The Reincarnated Girl Will Live Quietly

Sable was frozen in fear as she looked at the beast that towered over her. 

 

What emerged in front of her was another wolf, but unlike the others, this one was far larger. Scars were littered across its body, a testament to its age and power. Its fur was a deep black color, almost as if the night sky itself came alive. 

 

“A dire wolf?” Sable thought back to the bestiary she read. There was little information on dire wolves as they were rarely seen by humans. All that Sable knew was that the beast in front of her matched the descriptions from the book. 

 

It gazed at Sable with a curious light in its eye. Sable, unable to move, could only stare back with fearful eyes. Contrary to her expectations, the dire wolf turned its attention to the one attacking Isaac. 

 

Sensing the imminent threat behind it, the frenzied wolf tried to turn around, but it was too late. Lunging forward, the dire wolf brought down its jaws on the other wolf, much to Sable’s surprise. The struggling wolf was lifted and thrown violently into a tree. As it attempted to get up, the dire wolf bounded over. Slamming its head back down into the snow, the dire wolf crushed its neck with a single bite and its body went limp. 

 

Sable and Isaac stared in shock at the large beast. It slowly turned to look at them. Or rather, at Sable. 

 

Isaac recovered from his shock and moved to Sable’s side, wary against the dire wolf. 

 

“How curious.” A deep, gravelly voice entered Sable’s ears. 

 

“...Y-You can talk?” Sable’s eyes widened. 

 

There was a low, rumbling sound coming from the dire wolf, and it took Sable a moment to realize it was laughing. 

 

“When you’ve lived for a long time, you learn to pick up a few things.” The dire wolf moved its gaze to the side. “It seems your companions have also finished cleaning things up.” 

 

Grand Duke Lione and several other knights came to stand next to Isaac and Sable. 

 

“Are the both of you alright?” He asked, not taking his eyes off the large beast. 

 

“Yes.” “We’re fine.” They answered. 

 

The dire wolf watched them with a keen interest. 

 

“I do not bring you harm, humans.” The dire wolf smiled, baring its fangs. “Unless you give me a reason to, of course.” 

 

The knights seemed shaken from hearing it speak, but none of them let their guard down. 

 

“May I ask what brings you here?” Grand Duke Lione recovered first. 

 

“I was hunting.” The dire wolf pointed with its snout at the wolf it killed moments ago. 

 

Grand Duke Lione furrowed his brows. 

 

“Why?” 

 

The dire wolf tilted its head. 

 

“I am happy to answer your questions, but perhaps you should tend to your wounded first.” 

 

As if to show its goodwill, the wolf sat down on the snow. 

 

Sable looked around. True to its words, several knights had sustained injuries from fighting the wolves, and those with more severe injuries were being supported by their comrades. 

 

After a moment, Grand Duke Lione slowly lowered his sword. 

 

“Perform first aid on the wounded! Those of you who are able, secure the area and make sure no beasts approach us!” 

 

The knights hesitantly sheathed their swords and moved as per the Grand Duke’s orders. Grand Duke Lione turned back to the dire wolf, who had not moved. 

 

“I’ve heard stories of dire wolves before, but I’ve never heard of one that hunted other wolves, let alone speak.” 

 

The dire wolf chuckled. 

 

“Indeed.” 

 

The amusement quickly faded from its eyes. Its gaze moved past the Grand Duke to the blood on the snow. 

 

“I hoped to stop them in time, but it seems that I was too late.” 

 

Grand Duke Lione thought for a moment. 

 

“Do you know why they were acting that way? Wolves normally avoid humans, but those wolves didn’t hesitate to attack us.” 

 

The dire wolf shook its head. 

 

“Unfortunately, I do not know the cause. And they are not the only beasts to have begun acting strangely.” 

 

Sable perked up. 

 

“Acting strange how?” She asked. 

 

The dire wolf looked at Sable. 

 

“They are becoming more aggressive. At first, it was only one or two, but more have begun behaving erratically and, as you have witnessed firsthand, they have started venturing closer to human settlements.”  

 

“When did they start acting strange?” Sable insisted. 

 

“For some time now.” The dire wolf narrowed its eyes. “Do you know something, child?” 

 

“I need to see it myself to be certain, but the ones who have caused this may be the same ones that we are investigating.” 

 

This was the clue that they were looking for. Sable looked determinedly at the Grand Duke. 

 

Grand Duke Lione frowned. 

 

It was important that they investigate the rampaging beasts, but some of his knights were injured, and the hunters likely wanted to return to the village to inform the dead hunter’s wife. Investigating the beasts also meant that they would be venturing further into the unexplored region. Wolves would not be the only beasts they would encounter. 

 

He turned to the dire wolf. 

 

“What about you? What do you intend to do?” 

 

The dire wolf smiled. 

 

“If you intend to find out the cause of this mess, then our goals align.” 

 

“You will join us?” Sable questioned. 

 

“It makes no difference to me. I will go either way.” 

 

“...That might not be a good idea.” It was Isaac who suddenly spoke. 

 

The dire wolf tilted its head curiously. 

 

“Oh? And why is that?” 

 

“There was something strange about their mana.” Isaac paused to look at the Grand Duke, who nodded at him to continue. “Normally, mana should be moving steadily, but the mana inside the wolves was rampaging against their bodies.” 

