Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Wolf of the End (2)
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Gondola rushed to Rapita in shock.
A clear bite mark remained on her hand.
"Lady!!!"
Confirming the wound on her hand, Gondola cried out in horror.
It was a desperate shout that anyone would mistake for the death of a person.
"How dare you!!!"
He glared at Rishir with bulging eyes.
Eh? Why me?
I didn't bite.
She did.
Rishir shifted his posture to emphasize the wolf cradled in his arms.
-Meeeow...
Even amid the commotion, the wolf wriggled contentedly in Rishir's embrace, as if it were bliss.
"Gondola."
Already distressed as it was.
Rapita scolded her overzealous escort knight out of embarrassment.
But Gondola couldn't calm down at all.
"A scar on the lady's fair skin!!!"
If that wolf weren't the spirit she doted on, he would've cleaved it in two with a single stroke.
"It's not like it'll scar. Perrin just nipped me playfully, nothing serious."
"..."
However, faced with Rapita's stern expression, Gondola had no choice but to settle down.
Wasn't the rejection in that 'playful nip' pretty damn obvious?
He couldn't point that out bluntly, given Rapita's ominous aura.
In truth, this wasn't the first time Perrin had thrown a tantrum(?) at Rapita.
Perrin had shown equal antipathy to every being that approached her since ancient times.
The key here was 'every being'.
Rapita had accepted Perrin's uniformly prickly behavior toward all as her unique personality.
My kid's always been a bit standoffish.
Thanks to that, Rapita never took it too personally, no matter how prickly Perrin acted toward her.
Whether growling at the sight of her, snapping at an outstretched hand, or treating her gifts like trash.
Why? Because that's just Perrin's personality.
...And that's why she was confused now.
That same Perrin, nestled in someone else's arms? So docilely? Looking utterly blissful?
'How did he do it?'
Rapita thoroughly dismissed the possibility of 'she just likes him'.
As a bearer of the World Tree's bloodline, she received the love of spirits in abundance.
For a special and beautiful spirit like Perrin to prefer some random human over her? Absurd.
That human must've used some special trick to make Perrin follow him.
That's what Rapita decided.
"Sir Gondola."
At that moment, Drapon addressed the burly escort knight.
Decades of fieldwork under his belt.
Even with a blade at his throat or wounds in battle, he never lost his cool—a top-tier adventurer whose steadfast gaze now wavered in bewilderment.
Roeta, ruler of the Great Forest and bearer of the greatest elven bloodline.
This was a commission from her direct descendant and escort knight.
For such prideful elves to request a human's aid.
Even lending them an elven treasure to boot.
Drapon was uncharacteristically tense with worry over the request.
How tough could this job be?
And yet, here we are.
"Is that spirit... the wolf in his arms?"
"..."
"..."
Only then did complex emotions surface on the two elves' faces.
Should they be happy about this?
Or bewildered?
"Yes, that's right."
Rapita decided to be happy, for now.
According to their intel, the cult group 'White Shadow' had caught wind of Perrin's uniqueness and vulnerability, targeting her.
That was why Rapita, fiercely proud of her status as a high race, had swallowed her pride to seek human help.
To avoid the worst-case scenario of Perrin being captured by them.
And now.
Not only had they dodged disaster, but the best possible outcome was unfolding before her eyes.
Perrin had returned to them unscathed.
How could she not be thrilled?
She definitely shouldn't be able to hold back her joy—
"..."
Before she knew it, Rapita was glaring at Rishir with a dissatisfied expression.
Meanwhile, Drapon shared the full story with Dupona.
This Rishir guy was a mage Kella had brought along—
These elves were clients here to assign a quest—
By the end of it, the top two in Dragon Guild exchanged hollow chuckles for their own reasons.
Broke a black mage's mind control on the spot?
That wolf was some insane spirit?
When all tales were finally told.
All eyes in the room focused on one person: Rishir.
And Didoa.
She who'd been zeroed in on Rishir from the start in her own way, now stood lost when their eyes met.
"Master Didoa?"
Rishir spoke first, and she waved as if she'd been waiting.
"Hey, Rishir. Thanks for acting like you know me. Nice to see you."
Her blank expression and limp wave made it hard to tell if she was actually glad.
"Ah, nice to see you too. By the way, Master Didoa—what brings you here?"
"You called me Didoa back then. Are you mad at me? Did I piss you off by showing up unannounced—"
"Di, Didoa! Nice to see you! What brings you here?"
"Thanks. Glad you're glad to see me. I'm glad too. You might not like hearing this, but I've missed you. Oh, and just so you know, I'm not here for anything annoying—I'm here to bring Gadena to you. Gadena has business with you. So don't take it the wrong way."
