TWLW 34

chapter 34

For someone like me, who had lived in the human world, the sight of an employer asking for a favor rather than giving orders was so strange and unbelievable.

“Yes. I do.”
“What is it?”

I asked, trying to hold back the wave of fear rising in me. Something felt wrong.

Especially Rudels’ face, grinning at me—it reflected the look of a predator considering how to cook its prey.

He reassured me as I trembled.

“Don’t worry. When have I ever made you do something difficult?”

He crossed his arms and looked at me.

“It’s not a difficult task. It’s just… that I’d like to borrow your strength when I need it.”
“Just… borrow my strength?”

I scratched my head, confused. He nodded, acknowledging that my interpretation was correct.

“You could just command me as a healer—”
“It’s not that, Iriel.”

His words made me catch my breath, my eyes widening.

‘If it’s not a healer’s task… could it be!’

I frowned and spoke firmly.

“I won’t kill anyone.”
“It’s not about killing people, Iriel. Do you think I’d ever order a healer to kill someone?”

He pouted and muttered.

“Anything’s possible. Healers are so knowledgeable about human anatomy.”

I muttered and pouted my lips, and Rudels dramatically clutched his chest with one hand, pretending to be heartbroken.

“To think you saw me that way… I guess I need to work harder to be someone worthy of more trust.”

Watching his exaggerated performance, I laughed out loud.

“So, what is it that you want from me?”

He squinted his eyes slightly and approached me. When he was just a step away, he whispered into my ear:

“If you make a contract with me, I’ll tell you.”

His teasing words made me purse my lips. He whispered like a tempting demon.

“But you’re really curious, aren’t you? About how the magic inside me is settled? You want to know so badly, right?”

He was right—I was extremely curious.

Seeing my hesitation, he smiled brightly, took my hand, and said:

“Then just accept it, Iriel. I’m not asking you to do anything bad. Just help me with my work a little.”

I was torn between my intellectual curiosity and unease. Rudels noticed and added another teasing remark:

“Just so you know, this task was personally ordered by the king. In other words, it’s an investigation.”

I was even more surprised by that. He smiled softly at me.

“So you’ve confirmed it’s not for personal gain, right?”
“If you give me some time to think… would that be okay?”

My hesitant voice didn’t faze him at all.

“Fine. Once you decide, come and tell me. I’ll wait.”

Though we had taken the carriage together to the lakeside, I was returning to the castle alone. Rudels placed me in the carriage and apologized, saying he had something to take care of and needed to return first.

I waved him off. In fact, I needed time alone to process the secret he had presented along with his discreet proposal. So his inability to accompany me was actually welcome.

“Haah.”

Alone, I sighed deeply and gazed beyond the window. The darkened natural scenery reflected in the moonlight, revealing another kind of beauty.

But it didn’t ease my troubled mind.

“Why did Rudels say that…”

Was he trying to disturb my mind?

“He might as well not have proposed it at all.”

I grew melancholy again, resting my arm on the windowsill and pressing my face against it.

Aside from being shocked that Rudels possessed magical power, the fact that he offered me the chance to experiment on him made my heart race even more.

Witch, beastman, and experimental subject.

Just hearing those three words made my jaw tremble as if PTSD had struck.

Merina’s earlier words made me even more nervous, and my own self-doubt didn’t help.

Someone might have scolded me for being overly sensitive, but as a healer, it was a serious matter.

Healers were acutely aware of ethical issues regarding human rights. Considering history and the ethics I had learned, experiments involving humans were extremely sensitive matters.

Medicine exists to save lives, and experiments exist to pursue knowledge for a better future.

But if an experiment involves humans, it must be conducted within the bounds of human rights.

And now, an experiment on a magic-vulnerable beastman?

That would be condemned across the continent.

Yet Rudels proposed that I become his experimental subject. The shock and fear were overwhelming. He might have lived a lifetime suffering because of that power.

“And what makes you think I’d do anything bad?”

I’m a witch, not a beastman.

Rudels claimed his eyesight was perfect, but that wasn’t true. I was a witch—a human with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. The moment I heard he had magic, I wanted to see for myself.

And that desire brought an unbearable sense of guilt.

“I’m trash.”

I pressed my hands over my eyes and scolded myself. I tapped my forehead lightly against the windowsill; it already throbbed.

I lifted my head and saw the castle approaching. The world was calm, but my mind surged like waves in the ocean.

“What should I do?”

Should I accept Rudels’ proposal?

‘But even if it’s an investigation…’

And the price is the chance to experiment on him. The exchange felt morally twisted.

Accepting it feels like stabbing my conscience; refusing it feels like tossing and turning all night.

“What do I do!”

I kicked at the air in frustration. Tonight, sleep would be elusive for sure.

Rudels watched the carriage carrying Iriel disappear into a distant black dot before moving.

Lucel, who appeared behind him, frowned and asked:

“Are you sure it’s safe to send the healer alone?”
“Don’t worry. It’s not far from here to the castle. Besides, you put shadows on her, right?”
“Ahh… how do you know that?”

Rudels chuckled softly at Lucel’s sigh.

“My subordinate is quick-witted, which I appreciate. Even without saying anything, you understand and act immediately.”

Lucel shook his head and reported what needed to be said.

“Lord Rudels, Lady Merina…”
“I know. You caught the accomplice of the experiment, right?”

Rudels stood leisurely, hands behind his back, staring at the lake. Earlier, he had seen his sibling’s expression change drastically upon seeing the medicine and note Iriel gave, and they had run off. His prediction had been correct.

He looked up. The moon reflected on the still lake, rippling gently. Rudels asked in a calm voice:

“What’s her origin? Witch? Human? Or another race?”

Lucel, sensing the tension a beastman brings even with just his back, swallowed hard and answered.

“She didn’t reveal her origin even after being given a truth serum. However…”
“However?”

Lucel hesitated.

“Judging by her red ears and bushy tail, she resembles the Red Fox lineage, Bolefino.”

Rudels bared his teeth and growled in his signature wolfish tone. Lucel bit his cheek gently and lowered his head.

“Bolefino… so an internal threat?”

Rudels muttered and glanced back. Lucel waited silently for him to continue. Rudels smiled.

“Lucel. In the Beastman Kingdom, there are four prominent families: the wolf lineage Ifin, the fox lineage Bolefino, the lion lineage Radiance, and the tiger lineage Tyres.”

Lucel had a rough idea of what Rudels would say next.

“But what does it mean that someone from one of the prominent families is involved in poisoning young beastmen?”
“…”

Lucel didn’t speak, only lowering his head. This was not something to discuss lightly.

Rudels smiled at his wise restraint and approached slowly.

“There are two main possibilities. First, spies planted by them have infiltrated the Beastman Kingdom.”

Lucel shivered.

“Second, there is an internal enemy hiding their identity while assessing the situation.”

Lucel slowly lifted his head. Rudels stood right before him, looking down with a calm smile.

“What do you think? Which of the two fits better?”

Pressured for an answer, Lucel finally spoke.

“I think… the second is more likely.”
“And why?”