Chapter 127

“Wait a second.”

Rita grabbed Jacqueline, who looked like she was about to dash off.

“Don’t you remember what Professor Winslet said? He told us not to wander around after sunset.”

Jacqueline shrugged.

“Oh, he probably just said that out of formality. Our dorm has a ‘no going out at night’ rule too, but everyone still sneaks out. Besides, did you forget? We’re the ones he gave a secret mission to.”

“I think all he asked was for us to keep an eye on Guildmaster Dawson… And didn’t he say to come to him if we saw anything suspicious?”

“I tried to, but earlier he seemed so busy he cut me off and just walked away. Maybe something urgent came up. All the more reason for us to help lighten his load, right? Then maybe he’ll acknowledge us more.”

“Recognition from the professor, huh…”

Shannon murmured quietly and nodded, looking tempted.

She usually hated getting involved in troublesome things, but whenever Professor Winslet’s name came up, her eyes changed.

Jacqueline had clearly said it knowing that.

Rita let out a sigh.

“Jacqueline, you’re… how do I put this… You’re not usually like this, but when you’re about to cause trouble, you suddenly get really sharp.”

“Hehe, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It wasn’t one.”

“Anyway, you’re coming with us, right, Rita?”

Rita shrugged.

“I can’t just let you two go alone.”

In the end, the three of them really were perfectly in sync.

The trio, newly formed, rose from their seats and quietly slipped out of the guildhall.

And right away, they were caught at the door.

As it happened, a guild member with business at the hall was just coming in.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going on your own like that?”

The guild member asked, spotting the three.

Jacqueline quickly came up with an excuse.

“Uh, w-we’re just going to the bathroom?”

“All three of you, together?”

“We were told not to wander around alone at night. Uh… Professor Winslet said so.”

The man gave them a suspicious look.

But soon his expression softened.

“I don’t know what you’re up to, but I’ll let it slide. Just have one of you come help me out real quick, yeah? I’ve got a small errand I could use a hand with.”

“I’ll help you.”

Jacqueline stepped forward and motioned to her friends.

“I’ll catch up in a minute. Go on ahead.”

“Got it.”

Since she was the one who had dragged them into this, Jacqueline figured it was only fair that she take care of a bothersome errand.

Shannon and Rita disappeared into the fog, while the guild member led Jacqueline behind the storage building.

“So, what’s the errand?”

“See those people gathered over there? They’re homeless folks who’ve shown up. Think you could ask them to leave?”

Jacqueline’s mouth dropped open.

“What? You want me to drive out the homeless?”

“Yeah. Looks like they came begging for food, but once you give in to that, they just keep asking for more. That’s why you’ve gotta shut it down right away.”

“But why me…?”

“If we go over, things could get ugly. Plus, we guild members live around here, you know? We see each other often…it’d be awkward if things got tense.”

Jacqueline asked in disbelief.

“And what about me?”

“You’re an academy student. Once your volunteer work’s done, you’re out of here, right? So come on, do us a favor. You’ve been eating meals at the hall too. You can at least do this much, right?”

“Ugh… even so, this feels a bit…”

Jacqueline really didn’t like having to say unpleasant things to people.

When she hesitated and couldn’t bring herself to agree, the guild member offered, as if doing her a favor:

“If you take care of this, we’ll take you off night duty from now on. Sound good?”

“Night duty?”

“Yeah, stuff like cleaning the fish processing area and the storage room. The jobs we didn’t finish during the day. We’ve decided to start doing them again.”

“At this hour?”

This was news to Jacqueline.

She asked,

“Does Professor Winslet know about this?”

“Sure. We talked to him again and came to an agreement.”

“Really? That doesn’t sound like him…”

“If you don’t believe me, go ask him yourself.”

There was no way she could ask Professor Winslet. She didn’t even know where he was right now.

The guild member brushed off her concerns and urged her again.

“Anyway, you don’t want to be stuck with that job, right? So just go deal with the homeless and we’ll leave you off the night duty list. If any other guild members ask, just say you’re taking a break and drop my name. Got it?”

With that, the guild member slipped back inside the hall.

Jacqueline was too stunned to even argue.

“Seriously? He didn’t even tell me his name…”

In a way, it was a good thing she’d come out here to spy on Guildmaster Dawson’s storage.

If she’d stayed resting in the hall, she probably would’ve been roped into the night shift.

Jacqueline decided she’d talk to the homeless just enough to buy some time, then slip away to regroup with Shannon and Rita.

The homeless had gathered around some trash bins.

As Jacqueline approached, several of them turned toward her with expectant expressions.

Among them was a familiar face.

“Oh! That old lady from earlier!”

It was the elderly woman who had been sitting in the rain by the roadside.

She looked at Jacqueline with blank eyes.

“Do you know me?”

“Don’t you remember me, grandma? We saw each other earlier today.”

“I’m sorry, dear. My memory’s not what it used to be…”

As Jacqueline tilted her head, puzzled, an older man next to the woman waved a hand dismissively.

“She’s just senile. Don’t mind her. She asks me who I am at least three times a day.”

