Correcting the Villainess of the Academy

The smell of blood, felt without any context, is quite bewildering. It’s faint, but I can still clearly sense it now, so it’s not a misunderstanding.

Occasionally, there’s talk from the steward about monsters escaping from the hunting grounds… but that’s just a possibility, isn’t it?

A prestigious family’s private estate is the last place you’d expect such incidents to occur.

This annex, connected to the main residence where the direct line lives via a long hallway, is situated somewhat on the outskirts, and if you go further down the hillside, you’ll find various facilities clustered near the front gate.

This was a place where Yeon Minha felt awkward, especially since the layout of the buildings has changed significantly from the past.

And now, the wind is blowing from that direction… so perhaps if I head there, I might be able to find the source of the blood smell.

However, to do that, I’d have to break the boundary of the annex…

…

I pondered for a moment, but in the end, I decided to check the source of the problem.

To have a fishy scent of blood wafting through the night at such an early hour is by no means a good sign.

If there’s a problem, I can report it immediately, and if not, then I can quietly return to the annex.

I intended to confess to Yeon Minha when she wakes tomorrow that I sneaked out. If I get scolded, well, so be it…

I stealthily slipped away, leaving the walking path and blending into the dense underbrush nearby.

Then I headed against the direction from which the wind blew. My memory sharpened my sense of smell, and the fishy scent began to intrude my nostrils more provocatively.

Eventually, I began to see a building in the distance that looked somewhat like a warehouse, though it had no windows. But I couldn’t get too close since I reached the edge of the brush.

I crouched at the edge of the thicket, concealing my body, and focused all my senses there.

Beyond the tall surrounding walls and heavy iron gate, I could feel several presences and voices.

In front of the iron gate, several sacks were casually placed on the ground. The entrance was tightly bound, appearing to hold something long and heavy inside.

Servants, seemingly busy, were moving bags back and forth, lighting their way with flashlights.

At last, I was able to discern the source of the blood scent.

Though it was from a distance, with each passing light, I could clearly see crimson stains on the sacks.

… Have they hunted something?

“I’m hungry… just a bite…”

“Not yet… if you eat… absolutely…”

“Leather… so constricting…”

They seemed to be conversing, but due to the echo from the wall, I couldn’t make out the content clearly.

Their voices sounded almost like those of clumsy people.

Thud, thud. The sound of sacks being moved continued in succession.

While observing the scene, suddenly, I noticed something thrashing violently among the blood-soaked sacks.

Then one of the servants approached, fiercely stepping on it repeatedly. Thwack! Thwack! The sound of something breaking could be heard from those violent kicks.

The sack fell limp again, not moving at all. As if nothing had happened, they moved it inside the iron gate like the other sacks.

Finally, all the work was completed, and with a resounding thud, the iron gate closed, leaving the area shrouded in silence once more.

Only the fishy smell of blood lingered in the air, tickling my nose.

I stood up and leaned against an old tree stump.

Is it normal to move such cargo at night…?

Moreover, the shape of the sack seemed unusually elongated for it to belong to a monster or beast. The fact that its shape felt somehow familiar continued to pique my curiosity.

I was strongly tempted to jump over that wall and see what’s inside the sacks right away, but… it wouldn’t make sense to commit such a breach just to satisfy my curiosity.

Even just being caught wandering this far from the annex could lead to significant trouble.

And since I had no way of knowing the original family’s circumstances, it was natural that I wouldn’t know whether such operations were conducted at night or not.

…

I decided to turn back for now. Although my questions still lingered in my mind, I could always ask Yeon Minha about it tomorrow if I was really curious.

Returning to the annex felt like stepping into another world, so serene.

Kuuh… ku…

Yeon Minha still lay asleep, her lovely face peacefully breathing. The right side of the large bed remained untouched, but the pillow I had placed there had somehow nestled into her arms.

I found a corner in the guest room, crouched down, and forced my eyes shut to try to sleep.

Instead of the night’s stroll helping me organize my thoughts, they felt even more tangled…

*

Before dawn broke, Yeon Minha groggily awoke. She was running out of time to return to her room before the servants spotted her.

