DLRV 11

Hearing him say that, I felt a little relieved. At least animals didn’t lie. And if even that justice-driven wolf was defending him…

Despite my discomfort, I chose to overlook the issue for the time being. I really enjoyed his cooking and didn’t want to end things over just one instance of poor communication.

Animals were great and all, but they couldn’t cook for me.

At least for now, until I reached a city where I could find a proper restaurant and lodging, I needed the man.

“That must be the famous stigmata.”

As I removed my cloak in frustration, the man spoke again. It seemed he had seen my exposed nape.

“Stigmata, my ass. This is just a scar from when I was beheaded.”

“May I take a closer look?”

“No.”

I flatly refused, and the man’s expression turned awkward. After clearing his throat in embarrassment, he started rambling as if making an excuse.

“To be honest, when I first heard about someone coming back to life after being beheaded, I scoffed. You can’t bring the dead back unless it’s necromancy. And those resurrected by necromancy…”

“Are undead. Monsters.”

“Yes. That’s why, at first, I was skeptical when I found you.”

“So, the Mage Tower doesn’t even believe I exist?”

“If you’re really a ‘revived person,’ I thought maybe some incredible magic we don’t know about had been manifested.”

In the end, his point was the same as before.

“You want to check for yourself?”

“Even if your magic is sealed, I can still sense it. If there are traces—whether it’s necromancy or something else—I’ll be able to tell.”

“I still don’t want to.”

Whether my resurrection was a divine blessing or some unknown magic or necromancy, it didn’t matter to me. I wasn’t interested. I had no desire to know how or why I came back to life.

My voice dropped even lower.

“If you have unnecessary curiosity, say so now. We’ll go our separate ways.”

I had heard that mages had an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Was this man also the type to take risks for the sake of curiosity?

If so, I figured I should cut ties with him now, even if it meant giving up a bit of convenience.

When I shot him another wary glare, he let out a sigh and shook his head.

“At the very least, I can confirm that you have a terrible personality. Anyway, necromancy isn’t even my field of interest, so I’ll drop it.”

[This male avoids competition. That is why I, the leader, protect him. He will not quarrel with you.]

Hearing the wolf growl those words, I nodded.

The man’s eyes widened, surprised at how quickly I relaxed. Then, after some hesitation, he muttered something embarrassing.

“I didn’t expect you to believe me so readily.”

What’s he saying?

“I’m not trusting you. I’m trusting the wolf.”

“…Are you saying I’m less trustworthy than a wolf?”

“Yes.”

He should know better than to compare himself like that.

At my firm response, the man gave the wolf an unhappy look.

He must have realized the wolf seemed more reliable than himself even in his own eyes, as he didn’t argue further.

“So then, what should I call you?”

At my prompting, the man answered in a resigned voice.

“You can call me Xenon. That wolf is Nesi. But you keep speaking informally to me?”

“I’m your employer. Unless you have a reason that overrides that, why should I speak formally to you?”

“…I see. Just do as you please. If I tried to make a Resurrected One speak formally to me, I might get punished by the gods or something.”

The disgruntled tone that followed was almost like muttering to himself. But since I heard it clearly, I couldn’t ignore it.

So having sharp hearing is inconvenient in moments like this.

“Not that.”

“…What?”

“Don’t call me that kind of awful title.”

Xenon, realizing I was referring to “Resurrected One,” looked puzzled. He stared at me blankly, then tilted his head.

“Then… Miss?”

That was the best alternative he could come up with? I frowned instinctively. Was he deliberately trying to get on my nerves?

“Are you joking?”

“What do you want me to call you, then?”

“Annelie.”

In the past, only a select few had the right to call me by my name—family, a lover, and friends. Family was a given due to blood ties, but friends and lovers were those I had carefully allowed to use my name.

And now, every single person who used to call me by my name had betrayed me.

“Just call me by my name.”

So there was no longer any reason to be selective about who could say it. It was better for the whole world to call me Annelie. There was nothing else left, anyway.

“I am neither a ‘Resurrected One’ nor the daughter of Roam.”

***

Everyone in the Roam family has something they are obsessed with.

For my father, it was my mother. For my mother, it was having a daughter who would become empress. For my sister, it was inheriting the family head position. For my younger sibling, it was our mother. And for me…

I thought I was obsessed with Maxell.

