EP.12 The Wolf That Shuns the Sun -3
EP.12 The Wolf That Shuns the Sun -3
The business with Kor, which had raged through like a tempest, was finished completely—but a whole slew of aftershocks followed in its wake.
The ice cave melting down entirely and forcing an evacuation. Miho, who'd arrived late after the cleanup, realizing she'd been tricked and picking a fight with Yata. Tia waking up in the middle, seeing the two of them brawling, and trying to jump in because she thought it was a snowball fight. It was all absolute insanity.
We somehow brought the situation under control and finally prepared to leave.
"We will be going now. Make sure you keep your promise."
"Understood... yeah. Don't worry... yeah."
"R-right."
Hati's attitude had become excessively polite after the whole series of events.
The reason was the blazing-hot threats Kor had made, and Hati himself seemed deeply shaken—probably his first time seeing that side of his twin sister.
And so, he'd started treating me, a human he ought to look down on by species rank, with the utmost courtesy.
It was painfully awkward. Still, telling him to act normally was out of the question—Kor's flipped switch had been so intense that the words simply wouldn't leave my mouth.
The only thing I could manage to say to Hati was that I was sorry.
"Seon-ju...! I'm all ready to head back...!"
"Yeah, I'll be right there."
Seeing Kor returned to her usual self steadied me, and after a brief nod of goodbye with the ice wolf, we took our leave.
"Take good care of Skoll... yeah."
Hati even lowered his head to ask that of me.
For all the complications, brothers—no, siblings—really were siblings.
Family affection between a brother and sister didn't change, be they Divine Beasts or humans.
Once I was back in the city, I ought to go visit my own little sister. It had been a while.
***
The same snowy plains scenery started rolling by again.
But this time, it wasn't boring at all.
I was talking with Kor about this and that, learning new things the whole way, so the time just flew by.
"So you're telling me Fenrir was deliberately deceiving you all this time?"
"Yes... I'm a little embarrassed to say so, but my father plays favorites far too much where I'm concerned...! So from the moment I was born, he gave me the name Skoll and spread the word to the world that Hati and I were brothers...!"
"Wow...!"
"Isn't that just too cruel...? Telling everyone I was a man so no other men would lay eyes on me...! I can't stand a father like that...!"
"He is one serious daughter-fool, huh."
The son, Hati, was a total dad-worshipper, while the father himself was a daughter-worshipper...
This wolf family was seriously peculiar.
"Still, didn't you make a promise with Hati for your father's sake?"
"Ah...! The promise to devour the sun and moon together... Hati threw a tantrum over it when we were little, and I went along with it because I couldn't help it... As his twin sister, I thought I had to indulge my little brother's whims...!"
"Really? And how do you see that promise with Hati now?"
"I'm not interested... I'm sorry for Hati, but honestly, I don't even think it's possible, and I don't want to work that hard just for my father's sake either..."
"I see."
"And more than anything... now I've found something far more precious than any promise...!"
Kor looked at me, a faint blush coloring her cheeks like a girl in love.
Faced with her, my own heart started pounding as if I'd developed a sudden arrhythmia.
This wolf really knew how to strike, with timing I never saw coming.
"Sis! Sis! Kooor sis!!"
"What is it...? Tia...?"
"This rock, I wanna use it for a snowman's eyes!!"
"Sure~ I'll burn it nice and black for you..."
They'd only known each other for a few hours, yet Tia followed Kor around like a real older sister.
Tia was naturally friendly, and Kor doted on her almost as much as I did. It was no wonder they had grown close so quickly.
"Here, look...!"
"Thanks, sis!!"
A collaboration of adorable with adorable. It was too precious...
"Seon-ju...? Are you by any chance crying...?"
"No, it's nothing. The cold wind just got into my eyes, that's all."
"Is that so...? Should I warm up the air around us a little, then...?"
"Thanks, but you don't need to go that far. I'll take the thought."
"You really don't have to hold back, though..."
She wasn't a wolf—she was like a warm-hearted angel.
Given that she wielded fire, no one could deny she was a warm woman in every sense.
"Kor~! In a bit, a bear's going to show up from the right. Think you can handle it?"
"Yes...! I'll take care of it...!"
...it was a bit of a shame that her fire was not simply ordinary fire.
"Grrroooaaar!!"
"I'm sorry~."
A wild bear roared and charged at the sled we were riding.
But even before it could reach us, a tiny ember Kor had thrown struck it... and it died on the spot.
It didn't slowly burn to death—it was outright instant death.
It just dropped dead, like it had suffered a heart attack. Killed by Kor's ability.
