Taming Her Highness the Princess

39 – Werewolves

The Islands are vast, as they are the capital of an empire that occupies nearly half of the continent. It took about an hour to drive from the Imperial Palace located in the center of the archipelago to the outskirts of the archipelago.

During that hour, Ladne and Jeniel did not have much of a conversation. No, to be precise, it was close to not having a conversation.

Jeniel and Ladneda do not talk in private. In addition, Jenny Earl was getting some kind of misunderstanding, so he was even more reluctant to talk.

“… ….”

“… ….”

Thanks to this, the man and woman arrived in Teldoran, located on the outskirts of the archipelago, without speaking to each other after the first few conversations.

After stopping the car near the village, Jeniel got out of the driver’s seat and looked at the view of the village. I can see the shabby wooden houses gathered in a circle around the well in the center.

The town’s financial situation did not look very good, as some traces of repairing the hole in the roof were visible.

Nevertheless, the fact that the lights are on in every house makes me feel uncomfortable. Kerosene was not expensive, but it was not enough for the poor on the outskirts of the island to kill it every night.

“Are you here?”

These were the words of Radne, who got out of the car and approached. Jenial nodded.

“It looks like that. Let’s go see the village chief first.”

I had to meet the village chief and listen to the facts of the case to be sure about the direction of dealing with the werewolves.

As Jenial walked into the village, Radne followed him. After crossing the entrance of the village, a man who appears to be the village’s vigilante approaches with a lamp.

“Who are you there? If you are a person who has received a request from the Adventurer’s Guild…….”

The moment the light from the lantern illuminated Jeniel’s whole body, the man gulped down his saliva. It was because the pattern on the brooch on the overcoat Jeniel was wearing indicated his noble status.

“Go, go, how could Young master be in such a small corner of the village… ….”

The man’s hand holding the lamp was shaking. He had never seen a single nobleman or knight in his entire life, but he was very embarrassed when the eldest son of a famous and influential person suddenly appeared.

“Where is the village chief’s house?”

“Ah, there and there… ….”

“Guide me.”

The man nodded vigorously and guided us to a rather large house among wooden houses. A man knocks on the door, and an old man’s voice is heard from inside.

“Who is knocking on the door at this hour, damn it!”

“Cho, chief. That’s me.”

“Is it Kshan? Hey! How many times have I said basic manners!”

“Yes, it’s polite and nabal, and I think you should come out right now! An honored guest has come…… !”

“What? Since when did adventurers who reveal money start being treated as VIPs-“

The old man, who opened the door abruptly, tried to shout, but ended up gasping. Huh! The old man, who was almost out of breath, put strength on his hand on his cane and bowed his head.

“I, sir, have something to do in this rural corner…… Iron, Schönne doesn’t have anything, so even if you shake it off, nothing comes out…….”

To say that there is nothing, the view of the living room through the wide open door was quite antique.

The chair or table placed in front of the fireplace where the wood is burning was very clean, probably because it had been bought recently, and an antique that looked quite expensive was displayed on the wall.

Even at a glance, these are not things that a village chief can have. After taking a look around the room, Jenial looked down at the old man somewhat indifferently.

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have business with you. I’m here to subdue the werewolves that appear near this town.”

“Are you saying this yourself?”

“Is it dissatisfaction?”

The old man shook his head hastily.

“If you can help us, we will welcome it with open arms. However, I’m concerned about searching late at night…….”

“No need to worry, tell me where werewolves have been seen.”

“Yes, yes. Werewolves have been seen deep in the woods behind our village. It seems that they make burrows nearby, and thanks to that, we are anxious every day, wondering when we will be attacked.”

“Behind the village.”

After saying that, Jeniel moved to the back of the village without asking the old man’s permission. It was a truly self-righteous act, but no one here could stop Jenial.

That was the same for Radne, so she sighed softly and followed Jenial. That was when the two of them entered the forest and walked for about an hour.

Bouseuluck─

The bushes nearby move greatly. As Jeniel and Ladne stopped walking and looked there, a person came out through the bush.

What came out of the bush was a man in a white priest’s uniform. Half of his face is distorted with burnt scars, so your gaze naturally goes there.

“Ehh!?”

The man who came out of the bush caught his breath in surprise when he found Jeniel and Radne. The man, who had been frozen for a moment, wiped his face as if he was glad.

“Ah, sorry. I was very surprised to learn that it was a werewolf. But that one…….”

A different meaning of surprise appears on the man’s face as he examines Jeniel’s appearance.

“Eh, the pattern of the Duke of Malaig? Ho, are you Young master Jenial by any chance?”

“Yes.”

“Go, what happened to Young master in such a remote place… ….”

“I came to catch the werewolf. What are you doing here?”

“I-I… ….”