I didn’t understand passionate, fiery love or dreamy, sweet romance. I just vaguely believed that what I felt for Maxell was love.

If this feeling wasn’t love, then what else could love possibly be? That was how I defined it.

Perhaps my love was different in nature from the love of ordinary noble ladies. Because I loved him, I kept my emotions within strict bounds. I never relied on him.

I treated him with consideration according to my own standards, and I expected the same in return. I believed that the woman standing beside him could not be weak or hesitant. Because he was the crown prince. Because he was meant to be emperor.

Maxell might firmly claim that what I showed him wasn’t love. But it was love. There was no other word for it.

If it wasn’t love, then why do I still, from time to time, dwell on my memories with you, Maxell?

[You can sleep without worry. My senses are sharp enough to detect any danger. I have never once let that male come to harm.]

I slowly opened my eyes.

Turning my head slightly, I saw Nesi sprawled out in front of the dying campfire. He had his front paws crossed, resting his head on them.

Across the fire, Xenon was sleeping soundly, even snoring. Earlier, I had seen him fall asleep the moment his head touched the ground.

Even with Nesi keeping watch, how could he sleep so soundly in a forest like this? I envied such dull nerves.

I turned my head back toward Nesi, meeting his gaze.

“How did you two end up traveling together?”

[My mate wished for it. My mate and their master both wanted that male to return safely.]

“…Ah. I see.”

If he had a mate, no amount of persuasion would make him come with me. I sighed in disappointment.

“So, does everyone in the Mage Tower raise wolves?”

Muttering to myself, I suddenly imagined having a dignified animal by my side.

It would be nice if I could also find a strong wolf in this mountain. But if I had a wolf with me, would I even be able to enter a city?

Just today, I couldn’t get a place to stay because of Nesi. How did Xenon manage to travel with Nesi? Don’t tell me he’s been camping out like this every single time?

“Nesi, can you enter a city?”

[That male puts a collar on me.]

Nesi answered firmly.

Was he talking about using a shape-shifting magic tool on Nesi? That precious item? But if Xenon had something like that, why didn’t he use it earlier?

“We just got kicked out before.”

[I was told the collar can’t be used continuously.]

Ah, so it must have some kind of limit, like the sacred relics in the temple—whether in usage count or duration. Even so, using such a valuable magic tool like this… As expected of someone from the Mage Tower, he seemed to have no hesitation in using magic tools freely.

If I got myself a wolf and gave it a shape-shifting magic tool…

The absurd thought made me chuckle.

No matter how much money I had, that would be too much of a wishful fantasy. Not only were shape-shifting magic tools hard to come by, but if I managed to get one, I’d have to use it to change my own appearance first.

“Nesi is a summoned beast.”

The sudden voice startled me, and I instinctively lifted my upper body halfway. Xenon still had his eyes closed.

“He’s not a spirit in the usual sense… In fact, it’s closer to storage than summoning. I just take him in and out of a subspace. But since he’s a real wolf, he can’t last long inside, so I try to keep him with me as much as possible.”

His calm voice showed no signs of drowsiness.

Did I wake him up by talking? I hadn’t spoken much, so to anyone else, it probably looked like I was just mumbling to myself rather than conversing with Nesi.

Even so, he spoke to me so carelessly, without any hesitation.

Reflecting on my own carelessness, I asked casually,

“So subspace can be used like that too?”

“Of course, this is an enormous waste. Since I use it for him, I can’t store any actual supplies in my subspace. But even if it means throwing away everything else, I have to keep Nesi with me.”

Xenon slightly opened his eyes.

“Nesi’s mate is desperately waiting for him.”

“…”

He probably added that detail so I wouldn’t get any lingering thoughts about taking Nesi for myself.

I couldn’t clearly see Xenon’s expression as he glanced at me. Instead of responding, I simply pulled my blanket higher.

The stiff, rough blanket did little to block out the cold air. That must have been why I was feeling chilly.

No… This chill I felt wasn’t just from the night air.

It was the realization that even a mere beast knew such deep devotion, while I—who had thought myself so exceptional—along with everyone around me, had never truly understood it.

Or perhaps… I was beginning to think that we never would.