“Clang, clang,” the sound of swords clashing echoed continuously in the training room. This was Li Yue’s seventh day as a demon hunter. For seven full days, there had been almost no desk work, only Roland’s special training, special training, special training...
Beads of sweat ran down Li Yue’s cheeks to her jaw, dripping one by one onto the floor. Roland stood upright opposite her, holding a longsword in one hand.
It was a longsword made of mithril, far superior to the one Li Yue had used at the Hunter’s Association. While most training involved wooden swords, Roland insisted on using real blades. Li Yue was a little scared but dared not complain. She also found that Roland’s control over his sword was incredibly precise; although she sustained many scrapes, Roland never actually wounded her.
“Alright, that’s enough for today.” Roland flicked his sword, then sheathed it.
“Okay.”
The two walked out of the training grounds, preparing for lunch. Roland looked somewhat tired, but this was his usual state.
Roland had taught swordsmanship to every member of the Demon Hunter Team. Yorick told her that Roland once had several colleagues, but most of them had died and were buried in the cemetery south of the city.
As for why they used swords, it was because blood demons and ghouls excelled in close combat, and mithril was deadly poison to them. Thus, demon hunters forged mithril into swords. A mage who couldn’t fight in close quarters wasn’t a good demon hunter, Yorick always said.
Roland had casually explained to Li Yue why he didn’t use a staff: even if he continued to study magic, he wouldn’t make any more progress. He was one of those without talent, so he chose to pick up a sword.
In fact, the only publicly known Calamity Warlock used a sword.
These past few days, Roland had always used his free time to instruct Li Yue. The Demon Hunter Team’s daily routine wasn’t very busy because they hadn’t had any cases recently; the culprit of the last case had already had its heart pierced by Roland. Lately, there had been no unusual incidents unless an employer genuinely requested household and security services.
Because he was training Li Yue, Roland simply didn’t participate. Although there were fewer trivial matters, Li Yue could still sense Roland’s weariness, which seemed to be the result of chronic fatigue.
As for magic, Li Yue could at least slash out something akin to sword qi, though sometimes she failed.
She always felt that this small Western-style building held many secrets, but she wasn’t yet qualified to be told them. Although Yorick always talked a mile a minute, he never revealed anything specific, only mentioning that both he and Roland were at the Magician stage.
As for her other colleagues, she hadn’t had a chance to meet them. Occasionally, in the evenings, a few men would gather for a card game, but they were all types Li Yue didn’t know how to play.
She walked out of the Western-style building, which was disguised as a household service company, and went to a pasta restaurant across the street. Eating noodles mixed with tomato sauce, with a sweet and sour taste, she was astonished to find herself exceptionally fond of the flavor, yet she distinctly knew she had never liked this taste before.
She twirled the pasta with her fork, put it in her mouth, and looked out the window, feeling a little restless, though she didn’t know why.
She saw a pair of lovers walking past the window, leaning into each other. She saw a daughter sitting on her father’s shoulders, giggling and clapping her hands, while the father smiled helplessly yet happily, walking step by step.
She paused for a moment, then suddenly realized she hadn’t checked her mailbox.
She had forgotten to write letters these past few days and had never checked her mailbox. Would that idiot write to her? No, probably not, right?
She tried to shift her gaze to the distance, but then a frantic figure burst into her view.
It was a slightly corpulent man who, after getting off a carriage, ran wildly without regard for his appearance. He ignored his fallen hat and wrinkled clothing, looking as if he had been greatly agitated.
Li Yue silently prayed to God for ten seconds, hoping the man wouldn’t enter the Silver Cross Household Security Company.
The man rushed past the Western-style building without looking back.
Li Yue let out a sigh of relief, as if she had escaped a major problem.
The man seemed to realize something, turned back, and plunged into the small Western-style building.
Li Yue cursed under her breath, then suddenly realized there was no God here.
Next time I write, I’ll ask Clo if there are any gods of luck to pray to.
Judging by the man’s expression, he had been greatly agitated. If he had gone somewhere else, it might have been some other trivial matter. But if he went to that small Western-style building with the silver cross emblem, it was very likely an abnormal incident.
After all, who would go to a household security company when in extreme fear? People usually went to the police station or a security company. This indicated that the man understood the “special services” offered by this Western-style building.
Li Yue hastily paid her bill and started jogging, wondering if passersby would think she was being rash.
With a “snap,” Li Yue pushed open the vintage-style door and immediately saw Roland leaning against the counter, leading the man into the inner reception room.
Roland gave Li Yue a look, signaling her to follow. Li Yue swallowed hard, realizing her first practical mission was about to begin.
“You’re really lucky; you ran into something like this just a week into the job. I didn’t see anything for a whole quarter back then,” Yorick quipped as he passed by, carrying a cup of herbal tea.
Li Yue’s face was utterly speechless.
Next time I write, I definitely have to ask Clo if there are any gods of luck to pray to.
“Please have some tea.” Kelly brought two cups of tea from the counter to Roland. She smoothed her chestnut hair, smiled at Li Yue, whom she had just met, then withdrew after seeing Roland’s gesture.
