The Wolf Commotion (3)

I’m so dead…! The professor said he’d deduct points if I was late…. I completely fell asleep. When they asked to stay with me, I should’ve just said yes. I grumble to myself, even if it’s just a small, petty complaint. If they had been with me, they definitely would’ve woken me up. But still. Do I even have the right to be with them? Being with them is certainly fun. It’s fun, but… every time I keep facing them….

"Oh my, I suppose a country bumpkin wouldn't know the proper etiquette."

"She’s just lacking in refinement, so she doesn't even realize what a faux pas she's committed."

The sharp, piercing gazes I heard last time stabbed right into my chest, and it hurt. This academy is so different from where I used to be. It’s not a place where people smile back when I smile. Sure, there are people who smile back when I do, but there are also places where they don't smile at all and instead pour out sharp, cutting words. But maybe those young ladies are right.

According to them, I’m just a country bumpkin. The Floria Barony, a family of country nobles. I had no intention of denying that fact. I don't think it’s a wrong life, of course. I’m incredibly proud to be a Floria, to be my father's daughter. But… that’s why I want to ask. I don’t know why they’re so good to me. I’m nothing. Why on earth would they show favor to someone like me…?

Asdel from the Holy Kingdom. Charles from the Karle Kingdom. Even Ars from the Gethia Kingdom. At first, I didn’t know who they were. I just thought they were good people. They didn’t look like bad people in my eyes. They were people who treated me kindly. And when I entered the academy, I realized they were incredibly important and high-ranking people, and I could understand why they had looked at me with those eyes before. They must have thought I was incredibly rude and arrogant….

Yeah…. Who am I to complain? Let’s just think positively. If I had just nodded when they asked to stay with me, it would have been a huge burden on them. I can’t take advantage of their kindness….

I shook my head firmly and ran toward the dormitory with books clutched in both hands. Didn’t they say a large wolf appears at night? I heard there were students who were attacked, though they weren't seriously hurt. It wasn't completely night yet, so it wasn't that dark, but it would be dark soon. Just then. A rustling sound came from the bushes, which were filled with the chirping of insects. Could it be… a wolf?

Something jumped out of the bushes that had been rustling, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Huh? What are you doing here?"

It wasn't a wolf. What I heard wasn't a wolf's howl, but a human voice. When I opened my eyes, standing in front of me was a black-haired man who looked to be around my age.

"Why are you walking around outside at this hour? It’s dangerous here."

"I’m sorry, I just fell asleep by accident."

I let out a sigh of relief at his appearance. Thank goodness. It wasn't a wolf.

I was worried it might be rude not to greet him properly as a subject of the Empire, but he waved it off.

"This is Lumia, isn't it? It’s actually more burdensome to be addressed formally here."

He treated it as if it were nothing. With a tone that felt like a close friend, devoid of pretense or ulterior motives. An incredibly kind person.

"Wait, nobody woke you up? Isn't that a bit much?"

He was the kind of person who would genuinely get angry on behalf of someone as insignificant as me. At least, that’s how it looked to me. But why is Dante here? Seeing that he had nothing in his hands, it didn't look like he was studying late like me….

"More importantly, Dante… sir, why are you here?"

"Ah, I was waiting to see the stars. Taking a walk while gazing at the stars in the night sky is my routine."

The stars?

"But if the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠professor catches you, you'll get points deducted…."

"Haha, that’s true. But if I don't do this, I can't sleep at all." Dante said that while scratching his cheek.

"Is it because of insomnia?"

"To be precise, it’s because of my dreams."

Dreams. Dante said that with a troubled expression. Is he having nightmares? How terrible must they have been? Dante looked at my face once, then tried to wipe away his troubled expression and smiled. "Don't worry, it’s been getting a little better lately…."

A lie. It’s a lie. Dante tried to smile and say that, but my eyes were telling me he was lying.

"You are very kind."

"Y-yes?"

Dante, who looked at my face again, smiled and replied. "I think I know why those three follow you around." Is that so…. I don’t really know either, whether I’m kind or not. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I just smile, that’s all. People smile back when I smile. They cry with me when I’m sad. So I’m just smiling because I don’t want to see other people sad…. Can you really say that someone like me is kind?

"I like the stars." As he walked forward, he continued. "Even if I suffer from nightmares, even if I get lost in them, the stars are always there in the night sky." He continued to speak while matching his pace to mine. "That’s why I look at the stars before I go to sleep. No matter how much I wander, I can just follow the stars hanging in the night sky. And I really want to meet that star. The person who became my star in that dream."

The person who became your star? "Although it was only a voice, that person was always a signpost in my dreams. Well, I always woke up to the same ending, though." Dante walked on with a troubled face again. But at the same time, he also looked relieved. It was the face of someone who had finally poured out a story he’d kept bottled up for a long time. I’m curious. What exactly is the person who became Dante’s star? What kind of dream is he having? But if I asked about that, it would definitely be a nuisance. I folded up the curiosity that had surfaced and tucked it away.

"Consider it an honor. This is something I wouldn't even tell my brother…."

At that moment. Dante’s atmosphere changed. He was staring ahead with a stiff face. Now that I think about it, since when did the chirping of the insects stop? It was incredibly quiet. "Iris…. You know how to handle a sword, right?" Dante channeled his mana to create a sword out of frost and handed it to me. I nodded in a daze and took the sword, and after Dante confirmed I had received it, he created another sword for himself. Responding to that appearance, a black shadow emerged. A wolf with gray fur and blue eyes, incredibly large, just as the rumors said. The protagonist of the rampant rumors was right in front of me.

