GDWY 10

Chapter 10

Rosha was busy from the morning.

Traveling long distances was nothing new for Rosha, so packing wasn’t difficult. The only problem was that Rei, who had gone outside earlier, still hadn’t returned.

However, Rei was fiercely independent, and sometimes when he went out, he wouldn’t come back for several days.

In those cases, Rosha would leave on missions, leaving the windows and the cage open for Rei. When returning, the large eagle would be sitting in the cage with a brazen expression, as if to say, “When did I leave the house? I’ve been here all along.”

So Rosha wasn’t overly worried when Rei didn’t return. If anything, the little wolf that clung stubbornly to his side was more concerning.

The little wolf nipped and bothered Rosha’s chiffon dress, fluttering around his ankles.

“Wolves are supposed to be canines… so why are you acting like a cat?”

Rosha lightly scolded the wolf while lifting him and pressed a kiss to the black bridge of his nose.

After packing most of his things, Rosha lay down on the sofa, letting the wolf climb onto his stomach while he idly played with him using his fingers, taking a moment to rest.

At that moment, a knock came from the door. The brothers of the Golden Dawn Society, being highly independent, rarely sought out each other’s rooms, so Rosha was curious as he opened the door.

“Noah.”

The visitor was none other than Noah. Normally, Rosha would go to the office, not the other way around. This was the first time Noah had come directly to Rosha’s room.

“Rosha, have you named the wolf?”

Rosha was momentarily confused by Noah’s sudden question, but then remembered that Noah had offered to name the wolf. Since Rosha didn’t attach much significance to names, he had completely forgotten about it.

“No, not yet. Noah was supposed to name him.”

“You’re not waiting for me to name him… you just forgot, right?”

“…I guess I did.”

“You really are a careless owner.”

Noah approached the wolf, who was scratching the sofa out of boredom, and gently patted his small head.

“After thinking carefully, let’s name him Shadrach.”

“Shadrach?”

“It means I hope he will always be a loyal servant who obeys your commands.”

Rosha didn’t care much for the meaning of names, but Noah did. He believed that people lived up to their names. Rosha could easily guess how much thought Noah had put into it.

Shadrach. It was even a nice name to pronounce.

“Rosha.”

“Yes, Noah?”

“May light be with you in your future.”

Following Noah’s hand, a sprinkle of faint light seeped into Rosha’s body. Blessed by Noah, Rosha smiled gratefully.

After a short but solemn farewell with Noah, Rosha packed his bag and Shadrach and prepared to leave the room. Just then, he saw a dark figure flying in the distance outside the window. Knowing exactly who it was, Rosha stepped aside. Rei swooped down and landed in the cage on his own.

“Rei, I almost left you behind.”

Wearing a wine-colored cape coat that covered only his upper body and a pocket watch around his neck, Rosha lifted the heavy cage containing Rei with the hand holding his staff. Carrying his bag over one shoulder, he cradled the light Shadrach in his other arm and stepped outside.

“Rosha! Aren’t you going on vacation?”

“I heard Herodion is winter all year round. Sounds fun!”

“Don’t forget to buy me a souvenir!”

Rosha ignored his brothers’ careless chatter, carrying his heavy load as he left the Golden Dawn Society’s gates.

Herodion was the farthest country Rosha had ever traveled to, but the journey itself was easier than anywhere else this time, thanks to Noah allowing him to use warp magic.

It was rare for a mage to use warp more than three times a month. Only the top ten mages of the Golden Dawn Society could manage it. Warp magic drained a lot of energy from magical knights. This time, however, the third-ranked Rostellier and Cassin would personally perform the warp.

The brothers entered alleys avoided by ordinary people after leaving headquarters.

“Then we’ll start the warp.”

Cassin drew the magic circle on the ground in sequence. As the Rostellier brothers stepped into the circle, Cassin stood in the center. Rosha also stepped into the circle and observed the magic carefully.

Wind stirred up dust at Cassin’s feet in the center. Rosha held his breath, disliking the dirt.

From the circle opposite him, red light seeped out and eventually engulfed the brothers. The light was so vivid that, even knowing it wasn’t an attack, it naturally made one tense. One by one, the brothers were absorbed into the light, leaving only Rosha.

Rosha met Cassin’s gaze, focused on the magic.

At that moment, for some reason, Rosha felt like teasing him. Impulsively, he pulled out the earrings Cassin had given him for his birthday.

Originally, he had planned to discard them secretly outside, fearing Noah might see him throwing away Cassin’s gift inside headquarters.

