473 – The Shepherd Boy and the Liar
Somewhere in the distance, a barking sound could be heard. And immediately after, a gust of wind blew. The black-furred werewolf, with a single strand of highland wind, gracefully settled down next to Azhi.
Fast.
Not just fast, but agile like a nimble dog. His movements and direction changes were so quick that they seemed a bit hasty. Yet there was no sound at all. It was a movement that symbolized agility.
Above all, it was unusual for a vampire to be wandering around during the day.
From his head to his back, a thick fur protected him from the sunlight. His fluffy tail, with white stripes, swayed up and down. Even if he wore a loose raincoat to block the sunlight, it wouldn’t bother him much even if he took it off. The double-layered fur would have protected him.
Rungken’s eye and the shepherd’s guardian. The black whirlwind racing across the highlands. Darkness running in broad daylight.
Before her black fur could settle, Mongingyeon Collie approached Azhi.
“Woof?”
“Just stay still… okay! I can’t work if you keep running off when I take my eyes off you… okay!”
A clever and famous shepherd dog. Mongingyeon Collie, who inherited that brilliant lineage, patted her with an awkward face. Pieces of twigs and dust from the black fur fell off.
“If you, the king of dogs, act so friendly towards humans, it will destabilize the hierarchy… okay.”
“Woof! Me, friend!”
“I know… okay. I know. This country doesn’t belong to you… okay.”
What stood before her eyes was the king of dogs. Not only dogs, but the king of beasts also held a special meaning for werewolves. Even though she had become a vampire, Collie’s instincts as a dog were still driving her.
Collie, who comforted Azhi, looked uncomfortable and stared at me.
“Nicole. Who is he?”
Was it because he encountered a vampire? The boy, who was quite startled, stuttered but managed to answer.
“Co-Collie! Ah, this person is someone who came from the Black Valley village…. He came to inform you that he found a suspicious person.”
“In the village of Bilitaire? Was there a human like you there?”
Collie wrinkled his face, sniffed at me, and whimpered. It was clearly a defensive attitude. Fortunately, even for a werewolf, the vampire’s sense of smell wasn’t that exceptional. It would be difficult for them to detect anything strange by scent alone.
“Yes, yes. I don’t know if you know me, but I’m Hyumil from the Black Valley Village. It’s an honor to meet you, Collie…”
“Ah-woof. Alright. Have you ever herded sheep? It’s strange for a robust kid like you to have never shown your face even once.”
“I did come once when I was young, but… of course, it wasn’t as a shepherd’s apprentice…”
However, the ability to sense discomfort through the instincts of an animal remained even after becoming a vampire. If Collie had asked something, I would have read it with a cunning skill and answered.
In a moment of crisis, what saved me was…
“Woof woof! Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you!”
From Noble mtl dot com
Without grasping the atmosphere, Azhi, circling between Collie and me, wagged his tail and whimpered.
As Azhi sniffed around in all directions, Collie expressed irritation, not annoyance.
“No, wait! Wait… there’s something I have to do!”
“Woof woof. Are you hurt? Does it hurt?”
“The scent of blood isn’t because I’m hurt!”
If there’s evidence, it’s not discomfort. Without evidence, it can change with a small, insignificant shift. As Azhi, the king of dogs, secretly showed a friendly attitude, Collie’s discomfort also weakened.
“Ah-woo. Alright. What did Vilitaire say?”
“A livestock that jumps over fences appeared. He… said that. When referring to a human who has become stronger than a vampire, they say they’ve jumped over something. If you defeat a Yeeling, it’s a fence, an Aine, it’s a castle wall, an Elder… it’s surpassed a lineage.”
Of course, I hadn’t heard it anywhere; I just said the most plausible thing I had read with cunning skill. Collie put aside his suspicions and nodded.
“Ah-woo. Come to think of it, I didn’t send a messenger to Vilitaire. Seems like he’s unaware of the situation.”
“The situation?”
“An important figure is escaping, so security has been strengthened. Capture them alive and escort them to the castle at all costs. But…”
Collie grumbled and glared at Azhi in annoyance.
“Just when the king appeared at that moment.”
“Woof? Me? Me, Azhi!”
“I wasted my time chasing after him because the king decided to chew on my earring. Until then, I thought the king was an important figure. Ugh. I should have made a more rational judgment. The king is bad. Just at that timing. It was confusing.”
He was making excuses to me now. It seemed strange for a vampire to make excuses to a human, but Collie was originally a dog shifter. Even after becoming a vampire, his nature hadn’t completely changed.
