Chapter 49
Chapter 49
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Wolf of the End (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
She was always prickly and harsh toward him.
She had never once shown him a favorable expression.
That was fine.
It was the same with everyone else.
She kept an equal distance from all people.
In that context, if one had to name the person who could get closest to her, it would be him.
There are all sorts of personalities in the world.
So, wouldn't expressions of affection vary just as much?
That was how he could trust her.
He could believe that he occupied the largest place in her heart.
He could believe that the harsh, prickly attitude she showed him was her own way of expressing affection.
He still remembered it vividly.
The moment when she first allowed him by her side.
It was a day when she seemed especially in a good mood.
If he tried to get closer, she would pull away, but if he simply stayed still, he could remain by her side indefinitely.
Even as she seemed to indifferently turn her body away, her ears were unmistakably turned toward him.
She seemed to leave abruptly as if nothing had happened, but when he called her name, she would turn back to him.
That was undoubtedly the maximum communion he could share with her.
That was undoubtedly the maximum distance she would allow anyone else.
Beyond that, he had learned many things about her.
The things she hated.
The things she liked.
The things that suited her.
Solitude and contemplation.
He liked the way she immersed herself in those two.
Because he believed that was her true self.
…He had certainly believed so.
"Perrin…"
It was a face he had never seen before. A face he never thought he would see in the future.
The cold spirit who enjoyed solitude and contemplation was casually allowing human contact.
Not only that, she had closed her eyes contentedly and was rubbing her face against his hand.
Even in her wolf form, she had never acted so wolf-like.
"No…"
Lafita desperately denied it.
That sloppy spirit wasn't her.
Something was clearly wrong.
There was no way the spirit Perrin would prefer a mere human over her.
"Get a hold of yourself, Perrin…!"
It was a voice filled with pathos.
But it didn't reach Perrin.
"Hng…"
To the spirit Perrin, the pure energy was like warm sunlight.
Just touching it brought a deep sense of stability and happiness.
Perrin had rejected such pure energy until now.
Though her body craved it like a plant craves sunlight, she forcibly suppressed it due to self-loathing over her existence and inferiority toward her kin.
Thus, the spirit named Perrin gradually withered and dried up.
In the midst of that, she suddenly encountered Rishir's special energy.
It was an energy that would bring immense happiness even in a normal state.
The moment she encountered it in her deficient state, an overwhelming happiness that subjugated even reason and emotion came crashing down.
The mental barrier that had driven Perrin to self-destruction crumbled helplessly.
'Wh-what am I doing…!'
Perrin tried to pull away from it and regain herself, but—
Contrary to her firm will, her body only relaxed softly.
Thanks to that, Perrin was savoring pure happiness for the first time since her ego had formed.
Intoxicated by that happiness, she even thought things she wouldn't normally consider.
'No… If I do this, she'll hate me…'
It was a memory from childhood, a pain Perrin had locked away in her mental barrier.
The young Perrin had craved acceptance from her rejecting kin.
She persistently tried to be accepted.
But what returned was even stronger rejection.
By the time exhaustion led her to give up, a single realization remained in Perrin's heart like a scar.
The things I like hate me.
The closer I get, the further they pull away.
'So… now I have to pull away…'
'…But I don't want to. This happiness…'
'…No, actually, it makes me upset. Because—'
'Because…'
Her mind kept growing cluttered.
Just as even purely savoring that happiness became impossible—
"…!"
Perrin's body shuddered.
Smoothly.
Rishir's other hand gently stroked Perrin's head.
It was an absentminded action because she looked so much like a wolf rubbing her face against his hand.
"…"
Perrin stopped thinking and focused on that touch.
Smooth. Smooth. Smooth.
That rhythmic touch seemed to sweep away the thoughts filling her mind.
Before she knew it, her cluttered mind had been neatly sorted.
The deep self-hatred. Resentment and inferiority toward her kin.
The elves who had made her this way.
Now, none of it mattered.
"Hng…"
A happiness she had never felt before.
Right now, she just wanted to savor it.
Perrin pressed her body against Rishir and wriggled to find the optimal position.
Thus, the woman with the ears and tail of a blue wolf clung defenselessly to Rishir.
"…"
Rishir's hand stopped.
That weight. That texture.
Through the sensations transmitted from their closely pressed bodies, he belatedly recognized Perrin not as a wolf, but as a woman.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
At that moment, something strongly tapped Rishir's body.
It was Perrin's tail.
"Hng… Keep doing the good feeling…"
Perrin rubbed her face against Rishir's chest, letting out a nasal whine.
Ahem.
It was a stimulating sight enough to make some clear their throats and turn away, others blush and stare—
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
But the fluffy tail repeatedly tapping Rishir's body captured his attention.
"…"
Wolf? Person? Wolf? Person?
Wolf.
In the end, Rishir shrugged his shoulders and resumed stroking Perrin's head.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Perrin's tail thudded against Rishir's body even harder than before.
Almost coiling around him.
"Feels good…"
The tongue that had spewed sharp curses moments ago now made sloppy sounds.
"Yeah? Glad to hear it."
"Scratch my neck too…"
"Like this?"
"Hng…"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
"Now here…"
Perrin slightly lifted her hips.
"The butt pat from earlier… Do that…"
"Uh… That might be a bit…"
"Stop!!!"
Lafita, unable to endure it any longer, shouted.
