How to Raise a Dumb Wolf - Chapter 47

Neither darkfolk had expected their luck to be so extraordinary that not only would a girl watch them fight, but she would run straight over afterward.

Golden hair, green eyes, pale skin, a gentle voice—and healing too…

An angel!

She was unquestionably an angel!

As descendants of a race abandoned by the gods for a thousand years, they were nearly moved to tears. For one second, they even imagined the gods had rediscovered their conscience and taken them back.

Unfortunately, both were too exhausted to speak no matter how excited they felt. They could only nod repeatedly, signaling that they agreed to anything the angel asked. They would even go straight to heaven if she wished!

Aisha smiled at the two darkfolk and their passionate response. They must be in terrible pain to want treatment so desperately. So this was how hard everyone fought at the Free Arena…

Both to free them from pain as quickly as possible and to practice her healing ability, Aisha closed her eyes. After two deep breaths, she immediately summoned the golden threads within her and began treating them.

Back in Philray, people often asked Aisha to help with her ability. But injuries were not especially common in the peaceful town, and some trusted professional physicians more than her gift. She had relatively few opportunities to practice on the human body, and most wounds that did require her help were minor.

She practiced more often on fruit and vegetables, healing them repeatedly before eating them. The most severe injury she had ever treated was probably that of the giant wolf Les when she rescued him.

Having gone so long without treating a living creature, Aisha was inevitably rusty at first. Fortunately, she soon found her rhythm again.

Fine golden threads twined around the wound on which she focused. Before long, the black bruising faded and the skin returned to the darkfolk’s natural leaden gray.

Aisha’s tension eased slightly, and she moved to the next injury.

To minimize the pain of both patients, she alternated between them throughout the treatment.

Her healing ability remained limited. She could heal minor bruises and superficial injuries, but more serious wounds could only be partially healed. She had brought none of her other medical tools, so she had no choice but to leave them that way.

Even so, the two darkfolk seemed deeply moved, which left Aisha feeling rather self-conscious.

“Are you both students?”

Aisha asked in a friendly voice while treating the last few injuries.

She felt no affection for the darkfolk soldiers she had encountered before. But these two students… so far, they did not appear especially problematic.

At her question, both nodded vigorously. They looked about Aisha’s age—seventeen or eighteen, young and energetic.

The taller one raised his thumb, pointed first at himself, then at his companion.

“We both came from Duke. Ah… though I suppose it’s no longer the same Duke. I’m from East Duke, and he’s from South Duke.”

After the darkfolk defeat, riots erupted. Two princes declared independence, and the country split into three, with each of the three children of Duke’s former king seizing a region.

The queen controlled the larger southern region, which became South Duke and included Dimska, Duke’s traditional capital. Her two elder brothers occupied the northeast and northwest, establishing the smaller realms of East Duke and West Duke respectively.

“Things aren’t good back home now. The economy is terrible everywhere, so even for practice, we can only rent the cheapest arena,” the taller darkfolk boy said, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. “Darkfolk have wings and need more space. We should rent at least a medium-sized arena.”

After a pause, perhaps hoping to become acquainted, he asked carefully, “Uh, what about you? Are you human or beastfolk? Where are you from?”

Les was obviously a warrior despite keeping his impractically long hair, and his beastfolk features were distinctive. But Aisha was harder to distinguish. Women of both races commonly wore long hair.

Aisha froze. After considering for a moment, she lowered her head and finished treating a bruise on one boy’s arm.

“Human,” she said softly. “From Ryan.”

At the name of a kingdom in the Helman Federation, both darkfolk stiffened. They exchanged a glance. The shorter one cautiously studied Aisha’s expression before asking tentatively, “Um… we’re sorry about the government-sponsored bride raids. Uh… was your family all right?”

“My family was fine, but I was taken to Dimsk—”

Before Aisha finished, both darkfolk boys’ expressions changed drastically, and they abruptly sprang into motion, heedless of their injuries.

They dropped to both knees with them spread wide, placed their hands behind their backs, bowed their heads, and opened their wings until they drooped against the floor. Their posture resembled prisoners forced to kneel.

“We’re sorry!!”

Both boys shouted at once.

It was the humblest posture among the darkfolk. In the past, only the most serious apostates and traitors had been required to kneel this way in a temple and repent—or to be hanged or have their wings cut off in the same position.

Aisha stared. “Did you serve in the army?”

“Uh… no. We were studying in Wold throughout the war,” one boy answered, raising his head. “We both come from merchant families. I’ll probably work as a freelance warrior while continuing in trade… Nick wanted to join the army, but when he heard the news, he was so shocked he nearly changed his field of study. I convinced him he could serve Queen Shali Grey instead, so he decided not to change majors.

