VIP Chapter 420: Beast
“One… one chance?”
Iaar’s tail wagged more restlessly as she listened to Will’s assessment.
“Grace and the others have already failed once; they’ll probably change their strategy next time. Carver didn’t give them much time either; a week might even be too generous.”
Will didn’t intend to give Iaar much time to “ponder” or “choose.”
“Moreover, more importantly, once we enter the End Ash, whether we win or lose, our existence will be exposed.”
He aggressively urged Iaar to “move forward.”
“If you really want to defeat Al, Iaar, you can’t let anyone else have it, right? Then we have no time for trial and error.”
“Mmm… that’s right. Young Master, so, about clearing the dungeon, Iaar is ready. Tomorrow, I’ll definitely… definitely be able to… hiss… I bit my tongue.”
Iaar wanted to pretend she was very “determined” and not at all worried. So, she spoke very quickly, wanting to get through it and quickly return to her room.
But…
The more she acted like this, the more mistakes Iaar was prone to make!
It was like when she first learned to speak, she bit her tongue.
“Anyway, anyway, Young Master, Iaar is leaving!”
As she said this and turned to leave, Iaar felt a hand grab her tail, which had been swinging restlessly due to her unease.
“Eek!?”
Iaar’s tail wasn’t particularly sensitive, but even so, being grabbed suddenly made it tickle.
“…Iaar, you’re actually a little scared, aren’t you?”
Will’s voice came from behind her.
Right. She believed Will must have seen it long ago. After all, she was terrible at lying and acting; her true feelings would be exposed in an instant.
“Mm… a little.”
“You don’t need to be afraid of not being able to defeat Al. Right now, your raw strength is far, far greater than its.”
“It’s not that I can’t defeat Al, it’s just… mmm… it’s just…”
Iaar’s “it’s just” lingered in her mouth for a long time.
She realized that in front of Will, she couldn’t bring herself to say that what she feared was that if they succeeded, Will might no longer stay by her side.
“If it’s just the two of us, do you want to hear my thoughts all this time? About your thoughts.”
“Yes, please tell me, Young Master.”
“Although every time before I said I’d treat you like a dog… I’ve always felt that there’s a beast hidden within Iaar’s body—I even hope that one day, such a beast will erupt from your body.”
“…A be-beast?! Although, although it seems Iaar’s bloodline should essentially be wolf, but… but to call it a beast is too… too sudden…”
Iaar still didn’t turn around, but she felt that after Will let go, her tail, which had been swinging irregularly behind her, now slowed down.
She reacted a beat late, suddenly realizing that Will probably thought she lacked confidence and was trying to comfort her.
Although Will’s sudden words weren’t exactly comforting her in the way Iaar imagined, it made her feel much more at ease. As expected, Young Master was a fool too!
Such a fool that he didn’t see what she was thinking at all!
“That year, the severe cold came very early, especially… in the primeval forest where you were found, many animals couldn’t survive that winter.”
Suddenly, almost abruptly, Will spoke.
“Young Master… are you talking about the winter you found Iaar?”
“I once heard the old butler who went into the forest that day mention it. Along the way, one could see starving jackals, magical beasts that hadn’t been seen by humans in a very long time, and wild deer frozen by an early winter snow…”
Even though it was now a warm spring day, as Iaar listened to Will’s description, her body trembled slightly. She felt as if she had truly returned to the very beginning of all her memories.
To the place where she, alone, could do nothing despite her best efforts.
Looking back now, the reason she was abandoned was probably because that winter came too early, too fast, and too cold. The half-beastman tribe that inhabited the forest had to leave behind their frail children during their migration south.
“But, deeper in, where the snow was heavier and deeper, they found a little girl with wolf blood mixed in.”
In the dim light, Will narrated what had happened to Iaar years ago in a voice like he used to tell her stories—
“She was lying in the snow, appearing frail even among the half-beastmen. Her footprints left a long, long trail in the snow. Although the later footprints were gradually covered by wind and snow, one could still see that the footprints were heading towards the forest exit…”
“Young Master, your… your imagination is too, too rich.”
For Iaar, this distant and profound memory only left behind a feeling, with very few specific impressions.
So, these words were probably Will’s imagination?
However, in the faint candlelight, listening to his narration that sounded so genuine, Iaar also felt that winter had returned.
The little girl who trudged through the deep snow had also returned.
“You’ve never had any exceptional bloodline. You merely have some adaptation and tolerance to ice and snow. You’re not a child from legends who needs to inherit divine power or possesses undiscovered talents. You’re just an ordinary girl.”
“…Iaar knows. The more I train, the clearer Iaar becomes.”
“But, Iaar. You’ve not only become a genuine S Rank Shield Saint, learned the most powerful magic from ‘Ice Array,’ and possess the ability to challenge a Fire Dragon single-handedly. More importantly—you are now truly the best maid in all of Entak, no, even the best in the entire world.”
“…”
Iaar didn’t speak further, her ears drooping slightly.
She could tell Will was trying to boost her morale, so she could confidently and successfully deal with Al tomorrow.
This made her feel even more guilty about the thought that had suddenly crossed her mind.
“—This is why, many years ago, I said I would raise you like I raised Sanqi.”
“…Sanqi?! Huh, so what Young Master said back then was… y-y-yes… was that dumb dog buried in the backyard?!”
“See. It started as an incapable, even sickly, dumb dog. Under my care, it gradually became capable of handling things on its own and even fighting magical beasts. From the most ordinary dog to the most powerful dog, this is what I wanted to see in you.”
“…S-so that’s how it is. So that’s what it was…”
Iaar touched her chest, as if feeling a warm current.
She couldn’t clearly say whether she had reached a conclusion.
But at least now, she was not as “uneasy” as before.
In this world, the only one who could relieve her unease was always Will.
“So, Iaar. Listen carefully. From the very beginning, you were a beast capable of walking out of that forest alone—”
