A moist, crimson tongue licked pale skin. Now that he’s not even a wolf cub anymore, it would be nice if he could stop this licking behavior.
“I love you, my woman.”
“…I’m a man.”
“Then, my man.”
He has no idea what went wrong.
Leon pushed away the massive shoulders earnestly crushing him.
“What kind of manners are these at the dining table? Who taught you home etiquette?”
“I learned it from Leon.”
“….”
“You used to kiss me every time we had a meal.”
“….”
“Now that I’m grown up, you no longer love me? Is that why you hate kissing me too?”
His gaze momentarily dropped, and his eyelashes drooped pitifully.
“Are you going to abandon me someday, Leon?”
“…Why would things turn out like that? Why would I abandon you?”
“Allow me to kiss you, then.”
Leon, who had been puckering his lips at the unreasonable coercion, seemed to surrender. He let out a sigh, relaxed his body, and then spread his arms. The man, like a contented beast, pressed his lips on Leon’s cheek and neck one after the other.
So, this is why people say not to raise a child indulgently like: ‘Oh, you cute little thing….’
However, regrets are always too late. While enduring the unpleasant aftermath of the forced kisses, the food that was once carefully prepared cooled to room temperature…
Embracing the whimpering man, Leon recalled his first encounter with the once tiny and adorable wolf cub.
* * *
A dimensional portal had just opened and the World Tree became contaminated. Every living being lost its reason.
Forests and mountains burned, rivers reeked with blood and corpses. Animals transformed into monsters, and people turned into demons, waging war against one another. The once prosperous Rodivoid continent, now touched by calamity, turned into a hellish realm.
However, even after the contamination of the World Tree, there were those whose minds remained uninfected. The world called them ‘immunes,’ later hailing them as heroes, and in the end, they were revered as saviors.
[He sought neither flags nor trumpets,
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.
Oh, crimson hero traversing the ashes of the black earth,
The dawn is your sword, the dew your shield,
Receive the praise engraved in my soul,
Lay your hands upon my head, guiding destiny.]
Five years have passed since the hero closed the dimensional portal and healed the World Tree.
Five years is quite a long time.
The fact that the hero who wielded the Holy Sword to save the world was just a fifteen-year-old youth with a stormy temperament became a truth known only to a few due to the passage of time.
Nevertheless, people often praised the hero and held festivals in his honor. On the day dedicated to honoring the hero’s achievements, red cloth hung on rooftops and red candles were lit, while mothers whispered to their daughters and fathers to their sons.
Someday, when the world lies in peril once more, a hero with fiery locks shall arise again.
But today is a day of peace, so let’s rest our weary feet, beneath the covers, in a slumber deep and sweet.
May the hero find tranquility, wherever he may roam, in a heavenly haven, a place like an earthly home.
Then, the children blinked their star-like eyes and prayed for the peace of the vanished hero.
* * *
Five years ago, a boy with ash-gray hair appeared in the small rural village of Mirakiki. The boy, so pale that his veins were visible and his wrist bones protruded, claimed to be looking for a job that extended benefits such as room and board.
The village, not long after recovering from the disaster, had no room to accept the boy. Even if there had been space, it would have been difficult to employ the boy as a laborer, as he appeared as fragile and precarious as a wilted flower vase.
However, it was not an easy task to abandon an unsupervised, what more guardian-less, minor. After much consideration, they introduced the boy to an old woman who lived in a secluded cabin by the woods. Since the old woman lived alone, it seemed reasonable for them to help each other survive through the days.
As time passed, the boy grew into a twenty-year-old youth.
“You! Are you still sleeping? Did you remember that an important guest is coming today or not, you rascal!”
“Ah, it really hurts when you hit with a ladle, Grandma!”
The youth swiftly escaped the bedroom, wrapping his head with both hands. As he ran barefoot, with peach-like soles pounding the floor, the old woman, sluggish due to her joint issues, grabbed the wall and only shook the ladle in a warning.
“I should hit you more; get to work right away!”
The fleeing youth, laughing softly, grabbed a straw hat hanging by the entrance.
“I’ll be back with more firewood! Grandma, take it easy!”
Just before closing the door, the old woman’s shout echoed.
“If you’re going, wear shoes, you rascal…!”
He chuckled, shaking his head. Then suddenly, he grabbed his head and bent his upper body.
“Ah, dizzy.”
The youth, who had briefly looked down and closed his eyes, snapped back to reality less than a minute later. He put on a straw hat, hung a woven basket on his arm, and whistled as he headed lightly into the forest. Perhaps his agile and slender figure made him seem even lighter because of his well-maintained body.
But in reality, he was the great man who saved the world five years ago, the ‘Red Hero’, who disappeared after the world found peace.
As soon as the disaster was somewhat contained, the royal family bestowed upon him numerous territories and titles. Originally, he should have been referred to by grand and awkward names like ‘The Guardian of Rodivoid, Lord of Gotsumia, Orion, and Tunerun, Lord of Filiburg, Gugothon, Eui, and Osrian,’ but…
“You lazy guy, I told you to wear shoes and go!”
“Yikes!”
Now, he was nothing more than a day laborer shedding tears due to a worn-out leather shoe hitting his head.
Leon picked up the fallen shoe and put it on his foot. When putting on the left shoe, he had to hop on his right foot. Afterward, before the old woman could catch up, he dashed away like a bullet.
“My head.”
Having been hit on the back of his head, Leon entered the quiet forest. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, jogging his memory at the familiar path. With each step, his long ash-gray hair swayed in waves.
