Translator: Nox

Chapter 19

“Th-thank…”

Perhaps that was why her voice came out ridiculously cracked. She took a deep breath, trying to ignore her frantically racing heart.

She had to thank him for saving her. Tell him she would do anything to repay him. And then, beg him to please just let her go.

That was the plea she had to make.

Seo-ah took another breath and lifted her head.

“Thank you for saving m—”

Her words trailed off, unfinished.

Pinned to his black suit was something that glittered brilliantly. It was a golden metal insignia shaped like a star, and in its center was an engraved beast baring its teeth.

“The Wolves will come.”

It was as if she could hear her Teacher’s voice. And then, a voice laced with amusement drifted over her.

“Do you recognize this?”

Seo-ah blinked blankly before shaking her head.

“No…”

At her response, the man, who had been observing her, leaned in and whispered again.

“Shall we have a little chat?”

---

Throughout the dawn, the Wolf planted in the Pelfe Bank had sent real-time updates. The identification the woman had presented was presumed to be issued by a small Eastern nation called ‘Danguk,’ and currently, Herot was the only nation on the Norfolk Continent that held diplomatic ties with Danguk. There was a Danguk embassy in the capital of Herot, and King Felpe had reportedly ordered for the woman’s identification to be sent to Herolington, the capital of Herot, for verification.

From Pelfe to Herot, and then back to Pelfe after the verification process.

“That alone will take three months.”

Simon nodded at Oscar’s remark.

Even if she passed the verification, more procedures remained. An investigation into how the key was acquired and a public notice in the daily newspapers of major nations were required before the vault could finally be opened.

“If we follow every procedure from the current stage, it is estimated to take a minimum of six months and a maximum of two years to open the vault.”

“Two years is too long. Any way to minimize that?”

“There is one method that does not violate Pelfe’s banking laws.”

As Oscar looked directly at him, prompting him to speak, Simon continued quickly.

“It is to marry the woman to someone with a clear, verified identity. The reason I estimated the time at six months to two years is that, in the worst-case scenario, they might send her identification back to her home country for confirmation. The only way to mitigate this risk is to establish her identity here by marrying her to a local man.”

“……”

“Of course, even then, it will be difficult to drastically reduce the minimum time of six months, but the maximum time would not exceed a year. Furthermore, since inheritance between spouses is possible, the vault can be opened without issue even if the woman is no longer present.”

“And the risks?”

“At the moment, the risk is the woman herself. Since we know nothing of her personality or background, we cannot predict how she will take the marriage or how much coercion will work. It would be problematic if she mentioned during the Pelfe Bank’s face-to-face interview that the marriage was forced.”

“So it’s the difference between six months to two years, or six months to one year.”

“Yes.”

Oscar looked down, staring at the key. Human nature was a funny thing; now that the options were laid out, a year felt like a long time. However, since the key was already in his hands, there was no reason to be impatient. Had he even expected the key to fall into his lap today?

Oscar stood by the window, watching the pale light bleed into the pitch-black darkness. As the finely ground mist of light seeped into the darkness that seemed like it would never vanish, the outlines of the world began to emerge.

Some described this time as the dawn when light arrives, while others called it the blue hour, a time to be intoxicated by the enchanting atmosphere.

How blessed were those who could describe it so?

To Oscar, this was the hour between dog and wolf. An ambiguous time when one could not tell if the silhouette approaching was friend or foe.

Then again, was it only this hour that was so? He himself was acting ambiguously, after all.

Even now.

How should he handle the woman?

Should he frighten her into naturally surrendering the vault, or should he coax her gently and use her for all she was worth?

Oscar stopped his thoughts there. As Simon said, it wouldn’t be too late to decide after he got to know her a little better.

And about three or four hours later.

Facing the woman who had finally woken up, Oscar couldn’t suppress the dry chuckle bubbling up from deep within his chest.

She was just as he first felt: pale, small, and strange.

Her face was so clear and fair that it seemed even the hazy sunlight was too much for it to bear. Usually, the boundaries of an object are distinct, but her outlines felt blurred, like a pencil mark softened by an eraser.

In a face so faint it felt as if it would be forgotten the moment he turned away, the only vivid thing was her watery brown eyes. Even those were fixed on the floor, as if she were too terrified to look up.

Understandably so.

She had nowhere to hide, she didn’t have that old coat she’d practically lived in, and she had no idea where she was.

“Why don’t you look at me instead of staying like that?”

He had gone to the trouble of using polite honorifics and a gentle tone, yet her head, which had been slowly rising, stopped exactly at the horizontal level. He was about to tell her to look up further, but instead, he leaned down—a half-impulsive act.

“…!”

Their eyes met before she could react, and her round, transparent eyes widened. For a split second, he saw his own face reflected in those eyes that looked as if they would leave water on his skin if he touched them, but then she quickly ducked her head.

A laugh escaped him.

He hadn’t even done anything yet, and she was already this scared.

After the impression of being pale and small, the next thought that came to mind was ‘easy.’

The woman’s gaze, which seemed fearful of everything, lingered briefly on his insignia.

“Do you recognize this?”

However, the woman soon shook her head.

“No…”

Oscar checked the time before whispering softly to her.

“Shall we have a little chat?”

---

If she had felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff this whole time, she now felt as if she had taken a step off it. She had to keep her balance perfectly to keep from falling.

Seo-ah nodded, her jaw tight.

“Yes.”

He turned and retraced his steps, and the men lined up like folding screens bowed their heads again. When she took a step, feeling as if she were treading on air, he looked back at her.

Is this what it feels like to walk along the edge of a cliff that could crumble at any moment?

As she followed behind the man, cutting through the heavy gazes pouring in from both sides, tens of thousands of emotions rained down on her like a storm.

The most distinct among them was, without a doubt, fear. Even as the thought that the man before her was the very Wolf she had been waiting for crossed her mind, she was terrified because nothing was confirmed.

He led her to a room that looked like a place for receiving guests.

“Sit wherever you’re comfortable.”

She sat in the chair closest to the door, which closed behind her. Meanwhile, the man walked over to the window and asked, “Is there anything you like? We have coffee, tea, and some light sodas.”

Of coffee, tea, and soda, the only one she somewhat knew was tea, but she wasn’t sure if it was the same kind of tea she knew.

“I… anything is fine.”

She felt the man, who was personally holding a cup in front of a beverage cart, look back at her.

“Then have a soda. At least that’s refreshing.”

Lifting her eyes slightly, she saw him putting ice into a transparent glass. He filled two tall glasses with ice and then poured a lime-colored drink to an equal height.

He approached with a casual air, as if offering a drink to a friend, and held out a glass. Seo-ah reflexively stood up and took the glass with both hands. That same breathy laugh scattered above her head.

“Sit.”

As she cautiously sat down, he took the seat opposite her. The cold drink sparkled in the delicate, transparent glass as it caught the light. Seo-ah kept her eyes on the rim of the glass, bowing her head before looking up.

“…Thank you for saving me.”

“Do you remember?”

“Up until you were standing by the door…”

“Ah, that far?”

“……”

“Does your tongue hurt?”

Now that he mentioned it, the left side of her tongue did throb. Had something happened while she was unconscious?

“What is your name?”

The thread of her thoughts was abruptly severed.

Seo-ah hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“My name is Seo-ah.”

“Seo-ah?”

“Yes.”

“Seo-ah.”

He pronounced the name again as if savoring it. It wasn’t a difficult pronunciation for the people of Norfolk, but he seemed exceptionally good at it. Even his intonation was natural.