The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-143

Chapter 143: The Villain’s Identity (3)

Once again, a new day dawned. As 6 AM approached, students rose from their beds, groaning at the sound of the wake-up horn, and headed to the sports field in front of the dormitory.

The sports field was divided in half, one side for girls and the other for boys, with everyone dressed in gray tracksuits. They followed the physical exercises demonstrated by the instructor at the front, shaking off the remnants of sleep in the brisk morning air.

After the exercises were over, the students scattered in different directions. Some went back to catch a little more sleep, some headed straight to the bathhouse, and others made their way to the cafeteria.

For some female students, this was the beginning of a long journey known as makeup.

The academy’s bathhouse was well-equipped, with cold baths, hot baths, and even a sauna. After passing through the slightly musty dressing room, soaking their bodies in hot water, and thawing their frozen bodies, not only did they feel refreshed, but their appetites also awakened.

Vikir and Figgy, being roommates, headed to the bathhouse as soon as their morning exercises were over.

“Ugh, the air at this time is so cold. I wish they wouldn’t make us do morning exercises. I feel like my brain could be even more active if I could get a little more sleep at that time…”

Figgy, who loved his sleep, complained every time as if his whole body was breaking apart during the morning exercises.

Vikir patted Figgy, who was like a broken person every time the exercises were over, and headed to the bathhouse.

There, they were greeted warmly by two familiar faces, Tudor and Sancho, who shared the same room.

“Hey! Vikir, Figgy. You guys came straight to the bathhouse again today.”

“Yeah, you have to come right after the exercises or the shower stalls get crowded. If you eat breakfast first and then come, you’ll have to wait in line in front of the showers.”

After the exercises, Tudor and Sancho went straight to the showers, followed by the hot baths.

“What are you guys going to do after the bath? Eat breakfast right away?”

“I’m not in the mood for food today, so I’m going to skip it. I’ll go to the lecture hall and catch up on the assignments I missed.”

“I’m going to sleep a bit more and then go to the cafeteria right before it closes. That’s when you can eat a lot of leftovers. But what’s on the menu today?”

Figgy, Tudor, and Sancho had a deep discussion about how to make the most of their morning time.

At that moment, Vikir spoke up.

“I’m going to eat right away.”

Vikir followed the same pattern as always. He stuck to his own plans without changing them to fit someone else’s schedule.

Figgy, Tudor, and Sancho eventually nodded after some consideration.

“Then I’ll go eat too.”

“Hmm. Come to think of it, if I skip breakfast, I’ll be starving until lunch. I’ll have breakfast too.”

“Is that so? Going straight to eat, huh? In that case, I’ll go with you. Meals taste better when you eat together.”

Vikir’s consistent routine was becoming something of a standard for his friends, consciously or unconsciously.

Vikir left the baths right on time, about 10 minutes later, showered, and left the bathhouse. Figgy, Tudor, and Sancho did the same.

As they left the bathhouse, Tudor raised an eyebrow.

“It’s strange.”

“What is?”

Sancho asked, and Tudor replied with a smirk.

“Vikir, that guy. When we’re with him, we naturally stand by his side.”

“Really?”

“Exactly. It’s like he’s a reliable guide, or rather, an older brother. Maybe it’s because I don’t have an older brother at home.”

“Well, he does always move like a machine, predictably. If we move with him, we can maintain the pace of our daily lives. It’s a good influence. I guess I’m learning from him.”

Vikir’s consistently structured lifestyle was gradually becoming a reference for his friends, whether consciously or unconsciously.

“I want to get closer to him, but he’s so reserved that it’s challenging. He doesn’t easily let people in.”

“Time will solve that. We’ll be seeing each other for the next four years.”

This was the conversation between Tudor and Sancho, and Figgy felt the same way.

“Vikir is really amazing.”

Even Tudor, who had a slow start in academics, and Sancho, a scholarship student from the Northern Mercenary Guild, wanted to become friends with Vikir. He was good at studying, popular with girls, and even warm-hearted enough to help Figgy when he struggled in the OT. Having such a roommate was truly fortunate for Figgy.

“I should also be a good roommate who makes Vikir feel lucky to have me!”

Figgy made this decision quietly. At that precise moment, Vikir, who had been walking steadily with a consistent stride, came to a halt and turned to face them. Tudor and Sancho, who had been walking alongside him, both came to a halt and turned around.

“Hey, Figgy.”

When Vikir called him, Figgy, who was a little surprised, replied, “Yes?”

Figgy was slightly flustered, and Vikir gestured towards him.

“Why are you walking behind? Walk a bit faster. We agreed to do the morning class assignment together.”

Vikir said, glancing at his side briefly.

Immediately, Figgy’s expression brightened.

“Yeah! I’m coming! I was just a bit slow because my legs…”

“Legs? Did you hurt yourself somewhere?”

“No, it doesn’t hurt anymore!”

Figgy rushed over with a triumphant expression.

Tudor and Sancho, who had stopped as well, each had a word for Figgy.

“Did you hurt your leg during the exercises? Where does it hurt?”

“You shouldn’t ignore even minor injuries. Let me share some herbal medicine I brought from the Northern Region. It’s effective even for fractures.”

Figgy reassured his two new friends, telling them he was fine. Something within him was budding, an unwarranted confidence that he could handle the next four years with ease.

