Chapter 28. Aftermath

What the hell am I supposed to do with this?

I picked up the blind wolf cub by the scruff of its neck.

*Keng-* *Ken-*

The little thing woke up as I lifted it, whimpering pathetically.

“...Huh.”

I tucked it into my arms.

I can’t just leave it here, so I guess I’ll take it with me.

The mother wolf wasn't a normal monster, so this little guy probably isn't either, right?

I’ll have to ask Lowell what kind of creature it is.

With the wolf cub nestled in my arms, I left the cave.

Then, I checked the monster corpses scattered around.

I'm not just after troll molars.

If there’s anything useful here, I’ll take it.

“Not bad.”

Turns out there were more monsters on my ingredients list than I expected.

That bitch really dragged everything here, didn’t she?

Thanks to her, I could fill my pockets with a decent amount of materials.

And after that… I just headed down the mountain.

I had no idea where our original campsite was since I was so focused on chasing that damn wolf.

I just kept going down, all through the night.

And so.

As dawn broke…

“...Phew.”

I finally reached the foothills of the Mountain Range and headed toward the distant walls of the Capital.

“Halt! Who goes there!”

“The gates are not yet open!”

Since it was still early morning, the Security Guards on the wall yelled as I approached the gate.

“Get me someone in charge.”

“Huh?”

“Get me someone in charge who can recognize *this*.”

I flashed the Void Family Seal Lowell had given me, and the problem was solved.

Despite openly carrying the wolf cub, I was allowed inside without further questioning.

Then, I went straight to the Void Family Mansion.

“Who goes there?!”

Another guard shouted, which I found pretty funny.

What is this, a two-step verification process?

“It’s me.”

“Ah, yes, please come in. You’re late.”

Thankfully, the guard here recognized me and opened the gate without needing to see the seal.

“Keep up the good work.”

“You’re late. And… are you injured?”

“Yeah, I'm going to get patched up.”

I entered the Mansion and headed to the infirmary.

I wonder if the Healer’s awake at this hour?

She usually gets up early, so I figured she might be awake. Arriving at the infirmary, I knocked.

*Knock knock.*

-“Come in!”

As expected, she was awake and told me to enter.

*Creak.*

“Hello.”

“Yes, what brings yo… Oh my!”

The infirmary was lit, so the Healer got a clear view of me.

Having rolled down a mountain, been mauled by a giant wolf, and then hiked back down, I was a mess. The Healer was understandably shocked.

“What… what happened to you?”

“Went hiking.”

I said as I pulled the wolf cub from my arms.

*Keng….*

The little thing started squirming, having been woken up.

“Aww, it’s so cute… Wait, what is it? Did you pick it up?”

“Something like that. Can you check if it’s okay?”

“I think *you* need to be checked first….”

“Just take a quick look at this thing first.”

I needed her to see to the cub first because I figured I'd need more extensive treatment.

I was holding on for now, but ever since that wolf’s attack, I felt like my insides were scrambled.

Honestly, I felt like collapsing any second.

“Uh, okay… I’ll take a look.”

“It’s a monster, so be careful.”

“What?! Really?”

The Healer looked down at the wolf cub I had placed on the bed.

“It… it doesn’t look like one….”

The way it squirmed blindly… honestly, even *I* didn't think it looked like a monster.

It didn’t even look like a wolf, let alone a monster. It just looked like a newborn puppy.

“I don’t know what kind of monster it is either.”

“Wh-Where did you find it?”

“Up in the Kain Mountains, high altitude.”

I’d climbed pretty high chasing that wolf, so it must have been high altitude.

“Y-You went to the *high altitude* areas?”

“Had to.”

“Good heavens… I’ll take a look.”

While the Healer examined the wolf cub, I finally relaxed and lay down on another bed.

*Phew…* They say leaving the House is a dog’s life, and they’re not wrong.

I almost died again, just like last time.

The last two years were so peaceful.

This is what I get for wandering around.

At least I got something out of it, right?

Satisfied with the haul of ingredients that would have taken me ages to gather separately, I drifted off to sleep.

***

When I opened my eyes, I saw a white fluffball.

…What the…?

It was covering my face, so I brushed it away with my hand.

*Keng….*

Then, I heard a whimpering sound.

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, I fell asleep in the infirmary.

…Did the healer put me and this thing in the same bed?

Seriously, how does she know about hygiene?

I put the wolf cub down on one side of the bed and sat up. I noticed my entire body was bandaged.

