Chapter 5

“Hey, are you sure it’s okay to say things like that?”

“What do you mean by ‘okay’?”

“Talking so big to my father.”

“I won’t know until I’ve examined him anyway. More importantly, give me the details. What kind of species are you?”

“We are Fenrirs.”

“…I suspected as much, but you really are the legendary magical beasts.”

Fenrir, the Divine Devouring Wolf—a beast known in the modern era only through legends.

The tales described them as creatures that could shred anything with their claws and devour life itself with their fangs. I never imagined that Fenrirs actually thrived as a single, organized species.

“Do you know about our ecology?”

“As if. Even if I say I ‘know,’ it’s just fairy tales and legends at best. How do you think a human who can’t even live a hundred years is supposed to research beings that turn into myths?”

“You looked confident. So I assumed you knew something about our nature.”

“If I looked confident, that’s just my confidence as a Tamer. It’s not because I know your life history. Now, tell me the old man’s symptoms and when they started.”

Information first. Everything started from there.

“We all know the cause…”

They knew? Yet they couldn’t fix it?

“What’s the deal?”

“It’s simple. The cause of Grandfather’s decline is a lack of magical power. And it’s because of me.”

Ah, I had a feeling that was it.

In that case, the treatment would be…

“We have arrived.”

Hm? Ah, this wolf.

He certainly looked like he had seen a few centuries. His entire body was covered in white fur, but his eyes remained sharp, even though his limbs were skeletal and gaunt.

I had a few things to say about this, though. Why were they letting a sick person sleep on the bare ground? Well, I supposed they didn’t exactly have furniture out here.

“…Who goes there?”

The old man tried to stagger to his feet, and the white-furred wolf beside him—the boss—hurriedly supported him.

“Nice to meet you, old man. I’m the Tamer your granddaughter dragged here. I came to cure your illness.”

“This cannot be cured. Surely you can see that.”

“I can cure it, old man. Though, if you want to die that badly, I won’t. I have a personality that’s easily swayed by a patient’s will; I’m the kind of scum often treated like a quack doctor.”

The daughter wolf gasped at those words.

She had brought me here specifically to save him, so she likely felt like I was declaring I wouldn’t do it.

“Look at that. This is the word of an inferior human after all; he surely intends to deceive us. Daughter, return this thing to where it came from.”

“Wait, Father!! This human said he wouldn’t do it if Grandfather wants to die. That means if Grandfather says he wants to live, he will cure him!!”

Another family squabble seemed to be breaking out next to me, but it had nothing to do with me.

What’s it going to be, old man? Yes or no?

“…Can you truly cure it?”

“I can.”

I said it with absolute confidence. I wasn’t such a fool as to claim I could fix something that was beyond repair.

“What is your price? Humans are greedy.”

Oh, I liked that he got straight to the point.

Of course I had a wish, and I was plenty greedy.

“My wish is simple. I want you to let me stay with this pack for a while. That’s all.”

“The reason?”

“An ecological survey. There’s no better environment for me to live in than one where I can observe legendary magical beasts up close. Naturally, I have no intention of going public with this to other humans.”

That last part wasn’t out of consideration for them; it was just pure possessiveness.

“Is that the truth?”

“Don’t be tedious.”

“Then I shall ask you to try.”

“Father-in-law!?”

“Grandfather!!”

The boss and the daughter had opposite reactions, which was pretty entertaining.

Anyway, time to start the treatment!!

“Oh, by the way, are your fangs still in good shape, old man?”

“Of course. Even if the body weakens, the fangs live on even after death.”

“As long as they’re fine, that’s all that matters.”

Wait, what did he mean by “live on after death”? Whatever, probably just some metaphor.

Preparation, preparation. I pulled out a dull knife I kept in my trousers and shaved the hair off my left arm. Next, I wanted to disinfect it… but since I didn’t have alcohol, I’d have to wash it clean with water. I could use simple magic, so I manifested some water and rinsed it off.

This was a pretty barbaric treatment method, but I doubted these guys would mind. After all, they lived in the wild.

Also, the rest of you wolves in the peanut gallery, stop staring at me so intently.

“Alright, I’m starting the treatment, old man.”

“What must I do?”

“Simple, simple. Just bite my arm and let the blood flow. Then, drink that blood.”

“Is that all?”

“That’s it.”

“Hmph. Sounds like a lie to me.”

“Father!!”

Well, that was a natural reaction.

But listen, Leader. Once I let the blood flow, you’ll see exactly how efficient this treatment is.

“Hurry up and bite, old man.”

“Ugh.”

“Ah, don’t crush the bone, okay?”

“I understand.”

Then, the old man bit down on my arm.

“Wh-What is this!?”

Damn, that hurt. It really hurt.

But you saw it, didn’t you? There was a massive amount of magical power in my flesh and blood. And if it was just about the quantity, it was enough to compensate for a legendary beast’s magic deficiency.

“Wait, what does this mean! To have this much magic and yet be a ‘Tamer’… with this much, you’re…!”

“I’m above a Hero. Well, there’s a complex history behind it.”

“A complex history?”

“Yeah, a complex history.”

To put it simply, I had so much magical power that my body couldn’t keep up with it. If I used it all at once, my body would literally explode.

“So you mean you have too much magic, and that’s why you can’t actually use your power?”

“Exactly. Usually, magic increases through training or meditation, but I was born with this much. On top of that, it increases even more as I get older. Thanks to that, I was always sickly as a kid.”

The magic I couldn’t contain would turn into heat and dissipate, which meant I was always causing my parents to worry.

“So, I thought I’d take this opportunity to train my body here.”

“So that’s why you made living here a condition? When you mentioned the ecological survey, I didn’t smell a lie, but I suppose this was your true goal.”

“Pretty much. Though it’s also true that I’m interested in you guys.”

“You’re a hard human to read.”