A gentle breeze carried the scent of flowers. The pure white petals, carried by the sweet fragrance, lightly fell onto Kedil’s reddened nose. Wiping away the departed tears, he brushed off the petals and smiled brightly.
“Thank you. Sir Leon, you are much warmer than I imagined…”
Grrr.
Kedil’s words were abruptly cut off. This time, the wolf was not looking at Kedil but at Leon, with resentment filling its blue eyes.
You’re bad. You’re guilty. I hate you.
For the first time, the voice of the wolf’s heart sounded so vividly.
“…What did I do?”
The wolf barked with its tail puffed up. Then, suddenly, it began to whimper pitifully, noticeably lifting its hind legs. Leon’s heart tightened, and a wave of emotion swept over him.
“You must be in pain. Shall I hold you?”
Before Leon could reach out, Kedil stepped forward.
“Shall I do it? Isn’t the wolf too big for the hero to embrace?”
“No, I’ll do it.”
Leon answered decisively and embraced the wolf. The wolf, which had been squirming for a moment to find a comfortable position, exhaled a satisfied breath and rested its chin on Leon’s shoulder. Its silver tail swayed happily.
My name is Baby Wolf. I fit perfectly in Leon’s arms.
…To say the least, the wolf had already grown quite a bit. Its tail protruded under Leon’s arm, and its silver body almost blocked the view. However, Leon nonchalantly lifted the wolf’s large body.
“Shall we go to the library?”
He seemed ready to carry it all the way there. The wolf, wearing a victorious smile, glanced at Kedil and soon turned away, proudly raising its chin.
***
“Are you in puberty?”
Growling, barking, and bouncing around, the wolf, having caused all sorts of commotion, finally chased Kedil out of the library, pretending not to hear Leon’s words.
Growling and sniffing around here and there, there was no point in bothering the wolf any further. Leon simply shook his head and, with a hesitant stride, stepped inside the library.
“It’s really spacious…”
A bit exaggerated, the library seemed large enough to fit the entire Mirakiki village. Rows of brown bookshelves were lined up, and it was impossible to see where they ended.
Perhaps to prevent books from deteriorating in the sunlight, thin curtains were hung on every window, blocking the outside completely. It felt like stepping into a secluded place cut off from the world.
“No librarians.”
Although there was a place for a librarian at the entrance, it was empty. The clean desk, devoid of even small items like pens or ink, suggested it had been a long time since a librarian was present.
With no one to guide him to the desired books, Leon had no choice but to search on his own.
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.
“You’re not allowed to bite books.”
The wolf snorted, waving its tail as if sneezing.
Fortunately, there were topic signs on each bookshelf. Leon stood in front of the “Zoology” section and carefully examined the book spines. Titles in various colors with gold and silver lettering beckoned to him.
“Everything about mammals. Revised edition of the bird atlas. Taming Falcons. History of hunting and poaching.”
There weren’t many noticeable books. It seemed he needed to check a bit higher. Leon brought over a ladder leaning against the wall. The wolf approached, ears perked, looking at Leon with a worried expression.
“It’s okay; I won’t fall. I’ve fixed cabin roofs before.”
Confidently, Leon placed his foot on the ladder. It was securely fixed, not shaking at all, and the steps were wide enough to sit comfortably.
“Nocturnal animal evolution. Animal behavioral studies. Stealing eggs from a bird’s nest. Wait, why are there such books?”
Then, a growling sound came from below.
“What are you looking for?”
Looking down from the ladder, Leon suddenly noticed Lord Winderton, who had appeared with a sly smile. Leon remained on the high steps, raising an eyebrow.
“I thought you had some business?”
“Even if I have a lot of work, is it as important as yours, sir Leon?”
Ignoring the Lord’s remarks, Leon squinted.
“I sincerely apologize for Kedil’s rudeness. Since he was young, he has been large in stature but lacking in intelligence, so he has never been capable of handling anything cleverly. Having only this one son, I wonder how this territory will turn out.”
“You should consider yourself lucky to have a son like him under your rule.”
“Excuse me?”
Seeing him blinking stupidly, it seemed even harder to believe that a son like Kedil had come from under this person’s rule.
“Never mind. I’m looking for a book about wolves.”
“I see.”
The Lord, glancing anxiously at the growling wolf below the ladder, asked cautiously.
“Because of your… splendid wolf?”
“Do you know where it is?”
“Yes, of course. Kedil will know, not me. I don’t frequent the library.”
Leon could bet his entire fortune that Lord Winderton had never explored the books here even once.
“I’ll call Kedil right away. He’ll be glad to help you, Sir Leon. However…”
“However?”
“There is one thing I’d like to ask of you, sir. Well…”
Leon, who had been silent, sat on the ladder step. His face, bending down to look below, was impassive.
