According to Ludwin, it seems that the effect of the medicine wears off faster when it comes into contact with me. As I imagined petting Loren, I furrowed my brow.
‘He’d definitely bite my hand. Such a naughty rabbit.’
I was considering whether to order that tough weeds be given to him during the journey as punishment.
Suddenly, I felt a weight on my knee.
“Lu?”
At some point, Ludwin had rested his head on my knee. Looking out the window, I noticed the sun had dipped low in the sky, indicating that quite some time had passed.
“Done looking around outside?”
In response to my question, Ludwin let out a small whine and blinked up at me.
His gaze seemed to be asking for something, but unfortunately, I was just an ordinary person who had possessed this body, not a mind reader.
“Are you bored?”
Woof.
Ludwin barked softly, as if confirming my guess. Being cooped up in the cramped carriage, which had been running for hours, seemed to be getting to him.
Even though this was a large carriage capable of comfortably seating six adults, it was of no use to Ludwin.
Since we couldn’t stop the carriage due to our schedule, I was at a loss.
Then I remembered that I had just been thinking about petting Loren.
At the same time, I recalled Ludwin’s request, which I had forgotten in the midst of being so busy.
“Lu. Should I pet you?”
Before I even finished speaking, Ludwin’s tail began to wag.
His large amber eyes, which looked lifeless just moments ago, were now sparkling with anticipation.
‘That must mean he likes it, right?’
Even though he asked me to, I was still a bit cautious about touching him.
But didn’t he say that the effect of the drug seemed to wear off faster when I touched him?
‘Well, it’s not much different from a medical treatment, is it?’
If the effects of the drug wore off quickly, wouldn’t we be able to fight back whenever the beastmen attacked again?
It was the perfect excuse.
Having gained a reason to touch him, I placed my hand on the back of his neck. Ludwin immediately lifted his head as if urging me to pet him more.
This was as clear a sign of permission as any.
As I slowly stroked his neck and back, his tail swayed gently. The weight of his head, which had fallen back onto my knee, increased, and I could feel the tension in his body gradually easing.
‘He’s so soft.’
His high body temperature made my knee warm, and the texture of his fur was so fine that it felt better than the finest mink fur.
Doing this, I felt like I was being rewarded for all the effort I had put into preparing for this trip.
“It seems Ludwin likes your touch the most, Miss. When we touch him, he just looks at us like he’s tolerating it.”
“Really?”
Lena, looking envious, watched Ludwin and me.
Then, as if she had remembered something, she pulled out an item from the basket.
“Miss, Jeffrey came late last night and asked me to deliver this to you.”
“Jeffrey?”
To facilitate communication, Jeffrey had been visiting the estate frequently over the past few years, sometimes reporting on the outcomes of his research, and had become familiar with the household staff.
‘He must have left because I was too busy to meet him yesterday.’
I opened the letter Lena handed me.
The letter contained information that Ludwin’s clothing had been found in the Drew territory about two weeks ago, leading the emperor to issue a decree for a kingdom-wide search for beastmen, with orders to execute any who resisted.
After reading the letter, I looked down at Ludwin, who had fallen asleep at my feet after resting his head on my knee.
‘This isn’t good.’
I could sense that public sentiment toward beastmen in the empire was turning increasingly negative. Although those who had tried to kidnap me deserved such a reputation, I was worried that it might affect Ludwin as well.
I patted his neck once more.
‘I hope he turns back into his human form soon.’
I felt sorry for him, being forced to stay in his animal form due to an unknown drug.
The day after I acquired the smoke drug, I immediately sent it to the Laplace Garden.
There’s a skilled apothecary there, and I was sure she would make a useful antidote.
Although Ludwin looked cute in his dog form, I couldn’t continue living with a ticking time bomb that could turn back into a human at any moment.
In any case, I was slightly uneasy about bringing Ludwin along to the hunting competition.
‘I hope it will be helpful.’
The gift I had prepared for Ludwin would also serve as a minimal safety precaution in case he suddenly transformed.
I folded Jeffrey’s letter and placed it back in the envelope.
I didn’t know how things had come to this.
‘I miss flowers. I want to drink flower tea.’
I already missed the peaceful days at the flower shop.
At some point, I had gradually drifted away from my leisurely life running a flower shop after the ending.
And when did that start? Probably when this big dog appeared in my flower shop’s backyard!
But as I looked at Ludwin, peacefully dozing off, I felt my shoulders relax as I thought, ‘Well, I guess it can’t be helped.’ After all, I had a weakness for cute things.
