HTWBB Chapter 15

Golden eyes that had been waiting met her startled, widened gaze and gently curved. Smack. The boy who had lightly kissed her cheek set the girl back in her original position.

"I told you I'm fine."

"...Then is this blood syrup?"

"This kind of thing heals quickly."

"You've been saying that for months now."

Priscilla firmly pushed away Lycaon, who was clinging to her with his arms around her waist. It hadn't been just once or twice that he'd said he was fine only to teeter on death's door with a fever. Recently, his wounds had healed considerably and his condition had improved quite a bit, but it was still nowhere near the level where she could feel at ease.

Priscilla glared at him with narrowed eyes and picked up the herb bottle again. After pouring some of the water she'd prepared earlier and shaking it in circles, the herbs and water mixed properly. The girl held the nearly finished bottle in both hands, closed her eyes, and murmured something.

"...Grant me..."

And the moment her words concluded, a pure white light dwelling in her hands seeped into the bottle in an instant. The herb water that had been green now held a subtle golden glow.

Priscilla immediately poured the completed healing medicine through a strainer. She left behind the herb residue that shimmered mysteriously like mixed gold dust, and handed the clear liquid that flowed out to Lycaon.

He accepted and drank it without complaint, then naturally laid his body down on the blanket. It was a practiced movement, as if he'd done it many times before.

Meanwhile, Priscilla, who had squeezed out the appropriate amount of moisture from the herb residue, spread the herbs thickly over Lycaon's wounds with skilled hands. The light that had been faintly glimmering between the herbs gradually faded as time passed.

The boy's face, which had been covered in cold sweat, also became much more comfortable.

"It would have been better if I had just a little more power."

Priscilla murmured while looking down at her hands.

"I told you, this kind of thing doesn't heal easily to begin with."

"Still..."

The girl's face quickly turned tearful. Lycaon, who had been watching Priscilla intently, reached out his hand and caressed the girl's thin cheek.

"Thanks to you, I'm not dead and I'm recovering."

"Don't say that! About dying, words like that..."

"Okay, okay."

Lycaon, who had soothed Priscilla with a gentle voice, sat up once the dried herbs had served their purpose. And he immediately caught onto what had been irritating his sensitive sense of smell since right after she entered.

Her effort to hide it was admirable, so he'd tried to pretend not to notice, but the oddly limping appearance was hard to endure. He had already been patient enough several days ago.

Back then, there hadn't been such a strong smell of blood, nor had she seemed to have difficulty walking. He also had no memory of that warm-colored hair he loved being so tangled.

While he was distracted, Priscilla, whose leg was grabbed, looked at him in surprise. The touch holding her ankle was gentle but firm enough that she couldn't easily escape. He stared coldly at her knee, which was forming red scabs because she hadn't properly cleaned it.

"What happened?"

"...I fell. Something this trivial will heal quickly!"

"That sounds similar to what I just told you."

"Am I the same as you?"

"What's so different? And don't change the subject. It wasn't this bad originally."

Priscilla, who had flinched, awkwardly waved her hand.

"No. I really just got hurt."

He had noticed that Priscilla was ostracized among her peers. Even without hearing it directly, he knew for certain.

Even if not as far as the cave where he stayed, humans frequently wandered through the forest, so there was clearly a village nearby, however small.

Yet Priscilla lived alone in an isolated hut. She had no friends, and not a single person came to visit, even by accident.

Lycaon occasionally guessed she went to the village when the girl was away. On those days, she invariably tried to hide her bad mood.

'You absolutely can't let the villagers find out! Absolutely you hear!'

The warning she emphasized at every opportunity also seemed somewhat excessive. At first, he thought it was just caution about his species, but her trembling body explained another reason.

For a boy who had lived in a pack his whole life, it was something he couldn't help but understand even without detailed explanation. So once his body recovered, he wanted to make an example of those who tormented Priscilla, yet on the other hand, he also wanted to just quietly observe like now.

Anyway, Lycaon liked that Priscilla was alone without anyone else. But for a young girl who was human like them, it would be far too harsh.

"Then make something like this and use it."

So no matter how much he tried to pry, she wouldn't tell him about this incident either. Instead of pressing further, Lycaon pointed to the herbs spread on his stomach.

To that question came the answer that there were no materials. Her face was bright as she said it wasn't a big wound so it would heal naturally.

"Really. There's no need to use it."

Lycaon, who had been quietly staring at the cheerful face acting as if there were no problems, moved his lips slightly then pressed them firmly shut again and suddenly raised his head. Then he growled like a beast and lunged with his mouth open.

Priscilla raised her voice once more. Lycaon, who had been biting the cheek of the squirming girl so it wouldn't hurt, suddenly froze all movement.

"...What is it?"

He sharply raised his head and glared viciously toward the outside of the cave. Priscilla, who had been half-clinging to him, turned her gaze along with him. When she only blinked her eyes, hearing no sound, Lycaon placed his index finger to his lips and pointed outside with his chin.

"Something's nearby."

The boy hugged the girl in his arms once tightly, then set her down in the deepest part of the cave and carelessly shoved his arms through his upper garment. However, before he could take a single step, a small hand grabbed his collar.

