Chapter 70: Blood Hook (2)
His entire body felt goosebumps. Ronan quickly turned his head. Like Ophelia’s and Cita’s, a red mana was seeping through the gap in the door.
“Damn it, what the hell is she teaching?”
Kicking the door open, Ronan stepped out of the building. His eyes squinted as he saw the scene outside.
A vermilion-tinted mist was engulfing the streets.
“Wh… what is this? Clouds? Where did they come from all of a sudden?”
“Where’s this weird smell coming from?”
“Where did both of them go?! Guys!!!”
Amidst the dense mist, nothing was visible. Only the bewildered voices of students could be heard from all around. Ronan wiped his forehead and cursed.
“These crazy bastards…!”
The culprit was evident. He walked into the alleyway, gripping the hilt of his sword. The scattered red mana led in the direction of the training grounds.
With every breath, the sharp scent of blood pricked his nose. The eerie sense of foreboding gnawed at him throughout his journey through the dense haze. He was nearing the training grounds.
-Swaaaaaaa…
“Huh?”
Suddenly, the mist began to disperse. More accurately, it swirled and gathered in one direction. Gradually, the figures of Ophelia and Cita, standing on the edge of the training grounds, came into view.
“Impressive. To create a Blood Mist of this scale all at once…”
“Beahh!”
“But don’t overdo it. It’s a great technique, but since it consumes blood to that extent… it’s better to use it only when you have a sufficient supply of blood.”
Cita sat atop a training dummy’s head, spreading its four wings. The mist was being absorbed entirely by Cita. The thoroughly soaked feathers were fluttering in a deep crimson color.
Before long, the mist completely disappeared.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Ophelia, who had clapped her hands, handed a fish made of blood to Cita. Cita, who had absorbed all the mist, snapped up the fish.
“Beah! Beah!.”
“We can move on to the next technique right away… This one is an offensive move, so watch closely.”
Ophelia extended her index finger towards the training dummy where Cita was seated. A red sphere formed in front of her slender finger.
Bang!
The sphere launched from the tip of her fingernail and hit the dummy’s head.
“Beahh! Beah!”
“It’s as elegant as a swordsman’s strike… I like this technique a lot too.”
Cita flapped its wings happily like a child. There was now a small hole in the center of the dummy’s forehead from the impact.
“I’ll show it to you….again”
Ophelia, with a satisfied smile, was about to demonstrate again when a familiar voice came from behind.
“What are you doing?”
Ophelia turned her head. Ronan, with his arms crossed, was glaring at her.
“Ronan? How…?”
“How? Did you drink alcohol or something? Why don’t you just walk around with ‘vampire’ written on your forehead?”
“That’s not it… I definitely created invisibility and perception interference barriers…”
Flustered, Ophelia looked around. No measures had been taken on the open training grounds.
“Huh?”
Ophelia’s face stiffened. Ronan chuckled in amusement. Students were gradually gathering at the training grounds.
“Well, It seems like you were having so much fun that you forgot about your surroundings. You really haven’t been caught in a while.”
“That’s right… This is my mistake.”
“Damn it, at least hide for now. I’ll block the others from coming.”
“…No. I can still rectify this.”
“What?”
Ophelia regained her composure and quickly cast a spell. A magic circle appeared on the ground, and the waves of mana spread throughout the area. A student who had been coming from the front looked perplexed.
“Huh? Wasn’t there someone over there just now?”
“What? I didn’t see anything.”
“Surely the mist was gathering in this direction…”
Ronan’s eyes widened. In a mere few seconds, perception, interference, silence, and invisibility spells had all been cast simultaneously.
Ophelia extended her index finger once again, pointing at the dummy with the hole in its forehead.
Quack!
Her elongated shadow shot out like a jaw-like form and engulfed the dummy.
“Yep, that’s it.”
Only after confirming that all traces had vanished did Ophelia let out a relieved sigh. They walked calmly amidst the confused students. Ronan looked at his own hand, which was under the effect of the invisibility spell, and spoke.
“It’s amazing.. So that’s why you’ve never been caught until now.”
“It’s nothing much. When you’ve lived in hiding, you learn these kinds of tricks… The really impressive one is it.”
“Cita?”
Ophelia nodded. While she was surveying her surroundings, she murmured in an amazed tone.
