Chapter 88

I understand you want me to translate a romance novel passage into English from first-person perspective, without any commentary. I’ll do my best to provide an accurate translation while maintaining the original tone and meaning. Here is the translated text:

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The chill of a fitting season settled in, like any other day, as the sun set and it was time to wrap things up.

Sighing deeply,

I muttered my complaints about my meddling nature and wandered through the dimming Blood Haven.

It should have been a time to sigh and sleep, having found nothing despite being covered in straw mats with not a penny earned.

But there was a reason. It was because Young Master, who had confirmed that he could discern the unique hues emitted by hostility from someone, had sparkled his eyes at me and made a request.

He asked me to lend strength to searching for those who hadn’t yet escaped from this place.

To find an assassin who conceals even the faintest aura, one must rely on the hues of hostility that inevitably leak out, even when hidden. Yet, simultaneously, it’s necessary to suppress the emission of hostility enough to avoid detection.

Given that I knew the geography here better than anyone else, and that I was capable of doing both these tasks, he made the request.

After accepting his plea to track down the remnants hidden here until they changed their entire trace, I nodded in a daze.

Immediately regretting my hasty decision,

“Turning back what has already been spoken would be laughable.”

Even if I lived a life struggling at the bottom, I didn’t want to show the ugly side of overturning a decision without special reasons. So, I calmed my sighs and continued on my path.

Though I didn’t understand how one could change their innate trace, seeing the extraordinary nature of Young Master, it didn’t seem like a lie. Thus, setting aside complex thoughts, I focused on the task at hand.

Despite the regret of making such an impulsive decision,

That regret quickly faded away when Young Master, who had opened the conversation by saying he’d make me a candidate for knighthood in his family if this matter ended well, appeared before me.

It was a letter of recommendation, filled with the resolve to bring in talented individuals regardless of their status, as instructed by his family during the performance of their duties.

There was no need to doubt its authenticity.

The high-quality parchment, with its ancient-looking script, along with the unmistakable, dense blue aura emanating from it, left no room for doubt.

Well, even if this weren’t genuine, the fact that I had received a piece of delicious bread from Young Master was enough motivation to explore this dark Blood Haven.

While there might be those who mock those risking their lives for something so uncertain, I didn’t intend to accept their mockery.

Better to risk my life on a potentially life-changing adventure than to continue living a life of begging, feeling envious and angry towards those who have more than me.

If the search fails and the inefficient guards keep the Blood Haven closed longer due to fear of responsibility, leading to a point where begging isn’t even possible, then facing the murderous spirits’ blades seems more fitting to my temperament.

As I pondered the heavy steps I took, various thoughts raced through my mind.

Once the rationalization of my heavy steps reached a conclusion, I began to recall the identity of the Young Master who suggested I become a knight candidate.

Surely, he wasn’t an ordinary person.

In a place like Blood Haven, which even common folk detest, casually spending a night here showed remarkable boldness.

His kind act of offering freshly baked bread to someone who had only borrowed a disgusting straw mat also indicated he was a rare type of human.

And on top of that, despite being around my age, he possessed strength that ranked among the top in this place.

Had I seen him from afar without confronting him directly, I might have shown a hideous face, spewing anger and jealousy.

Reflecting on his haughty demeanor, I realized that jealousy is a feeling one can only harbor towards someone they believe they can surpass.

However, that didn’t mean I felt nothing.

Recalling the luxurious parchment he presented when asking if I wanted to become a knight candidate, my thoughts expanded, and naturally, the accompanying imagination and emotions became vivid.

If I were to successfully become a knight candidate and work harder to become a full-fledged knight,

Would I be able to emit hostility with my own unique hue, like this Young Master?

No matter how much I thought about it, it seemed like an absurd fantasy too ridiculous for a homeless person like me to entertain.

“…Sometimes, it’s nice to have these kinds of thoughts to live for.”

Repeating to myself that living in this gloomy Blood Haven shouldn’t mean dwelling on gloomy thoughts, I concluded my fanciful self-rationalization.

…As I recalled, I almost smiled bitterly, realizing I had only been stubbornly justifying myself.

Thud-

A sound slightly out of place compared to the footsteps I had been hearing.

“…So, I’ve come this far.”

With a muttered realization, I quickly surveyed my surroundings.

The place I had arrived at was near the bustling Shaten, known as the city that never sleeps in Blood Haven.

…Now, however, the title “city that never sleeps” seemed inappropriate, as only a dark silence enveloped everything.

It was inevitable. Without any visitors or goods to sustain the pleasure district, what could be done?

Normally, one would hear the cheerful laughter of drunkards enjoying themselves.

The peculiar vitality of the pleasure district, enticing people with lights that never went out even late at night, had vanished, replaced only by darkness and eerie wind sounds.

This meant there was nothing to salvage here.

“…I came hoping, but as expected…”

Feeling dejected, I scratched the back of my head, suppressing the self-loathing I felt for coming here empty-handed, driven by a simple thought.

Even while suppressing this, I couldn’t help but acknowledge my foolish judgment.

No matter how ravenous the mad killers were, they wouldn’t spill blood without a person present, so why did I come to this desolate place?

Only now, thinking clearly, did I realize that if I were in their shoes, I would have hidden in every corner, waiting for the lockdown to end, or targeted the homeless for bloodshed.

“…Habits are scary.”

After scolding myself for my reckless act of entering Shaten based on a vague thought,

“…I should go somewhere even more remote and gloomy.”

Muttering softly, I turned around and started walking.

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