A Cruel Beast’s Leash

Emma tried to revive her memory, but she was confused as if she had been blocked by an invisible wall.

It didn’t seem to be the smell of any major medicines, so Emma could eliminate the idea that it was for a cure.
And it also wasn’t anything poisonous.
However, even with elimination Emma could not figure out what it was.

Emma’s father, Desman, had no plans to make Emma continue the family business, so Emma’s professional knowledge of herbs was limited.
She was never systematically trained or learned.
However, as Emma was always surrounded by herbs from a young age, it seemed natural for her to take an interest and gain a lot of knowledge.

However, it was natural for Emma to struggle as even professionals would need intricate tools to analyze medicinal compounds precisely.

‘I’ve smelled this once or twice.’

As the scent was vaguely familiar but indecipherable, Emma felt frustrated. She paced anxiously around, frowning ever so slightly.
Only the unique scent lingered in her head, but not the name nor characteristic.

Emma was about to hit her chest in frustration, but soon, the front door opened, and rain accompanied by strong, cold wind swirled inside.

“……!”

Emma, who unconsciously turned her head to the opened door, froze at the spot.

A man soaked from head to toe stood like a black figure on the doorway.
The moment Emma caught sight of the ominous visitor, she felt terrified as if her heart had stopped beating.

‘Death itself?’

Dumbfounded by her own thoughts, Emma squinted her eyes to see better.
What she was seeing in front of her eyes was no illusion; the figure indeed had a long sword in his hand.

A puddle of water was formed after every step the man took; whenever he moved, water slid from the end of the sword and stretched out, drawing a thin stream of water to the floor.
However, the water that stained the smooth marble floor didn’t seem to be transparent.

‘Muddy water? No…’ Although it was somewhat dark due to the dim lighting of the oil lamp, the color of the liquid was closer to red than brown.

With her eyes wide open in fear, the man gradually approached.
As soon as the distance narrowed, she could smell the tangy, fishy scent and was able to immediately detect the identity of the liquid flowing on the floor.

She was horrified.
The man was covered in blood, not rainwater.
Every time he moved she could smell the sickening odor of death from his body. There was cruel energy that seemed to wrap around the man, as if he was exuding evil spirits from all over his body.

As Emma’s whole body became stiff, she felt like her throat was being forced closed shut. It felt as if numerous invisible blades seemed to hold Emma’s breath.

The closer the man got to Emma, the number she felt.
All the soft hair of Emma’s body was on edge, her spine was stiff, and it was difficult for her to breathe as if all the surrounding air had evaporated.
Her heartbeat was so hard that her head became blank, and her ability to think became paralyzed.

The scent of blood seemed to pierce the air and Emma’s lungs.

The man threw his bloody sword on the floor and casually swept up his hair dripping with red water.
Blood seeped through the bandages wrapped around his long hand.

Then the man stopped and turned his eyes to face Emma, his eyes looked somewhat drowsy.
When their gazes met, the deathly atmosphere suddenly disappeared.

Emma swallowed her saliva with relief.
However, the fear that Emma felt remained.

The man’s silver hair covered with blood reminded Emma of the sword he held before.

“Wh-what happened?” Emma mumbled.
The man glanced at her lazily and then opened his mouth.

“What do you mean?”

“Blood… blood.
You’re bleeding.”

“Ah, it’s not my blood.”

“Then?”

“I was talking well, and well, a bunch of wolves ran wild and I got bloody while handling the matter.”

“Wolves…?”

Emma shrank in surprise.
She had almost forgotten, but there were wolves in the Ferragen Mountains.
The wolves and the monsters were the very reason why Emma had asked the man to help her in the first place.

“It’s common.
Oh, later on, a werewolf appeared as well.
The damage was quite huge…” It was a simple word, but the meaning contained in it seemed to be otherwise.
“There were some casualties.
They scattered.
I guess they went back.”