The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-211

Chapter 211: Night of the Festival (6)

[Be careful.]

The Corpse Queen opened her mouth with an irritated tone.

Her annoyance rose from deep within her lungs and carried the heat of hellfire, boiling in the abyss of black magic.

“………..”

Naturally, the female student who bumped shoulders with her could only tremble and offer no response.

[Hmph.]

The Corpse Queen snorted and immediately turned her attention away.

The girl who had just collided with her seemed to be affiliated with the academy. Judging by her youthful face, she might be a 1st year, possibly an early enrollee.

At that point, the Corpse Queen’s thoughts took an uncomfortable turn.

Perhaps.

If she hadn’t become the Corpse Queen, what would have happened?

Wouldn’t she, like other girls of her age, have enrolled in this academy?

Although she knew there were no “ifs” in history, she entertained the notion that if she indulged in a forced fantasy appropriate for her age, it might have been possible.

[…With that guy.]

The Corpse Queen suddenly recalled a face in her mind.

The waves of time slowly eroded everything, leaving nothing behind, except for this one face.

An expressionless gaze that seemed to be looking at a distant and unknown place.

The face was still vivid and clear in her memory.

Simultaneously, she remembered the conversations they had before she became the Corpse Queen.

“Hey, want to come to my house and cook?”

“……”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll just take you there.”

“……”

“Come to think of it, when are you enrolling in the academy? Let’s go together. I might enroll a year or two early. If we become first-year students together, it’ll be quite interesting…”

At that moment, there was a presence that disrupted the Corpse Queen’s thoughts.

Tuk…

A small-framed girl next to her pulled the edge of the Corpse Queen’s cloak.

Gerento. A mage with red hair, wrapped in bandages covering her face, neck, and entire body.

Her real name was Rosie Morg, a high-ranking lich personally resurrected by the Corpse Queen.

The Corpse Queen nodded as she listened to Gerento’s silent report.

[Yeah, Rosie. Night’s Hound, that guy’s scent seems to be in this direction.]

The Corpse Queen involuntarily recalled the events of last night.

The sudden appearance of an intruder. She had learned recently that he was a villain who was spreading fear throughout Venetior.

‘He certainly wasn’t an ordinary guy.’

Barbarian archery and swordsmanship that seemed strangely familiar.

But at the crucial moment, the blinding light emanating from his sword prevented her from reading his exact trajectory.

However, the Corpse Queen had witnessed such a shining aura before, a long time ago.

[…Madam Eight Legs. I saw that aura during that battle.]

The Corpse Queen felt her heart beating for the first time in a long while.

She hadn’t felt her heartbeat in a long time, ever since she had forced herself to peer into the Abyss of Magic in an attempt to leap to a higher realm during her Closed training and suffered a mana backflow that killed half of her body.

Since then, her heart, which had never properly beaten, was now pulsating.

What did this mean?

‘No way. It can’t be. It can’t be. There’s no way. …But. But.’

She couldn’t accurately determine what she was hoping for, expecting, or wanting to see.

So, in a state of confusion, the Corpse Queen had come to this academy.

To meet the ‘Night Hound’ she encountered last night.

Before long, Gerento guided the Corpse Queen to a dormitory.

[Dormitory? This place looks like it’s for students. Could it be that the Night Hound, who turned Venetior upside down, is a student at the academy?]

The Corpse Queen tilted her head as if finding the situation absurd.

She soon had her hand firmly gripped the lock of the dormitory’s back door.

Creak…

As soon as the Corpse Queen’s touch touched it, the lock melted like iron on a hot stove.

The corridor inside the dormitory was dark and deserted.

Perhaps because it was festival season, it appeared that everyone had gone out to have fun.

The Corpse Queen infiltrated one of the dormitory rooms and swallowed a small sigh after melting a few more locks blocking her path.

[…This looks like a girl’s room, doesn’t it?]

Elegantly decorated single room.

But considering the interior decorations and the smell inside the room, it was undoubtedly a girl’s room.

As expected from the atmosphere in the corridor, the room was empty.

The only unusual thing was the small pawprints on the windowsill that seemed to belong to a dog.

[Are they raising a dog? Good for them.]

The Corpse Queen muttered with a relaxed voice.

In her pursuit of reaching the pinnacle of black magic, she experimented with many animals, including dogs.

Therefore, the Corpse Queen harbored a sense of guilt or something akin to remorse for keeping pets, including dogs.

Meanwhile…

Clang!

Gerento stood in the room, raising her head.

The signal that the scent had disappeared.

In the end, the Corpse Queen had no choice but to leave the dormitory without any significant gain.

