TBSW 03

TBSW

Posted by Bela, Released on October 9, 2025

Chapter 3

A sensitive nose had finally tracked down the slave traders’ location.

Over there!

“Choo!”

At Ibi’s confident gesture, the Duke urged his galloping horse onward. The knights’ mounts increased their speed too.

Ibi clutched Baird’s scarf tightly so she wouldn’t fall off. Of course, the blood on her forehead went back onto his scarf.

Thud thud thud thud!

How far had they run, the ground trembling beneath them?

Suddenly, the Duke swung his sword forward with force.

Along with the snowstorm, a powerful shockwave rose and took the shape of three wolves.

‘Th-That…!’

Ibi recognized that wolf-form at once.

It was the Duke’s blessing—the “Shadow Wolves,” once called the “unnamable enemy” that had sown terror across battlefields.

“Tear them apart.”

The Duke’s command fell.

Then the horses and even the knights’ shadows all simultaneously transformed into wolf shapes.

In an instant a pack of wolves, twice the number of the original knights, sprang toward the front.

Ibi’s own shadow became a small wolf and hopped to join the pack.

The wolves sprang and snapped at empty air.

At that moment—

“Waaaaah!?”

“E-Their stealth is broken! What the—!?”

The fleeing slave traders were exposed clearly.

After that everything happened at lightning speed.

The wolves brought the traders’ horses down in an instant.

The traders who fell from their mounts were pierced by the knights’ swords. It was a flash attack that gave no time to resist.

But what surprised Ibi even more was that another shadow had joined the wolf pack.

Ibi shivered at the sight.

‘Now even the traders’ shadows turn into wolves!’

The horror of being attacked by my own shadow was intense.

‘I think I understand why the Noctis dukes are said to have the empire’s strongest force…’

Ugh. I definitely don’t want them as enemies.

Ibi shook her head vigorously.

Before long the scene was tidied up.

“We captured two alive; the rest were summary-executed.”

“Good. Connect the communication line.”

The Duke narrowed his brows and spoke with a sneer.

“The Papal legate will want to stick his holy neck out and wait for news.”

Why the legate all of a sudden?

Ibi tilted her head in puzzlement, then clapped her hands as realization hit.

‘The Curia!’

The Black Wolf Noctis house was a prominent imperial family with overwhelming military might, the kind even the throne had difficulty controlling.

But there had been one place that had managed to get their leash on them.

The Curia—that was the one.

‘Of course, I only heard rumors before I returned…’

At first even the chattering maids speculated the Noctis family might be trying to expand into central power.

After all, the Duke Noctis—who usually couldn’t care less about doing good for others—suddenly began charitable acts like supporting orphans.

‘But it looked terribly awkward, like wearing clothes that didn’t fit. The results were also all bad…’

Newspapers mocked him, saying he couldn’t help his mercenary-born temperament.

But on the other hand, there must have been a reason he was forced to do things against his nature.

‘They said the Noctis family received a relic from the Pope, didn’t they?’

She remembered an illustration from an old newspaper: the Pope presenting a spool-like relic to the kneeling, bowed Noctis duke.

The image had even captured the Duke’s expression—an angry face bearing humiliation.

Why would he endure that, contrary to his nature?

The reason was unknown.

‘No need to know. It’s none of my business.’

Ibi shook her head briskly.

‘I only need my reward.’

Although the plan had been changed on the fly, she’d still played a part in catching the slave traders. So she’d get paid, right?

What if they tried to stiff a powerless little flying squirrel like me?

No way!

No matter how villainous, I wouldn’t let them off. I’d cling to their pant legs if I had to!

I’m a flying squirrel who actually does things when I say I will!

As she pledged that to herself, she happened to see something.

“…!”

One of the captured traders suddenly bit down hard on something in his mouth!

“Die!”

At the same instant, four or so red arrows materialized out of thin air and flew toward the Duke watching the communication console.

Ibi’s heart dropped.

No!

‘My patron! I must protect my patron!’

Ibi spread her wings from atop Baird’s head and glided swiftly.

At the same time the Duke shifted his foot toward the arrows’ direction and snatched a magically approaching arrow out of the air with one hand.

“Such attacks are laughab—”

The Duke scoffed and moved to dispel the magical arrow.

Smack!

With a wet sound, Ibi stuck to the Duke’s cheek.

“…….”

Whooshing—cold air blew.

The Duke’s bright golden eyes turned toward Ibi, who was glued to his cheek.

They were more fearsome than before.

“Did you just… slap my cheek?”

“Chu, chuUu—”

N-No, that’s not it…!

Feeling panic, Ibi quickly rubbed her cheek against the Duke’s.

“Chu, chuUu!”

Smile, smile—there’s a saying you can’t spit on a smiling face, sob…

Despite Ibi’s inner thoughts, outwardly it looked as if she were happy the Duke had survived.

Seeing that, the knights admired her.