“Are there conditions?”
“Well… if I have to say…”
“You seem to have forgotten who you are talking to.”
“…”
“Speak, what conditions?”
Lord Winderton swallowed a dry gulp. The pain from when the young man, who looked so white and fragile, broke his leg without blinking an eye flashed back. The broken leg automatically took a half step back.
“Well, no, I… not that. I wanted to ask for a favor. Lately, I’ve been a bit financially tight, and, uh, but I think I can handle it.”
“You’ve thought it through.”
“Yes. Then, uh, I’ll bring Kedil now.”
The lord hobbled away with his hefty body. However, the more Leon got to know him, the less he liked him.
Meanwhile, the wolf placed its front paw on the bookshelf, stood up, and stared at Leon with passionate eyes. Leon cleared his throat with a small cough.
“I’m not trying to show off or anything; it’s just that methods like this work well on people like the lord.”
Thump.
“I’m not bragging because I’m a knight. Got it?”
Thump, thump.
Somehow embarrassed, Leon descended from the ladder. Not long after, Kedil appeared, and seeing the bear-like man running hurriedly explained why the children burst into tears.
“Sir Leon, I heard you’re looking for a book.”
“Yes, about wolves.”
While speaking, there wasn’t much expectation. It’s not like Kedil had read all the books in the library. However, unexpectedly, Kedil’s face brightened.
“I understand that. It’s stuck in the Myth and Legend section.”
“… Not in Zoology?”
“Yes.”
Although Leon wanted to ask more, Kedil, excited that he could be of help, rushed ahead in the wind, making it impossible. Filled with the fact that he could be of assistance to Leon, he strode confidently through the library with wide steps.
From the ‘Zoology’ section to the ‘Myth and Legend’ section, there was quite a distance, so Leon walked half-panting.
“It’s this book.”
Kedil effortlessly pulled out the book from a height that an ordinary person would have had to climb using a ladder.
The book was quite thick and had a deep gray color. The simple title <Silver Wolf Mythology> was written on a cover with almost no decoration.
“I got it as soon as it was published and read it often. Now that I think about it, the wolves described in the book seem similar to your wolf.”
Unlike his father, Kedil handed over the book without any conditions.
“Thank you.”
“If you want, you can take it with you.”
“I’ll borrow it, read it, and return it. It must be a precious book.”
Books, in essence, are luxury items. Even if this book was made somewhat practically, the cost of binding alone would have been quite high.
“Then, will you come back to Lord’s Castle to return the book?”
“Huh? Yes, I will.”
“…I’ll wait.”
“It looks like a book you treasure a lot? Until you wait.”
Leon shrugged his shoulders.
“I’ll read it quickly and return it.”
For some reason, Kedil’s face turned red. Bowing awkwardly, he turned away, and his broad back moved away like a well-ripened apple. The wolf glared at him disapprovingly.
Whether Leon liked it or not, he sat down on the floor and opened the book. The old paper emitted a faint scent.
[According to the transmitted fables, the World Tree chose the Silver Wolves as the guardians of the world.
The World Tree, Wadedrasil, granted special powers and wisdom to the Silver Wolf tribe, making them beings similar to humans.
They could transform into humans, naturally speak, and typically lived in tribes of 20 to 30 individuals.
It is unknown why the Silver Wolf tribe guards the World Tree. However, as survivors of calamities, we can speculate about the identity of the evil.]
Survivors of calamities. Leon paused. It seemed that the book hadn’t been published for too long.
[Did the World Tree predict the calamity brought by the ‘Black Smoke’? Was that why it chose the Silver Wolf tribe as guardians, preparing for the calamity?
However, as we all know, the savior of the world was not the Silver Wolves but the great red hero.]
Leon flipped through several pages filled with embarrassing praises about the hero.
[Then, how can we distinguish between the wolves with silver fur and the chosen Silver Wolves? The most notable point is the Silver Wolf tribe’s extraordinary healing ability.]
Extraordinary healing ability. Leon gently touched the wolf’s muzzle. Just as the wolf opened its mouth wide to yawn, neat and menacing teeth were revealed.
One or two might have been missing, but they grew back overnight…
[Silver Wolves are paired with a lifelong companion from a young age. Various folktales hint at their obsession with their companions and are included in the appendix of this book.]
Obsession with a companion. Is it an important aspect?
It didn’t seem particularly significant. However, there might come a time later when he would need to seek a ‘companion’ for the wolf.
he found one himself already, no need to worry 😆
Yep. Full on obsessed already 🤣🤣🤣
My baby already found one and currently obsessed with him
My baby wolf …. my heart just melted 😍 thanks for the chapter
ur welcomeee😁💛