国产午夜亚洲精品AⅤ

Chapter 125

It seemed like the rainy season had truly begun.

Charlotte had decided to postpone the investigation into the Demon God Cult case until the rain stopped.

However, the important issue wasn’t Charlotte or the investigation. It was Ellen.

The training grounds wasn’t the only place that Ellen had stopped going to.

Ellen hadn’t been showing up for the morning exercises, nor had she appeared in the dining hall for snacks as she usually did.

It was clear what was happening.

She was avoiding me.

Unless it was inevitable, she was avoiding all situations where she might encounter me.

Even when we crossed paths in the dormitory, she would merely pass by without acknowledging me.

It wasn’t as if we usually greeted each other or acknowledged each other’s presence in the past, though. We just practiced and ate meals together when it was time.

However, things were subtly different now. Even if we didn’t greet each other, we used to at least make eye contact. Now, though, Ellen wouldn’t even look at me. She was completely ignoring me.

I had many secrets, and I hadn’t shared anything about those secrets. That must have invariably led Ellen to think about her brother.

Someone who cared for her but didn’t tell her anything, someone who knew everything about her but didn’t reveal anything about themselves...

She didn’t want to see another person like that ever again.

She was sure that I would inevitably make her sad, and was trying to distance herself now.

In the end, those guys from the newspaper club hadn’t achieved their main goal of tarnishing my reputation. However, they had inadvertently caused me trouble in a completely unexpected way by making Ellen realize a new truth about me.

It was troubling.

Someone like Harriet who openly showed their anger was somehow better, because then, at least, there was a possibility for a conversation.

Ellen, after calmly thinking it over, had concluded that growing closer to me would only end up hurting her. She didn’t try to dig into my secrets, nor did she spread rumors about me being a suspicious person.

She didn’t even confront me about why I wouldn’t share anything with her despite her opening up about her own secrets first.

She simply pushed me away quietly.

I could understand Ellen’s feelings.

Continuing on as we were, with me being unable to share anything about myself, would only trigger Ellen’s traumas. She would constantly be reminded of her brother whenever she saw me.

So, for several days, I practiced my swordsmanship alone, without Ellen. I had no idea whether she was cooped up in her room to avoid running into me, or if she was training somewhere else.

Thwack! Thwack!

So, there I was, hitting a dummy with my practice sword. It was supposed to be the time when Ellen and I would bicker back and forth. “No, not like that. Do it this way.” We would go on and on as we crossed swords.

Aside from training becoming boring and dull, there was another problem.

“...”

Thwack! Thwack!

“...”

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

There were usually three regulars at the practice field.

Me, Ellen, and Cliffman.

While Ellen and I would spar and bicker, Cliffman would always be there, beating on a dummy, regardless if we were present or not.

These past few days, though, Ellen had not shown up at all, and it seemed like Cliffman had picked up on the strange atmosphere too, noting my perpetually grim expression.

“You two had a fight, didn’t you?”

He didn’t need to say it; he could probably tell, since it was the first time Ellen hadn’t shown up at the training grounds for this long this semester. I knew he was sure something had happened.

It was incredibly awkward.

I had never spoken to him before, and he had always been focused on his own training.

Nevertheless, I could totally feel his sympathy for me.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

“...”

-Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

“...”

Even without speaking, there seemed to be an awkward exchange of consolation and gratitude going on between us.

“Come on. Don’t be a coward and just apologize to her already if you’ve done something wrong.”

“Ah, whatever. Ugh. I don’t know!”

It was a strange feeling, to have a conversation without actually speaking.

Was this what they call a meeting of minds?

In fact, just as I was finishing up my training and leaving, Cliffman actually said something to me.

“... Good luck.”

“... Yeah.”

That was the first time I exchanged words with Cliffman since I’d entered the school in March. It was already June.

***

The continuous rain meant I also couldn’t go out for morning exercises.

I had no one to talk to about this. If I mentioned that Ellen seemed to be avoiding me because I had too many secrets, they would definitely become curious about what my secrets were too. Moreover, it would eventually lead to me having to explain how Ellen, being the younger sister of the hero Artorius, was avoiding me due to the trauma she had suffered that was related to her brother.

I couldn’t speak about it to my classmates, let alone to my seniors.

Since that day, I had yet to exchange a single word with Ellen.

“...Hey. Let’s talk for a sec...”

“...”

She completely ignored me as she walked past.

Eventually, the weekend ended without any resolution to the situation.

Those sensitive to the situation noticed the peculiar tension between Ellen and me. Vertus was one of them. He seemed to understand the situation but chose not to interfere, only passing me with a knowing, ambiguous smile.

