TDAA Ch 68

He really didn’t understand. He could understand Lipez and Kadion, but for all the other wolves to welcome him too? To them, wasn’t Siol just the leader’s son? A stranger, a wolf he didn’t know at all.

“What do you mean, why? Because you’re one of our wolves, that’s why.”

“I’m a wolf, but… why does that….”

“That’s just how we are. There’s no reason, Siol. We’re your kin, your pack.”

Kin.

When he was on Earth, Siol had never felt like he belonged among humans. He had thought it was just because he was an orphan, but could it have actually been because he wasn’t their kin?

“Kin….”

It was different from the past, when he couldn’t even accept the word “kin” because he didn’t know why he had ears and a tail. The word “kin” seeped deep into his chest, warmly coloring his heart.

Now, Siol was one of them. A part of the pack that couldn’t be separated.

The moment he realized this, Siol suddenly felt tears welling up.

“Hey, why are you about to cry?”

A flustered Ryufen tried to soothe him, fidgeting, but it was no use. Siol, without realizing it, clung to Eorzen and asked Ryufen as if for confirmation.

“Ryufen, are you… on my side then?”

“Huh? Uh, of course! What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I’ve never once… had anything like that, someone on my side….”

“Goodness. There you go talking nonsense again. I’ve been on your side since we were in Sir Eorzen’s city, you know?”

“Even back then?”

“Of course! You were a wolf back then too, and what’s more, you were a kid!”

Ryufen’s child-rearing, treating him like a kid from start to finish, was rough, but it still deeply comforted Siol. If it hadn’t been for Ryufen, who just pushed his way in like this, Siol, who only knew how to build walls, might have taken much longer to open his heart on his own.

“Are we… really family?”

“Oh my. What kind of foolish question is that?”

“Family… they like each other… and even if someone does something wrong, they make up later….”

“Huh? That’s a given. I ran away saying I didn’t want to be a knight here, but my older sister didn’t kick me out, did she?”

“If, I again… do something foolish, something stupid… even then….”

Siol clenched his teeth to steady his trembling voice, then looked at Ryufen and asked again.

“Even then, are we family?”

“Wow. That’s such an absurd question, I don’t know what to say.”

At that answer, Siol’s imagination ran to the negative, and his mouth clamped shut tightly to keep from bursting into tears. Ryufen, startled, fussed and pressed himself close to Siol.

“Of course, of course! First, I’ll nag you well so you don’t do anything stupid, and if you still do it, then I’ll take responsibility with you. Okay? No matter what you do, family is family. Stop crying, you fish-eyed boy. What on earth do you think a family is? Look at me. My sister forgives me even though she hits me all the time. It’s like that.”

“That’s because you did something wrong, Ryufen.”

“You’re being cold at a strange moment… look at you siding with your mom.”

“……”

His mom! The unexpected expression made his tears stop in their tracks.

Anyway, even amidst Ryufen’s subtle criticism, Siol firmly stuck to his opinion.

Ryufen patted Siol’s shoulder and said.

“Enough of that. Wolves don’t abandon family. Got it?”

“…I get it.”

“And uncles especially don’t abandon their nephews. Got it, Siol?”

“I get it.”

“‘I get it, uncle.’”

“…I get it, uncle.”

A wolf who claims to have more than one or two nephews is strangely insistent on hearing the word “uncle.” Siol shook his head with a slight smile.

Ryufen, having heard what he wanted, walked on gleefully and then whispered slyly to Siol.

“Hey, Siol. If you ever fight with the Commander later, run away to here.”

“…I’m not going to fight with Sir Eorzen.”

“I’m saying just in case, just in case! You’ll probably fight once or twice in your lifetime. Right?”

“Wrong.”

Siol replied firmly and looked up at Eorzen.

“Right, Sir Eorzen?”

“Of course. Fights are only possible between equals.”

“That’s right.”

Siol, who readily agreed, turned back to Ryufen with a look that said, “See?” Ryufen, seeing that triumphant expression, asked in disbelief.

“If you’re not equals, then who’s on top and who’s on the bottom?”

“Obviously, I’m on the bottom!”

Hearing Siol’s words, Eorzen’s expression turned serious.

“That is not correct, Siol.”

“Huh?”

“In this relationship, I am the bottom. You are the top.”

