Volume 3 Chapter 147 The Confession Of Owl II
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The inverted pentagram drawn on the floor of the dark chamber pulsed with a deep crimson glow.
Layered incantations echoed in haunting harmony, their low resonance crawling across the blood-stained tiles of Vahid’s harem. A nobleman with long, black hair moved silently across the floor. This was Jibril. From a nearby wolfkin woman, he received a fragment of Black Onyx and calmly tossed it into the center of the glowing symbol.
”—Got you. At last.”
His lips curved in satisfaction.
The red light intensified. Shadows twisted within the pentagram, swirling as though dragged from another world.
A figure materialized within the circle—a man, cloaked in darkness. He locked eyes with Jibril and spoke with theatrical poise.
”Stone into iron, lead into gold, Black Onyx into Roses. What do you seek, dear guest?”
* * *
A shrill scream—sharp and unnatural, like torn silk—pierced the silence.
Kian and Linca, seated beside the bed while examining a sealing talisman meant for a jiangshi, exchanged uneasy glances.
”Sir Kian… was that—?”
”Sounds like a woman.”
Screams like that weren’t rare in sprawling cities. In the red-light district, women dressed in revealing outfits often attracted trouble—from drunkards or wandering Adventurers looking for a fight. Judging by the distance, this seemed like something the city guards would handle. Kian saw no need to intervene.
They were just about to settle back in when another scream rang out. Clearer. Closer. Real.
”…This is bad,” Kian muttered.
”We should check,” Linca said firmly. “Something’s definitely wrong.”
He couldn’t argue. Not when she was already reaching for her black shamshir, slipping out of bed without hesitation. Leaving her behind felt cowardly.
Kian followed, quickly dressing in his inner garments and throwing on the enchanted ‘Nightshade’ coat. He strapped his Misty Magic Sword to his back.
By the time he reached the stairs, Linca had already made it to the front door. As she unlocked it, Kian turned into mist and flowed through the second-floor window, rematerializing silently at her side.
”Let’s move!”
”Right. You’re a lot more justice-driven than I thought,” Kian said with a hint of surprise.
”If lives are in danger, helping is the only natural thing to do.”
With those words, Linca dashed into the darkened street. The cobbled path curved sharply into a stairway, but she leapt clean over the edge, vanishing into the night below.
Kian, who had long adapted to the rough codes of Adventurer life—where even kindness came with a price—felt oddly shaken. He wondered what someone like Sarah would’ve done.
(…She would’ve helped. So would Natra, Rufna, even Ms. Aliona.)
That thought left him with a strange shame.
Though his strength had grown over the past three months, his sense of morality hadn’t caught up. It hadn’t matured much at all. He didn’t really think about right and wrong.
And that’s why having someone like Linca Tsai around—a person with a grounded, normal heart—was something he was grateful for.
”I’ll go ahead.”
With his high agility and strength, Kian moved faster than most. In the tight alleyways, he vaulted over railings and walls with ease.
Behind him, Linca began using short-range teleportation, but in the dim light, it wasn’t enough to catch up. In the end, she activated a higher-level technique—an advanced form of ‘Leap’ known as ‘Domain’—and finally passed him.
”I’ll go ahead,” she said again with a small grin as she flickered past.
She reappeared near a group of working women clustered together, trembling.
Kian arrived half a breath later, landing near the entrance of a dim building—a brothel.
”What happened?” Linca asked, crouching beside the nearest woman.
From nearby windows, the candlelit faces of curious residents peeked out. No one dared come down.
”A… a fight,” one of the women stammered. “A bunch of men stormed in… they killed two of the customers. One big guy ran upstairs, then the rest followed…”
”A lynching?” Linca muttered.
Kian felt it too. A heavy pressure—a thick presence of death. The air reeked of blood.
”I’m going in,” he said. With a respectful nod to the women, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
”――――.”
The brothel’s first floor, lit by weak candlelight, resembled a cozy tavern—one known only to regulars. But now, it was chaos. Tables were overturned, food and drink splattered across the floor.
At the far end of the room, leaning against a broken table, lay a man in knight’s armor—his body drenched in blood.
The insignia of the Owl Knight Order was etched into the chestplate.
It was Gunter.
He was bleeding heavily from the throat.
”Linca!”
”I’m here!”
The Eastern swordswoman dashed forward, kneeling beside him. Her touch was practiced, swift. If he still drew breath, she would stabilize him.
Kian, trusting her skills, focused upward. The true danger was likely higher up.
