Once in town, they were greeted by a monument bearing the inscription Vollericham. They sneaked into town, hiding Gretta in her coat as best they could. That face was the most familiar in all of Orlin.
Sneaking into a house that had almost the same shape as Leon's previous house, inside was a middle-aged man enjoying his breakfast.
As soon as he noticed Leon's presence, his food almost choked out.
"Leon? "What are you doing here?" All of Orlin already knew about Leon's case. There were those who despised Leon because they were considered a traitor and murderer, those who didn't care, and those who still trusted Leon.
One of them was a middle-aged man named Luke. Leon regarded him as his own father and addressed him as uncle.
"What brought you back? What if they track you down and kill you?"
"Because I miss Uncle," Leon said casually as he took a seat next to Luke.
Gretta was behind Leon, with Shan at the very back, Luke realized.
"Princess Elisabeth-"
"No." Luke's sentence was commuted by Leon. "She's my friend, a regular person. Only her face resembles Elisabeth, but she is not her."
Luke approached Gretta, touched her cheek with his fingertips, and then stepped back.
"I believe you're correct; she also has a scar. Not even a werewolf, let alone Elisabeth," he said.
He remembered Elisabeth's mourning funeral in the kingdom. He was present at his own funeral.
Then, as he was about to sit down, Luke seemed to come to, "An human?!" he exclaimed, half surprised.
"How did you bring a human to Orlin?" "For what, and what purpose?"
Leon went into great detail about why he brought Gretta. From Mat's murder of Gretta's parents to the condition of the girl who was pursued by almost all of Orlin's troops on Rhys' orders.
There is no clear reason why Rhys wants it, but Leon is most likely just trying to keep the girl and figure out what's going on.
Luke invited them to eat together as they continued their conversation. Luke recognized their predicament; they must be hungry after not eating for several days. At the very least, Luke would be relieved to see them alive.
Luke describes Orlin's current state. Concern for the population has waned since the deaths of King Adelmo and Princess Elisabeth. Rhys was currently on the throne, but he was only concerned with the Adelug region, the West region of Orlin.
Orlin's elite troops live in this area, and dozens of packs live with their respective Alphas. Leon used to live there with friends who were like brothers to him.
Rhys was only concerned with expanding his territory by relying on dozens of packs. He intended to rule over large cities such as Orlin in other parts of the world.
"I can't say anything; all I can do is assist you in finding temporary shelter." Stay at a house I used to own in the southern part of this city, right at the very end. No city dwellers will visit that location."
Leon understood Luke's decision, and he did not want to hurt Luke. Leon was especially grateful when Luke offered to assist them.
"Leave tomorrow early in the morning while things are still quiet and you have more freedom." Now you can rest here." Luke proposed.
"Uu, wow, uh, lovely." Gretta was startled by a boy's voice. From his left side, a cute little wolf was watching him.
"Don't bother her Osyn." Luke addressed the adorable wolf. "This is a neighbor's child; he frequently plays here as if it were his second home." Luke elaborated.
Gretta understood, and she smiled sweetly at the werewolf cub.
"Who is this girl?" "From what race is he a werewolf?" When Osyn was in front of Luke, he was still talking.
Luke asked him to quiet down and stop bothering other people. Gretta wasn't bothered by children, but she also didn't despise them.
"Hello Leon, long time no see." Osyn also greeted Leon, who was sitting next to Gretta. "Is she your girlfriend?"
"No, she's a friend of mine." Leon returned his greeting and joked with Osyn. It appears to be an old friend who hasn't seen each other in a long time.
Gretta cast a glance at Shan, who piqued her interest for a variety of reasons.
"Baby werewolves are born in the form of a full wolf, but they can transform into humans, with the three last milk teeth changing into permanent teeth. Human age ranges from nine to fifteen years."
Gretta nodded, realizing that she would never see children in human form here. It didn't matter to her; as long as she understood them, Gretta would be content. The wolf cubs were absolutely adorable.
Leon also hinted in his heart with the same question. Gretta had no idea what the wolf cubs were saying.
*
The city's atmosphere is becoming quiet, and the sun will soon be replaced by the moon. Gretta was in the bathroom cleaning up after not doing so for a few days. Because of the cold, she didn't sweat much, but it was still uncomfortable.
Gretta was removing the bandage from her arm because she wanted to rinse the wound and change the bandage. Gretta drew her slowly so that the scar wouldn't lift and cause pain.
She was taken aback when she noticed her own arm, carefully watching its reflection in the mirror and slowly feeling it. There are no more scars there.
Gretta quickly opened her other sleeve, checking for any movement of the wound. But nothing has changed.
Gretta slowly removed the tape from her cheek, and the outcome was the same as on her arm. There are no scars left.
Gretta covered her mouth to keep the unexpected shock at bay. She turned to check that no one had opened the bathroom door.
"How did the wound vanish?" she muttered to herself.
Gretta wiped her arm repeatedly, there was no wound at all. Gretta was startled when she heard a knock on the door. She quickly reapplied the tape to her cheek.
Leon stood there, handing Gretta a roll of bandages. Gretta took it and went back into the bathroom.
She rewrapped her arm in a panic, refusing to ask anyone anything. She'll find out for herself.