Chapter 40: The Unseen Threat

Emil’s life subsequently settled into a monotonous routine. He would rise early with Yanis, share breakfast, and then attend mass during the morning hours when Yanis saw patients. The churchgoers all greeted Emil with warmth.

“How is life with the doctor?”

“I’m doing well. He treats me kindly.”

The villagers were well aware that Emil had recently moved in with Yanis. When someone, curious about Emil attending mass in the village, inquired, he answered them politely.

“That’s good to hear. How are the wedding preparations coming along?”

Though everyone initially found it puzzling that Emil was staying at Yanis’s home, they readily accepted it once he explained he was helping his mother, Lauren, with her wedding preparations.

“Oh, yes, of course.”

People often questioned Emil about Lauren and Yanis. More precisely, it was the wedding of Doctor Yanis, not merely Guide Yanis, and Esper Lauren, that captivated their interest.

If Yanis had been solely a Guide, no one would have paid the slightest attention to the marriage. However, thanks to his consistent help and medical care for the villagers as a doctor, they now focused on his impending union with Lauren.

“Does it really have to be Lauren? There are so many young women in the village.”

“Indeed, many women show interest in him.”

“And he’s quite handsome, too.”

“Why, because Lauren is an Esper and Yanis is a Guide. Espers and Guides are meant to be together, aren’t they?”

“Ah, that’s true. But if Yanis doesn’t reveal it himself, no one knows he’s a Guide, right?”

“Oh, you!”

Some individuals spoke so freely, even knowing Emil was Lauren’s son. Unlike Lauren, whose abilities were outwardly apparent, Yanis’s powers were imperceptible to ordinary people, making it seem as though they didn’t quite grasp the reality of his situation.

After attending mass, Emil made his way to the spot where Yanis and Lauren were to hold their wedding. While it was merely an empty field, it offered a suitable place for him to spend time alone, away from prying eyes.

The day after gaining full control of his powers, Emil had worked with Yanis, clearing the area and transplanting flowers to make it presentable, just as Yanis had planned. Although only Lauren, Yanis, Emil, and Jack were expected to attend, Yanis had hoped Lauren would be pleased.

Whenever Lauren’s name passed Yanis’s lips, Emil felt a surge of conflicting emotions. Yanis loved Lauren, and they seemed a fitting pair. Furthermore, Lauren needed a Guide who could bring her peace.

Yet, Emil did not wish for Yanis to be that person. Even setting aside Lauren’s denial, he simply couldn’t envision the two of them as a married couple, living together. No, he refused to even imagine it.

Emil remained unaware of these thoughts he harbored. Despite having helped decorate the wedding venue at Yanis’s request, he often found himself wishing for its disappearance.

“……”

Emil’s gaze, which had been idly surveying his surroundings, suddenly fixated on a single spot. He was staring at a wide, flat rock, resembling a platform.

It was there that Lauren and Yanis were meant to pledge their love to each other and declare themselves husband and wife.

As if mesmerized, Emil found his steps drawing him toward it. This was the exact place he had seen in his dream. Yanis’s words from that dream echoed in his ears.

‘This isn’t Lauren’s place.’

Having approached the very edge of the rock, Emil gauged the position where he had stood in his dream.

‘This is your place.’

Then, cautiously, he stepped forward.

Bark!

Just as Emil was about to step onto the spot where he’d stood in his dream, the sound of an animal reached his ears.

“Tag?”

It was Tag, Yanis’s dog. Emil realized he hadn’t seen Tag in a long time. The creature that always regarded him with suspicion and aversion had been absent for a while, yet Emil, preoccupied with his own affairs, hadn’t even noticed.

Seeing Tag again after so long, Emil observed that the dog appeared somewhat gaunt.

Tag bristled, its fur standing on end, and growled at Emil. Did it still dislike him? More relieved than afraid, Emil felt a pang of disappointment at Tag’s reaction, yet he couldn’t help but stop in his tracks.

Tag stood at a distance, glaring at Emil in an aggressive stance. It was poised to attack at any moment. This time, there was no one to help him.

There wasn’t even a place to escape, out of Tag’s sight. If it attacked, he might be caught defenseless. Of course, he could erect ice walls or freeze Tag, but Emil had no desire to harm Yanis’s dog.

“Tag, isn’t it time we became friends?”

As if in answer, Tag let out a low growl. Emil, after scouting an escape route in case of an emergency, adopted a defensive posture. He was scared, but he couldn’t just stand there and take it.

Tag stared at Emil for quite some time. Emil, too, clenched his fists and swallowed dryly. In the worst-case scenario, he intended to raise ice walls around Tag. He earnestly hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Bark!

