The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound

Chapter 264: Seasonal Discount on Sin (1)

After a long journey, Vikir returned to the dormitory of the Colosseo Academy.

“Go shower first, Vikir! I have some things to do…”

“What things?”

“Oh, just organizing the personal projects I postponed because of the university league.”

As Figgy entered the dorm room, he immediately began bustling around with something. It seemed to involve complex papers with numbers, charts, and graphs, likely related to finance.

Vikir silently headed to the shower.

[Splish-splash-]

Baby Madam stood still under the warm water, her black fur flowing, resembling a creature melting into the liquid. Normally, Vikir would have gently stroked the madam’s head, but right now, he remained silent with a slightly furrowed brow, all thanks to the noisy necklace that had been chattering away.

The necklace in question was the Seventh Corpse Decarabia.

[He-he-he-he! I am Decarabia! A forbidden existence! The savior of the species! A magnificent blend of grand destruction and creation! And in this activity of cleansing ourselves, I am fortunate to have you as my lovely mistress~!]

It seemed the creature’s voice was set to be heard only by Vikir, causing him considerable annoyance.

Decarabia seemed pleased to hang around Vikir’s neck and chest, creating a high-tension atmosphere throughout the return journey. However, the good mood ended here. As Vikir entered the shower and began undressing, Decarabia’s constant chatter abruptly stopped.

[Hey, contractor! Remember to carry me on your body even when you shower, as what if someone steals me if you keep me out… Huh?]

Decarabia’s eye in its almost circular shape widened.

[….]

Decarabia stared intensely at Vikir’s face.

[….?]

Then it shifted its focus downward.

Meanwhile, Vikir had been silently showering.

[….]

Decarabia became strangely quiet. The he looked up again… SHocked, then looked down again.

The eyes that had been moving up and down alternately suddenly closed.

Vikir, feeling the odd silence after the continuous chatter, tapped Decarabia with a finger carrying mana.

“…Decarabia. What happened?”

[…Nothing.]

The eyes, which had briefly opened, closed again coldly.

It was a considerably dry and formal response.

“…Well, it’s finally quiet now.”

If the outcome is good, then it’s all good.

Vikir nodded in satisfaction, wearing a content expression.

* * *

When Vikir came out of the shower, Figgy was getting ready to go out. As Vikir, with damp hair, wiped off the moisture using a towel, Figgy, holding a bunch of documents in his arms, spoke.

“Vikir, I’m going out for a bit!”

With so many documents piled up in Figgy’s arms that it seemed impossible to see ahead, Vikir, with a towel draped around his neck, sat on a chair and asked, “Where are you going?”

“Yeah, I’m going to show my personal projects to the professor.”

Personal projects referred not only to assignments given by the academy but also to individual studies that students undertook to enhance their abilities. Figgy smiled broadly and continued, “The ‘Mock Investment Contest’ is coming up soon.”

“The Mock Investment Contest?”

“Yeah, it’s a contest where you discover and analyze promising stocks or sectors in advance and make investments. The prestigious Bourgeois Clan sponsors it. There are many benefits if you win or rank well!”

“Wasn’t the Survival Skills Contest the last one? Seems like there are all sorts of contests.”

“That’s right. There are so many contests. There’s a swordsmanship contest, archery contest, magic contest, Rugby contest, eating contest, boxing contest, drama contest, singing contest, art contest, raising an excellent long-legged fly contest, twerking contest, and so on… Recently, there’s been a sudden increase in various contests, haven’t there?”

Since Vikir had sold rare pieces of Gnoll leather and donated a considerable amount to the scholarship foundation, various contests under different pretexts had increased significantly. All were meant to provide scholarships to students.

‘Professor Banshee is surprisingly doing a good job.’

Vikir nodded quietly. Although he had doubts about whether the scholarship foundation would do things properly, seeing tangible results immediately after the Survival Skills Contest ended made it somewhat trustworthy.

Meanwhile, Figgy finished talking and chuckled confidently.

“Since my grades are a bit lacking, I have to win awards in these contests to get extra points and fill up my grades.”

In reality, Figgy’s talent in combat was ordinary at best, but in all other disciplines, he demonstrated outstanding abilities. He excelled in administration, law, medicine, arts, and had considerable financial skills. Especially adept at acquiring, analyzing, and compiling information, he was well-versed in the latest news and updates about prominent figures in society.

(I heard he has won several times in the Excellent Long-Legged Fly Raising Contest.)

‘If Cindiwendy saw, she would probably go crazy and scout him right away.’

Vikir silently nodded his head.

“With your skills, you should be able to do well.”

Vikir, who was generally reserved in speaking, had a remarkable effect when giving compliments.

“…Thanks, Vikir. Thanks for always encouraging me.” Figgy, as if moved, kept his lips sealed. His eyes turned red and moistened.

