NOVEL NEXT chapter 37
37 – EP.12 Wolves avoiding harm -1
The northern snowfields have returned.
But this time, they crossed the borders of the country and came to Mother Nature, the realm of divine beasts.
It was my first visit to an unknown world, so I was half excited and half nervous…….
“Yuu~!”
“Why?”
“I have a snowball fight and sipper!!”
“… ….”
Tia’s request for a snowball fight, which reminds me of the day and causes PTSD, left only tension.
“Tia, let’s stop snowball fights because later we’ll teach you something funnier than snowball fights.”
“Really? Is it more fun than a snowball fight?”
“Yes, it is definitely more fun than a snowball fight.”
“Joa!! Then I’ll be patient!!”
Tia had high hopes for the word that it would be more fun than a snowball fight. I am so happy that I can’t contain my excitement.
She’s wagging her tail fast to and fro, so that’s for sure.
…… I hope that making a snowman will live up to Tia’s expectations.
Because snowballs with stones are now a requirement.
“Seobang? Aren’t you cold?”
“It’s okay if it’s cold. I was worried because they said it was below freezing, but Tia took care of it.”
“Ahem!! Stroking it as a reward!! Right now!!”
“Yes, yes.”
As a mere human by nature, of course I can’t go to Hati’s nest, where the temperature is said to easily exceed 100 degrees below zero.
Because I’m sure I’ll freeze from hypothermia or frostbite before I even go.
Even so, I had to follow through, so I devised a solution using Tia’s abilities.
A simple method of bringing warm air around you and then enclosing the warm air by surrounding it with a film of air.
Just think of it as the same principle as putting coffee in a bottle that has an absolute warming effect.
“Kyahahahaha! Write! Write! Joa!!”
Tia likes being petted by me more than anyone else.
It is a reward for me to be able to say I like it honestly and pat a child brightly.
This alone is enough to say that half of this trip has already been successful.
“Nanggun~! It’s nice to play with Tia, but don’t forget to turn right at the tree ahead.”
“Ah! Okay! Miho, did you hear?”
“Unfortunately, I’m not sure what the crow is doing. So, I want the West to tell me one more time! Preferably with that whip… ♡”
“… ….”
The reason Tia had to be my only resting place. It was because of the current situation.
As was the case last time, the only means of transportation in the snowy area is a sled.
However, it is unknown whether huskies and reindeer will be able to survive in the wilderness of snowy fields where temperatures easily exceed 100 degrees below zero.
That’s why we only get sledding equipment that can withstand the extreme cold and have Miho, the new beast, pull it.
However, this time Miho was pulling the sled while maintaining her human form, not a fox’s, which was causing me a headache.
-Slap!!
“Kkeuhheung!!”
“Let’s calmly go the right way.”
“Yes, yes, hehehe…♡”
To be honest, I wanted to make her stop right away, but she also had a strong desire to do it herself, and above all, I heard that it would take a month to reach Hati without Miho’s help, and I couldn’t get her to stop. There was no
No matter how much it was, it was crazy to walk on such a snowy field for a month, so I had no choice but to take Miho instead of the sled dog.
Still, the sled pulled by Miho certainly had excellent speed and stability.
However, she had a fatal problem of not obeying the words of Yata, who was in charge of her navigation, but this was solved by hitting Miho with the whip she brought with her as she is now…….
I just have to feel that my humanity is crumbling with every hit.
The result of my childhood accidentally transforming my pet fox into Mazo must have returned as karma.
“Kuhup… !!”
If I could go back, I really want to go back, to the past…….
“Nanggun. There is an area full of trees nearby, so let’s spend the night there.”
“Hmm? It’s still a while before the sun goes down, isn’t it?”
“Because the temperature will be difficult for even plants to live in from now on. If not now, there will be no time to rest.”
“Then I will take a day off.”
This is the area of divine beasts, and it means that there are many dangers that I do not know about, so I needed to be careful.
Because moving at night and sleeping on a bare field of snow under these conditions were dangerous.
As Yata said, we decided to spend the night in the woods of the snowfield.
“Anyway, I think I made you wait too long.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“I mean Hati. They told me to come as soon as they were ready, but we actually left 10 days later.”
“I think it’s okay if it’s like that. Because divine beasts all live long lives, the concept of time is different from humans. A human day is only one hour for Shinsoo.”
“Is that so?”
“As the fox said, the ice wolf won’t say anything about being late. Besides, you’ve been busy dealing with the situation so far, so there’s nothing you can do about it, right?”
“I don’t think so.”
