Chapter 25 : Storm’s Breeding Ground – (2)

The next day, on the Sabbath, I ended up heading to a small village at the foot of the guild hill with Sophia.

That doesn’t mean I rejected the proposal Rueirin had given me.

Training blood magic was the most important step in becoming stronger as a hunter.

And so,

“…How did this happen?”

Rueirin walked next to me, looking displeased.

My interests aligned with Rueirin’s.

I wanted to train in blood magic through her, and Rueirin wanted to get close to me as per the guild leader Aila’s wishes.

As a result, Rueirin decided to accompany me on the village outing with Sophia.

“…Is this senior coming along too?”

Sophia furrowed her brow upon hearing my words.

She didn’t add anything, but her expression clearly spoke the words.

‘Why is this clueless senior tagging along?’

It seemed that Sophia considered Rueirin a thorn in her side.

There had been a previous clash between Sophia and me, and Rueirin was a top student in the final year of the training institute, an elite.

In comparison to Sophia, who had been wandering around the bottom, there was a clear difference.

Rueirin stiffened her expression as she looked at Sophia, who was ahead of us.

“So, what’s your relationship with her?”

“She’s just a friend.”

“She’s called the ‘Bag Lady.’ You know that?”

“I know.”

I couldn’t deny that I played a part in Sophia becoming the ‘Bag Lady.’

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to get involved with her. I have my reasons. There was a junior who followed me around… before.”

“Someone who followed you? Are you joking?”

“…”

When I cut her off, Rueirin’s eyes narrowed.

It seemed like she was about to cast a spell if I poked any further, so I quietly kept my mouth shut.

“Yeah. There was a junior, a girl named Bella. She was sweet, kind, and a promising junior in our final year.”

“So what?”

“She got beaten by that Bag Lady. You’ve never seen a human spew trash from their mouth, right?”
Rueirin spoke calmly, and hearing that story, I shivered involuntarily.

“So the point is, that Sophia girl has already knocked out more than ten people. She pretends to be all pretty in front of you, but her body’s probably covered in bruises. After all, she’s been fighting like a rabid dog. Her body can’t be in one piece.”

As Rueirin spoke, I couldn’t help but imagine Sophia’s bare body and quickly shook my head.

“So, why are you telling me this?”

“Sophia’s probably planning to use you to take control of the training institute’s power. She seems to want to use you. As for me, well, I’m a senior, and even if that Bag Lady causes trouble, I can handle it, but you still have a long way to go in the training institute.”

She spoke as though she was worried, her nose slightly raised in an annoying way.

I snorted.

“Focus on yourself, senior.”

“What?”

Rueirin frowned.

“I don’t really care if Sophia is the Bag Lady or trying to use me.”

I remember Sophia from a few weeks ago.

Covered in soot, with filth poured over her head, reeking of a foul smell, wearing a ragged student uniform, shrinking her shoulders like a mouse.

But now, look at her.

Even though she was a bit eerie, she seemed happy, walking ahead of us without a care, without any sign of embarrassment.

Unconsciously, I may have compared Sophia to Lillye.

“Well, if she’s happy, that’s what matters. And the women Sophia beat up, I don’t think they were all that virtuous.”

At least, I don’t think Sophia beat up innocent people.

“…You’re really hooked. What’s so great about that ugly girl?”

“Senior, are you jealous?”

“Do you want to die?”

Rueirin frowned, and just then, Sophia, humming a tune, turned her head.

Noticing the tension between me and Rueirin, she tilted her head in confusion.

“Eiden, is something wrong?”

“No, nothing at all.”

I shook my head.

I gave a quick glance at Rueirin, and she seemed to be heading down the hillside as if nothing had happened, her eyes narrowed as if she had sensed something.

“By the way, Sophia.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know someone named Bella?”

“Yes. She was a classmate who used to bully me.”

“What did you do to her?”

“I gave her a little lesson. Just like Eden-nim suggested, I taught her that she shouldn’t mess with me.”

“…Right.”

That was enough for me.

Our destination was the village at the foot of Glacial Cliff, a narrow village called Glintmarch.

Life at the training institute is tough and demanding.

Competing with fellow students and enduring rigorous training, many students descend to the village on the Sabbath to enjoy some leisure time.

By the time we arrived, there were more students from the institute than villagers walking the streets of Glintmarch.

“How do you like it? Doesn’t it have a nice charm compared to the dull mountain ridges? I came here for the first time last Sabbath, and it’s really beautiful, right?”

“I heard first-year students aren’t allowed to come here.”

“That’s true! But that’s old news now!”

However, contrary to Sophia’s words, the students walking around Glintmarch were wearing red or orange ribbons.

Though they said the old bad practices were gone, the hierarchy still remained, and one had to be mindful of it.