Collie, a shepherd dog shifter, had a strong sense of duty and loyalty. He was faithful to Lungen and Azhi for comfort and to the humans he took care of. For someone like Collie, failing to complete a mission was quite a blow to his pride.
…Of course, I had no reason to listen to Collie’s complaints. I pretended not to know and asked.
“The king? Important figure? Who is this shifter exactly? Are they a vampire?”
Collie, who had been put in a position to explain from the beginning, grimaced and became annoyed.
“Ughhh! There is someone like that! Stop nitpicking!”
He complained first. Anyway, Collie, who had stopped grumbling, immediately shouted at the shepherd boy.
“Nichol, go back to the village!”
“Yes, yes…”
The little shepherd boy, who had been timid in front of me, was nothing more than a docile lamb in front of the vampire. With a slightly drooping head, the boy turned towards the village.
After sending the boy and the dog away, Collie plopped down on the ground. A dog shifter was a dog shifter, so even his sitting posture was the same as Azhi’s.
“So, what’s the message?”
“A fugitive of unknown identity appeared in the Black Valley Village. The village chief went to subdue him after witnessing him stealing food…”
“And lost, right? Seems like he’s not an important figure after all. Anything else besides that?”
“Anything else…?”
“Impressions, writing skills. There are things you need to know when chasing someone.”
The intended meeting was not planned, but precisely because of that, it presented a greater opportunity.
As I felt earlier, there’s no escaping from Colli anyway. A sheepdog-like vampire. Running away from her, who tires from running, would be like fleeing from a plaything, and quite futile.
So, as always, my task is to deceive.
“In his late thirties? A slightly older-looking man than me. He wore a hooded robe, perhaps to conceal his appearance. After the skirmish with Village Chief Bilitea, he quickly fled the village. I’ve never seen someone so fast… Well, not as fast as Colli, of course.”
“How did he defeat Bilitea in a human subject?”
“I’m not sure either. The fight took place inside the chief’s hut. However, the chief mentioned that he had the strength to dig into the ground. Some kind of earth magic.”
Let’s fabricate.
I used earth magic and even tried druidism, but mentioning having two abilities would make the other person conscious of my moves. Show the Spade 10 quickly to create a misconception.
“Digging holes? Ugh. It’s getting annoying. You have to check underground, you know.”
As expected, it worked. I never thought about digging into the ground, but the other person would be conscious of my only (or not) ability, earth magic.
“Anything else?”
“It may or may not be helpful, but this was sent by the chief….”
I pulled out a piece of torn fabric from my pocket. I knew about Collie, and before leaving, I took it with me just in case.
“It’s a piece of fabric from the place he stayed. He said it might still have his scent.”
Of course, it’s not mine but Hilde’s fabric.
Colli moved like lightning. While I hesitated, the fabric was already in Colli’s mouth. She sniffed with her nose, detecting the faint remaining scent.
“Bilitea. Quite something.”
“Oh! Colli, as a sheepdog vampire, can find him by scent! I forgot about that!”
“Ugh. I’m not good at smelling. It’s not just me here.”
Really? That’s a relief. I was worried she might go to find Hilde or weirdly discern my lingering scent.
Touching the pieces of a ragged blanket, Colli suddenly extended it to Aji.
“King. Maybe this.”
“Woof. Huh?”
“You can find the owner of the smell… can you?”
“Woof! Here!”
Aji, having caught the scent, suddenly turned his head and began to vigorously pat my feet with his front paws. For a moment, my body tensed. If Aji is the king of dogs, he must have smelled not only my scent but also the scent of Hilde. Could he possibly sniff it all out?
“Woof woof! Woof woof woof!”
Fortunately. Aji is not the type to explain things in long sentences. Colli, seemingly not expecting much, said.
“He’s the one who brought it. Oh well. I was foolish. Even if he knows, he won’t help much.”
Colli, who quickly got up, leaped lightly. Silently passing over my head, Colli turned to me and Aji.
“I have many hunting dogs by my side. If they smell it, they can find it soon. Since they might be confused by your scent, go back to the village… No, wait.”
‘Since the king seems to like that human, I should leave him with that. It would be annoying if he roams around and attacks my yearling.’
“He’s taking care of the king. If the king is around, there won’t be any danger from humans.”
“What? Where?”
“Anywhere!”
Colli answered as if it were bothersome and left. In the brief moment I took my eyes off, Colli had become a gust of wind, running far away. Toward the shepherd’s hut on the misty plateau.
