Chapter 235: Suspicion (2)
The next morning, before the start of the first class, Dolores sought the Newspaper Club room.
Perhaps due to completing student council matters all night yesterday, she had serious dark circles under her eyes.
“The workload is overwhelming due to the upcoming National University League next week. Should I pull another all-nighter today…?”
Mage Tower, Varangian Academy, and Temisquira Women’s College, the four major academies in the empire along with Colosseo Academy.
The annual event hosted jointly by the empire’s four most famous top academies was approaching, and all official groups at Colosseo Academy were in high gear. Of course, the Student Council, led by Dolores, was no exception.
However, despite the night labor, her eyes gleamed with enthusiasm.
‘I should finish the club work in the morning, attend classes, and then look for Vikir until afternoon classes start…!’
Dolores energetically opened the club room door.
“Good morning, everyone!”
Dolores’s usual lively greeting, but there was something peculiar about the attitudes of her clubmates who would normally respond with cheerful laughter.
One by one, they looked at Dolores with strange expressions as if they were all smiling mysteriously.
“It seems like spring has finally come for our cute president~”
“A romance with a younger guy, how cool.”
“Younger, huh~ Our Dolores may be a 3rd year, but she looks even younger!”
“Anyway, we’re so mad! You’re so mean for not telling us! Really! We had to find out about the love of our close friend through a newspaper article?”
…?
Faced with the criticism from the third-year classmates, Dolores blinked her large eyes but said nothing.
Eventually, Dolores saw a newspaper article presented before her eyes.
It was an exclusive article reported by another newspaper from outside the academy.
[Exclusive] A Youthful Spring Day for the Student Council President of Colosseo Academy?
-Colosseo Academy’s student council president, ‘Dolores L Quovadis,’ has recently been revealed to be in a relationship…
Dolores, who possessed both martial arts skills and a beautiful appearance, has attracted attention since the beginning of her enrollment…
The partner is surprisingly a freshman just a first-year, Let’s call him ‘B’…
B, from the early days of enrollment, has drawn attention with his outstanding looks, grades, and martial ability…
The emotional connection between the two, presumed to have blossomed during volunteer activities…
After passionate courtship on both sides, it appears they have successfully started dating…
The Quovadis clan has not yet provided any statement on this matter…
Meanwhile, citizens of Venetior, upon learning about Dolores’ affection, showed reactions such as ‘It’s fine,’ ‘They make a handsome couple,’ ‘I’m jealous, but if Dolores is happy, it’s OK’…
“…What is this?”
Dolores’s mouth fell open. It seemed like paparazzi from outside had suddenly increased recently, but why was this journalism targeting her? Standing bewildered, Dolores was surrounded by her third-year classmates.
“Hey, hey. This person written as ‘student council president’s man,’ ‘the one that captivated the saintess’ That’s the first-year, Vikir, right?? The one who cross-dressed during the festival~”
“If it’s Vikir, he can marry our Dolores! Quiet, diligent, and, above all, handsome~!”
“Really frustrating! We could have helped if you had told us earlier!”
“Our Dolores~ She always seemed strangely uninterested in guys. Turns out she had such high standards?”
“The quiet cat climbs onto the roof first~ You! How dare you try and steal Vikir, big sister!”
Girl talk had begun. It was a conversation flow that Dolores found challenging to adapt to.
“No, it’s not like that! I just have some questions about Vikir…! It’s just about one or two suspicious things!”
However, Dolores’s defense only fueled more misunderstanding.
“Sure, sure~ That’s how it always starts~ Little by little, few questions~”
“We heard the prologue~ Now, let’s get ready for the main story?”
“What? Vikir is suspicious? Well, he’s handsome enough to be suspicious. Eyes, nose, mouth, skin, all very… remarkable! Is he even human?”
“Exactly. Last festival, when he dressed up as a witch, I, even as a girl, felt disheartened!”
