Chapter 518: The Hour of the Dog and Wolf - 6
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 518: The Hour of the Dog and Wolf - 6
A wind carrying the scent of earth raced across the boundless prairie. Long ago, all beasts were the wind that roamed the fields. They flowed with the water and grass, their feet on the soil, and raced against life and death upon the wasteland. On the vast plains, birth was not glorious, and death was not cruel. No one judged life or death; they simply melted back into the world.
Running across the plains, Theia felt free. The wolf’s eyes hunting her, the worried shouts of others—she let them all flow past her, savoring the feeling of liberation. Even the wind could not overtake her as she ran. As Theia reveled in a joy that sprang from pure instinct, someone appeared before her.
A wolf girl. What words could be more fitting?
A lone girl stood amidst a pack of enormous wolves. She looked like a shepherd tending her flock. Even as the scent of blood wafted from the distance, they calmly cared for one another.
They say some humans are raised by wolves. I wonder if this is what it’s like. Did the wolf girl really grow up on her wolf mother’s milk? When did she realize she was different from the wolves? Theia let her imagination run wild…
‘That’s the Wolf King. The target I’m supposed to lure.’
Cold reason whispered to her. It was a shame, but the pleasant fantasy had to end here. Stopping before the wolf pack, Theia forced a smile and waved.
“Hello. Are you the Wolf King?”
The wolves growled, wary of the strange human. Just as a few were about to lunge, the wolf girl moved.
Sensing their king’s will, the wolves parted to make way. With light, nimble steps like a wolf herself, the Wolf King approached and stared intently at Theia.
Theia felt a sense of déjà vu. The Wolf King—it should have been the first time she’d ever seen this being, yet she seemed strangely familiar. Cold, gray fur, and piercing blue eyes that held a deep chill. A fearsome presence that made the hair on her skin stand on end just by looking.
If she had encountered it once, she would never have forgotten. So why the déjà vu? As Theia puzzled over the inexplicable feeling, the Wolf King opened her mouth.
“You are wild.”
The moment she heard the voice, Theia understood the source of her feeling.
It was the Dog King.
The fur color was different. The eyes were different. The aura was different. The Dog King was bright, kind, and gentle to all. She had round eyes and a warm smile.
In contrast, the Wolf King looked sharp enough to tear apart whatever was in front of her at a moment’s notice. If someone were to be bitten by those teeth, you would sooner blame the person for daring to approach than the wolf.
That was why it had taken her so long to notice.
Her features didn't just resemble the Dog King's; they were perfectly identical.
“Wild? I pride myself on having lived a pretty decent life.”
“Wild. Like a horse.”
“Ah, a horse? That’s right. I’m a horse beastkin.”
“Why don’t you use that wildness for yourself?”
Theia flinched. Her opponent was the Wolf King. She wasn’t an ordinary beast, but… Theia never imagined she would recognize her and attempt a conversation.
Moreover, the conversation was far more profound than she’d expected. The Wolf King saw right through to Theia’s essence.
“Within you is the wildness of a horse. Your legs are for running away. You, who should be fleeing to the ends of the earth from all that is hateful and frightening, why do you stand in my way?”
“Uh… to protect the city?”
“Have you been tamed? Taught not to show your wildness to humans? In the end, even with the wildness of a horse, were you tamed to use it for humans?”
If a horse’s wildness was to run, then Theia had certainly used it for humans. She raced, she won first place, and she waved to the roaring crowds. The flowers, the gifts, the praise—it was all for her.
That was how it had turned out, but she had never thought of it as serving humans. She had simply run. Theia retorted.
“I wasn’t serving anyone! I received fair compensation from the humans!”
“You might have, being the wildest and therefore the most thoroughly tamed horse. Because only you would have survived.”
“…!”
But what about the other horse beastkin racers? Did they truly receive fair compensation?
As she wavered for a moment, the wolf’s low voice reached her ears.
