episode_0031

The place I arrived at after avoiding the bandits was the remote village of Velu.

It was a village known for raising cattle and sheep on its pastures.

With so many pastures, the faint smell of livestock permeated the air, making it unpleasant for those with sensitive noses.

I wasn’t particularly fond of it either, but after spending eight years forgetting about it, it felt more nostalgic than unpleasant.

“Since it’s already late, how about staying in this village for the night before continuing on?”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

I took a rather long detour to avoid the bandits’ reach.

Although it was inconvenient to have to head east again later, I thought it was better than facing the bandits head-on.

Enduring the painful task of capturing Maxwell, wouldn’t I be the only one at a loss in the end?

Sometimes, it was necessary to seek a safe and comfortable path.

“But is there an inn in this remote village where we can stay for the night?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I didn’t mention it earlier, but I have a friend living in this village. If I explain the situation, they will surely provide us with a place to stay.”

“I’m not concerned about accommodation, that’s fine.”

“Yes, after meeting my friend, Rama and I will be selling necessities to the villagers, so Aaron, you are free to roam around as you please.”

“Understood.”

Gratefully accepting Fabiel’s consideration, I jumped off the running carriage.

Once off the carriage, I decided to leisurely explore the village.

Although I had traveled around the world, I hadn’t visited every city or village.

Especially, I had never set foot in the Holy Empire.

Since Velu was included in the Holy Empire geographically, it was naturally a village I had never visited.

“The wide-open plains are quite beautiful to see.”

The problem was, that was all there was to it.

Due to its remote location, the facilities were extremely basic.

Apart from one restaurant and a small church, it was all private residences.

The lack of even a general store was quite shocking.

Perhaps I should have realized it when Fabiel mentioned that he would be selling necessities to the villagers?

Still, well…

The peaceful atmosphere without any conflicts was pleasing.

To the extent that I felt it was okay to claim it as my next hideout.

“Hey, it’s a stranger!”

“Wow!”

As I leisurely walked through the village, children flocked to me.

They began poking my legs with their fingers and asking questions.

Their curious and innocent expressions were truly endearing.

Unasked-for children were always a sight to behold.

Having lived a dirty life in the slums since childhood, did I long for their innocence?

Perhaps that’s why I felt the need to protect it.

“Yes.”

“Is the sword on your waist a real sword?”

“Of course.”

“Wow!”

“Applaud!”

It was too dangerous to hand a sword to the children, so instead, I drew my steel sword and held it up, pointing the safe end towards the sky.

Although I held the sword backwards, making a clumsy figure, even the peaceful children of the village found it cool.

Seeing them jumping around happily made me feel good too.

“Stranger! How strong are you?”

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say it myself, but I can say I’m strong enough that I rarely have enemies.”

“Wow! Then you can defeat even the bad wolves!”

“Wolves?”

“Yes! A bad wolf appears in the village every day!”

“My dad always said that the bad wolf eats the kind sheep and cows!”

It doesn’t seem to be all peaceful.

Raising livestock and letting them graze made it easy to be exposed to the wolves living in the nearby forest.

If the children are aware of the problem and take it seriously, the damage seems to be quite severe.

“Should I chase away the bad wolf?”

Although it was troublesome to get rid of bandits, dealing with wild wolves was not difficult.

“Really?”

“Please chase it away!”

“Alright, next time the wolf appears, I’ll chase it away…”

“The wolf has appeared!”

Just as the saying goes that if you talk about a tiger, it will appear, a cry that the wolf had appeared was heard, making it urgent for me to turn towards the sound.

Confidently running towards wherever there were a few, I realized it was already too late.

When I arrived, there was only a young man sitting down and a flock of sheep lying next to him.

“Where is the wolf?”

“Ugh! The, the beast ate all the sheep and ran away…”

“What? It already ran away?”

As soon as I heard that the wolf had appeared, I ran with all my might, but the wolf had already fled.

At least its back or tail should have been visible, but no matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t see a trace of the wolf.

As if it had never been there in the first place.

“…Did the wolf really appear?”

“I, it’s true! If you doubt it, look closely at the sheep! Isn’t there wolf fur stuck to their bodies?”

“Indeed…”

Brown fur was tangled in the white fur here and there.

It seemed that the wolf’s fur had stuck to the sheep in the scuffle.

I realized that the wolf definitely existed, but there was something difficult to understand.

“But why can’t we see any blood if the wolf appeared?”

If the wolf had eaten the sheep, there should have been blood left behind.

Even if it had swallowed them whole, blood should have come out during the chewing process.

