“It’s a sudden question, but do you know what the black wolves and white wolves mean to the people of Serenia Castle?”
“Um, I know roughly.”
He had read about it in a book at Serenia Castle. In this vast land, once home to an ancient empire, the only place where people lived was the small Serenia Castle. Everywhere else was overrun by swarming magical beasts.
It hadn’t been long since people began living even in this small patch of land. When the first head of the Piercen family gathered people to settle here, they struggled tirelessly to take the land occupied by black wolves and white wolves. It was no easy task.
The area where Serenia Castle now stands was split evenly between the black wolves and white wolves. Trying to wedge their way in naturally led to attacks from both sides. Though there were many skilled fighters, this was practically a kingdom of wolves.
Unimaginable numbers of wolves would swarm in at night, tearing into livestock and killing people which was a frequent occurrence. Even the strong often perished, overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
Naturally, fear of the wolves seeped into people’s hearts, and some gave up settling here, leaving for other places.
Things improved after building the lord’s castle and erecting walls, but the black and white wolves, whose territory had been taken, joined forces to attack. Despite heavy losses, the first Piercen cleared the forest and built walls for the future. That’s how Serenia Castle came to have its triple-layered walls.
The black and white wolves were pushed south in the process and came to harbor resentment toward humans. Hunters or herbalists caught by the wolves were brutally killed, their bodies scattered around the walls, embedding fear and terror in people’s hearts. Over time, encountering a black wolf came to mean death. Yet Yuda said he only knew roughly. Piercen found this puzzling. Children usually grow up hearing old tales from parents or grandparents, a process that ingrains fear in their minds. But Yuda seemed unaware of this.
“…Ah, well, that makes sense.”
Piercen tilted his head at Yuda’s words but soon nodded as if he understood. He was well aware of Yuda’s story regarding his parents. Especially since Kaseun had taken on the role of his guardian, it was impossible not to remember. Having lost his parents young, Yuda had no one to instill fear of the wolves in him. It was surprising he knew anything about their significance at all.
“Well, if you know even a bit, that makes things easier. New settlers in the castle might just shrug it off, but for those like our Piercen family, who’ve lived here for generations, the fear of wolves is much greater than you’d think. Old tales, grim rumors, and the truth mixed in with them naturally plant fear and anxiety in our hearts.”
It was like how people in our country used to fear tigers long ago. But unlike tigers, which numbered only a few, the wolves here numbered in the hundreds, which was a huge problem. Over a hundred black wolves had been killed already, but there were still hundreds more around Requiem. If you counted all the wolves spread across the southern forest, it might be close to thousands. With such a force, it was no wonder people were afraid.
“Whether the black wolves lost or won their turf war with the white wolves isn’t important. What matters is that they’ve shown up in the eastern forest. Those creatures, once confined to the southern forest, are now appearing in the east, and that’s making people anxious. I don’t care if adventurers or mercenaries are uneasy, they’ll leave eventually. But the residents must not be afraid. They’re the reason this castle exists, and why I’m here.”
“…….”
“As a lord, I have a duty to dispel the fears and anxieties of the people living in my land. I thought long and hard about it, whether to ask Sir Kaseun here for help, or to lead my soldiers to exterminate the wolves in the eastern forest myself, or to put out a request to the adventurer or mercenary guilds. While I was considering all these options, out of nowhere, you went and hunted those black wolves.”
Piercen chuckled lightly.
“Haha, do you know how shocked I was at first? Even my soldiers hesitate to hunt black wolves, yet a thirteen-year-old boy killed them! And not just one or two, but over a hundred of them! Your intentions for killing those wolves don’t matter. This is exactly what I meant by fate.”
“Huh?”
“You may have just been hunting wolves, but that single action gave the castle’s residents courage and stability. If you keep hunting black wolves, the fear and anxiety lurking in their hearts will fade. No, they’ll even start thinking it was foolish to be afraid. They’ll find courage. Hunters will band together and roam the eastern forest again like before, and mercenaries and adventurers will think, ‘If a kid can hunt wolves, of course we can,’ and go out to hunt. Fortunately, black and white wolves fetch a good price.”
By the way, the food the maids had placed on the round table was getting cold. Kaseun and Tia seemed to be reluctantly waiting, as the lord hadn’t picked up his utensils. Yuda kept nodding at Piercen’s words, stealing glances at the food. He appreciated the praise, but he was hungry. Fortunately, Piercen seemed to sense the mood and looked ready to wrap up his speech briefly.
“So don’t feel too burdened by the word ‘hero.’ If you can give people hope and courage, anyone regardless of age, gender, status, or ability, they can be called a hero. I think it’s a fitting title for you.”
“Thank you.”
Piercen smiled warmly.
“Oh, my. I’ve talked too long with food in front of us. You must be hungry. My apologies.”
Piercen raised the glass of wine in front of him, which a maid had poured earlier while serving the food. Yuda had a soft drink, likely due to his age, but he grabbed his glass, following Kaseun and Tia as they raised theirs after the lord.
“I hope it suits your taste. Enjoy your meal.”
They lightly clinked glasses with those beside them and finally began the long-awaited meal.
Before coming here, Yuda had worried that even with delicious food, the occasion might feel awkward, but it was an unnecessary concern. Piercen had a gift for conversation that belied his lordly status. He had a knack for making people laugh quietly. The meal was ending faster than expected, leaving a slight sense of regret.