Things worked out better than expected. If we consider the fact that we encountered Colli, it’s partly Aji’s fault, but thanks to that, the explanation was easy, and I gained the discretion to move freely.
Above all, I got a reliable bodyguard.
“Hey, Aji.”
“Woof?”
“How did you get here?”
“Woof!”
Aji tapped my ankle with his front paw. Was he following me? Well, if it’s Aji, he would remember my scent. And more importantly, because the ‘promise’ still lingers.
“Where’s Shay? Weren’t you with him?”
“Woof? Him? Woof?”
Aji, with a tilted head, showed no sign of any doubt. It seems he has no idea why the term ‘returnee’ is mentioned here.
How exactly do you manage? Saying it might turn into a disaster in the future. Shouldn’t you manage a bit then? Your guardian posture is not up to par!
Well, thanks to that, something good happened to me. I spoke while patting Aji’s head.
“Anyway, it’s good to see you.”
Aji’s ears perked up. Feeling my touch between his thick ears, Aji smiled brightly and replied.
“Woof! Nice to see you too!”
Indeed, dogs are human’s friends. Just having them by your side makes you feel secure.
A sheepdog turned vampire hunter? Huh. Aji is the king of dogs. It’s on a different level. I, who have been to prison and traveled with the king of dogs, and on top of that, a friend bound by ‘promise’ on a racial level. It’s different from being just a regular human, especially one serving an Elder vampire.
I couldn’t do it earlier because Collie was watching, but now it’s possible. With a sly smile, I whispered.
“Aji. Remember that guy earlier? The dog-like returnee.”
“Woof? Him?”
“Yeah. If you see him again later… just bite him.”
If he were a human, he wouldn’t even be able to bite, just wag his front paws. But luckily, this is a vampire country. Aji can bite and twist necks without any restraint. Once Aji clears the way, I can walk freely.
hehehe. Just for a moment, I chuckled inwardly. Aji wagged his head and barked.
“Woof! Don’t like it!”
“What? Why?”
“He’s a friend! Don’t ask!”
“No, he’s a friend and a vampire! Didn’t you smell the blood?”
“Friend, it hurts! Ouch! Protect!”
Protect what? He’s a vampire! He can resurrect even if you tear him apart! If you’re going to protect, protect fragile me!
“Hey! Why do you always only partially help? Can’t you help me wholeheartedly once? You’ve gone nuts!”
“I’ll lose!”
“Me? I haven’t had the energy until now! I couldn’t help it because I was weak! But this time, I have some strength left. I promise to protect! I’ll protect, so help me just this once!”
From Noble mtl dot com
“You look pathetic!”
“What’s wrong with me? Have you seen my strength? I’m serious!”
Azhi doesn’t seem like he’s going to attack Kolly. Well, it doesn’t matter. I planned for this to happen.
Mokin-gyeon Kolly is known to be fast and agile, but it takes quite a bit of time to search through this vast mountain range. I’ll take advantage of Kolly’s absence and cross the mountains with Azhi. Azhi will handle minor issues like Yeiling or wolves.
Azhi’s weakness is that he can’t attack humans… but it doesn’t matter, right? The humans in this country are like livestock. They won’t be able to stop me.
hehehehe, things will be resolved easily. I smiled with satisfaction and took a step forward.
***
“Hey, Nicol! It’s been a while.”
“Oh? Mr. Brad! Long time no see!”
“It’s been a while. You’re starting to look like a proper shepherd! It’s about time for you to get married!”
“Please introduce me to a kind and pretty girl from the valley village and say things like that! But more importantly, what brings you here?”
“I came on orders from Chief Billytear. A fugitive headed in this direction. I came to inform Kolly about that fugitive.”
“What? Again?”
“Again? Do you mean there’s a fugitive here too? I’m busy, is it the hunting season or something? Why are there so many fugitives?”
“No, that’s not it. It’s a messenger’s message. They already sent someone from the village, didn’t they?”
“Sent someone? Who?”
“Humeel. They described him as tall and scruffy-looking.”
“What nonsense is this? Humeel? There’s no one in the village with that name. Moreover, why would they send someone else when I, who used to be a shepherd in your village, visit here so often? No one else has come as frequently as I have.”
“What? That’s strange. The village chief definitely said he sent him… If that was a lie, then who is that person?”
An unfamiliar person not sent by the village, a liar who deceived even the vampire by pretending to be Humeel. An unidentified man.
The answer was predetermined. The shepherd boy quickly realized the truth and turned his head.
“He’s a fugitive!”