But all I could see in my sight was the blue meadow and the pure white sheep.

“Do you not see the gruesome sight of a sheep being devoured?”

At the spot pointed out by the young man’s finger, there was a sheep lying on its back with viscous liquid flowing from its hindquarters.

Seeing that scene with my own eyes, I lost my composure and was truly shocked.

“T, that…!”

“That is the sign that the wolf has eaten the sheep.”

“Ah…!”

The wolf eating the sheep did not mean predation.

It meant something else, so the meaning was far from clear.

To put it metaphorically, it was like an orc appearing in a village and robbing all the women.

No, it was worse than an orc.

While orcs had no choice but to prey on other species, the wolf was mocking the sheep even though there were female individuals.

And the fact that they were committing such acts in a village where innocent children lived.

“This wolf should not exist in this world…!”

[Owner, I’m pissed off!]

***

“Are you okay with working for free? It might be better to demand at least some compensation for the people who have suffered…”

“No, it’s okay. It’s a problem I want to solve personally.”

“If that’s what you want, I won’t stop you…”

After witnessing an indescribable tragedy, I explained to Fabiel about the wolf.

In addition, I expressed my desire to subdue the wolf.

Fabiel expressed concern about working for free, but ultimately respected my decision.

And so, I set off for the pasture as the sun was setting.

The wolf’s instincts and wild nature were heightened when the moon rose.

The detailed reasons have not yet been revealed.

In the public eye, the legend that the goddess of the moon created the wolves was considered a major factor.

Anyway, it was expected that the wolf, who devoured sheep, would be more active at night.

So, he set off for the sheep pen, waiting for the timing of the setting sun.

The plan was to attack as soon as the wolf appeared.

However, before lurking, it was necessary to seek the forgiveness of the young shepherd he had met during the day.

“Are you there?”

Tap-!

He knocked on the door of the house of the young shepherd closely associated with the sheep pen.

However, there was no answer even after a long time.

Even though there was a presence beyond the door.

Knowing it was rude, he kicked the door open forcefully.

On the other side of the door, there was a young man lying on the floor unconscious.

“Darn it, I didn’t expect you to come before nightfall….”

Before the sun had completely set, the wolf had already finished its activities.

Physically stunning the young man and once again plundering the sheep in the pen beyond the building.

It was a cunning wolf who had committed the crime before my arrival.

Although I couldn’t ask for the forgiveness of the young shepherd, I decided to wait.

I believed that at least once during the night, he would appear again.

However, until dawn, the wolf did not show up.

Did he sense my presence and give up the attack?

If so, the opponent was definitely not an ordinary wolf.

It was possible that it was an intelligent beast or even a deity, so it was a waste of time to wait for an opponent who could not be captured overnight.

“Huh?”

The sound of hooves coming from a distance from the village.

As time passed, it was getting closer, indicating that someone was coming towards the village.

It wasn’t the wolf’s footsteps he had longed for, but he realized that a new stranger was approaching the peaceful Belu.

“Are they from the upper class? No, looking at their shabby appearance….”

Men covering their main parts with animal fur and rough cloth left from hunting, driving numerous high-end carriages that didn’t match their appearance, were approaching the village.

At first, he was unsure, but now he was certain.

They were the Brothers bandits who had been causing trouble near the Daron village.

“After the wolf, now the bandits?”

He didn’t know why the bandits were abandoning their hideout and coming to Belu village, but a direct confrontation was inevitable.

He didn’t want to face them head-on, but if they were going to attack the village, he could only resort to force.

“Are those twins the new leaders of the bandits I’ve heard about….”

A blonde girl with a missing left leg and a silver-haired girl with bandaged eyes.

They seemed to have an unspeakable situation, but he didn’t judge them solely by their appearance.

With the twins joining, the Brothers bandits had become so strong that even the royal guards could not intervene.

“Ugh! What’s all the commotion?”

Just as he was watching the twins coming from the front, the young shepherd woke up.

He wanted to warn him that a bigger problem than the wolf was coming.

If there had been no change in the young man’s body as he looked at the twins.

“Grr! Owooo! Grrrrr!”

Like hives breaking out, fur sprouted all over the young man’s body and began to grow rapidly.

His screams were becoming more like a wolf’s howl.

His mouth was elongating like a wolf’s snout, and his claws were growing larger and sharper along with his body.

The shepherd boy was transforming into a high-ranking demon of the underworld, like a lycanthrope.

No, he was a lycanthrope himself.

“So the sheepskin culprit is here…?”

A wolf appeared.