Chapter 107
Atreyu was the name of the taciturn one.
Bastian was the name of the brown-haired one.
They were youngsters who had turned sixteen and thirteen this year.
‘Wait, the brown-haired one is the same age as my younger sibling?’
The taciturn one was much taller than her, and the brown-haired one was almost at her level. It seemed that the people of the North were of an entirely different race.
“The benefactor bestowed great grace upon the North, yet did not receive thanks, so we have come to express our gratitude in person.”
The still-childlike taciturn one calmly explained.
According to the taciturn one, during the Great Lord Council, when she had shouted, ‘I want to be alone, so everyone get out!’, the Marquess of the North had also been present.
The Marquess thought he owed her for helping the North and had tried several times to visit and thank her.
But each time, she had been away.
‘Because I took leave due to Cami’s surgery, was under house arrest because Juke caused trouble, went to Death’s Island to bring back the black dragon, and was busy preparing for the Saintess’s debut performance.’
Eventually, the Marquess had to leave without expressing his gratitude, deeply disappointed. Seeing this, the taciturn one and the brown-haired one came to repay the favor on behalf of their father.
“hh, so the Marquess doesn’t know that you two are here?”
“We couldn’t tell him, but even if he knew, he would surely be proud.”
They were runaway teenagers.
She looked at the two unnecessarily confident ones with a chuckle.
“Then why did you sneak in at night?”
“We came during the day and told the gatekeeper, but they wouldn’t let us in.”
And so, they decided to climb the wall.
“We thought that if we met you, the benefactor, and explained the situation, you would surely accept us.”
But they were caught by Cami during her patrol and turned into frozen—a sad tale indeed.
“You may use us as servants or treat us as slaves. You saved the people of the North, so whatever task you assign us, we will devote our lives to accomplishing it.”
Teenage years are said to be a stormy period, and these kids seemed obsessed with repaying kindness. She nodded with a benevolent expression.
“Understood. Then let’s have a meal together and discuss this further.”
She decided to just feed them and send them back.
* * *
The taciturn one and the brown-haired one ate very well.
Though she knew that teenage stomachs were like black holes, they seemed to eat almost as much as Cami. Still, watching them eat heartily brought her an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. The soul of a former Korean was experiencing vicarious joy.
“Phew, I’m finally full!”
The brown-haired one patted his stomach after clearing all the plates on the table. The taciturn one, too, seemed satisfied as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.
Yes, humans should be full by now.
She cleared the table and had dessert brought out. Seeing the chocolate-filled goblet, the brown-haired one sniffed curiously.
“What’s this black stuff?”
“It’s chocolate. Try it.”
In fact, this chocolate had been made for Jester.
She had wanted to give something to Jester, who had willingly taken on the role of the Saintess at her request, and after some thought, she remembered chocolate.
“Chocolate? Isn’t that something you drink? This is hard.”
“It’s been processed and molded into this form.”
In this world, chocolate was usually consumed as a drink, like coffee.
Fermented cacao beans were roasted, mixed with various spices and sugar, and boiled to make a beverage. Naturally, it was incredibly bitter and had a greasy taste due to the cacao butter.
She thought that gifting a chocolate recipe would make Jester very happy. Without considering that if it were easy to make, someone would have already done it.
Thinking it would suffice to roast cacao beans, extract the butter, and mix it with sugar and milk, she had tasted hell.
It didn’t mix. It really didn’t mix at all, to the point where she had to use magic. The subsequent processes were no different.
‘This is the fate of someone who only knows theory.’
In the end, the chocolate made without a proper recipe and through magical force became a questionable gift for Jester.
“Wow, this is really delicious! It melts in your mouth!”
At least the brown-haired one seemed to like it, which was a relief.
Unlike his brother, who eyed the chocolate warily, the taciturn one cautiously tasted one piece. Soon, his eyes sparkled as he began eating more.
Ah, yes. Eat up, my runaway piglets.
But then, the taciturn one suddenly started acting strange. He clutched his chest, buried his head on the table, and began trembling.
“Atreyu, what’s wrong?”
The brown-haired one stood up and approached his brother. However, the taciturn one couldn’t lift his head despite being shaken by his sibling.
“Atreyu! Brother! Wake up!”
‘Could it be poison?’
Alarmed, she approached to check the taciturn one’s condition. As she did, he flinched at the sound of her footsteps.
“Don’t come near!”
He raised his head abruptly and shouted in a savage voice. His appearance had changed.