“It absorbed all the mist that spread so widely… There’s no need for cleanup.”
“I think it’s because you are a great teacher. You seem to have a talent for it.”
“Just because I can do it doesn’t mean I have the talent to teach it to others… Even the Shadow Duke’s childhood wasn’t to this extent. This child is a genius… No, it’s something beyond that…”
Ronan didn’t know who the Shadow Duke was. Nevertheless, seeing Ophelia, who was usually nonchalant, speak so passionately, he could tell it was quite impressive. Cita was sitting on Ronan’s shoulder, constantly looking around.
It seemed like Cita was observing the mana waves in the surroundings. Ronan scratched Cita’s neck and spoke.
“Did you hear that? According to her, you are a genius. Everyone’s a freaking genius now.”
“Meow~”
Cita meowed like a cat. It was hard to believe that it was this creature who’d wafted such a terrifying mist just moments ago.
“I guess I need to step up my game too.”
——————
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He knew Cita was exceptional, but he hasn’t expected it to be to this extent. If things continued like this, not only Shullifen but even Ronan himself might fall behind Cita. Suddenly, thinking about Ophelia’s other magic, Ronan opened his mouth.
“Hey, can it learn other magic than blood magic?”
“Well… I’m not sure yet. But if it tries to learn two types of magic simultaneously, there might be an overload… For now, it’s better for it to focus on blood magic.”
“I see. Since It just tried learning, there’s no need to rush.”
The current spells Ophelia was casting, like invisibility and perception interference, seemed incredibly convenient. If possible, it would be good if Cita could learn them, but he didn’t want to put pressure on it.
Before long, the two of them, along with one little creature, returned to the club building. They locked the door, closed the curtains, and only then did they lift the spells that had been in place. Ronan cleared his throat and spoke again.
“By the way, where are you guys going to train now?”
“I can polymorph into a bat, so… we’ll just do it outside Philleon.”
“Damn it, that’s not something you can keep doing every time.”
He already felt the need for individual training spaces. It wasn’t just because of Ophelia and Cita.
Shullifen or Aselle, and monsters like Elizabeth he would recruit soon, all of them would need an environment where they could pour out their full strength. Ronan scratched the back of his head and muttered.
“I’ll figure something out somehow. There should be at least one spare space.”
“Yeah. Until then… I’ll just train her outside.”
The grounds of Philleon Academy were so vast that it wouldn’t be surprising if a dragon’s nest was hidden somewhere. Since Professor Varen, the club advisor, was also one of the people who knew Ophelia’s true identity, things would probably work out somehow.
“By the way, do you think Cita can handle the essence of pure blood? Can you teach it in four days?”
“Yes. With this level of talent… it should be possible.”
“Great. Let’s get started then.”
The two of them immediately got to work. Ophelia sent a message to the Blood Hook, wanting to change the meeting place and date. She didn’t forget to disguise the letter as if it were written by Jhordin using ink instead of blood.
“Give them just two specific requirements. They must not be more than a day distance away from the academy. It should be a secluded place. Tell them to handle everything else on their end.”
“These conditions are risky… It’s perfect for the kids to pull off a stunt.”
“That’s why make sure to teach Cita well.”
Ophelia nodded. From that night onwards, she took Cita outside Philleon for training. Cita returned to the dormitory just before sunrise.
“Beahhh…”
“What’s wrong with you? Did Ophelia hit you or something?”
“Beah!”
Although it didn’t know what it was learning, Cita was completely exhausted. Lying sprawled on the bed, Cita didn’t move an inch.
After covering Cita with a blanket, Ronan sat back down cross-legged. His mana manipulation practice, which he had started since midnight, was still ongoing. The circular patterns of mana circulation were still continuing.
“Phewwww…”
He had been entirely focused on mana manipulation, setting aside other forms of training. Perhaps because he wasn’t yet accustomed, every time he circulated mana through his body, he felt dizzy and experienced headaches.
“Damn it, it’s not easy.”
Dealing with a power he had never experienced in his lifetime was more taxing than he had thought. If he woke up with wings or a tail tomorrow, it might feel similar. As the day began to brighten, Ronan finally felt a meaningful change and went to sleep.
*********
“A new member has arrived. Get along well and don’t exclude them.”
The next day during lunch, Ronan introduced Ophelia to the club members. They agreed to withhold revealing her identity as a vampire for now. Ophelia, who had been nodding off, shook hands somewhat hesitantly.
