How to Raise a Dumb Wolf - Chapter 110

“…”

“…”

Les had never imagined that Carter III’s grave silence would end with such a suggestion. After a brief pause, his mind went completely blank. He clenched his fist almost unconsciously as indescribable tension and the embarrassment of being seen through flooded his body, as though the emperor had effortlessly exposed the most secret thought buried in his heart.

Of course he wanted to marry Aisha. More accurately, he wanted anything that would make their relationship even more special and intimate. But… he was also afraid of frightening her. Les knew that his appearance as a beastfolk could be intimidating, and what he feared most was Aisha pulling away from him.

In truth, his present life was already happy enough. He could adapt to her needs and follow her pace, like waiting for a timid but curious little animal to realize he was not so frightening and slowly approach him, then waiting for her to rub against him with gentle sweetness. From that, he received a kind of love and fulfillment—soft and sweet beyond description—that he had never known before.

It was not that Les refused to move forward. Their relationship was simply too beautiful to risk damaging. Even though he wanted to carry her away and hide her somewhere, kiss every inch of her skin, gather her into his arms, and go still further, he first had to consider whether rushing ahead might produce a worse result.

Les had never been good at expressing himself, and he had not confessed these hidden desires even to the cat emperor. Thus, when Carter III struck directly at a part of his heart he could never reveal, Les was genuinely shocked. Carter III said nothing more, and because Les could not see his expression, his heart pounded wildly in the silence.

Carter III, however, could see Les’s momentary panic. Major General Wolf had always seemed mature beyond his years in the eyes of others. Watching him become so awkward and uneasy when no one else could see was rather amusing. Carter III lightly tapped his fingers on the table, smiled, placed a cherry in his mouth, and ate it before speaking leisurely.

“It is merely a suggestion. Do not be so nervous. But am I wrong? If you decide to move to Helman after Aisha graduates, life will be easier if you are engaged or truly married rather than simply boyfriend and girlfriend. It will also be easier for you to become part of Helman society.”

“…”

Les did not know how to answer. After some thought, he hesitantly said, “But Aisha’s wishes…”

“If you never ask her, you will never know what she truly wishes.”

The cat emperor smiled from the other side of the magic and interrupted him.

“Les, although you are a wolf, I must remind you… sometimes you consider other people too much and yourself too little. Do not forget that although your parents died young and you are the last ancient giant wolf, there are still people in this world who think of you and would grieve for you. It may be late to mention this now, but… when you chose to sacrifice yourself on the battlefield so Salman and the other soldiers could escape, perhaps you did not consider that if anything happened to you, I would grieve, my child.”

Les started. He could not read the cat emperor’s expression through the spell and could only sense the intangible atmosphere connecting the two distant spaces.

Carter III paused, then softened his voice. “Someone who loves you would never disregard your feelings. That girl is the same. So while you worry about her, she must be worrying about you too, Les.”

“What… do you mean?”

“I mean that if you want to understand her thoughts, or want her to understand yours… you should stop keeping them buried.”

After speaking, Carter III smiled silently in his magnificent bedchamber. If the lost little wolf stood before him now, he would certainly pat his shoulder. To a parent, a child remained a child forever, even after becoming a powerful adult. Les’s occasional confusion, unease, and thoughtfulness filled Carter with nostalgia, as though time had reversed.

Carter III ate another cherry and slowly returned to beast form, his white tail swaying lazily in the air. He generally did not maintain human form inside the palace, though he had to admit that eating was sometimes less convenient as an animal. Stroking his whiskers, he smiled. “There is one other matter.”

In the magical image, Les paused and raised his head even though he knew he could not see Carter’s location.

…At every moment, he remained such an earnest, straightforward wolf.

The corners of Carter III’s mouth rose, but his gaze deepened. “Although we do need diplomats capable of establishing long-term cooperation with the humans… if you truly decide to leave Beast, I believe I will miss you very much, my child.”

“…I will miss you as well, Your Majesty.”

