The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-294

Chapter 294: Confession (2)

The night sky is dyed in shades of blue. A faint knocking sound echoed softly through the dimly lit corridor of the early dawn.

Tap-tap-tap—click!

The sound of a door handle turning can be faintly heard. However, despite that, the door did not immediately open.

Vikir glanced around for a moment. The women’s dormitory at night was eerily quiet. A lingering scent, perhaps due to sweaty feet or improperly dried laundry, permeated the air.

The sound of a muffled sniff, audible even through closed doors, and communal lockers with visible signs of wear and tear. Overall, the scene wasn’t much different from the corridor of the men’s dormitory.

The moment Vikir confirmed that no one seemed to be awake,

With a creak…

The door opened with a small sound. “Big Brother?” Sinclaire poked her head out from inside.

Confirming Vikir’s face, Sinclaire greeted him with a wide smile. “Come on in.”

The door opened, and the warm air inside touched Vikir’s skin.

The room, filled with an indescribable sweet berry scent, didn’t seem heavily decorated, but it exuded a cozy and antique atmosphere thanks to various items.

“Wasn’t Bianca in the same room?”

“I think she went to sleep in a friend’s room. We haven’t been getting along well lately.”

“Weren’t you two the closest? Why the sudden change?”

“…Just my fault. Hehe.”

Sinclaire laughed awkwardly and welcomed Vikir.

She was wearing a white shirt and pink dolphin pants, with a wet towel draped around her neck. The short hair, not yet completely dry, emitted a faint shampoo fragrance.

“Big Brother, catch!” Sinclaire tossed something to Vikir. After catching it, he noticed a can of beer with cold droplets on the surface.

Smirking, Sinclaire pulled out some snacks. “It’s late, but I can’t resist a snack shortage. Hope you don’t mind.”

“No problem.”

“Great. Oh, by the way, do you play board games, Big Brother?” Sinclaire clapped her hands and, from under the bed, brought out various board games.

Simple rule games like Jenga, Rubix Cube, and Uno.

“How about it? Want to try?”

“It has been quite a while.” Vikir nodded his head.

Board games reminded him of the monotonous plays he had with his mates in the past.

However, for some reason, the memories from the time of volunteering at the orphanage surfaced before the memories from back then.

‘Have I become quite numb?’

Vikir keenly felt that many things had indeed changed. This applied to both his surroundings and himself.

Whoosh—Sinclaire, seeing the collapsing Jenga tower, ran her hands through her hair in frustration.

“Ah~ Seriously. Why am I always losing?!”

“It’s crucial to focus on the center of gravity. If you keep it balanced without it leaning to one side, it won’t fall.”

“Easy for you to say.” Sinclaire pouted and stacked the next Jenga block, only to have it collapse again shortly after.

“Ugh, I can’t play board games with you, Big Brother. Why are you so good at this? It’s like you practice this shit after meals.”

“There was a time when I did.”

“Huh?” Sinclaire blinked her eyes like a rabbit. Instead of an answer, Vikir simply closed his eyes silently.

Soon, the empty beer cans began to accumulate with a crinkling sound. As the alcohol took effect, Sinclaire’s expression relaxed slightly. A rosy blush gradually intensified on her unusually fair skin.

“I want to see the Stars.” Sinclaire casually murmured, and Vikir pondered for a moment.

‘Whenever I feel down, I always come here to look at the Stars.’ Something Sinclaire had said once.

‘Come to think of it, if she has concerns, she went to the rooftop.’ Drinking canned beer on the rooftop with a clear view of the stars is Sinclaire’s only stress relief method.

But now, that rooftop, the designated spot for viewing the stars of milky way, had become a restricted area. It was because Dolores, the student council president, personally blocked it’s access.

‘…During the preparations for the Belial hunt, that place was a meeting point.’ Vikir rubbed his chin once. Then, in a low voice, he asked, “Student council president closing off the rooftop must be disappointing.”

Suddenly, hearing Dolores’ name, Sinclaire visibly flinched. In her eyes, as vast and clear as a lake, there was a momentary flicker. Vikir didn’t miss that hesitation.

“What happened between you and the student council president?” Vikir asked again.

He already knew of the recent events at Bourgeois.

Yet, there was something strange about it, prompting him to revisit the matter.

