As the allied forces decided to use Somerset Mansion as their outpost, the usually spacious grounds of the mansion buzzed with people.
Aida, curious about the suddenly appearing allied soldiers, was riding around on Rach, poking her nose into everything.
“Wizard? So can you use magic like Elza?”
She even begged the wizards from the Mage Tower to show her some spells.
“Why do you guys look so grim?”
“I’m not grim… This is just my normal face.”
“Heh, it looks like you’re making a face!”
Unintentionally, she even caused a bit of emotional damage to the knights of the Zion Knights.
While exploring, Aida’s eyes caught sight of the members of the Crimson Warden, the elves’ secret organization.
“Wow! Rach, look! There are fairies over there!”
Most of the members were elves from the Crimson Warden, which was bound to catch Aida’s attention.
After all, she had encountered dwarves through Kroon already, but had never seen elves, fueling her curiosity even more.
So, Aida dashed over on Rach to the most beautiful-looking elf among them.
“Hey, little one, what’s up?”
A girl riding a dog (not even a horse!) was quite the sight, causing the elf to question the approaching Aida.
“I’m not little! Aida’s a pretty lady!”
“Sorry! So Aida, what brings you here?”
“Why are your ears pointy?”
With sparkling eyes, Aida gazed at the elf—no, Cypris.
“Elves have pointy ears by nature.”
Richard stepped in to answer as Cypris was momentarily flustered, not knowing how to respond to such a pure question.
Aida’s curiosity about Cypris only grew after that.
Everyone from the Somerset family knew this. With that look in her eyes, no one could stop Aida.
They were convinced that the elf woman wouldn’t escape from Aida anytime soon.
While Aida was busy following Cypris around, Rupert, the real head of the family, was busy welcoming guests.
“Count Somerset, it’s nice to meet you!”
“It’s an honor to meet the leader of the Zion Knights!”
“Oh, don’t say that. The Saintess spoke very highly of you, Count Rupert.”
Rupert was slightly taken aback by Alexander’s words.
All he had done for the Saintess was give her one of those shame-worthy drawings—it was hard to take that as being pious.
“… Hello.”
“Hey, aren’t you the student who visited with Yustaf last time?”
“You remember me!”
As Rupert exchanged greetings with Alexander, a small voice suddenly chimed in. A woman with red hair stood there.
At first, he didn’t recognize her, but the familiar look jogged his memory.
She was clearly the shy girl who had hidden behind Yustaf when he visited the mansion before.
‘Is this how she looked?’
Rupert remembered her relatively well since he had modeled Nero, the protagonist of A Dog of Flanders, after her.
Comparing her now, she seemed too grown up to have been his model during her teenage years.
“Jenia, right?”
“Yes! I’m participating in the allied forces under my master’s orders!”
“Wow, that’s impressive. At such a young age, Yustaf must really trust your skills.”
This wasn’t just flattery; Rupert genuinely thought so.
Yustaf was notoriously picky, accepting very few disciples to begin with.
Even once accepted, he was famous for keeping them indoors for at least a decade to hone their skills.
That Yustaf had anointed Jenia for this important mission showed she had substantial abilities.
“No… I just kind of ended up participating.”
“Don’t downplay it. You’re quite competent among those heretics chasing after false truths.”
Jenia, blushing and twisting her body shyly in response to Rupert’s praise, earned additional comments from Alexander, who tried to add his own praise.
But then Jenia shot a glare at Alexander as if to say he’d said something unnecessary.
“What a cocky little brat.”
“Should I burn you instead?”
While it looked like a fight from the outside, this was merely a friendly exchange for this group, a sign of their closeness.
When they first gathered, Alexander had shown hostile attitudes toward them, calling them ‘harlots’ and ‘heretics’.
But after fighting together against the Dark Elves, he had gradually come to acknowledge them as comrades.
Of course, they still called each other names when they felt like it, but they had become trusted allies by this point.
“Hmm, Rupert. Have you heard any rumors about a blue-furred werewolf in this area?”
Seeing that their banter had distracted Rupert, Jenia finally changed the topic.
“A blue-furred werewolf?”
“Yes, it’s likely the guardian of the Blue Flower we’re looking for. According to records, it was apparently found in the South, but those records are so old, we couldn’t figure out the exact location.”
“No, I haven’t heard anything about werewolves here, let alone blue fur.”
“Then it’s very likely it’s not found within the Somerset Territory.”
“I’ll ask around in the nearby territories.”
“Really, that would be so helpful. Thank you.”
Listening to Jenia, Rupert briefly fell into thought.
He pondered whether the creature Jenia mentioned, the blue-furred werewolf, had appeared in the original story.
‘Every time I connect everything to the original, I run into issues, but that creature hasn’t appeared.’