From the report of survival to the mission report with the director, the explanation of the situation, and the story of the meteor, I had to sweat while undergoing all the accusations.
In addition to that, I had to talk for a long time with the director again to get permission to enter the great nature, so I was pretty exhausted.
“But why did you say we would be leaving in exactly 10 days?”
It took 7 days to complete the probation, get permission, and prepare for the trip.
However, Yata asked me to rest for 3 more days before going, so I ended up taking a total of 10 days, but I still don’t know why Yata decided to go.
“Sorry, I can’t tell you because the future is changing.”
“You mean you have to experience this to know?”
“Yes, but don’t worry. This trip will be a good thing for Nanggun!”
“It’s a good thing… ….”
I don’t know why it’s such a good thing to go where the ice wolves are and blow meteors…….
No matter how much I tried to imagine it, I couldn’t come up with a plausible happening, so I stopped imagining it.
“It’s okay!!”
Tia, meanwhile, was sitting on top of my leg, making her eyes go round and round.
Fortunately, Tia, who was immersed in the snowman-making game I taught her, showed off her completed snowman to me.
“Yuu!! Make it as Yuu taught you!! How is it? How is it?”
“Well done!”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Then can I make more?”
“Yes, you can make as many as you like.”
“Joa!!”
A pure child who makes me happy when I am suffering from trivial worries.
I think he is a good kid who is curious and takes on new things, takes on challenges, and absorbs teaching like a sponge.
But to think that wrong knowledge has been instilled into such a child…….
I really don’t know how fortunate I was to find out and stop Miho before it was too late.
If it was too late, a second Miho might have been born…….
Tia thinks it’s best to live as an innocent child just like Tia.
“hehehe!! I have to make myself proud!!”
“Ummm… ?”
Hmm, that’s probably the best…… ?
***
The next day.
As usual today, we were going smoothly towards the place where Hati was.
However, unlike yesterday, the atmosphere was divided into extremes.
“Ahahahaha!! It was spectacular! Minister!! hahahaha!!”
“It’s nothing to laugh about. If you knew, you should have tipped off!”
“Sorry, sorry! I was honestly dubious too. I never thought that Tia would be such an obsessive child.”
This morning.
Waking up on Miho’s fluffy tail, I realized that yesterday’s self was wrong.
“Uh… ….”
Because there was a spectacle that showed that even an innocent child needs proper control.
The scene I saw was countless fields of snowmen lying on the ground.
The number of snowmen easily surpassed by three hundred and snowmen with different shapes were scattered around.
I could tell that the maker of the snowmen, which tells me that each one was handcrafted, was Tia who was sleeping in my arms, but the proof was that Tia’s hands were damp at the time.
“I thought I was going to sleep after playing in moderation, so I fell asleep first, but I couldn’t believe I was making a snowman until dawn… !”
“Yes, I saw it through the future, but I saw it myself. It was so fresh!”
“If I had told you about the future in advance, I would have stopped it… ….”
“Still, isn’t it okay since it means that you like the game Seo-Bang-nim taught you that much?”
“I should be happy if you think that way, but it’s just too much.”
Tia is still quietly breathing in my arms even though the sun has risen to mid-sky.
The figure of her sleeping happily smiling is cute, but for some reason, she is also nasty.
“heheheh…… “
“Foot!”
As expected, Tia doesn’t wake up with this amount of corporal punishment, perhaps because she’s tired from playing all night.
Still, I couldn’t help but laugh at the strange and cute sound that came out of my mouth.
It’s a companion dragon that you can’t hate even if you really want to hate it.
“Nanggun~ I think I arrived soon.”
“Oh? Is it finally!”
I was relieved to hear the news that I had arrived at the moment when I was thinking of making a snowman like Tia because I could only see the same snowy landscape.
It’s not for nothing that people say that they’re bored to death…….
Without further explanation, I began to see a cave made of ice in my field of vision.
It must be that Hati lives in that cave that is pierced under the mountain made of ice.
I thought I would build an ice castle and live in it, but when I came here, it was somewhat unexpected that I was living in a cave under the mountain.
However, considering that castle-like structures are human products, it is rather natural for Hati to live in a cave.
Ice wolves are ignorant of human culture.
“You came earlier than expected.”
When I looked up at the sound of Hati’s voice coming from above, I saw a wolf descending from the top of the ice mountain, running fast.
Soon Hati did a high run-up about halfway up the mountain, leaped to where we were, and landed just as it did, creating a huge wave of snow in our direction.
“Sleep… !!”