“Humans tame beasts. They kill every beast that cannot be tamed. They try to monopolize wildness. They pull our teeth, clip our claws, put on shackles, and pierce our noses. They try to cut away our ferocity and make it their sustenance.”
“Wolf…”
“I am the fangs you have lost. I am the claws you have torn away. I am the vast wasteland you see after you have broken us.”
Theia had thought the Wolf King would lunge at her, tongue out, the moment they met. She had expected a being of pure cruelty and savagery, devoid of reason.
“I am the king of wildness. The king who reminds you all of the wildness you have lost.”
But the Wolf King Theia saw, while cruel and wild… also carried a deep sorrow. She didn’t seem to be a purely evil being.
“Remember your wildness. You horses are beasts that run to the ends of the earth. Not objects that wear a bridle and serve as human feet.”
“…I never thought I’d get a recruitment offer.”
She couldn’t easily accept it. But she clearly understood what was being said.
At the same time, she instinctively understood why the Wolf King looked identical to the Dog King.
They were two sides of a mirror. Identical, yet representing complete opposites. The dog that would never harm a human and the wolf that urged beasts to show their wildness to humans were as similar as they were different.
Perhaps, if Theia had lived a slightly different life, or if the timing had been different—if this had been her at her weakest point in the past—she might have been persuaded by the wolf.
But what had brought Theia here now were Ende and the Dog King. Ende was a city of freedom, and Theia loved that city.
For now, she chose to stand on the side of kindness.
“Maybe so. But the me of today runs for myself. My wildness is my own.”
And more than anything.
Theia felt an instinct stirring within her as she looked at the Wolf King.
“More than anything, I want to race you, wolf.”
“…Hah.”
The Wolf King’s mouth split into a savage grin. Sensing their king’s emotions, the wolves began to howl. As if singing of their king’s march to battle, hundreds of wolves spread out, ready to follow.
Just then, a shadow shot up beside the Wolf King. The shadow, clad in a black robe, approached the Wolf King and said, “Fenrir. That is a lure…”
“Silence, human. You failed to tame me.”
Crunch. The shadow that had shot up was crushed into a spray of blood in an instant. The human, who had been controlled by someone, lost their life in a flash. The Wolf King, blood smeared on her lips, didn’t even spare it a glance as she glared at Theia.
“I welcome your wildness, horse. Try to run.”
Only now did Theia realize the Wolf King had been holding back for her. With her fangs bared and her wildness unleashed, the Wolf King was terrifying enough to make her skin crawl. Every cell in her body was screaming at her to run. Her pounding heart felt like it wanted to flee her body before she did.
‘Dangerous. This is dangerous, so dangerous. This is no joke. Unlike any race I’ve run before, if I get caught this time… I’ll really, truly die.’
At the same time, Theia felt a thrilling excitement begin to fill her body. A dangerous smile spread across her face as the heat rose within her.
There were no betting slips, no rankings, no need for proof. With no other motive, a race purely for survival was about to begin.
Theia exhaled. In preparation for the coming race, she planted her feet firmly, ready to bolt. She drew up all the Qi in her body and channeled it into her legs.
The prairie wind caressed Theia’s cheek. The Wolf King’s fur fluttered softly. The two wild beasts took one last breath before the hunt began.
Theia muttered.
“It’s a race, Fenrir.”
The ceaseless wind came to a dead stop. Taking that as their signal, the two beasts shot forward, each aiming for the other.
*
Damn, she’s fast. I was trying to escort her, but she got lost in her own thoughts and just took off. It’s like she lives in a world that moves several times faster than everyone else’s.
I urged the Obeli Guard Dogs and the beastkin detachment onward.
“Faster. We can’t let the wolves block Theia’s path.”
“We’re already running as fast as we can! How are we supposed to catch a horse at a rabbit’s pace!”
