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The boy wearing a leather cap slumped down. He couldn’t stand up due to his legs giving out. In front of his eyes was a strange creature he had never seen before, flapping its wings and looking down at him.

“A demon?”

“A-a monster…!”

No sound came from the four long, black wings. The red pupils glowed like blood-soaked rubies. Every time the long tail brushed the ground, the boy’s shoulders twitched.

It resembled something out of a fairy tale, like a devil or a dragon. Tears welled up in the boy’s eyes.

“I must’ve done something wrong…! An evil creature is here because I did something bad…!”

No matter how much he needed money, he shouldn’t have engaged in poaching.

The boy was a member of the Demire branch of the smuggling organization “kaliborro.” His first mission was to deliver supplies to the members who had gone hunting using vein roots the day before.

However, what awaited him were eight headless corpses. Completely drained of blood.

The perfectly bloodless bodies had a dull gray color, like a bean field covered in frost. The severed heads were nowhere to be seen.

“Even our leader was taken down by these hunting dogs…!”

Even the mighty wolf Beom, who had achieved the status of a sword expert, was now a cold corpse. He was a veteran who had taken down fantastic creatures with double digits in his count.

He needed to hurry back to the base and report the situation. It was the moment the boy was about to turn around.

-Quaaang!

“Ahhhhh!”

Something flew in from somewhere and crashed into the tree the boy was hiding behind. Branches and leaves rained down. Soon, the creature tore its head free and approached the boy.

“Beah.”

“I…mI need to do something!”

The boy quickly reached for the dagger at his waist. As his fingers touched the hilt of the blade, the eyes of the creature that had been leisurely pawing at the air began to glow red.

“Beahhh…!”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, the boy’s world turned red. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and took a sharp breath. The boy’s sleeve was stained with fresh blood, and it dripped down onto his cheek.

“Eeek…!”

The overflowing blood streamed down his cheek. No matter how much he wiped his eyes, the bleeding wouldn’t stop. Before long, he realized that it wasn’t just his eyes; blood was flowing from his nose, mouth, and ears.

“Help… please!”

He could feel his body growing cold rapidly. His legs still wouldn’t regain their strength. The boy struggled desperately, flipping onto his back and started crawling away.

“I won’t do anything like this again! Please, save me!”

However, his pleas were in vain as the second nightmare unfolded. Suddenly, his body began to be pulled toward the direction where the creature was.

“No, nooo! Help meee!”

In desperation, he grabbed onto the bushes, but it was of no use. The leaves were torn away, and his body was lifted into the air.

“Behehehe. It seems the blood is clotting up.”

It sounded like the creature was laughing beyond his throbbing ears. Just then, another boy with dark hair burst out of the bushes.

“Hey! Stop!”

Ronan swung his sword vertically. He was right in between the boy and the creature, the exact middle point.

Thud!

The mana that had been carrying the boy suddenly snapped, and he fell to the ground.

“Ugh!”

“Beahh?”

Cita’s eyes widened, looking extremely startled. His pupils were almost twice their normal size, as if he had been genuinely shocked. The boy was writhing on the ground, coughing up the blood that had been choking his throat.

“Ugh! Ugh, agh!”

“Ugh, damn it. Why is his face like this? Did you do this, Cita?”

The boy’s face was covered in blood from his facial features. Ronan looked at him with disgust.

“Huh? Wait a second.”

The face seemed familiar from somewhere. Ronan jabbed Cita’s wing, who was still looking perplexed.

“Cita, try wiping this kid’s face.”

“Demon?”

Ronan pretended to wash his face. Cita blinked, then cast a spell. Blood began to gush from the boy’s eyes again.

“Arrrghhh!”

“Hey!”

Ronan’s sword slashed through the air once more. Quickly cutting off the mana, Ronan flicked Cita’s nose.

“Splat!”

“You know exactly what I’m saying, yet you’re acting like this? I asked you to wipe the blood off his face.”

“Beheh…”

Cita, who seemed rather disheartened, used magic again. The blood that covered the boy’s face gathered in one spot and dripped down like droplets. The boy touched his face, startled, and got up.

“This… what is this?!”

“Just as I thought. Your face hasn’t changed much.”

“Did you save me?”

Ronan crossed his arms and nodded. But he didn’t answer the boy’s question. The boy’s face, now rid of blood, bore a striking resemblance to someone Ronan knew.

Ronan pulled out a cigarette. The boy almost folded himself in half, bowing his head.

“Ugh… thank you…! Thank you! I owe my life to you!”

“Well, something like this. Can a poacher like Valus do anything worthwhile?”

“Umm… yes?”

Valus froze. Ronan observed him with interest. He never imagined he’d meet Valus in a place like this.

“Isn’t it great? It’s a job where you wipe your hands with blood and earn money, and it’s not even human blood, so there’s no guilt involved.”

“H-How do you know my name…?”