Avalanches swept away the sleigh we were riding on without a moment’s notice.
Thankfully, Tia and I had an air barrier that we had prepared in advance, so it was okay…….
“…… What is this doing? You bastard?”
Miho became enraged when his whole body was covered in snow.
Miho secretly smiles and spews murderous spirits.
“Oops… !! Sorry! Stop trying to appear cool… !”
“Aha! Is that so? Then, since it’s time to leave unsightly, it’s okay if I kill you, right?”
“I am so sorry! My sincere apologies!”
“I don’t need a sincere apology, instead I risk my life…… !”
“Now, stop! Because Hati apologized so much. Let’s calm down for now!”
“But, this goddamn bastard is also to Seobang-nim… !!”
“In the end, everyone was safe, right? So don’t be too angry. Besides, after helping the wolf, he is in a position to receive the wolf’s help. You must not try to kill him.”
“Ugh… !! Oh, okay…….”
I felt sorry for Miho, but she had to put up with it.
We are not here to fight wolves, but to create a cooperative relationship.
I don’t want to fight over things like this and make useless scratches.
So I decided to put up with it for now and soothe it so that I can properly resolve the accumulated anger once this work is over.
“Are you ready anyway? A wolf?”
“Of course. Crow.”
“Okay, then take me there.”
“I got it.”
Preparation means where to drop the meteor?
Hmm… You can find out more by following along.
“Ah, Nanggun wait in the cave!”
“Uh… ? Why?”
“Well, isn’t it enough just me and that b*tch to summon a meteor?”
“That’s true, but… ….”
“It is said that Tia is there, but I don’t want to hurt my husband even once. I want you to wait in a safe place. I’ll beg you, okay?”
“It’s embarrassing, but this time I have the same thoughts as the crow boy. If my ability causes Seo-Bang to even a small wound, I will…… !”
“Ah, okay, if you two go that far, I’ll be waiting for you in the cave with Tia.”
“Thank you for your understanding!”
“Thank you for listening to us! And… ….”
“And?”
Yata is whispering to me like last time.
However, what she said this time was not a sweet whisper, but a scary warning.
“Because the wolf pissed off b*tch fox just now, there will be a bigger meteor than last time. So, never come out of the cave.”
“That’s fine… ?”
“Don’t worry, the future won’t be bad because of this incident.”
“Okay… ….”
“Okay! Then see you later!”
“Wait a minute! Crow! What did you whisper into your ear just now!”
“You gossip.”
“What, what?! This damn crow… !”
“It’s a joke, but the stupid beast is tricking this again… ….”
“Profit… !!”
Ice wolf leads the way, and my companion fox and crow are getting farther and farther away.
As the sound of the two fighting gradually faded away, finally only me and Tia, who were sleeping soundly, remained in the snowy field.
I’m worried if it’ll be okay, but as they said, there’s nothing I can do for you, so I quietly go into Hati’s nest, the ice cave, and wait for them.
The inside of the ice cave that I entered in that way.
Of course, the interior of the cave, made entirely of ice, was very clean.
However, it was too clean to be called a nest, so there was nothing but a spacious space, so it seems that the ice wolf only uses this place for sleeping.
“I was hoping for nothing.”
I thought there would be many mystical things because it was said to be the home of divine beasts, but I was lightly betrayed and decided to rest while leaning against the wall of the cave.
“Are you feeling a little more comfortable after this job…? ….”
Since Hati said that he would block the Shinsoo in the North, now, if only the Shinsoo living in the West, East, and South can do anything, the threat from the Shinsoo will be gone.
Now, how do I deal with the terrorists who are seeking the power of divine beasts, so that I can enjoy my ultimate goal, a peaceful life with pets.
It will take a lot of time and effort to get there, but if you can live happily with your beloved pets, you can handle it.
“I should at least see Tia become an adult.”
Tia is still sleeping peacefully.
Tia’s cheeks are pricked with her fingers and she enjoys the feel.
“hehehe… ! Yuu… !!”
Tia comes out of her dreams and she is calling my name with a happy smile as if she is having fun.
Tia is also lovely and cute.
How nice it would be if I could live peacefully with a child like this… ?
“Hati… ….”
“Huh?”
Just when I was delusional about this and that and trying to be happy, I heard someone’s small voice from the entrance of the cave.
Who are you?
“Hati… ? I’m inside… ?”
A very passive voice, I don’t know who it was, but it was calling the ice wolf’s name anxiously, probably knowing the owner of this cave.
“Hati, let me go inside… ?”
