CH 3

***

I heard the cry of a sparrow from far away. Zion was asleep so soundly that he wouldn’t notice even if someone carried him.

I checked my clothes and came out.

Even today, the forest was in a state where the thick winter fell. My body trembled as the cold wind hit me.

‘Ever since I was born, how I wish I had been born in the West.’

I sniffed, resenting the cold northern part.

My ice magic has not been a very valuable ability in the northern part, where ice and snow are everywhere.

However, I, a hybrid, could not go to other regions with a child. What else would a hybrid without a status wish for?

“Oh, it’s cold.”

Even if I was born and raised in the north, it was still cold. It was more so because I was neither a perfect wolf nor a human being but has an ambiguous body.

I was expressing my resentment, but something pulled my clothes. Rachel, who was holding the hem of my clothes, was looking up at me.

I bent my knees and put a cape on Rachel. Rachel, who was staring at me, asked with her eyes wide.

“Savior.”

“… I told you to just call me ‘unnie’.”

(Note: Unnie means older sister. I’ll just use ‘sister’ in the next sentences.)

“Of course, savior sister. Where are we going right now?”

For a moment, concern flashed across Rachel’s face. I winked at the basket hanging on my arm and said.

“I’m going to sell this.”

“Why am I going with you?”

“Yeah. I thought we should check your physical condition.”

“Why do you cover your face?”

“Well, I’m sensitive to cold easily.”

“Then why did you cover my face?”

“Uh, I’m afraid you’ll catch a cold, too. You never know.”

It was like a conversation between Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf. I frowned and stood up.

Before going down the forest, I carefully checked to see if my face was well covered.

Done. After the inspection, I reached out to Rachel.

“Okay, hold my hand.”

“…..”

Rachel, who was looking at the outstretched hand, carefully held my hand.

“Let’s go.”

Rachel, who blushed her cheeks silently, nodded. I came down the forest, feeling the warmth of her hand.

***

The place we were heading to was the square. Well, to be exact, a deserted corner in the square. It was a secret place where only those who knew it could come.

I mainly sold herbs there.

“V?”

“You’re here?”

“You’re early today.”

“Yeah. I got a pretty good product today.”

A familiar face looked at me and pretended to understand. I waved my hand, disguising with a husky voice.

I don’t have a choice but to do this, there were so many people who looked down on me as a woman.

After a rough greeting, I removed the cloth that was covering the basket. The face of the passerby brightened noticeably when he saw the feeble but red-tipped herb.

The brazier was a medicinal herb that could easily make a fire.

It was a rare herb that was hard to find in the northern part of the country where the temperature was low, so it used to be traded at a very high price.

In fact, after hiding a little more, I tried to bring in regulars and sell them like an auction, but… I couldn’t help it since another mouth to feed was added.

Crap, I felt bitter. I’m just that greedy.

“How much is it?”

“10 golds.”

“What?”

“Hey, don’t be surprised already. It’s 10 gold per sheet. You can’t get a discount today even if you buy it in bundles.”

When I spoke in a firm voice, the passerby’s face became upset.

No matter how many regulars there were, I couldn’t give them a cheap price.

“Well, there’s a way to make it cheaper…”

I pretended to be kind and blurred the end of my speech.

“What is it?”

Then, as if the passerby was waiting, his eyes lit up. I glanced at Rachel, whom I had hidden behind my back.

“Look at his condition.”

“Huh?”

He fixed his glasses and looked behind me. Rachel, who shivered at the glance of a stranger, hid deeper behind my back.

“Who is it?”

“My brother.”

“Your younger brother? Why did you bring your younger brother here?”

He smiled slightly and waved at Rachel. It was useless. I waved my hand quickly.

“Never mind, just let it slide. You’re a doctor.”

“Aren’t you exposing too much customer information?”

“Do a checkup before I let your patients know you’re selling my herbs at a higher price.”

The passerby closed his mouth at my words.

This doctor, who is skilled but has no conscience, resold the herbs I saved to patients who were sick and struggling.

If I could, I wanted to intercept it in the middle and sell it directly, but there was nothing good about having more people I knew.

It was beneficial for my personal information to operate only with a small number of customers. That’s how it was easy to keep secrets.

It was all because of this that I took the risk of bringing Rachel out herself. It was too dangerous to see a doctor.

Transparent skin, black hair and red eyes. And the heat.

It was the same as saying, ‘She’s an outsider.’ 

“You can’t do that.”