“Huh? Th… why, why? That can’t be… possible.”

“Dragons have been like that for generations.”

He had nothing to say when told it was a racial characteristic.

But wasn’t there a saying that the one who loves more usually loses? Thinking of his own intense one-sided love, Siol didn’t think he could ever win against Eorzen. Even now, if Eorzen made even a slightly pitiful face, he wanted to grant him anything, so how could he possibly be the one on top?

“I am your dragon, so command me as you please.”

“…Then please hold my hand. Not just holding, but with our fingers interlaced.”

Eorzen swiftly intertwined his hand with Siol’s. Because of that, the flowers Siol was holding tumbled out. Siol was surprised and tried to pick them up, but Ryufen nudged his back. In truth, there was no need to pick up the fallen flowers, as many more were waiting for him.

The road stretched on without a visible end, and beyond it, wolves holding flowers were lined up.

Everything was prepared for Siol.

⋆୨🔮୧⋆

Thanks to that, by the time Siol arrived at the central plaza, he was once again completely buried in flowers.

Lipez and Kadion, who were waiting, burst out laughing upon seeing Siol’s state.

“You didn’t have to carry the flowers with your whole body like this.”

The flowers that Kadion had apparently gotten from a colony over the mountain were also piled up in the central plaza. At this rate, hadn’t the colony been annihilated?

Lipez, who had approached at some point, brushed the flowers off Siol’s body and gently caressed his cheek. Siol felt somehow very shy and quietly received the touch. Kadion neatly arranged Siol’s clothes and gently brushed his bangs. Flower petals that had been stuck in his hair fluttered down.

“Thank you….”

“The welcome party got a little big. I’m sorry, Siol. I knew it would be uncomfortable, but I wanted to show you off.”

“Sh-show me off?”

“You came back on your own even when we couldn’t protect you, so I can’t say how proud we are.”

“That was just… what happened. I just lived diligently and it turned out that way.”

“Thank you for living diligently, Siol.”

Why did those words make him tear up? Siol barely held back another surge of tears.

When he managed to eke out a “Yes,” Lipez pushed Kadion aside.

“Why are you making the kid cry on a good day?”

“I wasn’t trying to make him cry!”

“You should choose your words more carefully when you know the kid is prone to tears.”

Kadion lowered his head, looking crestfallen. Siol hurriedly waved his hands.

“That’s, that’s not it, it’s because I’m happy…!”

“If you’re happy, you should smile, baby.”

“…Huh?”

“If you’re happy, smile.”

He’d heard it a few times already, but he never knew how to react whenever he heard that expression, “baby.”

As Siol tried his best to hide his bewilderment, Ryufen whispered from the side.

“Baby.”

“…Be quiet.”

Ryufen did as he was told and shut his mouth, but he couldn’t hide his chuckles.

An annoyed Siol pulled on Eorzen’s hand and pointed at Ryufen, and Eorzen gladly punished Ryufen in his stead. Ryufen, who had been hit once and rolled a few times, came back while rubbing the back of his head. Why does he keep acting so detestably when he knows this will happen?

“This way.”

Siol glared at Ryufen and then quickened his steps toward Lipez, who was holding out his hand, before pausing. The central plaza was filled with wolves. An unknown pressure weighed down on Siol. Just before he took a step back without realizing it, Ryufen nudged his back with his nose. Siol reached out for Eorzen, but this time too, Ryufen got in between them.

“Go alone, Siol. It’s no big deal.”

“…It’s not scary, right?”

“Of course not. You think my older sister would do anything bad to you?”

A nervous Siol took a deep breath and stepped forward. In the center of the place Lipez led him to, a single chair was placed. Siol naturally thought Lipez would sit, but she didn’t. Lipez pulled Siol’s hand and sat him down in the only chair there.

What on earth was happening? The people filling the plaza were different from the wolves he met on the main road. They were all in armor or formal attire, and each one had such a formidable aura that it was clear they were no ordinary wolves.

One of them walked to the front of the platform. He was an old knight with one eye, and white hair was sparsely mixed in with his black hair. But age seemed to have done nothing to mar his firm will; his cool-headed impression stood out. With that same chilly expression, he bowed his head to Siol.

“My name is Rostaltin. I am the commander of the Black Wolf Knights, in charge of this city’s defense, young master.”

