episode_0086

The smell of blood without any context is quite disconcerting. It’s slight, but I can clearly feel it even now, so it’s not an illusion.

Although the manager said that sometimes demons from the hunting grounds escape… Isn’t that just a story of possibility?

The estate of a prestigious family is the place furthest from such an accident.

This outbuilding, connected by a long hallway to the main house where the immediate family lives, was located in a slightly outskirt area, and if you go further down the hill from here, you will find various facilities that you saw at the front gate earlier.

A place where Yeon Yeon-ha felt awkward because the layout of the building was quite different from before.

And that’s the direction the wind is blowing from now… Perhaps if you go to that location, you may be able to find the source of the smell of blood.

But to do that, you have to get out of the boundary of the outbuilding…

“… ”

I thought about it for a while, but eventually decided to check the root of the problem.

No matter how you look at it, the smell of blood coming out of nowhere in the middle of the night, close to dawn, was definitely not a good sign.

If there is a problem, you can report it right away. Otherwise, you can quietly return to the annex.

I had planned to tell the truth about my sneaking out tomorrow when Yeon Myeong-ha wakes up. If it was something to get scolded for, I’d get scolded, well…

Still hiding my presence, I left the trail and sneaked into the thick shrubbery next to it.

After that, we went against the direction from which the wind blows. Memories revived my sense of smell with greater sensitivity, and the fishy smell began to sting my nose in an increasingly irritating way.

Soon, a windowless building that looked just like a warehouse began to appear in the distance. But we couldn’t get too close as the shrubbery was over.

I crawled to the edge of the bush, hid myself, and focused all my senses there.

Behind the high fence and heavy iron gate, I could hear many voices and voices.

In front of the iron gate, several artillery pieces were placed carelessly on the ground. The entrance was tightly tied and it looked as if there was something long and heavy inside.

People who appeared to be workers were going back and forth between the iron gates and carrying sacks inside with flashlights dimly lit.

I was finally able to find the source of the smell of blood.

Although it was far away, I could clearly see the dark red marks staining the sacks every time the light passed by.

… Were you hunting something?

“I’m hungry… chaw… ”

“Not yet… If you eat… never… ”

“Leather… frustrated… ”

I could hear the voices of the workers talking as if they were having a conversation, but I couldn’t check the content properly because the echoes were blocked by the wall.

It almost sounds like the voice of a person with a slurred voice.

Flutter, flutter. The sound of sacks being moved continued one after another.

As I was observing the scene, I suddenly noticed the movement of something struggling violently among the blood-soaked, limp sacks.

Then, a shadow of a servant approached and violently stepped on it again and again. puck! puck! The kick was so violent that it sounded like something was breaking.

The sack became limp again and did not move at all. They moved it inside the iron gate like other sacks as if nothing had happened.

Eventually, all work was completed, and boom! The iron door closed with a heavy sound, and silence reigned around the area again.

Only the fishy smell of blood still lingered in the air, tickling my nose.

I got up and leaned against the back of the tree trunk.

Usually, moving things like that is done at night… ?

In addition, the shape of the handle was too long to be considered a witch or beast. Also, the fact that the shape is somewhat familiar continues to stimulate a strange sense of curiosity.

I had a strong urge to climb over that wall right away and check what was in the sack… It makes no sense to commit such an act just to satisfy my curiosity.

If you get caught even leaving the annex and coming here, it could be quite a nuisance.

Since I have no way of knowing the circumstances of a prestigious family, it is natural that I cannot know whether they work at night or not.

“… ”

I took a step back. The question still hasn’t left my mind, but if I’m really curious, I can just ask Yeon Yeon-ha tomorrow.

The annex I returned to was as quiet as another world.

“Kuu… coup… ”

She was asleep, breathing comfortably, with her still beautiful face. The right half of the wide bed was left empty, but the pillow that had been placed in between was already in her arms.

I took a seat in the corner of the room, squatted down, forced myself to close my eyes, and tried to sleep.

Rather than organizing my thoughts after a night walk, I feel like they have become more complicated…

***

I woke up from my pitiful booth before dawn even broke. It was extremely difficult to get back to one’s room before the occupants noticed.

Today’s dream was also very satisfying. It was a dream in which her parents praised her with a gentle smile for beating Baek Seo-yeon and taking first place for the first time in her cradle.

