HEO 101

When waves of heat and chills alternate across your body, your blood rushes to your head, blurring your vision and hearing. That was what it said in the medical text he’d been leafing through in the study of the boarding house.

It also mentioned that when combined with sleep deprivation and overwork, even a perfectly healthy person can see things that aren’t there. That’s common sense, you don’t even need a medical text to know that.

In other words, the conditions for hypothermia-induced delirium were definitely present.

Bu….But!

His gut feeling leaned toward the idea that Silver was lying. Could delirium really be this vivid? Besides, only Silver’s face had changed, everything else was exactly the same. The shabby, even miserable, lodging remained the same… Ah, damn it! Flea!

Wolf nearly let out a groan. In the midst of this mind-numbing series of events, he’d completely forgotten about Flea. If he asked that parasitic demon, he’d find out the truth.

Time to sleep.

He immediately began counting sheep. One. Two. Thirty-seven. One hundred and twelve. Two hundred and eighty-nine. Four hundred. Five hundred and fifty. Six hundred.

Around seven hundred, Wolf’s consciousness began to fade.

Darkness.

***

History class, the subject Mayer Public School students loathed the most.

All the students had their heads buried in their desks, fast asleep. Snoring sounds erupted from all around. Wolf also had his eyes closed and his head buried in his desk, but his ears were listening to the teacher’s voice. As he paced among the students, the history teacher said,

“Ill Omens are stupid.”

Wolf’s brow twitched. That shitty comment again.

How old is that theory? He thought the academic consensus was that Ill Omens are just socially awkward, not actually stupid.

He should update with the latest knowledge… Huh?

Suddenly, a finger poked him in the shoulder. Wolf’s visit our site heart skipped a beat. At some point, the history teacher had made his way over here.

Out of all the students, why me…? Does he know I’m from Stoll?

The finger kept poking Wolf’s shoulder. He could sense its intense determination: “Stop pretending to sleep. I’ll keep poking you until you look up!”

The veins in Wolf’s temples bulged. Why is this old geezer picking on me? Should I give him a lecture the Stoll way? Should I?

Wolf’s eyes flew open. He sat upright and raised his fist high, then froze. Silver was looking at him. Close enough to smell the subtle, musty scent wafting from his black robe.

Wolf forgot to lower his fist and stared at Silver. Silver’s face… it was a ruin. He looked as if a tattered, torn sail had been draped over a ship’s figurehead.

It was like a dream. The smooth skin, the sharp jawline, the eyelashes that cast crescent-shaped shadows on his pale cheeks, the lips that were out of place on such a fierce warrior, all of it was gone. Like a fresco worn down by the elements, it left only rough plaster behind.

Silver gave a wry smile.

“Well? Do I still look like a pretty boy to you?”

“……No.”

Even to Wolf’s ears, his voice sounded small. Still shocked, he slowly lowered his fist.

Was it me after all? Did I really hallucinate?

Silver put on his human skin mask. The ruin was concealed.

“See? I was right. You were delirious yesterday because you were sick.”

“I guess so. But….”

Wolf paused for a moment before adding cautiously.

“What about your bug friend? Did it come back from the edge of the cliff? Or do we need to prepare a funeral?”

“He’s recovered.”

“Huh?”

Wolf was surprised by the unexpected answer. It survived looking like that?

“Not completely, but he’s almost back to normal. Anyway, I won the bet. Lower your head.”

“Take two hits off the total. They say you should be generous to others when good things happen.”

“No way.”

He was as precise as an Atanian tax collector. The fist that slammed into his head felt like a blacksmith’s hammer. However, even this was Silver going easy on him. According to Flea, a Thunder’s strength was “about 10 to 20 times that of an average human relative to his body weight.” Fuck!

Silver threw himself onto the bed.

“I’m going to sleep. You go out and get something to eat. Oh, I ate all the bread you brought back yesterday.”

“Oh, good. I’ll bring you something to eat on my way back.”

Wolf quickly got up.

Flea. Flea!

Silver propped his head on his arm.

“If you need clothes, go to the net repair shed. They don’t just have nets there.”

“I know. I already got some clothes.”

