Carb Sears (R) 19

Chapter 19 – The Wolf’s Embrace

The fear of the monster I encountered for the first time was also momentary. Usher packed his bag, which was the purpose of his coming here.

“Let’s get out of town first.”

I don’t know how many more there are, but I do know that it’s not safe to be in this town. Holding hands with Belka, he first checked to see if it was still there through the window that appeared to be where it had left again. He looked outside carefully, worried that he might not be noticed by the sound of his heart pounding with tension. Perhaps he had really left the house, he was relieved by the quiet yard and took the girl outside.

“Ugh! It’s too narrow.”

But he had to face unexpected difficulties. As I packed everything I thought I needed, the oversized bag was too big to fit through the crack in the back of the house on my back. He had no choice but to give up carrying it on his back and tried pushing the bag in first, but the bag got stuck in the gap. I pushed the bag harder with my body, but the bag got stuck in the gap instead of entering the gap. In the end, after removing candles and a few clothes, the bag passed through the gap without getting stuck. But at that moment, the sound of its cry came from behind.

-Kagagakak!

When I look back and barely move my body, which is about to harden in a cold sweat, it is sure to be different. No matter how small it was, Usher’s head almost went white at the sight of it smiling at them from across the fence, similar in size to Usher. If he hadn’t felt the touch of the small hand he was holding, he would have been unable to move.

“Belka, go in first!”

Because he wasn’t alone. If you get hit by that one like this, not only will it end, but Belka will also get hit. He could move He had to move.

“Usher.”
“I’ll follow you!”

Concern flashes past the girl’s golden light, but knowing that she has no time to delay, she slips through the gap made by his bag. Usher, as soon as the girl enters, crumples the now-empty bag into the gap.

-Kiggy Geek!

And, without delay, he puts himself into the sound of it approaching. It entered the gap and moved diligently toward the hole, but if you peeked behind you, you could see it peering through the gap and turning its head. Just how flexible is the neck? It was strange that the head looked like it had turned once, but instead of breaking, it moved smoothly. Then, as he pushed his head as if he was about to enter this place, he checked through his bag. Fortunately, the girl was putting her body in the hole first.

The girl pushes the bag into the hole. Fortunately for her, the bag went through the hole with ease, and he went into the hole as well. I felt more out of breath than usual as I was pushing the bag with his head. Seeing that he hardly followed them, it seemed that he passed through the gap without seeing the hole they entered, probably because he was not very smart, just like the girl said. Still, he diligently climbs the hole without stopping. He was crawling through a hole that felt longer than usual and a narrow space that felt thicker, so he couldn’t stop his tension even if he wanted to.

– Close by!

He notices the presence of the hole, even more so when he hears the cry of a bastard that has begun to be heard. Suddenly, along with the sound, I hear the sound of footsteps colliding with each other. If you push the bag a little faster, the light suddenly goes down and reveals itself. He came out of the hole holding the hand of the girl who had arrived earlier, grabbed his bag and ran towards the zelkova tree. He didn’t know why he was going there. Just because the girl was leading him there.

-Kiririk!

But instead of going farther away, the sound of the guy coming from behind is getting closer and closer.

“What’s wrong?!”
“Belka!”

He was startled to see her girl running ahead of him fall, and when he hugged her, he felt her delicate legs tremble. The girl was not yet in a state where she could run properly. Besides, it was a natural result for a girl who couldn’t be considered as having good stamina.

– Kaga gak gak!

That alone wasn’t enough, and I thought it was all over when I heard the guy’s cry straight from behind. Thud! I hugged Belka and waited for the pain to come.

“Usher, I’m choking.”
“Huh? Huh?”

Feeling no shock, let alone pain, Usher looked back puzzled and wondered why he hadn’t attacked them.

-Ki…Rick.

It had been pierced by a huge, sharp horn protruding from its side, and was pinned to a tree next to it, dripping with unpleasant brown blood. It wasn’t that he didn’t attack, it was that he didn’t. Because of another giant insect that bit him. The insect had a head like a helmet worn by a man, and its huge body was covered with a carapace like armor. He struggled with his thin legs as if desperate, but soon stopped his movement. Only then did Usher get nervous at the sight of the insect pulling away from him and reaping its horns.

Although he seemed to have helped by killing the one who had pursued them, he could not be caught off guard. Maybe these insects are monsters trying to eat them too. In addition, the guy who was chasing them also had a shell that was like a hard armor, but this guy easily penetrated the shell and killed him. Even the hard-looking carapace. Fortunately, he seemed even duller, so he thought he had to run away now.

“Did you come to see me off?”

The girl talking to the insect as if meeting someone she knew.

“Do you know each other?”