‘Even witnessing the battle between a demon and a demon hunter alone should not break a mentally resilient character.’

Vikir looked at Sinclaire with a hint of curiosity.

However, Sinclaire remained silent, bowing her head in response, maintaining a consistent silence.

“….”

“….”

The room sank into stillness. Vikir patiently waited, burdened by the heavy silence.

Eventually, an unexpected response came.

“I’m planning to drop out.”

It was something entirely unexpected, deviating from the intention of the question, leaving even Vikir wide-eyed.

‘What? In the past, Sinclaire diligently completed all four years and graduated from the academy….’

Exactly as it was.

Sinclaire, who recorded a dazzling first place in the entire school upon admission, never missed being the top student from 1st to 4th grade.

In the meantime, she took on the role of vice-president of the student council in her second year and became the president in her third year, only to graduate from the academy immediately after completing the fourth year, and concealing all her actions and traces from the world.

But now, reality had changed.

Just before completing the first year, leaving only the final showdown of the final-term exam, Sinclaire declared her intention to drop out.

“Of course, I haven’t told anyone yet. You’re the first one I’m telling, Big Brother.”

Sinclaire smiled weakly.

Vikir asked briefly, “Is it because of the student council president?”

“Not at all. It has nothing to do with the president… I’m just exhausted and tired…”

It was obvious that Sinclaire’s words were a lie.

Vikir knew that she had graduated straight through all four years without taking a single break before the regression.

“It seems like a burnout. I’ve been wanting to quit school for a while now. So, I deliberately acted coldly towards the other kids to push them away….”

Sinclaire continued to speak.

However, Vikir didn’t listen to her words.

He only asked the essential question.

“Looks like there was an issue with Dolores.”

“Oh~ No, that’s not it. I just….”

“Is it because of what happened in Bourgeois?”

In an instant, as Vikir’s words came to an end, Sinclaire’s expression stiffened ominously.

‘As expected.’

Vikir realized he had hit the bullseye.

The significant incident that occurred in the Bourgeois Clan. The night they hunted the sixth corpse Belial.

It seemed like Sinclaire had been particularly shocked.

“Ah, no. Nothing happened that day….”

She said in great confusion, waving her hands.

However.

Chin-

Vikir silently reached out and grabbed Sinclaire’s wrists.

“What happened.”

“…!”

“What made you so distressed?”

“….”

Sinclaire’s pupils momentarily expanded, then trembled slightly.

Observing this, Vikir was once again sure.

Battle with the demons inevitably left horrifying memories for humans, especially if the demon who was hunted was of high ranked one and the battle was long and intense.

Having seen many comrades suffering from severe post-traumatic stress after demon hunts, Vikir was quite familiar with this type of counseling.

‘If it’s trauma from post-battle, I can help her overcome it.’

Vikir didn’t want Sinclaire, who could be a great asset to the Human Union, to withdraw from the world.

However.

Sinclaire’s subsequent response was something that even Vikir, had never expected.

“He… killed him.”

“What?”

When Vikir asked again, Sinclaire, with a severely trembling voice and a pronunciation different from her usual, opened her mouth again.

“Night Hound killed my father.”

The moment Vikir heard those words, a shock as if lightning had struck him surged through his mind.

Night Hound killed someone in Bourgeois that night, and it was undoubtedly Bellial.

And the human body Bellial occupied, the host, was none other than Bartolomeo, Sinclaire’s father.

‘That means….’

Just as Vikir was organizing countless thoughts flooding into his mind and was about to speak.

Whoosh-

There was a weight leaping into his arms.

Sinclaire had lowered her upper body, and jumped into Vikir’s embrace.

Feeling the warmth spreading in his chest, Vikir realized Sinclaire was crying.

He couldn’t push her away, nor could he respond. He was frozen in place.

“….”

“….”

They remained like that for a while in silence.

… How much time had passed?

Eventually, Sinclaire’s trembling gradually subsided.

Night Hound still had its mouth partially open, unable to find words for the young lamb stuck to his chest.

At that moment.

Sinclaire lifted her head from Vikir’s embrace and looked up at him.

“Now it’s your turn to answer, Big Brother.”

Then, with moist eyes and a trembling voice, she asked, “…Big Brother, what do you think of me?”