On top of that, I was filthy from rolling around in the mountains, but now I’m clean. Looks like she washed me up while I was out.

Damn, I put her through a lot.

I want to compensate her, but what kind of gift should I get her?

Last time I checked, gifts like ornaments didn’t work.

While thinking about what I could give her that she’d like, I looked down at the wolf cub, which had somehow wriggled its way onto my lap.

Why does this thing keep clinging to me?

It doesn’t even know I killed its alpha.

I examined the wolf cub lying on its belly on my lap.

It’s really small.

About the size of two fists?

It’s hard to imagine this thing growing up to be like that alpha wolf.

Well, whatever….

I moved the cub from my lap back onto the bed and got up.

My clothes… I don’t see them at all.

Did she send them to be laundered or something?

Stretching my stiff body, I opened the infirmary door.

The thing is, the pouch I had tucked into my clothes…it has the materials I extracted from the monster corpses.

I need to find my clothes first and take them to the blacksmith.

I’m going to hurry up and go while the painkillers are still working and my body hurts less.

But….

“Where are you going?”

Up ahead.

Of all the damn luck, I ran into the healer in the hallway as she was carrying some medicinal herbs.

“Ah, have you seen my clothes?”

“They were too dirty, so I sent them to be laundered.”

“By any chance, the pouch that was inside…”

“Ah, the pouch? I organized it and put it in a basket.”

“Oh, thank you. Where is it?”

Was the basket in the infirmary just now?

I asked so I could grab it and leave right away.

“Ah ah, absolute bed rest!”

Saying this, the healer grabbed my back and pushed me back into the infirmary.

“You brought your little brother here, and now you’re going somewhere?”

“…Little brother?”

“This Dog here. Genealogically speaking, isn’t he your little brother?”

“Huh?”

The healer pointed to the wolf cub squirming on the bed.

What preposterous nonsense.

It’s not even my pet, let alone my little brother.

“We’re different Species, you know.”

“I think the Young Lady would consider him your little brother, though.”

“Huh?”

…Is that so?

Come to think of it, that Young Lady stubbornly calls me 'Dog,' so she might actually think that.

“But is it okay if I keep him?”

More than that, I actually brought him along because it seemed better than leaving him there.

I was surprised that the healer seemed to assume I’d be raising him.

Was I allowed to keep a baby animal I brought back in the Mansion?

I even told her in advance that it’s a Monster.

“Lowell said it was fine, didn't he?”

“You asked him already?”

It’s still bright outside.

It feels like only a few hours have passed since I came in at dawn. Did Lowell come and go?

“It's been two days, so Lowell came and went.”

“…Two days?”

“You must not have known since you were unconscious.”

“Ah.”

…Looks like the accumulated shock to my body was a bit much.

To be knocked out for two whole days.

“So for now, absolute bed rest!”

I resigned myself and sat back down on the bed.

*Thump*

The wolf cub wriggled over to me as soon as I sat down.

“He really likes you.”

“Do you know why he’s doing this?”

“I don’t know? Does he think I’m his parent?”

…No way.

He’d probably think of me as his nemesis, if anything.

“More importantly, what’s his name?”

As I was petting the wolf cub, who had now rested its Head on my lap, the healer asked.

“A name? Let’s call him Whitey.”

He’s white, so Whitey it is.

“Hee… Cute name.”

She said, staring intently at the wolf cub. She seems to really like him.

“Are you going to raise him here?”

Should I let the healer raise him?

I asked, figuring she’d take good care of him, but….

“Huh? I can’t raise him here….”

The healer pointed to the medicines around her, her disappointment evident.

“He’ll be too much to handle once he gets a little bigger.”

“Oh dear….”

Then what should I do?

“Where should I raise him…?”

I pondered for a moment, watching Whitey, and then felt the healer’s gaze on me.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You’re actually pondering that?”

She said so and pointed outside. A well-maintained Garden was visible through the window.

“You live in a Doghouse yourself.”

“Ah.”

“Just ask them to build a House next to yours for your little brother.”

…Come to think of it, this Mansion already raises a Dog.

It’s just one more mouth to feed.

“Then I’ll do that.”

Saying so, I grabbed the scruff of the neck of the wolf cub, now named Whitey, and stood up.

I was planning to grab my clothes and sneak back to the Doghouse, but….

“Absolute bed rest!”

My shoulder was grabbed, and I was forced to sit down again.

…Damn it, looks like I'm stuck here for a few more days.