Iron Blooded Hound

Chapter 142: Innocence Lost

Dolores was deep in thought about last night's events.

"I'm sure I've seen that mask you picked up yesterday."

That's right.

Dolores received word yesterday that the Imperial Guard was arriving, and in her capacity as the Saint of Quovadis and head of the Academy's newspaper department, she quickly responded.

She saw with her own eyes the devastation she had seen—the deaths of so many people and the destruction of so many buildings. As if a large amount of explosives had detonated, 4,444 buildings were left in ruins, and the mummified bodies of a man and a woman with blood drained from their bodies were discovered in the ruins of a kindergarten.

Even the second- and third-year newspaper students and Royal Guards with me had never seen anything like this.

And there was a half-burnt mask nearby.

Dolores moved stealthily, picked it up, and hid it in his arms from the footsteps behind him.

"It must belong to Mr. Night Hound, so why is he there?"

She remembered the first time she met Night Hound.

He had come to recover from his vacation at the academy.

A man stood out among the greedy and humble aristocratic visitors.

"He is just a lost lamb."

I remember that when I first saw him, he bowed his head humbly and did not boast of his honor or wealth.

Later, Nighthound worked tirelessly to treat slum dwellers affected by the plague, the Red Death.

Although his appearance, identity, and actions were questionable, his love and dedication to those less fortunate were genuine.

To prove that, he also used a little bit of the divine power of runes.

``The mask she picked up yesterday must be his, because it had all the battle marks and bloodstains of victims of the Red Death.

Dolores discovered that the half-burnt mask she had hidden in her arm was a knight's. I was convinced that it was the mask worn by the hound.

But why was he at the scene of yesterday's tragedy?

Did he really kill the orphanage director and harm the boys and girls inside? Did he add it?

"But why are you good?"

The night dog who heals the poor of St. Mecca even if they are covered with all kinds of diseases. I don't think it's a sublime and sacred image. Dirt just acts.

She had always believed that the nighthound who stole the saint's tears must have had a reason for doing so.

"Is that really him in the night dog? No, it can't be; my eyes are accurate; he's not a bad person; and if he's the culprit, sure, definitely something.

Dolores felt her head start to hurt.

The mask on her arm must be evidence of last night's murder, and by hiding it from the security guard, she committed the crime of destroying evidence.

She had no excuse, and neither did her accomplice, to allow her own personal feelings to influence her investigation.

So since last night, Dolores has been struggling with the trust she placed in Night Hound and the guilt of hiding Night Hound and obstructing the guards' investigation.

"Did I really do the right thing by hiding that mask?"

She thought about it when she woke up in the morning, when she was taking a bath, during class, and even more. This is a club meeting.

Straight.

"By the way, I don't know if Mr. Nighthound is okay." It seems that he was caught in a huge explosion, and half of his mask was burned off, but even though he is a very strong man, he was unable to protect himself. Where is he now, and what is he doing? Is it not? Is he seriously injured somewhere and is suffering...'

Even that makes me worried.

Dolores didn't even know why she was worried about him right now.

Well then.

"'Night Hound'...sounds great!"

A voice next to her broke Dolores from her reverie.

"What?"

Dolores looked up and saw a group of second- and third-year students already studying hard.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

The newspapers to be distributed today have already been torn up.

???

Dolores turned her head to him in a daze, and Piggy next to him gave a thumbs up.

"I think I like the nickname 'Night Hound'. It's a bit barbaric, but it makes it even more violent, doesn't it?"

"Hmm. I think so too. There's something creepy about it.

``I'm afraid you're right. It always happened at night.''

Tudor and Sancho nodded in agreement with Piggy.

Sinclair and Bianca also nod.

"I think so too, boss!"

"Me too."

Dolores turned her head in confusion.

"What did I just mutter...?"

Then he looked at the pile of newspapers he had finished reading.

[Who is Nighthound, the villain who terrorized the imperial capital?] Views: 0

In the early hours of October 0, a mysterious attacker appeared and wreaked havoc on 00's kindergarten.

Unusually, the attackers did not touch the riches in the safe.

Dolores shouted angrily.

"What, what is that?"

Piggy answered with a happy expression.

"You nicknamed him 'Night Hound' and we all thought it was a good idea, so we did it!"

"Oh, when did I

Dolores asked incredulously. He nodded in agreement.

Everything was done within a few minutes.

Dolores looked at the pile of newspapers and let out a deep sigh.

"Guys, we still don't have any proof that he's the murderer. With a headline like this, it just looks like an article written for the general public." Then Tudor, Sancho, and Sinclair. Bianca and others were interviewed.