Eventually, Figgy clenched his fists tightly in front of Vikir. “It’s good. I’ll definitely beat her this time.”

“…Her?” Vikir asked, puzzled. Figgy nodded, exhaling through his nose. “Yeah! Sinclaire, I mean! She said she’ll participate in the Mock Investment Contest!”

Sinclaire. The head of the Hot department. A commoner 1st -year who frequently made a name for herself all over the Colosseo Academy. In magic, she displayed talents as remarkable as Morg’s magicians. During the Cold Department joint class, she surprised everyone by skillfully handling various weapons like swords, spears, and bows.

Moreover, she excelled in everything else—theory, notes, certifications, part-time jobs. An alpha girl who was famous for being outstanding in every field. She even managed to secure first and second place in various practical and written exams while working part-time at the library cafe.

As a freshman, she achieved an astonishing overall eighth place in the University League, proving her star quality. Figgy, igniting a sense of rivalry, said, “Sinclaire is also said to be excellent at accounting and office work. That’s probably why she’s working as a librarian.”

“Is that so?” Vikir nodded, unaware of Sinclaire’s talents in economics and investment.

“As the Bourgeois Clan sponsors this Mock Investment Contest, many participants are aiming for prize money, scholarships, and even future job opportunities after graduation. Sinclair is probably no exception. I won’t lose! I’ll be back!”

Shaking hands and dropping a few papers, Figgy rushed down the corridor without noticing one sheet of paper that had fallen behind his heel.

Vikir tried to pick it up and hand it to Figgy,

But he ran away “Ah, it’s okay! That’s just a contest poster! I don’t need it!”

Figgy waved his hand, dropped some more papers, picked them up again, and finally stood up. Soon, the room was empty.

Vikir took a seat at the desk.

[Splish-splash-]

[Don’t drool on my body, you dirty puppy… No, spider? What is this?]

Baby Madam and Decarabia were on the desk. Madam was circling around, examining Decarabia, He seemed appealing to madam.

[Splish! Splish-!]

[Hey, I told you not to drool on my body, right? Well, don’t touch it, or, don’t climb on it, or just stay away… Oh, it’s a female?]

[Splish-splash…]

!

[Oh, A girl? Well, in that case, I’ll overlook this kind of rudeness. You may touch me all you want…]

Vikir infused mana into Decarabia and issued a command, “Open your eyes.”

[……]

After a moment of hesitation, Decarabia reluctantly twitched his body.

[Hmm. Alright, Alright. I opened my eyes. I can’t believe you’re a man with that face, well I won’t say no to a lady-boi…]

“What the fuck are you talking about? Open your damn eyes and provide me information about the Sixth Corpse.”

Vikir slapped Decarabia when he continued with his irrelevant remarks.

[Oh, that thing you asked about earlier? What was it… Right. It was about the information related to the Sixth Corpse.]

“That’s right.”

Vikir was questioning Decarabia about information on the sixth corpse, their next prey.

[The Sixth Corpse, huh? That guy was close with the Ninth Corpse. They were always together.]

Even in areas Cindiwendy’s investigation couldn’t reach, Decarabia had information. Even though it might be trivial, it was proving helpful.

Hearing Decarabia’s words, Vikir fell into deep thought.

‘The Ninth Corpse, known as Dantalian. He was wearing the skin of Quilt, the head of the Indulgentia family. Dantalian, who controlled Quilt, was closely connected to a figure in the Old Testament faction of the Quovadis.’

Investigating the Old Testament faction of QuoVadis might reveal some clues.

Even after the disappearance of the Indulgentia family, the Old Testament faction of Quovadis continued issuing and selling indulgences (Pardon sins with money). Although they temporarily stopped selling indulgences due to the ‘Dolores’ 95 Articles Counterargument Incident,’ they resumed issuing them recently in response to public demand.

Surprisingly, they even included seasonal discounts.

‘Given the current market trends, they must be thriving.’

Vikir decided to investigate the Quovadis Old Testament faction again. There might be clues connected to them or even hidden clues in an entirely different place than QuoVadis.

At that moment, a sensation, something like an unexplainable intuition, flickered through Vikir’s mind.

“….”

Vikir’s gaze shifted towards the entrance. There lay a poster that Figgy had dropped earlier.

[Mock Investment Contest]

While the flow of the economy is created by humans, predicting it through human power is unpredictable. However, the intuition of very few geniuses has a connection to the grand flow. If you think you’re included in that very few, please pay attention to this poster. The contest is sponsored by the ‘Spine of the Economy’ and will lead you to the grand stage of the business world.

Target: All academy students

Registration Period: Within one week after the poster is distributed (※ The poster will naturally disappear after one week)

Organizer: Bourgeois Clan