The passerby sighed and sat down on his knees. When Rachel flinched, he smiled broadly, as if he wasn’t a scary person.

“Hi. What’s your name?”

“…..”

Rachel shrunk and stuck close to me. I patted Rachel on the back as if I were reassuring her.

“It’s okay. He’s not a weirdo. Probably.”

“What do you mean ‘probably’?”

The pedestrian muttered softly, but I shrugged lightly. There was nothing wrong with what I said.

“…… “

Rachel appeared cautiously, as if her fear had been relieved by my words.

He looked at Rachel with a smile as if he were familiar with her. Of course, Rachel, whose face is tightly covered with a mask so that others can’t see her eyes.

“Uhmm…”

The passerby who was looking at Rachel frowned weakly.

“Are you in a bad condition?”

He asked carefully, pulling the mask up to under her eyes. While fixing his glasses, he tilted his head.

“You said you don’t know why he fell down. And he can’t remember.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know exactly… The aftereffects after trauma seem to be serious.”

“Of course…”

“But don’t worry too much. Usually, in this case, memories come back within a few days. But the problem is…”

He blurred the end of his speech.

“He’s too young. What was the serious accident that made him lose his memory?”

“You don’t have to know.”

I hurriedly hid Rahel behind my back. I could feel the way he looked at me with a suspicious face. I shook the basket I was holding in a flash.

“That’s the end for the examination. Hurry up and choose. Aren’t you going to buy it?”

At my urging, the passersby turned towards the basket as if nothing could be done.

He, who bought his share of the brazier today at once, paused and looked at me before going away.

“V.”

“… Why?”

“I heard a strange rumor recently.”

He continued to talk, glancing at Rachel hiding behind me.

“The temperature of that child is so high that it’s weird. Rarely do they have that high body temperature in the north.”

‘This is crazy. Did we get caught?’

I fixed the mask again and said it as if nothing had happened.

“It’s because he had a big fever a few days ago, I guess he hasn’t run out of fever yet.”

“… I’m saying this just in case.”

He spoke in a low voice as if he were informing a secret spell.

“I heard that a child was missing in the south. That’s also… I heard she’s the sister of the head of the South.”

“You know, right? The relationship between the South and the North.”

“Dang, of course I know! Hey, don’t you think I know that? I’m doing my best, too. This one’s just a wolf!”

The original voice came out, not the voice that was laid thickly out of embarrassment.

‘I’m acting like a kidnapper!’

I felt like crying. How can everything get tangled up like this?

I put on my hat deeper and cleared my throat so that it wouldn’t be obvious.

“Anyway, I don’t know what that has to do with me.”

“…Be careful, I don’t know what you’re up to.”

The passerby who said so disappeared far away. I bit my lips looking at his back.

Argh! I wanted to scream.

Why did I have to save her with my own hands?

… I had to send her back somehow. If she stayed like this, I felt like I would be killed by dragons.

After screaming inside for a long time, I sighed deeply. I thought I should send her back, but there was nothing I could do right away.

“Let’s go back first.”

I sold out all my herbs today, and I made a lot of money in my own way, so today’s work was over here.

I turned to Rachel.

“… Huh?”

And I blinked still.

The weak but warm energy spread. It was very instant, but I definitely felt it.

But when it seemed like it was, only the cool temperatures of the northern part reached my body.

‘What is this?’

As I was tilting my head, Rachel turned toward me.

“Savior sister?”

Rachel’s hand, tilting her head, held a brazier.

She must have sneaked it. When did she take that out?

I shook my head looking at the red leaves unique to the brazier.

“No. I must have seen something for a while. Let’s hurry up and go back. Is there anything you want to eat?”

I asked Rachel with a big smile.

“I like anything.”

“Well, then let’s eat something warm today.”

“Warm…”

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

“Oh, no. I don’t have any. I like everything.”

Rachel smiled brightly and looked up at me. My face was reflected in the dazzling red eyes.

Ugh. Maybe it was because of the heroine’s buff, but I love her smile even though she was a child.

‘Okay. Let’s think positively.’

Although I am a wolf, it was true that I saved the child.

‘If it weren’t for me, she might have died.’

In addition, even though he’s a wolf, he protects him like this. Would he kill me?

‘Don’t be discouraged. You got the title of savior from the child. Even if you meet the dragon, you may be able to avoid the bad ending.’

I calmed down with as many positive thoughts as possible.

Breath! Rachel, who was tilting her head to see me raised my spirits, followed me. The child’s cheeks swelled up.