“In the future, if you change your mind, or… if there is anything with which you need my help, tell me. Do not hesitate.”

“Mm. Then we will speak again next time.”

“Goodbye, Your Majesty.”

When Carter III and Major General Wolf declared the conversation over, Fawkes silently ended the active magic array. Once the magical image vanished and quiet returned, he looked again at the emperor seated in the chair.

Carter III appeared lazy. He had not moved after changing from human to beast form, so no matter how large a cat he was, he looked rather small in a human-sized chair. Yet His Majesty remained His Majesty. His white fur and commanding mismatched eyes appeared incomparably noble.

Fawkes considered for a moment before smiling. “Your Majesty, you truly worry over the major general.”

“Naturally.” Carter III looked at the red fox crouched on the carpet. “Les appears mature, but in many places his heart remains innocent, and he has little skill in dealing with women. I worry about him. I am half a father to him, after all. My own experience in this regard is admittedly limited, but at least I am much older. Many truths are universal… That child is brave on the battlefield, but with the girl he loves, he is rather too cautious.”

Though… Carter himself might not have done any better than Les in that respect.

Carter III looked at the reply Louisa had written after he sent all his victory flowers to Micks at once. It lay on the table not far away, and his mouth curved unconsciously.

…

Several days later…

After discussing the future with Les, Aisha—unaware that her boyfriend had just been encouraged to propose—felt somewhat more secure. She thought the darkfolk spatial magic copied from Elizabeth’s wrist might help her, but for now it was merely an idea, and success remained far away. Moreover, before any of that… she was still deeply worried about Elizabeth.

Autumn had arrived unnoticed.

Although Aisha could use communication magic, the magic array involved far too much information, and magical formulas and technical terms were difficult to explain aloud. As promised, she wrote everything into a long letter to Elizabeth. She described in detail everything she and Eric currently knew about the array’s principles, effects, and special requirements. Only after repeatedly checking the contents, ensuring they were accurate, simple enough to understand, and free of ambiguity, did Aisha send it.

Not long after the letter should have reached Elizabeth, they spoke through communication magic, and Elizabeth thanked her repeatedly.

“Thank you!”

Elizabeth’s voice sounded exceptionally bright from the other side of the spell. She was plainly delighted, and Aisha could easily imagine her eyes curving with her smile.

“I received the letter. The mages—and my parents too—were astonished when I showed it to them, because no one had ever deciphered this magic before. They said you’re extremely talented! Even though mages with unusual abilities sense arrays more easily, very few mages your age could reproduce one this complicated so completely. And your magical records and explanations were very clear…”

Elizabeth enthusiastically repeated every compliment people had offered after reading the letter. Much of it was redundant, yet she happily identified precisely who had said each thing and what they had praised. Her account was so detailed that Aisha suspected Elizabeth had taken notes and was now reading from them. The princess sounded happier than if she herself had received extravagant praise, leaving Aisha embarrassed instead.

“…In any case, they have begun researching a way to break the magic,” Elizabeth continued rapidly once she finally finished praising Aisha. “It seems there is currently no way to undo just one array on its own, but at least we know what kind of magic it is. Vitas has many brilliant mages. They will surely find a method. And if they truly cannot…”

Her tone grew even lighter, as though there was genuine hope.

“My parents may announce my condition publicly and invite accomplished mages from all over the world to break the spell. They have always searched for mages, but they have never done that before. Father and Mother think that focusing too much on reputation may cause them to overlook young but talented people—people… like you. Other mages failed to draw the array, but you succeeded in the end.”

Aisha’s cheeks warmed at the renewed praise. After thanking Elizabeth again, she shared her happiness that the magic might soon be resolved. They discussed the spell further, and Elizabeth answered every question she could. Once they exhausted the subject but had not yet found another, silence fell on both sides for several seconds.

Aisha paused, glanced at the falling leaves outside her window, and composed herself.

“Elizabeth, has… the date of your engagement ceremony with Prince Edward been decided?”