First-year students hadn’t made it this far, and the only first-year students here were Sophia and me.

“Hey, look over there.”

“Huh? A green ribbon? What are freshmen doing here?”

“No, look at her face.”

“Ah, is that her, the ‘Bag Lady’? Maybe I should teach her a lesson since I’m a senior now…”

“Look next to her, you fool.”

“Who’s that?”

“The leg crusher. The Bag Lady only beats up her classmates, but that one… she crushes anyone, seniors or graduates. Even Rueirin-senpai, who got beaten by her, is with her. She’s already fallen.”

“Ugh, I’m scared. I’m not gonna mess with her.”

“It’s better to avoid her.”

Having become a celebrity at the institute, Sophia and I were sitting uncomfortably on a thorny cushion.

Rueirin, as though to make it worse, squinted one of her eyes.

“I told you. That woman’s using you.”

“Hmm.”

My enhanced hearing caught the fact that they were more afraid of me than of Sophia.

I felt a dryness in my mouth.

Whether or not she knew about my thoughts, Sophia, smiling brightly, turned to me.

“Eden-nim, do you like alcohol?”

“Hmm, I don’t really like it. I don’t even know if it tastes good.”

Of course, the only alcohol I’ve ever had was cheap homemade liquor popular among the lower classes near Stormgate.

“Have you tried beer?”

“No.”

“Well, then it’s perfect! There’s a pub over there! Since you’re accompanying me on this outing, I’ll treat you!”

Sophia proudly showed me a pouch.

However, I couldn’t help but glance at the embroidered letters on the pouch, “Bella,” and quickly averted my gaze.

I met Rueirin’s eyes.

“So you were the one being used. You know, ‘The pillar husband,’ right?”

“Senior, please be quiet.”

As soon as we entered the pub, we unexpectedly ran into a familiar figure.

Well, it wasn’t exactly an unexpected figure.

“Senior Camilla?”

“You guys… how did you end up here?”

The senior hunter, Rose Camilla.

She was sitting at the entrance of the pub, sipping on a mug of beer.

Camilla, too, was a part of the hunter’s guild, so it made sense that she was enjoying a drink in the village on her day off.

However, she seemed to have drunk herself into a stupor from early in the afternoon, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes unfocused.

I had seen many vagabonds in Stormgate, where I spent my childhood, looking just like that.

Most of them were alcoholics, probably.

“Eiden, kids like you shouldn’t be coming to places like this.”

“It’s not like there’s a huge age difference.”

“Does that even matter? You and I have a difference in experience.”

Camilla slung her arm around my neck, swaying slightly.

Sophia’s eyebrows twitched.

I felt a sense of danger and struggled to free myself from her grasp, but her strength was quite formidable.

Rueirin, who had been watching from a distance, rubbed her forehead.

“I can’t believe the top student from the prestigious training institute is a day-drinking addict.”

It seemed she was somewhat disappointed after seeing the unexpected side of her idol.

But whether Rueirin liked it or not, Camilla offered me a beer.

I took a sip.

It was nothing, so I drank another.

Despite that, I didn’t feel even a hint of drunkenness.

“Huh? Eiden, you’re strong with alcohol.”

“No, it’s just…”

Actually, it had been that way since my mercenary days.

When the seniors used to force me to drink as part of initiation, I never got drunk.

In fact, I felt more clear-headed than ever, and I had a good idea why that was.

“Well, it’s probably because I’m one of the vampire’s retainers.”

I answered in a quiet voice, and Camilla blinked a few times before going silent.

Even in her drunken state, she seemed to understand the context of the conversation.

After a moment, she removed her arm from my neck and carefully spoke.

“Hey, Eiden.”

“Yes?”

“How does it feel to be one of the vampire’s retainers?”

“It’s not exactly great. It’s useful in many ways, but it makes me feel like I’m drifting further away from being human.”

That statement was absolutely true.

When hunters found out I was a retainer, everyone, except for the priest, turned hostile toward me.

Aila was ready to stab me with a needle, and the gravedigger aimed his scythe at me.

To them, I no longer looked like a human being.

If I said I wasn’t hurt, it would be a lie.

“Eiden.”

“Yes?”

“You can call me ‘sister.’”

Suddenly, Camilla said something strange.

When I turned my head, she was looking at me with a pitying expression.

“This sister, no matter what anyone else says, thinks of you as human!”

“Um, senior, you’re speaking too loudly.”

“I’m not a senior! I’m a sister! Now, Eiden, let’s toast to you returning to being human!”

“Th-then you’re speaking too loudly, senior!”

“I’m not a senior, I’m a sister!”

That day, Camilla’s title changed from “senior” to “sister.”

Also, she lost Rueirin’s respect.