‘Maybe everything will be resolved once the beastmen are caught.’
I decided to think positively.
Little did I know, that this was just the beginning.
***
On the way up from Dilucia to Leon, you must pass through the Barony of Verodian.
Verodian is a relatively large barony, but because it lies on the rugged edge of the Gu Kai Mountain range, it has long been a haven for fugitives.
Most of them became bandits, making a living by robbing travelers.
Inside one of their hideouts, a shabby cabin, several women sat huddled together, their hands and feet bound.
They all wore expressions of terror, silently weeping.
Suddenly, the door of the cabin burst open.
“Ah, shut up! You scum! Can’t you be quiet?”
The loud shout of the man who had kicked the door open was followed by a sudden silence, though the sound of fearful sobs could not be completely silenced.
The short, skinny man glared around the cabin before slamming the door shut as he left.
Cursing under his breath, he made his way to the tent where the bandit leader resided.
“Boss!”
“Quiet down, Milo.”
Inside the tent, a man twice the size of Milo was drinking beer, clad in roughly treated leather clothing. A large axe, the size of Milo’s torso, stood beside him.
Milo collapsed into an empty seat.
“Damn it, boss! Are those women really worth the money?”
A few weeks ago, some guys who suddenly appeared through a trade route they often dealt with had placed a crazy request to kidnap a silver-haired noblewoman.
Rumor had it that other bandit gangs were also searching for silver-haired women, suggesting they had placed similar requests elsewhere.
“Look at this. They promised three more pouches like this if we bring the silver-haired woman.”
The leader lifted a red pouch he had placed behind him. The heavy clinking sound it made as it moved indicated a substantial sum of coins. If it was all gold, it would be a significant amount. The greedy eyes of the other lieutenants glittered as they eyed the pouch.
Although Milo had only recently joined the bandit gang, his skills had quickly made him a trusted aide. Despite the tempting money, Milo couldn’t shake his ominous feelings.
Money was important, but Milo’s life was more important than that.
“Boss, do you think silver-haired noblewomen are common in the empire? Across the entire empire, the only silver-haired nobles are from Rudeus, Baulon, and Dilucia, all families that would have our heads the moment we touched them.”
So far, they had only kidnapped commoner women from nearby villages with hair colors similar to silver.
As Milo protested, the men around the leader burst into laughter.
“Listen to this guy, he even knows the names of noble families. I guess he really did have some experience serving under one.”
“And didn’t he get his hand chopped off for embezzling money? That’s why he got kicked out.”
In fact, Milo had lost his right hand. Caught embezzling, he had been expelled without a letter of recommendation. Forced to survive on his own, he had no choice but to join the bandit gang.
‘These brainless thugs don’t even know the word ‘embezzlement.’’
What good was their strength? They couldn’t tell if the mess in front of them was poop or brown sauce?
“Damn it, boss! I’m telling you, something smells fishy about this job! Those guys didn’t seem normal at all. I thought they weren’t even human!”
Out of loyalty to the gang he had been eating with, Milo voiced his concerns, but they fell on deaf ears.
The men who had handed over the pouch had been even larger than the leader, with piercing eyes that looked at them as if they were nothing more than bugs.
And their fingernails, which he had glimpsed, were dark bluish, unlike those of humans.
Like a beast.
Having survived by his instincts alone, Milo was filled with unease.
But the bandits, who faced danger daily, ignored him.
“If you’re scared, back out! But don’t expect to get your share.”
“Damn it!”
Milo’s frustration grew as the others refused to listen.
‘If things go south, I’ll have to make a run for it.’
He nervously bit his lips when suddenly someone rushed into the tent.
“Boss, boss!”
It was a young lookout, still green.
“There’s a silver-haired woman down there!”
“Oh.”
At the lookout’s words, the men in the tent grinned and grabbed their weapons.
“Well then. Shall we go hunting?”
The leader grinned, baring his teeth.
***
It’s the second day since we departed for Leon.
We parked the carriage in the mountains for a while.
“Bleeegh!”
A loud, dramatic noise echoed through the fresh, serene forest, causing everyone to turn pale.
“Lena, are you okay?”
The source of the noise was none other than my maid, Lena.
She had vomited so much that her face had turned ghostly pale, and she looked like she was about to cry.
“I’m sorry, Miss. Because of me…”
Lena had vomited three times since we left this morning. Now, with nothing left to bring up, she was only retching up yellow bile.
