Chapter 3: 3

Chapter 3

translator / editor: astralmech

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What was that?

She stopped in her tracks, waiting for a long time, but silence followed. Rise took another step.

Crunch—

That wasn’t the sound of her own footsteps. Just as a test, she stepped where there weren’t any fallen leaves, so it couldn’t have been her. Who was making that sound?

Rise picked up the pace, but the sound behind her did so, too.

Crunch, crunch—

But not only was there the sound of something walking behind her, but there was also the very weird sound of something being swept away from its path as it went. Whatever was following her….it was big.

[Rise] “……Please.”

Rise shoved her hand into her pocket.

[Rise] “Ah, yes……..!”

A sense of relief washed over her when she felt the familiar object.

Within her pocket was something she always kept with her just in case of an emergency. Once she was able to confirm its presence, Rise turned around.

[Rise] “Who’s there!?”

Rise shouted out in the direction of the noise and shortly thereafter, her eyes widened.

Grrr…

It wasn’t a person. Among the vast trees and thick brambles was something huge with shining blue eyes staring directly at Rise.

It was a wolf—an animal that shouldn’t be in these mountains.

Rise had seen a wolf once before a long time ago. It appeared near the refugee village she stayed at before settling here. It had skin like leather and haggard looking fur, probably from going too long without a proper meal. But starved or not, that wolf was still larger than multiple grown humans.

This one’s so much bigger…

But the wolf in front of her now was far bigger than the one she saw before. That one was sickly and small in comparison to this one, which was more than twice the size of it.

There shouldn’t be a wolf here!

These mountains weren’t far from the capital, so royal knights would often patrol the area to go on regular hunts. And even more recently than that, the Duke’s men would also hunt for some of the more dangerous mountain beasts. There were a few reports of wolves appearing in a pack, but those wolves did not attack people.

Wolves were smart creatures. They understood that if they attacked a person, they would be hurt in return. In the rarest of cases, sometimes there would be a story of a wolf attacking a sheep from one of the ranches far from the villages, but never the shepherd themselves.

But there’s a wolf here.

And it’s acting so strangely.

This wolf in front of her had its haunches reared back, like it was ready to attack. And normally wolves traveled in packs, so if this one was here, where was its partner? Why was it alone?

Grrrr….

[Rise] “Ah…..”

She was so surprised she couldn’t get a word out. No, even if she were able to speak, that would have been a terrible idea. If she made any kind of sound, much less spoken a word, or even moved the slightest bit, the wolf would immediately pounce.

What can I do?

With her hand still in her pocket, she barely moved her fingers along, feeling the vial against her fingertips.

This was something she kept with her in case she ran into trouble while she was in the forest—a powder made from grinding together various types of herbs, and it was all kinds of poisonous.

Touching the powder was all that was needed to cause the skin to rash and for one’s lungs to close up, causing a terrible cough. Even the skin around the eyes would swell up to the point of obscuring your vision.

But will this work on a wolf?

She wasn’t sure. She’d used it on plenty of humans in the past, but a large beast like this? This was her first time being in a situation where she had to consider something that kind of question.

In that small moment of hesitation, the wolf took a step forward, and right then, Rise caught sight of its eyes.

What the….?

The eyes of all mountain animals flashed at night.

This wolf was similar in that way, but still a little different. Rather than a flash, it was as though a blue light was circling around its iris. As soon as Rise caught sight of that swimming light, ominous chills ran down her spine.

Somehow, she felt like she’d seen that same light before. Like she’d seen it a lot.

RARH…..!

The wolf didn’t seem like it wanted to wait any longer. It gnashed its teeth, rolling out its front paws, and a different kind of dread filled her instead.

If that thing jumped at her, she would die.

[Rise] “Ah, come on!”

Rise shouted as she pulled the powder from her pocket. This was the only weapon she had on her, the only thing she could trust in right now. If this failed then—

Karin!

She couldn’t.

She had to get home, no matter what. She had someone who was waiting for her. If she died here, that girl would be left alone. She couldn’t let that happen.

Their eyes met again. A spark like blue flames splashed from within the wolf’s eyes. He was priming to jump.

