Ch.62Red Wolf Hwang-gu

The regular alliance meeting date had arrived.

The meeting place was the ordinary house where I was currently staying.

“Everyone… seems to be running a bit late…”

Prix was the first to speak.

He sat on the plush sofa, looking around.

His eyes seemed to be searching for other beings who should be here.

Firin also tilted her head and scanned the surroundings.

“Late? Everyone’s already here, aren’t they?”

I spoke while tilting my head in confusion.

There was no one who hadn’t arrived at this meeting place.

All six clan leaders in our alliance were present.

“What do you mean…”

Prix looked bewildered by my response.

Only then did he look at the small girls sitting around.

“Don’t tell me…”

I nodded at Prix’s voice, which trembled precariously.

Currently, there were six vampires sitting here.

Me, Prix, Firin, Shakara.

And Wawr and Bbo-bbi.

“Wawr. Bbo-bbi.”

The two girls jumped up at my call.

They left the crayons they were holding and began introducing themselves loudly.

“Hello! I’m Wawr! I was also called Lionheart!”

“I’m Bbo-bbi! I forgot the name I used before!”

They looked energetic and cute.

I nodded with satisfaction.

Watching my reaction, Bbo-bbi and Wawr smiled brightly and sat back down.

“Insane…”

Prix cursed with a pale face watching the scene.

Shakara also covered her mouth with a pallid expression.

“What about the clan members…”

Prix stared at me with trembling eyes as he asked.

Did I really need to answer? Since I had made the clan leaders my subordinates, it was only natural that those under them would become my subordinates too.

I silently smiled and carefully moved the shadows on the floor.

Swoosh-

“Ugh…!”

At that moment, Shakara turned away with a dry heave.

Seeing her shoulders trembling, she must have drunk some spoiled blood.

I clicked my tongue as I looked at Shakara.

I had actually considered making Shakara my subordinate too.

But if I made her my subordinate, there would be too many problems, so I gave up.

I wonder if she knows? That until just yesterday, she had the opportunity to discard that ugly appearance and be reborn as a cute beautiful girl.

“You…”

“What, is there a problem?”

Prix closed his mouth at my words.

After maintaining silence for a moment, he shook his head and answered.

“Are you planning to make me like that too?”

“Me? Do you want to become pretty too?”

I didn’t particularly want to make Prix my subordinate.

He was someone I could communicate well with, and most of his clan members were ranged dealers.

As someone who could only use a tanker build with shadows, I desperately needed his help.

“I’ll pass…”

Prix shook his head as he answered.

I looked at Firin. I wondered what she thought of this situation.

At that moment, Firin’s eyes met mine.

She didn’t seem particularly shocked and made her teddy bear wave its hand.

Firin knew. She knew that I wouldn’t bother making her my subordinate when she already existed in a perfect state as a girl.

The meeting began in a heavily sunken atmosphere.

We discussed the movements of humans, the forces of our fellow vampires, and whether they could participate in an all-out war with humans.

Finally, the conversation turned to our allied species, the werewolves.

“It seems the werewolf representative has moved.”

“Werewolf representative? Was there such a thing?”

“They said he’s coming to Seoul, so there’s a high chance he’s coming to meet you.”

“Oh…”

The representative’s movement likely meant they were showing a positive attitude toward our intentions.

That was a big relief.

Even if we were allies now, if the werewolves turned their backs on us once we started fighting humans, we vampires would clearly be in trouble.

It was the same when playing Blood Carnival.

Since it was a game with few restrictions on race changes, the opposing structures changed frequently.

Sometimes humans and vampires would form alliances against werewolves, and other times humans and werewolves would ally.

As the meeting was wrapping up and everyone grew quiet,

I spoke to Shakara, who was watching nervously.

“Shakara?”

“Y-yes!”

Shakara answered hurriedly.

I rested my chin on the sofa armrest and asked a question.

“You’ll fight with us against the humans, right?”

“O-of course!”

A completely different answer from a few days ago.

Quite satisfactory.

I nodded.

“Let’s do well together.”

***

“We’re back!”

Right after the meeting ended, Hwang-gu and Aurel, who had gone out to harvest blood fruits, returned.

Aurel had a large backpack on her back, and Hwang-gu had a large backpack tied to her back and neck.

“Woof!”

“No one messed with the blood fruits, right?”

“No!”

“Did you share some with Sister Mary at the church too?”

“Yes!”

Aurel answered energetically to my questions.

I patted Hwang-gu and Aurel’s heads and poured the blood fruits from the bag into my shadow.

“Oh, right. Lady Charlotte.”

“What?”

“They say dungeons are appearing frequently these days. Don’t you think the patch has started?”

“Dungeons are appearing frequently?”

“Hmm…”

I stroked my chin and sat on the sofa at Aurel’s answer.

