Chapter 173: The Anti-Columnist (4)
Dolores.
She read the article in the newspaper, and once again Vikir was in her mind.
The Night Hound crossed the line.
-The Night Hound has crossed the line. Your crimes against the imperial family and the Seven Houses have reached the skies... and your only chance for a peaceful end is to turn yourself in now and be hanged by the neck!
To be honest, it didn't feel good to see the harsh criticism being thrown at the night hounds.
And that bad feeling was made worse when I realized that Vikir, who had taken the time to come and see me, was once again criticizing the Night Hound.
"A villain like the Night Hound will be punished one day."
Dolores felt a stabbing pain in her chest as she listened to Vikir and the others.
It was even more sad and miserable than when she heard the insults herself.
'...You're insulting him because you don't know what you're talking about.'
Ordinary people cursing a hero, but I know I can't blame them.
Like the great prophet Rune, who was crowned with thorns and carried on a stake by the citizens of long ago, the Night Hound also makes this noble sacrifice even at the risk of becoming the target of everyone's misunderstanding and hostility.
'It was said that true heroes do not force blood on the public.'
Dolores bit her lip tightly.
Although she could use this opportunity to berate her juniors and proclaim the innocence of the Night Hound, ... that would not be what he wanted.
'It's okay, not everyone knows the sacrifice of the Night Hound, just me. I just need to be the only one who knows and remembers his sacrifice.'
A gifted genius, a prophet the world doesn't understand.
Dolores felt something akin to a sense of duty at the realization that only she could understand him.
The ordinary citizen. As the unknowing public disliked, hated, feared, and abhorred the Night Hound.
Dolores' feelings for the Night Hounds have evolved into affection, respect, longing, and a heartbreaking emotion that even she can't quite define.
These unexplained feelings grew more and more intense with each passing day, until she was unable to sleep at night.
These days, every day is unfamiliar with emotions she have felt for the first time in her life.
"...."
Dolores let go of the railing and turned around.
She'd come here to see Vikir, but she couldn't speak to him now because the look on his face would make her angry.
And she's not even in a position to be angry.
It was not a good time for conversation, so she turned her back on him.
* * *
Back in her dorm room, Dolores took a shower and sat down at her desk.
'Still, Vikir, I have to talk to him.'
Vikir was the only one of the Academy's students who had seen the Night Hound with his own eyes.
So it was absolutely necessary to hear what he saw that day.
And then another.
" ...I also need to apologize for the pissing incident."
Vikir is Dolores's saving grace.
Dolores had made a drunken mistake, and Vikir had taken on the stigma of peeing on her behalf.
It must have been hard for him to say that he was the one who peed in front of everyone.
Although it's unclear what Vikir was thinking when he sacrificed himself in that situation, he hasn't asked for anything in return since, so we can only assume it was purely out of the goodness of his heart.
"...Haah, as long as you don't insult Night Hound, you're a really good junior."
Dolores had mixed feelings about Vikir.
At first, he was an arrogant junior that I wasn't interested in at all, or even hated.
I had thought he was a bit of an oddball when he sang a military song at the freshman talent show and made the old professors cry, but... after that, his image gradually deteriorated due to his frequent tardiness and detentions.
He was warned several times for his seemingly casual approach to rules, such as falling asleep in class and wandering into prohibited areas.
<Vikir-Life Attitude Score (Demerit Factor)
-1 point for using the emergency exit on the 3rd floor of the dormitory building
-1 point for entering the 4th grade private area of the performance hall
-1 point for using the central staircase on the 1st floor of the blind reading lab building
-1 point for entering the control area of ??the experimental monster breeding facility
-1 point for using the central staircase on the 6th floor of the Faculty Research Center
-1 point for using the central staircase on the 3rd floor of the Hot lab.
-1 point for entering the fitness center after hours
-1 point for entering the restricted area next to the cafeteria food warehouse.
.
.
Looking back at Vikir's demerit list, I was stunned.
How could he have racked up such numbers as soon as he started school?
It was unthinkable to Dolores, who had always been a regular and well-behaved girl.
'Especially in the case of the monster breeding farm control area, the penalty point was 3 points... ... .'
Did you say that your arms are bent inward?
Since he was a junior in the club, Dolores overlooked it to a certain extent and adjusted the demerit to one point.
However, as the penalty points continued even after that, Vikir's image was completely branded as a delinquent student.
... But.
'He did too much volunteer work to be labeled a delinquent.'
During his volunteer work at the orphanage, Vikir worked silently and diligently in the restrooms, cafeteria, plumbing room, laundry room, playroom, and playground.
The work was hard, tiring, and unnoticed.
He was the odd one out, the one who did the work of five or six people by himself when the rest of the students at the academy, who had grown up so fine and unused to hard work, couldn't do a single one, and yet he didn't show any signs of it and didn't ask for any recognition.
At the last minute, he even threw himself down to retrieve a child's toy that had fallen into a dirty pit.
The way he returned the ball to the children even though it was dripping with filth was the epitome of selflessness.
Who else would be so willing to jump into a pool of filth for the sake of others?
And this act of abandoning oneself for the sake of others was not a one-time occurrence.
'A man can drink and make mistakes.'
That's what Vikir said when he took the fall for the peeing Dolores.
Vikir's words must have been directed at Dolores, at her.
Dolores' face flushes red again as she recalls the moment.
"No matter how much I tried to explain after that, it didn't work."
Dolores says she's said several times that she was the one who peed, but everyone laughed it off as impossible.
Instead, they praised him for making the sacrifice on Vikir's behalf.
After that, Vikir's image at school got worse and worse, and Dolores' image got better and better, and Dolores felt so bad about it.
Hah-
Dolores sighed deeply.
I should apologize and thank Vikir for taking such good care of the children at the orphanage, and for bearing the nickname 'pisser' for me.
But aside from that, she couldn't help but feel angry every time Vikir insulted the Night Hound.
Because the Night Hound is one of the most noble and sublime beings she's ever known.
"Phew... ... But that doesn't mean you can't defend the Night Hound in front of someone who doesn't know anything. Maybe this is a good thing."
Dolores placed her hand on her forehead.
She thought for a moment, then came to a conclusion.
Regardless of the Night Hound, we must apologize and thank Vikir.
She should also ask for information about the Night Hounds.
"Okay. Let's distinguish between public and private matters. Just apologize for what you need to apologize for and be thankful for what you need to be thankful for."
Dolores left the dormitory in search of Vikir.
"You can't apologize and thank at the same time. Besides, I have to ask for information about the Night Hound, Vikir... What does he need?"
Dolores felt sorry for herself in more ways than one.
She had never been in debt to anyone in her life, and this was very awkward.
Then. A familiar face appeared in front of her.
A chubby body and a cute face.
It was a junior named Piggy, who was always with Vikir.
"Hey, Piggy, do you know where Vikir is now?"
"Old? Aah! Hello, Ms. President! Vikir is probably practicing for the practical evaluation in the performance hall right now! What are you doing...?"
"Uh, just. I thought I'd take care of the juniors in the club before the exam. You should take this."
It was a set of genealogical notes Dolores had written in her freshman year about the written test.
Piggy took it and looked thrilled.
"I'll take it with Vikir, thank you!"
"Uh, no, you can give them to Vikir separately. I have a lot of copies."
"Oh, right, then, just past this forest path and over the hill, there's a practice range where Vikir practices!"
That's where the archery class was meeting, and at this time of day, the students would be free to practice.
'Vikir used a bow.'
Dolores nodded and headed for the practice field.
She thought hard about what she would say to Vikir first.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m