How to Raise a Dumb Wolf - Chapter 104

In truth, Aisha did not know why Brandon had sealed Elizabeth’s wrist, and neither did Elizabeth herself. When they first met, magic had obscured both their appearances, so in theory neither could have identified the other. Brandon must have investigated Elizabeth’s identity afterward, while Elizabeth had not realized who he was until she saw him checking wrists one after another in Dimska.

It made no sense to say that Brandon sealed her wrist after discovering she was a princess of an enemy nation. Yet no other reason came easily to mind, leaving them to attribute it to Brandon’s naturally violent temperament.

Now, looking at Brandon’s handsome yet somewhat fierce face, Aisha could not help swallowing nervously. Still, she did not avert her gaze and continued to look directly at him.

Brandon met her eyes for a moment. His gaze also swept inadvertently over Les, who stood a short distance behind her. But instead of answering Aisha’s question, he asked, “Has she been in good health lately?”

“…What?”

“I mean Elizabeth. She has not… had any problems lately, has she?”

As he spoke, Brandon’s eyes unconsciously shifted into the distance and settled on the girl on the dance floor.

He knew she was probably wearing makeup, but the healthy color in her cheeks still brought relief. She did not look very happy, however.

Brandon turned back to Aisha. He knew she was Elizabeth’s friend… something he had happened to notice.

His question startled Aisha. She had not expected him to care about Elizabeth’s health. Pressing her lips together, she said, “Apart from the sealed wrist, there have been no other problems, but—”

“Will her engagement ceremony with Prince Edward be held in autumn?”

Brandon interrupted her again.

“Yes, but—”

“Thank you for telling me. And please tell Elizabeth that I am sorry for breaking her wrist before.”

Without waiting for Aisha to continue or answering her question, Brandon turned to leave. Startled, Aisha instinctively reached out and caught his left wrist—then abruptly froze. Brandon apparently had not expected her to grab him either. His body stiffened visibly. The next instant, he snatched back his wrist, glanced over his shoulder at Aisha, and suddenly spread his wings.

Before Aisha could understand what was happening, Brandon shot into the air. Seen at close range, the darkfolk’s broad wings were even more astonishing in size. Their sudden expansion whipped up a small whirlwind, and the unexpected gust struck Aisha full in the face, making it impossible for her to open her eyes. Les rushed over, but it was already too late to stop Brandon. Amid cries of surprise throughout the ball, Brandon flew straight through the main doors, rapidly gained altitude, and vanished from sight.

After several stunned seconds, everyone in the hall began applauding. The sliding movement with which he had launched himself into flight had been so spectacular that they could not help it. As expected of a darkfolk who had reached the formal tournament, they remarked. His posture in flight was far cleaner and more dashing than that of an ordinary darkfolk, and his speed was much greater too…

Les had no attention to spare for any of that. He rushed to Aisha, wrapped an arm protectively around her shoulders, and asked in urgent concern, “Are you hurt?”

Elizabeth, who had seen the incident from a distance, abandoned her fiancé and hurried over as well. Brandon had taken off abruptly while standing so close to Aisha. Elizabeth did not know what had happened, but instinct told her it concerned her friend, and she rushed to her side in alarm.

Aisha was still shocked, but not because Brandon had suddenly fled. She first shook her head at Les and Elizabeth to show that she was unharmed. Then she stared blankly once more at the palm of the hand that had just held Brandon’s wrist…

Just now, she seemed to have… felt something inside his wrist…

…

Elsewhere, Brandon flew a great distance. Only after the lights of the ballroom had vanished behind him and no one remained nearby did he slowly descend. He stood alone in the darkness and waited until the distant sky revealed the faint outline of an elderly figure flying toward him. Only then did he look up.

“Your Highness, you left far too quickly. It took me a very long time to catch up…”

The elderly darkfolk flew unsteadily from the direction of the ball. Because of his advanced age, his wings appeared less powerful than those of younger darkfolk, and some patches had even lost feathers. Yet his features were kindly, and he gave off an air of great peace.

“If you wished to leave, you should at least have told me in advance.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Looking at the old darkfolk, Brandon relaxed somewhat and allowed apology to show on his face.

Upon reflection, there had been no need for him to run. He had hidden the truth for so long that flight had become a reflex, and now he had inconvenienced the elderly darkfolk as well.

The old darkfolk merely smiled with affection. He had watched Brandon grow up and knew all his virtues and faults. He could never truly be angry with the prince. He was only concerned by Brandon’s refusal to discuss anything with others, his insistence on handling and bearing every burden alone. Combined with an appearance that hardly suggested a benevolent character, this habit had caused Prince Brandon no shortage of misunderstandings throughout his life.

His concerns extended beyond the present matter. He worried that after His Highness inherited his mother’s throne, his personality would place him at a disadvantage in state affairs as well.

“You could have spoken properly with that young lady just now,” the old darkfolk gently advised. “Nothing terrible would have happened if you had simply told her and Princess Elizabeth the whole story. You could explain why you sealed the human princess’s wrist and tell them what the two of you share in common. Ah, yes… and when you were in the royal capital before, you had actually obtained the keys to those cells already, had you not…?”

“…”

Brandon did not answer.

The old darkfolk smiled and continued in an apparently casual tone. “Of course, I do not mean to force you. You know that I am not the one who wishes to speak with the princess.”

…

“…So? What did you find?”

Back at the hotel, Elizabeth anxiously watched Aisha examine her wrist with her head lowered.

