Rebirth: Childhood friend of the heroine

The territory of the Steelhound was known as Chainedvale. It is a very…unique name that the first patriarch of the Steelhound family decided on.

Alex reached Chainedvale by afternoon, aided by the lack of monsters along the route and the leniency at the checkpoints. With two major approvals in hand, he passed through without a thorough inspection.

One from the Academy and the second from the Steelhound.

The town was quite…dull in a sense. Most of the buildings were painted in red and black, and there weren't any overly populated markets here, like the ones back in Dunvale.

There were very few people around and more than the civilians; one could find the soldiers, wearing the crest of a hound, roaming around; cautiously, they patrolled, and once Alex's carriage passed by, they never missed sending a glare at him.

Alex rolled his eyes; they seemed edgy.

The weather of this place remains always good—the nights here are chilly and the days; warm.

The labyrinth in this single town easily exceeds any of those territories which were built for the purpose of containing labyrinths. Steelhounds catch so many creatures every single day that they can practically wage a war without utilizing a single soldier from their side.

Alex spotted quite many weapon shops in the vicinity and little to no fun shops around. Even the children he could see were playing with daggers, injuring each other, and laughing like it was a matter of fun.

'They are crazy, all right.' Alex blew a breath in amazement. He has never seen people this crazy before.

Soon the carriage came to a pause as the coachman informed, "We are here, dear sir."

Alex picked up his bags and hopped out of the vehicle not so long after.

He eyed the mansion before which he stood. The ominous three-storeyed building was painted in pure black, with a conical roof and barely any windows available.

Must be paranoid of long-range weapons users—Alex thought. Not so far away from here, the territory of elves begins. Steelhounds are actually in charge of the security of the veil around this corner as well.

"Seems like a house which one should not approach…"The carriage driver heaved a sigh as he stood beside Alex and looked at the mansion.

Alex took out some silver coins before handing them to the driver, "Here, for all the sweet gossip you shared. Thanks to you, I was able to utilize the noise isolation artifact I brought along."

The driver laughed as he took the money, "Honored to be helpful. Now then, see you!"

Once the carriage was out of sight, Alex stepped toward and approached the soldier stationed near the entrance.

"You can go in," The soldier informed before he pulled the barricade and nodded towards his comrade to pull the huge gates.

Alex didn't waste a word. Lifting his bags, he walked toward the door. Strangely, they hadn't even bothered to check the bags.

Just as he reached the doors of the mansion—

*THUD*

The bag he held dropped to the ground. Alex's body tilted to the left, his hand shooting up just in time to catch an arrow aimed straight at his chest. His eyes widened as he realized the arrow was coated in poison.

*SWISH*

He twisted to the side as another arrow streaked toward him, barely dodging it. His gaze shot to the first floor, where a dark figure leapt down, another arrow drawn and aimed.

"Quite a way to welcome someone," he muttered, drawing his sword from the ring on his finger. His eyes tracked the assailant's movements, reading every shift and stance.

*SWISH*

The next arrow sliced through the air, heading for where Alex would have been—had he not pivoted, letting the arrow sink into the ground just inches away.

A shrill laugh echoed from the attacker as they dropped the bow and drew a dagger, rushing at him with a wild gleam in their eyes.

*CLANG*

Their blades clashed, the metal ringing through the space. Alex dodged the flurry of strikes, each move sharper than the last, his reflexes sharpening as he studied the attacker's every move.

Step by step, they closed in on the wall. Alex held his ground, parrying each slash with growing precision, his focus unbreakable. Finally, he forced their blades to a deadlock, pinning the attacker in place.

He leaned in, meeting their gaze with a fierce glare. "My turn."

In a heartbeat, the tables turned. Alex moved with a flawless, relentless rhythm, echoing the assailant's tactics—but with a crushing force behind each strike. His blows hammered against the dagger, wearing it down, blunting its edge with each collision. The attacker's arm began to shake under strain, their defense faltering.

Desperate, they aimed a kick at him, but Alex caught their leg effortlessly. With a swift counter, he kicked their other leg out from under them, slamming them to the ground. Their head struck the wooden floor with a harsh *thud*, leaving them dazed, their weapon slipping from their grasp.

Alex stood over them, his sword poised, his gaze cold and unyielding. Alex leaned down, his knee pressed against their chest as he threatened, "Move again and I will take your head as my welcoming gift."

The person did move, however, just to lift the mask and reveal a woman in her early twenties, currently smiling with insanity filling her eyes. Her cheeks were dyed red and her sharp canines peeked slightly.

Alex's eyes widened seeing that face. He knew her…she is a named character who would be participating in the ascension contest.

Maybe it was because he was too stunned by her presence here, he never noticed when she wrapped her arms around his head and bit into his neck.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Hammm~"

Alex jolted out of his daze as he felt the stinging sensation on his neck and the vivid sound of his blood being gulped by the woman.

He hurriedly parted himself from her, and while covering his neck, he spat, "What the heck did you do?!"

"She…made a blood bond with you." A third person entered the scene and told Alex what just happened.

It was a man in his early twenties with similar black hair and red eyes as the woman.

Offering his hand to the lady who was still on the floor, the man asked,

"I am Eric Steelhound and you must be Alex, right?"

Alex calmed down a bit and nodded, "Yes, I am. But first, can you tell me what is wrong with her?"

"I am insane…insanely in love with you~~~" With a face full of smiles, the woman declared, and if not for Eric holding her hand she might as well have jumped on Alex.

Eric informed him, "She is the youngest daughter of the Steelhound family, Rebecca. And what she did to you is called Bonding…just like marriage in human terms."

Alex's eyes widened as he looked at the man in disbelief, "Did I get married to a crazy woman?"

"I am right here, honey. Let's get onto baby-making already~"

Eric sighed, "I would ask you to refrain from calling my sister crazy. She might be a little unusual but it cannot be denied that she is a part of our family."

'A little unusual?' Alex wanted to ask but he held himself.

Eric then said something to his sister, urging Rebecca to pout.

Her expression shifted when she looked at Alex and flashed him a smile and while waving, she made her way back inside the mansion.

"Come with me," Eric said before he began walking towards the left.

Alex followed the man after he picked up his bags and sheathed his sword.

"There are not many rules you need to follow while you will be staying here. Just, don't enter anyone except Rebecca's room."

"Why are you saying it like we are actually married?" Alex asked while rubbing his tired eyes.

Eric stated, in a matter-of-fact tone, "A vampire can only bond once, and Rebecca has chosen you as her partner. So yeah, it's in your hands to accept her or not, but the fact cannot be changed that you both are tied in a relationship."

Okay, that was fucked up. Alex didn't know anything about vampires and also the fact that the Steelhounds were actually not humans in the first place.

He had no idea why that woman chose him to be her partner, but Alex had no intention to continue what she started.

Soon, they reached a room on the ground floor, which was huge enough to accommodate at least five hundred people easily.

Alex was impressed by the facilities provided. There was a large bed, a dressing table, a tea and a study table, and several shelves of books standing at one side, and without even peeking at it, he knew the bathroom would be enormous as well.

Eric gave Alex the keys to the room and stated, "Rest, eat and sleep if you want, since around midnight, our work begins."

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A/N:- I have posted most of the illustrations on discord. Will make a glossary here as well.