The Lone Wolf (4)
From the very next day, Neir began to groom herself.
She washed her face, scrubbing away the tear stains. She bathed her entire body with her usual meticulous care.
She tended to her tail with even greater devotion, brushing and drying it until it was perfect.
She was preparing for the marriage, piece by piece.
Yet, despite this, she did not venture outside.
Part of it was because she occasionally spotted humans who looked like members of the Red Flame Mercenary Corps, and part of it was the fear that she might run into her betrothed, Berg.
If she could avoid him, she wanted to avoid him as much as possible.
Neir spent her afternoon receiving massages from her maids.
They claimed it was a preparatory process to reduce the puffiness in her body and make her look more beautiful.
Of course, given that she had barely eaten anything lately, she was already thin enough to be considered gaunt.
While doing so, Neir conversed with Laila, the maid who had always followed her most faithfully.
"Lady Neir, you aren't in any pain, are you?"
"...No."
"That... ah. Never mind."
"..."
Neir could feel all too easily that Laila was being careful with her words out of consideration for her.
It was understandable, given that she had done nothing but shed tears for the past few days.
Neir still hadn't been able to shake off that melancholic feeling, but she didn't want Laila, who had been so kind to her, to feel uncomfortable.
"...Laila. If there's something you want to say, it's alright to say it."
"..."
"I'm ready now."
Laila blinked and swallowed hard.
Then, with a bright expression, she began to poke at Neir’s body, trying to lighten the mood to cheer her up.
"Lady Neir! By the way, you couldn't see Berg yesterday because you were sick, right? He was really handsome!"
Neir didn't think appearance was important.
As a wolf-kin who possessed a shameful tail color, she had no intention of judging others by their looks.
But because she recognized Laila's intentions, Neir managed a difficult smile.
"...I see."
"Yes! And he was tall, and his physique was so sturdy!"
"...Right."
"And also... and also..."
Neir quickly stopped hearing Laila’s words.
Instead, she was thinking about how she was supposed to endure the coming years.
How could she survive while being humiliated as little as possible?
It was a difficult task.
Since she would have to be close to him to uncover the Red Flame Mercenary Corps' key information, she didn't know how to maintain the right distance.
Neir looked at Laila, who was still rambling on about Berg, and thought of a favor she could ask.
"...Ah."
"...Lady Neir?"
Neir, who had been receiving the massage, slowly sat up.
"...Laila. I have a favor to ask."
Seeing her like this, Laila’s enthusiasm flared up in an instant.
"Ah...! Yes! Yes! Anything!"
The feeling of preparing for something you didn't want to do was truly unpleasant and irritating.
"Can you... get me more information about that man, Berg? Ask the mercenaries... I want to know what he’s like in his daily life."
"..."
"Laila, just his normal self. Even the bad things he shows, it’s all fine, so please go and find out."
"...Lady Neir..."
"I need to prepare my heart..."
If she had to marry him anyway, Neir wanted to know the person called Berg first.
Perhaps she might even find a way to use him.
If she knew what he was like beforehand, she wouldn't be as hurt when something happened to her.
She wouldn't be as surprised.
She would be able to fortify her mental defenses even more firmly.
Laila looked at Neir and nodded.
"...Yes. Yes. Of course, Lady Neir."
"Go right now. Can you do it?"
"Yes. I will. I’ll find out by this evening."
Neir nodded and lay back down in her place.
The hands of the maids, excluding Laila, slowly began to tend to Neir again.
"...Lady Neir?"
While she was surrendering her body to them, Laila’s voice rang out.
"...Yes?"
"I... I’m sorry... and thank you. For everything."
With those final words, Laila left the room.
Neir knew immediately why Laila had offered both thanks and an apology.
In truth, all the wolf-kin within the Blackwood territory owed Neir a debt because of this mercenary business.
Adam and I had come outside the Blackwood territory to examine the traces discovered by the scouts.
"...This is serious."
Adam muttered, looking at the ruined forest.
I shared his opinion.
Broken and snapped trees. Rotting earth. A foul stench.
The terrain had been devastated on a scale larger than anything I had seen recently.
The trees hadn't just been snapped and knocked over; they had been crushed and driven deep into the ground.
It wasn't just that something had passed through and knocked things over; it had trampled the forest into nothingness.
The sheer size of the leader beast we had to face, and the scale of the pack, were evident even just from the traces.
As expected, the number of leaders wasn't just one or two.
We had to face at least four leaders—meaning four groups of monster packs.
Occasionally, while resting in the Blackwood territory, we could hear the howls of these leaders from all directions.
The Red Flame scouts had already observed one of the leaders from a distance, and they had all clicked their tongues, saying they had never seen such a size before.
A fierce battle awaited us.
Gidin Blackwood, the eldest son of the Blackwood family, approached Adam and me.