Judging from the fact that the voice is getting louder and louder, it seems that the owner of the voice is heading this way.
If there’s a downside, it’s a state where you can’t recognize who it is because the inside of the cave is not straight, but winding.
I don’t know what it is, but it means that it is not an ordinary existence to have reached this place while enduring the extreme cold.
Thinking that it must be a divine beast, I became nervous.
“Ugh… What should I do?”
I had to come up with countermeasures because it was clear that most divine beasts would see me as a human and try to attack me.
But right now Miho and Yata are gone, and Tia is sleeping soundly.
The same situation as when talking to the ice wolf unfolded, but the current situation was different from that time.
Because I don’t even know what kind of tendencies the Shinsoo is getting close to.
“Should I attack first… ?”
Stupid idea. It’s what I said, but I realized right away after I said that it was really stupid.
As Yata said, if I fight Shinsoo, I can’t stand it for even 10 seconds…. It’s funny.
“Then there must be only one way left.”
Let’s solve it through dialogue anyway.
At least until the new beasts outside come back, we have to buy time through conversation.
Thought so, I got up from my seat and prepared to greet the divine beast that I would encounter in a moment.
First of all, let’s start with a light greeting.
“Hati~? Oh… ?!”
“Oh, hello!”
The creature I encountered was a wolf about the same size as Hati.
It was not the size of a normal wolf, but unlike Hati, it was a wolf with normal brown fur.
“This… human?! Why are there humans in Hati’s cave?!”
“That, that’s what…” !”
Looking back, I had no pets and no friends.
There was no way that I had proper communication skills.
Provoking enemies can be exhilarating, but I always get nervous when I talk to people who don’t.
However, the existence in front of my eyes was a terrifying divine beast, so the tension made my body tremble.
“Ugh… !!”
“Oh! Wait for a sec!!”
I ended up sending the brown wolf away without even having a proper conversation.
As a result of my quiet communication, I couldn’t help it.
“But it must have been better, right?”
The Shinsoo didn’t attack and ran away from there first.
I think it’s better than being forced to fight against this side.
Because safety is the number one thing for me right now.
After I regained my safety, I tried to rest against the wall again, but a memory from the past suddenly came to my mind and I couldn’t do that.
[Because the wolf pissed off fox b*tch just now, there will be a bigger meteor falling than last time. So, never come out of the cave.]
A word of warning that my companion crow previously gave me.
And now, the wolf from before went outside, which was said to be so dangerous.
In other words, the brown wolf is in a dangerous situation.
“Ah… ! sh*t!!”
After putting the sleeping Tia on the floor for a while, I followed the wolf’s trail.
I don’t have a specific relationship with the brown wolf, but at least I thought it would be better to give him some advice that it’s dangerous outside now.
It may be a pointless rambling, though.
“I wish I hadn’t gone too far… !!”
After running for a while, I reached the place where I could see the outside of the cave before I knew it, and I was able to find a being with faint brown hair in the snowy field of a blizzard.
“Hey!! Wait for a while!!”
“Oh… ! Uh, why did you follow me?!”
“It’s not different, outside right now…… Ah!”
The moment he went outside with his arms raised as if he had no other intentions.
In an instant, the surrounding snowstorm stopped and the surroundings became brighter.
Just as a large shadow began to fall on the ground, I could witness a meteor falling from the sky that was larger than the previous one.
“What are you doing! Get down quickly!”
“Wow?!”
The meteor is falling towards a distant place, but it was clear that the aftermath of the collision would still reach here.
I pounced on the brown wolf that was staring at me and covered it with my body.
“How… !! What are you trying to do with me…… ?!”
“Stay still! I’m not doing this to hurt you, I’m doing this to protect you!”
“Yes… ? What does it mean to protect me…… ?”
“Ugh! It begins!!”
Hati’s appearance is clearly visible.
I knew at once that he was Hati, as he was dozens of times larger than before.
Perhaps he deliberately reduced the size of the wolves he had met before.
But now, since it was challenging to eat a meteor, it must have returned to its original form.
The ice wolf, which had returned to its original form, jumped into the meteor with its mouth wide open.
No matter how much Hati grew, its size was overwhelmingly smaller than that of a meteor. Of course, I thought it was reckless, but my thoughts quickly changed.
Ice that is created from Hati’s mouth.
The ice gathered quickly and created a huge shape, and the identity of the shape was a wolf’s mouth.
An ice wolf’s mouth with a size comparable to that of a meteor.
It looked like he was slowly embracing the meteor in his mouth and swallowing it in a gulp, but that was only for a moment.
