The Dire Wolf's Oath
With my hazy memory, I recalled the original story's content. The monster the crown prince faced seemed to look something like this. Anyway, what now? If I delayed any longer, I'd be late getting back. I had to return to the estate before sunrise.
But if I went home empty-handed like this, I'd fail the trial. They might acknowledge the feat of driving off the count's knights, but it would all be for nothing if I didn't become the heir.
I stared at the wolf statue with its mouth stretched wide open, then let out a sigh. Lifting the pendant, I eyed the statue, which looked ready to lunge forward like a predator eyeing its prey.
Then the magic stone on the pendant began to emit an ethereal glow.
"Wh-what?"
Startled, I held the pendant closer to the wolf statue. The light grew stronger. Swallowing hard, I pressed it fully against the stone.
"Ugh!"
It wasn't just the light. An immense power surged from the spot where the pendant touched the statue. My hand trembled violently, but I gritted my teeth and held on.
Before long, what emerged was no longer a statue.
[Are you my master?]
"...What?"
The statue had truly transformed into a wolf. And it was speaking to me. I stared at it in a daze.
[I asked if you are my master.]
"Me?"
The wolf was talking. In a stunned haze, I nodded without thinking.
"Uh, probably?"
At that, the fierce-looking wolf opened its mouth. It almost looked like a human smile, bright and wide. Its long, protruding fangs were especially striking.
[Pleased to meet you. I am the last chieftain of the dire wolf clan, Fenrir. Call me Pel, if you would. My master.]
"Pel, huh. Alright."
[What is my master's name?]
"Me? Abigail Carpoem."
[Carpoem? So it is true.]
Pel sniffed around me, circling my position. Having a wolf head—the kind that could swallow me whole—sniff right up close wasn't exactly pleasant.
[Very well. I shall lend you all my power, master.]
"Oh, thanks?"
Just like that, I'd gained a talking wolf as a subordinate. I mumbled my gratitude in bewilderment. Strangely, it didn't feel threatening at all. Perhaps because of the dragon's power within me, I felt like I could take on a mere wolf without issue.
"By the way, have you seen another pendant just like this one?"
The trial mattered more, so I showed Pel the pendant. Since it had changed the statue, maybe he knew something.
Pel tilted his head.
[Do you mean this?]
In an instant, Pel transformed into a pendant. My eyes widened as I picked up the one that had fallen to the ground.
"How is this possible?"
[This is the pendant that houses my body. I usually stay inside it. It helps me recover my magic.]
"Oh, I see."
Was this the pendant of the same design the count had mentioned? I compared it to the one I already had. They were identical—indistinguishable unless Pel spoke up. The gem's shape, size, and color were all exactly the same.
"Phew. Not sure what's going on, but anyway, looking forward to working with you, Pel."
[Likewise, master.]
And so, pendant that turned into a wolf in hand, I headed back to the estate.
* * *
By the time I reached the estate, dawn was breaking. The sun was just about to rise. I'd made it back by the skin of my teeth.
But upon arrival, I was shocked. A crowd had gathered in front of the mansion.
"Annie?"
"Miss!"
Annie spotted me from afar and came running, her face pale as a ghost. The moment I dismounted, she grabbed me and cried out.
"Miss, are you hurt? The blood—the blood, why is there so much...!"
"Annie, calm down."
She must have been alarmed by the blood splattered all over my face and clothes. A quick glance showed my outfit was soaked red from the knights and the Marquis of Ater.
I soothed her, meeting her teary eyes.
"It's not my blood. I'm not hurt at all."
"Really? Truly?"
"Yeah. I'm fine, I told you."
But Annie burst into tears anyway.
"Thank the gods."
I gave a wry smile and pulled her into a hug. The other maids surrounded us, weeping too. How long had they been out here waiting for me? It nearly brought tears to my eyes as well.
"Abi! You've returned!"
"...Father."
The duke came rushing over, having heard the news. He didn't seem to care about dignity in front of the servants. Like Annie, he was startled by the blood at first, but relaxed once I explained.
"I'm glad you're safe."
"Thank you for coming out so early, Father."
I looked around at the others. My maids led by Annie, the gardeners Shawn and Tom, even the stablehand Paul—they'd all been waiting, hoping for my return.
I took in each face, then turned to the duke and knelt before him.
"Abigail Carpoem has returned after undergoing the Tentamen as per clan tradition."
"...I see."
He seemed taken aback by my sudden action but quickly composed himself and replied. Behind him, I saw kin including the Lupus Count approaching.
"Abigail Carpoem, daughter of Adrian Carpoem, has returned from the Tentamen. Those of the clan who requested the Tentamen, step forward."
