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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 16
The sky darkened and the night deepened.
It was about time to take my turn standing watch.
The knights and soldiers had to scout the temporary camps and the surrounding mountains to ensure the safety of the prince and nobles, but the mercenaries only guarded their own sleeping quarters.
Thanks to Lloyd’s consideration, I got the first watch shift, and my turn passed quickly.
Nothing in particular happened, and since it was before sleep, I wasn’t especially tired.
"Thanks for your work."
"Good luck, Dexter."
After waking the next person for their turn, I told Dexter I was going to step away for a bit and headed off on my own.
Thanks to having built up some goodwill with the mercenaries, there wasn’t any issue.
‘This far out, no one should come looking.’
I hadn’t finished my training quota for the day.
Even if I had to stay up late, I needed to swing my sword a bit more.
“Whew…”
I took a deep breath and swung my sword.
Under the moonlight, I slowly moved and tried to feel the sword.
“Haah…”
Sweat dripped down in streams.
The night was still deep, and my stamina was quickly running out.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed.
I had been so focused on my training that I must’ve stayed out too long.
‘I’d better get back.’
I hurried back to the sleeping area, only to find someone other than Dexter standing watch.
‘Hess? It’s not Dexter or Marson, it’s already Hess’s turn?’
Each person had to stand watch for two hours, so at least four hours must have passed.
‘But why is it so quiet? I disappeared and no one noticed?’
I cautiously approached Hess.
He was dozing off.
Should I wake him up and tell him or not…
‘I’ll just go in quietly.’
It seemed the mercenaries weren’t very strict about these things.
Dexter probably forgot to pass along the shift change after I left and just went to sleep.
I slipped back inside quietly and closed my eyes.
But seeing how sloppy they were about the watch, my anxiety only grew.
This place was quite far from where the knights were camped.
If we were attacked, the knights might not even notice until it was too late.
‘Haa…’
But I was so sleepy.
Maybe I overdid the sword training—my arms were starting to ache too.
‘So sleepy…’
Just as my eyes were starting to close, they suddenly snapped open.
“Huh?”
Dawn was breaking.
* * *
The road to the south was rougher than expected.
Normally, with royalty in tow, we’d take the safest and most comfortable route, but whether it was by the third prince’s direct request or the first prince's intention in sending him, we were traveling the fastest route possible.
As a result, the terrain was rough, and we often had to camp outside instead of staying in villages.
Since the group was large, bandits didn’t dare approach—but instead, something more unexpected appeared.
“What the hell…?!”
It was late at night while I was continuing my sword training.
Black wolves, which usually stayed hidden in the mountains and avoided humans, suddenly showed up.
Awooooo—!
The problem was, I could hear the voices of soldiers from the same direction as the wolves’ howls.
They must have been out scouting nearby.
“Hm…?”
Something was shifting like a ghost between the trees.
As I got closer, I saw a mound where something had been roughly buried.
And above it, a black wolf with a long scar across its eye floated in the air.
“After the goblin shaman, now black wolves?”
-Grrrrr…
Unlike the goblin shaman, this one couldn’t speak.
[Sub-Quest – Send the Black Wolves Back]
[The black wolves, having lost their leader, are wandering in distress. After eating strange fruit, they’ve entered a frenzied state. Calm them down and return them to their original habitat.]
[Reward – Strength +0.2, Agility +0.3, or Wolf Language]
‘Strength, agility, or wolf language?’
What the heck—is this a choice?
It was the first time I’d ever had to pick a reward.
Well, it’s not that important right now…
‘So basically, they’re in a frenzy because of that weird fruit?’
But how was I supposed to return the wolves to where they came from?
I couldn’t just kill them…
-Grrrrr…
The black wolf looked at me with desperate eyes.
I guess I had no choice.
[Necromancy – Black Wolf]
I wondered if I could summon a beast too—but it worked.
It felt different from when the ancestors were summoned.
I could move the body freely, entirely under my control.
“Ugh…!”
A rush of emotions came from the black wolf.
Rage, worry, loss, urgency… They all swept through my head.
“Awoooooooo!”
A sound I’d never made before came from my mouth.
How could a human voice box make such a noise?
‘W-Wait!’
My back hunched, and my arms dropped to the ground.
The black wolf was trying to walk on all fours, like its true nature.
I forced my consciousness to the front and stood upright.
-I’ll go. Stay quiet.
I urgently stood up and ran toward the source of the noise.
When I arrived, I could clearly hear the voices of soldiers and knights.
“Damn… There are wolves on the way back too.”
“What should we do? It’s hard to deal with black wolves since they move in packs.”
“W-W-Wolf! Wolf!”
Did they run into them while escaping?
I saw the mercenary Petra among them too.
I hid in the trees and observed.
Black wolves were growling and surrounding the group.
‘Just a quick count—it’s at least twenty.’
In contrast, the humans had one knight, two soldiers, and one mercenary.
Maybe the knight alone could break through, but the other three would almost certainly die.
The wolves crept forward, baring their menacing teeth.
What should I do…?
-Grrrrrr…
It was as if the black wolf was speaking in my mind.
I felt like I almost understood the meaning but not quite.
I just let the creature take over my body.
Then it tried to go on all fours again, and I had to pull my consciousness back.
No way I could crawl in front of those people.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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There’s a thing called human dignity, right?
