Chapter 5: You can’t trust rumors (3)

Make eye contact and slowly step back.

You must never turn your back and run away.

This is probably the best way to increase your chances of survival when encountering most predators.

That’s why Wolfgang followed those steps without a single mistake.

The boy was around 160cm tall, his hair a shade reminiscent of lavender, and his mouth curved into an innocent smile, pure like freshly fallen snow untouched by anyone.

His soft facial features and long hair that reached his back made him seem more like a girl than a boy at first glance, a testament to his beauty.

But.

You must not be deceived by his beautiful appearance.

If you’re careless, you might get eaten.

This isn’t just a metaphor, but quite literally.

Wolfgang, while keeping eye contact with the jackal’s violet pupils, tried to read its true intentions.

However, no matter how hard he stared, he couldn’t make out its meaning.

“Where on earth did that ridiculous rumor come from?”

“You don’t know? I heard it came from some banquet.”

“Is it another one of those nonsensical tales from vain nobles?”

Wolfgang clicked his tongue while snuffing out the cigarette in his mouth against the ashtray.

He could say with certainty that the rumors nobles created often went beyond mere fiction, rising to the level of biblical creation myths.

Turning an innocent country girl into a witch is basic, and stories about widows who lost their husbands actually being evil women have become so overused that they’ve almost turned into clichés.

But this rumor was different.

Although he didn’t know who started it, it carried something closer to hatred rather than just malice.

Though the Empire maintained good relations with most countries on the continent and had no outright enemies, its relationship with the Kingdom of Mines was an exception, and “bitter rivals” was an understatement.

The reason could easily be found in history.

Neighbors rarely have good relations.

Think of modern France and England, or Korea and Japan.

There are national sentiments and many other reasons, but…

In the Empire’s case, there was a history of exploitation by the Kingdom in the past.

Previously, the Empire’s military strength was so overwhelming that the Kingdom couldn’t act rashly, but that balance shifted with the advent of the Winter of the End.

The curse of the Winter of the End caused the Empire to no longer be able to deploy its forces against the Kingdom.

From the Kingdom’s perspective, it was a perfect opportunity—like a cat entering a fish shop when the owner wasn’t around.

The Kingdom immediately raised its army and began invading the Empire’s territory.

It was only thanks to mediation and deterrence from other nations that the Empire didn’t lose more than half of its land.

So, how could relations between the Empire and the Kingdom be good?

But now, she wasn’t just any princess of the Kingdom, she was an exiled villainess?

Wolfgang, while evaluating the rumor calmly, couldn’t deny it outright.

Regrettably, she didn’t have a weapon— the “truth”—to easily dismiss these baseless rumors.

Because she was nothing more than a soul that had possessed another’s body.

Even the name “Wolfgang Leonhardt” was something she chose, selecting a masculine name on purpose.

The truth is, she knew almost nothing about the body she inhabited.

Now, here’s the problem.

Right in front of her was a predator dressed in human skin.

One wrong move, and those sharp fangs would easily sink into her neck.

So, the question she had to ask now was…

“What’s your reason for telling me such a worthless rumor?”

By dismissing the rumor the jackal brought up as mere nonsense, she probed its true intentions behind this behavior.

There are times when someone feigns concern and pretends to care, while mocking you with hypocrisy on the inside.

You don’t even need to hear it from others; a person always hears their own rumors first.

Wolfgang was pointing this out.

Of course, she had never heard the rumor before, but there was no need to expose that vulnerability.

To her surprise, the jackal, faced with her firm stance, retracted its fangs without much resistance.

“I have a great idea.”

“What is it?”

“Let’s destroy the Kingdom.”

Damn it.

Just bite my neck instead.

Even after casually dropping such a bombshell, the jackal still smiled.

Even Wolfgang, who was looking at him, felt a chill run down her spine.

Destroying a country isn’t something easily done.

That much is true.

But the boy standing before her had the power to make such statements casually.

In other words, it wasn’t just idle talk.

He was like a living nuclear bomb.

If managed properly, he wouldn’t pose a problem, but one wrong move and the aftermath would be catastrophic.

