(EP-302.1) #3
302 – Ho #3
After regenerating his wounds, Kubilai led to a place that looked like a cave.
Inside, a white wolf with fur as soft and rich as silk sat calmly. The beauty and fullness of its coat were incredibly striking.
The only unusual feature was its three tails.
As I was marveling at the peculiar wolf, Stella, who was beside , nodded and spoke a few words.
“I see. This must be the true master of the forest. I once saw a deer that ruled the Witch Forest. I feel a similar elegance.”
Elegance?
Now that she ntioned it, it did seem that way.
Kubilai then addressed the wolf.
━Mother, I have brought guests.
Mother?
So, this was Kubilai’s mother. The white wolf looked at us and slowly opened its mouth.
━Who’s here?
━It’s , Kubilai, your second son. I’ve brought guests. They have so questions about the cabin.
━Who?
The white wolf was busy licking her coat. I noticed that she seed a bit unwell, as if I were looking at an elderly person suffering from dentia.
As if to confirm my thoughts, Kubilai scratched his ear with his claw and said.
━Mother is quite old now, so she’s a bit absent-minded. She hardly recognizes these days. But in her youth, she was the master who commanded this forest.
I see.
So, Kubilai was sothing like the second-generation successor?
The white wolf then spoke.
━I am not the master of the forest. I rely guard it for a ti. Little fairy—no, half-fairy… I’ve heard you defeated the ogre Dordor and Kubilai.
Her speech was dignified. Sensing her elderly grace, I felt it was appropriate to speak respectfully to her, even though she was a wolf.
“My na is Theo Gospel.”
━I’ve never heard of that na. But the tale of a small fairy felling the mighty after the other… that, I have heard of.
Seuk.
The wolf extended a paw toward .
━Co a little closer.
At her words, I bent lower in the cramped cave and approached her.
Soon, she began sniffing around my ear and shoulder. I realized that it was gathering information about in her own way.
Animals could learn a lot from scent, after all.
━I see. So that’s how it is. There is a familiar scent about you. A nostalgic scent. She was a noble and beautiful woman. But she was stronger than anyone. I admired her strength, and I…
Cough, cough.
The wolf began to cough.
I didn’t know much about animal health, but it was obvious that this was a harsh cough, the kind that seed to burst painfully from deep within her lungs.
Once the wolf had finally cald after her prolonged coughing fit, I asked again.
“Was that woman the master of this forest? Was she perhaps a nymph?”
━Yes. She was a fairy with short ears just like you. 30 years ago… I can still clearly rember her appearance when she challenged . She was small, a child.
“What was her na? What did she look like?”
These could be the answers to the questions I had wondered about for so long.
So, with the urgency of a drowning person who had found a life jacket, I asked the old wolf everything I could.
━She had brown hair… and many scars here and there. She was a little tomboyish, running and jumping around like a boy… but just watching her brought joy….
The wolf’s voice trailed off as she rested her chin on her paws, seemingly lost in recollection. But then, I heard the sound of soft snoring. She had drifted off to sleep.
━Ah, I dozed off. Who are you?
“…….”
At this rate, it’s going to take forever.
* * *
━As you can see, Mother is a bit out of it. She was badly injured while fighting Solomon’s army. To help her regain so clarity, it would be best to get so lightning hazelnuts.
“Lightning hazelnuts?”
━They’re fruits that restore one’s mind. I’ll guide you, so climb up the tree and pick so.
Stella and I mounted the back of Kubilai, who had transford into a giant wolf.
Thud, clunk, thud.
The ride wasn’t exactly smooth, but the experience of riding a giant wolf was novel enough to excite my mind.
Stella chuckled.
“They’re not as dangerous as I expected. I thought that all the beasts beyond the wall would be ferocious, terrifying monsters, but this wolf is surprisingly gentlemanly.”
━Well, yes. But, until recently, this place was full of savage creatures.
“Theo-kun, what’s the wolf saying?”
“It says this place used to be overrun with savage monsters.”
━Lately, they’ve been quiet. But when things get too quiet, it makes worry sothing might be brewing.
Seuk.
The giant wolf turned its head and looked up at the sky.
I could tell it was gazing at the rift in the north. Both Angala and Kubilai had looked at that place with a heightened sense of caution.
“What exactly is over there?”
━The master of the north. Many challenged, but they all lost. Half-fairy, no matter how strong you are, it’s best not to go there.
The master of the north.
Well, I’m not heading north anyway. I only want to cross the southern wall.
Sususu-.
Then, an ominous wind blew from sowhere, and one by one, monsters began to erge from the bushes.
━Graaargh-.
━Grrrrr-.
They were skeletons—remains stripped down to bare bones.
Stella frowned as she looked at them.
“Undead…? Are these guys also Kubilai’s subordinates?”
But Kubilai raised his paw and smashed their bodies. Though the shattered skeletons just crudely reassembled their bones seconds after.
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