Actually, my interest was focused on one item rather than changes in the world.

Among the items obtained from defeating the nameless boss.

There was an item called [Heart of the Ancient Species].

It was just an ominous heart beating without any item effects written on it.

When would this item be patched?

I took out the ominous heart from the shadow and held it in my hand.

Thump- Thump-!

“Sniff sniff…!”

At that moment, Hwang-gu showed great interest in the heart.

Returning from her large riding form to her soft form, Hwang-gu approached me and sniffed the heart.

“Hwang-gu. Do you want to eat that?”

“Sniff sniff…! Yes!”

Hwang-gu nodded in response to Aurel’s question.

Then she looked up at me.

Sparkling eyes, drooping ears and tail.

She looked like a puppy begging for food.

“Hmm…”

I looked down at Hwang-gu and considered.

Actually, giving this heart to Hwang-gu wasn’t a big loss.

She was also one of the people who made a significant contribution to this raid.

However, the effect of this item was the problem.

Even if there were no implemented effects right now, what if future patches caused disadvantages to Hwang-gu who ate the heart?

While I hesitated and pondered, Hwang-gu ran to the corner and brought her dog bowl.

“Please give it to me!”

Hwang-gu stretched out both arms.

Of course, her dog bowl was on top.

“Do you really want to eat this that badly?”

“Yes!”

“Why?”

“I suddenly want to eat it!”

Hwang-gu answered while spinning her tail round and round.

I turned my head and exchanged glances with Aurel.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just give it to her?”

“I can give it to Hwang-gu, but what if something bad happens later?”

“It’s an item dropped by a boss, so wouldn’t it be good? Even if it gets patched later, wouldn’t it apply positively to Hwang-gu?”

“Then maybe it would be better to wait for the patch?”

“But Hwang-gu wants to eat it right now.”

I turned my head at Aurel’s words and looked at Hwang-gu.

Her sparkling gaze didn’t leave the heart in my hand, and sticky, warm-looking drool was dripping from her slightly open mouth.

“Aurel, don’t you need this?”

“No! I’m fine, so please give it to Hwang-gu.”

“Hmm…”

As I listened to Aurel, I found myself starting to nod.

Well, since it’s an item dropped by a boss, it should help Hwang-gu.

“Think about the Fenrir incident! When Hwang-gu ate Fenrir’s corpse, she gained the ability to use transformation skills!”

“Is that so…?”

“Yes!”

“I guess you’re right?”

Finally, I placed the heart on Hwang-gu’s dog bowl.

“Thank you!”

Hwang-gu happily accepted my gift.

And before anyone could stop her, she buried her head and started tearing into the heart.

“Nom nom nom!”

Hwang-gu ate with great relish.

The large heart disappeared into Hwang-gu’s soft belly in the blink of an eye.

Was this really the right thing to do?

Even though I gave it to her, I was worried looking at Hwang-gu’s bulging belly.

Hwang-gu patted her belly with a satisfied expression.

With an anxious heart, I activated my mystic eye to examine Hwang-gu, but I couldn’t find any particular problems.

“Hwang-gu. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Is your stomach okay?”

“Yes!”

Hwang-gu answered energetically to my question.

I sighed and patted her head.

“You did the right thing.”

I guess so? I nodded at Aurel’s words.

In the end, the day passed without any special incidents.

Hwang-gu fell asleep a bit earlier than usual, but I didn’t think much of it.

As the sun set and the next evening came.

As always, when I tried to wake Hwang-gu to go outside, I noticed that Hwang-gu had changed a bit.

“What’s this…?”

Hwang-gu was sleeping with a comfortable expression, showing her white, soft belly.

She seemed unaware that I was watching, with her mouth wide open and drool flowing out.

I reached out and touched Hwang-gu’s bangs.

Among the soft brown hair, vivid and intense red hair had grown long.

A red bridge had formed in Hwang-gu’s bangs.

“No way…”

Was it because of the heart I gave her yesterday?

I hurriedly activated my mystic eye to check Hwang-gu’s information.

But there were no changes that could be confirmed through the status window.

“Hmm…”

Hwang-gu started to wake up belatedly.

Rubbing her eyes and stretching, Hwang-gu looked at me and smiled brightly.

“Good morning!”

“Your hair…”

“My hair?”

I took out a hand mirror from a nearby drawer and showed it to Hwang-gu.

“Oh…!”

Hwang-gu was startled as she touched her hair, her bangs.

Then she made a strange expression as she tidied her bangs.

She seemed oddly satisfied.

At that moment, Aurel, who had been roaming outside using her daywalker skill, came running in a hurry.

“Lady Charlotte!”

With an urgent tone and strangely flushed cheeks.

Aurel arrived panting and shouted at me.

“A dungeon has opened in the basement of the house!”

It was an unexpected gift.