Chapter 16

"First, Ratts, prepare the carriage. Once it's ready, take Ren and John to Sir Shiro. Thomson, Mina, and Misha, let's search for me and Will."

In the living room, where the realization of Will's disappearance had caused a bit of a commotion, it seemed unthinkable that he could have gone outside the mansion. Still, the timing was too bad. Asking a child to read the room was too much to hope for.

Just as everyone was about to take action,

"Excuse me."

"Oh!?"

Ratts let out a silly scream at the sight of a large green-furred wolf that had slipped through the living room door. Thomson, Mina, and Misha quickly stepped in front of Cecilia, bracing themselves.

However, they were taken aback when they saw the person on the wolf's back.

"Master Will!?"

"Hi♪"

The servants' reactions seemed to please Will, who raised his hand in response.

"H-Half... What is this..."

Ren, taken aback, tentatively asked the piece of wind, and the wind wolf's expression softened.

"Ho... I see the girl who used to wear an iron mask now shows such an expression..."

"That's not important now!"

Ren blushed and raised her voice. The wind wolf ignored Ren's question and looked around.

"Hmm... According to Will, Shiro and the girls are in danger, and everyone is grieving."

That was just a moment ago. The members of the Turkis family, having regained their composure, had determined looks in their eyes.

"We can't just stand here. We are going to rescue Sir Shiro and the girls, and we will all go together."

Cecilia, speaking on behalf of the group, made her declaration, and the wind wolf narrowed his eyes.

"That frail lady... has become a strong mother."

"Master Half..."

Cecilia, narrowing her eyes and smiling, received a nod from the wind wolf.

"Perfect. At Will's request... I am also heading to assist Shiro. There are many things to discuss, but let's do so after everything is settled."

The living room's atmosphere froze at the wind wolf's casual words. Cecilia, for a moment, didn't understand what was said and remained frozen with a smile.

"Will, Father and the sisters, I'm going to save them."

Will, oblivious to the atmosphere, waved his hand innocently.

"Then, see you later."

With that, the wind wolf kicked off the floor, flew out of the courtyard, and disappeared. The remaining people stood there, dumbfounded, watching his departure.

"Master Will, he's gone..."

Mina muttered, and finally, everyone in the room came to their senses.

"Trouble!"

"Ratts! The carriage, the carriage!"

"O-Okay!"

"Master Will! Please wait!"

The living room erupted into chaos.

Will's first errand was to deliver a magic sword to his father, who was in battle, and to rescue his sisters. How did it come to this?

The one who took the longest to recover was surprisingly Ren.

"Master Will..."

Ren clenched her fists and her shoulders trembled.

"Half... If anything happens to Master Will..."

Struggling to suppress the magic power that was about to overflow, Ren turned and left the living room.

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A large green wolf ran across the rooftops with a small child on its back. A woman from a vegetable stand, looking up from the street, hurried into her shop.

"Hey! It's terrible! Master Wilber from the Turkis family is riding a big wolf and running across the rooftops!"

The husband, working in the back, laughed dismissively.

"Don't joke around. Wilber is only three years old. That's impossible."

Ignoring his husband, the woman looked up at the opposite roof again. The wolf and Wilber were gone. It was just the usual scene.

"Maybe I'm just tired..."

Though she didn't realize it, she dismissed it as a hallucination and returned to her usual work.

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Stopping on the rooftop of a small building, the piece of wind looked around cautiously and then turned to Will, who was on his back.

"Are you okay? Will."

"I'm fine with Half."

The wind wolf, who had taken off without asking for a location, could sense the presence of his contractor, Shiro, over a wide area.

Will, sitting on the wind wolf's back, also looked around. Then, his eyes lit up as he spotted something.

"Half, Half, look at that."

Patting the wind wolf's head, Will pointed. The wind wolf looked in the direction Will was pointing and saw children floating in the air, accompanied by a greenish glow. They were about ten years old, and there were three of them, chatting as they drifted through the air.

"Those are wind spirits."

"Wow, spirits."

Spirits and幻兽 (phantom beasts) live in places with high concentrations of magical elements, such as mountains, forests, and rivers. These places are usually untouched by human hands, and spirits avoid human eyes by discerning human desires, appearing only to those with pure hearts. However, there are many documented cases of spirits guiding lost travelers to safety or phantom beasts rescuing children from drowning in rivers.

Though invisible to the human eye, spirits and phantom beasts do exist. There are many mysteries surrounding them, but there are some facts known to only a few people.

"Will, having contracted with me and being recognized by me, can see spirits."

"Can't everyone see them?"

The wind spirits were flying boldly over the city, but no one seemed to notice.

"That's right. Unless they reveal themselves, humans cannot see them."

"Got it."

Will, looking disappointed, frowned. One of the spirits noticed Will and the wind wolf. Seeing the wind wolf perched on the roof, the spirit frantically gestured to its companions. Feeling good about the spirits' reactions, Will waved enthusiastically.

"Hey!"

The spirits looked at each other, and eventually, a kind-looking spirit boy waved back at Will. Will, delighted, waved even more energetically.

The wind wolf, observing this, suddenly looked up.

"Will, I've picked up Shiro's presence. Let's go."

"Okay."

People on the street below had started to notice Will and the wind wolf and were causing a commotion. A bearded man in knight's armor was seen running frantically. It was best not to linger.

"Spirits, see you later."

Will finished waving and adjusted his grip on the magic sword's scabbard. The wind wolf silently kicked off the roof and leaped to the other side of the street. People below were in an uproar at the sight of the large wolf flying overhead.

"Cheers?"

"Screams."

The wind wolf, running on the roof, corrected Will, who tilted his head.

The destination was just ahead. The wind wolf, sensing an ominous presence, spat.

"Will! I was going to head to Shiro, but there are people sneaking up on a group that has gathered! If we don't act, the evacuees will be attacked!"

"We have to help!"

The wind wolf changed course. Will, sharing magic power with the wind wolf, seemed to understand and was looking straight at the target.

"There!"

Will pointed to a small shed separated from other buildings.

"We're going in, Will!"

"We're going in!"

The wind wolf took a powerful final step and soared high into the air.