Chapter 106: Extracurricular Activity (5)

It was a werewolf.

Its protruding snout gleamed with sharp, fang-like teeth. Long arms dangled with claw-like nails jutting out like blades.

It was smaller than I expected, and the demonic aura it exuded wasn’t particularly strong.

Another mystery.

‘How could a werewolf be in the middle of Roenberg?’

But I quickly shoved the question aside.

The client, Bedrock, was in immediate danger.

I drew my longsword and charged.

Grrr!

But the werewolf was far more cunning than I anticipated.

It spun around and slipped out through the window.

Its movements were smooth and swift, as if it had planned the escape route in advance.

“Stop right there!”

I immediately gave chase.

I vaulted over the windowsill and landed in the backyard.

But the werewolf was nowhere to be seen.

As if it had vanished into the sky.

Its shadow and presence had completely disappeared.

“……What the hell?”

I stood there, dazed, for a moment.

Neither my senses nor [Detection] picked up anything.

Even Dayle couldn’t have escaped this quickly.

As I stood there, my expression hardening at the unbelievable situation, a voice came from behind.

“Ca-Cadet? Is something wrong?”

It was Bedrock.

I suppressed the rising questions.

Checking Bedrock’s condition came first.

I quickly approached him and asked,

“Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. I slept well, so I’m pretty clear-headed.”

“Your body? Any injuries?”

“I’m a bit stiff, but I’m fine… Injuries? Oh, did I fall out of bed or something?”

What?

His response was odd.

“Did you not see the werewolf?”

“Wha-? A w-werewolf?”

Bedrock’s eyes widened in shock.

His reaction answered for him.

He hadn’t known a werewolf was there.

* * *

Bedrock rambled on with a serious expression, spouting nonsense.

It was the child of the wolf he’d hunted before.

He’d killed too many beasts, so the god of nature had sent an assassin.

He was making such a racket that I decided to step outside.

“Rest inside. I’ll guard the door, so don’t worry.”

Afterward, I stepped into the backyard where the werewolf had vanished and sank into thought.

It was a relief Bedrock wasn’t hurt.

But too many things didn’t add up.

Magical beasts.

They were inherently filled with hostility toward humans.

Predatory beasts devoured humans, and even non-predatory ones would rage and kill mercilessly upon seeing one.

But this one was different.

It had been quietly staring down at the sleeping Bedrock.

‘Did I walk in at just the right moment?’

Maybe.

If I’d been even a little late, I might’ve found not Bedrock but chunks of flesh scattered across the bed.

‘Really?’

No.

I shook my head.

Even if I conceded that point, I couldn’t accept that it fled upon seeing me.

A magical beast, driven by instinct, turning its back on a human right in front of it?

‘Unacceptable.’

Sure, some monstrous humans could make a beast retreat with sheer presence alone.

But I wasn’t on that level.

Recalling the moment, the beast had already turned to flee before I’d even done anything.

‘As if it had planned it.’

Its behavior was completely unlike any magical beast I knew.

Another thing.

Its presence had vanished as if it had soared into the sky.

It reminded me of the bad memory of losing track of Zad.

Back then, there was sewage as a clear interference, but this time, there wasn’t.

‘It felt like it used [Spatial Leap].’

But a werewolf using [Spatial Leap]? I’d never heard of such a thing.

Putting it all together, there was only one conclusion.

‘Reverse summoning.’

Someone with a summoning vision had recalled the werewolf.

That would explain why a magical beast appeared in the middle of the city and why it suppressed its instincts to flee.

‘Because it was following the summoner’s orders.’

So, how was this incident connected to the disappearance of Bedrock’s son, Kimi?

Was Bedrock incurring the wrath of a summoner?

Having organized my thoughts to some extent, I went back inside to talk to Bedrock.

“Have you calmed down, Mr. Bedrock?”

“Oh, yes.”

Bedrock was drinking.

My brow furrowed instinctively.

But I just sighed without saying anything.

How could I understand the crumbling heart of a parent who’d lost their child?

On top of that, after what just happened, even if he seemed fine, he must’ve been a mess inside.

‘Alcohol’s probably the only thing keeping him together.’

I sat down in front of him.

“Care for a drink?”

Bedrock asked, looking at me.

“No, I’m on duty.”

“Haha, right. I’m like this. Short-sighted.”

Bedrock twisted his lips in a bitter, self-deprecating smile.

“As you can see, my willpower’s weak. I swore I wouldn’t drink until we found Kimi, but here I am, pulling out the bottle again. Pathetic…”

I didn’t deny it or offer empty comfort.

I just listened quietly.

“……I had a dream. A dream I didn’t want to wake from. So I thought maybe if I drank, I could continue it. Lame excuse, I know. Haha.”

Twirling his glass, Bedrock continued.

“Kimi was in it.”

“…….”

“He was calling out to me desperately. Dad. Dad. And you know what I said?”

“No.”

“I said I was sorry. Because I’d scolded Kimi harshly once. He came back from the playground with a big scratch on his face. I was so shocked that anger overtook my worry.”

