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CHAPTER 7 CHALLENGE TO THE LABYRINTH – Episode 5 – The Silver Wolf (Part 3)

7

Bard felt a strange, exciting, and mysterious palpitation in his chest. It was a demonic beast. For the first time in a while, he was facing a demonic beast. In the past, demonic beasts were something that Bard had to kill if he encountered them, for if he didn’t, the demonic beasts would kill the people. But now that he knew the truth about spirits and demonic beasts, he didn’t want to kill the demonic beast if possible.

This ancient sword, the “Shantra Megierion” that houses the divine dragon, is a treasure that can remove the demonic beast without killing it. This sword had freed the two hundred Riverbear demonic beasts approaching Lordvan’s castle with a single attack. At that time, the spirits were released from the two hundred demonic beasts, and the demonic beasts became no longer demonic beasts. Maura, who was one “that has taken root in earth,” said that the spirits Bard had freed at that time had indeed temporarily regained their sanity. He had definitely heard their joyful voices.

Oh, what a hope! To be able to release the spirits without fighting the demonic beasts, and even to restore them to their senses. Bard had been waiting for the opportunity to confirm this, and this was the first chance. Can he really free the spirits from the demonic beasts with this sword? He should be able to. Bard’s heart was pounding with excitement at this first chance to confirm it.

However, even if the spirits are released, the Giant Wolf demonic beast that possessed them must be killed. The escort swordsman and the two porters, as well as the guard, must have been killed and likely eaten. Hojata must have been able to escape only because the Giant Wolf demonic beast was busy devouring them. So what remains is a wolf that has acquired a taste for human flesh. It cannot be let go.

8

There are two people coming down from above, dressed like porters. When Godon asked if they were Hojata’s servants, they replied yes.

“Oh, I’m glad you’re safe. I heard you were attacked by a Giant Wolf demonic beast, but you don’t seem to be injured. You were lucky.”

When asked about the escort swordsman, they said he was injured by the wolf but his life was not in danger. He was left in a hut by the ravine with the guard, as the demonic beast disappeared as soon as Hojata escaped. The group then went up the ravine.

At the site of the innkeeper’s house, there was an unfamiliar, neat building, likely built by the lord. Bard guessed that after he had left, the space under the floor boards were checked for the thieves’ hidden treasure, and the lord had this building constructed for the innkeeper as compensation for demolishing her house.

As Bard and the groups approached, a man who seemed to be the guard came out. He was unkempt and very hairy, looking like a wild man.

“Ah. Are you the guard?　I’m glad that you seem to be okay.　Is the injured swordsman inside?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, excuse me for a moment.”

Inside was the injured swordsman, Talsa. Godon introduced himself, and Talsa returned the greeting. Bard noticed that Talsa’s demeanor and eyes were different from a common thugs, and his sword, though worn, was a fine one. Bard wondered if he might be a knight, but since Talsa did not mention his family name, Bard decided not to inquire further. Godon must have felt something as well, as he spoke in a manner that treated him like a warrior.

It is true that his leg is injured, but the treatment for it is extremely sloppy.　Carla began treating Talsa’s poorly bandaged injury.

“Lord Talsa. I heard you were attacked by a Giant Wolf demonic beast?”

“No, Lord Zarkos. That was no demonic beast. To be sure, its body was enormously large and it was a terrifying foe, but it was no demonic beast.”

“Was there only one?”

“And please, call me Godon.”

“Very well, Lord Godon. There was only one. Hojata ordered the workers to gather the toga from the stream, but it suddenly appeared. Shamefully, I could not sense its presence at all until then. The startled workers faltered. Hojata fled into a hut. I confronted the wolf on this side of the stream, but it suddenly turned away and left.”

“What? It did nothing else?”

“That’s right. When I told Hojata this, he regained his spirit completely and urged the workers to gather the togas. But then it appeared again. Seeing that the wolf would not attack, Hojata may have become overconfident, striking the wolf with a staff. The wolf snarled menacingly, and Hojata lost his nerve again, but it did not attack. Since the workers would not gather the toga, Hojata grew impatient and tried to gather them himself. That’s when the wolf suddenly pounced. I stepped before Hojata and aimed my sword at the wolf’s neck. But to my surprise, it twisted its neck to evade the blade, and bit into my right foot. I was knocked onto my back when it charged me. The beast pinned down my sword hand and barked at Hojata. Oh, you should have seen how Hojata fled then. It was a sight to behold. After watching Hojata escape on horseback, it got off me and disappeared into the mountain.”

