Chapter 2

As mentioned, the Royal Police Archives were not a popular place. Even when people were interested in perusing any of the records or books, I was usually just sent messages or instructions to find things for them.

I wasn’t bothered by this, really.

It was simply that people quickly found out that personally coming here would usually end up with me drowning them in a deluge of trivia and facts.

Alas, normal people couldn’t stand culture and knowledge.

Anyway, this was a long way of saying I was surprised at seeing a hot guy come here. In fact, it was rather odd that I didn’t hear him enter.

“Yes, thank you!” I said, now examining him properly.

Tall, slim, handsome. Definitely some well-sculpted features, the kind Tome of Beauty and Proportions would probably rate about a “Ruby Ratio” or so. Very light, practically blonde hair was parted in the exact middle to let his bangs fall over his ears in the latest fashion, though his clothes were much more casual than elegant.

“And you are…?” I prompted after a few moments of silence where he probably examined me the same as I did him.

“Ah, how rude of me,” he said, raising his brows as if only now realizing. “I’m Annol Savuatuk. My pleasure, Inspector Simona.”

I almost expected him to grab my hand and plant a kiss on it, but apparently it wasn’t that kind of romance book.

(Also because I preemptively put my hands behind my back.)

And I wasn’t surprised at him knowing my name, considering he came all the way down here to this dusty tomb of knowledge.

“Nice to meet you too, Mr. Savuatuk,” I said, not forgetting my own manners. “How may I help you?”

“I have heard,” he said, his voice taking on a somewhat hesitant tone, “that these Archives include, other than police matters, sources of more… esoteric knowledge as well.”

I wore a wide smile. “They sure do! Have you ever heard of A Hundred Ways to Use a Stick Your Parents Never Told You? That one’s a classic, I’ll never look at a stick the same way ever again. Or maybe you’re after something more practical, such as Bathing in the Suns: A Guide for the Perfect Tan? Probably not, huh? Or maybe—”

His face… I knew that expression, because newcomers often wore it, surprised by my ability to unload so much on them right from the get go, even to complete strangers.

The fact I acknowledged this flaw of mine meant I was on the road to becoming better. Maybe? That’s what Dr. Ashoom claimed in Fixing Yourself and then the World, anyway.

Annol gave a small cough. “Err, while I am sure those are all very interesting books, that’s not what… Uh, I’m looking for a rather… specific subject.”

“Ooh, let me guess! Is it about that new mushroom fad? Or wait, maybe it’s the Island of Woe? People have been talking about that a lot, recently, ever since the expedition that—”

Annol cut me off again, slightly raising his voice. “I’m looking for information about vampires.”

***

Vampires—was not a word I heard often.

There were many stories and legends about such beings, and they had other names and monikers as well. However, nearly all renditions of vampires were of bloodthirsty monsters.

Annol’s face was very serious as he pronounced this word. If he came all the way here for something like that, this had to be important to him.

And it probably also meant that…

No way, right?

My life, although based on the consumption of books, couldn’t possibly be this cliché.

“Vampires, huh…” I mumbled in response. “Sure, I know a lot about them and there’s plenty of material here, too, so you’re definitely in the right place.”

“Well, there were also the rumors…” he mumbled.

“The rumors? Ooh, you mean that there’s a vampire here at the Royal Police?”

“Yes, that.”

“That’s a classic. But nah, the Inspector’s not a vampire. People just like these kinda silly stories.”

“I suppose so,” Annol said thoughtfully. “I can’t really imagine a vampire with a silly hat and a cigar.”

I blinked.

“Wait, are you talking about Inspector Rashim?” I realized with a start. There was no other man in the entire force so famous for his absurd sense of fashion and tendency to chew on cigars while never smoking them.

He was, in fact, one of very few people who came to visit me with some regularity; but since those visits almost always consisted of him nagging me to go outside every once in a while, I wasn’t very fond of him.

I was perfectly fine right here with all my books, thank you very much.

“Ah, is that wrong? I’ve heard he is in charge of shady business and rarely shows himself…”

I shook my head. “No, he’s just a weirdo. Now, Inspector Halon on the other hand…”

“Hmm?”

Oh, right. Inspector Rashim was probably one of the exceptions, but most civilians wouldn’t know the full roster of us twelve Prime Special Investigators.

“He’s been here for a very long time, even more than me, he’s strong and mysterious… and he has those odd tattoos… but I guess he’s not very well-known outside the Royal Police.”

A couple of times he even brought me some rather interesting old books, so while I didn’t really know the man, he was alright in my book.

Get it? Book?

Haha…

Annol cocked his head. “Well, never mind that Halon fellow… I need information, Inspector. I’m actually hoping to avoid meeting actual vampires, for the time being.”

“Understood.” Recalling there was a fallen book nearby, as well as the broken stepladder, I sighed, picked up the former and wondered what to do about the latter. For now, I grabbed the book and took it with me to put somewhere later.

Annol followed me through the shelf labyrinth to my desk.

“Incidentally, what exactly do you mean when you say ‘vampire’?”

Annol’s pretty face turned into a frown. “What do you mean?”

“It’s a rather wide term, actually. According to Ten Ghastly Stories, there was a southern princedom about two centuries ago that spoke of vampire rocks.”

“Vampire rocks?”

“Yes. They’d lie in wait, and then… shleek, grow a spike and stab anyone who gets too close. Pretty funny to imagine, actually.”

“…That sounds stupid.”

“Hey! Don’t you dare call things written in books stupid. Books are awesome. All knowledge is great.”

Annol cracked a smile, seemingly caught by surprise at my response. “You really were made for this job here, huh?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. I’m just a girl who believes in everything written in books.”

“…Many books are fiction, though?”

“Just because I believe in something, doesn’t mean it has to be true.”

“That… doesn’t make sense?”

I just smiled at him in response.

“Anyway, moving on,” I said. “You need to be more specific. There are vampires that only drink juice, huge bats whipping storms of blood, mummified ghouls that suck your life through touch, and uh… well, heaps of overly sexual stories I won’t describe in detail. Ah, and fanged sheep! That’s another fun one.”

“Look, I just mean the plain old human vampires. You know, the ones that sneak around and drink blood,” said Annol, who was clearly starting to sound tired. Yet another common reaction to interacting with me.

“Yeah, yeah, the boring ones, I get it,” I said with a sniff. “Sure, there’s plenty of those among my books. Have a seat.”