And I’m the one in charge of this nuclear bomb.

Damn it.

I wish everyone would just disappear.

Though exhaustion was starting to cloud her eyes and mind, she didn’t neglect her duties.

Even if her motives were selfish, for the sake of her own survival.

That’s why, more than anyone else, she faithfully fulfills her duties.

“If war breaks out, I’ll have to suffer a lot too!! Damn it!!”

Though her words were grandiose, they ultimately meant she would do her job because she’s responsible.

“I cannot forgive this.”

On the outside, a smile was on his face, but deep inside, he was burning like ashes.

How dare they, not even knowing who they were dealing with.

As much as he wanted to tear everything apart.

“After all, the ones bad-mouthing the Captain are either the Empire’s nobles or the Kingdom, right? Didn’t the Captain say not to mess with the Empire’s nobles?”

“He did.”

“Then, in the end, there’s no choice but to destroy the Kingdom, right? Don’t you think?”

Yes, it was the Captain’s order.

Even a beast that was closer to a monster than a predator would obey its master’s command without fail.

That’s why the boy’s answer was ultimately the destruction of the Kingdom.

If the Kingdom, which was the main background of the rumors, were to be destroyed.

Such rumors would no longer spread.

However, what greeted Jackal, who was seeking confirmation, was nothing but a flick on the forehead.

Of course, it wasn’t a hard hit, just enough to make a dull sound, quite a cute flick, really.

Jackal, who suddenly received a flick, stared at his master with a blank expression.

The woman with white hair, covering one of her eyes with an eyepatch, Wolfgang, let out a sigh and responded.

“Jackal, I know you’re worried about me. But we can’t start a war over every baseless rumor.”

“Why not?”

“It’s been less than a year since the Winter War ended. The Empire needs to rest. And most importantly… I might end up losing you all.”

‘Losing us, my foot. Each and every one of them is a monster I carefully handpicked myself.’

Of course, Wolfgang didn’t think that way.

It was just a basic management tactic – using the stick first and then rewarding with the carrot afterward.

But the effect was beyond expectations.

‘Worry… Yes, the Captain has always worried about us…’

It was something truly mysterious and strange.

A person who worried about monsters with the power to destroy nations.

It felt like something soft and warm was wrapping around them.

Yes.

The one who saved me from that hell was.

None other than the Captain.

In the past, the boy was an orphan from a village taken over by a cult.

The cult worshipped the Wendigo as their god and preached a deranged doctrine that salvation lay in everyone becoming a Wendigo.

The problem was that not a small number of people genuinely believed in that doctrine.

Perhaps it was an attempt to overcome their fear, to worship the object of fear and to become fear itself.

In any case.

As an orphan in the village, Jackal was a perfect sacrificial offering for the ritual to become a Wendigo.

There wasn’t a single person in the village who had a reason to protect Jackal.

However, compared to the grand name of the ritual.

What they actually did was all too simple.

They merely placed the face skin of a Wendigo on the boy like a mask and imprisoned him in a cave without giving him any food or water.

No, to be precise, they did provide something.

They provided him with ‘living humans.’

The boy was locked up in the cave until human flesh became his food and their blood his water, with not a ray of sunlight reaching inside.

The one who saved that boy was none other than the Captain.

“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll regularly provide you with death row inmates and heinous criminals as your meals.”

“…What do you want in return?”

“It’s simple. Join me in putting an end to this wretched winter.”

Instead of becoming a monster, become a hero.

A monster who could never set foot outside.

That same monster was given a hand.

He was given a place to return to.

That’s why he chose the Captain as his master.

“…Alright. If that’s the Captain’s will.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“In exchange, fight me later.”

“Is that how it’s going to be? Well, I suppose I can’t say no.”

“Yes!”

He could feel his master’s relief at his outward show of joy.

At least, on the surface.

But the moment he left the Captain’s office, his eyes.

Grew cold and still.

“For now, I’ll let it slide. But if even a little harm comes to my master.”

Then I will never forgive them.

“I need to look into these rumors more thoroughly. I must be prepared in case they turn out to be true.”

While Wolfgang was still pondering over the rumors, though.