I ran out from the trees and stood in front of the four of them without warning.
“Huh? Huh?”
Petra looked at me with startled eyes when he saw my face.
What’s he so surprised about?
“Is he a mercenary too?”
The knight asked Petra.
“No, no. He’s a gravekeeper.”
“A gravekeeper?”
Just then, a few of the black wolves growled at me and lunged.
‘Hey hey! Do something!’
As I shouted internally, the black wolf I had summoned earlier howled with the same resonance.
“Awooooooo!”
The four people, now surrounded by wolves, stared at me strangely.
It was embarrassing, but I had no choice.
All the black wolves were now focused on me.
“Run! I’ll lure them away!”
“What are you saying?! How can a gravekeeper possibly…?!”
The knight’s voice grew more distant.
I was already running, luring the wolves away.
They all followed me.
When I glanced behind, they were already right on my tail.
So fast!
The others were no longer in sight.
This time, I truly entrusted my body to the wolf.
My arms dropped as I began running on all fours.
It felt strange, probably because I’d never moved like this before.
“Awooooooo!”
“Awooooooo!”
“Awooooooo!”
When I howled, they howled too.
It really felt like I had become a wolf.
Moonlight poured down on me.
I dashed madly through grass and trees, and eventually, a wide field opened up before me.
It was beautiful.
That was the feeling that struck me the moment I saw it.
I climbed atop a large boulder in the field and let out a long howl.
“Awooooooo—!”
Then, the black wolves that had followed me began howling mournfully.
These creatures that seemed ready to tear me apart were now gathered before me, crying out as if in reverence.
‘Ah…’
Only now did I truly feel their emotions.
Longing, sadness, joy…
They hadn’t been trying to kill me—they had merely followed the howl of their leader.
I could hear the thumping of their hearts.
There was nothing I needed to do.
I only had to feel their emotions and wait as the leader of the black wolves shared his heart with his pack.
* * *
[「Quest – Return the Black Wolves」 has been completed.]
[You have acquired 「Wolf Language」.]
As the summoning ended and my mind returned from its merge with the black wolf, the system window popped up.
I chose Wolf Language over strength or agility.
Strength and agility could be increased anytime, but not something like Wolf Language.
And after connecting with the black wolf leader during the summoning, I wanted to hear their stories.
[Wolf Language]
You can now understand the language of wolves.
It was a simple description.
But the fact that the system could even grant such a thing was amazing.
I listened absentmindedly to the wolves’ howls.
“Grrruuurk!”
– Running around made me hungry!
“Grrrkkaakak!”
– You stupid pig! That’s why you’re so weak!
“Grrrrrrkrrrrk!”
– Did your parents eat the meat and leave you behind!?
Before I had the Wolf Language, the wolves’ howls filled me with deep emotions like longing and camaraderie…
But now that I could understand them, what the hell is this?
Not only were they swearing, they even insulted each other’s parents without hesitation.
Why are they so crude?
Is this what true “alpha male” talk sounds like?
I was dumbfounded, just listening to their conversation.
– That’s how wolves are.
The voice of the wolf that had possessed me rang in my head.
I thought the bond had ended, but it seemed he was still with me.
“So… what happens to them now?”
– They’ll choose a new leader among themselves. And I already told them to stop eating weird stuff off the ground, so they should manage.
“…Really?”
Seeing them up front, still bickering and hurling insults about each other’s parents, didn’t give me much hope.
– They’re not kids. I’ve done more than enough for them.
“I see.”
We had run a pretty long distance.
My feet were okay thanks to my shoes, but my palms were pretty scraped up.
Just thinking about running all the way back gave me a headache.
– Don’t worry. If you ask those guys, they’ll take you back.
Well, at least that was good news.
“So… how did you end up dying?”
– Humans killed me. Some weird guys in black clothes.
‘Black mages again?’
Just like with the tomb raiders last time, it seemed they were involved in this too.
It was supposed to be a long while before the demon race got summoned.
What the hell are they trying to do, already running around like this?
– They said it was for some experiment. They captured me, since I looked strong, injected me with something, cut my skin, and beat me.
“…What?”
I glared at the wolf who recounted such horrors so casually.
Despite having endured such brutal torture, his voice was calm.
“You okay?”
– I bought time, and that’s why the others survived. That’s what matters. That’s what a leader does.
“…Those bastards are worse than scum.”
My teeth ground together.
The wolf's stoic demeanor only made me angrier.
– They said they were headed to the desert. Apparently, the next test subject is there.
“To the desert…?”
[You’ve discovered traces of the Black Mages.]
[Main Quest – Traces of the Black Mages]
[The black mages are plotting something. Track their traces.]
– Traces of the Black Mages 3/3
[「Main Quest – Traces of the Black Mages」 completed.]
[Main Quest updated.]
[Main Quest – Thwart the Black Mage’s Plot]
[The black mages are planning something in the southern desert. Foil their plan.]
[Reward – Curse of Frailty]
‘Another main quest… and now the black mages are in the south?’
Bad premonitions are never wrong.
And just when I was planning to head south, this happens.
Could this all be because I returned to the past?
Either way, the main quest has appeared, and I can’t avoid it.
‘Curse of Frailty, huh…’
I wonder what that does.
Well, I’ll find out once I reach the desert.
“Let’s head back.”
Still, I wonder what people will think if I return riding wolves after all this.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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