How to Raise a Dumb Wolf - Chapter 29

The sun’s brilliant gold gradually softened into a lazy orange-red as it drifted listlessly toward the western horizon. At last, twilight—the hour between day and night—arrived. Pal brought Aisha back to the hotel at the agreed time and came to collect Les as well.

Pal had been right. After touring the Tower of Magic and Wold Warrior School, Aisha was thoroughly exhausted. She had confirmed that the next Tower of Magic briefing session would be held the following morning. Once it was over, she should still have a few days to review her books.

Even so, she was a little worried about Les.

“Don’t worry. I promise he can find his way back here by himself,” Pal said, trying to ease her concern despite looking rather nervous himself. “Besides, you know my name, my specialization, and my address now. If anything goes wrong, you can find me at any time.”

Pal had indeed told her all of that on the way. Aisha quickly said, “It’s not that I don’t trust you. I’m just…”

Uneasy by instinct.

She worried about Les, and she was afraid of being alone. This was, after all, her first time coming by herself to a completely unfamiliar place. Wold felt even more overwhelming than Vitas had when she first arrived. The mingled peoples of every race and the buildings in countless different styles all felt intensely foreign. Aisha was keenly aware that she was in another country.

But…

Aisha looked at the giant wolf standing quietly beside Pal. Animals could not enter the Tower of Magic, and beastfolk were required to maintain human form inside, so Les had spent the entire afternoon alone in the hotel. Before this, his territory had always been measured in forests. A wolf so large looked painfully confined in a little hotel room. Pal had also said that wolves like him should be allowed to roam and needed regular exercise—preferably a walk every day.

After some thought, Aisha went over, hugged the wolf’s head, and rubbed her cheek against his neck.

“Come back early,” she said with a smile.

Les nuzzled her in return. Beside them, Pal inexplicably looked away in embarrassment.

…

“So, Les, ahem… what exactly is going on?”

Pal had told Aisha that he was taking Les to see the forest and go for a walk, but he certainly did not dare actually walk his cousin. The moment they left the hotel, Les returned to human form.

People nearby had long since grown accustomed to beastfolk changing forms without warning. Even so, the tall, straight-backed man in military uniform could not help attracting attention, especially with a face as handsome as his. Despite Les’s stern expression, several passersby still glanced back at him covertly.

In human form, Les stood a full head taller than Pal. Pal knew a black panther could not compare in size with a giant wolf, and he had not yet finished growing, but he still unconsciously straightened his back. It was an instinct among aggressive beastfolk. Even when the other person was someone he admired, being physically dominated was uncomfortable.

After a pause, Pal poured out every question in a single breath.

“Aren’t you supposed to be recuperating on your estate? Why did you suddenly come to Wold? What’s going on with that girl? She’s human, isn’t she? She doesn’t know who you are? And… uh, Father told me everything. Why did His Majesty make you give up the military credit you earned in the decisive battle?!”

By the end, Pal’s anxiety was plain.

Most of the beastfolk reassigned to besiege the darkfolk castle that day had been panthers and foxes. Pal’s father, a strong and agile black-panther officer, had been among them and had seen Les there. Although King Carter III had ordered all news of Les’s participation sealed, the prohibition had not been so strict that an officer could not even tell his own son. That was how Pal had learned the truth.

In fact, many high-ranking officials in Beast knew what had happened and felt sorry for Les. Yet His Majesty had always been incomparably wise, and every decision he made had ultimately proved correct. No one questioned Carter III’s judgment.

Pal, however, saw it very differently. To him, military achievement was the most important thing a soldier possessed. Les was his goal and the man Pal hoped to serve in the future. The concealment of those honors angered him even more than it seemed to anger Les himself.

Les glanced at him.

He had never been particularly adept at dealing with this lively, innocent, and occasionally rather thoughtless cousin. Nor was Les good at explaining himself or answering questions. Faced with such a barrage, he remained silent for a moment before giving the shortest possible answer.

“She’s the girl I like.”

His voice was slightly hoarse. Partly because he had not spoken in human form for so long, and partly because… this seemed to be the first time he had ever acknowledged his feelings so plainly.

Before now, he had never needed to discuss the subject with anyone. When he spoke with Carter III, His Majesty understood without requiring him to say it aloud. Now he was talking to Pal. Les had meant to find a subtler way of putting it, but somehow, beyond those blunt words, he could think of nothing appropriate.

Once he had spoken, Les watched Pal quietly and waited for his reaction.

Pal had more or less guessed the truth, but hearing Les say it himself in such a solemn tone still left him stunned. Honestly, before today, he had never been able to imagine the austere man before him falling in love. Pal worshiped Les and had always treated him as a model in every way, but… well… it was rather embarrassing to admit…

He had once assumed his cousin had no interest in sex at all.

Apparently, Les was anything but indifferent. Once he began pursuing a girl, he went straight to sharing her room. Pal could hardly help being shocked.

“So you’re courting her?” Pal asked. “Then why not be more direct?”

The girl might be human, but surely pursuing her with the rank of major general and that handsome face would be much easier than trying to court her as a wolf.

Les paused. “She’s Tina Killott’s daughter.”

