Blade of the Demon Hunt

Chapter 13 collaborator

The next day, Amir got up early and had breakfast at the restaurant before heading to school.Having learned from the previous day's experience, Amir waited at the entrance of the building for the car to arrive. Sure enough, within a few minutes, the same driver in the same car pulled up in front of him.This time, without waiting for an invitation, Amir opened the car door and got in.Before he could even state his destination, the door next to him was also opened, and Zahra, with a blank expression, sat down.Amir stared at Zahra's stunningly beautiful face for a moment, then, feeling a bit flustered, said, "H-hello."Zahra glanced at him in response but did not speak."Excuse me," Amir said, unsure of what Zahra, the silver-haired beauty, intended to do. If their destinations were the same, that would be fine, but if she planned to go somewhere else, he would need to inform the driver so he could adjust the route accordingly."Let's go," Zahra said coldly, but not to Amir.The driver, having heard her, said nothing more and started the car, heading towards Miracle City.Amir, puzzled by the situation, glanced at Zahra, who had already closed her eyes.Despite his confusion, he couldn't help but feel a bit pleased to be sitting with Zahra. The car was filled with a subtle, pleasant fragrance—not the strong scent of perfume, but a natural, fresh aroma reminiscent of Zahra flowers mixed with earth, as if blooming in the wild.Observing Zahra from such close proximity, Amir noticed her skin was almost translucent, with flawless, porcelain-like cheeks. Her silver hair looked as if it were coated in mercury, shimmering in the sunlight that filtered through the car window. Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he could almost see her gentle breath.After just a few seconds of looking at her, Amir felt his thoughts becoming restless. He quickly turned his gaze to the street outside the car window, trying hard to distract himself. He worried that if he continued to stare, he would unconsciously develop inappropriate thoughts, and he felt that even imagining such things in his mind would be inappropriate towards the beautiful woman before him.Zahra slightly opened her eyes and happened to catch Amir's blushing face as he turned away. She seemed somewhat puzzled by his reaction, watched him for a few seconds, and then turned her head back to close her eyes and rest.Feeling the weight of her gaze on his back, Amir's cheeks burned, as if his thoughts had been exposed. When they finally arrived at the entrance of Miracle City University of Science and Technology, Amir practically leaped out of the car, taking a deep breath as if he had finally found relief.However, Zahra also got out of the car and stood next to him."Um, Miss Zahra," Amir said, surprised that her destination was the same as his."It's still 7 PM. I'll wait here for both of you," the driver interjected."Oh, okay." Amir was momentarily taken aback but nodded.After the car left, Amir noticed that Zahra showed no intention of leaving and felt puzzled. Since Zahra seemed uninterested in engaging with him, Amir decided not to make things awkward and walked towards the school by himself. He trusted that Zahra, being as capable as she appeared, would be fine on her own.However, after walking for a while, Amir realized something was amiss. His "turn-back rate" was unusually high today, with nearly every passerby glancing at him and some even pointing. He looked down at his outfit—black short jacket, jeans, sneakers—nothing unusual or out of the ordinary."What's wrong?" A clear, melodious voice, as pleasant as the chime of a windbell, sounded from behind him."It's nothing, I was just looking around," Amir replied instinctively. Then he realized something was off and abruptly turned around to see Zahra standing behind him, her expression unchanged and calmly observing him."Um, Miss Zahra, why are you here too?" Amir asked, astonished."Didn't President D mention it?" Zahra frowned slightly."Mention what?" Amir wondered if there was something he should have known but didn't."I am your collaborator for this internship task," Zahra said coldly."Collaborator?" Amir was momentarily puzzled, then quickly realized what she meant. "Oh, you mean the rookie protection."Although Zahra didn't ask what Amir meant by "rookie protection," she simply said coldly, "Find the demon and don't waste time."Amir nodded, feeling mixed emotions. He was pleased to be working with the silver-haired beauty, but disappointed that she seemed to disregard him completely.With a blend of feelings, he headed towards Lina's department, finally understanding why there was such a high turn-back rate during their walk.Looking up at Zahra, he noticed that she seemed completely indifferent to the stares and whispers from those around them. She walked on, expressionless.She must be used to it, Amir thought. With such beauty and silver hair, she would attract attention wherever she went. Fortunately, her cold demeanor likely kept the more annoying admirers at bay.Soon, the two arrived at Lina's department.Amir saw his target from a distance—Lina, dressed