ARGH—!

Then came a terrible sound, perhaps the sound of the wolf’s cry.

Rise kept her eyes on the wolf until the very last moment, but before she could throw the powder, something else caught her eye instead. It was the glinting flash of a blade, visible even on such a dark night, flowing through the air and embedding itself in the wolf’s neck.

Yelp! Yap–!

With a blade stuck in its neck, the wolf flailed its body like it was trying to get it out before flopping onto the ground. As its body made impact, dirt and mud splattered up into the air, causing Rise to quickly raise her arms to shield herself.

Hesitantly, she glanced at the wolf.

What? What just happened?

[???] “Step back.”

Then she heard a cold voice.

She didn’t know who it was, and it definitely wasn’t the time to ask right now, but just next to Rise was a very tall man.

Just as he told her, Rise stepped back as the man stepped forward. While the wolf continued to struggle on the ground, he strode up to it, swiftly kicking it in the gut.

Thwack—

It looked like he barely touched it, but the wolf went flying into the air.

Yelp—

And it’s airborne body went and hit against the trunk of a tree, crying out again.

The man walked up to the wolf, pressing his foot down on its neck as he ripped the blade out that was lodged inside, readjusting his grip on the hilt.

Crack—

He plunged the sword in again. He tore its flesh and dug into its muscle, and that squelching noise was accompanied by a crack from the brittle and breaking bones. The wolf’s body twitched a few more times before its movements ceased entirely.

It seemed dead now.

But of course it would be. It’s head was almost entirely removed. No creature could survive that.

With the sword still in his hand, the man came closer to her, and she could see his face in a little more detail than before.

And as soon as she saw his face, Rise nearly forgot how to breathe.

He was a very beautiful man.

His stature was hulking, and his frame cut sharply. His hair was short and roughly tousled, and he had thick eyebrows. Everything about his expression was stern, not soft in the slightest, and yet, Rise thought he was beautiful.

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Perhaps it was because of the atmosphere, rather than his appearance itself.

If only the moon lit up the sky a bit more brightly than this. She would’ve been able to see what color his eyes were, and the fact that she couldn’t felt like a shame.

He was covered with blood and even had some splattered across his face, but she didn’t think he was scary at all.

[Rise] “Ah…..”

Then Rise gasped.

There were definite tears flooding her eyes and falling down her cheeks. They came in suddenly and without warning, and for some reason, her heart kept beating wildly, and it ached.

It hurt so terribly, but she didn’t know why.

[???] “Your nerves must be releasing all the tension.”

As Rise hastily wiped away her tears, the man spoke in a low voice as he got closer.

This was certainly the first time she’d ever heard it, and yet, it felt oddly familiar.

[Rise] “Ah, no, I……..Ah, t, thank you for helping me.”

She quickly wiped away her tears and tried to say no, but then she realized she hadn’t even thanked him yet. Rise bowed deeply, for this man was now her savior.

[???] “What are you talking about? Weren’t you trying to die?”

[Rise] “…..Sorry?”

[???] “I thought that might be the case. I couldn’t believe my eyes seeing someone walking the mountain path alone at this time.”

[Rise] “……..This path doesn’t usually have wolves. And the few that appear don’t usually come near people.”

[???] “Then what would you call that?”

[Rise] “I don’t know. I’ve never seen a wolf like that before…it’s eyes were strangely blue…”

[???] “What?”

The second Rise said that the man roughly turned his head in her direction, then grabbed her shoulder and shook her.

[???] “Repeat that. What color were its eyes?”

[Rise] “They were glowing a strange blue color……”

[???] “Oh, shit.”

The man immediately turned around.

KRRRKKKGGG—

Like it’d been waiting for the right moment, the once immobile and supposedly dead wolf raised its body from the ground.

With its head barely hanging off the rest of it, the wolf clumsily leapt towards the man, who immediately held up his arm to shield his face. Even though its head was held on by a thread, it was like the wolf was still alive as it’s teeth gnashed into the man’s arm, shaking as it held on.

Schlick—

Under the barely visible moonlight, the man’s sword glistened once more and before anyone knew it, the wolf’s head thumped onto the ground.

