Doggone Academy

Damien, who ran forward, jumped into a puddle with both feet.

The accumulated water splashed in all directions.

Sylverine kicked a puddle to splash Damien as revenge.

“You splashed water on me.”

Damien didn’t care because he was soaked.

“Master…?”

She had acted like an innocent child.

When he called out to her in confusion, she resumed the main topic.

“Why do you worry if I’m with you?”

“If I hide, those people can threaten those I know.”

Sylverine put on a serious expression.

“You don’t hide.”

“……?”

She changed the subject without explanation.

“Let’s go buy medicinal herbs.”

She turned around.

***

A coal-black carriage drove into the town marketplace. There was no one was on the streets due to the persistent downpour. The carriage halted at a little store.

The coachman, who opened the carriage door in the rain, held out an umbrella.

Sylverine got out of the carriage. She had put on clean clothes after bathing.

Damien got out next.

Sylverine entered the store first. Damien, who followed her, took a look inside.

There were baskets with medicinal herbs classified into different types.

A middle-aged woman was surprised when she saw Damien.

“Welcome… Oh my!”

Damien showed a puzzled expression.

“Please, wait a moment.”

She then headed for a room that had a curtain on the door. Soon after, a small argument could be heard inside.

“Mother… wait, I’m not ready!”

The young woman couldn’t stop the woman from pushing her toward the door.

She waved as soon as she saw the customers.

“Welcome!”

She averted her gaze as her eyes met Damien’s.

Then she tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Do you need anything?”

As she handed her the note, Sylverine said,

“Give me what’s written here.”

She mumbled the contents as she received the note.

“Black kale… moon leaf…Melinda stem… oh, we don’t have deroni roots or the eagle petals, but you can get it at the store on the right side. I’ll bring you the rest.”

“Okay.”

Sylverine looked to the side. Posted only on NovelUtopia.com

“Damien, do you need anything?”

“Wait.”

He looked one by one at the medicinal herbs on display, but he didn’t know what to buy.

The young woman approached Damien.

“Let me help you.”

Then she glanced at Damien’s note.

She herself pointed to the medicinal herbs with her hands.

“You have to take these medicinal herbs. If you need something again, you can come here, even if you don’t have money. I want to help you.”

The young woman treated him very kindly.

When they finally had all the medicinal herbs they had ordered, the young woman handed a small box to Damian.

“These are tea leaves we grow in the store.”

The box looked expensive. Damien didn’t understand why she gave him this.

The young woman quickly clarified.

“You don’t have to pay for this… it’s a gift!”

It was then that Damien realized the anomaly.

…
…

When they entered the next store, the situation became stranger.

The owner shook Damien’s hand.

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

Then he told him about his nickname, Killer Boy. That’s what they called him in town.

Damien was speechless when he heard that terrible nickname.

…

…

He heard many stories as he walked through the marketplace.

When they got into the carriage, Damien asked Sylverine.

“Why is Wiesel the soul’s birthplace?”

A bard told a story about a folk song to Damien.

“Wiesel is the soul’s home, no matter where one was born.”

The bard mistakenly thought that Damien had long been rooted in Wiesel.

“I had already told you. It’s a very quiet town, so they get excited when there are new events. How could they forget the hero who saved the town?”

The whole town was in danger. The ghouls would have been subjugated even without Damien, but he made a strong impression because he did almost everything alone.

In addition, his appearance, his possible admission into the Eternia Academy, his mysterious swordsmanship, and that the knightly order recognized him, everything had come together to cause the recent rumors.

Sylverine mockingly sang.

“Cut down ninety-nine ghouls~”

He felt too embarrassed to look up.

Damien thought the townspeople overreacted.

“You don’t understand what you’ve done, right? The rumors must have spread all the way to the people with the most important positions in Wiesel.”

“……”

That meant nobility.

Sylverine smiled.

“Do you still think you’re hiding? It’s possible that the masked people in the dream have come looking for you in Wiesel.”

She would definitely end up involved. But it seemed like she would like them to come.

***

A little further on was the Wiesel area.

Five black carriages with the Eternia crest were advancing across the meadow. A large wagon carrying something unknown was behind it.

The front carriage was occupied by Gael, a master associated with the Eternia Combat Department, and her number one student, Flynn.

Flynn could not relax.

The carriages behind him had people he did not expect. When he knew that these people would also be participating in the evaluation, he realized it was unusual.

So many people to evaluate one boy. Just one.

“Master.”

“What?”

“Did you know those people would come too?”

“I didn’t expect it either.”

The carriages suddenly stopped. The coachman shouted.

“…Ghouls!”

Flynn looked out the window.

Some knights were protecting a carriage, which from a distance seemed to belong to the nobility. They were facing a dozen ghouls.

Gael quickly got out of the carriage to help them.

Flynn followed her. He unsheathed his sword. As the runes engraved on the sword lit up, smoke began to rise from the blade.

Flynn didn’t know that he would soon hear the name of the boy they were going to evaluate.