As Siol stared blankly at the man standing before him, not knowing how to respond, the man suddenly smiled gently and held out his hand. Siol, taken aback, took his hand.

“And I am also your granduncle on your mother’s side.”

The man, who had come closer, suddenly pulled Siol into a tight hug.

“Welcome back, Siol.”

Held in an embrace that smelled unfamiliar, Siol froze for a moment before extending both his arms and hugging the man back.

Granduncle on my mother’s side? This man is my mother’s cousin?

The countless words of welcome he received while walking the main road had made Siol happy, but facing this strange man now stirred up a completely different emotion.

“Th-thank you….”

Siol’s granduncle roughly tousled Siol’s hair and then stepped back.

Behind him, dozens of wolves were waiting, looking at Siol.

Besides Ryufen and Muriel, Lipez had five other siblings, and when you added in cousins and their children, the family was so large it made his head spin.

One by one, they stepped forward, revealed their relationship to Siol, and offered words of welcome. What was surprising was that not a single one of them showed any sign of ostracizing or disliking Siol. Siol had grown up being very observant of others’ feelings and was sensitive to hostility directed at him, yet he couldn’t find a single person who was wary of him.

‘All these people are my family?’

This welcome ceremony warmed Siol’s heart and, like cream, easily tore down a certain wall that had been hardened for so long he didn’t even know it was there. Because of that, Siol came face to face with the extremely fragile self he had hidden away a very long time ago. It was the little Siol who had been easily hurt and wounded, locked away so as not to feel pain again.

In his earliest memory, he was huddled in a corner of the slums, wrapped in a thin blanket. No one protected him, and no one looked for him. But he was too hungry to feel lonely. He had to do anything to survive. So Siol locked away the luxurious and weak self that craved affection inside a wall and bid it a permanent farewell.

Perhaps he had locked away the belief that someone would be there for him along with it?

Is that why, no matter what happened, he always thought he had to solve things himself rather than asking for help or relying on someone else?

“Siol. I heard your story. That the king made you the Alchemist of Death and placed the responsibility for the massacre on you.”

“……”

Lipez spoke forcefully to Siol, who was too surprised by the sudden words to reply.

“We’ll take care of it for you.”

“Take care… of it for me?”

“Yes. I dare say, the wolves’ influence in the beastmen’s land is not small. We will bring revenge upon the human who falsely accused you, burn all the books containing the lies, and spread the truth throughout the land of the beastmen.”

“But….”

Lipez grabbed the hand of the bewildered Siol.

“From now on, no one will be able to call you the Alchemist of Death, Siol.”

Siol looked up at Lipez and answered with a trembling voice.

“But… I can’t say I’m completely without fault….”

“Even so, I want to cover everything up for you… but I don’t think you would allow it. Then let’s at least properly sort out the rights and wrongs. Siol, don’t think that all those deaths are your fault.”

“…”

“Still, if you want to take responsibility, then take it. If you want to atone, then atone. But, we will bear it with you so that you are not crushed alone.”

The desire he had deceived himself into thinking he didn’t want, in order to not be lonely, swelled up.

The greed that he had never let out since knowing that there was no one to protect him greedily devoured the affection that was being poured out to him as soon as it came out.

The urge to complain indiscriminately about how hard it had been, how lonely he had been, soared.

The flowers in his arms, still sparkling; the concerned gazes of the other wolves who had thrown flowers to welcome him; even the gentle touch of the other wolves who had introduced themselves as his family and held him preciously.

Just a few days ago, he had entered the city as a stranger, but now he was a member of the city.

Siol felt like he was going to cry.

“Oh dear. Don’t cry, Siol.”

Kadion hurriedly took out a handkerchief and handed it to Siol. Instead of taking the handkerchief, Siol turned his body, wrapped his arms around Kadion’s waist, and started to cry. Kadion, at a loss, soon began to gently stroke Siol’s head and quietly comforted him.

⋆୨🔮୧⋆

“Just as planned.”

Ryufen looked at Eorzen, who was nodding with satisfaction, with a complicated expression.

“Why that look again?”

“What you’re doing, Sir Commander, seems a bit different from the dragon’s love I’ve heard about. Weren’t dragons supposed to hate it when their mate gets friendly with someone else?”

