How to Raise a Dumb Wolf - Chapter 54

“Um, well… Mr. Wolf?”

Even after being settled securely upon the branch, Aisha still did not entirely understand what had happened. She could only stare blankly at the expressionless man below who had placed her there.

The branch was very high. For once, Aisha could look down upon the tall beastfolk man before her, a rather novel experience. From this unusual angle, Major General Wolf’s features remained as chiseled and handsome as she remembered. She could even see the way the hair lay across the crown of his head. It was admittedly quite fascinating, but…

…She could not get down. QAQ

A wave of vertigo struck Aisha as she looked at the ground, which seemed nearly three meters (about 9.8 feet) below. The branch was quite thick and sturdy and probably would not break, but… but…

Aisha sat rigidly upon the branch, not daring to move. All she could do was hope that the man who had lifted her up there would take pity on her and carry her down again.

For that matter… why had he lifted her up at all?!

Stranger still, after putting her there, Major General Wolf himself seemed surprised. His entire body stiffened, and then he simply stood there, perfectly steady… and motionless.

“Um… Major General Wolf?”

Aisha called to him carefully once more, tilting her head as far as she could in an effort to read the beastfolk man’s expression. Her hearing was merely that of an ordinary human, so she did not catch the suggestive, teasing discussion all around them. She was therefore a little less embarrassed than Les, but she could still feel the inquisitive gazes directed toward them, and a blush crept into her cheeks.

In truth, Aisha did not know what had happened either. She could only ask tentatively, “May I ask… um… is something wrong? Is… is there something strange about me?”

The mere act of asking made her nervous.

What she did not know was that Major General Les Wolf found it equally agonizing to stand beneath her gaze. He was afraid Aisha would dislike him, yet could not explain why he had done such a thing. He opened his mouth and managed only, “I… thought they were going to run into you.”

“They?”

“Yes. Two young beastfolk in brown-bear form were running toward you. They did not appear to be fully grown…”

Les spoke uneasily. The two young brown bears had already turned and run far away, and Aisha herself had never seen them, so he had no evidence whatsoever to support his claim. Even so…

Aisha did stare for a moment, but as she looked at Les and into those deep blue-gray eyes, instinct told her that this man would not lie. Although, compared with the question of whether he was lying, there were clearly larger problems with their present situation.

“I-I see,” Aisha said. Still pretending to be calm, she kept the conversation going. “Then did you come to the Free Arena to train? Have you just finished? Or… or are you about to go inside?”

Les thought for a moment before answering, “I was only… passing by.”

“Oh. Oh, I see. What a coincidence.”

“…Mm.”

“Um… Major General Wolf, I still have not returned the coat you lent me when we first met, so…”

At last, they had reached the matter at hand.

Les composed himself, then calmly delivered the words he had rehearsed in his mind all night and could therefore finally say with perfect ease. “You need not worry about that. I own many coats. But if you wish to return it, I can come by and collect it.”

“Oh, no, that is not what I am worried about…” Aisha’s face grew even hotter. Embarrassed, she said softly, “I meant, could you carry me down first? I am a little frightened up here, and many people seem to be watching us.”

Les: …

The atmosphere turned painfully awkward. Les could not help regretting his own rigid behavior and failure to think things through. His lips moved before he said, “…I am sorry.”

Aisha smiled helplessly. “It is all right.”

“Wait a moment.”

“All right.”

Les tried to adjust his position. Both of them were far more embarrassed than when he had lifted her up, and they had no sense of coordination. Several seconds of fumbling passed before Les finally found a workable position and put his arms around her waist. Aisha hurriedly wrapped her arms around his neck to keep her balance. Then his hold tightened, and at last, she rose into the air once more.

This time, the distance between them was far smaller than before. Aisha could clearly hear the wild pounding of her own heart. Her face rested against Les’s shoulder, and she caught a clean scent of wind and grass upon him. It was pleasant and fresh, with a faint trace of something familiar… Had he just returned from the forest?

Aisha wondered absently. For some reason, her heart pounded even harder—so loudly that she began to worry he might hear it, especially with them pressed so close together…

Unable to tell whether she felt disappointed or relieved, Aisha soon found herself set securely upon the ground. His hands left her waist with polite haste the instant her feet touched down. When she lifted her head, Major General Wolf had already turned his gaze away in silence.

In truth, Les had not realized until he lifted her that the distance between them would be far closer than he had anticipated. The girl’s soft, sweet fragrance nearly enveloped him, flooding every one of his senses. An inexplicable fire kindled within his body before he knew it. Even after releasing her, the feel of her—so different from a man’s—seemed to linger upon his fingertips. Les’s heart burned, and he dared not look at her again.

