Smooch.
Next was the tip of the nose.
Smooch.
Lastly, the lips.
“Come on. Get up quickly and eat.”
The eyes of the wolf staring at Leon widened. Sparkling, crystal-like pupils fixed themselves on Leon’s lips. It felt uncomfortable to be stared at so intently, the gaze making his lips tingle, and he wondered if he disliked it that much.
The wolf stood up in one swift motion, swaying its tail as it went to the food bowl. Soon, its silver snout disappeared into the raspberries. Seeing this, Leon chuckled and looked at Grandma.
“He eats when I give him a kiss. From now on, whenever he refuses to eat, just give him a kiss, Grandma.”
Leon observed the wolf, its eyes thickly-lidded, as it earnestly wolfed down on the raspberries. He thought the gaze resembled that of a daughter-in-law who had skillfully charmed an outsider with subterfuge and seduction.
“Foxy little thing.”
“…But isn’t it a wolf?”
Instead of answering, Grandma swung her knife, swiftly slicing the cabbage in two.
***
As the straw hat dangling by the entrance grew misshapen, a silver tail swayed beside the basket. Leon clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
“Oh. No. Where do you think you’re going with those bothersome legs?”
Clang!
“I told you you’re not allowed, right? You stay here quietly.”
The wolf, showing no intention of backing off, merely twitched its tail. After a moment of hesitation, Leon’s hand went into the basket. He fished out a piece of bread that Grandma had packed for lunch and swayed it enticingly in front of the wolf. The wolf sniffed the air with its black nose, taking in the scent.
“Look at this.”
Snap! The bread piece soared across the air in a wide arc. However, the wolf turned its head indifferently without displacing itself. Leon scratched the back of his head.
“Should have thrown the cabbage…”
Just wasted a good piece of bread. Grandma worked hard to bake it with her bad back. As Leon walked toward where he threw the bread, the wolf limped behind him and picked up the fallen bread from the ground. While doing so, it looked at Leon with shining eyes, just as though it were waiting for praise.
Oh, this is really beyond what a person can endure. Should I just grab it and squeeze the life out of it!?
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.
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“Tbe tega sbeg ifu. Gbc’a obiibk wf ab atf obgfra obg cbatlcu. Efra.”
Ktf kbio, ofluclcu lucbgjcmf, qea lar ojmf bc Ofbc’r ijq. Par ygluta, yief fsfr rqjgxifv, ijecmtlcu j nlreji jaajmx.
Are you not taking me with you? Are you really leaving me, despite how cute I am? In spite of how much I like you?
“…No use being cute.”
Leon, who finally resisted the temptation, stood up with a sigh and patted the wolf’s head. Then, the wolf, under some hyperbolic spiel, hopped around Leon.
“Settle down! What if your leg gets worse?”
The wolf, which immediately stopped moving, threw a sharp look.
Just take me with you, then.
This was definite in his attitude.
Why was this wolf so capable of clear communication with humans? At this rate, it’s estimated that it itself could speak later on.
In the end, Leon sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“You’ve grown too big. I can’t carry you in the basket anymore.”
The wolf, understanding his implications, barked and led the way into the forest.
As they entered the familiar terrain, the wolf, who had been leading, turned around.
“What?”
Phoong. The wolf snorted, inspecting the ground again with its nose and dousing the path with sniffs. There were times where it would halt, turning its head left and right, its ears perking up at any approaching sounds. It resembled a sentinel, refining the road to make way for a king.
“What are you doing?”
Ignoring Leon’s question, the wolf continued walking. Leon, who had lowered his head at its display of unpredictable behavior, gave up analyzing the wolf’s actions and started searching for raspberries.
In the spring, there were many wild vegetables and fruits. Edible flowers waved their petals to and fro, tempting Leon and the occasional people who would pass by. Humming involuntarily, he basked in the warm sunshine, relaxing his body.
His bandaged wounds didn’t hurt at all. Of course, it was a tall order to move freely, so he had to use his left hand to pick the fruits, which wasn’t much of a big deal.
“Hmm, hmmm-.”
Leon then promptly filled the basket with bracken. The touch of his hand, sweeping the dirt off the bracken with his other hand, was light and playful. The basket hanging on his right arm gradually grew hefty enough to carry.
“I found you around here when you were little. You don’t remember, do you?”