"Oh, there's testimony from the guards, but whatever. They're pretty sure that the Night Hounds destroyed the building and killed the director of the orphanage, and there was some physical evidence as well. I never thought something like that would happen in a kindergarten under the direct control of the Quobadis family. I think it's much more believable that the Night Hounds did it."

"They're from the Quobadis family, so they're trying to remain neutral. I'm impressed, but with this much certainty, I'm not sure what to do for now.

``No matter if it's a 'Night Hound' or whatever, I'll kill it with an arrow as soon as it comes into view!''

The first graders chatter excitedly. .

Dolores took a deep breath.

He felt guilty that his mistake had tarnished the Night Hound's honor.

But the others were right.

Whether the Night Hound is actually a villain, and if so, what happened to his previous clear-eyed flesh-and-blood charity work, and if not, what about the bodies of the boys and girls found on Quobadis? What happened? - An orphanage being managed, and a huge amount of wealth of unknown origin.

Everything is a mess.

Only Dolores knows the true identity behind the phenomenon and is confused.

At last, she gave her verdict.

"We need to make some changes to the article. Please make it as objective and unbiased as possible. Please remove all baseless and speculative statements from the guardsmen's interviews."

"Yes, but then there's nothing to write about?''

``If you're not sure, don't bet. You wait until it's clear what the Night Hound is up to before publishing your scathing article.'' It's not too late, and then we can criticize them with all our might.''

Dolores said, and the others nodded.

Bianca nodded in agreement.

"If the director says so, then it is so."

"...That's right."

Sinclair nodded as well.

Sancho and Piggy quickly turned off the tuning forks and began modifying the items.

But the heroic Tudor was still a little unhappy.

Tudor turned to Viquir, whom he had met at the Naftali competition, and asked in a low voice,

"Hey buddy, what do you think?"

"...what do you think?"

"Night Hound. He looks like a villain to me. "What do you think?"

"I don't think so.''

``Oh, why can't I think? Is he a villain, or is he up to something?''

Vikir thought. Just before answering,.

``Am I a bad person?''

Countless faces flashed through his mind.

A world of destruction, the hell that will occur in the next 10 years, the faces of the many people he was unable to protect.

The end of colleagues, comrades, friends, brothers, sisters, and everyone you miss and love.

Who else could he be but a sinner, carrying their lives and sacrifices on his shoulders and returning home alive?

Vikir said this with great force.

"He's definitely a bad guy."

Because he was never a good guy.

...?

The Tudor I asked was unusually quiet.

"?"

Vikir looked up.

He saw the confused look on Tudor's face and the trembling expressions of the other new students.

They all looked at Vikir's back.

When Vikir turned his head, he saw Dolores' face looking down at him with a cold gaze.

"Have you ever heard that the Night Hound is a villain?"

How did they get here?

Dolores is just passing by and coldly asks if you heard the whole conversation between Tudor and Vikir.

"..."

When Vikir didn't answer, she repeated.

``You may miss 10 thieves, but don't turn them into one innocent citizen. No matter how wrong the circumstantial evidence is, find the last solid piece of evidence and report it. Please.''

``...''

``If the pen is mightier than the sword, then the pen must be heavier than the sword.'' From now on, please be responsible as a journalist." Don't blurt out anything you're worried about without thinking about it."

Dolores' words to Vikiel create tension throughout the freshman class.

But Vikir just sits there with an indifferent look on his face.

Dolores was even more dissatisfied with his behavior and added a sarcastic remark.

"I thought your name was Vikil.

Vikil has been photographed by Dolores since the beginning of the semester and has been detained several times.

But when Vikir remained silent, Dolores took a deep breath, as if to say something else.

"Anyway, the new students these days are the best... In my day..."

And then. A second-year student breaks into the club room looking for Dolores.

``Boss! ``Club advisor Professor Banshee would like to speak to you briefly!''

``What?'' Why?"

"About this article! He wants me to amend the article and say that nighthounds are definitely evil!"

"Hahaha, he's a conservative. And I like making enemies outside. Okay, I'll talk to him.''

Dolores finished the conversation.

He followed the second-year students as they left the clubhouse to meet Professor Banshee.

Only then did the stale air in the room escape.

Tudor breathed a sigh of relief and patted Vikir on the shoulder.

"I'm talking to you about the director. You look like an old man.''

``...It used to be that way.''

``A long time ago? When?''

``There was a time when that was exactly the case.''

Vikir just smiled slightly. is. '

"The young ones are running away more and more, so I want you to kill at least one more demon in your spare time!"

"You're stronger than me!"

"The hero of destruction never dies!"

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