“Alright, that should do it. The wound is not as deep as I feared. But you should avoid walking too much for two or three days,” said Carla as she finished treating him.

Talsa bowed and said, “My gratitude, Lady Carla.”

9

Bard was relieved. It wasn’t a demonic beast. In the end, not only did it not kill anyone, it didn’t even seriously injure anyone. It just threatened them. The wolf’s behavior was quite strange, however. It did not seem to be just defending its territory by intimidating Hojata and the others. Bard was puzzled by the fact that a wolf had attacked when they tried to gather the toga. If the wolf had been claiming this valley as its territory for the past five years, then it should have attacked them before, when the innkeeper was gathering the toga. But that was not the case. The innkeeper had been gathering the toga until five years ago. So this valley must not have been the wolf’s territory after all.

Bard decided to lead the group down the mountain. By the time they reached the valley, it was evening and the sun had set. But they couldn’t all stay in the small hut. And if they did stay, they would end up having to provide the meager food supplies.

Bard went down to the stream. In the twilight sky, the sister moon (Sura) was shining, and a shimmering school of moonfish was dancing on the water’s surface. Bard thought about catching and eating them, but knew he wouldn’t be able to prepare them as skillfully as the innkeeper. So he decided not to, in order to preserve the memory of the delicious moonfish.

As they were descending the mountain, the younger sister moon (Sarie) appeared in the sky. As befitting her nickname “the one who comes later,” Sarie often appears following Sura, but usually can’t catch up to her sister, and quickly crosses the silver galaxy and disappears over the horizon. On the nights when the two moons overlapped, the moonfish tasted especially delicious.

Illuminated by the two moons, the mountain path was bright. This mountain didn’t have very dense tree cover. The trees were short, and streams and grassy patches stretched out. But as they went down towards the base, the trees grew thicker.

Karz stopped the horses. Bard saw that both Karz and Quinta had drawn their swords, staring into the bushes. Something emerged from the bushes.

It was a Long-eared Wolf, but of an enormous size. Normal Long-eared Wolves are only about knee to waist high on a person, and lightweight. But this one was as tall as a person’s chest or even face. On all fours, it was towering. It must have been an incredibly old wolf.

Not only was its size astonishing, but the color of its fur was also remarkable. Normal Long-eared Wolves have a brownish-black coat. But this one’s fur was silver, shimmering beautifully in the light of the sister moons. Silver-furred wolves are occasionally born among Long-eared Wolves, Sand Wolves, and Wind Wolves. Their fur is strong and supple, and highly prized for its beauty.

The wolf stared directly at Bard. Bard stared back, and saw no anger or hatred in the wolf’s calm, silver eyes. There was something familiar about gazing into those eyes. After some time, the wolf suddenly turned and disappeared into the bushes.

10

Bard and the others descended the mountain. When they reached the bottom, the village was in an uproar. Villagers were gathered, along with one knight and some soldiers. It was already very late. They were making a commotion around the merchant Hojata’s wagon.

“This is Sir Bard Rowen. Sir Godon Zarkos. Long time no see.”

The one greeting them was the knight Margageri Ecola of Dranor. He remembered them from their previous visit when he had tried to burn down the valley based on the innkeeper’s false claim of being afflicted by the death-ash disease. Bard and his companions had exposed that lie, sparing the innkeeper’s life. Margageri was deeply grateful for that. Bard asked Knight Margageri what this uproar was about.

“Well, we just arrived ourselves. It seems the merchant named Hojata has been killed.”

According to what Knight Margageri told them, this is what happened. Apparently, Hojata had been waiting for the soldiers while resting in his horseless wagon. Surprised that they were unharmed, Hojata asked them what had occurred. After hearing their story, Hojata told the two workers they would ascend the mountain. Since the wolf posed no threat, Hojata thought they could gather the toga without reservation this time. The workers refused. Hojata grew angry and tried to force them by striking them with a staff.

“Those hard-won toga will go to waste! That toga belongs to me. We’ll harvest it all, then sell it across the river!”

Just then, the wolf suddenly appeared, bit Hojata’s throat, and vanished. Strangely, neither the two workers nor the servants guarding the wagon saw which direction the wolf went – it simply vanished without a trace.

Bard left the rest to Knight Margageri and withdrew to the village chief’s home. Margageri said he would take soldiers into the mountain at first light to search for the wolf. But in such a vast mountain range, there was little chance of finding a single wolf. Margageri knew this, simply stating they would search for a day. Bard mentioned encountering the wolf on their way down the mountain, but said they did not pursue it since it had not killed anyone or acted ferociously at that point. At the village chief’s home, Bard’s group ate a late meal and went to sleep.