His expression seemed to say, “I don’t know what it is, but hang in there.”

Vertus and Cliffman had a rough idea of what was going on.

And then there was Harriet de Saint-Ouen.

“... Did you get into a fight with her?”

“No, we didn’t fight.”

At my words, Harriet tilted her head.

“... Seeing how you two were inseparably close but are suddenly not speaking at all, you can’t say you didn’t have a fight, right?”

Inseparably close? Her description seemed odd to me. Had it been that extreme?

“Well, I’m not surprised. She hung around with a weirdo like you for far too long,” she continued.

‘This kid...’

Somehow, she seemed slightly pleased by this situation.

“You look pitiful enough that I might just listen to what’s going on with you,” she said.

It seemed like she was eager to offer me some sort of guideline that could help me navigate through the troubles I was facing.

After all, she wanted to help me because I was in a difficult situation, right?

How adorable.

“Forget it. It’s not like that.”

“... What? I’m offering help here,” she said in a huff.

It was a problem that I couldn’t talk about even if I wanted to, so I could only appreciate her concern silently.

“Still, thanks for caring.”

“What? What!? Who said I cared!”

At my unexpected gratitude, Harriet’s face turned bright red, and she started fuming. This would usually be the time for her to get so annoyed that she’d storm off, but she didn’t leave my side this time. Perhaps she was truly worried.

“You guys... really didn’t have a fight?”

“I told you, we didn’t.”

“O-Okay...”

Realizing that I wasn’t going to spill any details to her, Harriet didn’t push further. In the end, I was grateful for her concern. Just like how it was with Adriana, Harriet had initially seemed like a bad association, but somehow, it had turned out to be different.

‘Human affairs really are unpredictable.’

Perhaps, as Vertus said, my above-average appearance had also helped me.

Harriet and I were idly staring out the window in the hallway.

It was raining outside, and Harriet, distractedly watching the downpour, muttered, “It’s raining heavily, isn’t it.”

“Indeed, it is.”

“The rain’s heavy enough to make the Irine flood its banks.”

“... Really?”

The continuous downpour might cause the ‘Han’ River to flood its banks. Yes, that could totally happen.

“I was supposed to go to the riverside with Adelia this weekend, but it’s all ruined now because it overflowed.”

“... What?”

On second thought, Ellen and the Demon God Cult weren’t the important issues right now.

It seemed the Han River Park was already flooded.

What about the Rotary Club living under the Banpo Bridge? What had happened to them? Had they all been swept away?

“Huh? Where are you going all of a sudden?”

“I’ve got somewhere I need to be!”

Had all the shanties been swept away?

***

I immediately grabbed an umbrella and left the temple.

Whoosh!

Although it wasn’t a rainstorm, the wind was blowing very strongly, and despite the an umbrella, getting completely soaked was inevitable.

After taking a magic train to the area where the Bronze Gate Bridge was located and getting off, a spectacular scene unfolded through the downpour.

Rumble!

The Irine River had turned into a stream of reddish mud. Naturally, access to the park was being controlled by the guards, and even if it hadn’t been, it wouldn’t have made any difference. The entire park area was already submerged.

The area underneath the Bronze Gate, where club members were usually seen guzzling down alcohol and rolling dice, was, of course, also underwater.

It seemed pretty clear everything had been destroyed. The rain had already been pouring for a few days, so it wasn’t just because of the downpour that day.

‘Hopefully none of them had been washed away in their sleep.’

Because of the heavy rain, there weren’t many people around, and the few people that were visible seemed to be just passersby. The club members didn’t appear to be nearby.

I approached a guard who was blocking the entrance to the park. He looked miserable, soaked in the rain without an umbrella, wearing full armor.

“Sir!”

“What is it?”

“You know, those folks under the bridge?”

“Huh? Oh, those guys. What about them?”

Apparently the guards were well aware of the Rotary Club. They were a group that stood out, after all.

“What happened to them?”

“Ah, those guys? They probably left quite a while ago. They wouldn’t just stay there and get swept away to their deaths, you know.”

Thankfully, it seemed they weren’t in any serious trouble.

“Anyway, it’s rather satisfying to see those shabby shanties and everything else being swept away,” the guard continued.

Now, though, there seemed to be a different problem...

Where would those without homes or shelters gather, if not under the bridge, especially since it was raining? They’d need somewhere to take refuge.

“If it rained like this more often, we wouldn’t have to see those beggars gathering under the bridge. But then again, they’ll just flock to another place, so it’s all the same.”

“Where would this other place be?”

The guard sighed deeply.

“They probably went into the Wenster Market. Over there. If there’s any place around here where those folks could shelter from the rain, where else would it be but there? It’s already overflowing with beggars.”