If her younger brother Hati could breathe life into ice, Kor, by contrast, could breathe death into fire.
She produced flames that looked no different from ordinary fire, but that fire was the product of a terrifying power: a mere brush caused instant death.
According to Kor herself, within a one-meter radius, she could select who touched the flame and deliver death to them.
In character and conduct she was the equal of any angel, yet when it came to her ability alone she was no angel—she was death itself.
"Yata...! It's been dealt with...!!"
"Thank you! The wolf lady really is a kind and charming person, unlike a certain fox wench back home!"
The sled came to an abrupt halt at Yata's remark.
Of course it did—she'd pissed off Miho, who was pulling it.
Looked like we'd be standing by right here until the two of them finished fighting.
"Th-that's not true at all...! Miss Miho is far more charming than I am... she's so caring... and more than anything, she's the most beautiful of all...!!"
"Oh... d-do you really think so?"
"Yes...!! From the moment I first laid eyes on her, I've thought she was an extremely beautiful person...! I even envied her, thinking, 'So that's the confidence of the first wife...'"
"The first wife... fufu...! If that's how you see me, then I'm grateful!"
"Hehe...! Don't mention it at all..."
Good heavens...!!
It was a shock to realize there existed someone other than me who could talk down a thoroughly furious Miho.
Moreover, when even I had to sweat bullets to calm her down, Kor had not only dispelled Miho's anger with just a few compliments but even put her in a good mood.
"Miss Miho...! I'll pull the sled now, so I think it'd be just fine if you took a rest...!"
"Do you perhaps think I'm tired? Or is this to appeal to my husband?"
"It's neither... I simply thought that instead of being stuck pulling the sled, Miss Miho might like to sit beside Seon-ju and have a sweet chat together..."
"Hmm! If that's the case, then fine. I'll leave the sled to you!"
"Yes...! Leave it right to me...!!"
Kor had subtly guided Miho while earning her affection at the same time.
In all my life, Tia was the first Divine Beast Miho had opened her heart to this much.
And considering Tia's case came with the caveat that Miho let things slide because she was young, what Kor had just pulled off was a monumental achievement.
"You're a Divine Beast, you sure you're okay being treated like a sled dog?"
"I'm fine...! Because I want to get close to Seon-ju's precious companion Divine Beasts... And besides, pulling the sled is all for Seon-ju's sake when I think about it, so it's something I really want to do...!!"
At Kor's final words, I turned my gaze up to the sky.
To meet eyes with the crow flying high above.
Yata had apparently predicted that I would look. She met my gaze and raised a confident thumb.
Right back at her, I raised my own thumb.
No sound passed between us, but we understood each other perfectly.
If I had to put our exchange into words, it would go something like this:
"See? What did I tell you? Didn't I say it'd turn out well for you, husband?"
"Yeah, Yata. You were right."
Henceforth I would never doubt her again...
Kor was an angel, and Yata was a god.
***
We finally arrived home, and our journey in the North came to a complete end.
It felt like a long expedition, yet it was surprisingly short.
Maybe it only felt that way because everything that happened in the North was so striking.
Just thinking back to the meteor was enough. Its scale had been so enormous that what little sanity I had left essentially declared, "I can't take any more of this!" and went AWOL, making the earlier terrorist incidents feel like trivial everyday occurrences.
"Uwaaah!! I can't do anything anymore...!!"
The instant I crossed the threshold, I staggered toward the bed like a zombie and collapsed onto it.
The soft bed sheets wrapped around my body, and the sensation of all my fatigue being steadily drained away made me feel like I was melting into a puddle.
"Home really is the best...!"
I had not enjoyed a single day of proper rest since the fake Hati attacked, and my exhaustion had reached its limit.
In that condition, I still had to report to Director Edwiner the next day.
Merely imagining the Director grilling me—Why did you enter the Great Wilds? What did you see and do during those three days?—left me even more exhausted.
Coming up with decent excuses while being unable to be honest about Hati or Kor was far too exhausting.
How nice would it be if I could just brush it off with something like, "Tia wanted to have a snowball fight"?
I knew full well it was a ridiculous excuse, but right now I was so drained I couldn't come up with anything else.
"Sleepy..."
My eyelids grew heavier, and the strength drained from my whole body of its own accord.
I was certain that if I closed my eyes now, I'd be asleep in less than ten seconds.
"Husband! Oh? You're already falling asleep?"
"No, not yet..."
Just as I was about to drift off, Yata's jaunty voice rang out from behind me.
I didn't have the energy to turn around, but I squeezed out what little strength I had left to answer her.