Eorzen clicked his tongue and looked at Ryufen with contempt. It was only natural, as he was speaking such utter foolishness.

“Of course I hate it.”

“You hate it? Then why did you do this? You were the one who had me ask my sister about holding a welcome party.”

“Because it helps Siol.”

“Well… that may be true.”

Ryufen still looked bewildered.

Eorzen felt a headache coming on, thinking he understood how Ryufen had viewed the creature known as a dragon until now. Of course, dragons were possessive, obsessive, and jealous creatures when it came to their mates. But at the same time, they were also beings who would do anything their mate wished for, who would present a mountain of jewels if asked to pay with jewels for a single kiss.

The words possessiveness, obsession, and jealousy alone did not define a dragon.

“Did you think I would lock Siol up in a dungeon or something?”

“Well, you did say you would.”

He was talking about what happened inside the ruins. As he said this, Ryufen looked at Eorzen with an overtly suspicious and doubtful expression out of the corner of his eye.

Eorzen was at a loss for words for a moment but soon opened his mouth again.

“How long are you going to drag on about something that happened when I lost my reason?”

“As Siol’s uncle, I have a duty to keep him safe.”

“I just happened to have a long, long errand to entrust to you….”

“Ah, don’t think you can just gloss over it. We need to address what needs to be addressed.”

Eorzen sighed deeply and shook his head.

To be honest, it was a bit annoying, but thinking about the future, Ryufen was the only beastman he could trust Siol with.

“Ryufen, think about it. Siol has a somewhat reckless side to him, doesn’t he?”

“That’s right. That kid thinks he’s precariously standing on a tightrope or something.”

“That’s why we have to let him know that he has a place to rely on and stretch his legs like this.”

The wolf family and relatives were suitable people to impress upon Siol the fact that he was not alone. Because they were a race that valued their kin and yet respected the family a child formed once they were grown. Of course, since Siol was a family member they thought was dead and then welcomed back, they were likely to be more fussy than an ordinary family, but that wasn’t a bad thing either.

Siol needed love. And a continuous, devoted, unconditional love at that.

“Of course, if I alone had been enough, I wouldn’t have orchestrated this. But if necessary, I will accept outside help.”

“…Hmm. Actually, according to the laws of the wolves, the Commander, who will marry Siol, is also part of our family.”

“Well… do we have to go that far?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I’m not particularly keen on it, but if Siol wishes it, I will act like family.”

Ryufen’s jaw dropped in disbelief. Eorzen, paying no mind, looked toward Siol and suddenly scrunched up his face.

“Kadion’s contact is a bit excessive. Ryufen, go and tell him to tone it down later.”

“……”

“Why no answer?”

“Control your expression. What if Siol sees you….”

Eorzen went back to his smiling face.

Though he said it like a joke, every word was sincere. Siol needed a family.

In fact, until just a short while ago, he had wished for Siol to want only him. With the arrogant thought that his love alone could make Siol completely happy, he had sought to satisfy the raw desires of a dragon. But what had been the result of wishing for Siol’s love to be directed only at him out of such desires?

The end of that foolish and stupid love had almost been Siol’s death.

Although he had become stronger than when they first met after going through many things, Siol was still unstable.

‘…I will definitely protect you.’

How precarious Siol had looked saying that.

Siol would whisper love desperately and leave Eorzen’s side every time. Siol’s love was not a promise to stay by his side. Siol’s love was a vow to protect the other person, and at the same time, a terrible devotion that would unsparingly sacrifice his own life.

Eorzen hated that kind of love that Siol poured onto him. If something were to happen again, Siol was a wolf who would willingly lay down his one and only life for Eorzen. That way of loving pushed Eorzen into a miserable anxiety.

That’s why he had wanted to create an opportunity for Siol to feel close to the people he loved, his family.

“Anyway, so you’re saying you have no intention of locking him up… or doing any of those mean things, right?”

“…Did Lipez tell you to ask?”

“Yes. My sister said she needed a definite answer.”

If Siol had heard, he would have called Ryufen a bat-like wolf.

Eorzen clicked his tongue but obediently nodded his head in answer.

“As long as Siol does not wish it, I will not lock him up anywhere.”

“That sounds a bit strange? If Siol doesn’t wish for it?”