[…Hmm. Since it’s come to this, I’ll have to capture and interrogate the owner of this room.]

Chasing the traces of the room’s owner, the Corpse Queen returned to the festival street.

Suddenly.

“…!”

There was a scene unfolding before her eyes.

Countless cherry blossom petals fluttered in the air, creating waves of pink.

Inside the skull mask, the eyes widened at the sight of the grand spectacle of cherry blossoms falling.

Even if these were fake flower petals created by magic, it was still quite spectacular.

“….”

As she quietly gazed at the festival’s cherry blossom petals fluttering in the night sky.

“Wow, your costume is really well done!”

A group of male students approached the Corpse Queen, laughing heartily.

“…?”

Before the Corpse Queen could turn her head, the male students laughed among themselves and walked past.

“Hey, I thought that helmet and armor were really made of bones.”

“They really put a lot of effort into the disguise.”

“Did you see? The jawline under the skull mask was really pretty, right?”

“Uh, the proportions and the lines themselves were quite elegant. I wish I could talk to her.”

Trivial chatter.

The Corpse Queen felt a considerable novelty in the fact that she had become the subject of such small talk.

It was an unimaginable experience when compared to the atmosphere of the previous or current groups she had been a part of.

Surprisingly, no feelings of discomfort or anger surfaced.

[Come to think of it, it was Halloween, wasn’t it?]

Halloween, symbolizing the summer festival of the academy, was more passionate and open than the winter festival.

A festival where even strangers exchange greetings and hugs while passing by.

With newfound emotions, the Corpse Queen observed the countless passersby on the street.

Students dressed up as zombies, skeletons, ghouls, vampires, death knights, ghosts, mummies, and more.

External visitors imitating and enjoying the costumes of these students in their own way.

At that moment.

“Hey, pretty ladies over there! Get a skewer! Since you both are so pretty, I’ll give them to you for half price!”

A female student began to entice the Corpse Queen with her sales pitch.

“Wow! Your makeup is really impressive! Looks like you came here with high expectations for the festival!”

[……]

“Hey! Your costume is dope! You’re enjoying the festival so enthusiastically! I’ll give you an extra one as a service!”

Suddenly, a skewer was thrust towards the bewildered Corpse Queen, making her feel like she was being forced into something on the spot.

[…Is it tasty?]

[…Nod!] Gerento nodded.

The Corpse Queen bit into the fruit skewer coated in sugar, while Gerento strolled down the street with an ice cream waffle.

Even though it was just a fleeting moment of joy, for the first time since her heart had stopped, the Corpse Queen thought that the current situation was slightly, very slightly, pleasant.

Before long, Gerento followed the scent she had detected in the room, weaving through the spaces between various stalls and pedestrians.

The street was bustling with activity, full of street performers, dance team performances, various games with prizes, such as water balloon throwing and mole-catching games, and more.

Carrying balloons, ice cream, tornado potatoes, large teddy bears, and more, Gerento walked toward the Corpse Queen.

She raised an eyebrow as if to ask, [Are we going the correct way, Rosie]

…Nod!

Slightly startled, Gerento soon nodded and pointed to a place.

In the Corpse Queen’s field of vision appeared a cafe.

[Newspaper club Cafe]

A haunted-themed cafe run by the newspaper club.

Students dressed as ghosts were enticing and serving customers in the makeshift store.

On the large stage opposite them, invited dancers in skull makeup were performing energetically with lively music.

Flames rose, and the rhythmic drum beats echoed in the air. A crowd gathered, swirling around in a chaotic whirlwind of laughter, cheers, and dancing.

And there, the Corpse Queen could once again see a familiar face.

[…Isn’t that the girl I bumped into earlier?]

The girl who had bumped shoulders with her just now stood there with a vacant expression. Despite being warned to be careful earlier, she seemed to be standing there foolishly.

The Corpse Queen clicked her tongue.

[Still haven’t snapped out of it? Clueless kid. Won’t live long.]

The girl, who met her gaze, quickly averted her eyes. Seeing her act like that again after the recent warning was quite puzzling.

Suddenly, the Corpse Queen stopped licking her lips and turned her head to the side.

It was because of her curiosity about what had so captivated that absent-minded female student.

And…

[…!?]

As the Corpse Queen turned her head without much thought, her eyes widened as if they were about to burst open.

It was due to someone cooking in the cafe’s kitchen.

The moment she confirmed ‘that face,’ the Corpse Queen was frozen in shock as if struck by lightning.

Before long, she stumbled to speak.

[…D-Does that guy have a younger sister?]