As he lay in bed, Bard pondered what could have happened. He suddenly recalled the old tale of “Nico and the Silver Wolf.”

There was once a skilled but taciturn hunter named Nico, who was kind-hearted. Nico’s daughter was to be married, so Nico entered the mountain to hunt for gifts to celebrate. For two weeks he caught nothing, but in the third week he encountered a magnificent silver wolf. Its pelt would fetch a high price. Nico gave chase, penetrating deep into the mountain. For three days, Nico and the silver wolf battled until finally Nico was slain. Nico’s soul then transmigrated into the silver wolf. The wolf carrying Nico’s soul raced down the mountain, all the way to the town where Nico’s daughter’s wedding was taking place. The silver wolf appeared at the wedding ceremony, causing an uproar. Soldiers were summoned and impaled the wolf with spears, though it offered no resistance, only staring at the bride. The fallen pelt was awarded to the newlyweds. People whispered that Nico had delivered the wolf’s pelt as a gift.

That was how the story goes. If one compared this tale to recent events, who would be Nico? And why did the silver wolf not kill the armed guard, servants or workers, but went out of its way to the village to slay Hojata?

As the Bards were about to descend the mountain, Taranka told them an interesting story. Taranka had heard this tale from the village chief before they set out. The chief had mentioned that Hojata had mourned the Mistress, but what did that mean? Five years ago, the merchant Hojata had discovered the Mistress dead in the ravine. Hojata had performed the funeral rites and buried the Mistress. He then descended to the village, reported this to the chief, and asked if he could also gather the toga. The chief explained that the Mistress and her husband had been permitted to live in the ravine and gather toga, on the condition that they sell it to the village. Hojata nodded in understanding and offered a gift.

However, after that, the toga stopped coming to the village. The village’s innkeeper also said that the family living in the ravine had all descended the mountain and departed somewhere. They had apparently received money from Hojata for vacating, but seemed to be fleeing in fear. The chief found it strange that they left without any farewell, but since they were originally wanderers, he did not find it particularly suspicious.

In other words, no one knows the cause of the Mistress’s death. Hojata may know. Or perhaps even more. But these are mere speculations. Wisely, Taranka did not say that Hojata may have killed the Mistress. That is probably for the best. Voicing uncertain speculations only hinders the workings of wisdom and fosters preconceptions.

The silver wolf had likely been in the mountains for a long time. Such a wolf must be of great age. Did the Mistress and her husband know of the silver wolf? Did they revere it as a guardian spirit? Or did they fear it as a terrifying monster?

And how did the silver wolf view the Mistress and her husband who had settled in the ravine? Living in harmony with nature’s bounty, gathering the magnificent toga, feasting on the moonfish, and warmly welcoming any visitors. Living life to the fullest and passing away peacefully. How did the silver wolf regard them?

Come to think of it, this year marks the fifth anniversary of the Mistress’s death. It is said that the souls who have passed one, five, or ten years ago may be granted the grace to descend to the mortal world in another form, if they have unfinished business. Could that silver wolf be…? Yes, and if the Mistress had said her husband died three years prior when they met seven years ago, then this year marks the tenth anniversary of his passing. If the two of them had any concerns, what could they be?

That wolf never attacked the swordsmen, the porters, or the guards. It only attacked Hojata when he finally reached for the toga, injuring but not killing the swordsman. Then the wolf deliberately appeared in the village. And when Hojata still refused to give up on gathering the toga, the wolf took his life.

What would have happened if Hojata had lived? He seemed to be careful not to over-harvest the toga, coming periodically to fill his wagon and sell it across the river. His profits would have been substantial. But once he had accumulated enough wealth, he may have wanted to expand his business even further. At that time, the toga may have been exhausted and the stream may have become desolate.

Perhaps the wolf could not accept that future. Or was it an act of vengeance? It is unclear now. That is why he will not voice these speculations. Yet, on this night when he learned of the Mistress’s death and encountered the mysterious silver wolf, he shall quietly retire, giving thanks for the mountain’s blessings and praying for its peace, while remembering the Mistress and calmly drift to sleep.

As slumber took him, one last thought crossed Bard’s mind. In two more years, it will be the tenth anniversary of Idora’s passing. Would Idora take some form to appear before him? No, he answered himself. Idora had lived out his life. Now she must be watching over the remaining ones from the Garden of The Gods, even in this very moment.