Today’s dreams had been immensely satisfying. In the cradle, she had defeated Baek Seoyeon for the first time and claimed the top position, with her parents smiling warmly and praising her.

Yeon Minha looked around instinctively, her head turning. Although the pillow was cradled in her arms, the space beside her remained empty.

…Hmph.

Feeling inexplicably sulky, she pouted lightly.

The Masked Male Student sat unmoving in the corner, far from the window’s light.

His regular breathing indicated that he was deeply asleep.

Unbeknownst to herself, Yeon Minha took a few steps forward, approaching him.

There were small bits of leaves and grass stuck in his hair.

…Did you sneak out and forget about me…?

She muttered softly to herself. It wasn’t problematic to be away for an hour or two. In fact, that time was increasingly extending.

She knew this intellectually, but her anxiety and disappointment were emotions she couldn’t control.

Yeon Minha reached out, brushing her fingers through his hair, shaking off the leaves and grass that had lodged there.

It somehow felt like she was patting him, causing her face to flush slightly.

An unclear protective instinct continued to knock on her heart.

She thought about moving him to the bed, but then gave up and simply laid the pillow down on the floor, leaning against his body and gently nudging him to roll over.

…Ugh.

She gulped at the warmth radiating from him.

Now truly running out of time, she was about to throw a blanket over him and turn away.

Today too, the boy’s sorrowful sleep talk echoed in her ears.

“I’m sorry, Yeon Ah… I’m sorry…”

…

Yeon Minha felt her heart twist uncomfortably. He was increasingly opening up to her, but still, it was evident that he didn’t reveal the truth behind calling her “Yeon.”

Even with his face completely hidden behind the mask, he seemed to have no talent for lying.

Truthfully, she wasn’t someone who was completely unconcerned about the past either.

She strived to appear carefree as a senior, but her burning insides could be said to reflect her true feelings.

Perhaps due to the returning anxiety and urgency, she recalled a peculiar joke the male student had once tossed out.

“Am I not your older brother?”

A rude remark filled with horrible teasing, but perhaps it could serve as a chance to cultivate a closer bond.

Yeon Minha hesitated for a moment before finally uttering a word she would usually never say.

“O… Oppa…”

But immediately, she closed her eyes tightly, turned around, and marched towards the door like an angry person.

Her face had turned as red as a ripe fruit.

“I’m crazy…”

After taking a couple of deep breaths, she managed to regain her composure and walked down the hallway to her room in the main house.

However, she paused for a moment as she felt another sensation, slightly furrowing her brows.

It was a strange sensation she had never experienced while living in the main house before.

This area, comparable to the southern part of the Cradle’s Sky Basin, had a notably high concentration of particles in the atmosphere.

The massive stellite rock formation resting underground naturally attracted surrounding particles, making it an ideal place for spirits to thrive.

Thus, when she lived in the old main house and sensed them dispersed in the atmosphere, she was always filled with joy.

Even now, there were plenty of spirits floating in the air around her.

But all she felt from them was a strange discomfort and anxiety.

*

When she woke up, her gaze had turned sideways. Sunlight poured through the window, indicating that morning had arrived. Also, the sound of birds chirping outside the garden was quite loud.

She had clearly crouched down to sleep, but now her head was propped up by a pillow, and a blanket was wrapped around her. Had Yeon Minha covered her up?

As she rose, the bed was neatly made, without a trace left behind. It was as if she had been the only occupant from the start.

I lightly washed my body in the bathroom attached to the guest room. For a moment, I worried about someone barging in to help with my bath, but thankfully, that didn’t happen.

Just as I stepped out of the bathroom and started to change, I heard someone knock on the door. Thinking it might be a servant, I was surprised to find Yeon Minha standing there.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Thanks to you, I slept great. You covered me with the blanket, right? Thank you.”

“Thank you for what? Well, it’s nice sleeping in a bed…”

This girl was bound to cause a scene.

“…Come on. Let’s eat breakfast together. It’s a nice day, so I asked them to set it up in the garden.”

“Understood. By the way, you arrived right as I finished changing, huh? How did you know?”

“Uh, really? Well, I… didn’t know… Guess it was a coincidence… cough, cough…”

Suddenly, Yeon Minha began to cough repeatedly, as if something was stuck in her throat.

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