Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 121: Human

Chapter 121: Human

Despite being obscure and having a rather low reputation when compared to the major cities in the empire, Krobridge was by no means a small town area.

It was only low when compared to the major cities of the empire.

Its rich history provided it with fame that could not be so easily extinguished.

Of course, it was most famous in educational circles and this was because it was home to one of the first universities built before the Great Purge that happened 2000 years ago.

It would be strange to note that despite their bestial tendencies, the Creatures of the Night were quite particular about education, ensuring that those of noble blood received education on etiquette, hygiene, politics, and the like.

After the Great Purge and the revolution that happened after, a few things were left from that era, one of which was the educational systems and even the buildings used were not touched, instead retaining their shape even after several thousand years had passed.

Because of this, Krobridge was more of an city built around the university with towns coming about as a result of the city not being large enough to take the population that kept pouring in in an attempt to gain admission into the prestigious, Kro Institute.

Indeed, named after one of the Monarch Families of the Dark Ages, it had helped in the study of several scholars that had gone on to make waves in the continent.

Due to the Peace Accords, the institute was headed by the Vampire Dukes and though this was not known to the common man, rumors had it that apart from the upper school, the Institute had a lower area that was built to teach the Creatures of the Night unable to blend in with normal humans.

In any case, due to this, unlike BoneHaven which had to deal with the segregation of the rich and poor, Krobridge had no such problems.

At least, it wasn’t as blatant as BoneHaven.

Instead what mattered in Krobridge was knowledge, after all, if one could afford to get into the Institute, either with their own money or through a scholarship, it meant they deserved it.

Alex and Nadia were a bit taken aback by the upbeat spirit that encountered upon arriving at one of the neighboring towns.

Unfortunately, due to Alex’s exhaustion from hours of teleportation, they had no chance to check the city out, and instead quickly searched for a place to lodge to get some well-deserved rest.

After asking around, they found lodging to stay for a couple of days.

After paying for the time they would spend, which amounted to over 210 Kobo, 30 Kobo for each night they spent, Alex and Nadia retired to their room which was on the top floor.

Not even bothering to arrange their baggage properly, Alex collapsed on the bed and drifted off into a deep sleep while Nadia lay across from him, still awake.

Pursing her lips, her brown eyes rested on Alex’s chest as it rose and fell intermittently.

Without knowing it, she placed one hand on her chest and with the other, attempted to place it on his chest.

However, she quickly caught herself as she withdrew her hand and her gaze.

She found herself longing for something that she knew could never happen.

Maybe it was because of how they had traveled that made her feel so touchy, after all, while teleporting, Alex had kept her close.

Close enough that she felt his warm breath.

Close enough that she could almost hear his heartbeat.

Taking a deep breath, she calmed her racing heart and decided to meditate.

So far, she had only come up with two Abilities after strenuous mental exercises but she knew that wasn’t enough.

She was still at her Origin and her trial was still ongoing.

Compared to Alex, she was nowhere ready enough to face those Alex had faced.

Fatima, Basar, Ana... even the monster from last night.

It was easy to tell that despite her desire to help Alex, it would be an uphill task to do so.

But that didn’t mean it was impossible.

She still recalled the expression Alex had when she used a spell to save that man.

It was unfortunate he ended up dying but Nadia knew better than to sulk over an unknown person’s death for too long.

So even though it was hard, she accepted that sometimes there were forces one could not defeat no matter how much they tried.

In any case, the expression Alex had then was enough to show her that he wasn’t all-powerful and if she tried hard enough, even if they weren’t on the same spectrum of power, there would still be things she could assist him with.

With that newfound desire, Nadia quickly delved into her Domain, seeking out the power needed to fulfill her dreams.

***

It wasn’t until it was close to the evening that Alex awoke from his slumber.

Normally, he wouldn’t have slept for so long but after careful consideration, he realized that ever since arriving in Eventide, he hadn’t gotten a good rest.

It was always from one problem to the next, leading him to believe that maybe Eventide was out to get him.

It was troublesome but he couldn’t complain since none of his encounters so far had been a waste.

That was enough reason for him to console his rather bad luck that seemed to attract danger from every direction.

In any case, with the train destroyed and the airship strip still a possibility, Alex decided to get some rest.

He didn’t think it was completely necessary considering his healing factor but that didn’t mean he was about to let go of the opportunity.

No matter what happened in Eventide, no matter how strong Alex managed to get, he never wanted to forget what it meant to be human.

To forget what it meant to be a mortal man, to be completely and unforgettably ordinary.

He feared that if he allowed that to happen, he might never want to live in this wondrous new world.

That thought alone was enough to frighten the Hunter out of his wits.