A Wonderful Means of Transport
“Why were you acting like that earlier? You’re so gentle.”
Whine. Whimper.
Even resting flat on its belly, the beast easily measured over two meters in length, yet it nudged its massive head into Yena’s hand before affectionately lapping at her skin. For all its colossal bulk, it behaved no differently than an innocent, playful puppy.
“Would you tell me your story, if you don’t mind?”
A tender smile graced Yena’s lips as the soft words slipped out naturally. Unbeknownst to her, the Beginner Taming skill had remained continuously active this entire time.
It was right then.
“E-Excuse me! Wait just a second!”
A sudden shout shattered the quiet. Turning her head, Yena spotted a man sprinting toward them in a flustered hurry. It was the NewTuber who had been livestreaming earlier, his smartphone still raised aloft in one hand.
“I-I’m so sorry to butt in out of nowhere, but...”
“...Pardon?”
Yena froze her petting hand and looked at him in confusion.
“What just happened was being broadcast live on stream.”
“...?”
In an instant, her mind went completely blank.
“B-But please don’t worry! You were far away, so I don’t think your face was captured clearly! And even if it was, I’ll blur it out completely! I swear on everything I own!”
Even as he pleaded and promised, the NewTuber could barely rein in the bubbling excitement flushing his cheeks.
“Just... how on earth did you manage that?”
“What do you mean...?”
“The Fenrir! Once that guy flies into a temper, he tears apart everything in sight unless we pump him with tranquilizers or he runs himself into total exhaustion!”
The instant the name ‘Fenrir’ left his mouth, a faint crease formed between Yena’s delicate brows. If her hazy gamer memory served correctly, wasn't a Fenrir a remarkably high-tier monster? Setting aside why on earth they let such a dangerous creature roam around inside an open petting pavilion in the first place...
“Do you happen to hold an official Tamer license? Or do you already work in this field...?”
“...N-No. I just thought he’d calm down if I did that. I only came here for the tour, so...”
The horrifying realization that an unseen crowd was listening to her voice made her shrink inward like a turtle retreating into its shell. Yena’s voice dwindled to a tiny squeak. Thump, thump. Her heart began to pound against her ribs in an erratic cadence.
The NewTuber stared back at her with a thoroughly stunned expression.
“You just... thought he’d calm down?”
“...Yes.”
Cough, cough.
Yena pressed a curled, trembling fist against her lips, hacking softly. Her physical condition hadn't seemed all that terrible until a moment ago, but the sudden onset of social anxiety made her health plummet with terrifying speed.
Meanwhile, the NewTuber cast a bewildered glance sideways at the Fenrir. The majestic beast was still happily nuzzling Yena’s pale fingers, wagging its bushy tail in sheer, blissful contentment.
“Ha, haha... Well, this is quite overwhelming. I’ve worked in this industry for quite a while, but I’ve never seen anything like this...”
Did she cast an unrevealed skill? Or did she possess some mythical item capable of soothing a Fenrir? If it wasn’t either of those...
‘Is it just... a sheer, insurmountable gap in innate talent...?’
Muttering under his breath, the NewTuber gave his head a vigorous shake to clear his daze. He then swiveled back to face his smartphone camera and began chattering away to his audience once more.
“E-Everyone! Did you all see that?! What? Staged? I swear on everything, it's a hundred percent real! Man, if we could act this well, why would I be a NewTuber instead of winning an Oscar, bro?! Ah, Miho-nim~ Thank you for the fifty thousand Raccoons! Loyal salute! What? The lady's voice is gorgeous? Hahaha. Trust me, it’s not just her voice. If you saw her face, every single one of you would faint dead away.”
“...”
“Ah, nope, that view is for my eyes only! Stop throwing Raccoons to make me turn the camera~ I’m definitely not showing her face! Even on stream, a real man keeps his promises. What do you mean my content instincts are dead? Did I start streaming yesterday? Please be generous today, brothers and sisters!”
Scratching the back of his neck, the NewTuber bowed repeatedly toward the smartphone lens. When he finally turned back toward Yena, a sheepish, apologetic smile tugged at his mouth.
“Ah, did I look too mercenary just now? Ha, hahaha... Operating this sanctuary costs a pretty penny these days, you see...”
“N-No, not at all. Cough.”
“I know I’m late in saying it, but thank you so much. If he had stayed riled up like that, the property damage to our facility would have been catastrophic.”
The NewTuber bowed with deep, solemn courtesy. Flustered and bashful, Yena instinctively dipped her head in return.
“S-So, um... speaking of which.”
Before she realized it, he had carefully angled the smartphone screen toward her.
“Would you mind taking a quick look at this?”
Across the glowing glass, live chat messages were cascading at breakneck speed.
When Yena had checked the stream earlier, there had barely been a hundred people watching. But now, that figure had skyrocketed fivefold to a whopping five hundred viewers—an entire horde of people witnessing this scene in real time!
“This is all thanks to you, miss. To be honest, this is my first time seeing chat explode like this on a livestream, so I’m still a little shell-shocked myself...”
“...Is that really because of me?”
“Of course it is!”
