"Your parents believed in humans and tried to prove their past identities ... Of course, they went alone. I can't risk the safety of the pack." (Alpha)
Damn wolf! He said too much information at once and now Ember looks ghostly pale.
Her expression seems to contain too many emotions and she didn't know what to do ...
But ... now I can see the whole picture.
The novels I read, the movies I watched, and the experiences I had in my previous life made me link all of these events in a crazy way that gave me goosebumps.
First, her parents believed dubious rumors, were convinced by shady nobles, and went looking for a nameless Witch who was too strong for them to handle.
They turned into wolves due to a strange curse and Ember was born shortly after.
They then received a "revelation" from a Goddess saying that Ember needed to wait for her "Master", who may or may not come one day, which is probably me.
I don't know if they also abandoned her because of that Goddess or if they fully believed in the goodwill of humans and did something stupid ...
But the Alpha Wolf was told to do some heartless things.
Following the instructions of Ember's parents, he somehow convinced everyone in the pack to ignore Ember.
This was to prevent her from becoming attached to the group and to be able to follow me easily.
This, in turn, caused Ember to be isolated from the pack and the Alpha Wolf was the one who provided food for her when she was unable to get it herself.
Ember suffered and wept silently many times due to this turn of events. I know this from what I saw of her memories.
Most of this is just a hypothesis of mine, but ... if what I think is true, then ...
'That Goddess surely knows why I came to this world ... and soon something is going to happen in the capital.' (Usagi)
There is no way that such an important event can go smoothly. Even more, since it somehow became my current destination ...
As for the Goddess ... I have no way of contacting her right now, so I'll put it aside.
'You are right, Little Rabbit. Also, I told you something similar before, right? The royal family suddenly asked me to take a vacation ... If I hadn't come here, I wouldn't have met you two ... ' (Sylphy)
Did they also do that because of a revelation? Or was it just a coincidence?
"That's all I had to tell you ... Let's go, everyone." (Alpha)
The entire pack left quickly as if to leave us alone with Ember.
She has been standing in the same place with her head down for a while.
The sun was at its highest point and only a few shadows could be seen.
. . .
The sun began to set as Ember slowly turned to look at me.
' ... Master ... come here ... please ... ' (Ember)
Her face looked pitiful and her eyes were swollen as if she had been crying silently for a while ...
I didn't say or ask her anything and I did what she asked.
' ... Master ... let me rest for a bit ... ' (Ember)
Indefinitely? I hope the other "me" is okay. For now, I'll leave her alone. She has a lot to think about, after all ...
Her complicated emotions still make "my" heart sting.
I wiped the remaining tears from "my" eyes and looked at Sylphy with a pleading look.
"'Big Sister', can we sleep in an inn tonight? 'I' need a good rest." (Ember?)
" ... Yes, let's do that." (Sylphy)
I transformed into a wolf and Sylphy rode on my back before I started running in the direction of White Town.
. . .
Finally, we reached a place near the town walls and changed shape.
I returned to "my" incomplete human form as Sylphy transformed into a human version of herself.
The clothes she is wearing are the same as from a while ago.
Then, I felt that something was wrong and raised "my" right hand ... it was shaking.
" ... 'Big Sister', can we hold hands for a while?" (Ember?)
" ... " (Sylphy)
Sylphy didn't say anything but looked at "me" with a compassionate look before taking my right hand tightly.
We easily entered the city and I followed Sylphy with a pale face.
The emotions and memories of the other "me" affected me too much due to the increased synchronization rate.
"I" want to find "my" parents ...
"I" wish to be by Master's side ...
The hand of "Big Sister" is warm ...
And ... "I" will ask Master to take care of "me" for a while ...
After walking a few more minutes, we arrived in front of a medium-sized two-story wooden building.
A sign with the words "White Sheep Inn" hung on the front wall.
We entered the establishment and I saw a friendly-looking middle-aged woman.
She smiled softly at "me" before looking at Sylphy.
"Welcome to the White Sheep Inn. Do you need a place to spend the night? We have warm beds and sheets." (Attentive Receptionist)
"Yes, one room with a big bed, please." (Sylphy)
I didn't ask her why she didn't rent a room with two beds and just squeezed her hand tighter.
"Very well, normally it would be 2 silver coins, but since you are a couple of very pretty girls, I will reduce the price to 1 silver and 80 copper coins ... This is the key to the furthest room on the second floor." (Kind Receptionist)
Sylphy paid and took the key before guiding me to the second floor.
Once we were in front of the room, she quickly opened it.
Click!
The dark interior slowly revealed itself.
A soft double bed with white sheets and two fluffy pillows, a wooden desk with a candle on top, and finally a large window closed with a couple of curtains.
It seems that only the hallways and main rooms of this inn are lit by light bulbs powered by magic cores.
Sylphy slowly released my hand, lit the candle with a nearby matchbox, closed the door, and opened the window without tying the curtains.
Then she reshaped her white blouse and skirt into a short white nightgown before laying down on the side of the bed.