It seemed that his consideration of the conversation he had with Siol just this morning had shown.

Remembering the promise to spend three months a year holed up somewhere just the two of them, his heart softened.

“Anyway, I will do anything if Siol wishes it, and I will not do anything if he doesn’t. As long as it’s not something that would harm Siol.”

Siol’s love made him not hesitate to push himself into precarious danger. As if that was the only kind of love he had learned. Perhaps it was because of him, the dragon thought. Because the little wolf had first encountered a dragon’s love when he was empty inside. Because the only person Siol could learn about love from was a dragon. Siol had accepted into that empty space the dragon’s love, which did anything for the other person.

“Siol seems happy.”

Eorzen said with a faint smile. Siol was crying, but at the same time, he was filled with joy.

A dragon’s love is dreadfully self-destructive. A dragon can endure such a love because it is a dragon.

But a wolf could not. Siol had to learn the wolf’s way of loving.

And fortunately, Siol was now surrounded by those who could teach him that love.

Eorzen was willing to be patient so that Siol could fully take root in this precarious land. A single, thick root cannot make a sturdy tree. Siol had to put down more roots in this world, in this land, so that he would never collapse or fall. And it was better for those fine roots to be beings bound by the enclosure of ‘family’ rather than strangers.

So, the people now surrounding Siol were of great use.

They were the fine roots that would bind Siol to the land.

So, let’s not kill them, even if they are annoying.

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing.”

Eorzen painstakingly suppressed the inner thought that had escaped without him realizing it.

He looked at the black wolf stroking Siol’s hair, the small wolves vigorously shaking his hand while holding his shoulder, and the brown wolf who was patting his back and chattering away, and repeated to himself, ‘Those are fine roots.’

Siol, who had been looking around, saw Eorzen and tried to stand up abruptly, only to sit back down in his chair. It was because Ladie had gently pressed down on his shoulder. Ladie was glaring at Eorzen with narrowed eyes.

Eorzen ignored Ladie, approached Siol, and knelt before him on one knee.

“You called for me, Siol.”

As Eorzen responded affectionately, Siol, tense all over, stammered.

“Th-… these are all my family… and since you, Lord Eorzen, are… my lover, I wanted to introduce you.”

“……”

“Th-that’s right, isn’t it?”

At the stammered question from Siol, who was intimidated by the silence, the wolves shot daggers at Eorzen with their eyes.

Eorzen leaned in slowly toward Siol.

“Rather than that— I would prefer it if you called me the one you will marry. Siol, my mate.”

Eorzen took Siol’s hand, kissed its back, and whispered coaxingly. He had moved so close to Siol that their faces were almost touching. Whispering in that state was as intimate as sharing a secret, but there was no way the wolves surrounding them could have failed to hear it. The wolves’ jaws dropped at the blatant move.

Yet, despite the obviousness of the ploy, Siol was already completely smitten, his cheeks flushed red.

Eorzen looked at Siol’s glistening, moist eyes and thought.

For your sake, I am fine with sharing your love.

As long as the one you love most is me.

Imbuing his words with that wish, Eorzen smiled even more beautifully.

“Siol, may I not?”

“No…”

He falls for it that easily?

The surrounding wolf relatives sent him looks bordering on horror, but Siol was so absorbed in looking at Eorzen that he didn’t notice their disbelieving gazes.

Ladie’s expression, in particular, was one of utter displeasure. She was deeply disappointed by the fact that her child, whom she had only just gotten back, was already in love with a dragon. She had longed for him and waited for his return for so long, wanting to keep him in her embrace for at least twenty years, yet her child was already discussing marriage with the blue dragon.

‘If I had paid more attention and acted sooner on matters in the human lands, could I have met him earlier?’

Belated regret pushed Ladie into despair.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t even openly express her discontent toward the blue dragon who would whisk Siol away. Every time Ladie showed her thorns to Eorzen, Siol would look troubled. The child was incredibly soft-hearted.

If you were born as a dragon’s mate, you should at least be able to command the dragon with the tip of your finger.

To Ladie, who, despite being in a loving relationship with her husband Budril, who was originally her subordinate, prioritized their lord-vassal relationship, Siol’s way of romance was utterly unsatisfactory.

“Since we are to be married, we are no different from fiancés, are we not?”

