Ch.12Werewolf

“Let’s go!”

After confirming that Aurel had taken the back seat, I enthusiastically pressed the pedals and rushed forward.

That’s when it happened.

I gaped blankly as my center of gravity suddenly wobbled.

How do you ride a bicycle again?

My head became confused with this sudden question.

I knew how to ride a two-wheeled bicycle.

It was something I had learned through direct physical experience.

It just seemed that my body—Charlotte’s body—didn’t know how to ride a bicycle.

An action that should come as naturally as breathing.

Riding a bicycle.

My mind knew how, but my body couldn’t follow along.

As if experiencing lag, my movements suddenly froze.

The result.

Thud—

“Eek!”

“Ack!”

I ended up rolling on the ground with Aurel.

This body doesn’t even feel minor pain from ordinary injuries.

Meaning I wouldn’t feel any pain from falling while trying to ride a bicycle.

Instead, I couldn’t lift my head due to embarrassment.

After making such a fuss about riding a bicycle, the result was a simple fall.

I didn’t have the courage to face Aurel, who had trusted me and taken the back seat.

While I was trembling with embarrassment, Aurel jumped up and approached me.

“Oh…! Lady Charlotte! Are you okay? Is there something wrong with the bicycle?”

Aurel seemed to assume there was something wrong with the bicycle, as if it were the most natural conclusion.

I would have thought the same.

It’s only natural for everyone to think like Aurel when someone who confidently offered to ride a bicycle suddenly falls.

“Hmm, hmmm…”

I got up calmly and dusted off my clothes.

Then I pretended to be completely unfazed, putting on a very composed expression.

Except for my slightly flushed face, my expression should be fine.

I took a small deep breath and said to Aurel.

“Aurel.”

“Yes?”

“The chain seems to be lacking oil.”

“Oh… so that’s why…!”

A lie that came out without a moment’s hesitation.

And Aurel believed that lie without a hint of doubt.

Looking at Aurel’s sparkling eyes, I felt a slight ache in one corner of my heart.

In the end,

I ended up leading the bicycle out of the building with both hands.

It was so absurd that I almost let out a hollow laugh.

After completing all preparations to ride the bicycle, I couldn’t actually ride it.

Of course, if I could have some practice time, I thought I could ride a bicycle like before.

Even though I looked like a small girl, my current body was that of a vampire after all.

At that moment, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.

I would have to lie to Aurel once more, but what did it matter?

I licked my lips once and opened my mouth.

“Aurel.”

“Yesss?”

“Could you find some oil for the chain?”

“Oh… leave it to me!”

Aurel responded energetically to my request.

Before I could stop her, she turned around and dashed off.

Now’s my chance.

I mounted the bicycle with gleaming eyes.

I needed to make my body understand the knowledge in my head.

I nodded as I looked down at my white, soft hands.

“Here goes…!”

The moment I lifted my feet from the ground and pressed the pedals, my body tilted again.

I fell to the ground with a thud.

I quickly got up and grabbed the bicycle again.

After that, I repeated the process of falling and getting up numerous times.

As the number of falls increased, the time the bicycle moved forward proportionally lengthened.

Aurel was searching throughout the entire area.

She would enter a building, search inside.

If no oil was found, she would leave with a dejected expression and rush to another place.

In the end, I relearned how to ride a bicycle faster than Aurel could find oil.

“Aurel!”

I called out to Aurel as she was rushing to the next building.

Seeing her stop what she was doing and hurry over at my call made me feel like I was raising a large puppy.

No.

She is absolutely not like a puppy.

Though she looks cute and harmless now, who knows what she was like before?

I raised my lowered guard and opened my mouth.

“The bicycle seems to be working fine now.”

“Oh… really? Is it okay without the oil?”

I silently nodded.

Now it was really time to depart.

I mounted the bicycle and silently pointed to the back seat.

Aurel promptly jumped on.

She naturally placed her hands around my waist.

The subtle warmth at my waist.

The sensation of her carefully holding on.

Her small hands fidgeted as they gripped my clothes.

“Don’t, don’t hold too tight…”

“Oh… okay!”

I turned my gaze away from Aurel.

And so began our first proper bicycle journey.

It was a bit more difficult than riding alone, but after wobbling significantly once or twice, I quickly learned how to maintain balance.

The bicycle moved steadily forward.

It was truly a swift advance.

Even with damaged cars occupying the road, it wasn’t a problem.

