Chapter 18

After spending so long alone, Vio was filthy from head to toe and severely undernourished.

For several days, Silia washed the endless stream of grime from his fur every night and brought him high-quality food.

Before long, Vio had completely adapted to life with her.

Compared to Ran, who was cautious and suspicious by nature, Vio was innocent and remarkably obedient.

That didn’t mean there were no problems, however.

“Ugh… mmph… bleh…”

Deeply asleep, Silia tossed and turned, shaking her head from side to side.

Something moist and flat was sliding across her face like a bar of soap.

At first, she couldn’t figure out what it was.

Then she realized.

It was Ran and Vio’s tongues.

Her cheeks, eyelids—everything was soaking wet.

Apparently, they had decided to wash her face.

They showed no signs of stopping.

“Ran, mmph, okay, Vio, stop, mmph—”

Still half asleep, she flailed weakly.

The licking only grew more aggressive.

It was as if they were competing to see who could wake her up first.

One particularly powerful tongue even shoved its way into her mouth.

This is too much!

They looked ready to lick the insides of her nostrils next.

Horrified, Silia grabbed Ran.

His nine tails had become thick and fluffy, swallowing her hand completely.

Several strands of silver fur drifted down onto her face.

Compared to when they had first met, he looked incomparably healthier.

“Ah—choo!”

She tried to remove the fur tickling her nose, but her face was so wet with saliva that it stuck stubbornly in place.

Rubbing her face roughly, she sat up.

“Sigh… Ran. What am I supposed to do when you lick me like this? And you too, Vio.”

“Noona!”

Vio beamed like a sunflower and immediately threw himself into her arms.

Perhaps because he was younger, he was far more affectionate than Ran and mentally much more like a child.

At this rate, only his body will become an adult.

Silia looked at him worriedly.

“Vio. Where are your clothes?”

“Clothes are uncomfortable! They hide Vio’s awesome body!”

“You have to wear clothes when you’re in human form. Otherwise, I won’t hug you.”

The moment she peeled him off her, Vio immediately dashed toward the wardrobe.

Ran watched him with utter disdain.

“Ran. Take good care of Vio.”

Whether Silia asked or not, Ran was too busy rubbing himself against her legs and staring up at her with sparkling eyes.

Ever since Vio arrived, Ran had become noticeably more affectionate as well.

Is he jealous?

When Silia stroked his back, Ran licked her hand.

Today was the day Moldis, one of the Guardians, was supposed to visit.

Silia had suggested an early outing in case she returned late, and apparently Ran remembered.

“You want to go to the forest, don’t you?”

Grrr.

“I’ll wash up first.”

She scratched beneath Ran’s fluffy chin before getting to her feet.

The living room was slightly chilly.

Ran and Vio slept together with Silia in her bed.

The warmth of two beasts kept the bed cozy all night, making the morning air feel especially cold by comparison.

Shivering, she brushed her teeth and washed her face.

The moment she opened the back door, Ran bounded outside.

“Hyung! Wait for me!”

Vio, who had been toddling after him, transformed into a wolf and sprinted into the forest.

Silia bent down to pick up the clothes he had left behind.

Just then, Ran and Vio—who had been disappearing into the woods—suddenly came running back.

“Why aren’t you playing longer—”

Her expression hardened.

She sensed someone near her residence.

Unless there was an emergency, nobody lingered around the commander’s quarters.

“Ran, take Vio into the forest. Quickly.”

After stepping inside and grabbing her sword, she threw open the front door.

In the distance, Moldis was standing beside a path, admiring the flowers.

Startled, he straightened up.

Silia was equally surprised.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

“…Guardian?”

“My apologies.”

Moldis looked genuinely embarrassed.

“I was trying to kill time, and somehow…”

Silia stared at him with clear eyes before letting go of the sword hilt she had nearly drawn.

“Didn’t you say you would come tonight?”

“That was the arrangement from two weeks ago. We have no way to exchange messages, so there was no way to inform you of the schedule change.”

Moldis sighed while rubbing his roughened skin.

“I was actually wondering when I’d get the chance to see you. I need to return quickly.”

“…”

“Can we talk now?”

A thin layer of sweat formed in Silia’s palm as she gripped the doorknob.

Ran and Vio are inside.

“Here?”

“I already sneaked into the garrison. Better to speak here than risk being discovered on the way to your office, isn’t it?”

To properly carry out the Pope’s secret mission, Moldis’s visits had to remain hidden.

That was why Silia had shown him a secret route into the garrison.

Since he had arrived much earlier than expected, it was natural that he would wander around looking for an empty place.

Finding his way to the commander’s residence was inevitable.

“You could have waited outside and entered the garrison tonight.”

