“……”
This is my first time back at the hospital since Demalico got addicted to cigarettes, which are basically drugs, and had to be hospitalized.
Since Elgrid is a big city, I’ve heard that the hospital staff and facilities are excellent, or else we might have been in big trouble.
Diana McLean, my sister, is collapsed on the hospital bed with her eyes shut.
Her skin is like snow, not fitting the “country girl” image at all, and the black hair we share has turned frizzy in just a day.
Scales have started to emerge on her skin.
When I gently touched them with my fingertips, the sensation felt as hard as stone, as if something inside me was hitting _thud thud_.
Dragonkin.
They worship and serve dragons, and although they resemble us humans, they certainly have distinct traits.
First of all, they have horns growing from their foreheads.
Usually, there are two, and the horns are a source of pride and honor for them.
Another distinct feature is their skin color.
Reds, blues, greens, various colors.
They have many different skin tones, and unlike us, their skin isn’t smooth but has scales growing all over.
Just like my sister looks right now.
Even with her eyes closed, beneath her rough breaths, beads of sweat are forming. I gently push her damp hair away from her forehead.
With her hair settled, I can see the two little peaks emerging from her forehead.
Starting with the scales on her skin, the horns sprouting out—the transformation is happening before my eyes.
“It’s her first time experiencing this,” said the doctor, who was half dead with excitement, all while I just wanted to report it to the association without any fuss.
“……Sister.”
I grabbed Diana’s hand, feeling a strange emotion welling up inside me.
Honestly, in my past life, I never had the time to worry about her.
I thought about looking for her only a few years after entering the Forest of the Demon Realm, but I couldn’t find her.
She disappeared without leaving a trace.
I thought this time wouldn’t be a problem since I didn’t enter the Forest of the Demon Realm.
‘It seems this incident might be related to my lack of contact with my sister.’
Yet, I felt guilt creeping up within me.
No matter how foolish I was back then, I had abandoned my only family and ran away, and now I was mourning for her—a very hypocritical and contradictory feeling.
“Daniel.”
“……”
Rin and Ares entered the hospital room.
Both are childhood friends from the same village, skipping today’s lecture to stay by my side.
While I wondered if Ares should really be here too, in this situation, I was grateful even for him.
“The Dean said not to worry about attendance for now.”
“Right.”
Of course, the Dean wouldn’t just say that without a reason.
He can handle issues like these pretty flawlessly, but that didn’t mean I felt particularly happy or proud about it.
“How’s your sister?”
I heard from my sister that she spent quite a lot of time with Ares during the vacation. Apparently, Ares was training her because she seemed a bit distracted.
Perhaps that’s why Ares looked at Diana with a mix of affection and concern.
The guy struck me as a nouveau riche.
As a villain, he was third-rate.
I knew he wasn’t necessarily a bad person, but he wasn’t exactly the best either.
“She’s not well. The doctor doesn’t even know what’s going on.”
Though he stabilized her breathing, he wasn’t able to prescribe anything beyond that.
In the end, all we could do was watch and wait.
Since the two people I was expecting had arrived, I slung my prepared backpack over my shoulder and said,
“I’m going to check out the Dragon’s Boundary. There’s got to be some clue there.”
The boundary between the dragonkin and humans where Diana practiced—surely, there was something to be found there, so I was ready to move.
“Keep an eye on Diana’s condition for me, okay?”
“Going alone is dangerous.”
Rin said worriedly, but I shook my head and asked her to step aside for a moment, causing Ares to leave the room.
“I think this incident might be related to the Tudogs.”
“I think so too.”
Since Rin was the one who encountered incidents involving the Tudogs most alongside me, it seemed she had no differing opinions.
It wouldn’t be impossible for the dragonkin to have the capability to house the magical beasts’ abilities within a human body.
“Found out anything?”
At my question, a black energy seeped out from the space between Rin’s breasts and soaked the floor, from which two men emerged.
They were the two people who had come to burn down the Murder Hotel in Bethel.
They were like lifeless dolls, in a state indistinguishable from being dead.
“I couldn’t gain full control over my abilities, so I didn’t get everything, but I managed to identify a few locations.”
“Mark them on the map.”
As I spread out the expensive map I had procured, Rin marked it here and there.
The spots were farther than I expected, and they were mostly located on the opposite side of the Dragon’s Boundary.
‘There’s no way I could just swing by.’
I had no other choice.
Even getting to the Dragon’s Boundary from here would take quite a while.
While lost in thought, I noticed Rin looking at me worriedly and the two men just standing there vacantly.
“What happened to them?”
“Umm, they’re dead. I had them so I could extract information.”
“Then what do we do about the bodies?”
“……We have a way.”
Rin spoke evasively, as if she didn’t want to elaborate.
I did think she had now reached a level where she could somewhat handle the God of Death’s mark, but carrying around corpses isn’t good for Rin’s mental health.
“While we couldn’t help it in Bethel, there’s no need to push yourself.”
“Okay, I understand.”
She smiled lightly, but it seemed she didn’t really want this either when the bodies were devoured by the black energy and vanished.
As I watched the former innocent girl’s feelings slowly twist into something darker, I felt another wave of guilt crash over me.
“Uh, I’m sorry.”
I wanted to pat her head but quickly turned my hand to her shoulder, not wanting to give the wrong impression.
In response, Rin, who had been staring blankly, grasped my hand with both of hers and placed it above her head.
“Don’t say sorry, just say thank you.”
“……Thank you.”
“Yeah, it’s okay. This is nothing for me, not for Daniel.”
Although Rin’s senses have dulled and twisted in some ways, she remains, after all, just an 18-year-old female student.
