Chapter 78

Chapter 78

“…Is that so?”

I was surprised that Dimitri had friends.

‘In the story, he was a lonely tyrannical cat.’

In the original story, there was a backstory that Dimitri was abandoned by Madam Elbas as a child and miraculously survived after meeting a benefactor. While living and training in the mountains, his teacher and benefactor, who had helped him with an incident that occurred in the nearby estate, fell victim to a power struggle between nobles.

Through this incident, Dimitri realized the authority of power and how it could render a person powerless.

From then on, his lust for power grew, and he wondered how he could attain it, so he returned to Blois and participated in the battlefield as a son of a nobleman and made a contribution. Coincidentally, as his brothers died on the same battlefield, Dimitri, who returned after making a contribution, became a duke.

‘Seeing that he’s talking about the mountain, he might be the person Dimitri was with when he was saved by his benefactor.’

As I watched Esca closely, making my own guesses, I realized he was a shapeshifter.

It was because the shape of his pupils, the tips of the ears, and the shape of his teeth were slightly different from those of ordinary humans.

“I set out as soon as I received the letter, but I didn’t like the humans’ magical traveling party, so I walked, although it took me longer than I thought.”

“I see.”

Finally, he graciously revealed his identity.

“Yes, I’m a shapeshifter. I’m a white wolf who lives in snowy mountains in the winter.”

He then glanced around me and asked curiously.

“In the letter, it said you had two cats, but you must have given birth a lot in the meantime?”

‘Throwing the cats to the wolf? No, other than that, giving birth… to about twenty?’

Realizing what he was saying, I shook my head violently in astonishment.

“N-no, I didn’t give birth! Yesterday! Yesterday, we wiped out a bad slave trader and saved the shapeshifter people who were there! I didn’t give birth.”

“I see.”

He responded calmly, in contrast to my urgent explanation.

I asked him cautiously.

“By any chance, could you take care of all these children? If you tell me what Dimitri promised in return, I will pay you many times as much.”

At my question, he lifted his clear, untainted eyes and stared at me.

What price would it cost to help an old friend? I just gladly oblige.”

I was at a loss for words.

For some reason, a feeling of shame arose as though I were somehow too worldly. As I stood there frozen, unsure of what to say, he smiled a very compassionate smile that contradicted his very cold face.

As if it understood my heart and there was no need to explain anything.

‘I know this feeling. I’ve felt this way before…’

In an instant, a sense of déjà vu ran through me.

‘This is how I felt when I met the monk at the temple I went to with my grandmother…!’

While I was having a strange conversation with Esca, which made me feel uncomfortable yet comforting at the same time, I could see Viscount Villefranc waiting without leaving his place.

“Is there anything else?”

When I asked, he replied right away.

“His Excellency would like to thank Madam Rowaine for this.”

“I just did what I had to do.”

“Please don’t refuse His Excellency’s sincerity and tell him what you want. He told me to grant Madam Rowaine whatever she wishes.”

“What do I want?”

“Yes. Say anything.”

“Anything?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Repeatedly asking, I stood dumbfounded for a moment. My mind had already wiped away the shame I’d felt during my conversation with Esca, the shame I’d felt for my worldliness.

I stood dumbfounded for a moment.

“That… to what extent is that…?”

“Yes?”

Watching Viscount Villefranc tilting his head, I smiled brightly.

‘Dimitri is rich, and I’ve done a great job! So, wouldn’t it be okay to receive a huge present?’

Even though I wasn’t planning on receiving a gift, it wasn’t something I would turn down.

Viscount Villefranc’s eyes reflected the smile on my face.

As I rode a horse and went to Avila with excitement, I could see that she was surrounded by dogs in her temporary shelter.

“Avila!”

When I got off the horse, as if they had been waiting, the shapeshifters rushed over and surrounded me, jumping up and down and flapping their tongues.

“Huk, Duchess…! Hey guys! Hold on!”

Avila, who saw the dog shapeshifters rushing at me, was frightened for a moment, and soon charismatically commanded them. Surprisingly quickly, the dogs calmed down and they sat on their butts on the floor, breathing heavily.

“I’m sorry. When they see new people, everyone is so excited that they just can’t help it. It’s difficult to control because the environment has changed, and they’re in a state of excitement.”

The cats were similar, so I gave her a pat on the shoulder as if understanding.

“Still, you’re much better with the shapeshifters than I am, Avila.”

“Haha, is that so? I learned a few things from watching the hounds in the Imperial Castle.”