I vigorously pedaled, weaving between the cars.

After riding for quite some time in the refreshing breeze,

we eventually entered Seongnam City.

“We’re almost there.”

“That was super fast!”

Seongnam City wasn’t much different from the other cities we had passed through.

As we entered the city and looked around, that’s when it happened.

A strong scent carried by the wind.

The smell of werewolves.

Judging by the direction of the smell, they seemed to be heading toward us.

I stopped the bicycle in a suitable spot and waited for the werewolves to appear.

“Are werewolves coming?”

“Yes. They seem to have business with us.”

Just as vampires are sensitive to smell, so are werewolves.

They must have caught our scent as we entered their territory.

I waited for the werewolves without much concern.

After all, vampires and werewolves are allies, aren’t they?

After waiting for a while.

Just as the werewolf scent carried by the wind grew stronger,

a small girl appeared on top of a half-collapsed building.

Sparkling silver eyes and messy brown hair.

With wolf ears perked up on top, she was clearly a werewolf using partial transformation.

I frowned as I examined the girl closely.

She wore a white tank top and tight hot pants, with cheap slippers on her feet.

The exposure of her slightly folded armpits and white thighs was quite revealing.

The werewolf girl placed her hands on her hips and shouted.

“Stop right there!”

Who was she talking to?

Aurel and I had already stopped.

I looked around to see if there were other people nearby, but saw nothing.

The werewolf girl nodded with a satisfied expression.

She seemed pleased that Aurel and I were standing still.

As we remained silent without responding, the werewolf girl jumped down from the building and approached us.

She kept sniffing as she came closer, apparently checking our scent.

With her ears perked up and nose twitching, the werewolf girl nodded and stopped in place.

“An unfamiliar scent I’ve never smelled before… plus the smell of human blood… I’ve finally found you…!”

The werewolf girl’s attitude suddenly changed.

Her messy hair stood on end and veins bulged on her arms.

A combat stance formed in an instant.

It seemed she was mistaking us for someone else.

I pushed Aurel behind me and said to the werewolf girl.

“No, wait… I think there’s some misunderstanding?”

“Shut up!”

She wouldn’t listen.

The werewolf girl bared her sharp claws and took a threatening pose.

Though she looked cute on the outside, considering the strength werewolves possessed, this was a very dangerous situation.

She looked ready to fight right now.

I frowned and opened my mouth.

“You’ll regret attacking.”

“You’ll be the ones with regrets! How dare you invade someone else’s territory and steal food…!”

With those words, the werewolf girl began her attack.

Her right hand swung widely.

Sharp claws cut through the air, creating a threatening sound.

Swoosh-!

At that moment, shadows rose up in response to the werewolf girl’s hostility.

A wide shadow barrier spread out to protect my body.

It was an attack from a small, cute girl.

So of course I could block it.

Or so I thought.

Crack-!

With a chilling sound, a hole was punctured in the shadow barrier, and a white hand flew through, striking me directly in the chest.

Boom-!

A loud impact echoed.

As my entire body shook violently, I began to fly backward from the powerful force.

“Lady Charlotte!”

Urgh-

Blood spurted from my mouth.

Just as a stinging pain began to bloom from within,

my spinning body fell to the ground.

The werewolf girl’s attack didn’t end there.

She charged at me as if intending to finish me off.

Seeing her raise both hands high, it seemed she planned to tear my body apart with her claws.

I desperately reached toward the shadows.

At that moment, a katana emerged with a whoosh.

The moment the katana’s handle touched my palm,

I swung it with all my might.

Clang-!

When the katana’s blade struck the werewolf girl’s claws, small sparks flew into the sky.

The werewolf girl looked surprised, as if she hadn’t expected her attack to be blocked.

Both her hands were raised high.

Meaning her upper body was exposed.

She landed one hit, so it was time to return the favor.

They say a stick is good medicine for a disobedient dog, don’t they?

I adjusted my grip on the katana and reversed the direction of the blade.

Then, I swung my arm with all my strength.

Swoosh!

Whack!

From top to bottom.

A downward strike with all my might.

“Ack!”

The werewolf girl, struck on the head with the back of the blade, was slammed to the ground.

She looked like a flattened frog.

“Y-you…!”

The werewolf girl looked up at me with tears welling in her eyes, probably because her head hurt so much.

Judging by her threatening gaze, she still hadn’t come to her senses.

I struck her head once more.

Thwack!

“Eek!”