“Then why are you always walking around naked? Is showing off your body your hobby?”

“Well, I haven’t had a chance to put any on…”

Wolf put on his skin mask, pulled an old shirt off the shelf, and slipped it on. He was anxious. Besides Silver’s face, he had a mountain of things to discuss with Flea. He grabbed his lunch basket and hurriedly left the lodgings.

Faded autumn sunlight spread across the landscape. The torrential rain that had washed over the island was nowhere to be seen. Only muddy puddles sloshed like debris.

The corpses that had been strewn all over the paths yesterday were nowhere to be seen. The smoke rising from the houses lining both sides of the hill was also much lighter than usual. The pirates had finally [stolen content]come to their senses after taking a serious beating. A few people were huddled together near the rainwater barrel.

“Who was that? Judging by the wounds, one guy took care of them all. It wasn’t just any ordinary skill.”

“It’s Charcoal Bear, of course. She’s always been bragging that she’s stronger than the rest of us.”

“That strong? Fuck, I’d let her have me.”

“Get real. Charcoal Bear doesn’t go for women.”

Wolf bowed his head and walked past them. As he rounded the communal kitchen, a vegetable garden spread out before him, where root vegetables and fruit trees jostled for space. He picked three late-autumn apples and placed them in his lunch basket.

He headed toward the back mountain. The narrow path quickly grew steep. Shrubs, birches, pines, and beeches stretched on. The scent of damp bark, pine resin, and rotting leaves mingled with the thin fog.

He found the tree with the birdhouse easily. It was an old beech tree with such dense foliage that hardly any rain had seeped in, even during a downpour. Wolf peered into the birdhouse. It was empty. Only a few white feathers lay scattered on the floor, covered in dry moss and straw.

Where had he gone? Could he have had an accident?

Wolf quickly searched the area. His gaze swept over the drenched trees and bushes, and among the green leaves, Read on he caught a glimpse of white.

“Prince…”

Wolf took a few steps forward before freezing in his tracks. The white parrot was perched on a branch right next to a sparrow. And they were chirping together. Not the shrill cries he used to defend his territory, but a song full of happiness and joy!

For just a moment, the world grew dark. The image of the white parrot flying toward the sparrow with a seed dowry clenched in his beak flashed before his eyes.

“Your Highness…?”

Wolf called out to Red Eagle. He forced himself to remain calm as he approached. Like adulterous lovers caught in the act by a spouse, the two birds froze. The sparrow immediately flew away. Watching the sparrow disappear into the distance, the white parrot turned his dark eyes toward Wolf.

“Wolf! That mask again!”

Red Eagle swooped down and landed on Wolf’s outstretched forearm. His tiny, hook-like talons pierced through the sleeve of his shirt and lightly pricked his forearm.

“Doesn’t your face itch? Can’t you just take it off?”

“I can’t take it off, it’s the rules for those junkies. This is a gift.”

Wolf pulled an apple out of his lunch basket and held it out.

“Sorry, I’ve been so busy these past few days that I couldn’t stop by. The rain was terrible, did anything happen?”

“Nothing happened! Did you pick that apple from the garden behind the kitchen? I already ate one this morning.”

“Then I’ll put them in your house. Eat it later.”

Wolf placed the apples one by one in the birdhouse. The parrot hopped from his forearm to his shoulder. A small, warm weight settled on his shoulder.

“I’m really fine. You should eat the apples, Wolf.”

“You can’t refuse a gift. By the way, about that cute sparrow earlier, is she… your girlfriend?”

Wolf pretended to be casual as he asked. Red Eagle shook his head.

“No. Just a singing friend.”

“Oh. A singing friend. You two looked so good chirping together, I thought you were dating. Lots of couples start out as friends, you know.”

“What are you talking about! We’re different species.”

“Just kidding. Right, different species.”

Wolf emphasized the word “species” and laughed. You little bastard, it’s all your fault I ended up in the Underworld!

“By the way, Wolf, how much longer are you going to stay here? The downpour has stopped, so shouldn’t you be heading out soon? These pirates here are really terrible! I’m worried you might pick up some bad habits here.”

“Never mind that. Step back for a second. I want to show you something.”

“What are you going to show me?”