He loved the forest. The refreshing scent of trees, the crunching of twigs underfoot, and the songs of birds that never grew to be tiresome. Moreover, each season, except winter, brought forth abundant fruits and mushrooms. How could anyone possibly dislike the forest?
Squeak- Squeak-.
Raising his gaze, Leon noticed a solitary black woodpecker crying out.
The bird had a black body adorned with triangular orange spots on its buttocks and legs, continuing the same pattern from its neck to the tip of its tail. Its distinctly yellow beak, stark against the dark plumage, repeatedly opened and closed.
While looking for bugs in the cracks of the tree bark, it got startled when a person suddenly approached it. Leon silenced his footsteps and distanced himself from the woodpecker.
After initially making a cautious sound, the bird soon returned to pecking at the tree, having categorized Leon as a harmless entity.
Leon, now a good distance from the woodpecker, cheerfully plucked mountain herbs and picked wild pears. The pears, rich in pigment, stained his fingertips violet.
Nonchalantly brushing his hands, Leon straightened his posture, momentarily enjoying the warmth of the sunlight filtering through the branches onto his hair and forehead.
However, he suddenly froze.
Holding his breath and straining his ears, the sound he had just heard became more distinct.
Kkiing, kkiing, kiing-.
The faint rustling of fallen leaves and twigs being disturbed trailed behind him. After a brief hesitation, Leon slowly lowered his basket.
Bending his knees slightly, further silencing his footsteps, he stealthily walked forward. He barely breathed throughout this careful approach. His fingertips, wet from touching the small, damp bushes, still retained their violet hue.
The emerald leaves rustled as they distanced from each other. Leon cautiously extended his gaze through the gap.
“….!”
A small, silvery puppy lay unbidden.
It was still a pup with claws not yet fully grown. The fellow, keeping its silvery body as round as possible, was whimpering. Its mouth was covered in blood, and there were evident indentations from bitten wounds on its face and side. The fur around the wounds was soaked in blood, making its appearance messy.
Squeak, thud.
The puppy raised its head to lick the wounds. However, its body hadn’t fully grown, making it insufficient to reach the wounds on its side. The puppy, struggling on its own, noticed Leon. The dilated pupils of its moist, blue eyes widened even further.
Kkaeaeng!
A small tuft of fur jumped up. Then, with its undeveloped body dragging along, the puppy tried desperately to move away from Leon.
Observing its front paw only limping while it crawled, it seemed the hind leg was injured as well. The puppy continued to look back at Leon while trying to escape. However, the fear in its black eyes, like the night, was overwhelming.
The puppy crawled behind a rock, hiding its face. Perhaps, it thought that by doing so, its entire body would be concealed.
Kkung, kkeuung….
Exposed buttocks and a short tail shivered pitifully. Due to its forced movements, blood oozed from the wounds on its hind leg, staining the leaves and soil a reddish hue.
‘It’s going to die soon.’
The whimpering was now quieter than before and lacked strength. Even the trembling of its body had gradually subsided. The puppy was slowly nearing its end.
Before he could think, Leon’s feet moved involuntarily. Pushing through the thick underbrush, and as the puppy heard him approach the concealed rock, it weakly opened its eyes.
Kkeuung…
The fur around its neck stood on end. Perhaps it intended to growl, but instead of a menacing glare, only a pitiful whimper emerged. Leon, displaying his open palms, knelt down on one knee. Then, very slowly, he reached out his hand.
Waang!
The puppy suddenly bit his finger. With underdeveloped teeth, it didn’t cause any pain. Its pink gums and tongue nibbled at Leon’s index finger. Leon patiently waited, holding his finger until the puppy calmed down.
The silvery puppy, which had been pretending to be a fierce beast for a while, either ran out of energy or realized the futility of its resistance. It released Leon’s finger.
As its eyelids, previously trembling, gradually closed, a single clear teardrop moistened its fur. The puppy’s mouth, appearing as if anticipating the impending pain and death, convulsed with fear.
“Good boy.”
Leon whispered in a soft, low voice as he embraced the puppy. Gently lifting it, bits of dirt, leaves, and blood fell from its body as it tried feebly to struggle. The puppy’s movements were so weak that it barely squirmed.
“Let’s go home and apply some medicine.”
Leon returned to where he had set down the basket. After discarding the gathered herbs and pears on the ground, he gently laid the puppy on a clean cloth. The puppy, now comfortably nestled inside the basket, buried its nose between its front paws.
“Rest well.”
Scratching behind the uninjured ear, Leon looked at the puppy as it raised its clear eyes. The puppy stared at Leon for a while. Then, cautiously, it nuzzled its head against his hand, and as if fainting, closed its eyes.
Leon’s steps quickened as he returned to the cabin. However, the basket with the sleeping silvery puppy remained completely still.
No comment yet? :0
I’m not usually one to follow chapters are they’re published, I like to stock pile and then read a lot in one single go. But I’m interested in this book and I wanna help support and encourage, so I’ll try my best to remember the publishing days and come check.
Thank you very much for your hard work deqr translator <3
This is only just the first chapter but it’s already so unbearably cute, I can’t 🥺🤧
As they’re published* 😂
Dear translator* 😂😂
Thank you soooo much for your support~😍💛
<3 thank you for translating!I wonder if a better translation would be ‘pursed’ instead of puckered at the beginning, because puckering his lips sounds like MC wanted to kiss rather than being coerced haha.