Kriiikkkk—

The decapitated wolf head led out another feral cry, it’s maw releasing its tight grip on his arm.

Slowly, the blue light fizzled and flecked away from the wolf’s eyes like a flame being turned out as the head flopped lifelessly onto the ground.

[???] “Dammit. I should’ve cut off the head first.”

Irritated, the man grumbled as he roughly shook out the arm that had been bitten. From his wound came a steady stream of fresh blood.

[Rise] Ah! You’re hurt! Show me your arm!”

Rise turned her head down, searching through the leather satchel at her side. Luckily, everything she needed was right there—a few medicinal herbs, some ointments, and a few stray pieces of torn cloth that could be used as a bandage.

[Rise] “You need to treat it right away……”

[???] “Don’t touch me!”

The moment Rise tried to get closer, the man stepped back.

It was probably because he didn’t trust her since she was a stranger, but rather than backing down, Rise reached out her hand and grabbed the man’s arm.

[Rise] “I won’t charge you for this later. Just hold on.”

Rise held the man’s forearm in her hand as she started cleaning the wound off with some of the cloth. Somehow, it felt kind of like he was flinching every time she touched him, but she just ignored it.

[???] “No, what…..what are you……!”

Hearing his voice from just above her head, it kind of sounded like he was embarrassed or flustered.

Well, maybe it would be a little shocking if a random woman suddenly took out some medicine from her bag and started treating his wounds.

But Rise kept ignoring him, her hands moving quickly. His arm was very muscular, so he must be a knight of some kind. Rise knew how difficult it would be for his muscles to heal if they got too damaged.

However….was the wolf too weak or something?

When she examined the wound, it fortunately didn’t seem like the wolf’s teeth went too deep. From the outside, it could easily be mistaken as a mere scratch. Rummaging through her bag again, Rise produced some disinfectant, applying it before binding the wound with the rest of the cloth.

[Rise] “I’m done now.”

Rise pulled away from the man as she finished up tying the cloth.

The man was left to stare blankly at her hands, almost like he couldn’t believe it. Then, he looked back down at his own arm, rolling it out a few times as he alternated his gaze between both it and Rise.

[???] “……..What’s your name?”

At the man’s question, Rise answered with her utmost gratitude.

[Rise] “My name is Rise.”

Immediately, the man’s expression turned cold and stiff.

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[Rise] “Karin, do you think my name is strange?”

[Karin] “That’s the twelfth time you’ve asked me that, you know? Are you still thinking about that?”

[Rise] “Yes.”

[Karin] “Hah, really? What kind of weirdo did you meet?”

Karin sighed like she was frustrated.

Rise ended up not returning home until dawn, and once she finally showed up, she kept asking the same question like she was broken, leaving Karin at a bit of a loss at what to do. Thinking for a while, Karin brought up something to change the subject.

[Karin] “So anyway, your work at the mansion is done, right?”

This was actually a much more important conversation to be had. During this time, Rise had stopped gathering herbs in the mountains in favor of the work at the mansion since the money was so much better.

It was especially good since the herbalist in the village kept desperately trying to undercut the amount he owed them for their herbs. By comparison, the mansion paid the promised wages in coins at the end of each week like clockwork.

[Rise] “Yes, the money…it’s a pity since they paid me so well. But last night, the knight……Hah.”

[Karin] “If you keep sighing like that, I’m just gonna go out and dig up the herbs myself.”

Karin picked up the wicker basket and the small knife left on the table, perhaps a little too frustrated to keep listening to this any longer.

[Rise] “Ah, Karin, wait! Let’s go together!”

Rise stood up from her seat as she shouted, quickly trying to pull together her things while Karin rushed outside with the basket in her arms.

She also knew she’d been acting strange since last night. It was all because of that knight who’d saved her from the wolf on the mountain path.

—”My name is Rise.”

The second he heard her name, the knight’s face stiffened and turned frighteningly cold. She couldn’t even say anything more because it felt like her heart was sinking in her chest seeing that kind of expression on his face.

There was sadness, pain, and regret all encompassed in that one look. But there was also anger at the same time.

And she could not understand why he would make such a face just because of her name.

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