“Sir... you must listen to me, these past few days... pant, pant.” The slightly corpulent man panted heavily. He looked at Roland’s stern profile, momentarily speechless.
Roland glanced helplessly at Li Yue, who immediately understood and quickly approached.
“Sir, please don’t worry, we’re all listening,” Li Yue forced a smile.
“Oh, thank you, beautiful lady. You are as lovely as a blooming snow lotus.” The man gradually calmed down. “Forgive me, please allow me to collect my thoughts.”
“It’s alright, sir. You can write as you think,” Li Yue pushed a blank sheet of paper towards the man.
“Oh, no need, beautiful lady, I remember now.” The man wiped away some sweat. “My name is Pix, a fur merchant. I own a small estate in the northern part of the city.”
“I enjoy horse racing, so I specifically acquired an undeveloped plot of land near the estate to build a racetrack and stables.” Pix’s body trembled slightly.
“But later, the workers said they dug up strange things during construction—some small, red, crystalline stones. Although I initially found them pretty, upon closer inspection, they seemed repulsive and chilling, so I ordered them to collect these stones and bury them deeper.”
“After that, I went to a priest to perform a blessing ceremony.” Pix sighed. “I thought everything was fine, so I moved a large number of horses in.”
“The magic and rituals of a priest from the orthodox church do have the effect of purifying corrupted things,” Roland nodded, commenting as if giving Li Yue a supplementary lesson.
“But later, strange things still happened.” Pix wiped the sweat from his forehead again with the back of his handkerchief. “A guard who usually enjoyed smoking tobacco was once discovered sucking on a horse’s genitals. The other guards initially thought he was drunk again, and news of their mockery even reached my ears.”
“Then, a few days later, horses began to go missing from the stables. I thought horse thieves were at work, so I reinforced the guards.” Pix’s body began to tremble. “They set up an ambush, and that very night, last night, they caught the horse thief.”
“I found out this morning. The initial report told me the culprit was the guard who had committed the indecent act, and they had locked him in the stables.”
“By the time I arrived...” Pix swallowed, his eyes wide, seemingly recalling the memory with extreme pain.
“All the horses in the stables... were dead. Some were torn to pieces, others had holes ripped through their bodies. The guards stationed inside were also completely dead, and all that remained... were severed limbs and white bones.”
“That wasn’t a guard at all, it was a monster that had burst out of human skin! It had strange muscles all over its body. My two accompanying guards died, and if that monster hadn’t feared the sun, my limbs would have been ripped off, woohoohoo...”
“Alright, we understand your request. You can calm down here for now, and we’ll notify you when the matter is resolved.”
Li Yue walked out of the reception room and took a letter from the police station. The letter stated that they had just encountered a mentally unstable caller, and out of consideration, they had referred him here.
“We have close cooperation with the police department. We are responsible for handling supernatural incidents in this area.”
“I understand. So, are dangerous things going to happen next?”
“Yes, we’ll deal with that thing before it adapts to sunlight,” Roland exhaled. “And this time, it’s a lot easier.”
“Huh?”
“Before, it often took a long time to calm down a distressed client before they could stammer out a few incomplete sentences.”
“Perhaps you could be less serious.”
“No, next time this kind of thing is your responsibility.” Roland suddenly looked at the somewhat startled Li Yue. “People with innate advantages should utilize their strengths here, don’t you agree, blooming snow lotus?”
“Captain, don’t make such boring jokes at a time like this.”
“I was afraid you were too scared.” Roland smiled, looking at Li Yue’s small, trembling hands hidden in her sleeves.
“I’m not... Captain.”
“It’s alright. The first time I went on a mission, I was so scared I bought a boat ticket in the middle of the night, wanting to move to another city. Later, my captain dragged me back from the docks.” Roland smiled, his gaze distant for a moment, a flicker of loneliness in his eyes, before he quickly resumed his usual slight smile.
“Come with me to the office, I have something for you.”
Li Yue followed Roland, maintaining a suitable silence. She recalled Yorick’s casual remarks; having never experienced separation by death, she didn’t know that feeling.
Roland’s office resembled a study; it would look even more so if the contracts on his desk were replaced with books.
Roland took a blue candle from a drawer. It had a strong, ethereal fragrance that materialized in the air as a blue-violet mist.
“The Candle of Dawn. By tradition, every newcomer receives one. It can repel blood demons and other abnormal creatures.” Roland placed the blue candle into Li Yue’s hand.
“If you encounter extreme danger, you can light it, then run away. Run as far as you can; no one will laugh at you,” Roland sighed, a hint of melancholy in his expression.
“Of course, in the days to come, you don’t need to blame yourself. Your survival is what everyone who died for you would wish to see.”
“Do you understand, Nolan?”
“I understand, Captain.”
“Go pack your things.”
Li Yue put away the candle and left the room. In the office, Roland took two longswords from the wall and fastened them to his waist. He adjusted his trench coat, tidied his cluttered desk, picked up the fallen picture frames one by one, then walked straight out of the room.
Those who have passed are in the past, but those who remain must still figure out how to live on, so as not to betray the memory of the departed.
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