HEO 21

Wolf looked up at the cave opening. Light scattered chaotically. It resembled white feathers spilling from a pillow with torn corners.

“That fight that day was nothing but luck. I’ve never fought anyone in my life. I never trained in combat, and I barely put in the time for the combat training I started this year.”

“That’s too humble, Wolf. I’ve seen top knights sparring at court often enough to tell the real from the fake. Besides, you said you exercised daily?”

“That’s because I’m a baker’s apprentice. Kitchen work requires stamina. These calluses came from kneading dough.”

Wolf spread his hands wide. Red Eagle was rendered speechless, unable to speak further.

“Back then, I just happened to use some tricks I picked up. You see, the legendary fighter from the back alleys was like an older brother to our neighborhood. When he’d tell his tales of valor, the boys would gather around like flies. I was one of them. The hero novels sold in the back alleys were incomparably more exciting. On days I overheard those tales, my heart would race with excitement and I couldn’t sleep at night.”

Even when fights broke out at school, Wolf was always just a spectator. He never once took center stage. Wolf Bell was always just a bystander.

“They say people can summon superhuman strength when desperate. My friend Roy said his mom, tiny as a chick, once picked him up and ran all the way to the hospital.”

“When?”

“Well… he said it was when he was seven…”

“Wolf, I… Ah, I don’t know how to say this…”

Red Eagle roughly tousled his own hair with both hands.

“Wolf, your words don’t sound like lies. But a mother running to the hospital with her sick son in her arms is worlds apart from an ordinary baker’s apprentice skillfully fighting warriors. I don’t understand how that precise posture was a fluke. It’s nonsense.”

“I guess you were quite surprised. Well, I was shocked too at the time.”

That was true. In the chaos, he hadn’t had time to dwell on it, but back then, Wolf had been so stunned he’d gone pale. In that brief instant when the opponent thrust his spear toward him, the martial exploits of the neighborhood big brother had suddenly flashed through his mind. His eyes quickly captured the opponent’s movements.

Simultaneously, the 17th illustration from <Stoll Inter-Species Anatomy>, which he’d secretly stolen from the back-alley bookstore, overlapped with his opponent. The full-body image of a Stoll warrior, rendered only as red muscle bundles. Beneath it, a single line of explanation: “If the shoulder girdle collapses, the weight shifts forward, and the pelvis and knees twist in a chain reaction.” His body moved first. Wolf lunged forward and thrust his elbow.

The more Wolf thought back on that experience, the more he felt restless. His body, perfectly selected the most appropriate fighting style, like a recipe, and executed it precisely, like pulling bread from an oven on time. As a result, his opponent’s face caved in. Like a lump of dough struck with a fist. From start to finish, it was, as Red Eagle had said, “nonsense.”

Damn, my head hurts. Stop thinking about it.

Wolf stood up, his shoulders slumped.

“Anyway, Your Highness, keep it a secret from Silver that I can’t fight.”

“Huh?”

Red Eagle flinched and looked up.

“I’m soory, Wolf. I was stunned by what you said. Yes, we should keep this from Silver.”

“Yes, it’s a risk factor. Knowing his personality, if he found out my real fighting ability, he’d lose interest in me immediately.”

He felt a sudden, acute ache that was like a sharp scythe tearing through his flesh. Wolf clutched his chest with one hand.

Ah. So that’s why.

The reason he felt so miserable and sad the moment he learned why Silver liked him. Because Wolf Bell wasn’t the ‘warrior’ Silver liked. He was just a commonplace baker apprentice, as plentiful as ivy vines. Once Silver knew the truth, he’d surely withdraw his affection.

He thought he understood a little of Red Eagle’s bewilderment at being called incapable of fighting. That feeling when a phenomenon defying common sense suddenly appears before your eyes. It wasn’t just absurd; it was mystifying. By Wolf’s standards, this experience was nonsensical. Could he be so heartbroken over the mere possibility of losing the attention of a peer?

Why? How? Even the male protagonist in the boarding house owner’s novel didn’t suffer this much when the woman he’d long pined for married his rival. That guy had invested years of feelings. I’ve only known Silver for a few days.

Am I crazy? Or could it be… that I’m under some kind of spell?

Wolf took a breath and looked up at the ash-gray sky again. Even on flat ground, walking to the cave entrance would take time enough for a candle to burn down to the width of a fingernail. Climbing up the cave wall would take even longer. Yet Silver could traverse it like a narrow alleyway in an instant…

Wolf felt the difference between himself and Silver acutely once more. He was the cave floor where sunlight pooled. Silver was the sun blazing light in all directions. They were different in every detail. The only similarity they had was a name.

Feeling hollow, Wolf trudged toward the cave wall. He absentmindedly ran his hand over the wall and frowned. Huh?

This…?

When he directly touched it, the wall felt uneven. It felt as rough as sandpaper. Wolf placed his foot on the protrusion. It was wide enough that he didn’t have to worry about tripping.

‘It’s not dangerous.’

Silver’s curt reply echoed in his ears. Wolf swallowed dryly as he felt the cave wall with his hand. Indeed…It’s not dangerous.

Maybe I should try it?

‘I once did a dare. Walking across a plank between two three-story buildings. It was incredibly narrow. Ah, what happened? If I’d screamed and fallen then, I wouldn’t be here now showing off to these half-wits.’

The neighborhood elder brother’s voice continued to echo in his ears. Wolf listened, spellbound.

‘I told you fighting is all about guts. If you told someone to walk along a straight line drawn on flat ground, no one could fail. Same thing. When I walked across that plank, I simply imagined I was walking on flat ground.’

Imagination…

Wolf scanned the cave wall from bottom to top. He understood now.

“W-Wolf?!”

Red Eagle gasped as Wolf suddenly began climbing the cave walls.

“What are you doing?! It’s dangerous!”

“It’s not dangerous.”

“What are you talking about?! Get down this instant!”

“Your Highness, remember the upper bunk on the ship heading to Stoll? The one people climb using a ladder?”

“I said get down now!”

“This is just like that ladder, but much longer.”

The sensation under his fingertips no longer felt like rock. Wolf persevered while glaring at the sun rising in the gray sky. Reaching the cave opening from the start would be difficult. Today, he would climb a certain distance and descend, repeating this several times to acclimate his body. If you imagine climbing up and down a long ladder, it’s not difficult.

“Wolf… Why are you doing this?”

Red Eagle’s voice now sounded distant. Wolf clenched his teeth as he moved his feet. Why?

I don’t know. Me either.

The reason wasn’t something he wondered about, nor did it matter. He’d always watched from the sidelines, but he’d seen countless boys his age fall into reckless, dangerous games with no purpose. Right now, he just wanted to run toward the sun.

* * *

“Grandma!”

Black Weasel rudely flung the door. A white-haired old woman, flipping through a book at an old desk in the corner of the room, frowned.

“Half a year? If you break the door, I’ll patch it with your skin.”

“Thanks for the lovely greeting.”

Books were piled high, even on the floor, not just in the wardrobe. Black Weasel had to push aside several stacks to reach the desk.

“Here.”

The old woman closed the book as he slammed the chest on the desk.

“I’ll gratefully accept it… but how is your young master?”

“Same as ever.”

Black Weasel retorted curtly while glaring at the old woman.

“My investment isn’t free. What progress have you made in half a year?”

“Two female mutant dissections conducted. Essentially mock surgeries. A rare case: twin sisters in their early twenties. Despairing of their situation, they committed suicide together.”

“That’s all? That means you still haven’t even laid a scalpel on Spruces.”

“Damn it, you know as well as I do! Mutant corpses are hard to secure. Especially male mutants!”