Time quietly slipped by as the aftermath of the beast horde gradually settled down. The wounded had all been treated, the battlefield had begun undergoing cleanup, and the atmosphere of despair that had gripped the fortress earlier had completely disappeared.
Before long, the announcement to reopen the rift entrance echoed throughout the city, prompting countless hunters to gather and begin making their way back.
Kael and Lyra also left alongside the crowd. After exchanging farewells with Jonathan’s team, the siblings boarded a transit heading back toward the city.
The ride was peaceful.
Outside the window, buildings drifted past one after another while the orange glow of the setting sun gradually faded beneath the horizon.
For several minutes, neither of them spoke.
Eventually, Lyra turned to look at him, her eyes filled with equal parts frustration and lingering fear.
"You didn’t tell me you have becomed an S-rank hunter."
Kael glanced sideways.
"I nearly died from fright when you jumped into that beast horde."
There wasn’t even a hint of exaggeration in her voice.
Kael rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well..."
"I did tell you."
"You just didn’t believe me."
Lyra opened her mouth before pausing.
Thinking back...
He actually had said something along those lines.
She simply hadn’t taken him seriously.
"...Fair enough."
She admitted it after a few seconds before narrowing her eyes at him again.
"But how was I supposed to believe that?"
"It’s only been a few days since we awakened."
"A few days, Kael."
"How does someone become an S-rank hunter in just a few days? That doesn’t make any sense."
She continued staring at him before suddenly stopping midway through her complaint.
Realisation slowly dawned on her face.
"...Oh."
"It has something to do with your secret, doesn’t it?"
She quickly shook her head.
"I won’t ask."
"You clearly don’t want to talk about it."
Her expression softened slightly.
"But next time..."
"Don’t scare me like that again."
"Even if you don’t explain everything, at least give me a heads-up before throwing yourself into something like that."
Kael looked at her for a moment before nodding.
"Alright."
"I’ll do that next time."
The conversation naturally came to an end after that.
Silence once again settled over the transit as the siblings quietly watched the city pass outside the windows.
Not long afterward, they finally arrived home.
After unlocking the apartment door and stepping inside, Kael didn’t waste any time heading straight toward the bathroom.
The battle had left him completely soaked in beast blood.
By the time he stepped beneath the shower, most of it had already dried onto his skin.
Water poured over him continuously as he began scrubbing.
Dark crimson water flowed into the drain as layers of dried blood gradually disappeared from his body.
Eventually...
His skin was spotless.
Not a single stain remained.
Yet Kael’s brows slowly knitted together.
"...Still there."
He could still smell it.
The overwhelming metallic scent of blood stubbornly clung to him as though it had seeped beneath his skin.
He reached for his bottle of 12-in-1 shower gel and squeezed out another generous amount anyway.
Maybe another round of scrubbing would get the job done.
However several minutes later he admitted defeat.
"...Worthless."
The blood smell remained just as strong.
With a sigh, he dried himself before changing into comfortable clothes and leaving his room.
By then, night had already fallen.
The apartment lights illuminated the living room with a warm glow while the faint sound of cooking drifted from the kitchen.
Kael followed the aroma.
As soon as he approached, Lyra spoke without even turning around.
"You took longer than usual."
Kael leaned against the kitchen entrance.
"I was covered in blood."
"Tried washing it off."
"Good."
She continued stirring the pot.
Kael let out another helpless sigh.
"I wish."
"I still smell like blood."
"If anything, it’s even worse now."
That finally made Lyra stop what she was doing.
She turned around before taking a small step closer.
"Hm?"
She leaned in slightly before sniffing the air around him.
Once.
Then again.
A confused expression appeared on her face.
"I don’t smell anything."
"Just your shower gel."
Kael blinked.
"...Seriously?"
He wasn’t joking.
To him...
The metallic scent had become almost suffocating.
He could barely smell the shower gel anymore.
The smell of blood completely overwhelmed everything else.
Lyra looked equally confused.
"Yes."
"Why would I lie?"
Kael fell silent.
He didn’t doubt her.
Lyra would never lied to him over something so insignificant.
If she said she couldn’t smell it...
Then she genuinely couldn’t.
Which only made the situation stranger.
The smell existed only for him.
Before he could think further, Lyra smiled faintly.
"Come on."
"Dinner’s ready."
Kael silently pushed the matter to the back of his mind before walking over to the dining table.
Lyra placed two plates onto the table before sitting opposite him.
The meal was simple.
Freshly cooked rice.
Stir-fried vegetables.
Grilled meat.
Normally, the aroma alone would’ve been enough to make him hungry.
Today...
It barely reached him.
Every bite he took felt accompanied by the overpowering stench of blood flooding his senses.
The metallic smell refused to disappear.
Instead...
It seemed to grow stronger with every passing minute.
A faint wave of nausea rose from his stomach.
Still...
He forced himself to continue eating.
The last thing he wanted was to make Lyra worry even more after everything that had happened today.
Fortunately, dinner ended without incident.
The moment he finished, Kael stood up.
"I’m exhausted."
"I think I’ll sleep early."
Lyra nodded without suspecting anything.
"Good idea."
"You’ve had a long day."
Kael gave a small nod before immediately retreating to his room.
The instant the door closed behind him, the calm expression on his face disappeared.
He leaned against the door while taking a slow breath.
The smell...
It had become even stronger.
So strong that it almost made him sick.
His stomach churned uneasily.
"What..."
"...is happening?"
This wasn’t normal.
It couldn’t simply be because he had been drenched in blood.
He had experienced blood before.
Never like this.
Had he pushed himself too hard during the battle?
Was this some kind of mental aftereffect?
Some strange psychological response after slaughtering thousands of beasts?
He couldn’t find an answer.
After standing there for several moments, Kael finally shook his head.
"There won’t be any answers tonight."
He walked toward his bed before lying down.
"Maybe..."
"...sleep will help."
He slowly closed his eyes.
****
Meanwhile...
Far away from the peaceful apartment, within the Verdant World, the atmosphere couldn’t have been more different.
Inside a spacious office overlooking the fortress city, a woman quietly sat behind an enormous desk.
Even while seated, an overwhelming aura naturally radiated from her body. Her crimson hair flowed freely over her shoulders, and the pressure she exuded was enough to make even veteran hunters instinctively lower their heads.
Standing before her...
Was Victor Smith.
The same Victor who had calmly commanded an entire fortress during the beast horde.
Now, however, the commanding presence he normally carried had completely disappeared.
His posture was perfectly straight.
His head remained respectfully lowered.
The person seated before him wasn’t merely another superior.
She was one of humanity’s pillars.
An S-rank hunter renowned throughout the nation.
The woman known as the Scarlet Fist.