Fenrir
"Perfect."
"Charlotte-nim..."
"This is uncomfortable..."
Aurell and Hwanggu’s voices drifted up from below.
The two girls were plastered against the motorcycle’s frame.
It must have been an incredibly awkward position, but it was an unavoidable sacrifice if they were going to serve as my legs.
If Aurell and Hwanggu weren’t hanging on like that, the motorcycle would topple over in no time.
Apparently there wasn’t anywhere comfortable to grip.
So, for their sake, I stretched my legs out.
"Here. Hold on to this."
"Huh...!"
"Eek...!"
The two of them latched onto my outstretched leg at once.
The sensation of their palms clinging to my calves and thighs was strange, but if it was for riding the motorcycle, I could put up with it.
"Then let’s go!"
"Yes!"
"Y-yes!"
As if they’d never complained about being uncomfortable, the two girls immediately brightened and smiled.
After confirming that, I started the engine and twisted the handle.
Vroooom—!
The wheels spun, and a rough engine roar burst out.
Since I was already on the motorcycle, the massive vibration of the engine traveled straight through my body.
Then the bike lunged forward.
"Huh!"
It was pure speed.
I looked at the large building rushing toward us in an instant and jerked the handlebars hard.
Skreeeech—!
The sudden turn sent the motorcycle tipping dangerously to one side.
Because of that, Hwanggu’s tail nearly dragged against the ground.
But then—
Bang—!
"Hyaa!"
"Eek!"
"Ahhh!"
Unable to control the motorcycle’s speed, I ended up slamming straight into another building.
The impact threw our bodies forward.
Aurell and Hwanggu couldn’t withstand the shock either, and were flung into the air.
Their bodies spun rapidly as they rose.
And before they could dissipate that momentum, they began to plummet.
Thud!
At last, they crashed to the ground with a heavy smack.
The moment they rolled across the hard asphalt, Aurell and Hwanggu’s bodies came flying back down beside me and hit the pavement.
Thump—! Thud—!
Wincing, I pushed myself up from the ground.
Under normal circumstances, this would have been enough to break an arm or a leg.
But I was a race far beyond human, so there was no pain and no injury.
That would have been true for Aurell and Hwanggu too.
The two girls sprang back up to their feet after me.
"Charlotte-nim..."
Ignoring Aurell’s call, I walked forward.
The direction I was heading in was the front of the building the motorcycle had rammed into.
It was just a mistake. This was my first time riding a motorcycle, so of course something like that would happen.
There wouldn’t be any mistakes next time.
But then—
"Huh...!"
The motorcycle’s frame was horribly crumpled where it was embedded in the wall.
It had only hit the wall of an abandoned building, and yet it was wrecked that badly.
Hwanggu and Aurell, who had hurried after me, let out little groans at the sight of the mangled bike.
The front end was crushed inward, the handlebars bent at an absurd angle.
The wheels were in no better shape.
Bulging and warped, they were no longer round at all, but triangular.
The motorcycle was dead.
But I still wasn’t giving up.
That wasn’t the only motorcycle left behind by human players.
"A- ahem... I guess it was a little weird. Maybe it was already broken to begin with..."
I cleared my throat and muttered that carefully to myself.
But Aurell and Hwanggu didn’t look like they believed me at all.
They stood around the ruined motorcycle and stared at me with flat, blank eyes.
In the end, I turned away from their gaze and ran toward the one motorcycle that still looked intact.
But for a short-legged girl like me to ride a motorcycle, I needed Aurell and Hwanggu’s help.
I climbed onto the bike and called out to the two of them.
"Hwanggu! Aurell!"
At my call, the children came running at once.
Scamper, scamper—!
Scamper, scamper—!
Their short legs moved with frantic energy.
"Fuse again!"
"Yes!"
"Ha!"
The moment I stretched out my legs, Aurell and Hwanggu clung to them without the slightest hesitation.
And just like that, the children became my legs.
"We’re off again!"
As before, I started the engine and twisted the handle.
At once, the engine roared to life.
Vroooom—!
The wheels spun, and the motorcycle shot forward at high speed.
This time, I would absolutely not fail.
I wouldn’t make another mistake.
For the sake of the children who trusted me and followed me, this time had to be a success.
"Hyah!"
Keeping up the speed, I tore through the ruined city.
Cracked, broken asphalt jutted up from the road like speed bumps.
Every so often, the motorcycle jolted over them.
Jolt—!
"Eep...!"
"Ghk...!"
Each time that happened, I heard soft groans from below.
Because their posture was so uncomfortable, those bumps must have been especially rough on the two girls.
I steered the bike as carefully as I could around the worst of them.
Then, just as I rounded a corner—
A wrecked truck suddenly appeared ahead of us.
A huge vehicle lay slumped across the road.
There was nowhere to avoid it. I couldn’t even slow down abruptly.
"Hyaaaah!"
I moved the shadows and spread a pair of enormous wings behind me.
Flap—!
As the giant wings made of shadow began to beat, the motorcycle lifted slightly off the ground.
That wasn’t enough. I flapped them again.
Flap—!
