Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Moonwolf Heritage
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Sir Evan widened his eyes, then narrowed them with a self-deprecating laugh. "It's enough, so don't be impatient." Ridiculously, a single phrase like that brought him such profound relief.
Had he been this greedy all along? He'd always believed he led a satisfying life, but it seemed that being a knight had made him quietly obsess over his own realm after all.
But this much, at least, he could say with full confidence.
"I've never once regretted becoming Your Highness's guard knight."
"Yeah, yeah. Good doggy."
"...Do you have to call me that?"
"Didn't you tell me not to use your name?"
"When did I say that?"
"Then should I call you by it?"
"......"
Sir Evan started to shake his head, figuring it would feel too awkward to be addressed by name by Nihil, but the other man beat him to it.
"Don't get your hopes up. I won't."
"Who's hoping...!"
Having somehow become the kind of person who seemed to crave hearing his own name, Evan flushed crimson and bellowed—only to freeze, startled by how much louder his voice had come out than expected.
Realizing he'd fallen for Nihil's teasing yet again, Evan sighed and wiped down his face.
The guy didn't look like he knew the first thing about jokes, yet he kept that impassive expression while relentlessly poking fun whenever an opportunity arose. It set Evan's blood boiling.
Not wanting to get pulled in any deeper, Evan swiftly changed the subject.
"So, when will we know if I'm awakening?"
"No telling on the timing, but it'll happen eventually. Which is why... can you supply blood regularly?"
At the request for regular blood donations, one of Evan's eyebrows shot up. It felt a little shady, but refusing probably wouldn't stop him from sneaking in like he had today to take it anyway. With another sigh, Evan consented.
"How much?"
"Once a month. One or two drops will do."
"That's all it takes?"
The amount was far less than expected, so Evan's expression eased a bit. Just one or two drops indefinitely wouldn't affect him at all. He'd lose more blood from training scrapes.
"Keep it up until we see signs of awakening."
"Not a problem, but why are you so fixated on my awakening?"
"I told you. You'll go berserk."
"...You were serious?"
Evan's face crumpled again at the mention of going berserk. It sounded utterly dubious, but if it were true, it explained why Nihil had gone to such lengths. He shot a look urging him to elaborate.
"When the signs appear, I'll lock you away without a second thought. I told Rian I'd chomp your neck, but a wolf's awakening ritual is savage and brutal beyond anything you can imagine."
"......?"
"You'll lose all reason, fail to recognize anyone around you, rip through living flesh with your claws, and snap necks with your jaws alone. And it won't stop at just one person, for sure..."
Evan's face grew stonier with each gruesome detail until he cut Nihil off and raised a hand.
"Hold on. Explain properly. Wolves? I thought it was dogs."
"I never said your ancestors were dogkin."
Evan gaped at Nihil's brazen response, utterly dumbfounded.
Doggy? Berserk like a rabid mutt? Smells like dog!
He'd even scolded him not to bark—or to bark louder, for that matter.
You bastard! What wolf barks or goes "woof"!
Evan felt deeply wronged. He wanted to demand answers right then. But Nihil, as if reading his mind, tossed out another shameless quip.
"Dogs and wolves are both canines, aren't they?"
"Well, sure, technically! But the connotation... argh..."
Evan let out a deflated breath, unable to continue, and slumped heavily into his chair. He wiped his face repeatedly with a weary palm.
Arguing further would just drain him. He couldn't outtalk a wildcat with words anyway. Reacting heatedly would only make him more of a plaything.
Come to think of it, wolf or dog ancestors—whatever. He was human now!
Nihil patted the utterly deflated Evan as if to soothe him. When Evan swatted the hand away in a surge of irritation—interpreting the gesture as deliberate provocation—Nihil scoffed disdainfully and pressed on with his explanation.
"To be precise, it's the Moonwolf Clan, known as the strongest of the roguekin tribes. I'd need to dig up records for details, but they're named for how their fur takes on a beautiful moonlight hue at night. Though..."
Nihil glanced sidelong at Evan's pale grayish-brown hair before continuing.
"...you're no moonlight—just a washed-out mongrel."
Catching Nihil's squinting gaze, Evan unconsciously turned to the mirror and ran a hand through his own pale grayish-brown locks.
Short, brittle strands sifted between his fingers.
He stared for a long moment at his hair, which looked even yellower in the candlelight, until one certainty settled in.
The room was too dim to clearly distinguish colors, but his dry, frizzy hair bore no resemblance whatsoever to the soft moonlight now gently illuminating the sky beyond the window.
Ending his brief reflection, Evan lowered his gaze a fraction—and locked eyes with a pair of large, dark pupils across the mirror.
A bit embarrassed by the direct stare, Evan quickly dropped his hand and ducked his head toward Nihil at his side. The man's snowy-white scalp gleamed plainly.
Nihil was still facing away, watching him through the mirror. Only when Evan rested a hand atop his head did he turn and look up.
