Chapter 168: Putting on the Dog Leash

Chapter 168: Chapter 168: Putting on the Dog Leash

"But... my aunt never forced me to read before."

Ella mumbled quietly, her voice full of grievance.

"She’s the renowned Female War God of our Cyan Moon Clan."

Hearing her habitually bring up her simple-minded aunt as a shield, Rein knew the girl was taking advantage of the fact that he owed Celeste a favor. She was trying to get close, hoping this "old friend" of her aunt’s wouldn’t be so strict with her studies.

This little wolf cub might be a bit dense, but she could be surprisingly cunning at times.

"Your aunt didn’t force you to read and write because she’s a complete illiterate who can’t recognize a single word herself!"

Rein mercilessly exposed the Cyan Moon Female War God’s dirty little secret.

"She really does fight like a madwoman who doesn’t care about her own life, but her brain doesn’t work so well."

"I’m forcing you to learn more words now because I’m afraid that if you run off by yourself one day, you’ll look just as stupid as she does because you’re illiterate."

Then, Rein gripped the handle of his cane with both hands and pushed his somewhat heavy body up from the recliner.

He tapped it on the floor a couple of times and found that the modified cane was indeed a much better fit.

He walked over to the wooden cabinet against the wall and pulled open the bottom drawer.

From inside, he pulled out a parchment map covered in all sorts of complex marks and lines.

"The royal blood flowing through your veins is a danger in itself."

Rein turned around and slapped the parchment down on the table in front of Ella.

"You left your clan’s territory on your own this time. What you’ll face next isn’t just the slave hunters from Dark River, who would do anything for money."

"And as Dark River intensifies its search, it’s only a matter of time before those sharp-nosed Hounds from the Black Iron Command Bureau show up at our door."

"They’re used to snatching food from Dark River’s mouth."

Rein looked at Ella’s face, which was gradually losing its color, and laid out an even harsher reality.

"If I recall correctly,"

"a certain immensely powerful Duke in the Royal Capital is nearing the end of his life."

"Royalty with special bloodlines like yours are the best ingredients for the Potions those Palace Alchemists use to extend life."

"And as for you being captured by Dark River this time, the real buyer was that young Viscount from the Lernian Clan, the one famous for his good looks."

"That guy has a twisted hobby, well-known in aristocratic circles. He loves collecting rare Sub-human Species. His secret manor is filled with young, female Sub-humans."

"You can imagine what happens to those who fall into his hands, can’t you?"

Listening to Rein recount these dark secrets, Ella swallowed uncontrollably.

Fear slithered up her spine like a cold, venomous snake.

From Rein’s words, she suddenly realized she was no longer a living, independent being.

Instead, she was a rare ingredient on a chopping block.

Countless greedy maws, hidden in the darkness, were now aimed right at her.

The truth sent an uncontrollable chill through her body.

"I’m just a crippled old soldier with one foot already in the grave."

Rein pointed to his disobedient left leg.

"Some random accident on the street could easily be the end of me."

"So if I really do die one day, you’ll have to rely on yourself to cross the entire Province and escape back to your clan on the long road ahead."

He reached out and stroked the parchment.

"This is an escape route I drew for you overnight from memory."

"It has the locations of hidden safe houses in various towns marked in detail."

"If you Cyan Moon Werewolves don’t activate your features, you don’t look much different from Ordinary Werewolves on the outside."

"As long as you’re careful, you can blend in and get past the checkpoints."

Rein stared intently into Ella’s eyes.

"But if you can’t even read a signpost, the risks will multiply."

"You don’t want to get lost and end up with a dog leash around your neck, groveling and wagging your tail at a nobleman’s feet like a pet, do you?"

Rein’s final, vivid description sent a nauseating chill through Ella.

Just picturing the scene in her mind felt worse than death.

’If I lost all my dignity and freedom, I’d rather just bite my tongue and end it all.’

"Fine..."

Ella lowered her head, that look of utter misery—a fate worse than death—returning to her face.

She knew he was doing this for her own good; she wasn’t a complete idiot who couldn’t tell right from wrong.

But she couldn’t help but propose a small condition of her own.

"Rein, since you used to be one of them, can you tell me in detail what the Black Iron Command Bureau is really like?"

In the oral traditions of the Cyan Moon Clan, the Black Iron Command Bureau had always been described by the elders as a terrorist organization dedicated to slaughtering Sub-humans.

But at the same time, the organization was hidden in the deepest reaches of the Kingdom’s power, making it seem incredibly mysterious.

She also remembered that the Alchemy Secret Techniques used by those Hounds from the Black Iron Command Bureau—the ones who acted like mad dogs—emitted a very unique scent.

The skill to recognize that scent was something her aunt had taught her personally, years ago.

Because, surprisingly, her aunt also knew this complex Secret Technique.

’Connecting all the clues now, Rein must have been the one who taught it to Celeste all those years ago.’

Hearing this question, Rein fell silent for a moment, leaning on his cane.

He seemed to be reminiscing about those blood-soaked years.

"The predecessor to the Black Iron Command Bureau can be traced back to the turbulent era of Mad King Lot..."

Rein had just begun his explanation when a series of steady, rhythmic knocks suddenly sounded from the main door on the first floor.

"Uncle Rein, it’s me..."

Lance’s familiar voice came from outside the door.

Rein’s eyes narrowed. He immediately stopped talking, turned to Ella, and made a stern silencing gesture, warning her not to make a single sound.

Ella nodded obediently and covered her mouth.

But after she heard Rein go downstairs to open the door, the THUD, THUD, THUD of his cane on the floorboards, her intense curiosity overcame her reason.

Like a wary cat, Ella immediately crept across the floor and pressed her fuzzy gray ears tightly against the thick wooden door, trying to catch the conversation outside.

She had just been thoroughly frightened by Rein’s horror story about the perverse nobleman who kept female Sub-humans.

Now, her nerves were on high alert.

But Rein had long since sealed this attic with a special Alchemy Technique. Closing the wooden door activated the Technique, and its soundproofing was astonishingly effective.

Even with the superior hearing that the Werewolf clan prided itself on, she could only make out a few intermittent, muffled words through the barrier.

"...Uncle... washed clean... smells nice..."

The voices from outside drifted faintly into the attic.

Lying on the floor, Ella shuddered violently, and her drooping Beast Ears shot straight up.

’Is that the Dragon Descendant with the strange scent?’

’Wait!’

’Who are they talking about being "washed clean" and "smelling nice"?!’

Then, she heard Rein’s deep voice, laced with a scrutinizing tone:

"...Hmm... feels quite solid... was struggling quite a bit earlier... still seems to have some wildness in its bones..."

Ella felt her mind go BUZZ, as if someone had struck her hard with a heavy hammer.

’That description...’

’Aren’t they talking about me, right here in the attic?!’

’I was struggling desperately when I was tied up in the air just now!’

’And I did just take a bath with soap yesterday to wash off all the dirt!’

’So those two men downstairs are actually discussing what to do with me?!’