Bedrock downed his glass.

“Ugh. So I chewed him out. Told him never to go to the playground again. That was the day before he disappeared.”

“…….”

“Now that I think about it, I didn’t comfort him and got mad instead, so Kimi must’ve felt hurt. That’s why he left home. It’s all—everything—my fault.”

Bedrock was now streaming tears like a chicken’s droppings.

I watched him quietly and asked,

“And then? What did you say?”

“……Huh?”

“You said you apologized to Kimi in the dream. So what did he say?”

Bedrock wiped his tears and smiled.

“I didn’t hear. I woke up to a loud crash.”

“I see.”

“Yeah. He’s probably mad, right?”

“No. I’m sure your feelings have reached Kimi.”

Bedrock smiled.

“I hope so.”

His beard trembled faintly.

“So, Mr. Bedrock, do you know anyone among your acquaintances who’s a summoner or a mage?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I don’t. I’m just a guy who makes a modest living selling byproducts from hunting. I don’t know or have met anyone that impressive.”

“Do you read the newspaper?”

Bedrock shook his head.

“Don’t have the money to subscribe…”

“Then how do you get news?”

“Well, since I go to the market to sell my goods, I see noticeboards or posters in the plaza, or I hear rumors from people now and then. But why are you asking…”

“Have you heard rumors about a lot of missing person cases in Roenberg?”

Bedrock’s eyes widened.

“How did you know? There were whispers about that starting about a month ago.”

As expected.

“But they said it was just rumors, so it died down quickly.”

I quickly asked,“Who said it was rumors?”

“The city guard office. They said all the missing person cases were just hearsay. They warned that anyone spreading strange rumors to stir unease or fear before a big event would be severely punished.”

“…….”

“They posted a public notice, so everyone hushed up and it faded away.”

That’s when it happened.

I sensed movement outside.

The sound of multiple footsteps.

I thought maybe the others had returned, but no.

The steps were irregular, heavy, with varying intervals.

Then, at the door.

Thud! Thud!

“Bedrock! Bedrock!”

It was the Guard Captain’s voice.

Bedrock looked at me.

A faint fear lingered in his eyes.

“Open it. I’ll keep what we just talked about to myself.”

Bedrock nodded and opened the door.

“Bedrock! Tell me. Where’s the magical beast…”

The Guard Captain stormed in, grabbing Bedrock by the collar.

Then his eyes met mine.

“……You. You’re here?”

“Yes.”

I smiled.

“I heard the other cadets were in the city…”

“I sent them to search the city. I had something to ask Bedrock about.”

“Hmm. I see.”

The Guard Captain slowly released Bedrock’s collar.

“Sorry for interrupting. Carry on with your conversation.”

The Guard Captain turned to leave.

‘Where do you think you’re going?’

I called out to him immediately.

“Hold on, Captain.”

“Hm?”

“You just mentioned a magical beast, didn’t you?”

“Did I?”

“Yes, you did. You were looking for a magical beast as soon as you saw Bedrock. I’d like an explanation about what’s going on and why the word ‘magical beast’ came up. I don’t recall hearing anything about one.”

The Guard Captain turned back.

He was smiling.

But his eyes, staring at me, weren’t.

“No choice, then.”

He walked in confidently and sat down in front of me.

It was the same seat Bedrock had been in moments ago.

“Bedrock, close the door and sit down.”

“Huh? Oh, yes…”

And so, we all sat facing each other.

The Guard Captain glanced at the liquor bottle and glass on the cluttered table and spoke.

“Can I hear what you and Bedrock were talking about?”

“Answer my question first. Why are you looking for a magical beast with Bedrock? What’s this about a magical beast?”

“Hm.”

The Guard Captain let out a low grunt before continuing.

“It’s no big deal. A magical beast appeared in Roenberg recently and I got a report that it came here, so I rushed over.”

“Was it a werewolf, by any chance?”

The Guard Captain’s face stiffened.

“……You saw it?”

I told him about what had just happened.

Leaving out certain details and embellishing where needed.

“But why look for the werewolf with Bedrock?”

“Because Bedrock is unharmed.”

What?

As I tilted my head, the Guard Captain quickly continued.

“It’s certain the werewolf came here, but Bedrock’s fine, isn’t he? So I thought maybe Bedrock was hiding the werewolf.”

“I see.”

“Right.”

I stared at the Guard Captain without a word.

He met my gaze without looking away.

‘Does this guy think I’m an idiot?’

It was obviously a hastily made-up excuse.

I’d never heard such nonsense.

That’s when I became certain.

‘It’s these guys, isn’t it?’

The ones who kidnapped Kimi.

I hesitated for a moment.

Should I turn the tables here?

There were city guards outside.

Judging by the footsteps, at least fifteen of them.

I was alone and Bedrock was here too.

‘This is bad.’

If I were alone, I wouldn’t hesitate to act, but protecting Bedrock would require using a thief’s skills.

‘What do I do?’

That’s when it happened.

“What’s this? Why are they all crowded at the door? Move it!”

A familiar voice rang out from outside.

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