“Oh…”

“Anyway, you were sent by that union guy, right? To kick us out.”

“Uh, well…”

As Jacqueline stammered, the old man gave a bitter smile.

“It’s fine. No need to look so embarrassed. I figured this would happen.”

“You did?”

“I know how those people are. I knew they wouldn’t give us any food. The way we do things, we ask for something big first, and when they turn us down, we go for something smaller. But sending a little brat like you instead? They’ve really got no spine.”

Jacqueline asked awkwardly,

“Uh… then what can I do to help?”

“Huh? You want to help? Not just kick us out?”

“If it’s something I can do. Hopefully something easier than finding food.”

“Well now, aren’t you a kind-hearted young lady.”

The old man chuckled with a click of his tongue.

“Then could you get us a flame? The homeless shelter’s fire went out, and that’s why we’re out here this late at night.”

“A flame?”

Jacqueline’s eyes lit up at the words.

She was a mage with a natural affinity for fire magic.

“If it’s a fire, I can light one. Let’s go.”

It was also the perfect excuse to leave the hall, so Jacqueline followed the homeless out.

It was night, and the thick fog made it hard even for the homeless to find their way back.

Jacqueline started to worry about her two friends who had gone to check Dawson’s warehouse.

Come to think of it… how am I supposed to find that place again?

Jacqueline had forgotten just how bad she was at finding her way around.

“This here’s our shelter.”

One of the homeless pointed to a shabby wooden building.

They had arrived after passing through a narrow alley by the docks.

When she stepped inside, Jacqueline was surprised to find the place neatly kept.

“It’s nicer than I expected.”

“It’s run by some big foundation. They call themselves the Guardians of the Night or something like that.”

Hearing “Guardians of the Night” made Jacqueline think of the man who had taken the old woman in earlier that day.

“I heard there’s someone who runs this shelter. Where are they now?”

“He had urgent business, so he’s not around tonight.”

“Professor Winslet said the same thing…”

Strangely enough, both the homeless and the academy students were without their protectors tonight.

Professor Winslet wouldn’t just abandon the students like that. Where could he have gone? And letting the union assign us night work… none of this makes sense.

In the middle of what looked like a living room, there was a hearth that had gone cold.

Jacqueline rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward.

“If I light a fire here, will that do?”

“But how are you gonna light it with no embers? You got a flint or something?”

Jacqueline smiled confidently.

“Nope. I don’t need anything like that. I’m a mage.”

She closed her eyes, focused her mind, and drew up her mana.

Then, just as she’d been taught at the academy, she converted it to fire and released it straight ahead.

Fwoosh!

Orange flames, the color of her hair, flicked out their tongues and caught onto the firewood in the hearth.

It was something Jacqueline had done so many times that it now felt second nature.

“Ooh!”

“She really is a mage. Amazing!”

“Hehe, this is nothing, really.”

Jacqueline’s shoulders lifted with pride at their admiration, and she asked confidently,

“Is there anything else you need?”

“While you’re at it, could you fill the pot with some water? No one’s had dinner, so we were thinking of making some porridge.”

“Ah, that might be a bit…”

“What, can’t you use magic for that too?”

“I can only control the fire element…”

“But we’ve already got fire now. No need for more.”

Jacqueline let out a little whine, “Heeeng,” and the homeless people burst into laughter.

Contrary to appearances and common stereotypes, they were unexpectedly warm and full of personality.

Of course, since they didn’t wash often, they also literally smelled human in another sense.

Even among the homeless, there seemed to be a leader.

It was the man who had come with the old woman to the hall earlier.

He made Jacqueline an offer.

“Since you’re here, how about staying for a bowl of porridge? Emma managed to get some flour, and Billy went to fetch water from the well, so if you wait just a bit, we should be able to whip up something decent.”

“Huh? I’d feel bad accepting food from you…”

“Oh, come now! No need to be so polite. You lit the fire for us. It’s only right we treat you like a guest. Heck, should I even bring out the booze I’ve been hiding? Miss, do you drink?”

“I did have a taste once during a festival in my hometown…”

Jacqueline remembered how she had gotten swept up in the mood and drank until she was drunk only to end up vomiting all over her bed. The next day, her father had beaten her with a cane until she bled.

Ever since then, she had never touched alcohol again.

Besides, her two friends were likely still waiting for her after heading off to check Dawson’s warehouse. Jacqueline thought she should politely decline and get going.

But just then—

Bang!

The door slammed open violently, and a man came bursting in.

He rushed in so frantically that he nearly tumbled across the floor, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Billy! You went to fetch water. Why are you back empty-handed?”

The man called Billy panted heavily and shouted,

“Huff, huff! The door! Close the door—now! And don’t open it, no matter what! Bar it shut! Hurry!”

“What in the world’s going on?”

The homeless leader asked.

Billy pointed outside with a trembling hand.

There was a long, deep gash on his arm, and blood was pouring from the wound.

“M-M-Monsters! Monsters are roaming out there! They’re attacking people on sight!”