After the Ending, I Received the Second Male Lead as a Gift

Grrrrr.

Ludwin growled cautiously, making a low throaty sound.

I touched the ring I always wore on my hand.

Due to the many dangerous situations I faced at the beginning of my possession, I still carried magical tools even now that I had retired.

‘I have three magical tools right now. They are all single-use.’

They could create wind, spew fire, or form a thick shield.

If the attackers were ordinary, these would be enough, but judging by this feeling, they are not ordinary humans.

There were four of them, or five if Loren joined in, putting me at a numerical disadvantage.

If Ludwin were in his human form, he would be able to handle them, I wasn’t sure if Ludwin in his dog form could handle all five at once.

Above all, I didn’t want Ludwin to get hurt.

“Who are you people?”

The attackers didn’t respond to my wary question. They just smiled slyly and slowly closed the distance between us.

Grrrrr.

Ludwin growled, his body trebling from all his tension as if he was ready to pounce at any moment. There was a murderous glint in his amber eyes.

“No, Lu. Calm down.”

Grrrrr.

I kept pulling on his leash, telling him to calm down, but Ludwin didn’t seem to understand. No, it seemed he was too angry to hear me properly.

I had never seen Ludwin like this before.

“Tyria Dilucia.”

“Found.”

“Ludwin Rivolte.”

“Found.”

I was startled by the words they clumsily muttered one by one.

‘Are they foreigners? No, more importantly, do they know me and Ludwin?’

The eyes of the attackers, glinting under their berets, seemed strange. They were clearly human eyes, but there was something unsettling about them.

“Who the hell are you!”

I asked again. But they just smiled slyly without giving a proper answer.

Their eyes, like those of a predator watching its prey, made my body shrink instinctively.

Grrrrr.

I held onto Ludwin’s leash tightly, as if it were a lifeline.

“Lu, let’s retreat. There are too many of them.”

Hoping my voice would reach him this time, I wrapped my arms around his neck. Startled, he looked at me and then stopped growling.

Then, while still on guard, he began to back away with me.

‘Just like this, we’ll slowly go to the main street where there are people.’

We were just one block away from the main street. Even though it was late, there would still be some pedestrians, they wouldn’t dare to harm us there.

‘Just a little more!’

I continued to back away slowly.

Loren was watching us from a distance, but he didn’t seem to make any move to stop us.

‘Almost there.’

Just as I was about to turn and run, one of the attackers shouted something and charged at me.

“Shamak! Rokh Luketia!”

He was the smallest of the attackers. Startled by his sudden approach, I stumbled over a rock as I was backing away.

“Ah!”

Losing my balance, I fell backward with a thud.

Fortunately, I avoided hitting my head, but landing hard on the stone floor hurt a lot.

“Ouch.”

“Do not go!”

In that brief moment, the man, speaking clumsy Imperial language, rushed at me. Startled, I instinctively raised my arms to block him and screamed.

“Ahhh!”

In an instant, everything became chaotic around me.

Woof!

“Ahhhh!”

Bang─!

With the sound of something exploding, all kinds of noises began mixing. I couldn’t see what was happening because I had closed my eyes.

When I opened them, the area was filled with white smoke. The acrid smell stung my nose, making me sneeze.

“Ugh, achoo! Cough. What is this?”

Feeling anxious seeing the smoke everywhere, I urgently looked for Ludwin.

“Lu! Where are you?”

Grrrrr. Woof!

All kinds of sounds could be heard from within.

Ludwin and the attackers were all in the smoke. Even though I couldn’t see them, I could tell.

It seemed like Ludwin was angry and fighting with the attackers.

No, it seemed more like he was attacking them while they panicked and tried to escape.

With each growl from Ludwin, there were alternating screams of terror.

Grrrrr.

“Rishban le Rakma!”

Woof!

“Diha Mah!”

Woof! Woof!

“Maha Dar!”

But as expected, they were foreigners, and I couldn’t understand what they were saying. At least it wasn’t one of the languages ​​of the nearby kingdoms I had learned so far.

‘What on earth is happening?’

The wind was strong tonight for spring, so the smoke cleared sooner than expected.

In the meantime, the attackers seemed to have fled, leaving behind bloodstains and the still-growling Ludwin on the street.

Loren had also fled with them, as the spot where he had been standing was now empty.

Under the streetlight, my broken flowerpot looked eerily desolate.

‘…Is it over?’

I looked around, still seated. The street was quiet, they really must have fled.