"Come here ... 'Wolf Girl'." (Sylphy)
I took off "my" black steel breastplate and placed it on the desk next to Sylphy's magic bag.
After that, I took off "my" black shoes and lay on my side on the bed.
Suddenly, my relaxed body started trembling and Sylphy hugged me from behind before whispering into my ear.
"I will keep this form as long as I can to be by your side ... so don't worry and just go to sleep." (Sylphy)
Her words and her warm arms soothed "my" troubled heart and my trembling stopped.
She kept holding me until I fell asleep.
. . .
Morning came and I got a message from the system that would normally make me feel better, but that was not the case at the moment ...
"My" heart has calmed down a lot already, however, I could feel that the other "me" still won't come out for some reason.
I slowly lifted my upper body from the comfy bed before sitting in a corner of it.
I moved my head from left to right until I could glimpse a small head poking out of the bedsheets.
" ... 'Big Sister', good morning ... Are you okay?" (Ember?)
Cough! " ... Good morning, 'Wolf Girl' ... Mana exhaustion is not a joke, you know? ... I have already regained my mana but I am struck by a headache ... " (Sylphy)
She looked very pale, so I tried to measure her temperature with one of my fingers.
"'Big Sister'! You are burning!" (Ember?)
She definitely has a fever!
Cough! "Don't yell so loud ... I just need to get some rest and eat something good ... I'll be fine later." (Sylphy)
" ... I understand, but ... 'Big Sister', next time you do that, please save some mana ... I don't want 'Big Sister' to suffer like this." (Ember?)
Cough. "I know, you silly 'girl', hehe."
When I finished talking to her, I took a silver coin from her purse and went to find the receptionist.
She wasn't at the front desk, so I followed the scent of food coming from a nearby room on the first floor.
" ... Smells good ... " (Ember?)
The smell of meat especially made me hungry ...
I looked inside that room only to find that it was a dining room.
Lots of people were having breakfast here and I found the receptionist talking to a man in the kitchen in the back.
From what I could hear, the receptionist was actually the owner of this inn and the cook was her husband.
"Excuse me, Owner, my friend has a fever and I was wondering if you could lend me a towel and sell me some food." (Ember?)
"Of course, my dear! But don't worry about the money. Breakfast is free for all our guests. I'm sorry I didn't tell you yesterday." (Gentle Owner)
She said that her husband will bring us some food up to our room, but I declined her offer. After all, I couldn't let them see Sylphy.
"No, I'll take it to her. I wonder if that's okay?" (Ember?)
"I understand. I'll finish preparing your dishes in a few minutes, so come here to get them." (Understanding Cook)
After that, I received a couple of towels from the owner and she told me where I could get water before she went away.
I obviously didn't go looking for any and just went back to our room.
Once I arrived, I could see that Sylphy was breathing heavily with her eyes closed while still lying on the bed.
I rushed to wet the towels using water magic and carefully placed one on her tiny head.
As for the silver coin I took earlier, I put it back in her bag as I didn't need it, and "my" dress had no pockets.
" ... Thank you ... Little Rabbit." (Sylphy)
She called me by "Master's" name ...
" ... No, it was nothing ... 'Big Sister'." (Ember?)
The strange force that bound my soul to the other "me" was too strong and forced me to act like her ...
I could try to free myself from it, but the other "me" will surely receive get hurt as her soul is tightly attached to mine ...
I shook my head and let my mind be even more influenced by hers in an effort to reduce the discomfort I was feeling.
"Huh? ... Something is wrong with you, Little Rabbit." (Sylphy)
"Big Sister, wait here. I will bring you some food." (Ember?)
I ignored her words and showed her the brightest smile I could make before going to get our food.
"Here you go, girl. Some warm soup for you and your friend." (Kind Cook)
I didn't feel anything when he called me a "girl" as it was true, so I thanked him and left, holding the food tray firmly.
I returned to our room again and Sylphy told me something once I closed the door.
"Little Rabbit, you shouldn't use your powers rashly. If you get too close to being Wolf Girl, I feel like one of you might completely disappear ... " (Sylphy)
" ... Big Sister, you should eat when you can or your food will get cold ... I'm a little hungry, so I'll eat right now." (Ember?)
I ignored her words again but knew that she was right in a corner of my mind.
The soup contained some meat, so I would normally be happy, but that was not the case at the moment.
After eating in silence, I washed my face and hands with a little water before going to bed.
I had to do something before "I" disappeared, so I closed my eyes and hoped for a miracle.
Even in this darkness, messages appeared in front of me.
If that means she or I will disappear, then I won't!
No, I don't want that! She is my companion and my dear friend!
I cannot hurt, much less kill a person so precious to me!
There should be another option!
< ... >
What? It is the first time I see a message like that ...
Is there really no other option? ...
Time was passing slowly and I was beginning to fall into a deep depression when a few more messages appeared in front of me.
< ... !>
Then, the world that was already dark because I had my eyes closed became even darker and I could no longer feel my body ...