[The Lone Wolf (2)]
The Blackwood territory was finally showing signs of life after a long, stagnant silence. A wind of hope had begun to blow through a land that had been permeated by the scent of death for far too long. It was a breeze brought in by the Red Flame Mercenary Corps, a group of humans.
The weeping of the women had ceased, and the sounds of men training had returned to the air. One by one, the people who had been lying in despair were beginning to stand tall again. They were starting to harbor expectations for a future they had once believed would never come.
Except for one person.
“*Hic*... *sob*...”
Neir Blackwood spent every day locked in her room, shedding tears. She was the one who had to be sacrificed to bring about all these miracles. With no money and no food, the only thing the Blackwood family could offer as payment was a single life.
Neir felt the sheer injustice of it all. She couldn't understand why she had to be the one sold off. But because such selfish thoughts were impossible to voice aloud, she had no choice but to bear all that unfairness alone.
She had believed in her grandmother’s prophecy with all her heart. She had thought that, someday, salvation would come. But she never imagined that her dream would be shattered in such a way. The fated partner she had been waiting for never appeared; instead, a mercenary had come to claim her.
To live a lifetime with someone she didn't love—it was a fate worse than death. It was even worse than the constant bullying she endured from her brothers.
As a member of the wolf-kin, she had wanted to meet her fated partner and share a passionate, profound love. She had dreamed of a burning romance, the kind where you felt as if you couldn't survive without the other person. But what awaited her was a future bound to a human.
Neir had heard countless rumors about humans. They were weak yet cruel. They were barbaric and lacked honor. They instinctively knew how to relentlessly exploit an opponent's weaknesses, and they were never afraid of becoming filthy or corrupt.
Furthermore, they were promiscuous. Neir had heard that human men were always in a state of rut. To satisfy those carnal desires... they even had a system called polygamy. It was a practice enjoyed exclusively by humans, where one man kept numerous women as his own.
Neir could not comprehend that culture. It felt incredibly dirty and impure. Unless one viewed people as mere ornaments, such a thing should have been impossible. Humans offered the excuse that they could love many people at once, but Neir thought it was nothing more than a cowardly justification.
And now, she was being sold to such a human. It was utterly humiliating. Out of all the races in the world, why did it have to be a human? On top of that, he was a mercenary. A mercenary who earned his living by swinging a sword.
It was no secret that mercenaries loved alcohol and women. She had heard that once someone became a mercenary, even the wolf-kin would indulge in such vices. Naturally, it was impossible for a human to be any different. She was destined to spend her life with a man who was a collection of the absolute worst traits imaginable. She might even be used like a sex toy.
Of course, even if it hadn't been a human mercenary, she would have hated anyone who wasn't her fated partner... but the combination of "human" and "mercenary" only amplified her disgust.
Her grandmother’s advice about her fated partner echoed in her ears:
Her tears wouldn't stop.
“Grandmother... what do I do?”
She had never even considered that she might lose her fated partner in such a way. Neir Blackwood would have run away if she could. But with her distinct, eye-catching tail, escaping in secret was harder than plucking stars from the sky.
-*Knock, knock, knock.*
At that moment, someone knocked on her door. Neir instantly wiped away her tears and composed her expression. Before she could even grant permission, the door opened.
“Neir.”
“...Brother.”
Seeing someone she felt so uncomfortable with, Neir gripped her blanket tightly. She covered her face, pretending she hadn't been crying. Her older brother, Gidin Blackwood, a man of massive stature, walked into the room.
“Hmph. Your groom has arrived, yet you’re holed up in your room. What kind of rudeness is this? Do you have any idea how difficult you’ve made our position?”
Neir curled her body up instead of answering. He looked down at her quietly before speaking again.
“Ha, don't tell me you were crying.”
A sigh of contempt followed.
“...If you care even a little bit about the people of this territory, you should be accepting this joyfully. And yet, you show tears...”
Neir bit her lower lip hard. There were countless things she wanted to say. He could only talk like that because he wasn't the one in her position. Gidin Blackwood had already formed a soul binding with the partner of his choosing. Even though he clearly knew how Neir must be feeling, he had come here just to provoke her.
Under normal circumstances, Neir wouldn't have dared to show her displeasure. She had always been afraid of Gidin. But now, she had nothing left to lose. She was being sold to a human mercenary; what else could she possibly fear?
Driven by a surge of resentment, Neir gathered her courage.
“...Please leave.”
Even then, the only thing she could manage to say was a request for some time alone. The fear of Gidin, etched into her very skin, prevented her from saying anything harsher.
“...Tsk.”