"Y-you…! What the hell did you do to Perrin!!! Turning our proud Perrin… the serene and noble Perrin… into a pathetic bitch fawning over a human…!"
"No… I didn't really do anything…"
"Lies! You think I'll believe that!!! There's no way Perrin would prefer a mere human over me!!! No way she'd like your touch! I can't forgive it. I can't forgive it!!! How dare you defile Perrin with your filthy energy!!!"
Rishir suddenly felt an itch in his mouth.
Just listening quietly, there was no end to the nonsense.
Something felt unjust about taking this lying down.
Moreover, in this absurd situation, a line he absolutely had to say came to mind.
If he missed this chance, who knew when he'd get to say it again.
Rishir steeled his resolve and stroked Perrin's head even more vigorously.
"Hng…"
"You say that, but Perrin's body is honest. Heh. Heh."
"…!"
It was terrible acting, but the destructive power of that timeless line was immense.
"Kyaaaaah!!! Gondola!!!"
Lafita screamed and called her escort knight's name.
"Yes, milady."
"Rip that filthy human away from Perrin right now! Right now!!!"
"Understood. Hey, human. Release her immediately."
Rishir promptly raised both hands.
"Hng… Hng…"
It had the opposite effect.
Perrin whined and swung her tail even harder.
"No… No… I don't wanna separate yet…"
"You bastard…! How dare you use cheap tricks in front of milady to toy with her spirit!!!"
"I've told you repeatedly. I didn't do anything."
"Shut up!"
Shing—
Gondola's sword left its sheath.
Following, Dupona and Drapon's swords left their sheaths.
Lafita glared at Drapon with wide eyes.
She thought the human power figure would surely take her side.
"Drapon, you saw what that guy did to my spirit. You're still going to side with that human!?"
"Lady Roeyh. If you cause a violent incident inside Bondales, it could lead to political issues. Especially in your current situation of entering the castle without formal procedures, you must be even more cautious."
"Good lord. Do I seem like I'm doing this because I don't know that?!? If you have eyes, look at that!!! See what your human is doing to my spirit!"
"Milady."
Then Gadena spoke up.
"Right! Gadena! You're here too! These humans! They won't listen at all! Do something about it!"
"…"
He opened his mouth with a complicated expression.
"Milady. He might be right."
"What?"
"His mana… his energy possesses a special property. A mystical property that purifies unclean power."
"Wh-what are you trying to say?"
"He truly did nothing to the spirit."
"So, you're saying this? That Perrin is acting like that simply because she likes that human?"
"…Moreover, he is someone vouched for by Master Meltas. If he were foolish enough to provoke needless conflict, he wouldn't have received that vouch."
"Who the hell is Master Meltas! I don't care about some human!!?"
"He is someone too broad-minded to dismiss as a mere human."
"…Hahahahaha!!!"
Lafita covered her face with both hands and burst into laughter.
"Good lord, Gadena. What happened to you! You were wiser than this back in the Green Tower! Have you been living among humans in their city so long that you now treat them like kin!?"
"…"
Gadena looked at Lafita with a complex expression.
He couldn't simply view her as foolish.
As a high elf of the World Tree's lineage, Lafita was born with the fate of receiving the love of all spirits. Her pride was not arrogance, but justified.
However. This was not inside the Great Forest, but the outside world. It was no wonder there were existences she couldn't understand with elven common sense.
Gadena pondered.
How to persuade this spoiled young lady, born and raised as the indulged youngest of a noble house.
No. How to guide her.
Gadena felt a slight disillusionment with his own group and dared to use that word.
"This is the outside world, milady. You must adopt a broader perspective and tolerance."
"…"
Lafita glared at Gadena for a while before curling her lips into a meaningful smile.
"You want me to broaden my view a bit more? Got it."
Then she looked at Drapon and said,
"You just said it, right? If an elf causes a violent incident against a human in Bondales, it could become a political issue."
"…"
"Then, using force against a spirit, with another spirit, should be fine, right?"
"What do you—"
Lafita pulled a necklace from her bosom. An emerald necklace containing vast wind energy.
"Sylph."
She murmured softly, and condensed wind currents swirled, filling the narrow space.
The emerald became the eye of the vortex.
"Milady! No!"
Gadena shouted, but it was already too late.
An untimely commotion erupted outside the building.
The clouds that had adorned the sky suddenly vanished, revealing an unnaturally clear sky.
The great wind spirit had answered the high elf's call and manifested.
"Bring me that wolf spirit the human is holding."
Lafita said, glaring at Rishir with fierce eyes.
The eyes in the emerald followed her gaze.
The answer came immediately.
"Yes! Right now—…"
…
Eh?
The venom on Lafita's face faded.
She looked down at her necklace with a dumbfounded expression.
"Wh-what did you just—"
The eyes in the emerald fixed on Rishir.
"What the—"
The great wind spirit was refusing her request because it was wary of a mere human?
In other words, it preferred that human over her!?
"Sylph!"
"Yes! My enemy!!!"
"…What?"
The light in the emerald faded.
The vortex filling the room stopped.
"…"
Silence flowed through the room.
The high elf repeatedly mulled over the great wind spirit's words.
Lafita's face flushed red in waves.
"…Ah—"
Finally, unable to fully accept what had happened to her, she lost consciousness.
It was the moment her supreme high elf pride was thoroughly denied.