"Yes."
The Lupus Count came forward, drawing near the duke. He looked down at me with bewildered eyes, as if he still couldn't believe this.
"Then, Abigail Carpoem, present your proof."
"Yes."
I pulled out both the pendant the count had given me and the one Pel had become, offering them to the duke. His eyes widened in surprise as he took them.
"Did you meet Fenrir?"
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
So the duke knew of Fenrir's existence. I told him the truth.
"He said he would serve me as his master."
"...!"
A murmur rippled through the crowd. Especially the kin who had come for the Magic Festival—they looked shaken. The Lupus Count's face had gone completely ashen.
"Can you show proof?"
"Yes. Please hand me the pendant on the left."
I took back one of the pendants I'd given him—the one with Pel inside. I could tell because it pulsed with stronger energy.
Holding it, I murmured softly.
"Pel, reveal yourself before me."
This time, unlike before, the pendant stayed in my hand while only Pel's form appeared in front of the mansion. The servants screamed as a wolf over two meters tall materialized in an instant.
[You called, master?]
I panicked at the crowd's shock, but Pel calmly addressed me. The situation felt strangely familiar.
Speaking for me, the duke snapped sharply.
"Silence!"
"......"
The area fell instantly quiet. The duke eyed Pel, who stared back.
"Are you truly Fenrir, chieftain of the dire wolf clan?" the duke asked.
[You recognize me. Are you of the Carpoem line as well?]
"Indeed. I am the father of Abigail Carpoem, whom you have acknowledged as master, and the head of the Carpoem clan."
[Ah, I see.]
The duke turned from Pel's nonchalant reply to the kin, including the Lupus Count.
"My daughter, Abigail Carpoem, has been recognized as master by Fenrir, chieftain of the dire wolf clan—whom no one has subdued in two hundred years. Does anyone object?"
No one spoke. They could only kneel before the duke, gazing at me on my knees and the massive Pel beside me with eyes full of awe.
The pallid Lupus Count finally managed to speak.
"Isaac Lupus, who requested the Tentamen, acknowledges Abigail Carpoem's success. The clan agrees."
"Good."
The duke, breathing heavily, turned to me and helped me to my feet. His eyes were red-rimmed.
"Well done."
"...Yes, Father."
And at last, I said the words I hadn't been able to before—to the duke and the servants.
"I'm home."
At that moment, the sun rose. Bright light bathed me and my people. They laughed through their tears. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks too.
But I smiled brighter than ever.
* * *
Ren Magicus watched it all from the shadows. He felt the urge to step into that bright light. But he couldn't. It wasn't his place.
While the lady had undergone the Tentamen, he'd been ordered to guard the duke all night. The Marquis of Ater might exploit a moment of carelessness to strike again.
But the duke had remained safe, and Ren had completed his mission. All the marquis had done was attach a snake-like familiar to the duke—which he'd shattered and disposed of upon capture.
Ren felt the impulse to drop his invisibility spell and rush to the lady. The people laughing under the sunlight looked so beautiful.
Ren was of the Magicus clan. Descended from ancestors cursed and abandoned by the gods for their sins, everyone who saw him condemned him as a criminal.
When the Lady Abigail had first called for him, he'd assumed she'd torment him like the others. The Magic Tower Master was the only one who'd ever been kind to him in his life. No one needed him. Even his family had shunned and rejected him despite his exceptional magical talent. All he could do was hide himself, watching others' reactions.
But Lady Abigail was different. She'd acknowledged his abilities and said she needed him. Being by her side made him feel truly useful, and it filled him with joy. He felt like he could do anything for her.
Yet Ren could never stand proudly at her side. Not once so far. He could only gaze stupidly, like someone peering into a world beyond a mirror.
"...!"
For a moment, Ren thought their eyes met. The lady had looked straight at where he was. Though surrounded by people and smiling, she'd met his gaze with a strange expression. Impossible as it was, he felt like she'd recognized him. His heart clenched painfully.
Her red eyes seemed to pierce right through his petty heart. Human desires were treacherous things—they only grew greedier. At first, just helping the lady who wanted him had been enough joy. Now he wanted to stand at her side. It was a forbidden wish. The distance between him and the lady was as vast as the heavens from the earth's edge. She was someone he should be grateful just to watch, just to exchange a single word with.
"Miss, shall we head inside now?"
"Ah, yes."
Soon, the lady vanished into the mansion with her maids. Ren watched her retreating figure. Suppressing the urge to follow countless times, he teleported away.
His master, Magic Tower Master Benjamin, scowled at his arrival.
"How long have I been waiting? Why show up now?"
"My apologies, Master."