Vampire Hunter D: Dark Nocturne Read Online Free Page A

bluntly.
    â€œThere’s one of the Nobility’s mansions up ahead. Aside from that, there’s nothing to see around here,” Ry said, his tone growing more familiar.
    â€œIn that case, give me a lift.”
    â€œHuh?” Ry said, raising his eyebrow. Anxiety had suddenly taken root in him. Although he frantically sought a reason for this, his mind encountered only an amorphous darkness.
    â€œBe my guest,” said Amne, gesturing to the seat beside her own somewhat absent-mindedly. Not only had she readily agreed, but she seemed to be in a trance. To a girl of seventeen, D’s beauty must’ve been a drug.
    â€œThat’s your seat,” D said, tapping the boy on the shoulder.
    â€œBut I thought—”
    As he pushed Ry into the seat next to hers before he could say another word, Amne showed her teeth. She was a straightforward girl.
    Once D had climbed into the cargo bed in back and the vehicle’s unseemly trio of pistons began pumping up and down, the wagon started splashing through the mud puddles at a relaxed pace.
    When Amne faced forward again, she let out a shriek and pointed at the ground. “That thing over there—it’s a hand!” she exclaimed.
    Although the black earth didn’t make it too obvious, there certainly was a right arm taken off at the elbow lying in a pool of blood—and the piece of uniform on it was something Ry would never mistake.
    After the wagon had left the village and run along the road for a while, it began to climb a slope.
    â€œWhat the hell are those guys?” Ry asked D, who hadn’t said a thing since they’d set out. The boy had held his tongue because he was engulfed by D’s aura, and also because the role of the simple traveler he’d assumed required that he avoid anything related to that song.
    â€œItinerant warriors. All of them are quite skilled,” D replied softly.
    â€œYou mean to tell me you’ve already fought them?” Ry asked as the incredible sights of the night before skimmed through his brain. Although he knew nothing of the blond youth, he’d seen one of his compatriots slice a snake to bits with a single stroke of his hand, and watched another swallow a massive serpent. What’s more, based on the brawl a short while ago, the same individual was apparently capable of vanishing completely. These abilities put them far beyond any warriors Ry had ever known. And yet the man that was with him right now had fought them off with ease. Ry became terribly excited.
    â€œHey, who are these ‘guys’ you’re talking about?” said Amne as she worked the steering wheel. The girl was a veritable mass of curiosity.
    â€œA trio that attacked me. He just told you they were warriors.”
    â€œWell, they’re in the village, you know,” Amne said, taking no notice of the surprise on Ry’s face. “They’re staying at the merchant inn. There was a note posted on the message board that said ‘Swords for Hire.’ There’ve been bandits around the village recently, so the mayor will probably hire them. If they’re any good, that is.”
    And then, in a strangely self-conscious manner, the girl asked, “And, um—what is it that you do?”
    â€œI’m a Hunter,” D replied succinctly.
    â€œA Hunter? You don’t mean to tell me you’re a Vampire Hunter? That is so cool!” Amne said, looking back at him.
    By the age of seventeen or eighteen, most people had a better understanding of what Hunters were really like, but this girl seemed to be an exception. But, it was certainly true that the relatively rare Vampire Hunters were regarded with a reverence not afforded other monster-slaying experts.
    â€œIn that case, you could take care of those three, no sweat. Even if the Nobility have returned to the mansion, there won’t be any problem.”
    â€œThey’ve returned, you say?” asked