REFDL 15

Flap.

“……!”

An ominous flapping sound echoed. The hunter couldn’t rise, even though he’d set all the traps.

That shadow was different from the outline alone.

It was enormous and threatening.

‘Th-this, this, this is……!’

His vision blurred. Cold sweat soaked his body.

The hunter crouched, he was trembling.

Death.

Absolute death. The hunter held back tears, gasping for breath. …But for some reason, it didn’t seem to move. It was simply watching him.

A piercing scream echoed from afar.

“Aaargh!”

“Gah!”

The hunter jumped up. He nearly fell face-first onto the trap. He barely rolled to the side, and jumped up to his feet. His chest heaved like a spring.

“Gaaaah!”

He ran forward frantically. The creature flapped its wings out of rhythm, seemingly flustered, but the terrified hunter didn’t notice.

“Aaaah!”

“Aah! Waaah!”

But the more he ran, the closer the screams grew. It was even a familiar voice.

‘……!!’

It was his fellow hunters.

“Ah…!”

The pungent smell of blood hit him. The hunter standing beside the tree witnessed it.

A wolf monster with a single horn on its head was chewing on a human arm.

Grrr!

Crack!

The wolf, its nose wrinkled, shook its head once. Then, suddenly, it slammed into the tree beside it.

Thud!

Its horn embedded itself in the tree.

Grrr.

Grrr.

The wolf monster, having toppled the tree, turned its head toward the hunter.

Purple-tinged blood foam bubbled from its mouth, and its pupils rolled in different directions.

‘……!’

This wasn’t normal. He didn’t know why, but the wolf monster seemed mad.

Awooo!

The wolf monster charged.

It was then that the shadow watching nearby sprang forth.

Grrrr!

‘A, a dragon?!’

A dragon with crimson scales pounced on the wolf monster. As if waiting for this moment, the wolf monster twisted its body and opened its jaws wide toward the dragon’s flank.

Thwack!

The attack failed. With absurd reflexes, the dragon twisted its body and lashed out at the wolf monster with its tail.

The sound of tearing leather echoed. The wolf monster was unharmed. At least, that’s how it appeared on the surface.

Kyaak!

The dragon seemed flustered. Its wings spread wide. It appeared ready to flee by flight. The wolf didn’t charge. Instead, as if waiting for this moment, it twisted its body the other way, once again targeting the hunter.

Kyaaak?!

‘……What is this?’

For some reason…… that dragon seemed to be paying attention to him……

‘Ah.’

That was as far as the hunter’s thoughts went.

Crunch!

The wolf monster’s fangs sank into the hunter’s upper body.

Kyaaaaaaah?!

* * *

Thud.

The wolf monster collapsed. I didn’t feel happy. It wasn’t because of the scratches on my side and thigh. I didn’t even feel the pain.

I turned pale and checked the hunter.

The moment the wolf charged, I somehow caught up and attacked. Thanks to that, the fangs only sank in part, but for a human body, that alone was fatal. Had it bitten completely, he would have died instantly on the spot.

No, he’s dying even now!

He was bleeding too much. There was no time to think. I couldn’t let Mirim’s dad die…!

And right before my eyes.

Finding Mirim’s dad alone deep in the woods and following him out of apprehension was fine.

But the outcome was the worst possible.

It was always like this. Whenever I tried to do something right, things only got worse.

It was the same with the swim team members. I thought I was trying to do the right thing.

I didn’t expect much. Even if we didn’t become friends, just getting along was enough.

So, as long as they didn’t annoy me to the point of affecting my times, it was fine.

‘Unbelievable.’

‘What?’

‘Put up with what? We’re the ones who put up with you. Fucking homo bastard.’

My vision blurred. A ringing filled my ears.

‘If you like men and want to be on the swim team, you should at least keep your eyes in check.’

A swimmer whose face I couldn’t even recall shoved my shoulder. Then, as if he’d touched something filthy, he made a show of scrubbing himself against the shower wall.

‘It’s all obvious.’

‘……’

‘Wow, what’s with the reaction?’

‘Fuck, is this guy for real?!’

‘Ugh!’

From then on, everything went to hell.

What happened exactly? I don’t remember well. I think I tried desperately to fix it on my own.

To return things to how they were.

Even though I didn’t know what ‘how they were’ even meant.

The situation only got worse, so I ended up transferring to a high school in a distant region where I had no connections.