Vroooom—!
With the rough roar of the engine, the motorcycle soared into the air.
That small leap, aided by the wings, was enough to clear the massive obstacle.
Jolt—!
The instant we made it over the truck, the motorcycle lost its support and dropped back down.
The huge impact traveled through the bike and straight into my butt.
"Aaaaaah!"
A rush that couldn’t be stopped.
Letting out a fierce roar from deep inside me, I tore down the road.
The fused entities around us reacted to my howl and started chasing after us, but they couldn’t hope to keep up with the motorcycle’s speed.
Vrooooooom—!
The speeding bike left the crowded downtown behind.
Where we arrived was a residential neighborhood I didn’t recognize.
It was just as devastated as everywhere else.
Skreeeeech—!
I slammed the brakes and brought the motorcycle to a stop.
The roads in a housing district weren’t wide. Add to that the abandoned cars and piles of rubble scattered everywhere, and it was hardly a place suited for racing a motorcycle.
Of course, skilled drivers could probably handle a place like this without trouble, but still.
This worked out nicely.
Since I’d stopped anyway, I called out my followers.
"Come out!"
The moment I spread both arms and shouted, a massive shadow writhed and spat out six girls who looked just like me.
I had summoned them for one reason: looting.
Now that I knew where the equipment shop was, what I needed was more credits.
There was no getting around it—if I wanted to arm Aurell, Hwanggu, and all my followers beyond them, I would need a huge amount of credits.
"Everyone, search this neighborhood and bring back items."
"Items...?"
Yeppi’s face twisted at my order.
But her body was honest.
The six girls immediately scattered.
"Oh, Daltokki, don’t go."
Amid the girls fanning out, Daltokki, called back by me, flinched and came shuffling over.
She still seemed uncomfortable around me.
At the sight, I smiled faintly.
It was needless worry.
Maybe if I’d still been human and towering over them, but I had no intention of bullying a tiny child who was already one of my followers.
"W-why...?"
"I need to ask you something."
"Eek..."
At my answer, Daltokki shut her eyes tight and let out a tiny whimper.
What on earth was she imagining to react like that?
I poked her softened cheek.
"Tell me where the other humans are."
"W-where...? Why...?"
"If I tell you to, then tell me."
"Y-yes..."
She asked too many questions.
If you were my follower, you followed your master’s orders without questioning them.
I pulled a large map and a pen out of the shadows and handed them to Daltokki.
"H-hah..."
Daltokki stared at the pen in her hand and gasped in admiration.
What I’d given her was a five-color ballpoint pen.
It was certainly impressive enough to deserve a reaction.
"Mark the place where the human players are gathered, with not a single lie."
"Y-yes...!"
Daltokki looked close to tears at my order.
But her body was honest.
She promptly sat down on the ground and got to work.
"Why do you want the humans’ locations marked? Are you planning to attack them?"
I nodded at Aurell’s question.
In this world, strength was power.
To catch Fenrir and to avoid being attacked by other factions, I needed to expand my own forces.
That was why I planned to increase my followers even more.
"As expected, you’re amazing!"
"Charlotte-nim is so cool!"
Hwanggu and Aurell showered me with flattery.
I folded my arms and gave a small nod.
Scamper, scamper—!
Scamper, scamper—!
My followers scattered through the neighborhood and came running back toward me, each carrying a pile of items in their arms.
Then they dumped everything into the shadows.
After emptying their loads, the children scattered again into the housing complex to loot more items.
The more followers I had, the faster the looting would become.
An army of girls who looked like me.
Just imagining it made me feel happy.
"U-um... Charlotte-nim...?"
"What?"
Daltokki’s voice pulled me out of my reverie.
Looking down slightly, I saw that she was making a pitiful face.
"T-this is broken..."
Daltokki held up the multicolored pen she’d been given.
The pen was crushed as if it had been stamped by a powerful compression press.
This wasn’t a simple malfunction; it had been broken by outside force.
"I-I'm sorry... I guess my strength got too strong..."
As I tilted my head and looked at the pen, Daltokki lowered her head, looking miserable.
It seemed that as her vampirization progressed, she was no longer able to control the monstrous strength that came with it.
Without saying a word, I patted Daltokki’s head.
I wasn’t going to scold a follower just because a pen got ruined.
Scamper, scamper—!
Right then, I heard footsteps.
I turned slightly and saw Yeppi.
She was carrying a mountain of items in her arms, and when our eyes met, she gave me an awkward smile.
"Yeppi."
"W-what now...?"
"Give me the crayons."
My target was the box of crayons Yeppi was holding.
"N-no...!"
But Yeppi refused my order.
Of course, her body remained honest, and she came right up to me and handed them over.
"No..."
Biting her lip with a pitiful face, Yeppi looked ready to cry.
I took the crayons from her and handed them to Daltokki.
"I’ll borrow these for a bit and give them back."
"A-aaagh...!"
Yeppi stomped her feet in obvious irritation, but that was all she could do.
"Waaah..."
Daltokki, smiling brightly as she received the crayons from me, began marking the map again with careful hands, as though she was determined not to break them this time.