Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Anima's Shadow
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Theodor's cold gaze shifted to the massive Anima collapsed in front of him.
If he had noticed the Anima's presence just a moment later, Theodor's shoulder would have been badly torn.
There weren't many who could block an Anima charging with clear murderous intent.
"...I'm glad you weren't injured."
Tarik always thought that his purpose was to keep his master unharmed. Vowing to prevent such incidents before they happened next time, he slowly rose to his feet.
His master always treated Tarik's own injuries lightly, as if accustomed to pain. In Tarik's eyes, who had watched Theodor up close for so long, he was always a source of worry.
"I'm not so weak that a single Anima could wound me."
"That wasn't what I meant."
Theodor chuckled softly at Tarik's flustered response.
The current head of the Diarc Family, ruler of the North, lord of Aren, silver wolf of the battlefield. The more titles attached to Theodor's name, the greater the responsibilities he had to shoulder.
Becoming family head didn't mean he could just sit at a desk shuffling papers—the world of Beastkin was far too harsh for that. Now entangled in complex interests not just with Beastkin but humans as well, staying idle would turn him into the fool who ruined his own house.
Theodor looked down at the leopard-shaped Anima lying dead at his feet.
Larger and more menacing than any ordinary beast, with a temperament like fire—relentless until its target drew its last breath.
They were called Anima: Beastkin who could never take human form, doomed to live as beasts their entire lives, yet not true beasts.
Anima were infinitely closer to beasts than humans, unable to shift into human shape or communicate with language. But their instinct for slaughter burned fiercer than any beast's.
Little was known for certain about their numbers or scale. Anima were "strange things" of unknown origin, shunned utterly even among Beastkin.
[Those who draw near Anima may never shift back to human form. Once a Beastkin becomes an Anima, they lose all human reason and can never return...]
Whether Anima were an entirely different species or a warped form of Beastkin shift was mere rumor. Yet some Beastkin wielded Anima as limbs, heedless of the tales. Even certain humans who knew of them yearned to command Anima.
Unable to take human form, Anima obeyed their recognized master with absolute loyalty—their strength and devotion alone made them valuable tools.
Theodor Diarc had faced such Anima before. But this was the first to get so close while targeting him.
Anima instinctively avoided fights with stronger Beastkin. To charge into a hopeless battle...
"Captain Tarik, we've located the Anima's origin."
A boy who looked boyish and young came panting up to Tarik, who waited behind Theodor. Tarik stepped aside and said,
"Report directly to His Grace."
"Y-Yes? Oh, yes! G-Greetings to Duke Theodor, Your Grace...!"
At Tarik's order, the boy awkwardly bowed from a safe distance to Theodor.
'I mustn't anger the family head, mustn't anger him...'
The boy, who had served as a scout under Tarik, recalled every warning about the family head and began his trembling report.
"Reporting to Your Grace! The Anima's origin is the territory of the Leto Family...!"
"Leto?"
Theodor murmured, his gaze still fixed on the Anima.
"Yes...! Reports came in of Anima traces in Pate, one of the Leto Family's territories."
"...Antoine Leto."
Theodor recalled the Leto family head.
She was one lost in vanity and extravagance, with little interaction between their houses. They'd crossed paths a few times at most, at gatherings of family heads. For such a woman to suddenly send an Anima after him?
"Ridiculous."
Theodor muttered coldly. The scout boy quickly gauged his mood at the displeasure.
"Antoine out of nowhere. I'm curious who might be behind her."
"Your Grace, we'll investigate and report back swiftly."
"No need. No point wasting time."
Theodor turned away coolly. The north wind chilled his cheek, carrying the foul stench of Anima blood.
"Your Grace... do you know who's behind this?"
Tarik hesitated before asking, but Theodor gave no answer and simply walked on.
The leopard-shaped Anima on the ground was already turning black and melting away. The earth around it blackened too.
That was one reason Anima were avoided. Where an Anima died, death lingered thickly. Without purification by one with holy power, no life would grow there for ages—not even the smallest grass seed.
"We're returning to Aren."
"Yes, Your Grace."
At Theodor's command, the Diarc knights immediately began preparations to withdraw. The scout boy, staring blankly at the melting Anima traces, hurried off at his superior's call.
* * *
Intrusion into the mansion by Lycan Spenders' phantoms, and now an Anima ambush.
Not long after becoming head of the Diarc Family, Theodor was receiving the most fervent "welcome" yet.
Or rather, not for him precisely, but for the one he protected.
Theodor returned to the mansion, washed up, and changed clothes. The Anima's aura clung to him heavily, sapping his strength. Being splattered in its blood felt indescribably filthy.
"...Damn it."
He didn't want to see Lara in this state.
He seemed fine on the surface, but Theodor dreaded if she might smell any lingering blood.
Still, he was the one who'd told her to wait. In the end, dressed in a light shirt, he headed to her room.
"Lara."
He knocked, and her voice came promptly.
"Theo...! Just a moment."
Waiting briefly at the door, it creaked open. Lara, her long silver hair braided into one, looked up at him in her nightgown with a robe thrown over and slippers on.
"Ah."
Come to think of it, the hour... It was too late.
Handling the sudden Anima aftermath had taken longer than expected. He should have checked the time before coming to her.
Yet Lara showed no signs of having been woken from sleep. He'd thought she'd have gone to bed by now, but seeing her waiting in pajamas drew a wry smile.
"Wait long?"
Theodor asked. Lara pondered briefly, then nodded slightly.
"Yes."
"Sorry. It's too late."
As Theodor hesitated to enter, Lara added,
"I'm not sleepy, so it's fine."
"...I see."
He couldn't tell her to go to bed early now. Her bright eyes made it even harder.
"I heard you did well with Claude today."
"You've met Lord Claude?"
"No. Marsha told me."
Theodor never left Claude alone with Lara while vacating the mansion. Claude was her tutor, but Theodor wasn't fool enough to leave a woman-obsessed wolf with her unsupervised.
Thanks to layers of "safeguards," he received near real-time reports on Lara's day and Claude's actions.
No need to hide it from her, so Claude had mentioned it casually.
"She said you followed along very well."
"Ah, it's only been a day..."
"Well done is well done."
Theodor said indifferently, sitting in the chair across from her desk. Exercise books and several texts lay open on it.
"Don't push yourself. I don't want to see you harming your health."
"Yes, I won't."
"...Does Claude make you uncomfortable?"
Theodor asked directly. Despite all the mansion's eyes on Claude, Lara's feelings mattered most. She thought a moment, then shook her head.
"No. It's fine."
"...Tell me right away if he bothers you even a little."
"Yes."
A faint smile seemed to flicker across Lara's face. Theodor cleared his throat shortly.
"What about the girl named Rin?"
"Rin's kind. She knows more than I do. She reads well, writes beautifully..."
At Rin's mention, Lara chattered excitedly. Having a peer friend clearly pleased her.
Theodor felt confirmed in his decision to keep Rin in the mansion, respecting Lara's view. The young crow Beastkin wasn't entirely trustworthy, but her heart seemed pure.
"Rin will attend you alone for now. If you need more help, tell Marsha or me. I'll arrange it quickly."
"Rin's enough for me."
She was shy by nature anyway. Without that incident, even Rin might not have grown close to her.
Theodor wanted to say she didn't need to befriend every maid, but knowing her personality, he stayed silent.
Expecting her to suddenly act and think like a noble young lady overnight was unreasonable.
"I asked you to wait because I have something to tell you, Lara."
Meeting her gaze, Theodor broached the most important matter.
Lara's heterochromatic eyes fixed solely on him.
"Something... to tell me?"