"...This is nothing compared to the rest. One of the monsters is truly..."
Adam answered, kicking a stone rolling on the ground.
"Don't worry. We’ll kill them all for you."
"I trust you. By the way... is the vice-captain sitting out this battle?"
Gidin asked, looking at me.
Baran, who had been following us, also showed interest from behind.
"It would be quite a problem if the new groom got hurt..."
I answered Gidin.
"I appreciate your concern, but I will not be sitting out the battle. I have to lead my own squad."
A faint surprise appeared in Gidin’s eyes as he looked at me.
"...You are brave. You are so honorable that I think my younger sister will like you."
As expected, the wolf-kin were a race that held honor and battle sacred.
His earlier question had actually been a deliberate attempt to test me.
If I had said I was sitting out the fight, I might have been looked down upon.
Not that it mattered much.
Gidin looked at me and suddenly made a proposal, as if burning with enthusiasm.
"...Would it be alright if I also participated in this subjugation?"
Adam tilted his head and asked.
"Pardon?"
"The new groom is participating, so I cannot sit out. I will throw myself into the fray to protect our family’s territory. In fact, over the last seven years, I have killed quite a few leaders myself. Though I requested help because we are short on soldiers now."
Gidin puffed out his chest proudly.
I sighed secretly, out of Gidin's sight.
It wasn't that I disliked his proposal... it was just that the wolf-kin’s troublesome obsession with honor bothered me.
I had seen too many wolf-kin die in the previous mercenary corps because of that very attitude.
If Gidin were to die in battle while with us... it was certain we would be dragged into troublesome matters that I didn't even want to imagine.
Adam seemed to feel the same way, as he shook his head.
"...No, that’s alright. Since we brought the entire Red Flame Mercenary Corps, there shouldn't be any shortage of strength. You should rest, Gidin."
But Gidin didn't understand.
"Adam, the strength of the Blackwoods will be a great help."
Adam looked back at me for a moment.
I didn't bother to give him any signals. I intended to leave everything to Adam’s judgment.
Gidin asked, looking at the hesitant Adam.
"Adam, what is your personal record for subjugating leaders?"
Adam remained silent for a moment before answering calmly.
"...14."
Adam had personally ended the lives of 14 leaders. It was by no means a low number.
There were plenty of mercenaries who had spent a long time in the corps without ever recording a single subjugation.
"The captain’s record is high, but... mine is 26."
Adam also readily expressed admiration for Gidin’s record.
"...I am surprised. I didn't know you had subjugated so many... Has the Blackwood territory been attacked by monsters that often?"
"Haha... we have tried to hold out as much as possible. In any case, it means that the mercenary corps aren't the only ones who know how to catch leaders."
Adam slowly stroked his chin.
After hearing Gidin’s subjugation record, the sense of relief was palpable.
It didn't seem like he was trying to participate out of mere bravado.
Besides, if he had caught that many, it wouldn't be a bad thing to have him along.
26 was definitely not a number one could achieve by luck.
Adam broke his stance of stubborn refusal.
Even so, he remained cautious.
"Gidin. But you must understand our position as well. If you go out to subjugate them and... well... die in battle... our position becomes quite awkward."
"To a wolf-kin, dying in battle is an honorable thing. Don't worry, the Blackwoods will not hold you responsible for that."
"...As long as you join our mercenary corps, you must follow our rules. Can you obey the orders given?"
"I understand that as well. I will follow them strictly. I have no intention of being a hindrance."
As Gidin nodded endlessly to every word, Adam finally made his decision.
"Understood. Let us depart together."
Only then did Gidin reveal with a bitter smile.
"In truth... I also have a desire to avenge the soldiers who died at the hands of those monsters..."
At his honest words, Adam answered in a more relaxed tone.
"I understand."
Soon, we finished our reconnaissance and turned back.
Dinner with Neir Blackwood was scheduled for later.
As we were preparing to head back, a question suddenly came from behind.
"Ah, Vice-Captain."
It was Gidin.
"What is your subjugation record, Vice-Captain?"
A faint power struggle was being initiated.
There didn't seem to be any malice, but the intent was clear.
"..."
Adam only rolled his eyes to look at me.
Baran also glanced at me.
Silence flowed.
I thought for a moment before answering.
"...20."
Gidin raised his eyebrows and said.
"That is a high record."
But he couldn't hide the smile forming on his lips.
As expected, the wolf-kin were obsessed with honor.
We turned around again.
Gidin returned to the side of his wolf-kin soldiers.
Everyone returned to their respective positions and began the journey back toward the Blackwood territory.
As I was riding my horse, Adam tapped my shoulder and laughed.
"You held back well, didn't you?"
Baran also smiled.
"You could have taken him down a peg."
I also let out a chuckle.
"It’s been a while. That wolf-kin feeling."