บท 9: Cedric's Blunder
Cedric messed up.
Unaware that it was a juvenile, he attacked a White Fenrir's child.
(Seriously… Is he an idiot?)
Watching from a distance, hidden among the bushes, Rest felt a chill run down his spine. The White Fenrir was ferocious, yes, but it was also intelligent. It wouldn't kill without reason, and as long as one didn't encroach on its territory, it posed no threat.
(But… I never expected someone to go out of their way to step on a wolf's tail…)
Thinking it was inevitable since Cedric didn't know about the White Fenrir wouldn't cut it. This was a monster's lair. He should have been far more cautious.
(And of course, it's Cedric who makes the mistake… He probably thinks he's the center of the world.)
Rest had been watching them from a distance for a while now… He had seen Cedric trying desperately to impress the sisters, making every effort to show off. The sisters, however, clearly had no interest in Cedric, but he didn't seem to notice. As Rest's brother, it was painful to watch, so much so that Rest wanted to look away.
"That said… I can't just leave things as they are."
The sisters were about to be attacked by the White Fenrir. With no other choice, Rest decided to intervene.
"[Wind Sphere]"
"Gyaah!"
Rest struck the White Fenrir, who was about to pounce on the sisters, with a wind spell right across its face. The impact wasn't meant to kill but to blow the beast away, and the White Fenrir rolled to the side.
"I'm sorry about Cedric's mistake. But you don't need to worry anymore. It's all under control."
"W-Who are you…?"
"Wha…?"
Viola and Primula stared at Rest in bewilderment. To avoid scaring them, Rest placed a hand on his chest and tried to give them the most gentlemanly smile he could muster.
"My name is Rest. I'm, well… Cedric's half-brother, I suppose."
"Brother…? But I've never heard of Cedric having a sibling…"
Viola asked cautiously. Rest gave a slight, apologetic smile and began to explain.
"I was born out of wedlock, so my existence has been kept hidden. I sincerely apologize for the trouble my brother has caused."
"Behind you!"
Primula screamed. In the next instant, the White Fenrir lunged at Rest.
"Graaahhh!"
"Oh, sorry. I almost forgot about you."
"Gah!?"
The White Fenrir aimed to bite down on Rest's shoulder, but it was repelled by an invisible barrier. It was a protective spell, a [Barrier Shield].
"I'm really sorry for disturbing your home. And for harming your child."
"Grrr…"
"This is an apology… [Healing]."
Rest cast a healing spell towards the White Fenrir. The various wounds on its body began to fade and vanish.
"What are you…!"
Viola's voice rang out in shock, but Rest calmed her with a steady gaze, reassuring her that it was okay.
"I'll heal your child as well. [Healing]."
"Kyuu…"
Rest sent another healing spell towards the wolf pup that Cedric had injured and left lying on the ground. The pup stood up, looking bewildered, and let out a small whine.
"Let's call it even, shall we? Neither of us wants any more injuries, right?"
"Grrr…"
The White Fenrir growled lowly, backing away slowly. Its eyes flickered with hesitation, torn between retreating and continuing the fight.
"If you insist on not backing down… well, then I suppose I have no choice."
Rest raised his hand and unleashed his magic. A massive aura of magical energy erupted from his body, the sheer power manifesting as a visible blue aura, like steam bursting from a boiling kettle.
"Yipe!?"
The White Fenrir yelped like a frightened puppy. Normally, magic isn't something that can be seen with the naked eye. Just like how it was measured during childhood at the temple, one usually needs special tools to gauge a person's magical power. However, Rest's magic was nearly infinite, a bottomless well of power. It was so overwhelming and dense that it became something visible to the naked eye.
"Yipe! Yipe!"
The White Fenrir grabbed its pup in its mouth and fled as fast as it could. After being scared this badly, it likely wouldn't come down to the village again.
"Sorry about that, I must have scared you."
"…Huh?"
Rest turned to the sisters, who were sitting on the ground, clearly shaken. Viola and Primula looked at him with wide eyes, still in shock.
"I'll escort you out of the forest… And if it's not too much trouble, could you keep what happened today a secret from my father and brother?"
"That's fine, but…"
"The magic you just showed was more powerful than that of our father, the court magician. Who exactly are you…?"
Viola and Primula asked, but Rest couldn't give them a full explanation. Instead, he decided to handle it with a smile.
"I'm just a stable boy, not even a noble. Please, don't think too much of it."
After that, Rest escorted the sisters out of the forest. Cedric and the two baron's sons had been knocked out by the White Fenrir, but they only had fractures and no life-threatening injuries. Rest used a spell called [Floating] to levitate their bodies and carried them out like cargo. Though Rest personally wouldn't have minded leaving them behind, he restrained himself for the sisters' sake.
This marked the beginning of Rest's encounter with the Rosemary sisters, but little did he know, their relationship would deepen in the future. At this point, he couldn't have predicted that outcome at all.
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