The severed head, separated from the body, rolled like a ball through the trees. The remaining torso in its place slowly tilted to the side. Blood poured from the cut, staining Leon’s chest entirely red.
Thud!
As the heavy torso finally collapsed, a loud enough sound echoed through the mountains. It was indeed a colossal creature. Leon, still breathless, watched the black smoke wriggle out of the wild boar’s body and stood up, wobbling on shaky legs. Wiping his blood-soaked neck with his sleeve, he approached the wounded wolf.
“Are you okay?”
His whispered words felt foolish to himself. The wolf, of course, was far from okay. Blood gushed from the wound pierced by its fangs, making the area around its neck crimson. Leon, completely drained, knelt by its side with a heavy thud.
“It’ll be okay… It’ll be okay.”
Knowing it was futile, he used his hands to staunch the bleeding. Even if his fingers and nails got dirty with blood, it didn’t matter. Perhaps it was the mood, but the wolf’s body seemed to be gradually cooling, becoming more and more lifeless.
He felt utterly powerless. Despite being able to cut a boar’s throat without a dagger, he resented his inability to heal the wolf’s wounds.
“Leon!”
“Leon, where are you!”
Voices echoed from afar, including Demis’s.
“We’re here! Mr. Demis, the wolf is injured! The wolf is…!”
People appeared from the direction Leon had come running. Demis, at the forefront, rushed towards Leon as if ejected.
“Leon, are you okay? We came out to find Jackie and heard the noise. What in the world is going on?”
Demis, approaching, was surprised as he saw the badly injured wolf. Leon continued to press on the wolf’s wounds.
“Fighting with a boar, got bitten on the neck. There’s too much blood… so much blood.”
“Let me see.”
Demis quickly rolled up his sleeves. His calm touch, navigating through the blood-soaked fur, gripping the edge of the wolf’s neck, was composed. Leon held his breath and tightened his chest.
“Hmm.”
“Well, how is it?”
“He’s still breathing. The wound is deep, I don’t know how he’s still alive, but your wolf seems to be quite resilient.”
The heart sank first, and the head understood Demis’s words a moment later. Leon’s completely drained body slumped. He looked at Demis with a pale, strained smile.
“Thank goodness. Really…”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Demis, looking at Leon with his hand on the wolf’s head, gave him a strange look.
During the Blackie Incident, Leon was frighteningly calm. Misunderstood, coupled with words of gratitude, he was poised, icy like a sharpened cliff, and rock-solid, almost oppressive.
But now…
“He’ll recover soon, right?”
The face of the twenty-year-old youth, who asked desperately as if hanging by a thread, was as young as his age. Just as Demis was about to speak, people appeared, trampling on fallen leaves.
“Leon!”
“Oh my god. Look at all that blood!”
As several torches approached, the darkness retreated, revealing the wolf’s pitiful appearance. Leon looked up at them with his lower lip clenched.
He recognized the faces of the loggers who had come all the way to the cabin, claiming they needed to slaughter the wolf. If they intended to take advantage of the weakened state of the wolf this time, then…
“Do we need to bring the stretcher?”
“It’s in the back. I’ll fetch it. Fortunately, Jackie can walk, so it’s not a problem.”
A few people who had hurriedly run off appeared with the needed items. The loggers cautiously placed the wolf on the stretcher. It seemed unlikely to cause harm, but one could never be too sure. As Leon staggered to his feet, Demis quickly supported him.
“I heard from Jackie. The wolf protected both you and Jackie.”
“….”
“Jackie and Gemini will be grateful too.”
Leon nodded briefly without taking his eyes off the stretcher. Demis’s gaze was elsewhere.
“By the way, Leon. That dead boar over there doesn’t seem to be killed by the wolf, but it looks as if…”
Leon also glanced briefly at where Demis was looking. The head of the boar that had flown vigorously was stuck between trees, and fresh blood still dripped from the severed section.
“We were lucky.”
There was no need to elaborate. Adnaid, who had been thrown somewhere during the fight, had already hidden from view. Demis, being a careful and considerate person, wouldn’t inquire too much.
When they reached the boundary between the mountain and the village, Leon suddenly pushed Demis’s arm away.
“Uncle, you go ahead. I’ll catch up in a bit.”
“You’re tired too. Whatever it is, let’s handle it at my place.”
“It’s okay. I just need to take care of something.”
Assured by Leon’s words that he would catch up soon, Demis walked away. After confirming that people, including Demis, were moving away, Leon leaned against a tree and bent his waist.
“Ugh!”
Something hot and watery surged up through Leon’s throat. Blocking his mouth and vomiting several times, something thick splattered onto his palm.