in a white long dress and carrying a few thick books, entered the classroom. Assuming she had a morning class, he and Zahra walked to a small grove outside the teaching building and sat on a stone bench to wait for the class to end.Zahra didn't ask any questions, understanding that this was Amir's task. Her role as an assistant was essentially to step in and help only if Amir was in imminent danger from a demon. This measure was put in place by the guild to prevent injuries due to the inexperience of most hunters during their internship period.Her primary task was to observe Amir's behavior and determine if he had the potential to become an excellent hunter. She couldn't intervene directly or offer advice; she could only assist with minor tasks if requested. Any direct involvement from her would mean Amir's task had failed. This mission was something Amir had to complete on his own.With Zahra silent, Amir also found himself at a loss for words. The two sat in silence on the bench.The atmosphere was a bit awkward, with few students passing by since it was class time. The small grove was quiet, with only a few pleasant birdsong melodies breaking the silence."Um, Miss Zahra," Amir finally broke the silence.Zahra didn't speak, but she turned her head to look at him, indicating that she was at least paying attention."Is it true that weapons react whenever they are near a demon?" Amir asked. He had been curious about this for a long time but hadn't been able to confirm it."No," Zahra replied coldly."Oh." Amir felt that his own weapon, or rather the mark it represented, seemed to heat up whenever he encountered a demon. Perhaps Zahra's experience was different."Only under specific conditions will the weapon react," Zahra continued, providing a detailed explanation when Amir thought she wouldn't speak further. "The weapon will react when you have direct physical contact with a B-level or lower demon, or when the demon releases demonic energy.""Physical contact," Amir recalled the reaction of the mark on his wrist when he shook hands with Lina."Demons above B-level and some B-level demons are more adept at disguising themselves. Even if you have direct physical contact with them, there may be no reaction," Zahra continued, providing a detailed explanation with her usual lack of inflection.Amir nodded and asked, "I understand that, but what exactly is demonic energy?""It's the unique aura of demons," Zahra paused, still expressionless, and added coldly, "I'm not sure how to explain it.""I see." Amir stared at Zahra's beautiful, delicate face, suddenly feeling that she might not be as cold as she appeared. She could simply be unskilled or unaccustomed to expressing her emotions.With this thought, Amir's previously tense mood eased a bit.Before Amir could say anything else, the bell signaling the end of class rang, and students poured out of the teaching building.Amir immediately stood up and scanned the crowd, but even after everyone had left, he didn't spot Lina. He thought he might have missed her, but that seemed unlikely; he had good eyesight, and Lina's fresh appearance made her stand out among the students.Another possibility was that Lina was still inside the building.Amir considered this and told Zahra, "I'll go inside and look for her. Please wait at the entrance and let me know if you see a long-haired girl with a fresh appearance coming out." He gestured to indicate Lina's figure and clothing.Zahra nodded to indicate she understood, and the two exchanged phone numbers before Amir entered the teaching building.Since it was lunch break time, most students had already left, making the building feel unusually empty. As Amir walked around the first floor, his footsteps echoed in the silence.Not seeing anyone on the first floor, Amir decided to head upstairs. Just as he reached the corner of the staircase, he heard hollow footsteps coming from above.He paused and listened carefully. As the footsteps gradually receded, Amir identified their direction and quietly made his way up the stairs.Upon reaching the second floor, Amir peeked around the edge of the staircase and glanced down the hallway. He saw a white corner of clothing disappear into a room at the end of the corridor. He figured that Lina likely wouldn't be causing trouble in broad daylight, especially not in the school, so he decided to investigate further.The room at the end of the hall wasn't a classroom but a storage room used by cleaning staff for their tools, and it was typically unused by others.When Amir reached the door, he heard strange sounds coming from inside through the slightly ajar door.Soft rustling sounds came through the door. Amir stood at the entrance and listened for a while but couldn't discern what was happening inside.The door was slightly ajar, but the situation inside remained unclear. Amir gently pushed the door open and peered inside.The storage room was small, about ten square meters, with only a half-window on the wall directly opposite the door. Sunlight filtered through the dusty glass, casting a dim light and making the air filled with floating dust visible. Even at noon, the room felt quite gloomy.Inside, the room was empty.