It seemed that the only place for shelter in this situation were the alleys of Wenster Market, near the Bronze Gate Bridge.

***

In what should have been the location for Seoul’s Express Bus Terminal stood a relatively large market. While the ‘Upper Yongsan’ market catered to adventurers who wanted to purchase items for their expeditions, this place seemed like a huge market that sold food and daily necessities.

Although the market was open, there were few people around, possibly due to the heavy rain. Luckily, there were awnings and roofs that provided shelter from the open sky, so the market itself wasn’t exposed to the rainfall. It definitely looked like a good place to shelter from the rain.

Of course, I wasn’t there to do any shopping, so I entered a deserted alley. I just needed to find a club member and ask where Loyar was.

While they could very well manage on their own, I wanted to check in on them, since it had been a long time. Plus, I genuinely wanted to vent to someone about the situation with Ellen. The only ones I could talk about this were the trio of demon spies.

Taking my problems to Sarkegar would be risky. As soon as he heard about Ellen Artorius, he would go berserk and demand that she be killed immediately.

I didn’t expect much from Loyar, who would probably offer no helpful advice. It seemed like speaking with Eleris would be the best option.

Still, since I was already here, it seemed better to at least try talking to Loyar.

I nudged a man who looked like a beggar, who was sretending to be asleep in the alleyway.

“Sir. Sir!”

“Ugghh... Ah. What is it?”

“Are you a club member?”

“Club? What club are you talking about...? Just shut it and leave! Stop bothering me.”

The beggar swatted my hand away and shooed me off, indicating that he wanted to be left alone.

Was this man a lone wolf? Well, not all beggars were from the Rotary Club. According to the guard, this place was always full of beggars.

It was indeed eerie, wandering around the gaps between buildings rather than along the streets where the shops were. Water was gushing through the drains, and in areas without eaves, the rain was pouring down directly.

Because the buildings in the market were so closely packed, the dim back alleys were littered with trash, and it felt as if someone could die back there without anyone noticing.

‘I suppose all populated cities really are the same, whether it’s the imperial capital or not.’

“...”

I started to wonder if I’d made a mistake coming here.

Was I about to run into some really bad characters instead of the Rotary Club?

“Hey kid, this isn’t a place for someone like you to wander about.”

Sure enough, just as I was having that thought, a guy who instantly brought to mind the word “thug” glanced at me sideways and spoke to me. By his looks, he didn’t seem to be a beggar.

“Better get out of here quick before you see something nasty,” he said.

Thankfully, this thug was rather kind. Clearly, he thought that I had just lost my way and was warning me nicely. After all, not all thugs were mean and short-tempered.

I thought about asking him about the Rotary Club, but decided against it and decided to leave, as a strong intuition told me that it was best not to linger any longer.

“Ah yes, okay. Thank you.”

I had no intention of talking back, especially since the other party didn’t seem too confrontational. He seemed like the type who spared children. Perhaps he thought that he’d get nothing more than pocket change from me even if he tried to extort anything from me.

Just then, the thug suddenly stopped me.

“Hmm... Hey, kid.”

“... Yes?”

“That umbrella. It seems to have the Temple’s insignia on it.”

“Oh...”

The umbrella I was using had been issued by the Temple, so it had the Temple’s emblem on it. I wasn’t wearing my uniform, but he seemed to recognize where I was from because of the mark on my umbrella.

“Yes. So what?” I said.

I was planning to back off quietly, but it looked like things were about to get complicated.

“If you’re a Temple student, you must have a lot of money, huh?”

It seemed like his attitude had changed upon realizing I was a Temple student, even though he’d initially appeared willing to leave a young kid alone.

Messing with a Temple student could end up causing him a serious problem, but this guy probably thought he could just rob me and take off.

“I think I need to take a look inside your pocket,” he said.

I wasn’t carrying a significant amount of money, but I definitely had some cash on me. He seemed like a gentlemanly thug who wouldn’t usually bother kids, but his attitude had quickly shifted when he’d realized I was a Temple student and assumed that I was wealthy.

He started to approach me slowly.

“I mean, I can’t blame you. Money is nice,” I said.

“Don’t worry, kid. Just hand over the money quietly, and I’ll let you go unhar—”

‘I am Type B.’

Type B was a preset specialized in close combat.

“Ha, look at you,” I said.

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

I struck him in the abdomen, and followed up with a kick to his waist.

Bam!

“Argh!”

Crash!

In an instant, he tumbled into a pile of trash, groaning in pain.

“What do you mean you will let me go?”

‘Who do you think you are, deciding whether or not to let me go?

‘From the start, I was the one who had the power to decide whether to leave you be or not.’