I glanced around with pity and reflexively looked at my surroundings. The pillow was in his arms, but the seat next to him was still empty.

“… Heung.”

Feeling pain for some reason, she lightly opened her mouth.

The masked male student was squatting in a far corner away from the light from the window, motionless.

Judging by the regular breathing sounds, it seemed like he was deeply asleep.

Feeling pity for me, I took a quick step forward and approached him.

I could see what looked like small leaves and pieces of grass scattered on his head.

“… You left me and left… ?”

Yeon Yeon-ha muttered in a low voice. There is no problem for an hour or two now. Even that time was increasing rapidly.

She also knew this fact rationally, but nervousness and disappointment were no longer emotions she could control as she wished.

She moved her compassionate hand to his hair and brushed the leaves and bits of grass to the floor.

It felt like I was being stroked, so my face heated up a little.

A tickling protective instinct of unknown origin continued to pound in her heart.

I thought about moving him to the bed, but out of pity, I gave up and immediately laid a pillow on the floor and gently pushed him to the side against his body.

“… Tsk.”

Yeon Myeong-ha swallowed her saliva as the body temperature was clearly conveyed.

I really didn’t have time anymore, so I was about to grab a blanket and cover myself and turn around.

Today again, the boy’s sad sleep-talk rang in her ears.

“I’m sorry, Yuna… Sorry… ”

“… ”

I felt my pity becoming uncomfortable. Although he was increasingly opening up to himself, anyone could see that he still did not tell the truth about his nickname Yeon.

Even though his expression was completely covered by a mask, he didn’t seem to have any talent for lying.

In fact, she wasn’t someone who didn’t care much about the past either.

As a senior, she tried hard to appear bold, but in reality, her burning insides could be said to be her honest feelings.

Perhaps because of her renewed nervousness and impatience, she remembered a strange joke a male student had told her before.

‘Am I not your brother?’

It was a rude remark full of low-quality harassment, but perhaps it could be an opportunity to create more intimacy with him.

After a moment of pity, he hesitated and finally put words on his lips that he would never utter under normal circumstances.

“Oh… Brother… ”

But soon he closed his eyes tightly, turned around, and walked towards the door with great strides, like an angry person.

Her face was suddenly bright red like a ripe fruit.

“I’m crazy… ”

After sighing a couple of times and finally regaining my composure. He walked down the pitiful hallway and moved to his room in the main house.

However, as she felt a certain sensation again like yesterday, she stopped walking for a moment and furrowed her eyebrows slightly.

This was an unfamiliar sensation that I had never experienced before when I lived at home.

This area is a terrain with a very high concentration of particles in the atmosphere, comparable to the perforated basin in the southern part of the cradle.

The large group of stellite rocks spread on the ground naturally attracted surrounding particles, making it a truly natural place for spirits to reside.

So, when I lived in my former home, whenever I felt them in the air, I was always filled with happiness.

Even now, the air around her was full of spirits.

But all that came from them was a strange feeling of discomfort and anxiety.

***

When I woke up, my vision was turned sideways. It seemed like the morning was already bright as sunlight came through the window. Also, the sound of birds chirping could be heard noisily in the garden next to the room.

It appears that he was sleeping while squatting, with his head resting on a pillow and his body wrapped in a blanket. Did Yeon Yeon-ha at least cover it up?

When I got up, the bed was neatly made and there was no trace left. It was as if I was the only one in this room from the beginning.

I washed myself lightly in the bathroom attached to the guest room. I was briefly worried that someone might come in to help me take a bath, but fortunately that didn’t happen.

Just as I came out of the bathroom and changed my clothes, I heard someone knocking on the door. I thought someone might have come, but unexpectedly I felt pity for the person standing in front of me.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Thanks to you, I slept well. Was it your senior who covered you with the blanket? Thank you.”

“What kind of gratitude is… That’s why I sleep in a bed… ”

This young lady is going to be in big trouble again.

“… Follow me. Let’s have breakfast together. It was a nice day today, so I told them to prepare it in the garden.”

“Okay. But when you washed it all, it arrived just in time, right? How did you know?”

“Yeah, really? That, really… I didn’t know… It seems like a coincidence… Hmm, hmm… ”

As if Sarre had stopped by, Yeon Myeong-ha suddenly cleared her throat repeatedly.