Chapter 17: Before the Regression (1)

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Side Story Chapter 1

Rain was pattering down outside the window. Though it was daytime, dark clouds hid the sunlight, and the surroundings were dark.

Without turning on the light, the man curled his body up. As a massive shadow moved slowly, a chilling sound rang out.

Sssss.

It was the sound of scales rubbing against each other. The man’s pale lemon-coloured eyes slowly opened, revealing dark reddish-brown pupils elongated vertically.

“A guest has arrived.”

The man tugged his robe over his head, draping it fully over himself. His long, trailing tail vanished, leaving only a tall human man.

Not long after he pulled the robe over his head, someone began pounding on the door.

“Zmiya!”

The man’s brow twitched. He stood still for a moment, arms crossed. The guest, whom he thought would give up and leave, kept calling out to him loudly.

“Zmiya! Open the door! I know you’re in there!”

‘Zmiya’ was an ancient name, known only to his long-time acquaintances. It was also the name that most plainly revealed his true nature, even as he lived in a human guise.

The person shouting the name at the top of their lungs had silver hair that gleamed like glass, bright and clear even in the murky darkness. Zmiya frowned.

‘Fortuna.’

Like him, he was a being closer to a beast than to a human. A descendant of a great wolf.

Upon seeing the other party, Zmiya was certain they wouldn’t leave easily. Wolves were a very tenacious and inflexible kind.

‘No matter how much their blood is mixed, those traits won’t disappear so easily.’

However, for that very reason, wolves did not trust unpredictable powers like magic. Even throughout the long history of their kind, wolves and snakes had never become entangled.

‘What on earth could be going on?’

Curious, Zmiya narrowed his eyes and opened the door.

“You know I don’t like being called that, don’t you?”

The flustered wolf went straight to the point and stated his business.

“I’m begging you. Please save my wife.”

“Your wife?”

His silver hair had darkened to deep grey from being soaked. Droplets ran down his sharp jawline, falling one by one.

Despite being soaked through, not a single drop had touched the woman in his arms. It was clear he had carried her with great care.

But her condition was far from good. Perhaps she had fallen from a height, for her beautiful golden hair was stained with blood. Some of her bones appeared to be twisted at unnatural angles.

Above all, her face was utterly pale. Looking down at the woman who lay with her eyes closed like a wax doll, Zmiya replied in an indifferent voice.

"Oh dear. How unfortunate to lose a spouse at such a young age. But as with everything in this world, don’t think of it only as a tragedy; try to see the positive. You’re young, after all — it should be easy to remarry."

At those words, the wolf’s eyes blazed with intensity as he growled

"Say that again and I'll rip your tongue out."

"Did I say something I wasn't supposed to?"

But it wasn’t scary at all, so Zmiya scoffed. He had lived far too long to be bothered by the words of a mere youngster like that.

"Are you so foolish as to cling to a human, descendant of wolves? Even so, a human will never be able to love you."

Zmiya narrowed his eyes and spoke in a soft, almost seductive whisper.

"They might dote on you, I suppose. But you’ll never have the deep emotional connection you long for. After all, no human sincerely loves a dog or a cat."

Then, with a swift turn of his body, he delivered his words with icy finality.

“No doubt she chose death herself, unable to endure someone as monstrous as you. So why bring her back at all?”

“It was an accident.”

“Then, after miraculously surviving the accident, she’ll kill herself anyway. Since you’ll have to let go sooner or later, let her go now.”

“Even so, it doesn’t matter.”

At the wolf’s repeated words, Zmiya furrowed his brow and looked back again.

“As long as she remains alive, I don’t mind never seeing her for the rest of my life. So please, bring her back to life. You, who have lived for many years, must know a way, Serpent Sorcerer.”

The wolf’s eyes were serious. Zmiya crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.

“There will be a price.”

"I’ll give you anything."

The answer came before the meaning even registered. Wolves never took back their word. Without knowing what might be demanded, he had already decided to give.

“…I don’t understand. Is it really worth going that far?”

‘How could you possibly know what I might ask for? What if I demanded your very wolf heart?’

He wanted to scoff at such foolishness, but the wolf before him was far too earnest for him to laugh. The young wolf held the corpse in his arms tightly and spoke.

"Until now, I haven’t approached her because I was hiding my secret. I couldn’t even speak to her properly, and every day I’ve regretted it over and over. If I let her go like this, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life."

His eyes already reflected the countless emotional storms he had weathered. He had endured countless regrets and made his decision.

“So please, save her.”

He vowed he would save her, no matter the cost.

‘How dull.’

After tasting the intensity of the other’s emotions, a wave of boredom swept over Zmiya, as if it were a lie.

“The treasure you have in Fortuna — that will do.”

Zmiya ruffled his messy hair and replied in a half-hearted tone.

"There’s no magic that can bring the dead back to life. But if I could turn back time, I might be able to save her."

“Alright. I will ensure it’s delivered.”

Watching his steadfast face made Zmiya’s stomach twist for no reason. He added in a mocking tone:

"Even if time were reversed, you would still meet the same fate. People never truly change, so their choices always end up the same."

