“Mr. Gio?”
Joo-Hyun tilted her head, her neck wrapped with Sankallut like a scarf.
“Is sothing wrong? You said you wanted to rest for a while, so I didn’t schedule anything. Are you just bored of staying at the cabin?”
“There will never co a day, not even if I live to my last breath, that I grow bored of staying in that cabin.”
“Then what brings you to my place today? You usually send a letter in advance, but I didn’t get anything this ti. Is there sothing you wanted to talk about?”
“Have you ever raised a dog?”
“Um... no?”
A dog? Out of nowhere?
“A dog?”
“A cute puppy.”
“Wait.”
That felt ominous.
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“I found so adorable puppies and I wasn’t sure how to help them.”
“If their parent’s nearby, the mother will take care of them.”
“They said they were hungry.”
“That damned hag...”
“I’ll assu I misheard that.”
“No, you heard it right.”
“I refuse.”
“Co now, Mr. Gio.”
Joo-Hyun looked troubled.
“I know it’s weird for to be saying this to you of all people, but... you’re not supposed to just intervene when a baby animal has its parents around. Where did you even see puppies?”
“In the destroyed Avilas Rainforest. I’ve ntioned it before—my hotown, also known as the infamous Black Forest. I had the chance to visit recently.”
“You saw puppies there? Are they actually puppies? I rember what you told about how dangerous and notorious that place is. I really doubt you're talking about ordinary dogs...”
“......”
“Mr. Gio?”
The portrait, stroking his chin, spoke proudly.
“Liking cute things isn’t a cri, is it?”
“...I suppose not?”
“And feeding a hungry beast isn’t a cri either, right?”
“...I guess not...?”
“Then I am innocent.”
“You might want to explain before declaring your innocence.”
“Oh, co on.”
Inevitably, the portrait’s hair turned a vivid red.
“I ca to share sothing adorable, and you greet like this? It hurts.”
“How do you get better at lying so shalessly by the day?”
With the fra’s center covered in thick black paint, it was hard to tell where his gaze was, but the fact that he’d gone full Argio was enough proof of how forced this situation was.
“What exactly are you trying to do?”
“My dear Joo-Hyun, you needn’t worry about anything.”
“Do you not realize I want to worry because of how suspicious you're acting?”
Groaning a little, Joo-Hyun hesitated before continuing.
“You’re not doing anything that could endanger the world, are you?”
“Oh, co now. What a terrifying thing to say.”
“That reaction was so theatrical it made more nervous. What do you want to do?”
“As I said earlier, I simply ca to share so delightful news.”
“The news about finding so puppies?”
“Yes. An adorable little family led by a seven-year-old head of household.”
Argio declared,
“They’re my children, too.”
“...You an like Honey? Or Dana?”
“If I had to pick, more like Dana. But they called father first, so I’d say our bond is even stronger. We’re a family proven by history.”
“And what scam are you pulling on that sweet seven-year-old boy?”
“This will all beco nourishnt and strength for him.”
“For whose nourishnt and strength?”
A heavy silence fell.
“......”
“......”
Joo-Hyun narrowed her eyes at the portrait and asked,
“Is this related to that Demon King project of yours?”
“...Possibly?”
“Go easy.”
Even as she said that, Joo-Hyun didn’t truly believe Gio was a divinity who’d bring pain and rage to the world. He might be called an evil god, but the most wicked thing he’d ever done was overfeed soone until they were bloated. He was more like a demonic grandma.
“If you ever feel like introducing to them, please arrange a eting.”
In the end, Joo-Hyun accepted the situation.
“If it would burden either you or this ‘young head of household,’ you don’t have to. I just figured it might help as your manager to get to know soone you clearly care about.”
“I’ll ask them once we’ve gotten a /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ little closer.”
“Thank you.”
Her tone and deanor might seem rough and blunt, but the feelings she stirred were never harsh. Even now, wasn’t she advocating for kindness in the na of the Black Cloak?
It won’t turn out bad in the end.
Joo-Hyun believed in her foolish friend, Gio.
“I’ve been learning to cook lately, so drop by when you have ti. If you tell what that seven-year-old friend likes to eat, I’ll make sothing for him. I feel bad just mooching off you all the ti.”
“A al prepared by you, Ms. Joo-Hyun—I’m truly looking forward to it.”
Argio smiled slightly, and his hair faded back to black.
“Then I’ll visit again when ti permits.”
“Take care.”
“May your day be peaceful.”
“......”
The portrait vanished.
“...Hmph. Puppies, huh?”
What kinds of food could canines eat again?
***
“My friend! I’ve returned!”
“Oh.”
The wolf, waiting at their eting spot, approached with a calm tail wag.
“Thanks again for what you gave us last ti. I couldn’t feed the seasoned ham or jerky to the pups, but that big hunk of at you specially brought for them helped a lot.”
“I was wondering how to deal with the surplus at anyway. As a cook, I prefer keeping my storage tidy.”
“You said it was from a golden step-lamb...”
The wolf sounded awed.
“It wasn’t tainted, so everyone loved it.”
The wolffolk and other surviving tribes had only made it this far by avoiding or neutralizing poison. But every other creature had been exposed to the plague said to have spread from the Black Forest.
That plague even threatened their als. The beasts of the Black Forest were not only vicious, but their at was saturated with toxins.