Using the powers of the God of Death to read thoughts or gain information from the corpses must have been mentally exhausting.
Slowly lowering my hand, I grabbed Rin’s hand once more before leaving the hospital, holding onto Diana’s hand one last time.
‘Diana.’
When I had shut myself away in the Forest of the Demon Realm.
I’m sure she must have searched for me, racing around until her feet hurt.
She might have called my name while weeping, her heart aching in the process.
‘That’s how I feel right now.’
I’m sorry for being so immature.
I truly apologize for being a foolish brother only thinking about myself.
“This time, I’ll move to bring you back.”
After kissing the back of my hand, I turned and walked out of the hospital room.
Outside, I made brief eye contact with Ares, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, then passed by him.
He didn’t follow me back in and instead waited outside, while Elise and her maid Bertia waited for me as I exited.
Beside them stood a scruffy-looking guy in a dusty robe with messy hair.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yeah.”
Elise nodded, already aware of my intentions.
“Can I join you?”
“No, this is my business.”
I answered firmly, but Elise seemed to have anticipated my response and didn’t push further. Instead, she introduced me to the scruffy man.
“He’s a mercenary, but he specializes in Warp magic. I’ve heard he should be able to get close to the Dragon’s Boundary.”
“……!”
A mercenary who can use Warp magic?
That’s like trying to catch the stars in the sky—finding someone like that is no small feat.
He adjusted his oversized glasses and spoke.
“Eccentric, my mercenary name is Eccentric. Just call me that. I can’t take you right up to the boundary, but I’ve marked coordinates for a day’s journey at the ‘Stone of the Gods’.”
“How much?”
I pulled out my backpack to pay Elise, knowing that these kinds of magicians require hefty sums for their services.
I didn’t want to incur any debt, and I had brought the fortune from the safe at the Murder Hotel, so money wasn’t the issue.
But Elise shook her head.
“You can’t pay for something you won’t use; let me do this.”
“But……”
“Please.”
Seeing the golden gleam in Elise’s pleading eyes, I finally relented and changed the subject.
“Have you gotten any news from Heini?”
“No, it seems that Charlie doesn’t know anything about it.”
Earlier, Charlie, who visited Eve, had mentioned that he made a contract with the Tudog named Hare.
So, I had asked Inspector Heini Rosales, who had now transformed into a specialist on Tudog cases, to interrogate Charlie, but it seemed there weren’t any results.
“Right……”
I felt disappointed, but there was no time to waste; I turned my gaze back to the self-proclaimed eccentric magician.
“How long until we leave?”
“I’m ready; we can go right now.”
The eccentric extended his hand.
I expressed my gratitude to Elise and Bertia, who bowed their heads as a farewell, and I took hold of the eccentric’s hand.
My vision began to blur.
*
“They’ve left.”
At Bertia’s words, Elise nodded slightly, gazing longingly at the spot where he had vanished.
“Is this how it feels to send off someone you love alone?”
“I believe it’s similar.”
After Elise broke down, Bertia had always been filled with regret and headaches, but seeing Princess 3rd grow in this way made me think it could also be a kind of growth.
The princess, who had previously cared for no one and only chased pleasure and entertainment, was now showing a wistful expression.
She wouldn’t have believed it if I told her that just a few months ago.
“Have they gone?”
“Yes, they’ve left.”
Rin emerged from the hospital.
Although Daniel had asked Rin to look after Diana, she was actually entrusting Ares with that responsibility.
“Everyone must be waiting, let’s hurry.”
“Right.”
Rin and Elise, a peculiar pair.
The two girls, who usually pointed fingers at each other and exchanged provocation, walked the same path unitedly this day.
They arrived at Rin’s room in the dormitory.
Inside, many female students gathered together.
May Plov, Sen, Hayun, Eve, and Tana.
Each one had some connection with Daniel, and they waited seriously for Rin and Elise, their faces grave as soon as Rin entered.
She immediately spread out the map she had prepared across the wall.
She drew the same marks she had once given to Daniel, but this time there were many more, marking towns and cities leading to the Dragon’s Boundary.
“I only told Daniel about locations on the opposite side. Since Elise has also secured a magician, he must have headed straight for the Dragon’s Boundary.”
Rin’s words garnered nods of agreement from everyone.
“Now, we start from here.”
Rin pointed to a village not far from Elgrid.
“Daniel left to treat Sister Diana.”
Strength welled in Rin’s hand holding the pen.
“We’re going to do what we can—take down those who did this to her.”
Elise chimed in next to her.
“According to the intel Inspector Heini passed on to the Dean, there’s a good chance Hare is still active around Elgrid.”
Although I hadn’t shared this with Daniel, I revealed the information acquired from Charlie Kraush to the female students.
“Maybe if we catch her, we can make her squeal in no time?”
Elise’s mischievous smile held a peculiar eerie delight.
“The only face we know for sure in the Tudogs is Hare. Once we find her, we have to capture her. You all know how to handle Illusions, right?”
At Rin’s question, none of them said much, but the silence felt reassuring.
As Rin slowly put down the pen, she took a deep breath, recalling Daniel’s expression she had witnessed just moments ago.
“Since coming to Aios Academy, it’s the first time I’ve seen Daniel’s face filled with that kind of sorrow. He was blaming himself, suffering…”
A heavy silence enveloped the room.
Even Rin, who usually refrained from saying harsh words, couldn’t hold back this time and burst out,
“Before Daniel comes back, we’re going to capture all those bastards.”
In that small single room of the Aios Academy dormitory, the war against the Tudogs had been declared.
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