The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-144

Chapter 144: Volunteering During the Golden Holidays (1)

A long-awaited 10-day holiday had begun. It included the weekend, school anniversary day, and Easter. If you manage your class schedule well, you could even have free days during this whole week and more. Everyone had been looking forward to such a long holiday since the beginning of the semester.

For the freshmen in their first year, it was a chance to get closer to their fellow students they hadn’t known for long. They spent enjoyable moments traveling to Venetior or inviting friends to their homes.

As for the second and third-year students, they used the time to catch up on assignments they had missed, prepare for exams, or simply rest to recover from the toll of their studies.

The fourth-year students, with graduation and job prospects on the horizon, were diligently studying regardless of weekdays or holidays.

… And here, there was one person who found themselves in a situation where they had to work hard despite being a freshman.

Vikir Van Baskerville.

Thud-thud-thud.

On the first day of volunteering, Vikir was currently washing a large mop. The “Indulgentia” orphanage, located on the outskirts of Venetior, where many children stayed, generated endless tasks every day. Cleaning, laundry, cooking, feeding, dishwashing, transporting equipment, repairing facilities, playing with children, and more.

Inside the academy, there were professional staff for volunteering, but outside the academy, they had to do everything themselves.

While the academy students were resting or enjoying the holiday, Vikir had to stay here, providing all the necessary help.

And, of course.

“Hey, Vikir! Don’t act like you’re doing us a favor! We missed out on your holiday for you!”

“Anyway, we have to fulfill our volunteer hours because of the academy’s noblesse oblige policy. It’s not a bad idea to complete them all at once.”

“I-I actually like volunteering, so it’s fine!”

Tuder, Sancho, and Figgy, these loyal friends, followed Vikir.

Vikir nodded silently.

“Thank you.”

Everyone was surprised to hear words of gratitude from Vikir, who was always quiet and stoic.

“Ahem, ahem.”

“Cough, cough.”

“Hehehehe.”

Tuder, Sancho, and Figgy laughed and started washing the mop together.

Vikir also smiled faintly as he watched them.

No matter how much they tried to act like adults, these kids had just turned 18, and a simple thank you from a friend could make them happy all day.

But Vikir himself couldn’t feel that way.

His soul, worn down by time, and the weight of the life he carried made it difficult for him to smile easily.

While cleaning the hallway where the children at the orphanage were playing with the mop, Vikir couldn’t stop thinking.

“Yesterday, my story finally made it into the newspaper.”

Vikir recalled the newspaper created by the academy and the subsequent newspaper articles that began to circulate throughout Venetior.

[“Night Hunter: The Villain Who Terrorizes Venetior, Who Is He?”]

-On the early morning of [Date], an unidentified assailant appeared and destroyed the [Location] orphanage in a shocking incident…

Strangely, the attacker didn’t touch the treasures inside the safe…

[“Is the Quovadis Clan in Crisis?”]

-The Quovadis family, responsible for managing orphanages, monasteries, hospitals, and more, is facing a crisis…

Meanwhile, a fierce conflict between the Old and New factions was raging in the Quovadis clan…

Critics also question whether the internal family conflicts are causing a delay in responding to the terror attacks…

[The Old Faction vs. The New Faction, Is the Terrorist Just Smirking in the Quovadis Family Feud?]

-The internal conflict within the QuoVadis family is escalating. This long-standing rivalry, which started with debates between the Old Faction’s Archbishop Humbert and the New Faction’s Archbishop Martin…

The confrontation between the Old and New Factions is indeed long-standing, and these two factions are debating whether it’s right for the church to sell “indulgences” and “absolutions”…

As a result, investigations to capture the terrorists are being delayed, causing increasing concerns among the citizens…

[Is the ‘Night Hunter’ Really a Existential Villain?]

-The appearance of monsters roaming throughout Venetior has put all the city’s residents on edge…

However, some continue to question whether this villain really exists…

Why are only welfare organizations under the jurisdiction of the Quovadis family being targeted repeatedly? Could this be due to power struggles within the Quovadis family…

Whether this is a tragedy created by the conflict between the Old and New Factions or the appearance of a great demon will be revealed gradually…

Vikir carefully reviewed the newspaper articles.

Thanks to Figgy, gathering information from various newspapers in Venetior had been easy. Vikir combined the information collected by Figgy with messages sent by Cindiwendy.

The conclusion was this:

All of the locations where Vikir, disguised as the “Night Hunter,” attacked were strangely linked to the Quovadis Clan.

“Why are only certain organizations targeted when I’m just looking for demons?” There must be a problem here.”

Vikir remembered the characteristics of those he had killed previously.

Unidentified money, bodies of young boys and girls, and perpetrators whose faces had melted after death.

Despite wearing the disguise of a religious organization, it was clear that demons lurked beneath the surface, just like in Baskerville when Seth was alive.

“…And the most suspicious person is right here in this orphanage.”

As Vikir continued washing the floor, he glanced up.

A portrait of the orphanage’s director hung on the wall at the top of the corridor.

A mild-mannered middle-aged face.

In his younger days, he might have been considered quite the heartthrob, possibly resembling a famous retired actor.

Quilt Rune Indulgentia.

The head of the Indulgentia House, a vassal of the Quovadis family and a priestly family of the Rune Church, also serves as the director of the Indulgentia Orphanage.

This may be Venetior’s largest orphanage.

But what importance could such superficial appearances hold?

“…The important thing is only one.”

What made him the target of this assassination attempt by Vikir.

Fortunately, it was the Golden Holidays, so there was plenty of time. Having successfully infiltrated the target’s hideout naturally, all that remained was to begin the operation.

Vikir used cleaning as an excuse to move around the building, meticulously examining the interior terrain.

“For an orphanage, this building is incredibly sturdy.”

Vikir cleaned while roughly estimating the number of iron bars inside the stone columns. This orphanage was so robust that it could almost be used as a military facility.

Moreover, the method of recruiting children for this orphanage was a bit unusual. Instead of taking children from local small orphanages, they only distributed guidance pamphlets so that children from distant places could find their own way here.

Many children came here voluntarily because the facility was excellent and the welfare was exceptional. As a result, it was unclear how many children came and went, to the point where subtracting one or two from the ledger numbers would go unnoticed.

“The more orphans you have, the more the funding increases. They probably never thought about reporting fewer children to get more money.”

Typically, orphanages exaggerate the number of children they have to inflate their funding. Therefore, audits usually focus on whether the number of children reported on paper matches the actual number.

But demons worked the opposite way. For them, having fewer orphans while receiving more funding was an advantage. That way, they could drink blood without any hindrance.

Vikir focused on the number of children that seemed much larger than what was stated on paper at the Indulgentia Orphanage.

Some praised Quality for generously providing for many children without greed for funding. However, Vikir’s opinion differed slightly.

“Runaway kids, those under 13 without proper birth registration… These kids are all difficult to trace.”

In just one day, Vikir had discovered several suspicious points in this place.

Furthermore, the strong smell of magic permeating the entire orphanage only strengthened his conviction.

“Tonight, I’ll see blood.”

As Vikir silently planned, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Um, excuse me…”

?

Turning his head, Vikir saw an unexpected figure standing there.

Short white hair, slightly wavy like a puppy’s fur.

Despite it being a holiday, a female student in the academy uniform stood before Vikir, looking neat and tidy.

Vikir knew her name.

Actually, any first-year student attending the academy would know her.

Sinclaire, the head of the Hot department.

She was here volunteering for some reason, even on a holiday.