Iron Blooded Hound

Chapter 149: Purity's Paradox

Dolores Rune Quovadis, Faithful Saint of Quovadis.

She didn't always like Vikhil.

Or rather, she was hated.

Ever since she first met him at the academy, she had had a boring image of him.

- "Vikile. Class B. Why did I make so many mistakes? Sometimes I have to miss lectures and do community service. Do you understand?"

- "Okay."

He didn't even show any shame or guilt when asked about his bad behavior. B. He was reported as being late or entering a restricted area.

He was not only lazy and shameless, but also arrogant.

Even Vikir wasn't afraid to say bad things about Nighthound as soon as he entered the newsroom.

"He's a villain, that's for sure."

When Dolores heard Vikir speak ill of the Night Hound, she felt something stir within her.

Who judged him arrogantly?

How could he take a college freshman with a full stomach and a roof over his head and force him into a life of idle crime in a cradle like this?

Dolores thought about the dog at night.

Indeed, he became a suspect in the terrorist attack on the Quovadis branch, but Dolores firmly believed in his heart that he was not a bad person.

Her memories of working with him to treat the poor when the plague, known as the Red Death, struck the slums of Holy Mecca are still fresh in her memory.

``How can you call him an evil man, seeing as how he refused to stop treating patients even when he was covered in his own feces?''

The spirit of holy sacrifice Nighthound displayed back then, I'm sure. That was not something that could be recreated through acting.

For though his soul was rough and wounded, he still radiated an aura of purity beyond that of any priest.

Dolores didn't know who the night dog was or where it came from.

But she could imagine that he had walked through countless thorny paths in his life and that the good that had blossomed from those wounds was divine and noble. Ta.

Continuing to do good deeds and make sacrifices despite being vilified, oppressed, and persecuted. Martyr.

This is how Dolores characterized the Night Hound.

That's why she didn't like people who criticized the martyrs.

She didn't like people who spoke ill of martyrs. Because she knew how much of a burden they placed on the shoulders of those who hid in their safe and comfortable places and walked along the thorny path, speaking words without thinking.

Is that why?

Dolores cannot have good feelings for Vikir.

She was speechless when Vikil covered her mouth for the first time and pushed her against the wall.

But then she saw Guilty walking down the hallway and got angry.

She was a saint of Quobadis, and Guilty was a minor cleric and only a member of her family.

Dolores had no reason to be intimidated by her status.

``So even if you are forced to insult a saint, you can still repent by making her sacrifice.''

Guilty even said offensive things about Dolores.

This made Dolores even more angry with Vikir.

If Vikhil wasn't there, he would have rushed out of the room and punished Kirti.

Dolores then leaves, angry at Vikir.

And just a few seconds later,.

She regretted her anger.

Like any good person, over time, her anger subsides and she realizes her mistake.

Dolores remembered the previous situation.

Vikir clearly acted in good faith and concealed it to avoid an unpleasant situation.

And to be honest, when Dolores saw Guilty, he felt uncomfortable and even a little scared.

You might wonder why we should fear anything inferior, but guilt was more than just being inferior.

Sometimes in life, there are people who are obviously lower than you, but you don't feel like they are.

To Dolores, this was guilty.

His grin and cocky, relaxed demeanor always made Dolores uncomfortable.

She was also aware that Guilty's absolute trust came from money, particularly from the large donations he made to his superiors.

As the head of the Indulgentia family, Guilty used the money he earned from selling indulgences to pay bribes in the form of sacrifices, building an impressive network of connections and power.

Given his wealth and connections, it's clear that Guilty is someone to be reckoned with, even as Saint Dolores of House Quovadis.

So when he openly sexually insulted her, she had no choice but to get angry.

And this conflict within Quobadis was already known to the world through newspaper reports.

Under these circumstances, Vikiel can hardly be faulted for trying to be considerate.

"No, I should be grateful."

Dolores had to admit it to herself.

If I had met Guilty earlier in the hallway, I might have made a mistake because I couldn't control her expression.

And he had to thank Vikir for preventing that from happening.

... and more.

"I'm suffocating."

Vikil frowned, clearly staring at Guilty.

From this, it is clear that Vikir does not like the idea of guilty people selling indulgences.