Through his disheveled black hair, golden eyes gleamed. They emitted a light like a beast’s gaze.
Moreover, his elongated fangs protruded grotesquely from his lips.
“Don’t look at me!”
Covering his face, the taciturn one began writhing in pain again. Finally regaining her composure, she instructed the maids.
“Bring Dr. Kent here and tell him that a guest has had a seizure after eating.”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
“Others, bring blankets and wet towels. Also, bring ice, just in case. Hurry!”
Sending the hesitant maids away, she tried to check the taciturn one’s temperature. But he growled like a dog and swatted her hand away.
“Hey, stay still!”
She grabbed his arm despite his resistance. While examining his condition, she noticed his strangely elongated nails.
What is this? Did the chocolate contain some peculiar ingredient?
“Will you report us?”
At that moment, the brown-haired one asked in a trembling voice. Now she noticed that his eyes, too, were glowing golden. Realizing her gaze, the brown-haired one slumped and covered his face.
“We’re not demons. Really.”
“I won’t report you, and I don’t think you’re demons. Your brother is sick, so stay calm, okay?”
“…Alright.”
The brown-haired one nodded like a subdued child.
She draped her shawl over the taciturn one’s head. With his eyes covered, he seemed to calm down a bit. She patted his back and waited for the doctor.
The symptoms of the two were none other than caffeine overdose.
Having consumed over twenty chocolates in a short time, they had upset their systems. They had indeed eaten a lot.
“There’s not much we can do for now. Let them rest and give them plenty of water and fruit.”
“Doctor, when will their eyes and nails return to normal?”
“Well, that’s something you’ll have to ask them directly.”
The doctor left after making a cryptic remark. So, she began feeding the two fruits.
The runaway piglets ate the fruit well. Even the taciturn one, who looked gloomy, quickly devoured a whole bunch of bananas. The sweet oranges cheered up the brown-haired one, who began chatting excitedly.
“Actually, we’re descendants of the beast tribe that served the World Tree. We’ve never told anyone before, but we’re telling you.”
“Okay, sure. My ancestors were born from eggs too.”
Not particularly interested in someone else’s lineage, she stuffed an orange into the brown-haired one’s mouth. He grimaced but swallowed the orange and protested.
“I’m serious. As generations passed, our blood thinned, so our ears and tails disappeared, but traces like these remained.”
The brown-haired one showed his sharp nails. She frowned, wondering when this kid had last trimmed his nails. Noticing her expression, the brown-haired one’s eyes sparkled.
“You really aren’t scared of us. That’s amazing.”
“Why? Is there a reason to be scared?”
If sharp nails were enough to be deemed terrifying, she, with her bizarre abilities, should be stoned as a demon.
“Humans usually fear us. That’s why we marry among ourselves. My father is a bear, and my mother is a wolf. So my brother and I are wolves.”
“…What?”
Wolves were canines, right? Was it safe to feed chocolate to dogs?
“Atreyu! Bastian!”
At that moment, the door burst open, and a burly man resembling a bear rushed in. With a towering height of over two meters and an eye patch, he looked just like a bandit.
“Father!”
The brown-haired one ran to the bear-like man and embraced him.
The taciturn one, still weak, stood up hesitantly and bowed his head.
Seeing his two children unharmed, the bear-like man began scolding them.
“You brats! Disappearing without a word! If His Grace hadn’t contacted me…”
“Ah, Father, that’s not important right now!”
She spotted Seth standing behind the bear-like man and rose from her seat. The brown-haired one pointed at her.
“She found out that my brother and I are wolves. But she says she’s not scared. So the three of us are getting married, right?”
Seth, who had been approaching with a smile, froze in his tracks. He turned his head to stare at the brown-haired one.
Meanwhile, the bear-like man looked at her with trembling eyes. He seemed both grateful for her care of the runaway children and distressed about their secret being exposed.
She smiled and said,
“I’m returning them. I don’t need either of them, so please take them quickly.”
After much drama, she returned the runaway piglets to their rightful owner. The brown-haired one insisted on staying by her side until the end, but the taciturn one grabbed him by the neck and dragged him away.
“Just wait! I’ll definitely come back!”
“Yes, it was nice meeting you, and let’s never meet again.”
She waved at the brown-haired one being dragged away.
At that time, she sincerely believed she would never encounter them again.
“Evelyn, do you have any plans to visit the North soon?”
Until the next day, when the King made an unexpected remark.
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