Chapter 96 [Fairy Tale] He Has a Little Gray Wolf (22)

Though it was difficult to bring up, it must be said: this was the first time Asi had cleaned herself since arriving in this world.

Asi was absolutely a tidy young girl, but upon turning back into a wolf, she seemed to forget the habits of humans. Somehow, rolling around on the ground felt especially comfortable.

Ryder struggled greatly to finally finish grooming Asi’s fur. The little wolf was obedient—when she felt comfortable, she would let out a soft whimper.

While cleaning the little wolf, Ryder finally discovered the answer to a question that had long troubled him—

The little wolf was female.

Though the process of learning this was hard to speak of, Ryder could not deny the subtle joy that bloomed in his heart.

“Little wolf, there’s magic on your body. Let me help you remove it.”

Asi had once been struck by a magical arrow. Although Ryder had treated her at the time, only now did he realize that traces of magic still lingered within her. This was why she had not yet been able to return to human form. Not that Ryder knew the little wolf could transform into a human.

“Woof woof.”

Asi whimpered twice, obediently resting her head against Ryder’s body, allowing him to brush her sleek fur. Her meaning was clear: do as you wish.

Ryder was warmed by this trust, and his gaze softened even further. The way he looked at the little wolf was nothing like how one would look at an animal—

It was more like…

Ahem.

Ryder pressed his lips together, his cheeks flushed red. He reached out, letting a crimson flame flicker gently across Asi’s body, burning away the magic at the tip of her tail, growing larger and darker.

Asi squinted her eyes in delight, her tail sweeping lazily behind her.

Neither of them noticed the bubbles that floated around them, but Greed saw them clearly—pink bubbles everywhere. He drifted, utterly uninterested, toward the spot where Ryder had taken the chicken earlier, and was delighted to discover some meat and vegetables still inside. He immediately settled down and devoured everything ravenously.

The fluffy white dumpling left not a trace of oil on himself, but the food vanished completely. Greed let out a satisfied burp, found a comfortable spot, and fell asleep.

In his dreams, sometimes there were delicious food and drink, sometimes Asi was persuaded not to like Abyss anymore, so much so that Abyss knelt before him, weeping bitterly. Greed giggled foolishly in his sleep.

—

Nighttime brought new complications.

Asi had been washed thoroughly by Ryder, her fur gleaming with a glossy sheen. She was delighted, feeling that she was now truly a little white wolf.

Ryder, seeing the little wolf trailing behind him, was at a loss. “No, you can’t keep following me. I—I’m going to sleep now.” He pointed outside to the wolf den he had prepared for Asi.

Asi followed the direction of his finger, frowned, and looked thoroughly displeased. Then, swaggering forward, she entered Ryder’s sleeping quarters ahead of him, leapt skillfully onto the bed, and curled up to one side, deliberately leaving space for Ryder.

“Little wolf…” Ryder stood in the doorway, his blue eyes filled with shimmering light. The tips of his ears were red. He was very shy.

Asi lazily lifted her gaze, stretched out a paw, and tapped the spot beside her, indicating for him to join her. Her tail wagged invitingly.

“I—I’ll end up crushing you,” Ryder stammered from the doorway, struggling for a long time to come up with this excuse.

But the little wolf wasn’t listening at all. She closed her eyes and began to softly snore in contentment.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, bathing her sleek fur in silver.

Ryder’s wildly beating heart gradually calmed, leaving only gentle warmth in his eyes.

(End of chapter)