“Th-that’s right…”

“And if we are fiancés, wouldn’t it be fine to call each other family? For humans, an engagement might be broken, but I am a dragon. As long as you do not change your mind, we will certainly become family soon enough.”

“Family…”

“Don’t tell me you’ve had a change of heart?”

“No!”

“Then?”

“Family… yes, we’re practically family.”

Having fallen for the dragon’s words, Siol gave him the answer he wanted. Hearing this, Eorzen smiled as if delighted, rose to his feet, and glanced around at the wolves. A sense of tension spread. Amidst them, only Ladie maintained her expression, glaring intently at Eorzen.

It wasn’t that Eorzen was unaware of Ladie’s hostility. And he understood it, too. He was the reason she had Siol taken from her, so it would be stranger if she didn’t hate him. If he had been in her shoes, he wouldn’t have let it go with mere hostility.

Standing up, Eorzen spoke to the wolves.

“Siol’s relatives are the same as relatives to me. I hope we can get along well from now on.”

At his beaming greeting, the wolves couldn’t believe their ears.

A dragon was claiming to be their relative. Was it a trap? Was this a setup so he could later whine that he never wanted to go to Atum again because he had tried to be friendly first, but the wolves rejected him and hurt his feelings?

The wolves, who had thoroughly researched the dragon while preparing for the festival and Siol’s arrival, were momentarily thrown into confusion.

But whether they believed his current response or not, Eorzen simply smiled nonchalantly, thinking only about how he would manage these fine roots before him.

However they interpreted that smile, the wolves began to return his greeting.

“That’s right! We’re family now! Let’s get along!”

“Yes. We’re in your care, Lord Eorzen!”

“I hope we can see each other often from now on!”

From among them, Ladie took a step forward.

“My, what a gracious thing to say. I never imagined the Blue Dragon himself would be the first to suggest that we, as family, get along.”

“Relatives should get along.”

The gazes of Ladie, trying to include Siol within the fence of family, and Eorzen, drawing the line at relatives, clashed sharply. After a subtle silence, Ladie was the first to take another step forward and open her arms. Eorzen willingly embraced her in return. On the surface, it was a heartwarming scene of a mother-in-law and son-in-law hugging, but the reality was a bit different.

The two conversed in very small voices.

“What are you scheming? Don’t try to deceive me with lies, speak plainly.”

“Siol needs a family.”

“Don’t talk nonsense, you’re a dragon.”

“I’m serious. Siol throws his body into harm’s way too easily.”

“…That much is true.”

Ladie recalled Siol doing his utmost to catch Nanthaniel, with no regard for his own body. Of course, she had been the one to urge him on. But separate from that, Siol lacked the awareness that he needed to protect his own safety.

“Tell Siol you love him. Promise him you’ll meet again, and give him a future to dream of.”

“And what will you do?”

“No matter how much I say it, Siol will just throw himself in harm’s way for my sake. The more he loves me, the more actively he will do so.”

“……”

The two naturally pulled apart and smiled at each other.

“I think we can be a good family.”

“I, too, think we can be good relatives. I’m quite pleased that our thoughts align.”

The only wolf who noticed the negotiation-that-wasn’t-a-negotiation that had taken place in that short time was Ryufen, who was watching from a short distance away. Ryufen had been anxiously observing the suspicious negotiation between his sister and his superior unfold, and only after confirming its conclusion did he let out a sigh of relief and approach them.

Siol, who was clueless about such things, knew nothing and simply seemed happy, thinking that the two who had been having a subtle war of nerves had reconciled.

“You two, have you made up?”

“It was never really something to fight about. It’s all because of the misfortune caused by my being your dragon…”

“What? Don’t say such things! I’m happy to be your mate, Lord Eorzen.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course!”

Eorzen quickly played the pitiful act to draw out sympathy, then kissed the crown of Siol’s head, a satisfied twist to his lips.

Today, Siol had gained a great many family members. That fact would normally be news to make a dragon sullen, but the current Eorzen was instead satisfied. The more things that entangled Siol, the less recklessly he would be able to act.

All this consideration was, in truth, nothing but a fine net meant to bind Siol.

He desperately wished that Siol would gain more beings to love, more lands to love, more things to love, so that Siol would never again treat his own life like a moth drawn to a flame.