"So, about tonight's business, you see...!"
"Sorry, but I'm really, really exhausted. I seriously can't manage it tonight..."
"Is that so? Then would it be alright if I sent someone who's absolutely perfect for the role right this moment?"
"Do whatever you want..."
"Got it! Then I'll close the door and leave! You really worked hard out there! Rest up well tonight!"
"Thaa...nks..."
With the sound of the door closing, all the noise around me fell quiet.
The conditions were absolutely ideal for deep sleep, and I wasn't about to miss this chance—I shut my eyelids and surrendered my consciousness to the darkness.
Slowly, very slowly.
My consciousness sank as though slipping beneath the surface of deep water...
...
...
...
...
...
...
-Knock! Knock!
"Hng...?"
A sudden knock on the door dragged my consciousness back above the surface.
I'd been sleeping so well for the first time in ages...
Still, by the time I considered grumbling about the disturbance, I noticed the room had gotten dark.
It had been bright daylight when I fell asleep, but now it was night, which meant I must have been out for quite a long time.
"Hwaaah~!! Who is it...?"
"Ah...!! Did I by chance wake you up while you were sleeping...?! I-I'm so sorry...!!"
The owner of that soft, gentle voice and that shy, hesitant tone was Kor.
"It's fine, Kor. I was about to wake up anyway."
"I-is that so...?"
"Mm-hmm."
Truth was, I felt like I could have slept soundly straight through to tomorrow morning, but I didn't want to make Kor feel unnecessarily guilty, so I glossed over it.
"More importantly, what brings you here at this hour?"
"Ah...! W-well... it seems like it will be a long story, so... would it be okay if I came inside to tell it...?"
"Of course, make yourself at home."
"W-well then...! Please excuse me...!!"
Come to think of it, no one had ever come into my room after asking permission so politely.
Every last one of them just flung the door open and marched in on their own terms—nothing but impudent companion animals.
Kor’s polite entrance was a refreshing change.
"...Huh?"
It wasn't only the courtesy that left me thinking "refreshing."
"K-Kor? Wh-what on earth is that outfit?!"
A maid dress with white and black joined in harmonious contrast.
Kor had come into my room wearing a maid uniform.
"M-Miss Miho lent it to me specially...!"
"Miho did?"
Just how high had she managed to stack Miho's affection rating that Miho would willingly lend out her own belongings?
No, that wasn't the important part right now.
"Th-the chest area is ever so slightly tight, but... I thought you might be pleased, Seon-ju, so I tried it on...!! H-how do I look...?"
She asked how she looked, and the only thing that came out was basically... holy shit!
A top where the eroticism of an openly displayed cleavage and the cuteness of the pretty, ruffled frills came together in splendid harmony.
That alone made it the final boss, but the bottom half took it even further.
A short skirt that left her panties nearly in view, black stockings that accentuated the elegant line of her legs, and connecting the two, a single thin black line—it had to be a garter belt.
Could there be any man in the world who saw this and didn't utter an exclamation of awe?
I personally didn't think so.
"You're gorgeous...!"
"I-is that so...! Hehe...♡"
"Anyway, why did you come to my room in an outfit like that?"
"Th-that is... in order to serve you...!!"
"Serve? Why serve, all of a sudden?"
I hadn't been awake long, so my head still wasn't working right.
So when Kor suddenly showed up saying she'd come to serve me, of course I couldn't understand what in the world she meant.
But as Kor simply hung her head shyly, her face reddening, and gave no answer at all, I slowly began to grasp what her words implied.
"By 'serve,' you don't mean...?!"
"That's exactly what I mean...♡"
"No, hold on just a second! Kor, you're my companion now, that's true, but we only met barely a day ago, right?"
"But still...!! I-I like you...?"
"I appreciate the feeling, but it's just way too soon. And on top of that, I'm sorry, but I'm dead tired right now. I don't have the energy for that."
"I know that... Which is exactly why I came in this outfit..."
"Hm? What do you mean by that?"
"If it's still too early for us to join together... then surely, at least serving you would be alright...?"
"W-wait...?!"
Kor gently grasped the hem of her skirt with both hands and lifted it, revealing what was underneath.
Then she crossed her feet, bowed slightly at the waist, and gave an elegant greeting, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from her gesture at all.
My gaze instinctively zeroed in on only one place: her lower abdomen, where there was a black, risqué pair of panties, the same shade as her garter belt, and...
"Well then, I'll be in your care... Seon-ju..."
The Companion Mark near her groin was shining a vivid red.
"No, Master♡"
A strange flame seemed to have ignited inside Kor.