episode_0260

“I, I realize now that it was not a customer of our store, but Cat’s client…. This, this is really embarrassing….”

As soon as she realized that Na and Edan had come in response to Cat’s request, the Wear Wolf woman, who hastily grabbed something that was too embarrassing to call the clothes in my hand, cautiously ushered us inside.

“If this person took it and the power disappeared, then it must be true that this person is Cat’s grandmother….”

…She was a owner with a appearance quite different from what I had imagined.

When I said she was a big bad wolf, I really thought she looked more like something closer to a wolf than a human. If we divide the stages of werewolves into about 10 levels, she would be at least at level 8.

However, the woman in front of us, rather than resembling a wolf, actually had a appearance closer to a human. If we were to compare it to the 10 levels, she would be around level 4 or 5?

Although there were ears sticking out on top of her head and her face was covered with fur, there was no feeling that her face shape had changed, and above all, her body shape was much closer to that of a human than an animal.

Wearing a dress that tightly hugged her body, revealing the curves of her body, how could anyone think she was a wolf?

Even if someone who had never seen a Wear Wolf in their life saw a woman like this, they wouldn’t mistake her for a “wolf.”

“Is Cat so young that she thinks a Wear Wolf is a type of wolf?”

Anyway, one thing was certain, her body was not exactly ideal from an educational perspective. Something… something about her appearance made me feel like a strange sexual barrier might develop if I kept looking at her.

I don’t feel any jealousy since we’re both women, but, um….

“…Ed.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t stare at her so blatantly.”

“…All of a sudden?”

It wasn’t that I was jealous, but I was worried that Edan’s sexual preferences might lean towards something strange because he was the next heir of the Blackwood Duke and a werewolf hybrid.

And Cat’s grandmother was a married woman after all. Either way, it wouldn’t be good if Edan’s interest became too excessive.

“I see. Cat said she’s waiting for her grandmother to come….”

“Yes. That… Cat’s grandmother.”

“It’s Cashmilly. You can call me Cash.”

“Yes….”

Introducing herself as Cashmilly, Cat’s grandmother shook her tail behind the chair and said with a troubled expression.

“I don’t know what to do in this situation. Honestly, I’d like to go back to Cat right now, but as you can see, I’m in this state.”

“So, does that mean you don’t plan on revealing to Cat that you’re a Wear Wolf?”

“I thought I might reveal it someday, but I was planning to tell her after she grew up a bit more. If she realizes at such a young age that we’re different species, she might realize that she’s not my granddaughter and go astray.”

“…So, does that mean you’re not related to Cat by blood?”

“As you can see. I am a hybrid of human and Wear Wolf, but I still have many noticeable features, right? Have you ever seen ears like this, or a tail, or hands with gray, shaggy fur on Cat?”

“…No, I haven’t seen anything like that on Cat.”

Upon learning that Cashmilly was not related to Cat by blood, she calmly explained how her relationship with Cat came to be.

“Three years ago, Cat’s parents’ carriage was attacked by wild wolves. It was a full moon that day, so I rushed to rescue them, but Cat’s parents’ injuries were beyond healing. Cat, who I found in the carriage, was only three years old.”

“…”

“That’s why I couldn’t tell Cat the fact that I’m a werewolf. Not only would revealing that I’m not Cat’s grandmother be a problem, but also showing her my werewolf form might trigger the trauma from three years ago.”

“That’s why I purposely came up to the house during the full moon cycle, but unfortunately, I returned to my original form without even realizing it the day before yesterday, so I hurriedly came up to the house.”

“I see. I expected that you would leave the house once a month, so that makes sense.”

“So, when you said you kidnapped Cat’s grandmother, was that just to buy some time?”

“Yes. Usually, after the full moon passes, I can return to normal within a day or two. So, I thought I could come back after that time had passed.”

“I didn’t think we would still be in this state, though. Cassimili let out a shallow sigh and showed a self-deprecating smile.”

“But, I have one question.”

“Yes.”

“If Cat actually saw wolves at a young age, as you just said, then Cassimili doesn’t look anything like a wolf right now…”

“Come to think of it, she looks more human than wolf, so she doesn’t quite fit Cat’s description of a ‘big bad wolf’… ”

“That’s because I’m only halfway back to normal right now. Right after transforming, I look almost identical to a wild wolf, but over the course of one night, I gradually return to my original form. This time, the process is taking much longer than usual.”

“Well, even if a woman like this suddenly came into the house, it would be hard for even a child like Cat to imagine that a ‘stranger’ had come into the house, let alone a ‘wolf.’”

“Do you know why you suddenly transformed into a wolf?”

“Well, the night before last, I thought it was time to put Cat to bed, so I checked the star clock tower outside the window.”

“Can you see the star clock tower from around here?”

“Since half of our kind is wolves, we have good night vision. Oh, come to think of it, I saw something like a light flash from the direction of the star clock tower that night.”

“A light flash?”

“Yes. It seemed to reflect something from the backyard of the star clock tower. Now that I think about it, after being hit by that light-like thing, I transformed into a wolf…”

“The night before last? The backyard of the star clock tower?”

“If something happened at the star clock tower that night, it was the ‘Noble Social Gathering,’ right?”

“It was the day when MacHeart and the Dark Magic were involved in a battle at the backyard of the star clock tower, and it ended with an execution.”

“And MacHeart used the ‘Mirror of Truth’ to prove that he used dark magic associated with the demons.”

“By revealing his hidden form and exposing his true self to the outside…”

“Wait a minute, so the light flash that Cassimili saw, could it be…”

-Clatter!

“I’m sorry!!!”

“L-Lily?!”

“W-What’s going on all of a sudden, Lily?!”

It was the moment when all the mysteries of why Cassimili turned into a wolf without it being a full moon were finally solved.

In the end, it was my fault.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“Ah, that sparkling light, it was the power of the ‘Mirror of Truth’ that the saint is known for…”

“I’m sorry, Miss Cashmilly! I never thought the Mirror of Truth would reach this far and end up interfering with the relationship with my granddaughter!”

“It’s okay, please get up, Miss Relis. Or should I call you Saint Relis?”

“…Please call me Miss Relis. The fact that I am a saint is not publicly known yet…”

“Ah, I see. The one known as a saint now is Serista, right?”

Miss Cashmilly, who accepted my apology with a generous heart, forgave my mistake more easily than I had expected.

She assured me that she would keep the secret of my being a saint, even though I accidentally revealed it in a moment of shock.

I felt ashamed that my mistake had caused a rift in the relationship between Cat and Miss Cashmilly, making it difficult for me to meet her eyes.

‘I’m really… really lucky that she decided to find me…’

I almost caused trouble without even realizing it, and was on the verge of leaving for the Witch’s Forest. If I ever need to use the Mirror of Truth again, I should probably shine it at a 45-degree angle on the floor…

“We will properly explain everything to Cat. Since Miss Cashmilly can’t return immediately, we should explain everything to Cat so that whenever she does return, it will be okay…”

“No, I can’t burden the saint with that.”

“It’s not a burden, I just want to correct my mistake…”

“Thanks to the saint, I’ve made up my mind too. Eventually, I’ll have to tell Cat the truth as well. So, I should start telling Cat the truth little by little like this.”

“…What?”

With a determined expression, Miss Cashmilly stood up from her seat and looked at me cautiously.

“Still, confessing a secret that has been hidden for 3 years alone is a bit scary, so, would you mind accompanying me, Miss Relis?”

It seemed that there was no need to carry out a search operation to find Cat’s grandmother under the Blackwood family name after all.