It was red blood.
Leon bent his waist, sweeping his palm across the fallen leaves. Bending his body to that extent made his head spin, feeling dizzy. Leaning weakly against a tree, he wiped the traces of blood around his mouth with his hand.
“Child, you saved me, but your own body is the one that ended up broken.”
It was five years ago, a time that felt as dim as the past. The World Tree spoke, covering Leon’s head with fragrant leaves.
“You should use it wisely.”
Leon chuckled weakly, thinking that wise advice is often difficult to follow.
***
“Jackie, Jackie!”
Gemini ran out without even putting on shoes and embraced her husband. Jackie, with weak arms, finally released the sobs he had been holding in, facing Gemini.
Gemini, who had buried her head on her husband’s shoulder, recoiled at the sight of the wolf’s blood-soaked in the stretcher. Jackie, who received a water bottle from the villagers, raised his head.
“Gemini, this wolf and Leon saved me. The boar was so close…”
If he had been alone, he would undoubtedly have become boar food. The thought resurfaced, causing Jackie’s body to shiver.
Gemini, who had heard the whole story, wiped away tears and looked around for Leon. She spotted him walking weakly behind the group and quickly ran over to her.
“Leon!”
She hugged Leon tightly, just as she did her husband. Ignoring the fact that his clothes were still damp with boar blood, she showed no concern.
“Thank you. Really, thank you, Leon. I thought I was going to be left alone.”
Leon awkwardly patted her shoulder as she sobbed. Jackie and Gemini were also a young couple in the Mirakiki village. Having nearly faced an accidental separation due to an absurd accident shortly after their marriage, their intense reactions were understandable.
“I’m really sorry about last time. I… They were just called wolves, so…”
“It’s okay. I understand.”
“Ah, Leon. If there’s ever a time you need help, I’m here for you.”
“I’ve done what needed to be done. Just go and be with Uncle.”
With a tear-streaked face, Gemini brightened her smile as much as she could and ran to Jackie. Leon followed the loggers carrying the stretcher toward Demis’s house.
“Now, let’s put him down here for now.”
They had to temporarily place the wolf on the living room table. The tail of the now much larger wolf, sticking out beyond the table, was much larger than when it was first treated here. Feeling his throat tighten, Leon lifted the tail onto the table. The tail fur remained soft, untouched by blood.
“Leon, there’s no need to worry too much.”
After the men who carried the stretcher left, Demis opened a bottle of antiseptic, the pungent and sharp smell piercing his nose.
“Your wolf is fine. It hasn’t even been treated with a hemostatic, yet the bleeding has already stopped. I don’t know what happened, but quick wound recovery is a good thing.”
However, he added as he slightly opened the wolf’s mouth, showing the inside. White fangs were soaked in blood and in disarray.
“A fang is missing. It probably won’t grow back.”
“….”
The image of the wolf hanging from the boar’s neck flashed in Leon’s mind. Perhaps the fang was pulled out at that moment. Demis patted Leon’s shoulder, stained with blood from the neck and chest, as if wiping away blood but not quite succeeding.
“You need to rest too. Have a warm drink and get some sleep. I’ve sent someone to the cabin, so don’t worry about Grandma.”
“…Okay.”
Fortunately, Demis offered him an empty room, and the wolf was also moved next to Leon. After wiping his body roughly with a towel, Leon collapsed onto the bed, avoiding fainting as he did last time.
Looking around, he saw the wolf lying next to him, apparently asleep or unconscious. Although he knew it wouldn’t hear, he asked.
“Does it hurt a lot?”
Nng, kiiing….
A moan that served as an answer embedded itself in his chest like shards of glass. Leon barely stretched his arm to gently touch behind the wolf’s ear.
“Why did you stay still? You’re only one year old.”
Kiiing.
“I’m much stronger than you, so you don’t have to protect me. Don’t you remember seeing me at the lord’s castle?”
The bandaged neck looked pitiful. The bleeding hadn’t completely stopped as red hues slowly seeped into the white bandage.
“…Fool.”
With that word as his last, Leon also let go of the thread of consciousness. There was still a faint smell of blood emanating from his throat.
Seeing the two of them hurt is really heart-wrenching and all but.. I WANNA KNOW ABOUT THE PAST SO MUCH PLEASE WHAT HAPPENED. I’m so curious 🙁
( thanks for the chapter~♥ )
ur welcomeee<33333
I want Leon to be OP but it seems it’s not meant to be 😞
Also when they mentioned that a tooth was missing from the wolves fangs my heart ached so bad 🥺
Thank you for the update!
ur welcomee💛😆
I hope the black disper. stays away for good. And the hero gets to be happy