Drawing the Misty Magic Sword, he made his way to the staircase in the back and ascended.
The smell of blood thickened.
The second floor was silent—empty.
He continued up to the third floor.
The first room was quiet. But when he pushed open the next door…
The floor was painted red.
Severed bodies—men—lay scattered across the room. Pools of blood soaked into the wooden boards, making it seem as though the second floor itself bled.
In the center, crouched within the carnage, was a hulking figure. A shadowed beast, slurping the blood from the floor with a grotesque, wet sound.
Kian stepped forward.
”Don’t move.”
”――――.”
The creature twitched. A piercing shriek echoed from its throat—a sound that didn’t belong in this world.
It lunged.
In a flash, a black blur aimed straight for Kian’s throat.
But Kian didn’t dodge—he struck.
With a single swing of his blade, he severed the attacker’s left arm. The sword’s magic slicing clean through.
”――――.”
The beast let out a scream—metallic, savage.
It didn’t fall. Instead, it twisted its form into mist and shot toward the window.
The wooden frame flew open. Cold night wind rushed in, scattering the smell of blood.
The candles had all gone out.
But the moonlight lit the room well enough… and Kian could clearly see the creature’s silhouette poised in the window, still watching him.
Kian saw the creature clearly at last.
The monster turned its head, as if finally noticing Kian’s presence, and locked eyes with him.
(Owl…!)
He barely held back a gasp.
For a heartbeat, Kian froze.
Then, as if breaking the tension, the creature—now taking on the twisted form of a vampire—spread its wide, shadowy wings and leapt into the night sky.
”Wait!”
Kian ran to the window, drawing the Windsong Blade from his side. With a sharp motion, he unleashed a blade of wind from the enchanted weapon, aiming at the flying figure just meters ahead.
But he didn’t stop at one strike.
He fired three shots in rapid succession, aiming to cut off the monster’s escape route.
The wind blades howled through the air, slashing toward the large, bat-like shadow.
Owl twisted midair, dodging with unnatural grace. But one of the three strikes clipped its wing, throwing its balance off. It staggered, crashing onto the roof of a nearby house.
Kian didn’t hesitate. He tracked the fall and followed.
Without a second thought, he leapt from the window, moving across rooftops, chasing the shadow that limped ahead.
”Please, stop!”
He shouted through the wind.
”Just give me a chance to talk! Let me understand what happened!”
There was no answer.
”I’m begging you! I don’t want to hurt you anymore!”
Still nothing.
But then—Owl figure stopped.
Just ahead, several meters away, perched beside the chimney of a steeply sloped roof.
Kian landed on the same rooftop, sword still lowered. The creature before him was hunched, its grotesque form trembling. Blood and saliva dripped from its fangs, running down its chin in thin streams.
Kian lowered the tip of the Misty Magic Sword.
”…Mr. Owl. What happened to you?”
No reply.
Suddenly, the monster’s frame shrank. With a sound like cracking bones, its shadowy form melted into a thick darkness, before reforming once again.
The armor-like wings of the Owl emerged from the murk. His left arm, severed from earlier, was pressed tightly under his right hand.
In eerie silence, he gripped the wound—and the flesh began to twist and grow. In seconds, the arm was whole again, perfectly regenerated from the elbow down.
”…Kian.”
Owl’s voice was calm, but heavy.
”What happened? Please, tell me. I’ll sheath my blade, if that makes it easier for you.”
”You sheathing it changes nothing. Your swordsmanship is more dangerous when hidden.”
”Then shall I throw it aside entirely?”
Kian asked this with a steady gaze. Perhaps sensing his sincerity, Owl relaxed. The air around him, tense and charged, softened at last.
”During the day, I was attacked. A group of adventurers came for me—under orders to eliminate.”
His voice was low.
”I visited a certain establishment with one of my subordinates. It was supposed to help him… deal with his instincts. We were drinking together when it happened.”
”…That was when Mr. Gunter was killed. And you ran upstairs to avoid exposing your true strength to the people there, didn’t you?”
Owl nodded.
”Yes.”
”And after that… you tore through the adventurers who followed you.”
”I would’ve died if I hadn’t.”
Kian said nothing, but Owl’s next act was impossible to ignore. He had not only killed them—he had gone too far. Their bodies were torn apart, their blood drained.
”You didn’t just kill them,” Kian said quietly. “You fed on them.”
At the remark, Owl’s feathers bristled in agitation. His eyes, hidden behind his dark lenses, shimmered red beneath the surface.