Dolores agrees with Vikiel on this point and feels a little better about his image.

"Still, it's not like he's pushing a girl he doesn't know against the wall, and it's not like there's anything going on with us."

For those who haven't been there before, the wall... For men who are being forced into it. The wall in his arms was definitely a strong memory.

To be honest, I still get nervous thinking about it.

``That was really scary.''

Dolores rubbed his hands together and felt his face heat up a little.

``Maybe, except for the fact that he's lazy, he's actually a good guy.''

In Dolores' eyes, Vikiel's reputation rose just a little.

This was a rather unusual and generous assessment for a woman who normally adheres to Puritan ethics—the belief that honesty is good.

More time has passed.

Dolores went to see Vikir to apologize for what happened in her hallway.

...?

Even after spending half a day walking around the entire building, finding Vikir wasn't easy.

It was break time, and I asked the first graders who were taking a break.

"Huh? Vikir? He cleaned the toilet with us a while ago. He went to help out at the cafeteria due to a staff shortage and was the first to volunteer when asked by someone who lost a rock, paper, or scissors."

Tudor answered cheerfully in the standing toilet.

Dolores went from the bathroom to the dining room.

Sancho, who was eating with his children in the cafeteria, testified there.

"Oh, Vikir? He was serving food to me and the kids just a few minutes ago, but then he heard there was no hot water in the dining room, so he went to check the plumbing. Hey, I handed out food, so you can't eat."

Dolores walked from the dining room toilet to the bathroom.

Then the wet piglet pointed to the building in front of it.

"Oh, boss, that's a nice lunch. I see you're looking for Vikir. He should be in the laundry room by now, because I just fixed the plumbing so I can wash my clothes."

Dolores walked from bathroom to bathroom. He even has a dining room, a sanitary room, and a laundry room.

Sinclair, who was washing clothes there, greeted him cheerfully.

"Hello, senior Dolores! What's up, Vikil? He was doing the laundry with me earlier, and the kids wanted to play, so I dragged him to the playroom. They are so energetic! What? I'm a girl, so why are you calling Vikil Hyung? Isn't that right?" I told you not to call me Oppa, so I called you Hyung, and you didn't mind.

Dolores walked from the bathroom to the dining room to the bathroom to the laundry room to the playroom.

There, he found Bianca. She was accompanied by her children, with a worried look on her face.

"Who is this, Vikiel? Haha... He tried to pick me and the kids up a few minutes ago, but the kids wanted to go to the playground, so he went to do some maintenance." They're in the playground, but I think they're going to take the kids and live with him; they're very energetic; they never get tired...'

Dolores had to run out of the bathroom. Dining rooms, bathrooms, laundry rooms, playrooms, and even playgrounds.

On the way to the playground, Dolores thinks to himself.

``I mean, how much work does he do in a day?''

From what I've seen so far, Vikiel does about a dozen. I was doing my share of work.

He cleans the toilets, takes care of the canteen, fixes the water pipes, does the laundry, plays with the children, and maintains the playground.

It was all incredibly demanding and difficult. How many things has he already accomplished this morning?

The average academy student doesn't have much hair to do the dirty work, so they can't help much.

I mean, when do good people start doing this kind of work?

But Vikil does it all by himself, in the shadows, where no one notices, pouting. I didn't even show it.

(Of course, Vikiel did all the odd jobs in the military before he came back, so he's pretty good at that job, and now he's doing intelligence work, so Dolores knows that he intentionally shot her and gave her information.) (I don't know that you are collecting them under the guise of work.)

But she thought to herself.

"I've been wrong for a long time, and I've been wrong for a long time." She's an incredibly sincere person...'

I never thought that until now. I thought he was lazy and careless.

Dolores was ashamed of her prejudice and wanted to crawl into his rat hole.

She had thought that she had treated everyone without discrimination and without prejudice, but here she was looking at the new juniors in the club with her prejudiced eyes.

Dolores has completely reevaluated Vikil, and she has concluded that she owes him an apology for all of this.

Then.

Dolores went to the playground, where Vikir was.

On the other side of the field, I could see kids kicking a ball and running laps.

And sitting a few meters away was Vikil.

Vikir cleared out weeds and rocks and leveled the area so the children could use the playground.

