Chapter 10
Bookmark inserted
— Dad…
I called out into the darkness.
Where am I? — This isn’t the temple. It’s somewhere else.
My stomach hurts from hunger, it’s cold, and a heavy sadness wells up inside me. I can’t hold it back—I start crying loudly.
— Waaaah! Daaad! Where are you—?!
Thud!
Someone hits me on the head.
“Shut up already! Quiet, you little brat!!”
The man yells, and when fear grips me and I cry even louder, he raises his fist again.
Woof! Woof!
But then, from somewhere, a dog’s bark rings out—and it bites the hand that was about to come down on me.
“Gin… thank you, Gin.”
I hug the dog’s neck tightly and stroke its soft, silvery fur—
Oh, right. I named him Gin because his fur was silver.
“Ow, ow! That hurts!”
— Huh?
Suddenly, I snapped back to reality.
Right now, I was definitely squeezing the neck of something with soft, silver fur—
Wait, that’s not a dog. That’s a werewolf’s neck—
“Waaah! I’m sorry! I was choking you—!”
I quickly let go, and my body swayed.
Right, I was being carried on the back of a werewolf—Riga.
“Quit squirming back there!”
Riga hiked me up again on his back with a grunt.
That’s right… after we sent the soldiers on their way and decided to travel together, I suddenly got a terrible headache—and I guess I blacked out after that.
“Probably from using too much magic,”
said a voice beside me. It was Stefan, smiling gently, with his sword at his waist.
“I can use a bit of magic too, but when you overdo it, your head really starts to hurt, doesn’t it?”
I looked around.
Two horses walked ahead—one loaded down with half-burned cargo, and the other carrying a man tied up at the wrists with a gag over his mouth.
Next to them walked Riga, carrying me on his back, and Stefan.
“Ah—thank you, Riga. I think I can walk now…”
I tried to slide off his back, but his furry hand wouldn’t let me go. He bared his teeth and growled.
“Even if you walk, you’ll be slow. You’ll just slow us down.”
“That face… it’s scary. Please stop making it…”
I turned toward Stefan instead.
“I’m sorry for causing so much trouble. Stefan, you can use magic too?”
“Just a little. —Ah, I mean, really just a little. Nowhere near your level, Layla.”
When he corrected himself, I waved my hands in a fluster.
“Please don’t talk so formally! Just call me Layla.”
“Then call me Stefan too. We’re travel companions, after all.”
He smiled warmly.
I couldn’t help but blush.
Up until now, the only men I’d ever seen were the Archbishop or the King himself.
Among the younger ones, maybe the crown prince, Aidan—but not many others.
Still, Stefan had… a really handsome face, didn’t he?
“Hey.”
Riga’s grumpy voice rumbled in front of me.
“Why do you call him ‘Stefan-san’ but not me? You’ve been calling me by name from the start.”
“S-sorry! It’s just… because you’re a wolf…”
He turned his head and bared his teeth.
“Oh, I see. A classic case of species discrimination. From a former Saint, no less.”
“Former! I said former! I’m sorry, really, but please stop making that scary face!”
“Riga, enough,”
Stefan said, though his face was still smiling as he tried to calm him down.