Her words spilled out in a flat, indifferent tone. Yet the content was timid to the extreme.
Rishir still couldn't pin down this half-demon girl's personality.
"You came to Dragon Guild... to bring Gadena to me?"
"Kinda ended up that way. Is this fate? Kidding, of course. Sorry if that rubbed you wrong."
The ones who actually seemed annoyed were Gondola and Rapita.
The escort knight disliked the half-demon acting so casually in front of his lady.
And Rapita disliked the half-demon sharing space with Perrin.
I'm fine. I can handle it.
But Perrin?
What if that beautiful spirit got tainted by the half-demon's aura?
Rapita fretted genuinely.
Unable to bear watching Perrin any longer, she spoke up.
"Master Didoa? If it's alright, could you wait outside until we're done talking?"
"Got it. See you later, Rishir."
"No, you should come out with me too."
"Wait. Why are you leaving?"
"Pardon?"
Rishir, about to naturally follow Didoa out, turned questioningly to Rapita grabbing him.
"Weren't you about to discuss something important outsiders shouldn't hear?"
"Was that it? I thought you just didn't want me in the room."
"Come on, Didoa. Why would she?"
Really?
Right?
Their gazes turned to Rapita.
'Wh-what...?'
Rapita faltered briefly at Rishir naturally siding with the half-demon.
This made her look like the weird one.
Dupona and Drapon were fairly thrown off too.
They'd heard the story and knew Rapita was the princess of the Great Forest, yet Rishir objected to her on behalf of a half-demon.
Even if she was a magic tower master.
The two, seasoned adventurers with open minds by common standards, still found Rishir's casual treatment of the half-demon remarkably unusual.
"Hey, human. Do you even know who she—"
"Please, Gondola! Enough! This is the guy who saved our Perrin. Okay?"
Overzealous escort knight.
Plus Perrin sleeping soundly in Rishir's arms even now—Rapita couldn't hold back her anger.
Her elegant smile twitched faintly.
"..."
Rebuked by his lady, Gondola shrank with a pitiful expression unfit for his bulk.
Rapita faced Rishir with an elegant smile.
"You're Rishir, right? Sorry. I haven't even thanked you properly yet. I'm Rapita of House Roeyeh. I sincerely thank you for saving our Perrin and looking after her until now. And about what just happened—I can explain. See, our Perrin has a very sensitive constitution."
"Constitution?"
"Yes. So if anyone who's not an elf comes into contact with her, it can have a bad effect on Perrin. That's why I asked the half-demon lady to step aside."
"..."
'Is that so?'
Rishir couldn't agree that Didoa's aura was harmful enough to a spirit to warrant Rapita's claim.
But what could he do? She was the spirit's owner, so she knew best.
As Rishir reluctantly prepared to accept Rapita's view.
-...
Perrin leaped from Rishir's arms and growled at Rapita.
At the same time, her form began to change.
The blue pup transformed into a woman's shape in an instant.
Rapita watched with sparkling eyes.
"Beautiful..."
Not referring to her appearance.
In human form, Perrin exuded a pure aura that any elf would revere.
A woman with purity matching that aura—
Perrin opened her mouth.
"Fuck off."
"...Huh?"
Perrin's pure face twisted as if smeared in filth.
"Acting like I like you elves—cut the bullshit already."
"Pe-Perrin...?"
"Fuck! Feels so good to finally say it! I've always wanted to tell you lot. No matter how much I bark or bite, you never get it! I fucking hate you elves!"
Perrin bellowed as if freed from long chains.
She gestured at those around her.
"All of you! You're all shit. Humans, elves—I'm sick of every last one of you!"
Perrin.
That was the thought she had every time she sensed the pure auras of humans and elves.
If I were pure like them, how would my kin treat me?
Could I even call them kin?
They looked at her and said:
You're different from us.
So Perrin disliked their pure auras.
She disliked her own body for liking their pure auras.
Thus, Perrin disliked everything.
That's why she'd allowed those humans with the ominous ring to approach.
Letting that ring's energy in felt like it would change everything.
"So please. Get lost. Scram! You fucking pointy-eared bastards!"
Perrin screamed at Rapita.
"Hey. Calm down first—"
She swatted at the approaching hand.
It was Rishir's.
"Hnnng...!"
Perrin, mid-rage, let out a pleasurable moan and shuddered.
The aura from touching Rishir's hand.
It was too ecstatic to pretend to reject.
Perrin couldn't overcome that ecstasy this time either.
"Perrin, was it? You okay?"
Perrin froze abruptly.
Rishir placed a worried hand on her shoulder.
In his mind, Perrin was still a pup, making it natural.
Perrin unconsciously rubbed her face against his hand.
"..."
A side of Perrin no one had seen.
Rapita's world crumbled.