"Even so, I can’t give up on her."

“Why is that?” 

The wolf, who had until now moved his tongue as smoothly as if greased, froze at that question, as if in disbelief.

After staring at the air with trembling eyes for a moment, the wolf looked down at the woman in his arms and finally wore an expression as if he had just realised something.

“…Because I love her.”

That’s right. Love.

It was nothing but love.

✦ ✦ ✦

Alto Fortuna’s world had always been simple. From the moment he was born, everything in his life was controlled by the head of the household.

Even his friends, his tutors, and the lowly servants who carried water were all carefully selected one by one by his grandfather.

A small stone was thrown into such a world during a seemingly insignificant event.

"Aboo." [1] 

It was a gathering to celebrate the birth of a grandchild of one of the Fortuna Dukedom’s vassals. Alto looked at the child he was seeing for the first time with curious eyes. Then the child’s mother smiled softly and said:

"When this child grows up, she should meet a wonderful fiancé like Lord Fortuna." 

Though it was the sort of thing one might say to a child not yet ten, it was also entirely calculated. After all, Alto was the only heir of the Fortuna Dukedom.

Marrying Alto would make her the mistress of that vast estate.

But there was no way young Alto could see through such an obvious scheme. He was simply fascinated.

‘A baby. A fiancé.’

Though young and with only his elderly grandfather as family, everything Alto encountered today felt wondrous: a mother and father holding their baby with radiant smiles, and the families around them.

‘Is this what family is supposed to be?’

There was no way he could know the answer. On the way back after leaving the gathering, Duke Fortuna clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, what nonsense.”

His voice sharpened noticeably, as if he had sensed Alto recalling the baby’s soft, plump hand. Alto obediently lowered his eyes. Duke Fortuna stroked his beard and spoke.

“Your fiancée has already been decided. Don’t set your eyes on anyone else.”

At those words, Alto’s eyes went wide.

“My fiancée?”

"That’s right. She is called Viviana Lorentz. Baron Lorentz is a very loyal man."

It was the first time he had heard that.

Alto wanted to hear more about the girl who might one day become part of his family, but his grandfather’s lips twitched as he vented his anger toward someone who wasn’t even present.

“If he had a daughter, your father would never have been hurt by such a wretched woman.”

“...”

Precisely, it was directed at his mother, who had taken her own life when he was a child.

Alto’s father had left home in the aftermath of that shock, so for many years, his only family was his grandfather.

Grasping Alto’s small shoulders, Duke Fortuna spoke the warning he had repeated countless times before.

“Women are by nature coquettish and treacherous. If you’re taken in by her looks and your true nature shows, she’ll seize you and exploit you. So never pay her any attention. When the time comes, I will bring that child to you.”

Alto slowly closed his eyes. The warm, joyful image of the family he had seen earlier blurred like a fleeting illusion.

“…I understand.”

✦ ✦ ✦

However, even after that, the memory would unexpectedly surface from time to time. Among them, the word that remained most deeply imprinted in Alto’s mind was this:

Fiancée.

The person who would one day marry him and start a family.

‘Will she become my family?’

Family. Thinking of that word felt like a gust of wind blowing into his chest. Alto suddenly realised, once again, just how lonely he was.

As he pressed his seemingly empty chest with his palm, the servant attending to him asked in a calm voice.

“Why are you sitting there so quietly, young master?”

After hesitating for a moment, Alto spoke in a tone that was unusually mature for a child.

“I already have a fiancée. Did you know that?”

But the answer was cheerful.

“Of course. The Duke had already decided that before you were even born, young master.”

'So she really exists — the fiancée has already been chosen!'

The thought that he, too, had a family made his heart race.

“Do you know what kind of child she is?”

“I have heard she is frail. I understand that is also why you have not been introduced to her yet, young master.”

“What about her age? Is she younger than me?”

“She is the same age. As she grows older, her illnesses will naturally decrease. Then she will be introduced to you, young master.”

“And if not?”

“You will have a different fiancée. After all, a frail girl cannot be brought into the Fortuna household.”

“...”

Even though he didn’t know anything about the girl except her name, those words already made him feel a pang of disappointment.

Alto pressed his lips tightly shut. The servant, interpreting his silence in a different way, winked and replied.

“The Duke will surely raise her to become a perfect young lady. Do not worry, young master.”

That wasn’t what he was worried about.

‘My fiancée — what kind of child could she be?’

Alto had only ever seen his mother’s face in portraits. His grandfather always spoke of her like this:

“A cunning, deceitful, and shallow woman.”

And he always added this: “All women in the world are like that, so never trust them or show your heart.”

But the family he had seen at the previous event had simply appeared harmonious and affectionate. The husband frequently embraced his wife’s shoulders.

For Alto, who had never been properly held in someone’s arms, the scene left a deep impression.

Could he also become a loving couple like that with his fiancée?

‘I hope she gets well soon.’

Then he would be able to meet her soon. With that thought, Alto buried a spark of hope deep in his heart.

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Translator's Corner:

[1] This is the baby speaking!

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