Kael sat down in the living room, the spectral wolf by his side. The creature's powerful presence captivated Laura and Melissa.
"I intended to go to the Church but while on the way, I remembered about Nyx and tried summoning her from the Darkwood Forest," Kael began, stroking the wolf's head as the latter closed its eyes, feeling good being petted. "It took some convincing, but it finally agreed to follow me."
*Woof*
The wolf barked in agreement, its voice deep and resonant. "Of course, I am loyal to my master! I would follow him to the depths of the abyss if need be."
Laura blinked in astonishment, remembering the wolf's terrifying appearance in the forest and its attitude toward them. It forced them to hunt down a dozen boars and roast them before gobbling them up all by itself. She couldn't reconcile the fierce predator with this almost humorous, talkative companion.
As Laura studied the wolf more closely, her sharp eyes noticed faint injuries below its dark fur. "You're hurt," she commented.
The wolf's glowing eyes darted to a corner of the room as if avoiding her gaze. "It's nothing," it growled. "I fought a troublesome opponent in the forest. I'll be fine by morning."
Kael nodded, seemingly unconcerned. He reached into his storage ring and pulled out a bundle of high-quality meat and vegetables. "The wolf brought us a gift from the forest," he said, handing the bundle to Melissa.
Melissa, who managed the household finances, blinked in surprise. "These are high-quality beasts." She examined each flesh of the monsters which seemed to be completely cleaned. "These few belong to a Tier-3 beast, I think a Phoenix Chicken. This is obviously the Boar Meat but based on the quality, it looks like a Tier-4 Boar? And these are various cuts of meat from a Tier-5 beef, No doubt about it. It's the Ironhorn Cattle. And this meat… Oh my god, it is a Tier-6 Wyvern Meat. It's incredibly rare and each cut costs like 10-15 thousand gold coins. Where did you find it?"
The wolf proudly raised its head as it replied, "Well, I know every inch of the corner in the Darkwood Forest. As for the Wyvern, it is a young beast that has yet to learn how to spit flames. It's not a trouble for my strength."
Kael smiled. "Take it along with my earnings from the mission. You'll know how to make the most of it." He then handed her the pouch filled with 1055 gold coins.
As Kael escorted the wolf to a guest room, which would now belong to Nyx, Melissa turned to Laura, holding the bundle of supplies.
"Look at all this meat. All of this would atleast be around 30,000 gold coins in the market;" Laura murmured. "How dare that brat try belittling our husband, saying that he is poor and cannot earn ten thousand gold coins in year?" She frowned, anger flickering in her eyes.
"Forget about it, sister. Shiera wasn't aware that our husband has a powerful beast companion either. Don't spoil a joyous occasion with such negative thoughts. Go and have a private talk with the Lord and soothe his worries instead of elevating them with your complaints. Imagine how much he might have been stressed that he was forced to summon that terrifying beast that you described as the one with the same ego as the dragons too. There's also something I don't understand."
Melissa added, running her fingers over the edges of the meat. "Look at the cuts. They were made with a short blade, possibly a dagger, not butcher's tools. And I seem to remember our husband owning a dagger, which was gifted by our mother, you know for safety. It was a semi-divine dagger and should be able to cut even the Wyvern flesh in the hands of even a plainfolk (one who didn't awaken any mana), too. He must have spent the past hour in cutting these in order to not spend his reward money."
Laura clenched her fists, her eyes almost producing a teardrop. "It's because of that vile mouth of hers. One day, I'm going to teach that brat a lesson she'll never forget."
Meanwhile, Kael and the wolf entered one of the guest room. The moment the door closed, Kael turned to glare at the beast.
The wolf immediately dropped its head, its ears flattening as it whimpered. "Master, I—"
"Your acting is terrible," Kael interrupted, his tone sharp. "I told you to be friendly, not act like a common house dog. Do you want my wives to suspect that I'm hiding something from them?"
The wolf whined, bowing low. "Apologies, Master. I'll do better next time."
Kael sighed and waved it off. "Alright. I'm going for shower. Behave yourself."
