The Wolf's Humiliation
A heavy atmosphere filled the Rest Lounge. ……. No one dared to speak first. The tension remained taut and unbroken. Everyone was busy glancing around with bewildered eyes.
“Gulp…!” The only sound in the silence was the noise of dry saliva being swallowed. It came from Yugo, the wolf beastkin who had burst noisily through the lounge door.
The fellow kept swallowing and furrowing his brow. Yugo looked more nervous than anyone. He had entered boldly, yet he couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth. And for good reason…….
‘That Breeder bastard—was he in the middle of a meal with the young lady? But a dragon dining with a human? And not even a staff member… just some lowly human servant? Why? How……!?’
He could sense it instinctively. The timing of his interruption was terrible. The mood alone suggested his own funeral might not be out of the question.
—Flash!
Moreover, the blue-haired young lady was glaring at him with sharp eyes.
‘I’m screwed…! But why do girls keep flocking around that guy? What the hell……?’
—Stare……
Sairin glared at the flustered Yugo. Her expression had hardened completely. Her narrowed eyes and brows were drawn into sharp lines. She looked as though every movement Yugo made disgusted her.
“You there, beastkin? How long do you plan on standing there? Didn’t you come because you had business?”
Sairin scolded him, her eyebrows twitching. She still used polite language, but her voice carried a hint of killing intent. Yugo’s thoughtless entrance had soured her mood. Just when things had been going so pleasantly, he had to pour cold water on it……. Even the usually calm Sairin was reaching the limits of her patience.
“Ah, yes…! Th-that’s right! I came to see Breeder about something!”
“Then why have you been standing there all this time? Is my presence making you uncomfortable?”
“N-no, of course not…! It’s not like that at all! I simply didn’t know you were here! Please forgive my rudeness……!”
—Thud!
—Bang!
At that, Yugo immediately dropped to his knees. He pressed his forehead to the floor and bowed repeatedly. It was an emergency measure made possible by his beastkin instincts detecting the killing intent. No matter how much the blood of a wild beast flowed through him, the being before his eyes was the ultimate predator. His survival instincts had kicked in. Before a dragon, he was nothing more than an insignificant creature.
Furthermore, only a week ago Yugo had suffered a broken neck bone at the hands of a mere hatchling girl. Ever since then, he grew excessively tense whenever dragons were involved.
“That’s enough. Stand up now. People might think I scolded you.”
“Th-thank you…! O goddess with a heart as vast as the sea……!”
“Stop saying things you don’t mean and finish your business quickly before you leave. You said you had something to discuss with this servant, didn’t you?”
“Y-yes, that’s correct. Hey, Breeder? C-could you step outside for a moment……?”
Yugo continued calling for Breeder until the end. His voice had grown noticeably more polite and cautious. After barging in like this, leaving without accomplishing anything would have been awkward. Doing so might only invite Sairin’s suspicion and anger.
“Hmm? You mean me?”
“Yeah, it’ll only take a second, so hurry……!”
The reason Yugo had called Breeder out was obvious. He wanted to dump the landscaping work around the lounge onto him. Now that things had come to this, Yugo was eager to properly shift the task.
—Hey, Yugo. I’m only saying this just in case, but don’t even think about pushing the work onto Breeder. That guy… has the young ladies’ protection.
‘So Berman’s warning was true after all…….’
Berman’s advice suddenly came to mind. At first, Yugo had thought it was just a meaningless joke. That was why he had brushed it off. But now that he was experiencing this situation firsthand, the memory resurfaced vividly.
‘…Still, as long as I don’t openly slack off, it should be fine, right? Looking at it, he doesn’t seem particularly close to Lady Sairin. Maybe this could actually work?’
—Creak……!
Yugo pushed open the lounge door and gestured for Breeder to come out quickly. Sairin nodded, granting Breeder permission to step outside.
“……”
Once Breeder followed Yugo out, Sairin’s expression gradually cooled. Truthfully, she hadn’t wanted to let him go. But she had no choice but to reluctantly nod and tell him to return soon. They had only just begun to raise his favorability, so she didn’t want to reveal her true feelings toward Breeder.
—Step, step……!
“What’s this all of a sudden? I was just about to have my first meal……”
Breeder grumbled as he followed Yugo outside.
—Click!
—Hiss……!
Regardless, Yugo lit a cigarette-shaped mana herb. His eyes flashed as he glared. Just moments ago his gaze had been docile, but now, facing the easy target Breeder, he bared the eyes and fangs of a true beast. It was the classic strong-against-the-weak attitude.
“Hoo… You’re looking pretty lively after not seeing you for a while.”
“Are you here to pick a fight?”