After a prolonged display of hostility toward Emil, Tag barked briefly and then charged at him. Emil, who had been preparing to deliver a blow of his own, chose instead to run for the escape route.

“Ah!”

Or rather, that was the plan. Until his ankle twisted, sending him tumbling, with his very first step.

The problem was that he hadn’t noticed a slight drop in the terrain. As Emil awkwardly stumbled and tried to regain his footing, the distance between the animal and the man rapidly closed.

Seeing Tag charging at him, baring sharp fangs, Emil squeezed his eyes shut. Thoughts of his powers, or anything else, completely vanished.

“Oh, no!”

At that instant, Tag, having closed the distance to mere inches from Emil’s face, suddenly flared its nostrils, then extended its tongue and began sniffing Emil. It sniffed, making soft *sniffing* sounds, thoroughly inspecting his arms, legs, knees, shoulders, and even his face.

It even placed its front paws on Emil’s knee, craning its head forward in a posture of intense scrutiny.

“…Tag?”

After a period of concentrated sniffing, Tag stared fixedly at Emil with suspicious eyes. Its gaze seemed to gauge how innocent the man before him truly was. Emil, helpless before Tag’s inquisitor-like demeanor, waited motionlessly for the dog to render its judgment.

It seemed poised to bite at any moment if he so much as twitched. After a long moment of glaring at Emil, as if unconvinced, Tag belatedly smacked its lips and stepped down from Emil’s knee. Emil couldn’t understand the sudden change in its demeanor, but it was, thankfully, a reprieve for him.

“…Are you hurt?”

Emil looked closely at Tag as it moved away. The dog’s body bore injuries he hadn’t noticed before. It looked as though it had been cut somewhere, and there were patches where its fur was missing. He worried it might be sick.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen Tag at all while staying at Yanis’s house. Had it been wandering the mountains all this time? Perhaps it had grown thin from not hunting properly.

“Tag. Where are you going?”

Tag stared fixedly up the mountain, then twitched a front paw. It was then that a roar, unlike any he had ever heard, echoed.

*Grrrrrr…*

Tag’s gaze, which had been fixed on Emil for a moment, now shifted back to the source of the sound. As another monstrous cry, its origin unknown, reverberated, Tag once again bared its teeth and growled, then began to run toward it.

“Tag, Tag!”

Emil called Tag’s name, attempting to chase after it, but his twisted ankle wouldn’t cooperate.

“Tag!”

Bark! Bark!

Only fierce barking answered Emil’s shouts. However, Emil knew that Tag wasn’t barking at him.

Tag was surely running toward that unknown entity that had made the sound. Instead of pursuing Tag, Emil descended the mountain, hoping the four-legged creature would safely return to its owner.

As there was no proper hiking trail, the descent was rugged, but Emil cleverly used his abilities to create a path that wouldn’t strain his ankle. He froze uneven rocky areas flat to ensure stable footing and created ramps on steep drops, sliding down effortlessly.

Before long, using his powers no longer felt burdensome at all. This newfound ease was all thanks to Yanis’s help. Emil immediately melted the ice from the path he had created as he descended the mountain.

Anyone discovering a frozen patch of ground on such a clear day would surely find it strange. As he began to hear human presence, he started walking on his own two feet once more.

“Isn’t that Emil? What are you doing here?”

“Ah, I just finished tidying up around the wedding venue.”

“Oh, right. Now that you mention it, Lauren and Yanis’s wedding isn’t far off.”

The people Emil encountered were a group of men. Some faces were familiar to Emil. They were generally known in the village for their strength or their rough demeanor. Each of them carried at least one weapon slung over their shoulder or back.

Spears, swords, and occasionally bows were visible. Some even ascended, swinging clubs.

Emil watched them with uneasy eyes. He feared they would ruin the place he had painstakingly tidied. One of the men, acting as their leader, noticed Emil’s gaze and asked,

“Why are you staring like that?”

“Are you going hunting?”

“Hunting, huh. That’s not wrong.”

The men shrugged or nodded at Emil’s words. Some chuckled confidently. Their boisterous atmosphere felt somewhat unpleasant to Emil, as if they were looking down on him.

“To be precise, we’re going to catch the root cause of the unrest.”

“…The root cause of unrest? Such a thing exists?”

“It seems you know nothing of the situation, having been away from the village for so long.”

Emil blinked in affirmation. Their boastful, swaggering attitude didn’t align with his personality, but he still wanted to know where they were headed. Among them, a man who was usually loud and often harassed passing maidens stepped forward to speak.

“We’re going to hunt a monster.”