But. "Oh my, it seems they brought friends this time?" The beast that appeared this time wasn't just one wolf. Two more shadows appeared from behind. A leopard and a lion, similar in size to the wolf in front of us. The three beasts were slowly approaching, surrounding us as if to trap us.

"Iris, I’ll lure these guys away, so you run the other way and call the duty professor."

"But…."

"There’s no time." Dante said firmly and took a stance with his ice sword. But the leopard and lion blocked the retreat as if to say we couldn't pass. Yeah, it’s do or die anyway.

I swallowed hard and took a stance. "It’s okay. I can fight too."

"…You."

I can fight. Even though it hasn't even been three days since I picked up a sword. But I studied a lot, and I clearly captured the sparring of those two in my eyes. I can fight. My legs were shaking, but I couldn't leave Dante here. I caught my breath and focused my mind. As Dante and I took our stances. ■■■■■■■!!!! Taking that as a signal, the wolf lunged. The killing intent sent by that beast. Looking at the gaze filled with it, I couldn't help but think of the terrorist incident on the train, and my thoughts froze, my hands trembled, and I couldn't move my body. Even until that wolf reached my nose, I couldn't move. I just. "Kyaaaaah——!!" Like a fool, I screamed and couldn't do anything but squeeze my eyes shut. However, fortunately, the wolf’s attack didn't reach me.

With a whoosh, intense heat passed between the wolf and me.

"Are you okay?"

Dante summoned a fireball to block the wolf’s approach.

"I’m okay."

But the problem was. ■■■■■!!!! ■■■■■!!!! That there wasn't just a wolf there. Perhaps thinking it was their chance, the lion and leopard behind lunged at the same time. I braced myself and swung, just like I learned in class, just like the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sword they swung during their sparring. I blocked the leopard’s claws, and Dante blocked the lion’s fangs. But the wolf lunged again, as if looking for another chance. Dante tried to swing his sword to block it, but. Snap. "Of all times!" With a sound of something breaking, Dante panicked and hesitated to swing his sword.

He clearly had to swing it to block. For some reason, Dante couldn't swing it. The wolf’s claws would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reach Dante soon. It would be too late to use magic before then. Then is Dante going to die? Die? No. I don’t want to see anyone die in front of me. My feet moved first, and I threw my body between Dante and the wolf to take the attack instead. And, faster than that. ■■■■■——!!! Something flew at high speed and hit the wolf’s head, and the wolf’s attack went to waste.

The identity of that thing that flew in was. "Red… apple?" It was an apple. The apple you eat. Why did an apple suddenly fly in and block the wolf’s attack? Who on earth?

"I never thought the apple from back then would be used like this."

"Iris, are you okay!?" Familiar voices came from the direction the apple flew from. Standing there were Ian and Haede. Perhaps because I was relieved by their appearance, my strength gave out.

I didn't know an apple would be used like this. Surprisingly, what came out of the Knightly Oath I obtained from my meeting with Isabella was an apple. At first, I was so dumbfounded I thought about just eating it, but I left it just in case, and it ended up being used like this. The protagonist attacked by the wolf was Iris, as expected. But where did that trio go, and why is Dante here? And for some reason, Dante wasn't showing any signs of moving actively. Even if the wolf appearing now is a higher level than Dante, it shouldn't be enough to get him injured already…? More than that, first, what should I do about that wolf?

The lion and leopard lunged toward them. I immediately equipped the shield I obtained from my sparring with Angelica from my inventory. And I drove it right into the side of the wolf, which was disoriented by the apple I threw.

Thud—!!!

■■■■■——!!!

Along with the wolf yelping, the movements of the lion and leopard faltered for a moment, and I took this opportunity to grab the wolf’s leg and throw it toward the direction of the lion and leopard. The lion and leopard were knocked over by the wolf’s body.

In this gap, Haede and I approached them. "Are you okay, Dante?"

"Oh…. Yeah. I’m okay."

It’s a very lackluster response. He moved his body very slowly, as if he were uncomfortable or as if he shouldn't be stimulated anywhere else. Did Dante have an underlying illness? That shouldn't be it.

"Iris, are you okay?!"

"Yes, I’m okay."

Haede ran straight to Iris to check if she was hurt, and Iris smiled to reassure her. Iris seems okay too. But this guy doesn't seem okay, is he really hurt somewhere?

"Can you stand up?"

"Ah, yes. I can stand up on my own."

He seems very flustered. His speech is faster and his face seems red. Whatever. First, subduing the wolf is the priority. Since I can kill the black wolf, I won't take it out, I’ll just use this shield. It doesn't matter if I kill it, but the reason I have to subdue it is because I can obtain a Hidden Piece if I do. And in this fight, there was no need to deal with the lion and leopard.

Because, as the Insight Eye showed, the leopard and lion were clones. This was the reason why the lion and leopard stopped moving when I hit the wolf hard. In short, since they appeared through the wolf’s skill, they would disappear on their own if I just beat up the wolf. This is the strategy for the wolf. Just beat up the wolf, and it’s solved. But wait, she was a female?