If it had, he could have easily found information about it.
Nevertheless, he figured tracking down such a distinctive being wouldn’t be overly difficult.
If it was civilian information, he could use the Yuren Merchant Association’s extensive network.
Moreover, the Somerset territory had expanded its influence into the South, a vital consideration.
‘Count Rupert! Those rude folks caused unnecessary trouble last time.’
‘Wasn’t there talk of a noble who sent support funds to the imperial parents’ association during the last Agora?
‘Haha! Who could be that foolish? More importantly, let’s chat about the boundary issues discussed last time! My family, the Sleepy House, is ready to make a significant concession!’
In the South, where numerous lesser noble families traditionally resided compared to the great nobles, the influence of the rapidly growing Somerset family was now quite considerable.
“By the way, do you happen to know what breed that dog the Somerset lady is riding is?”
While Rupert was mulling over ways to gather information on the blue werewolf, Alexander suddenly asked.
“Ah? You mean Rach? To be honest, we’re not sure of his breed either.”
“Hmmm…”
“Why do you ask?”
Rupert’s vague response left Alexander, who was observing Rach running around with Aida on his back, looking somewhat uncertain.
“Do you know the difference between a wolf and a dog?”
“A wolf and a dog… Well, the size difference, I guess?”
Rupert’s answer earned him a head shake from Alexander.
“There are dogs as large as wolves among them.”
“Then?”
“Usually, it’s determined by their ears and tails. Animals often have developed ears and tails for hunting.”
-But dogs, which have been domesticated by humans, usually have short and blunt ears and tails.
Hearing Alexander’s explanation, Rupert’s gaze quickly fell on Rach.
Rach was sprinting around effortlessly with Aida on his back, and his physique certainly resembled that of a large dog.
Even though he was still young enough to be called a puppy.
Moreover, just as Alexander had described, Rach’s ears were perked up, and his tail was not short or blunt but rather magnificent like a lion’s mane.
“Then is it possible that Rach is a wolf?”
“Um… that’s uncertain. Some dogs resemble wolves, after all. More importantly, wolves don’t get domesticated by humans.”
The reason Alexander was unsure of Rach’s identity was precisely that.
The most significant difference between wolves and dogs wasn’t just appearance but whether they could be domesticated or not.
There were tales of how a kingdom once tried to create a knightly order by domesticating dire wolves, famous for their massive size. They ended up giving up when they couldn’t tame them.
That was how decidedly wild wolves were as animals.
But,
“Rach! Are you tired already!?”
Woof
There was a little girl, looking about 7 or 8, tugging at the fur on Rach’s neck, coaxing him to move.
Unable to resist her persistence, Rach stuck his tongue out, panting and yet moved again.
‘If he were a wolf, he wouldn’t be able to do that.’
Alexander noted that Rach, who had come to the mansion, was gradually shedding his hair.
And the newly growing fur was blue, too.
However, they were looking for a werewolf, and the likelihood that Rach was a wolf seemed slim.
Thus, Alexander decided to push aside his momentary doubt.
*
“Isn’t this really dangerous?”
Prince William’s Dark Guards were hiding in a tall tree near Somerset Mansion, silently surveilling the current situation.
-Collect any and all information regarding Rupert Somerset.
Since receiving William’s orders, the Dark Guards had been vigilantly observing Rupert and the Somerset family’s every move without a moment’s lapse.
Honestly, they had almost relaxed because nothing significant had happened.
It was hardly surprising; Rupert’s daily routine consisted of shuttling back and forth between his workshop and the mansion, staying cloistered indoors.
‘The Academy was dangerous.’
The only incident was when they inadvertently caught Rupert following him get seen by the Third Prince Edric before the academy’s vacation began.
‘I don’t know whose guards they are, but they should tread carefully. If they weren’t part of the Imperial family, their necks would’ve been on the line.’
Edric had discovered them and immediately alerted them, despite them believing they had hidden their presence entirely.
But looking at the current situation, Edric might not have anything to say either.
“Why are the Third Prince, Prince Kyle from the Northern Barony, and the Second Prince of the Kingdom of Sylvania all staying at the Somerset mansion?”
Not only that.
Suddenly today, strange members of the Goddess Church’s Zion Knights, mages from the Mage Tower, and even elves who rarely interacted with humans had joined the Somerset family.
“Nikola! You return to the palace and inform William about this, request an increase in personnel!”
“Yes!”
Samuel, the leader of Prince William’s Dark Guards, sensed that something unusual was unfolding.
And to grasp this situation properly, he needed even more personnel.
TN: In case you forgot, William is the second prince, the younger brother of Prince Alex.
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The new arrivals are the marriage party for the older brother.