”Shall we stop with this questioning, Kian?”
”It’s necessary,” Kian answered. “I need to know. Have you lost your mind… or are you still the same Knight who serves Princess Maribel?”
”…Do you think you could tell the difference?”
”That depends on your answer. Please, Mr. Owl.”
Kian opened his hands wide.
”I don’t want to fight you.”
There was silence.
Then, at last—
”…You really mean that,” Owl said. There was a faint bitterness in his tone.
”I’ve been saying it from the start.”
”Indeed, my comrade.”
Owl wiped his mouth with a folded cloth. It was a strange, composed gesture—like someone brushing away the remnants of a meal.
”…Kian. I won’t hide it. I am a killer. A monster. I feed on human blood. Not just occasionally—regularly. I’m dependent on it.”
”…Blood dependency?”
Kian’s brow furrowed as he repeated the term.
Owl nodded.
”There are people addicted to alcohol, to gambling, to drugs. For me, it’s blood.”
He exhaled slowly.
”I told you before—I was created to serve the first Thorn Demon. I don’t remember much from that time. But I know… I was ordered to collect blood. Every day. Without question.”
He looked away, as if recalling something distant.
”I did as I was told. I gathered human blood, again and again… until, one day, I regained my self-awareness. But by then, it was too late. The thirst didn’t go away. Even after I broke free from that command, the need to drink blood remained.”
”And since then…” Kian asked quietly, “you’ve continued to… feed?”
”I chose who. Only those who had already killed. Criminals. Soldiers on the battlefield.”
”But that doesn’t make it right. There’s no justice in killing based on personal judgment. Law exists for a reason. If everyone punished people based on what they felt was right, the world would fall apart. You understand that, don’t you?”
”…I do. It’s the rules of human society.”
”Then why?”
Owl lifted his gaze.
”Kian. You follow Azrael, don’t you? Do you remember the scripture? Chapter 3, verse 2. ‘With his left hand, Azrael reaps the lives of sinners. He drinks the blood that flows from their wounds… and in doing so, delivers their souls.’”
He gave a faint smile, one filled with irony.
”I follow that path. That’s what allowed me to live with what I am.”
It was clear now—Owl’s sense of morality had long since diverged from that of a normal man.
Then again, Kian himself had blood on his hands. He had killed before—many times. In the past few months alone, he may have taken more lives than Owl.
And he followed Azrael’s Dance Swordsmanship—a lethal art built for nothing but death.
He, too, had long stepped away from ordinary ethics.
So Kian said nothing in return.
”…The guilt never left,” Owl continued. “But Azrael’s teachings helped me believe I could still serve a purpose. If the sinner’s blood could cleanse their soul… then maybe, just maybe, I could forgive myself for being a knight who drinks human blood.”
He spoke quietly, almost as if confessing.
”I’ve lived that way ever since.”
Owl continued speaking, his voice calm but firm.
”Those Adventurers didn’t just try to blow me up. This time, they dealt a fatal wound to Gunter… and tried to kill me. They’re criminals. They got what they deserved.”
”So that’s why you drank their blood.”
”Exactly. Is there something wrong with that? I don’t believe so.”
”If your story is true, then… I can’t say you were wrong to kill them. You were stronger. You acted to survive. I can’t judge that.”
Kian’s voice was steady. Owl gave a faint smile.
”I knew you’d understand, Kian.”
With that, he held up a bloodstained handkerchief—and with a flick of his fingers, reduced it to ash.
By then, perhaps Gunter’s treatment was complete. Linca appeared on the rooftop, leaping lightly as she joined them. She must’ve seen the aftermath on the third floor.
Kian raised a hand to stop her before she acted.
”Linca. Lord Owl was the one attacked. He had no choice but to fight back.”
”No choice? You saw what he did, didn’t you?”
”I saw it… But we can’t kill him now. If he dies, who’ll protect Ramsey? If we misstep, the Hairkin could destroy the nearby villages by tomorrow.”
Linca hesitated at his words, then slowly lowered her weapon.
”So… you’re letting him go?”
”Mr. Owl, please return to the brothel and deal with the aftermath. I trust you understand—’dealing with it’ doesn’t mean silencing everyone involved.”
Owl nodded once.
”As the lord of this district—and as the one wronged—I’ll take care of it properly.”
”That’s all I ask.”
Owl gave a slight bow, then stepped off the rooftop with practiced grace, vanishing into the quiet street below.
At that moment, multiple bonfires lit across town—emergency signals flaring from the guardhouses. They were closing in.