The air seemed charged with an indescribable restlessness and feverish embarrassment.

Aisha awkwardly stamped her feet, partly to confirm that she truly stood upon solid ground and partly in an attempt to dispel the charged, blush-inducing atmosphere around them.

“Then… shall I take you to the Tower of Magic?”

Aisha raised her head again and tried to explain in as natural a tone as possible.

“I washed your coat… I am sorry. It did get a little blood on it before. But it should be clean now, and it has not lost its shape. I hope you will not mind.”

“…It is fine.”

Les gave the brief reply. After a moment, he looked at Aisha once more. “Let us go.”

For some reason, the instant their gazes met, Aisha’s heart missed another beat, then began racing wildly. At a loss, she hurriedly avoided his eyes, nodded, and lowered her head before leading him toward the Tower of Magic.

…

The journey was rather quiet. Only yesterday, Aisha had wondered when she might see Major General Wolf again; she had never expected him to appear the very next day. She had prepared no topics of conversation.

From their few previous encounters, Aisha had learned that although Major General Les Wolf was not as unapproachable as he looked, he truly disliked speaking and was generally a man of few words. She did not expect him to begin a conversation. Unsure whether speaking first would irritate him and unable to think of anything to say, Aisha simply walked beside him in silence, maintaining a safe distance of a little over half a meter (roughly 2 feet).

They walked… and walked… and walked…

Time passed more quickly than she expected. Neither of them spoke. Once they left the noisy crowds of the central plaza behind, every footstep and breath became distinct. Aisha could even hear her own heart beating like a drum, gradually falling into rhythm with their footsteps.

“You…”

Suddenly, a somewhat halting but remarkably clear male voice broke the peculiar silence between them.

Les swallowed, then asked, “Are you planning to return to Helman anytime soon?”

“Ah, I may consider going back in another few months.”

Surprised that he had asked a question of his own accord, Aisha answered quickly. For an instant, she wondered why Major General Wolf knew that she might return to Helman. Then she remembered that he and Pal were cousins, and Pal loved to talk. Perhaps Pal had told him. Her doubts disappeared.

The Tower of Magic was not a “school” in the usual sense. Although it arranged general lectures for mage apprentices to attend together, it formally recognized only the relationship between mentor and student. Naturally, there were no regular examinations or summer and winter holidays. A mentor alone decided when a student would graduate.

If Aisha missed her parents, she needed only inform Eric before returning home, then come back on time to resume her studies. In the blink of an eye, she had lived in Wold for more than half a year. Recently, Aisha had indeed begun missing her parents more and more and had long been considering a visit home.

Of course, she had not yet settled upon a date or spoken to Eric. Her preliminary plan was to wait at least another two or three months, unless… something urgent occurred at home, or circumstances arose that made returning home especially convenient.

Some mentors at the Tower of Magic did choose to travel the world while teaching their students. That allowed the mentors to gather firsthand research material while giving their students direct experience of magic in every region of the world. However…

Aisha thought of the way Eric acted as though leaving the Tower of Magic for the market would kill him, and how strained he looked even when he personally came to guide her at the Free Arena. She could not help smiling bitterly. Before she graduated, she probably would never experience traveling to other countries with her teacher.

Les’s question did open the conversation, however. In return, Aisha asked, “What about you? You are a soldier from Beast, are you not? I have not seen you at all lately. Did you return to your country? How long will you… remain here this time?”

Aisha’s heart pounded with unbearable nervousness, but she tried to ask in a casual tone, hoping he would not easily discover how much she cared about the answer.

“…For some time.”

Les paused and gave the vague reply.

The true answer was, “Until you leave,” but he could not possibly say that aloud.

Aisha mistook his vagueness for an unwillingness to answer and felt faintly disappointed. Then she remembered that he was a soldier bound by confidentiality and could hardly hold it against him.

“However…”

Les hesitated before continuing.

“In a while, I may be assigned to Helman for diplomatic work. It is possible that… the assignment will coincide with your return home.”

Excellent. Now it would be perfectly reasonable if he encountered her in Vitas later!

Delighted that he had finally found a way to lay the necessary groundwork, Les secretly rejoiced.

“Really?”

Aisha blurted out the word in delight, only to realize that her eagerness seemed strange. Blushing, she hurriedly tried to conceal it. “Ah, I mean, it is wonderful that relations between beastfolk and humans are so peaceful now… I would look forward to your arrival as well. If you come to Vitas, perhaps I could show you around… Um, although I do not know Vitas very well myself.”