As Kael headed to the shower, the wolf sat by the bed, its spectral tail swishing back and forth. After a moment, it let out a comical howl. "Why was I such a fool to bond with this human of all people? It's like I dug my own grave."
Kael chuckled from the bathroom, shaking his head.
An hour ago;
While returning from the information guild, Kael stopped by a secluded clearing. After making sure that no presence of human is there in the five hundred meter radius, he rolled up his sleeve, poured his mana into the glowing tattoo and activated it. With a surge of mana, the tattoo pulsated, and the spectral wolf materialized before him, yawning as if rudely awakened.
"What is it, Human?" the wolf growled, its tone dripping with irritation.
Kael smirked. "You've had enough time to rest. It's time to work."
The wolf bared its teeth. "I work for no one. I do things on my volition or come to your rescue when your life in danger. So, I'm leaving. Don't disturb me after sunset like this again for no reason or else, I'll teach you a lesson." The spectral wolf closed its eyes, deciding to leave without even intending to what its human companion had to say.
Kael's expression darkened. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, his movements swift and precise. The wolf abruptly opened its eyes, only to see the fist of Kael striking its nose.
The wolf flew away and crashed into the bushes nearby.
"You…" Energy surged within the spectral wolf. The translucent aura enveloped its body and it leaped at Kael, swiping its claws at him.
Kael stood in the spot until it reached him and sidestepped at the last moment, giving a series of punches to its body, breaking its bones in the process.
Staring at the collapsed wolf, Kael then took out a healing potion and teleported to its body, forcing it to swallow the liquid and heal it. The wolf only got confused by his actions. While it realized that the human is anything but a weakling, it didn't submit. Kael went on beating it up and then healing it over and over, until it finally submitted, battered and exhausted.
"You'll obey me from now on," Kael commanded, his voice firm and unyielding.
The wolf whimpered in fear and bowed its head in defeat. "I agree, master."
Kael coldly gazed at it and ordered. "From nowonwards, you will be my cover. Act your part well. Or else…" He went on taking out his daggers and said, "Next time, instead of punches, you will receive the blade cuts."
The majestic spectral wolf, a Tier-7 beast known to have potential of a dragon, shivered in fear, tugging its tail between its tails and lower its head.
In the present, the spectral wolf sat on the floor, tearing into chunks of meat with feral delight. It grumbled under its breath, cursing the seal that bound it to Kael.
"Whoever created that mysterious mark on his hand deserves to rot in the abyss," it muttered, drawing out an amused glance from Kael.
Meanwhile, at the dining table, Kael's wives ate in greate delight, Melissa's expertly prepared meal of those various types of meat softening the tension from earlier events. Seraphina joined them midway, taking her usual calm and regal seat. It seems she left to search for his whereabouts at the Church and later got busy treating a patient. While she acted more understanding of his reasoning, Kael felt a little disappointed as he would be happier if she scolds him. Her nonchalance made him think that she doesn't care much about him and probably went to Church on Laura's nagging.
That little disturbance in his heart was soothed by the tenderness of Wyvern Steak. He enjoyed it truly.
The tranquil scene was however interrupted by the entrance of another woman. Amanda, the eldest princess, strode in with her trusted guards positioning behind her. Her sharp eyes scanned the room, her irritation evident.
"You nearly made me turn the entire city upside down," she scolded Kael as soon as her eyes fell upon his figure. "Don't go wandering off alone like that again. There's fierce competition for the throne now that our mother is preparing to step down. You need to be more careful."
"I'm sorry… well, you see…" Kael repeated the same story he had told the others about summoning the wolf. Amanda's stern expression softened as she too enjoyed Melissa's cooking, complimenting her culinary skills.
As dinner ended, Amanda leaned back in her chair, her sharp gaze fixed on Kael. "The real reason I'm here," she began, "is to inform you about a ball event."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "A Ball event?" After the marriage, this was the first ever invitation of this event.
Amanda nodded. "I'm invited for the Ball Event at Duchy of Ikaris. The journey will take at least three days by road and more than ten days by sea. Since there are only three weeks left, we will have to leave in two days."
"What?"