“The problem is that I need to leave before noon. I intended to meet you as soon as the sun rose. I was trying to figure out how to find you without running into the knights. This works out well.”

It was still early dawn.

Silia remained rooted to the spot.

Moldis raised an eyebrow.

“Is there some reason this is inconvenient?”

She swallowed discreetly.

“No. Please come in.”

Stepping aside, she left the door open.

The children were in the backyard.

Unless Moldis suddenly decided to go through the back door—or the children came into the living room—they wouldn’t be discovered.

She had even closed the back door just in case.

Still, her heart was pounding in her throat.

“Good. How much progress have you made?”

The moment Moldis asked, two faces suddenly popped up outside the window overlooking the backyard.

“Hk!”

Silia froze and stopped breathing.

“Lady Silia?”

Cold sweat poured down her face.

Without attracting attention, she desperately waved a hand beneath the sofa.

Go away. Hide.

Blink.

Blink.

Ran stared at her with enormous yellow eyes like glass marbles.

Then he licked the window with his pink tongue.

Sliiiick.

Slick, slick.

Watching the tongue flatten and smear itself across the glass nearly made Silia lose consciousness.

“Lady Silia?”

The increasingly concerned voice snapped her back to reality.

“…Yes, Guardian.”

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“No. My apologies.”

She answered while stealing nervous glances toward the window.

This time, Vio had pressed his black nose against the glass as though trying to push through it and enter.

Warm breaths escaped from his squashed snout, fogging the window white.

Silia’s mind became just as blank.

“Lady Silia, you look ready to collapse. Are you certain you’re alright?”

“…I’m fine.”

“Did you hear what I asked?”

Looking pale as a ghost, Silia answered wisely.

“You asked how much progress has been made.”

“Hm. Then I’d like to hear your report.”

Forcing herself not to look at the window again, she replied,

“I still haven’t found anything. It’s not easy to locate adults over twenty who possess holy power yet never immigrated to the Holy Kingdom.”

“That’s understandable.”

“Would you like some tea?”

“No. I’ll leave as soon as we’re finished.”

Moldis seemed deeply uncomfortable with the fact that he had essentially barged into her home.

He was clearly eager to finish their discussion and leave.

Silia went to her room and returned with a stack of documents she had compiled.

“I’ve begun by investigating orphans rather than nobles or commoners.”

“Orphans?”

“If someone possesses holy power but never immigrated, then perhaps they either lacked the means to apply or never realized they possessed holy power at all.”

“Hm.”

As Moldis carefully examined the documents, he asked,

“Come to think of it, you’ll be returning to the Holy Kingdom in nine months, won’t you?”

“Pardon?”

“Rotations occur every year, don’t they?”

“They do.”

By then she would have to part with the children after they had grown.

Silia suppressed the ache in her chest.

While reading through the papers, Moldis rubbed his dry eyes.

“After your rotation, how would you feel about serving under an imperial decree?”

“Do you mean focusing entirely on the search mission?”

“Exactly. I’ll arrange a suitable house for you in the Empire. I’d like you to continue the mission while living there.”

His voice cracked badly.

He looked even thinner than before.

His cheeks and eyes had sunk in deeply.

Sighing out of habit, he glanced around.

“Is that drinking water?”

He pointed toward a bottle sitting on a small table in the kitchen.

“Ah, I’ll get it—”

“No, no. I’ll get it myself. Stay seated.”

Waving her off, Moldis stood up.

Silia remained seated, carefully considering his proposal.

Looking like a starving zombie, Moldis shuffled toward the table and poured himself a cup of water.

Then suddenly—

He staggered violently.

As though an intense wave of dizziness had struck him.

Crash!

The water bottle fell and shattered across the floor.

Biting his lower lip so hard that it turned white, Moldis slowly collapsed toward the jagged glass.

“Guardian!”

Silia vaulted over the sofa and caught him from behind, pulling him away.

No matter how well-trained she was—and how thin Moldis had become—the difference in their size was considerable.

She managed to move his large body, but lost her balance under the weight.

The two of them toppled together.

Just as she was about to fall forward, her face burying itself against Moldis’s chest—

A tremendous force suddenly grabbed her collar and yanked her backward.

“Ghk!”

Choking, Silia was dragged away and tumbled onto the floor several feet from Moldis.

Startled, Moldis sat upright.

“Are… are you alright?!”

The dizziness seemed to have passed.

He reached out a hand toward her.

Then his gaze drifted blankly past her shoulder.

A chill crawled down Silia’s spine.

Slowly pushing herself upright, she turned around.

There was Ran.

He had Silia’s torn collar clenched firmly in his mouth.

Tilting his head innocently to one side, he blinked.

“Kyuu?”

This time, it was Silia’s turn to feel dizzy.