“I was worried about the number of people here, but I’m glad. How many are they in total?”

“Forty-eight.”

“Oh, that’s a lot of people. Did any of them get sick?”

Avila’s eyes darkened.

“No. Most of them had skin diseases and ear infections, and in severe cases, there were prisoners who were bleeding as if they had been beaten.”

“Oh, my…”

That was to be expected. Most of the cat shapeshifters also had wounds, big and small.

It was a terrible feeling to imagine how the slavers treated them.

‘I’ll treat them with my powers a little bit every day so that no one would notice.’

No one would be suspicious if I had Dr. Tyra treat them with conventional medicine while also using my power to treat them at the same time.

Then, I asked Avila to take a moment to leave the dogs with the other employees.

“Could you go somewhere with me?”

“Where is it?”

“Follow me, and you’ll see.”

I smiled meaningfully and rode her along with my horse.

“Hold on tight so you don’t fall off.”

For Avila’s sake, I rode my horse slowly and moved to the place Viscount Villefranc told me earlier.

It was the site of an abandoned school dormitory.

“Since you can’t stay in this cramped makeshift place forever, I’m thinking of buying this place and letting the shapeshifters stay here.”

Avila, who got off the horse, ran about with her mouth wide open. Starting with the main building, she rushed through the men’s and women’s dormitories, dining halls, and annexes. She was very energetic as if she wasn’t tired in the slightest.

She came running to me a moment later, breathless.

“This place? The Duchess is giving this wonderful place to the shapeshifters?”

“I’m thinking of setting up a shapeshifter shelter here.”

“Huuk…!”

Clasping her hands together and bringing them to her mouth, her eyes widened.

“That’s a very unfamiliar word, but it’s a wonderful word that I can recognize at once! A shapeshifter shelter, I think that’s first!”

I blinked my eyes hard, thinking for a moment that I saw an invisible tail wagging from Avila.

While she wasn’t a shapeshifter, she was a very dog-like person. She had the same facial expressions so similar to Cadis when he was excited. She stood at attention with loyal eyes and listened to what I had to say.

“They say that Blois has a welfare budget allocated to me, so I’m planning to use it for the shapeshifter shelter.”

When I asked Dimitri to buy me a building for a shapeshifter shelter as a gift, he shared this information with me.

“How wonderful! Welfare for the shapeshifters… It’s something no one has ever tried before, and the Duchess, you’re a pioneer!”

I didn’t dislike the sound coming from Avila’s mouth.

For a long time, we happily discussed how to redecorate the school dormitory, which buildings should be given over to dog kennels, and which buildings should be given over to cat kennels. Then, out of the blue, I ran into an elderly couple who were managing an empty building.

“Excuse me, how can I help you?”

“This is the Duchess of Blois. I’m part of her entourage.”

As Avila introduced me to the old couple, we asked them if they had heard anything from Viscount Villefranc.

“Ah, welcome, Madam. Someone came before and told me that the ruler would be coming.”

They said that they have been guarding and maintaining this place since the school was full of students in the past. When we briefly mentioned that we were planning to use it as an aquatic shelter, the manager and his wife were unexpectedly delighted.

“What a good deed you do! It’s great if the cat shapeshifters come. We love cat shapeshifters.”

“Is that so?”

I expected that most people wouldn’t be happy when they heard that shapeshifters who were treated as slaves were gathered in one place to protect them, but it was an unexpected response.

The old man was senile and spoke in a shaky voice.

“I hear the rat shapeshifters are on the loose these days, and many of my friends also have been victimized by them. When you’re as old as we are, things that are no big deal to young people can be a big deal.”

“I’ve heard of such a thing.”

I had heard several times of Blois employees sharing similar stories.

The damage in Blois wasn’t great because Dimitri was guarding it, but the other territories were in a panic. Since it wasn’t the content that came out in the original and I was busy in many ways, I didn’t think much of it though I thought it was fortunate that there was no damage done to Blois.

The old man went on.

“But if there are cat shapeshifters, the rats won’t be able to move, which is a relief, because rumor has it that the cats are good at catching the rat shapeshifters’ demons.”

I instantly thought of Coco, who had no talent for hunting and smiled awkwardly.

“Well… I wouldn’t say that.”

Still, if there were to be a rat shapeshifter’s infestation here, maybe one of the twenty or so would be able to save the old couple from them?

‘…Not all of them will be like Coco.’

After a short conversation with the elderly couple, Avila and I soon left the place with high hopes of turning this school dormitory into a wonderful shapeshifter shelter in the future.

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