Chapter 168: Put a Dog Collar on Her

“But… my aunt never forced me to read books before.”

Ayla muttered softly in grievance.

“She’s the publicly acknowledged female war goddess of our Azure Moon clan.”

Hearing her habitually drag out that simple-minded aunt again as a shield—

Ryan clearly understood that this girl was relying on the fact that he owed Selenie a favor, trying to use familiarity to make this “old friend” less strict regarding her studies.

Although this little wolf cub was somewhat foolish, she occasionally displayed a bit of cunning.

“Your aunt never forced you to read or learn because she herself was also a completely illiterate fool who couldn’t recognize a single word!”

Ryan mercilessly exposed the true nature of that Azure Moon female war goddess.

“She really does fight like a suicidal lunatic, but her brain honestly doesn’t work very well.”

“The reason I’m forcing you to learn more words now is because I’m afraid that when you go out into the world alone in the future, your illiteracy will make you look just as stupid as her.”

Immediately afterward, Ryan gripped the handle of his walking cane with both hands and used it to support his somewhat heavy body as he rose from the recliner.

He tested the cane against the floor twice and discovered that the adjusted version truly felt much more comfortable in his hand.

Walking over to the wooden cabinet by the wall, he opened the bottom drawer.

From within, he pulled out a parchment route map covered with all kinds of complicated markings and lines.

“The royal bloodline flowing through your body is itself a danger.”

Ryan turned around and slapped the parchment onto the desk in front of Ayla.

“Now that you’ve secretly left your clan’s territory, what you’ll face next won’t just be the slave hunters from the Dark River who would kill for money.”

“As the Dark River increases the intensity of their search, those Black Iron Directorate hounds with their sharp senses will eventually find their way here too.”

“They’ve always been used to competing with the Dark River for prey.”

Ryan looked at Ayla’s gradually paling face and revealed an even crueler reality.

“If I remember correctly—”

“One certain Grand Duke in the royal capital whose power reaches the heavens has nearly reached the end of his lifespan.”

“Royalty with special bloodlines like yours are the finest potion materials for those court alchemists to use in life-extension concoctions.”

“And when you were captured by the Dark River this time, your true buyer was that young count from the Lenian Family who’s famous for his handsome appearance.”

“That guy has a perverse hobby known throughout noble circles. He especially enjoys collecting all kinds of rare Demi-Human Races. His secret estate is filled entirely with young female Demi-Humans.”

“You should be able to imagine what kind of fate awaits someone who falls into the hands of a person like that, right?”

Listening to these dark secrets narrated by Ryan, Ayla uncontrollably swallowed hard.

Fear crawled up her spine like an icy venomous snake.

Within Ryan’s words—

She suddenly realized that she no longer seemed to be a living, independent being.

Instead, she was merely a rare ingredient placed upon a cutting board.

Countless greedy mouths hidden within the darkness had already aimed themselves toward her.

The truth made her body uncontrollably grow cold.

“I’m just a crippled old veteran with one foot already buried in the grave.”

Ryan pointed toward his disobedient left leg.

“Maybe one day, while casually walking down the street, some random accident could easily take my life.”

“So if I truly die one day, then for the long road ahead, you’ll only be able to rely on yourself to cross the entire province and return to your clan.”

He reached out and touched the parchment map.

“This map is an escape route I drew overnight based on my old memories.”

“It marks the hidden safehouse locations within various towns in detail.”

“If the characteristics of your Azure Moon Werewolf clan aren’t activated, then outwardly you don’t look much different from ordinary Werewolves.”

“As long as you stay careful, you can absolutely disguise yourself and slip through those checkpoints.”

Ryan stared directly into Ayla’s eyes.

“But if you can’t even understand road signs, the risks involved will multiply dramatically.”

“You don’t want to end up taking the wrong path, only to have someone put a dog collar around your neck and make you wag your tail at a nobleman’s feet like some pet, right?”

Ryan’s final vividly descriptive sentence sent a wave of chills through Ayla’s body.

The moment she merely imagined that scene in her mind, it felt worse than death itself.

If she completely lost her dignity and freedom, then she would rather bite off her tongue and die.

“Okay…”

Ayla lowered her head, once again revealing that agonized expression of utter misery.

She knew the other party genuinely meant well for her. She was not some truly unreasonable idiot.

But she still could not help raising one small condition.

“Ryan, since you used to belong to that place, can you explain in detail what kind of organization this Black Iron Directorate really is?”

Within the oral traditions of the Azure Moon clan, the Black Iron Directorate had always been described by clan elders as a terrifying organization specializing in slaughtering Demi-Humans.

Yet at the same time, the organization remained hidden within the deepest layers of the kingdom’s authority, making it extremely mysterious.

She still remembered how the Black Iron Directorate hounds, who behaved like mad dogs, emitted a very unique scent from the alchemical secret arts used on their bodies.

The method of identifying that scent had even been personally taught to her by her aunt.

Because her aunt somehow also knew that complicated secret technique.

Now that she connected all the clues together, it had definitely been Ryan who taught Selenie back then.

Hearing the question, Ryan stood there leaning on his cane in silence for a while.

It seemed he was recalling those blood-soaked years.

“The predecessor of the Black Iron Directorate can be traced all the way back to the chaotic era of the Mad King Lott…”

Ryan had only just begun speaking—

When suddenly, a calm and rhythmic knocking sound echoed up from the main entrance on the first floor.

“Uncle Ryan, it’s me…”

Lance’s familiar voice came from outside the door.

Ryan’s eyes sharpened instantly. He immediately stopped speaking, turned around, and made a stern silencing gesture toward Ayla, warning her not to make the slightest sound.

Ayla obediently nodded and covered her mouth.

However, after listening to the sound of Ryan descending the stairs with his cane going “tap, tap, tap”—

Her overflowing curiosity defeated her rationality.

Ayla immediately crawled across the floor like an alert cat, pressing her fluffy gray ears tightly against the thick wooden door in an attempt to capture the sounds of the conversation outside.

She had just been thoroughly frightened by Ryan’s horrifying story about perverted nobles raising female Demi-Humans.

Right now, her entire nervous system remained on edge.

However, the attic had long since been completely isolated by a special alchemical spell formation created by Ryan. Once the wooden door closed, the formation activated, giving it astonishing soundproofing.

Even with the Werewolf race’s proudly superior hearing, Ayla could only barely catch fragmented and blurry words through the obstruction.

“…Uncle… washed completely clean… smells nice…”

The faint voices drifted vaguely into the attic.

Ayla’s entire body trembled violently, and the beast ears that had been drooping instantly stood upright.

That Dragon-blooded with the strange scent had arrived?

Wait!

Who exactly were they talking about being washed clean and smelling fragrant?!

Immediately afterward, she heard Ryan’s deep voice carrying a scrutinizing tone:

“…Mm… the build feels pretty solid… was struggling quite energetically earlier… seems there’s still some wildness in the bones…”

Ayla only felt her mind buzz loudly, as though someone had smashed her head with a heavy hammer.

That description…

Weren’t they clearly talking about her hiding inside the attic?!

She really had struggled desperately while suspended in the air earlier!

And because she had wanted to wash away the dirt sticking to her body, she had indeed just bathed with soap yesterday.

So these two men downstairs were actually discussing how to deal with her?!