Kian turned to Linca.
”Gunter’s safe?”
”He’s alive. But Julius…”
”I see.”
”The culprits were some of the Adventurers we let go earlier this evening.”
”I know. In hindsight, we should’ve kept them in custody until Friedrich arrived.”
”Kian… is it really okay to let that monster walk free?”
Linca kept her gaze on the path Owl had taken. Her expression was unreadable.
Kian shook his head slowly.
”For tonight… he’s a victim. And more than that, he’s crucial. Ramsey needs his strength. We can’t just kill him based on impulse.”
”Is he even… human?”
”We can still speak with him. We can reason with him. That’s enough for now.”
Kian said it plainly, but even he wasn’t convinced. He knew this choice could be wrong. But tonight, there was no other path.
”You’re not the only one responsible for this decision,” Linca said, placing a hand gently on his arm. “I agreed too. If Ramsey falls next time, I’ll share that blame. It won’t be just on your shoulders.”
”You’re kinder than I deserve.”
”I’m just trying to do what’s right. Same as you.”
Her words were sincere—but far off the mark. Even so, Kian had no will to correct her tonight.
The two descended from the rooftop, taking a long detour to avoid the brothel where the incident had occurred. As they walked, a dark thought hovered in both their minds—
What if they saw Owl again, this time drinking the blood of an innocent?
Would Kian be able to raise his sword?
It wasn’t about liking Owl. Not even close. But…
Kian feared the consequences. The shadows that killing him might cast.
If Ramsey burned because he acted too soon… could he still say, “I didn’t know”?
This wasn’t something Maribel could warn him about. It was a decision of the heart.
If he couldn’t take responsibility, then maybe he had no right to stop Owl. And yet… doing nothing could also lead to disaster. Ramsey, reduced to a ghost town filled with the undead.
Kian bit his lip without realizing it.
(I haven’t confirmed that Owl is fully evil. Not yet.)
He hadn’t reached the point of choosing between two worst-case outcomes. Until then, he’d say nothing—to Maribel or the others.
But eventually, he would need to explain. To Sarah, to Natra, to Rufna, to Serena.
(Can I keep it secret…? Or is that even allowed?)
A face came to mind—his childhood friend, who had once stood beside him in battle against Umar. Even with so many secrets buried between them, this one felt heavier.
If he met with Natra and Rufna, he’d tell them everything.
As for Serena, he needed to discuss it with Sarah.
”Thanks,” Kian said as Linca opened the door to their hideout.
He stepped inside.
What was supposed to be a simple inspection mission had turned into a dangerous storm.
This is why you don’t say “yes” too easily.
Kian dropped onto the bed with a tired sigh and allowed himself a short rest.
* * *
The next morning, Kian began questioning the local residents about the mysterious “vampire.”
So far, all the victims were criminals—people who had escaped the reach of the law. But even among them, not all were evil enough to deserve death.
Repeat shoplifters. Conmen who tricked women into fake marriages. Small-time crooks.
Petty crimes. Yet they had still been killed.
Was it really okay to ignore this?
Owl didn’t seem entirely deranged yet, but the “blood addiction” he mentioned… That was a dangerous sign.
If it was an illness, he should be treated. But Owl wasn’t human. No healer would treat a monster.
Kian considered visiting Owl again, but the man had left early to visit several fortresses. At the castle gate, Kian was turned away.
His attempt to investigate the public cemetery was blocked by guards too. In the end, he had to leave Ramsey empty-handed, with no solid evidence.
By afternoon, Kian passed through the fortress gates and stepped out onto the road.
After confirming no one was nearby, Linca summoned Nue in a field off the main path.
While she was restraining the beast with a binding spell, Kian suddenly felt a gaze.
He looked across the moat, toward the white castle walls of Ramsey.
A girl with golden hair was standing there.
Her figure vanished the moment he blinked.
Just before she disappeared, he thought he saw something strange—like thorny vines trailing along her back.
”Sir Kian, preparations are complete,” Linca called.
”Alright.”
He nodded, still glancing toward where the shadow had been.
He called out silently for Glasses, but received no response. She had been sleeping more often lately—it was likely she was still asleep.
Following Linca, Kian climbed onto Nue’s back and wrapped his arms around her waist.
It embarrassed him, the way her scent and warmth stirred feelings in him—even now.
With the silent beat of Nue’s wings carrying them into the sky, they left the green edge of Ramsey behind.
* * *
Later, deep within a cave, they parted ways.