……There were more examples.

‘Stop.’

Something even more horrific than this……

‘Stop!’

My jaw trembled.

Even sorrow and self-pity have their limits.

If I end up dropping Mirim’s dad like this……!

I cursed and blamed my own pathetic self.

Then I clenched my jaw.

My teeth tore through his clothes, leaving wounds on his skin. I had no time to care about that.

“Ugh. Cough!”

Mirim’s dad came to his senses.

Whether that was fortunate… I didn’t know.

“Ugh. Ahhh!”

Please. Please!

I’m not trying to eat you, so stop struggling. Sir…!

The wound is deep!

But the panicked hunter kept writhing.

My heart raced anxiously. Fortunately, we were already near the village. I hurried down and carefully laid him on the ground.

Covered in blood, he struggled desperately to get away from me. Then…

He froze.

‘……’

He froze as a deactivated robot, then slowly turned to look at me.

I knew from his expression. He realized…

…That I had saved him.

It was an indescribable feeling.

He flinched, but didn’t struggle or try to crawl away like before. His focus was clear.

His condition is better than I thought.

It wasn’t too late.

Not when I saved him from the wolf. Not when I brought him here.

……This time, it wasn’t too late.

I thought he might be afraid, but I couldn’t stop my steps.

I approached.

I tapped the bridge of his nose with my finger. Even in his pain, the man’s eyes widened.

‘…….’

He flinched back and looked toward the village. It was close enough to see the buildings.

I puffed my chest.

Grrr!

The forest shook with my roar.

Even if the adults didn’t come, I believed the children would.

I soared into the sky.

Only then did the wound inflicted by the alpha wolf begin to throb.

* * *

The atmosphere in the village was dreadful.

“Findel, Mannon, Bis… six people in total have died.”

“…What about Jen?”

“He hasn’t regained consciousness yet. His life isn’t in danger, but…”

“But.”

“They say he might suffer aftereffects.”

“Hmph.”

The village chief exhaled. His rough hand rubbed his forehead.

His look of exhaustion and distress was fleeting. He gripped the man’s shoulder tightly, then released it.

“Tell everyone to gather at the meeting hall. …I’ll stop by Jen’s house first.”

“Yes.”

The village chief went to Mirim’s house.

The sound of crying could be heard outside.

Inside lay Jen, unconscious on the bed, and his son, Mirim. And there was Rotol, who had been told to stay home. Rotol, who had been stroking Mirim’s back, quietly averted her gaze.

The veins on the village chief’s temples bulged, then quickly subsided.

He couldn’t bring himself to scold his daughter.

“Mirim.”

“Waaah.”

Mirim couldn’t even answer, he lifted his puffy eyes.

“Your father is fine. The healer assured me he won’t die.”

“Waaah.”

“The wound isn’t deep. So once he rests, he’ll get up perfectly fine. Don’t worry too much.”

The village chief rubbed Mirim’s crown with his big hand.

“…Stay here. Don’t go anywhere else.”

“Yes.”

Rotol nodded dejectedly. The village chief ruffled his daughter’s hair once more before heading to the village hall.

* * *

The village hall was as noisy as a market.

Everyone was agitated. The anxiety was palpable.

People who had been raising their voices among themselves fell silent. They turned to look at the village chief.

“Everyone, listen calmly. It seems that near the village……”

All eyes focused on the village chief’s mouth.

People steeled themselves.

They imagined the most vicious monsters one might encounter at the edge of the village.

Eagle monsters with wingspans exceeding 3 meters. Young harpies. Underdeveloped griffins…

“…It seems a dragon has built a nest.”

“…?!”

Silence fell.

Someone stammered out a question.

“…A dragon? You mean that dragon we know?”

“Yes.”

In fact, it wasn’t just any dragon.

It was a Kremlis.

But the village chief didn’t say that.

‘I hoped it would go deeper into the Sea of Trees…’

“It was indeed a wolf that inflicted the fatal wound on Jen. But besides the wolf’s bite marks… there were also dragon teeth marks.”

They were very faint bite marks. If there hadn’t been a hole in the clothes, they wouldn’t have noticed. The people’s faces turned pale.

If true, this was no ordinary matter.

“Then, we must ask the castle for help again…!”

“It’ll be useless.”

“Why not?!”

“Because the knights knew and still left.”

N“……!”

The man who had been shouting fell silent. His face flushed red, then turned blue.