He asked when the giant insect and Belka stood still. He seemed to know each other just by listening. Even so, somehow I felt awkward as if I was facing something unfamiliar, so I felt ambiguous.

“Yes. But this is the first time we’ve met.”

It was an ambiguous word. I know, but it’s the first time I’ve met him. He wanted to ask how that was possible, but before that, the insects moved first. Usher was startled by how swiftly the giant moved, almost like it was about to be rammed by horns, but luckily they didn’t run into them like he just did. Instead, the insect turned back to face them and pushed its armor-like back. He didn’t have the knack for reading an insect’s thoughts to him, but this time he seemed to be able to understand what the insect wanted to say too.

“What does Usher want to do?”
“Huh? Me?”

Belka asked Usher, but even if she asked him, there was no way she could ride it because it was burdensome.

“I’m done.”
“It’s okay. Guide me to the stone realm like this.”

At the girl’s words, the insect started walking slowly towards somewhere.

“Let’s follow.”

Usher did as she said and followed the insect. But these insects, wondering where they are going to take them, walk for a long time in the dense forest, but there are only huge trees everywhere.

“Where are we going?”

When he asked Belka, who was getting worried about the endless floods no matter how many times he walked.

“It won’t take long.”

One leg sinking under her the moment she took a step, listening to her.

“Be careful.”
“Uh, uh.”

It was clear that if Belka hadn’t caught her, she would have fallen. Looking at the place where the leg was missing, there was a hole dug there. There would be no way there would be a pit in a place like this unless someone deliberately dug it, but the existing pit even felt awkward. As Usher looked at the pit with concern, the girl’s eyes also turned to it.

“This is… Iron.”
“Iron?”

At the girl’s words, a closer look into the pit revealed that something huge was inside the pit. As it was a forest where the moonlight did not enter well, it was difficult to see, but it was a fairly large size that was vaguely outlined. If you feel curious about the size similar to an adult and try to take a closer look.

“Usher.”

She couldn’t help but stop at the sight of a girl calling his name as if to say no. She said it was iron, so she thought that if she did well, she could sell it to get the iron coins she needed for the trip.

“Can’t you take a little and take it with you?”

It was so big that I couldn’t take it all with me anyway, but I sighed in regret.

“That’s not what Usher thinks.”
“But iron?”
“It’s just called iron.”

Belka’s words were also difficult for Usher to understand. Still, she thought that the girl couldn’t have said such a thing for no reason, so she held back her regret and continued to follow the insect. After they pass Without seeing her black hand protruding from the pit. Birds took off and a cool breeze brushed through the forest.

Some time to walk after the insect. Usher hesitated at first, but as soon as he swallowed his saliva as he felt more and more gazes, he was able to identify the owners of those gazes. The first thing he noticed was a large silver wolf standing proudly in front of them, fronted by insects. At first glance, the appearance reminded me of a dog raised in the village, but can we dare to dismiss this wolf as a dog even after seeing it in person? Unlike the docile impression of the dog, the impression was sharp, and the large body was threatening just by looking at it.

When they found the wolf, which was no match for the insect in front of them. What he realized was a large number of wolves staring at them from both sides and behind him. In terms of size, the silver wolf that blocked their way was the largest, but several wolves that were smaller than that and were certainly surrounded by them. If you look at the brightly shining eyes in the darkness, there must still be many wolves that have not appeared beyond the bush.

Feeling hunted by the wolves, Usher thought he might have to run away this time too, and when he squeezed her girl’s hand, she rather stepped forward. She stepped forward, much to Usher’s dismay, but she realized belatedly that she was too quiet for the wolves to have surrounded them to hunt. There were no wolves growling, baring their teeth, warning or threatening. The girl met her eyes with the purple eyes of a silver wolf that looked several times larger than her own.

“Take me to the wisest.”

The girl’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was so quiet around her that her voice was heard clearly. Could her words be a big deal to the wolves? Just as people hum, wolves also hum as they look at each other. As the silver wolf turns around and starts walking among the slightly noisy wolves, the other wolves stop buzzing and quietly wrap themselves around them and walk together.

But why? The insect that guided them to this place no longer shows signs of following them. As if you were talking about what you have to do. It was nerve-wracking to just stand there and watch them walk with the wolves, but the insect saw them off on the spot until they could no longer be seen.

“Here is…”

Escorted by wolves, they arrived at a stairway in the shape of a large, curved semicircle. Even the road that divides the center of the stairs and the small cave at the end do not feel like a product of nature, although they are crude and huge. Because of this, I felt a sense of incongruity, but at the same time, it looks so good with the trees growing around it. Looking at them, he saw that the wolves surrounding them climbed up the road one by one and settled down, and he knew that this was not a simple staircase.