* * *

Later, after finishing their baths, they went to the cafeteria for breakfast. They had bread and cereal, baked corn, pineapple, and some steamed vegetables. There were also sausages, chicken, fried eggs, and octopus legs available, but not many students indulged in a full breakfast so early in the morning.

In the cafeteria, there was no strict separation between male and female students, but generally, the first-year male and female students sat apart from each other. After finishing breakfast, Vikir headed straight to the lecture hall. Figgy, Tudor, and Sancho walked alongside him.

Then, Tudor suddenly stopped and called out to Vikir, “Hey, wait a moment. Vikir! This path leads to the Central Stairs, which only professors and fourth-year students can use. We can’t go there!”

Vikir already knew this fact. However, he had been systematically exploring all the passageways and routes within the academy’s buildings for strategic reasons. This allowed him to gain a good understanding of the layout of the academy’s buildings, despite it being early in the semester.

But now, someone who noticed Vikir’s unauthorized presence was approaching. It was Dolores L Quovadis, the Student Council President.

Dolores had a disheveled fringe, and horn-rimmed glasses, and as she looked at Vikir’s face, she placed her hands on her hips as if she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Vikir. It’s you again?!”

“Sorry, I’m bad with directions.”

“This area, the Central Stairs, is for professors and senior graduates who conduct research. Freshmen are not allowed to pass through here, and I must have told you this several times.”

“I apologize.”

“As a club junior, I can’t cut you any slack. It’s a demerit.”

Dolores recorded Vikir’s demerit and the reasons for it in the magical record book.

<vikir -="" behavior="" score="" (deduction="" factors)="">

Use of emergency exits on the 3rd floor of the dormitory building: -1 point

Entry into the exclusive area of the 4th-year research building: -1 point

Use of the Central Stairs on the 1st floor of the Toxicology Experiment Building: -1 point

Entry into the smoking zone of the experimental monster breeding facility: -1 point

Use of the Central Stairs on the 6th floor of the Professor’s Research Lab: -1 point

Use of the Central Stairs on the 3rd floor of the Hot Department’s specialized laboratory: -1 point

Unauthorized entry outside of the gym’s operating hours: -1 point

Entry into the restricted passage near the cafeteria’s food warehouse, restricted to authorized personnel only: -1 point

.

.

Already, a significant number of demerits had piled up for Vikir. Dolores looked at them with her mouth agape, seemingly astonished. “Y-You, your behavior is very bad, what are you doing?”

Seeing Vikir’s high demerit count, Figgy, Tudor, and Sancho stepped forward on his behalf, bowing apologetically. “We’re sorry! We should have told you!”

“Oh my, this boy is so bad with directions.”

“Next time, we’ll make sure to take care of him. Hey, when did you accumulate so many demerits?”

Everyone looked at Vikir with sympathetic eyes, suggesting that he had gone too far. But Dolores seemed determined not to let him off easily. “No, the demerits have crossed a certain threshold. Vikir, you’ll have to do compulsory volunteer work this weekend.”

Vikir had already done several volunteer activities within the school during weekends, for some unknown reason, Prof. Banshee Morg seemed to have a grudge against him. However, Dolores decided to impose a punishment that was slightly different from what Vikir expected.

“With this many demerits, we could settle it with in-school volunteer work. But… You’ve gone too far. If someone’s behavior and attitude are as poor and lazy as yours, in-school volunteer work won’t change your ways.”

“In that case…”

“In that case, what? You’ll do external community service!”

Dolores’s words left Figgy, Tudor, and Sancho shocked. Vikir had crossed a line, and there was no turning back.

External community service meant spending the entire weekend doing menial work at facilities outside the academy, such as hospitals, monasteries, or orphanages. Unfortunately, this punishment fell during a period of about ten days of extended holidays due to the weekend, Founders’ Day, and Easter events.

Vikir had ended up with community service precisely during this time.

“You’ll reflect on your behavior during more than a week of volunteer work. If you’re lucky, your demerits might be reset based on the evaluations of the supervisors on the last day.”

Dolores walked away with a cold stare, leaving Vikir with no choice but to accept his fate.

Vikir’s friends gave him words of encouragement. “Seems like you’ve got a thorn in your side from the club incident last time. Cheer up, pal.”

“Calling Night Hound a Villain, I personally support your opinion. It’s hard to understand the Saintess’s reaction.”

Meanwhile, Figgy expressed his sympathy in a saddened tone. “Vikir, I’ll tell you where you’ll be doing your external community service this time. You need to know where you’re going to prepare yourself mentally.”

Figgy had a lot of information, and he knew where the academy’s problem children, or those who had failed, were assigned for community service.

“This time, you’ll be going to ‘Indulgentia Nursery,’ run by the Indulgentia family, a subordinate family of the Quovadis family. The head of the nursery is the founder of the Childcare Foundation and also an external lecturer at the academy.”

“The head of the nursery? Who’s that?”

Vikir asked with a serious tone, and Figgy nodded before answering, “Quilt Rune Indulgentia. He’s the head of the Indulgentia family, a vassal family of the Quovadis family.”

Vikir’s eyes narrowed the moment he heard this name. The Indulgentia family’s leader. It was the man he had identified from Cindiwendy’s reports as the next target on his hit list.