Kian returned alone to the ancient temple, carrying only his own belongings.
Bathed in the glow of dusk, the ruins remained unchanged.
There were no signs of an attack by Jibril’s remnants. No messengers from the Beastmen had arrived.
The Wolfmen guarding the entrance reported no unusual activity. Kian walked into the corridor, heading for the left-wing room.
He found Sarah sitting inside. She stood and smiled brightly.
”Welcome back.”
”I’m back.”
”You’re early. The alliance’s messengers haven’t arrived yet. Neither have Lady Natra or Rufna.”
”I see. I’ll share my report anyway.”
Kian explained his meeting with Lord Owl.
Owl had promised to send reinforcements if a clash with the alliance’s elite forces occurred. But…
”Did something happen?” Sarah asked, noticing his troubled expression.
She didn’t press. Instead, she watched quietly, waiting for him to speak.
He told her nearly everything that happened—except for anything related to Linca.
His explanation focused on Owl.
”So, Lord Owl’s been feeding on the blood of the townspeople,” Sarah murmured, her eyes on the small insect-shaped golem flitting around Ninini’s mouth.
”Yeah. As far as I could tell, he’s only targeting criminals.”
”And he’s turning some of them into undead soldiers after killing them?”
”For the ones that are usable. The reanimated corpses have been attacking the living. The rumors about corpses walking again… it’s most likely Owl’s doing.”
”What does the princess intend to do?”
Sarah sat down, her expression growing serious.
”I haven’t reported it yet,” Kian replied. “If I do, she’ll likely order me to eliminate him.”
”I see. But if Lord Owl dies now, Ramsey’s defenses will collapse. The enemy will breach the fortresses.”
Kian nodded silently.
”Then the next order from Her Excellency Maribel would be for you to protect Ramsey,” Sarah continued. “Since you killed Owl, she’d claim it’s your duty to take responsibility. If you refuse, you’d be blamed for abandoning the people.”
”If word reaches the salon, the nobles will make sure I can’t say no.”
”That’s right.”
”Then… maybe we should just leave Lord Owl alone,” Sarah said lightly.
She added, “We can’t carry the weight of every burden. We have our own lives to live. The audit is done. When Lady Eleonora and the Guild staff arrive, we’ll withdraw.”
”But I was the one who let Owl go. If Ramsey becomes a graveyard because of that, the blame falls on me.”
”You idiot.”
She flicked his forehead, causing his head to jerk back.
Standing with hands on her hips, Sarah gave him a sharp look.
”That’s your bad habit. Just because you let something happen doesn’t mean you have to shoulder everything. Don’t overthink it. You’re too serious about stuff like this. Even with women—if something goes wrong, just apologize and say you didn’t see it coming.”
”…Sarah.”
”Enough. You should rest for a bit. …Sorry for working you like a mule lately.”
”Aren’t you the one who’s been running nonstop?”
”Not really. I’ve finished the insect-type golem, and I even set up some barriers around the temple during breaks. So, no—I haven’t rested either.”
”Then you should rest too. The Union’s messenger should be arriving soon.”
”Yeah. …Well then, shall we sleep together? Your magic needs time to recover too.”
Her dark eyes sparkled faintly as she looked up at him.
Seeing her expression, Kian realized again just how much she had been enduring.
But… his current body was strange. All his hair was gone, and when aroused, strange tattoos appeared around his waist, making him look almost feminine.
”Ah… but there are others around, right?”
”Then, tonight.”
”Tonight, then. If it’s at night… it should be fine.”
”Alright, it’s settled!”
Sarah was quick to catch on. If he refused too strongly, she might suspect something. Especially with how long he’d been in Ramsey.
He had made some preparations.
As he gently pulled Sarah close, a sharp pain tightened in his stomach.
Notes:
• Linca – Jibril’s favorite girl. High-ranking warrior monk woman from Shin, with strong abilities like ignoring attacks and poisons.
• Mag – The wolfwoman under Yelmar—the one who was caught by Kian’s group earlier.
• Gunter – Male. One of Owl’s knights, fully armored in a turtle-like appearance. He is easily distracted by Linca’s charm and struggles to maintain professionalism. His relationship with Owl is one of a subordinate, and he is often scolded for his behavior.
• Serena – Wolfmen Girl
• Nue – A Shikigami summoned by Linca. It has the appearance of a monster with a tiger’s limbs and a monkey’s head. Nue is a powerful but dangerous creature that requires a skilled magician to control.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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