As my tension released, I wobbled.

Whine!

Just as I was about to collapse onto the stone floor, Ludwin came up to support me. Thanks to him, I avoided the misfortune of slamming my face onto the ground.

Whine, whine.

Ludwin whined worriedly at me.

“Thank you, Lu.”

I unintentionally buried my face in his soft fur, too weak to move. He felt quite warm, probably because my body had gone cold from shock.

‘I almost got into big trouble.’

My heart was still pounding from the shock.

I thought there would be no more danger after the ending.

‘Was that too hasty of a judgement? Maybe I should listen to father’s advice and take a bodyguard with me.’

But I didn’t like the idea of bringing a knight to a shop frequented by commoners.

Moreover, I had no idea who the attackers were.

I hadn’t done anything dangerous enough recently to warrant a threat to my life.

 

‘Tyria Dilucia.’

‘Found.’

 

Their strange atmosphere came to mind again, making my shoulders tremble slightly.

I had a feeling this wasn’t the end.

I took a deep breath and tried to shake off the uneasiness.

Thanks to Ludwin, I was safe for now.

“You helped me a lot today.”

He had blocked the stone thrown by the troublemaker, protected me when I was in danger, and caught me when I lost my strength.

I felt a bit shaken.

“Thank you for helping me.”

I whispered my gratitude, lying on Ludwin’s back.

Grrr, grrrr. Grrr.

Then, I heard a strange sound. It sounded like growling, but it was unusual.

“Lu?”

I raised my head quickly.

‘Could he be hurt?’

Ludwin was shaking with his head down. The moment I touched him in surprise, his large body swayed and he fell to the ground with a thud.

He felt warmer than before. No, he was hot.

“Lu!”

Cough! Grrr.

Suddenly, Ludwin started writhing in pain, as if he had ingested something he shouldn’t have.

“Lu? Are you okay?”

But he seemed to not be able to hear me, just foaming at the mouth and making low groaning sounds.

I was utterly bewildered, seeing him in such pain for the first time. I didn’t know what to do.

“What should I do? Lu? Lu!”

At that moment, a golden light began to emanate from his body.

It spread like a wave, covering him, and soon his large form was enveloped in the radiant light.

Startled, I quickly withdrew my hand from him.

‘Could it be…!’

The huge mass of light gradually shrank and transformed into a familiar shape in the blink of an eye.

As the light subsided, I swallowed dryly at the sight that was revealed.

“A human form…”

Black hair that seemed to repel light, flawless white skin, and a perfectly proportioned, muscular body straight out of a magazine.

It was Ludwin’s appearance, exactly as I had seen it three months ago.

“Why now…. Uh?”

In my confusion, I glanced down briefly and then quickly turned my head, my heart pounding wildly.

‘Ah, he’s naked…!’

I nearly saw it, but I didn’t. Still, it was a pity I didn’t see it… No, that’s not right!

I shook my head vigorously. This was no time for such thoughts.

“Here, cover yourself with this.”

I took off my shawl and, averting my gaze, approached slowly to cover him.

I couldn’t have the young lord of the Rivolte family running around naked in the street.

‘We need to get to a safe place.’

The attackers might return.

Understanding the situation could wait until we were safe.

But as soon as the shawl touched him, light burst out again.

Swoosh!

And as the light faded, Ludwin was once again a black-furred dog.

“Huh?”

Fortunately, the shawl was large enough to cover his animal form, but that wasn’t the issue.

“Why did he change back?”

Before I could even make a guess, Ludwin groaned again.

Whine!

Then, with another flash, he transformed back into a human.

I collapsed to the ground, my legs giving out.

‘What is happening?’

In the brief moments I was dazed, Ludwin transformed back and forth between human and animal two more times.

And with each transformation, his condition worsened.

Pant! Pant! Whine.

Seeing him panting painfully, my heart sank with worry.

‘Something is wrong.’

With an ominous feeling, I hugged his animal form without hesitation.

I didn’t know how to stop it, but I had to do something.

It couldn’t be normal for him to transform rapidly while unconscious.

“Lu, snap out of it!”

I slapped his face, trying to wake him.

“Ludwin!”

Did my shout reach him?

Ludwin flashed once more and returned to human form. This time he did not immediately turn into an animal but maintained his form for longer.

Not only that, but he also let out a low moan and slowly lifted his eyelids. Amber eyes appeared between his pale face.

“Lu! Are you awake?”