Valus was Ronan’s fellow disciplinary squad member. He was the one who bragged about shooting animals with his arrows and never stopped talking about kaliborro’s organizational structure.

At that time, Ronan thought he was a completely corrupted guy. However, the Valus before him now seemed quite different. His appearance, attitude, and everything else oozed the fresh scent of a beginner.

His tattoos were as if they were freshly inked, and his speech wasn’t rough. Above all, his wavering eyes still held traces of remorse and innocence.

Perhaps there was a chance for redemption. Ronan lit his cigarette.

“You don’t need to know about that, kid. You have to make a choice.”

“A choice…?”

“Yeah, punk. Become a traitor to the organization, or become a stuffed specimen. Looks like you haven’t been in this business for long.”

“S-Stuffed specimen?! How, how can you…”

Just then, the creature that had been pawing at the air, Cita, landed on Ronan’s shoulder. The way they were rubbing their faces against each other seemed oddly friendly.

Seeing that he was in a deadlock, Valus stepped back, hesitating.

“What, what are you? And that creature…? Don’t tell me those people too!”

“That’s right, Valus. I cut off their heads and this furball stripped them of blood.”

Ronan pointed his index finger at Valus. As Cita turned his head, they stared intently. A thin thread of saliva dripped from Cita’s muzzle down Valus’s chin.

“I don’t need to explain how it extracted the blood, do I?”

“Hiik…”

“Well, then, let’s start talking.”

Ronan exhaled smoke. He rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. It was a map drawn in blood by kaliborro’s hunting dogs.

The boys finished cleaning up until nightfall and left the Fountain of Phaenar. They had to create a much larger raft than the one they came with due to the increased baggage. The sky had a crimson moon, like a bloodstain, rising in it.

“The profits are much better than I expected.”

Ronan didn’t kill Valus. It wasn’t just because he hadn’t yet dirtied his hands. Someday, he might contribute significantly to uprooting kaliborro from the continent.

Having extracted enough information about Kaliborro, Ronan obtained a blood oath from Valus.

“Hehehe! Now that the demon’s messenger has drunk your blood, you won’t be able to hide anywhere in the world!”

“Grr…! I swear! No matter what happens, I will uphold the oath!”

He would provide the organization’s information and whereabouts every two weeks. He swore not to reveal any information about Ronan’s party until he betrayed the organization and left.

A blood oath. Forbidden sorcery that devoured one’s soul if broken.

Of course, it was nothing but a hastily fabricated lie, but judging by Valus’s expression at the time, it seemed unlikely that the oath would be broken.

Valus, who had been humiliated by Cita, believed it to be a messenger of demons and Ronan to be a wicked sorcerer.

“You’re quite useful.”

Ronan scratched Cita’s neck as it gazed at the moon. Cita rolled on the ground with a purring sound, as if a cat was being affectionate.

“How cute…”

Aselle propped his chin up with both hands and looked at them. Though he wanted to bury his face in those plush feathers, it wasn’t easy after what happened.

Suddenly, Aselle remembered something and spoke up.

“But, Ronan, why did you name it Cita?”

“Why are you named Aselle?”

“N-No, not that kind of meaning…”

“Just because. It’s the name of a little brat I used to hang out with.”

Ronan didn’t provide any more information than that. Aselle also didn’t ask further questions, but he was left with curiosity. Did Ronan raise a dog before?

Ronan, who was gently petting the now-sleeping Cita, suddenly opened his mouth.

“I didn’t want to raise a beast again…”

Rather than a heavy regret borne of memories, it was a somewhat pleasant memory. A companion who had spent a year together, meeting by chance on a journey, met his end at the hands of poachers.

“Ah, forget it.”

Ronan lay down. Cita’s feathers, tickling its cheeks, were surprisingly soft. The red moonlight, the mist rising slowly from the water’s surface, marked the end of this adventure.

****

The two returned to Jido over two days. Ronan went straight to find Professor Varen to show him Cita, but he was currently on a business trip to the southern jungles.

“I had a lot to tell him, but it’s a shame.”

Upon hearing the news that it would take at least two weeks, Ronan turned on his heel. They slid a note under Varen’s office door and headed for the market.

Of course, they didn’t forget to collect the bounty. Everything left behind by kaliborro’s poachers turned into a small fortune, filling the boys’ pockets with gold coins. Equipment, trinkets, even the headless carcasses stripped of blood.

“Wow, I can’t believe the mana purity is so high in this water…! Where on earth did you find this?”

“It’s a secret. I might be able to get more, so take care of me, Duon.”

Duon exclaimed in wonder while measuring mana purity. Ronan sold the water that had been flowing from the fountain to Carabel’s upper echelons and alchemical workshops.

The water’s mana purity was much higher than anticipated, allowing them to earn much more money than they had expected.

“Maryar even sang a song with the customers’ names. She wanted to go along this time, but she couldn’t, and she’s been sulking…”

“Come to think of it, she’s not here. What about Marya?”

