CH 110

“Blackwolf, come out already~”

I mumbled to no one in particular.

Those words slipped out without me even realizing.

I can’t let my guard down.

Taking on a blackwolf alone is impossible.

If it catches me off guard, it could be the end of me.

It always feels like Lain nii-chan is watching over me, so I should be okay, but I’ll probably get scolded later.

Just like Lain nii-chan told me, I’m constantly on the lookout for enemies.

Even in areas infested with blackwolves, my mission remains the same.

Find a blackwolf and then return to where everyone else is.

Blackwolves aren’t that different from greywolves, except for their black fur.

Supposedly!

That’s what Lain nii-chan said.

Greywolves don’t scare me as much anymore.

I really want to learn how to defeat blackwolves quickly so we can look for ruins.

If we found a ruin, maybe we can solve Lain nii-chan’s curse.

Then he won’t have to die.

I don’t want to lose nii-chan again.

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, an uneasy feeling washed over me.

It felt familiar.

“It feels like something’s there…”

My skin was tingling.

It was just like when a greywolf was nearby.

It hadn’t entered my enemy detection range yet.

But the last time I felt this, a greywolf was nearby, and I didn’t even detect it.

I stopped moving and scanned the area.

“There it is!”

Through the trees, I caught a glimpse of a creature with black fur.

It was just beyond the range of my enemy detection, but it was probably a Blackwolf.

Even if I was wrong, I should still let Lain nii-chan know.

It doesn’t seem to have noticed me yet.

At this distance, it shouldn’t be able to.

This could be a small victory.

(I can’t stay here. I need to get back to where everyone is.)

Just because it hasn’t seen me doesn’t mean it can’t.

I need to make my way back to where Lain nii-chan and the others are as quickly as possible.

Besides, if I return now, Aria and the others won’t have to see the Blackwolf.

They’re still a bit scared of them.

I guess it’s better to be a little over-cautious.

(Even though it’s just a Greywolf with black fur.)

Without taking my eyes off the Blackwolf, I slowly, slowly make my way back to where Lain nii-chan and the others are.

Crack

I let my guard down for just a moment.

Maybe I had gotten too confident because my tactics worked against everyone who tried to kill me before.

I made a small mistake.

I accidentally stepped on a fallen branch nearby.

The Blackwolf turned its head towards me, as if it heard the noise.

(This is bad. It saw me.)

If it found me, there’s no choice but to run at full speed towards Lain nii-chan and the others.

If we hadn’t been discovered, it would have been fine to just move away, but now we have to escape.

“Huh?”

For a brief moment, I saw the Blackwolf’s bright red eyes shining. After that, I couldn’t move my body to escape, no matter how hard I tried.

I thought I saw it grinning at me.

It probably must have done something to me.

In that moment, I finally realized the consequences of my mistake.

A Blackwolf wasn’t just a Greywolf with black fur.

I knew it had fire magic, yet I let my guard down.

But by the time I realized it, it was too late.

Knowing that escape was impossible, the Blackwolf slowly approached me.

“I-I have to run!”

I tried saying it aloud, but nothing changed.

In my head, I knew I had to escape, but my body refused to move.

The Blackwolf continued to stare at me with its bright red eyes.

I tried to avert my gaze, but I couldn’t look away.

Finally, the Blackwolf was right in front of me.

(Am I going to die here?)

My body was frozen, but my heart was racing. No matter how deeply I breathed, the feeling of suffocation wouldn’t go away.

I don’t want to die like this!

Suddenly, the blackwolf turned its head, as if it noticed something behind me.

For a moment, I didn’t understand what was happening, but soon enough, I got my answer.

“[Wind Blade].”

I heard Lain nii-chan’s voice from behind.

In an instant, a blade of wind appeared and tore the Blackwolf apart.

It vanished, leaving behind a magic stone.

Then, warm arms embraced me.

“Reno, are you alright?”

“…Lain nii-chan.”

At the sight of Lain nii-chan, my legs gave way.

He kindly embraced me as I collapsed on the spot.