“The bride raids were mainly proposed by Prince Gilbert and Prince Maxi, who coerced conservative ministers and the old nobility. Queen Shali Grey tried to stop them but failed… You may know that she also proposed the right of love as an attempt to ease the conflict, but it backfired. In the postwar tribunal, the human victims were scarcely less furious about that law than about the raids themselves.”

Aisha did know.

When the postwar tribunal opened, she was still traveling with her parents and did not attend. But almost every newspaper later revealed numerous details.

The human women who testified had reportedly shown enormous anger toward the right-to-love law. They considered the mere suggestion that they might fall in love with their enemies a profound insult, on top of the unforgivable bride raids themselves.

But…

Although the scandal was enormous, ordinary citizens in Duke appeared to know nothing about the raids before the defeat exposed the details. They did not even know what the soldiers carried in the sacks when they flew into the palace.

The revelation shocked Duke’s population, especially darkfolk women, who were naturally sensitive to such issues. Anti-bride-raid demonstrations erupted again and again. Conflict between the New Order faction and conservatives became increasingly severe.

Countless radical movements, the immense postwar reparations, and the devastating blow to the race’s confidence ultimately combined to drive Duke into civil unrest and division.

The two darkfolk boys before her were plainly ordinary citizens who had known nothing about the raids.

The eager excitement that had lit their eyes earlier because she was a girl had disappeared. In its place was anxious uncertainty over whether she would forgive them.

Aisha pressed her lips together.

“If you join the army in the future, please don’t do anything like that again,” she said softly.

For a thousand years, it had been an accepted rule of war that civilians should not be dragged into conflict. Aisha still remembered the terror she and the other girls experienced that night.

Perhaps it was not her place to lecture another race, but…

“Of course!”

The two darkfolk saw nothing improper about her request. They nodded furiously, their expressions utterly sincere.

Les lowered his eyes to Aisha. Seeing the hand that tightly clutched her skirt, something stirred in his heart.

Although both boys apologized and Aisha said little, the atmosphere afterward was noticeably strange.

Aisha quietly finished treating their remaining injuries. Once she accepted their flushed, ashamed thanks, she left the miniature arena with Les without lingering.

“Shall we go to the next arena?” Aisha asked Les with a relieved smile once they emerged.

“Mm.”

Les nodded. He looked at her smile for a moment, hesitated, then slowly lifted a hand…

Aisha watched the hand hovering in the air without moving and looked confused. Just as she was about to ask, he… gently stroked her hair.

In truth, Les barely touched her before withdrawing. His movement was stiff; he was plainly unaccustomed to such gestures.

“…You handled yourself very well in a dangerous situation,” he said.

Then he paused, realizing that in his current role, he should not know too many details. He needed to speak more vaguely.

After several seconds, he added, “I mean… all of you handled it very well.”

Aisha froze. This time, her eyes truly curved with her smile as gentle warmth flowed through her heart.

“…Thank you,” she said.

…

After that, Aisha treated people in several more arenas. By the time she left, dusk had arrived.

She thanked Major General Les Wolf earnestly for bringing her, said goodbye, and jogged all the way back to the Tower of Magic.

Aisha had not felt this happy in a long time. Her body was exhausted, but her soul seemed ready to take flight.

When she returned to her room, Les was already back at the tower. He rose from the floor at her entrance and wagged his tail gently.

Aisha rushed over happily, embraced him, rubbed him for a long time, then nuzzled against him. Only then did her inexplicably soaring spirits settle enough for her to begin her homework.

Les stood quietly and allowed her to do as she pleased. Seeing that her smile was no longer tired or forced but genuinely bright, he finally relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief.

Aisha was energized, and her efficiency naturally improved.

Perhaps it was her imagination. Her magical power, nearly emptied that afternoon, had not yet recovered. But Aisha already felt that her strength had increased a little… It was small and subtle, but after two weeks of complete stagnation, even a *possible* improvement was enough to fill her with hope.

In such an excellent state, her preparatory work went smoothly. One hour later, she completed her preparatory notes in half the usual time.

Then…

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.

As usual, Eric inspected the previous night’s work, first Thorne’s, then Aisha’s. The inspection of Thorne’s work ended quickly, and Aisha’s turn came.

With more energy than she had shown in weeks, she demonstrated the burning magic array she had practiced the previous day.

Honestly, because she had spent most of her free time at the Free Arena, Aisha had little magical power left for practicing the array. Her preparation was inadequate. In fact, she had practiced less than ever before.

Remembering Eric’s strict words at their first meeting, she could not help feeling uneasy.

Eric had unexpectedly said nothing during her earlier stagnation, but this was the first time Aisha had worried because she had not practiced enough.

Guilty and nervous, she completed the magic array.

Then… the instant the flames rose, Eric abruptly frowned.

“You—”