Those who had seen Vikir cross-dress during the festival became head over heels for him.
Dolores realized that all explanations were futile and quickly exited the club room.
‘Ugh… Now it’s even harder to go around looking for him.’
It seemed like she would have to refrain from meeting Vikir for a while. She didn’t want to add fuel to the gossip fire.
Right at that moment.
“…!”As she left the lecture hall and turned onto a path, something caught her eye.
“Ugh! This crazy jerk again!?”
“Die! Just die!”
“Ack! I got bitten! It hurts!”
Voices she recognized were coming from behind the building. Approaching the source of the voices, Dolores soon witnessed a surprising scene.
Yuspeer, Realbelt, YellowsnowLover, ImCom, RedMin, SouthMeed.
Second-year troublemakers from the Cold Department.
Three boys and three girls formed a group causing a ruckus among themselves. And in the midst of it, there was a black puppy.
Growl…
It was the stray dog, whom Dolores called ‘Choco.’
When they were almost expelled from the academy, their family sent a delegation and begged her not to, and she let them go with a memorandum that they would never bully the weak again… But they’re causing trouble again?
Stepping forward quickly, Dolores exclaimed, “You guys again!? Seriously, maybe you need to experience expulsion once…!?”
However, she couldn’t finish her words. No wonder, because the six men and women in front of her were all in tattered clothes and covered in bloodstains. Choco, the black puppy, was moving swiftly, revealing its teeth and claws like a malicious creature, biting and tearing at the six people.
Growl…
Observing choco’s movements, there was no need to help him.
Despite its small size, it possessed combat instincts that made its mouth wide enough to be fearsome. With considerable strength and speed, it handled the six troublemakers easily.
The six troublemakers, getting scratched and bitten, were moaning as they fled.
“Ugh! If only it weren’t for the promise with the saintess!?”
“But, even if I used mana, it seems impossible to catch it! Let’s just run!”
“Ack! What the heck is that dog? It’s too fast! Why is it so scary!”
Dolores stood with a numb expression, watching the troublemakers disappear into the distance.
Hak, hak, hak…
The black puppy chased them for a while but soon turned around to walk away.
“Hey, Choco~”
Dolores called out to the black puppy walking in the opposite direction.
…?
The pup turned its head as if it recognized its name.
Dolores stopped and approached it, reaching out her hand. The puppy slid back, avoiding her touch, but Dolores persistently followed and embraced it.
“Hmm… do you have an owner? The scent from your fur is quite distinct.”
Dolores buried her face in the puppy’s jaw and neck, sniffing.
From the fluffy fur, a pleasant fragrance emanated subtly. A rather familiar scent.
Dolores quickly identified the origin of the scent.
“Academy amenities, basic shampoo scent. A student who must be your owner, right?”
If the black puppy had taken a bath, it must have been in the dormitory.
Thinking she should find out who among the dormitory students owned the black puppy, Dolores spoke while still holding onto it.
“You… You’re stronger than you look, huh? Chasing away six people. But still, you shouldn’t fight so recklessly. Those guys couldn’t move because I had warned them firmly. I hope you’re not attacking other people like this. That’s not okay.”
…
Whether the black puppy understood Dolores’s words or not, it simply looked elsewhere.
Seeing it seemingly ignoring her words, Dolores, half-jokingly and half-seriously, continued speaking.
“Choco, if you keep ignoring big sister’s words, I’ll neuter you, okay?”
Upon hearing this, the puppy’s two ears pricked up.
…Bang!
The guy hastily escaped from Dolores’ arms and dashed away like an arrow, pounding the ground.
“Hey, Choco, wait up!”
Dolores followed the black puppy, but it was much faster than expected and quickly disappeared into the bushes.
“Well, he’s not one to stick around. Just like someone I know.”
Dolores chuckled.
Lately, there seemed to be quite a few men who behaved differently. Whether it was NIght Hound, Vikir, or Choco.
And right at that moment.“…Kkueung.”