Leon glanced at the familiar surroundings and looked at the wolf. However, the wolf lowered its body, alert and guarding his front. Even the fur on its tail was bristling.
Cold apprehension gripped his chest. Leon, who slowly put the basket down, was prepared to call Adnaid at any moment and looked ahead, ready for anything.
Grrr…
At that moment, the wolf growled, a rough and threatening thing.
Hop!
The bushes rustled, and a small furball popped out of the tree. The creature had a sweet chocolate-colored stripe on its cheek and back.
“…It’s a squirrel.”
Leon let out a disappointed sigh, releasing the tension in his body. However, the wolf quickly ran to Leon’s side, standing proudly by his side in some make-believe cant of protection. Meanwhile, the scared squirrel dashed at full speed to the top of the tree.
Screech!
A woodpecker on a branch above screamed. The wolf looked in that direction, revealing its sharp teeth in a fierce growl. It was so loud, it hurt his ears.
“Ah, stop, stop. It’s just a small bird. Why are you like this?”
The bold woodpecker cheekily looked at the wolf before flying away. At this rate, it seemed like it would drive away all the birds and small animals in the forest.
Leon still didn’t lower his guard but sat next to the wolf. His hand, marred with soil, stroked its silvery head.
“Did you get hurt around here? Still scared?”
Even as he spoke, a sharp pain stabbed his heart. It happened when he was young, but the pain from that time was still so striking. Remembering how he used to avoid his bloody hand, he understood the wolf’s sensitive response.
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”
The wolf tilted its head like a person would, alternately looking at Leon’s right hand and face and whimpered. Its black nose cautiously touched the bandaged hand but quickly recoiled.
The gaze that had fixed itself on the wolf became blank.
“Are you worried about me? Afraid something will attack me again?”
Its furry front paw lightly tapped Leon’s thigh. The wolf soon lay down on the ground, rested its chin on Leon’s thigh, and stared at him with sharp, blue eyes.
“….”
A strange feeling washed over Leon. He was the chosen warrior of the Holy Sword, the only immune person capable of purifying the tainted. Everyone reached out to him, pleading for protection and the world’s liberation. No one came forward to protect him.
He wasn’t upset about it. It was natural for a strong person to protect the weak—this was an unspoken belief. But why did his heart feel so uneasy?
The feeling of being protected was something he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
“Thank you.”
Leon gently swept his index finger over the wolf’s snout. It was the hand wrapped in bandages.
“But there’s no need to protect me from squirrels.”
With a grunt, Leon rose to his feet and lifted the basket again.
He ventured deeper into the forest. It was different from before, when he restrained his steps to leave food for the animals.
The wolf sniffed the bracken on Leon’s shoulder. Leon showed the bulky basket.
“No, it’s not needed anymore.”
Then why? Was there a different purpose for entering the forest?
Ignoring the wolf’s questioning gaze, Leon walked slowly, leaving behind a path almost untouched by human presence. The dense foliage glazed his cheeks, and branches stretched out like spears.
In the silence of the deep forest, even the sound of falling leaves was loud. As the light slowly diminished, making everything darker, the wolf, much tenser than before, advanced ahead of Leon.
“Come to my side. From now on, you need to be careful.”
There was an irresistible command in his gentle call. The wolf, who approached steadily, sniffed Leon’s thigh with its snout. The injured hand still emitted a faint smell.
“Adnaid. How are you?”
The wolf perked up its ears. Leon conversed with nothingness, scratching behind the wolf’s ears.
“I feel the same. Was it a sudden action from Blackie?”
A moment of silence settled. Soon, a long breath escaped Leon’s lips.
“Well, for now…”
The wolf silently gazed at Leon’s face.
Worry marked his dense eyelashes. A slant of sunlight peeking through the leaves stuck to his cheek like a splay piece of jewel. If you listened closely, his heartbeat paced faster than usual.
Leon, who had suddenly appeared in a fortress like this, saving himself, seemed tense. Not only his face, but even the muscles in his neck appeared rigid.
Why? What could be the reason? Is there anything I could do to help? Without realizing it, the wolf stared into the distant shadows that lurked far away.
why does it sounds as if they’ve been together for years but it’s actually not even been that long 😂
Trauma bonding? 😅
When he said he should’ve thrown the cabbage 😂
And then when he said the wolf would start talking one day, I was like Leon you should ve more careful with that crow mouth of yours 😂
Thank you for the translation 💖
ur welcomeee💛💛💛