 

The dire wolf looked at him in surprise, then started laughing. 

 

“To think I would find such interesting humans.” Its gaze moved back and forth from Isaac and Sable. 

 

Sable, however, didn’t notice as she stared at Isaac. 

 

“He can sense mana? Is that how he noticed?” 

 

Rather than feel hurt that he didn’t tell her, she was more satisfied that the answer to one of her questions was finally answered. For a while, she wondered how he was able to notice her each time she used her ability. 

 

She turned back to the dire wolf. 

 

“Do you have a name?” 

 

“A name?” The dire wolf looked thoughtful for a moment. “I have been called many names in the past, but you may call me Auberon.” 

 

“We will be in your care, Lord Auberon.” Sable bowed politely in a proper greeting. 

 

“May I have the pleasure of knowing yours, child?” 

 

“My name is Sable.” She introduced herself, then looked at both the Grand Duke and Isaac to do the same. 

 

“Isaac, a member of the Lione Knights.” 

 

“My name is Sebastian Lione, Grand Duke of the North and leader of the Lione Knights.” 

 

Auberon’s eyes flashed mysteriously. 

 

“A pleasure.” 

 

~~~ 

 

After some consideration, Grand Duke Lione decided to send Percival back with half of the knights to escort the wounded and the hunters back to the village. The rest of the knights would accompany him to investigate the unexplored region for the cause of the frenzied beasts. They had a few more hours of daylight left. 

 

Auberon, who was familiar with the region, was currently acting as their guide. He was leading them to an area where he previously found beasts acting strangely. 

 

Sable was wary but curious about the dire wolf. So far, he had not shown any signs of hostility to their group, and he was more curious than anything. 

 

She was interested in learning about dire wolves, but she was more interested in learning the meaning behind his words earlier. 

 

As Isaac was carrying her again, she tugged on his sleeve and gestured for him to move closer to Auberon. 

 

“Lord Auberon?” She called out to the dire wolf. 

 

Auberon’s ears twitched in response and he swiveled his head around to look at her. 

 

“Yes, child?” 

 

“Earlier, why did you call us interesting?” 

 

“Well, I suppose I was not being entirely truthful back there.” Auberon made eye contact with Sable. “I was not lying when I told you that I was hunting for those corrupted wolves, but I sensed something else that attracted my attention. I was expecting to find humans, but not a pair as interesting as the two of you.”

 

He glanced at Isaac. 

 

“Do not misunderstand, your leader is quite strong, but it is quite rare to find an individual with the ability to sense mana.” 

 

His gaze moved back to Sable. 

 

“And then there’s you.” 

 

“Me?” Sable furrowed her brows. 

 

“Indeed.” Auberon chuckled. “It is faint, but I can sense another presence within you, child. In all my years, I have never seen anything like it before.” 

 

Sable’s body stiffened when she heard his words. Isaac and Auberon noticed her reaction, but the former was confused, while the latter simply took a mental note of it. 

 

“Do not worry. While it has been some time since I last interacted with humans, and I am quite curious, you can be assured that I have not forgotten my original goal.” Auberon brushed the topic aside. 

 

Seeing Sable lost in thought, the dire wolf turned away and continued leading the search party. 

 

“Another presence?” Sable’s mind was in turmoil. “The other Sable?” 

 

Her last memory of the other Sable was back when she lay dying in the snow. Although the other Sable saved her life, she was still unsure as to who, or what, she actually was. She needed to find a way to contact her again. 

 

The search party moved forward, and with the help of Auberon, they were able to avoid encountering any beasts as the dire wolf was strong enough to take care of them. The strength of the dire wolf did raise concerns among the knights, but no one was willing to confront their strong ally. The knights trusted the Grand Duke’s judgment on the matter. 

 

With the sun setting however, it would undoubtedly become more difficult to carry out the investigation. The knights packed emergency rations, torches, and some medical supplies, but they were not equipped to camp out, and neither did they want to. 

 

Sable, who was sensitive to the cold, wrapped her coat tighter around herself. With Fall approaching, the weather was steadily getting colder. 

 

They were approaching an incline when Auberon suddenly stopped moving. His ears perked up and he started sniffing the air. 

 

“Be on your guard.” Came Auberon’s warning. 

 

No sooner than the words left his mouth, did they hear a series of loud roars resounding throughout the forest. Auberon quickly bounded forward, the knights following behind him. Reaching a hill, Auberon paused his movements. 

 

Grand Duke Lione moved to stand by Auberon, his eyes scanning his immediate surroundings. 

 

“Where?” 

 

Auberon pointed his snout forward. 

 

Grand Duke Lione gestured for his knights to stay behind. Following Auberon, he moved silently up the snowy hill, careful to remain out of sight. The roars grew louder. 

 

Peeking over the crest, Grand Duke Lione could see a large, white bear with two protruding fangs on either side of its mouth. The bear’s eyes looked similar to the frenzied wolves the knights fought earlier. However, the bear was not alone. 

 

It was currently fighting another bear. 

 

Both beasts were badly injured and bloody, but neither of them showed any signs of retreating. They attacked each other relentlessly, seemingly not caring about their wounds at all. 

 

It was a frightening sight, but Auberon’s attention was focused elsewhere. 

 

Although the flurry of movements from both beasts made it hard to see, on the ground next to them was a dark orb emitting mana.