Chapter 11

How much time had passed since then?

I had spent all my time training in this forest, so I had absolutely no idea what the date was anymore. The only thing I could tell was that it was getting somewhat warmer. Since it was around spring when I first met Lady, it was probably almost summer.

“Ryu, what are you doing?”

Lady spotted me and came running over.

“Hmm? I was just thinking that summer is almost here.”

“I see. Summer is a wonderful season. The amount of delicious prey increases, after all.”

As usual, food was her top priority.

After we hunted the Cockatrice, the other wolves finally accepted me. Lady’s father—the Pack Leader—had been reluctant, but he eventually gave in as well. Since then, he had started giving me advice on hunting, teaching me what to watch out for when running through the forest, and even acting as my sparring partner. Thanks to him, my hunting skills had improved significantly, and my body had become much sturdier. I felt nothing but gratitude toward him.

However, a new problem had arisen.

Personally, I was happy about it, but Lady had started rubbing her body and face against me quite often. This apparently touched a nerve with her father, and he frequently chased me around because of it. “My daughter’s affection belongs to me!!” he would shout while coming at me with genuine killing intent. In hindsight, that might have actually been my most intense form of training.

Another thing that surprised me was that the Pack Leader’s social standing was unexpectedly low. Grandfather¹ was the most important, followed by Grandfather’s wife (Grandmother), then Lady’s mother (the Leader’s wife), and the Pack Leader was only fourth in the hierarchy. Whenever he started chasing me in a jealous fit, his wife would inevitably trample him into the ground—a scene that was becoming a daily tradition.

It was a very pleasant life. All I did was hunt, spar, and sleep, but it was far more fulfilling than my days working at the ranch.

Yet, there was one more issue.

It was my clothing situation. The one good outfit I had been wearing this whole time was now completely in tatters. I wanted to praise the fabric for holding on this long, but it had finally reached its limit. That was why I felt the need to go to town and buy some clothes.

“I guess it’s no good, huh?”

“What is ‘no good’?”

“I want to go to a town once to buy some clothes.”

“Is the fur of the monsters around here not good enough?”

“I don’t have the skills to turn that into clothing. If I could, I’d prefer clothes made from monster fur since they’re sturdier.”

“Then you should just take it with you. To the place where the humans who make those clothes are.”

“That requires money in its own way.”

“Humans live within such strange systems, don’t they?”

Well, Lady wasn’t wrong.

“Well, for now, I’ll go consult with Grandfather.”

“That is wise. We must hear what Grandfather has to say first.”

And so, I was currently consulting with Grandfather.

“A human town, you say…”

Well, it was a difficult thing to ponder. It involved the risk of information leaks, just as the Pack Leader had mentioned before.

“Should we not stop him?”

“I also believe we should stop this.”

“But this is an important matter for Ryu. Unlike us, Ryu does not have fur.”

The speakers, in order, were the Pack Leader, his wife, and Grandmother. When I went to consult Grandfather, he decided it wasn’t a matter he should settle alone, so a “Fenrir Summit”—essentially a family meeting—had begun.

“Well, it was a problem that would have surfaced eventually, given his shabby appearance.”

“Indeed. He is bare-chested, after all.”

“Hmph. For a beast, is that not his natural state?”

“Be silent.”

Lady’s mother trampled the Pack Leader. Honestly, old man, learn your lesson already.

“Grandfather, do you not have any human acquaintances?”

“Hmm, a human is a bit… wait.”

“Dear, you didn’t have any human acquaintances, did you?”

“Ryu, I have one question. Does it absolutely have to be humans?”

“Huh? Oh, as long as I can get clothes, I don’t care where it is.”

What was with that specific clarification?

“In that case, may I introduce you to an acquaintance of mine, a ‘Dwarf’?”

A Dwarf. I had heard stories about them, but I had never met one.

“What kind of people are they?”

“They are short but possess Herculean strength and dexterous hands. If it is them, they should be able to craft clothing as well.”

“But I’ve heard those craftsman types can be difficult to deal with. It was the same with humans.”

“Well, he owes me a debt. As long as you have the materials, he will craft them for you.”

If all I needed were the materials, that made things easy for me. But what kind of materials would be best?

“For now, shall we scout the Central Forest for things that could serve as clothing materials?”

“Wait, Father-in-law. If this boy goes alone, he might speak of our affairs to others.”

The Pack Leader… even while being trampled, he said what needed to be said.

“Then we shall let my granddaughter go with him.”

“You would let my daughter go!?”

“It is about time she saw the world.”

In other words, it would be a journey for the two of us—one human and one wolf.

“Not with that man!!”

“No, she is going. Is that understood, granddaughter?”

“Yes! I shall go on a journey with Ryu!!”

Lady was wagging her tail like crazy. She was so cute. Had she wanted to travel that badly?

“Father, that is a wonderful idea. Ryu, please look after my daughter.”

“I ask the same of you, Ryu.”

“Yes! Understood!!”

What was this? I felt like I was receiving an unusual amount of expectation from her mother and grandmother…

“Grrrrrrrrrrr!!”

The Pack Leader was being terrifying.

“Now then, Ryu and I shall go gather materials for the clothes. You and your wife, teach your daughter ‘that technique.’”

“Understood.”

“Understood.”

Well then, I wondered what kind of journey this would turn out to be.