“Forget it. There’s something I need you to do.”
“Something to do? Today’s my day off, though.”
“Ha, this little shit? The young ladies treat you like a cute doll and now you’ve gotten cocky?”
—Whoosh……!
Exhaling the acrid smoke of the mana herb into Breeder’s face, Yugo roughly grabbed him by the collar. Under the influence of the mana herb, Yugo’s strength was currently enhanced. The mana herb was both a luxury item containing a small amount of magic power and a kind of stimulant.
“Stop talking and finish the landscaping work around the lounge by today. Got it?”
Intoxicated by the herb’s scent, Yugo put on an imposing air and—
—Shove!!
—tried to push Breeder into the corner and pin him down with sheer force.
—Stop!
But……
“Wh-what the…?! He’s not budging at all, like a rock……?”
Breeder didn’t move an inch. And this was against a beastkin whose strength had been boosted. He stood firmly on just two legs.
“What exactly are you doing? Let go. You’re stretching my clothes.”
“Y-you… Did you do some training or something while I wasn’t looking……? You’re not hoping to get torn apart by the proud claws of the Wolf Clan, are you?!”
At that, Yugo flared up and extended his claws, intending to threaten Breeder.
“Sigh, I don’t want to spend my precious day off sewing, so could you just let go already?”
—Crack……!
“…Kuhak?! M-my hand…?!”
“How dare an animal bare its claws at a person so arrogantly?”
“You…! A-aren’t you going to let go right now-?!?!”
Breeder lightly twisted Yugo’s arm. His face was filled with annoyance. Yugo’s threats were so trivial that Breeder felt like yawning. It was only natural—after all, the opponents he had faced until now were none other than dragons. No matter how much this wolf pup bared his claws and fangs and growled, Breeder didn’t find him frightening in the slightest.
Was this also due to the Dragon Heart? A beastkin, yet so weak? It felt like dealing with a child…….
“Don’t resist. You’ll really break your wrist at this rate.”
“Grrr…? Wh-why…?! How can I be losing in strength……?!”
“If you want to leave while I’m still being nice, go. It’s pointless.”
“D-don’t screw with me! There’s no way a beastkin would lose to a human!”
“Oh? If you keep this up and really can’t use your arm anymore, don’t blame me. Or should I make that fracture you just healed flare up again?”
—Crack, crack……!
As Yugo continued resisting, Breeder twisted his wrist even harder.
“Kuhak—?! H-how dare a mere servant…!!! You think you’ll get away with harming a staff member……?!”
Still, as a member of a notable bloodline, Yugo kept talking even while screaming in pain.
“Yeah. I think I’ll be just fine.”
“Wh-what did you say……?!”
—Whoosh, thud!!!
Breeder lightly turned his body and instead slammed Yugo against the wall. It was possible without using much force.
“Think about it logically. Who would believe that a proud member of the Wolf Clan got beaten by a human? Besides, I’m under the young ladies’ protection, remember?”
“K-kuhuk……?!”
“So if you want to leave in one piece, go back quietly.”
“……”
“Answer me.”
—Creak, creak……!
When Yugo didn’t respond, Breeder twisted his arm further.
“Kuaaaak—!!! F-fine…! I lost! So stop!!! My arm’s really going to break……!!!”
When Breeder bent Yugo’s wrist at an unnatural angle, Yugo finally declared his defeat.
“You should’ve said that from the start. What a waste of time……”
*
‘Hmm, I was curious so I secretly peeked, and as expected, it was something like that.’
Sairin muttered while looking beyond the specially coated lounge window.
“Kuaaaak—!!! F-fine…! I lost! So stop!!! My arm’s really going to break……!!!”
Below the window, Breeder and Yugo were engaged in a battle of nerves. But neither of them noticed Sairin’s presence. The glass was designed so that the inside couldn’t be seen from the outside.
‘I was trying not to get involved if possible……. But because his face resembles Sairin’s, it’s not easy to do so.’
Sairin murmured while watching the futile quarrel that had ended in Breeder’s victory. A human overpowering a beastkin with strength? This might turn out just as she had predicted. When the servant returned, she would have to ask him then.
‘The more I look at him, the more this human stirs feelings beyond mere curiosity.’
Just as Sairin finished organizing her thoughts and was about to step away from the window—
—Flash!
A murderous glint flashed outside the window.
“Grrr……!”
It was none other than Yugo’s presence. Though he had verbally admitted defeat, he was actually furious at being overpowered by a human and had bared his vengeful fangs behind Breeder’s back. Meanwhile, Breeder was calmly walking back toward the lounge.
“My, I was hoping not to intervene if possible……. But it seems I can’t just leave such an ill-mannered mutt alone.”