“By the way, young hero, what are your plans moving forward?”
Piercen tossed the question at Yuda. Though sudden, Yuda answered lightly.
“Hm, I’ll probably keep hunting until I leave Serenia Castle.”
“Leave the castle?”
Piercen asked, sounding puzzled. Yuda nodded. For him, a resident saying they’d leave might be a sensitive issue.
“After my coming-of-age ceremony, I plan to leave Serenia Castle and travel the world. I read in the library that there are so many countries out there. But since the journey will likely be dangerous, I’ve been training with Grandpa Kaseun and Zentia for a while.”
“Ho—then until your coming-of-age ceremony?”
“As I just said, I’ll probably keep hunting.”
“That’s great to hear. If the young hero reduces the number of black wolves, I’d be more than grateful.”
[A quest has been triggered.]
[The Lord’s Request]
[The lord, troubled by the black wolves expanding their territory into the eastern forest, hopes you will reduce their numbers.]
[This isn’t a task to ask of just anyone, but it’s an opportunity. If you can hunt the wolves and even defeat their leader, you’ll be celebrated not only by the lord but by the castle’s residents as well.]
[The rewards for this quest depend on the number of wolves hunted and will conclude when you visit the lord to claim them.]
It was a quest Yuda quite liked. It wasn’t mandatory, but for him, it was a no-brainer. He was already planning to stay in the eastern forest until his coming-of-age ceremony, so it worked out well. Plus, there was no set deadline, so there was no rush.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to reduce the number of wolves before I leave Serenia Castle.”
Piercen smiled with satisfaction at his words. He stood, asking Yuda to wait a moment, and soon returned with a box, saying it was a gift. Inside the long wooden case was an elegant bastard sword.
“One of the merchant guilds gave this to me as a gift, but I have my own favored sword. I’ll give it to you, young hero. It should serve you well for a long time.”
Yuda glanced at the sword in the box before closing the case. He thanked Piercen. He hadn’t checked its stats yet, but a sword presented to a lord by a wealthy merchant guild was sure to be good.
“I hope you use it boldly without hesitation.”
He would gladly do so. Afterward, Piercen suggested they continue chatting since the meal was over. When he mentioned he was willing to break out some expensive liquor today, Kaseun and Tia’s eyes lit up. With no other choice, Yuda stayed, partly to wait for Tia and partly to listen to what they’d talk about.
Piercen called a waiting maid to bring something, and soon she returned with what looked like expensive liquor and a generous platter of fruit snacks. The aroma of the alcohol was so sweet even Yuda could tell. Seeing them sip and rave about how good it was, Yuda wanted to try some too, but being too young, he was stuck sipping his soft drink. The liquor must have been strong, as their faces soon flushed, and they began freely sharing amusing stories as if tipsy.
Their tales of heroism were entertaining. Yuda listened, losing track of time, and before he knew it, night had fallen. Piercen suggested they take a carriage home, as resting there would be more comfortable than staying at the castle.
It was a kind offer. Tia, who kept drinking while exclaiming how good the liquor was, was slurring her words with odd pronunciations, which had Yuda worried. Now they could return comfortably. Perhaps aware she’d had too much, she grew extremely quiet. When it was time to leave, she stood unsteadily, swaying. Yuda hurriedly supported her.
Stepping outside the dining hall, Tia breathed in the cool air and let out a deep sigh. Kaseun, planning to stay and drink more with Piercen, told them to go ahead. With a promise to meet again if the chance arose, Yuda shook Piercen’s hand and boarded the carriage. As he sat on the relatively cushy seat, Tia let out a groan.
“Ughh.”
“Are you okay? I thought you were drinking a lot.”
He’d seen her drink occasionally before. But she seemed to have a high tolerance, as she’d never appeared drunk. Today, though, she seemed very intoxicated. Her eyes glinted as they opened wide, looking at Yuda.
“Lil’ kid, y’don’t know how ‘xpensive that liquor was! And that stuff! It was freakin’ delishus!”
Wait, but that’s kind of cute?
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***Author’s Note***
Ugh, some of you might not know, but…
I was using my stockpile and accidentally uploaded it to the main story today, and got caught (…)
I should’ve posted it to the practice work, but something felt off, and when I checked, there was a 1kb file uploaded. Haha.
Anyway, I have a confession about the stockpile.
Honestly, getting so many coupons makes me happy and puts me in a great mood. The thought of being able to eat chicken makes me giggle and motivates me to post. (Coupons are like a drug!)
But there’s a problem. When I get coupons, I feel like I have to repay you with rapid updates! So I do that, but this time, my stockpile is dwindling a bit.
If I don’t keep a certain amount of stockpile, the flow of the writing feels off, so while working on this piece, I’ve been trying to maintain a decent reserve.
Some days, the writing flows well, but others, I get blocked and can’t write at all.
So while I’m super grateful for the coupons, keeping up with daily rapid updates as repayment is honestly tough!
(If I hit #1 on TUBE, I’d chug caffeine and write all night, but that’s not happening.)
Still, I’ll work hard to rebuild my stockpile and bring rapid updates like this when I can.
As I say every time I post, thank you so much for reading.
You know how I feel, right? You don’t?
Well, let me tell you. Yes, that’s right.
If I order chicken, I can spare one wing for you.
(Oops, but the drumstick… sorry!)
