Red Riding Hood - Chapter 24
She gave him a small smile.
“That’s good news, Lord Wolf.”
The Wolf also grinned widely, following her lead.
“It’s great news!”
Walking along the forest path with Gybi, the Wolf enthusiastically chattered about things Cinq knew nothing about.
“They’re probably searching for me hard at the main camp. They must’ve found traces of the battle at the Salvio Plains! That was my last battlefield. Cinq, my adorable little one, guess who my opponent was!”
Cinq pouted her lips and said,
“I don’t know.”
The Wolf burst into a loud laugh.
“It was pirates! True to his reputation as the King of Betrayal, Sidney gathered all sorts of scoundrels. Imagine, he even sought aid from ruthless Manann of Selma Island! Pirates climbed the cliffs like a swarm of crabs, and at that moment, everything went black before my eyes!”
Gybi snorted as if in agreement.
“Phui-hing!”
“Exactly, Gybi! You remember too!”
Cinq quietly looked up at the man’s radiant face.
“But my God did not abandon this beast until the end. When my God blew holy breath, the wind suddenly changed direction, and great waves crashed against the cliffs. The ships near the cliffs struck the rocks, broke in half, and were pulled into the sea…”
The Wolf’s storytelling didn’t stop until they reached the pond.
“…Anyway, here’s the important part. When my messenger hawk returns, I’ll inform them of this location. Then the knights of Kalasca will come looking for me. Cinq, have you heard of Kalasca? It is my homeland, a truly beautiful place.”
“Phuiiing.”
Of course, she had never heard of such a place.
Cinq felt herself growing smaller. The world she knew was so small, and there was so much she didn’t know.
Yet she feared that if she showed her feelings, Ylfus might think her foolish. She didn’t want that to happen.
This was a fear she had never felt before.
She had never cared what the villagers of Mindie or even Vinya thought of her. Honestly, it didn’t matter because they held no meaning for her.
Cinq vaguely realized that loving someone wasn’t solely a happy experience.
It came with fear as well.
When they reached the pond, Cinq silently took off her shoes and socks and rolled up her skirt. She walked along the frozen edge of the pond, looking for a good spot to set her fishing net.
Seeing her step into the pond, the Wolf belatedly shouted,
“Cinq, little one! Come back! It’s too dangerous to walk on the ice.”
Cinq finally looked up and glared at the Wolf.
“Leave me alone.”
When he saw her teary eyes, both the Wolf and Gybi looked as if the sky had fallen.
“Cinq! Why are you crying?”
“Hiiiiing!”
Holding back her tears, Cinq said,
“I hate you, Lord Wolf.”
She crouched at the edge of the ice to set the fishing net.
Just as she dipped the net into the water, the ice beneath her cracked with a sharp sound, and her small body was pulled into the water.
Luckily, the pond wasn’t deep.
Cinq stood up as if nothing had happened.
She looked down at her wet skirt and sighed.
She had anticipated that the thin ice might break.
She had simply meant to avoid getting her clothes wet but had been too distracted by her conversation with the Wolf.
Lifting her head, Cinq said,
“I’m fine…”
But before she could finish, a splash of water came down over her.
“Ciiiiinq!”
“Hiiiiing!”
Both the Wolf and Gybi had jumped into the pond simultaneously.
With the massive Wolf and the even larger warhorse crashing in, the small pond naturally turned upside down.
Soaked from head to toe, Cinq spat out water.
The Wolf immediately came over, lifting her as effortlessly as plucking a turnip from the field.
“Ciiinq! Are you alright?”
“Phuiiing!”
Gybi bit down on her red hood and tugged her out of the water.
In an instant, Cinq was pulled out of the pond.
She calmly said,
“I’m fine. Please calm down, Lord Wolf. Gybi, you too.”
“Fire! Build a fire, Gybi!”
“Hiiiing!”
Gybi glared at the Wolf and bit his hair.
The Wolf snapped back to his senses and shouted,
“No, I’m the one who should build the fire!”
While the Wolf removed the pack on Gybi’s flank and set up the camping gear, Cinq took off her red hood and coat to shake off the water. She gathered her wet skirt and wrung it out tightly.
Although the Wolf and Gybi had splashed her, her clothes weren’t too wet, fortunately. She thought she could dry them by the fire while waiting for the fish to be caught in the net.
As she smoothed her crumpled skirt, the Wolf, who had quickly built a fire, rushed over, scooped her up, and hurriedly walked away.
“Cinq, Cinq! Truly, the sight of Manann’s ships flying their banners in the sea fog was less terrifying than this! I thought the evil fairies of the pond had taken you!”
Cinq couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“Don’t say things like that!”
The Wolf’s eyes widened in shock.
Cinq realized she had surprised him. She truly hadn’t meant to, but once the words were out, they couldn’t be taken back.
“Don’t speak as though I’m precious to you, when you’re just going to leave me behind!”