“Mm. All right.”

Les nodded slightly.

He knew it was only ordinary courtesy, yet could not stop himself from looking forward to it.

Aisha felt the same. She knew it was merely a plan with little chance of coming true, yet her heart brightened at the hope that they might meet again.

They soon arrived beneath the Tower of Magic. After hurriedly telling Major General Wolf, “Please wait here,” Aisha raced upstairs. By the time she reached the ninth floor of the upper section—the twelfth floor of the Tower of Magic in actual height—she was gasping for breath.

Even so, she quickly rallied and ran into her room. She opened the wardrobe and took out the military coat that did not belong to her. Then…

Aisha stopped.

Every day, she had wondered how she might see him again and return the coat. Yet now that the moment had truly arrived, Aisha discovered, shamefully, that she felt somewhat… reluctant.

She hugged the coat and stood motionless.

After this, she would no longer have any reason she absolutely had to see him again.

With a sigh, Aisha gathered the coat into her arms and hurried toward the door.

“Aisha!”

Thorne’s voice suddenly called to her from behind.

“You returned at the perfect time. Teacher has—what are you holding?”

Aisha turned and saw that the door to Thorne’s room had opened at some point. The black-haired boy leaned halfway out, studying her. When he saw the military coat in her arms—plainly sized for a tall man—Thorne could not help frowning as he asked the question.

“Ah, someone lent this to me before,” Aisha explained. She had not yet recovered from running upstairs, and her breathing remained uneven. “I am going to return it now. He is still waiting downstairs, so I have to take it back to him.”

“I see…” An unreadable hesitation entered Thorne’s voice. “That looks like… a beastfolk military uniform. Was the man who lent it to you a beastfolk?”

“Mm… Is something wrong?” Aisha asked in confusion. Thorne’s attitude struck her as strange.

After several seconds, however, Thorne merely looked away with his usual composure.

“…It is nothing,” he said.

“If someone is waiting downstairs, you should go. But come back as quickly as possible. Teacher has an announcement to make.”

“All right.”

Aisha nodded hastily. Although she found it strange that Eric had an announcement to make at such an hour, Les was still waiting beneath the tower. She asked no further questions and ran back downstairs as quickly as she could.

When she returned to the foot of the Tower of Magic, the tall figure was still waiting quietly in precisely the same posture as when she had left. His rigid bearing had frightened her somewhat during their earlier meetings. Aisha herself did not know why, but this time, it made her feel only reassured. Smiling, she trotted toward him.

“I am sorry to have kept you waiting.”

Aisha held out the coat. Les paused, then accepted it.

His sense of smell was keen. The coat had spent so long in Aisha’s wardrobe that his own scent had disappeared completely, replaced by the sweet fragrance unique to the girl. If he wore it directly into a military camp, that fragrance would have his comrades surrounding and teasing him at once.

Strangely… even though he could not possibly visit a military camp now, Les felt a sudden urge to put it on and show it off at once.

Only after calming himself did he look at Aisha again and nod. “Thank you.”

“I should be thanking you.” Aisha smiled. She blinked, then gathered her courage. “Um… if you are injured at the Free Arena, you are welcome to come to me for treatment. I am usually in the open area outside the medical center. You were the one who first took me there… And if I need to see you about something… well, could you tell me where I might find you?”

She had said it!

Aisha felt a burst of delight, then waited anxiously for his answer.

Les paused. “Ask Pal to notify me. I am temporarily staying… somewhere close to him.”

“All-all right!”

Permission to seek him out delighted Aisha so much that she had no attention to spare for the fact that Les had ultimately failed to tell her exactly where he lived. She merely nodded vigorously, beaming.

“Then… until next time.”

“Yes! Until next time!”

Aisha waved and watched him disappear into the crowd. Joyful yet wistful, she released a breath. Only when the last strand of silver-gray hair had vanished from sight did she finally turn and enter the Tower of Magic.

…

However, her plan to visit Major General Wolf during the “some time” he remained in Wold was rendered impossible before it could even take shape.

“Aisha, your general lectures should be ending soon, should they not?”

After Aisha returned to the Tower of Magic, Eric sat opposite her and Thorne and solemnly delivered the news.

“Once your general lectures formally conclude, I have decided to work in Helman for a time. Naturally, you and Thorne will accompany me.”

Before Aisha could understand what he meant, Eric looked at her as though afraid she might misunderstand. Composing himself, he added, “…Our destination is not Ryan. It is the kingdom of religion in southern Helman. You should both know it. We are going to… the Kingdom of Micks.”