With a tremendous roar, shockwaves began to sway to this place, and fragments of meteor and ice mixed with each other began to pour down.
“Curl up!”
“Yes… ? Yes… !!”
I made the brown wolf’s body area to a minimum, and I hugged the wolf and protected it from debris.
Originally, it was a very risky action, but now I had Tia’s air shield.
I’m a bit anxious, but right now I have no choice but to believe in Tia’s ability…… !
“Que… !!”
A rain of fragments pouring down towards us.
It collided with the air film and started to make a tremendous sound, but luckily it was blocking all of them.
As expected, Tia’s ability seems to be the best in the world.
“Whew… ! Is it over now?”
The sound of the bouncing debris completely disappeared and the surroundings became quiet.
The aftermath of the meteor and Hati’s collision must have finally ended.
“I… excuse me!!”
“Huh?”
“Turn off… If it’s over, can you get out of the way… ?”
“Ah… ! Sorry!!”
“It’s okay… ….”
I immediately took a few steps back from the brown wolf I was holding to protect.
“I’m sorry I acted on my own in my rush. I was just trying to protect you, so please don’t misunderstand.”
“I’ve been watching all the time, so don’t misunderstand… I just have a question… Why did you try to protect me…… ?”
“Huh? Is that because you’re dangerous? Is there any other reason?”
“Even though I am a Shinsoo… ?”
“Oh!! I’m sorry if I did anything wrong!! I never meant to belittle you, I just wanted to protect you…… !”
“Gwa, it’s okay… !! I didn’t mean to argue that I was doing something stupid, but I was asking out of pure curiosity… !”
“Is that so?”
“Yes… That’s why I’m rather grateful…….”
“If that’s the case, I’m glad.”
It is normal for most divine beasts to not accept the fact that they were protected by humans, but the brown wolf in front of them was fortunately the type that didn’t care about that.
Hagi, I thought this wolf had this kind of personality, so I was trying to protect it.
A need for protection? Anyway, the brown wolf in front of me was a wolf that stimulated such a desire, so I tried to protect it.
If it were a wolf with high pride, I would have left it alone.
“Anyway, everything seems to be over now. The Hati you were looking for will be back here soon. Let’s go back to the cave!”
“Ah… ! A moment before that… !!”
“Hmm? Do you have any other business?”
“Yes… If that’s okay! Everyone, can you tell me your name… ?”
“Okay, then should we introduce ourselves?”
“Yes… !”
“First of all, my name is Yoo Seon-joo, and I made a promise to Hati this time, so I came here with my companions!”
“Ah… ! You are the person of that rumor… ?”
“Um… Maybe.”
Not good…… I would have thought that rumors about us had already spread throughout Shinsoo.
If we do this, there will be more guys who will come looking for us, right?
“I-I am Squall… ! That Hati’s…… !”
“I know. Aren’t they twin brothers?”
“Ah… ….”
“What? Ho, are you wrong?”
“Yes, you are wrong… ….”
“Ugh! I’m really sorry!! Because I am ignorant…… If you don’t mind, could you tell me what’s wrong?”
Belatedly realizing that I had made a mistake, I quickly bowed my head in apology to the brown wolf and begged him to point out my mistake.
But the brown wolf seems to be angry with me and just keeps silent.
Ugh… ! Dangerous! I made Shinsoo angry!!
Should I apologise with my head pierced while praying with both hands right now?
Or… ….
“Hey, over there! It’s okay, so please stop raising your head…… !”
While I was holding my head and thinking about how to apologize, the brown wolf finally broke the silence and spoke to me.
Thank God! You weren’t angry!
I calmed down my head, which had been jumbled by urgency, and raised my lowered head again to face the brown wolf…….
“Uh uh… ?!”
“Bo… As you can see, I’m not Hati’s twin brother… !”
The thing in front of me is a naked woman with a human body, not a wolf.
The prickly wolf ears and wagging brown tail appealed to me as a human, but the rest of it was definitely a human woman……
A beautiful look with long, shoulder-length brown hair and distinct features.
She had two protruding breasts attached to her chest, her waist was narrow, and her pelvis was definitely that of a woman.
And finally, between these human legs……
“I-I’m Hati’s twin sister…… It’s Skoll.”
Nothing was attached.
“I… ! It’s a body that hasn’t changed, but… ! Well, please take care of me… !!”
Unexpected stagnation.
The brown wolf, who was thought to be Hati’s twin brother, was a man……
“Seonlord… ♡”
It was a female.