A moaning sound came from the back.
Turning her head, She saw a male student who had been chased by the black puppy lying on the ground.
Yuspeer, one of the troublemakers among the Cold Department Class B second-year delinquents, He was stumbling and falling like he’d just finished a six-pack of cold beer bottles.
Dolores sighed quietly and stood in front of him.
“Why did you harass a dog again?”
“Oh, it’s unfair, President! This time, that dog… no, that puppy attacked us first!”
“Does that make sense? How can that little one attack you first?”
“No, President, you saw it earlier! That dog, its teeth and claws are really sharp! And did you see how fast it is, even faster than the wolves we raise in our family…!”
“Enough. No more excuses.”
Yuspeer, receiving Dolores’ scornful gaze, looked genuinely aggrieved.
“Sigh, After getting caught by Night Hound, it seems all our luck has finished…”
At the passing comment from Yuspeer, Dolores momentarily flinched.
“…You. What did you just mutter?”
“What? Oh, um. It’s not that I have bad luck… it’s just that nothing good has happened lately, really…”
“Enough with that. Before that.”
“What? Oh, um, Night Hound?”
Yuspeer hesitated for a moment and then swept his bangs up with his hand.
X
Upon this, faint scars from a knife were visible.
“…I got caught by that crazy guy wearing a raven mask while passing through the streets a while ago, and this was the result.”
“A crazy guy wearing a mask?”
“Yes. But I didn’t know back then. Now that I think about it, the villain I encountered that night, whether he was Night Hound or not, had the same demeanor and appearance.”
Yuspeer’s testimony was incredible. Yuspeer and his five delinquent friends, he claimed, had directly encountered the ‘night hound.’ Furthermore, this occurred prior to the media’s coverage of Night Hound’s actions.
Dolores asked with a serious expression, “So, the day you guys met night hound was during the freshman welcome party?”
“Yes, yes. That’s right.”
“Back then, night hound wasn’t even known as ‘night hound’. It was before he carried out terrorist activities in Venetior, right?”
“That’s right. I remember it clearly. That raven-like mask, and his voice that sounded like scraping metal.”
Yuspeer spoke, feeling quite intimidated by Dolores’ demeanor.
“We tried really hard to find him, but couldn’t find him anywhere.”
“Well, that’s obvious. Even the Venetiro Security Force and the Imperial Army couldn’t catch him.”
“Back then, Night Hound wasn’t as infamous as he is now.”
Dolores pondered upon Yuspeer’s words.
‘Why did night hound attack them?’
Dolores had thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of these six troublemakers to expel them from the academy. According to the results of that investigation, these six troublemakers were virtually confined to their territory and the school, with no activities beyond that.
‘So, they have no grudges with outsiders. Does that mean?’
It seems like Night Hound has some connection to this academy.
That feeling became stronger.
Yuspeer, perhaps recalling the nightmare of that day, spoke shivering, “He knew not only our names but also our parents’ names and the position of our families in detail.”
Dolores quickly calculated, ‘If he knew such detailed information about the academy students, he’s not a 1st year. At least a 2nd year or maybe a 3rd year?’
It was a hypothesis Dolores had been considering. With this, the probability of Night Hound having an informant within the academy increased even more.
Perhaps, there was an extremely slim chance that Night Hound himself was a student of the academy.
“…”
Dolores turned to look down at Yuspeer.
…Bang!
A white light rose, healing his wounds.
When Yuspeer, with a vacant expression, raised his head, Dolores spoke in a stern voice, “What you just said must be kept an absolute secret.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t tell anyone about it. From now on, I’ll handle it.”
Yuspeer, seemingly understanding that Dolores intended to intercept their testimonies, nodded blankly.
Only after promising not only for himself but also for his friends did Yuspeer manage to get away.
“Remember. If this information leaks from anyone else, I’ll expel you.”
Dolores spoke, leaving behind a stern threat.