Chapter 22. Medicinal Herbs (2)

That night, he had a dream.

He was in a town he had never seen before. The snow-capped mountains he saw when he first came to Wiesel stretched out like a backdrop. Then he assumed the town wasn’t that far from Sylverine’s mansion.

He walked as if he had no soul. He stopped in front of a two-story red brick house. The house looked abandoned. The walls were covered with ivy vines, the iron doors were rusted and the windows were so dusty that he could not look inside.

He was drawn into the house. He could not control his impulse. The dusty interior had cobwebs everywhere. He entered what looked like a bookstore. There were quite a few books, though not as many as in Sylverine’s library.

There was a desk near the window. He headed towards it.

In the center of the desk were several papers tied together with string.

In the center of the desk were several scrolls tied together with string. Suddenly, the papers flew away as if a strong wind had blown.

Then he woke up. Every day he got up very early to train. When he looked toward the window, the sun had not yet risen, as usual.

The dream he had made no sense at all, but it was all too vivid. Sylverine had asked him to write down dreams that were strange.

He heard voices coming from beyond the window. Sylverine didn’t like visitors, so the mansion was always quiet. This was unexpected.

He went out on the balcony to see what was going on outside.

Five unknown visitors were standing in front of the mansion. Sylverine stood in front of them with several employees.

One visitor held a woman covered in blood.

Sylverine said something to the visitors with a serious expression.

He left his room and went downstairs. The front door of the mansion was wide open, so he could faintly hear what was going on outside.

“This way.”

A maid led a visitor inside. The man with the blood-covered woman followed her in a hurry. The woman looked like a young woman his age.

He moved closer to hear the conversation better.

Sylverine said,

“You guys don’t know where it is?”

“He showed up suddenly last night. It was so dark, I couldn’t even see him. The people in town couldn’t find him after he left.”

Sylverine sighed.

“I’ll look into it later. You can come back. The girl’s injuries aren’t that deep, so her life isn’t in danger. She’ll stay here until she’s stabilized.”

“Thank you very much.”

As the visitors left, Sylverine clenched her hands.

She bumped into him as she returned.

“You’ve woken up.”

“What’s all the fuss about?”

“A ghoul has appeared in town. He broke into a house in the middle of the night.”

Ghoul? He doubted his ears.

Sylverine had told him the other day that once or twice a year, a demonic beast appeared. But he hadn’t expected it to be a ghoul.

“Are there ghouls here too…?”

“No. This is the first time a ghoul has appeared. They move in groups, which means there may have been dozens of them nearby. It’s a very problematic situation.”

In case there were dozens of ghouls in unknown locations, a large town could turn into a sea of blood in less than a night.

“It’s more serious than I thought.”

“Ghouls in the pacific Wiesel, my head hurts. Anyway, today’s training is canceled. I have to go into town today.”

This was a rare opportunity to gain experience in a real fight. He couldn’t just stand there with his arms crossed. Besides, it would be better for her to have a partner.

“I’ll go with you.”

“No.”

She flatly refused.

“I’ve killed ghouls too.”

Sylverine sighed.

“All right. But don’t draw that sword in public unless you’re in mortal danger.”

“Understood.”

“Get ready to leave right away. We might find them in the morning.”