Tensei Saki de Suterareta no de, Mofumofu Tachi to Oryouri Shimasu ~Okazari Ouhi wa my Pace ni Saikyou Desu~

Translator: Kuromaru

Editor: Evelet

Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu! Support the Translators and Editors!

15. The Young man on The Wolf Watch

“Heiii?!”

The extremely pathetic shriek came from a beastkin with white curly hair and animal ears. He looked around my age but was a head taller and bigger than me. As soon as he looked our way, his face scrunched up, and I could see that his eyes were swimming in a daze behind his long bangs.

The wolves wagged their tails as they rushed around the frozen young man and huddled close to him.

The wolves were looking at me then at the young man in turns as if trying to talk:

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Are you afraid of that woman?’

‘Were you surprised? Were you scared?’

“Um, excuse me—”

“Y-Yes!”

When I called out to the young man, I got a stuttered reply. He was still acting suspiciously, but he seemed to have calmed down enough to have a conversation.

“I’m Leticia, His Majesty Glenreed’s Queen, and I came to this royal villa today. May I have your name and affiliation?”

“…Yes! My name is Edgar, and I’m a w-wolf watcher!” He stammer​ed used all of his effort to spit it out.

Edgar seemed to have noticed too; his beast ears flopped down flat on his head and his tail went limp. I understood that the animal ears and tails of beastkin expressed emotions, such as dejection, in an easy-to-understand manner.

“A wolf watcher, you say? I’ve heard of that; it’s quite impressive.”

I decided to pretend that I hadn’t seen Edgar’s blunder and proceeded with the conversation.

—Wolf watcher.

It was said that the ancestor of the royal family of this country, the Kingdom of Wolfwald, had been a wolf spirit. Perhaps because of this legend, the royal family had tamed and kept wolves at hand for generations.

It seemed that the reason this royal castle had such a vast area was to raise wolves and let them roam freely. And in place of the busy royals, people like Edgar called wolf watchers looked after the wolves.

I’d heard that wolves trained by them became exceptional beasts, with sharp fangs and loyalty to humans. In fact, the wolves that were surrounding us now never bit us and seemed to be following Edgar’s instructions.

“There are more than ten of these wolves. Do you control them all by yourself?”

“Y-Yes! I mean, no! There are other wolf watchers, but I’m the one walking with them today.”

“I see. Do you mean that the front yard of this estate is part of your usual route, and you happened to bump into me?”

“I’m so sorry for bothering you!”

Edgar bowed his head vigorously.

He was undoubtedly earnest, but…

‘What are you doing?’

‘Why are you lowering your head?’

The wolves, burying the tips of their noses in the young man’s bowed head as if in concern, made for a very peaceful picture.

“…Please raise your head. Yes, I was a little surprised, but it didn’t bother me in any way. I’m even happy to see the wolves that I had heard so much about up close. They’re so beautiful and look so cool—”

“I know!” Edgar raised his head and shouted.

“Two ears stretching to the heavens, the moistness of the tip of a nose that moves so skilfully! I never get tired of looking at them!”

Edgar talked with animation.

Apparently, he became talkative when it came to his favourite subject. His tone was enthusiastic, but it seemed to deflate as he met my gaze.

“I’m s-sorry.…I apologize for being like that all of a sudden on our first meeting.”

Edgar’s animal ears flattened, and he bowed his head despondently again. Although he was taller than me, his depressed appearance made him look like a large dog; it was somewhat cute.

“You don’t have to worry about it. I also like wolves, so I know exactly how you feel.”

…A wolf, or more accurately, a dog.

When it came to my beloved dog from my previous life—Jiro—I was confident that I could praise him so highly that others would be drawn to him.

“You like wolves? I mean, not that I doubt you, but that’s rather unusual.”

“Is that so?”

“Y-yes. It’s rare, at least, I think so. Wolves are carnivores, after all, and scary, aren’t they? These wolves, of course, won’t attack people without permission…but most humans, especially those from other countries, are afraid of wolves and try to keep away from them,” Edgar said timidly, then looked at us.

There was a but:

“But I’m sure the Queen is different. If not, the wolves would have made more noise. Sometimes wolves are like mirrors. If the other party shows their fear and wariness​, the wolves will also become cautions…”

Edgar smiled a little as he gently stroked the head of one of the wolves.

“I’m really sorry for startling such a kind-hearted Queen today. From now on, we will take a different path, so please don’t worry.”

“…You’ll change the route?”

In other words, they won’t be passing by this mansion, right?

…I must stop that.

“Can you please not do that? I was able to see the wolves of the royal family up close. If you don’t mind, would you let me approach them in the future whenever you ha’ve time?”

“…Is it okay? I’m grateful that I can use a familiar route, but is it truly okay?”

“You’ve been through this front yard before and haven’t had any problems, have you? The wolves seem to be well-trained, and as long as they don’t ruin the front yard, I don’t see anything wrong with them using it.”

“…T-Thank you very much!”

Edgar’s tail was wagging happily from side to side. It seemed to be expressing what was on his mind much more eloquently than his jumbled words.

The wolves could continue to use their favourite path, and I could see them up close. I got a valuable opportunity to heal, which was a good thing.

…I hope to get along with the wolves and for them to let me pet them to my heart’s content if possible.

I was the one who was greedy for fluff.

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