Kito, the rabbit mage, who had been panting as she replied, suddenly stopped. We had broken off from the main force, and now we were surrounded by nothing but wolves. As capable as the Obeli Guard Dogs were, they were nothing compared to the Obelisk or the Beast Faction warriors.
As the reality of the situation slowly dawned on her, Kito began to tremble.
“M-More importantly, aren’t we… a little too deep in heeeere…?”
“We are. And we need to go deeper.”
“H-Hieeeek? We’re going to get eaten by wolves! There’s no one around to help us!”
“You have us.”
“But we’re weak!”
Kito shrieked and quickly looked around. The hundred or so Obeli Guard Dogs had formed up and were advancing, so the wolves merely circled us without attacking. That was likely because they were just scouts, but for the Obeli Guard Dogs, even these wolves were opponents they’d have to risk their lives to fight.
If the main force led by the Wolf King were to descend upon us, only death would await.
“What if we lure them…? Won’t we just become wolf food?”
“I have no intention of becoming wolf food, but the wolves will certainly see us as such.”
“…Fareweeeellll!”
“And where do you think you’re going?”
I grabbed Kito’s ear and held on tight. Rabbit ears are so long, they fit right in one hand. Kito flailed her arms and legs, crying.
“Aah! It’s gonna come off! It’s gonna pop right ooooff!”
“What’s wrong? You’re the city’s trap designer. You should be ready to devote your life to protecting it.”
“I have no desire to devote my life! That damn city. I’m sick of the humans and the beastkin!”
Was it the fear of the wolves? Kito began to pour out all her pent-up frustrations.
“Are they the only beastkin? I’m a beastkin too! They ignore me, ostracize me, and exclude me just because there are few rabbit beastkin! They don’t mess with the cats because they’re prickly and fierce, but since rabbits are weak and timid, they just hit us and make fun of us! Ende deserved to be taught a lesson!”
The Obeli Guard Dogs were flustered by her sudden confession. Kito didn't care, continuing to vent as she stomped her feet.
“And the pig beastkin are the same! They bullied me more than anyone, and now what? The pigs were discriminated against? So now they’re going to wield the power they never had? If that’s the case, they should make me their king! I had it the hardest, I was in the most pain! Waaaaaah!”
“But you’ve been receiving a city salary since you awakened your Unique Magic.”
“Glad you brought that up! Do you know how I awakened my Unique Magic? Because those damn pigs and dogs kept setting rabbit traps everywhere! They set traps on my path and laughed their heads off when they saw me crying my eyes out! I awakened it while trying to figure out how to avoid their traps!”
The city’s sins ran deep. No matter how much Kito enjoyed it now, setting traps was crossing a line. Poking and prodding could be framed as teasing a girl you like, but setting traps and snares? That was just hunting.
“I’m a cowaaaard…. I’m weak and pitifuuuul…. Why, how, for what reason do I have to risk my life to protect the ciiity….”
Kito sobbed. It was clear her desire was not to protect the city. Taking the position of trap designer was just a petty form of revenge. Her pleasure came from looking down on those who had tormented her from a position of high authority.
Her heart was filled with a sense of victimhood that couldn’t even compare to the pig beastkin’s. Unlike them, the rabbit beastkin were so few in number that they had far fewer ways to express it.
But I’m not one to force someone to do something they don’t want to.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m trying to create an opportunity for you to achieve your desire.”
“Hiccup. My… desire…?”
Kito’s desire stemmed from her victim complex. She wanted revenge, but she also craved success. She had a deep-seated desire to build a solid standing for herself so that no one could ever look down on her again.
I—or more accurately, the Regressor and I—planned to create that very situation for her.
“I’ll make you a hero.”
“A h-hero…?”
“No, not a hero. Saying something like that to you, who has no interest in saving the city, won’t motivate you.”
Let’s see. What would be good? Ah, that’s it.
I paused for a moment before making Kito a promise.
“I’ll let you become a god.”