"Where are you going?"

"It's strange, so I need to go check."

"You stay here. I'll go."

"No. What if it's... what do you think you'll do if something's there?"

'What if it's the humans from the village.' Those words rose to Lycaon's tongue but he held them back. Priscilla tightened her grip.

"You being discovered by someone is the most dangerous thing. I'll shout if something's wrong."

No matter how he tried to persuade her, it was useless. Lycaon, who had been watching her firmly hardened face, eventually backed down.

Priscilla urged him to return to his wolf form just in case, then hesitantly headed toward the entrance. As the light drew closer, she felt signs of presence as he had said.

It was a decrepit hut that wouldn't have been strange if it collapsed immediately. No, even calling it a hut was excessive.

Though it was made of wood and looked cozy, it was rotting here and there and seemed precarious, as if it would pierce through with holes if poked. One corner of the roof was already crumbled and hanging precariously. It seemed better in many ways to tear it down and build anew rather than fix it.

Rietta evaluated it harshly in her mind, then carefully pulled the half-rusted door handle. The door opened very easily.

"It doesn't seem to lock in the first place."

"There's no such mechanism either."

Though she'd expected it from appearances, it was a place dangerously flimsy for a young girl to live alone.

It seemed like anyone with decent strength, not necessarily an adult, could break down the door and enter if they wanted to.

Rietta stepped inside, careful not to break the house.

"Still, the inside is somewhat better."

It was as Melian had said. The narrow interior, showing signs of life, was surprisingly even cozy.

They quickly examined the surroundings. The unlit hearth had grown cold, and the bedding was also neatly arranged, showing no signs of use for at least half a day.

However, the objects placed here and there were somewhat disheveled. On the shelves and tables, empty glass bottles were placed with compulsive neatness, but one spot was strangely disturbed.

Rietta calmly moved her gaze, searching for the girl's herb bundle. It wasn't there.

"It seems she stopped by briefly and left."

Rietta, who had reached the same conclusion, came outside without hesitation. Then she looked around, standing a little distance from the hut. If she'd headed somewhere, especially to hide someone injured, it wouldn't be a far distance.

However, given the situation of being ostracized in the village, she had to avoid anyone's eyes. Rietta moved her steps toward the back of the hut. Unlike the path they'd come from, there wasn't even a small trail—grass and trees grew thick everywhere.

"It's completely blocked."

"Right. Just perfect."

"For what?"

Rietta stepped forward without hesitation. It was where the small branches of a low tree had been broken. When she cast her gaze far ahead, similarly wounded trees were positioned in what was almost a straight line.

She took note of the direction where wildflowers reaching about her waist were bent to one side and the spots where grass on the ground was trampled. Right next to, behind, or in front of them, with high probability, another footprint was stamped.

They weren't human. Rietta suddenly turned around. Melian, who had been following at an appropriate distance, had stopped and was lost in thought.

"Do you sense something?"

"It was strange from the beginning, but from here on it's rather irritating."

"Why?"

He wrinkled his nose.

"Because there's an unpleasant smell."

"Unpleasant?"

Without smoothing his frown, he continued.

"Mmm. It feels like a warning not to come close, but seeing as you don't sense it, Rietta, it must only be a threat to me."

"So it's nearby, you're saying."

"Possibly quite close."

Or perhaps only those from similar origins could detect it. Rietta gestured to Melian. When he came close, she slightly picked up speed.

Indeed, as he said, the path tangled messily with leaves and branches came to an end after walking for about five minutes. What appeared when everything blocking the view completely vanished was a space like a narrow field. Because of the canopy of aged, widely spreading tree branches, it seemed this place wouldn't be visible at all when seen from above.

Rietta boldly strode in. Creeping plants whose names she couldn't know covered the entire high cliff before her so densely they looked green. Melian traced the vines with his eyes.

"It seems to be here. But there doesn't seem to be anything..."

"Since it's used as a hiding place, it'll be somewhere not easily visible."

Like a cave, for instance. Her treasure hunting hadn't been done carelessly. From her experience, cliffs this high and long inevitably had caves, whether natural or man-made.

With vines that had taken over the wall through long years, it couldn't be better. Rietta pressed her hand against the cliff and moved very slowly from left to right. The bumpy surface and tough creepers were felt at her fingertips.

When some time had passed like this, she suddenly stopped firmly in place. Melian shouted urgently.

"Rietta!"

"Right. Melian, I don't know what that warning you spoke of is, but."

Rietta directed her gaze as if focusing on a point somewhere inside the dense foliage. Killing intent sharp enough to make her skin tingle was flowing out like a sharp spear. The target was clearly her.

"This time even I can tell."

Rietta tapped one particular section. The vines shook greatly as if there were a space behind them.

Then suddenly the explosively surging energy partially subsided, and the green vines hanging like hair swayed faintly. A pure white face popped out from behind the stems that drew back with a rustle. The face that had been frozen stiff with tension changed drastically the moment their eyes met.

"Huh?"

"Hello."

"You're from that carriage back then...!"

The girl, whose voice held gladness, came outside in one swift movement. Rietta took half a step back.