans, but she also harbors bad impressions of them. In other words, if treated indifferently she might become more and more hostile, refusing to take part in the training or even plotting to escape. Although being kind to her was an outrageous proposition, he had to at least build up a minimal relationship between them.

But, Liev was certainly no stranger to love. He knew the rules, and he knew Irina did as well. He was thinking of a complete commitment. He wanted Irina to know that, as a whole, she wouldn’t get this from just any other guy. Liev just wanted to tell her how he was feeling—he had to make her understand.

Thus, if the launch failed, they could swallow the sadness on their own.

That’s all.

You have to draw a proper line and only hear as much as necessary.

Liev decided to take a look at Irina, who had finished paying her respects and looked up at the sky. He couldn’t see what sort of expression she had on her face from where she stood.