Adults with so resistance might survive—but young pups stood no chance.
“Almost everything we hunt is dangerous...”
“Then what do you usually feed the children?”
“The blood carries the strongest poison. We’d chew the at ourselves to drain it, then pass it to the pups. It works better than tools or herbs. We aren’t as clever as the foxfolk or crowfolk.”
“That must’ve been exhausting.”
“If we didn’t do that, the wolffolk would’ve died out long ago. It’s been seven years since my mother—the chief—returned to nature. I’ve had no choice but to work harder.”
“A young head of the household indeed...”
“Stop saying it like that! In our tribe, we’re considered adults at two years old. Our growth is way faster than humans, even if our lifespan’s longer. I’m not a kid!”
“And yet, leading a whole tribe at that age with such maturity...”
“Grrr... bark! Bark bark!!”
It wasn’t until the wolf let out so involuntary barking that Argio stopped teasing.
“Apologies. Your reactions make mischievous.”
“I seriously don’t know if your personality is good or bad...”
“If I had to choose—probably bad?”
He was an evil god, after all.
“May I visit your village again today?”
“...You already saw what it’s like. The wolves aren’t exactly thrilled to see you.”
“I understand. Makes sense, really.”
“They just grew up hearing nothing but terrible things about humans. That’s why they react like that when a human-shaped being appears.”
“I fully admit to the foolishness of humans.”
“Well... if you say so.”
“Besides, the children liked , didn’t they? I promised I’d co back. Don’t make into so cruel, heartless man who breaks his promises.”
“You already have permission. Don’t be dramatic.”
The wolf moved his massive body toward the “village.”
They lived inside enormous burrows, dug to avoid the toxins of the forest. To survive here with pups, they’d needed to carve out clearings free from corruption.
“Digging such tunnels must’ve been a feat. Impressive.”
“We’re not as good at it as the foxfolk. And our bodies are way bigger. It took trendous effort. We owe it to our ancestors.”
“Speaking of which, how do the crowfolk build their hos? They can’t dig into the ground.”
“I hear they build nests high in the trees—tying together branches they’ve carefully detoxified. Unlike us or the foxes, they don’t live communally, so that might make it easier in so ways.”
“They don’t stay together?”
“Most birds don’t, right? And I think the foxfolk only recently started living in groups.”
Even with human-like—or greater—intelligence, they still retained fundantal animal traits. Still, he hadn’t expected such separation in a world like this.
Sticking together seems safer, but being spread out would make full-scale annihilation less likely... I suppose both ways have pros and cons.
As they chatted, they reached the wolves’ burrows.
“Ahem.”
The wolf cleared his throat and lifted his head at the entrance.
“Awooooooo—!!!”
“Awoooo...!”
“Awooooooo!!”
A signal to announce “family” had arrived.
And a signal that I had arrived, too.
Wolves were incredibly sensitive, but they still communicated like this even when they recognized each other—probably to reassure their families: It’s okay, it’s safe, I’ve got this.
Then again, there are beasts who mimic others’ forms and voices...
The foxfolk had pretended to be wolffolk before—sotis for pranks, sotis to steal food. And in this forest, so creatures could imitate another’s appearance and sound entirely.
Being thorough is never a bad thing.
This world was dangerous.
“Co in.”
“My thanks.”
Following the chief into the giant burrow, Argio imdiately felt the eyes of the wolves on him.
“......”
“...Grrrr...”
“...Whimper...”
So were wary. So terrified.
The common thread...
They were all afraid of Argio.
“......”
Smiling, he lifted the edge of his black cloak and lightly flicked it. A pre-prepared offering of the day’s tribute—a sign that he ant no harm.
Before long, a mountain of at ford on the ground.
“Woof! Woof woof!”
“Eeeek... growl!”
“Whimper! Bark!”
The first to welco him were the wolf pups.
“Wait, kids—!”
“I said not to run up like that!”
Too young to speak, the pups had no idea why their parents were afraid of Argio.
They’d never seen anything like him. They hadn’t even seen foxfolk or crowfolk before. Differences in appearance didn’t an anything to them.
“Kuuuuh...”
“Goodness, how adorable...”
Gio approached, touched by the pure and charming way the pups wagged their tails. After all the obsession of rmaids and the cruelty of modern society, it felt like healing.
As the adults flinched, the chief spoke.
“He’s my guest. I guarantee his safety. Don’t make him uncomfortable.”
A firm tone from the leader. The mothers and fathers who had clamped their pups by the scruffs of their necks slowly set them down.
at without poison was incredibly hard to co by in this world. They had no intention of upsetting a guest who brought such gifts.
“......”
“...Hmm...”
Through the hesitant wolves, a friend of the chief stepped forward.
“Welco, guest. Sorry if we made you uncomfortable.”
“No, not at all. I feel quite welcod.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
Despite being thirty-five years old, the sturdy wolf seed to be one of the elders supporting the young chief. She bowed politely, then bared her teeth in a smile and asked in a friendly tone,
“Would you be willing to tell us your na today?”
“I believe I already did.”
The portrait smiled.
“Call Gio.”
Here, “Gio” was the word used to refer to beasts.
Arka sighed quietly, as if troubled. She seed almost scolding. From her view, he was using a fake na even though he had a perfectly good one.
“That’s not a na...”
“Why not? It could be.”
Because truly—he had no na.
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