“Quiet down, you bastard.”
Kkiing. Kkiing, kang!
“Why are you making so much noise when I told you to sleep? It’s time to sleep, time to sleep.”
Kangkang!
No, I can’t sleep now. It was too noisy to get any rest. Vaguely regaining consciousness, Leon felt something damp brushing against his neck as he wiped his throat. The surrounding sounds became clearer as he scratched his neck with his fingernails, feeling refreshed and ticklish.
Then, the voices around him became more distinct. Although his eyelids were heavy, Leon managed to open his eyes at the sound of a familiar voice.
“Grandma…”
Startled, Grandma, who was squeezing a towel over a basin, turned abruptly to face Leon. She froze for a moment, holding the dripping towel.
“Oh, I can’t die under my name, can’t die!”
Swat Swat!
“Oh, why are you hitting me with the towel, Grandma!”
The wet towel slapped against Leon’s shoulder, who was so exhausted that he couldn’t even lift a finger. Leon groaned, attempting to shift to the side, but he simply couldn’t move.
Kang!
The excited wolf joyfully approached Leon, nudging his face with its hind legs.
Drip, drip, it was unclear whether the endless stream of kisses or the wet towel was more challenging. Leon, feeling almost helpless, endured the wet, slobbery tongue of the wolf and Grandma’s relentless assault.
“Do as you please, everyone…”
“Why is a twenty-year-old more delicate than a fox? Very delicate, indeed.”
The towel that finally struck Leon’s shoulder was tossed aside. Despite being worried and rushing in at dawn, Grandma grumbled throughout the time she was wringing out her towel.
“I walked here with these knees, and it hurt so much. I might not be able to walk until the next year.”
“You should have waited. I was planning to leave today.”
Grandma shot a poisonous look at Leon, who almost certainly kept quiet.
“You almost died from a wild boar. How could I stay home? Huh?”
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.
It seemed like the torment wouldn’t end like this. Trying to find something to divert Grandma’s attention, Leon rolled his eyes and noticed a wolf that seemed much healthier than yesterday.
“Grandma, isn’t our wolf amazing? It got injured last night, but it’s already so lively.”
Grandma’s eyebrows twitched.
“Last night? This guy is talking nonsense. You’ve been lying here for three days, three!”
“…Me?”
“Yeah, you bastard!”
While it had been a while since he vomited blood, Leon didn’t know he had been lying down for three days straight.
“Oh, my, oh, my.”
Grandma thumped her chest, holding the basin, and walked out. She would probably complain to Demis outside, telling him to look at that foolish thing.
Feeling dispirited, Leon absentmindedly pulled his right hand out from under the blanket and turned it over, inspecting it front and back. Seeing the prominent blue veins on the back of his hand and the fingers that had become even more emaciated, he could understand why Grandma was worried.
Even without recalling the warning from the World Tree, the collapse of his body was evident. Living quietly in the cabin and refraining from using Adnaid’s power had seemed like it would improve his condition. However, for some reason, these days there were many occasions where he had to use his abilities.
Leon’s right hand suddenly dropped.
“I must be getting old. I didn’t have these problems when I was fifteen. Now, at twenty, my body is too different.”
Kiheung. The wolf snorted. As its nose tingled and its mouth slightly opened with a rush of air, something forgotten came to mind.
“Come here.”
He lifted the skin near its mouth to inspect his teeth. The bitten areas seemed to have healed, but he was curious if the missing fang had also healed.
“Huh? That’s strange.”
The hole where blood had only been oozing seemed to be filled. White fangs, perhaps even stronger and sharper than before, looked identical or maybe more formidable than ever.
“Wasn’t it here?”
Leon checked the opposite fang, and it was securely in place. The wolf, which had been quietly offering its mouth, licked its lips with a snappy tongue and licked Leon’s fingers. Whether it was real or not, Leon felt like he was in a dream.
‘Did I see something wrong? Was it all just a dream that Mr. Demis mentioned about the missing tooth?’
“Leon.”
Someone appeared who could provide answers to his questions. Demis, who had entered, shrugged his shoulders when he saw the wolf licking Leon’s fingers like a puppy.
“You’re awake. I asked Grandma to make you some tea. She was getting too excited.”
“Thank you.”