The man who took a break for a while regained his composure and said.

“Sorry. The introduction was delayed because it was so sudden. My name is Ronnier, an apprentice priest working at the cathedral. They said that this village is in trouble due to werewolves, so I sent them.”

“Dispatch. Any results?”

“Joe, there is a little bit. It seems that by tracking down the manure, they have roughly mapped out the location of the werewolf’s lair. I was thinking of going there when the day is bright. After all, dealing with werewolves at night is very dangerous.”

Jenny Earl nodded at Ronyere’s words.

“Dealing with werewolves at night is certainly dangerous. As you said, it would be good to find the werewolf’s den when it’s bright.”

Huh? If that’s the case, why the hell did you enter the forest at night? Radne looked at him somewhat puzzledly, but Jenial didn’t care and continued talking.

“Is there even a base you prepared? If you’ve been dispatched here for a long time, you’d probably have a base nearby.”

“Ah! I was trying to guide Young master there. Werewolves used the fact that they are afraid of fire, so they made a bonfire, but they are very scared alone. Come follow me I will guide you to the base.”

Having said that, Ronyere turns around and walks away. Jeniel and Radne calmly followed Ronyere.

After walking for a few minutes, as Ronyere said, an empty lot with a bonfire was revealed. Other than that, there wasn’t much else, so it’s a bit empty, but it was good enough.

“I think you two can sleep here for now. I will be on watch nearby to study werewolf manure, so if you have any inconvenience, please feel free to tell me!”

Ronyere bows his head and goes back the way he came. Thanks to that, Ladne and Jeniel, who were left alone, went to the bonfire and sat down.

Leaning their backs on the fallen log, the two stared at the flames of the bonfire in silence. Ladne, who watched the crackling and burning ashes over and over again, couldn’t overcome the silence and looked back at Jeniel.

“…… What are you up to?”

“What do you mean?”

“You said you came to catch the werewolf.”

“Yes.”

“And I hurriedly got here in the middle of the night.”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you resting here? Wasn’t it urgent to catch the werewolf?”

“There is no need to rush. Didn’t the priest I just met say he found a werewolf’s den?”

Something seemed out of place, but there was a point. Radne, who seemed like asking more would only amplify her doubts, decided to keep her mouth shut.

But are you really sleeping here? It was my first homelessness, so I couldn’t get used to it. However, Jenial seemed calm, as if he had become accustomed to something.

Since Jennie Earl is the eldest son of the Malaig family, he must have never been homeless like himself, but the energy he exudes is like someone who has been homeless like this countless times.

I’m staring at it because it’s strange, so I meet Jeniel’s eyes, who turned his head. Jenny Earle nodded, took off her coat, and handed it to Radne.

From noble mtl dot com

“You look cold. Wear this.”

I didn’t mean it that way, but it was just a fuss.

“…… It’s okay. Because I don’t want to be favored by you.”

“I won’t ask you to repay the favor with something like this, so accept it. Even if it’s not cold right now, it will be hard to endure when dawn comes when the flames of the bonfire are reduced and the air cools down.”

“Isn’t that the same for you?”

“It’s okay. I tend to be less sensitive to the cold.”

What’s the point of saying that and not getting it? After some hesitation, Radne accepted the coat that Jennie Earl was handing over to her and put it on her shoulder.

After that, a long silence follows. Radne tried to reprimand Jenny Earl for showing signs of coldness and return his coat, but that did not happen.

Jeniel, who was staring at the flames, was motionless as if he was deep in thought. All he could do now and then was pick up a nearby tree branch and toss it into the campfire.

As he watches from the sidelines, I wonder what the hell he’s thinking. Since she couldn’t sleep at the time, Radne started talking in passing.

“…… Do you think of your sister?”

Jennie Earl looked back at Radne, who opened her eyes after closing them.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding, but I have never loved Seryl as her opposite s*x.”

“Really?”

A deep smile hangs on Radne’s lips. She had a cheeky smile, as if she were saying, ‘I know everything, but I’ll just let it go because I’m thinking of you.’

She’s here, no matter how much she tries to explain, she’ll only become miserable. But why did things turn out this way? Jeniel, who had guessed where the source of all the illusions originated, sighed lowly.

‘As expected… ….’

It is clear that Louis Nell passed her strange book to her sister. Otherwise, Seryl’s exasperated reaction couldn’t be explained.

As she was groaning lowly because her headaches were hurt in many ways, Radne asked again. Her playfulness was evident, and she seemed to be seeking revenge for what had been done to her.

“Who are you thinking of this time?”

“Ruinel.”

Isn’t Ruinel an escort knight for Irea? Just when I wondered why Ruinel’s name had suddenly appeared, Jeniel calmly explained the reason.

“I wanted to kill half of them when I went back.”