“Tina Killott’s daughter?!”

Pal nearly jumped straight into the air. He looked even more incredulous than he had when he recognized Les at the harbor.

“You mean the same Tina Killott I’m thinking of?! You fell in love with Tina Killott’s daughter?!”

Les nodded and gave Pal a general account of the situation. Once he had explained, Pal finally seemed to understand. Scratching his hair, he said, “So if she gains admission to the Tower of Magic, you may stay in Wold for a while, but you can’t reveal your identity yet?”

Les nodded again.

“Then what if someone recognizes you? You graduated from here. Aside from me, there must be plenty of—”

Pal stopped halfway through.

Les had taken very little time to graduate and had not known many classmates. So many years had passed that anyone who had seen his beast form back then had long since graduated and left.

Pal changed direction.

“Your old mentor, Mr. Malken, still hasn’t retired. He would definitely recognize you. The warrior school and the Tower of Magic have been working closely these past few years—they’re even holding the entrance examinations together now. What will you do if you run into him?”

“…If I decide to stay here for an extended period, I’ll speak to him in advance and explain everything,” Les replied after some thought. “My teacher… will be willing to help me.”

…

Several hours had passed by the time Les returned to the hotel.

He had not actually needed Pal to show him around a city he already knew well. During their time outside, he merely listened while his cousin described streets and regulations that had changed since his graduation. Then the two of them discussed their plans, including how best to conceal Les’s identity and how he might court Aisha.

Unfortunately, Pal clearly had no experience pursuing women either. He sweated with anxiety without producing a single constructive suggestion. In the end, they had no choice but to proceed one step at a time.

Les changed back into a giant wolf as he approached the hotel. At the sight of the door left slightly ajar, his steps paused. Then he nudged it open and entered.

The girl was slumped sideways on the bed, apparently struggling desperately to stay awake. Les’s heart softened. He silently closed the door with his tail, walked to the bedside, and lay down.

Aisha had almost fallen asleep. But Les had not returned, so she had forced herself to keep reading, afraid to drift off. The sound of the wolf entering and closing the door brought her instantly awake.

“You’re back?” she asked with a smile.

She glanced at the closed door in surprise. Then she remembered Pal saying Les had undergone some training and relaxed. That also explained why he had always seemed so remarkably intelligent.

The beastfolk’s ability to shift into animal form gave them a special connection with wild creatures. It was said that, under certain circumstances, some beastfolk could even blend completely into the wild. As a result, it was widely accepted that beastfolk could train exceptionally capable animals.

After a moment’s thought, Aisha said, “Tomorrow I’m going to the Tower of Magic for a briefing session. Animals and beastfolk in beast form aren’t allowed on the three public floors. Apparently, too much shed fur can disturb the magical field, so I can’t take you with me… Since you know how to close the door, I’ll leave it ajar tomorrow. If you want to go out, you can leave by yourself. Remember to close the door and come back on time, all right? The briefing session should end around noon. I’ll come back to study afterward.”

Keeping up his role as an animal, Les neither nodded nor shook his head, merely swishing his tail. Still, Aisha could tell from his eyes that he had understood. Smiling, she leaned over, embraced him, and kissed him on the forehead.

The fresh scent lingering on the girl after her bath filled his nose. Les grew uneasy, yet he could not bring himself to move away. Silently, he accepted the kiss.

Then Aisha patted the bed beside her. “The bed in this room is quite large. Two more people could probably fit. It might be a little cramped… but would you like to come up?”

Les: …

Looking at Aisha’s open, unguarded smile, Les felt conflicted. He could not deny that he wanted to be close to her, but a soldier’s principles reminded him that there were things he should not do.

After a pause, he lay down on the floor and closed his eyes, making his position clear.

Aisha stroked his head. She assumed he had either failed to understand her or preferred sleeping alone, and said nothing more. She simply turned off the light and lay down. Before long, her soft, even breathing filled the room.

Only then did Les open his eyes again. His gray-blue wolf eyes glimmered faintly in the darkness. He turned to watch Aisha sleeping. After a moment, he carefully caught the edge of the blanket that had slipped down and pulled it back beneath her chin with his teeth. Then he lay down once more and closed his eyes in peace.

…

Since the briefing was scheduled for the next day, Aisha rose especially early. She had slept very well and felt full of energy. The thought that she was finally taking her first step toward studying magic left her both excited and nervous.

Eric Green was her first-choice mentor, but the chances of being accepted by him were so low that she held little hope. Starting with her second choice, however, her prospects improved somewhat. According to Tina, after the remarkable progress Eric achieved while teaching mages with unusual abilities, many advanced mages had followed his example and begun searching everywhere for rare mages with unusual abilities to teach. In that respect, Aisha possessed a considerable advantage.

All in all, Aisha still hoped she could remain at the Tower of Magic. That made the briefing, where she would meet several teachers for the first time, especially important. As soon as she woke, she changed into new clothes, carefully braided her hair, and tied it with a ribbon.

Once everything was ready, Aisha turned back and kissed the gray wolf who had been watching her all along.

“I’m leaving now. I’ll be back at noon. If you go out, remember to close the door.”