“Hello… I’m Ophelia. I’m in the third year magician department… I joined because I wanted to get close with Cita.”
“Oh, I’m Aselle. You can call me Aselle.”
“Wow, you’re really pretty like a doll… I’m Marya Carabel, a first-year in the Martial Arts Department.”
“Hahaha! I’m Braum Viodan. It seems like only remarkable individuals are joining our club!”
Her self-introduction took place in front of all the members except for Shullifen. As Marya carefully examined Ophelia’s face, she suddenly leaned on Ronan’s shoulder. Seeing Ronan’s brows furrow at her arm that wrapped around him like a snake, she muttered.
“Hey, I can’t breathe.”
“About Ophelia. When did you get to know her?”
“Huh…? We met during the interview, right…?”
“I see. I thought you knew her even before entering Philleon, like I did. Let’s get along well.”
Marya said with a pompous tone. Ophelia tilted her head with an expression that seemed to convey she didn’t quite get the point.
It was only when Ronan used both hands that he managed to shake off Marya’s arm. Somehow, as the days went on, her strength seemed to be increasing.
“Uuuuh…”
Aselle was observing the two with an anxious expression. Lately, it felt like his chest was tight, as if a bird was pecking at his heart. At that moment, Ophelia, who had been sitting expressionless, turned her gaze to Aselle.
“I know you…..”
“Me?”
“Yeah… The rumors even reached our grade… You are the genius who got a perfect score on all the midterm written exams, right?”
Aselle’s eyes widened. With the sudden talk about grades, he instinctively curled up. The pitiable boy was still tormented by Elizabeth, who was asking for the secret to getting a perfect score.
“W-Well, that’s true…”
“Great… Help me out later.”
“Help… you?”
“I’m working on something… I needed a smart assistant like you.”
“A-assistant?”
Ophelia mumbled to herself. Aselle was frozen in terror, unable to provide any response. The flow of mana within her body was certainly not lesser than Elizabeth’s; it was even more pronounced. Ophelia, who couldn’t conquer her sleepiness, sat up.
“Well… I guess I’ll take it as a yes.”
“Wait a moment!”
Ignoring Aselle, Ophelia went upstairs to the second floor. She aimed to sleep in the most secluded room. Seeing this, Ronan tilted his head.
“It’s good to be old, that’s why long-lived races are—.”
He had worried if they wouldn’t get along, but it seemed like his concerns were unnecessary.
*******
Time flew by quickly. The reply from the Blood Hook arrived at midnight on Friday.
-Kwaaak! Kwaaak!
A scrawny crow took on the role of messenger. The neatly folded note had just one bloody mark, as before. Ronan cursed in annoyance.
“Pathetic bunch of mosquitoes. Sending it on the day of the promise, what a hassle.”
“…It’s here.”
Ronan, Cita, and Ophelia were waiting in the club building. He had prepared to leave immediately. Cita, who had grown closer to Ophelia, was dozing off in her lap.
As Ophelia infused mana into the note, the bloody mark transformed back into the shape of a map. The appearance had indeed changed significantly from the previous time. Reading the note, Ophelia spoke with a voice tinged with concern.
“…This isn’t good.”
“Why do you say that?”
“The location they proposed is suspicious. This… seems like a blatant setup.”
“Well, it’s Jhordin they’re dealing with. And it’s a secluded place, so it doesn’t matter.”
“…Did you bring his hair?”
“Yeah. I saved some from the last time it got stuck on my clothes.”
Ronan handed a small paper envelope to Ophelia. Inside were a few strands of reddish-brown hair. Ophelia let out a faint sigh and began to speak.
“…I just can’t understand the adventures of humans. They struggle so much even though they can’t live for even a hundred years. Why can’t they just die sooner and be less of a nuisance…?”
“Because they might not die. Anyway, did you teach Cita how to handle the Essence of pure blood, or whatever it’s called?”
“That’s… perfect. It’s at a level where you don’t need to worry.”
“Good to hear. We need to head out, so hurry up.”
“…I know. Just, be careful and don’t get hurt.”
Ronan nodded. Ophelia sighed once again, then lightly slapped Ronan’s cheek. Mana gathered into her palm, emitting a cool light. Cita’s eyes widened.
“Cita…?!”