Gidin maintained a long silence before turning around. Usually, such defiance would have come with a heavy price. But Neir understood that her sacrifice was valuable. Consequently, she was fortunate enough to push Gidin away before any further conversation could begin. After all, there was no way a bride could attend her wedding ceremony while covered in bruises.
“I’ll let it slide for today. I’ve already made up an excuse that you’re ill. But you must be ready by tomorrow.”
Neir was left alone in the room once more. She gripped her quilt tightly, venting her fury. No matter where she went, no one was on her side. Enemies seemed to pour down on her at every turn. Even now, there wasn't a single family member to comfort the girl who was about to become the hero of the territory.
If she had been raised with a little more love, would she have faced a different fate? Even with older sisters who weren't married, there must have been a reason why she was the one being sold off.
Neir looked up at the sky, where the moon hadn't even risen yet, and prayed.
“Please... I’m running out of time.”
She wished for someone to appear as if falling from the heavens to save her. She wouldn't even mind if they kidnapped her and ran away. Anything would be better than being sold to a human mercenary.
“Please, show yourself...”
Neir prayed and prayed, looking up at the bright, clear sky.
****
Once the brief meeting between Adam and Gidin Blackwood concluded, I walked through the Blackwood territory with Adam. Neither of us brought up the uncomfortable subject first. Perhaps it was because we had both half-expected it.
Neir Blackwood hadn't appeared, and that signified only one thing: she did not want this marriage.
I tried to understand her. After all, it was said that the wolf-kin loved only one person in their entire lives. They were a race that was truly sincere when it came to love. It was only natural that a sudden political marriage would be bewildering. She might even feel humiliated that a noble had to marry a mercenary.
Of course, showing that displeasure was another matter entirely.
Adam and I discussed other topics first.
“I’ve sent out scouts. We should be able to pinpoint the leader’s location by tomorrow.”
“Tell them to check the eastern forest thoroughly, too. There might be a few more leaders hiding there.”
“I know. Did you say we have to handle our own meals?”
“Yeah.”
Throughout our conversation, Adam didn't hide his slight discomfort. Since our meeting with Gidin Blackwood, he hadn't worn his usual foolish grin even once. It was so noticeable that I felt uncomfortable and asked him first.
“...Why?”
“What?”
“It’s obvious you’re in a bad mood. What’s the problem?”
“...”
Adam stopped walking abruptly. He turned to look at me with a long sigh. He stared at me with a serious expression.
“...Berg. If you don't want to do this, we can still abandon the request.”
“What?”
“I wanted to find you a good partner, but I never imagined it would turn out like this.”
I lightly brushed off Adam’s hand from my shoulder and said,
“Forget it. It’s not like I decided to marry just for that reason anyway.”
“...”
Seeing him unable to relax his expression, I raised my voice.
“Forget it. In the end, this is for the Red Flame Mercenary Corps, isn't it?”
His irritation actually made me uncomfortable.
“I dragged you into this when you didn't want to, and now that things have turned out this way, I feel sorry.”
“If you were sorry, you shouldn't have suggested it in the first place. Isn't it foolish to assume the other party would naturally like me?”
“...I at least thought she would have the decency to hide her feelings. You know what they say—you can tell the whole from a part. If the other party is properly—”
“It’s fine, so stop now. It’s over.”
When he wouldn't stop frowning no matter what I said, I added an explanation.
“Actually, this is better.”
“What?”
“It just means she takes the matter seriously. So, stop making that face. The decision is already made, and there’s no turning back. I’ve already bought the ring.”
“....”
“Just because it starts this way doesn't mean it will end that way. We can just adjust to each other as we go. Were you close to me from the start? We became friends by fighting.”
“Ha.”
“I’ll handle it, so you can step back now.”
Our positions had completely reversed. Now, I was the one in favor of the marriage, and he was the one against it. Adam’s expression remained sour, and I didn't bother comforting him anymore. The decision was already made. If I had been the type to waver over such a small problem, I wouldn't have decided to do this in the first place.
I knew better than anyone that falling in love wasn't easy. To show that my mind was made up, I asked,
“So, when is the wedding ceremony?”
“...Two days from now.”
“And the subjugation?”
“The subjugation will take place after the wedding.”
It was a reasonable judgment. One’s position changes depending on whether they are in a hurry or not. If we tried to take Neir Blackwood away before the subjugation, the problem would only grow larger.
I nodded. I pushed all the trivial thoughts out of my head.
“That’s fine, Adam.”
I looked at the waterfall flowing in the distance.
Two days from now, huh.
As if making a vow, I whispered to myself,
“...I’ll try my best.”