Because of the unexpected incident involving Prince Brandon, no one had properly enjoyed the latter half of the ball the night before. Elizabeth, Aisha, and Les had naturally returned early, accompanied by Tina and Hock. But it had already been late. After Aisha briefly explained what had happened between Brandon and herself, everyone went home to rest instead of dealing with the incident immediately. Only early the next morning did Aisha hurry to the hotel opposite the Tower of Magic, where Tina, Hock, and Elizabeth were staying.

Fortunately, the post-tournament ball had been arranged for the first day of a holiday, so Aisha had no class that morning and could come as soon as she was ready. Now she gently held Elizabeth’s wrist and concentrated with all her strength, sensing the magic array that blocked it like a knot. Aisha’s perception of it had once been vague and difficult to judge. Now, however, she could feel that it was a delicate, functioning magic array. Though sensing it remained difficult, her mind could almost distinguish its patterns.

Several seconds after Elizabeth spoke, Aisha finally released her wrist. She nodded in concern. “It’s the same. There is… an identical magic array inside Brandon’s wrist.”

As Aisha expected, considerable surprise immediately appeared on Elizabeth’s face. Aisha herself had been just as shocked when she felt the array inside Brandon’s wrist the previous night. Partly, this was because she had never imagined he possessed something in his wrist as well. But there was another reason… She had actually perceived the pattern of the magic array.

Within the field of magic, identifying arrays fell into two categories. The first was recognizing an array exposed directly to view. Anyone could see such an array, and any mage who had studied diligently could identify it given enough time. The second involved recognizing arrays placed inside other things. Sometimes this was done for appearance, sometimes for concealment, and sometimes because the location where the array was used was inherently invisible—as with the inside of Elizabeth’s wrist. Ordinary people could not see arrays of this kind. Mages had to use mental power to sense and distinguish them. The sensation was somewhat like Aisha manipulating her golden threads with her eyes closed: strange and subtle.

But not every mage could sense these invisible arrays. Doing so required a certain reserve of magical power, sensitivity to magic, exceptional mental strength, or… the nature of a mage with unusual abilities. This did not mean other mages could never detect them. Rather, mages with unusual abilities used and perceived magic in a way subtly different from other mages. Their senses were more delicate, allowing them to notice magic more easily and distinguish it with greater precision. Even for a mage with unusual abilities, however, doing so as a novice apprentice was extremely difficult. In the past, Aisha had only been able to sense faintly that the object in Elizabeth’s wrist was magical. She could not tell whether it was a magical effect or a magic array.

This time, Aisha discovered that she could actually sense the array inside the wrist. It was the first time she had successfully identified magic of this kind, and she could not help feeling extraordinarily excited. Though contact with Brandon’s wrist had lasted only a moment, the sensation of magic did not change. Aisha was almost certain that Elizabeth and Brandon carried the same kind of magic in their wrists.

“…But this is the first hidden array I’ve ever identified, and I didn’t feel the one in Brandon’s wrist very clearly.” After some thought, Aisha explained cautiously that she was not completely confident. “So it is possible that I made a mistake…”

“But why?”

Elizabeth caught Aisha’s hand, showing that she trusted her judgment, though she remained deeply puzzled by Brandon’s behavior. A complicated expression crossed her face.

“This magic seals a person’s strength… There is no benefit to it. Why would Brandon… use it on himself…?”

Her voice grew softer as she spoke, and conflict spread across her face.

In truth, Elizabeth’s feelings were difficult to describe.

She feared Brandon. He had obstructed her from taking the examination, broken her wrist, and planted magic inside it that still had not been removed. Yet this same person had given her the first victory flowers she received, at the moment when she felt most humiliated. Not only that, he had given her all the victory flowers he won and inexplicably embraced her after presenting each one. The previous night, he had even asked Aisha to carry an apology to her. Now Aisha had discovered the same magic in his wrist as in hers…

None of it made sense. Elizabeth was confused and unable to find any explanation.

If Brandon wanted to apologize, why did he not tell her himself? They had possessed so many opportunities to speak. When he gave her flowers, and during the polite embraces afterward—even if he had said only one word each time, pieced together, they would have been enough to form an apology. And with what feelings had he given her those victory flowers?

Their unpleasant first meeting had taken place more than four years ago. Elizabeth no longer disliked Brandon as strongly as she once had. She merely feared him. Moreover, after everything that happened during the World Tournament, it was impossible to say she had not been shaken at all…

Elizabeth lowered her eyes and unconsciously rubbed her wrist back and forth, her thoughts in turmoil.

Aisha pondered for a while before speaking tentatively. “Um, Elizabeth… I’m sorry, but I don’t recognize this array. Still, I can now just barely perceive the course of its magical patterns. If you agree, I can try to draw it, then take it back and ask my teacher to identify it…”

After several seconds, uncertainty entered her voice.

“Though… I don’t know whether my teacher will agree.”

Elizabeth paused, returned to herself, and quickly nodded. Her father had previously found many advanced mages to examine the spell. A number of them had attempted to draw the array inside her wrist. But according to what she heard, its magical patterns were excessively intricate. Many curves joined so closely they could not be distinguished from one another, making it extraordinarily difficult to reproduce. Even when someone managed a drawing, they could not activate it and could not determine which part had been drawn incorrectly.

Aisha was only a student, so it was natural that her knowledge was insufficient to identify it. Elizabeth was already astonished merely to hear that she could attempt to draw the array.

“Then… I will have to trouble you.”

Elizabeth spoke with gratitude.