Chapter 52: An Unexpected Stay and a Vanishing Predator

Lovelenica finally realized the direness of the situation. She had merely been drawn in by the hotel’s decor, which suited her aesthetic, never imagining it was a love hotel.

No wonder the front desk attendant had looked surprised when she and Lucia entered. The attendant wasn’t doubting their financial means; she was simply perplexed as to why two young women would enter a love hotel together.

And now, Lovelenica had brought her own student to a love hotel, even booking the same room! If word of this incident were to spread, Lovelenica would surely be branded a demonic mentor preying on her students.

Check out! She needed to check out immediately!

Lovelenica rushed back into the lobby, slamming her palm onto the front desk. She urgently demanded of the attendant from earlier, “I made a mistake just now. I didn’t realize this was a love hotel. Can I check out?”

The attendant’s face fell, a difficult expression clouding her features. The hotel strictly prohibited check-outs if there were no issues with the room itself.

“I’m sorry, miss, but if there’s no problem with the room’s facilities, we cannot process a check-out. There are no refunds for checking out either. How does that sound?”

“Tsk…”

Though Lovelenica had accumulated some savings over the years, losing 30 gold coins for nothing was not something she was willing to accept.

As Lovelenica grappled with this dilemma, Lucia descended from upstairs.

“Teacher, why don’t we just stay here? The environment actually seems quite nice, and it saves us from spending more money.”

“Cough, cough… I suppose so, but…”

Lovelenica cleared her throat twice, then leaned close to Lucia’s ear, whispering softly.

“When we get back, you absolutely mustn’t tell anyone I brought you to a place like this, alright? Otherwise, I’ll definitely be seen as a pervert…”

“Mm, I won’t say anything carelessly.”

Lucia agreed without hesitation. However, her ready agreement only made Lovelenica feel more like one of those lecherous ‘yellow-haired’ characters from certain ‘books’ who blackmailed pretty girls.

No matter. As long as Lucia kept quiet, no one would know what had transpired.

And so, the two ultimately decided to stay at the love hotel.

****

They spent the afternoon resting at the hotel, taking the opportunity to discuss the details of their operation further. After dinner, they arrived at the church early to conduct a final confirmation with the Priestess.

The Priestess believed the Bloodkin would be looking for suitable targets in the Northern Outer District next. After their final confirmation, Lucia and Lovelenica left the monastery together.

They went to a teahouse in the Northern Outer District and remained there until late into the night. It wasn’t until the stroke of midnight that Lucia finally left the now-closed teahouse.

Lovelenica had already departed half an hour earlier. After leaving the teahouse, she concealed herself in the shadows, secretly guarding Lucia.

Lucia, emerging from the teahouse, appeared remarkably relaxed, seemingly just an ordinary girl walking alone at night. However, this was merely a facade. In reality, Lucia maintained a high level of vigilance, constantly wary of the Bloodkin that might emerge from the darkness.

Yet, Lucia was already nearing the Northern Inner District, and the Bloodkin showed no sign of movement. Not only that, but the Bloodkin didn’t seem to have appeared anywhere else either; neither the Priestess nor the Night Watchers had reported anything.

Their plan didn’t require Lucia to wander aimlessly around the Northern Outer District all night. If she were to circle the streets for an entire evening, it would be far too obvious. Their initial intention was for Lucia to walk a single route before returning to her lodging.

Thus, Lucia walked all the way back to the love hotel where they were staying.

Upon Lucia’s return to the room, Lovelenica also slipped in through the window.

“That’s strange. Why didn’t the Bloodkin make a move tonight? Were we detected?”

Lovelenica found it puzzling. To avoid alerting their quarry, the Night Watchers’ area assignments hadn’t been adjusted; the Northern Outer District remained their weakest zone. Both Lovelenica and Lucia believed their auras were exceptionally well-hidden. So why had the creature not acted?

If the Priestess’s prediction was wrong, the Bloodkin hadn’t appeared anywhere else either. What exactly was going on? Had the Bloodkin perhaps eaten its fill the past two days and was simply taking a day off?

“Teacher, did you see anyone suspicious lurking around?”

“No, I didn’t see anything at all.”

Lovelenica shook her head, then moved to reassure Lucia.

“It’s fine. I wasn’t expecting to draw them out on the very first day anyway. We’ll just remain on standby here at the hotel. If they still haven’t appeared in other areas by morning, then we can rest.”

And so, the two stayed awake all night in the hotel until the morning sun rose. During this time, they received no messages or notifications from the church.

“…They really didn’t appear.”

Lovelenica stood by the window, dark circles under her eyes, gazing at the gradually rising sun with a sense of helplessness.

Lucia, standing beside her, also sported prominent dark circles.

“Teacher, should we go to the church first?”

“Yes, that works.”

The two went to the church, where the Priestess informed them that no traces of the Bloodkin had been found in any area of Calypso City the previous night. It seemed the creature had indeed gone into hiding.

Regaining their spirits, they briefly discussed the plan for the next two days with the Priestess.

They couldn’t understand why the Bloodkin hadn’t continued its hunt as it had in previous days. Had they been discovered upon their arrival in Calypso City, prompting the Bloodkin’s reluctance to act?

In any case, they decided to continue with the same plan for the next two days. If they still couldn’t draw out the Bloodkin, they would reconsider. Afterward, the two returned to the hotel to catch up on sleep.