Shaking the diamond earrings, Rosha deliberately wore the most mischievous smile. Cassin’s eyes widened slightly, sensing something amiss.

“I’m going to throw this away properly…”

He had even prepared the line in advance: I’ll throw this away properly.

He intended to toss the earrings stylishly and vanish.

But the problem was he had seen an unexpected expression.

Cassin smiled.

“….”

Warmth radiated from the usually chilling red eyes. That was the last thing Rosha saw of Cassin before leaving for Herodion.

So, he forgot to throw the earrings.

“Ah…”

When he opened his eyes again, the smiling Cassin was gone. Instead, Rosha stood in a completely unfamiliar place.

He was in the middle of a village, snow piled high on rooftops and chimneys.

Shaking off the shock of Cassin’s smile, Rosha finally regained his composure, pocketed the diamond earrings, and pulled out the paper Noah had prepared.

Although memories of Cassin’s smile kept flashing in his mind, he had to focus on the mission.

“Let’s see…”

He had landed in Losantoro, a border region of Herodion, which still had strong noble influence and belonged to Count Baldwin’s territory.

Today, Rosha needed to reach Count Baldwin’s castle.

Noah had drawn a map to the castle, but Rosha didn’t need it. The castle was the only building tall enough to be seen clearly from this village filled with single-story houses.

Without asking for directions, Rosha headed straight for Baldwin Castle. Grasping the doorknob, he knocked, and soon heard hurried footsteps approaching from inside.

“Who’s there?”

Rosha revealed his identity to the elderly woman’s voice.

“I’m from the Golden Dawn Society.”

After a few seconds of silence, the door was hastily opened.

Creaking, the old door swung open, revealing an elderly woman wrapped in thick blankets.

“You must be the guest Master mentioned?”

“Yes. Is the Count inside?”

“Of course. It’s cold; come in quickly.”

The woman led Rosha inside with somewhat rough hands.

Although disguising his identity might have been necessary, it wasn’t required here. Count Baldwin had already reached out to the Golden Dawn Society, concerned about unusual symptoms in his adopted son.

The Golden Dawn Society was a group dedicated to stopping Babel, who worshiped an evil god and sought to kill the Child of God and corrupt the world, along with their demons. To ordinary people, however, they just appeared as an occult-obsessed organization.

Even now, demons appeared here and there, but contacting the society wasn’t easy—especially concerning issues with an adopted son.

The Count had adopted his son as a baby, pretending he was his own child. Acknowledging something wrong with him must have been even harder.

Rosha gauged the castle’s atmosphere. He didn’t sense anything particularly ominous or sacred.

However, there was a lack of human warmth inside. Managing such a large castle would require many people, yet it felt unusually empty.

“May I take out my eagle? It seems restless.”

“If it won’t harm anyone, that’s fine.”

Rosha opened the cage and released Rei first. Watching him fly freely, he followed the old woman inside, cautiously observing the surroundings.

The castle, poorly maintained, was slightly dirty and eerie. A sticky chill clung to Rosha’s skin, different from normal cold. The sensation grew more pronounced as he climbed stairs and walked corridors.

“Wait here.”

The old woman stopped Rosha in front of a door at the end of the hallway and knocked cautiously.

“Master, it’s me. I’ve come from the group you mentioned—please open the door!”

After her words, a silence followed, longer this time. Soon, sounds of movement and metallic clinking came from inside.

‘Sounds like chains being undone… what’s happening?’

The door creaked open slightly. The room was dark, but the Count’s hollow eyes were visible as he peeked through the crack.

“Hello, Count Baldwin.”

Rosha bowed politely to the terrified-looking Count.

“I am Rosha Rostellier of the Golden Dawn Society.”

“….”

“I heard you require our assistance…”

“Are you even human?”

“Excuse me? What…?”

“Are you really human!”

The extreme fear emanating from the Count reached Rosha. Though not naturally gentle, she forced a polite smile.

“I am human, Count. If you wish, would you like to touch my hair?”

Rosha let down her neatly braided hair and offered the curls to the Count. Hesitant, he touched the tip of her hair with his finger.

“Try touching my finger too.”

Mirroring her gesture, the Count hesitated but eventually pressed his finger to hers.

“You feel warmth, right?”

“….”

“I am human.”

There were demons disguised as humans, but none could perfectly replicate a human’s body or transform entirely.

The Count’s mistrust suggested something must have happened.

“…C-come in.”

Patiently, Rosha waited until the Count finally opened the door.