Leaning in slightly, the NewTuber dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper near her ear.
“So the thing is... would it be all right if I edited this clip and officially published it to my channel?”
Yena froze, instantly plunging into deep thought. If her identity got exposed online, she would inevitably get dragged into an endless web of exhausting trouble.
“Then... what about my face...?”
Hearing her fretful murmur, the NewTuber answered as if he had anticipated the question all along.
“Full mosaic treatment, naturally! And if you want, I’ll modulate your voice too. I’ll completely scrub anything that could let anyone deduce who you are. I give you my word!”
“I-In that case... c-could I make a r-request as well...?”
“Ah, yes! Anything you want, just say the—...”
Mid-sentence, the NewTuber’s expression locked up in alarm.
“A-Are you feeling sick somewhere? Suddenly, you look so...”
Haggard. He swallowed the harsh word, terrified of being insolent, but the stark transformation in her countenance was impossible to ignore.
“I-I’m just a little dizzy... cough!”
The instant the violent cough tore through her throat, Yena swayed. Her entire field of vision tilted into a nauseating spin.
“U-Uh...?”
The strength drained clean out of her limbs like melting wax. The only thing that prevented her frail frame from crashing onto the concrete was the slender parasol clutched in her grip.
Tap.
Bracing the parasol’s ferrule against the floor like a makeshift cane, Yena barely managed to hold herself upright. Cold beads of sweat broke out across her forehead in dense clusters.
“Are you alright?! Your complexion is...”
“I-I’m fine... My health has always been fragile, you see.”
Even as she stammered out the reassurance, her chest heaved with shallow, ragged gasps. Something was definitely bizarre. Her body felt exponentially heavier than usual, dragging her down into the dirt like leaden chains.
‘I didn't even exert myself, so why...?’
She wracked her brains trying to recall her exact character build during the game's creation screen, but no clear explanation surfaced. Shaking off the panic, she resolved to settle the immediate crisis first.
“E-Excuse me...”
Clinging desperately to her fading awareness, Yena forced her trembling lips apart.
“Could I... cough! ...t-take this... child... with me...?”
With a faint, shivering hand, she pointed toward the Fenrir. Crimson began to seep out between the delicate fingers clamped tightly against her mouth.
Drip. Trickle.
As dark red blood splattered onto the floor, the Fenrir rubbed the soft bridge of its snout against Yena’s pale cheek. It was the gentlest solace the beast knew how to provide.
“I-It’s okay... I’m really okay.”
Dark, bruised circles hung heavy beneath her eyelids, and her cheeks were drained of all color, making her look practically indistinguishable from a fresh corpse. And yet, her focus remained entirely centered on the wolf.
...Watching this heartbreaking tableau unfold, the NewTuber lost his ability to speak.
‘If things have come to this...’
That Fenrir was still just a one-year-old pup. They had discovered it by pure chance in the Tower of Trials and sheltered it, eventually letting it grow into the proud mascot of their taming facility, but...
‘His heart has already chosen her. He’s completely smitten.’
A faint, self-deprecating chuckle escaped the NewTuber’s lips. Before being an online streamer, he was a tamer down to his bones. Regardless of how desperately she begged, he had fully intended to turn her down if the Fenrir was unwilling. While the stream was crucial to his livelihood, there were plenty of things in this world that mattered far more than views and money.
Judging by the wolf’s fawning devotion, however, it seemed his protective worries had been entirely pointless.
“...I understand.”
The NewTuber gave a firm, resolute nod.
“Please take him. It looks like Fenrir has already made up his mind anyway.”
“...R-Really?”
Yena lifted her heavy lids with visible effort, seeking confirmation.
“Yes. Honestly, we were having a tough time managing this guy ourselves. We were looking for the right moment to find him a proper owner, so I should be the one thanking you for offering first.”
It was a blatant, well-intentioned lie. If the burden of raising him had truly been so unbearable, they never would have taken him in to begin with. But seeing the tears welling up in her misty eyes, he wanted to fabricate any excuse just to put her mind at ease.
A maiden's tears had a way of softening a man’s resolve. All the more so when shed by an ethereal, sickly beauty like her.
Wearing a bittersweet smile, the NewTuber continued gently.
“Besides, I ended up deeply indebted to you for today’s broadcast. This is the very least I can do.”
“Th-Thank... you so much...”
Summoning the very last dregs of her strength, Yena wrapped her slender arms around the beast. Burying her pale face deep into the thick, plush fur, her eyes fluttered closed as her consciousness drifted away.
“Uh, wait... You need to go to an emergency room first—!”
Just as the panicked streamer reached out a hand, the Fenrir smoothly dropped low to the ground, carefully scooping Yena up and settling her across its broad back.
“...Huh?”
Was this the divine grace of a mythical beast? Once it verified that Yena was safely draped across its spine, the Fenrir pushed itself onto all fours and began to stride forward with slow, deliberate majesty.
Its destination was the single location where the scent of its master, Yena, lingered thicker than anywhere else in the city.
“W-Wait a minute! Where are you going...!”
In other words—the beast was heading straight for Yena’s home.