“No way—did that squirrel throw itself in front of Master to protect him?”

“Wow… impossible.”

Baird, the adjutant, looked moved too. Tears glistened in his small bear-like eyes.

“To launch oneself for someone dozens of times larger—this is the bravest squirrel I’ve ever seen. Don’t you agree, my lord?”

“…….”

At his subordinates’ remarks, the Duke’s gaze slowly sank.

He stared at Ibi blankly for a moment, then, annoyed, flicked her off with a finger.

“Annoying. Fall off already.”

“Peep!”

Ibi’s small body was suddenly flicked and landed face-first in the snow.

Startled, Baird quickly scooped Ibi up with both hands.

“Master, she’s so small—if you throw her about like that she could get hurt.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. She’s fine.”

Then—

“Koff, koff!”

Ibi suddenly began coughing, and red blood leaked from the corner of her mouth.

At the sight, the Duke’s expression twitched but did not make a sound.

‘Ah, it’s starting again.’

Ibi hurriedly clamped her mouth shut.

Still, the hemoptysis continued.

“Koff, koff.”

Her tiny body trembled faintly with each cough.

Before long worry showed on the faces of the knights surrounding Ibi.

“S-She was trying to protect the lord…”

“She got hit by the lord…”

“To suffer such severe internal injury…”

As the Duke frowned and prepared to scold his men, a crackly voice came over the communication line behind his back.

[Did the Lord just commit violence against a young animal? Even against a child who tried to protect him?]

It was the Papal legate, watching the whole scene through the connected console.

“……!”

The Duke’s expression silently crumpled.

But when he turned toward the communication console, his face returned to an indifferent expression.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. It was a pointless act, but that creature threw itself to save me. There’s no way I would commit violence against someone like that.”

[Is that so? Then what is the blood we see there?]

“It seems the slave traders caught and mistreated it badly.”

The Duke glanced at Ibi and added with reluctance,

“…I have no choice but to take care of it.”

[Ho! I see. A cute benefactor who saved the Lord’s life—surely you’ll take special care of it.]

“…Of course.”

[Then on my next visit, may I see the baby squirrel?]

For a moment one of the Duke’s eyebrows twitched.

“You’d better not overstep your bounds.”

The legate’s smile faltered at that. Still, he seemed confident and raised his chin a little higher.

[I have heard recently that Your Excellency has been taking interest in charitable acts. If the baby squirrel becomes healthy thanks to Your Excellency, wouldn’t your benevolence receive even more recognition?]

“…….”

The Duke grunted softly, displeased.

After finishing the communications about how to deal with the slave traders and other current matters, the Duke let out a short sigh.

He looked at Ibi—shivering from the cold and coughing up blood—with a frown and then—

“Damn it.”

He took off his cloak and wrapped Ibi in it.

“Everyone, finish the clean-up and come back. I’ll return to the castle first with this one.”

“Yes, sir!”

Receiving the salute of his subordinates, the Duke took Ibi into one arm and urged his horse forward at speed.

“Koff, koff!”

The harder Ibi coughed, the faster the horse pressed on.

It was truly an emergency patient transfer.

On top of gray castle walls rose the Noctis ducal seat like a spear toward the sky.

A family whose direct line had manifested as black wolf-people for generations, boasting the empire’s greatest military power.

Although they were long famous as a villainous family, their reputation had worsened under the present Duke.

He had been the protagonist of the incident called the “Bloody Return.”

The current Duke Noctis had originally been a bastard of the family.

Yet because he was born with pheromones stronger than those of the legitimate heirs, he had suffered checks, insults, envy, and slander, and was almost driven out of the family.

Leaving the house empty-handed at a young age, he wandered the continent and by his twenties became the leader of a border mercenary band.

Some time after, the neighboring empire at the border launched a war. Leading his mercenaries, he achieved a dramatic victory in the last battle that determined the fates of both empires.

Having saved a country on the brink of destruction, the imperial people cheered him wildly.

It seemed only natural that the Noctis house would rise again as heroes.

But—

When he returned, at a banquet the previous duke had held in his honor, he executed the previous duke, the duke’s retainers, and all their households.

He hunted down and killed anyone connected to the previous duke as if to erase their line.

That bloody event skyrocketed newspaper sales: the “Bloody Return.”

Because he was such a terrifying duke, the servants could only be stunned by the strange sight before them.

Normally their lord never returned cradling a baby in a sling like that.

‘Huh? Where’s the baby? Only the sling—oh, wait, it’s a squirrel?’

‘Why is that squirrel so bloodied? What on earth did it do?’

While the servants whispered among themselves, the Duke tossed Ibi—still bundled in the sling—at the steward.

“Anton. Take it.”

Seeing Ibi stained with blood, the steward hesitated.

“Yes. I’ll bury it in the back mountain.”

What!?

Ibi, who had been limp, suddenly opened her eyes wide.