The first time they'd met, Evan had assumed his hair was ash-gray from all the dust caking it. But no—it was whiter than white could be.
As the thought trailed off—Wouldn't moonlight suit this guy's hair better?—the haughty white crown spoke up from below, gaze still imperious and arrogant.
"The Moonwolf Clan's awakening ritual is the strongest and most ferocious among roguekin, which is why their survival rate is so low. With your diluted blood, I can't be certain you'll be the same, but it's not a bad idea to prepare ahead."
"How do you know about the Moonwolf Clan?"
"Ran into one once by chance. He was rampaging from his awakening ritual."
Nihil said that, pondered a moment, then spoke again.
"Unless I track down a Moonwolf to handle you, it'll be tough to subdue you without anyone getting hurt. So I'll build you a doghouse—go in nice and quiet."
"......"
"I'll make it sturdy."
Evan pictured a typical doghouse at those words. Surely not literal, but it was the only image that came to mind.
Imagining himself crammed into a tiny one, he shook his head vigorously. He couldn't trash his dignity any further.
"Make it big enough for my body."
"......What the hell are you imagining?"
Nihil arched one eyebrow as if he'd heard the strangest thing. Still, the dog seemed more cooperative than expected, which eased his mind a touch. If the guy resisted, he might've had to start chopping off limbs one by one.
"Is there nothing I can do to help?"
Evan asked eagerly, saying he'd cooperate as long as it didn't involve folding himself in half. It might never even happen, but he couldn't ignore something that might harm his lord.
Nihil thought it over briefly before replying.
"Truth is, I don't know much about them. All I know is their fur sparkles under moonlight...?"
"......Sparkles?"
"Yeah. Shone pretty."
"......"
Nihil muttered under his breath that he hadn't liked their temperament, but that fur color had grown on him.
Evan dismissed it as pointless trivia, but he pictured sparkling hair anyway before shaking his head.
Good thing his own didn't sparkle in moonlight. It would've made him way too conspicuous at night.
"So anyway, any good places to get information?"
"The Royal Palace library's probably the biggest. It's close too. The Academy wouldn't be bad either—so many eccentrics there, bound to be someone who's delved deep into heteroraces. With His Highness, getting in the palace library should be easy. For the Academy, Sir Karus might fetch materials or smooth a visit if we ask."
"Yeah, th..."
Nihil nodded faintly in agreement, then let out a short sigh and glanced up at the ceiling. His expression looked mildly troubled.
Wondering if something was up there, Evan peered up as well—but spotted nothing worth a reaction.
"What's wrong?"
"The kid... seems to be awake."
"......?"
"We've covered the basics, so I'll head up now."
With that staggering remark tossed out casually, Nihil left the stunned Evan behind and sauntered out of the bedroom.
As the door clicked shut, Evan finally snapped to his senses. He drew up his mana, spread his aura around him, and began focusing on everything nearby.
He'd always prided himself on sensing any trouble with His Highness faster than anyone and bolting to the prince's bedroom. No matter how quiet, he'd react to killing intent instantly.
To minimize his path, he'd claimed this room directly below His Highness's bedroom—disrespectful, perhaps, but necessary.
But that was only for true incidents.
He wasn't sensitive enough, like that wildcat, to pick up on something as minor as His Highness stirring from sleep.
As a guard knight, Evan began to feel a twinge of crisis.
That sharp-nosed wildcat had probably already sensed the aura he'd hastily deployed and was sneering at him.
Evan hadn't thought it through before spreading his aura, and now it felt like he was broadcasting his inferiority complex. A faint embarrassment crept in late, but spite drove him to extend it farther, straining to track Nihil's presence.
How much time passed?
The once-fluffy fabric of Evan's clothes grew damp with sweat. Quite a bit of time seemed to have elapsed, yet he still couldn't detect Nihil at all.
He could sense His Highness wriggling on the bed before drifting back off to sleep, and the cat dozing in an odd pose by the fireplace—but not a trace of that wildcat.
'No way he hasn't reached the bedroom yet.'
Positionally close, but the stairs to His Highness's bedroom were a fair trek, so Evan figured Nihil might not have entered his detection range yet. He leaned into it harder, focusing his aura—then quickly corrected himself.
Even accounting for the distant stairs and longer path, it shouldn't take this long.
'Did something happen on the way?'
Regretting not escorting him, Evan rose in worry.
Perhaps from the prolonged focus—sweat trickled down his jawline, the droplets pattering to the floor sounding unusually loud. But just as he reached for the door handle, Evan could only laugh helplessly and thunk his own forehead against the door.
The moment he'd stepped toward the bedroom door to search for him, he'd sensed Nihil's presence. Not somewhere else—no, right beside the soundly sleeping prince.
Evan realized it then.
He'd simply failed to read the man's presence. Just like failing to detect the aura of a shadow knight superior to himself.
Nothing more, nothing less.
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