This was a gathering place for wolves. Putting that into perspective, the place they were standing on, along with the only silver wolf who hadn’t climbed the stairs, was like a podium. The sight of the wolves sitting around the podium looking down at them gave Usher a sense of solemnity, and Usher shrank. In an atmosphere where he seemed to have to remain silent, when he kept his mouth shut, he was startled by a loud sound right next to him.

-Ahhh!

It was the howl of a wolf. The loud howl, befitting its size, spread far and wide, shaking Usher’s ears right next to him.

“Hmm, this sound… It must have brought a special guest.”

Soon after, a voice came from inside the cave at the end of the path that ran through the center of the stairs. The moment Usher thought it was a person, he couldn’t help but be surprised when the shadow that walked from the inside of the cave slowly revealed itself in the moonlight.

“Do wolves speak human words?”

What came out of the cave was not a human, but a wolf with white fur as if it had been bleached. Unlike the other wolves’ fangs, which were all intact, there was not a single canine protruding from between the mouth, and when the wolf fully revealed itself with clear traces of hair loss in places, all the wolves present looked at the wolf and lowered their heads. Even the silver wolf. It was a startling sight for Usher, who assumed that the wolf who had brought them in was the leader.

“I never thought I’d come face to face with the owner of the forest, at least in my generation.”

The wolf made eye contact with the girl, acting as if his grandpa or grandma were tongue-in-cheek.

“You must have known that the stone collapsed a long time ago. That you are here, as you should be defending the center of the forest.”
“The tree has fallen.”

Belka interrupted the wolf before he could finish his words. Despite the girl’s behavior, the wolf continued as if he had heard what he had expected.

“What happened to iron?”
“You must have woken up already. I confirmed that the seal was broken.”
“Is it.”

The wolf sighed sadly and looked up at the sky, then at Usher.

“Looking at what you’re carrying. Is that young Erath the child of the prophecy?”

A prophecy, Usher couldn’t quite figure out what it meant, but his words clearly pointed to him.

“I’m asking this just in case, but surely it’s not the descendant of Erath that we missed then, right? Agafia.”

As he spoke, the wolves glared at him in unison and glared at him with a growl. Erasni Agafiani said words he didn’t know at all, and Usher was terrified when he suddenly showed an incomprehensible hostility.

“Don’t worry. This child is not his descendant.”

When Belka patted him and talked about it, the wolves’ hostility quickly faded. Because of this, when he looked around in puzzlement, it seemed that relieved wolves were sighing here and there.

“Then I’m really glad.”

It sounded noticeably relieved, as if the wolf that seemed to be the leader was the same. Then he sniffed his nose a few times, seemed to smell it, then looked at Belka and Usher with cloudy eyes and frowned.

“Growl. No way.”

After muttering that, he slowly came down the sloping road and stood in front of them. He was not special like a silver wolf. He was not much different from the other wolves in size, and his skin was loose and unattractive. But what can I say? Exceptionally, the subtlety felt in those blurry blue eyes even gave a sense of intimidation. He looked at them slowly once again and spoke disapprovingly.

“The smell is strong. Did you allow this body to Erath?”
“Huh.”

When Belka replied as if there was nothing to hold back, the old wolf let out a sigh. The girl was happy to see her like that, but he noticed it for no reason.

“I knew it would come like this one day.”

The old wolf looks at the girl with concern while muttering that it can’t be helped. Even so, he opened his eyes sharply.

“But your body smells of someone other than this Erath. Considering your personality, you probably didn’t allow that person too.”

The girl’s body trembled at the sound of that voice.

“Who dared to do that!”

Usher frowned at his anger and thought of Mac. The old wolf was furious, as though he would never harm Mac if he did that to her girl. As if he had found out that his daughter had been forcibly raped by someone. The voice had a ferocity, unlike that of a shabby old wolf, and although it wasn’t angry at him, Usher was mortified. But there was someone who stopped him from getting angry.

“You don’t have to be so angry.”

It was none other than Belka.

“Are you really okay with going through that?!”
“Calm down for now.”

Belka said calmly to the angry wolf.

“Because Usher is having a hard time. Let’s talk about that later.”

Certainly, there was a lot of hard work today, and it was late at night, so even Usher was tired, but it was nothing compared to the girl. Belka worried about him as if nothing had happened to her, even though it was the girl who had suffered severely, not him. At her words, the old wolf lost momentum and closed his mouth. Then she stared blankly at her girl, then at Usher, and she couldn’t help it, shaking her head.

“Whoa, yes, you were that kind of person. But be sure to tell me later which one dared to touch you.”
“…Okay.”

Let the old wolf say that he cannot yield that much. Only then did Belka give a positive answer.