Leon pushed the wolf, which had been waiting, away while making an effort to get up. The wolf, as if it had been waiting, pressed its side against Leon’s thigh and sat down.
“But, sir, about its tooth…”
“Yeah, I saw it too. It grew back the next day.”
Demis checked the wolf’s mouth with a somewhat serious attitude. Unlike when Leon touched it, the wolf stiffened unpleasantly but didn’t growl. After checking both fangs, Demis withdrew his hand.
“It’s not just the tooth. The neck had healed surprisingly fast too. Now, I’ve only wrapped it with a bandage just in case.”
Demis pointed to the bandage that didn’t havr a trace of blood. Even for a veterinarian who specialized in inspecting livestock, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation, and confusion was evident on his face.
“It’s something I’ve never heard of. Your wolf might have some special power.”
“Special power?”
Demis scratched his stubbly chin.
“There are legends about Silver Wolves, right? Chosen by the World Tree.”
“Those are children’s fairy tales.”
“Well, my thoughts have changed a bit after the disaster. What we believed were legends might actually be true. The Sword of the Red Hero was originally an item from folklore too.”
Leon, the owner of the Sword of the Red Hero, blinked his eyes. Certainly, the Sword Adnaid was a story from ‘children’s fairy tales.’
“It might be good to look into it more, but in this small village, there are no specialized books or experts.”
The wolf, no caring whether they were talking about it or not, yawned widely. Then, it rested its chin on Leon’s thigh, blinked its eyes leisurely, and looked content. Feeling the pleasant body temperature and the right weight through the thin blanket, Leon gently stroked the wolf’s neck.
“Do you happen to know about Lord Wynderton collecting animals?”
“Lord Wynderton?”
Leon couldn’t hide his disdain, and after receiving puzzled looks, he realized what he had done. Even though he was an aristocrat, he had spoken to Demis like he was beneath him.
“I’m just a commoner; how would I inquire of Lord Winderton?”
“That’s the point, Leon. It might be possible.”
“What?”
This time, even the wolf showed interest. Neither Leon nor Demis noticed the wolf’s sudden alertness, its ears perked up, and its head raised.
“There’s a rumor spreading that your wolf saved Jackie by fighting a wild boar. Lord Winderton suddenly came all the way here, saying he would give you and your wolf the title of ‘Brave Village Resident.’”
“Brave… what? He came all the way here to say that? Lord Winderton?”
“That’s right. Anyway, he said he wanted to give that to you.”
A foreboding feeling struck Leon’s chest. Lord Winderton was the only person around who knew Leon’s true identity.
“He says he ‘absolutely wants to meet the great one.’”
Demis muttered with a troubled expression.
“Since when did you become Lord’s ‘great one’?”
“…Hahaha. Well, did the Lord go senile at an early age.”
That clueless noble!
***
A few days later.
It was unthinkable, but it turned out to be true. Except for when hunters were sent because of the Silver Wolf, Lord Winderton, who had shown no interest in the Mirakiki Village, appeared with his entourage of attendants.
“……”
“……”
People who had come out of their homes and workplaces lined the streets, politely bowing with discreet glances exchanged. Everyone knew that Lord Winderton wouldn’t come all the way here to offer the title of ‘Brave Village Resident.’ His purpose would be something else.
“Hmm, hmm. Where is our great one?”
The village chief, who had also come out and was bowing like the others, straightened up awkwardly. The village chief, who was surprisingly large and had three chins, lost his words when he faced Lord Winderton head-on. When Lord Winderton scratched his chin with the hand adorned with a ring, the gem embedded in the ring sparkled.
“Didn’t the lord ask about it!”
The mansion caretaker, who had been harshly treated by Leon last time, shouted at the village chief. The village chief flinched.
“… If you’re referring to Leon, he’s over there.”
When the lord turned his head abruptly, the sagging jaw swayed. Before long, he noticed Leon, who was trying to stand next to Demis, bending his body as much as possible.
“Oh, there you are! I didn’t notice you!”
Fuck. Leon muttered curses under his breath and locked eyes with the lord.
feels like locking eyes with a teacher; now you can’t escape
I wonder if the wolf will somehow be able to ease the burden on Leon’s body? And help him with the aftereffects of using his sword? 🤔
Also, what the heck does this Lord Jackass want now? 😒🔪