CH 23

C23: Hunter in the Mechanical Clockwork City (2) ‘Whoops. Seriously, I almost got caught.’ Hans, carrying Rudger’s suitcase, walked slowly down the dark alleyway, avoiding the eyes of the police who suddenly came to the scene. He arrived here today, but didn’t get lost because Hans already had a map of Leathervelk in his head. ‘You went to catch a werewolf. When are you going to come back?’ As he was thinking, something fell in the air in front of Hans. It was the head of a giant wolf that rolled to his feet. Hans shrugged his shoulders, pinched his lips, and desperately resisted the screams that were about to escape. “Are you surprised?” In the darkness of the alley opposite, Rudger slowly walked out. Shoes and leather pants together with white shirt and a brown leather vest over it along with the long drab coat on the outside, and the hat on his head. “Damn it, older brother when you show up, talk to me! I almost dropped your bag!” “It’s good you didn’t.” “Is this the werewolf? Well, it’s not that I’m ignoring my brother’s skills, but I didn’t think you could catch this terrifying guy in that situation.” After checking the dead werewolf’s head with his tongue sticking out, Hans shook his body and handed the black suitcase to Rudger. Receiving it, Rudger turned his back and walked forward, Hans followed him. “Can I leave that as it is?” “I do not need it anymore.” “No, then why did you bring it?” “You were surprised.” “…Did you still have in your heart what you were trying to scare your brother in the alleyway?” When Rudger was silent, Hans sighed and raised his hands. “I lost, so let’s not do that again in the future.” “Look at what you’re doing.” The two of them got out of the alleyway and came out onto a busy road where passersby could be seen to some extent. “So what the hell was that werewolf just now? Was it really cryptid?” “No. It was an artificially created test subject.” “Experiment? I’ll have to take care of myself because the people who made it are here.” “Anyway, I have something to tell you about that.” “What to say? I am suddenly very anxious right now, can I not listen?” “……” “Oh, okay! Say something.” “I have to move ahead with what I originally planned.” “Original plan? No way……” “I think this is better than the capital.” Rudger tossed two pockets at Hans. Hans took them and checked the contents. One was full of gold coins and the other was his beast neutralizer. “Older brother. This……?” “Shouldn’t we settle down too?” “In this place where the secret society, Black Dawn, might exist? Even in a big city, there are gangs in the back alleys.” “Okay.” “I’ll try.” “You have plenty of money, so try hard.” “Older brother?” “First of all, I am a teacher, so I can’t move freely. The president is still suspicious of me.” “So now you want me to do this all by myself?” Rudger shook his head. “First of all, it is important to gather important information. Who are the gangsters and the mafia in this city, and how the backstreet world flows. And how can I get a seat there? Find out and tell me.” Hans, who understood what Rudger was saying, swallowed his saliva, then smiled and nodded his head. “That is my specialty.” * * * Returning to the dormitory of the academy, I unpacked all my belongings. I’ve left Hans alone to gather information for now, but he’ll be fine, his ability to gather information is unmatched. ‘I will have to develop my own power in case of an unexpected situation.’ I can’t move right away, so I decided to just prepare. The president is still suspicious of me, and I’m not sure exactly what the secret society, the Black Dawn, is up to, so moving prematurely is counterproductive. Having simply finished organizing my belongings, I sat down on the comfy sofa and replayed the events of the day. ‘That werewolf wasn’t a pure Cryptid, but someone deliberately created it.’ The existence of werewolves is no surprise. Monsters existed in this world as well, and they were driven out beyond the shadow barrier, which is now outside the continent, but their traces still remain. Cryptids are a prime example of this. These beings, subspecies of monsters, are now more like urban legends or ghost stories from non-ideal occurrences of magical powers rather than real monsters. The werewolf I caught this time is also a type of cryptid, but to be precise, it’s just a fake. ‘Experiments and witchcraft to create werewolves have existed since ancient times.’ There is a cursed potion made by adding various medicinal substances to the water with wolf paws and mixing it with wolf’s fur, a transformation potion that allows ordinary humans to turn into a beast by drinking it. Of course, this is black magic. Black magic is banned at the national level, so the death penalty is unconditional regardless of the reason for being caught. ‘But how dare you make such a werewolf openly. Seeing that there is even a mark as a test subject, I don’t think it’s at the level that some power has touched it.’ Judging from the leash, did they capture a wild wolf and mixed it with human factors? The marks of restraints, as well as the traces of various experiments engraved on the corpse of werewolf were clearly the result of science. Potions that corrupt humans and transform them into beasts are the exclusive domain of warlocks that have almost disappeared. That’s where science intervened. ‘Someone deliberately insisted on it.’ If so, who is it? In order to make a subject of that level secret, it requires a fairly large laboratory of the public eye. Space, confidentiality, and even experimentation, considering all that, means that a big hand who can provide a huge financial line is involved in this work. Aristocrats, or millionaires. ‘There are people in the Empire who are rich enough to be suspicious.’ I shook my head. I don’t know who might be suspicious, but since I’ve killed the werewolf and collected my serum, I won’t need to worry about this anymore. It’s a long weekend, and I don’t want to get involved in troublesome work anymore. Tomorrow is Sunday, so let’s take a good rest. ‘More than that, I have to prepare for the next class.’ There are so many things to deal with, it hurts my head. * * * Monday morning marks the beginning of a new week after a peaceful Sunday. After eating a light toast and coffee for my breakfast I went to work in my private office in the main building. Class is tomorrow, but first of all, as a new teacher, I have to show myself to go to work because that’s social life. After sitting at the desk in the office, I opened the newspaper I brought from the dormitory. ‘……What the hell is this?’ On the front page of the newspaper that came out this morning, there was a single headline engraved. [An unidentified killer appeared in Leathervelk!] – Last Sunday, there were 5 additional deaths in Leathervelk. This brings the total number of deaths to over 10. The identity of the perpetrator has not yet been revealed, but eyewitnesses say it is a terrifying beast with black hair. Police have announced that he is just a maniac murderer and will be arrested soon, but citizens are still terrified. ‘What is this?’ I read and read the article on the front page of the newspaper. This was, after all, the werewolf incident that I killed Saturday but the newspaper said the deaths were on Sunday. ‘At that time, I definitely stopped his breath. And yet, when there are new victims, does that mean that there wasn’t only one?’ There was a moment when I felt that things were going to be strange. “Beep! Beep!” The translucent crystal ball placed on the work table began to flash with a strange sound. I know what this is. ‘The president calls.’ Precisely, it’s a kind of signal for teachers to gather. ‘I have to go.’ I got up and put my coat on the hanger. Suddenly, I remembered what Ms. Selina had said during the meal last Friday. She said there were testimonies from students that they had seen a werewolf even inside the academy. ‘Victims in Leathervelk, even eyewitnesses within the academy.’ Even if I excluded the one I hunted, the number of remaining werewolves is at least two, maybe more than that. Trying to put away such anxious thoughts, I headed to the conference hall where the teachers were gathered. The conference hall, located on the upper floors of the main building, was full of teachers. Each of them is clearly competent in the field they teach. As I entered, people’s eyes turned to me. Most of what was in their eyes was curiosity, but I know that it wasn’t for me, it was for the source code I invented. ‘Mr. Rudger here!’ In that corner, I could see her familiar pink hair swaying. Seeing Ms. Selina waving her hand towards this side, I headed towards her. ‘Is that person Rudger Chelici?’ ‘I heard he invented some pretty cool magic, is that true?’ Among some teachers, there were quite a few people who looked at me hostilely, as I was a fallen aristocrat. Their hostility and jealous gazes were quite stinging, but I simply ignored them. As I sat in an empty seat next to Selina, she greeted me. “Did you have a good weekend?” “I had a good rest. Did Selina have a good rest, too?” “Yes. I also took a really long break. Did you hear the news? Last night, two first-year students were attacked by a gangster and were seriously injured.” After listening to Selina’s explanation, the situation was like this. Last night two first-year students returning to the dormitory after going outside the academy were attacked inside Theon. It was not life-threatening, but it was a serious injury, and it was a great shock that this happened even inside the academy. One of the students who just woke up this morning said that a terrible beast attacked him. “The werewolf rumors that have been around since last week must have been true. It is said that victims have also appeared in the nearby Leathervelk.” “Okay.” It is difficult to dismiss it as simply seeing something in vain, and it is said that the wounds engraved on the victim’s body are like being scratched by an animal. This is probably the reason why they gathered all the teachers this time. First of all, the contract said that the teachers of Theon had to work with all their might in case of emergency. That would mean that it would be difficult to calm the situation with only internal guards or users. ‘If the opponent is a werewolf, it would be much better to send elite teachers than to pour in mediocre manpower.’ Being a teacher at Theon doesn’t mean just teaching students in a normal way. “The president is coming.” When the woman, who looked to be in her mid-fifties with wrinkles on her face, spoke, all the teachers they were conversing with became silent. I looked to see who it was, and Selina explained it to me. “Miss Marie Ross. She’s been in office for over 20 years. Her field of teaching is pharmacy.” “Okay.” She held her position for more than 20 years? That is to say, she has great powers. As she stepped forward to sort out the situation, the other teachers kept their mouths shut. “The president is coming.” Then the door opened and the president entered. She always looked beautiful. In addition to the alluring golden eyes, the two-tone hair of white and light pink naturally catches people’s eyes. “Good morning everyone. The reason I called this urgently today is because I have something to announce to you all.” The president went straight to the main topic without wasting time. The mention of the rumored werewolf caused a stir among teachers as well. “It cannot be. President, have you misunderstood? Cryptids in Theon.” It was a greedy middle-aged man who appeared to be in his mid-50s who stood up blatantly. He had his oily, turbid blonde hair neatly parted 2 to 8 and grew up to his mustache. It’s like seeing an old-timer that exists in every school. However, when he appeared, the atmosphere of the meeting room changed strangely. “Anything you want to say? Mr. Hugo Burtag?” “This is Theon, a place that is protected by the Exilion Empire. I think the students made some kind of mistake by believing the ghost stories that were floating around.” “Mr. Hugo, didn’t I just tell you there were two victims?” “I know, the victims were both children of noble families so I don’t think there is a werewolf.” Hugo Burtag took a glance at the crowd. “I think the culprit is a student of Theon, this is commonplace.” “I beg your pardon?” “Otherwise, of the many students, only the children of the aristocracy have been injured. Werewolves attacked this Theon? Rather, it is far more credible that some students deliberately pretended to be werewolves and started the case.” Those words certainly had some plausible persuasive power, but I had to feel something instinctively offensive by Hugo’s words. He’s just trying to take the president’s words and pass the fault of this case on to certain students. I looked at the atmosphere and nodded inwardly. ‘Ah. I guess I get it.’ As long as Theon is an organization, the existence of factions within it is inevitable. Students are divided into commoners and nobles, but what about the teachers? The reality is that teachers, too, have a subtle current between teachers from commoners and teachers from aristocrats. Chris Benimore, a new teacher, refused to eat with me since I was a fallen aristocrat. ‘I thought the Black Dawn would be at a disadvantage, but I guess that’s not the case.’ Rather, I would not have known if Hugo was the only one who thought like that but, there were quite a few people who subtly agree with his opinion. The aristocratic teachers were united and a faction was formed. And that faction didn’t seem to get along very well with the president’s faction. Even if we all work together, it’s not enough for such a conflict to exist. As I was wondering about Theon actual situation, a tiny bug crawled up the wall and climbed onto my shoulder. The moment I threw it down with my hand, I couldn’t help but stop. It wasn’t a worm but a small, thin piece of paper in the shape of a worm. Fortunately, the others haven’t noticed yet. I grabbed it naturally and checked the contents so that others wouldn’t find out. It was fortunate that most of the teachers’ attention was focused on the nerve war between the president and Hugo. “……” After checking the contents, I pressed my finger on my slightly stinging forehead. [Three test subjects escaped. Immediate capture. If not, remove them.”] I will quickly find out who sent this message and who was behind the creation of this werewolf. But the most important thing was the last sentence. “There is a risk that the person’s identity will be exposed if the subject material is stolen.” Why are you giving me such an ordeal?