“Oh, she went back to her hometown for a bit. She said she wanted to say goodbye before enrolling.”

After all, once enrolled, there would be no reason to return to her hometown unless it was a vacation period. Philleon was strict about its boarding school system.

Come to think of it, quite some time had passed since Ronan saw his sister. While he had sent her an acceptance letter, he felt like something was missing.

“It’s a good idea.”

“Hehe, yes. I’d have stopped by if it weren’t for the upper business. It’s a shame. By the way, what about that creature…?”

Duon’s gaze had been focused on Cita, perched on Ronan’s shoulder, rather than Ronan himself. However, even though Ronan had once been in the pet business, he couldn’t possibly discern the creature’s identity.

“Ah, it’s the one that came out of the egg I showed you last time. I don’t know its true nature either.”

“Egg…? Ah, you mean that incredibly hard lump you mentioned!”

Duon exclaimed with his mouth agape. The eggshell was harder than mithril. It was a memory that couldn’t be forgotten.

Cita was watching passing people and the items displayed on the stalls with a curious tilt of its head. Its unusual appearance and sparkling red eyes drew people’s attention.

“Um, may I touch it?”

“Sure, but it might not like it.”

“Hehe, people are so lacking in caution. I’m pretty good with animals, you know.”

Duon cautiously reached out his hand. The jet-black, luxuriant feathers seemed incredibly soft to the point where it felt like it might not be real. His hand was about to touch Cita when…

“Kyaa!”

“Beah!”

With a threatening sound, four wings spread out wide. Duon, who was almost about to collapse, grabbed onto the stall and stood up. Ronan scratched Cita’s neck gently and said, “See? It’s more wary of strangers than it seems.”

“Bwaha~!”

As Ronan scratched its neck, Cita relaxed its expression as if to say, “When did I ever look wary?” Cita seemed to be cautious of everyone except Ronan and Aselle.

“Seriously, this is quite humiliating…”

“It could be. Well then, I’m leaving.”

“Please be careful on your way back. Oh, and congratulations to both of you for coming in first and second on the entrance exam. You’re both truly remarkable.”

“Thank you. See you later.”

After shaking hands once, Ronan moved his feet. With each step, the backpack swung and the sound of clinking coins echoed around.

The two who had earned some money headed to a restaurant they had been eyeing for a while. It was a place that grilled whole 2-meter-long eels caught only in Lake Raniel. Aselle, who had taken a bite, widened his eyes in surprise.

“It’s…it’s delicious…!”

“Beah!”

The eel’s unique chewy texture and perfectly balanced saltiness were a work of art. Among the restaurants they had visited in Jido, it seemed to be the most delicious. Cita also joyfully chirped, sounding happy as it vigorously devoured its share of the meat.

“Aselle, what are you going to do with this money?”

“Me? Hmm… I’ll probably use most of it to buy spellbooks and experimental materials. It’s a field of study that requires a lot of money.”

“Is that so? Well done.”

“What about you, Ronan?”

Ronan let out a sigh. Originally, he had collected money to cover tuition, but due to acing the exams, he had used up his savings. Since he also didn’t have enough for the full scholarship, he received a monthly stipend under the pretext of living expenses.

Though he wasn’t troubled by this problem, it was still a problem.

“I don’t know.”

Ronan took a bite of grilled eel. It was delicious. For some reason, he suddenly thought of his sister in Nimbuten.

As he enjoyed his eel, a thought occurred to him. Iril was probably sitting alone at home, eating potato stew.

“Come to think of it, my sister has spent her whole life in that rural place.”

Ronan twisted his lips. He had lived two lifetimes, but this was his first experience living in a city. Even if everything was different, there were many differences between the life in Nimbuten and the life he had now.

“I raised her from diapers.”

Ronan bit his lip. Come to think of it, he had only tossed a few coins and never really done anything for her. Iril probably didn’t even know that such cooking and this world existed.

While lost in thought, Ronan spoke up.

“Aselle, were guardians or family allowed to attend our enrollment ceremony?”

“Huh? Uh… yeah, they should be. It’s limited to guardians or family members, as far as I know.”

“I see.”

Ronan closed his mouth again. Seeing his serious expression, Aselle lowered his fork. The sound of Cita tearing at the meat continued to echo.

At that moment, a voice from the kitchen sounded like a call.

“They’re requesting a carriage for the Fensia Theater Group tomorrow!”

“How many people?”

“Twenty-two people! They asked for a carriage to take them to Marvast, and another for their return in two days.”

“Got it. Twenty-two people tomorrow, destination is Marvast.”

It was a conversation among the restaurant staff. It seemed that they also provided carriages if customers requested them.

Ronan’s expression brightened as he realized something. If they couldn’t go, they could just bring them here. Ronan stood up from his seat and tapped the shoulder of a staff member.

“Excuse me.”

“Oh, our guest. What can I help you with?”

“Can the carriage go all the way to Nimbuten as well?”