Mumbling...

All the while, he was taking out a document from his pocket and reading it.

"He seems to be learning."

Dolores was really impressed.

While he works hard for his children, he also does not neglect his studies.

This is the epitome of a true student.

"Did he study well?"

Dolores didn't know about Vikir's grades.

She was to see Vikil's written exam results later when she returned to school.

"If I have time, maybe I can tutor him."

Dolores wants to help Vikiel because he has never been in the top three in his class in third grade writing. I was confident that I could do it.

As he thought about this, Dolores walked up behind Vikir and coughed.

"Hmph!"

Dolores tries to apologize, but the words don't come out properly.

Dolores is always quick to apologize for her mistakes, but for some reason, Vikiel finds it difficult.

Perhaps it was Vikir's memory of cursing Nighthound.

"That's just an excuse. I was wrong and should apologize right away."

Dolores coughed again in vain.

"Hmph! Hmph!

He coughed unnecessarily, as if wanting attention.

Only then did Vikir turn his head.

"...?"

Vikir As soon as he saw Dolores, he shoved the document he was reading into her arms.

Dolores opened her mouth in an awkward tone.

``Are you studying for the writing test? Are you studying while doing volunteer work? ...Hmm, you're surprisingly diligent.''

``What?''

Vikil's tone was firm. He was clearly upset about yesterday's events.

Dolores stammered a little.

"Hmm, well, I was just wondering. I was wondering how your volunteer work is going. I asked some of my friends, and it seems like they're doing a pretty good job.""

"Yes."

"..."

"..."

"Oh, yes, please answer."

"Yes."

"... ...Okay.

Dolores panicked, unsure if she should continue the conversation.

``Can conversations really be that difficult?''

Everyone she's ever met has always talked to her without her having to initiate the conversation, and the answers have always come naturally.

Even before she asked the question, she had a long list of things she wanted to know and things she didn't want to know.

But Vikir was different.

He doesn't say anything except what is necessary.

Even if the other person was a saint of the seven major families of the empire and the third-year student council president,.

Dolores finally decided to come clean.

"...Actually. I came to talk to you about what happened yesterday."

"...?"

Vikir's brow furrowed slightly.

Apparently, yesterday's memory was very unpleasant.

Dolores closed his eyes tightly and decided to tell the truth.

"Well, it's just that we have a family history... I think I overreacted yesterday, but I'm sure you were just trying to help me, and I yelled at you yesterday.

However.

She couldn't finish her apology.

...Pot!

Vikir jumped out of his seat and ran somewhere.

"I'm sorry...right?"

Dolores looked up. No, you can't force forgiveness, but it's still a bit much for someone to sincerely apologize and walk away.

Dolores looked up, embarrassed, embarrassed, and disappointed.

Huh?

"What!"

Dolores opened his eyes.

The direction Vikir ran was toward the sewers where the children gathered.

It was too deep and dirty to go near.

Some children were already peering dangerously into the sewer.

Dolores quickly ran to the sewers.

As I approached, I saw the nymphet crying.

"Oh, the ball..."

The ball they were playing with fell into the sewer.

She knew that children were using the same old balls over and over again because of the lack of supplies.

She often bought us new balls every time we visited, but because so many children were playing with them, the balls quickly wore out and burst.

How sad would the children be if their new ball ended up in the sewer?

...when Dolores thinks.

"It's deep. Avoid."

Vikir's short warning followed.

"?"

Dolores turned her head in confusion.

...Damn!

Vikir jumped into the sewers. He didn't hesitate for a second.

Puff, puff, puff, puff!

In the disgusting sewage, Vikir moved like a swimmer and finally picked up the ball that the children had dropped.

Yay!

As Vikir emerges from the sewers, a group of frightened children approaches.

"Please don't play near the sewers; it's dangerous. I flattened that playground so you could play there, and...the ball is dirty, so I'll wash it and give it back to you."

casually said to Vikir while dripping dirt.

And.

"..."

Dolores looked at Vikir's wide, earthy back and suddenly felt her whole body become hot.

``What, what, why?''

His cheeks felt so hot that he placed a cold palm on them.

It was a very strange and mysterious feeling, and I didn't even know what it was.

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