The Forgotten Field

"...Your father really was a fool, wasn't he? I treated him so horribly... and yet, even as he was leaving, he was still worried about me."

Seeing tears gather at the corners of her eyes, he hurried over and pressed himself against her.

Her sorrowful gaze fell upon him.

"Someday, I'll introduce you to him."

A pain like someone tearing through his chest froze him in place.

I'm here, Talia. I'm right here beside you.

He wanted to tell her that.

But from a beast's throat came nothing more than a weak whimper.

"What's wrong, Khan? Are you hurting somewhere?"

Alarmed by his sudden distress, she picked him up and gently stroked his back.

At once, a sweet fragrance, enough to melt his mind, flooded his nose.

His sense of smell, dozens of times sharper than when he had been human, occasionally plunged him into confusion so overwhelming he could barely endure it.

Sometimes a terrifying thought seized him.

What if all of this is only an illusion I saw in the instant before my final breath?

The thought filled him with unbearable fear.

"It's alright, Khan. I'll take good care of you."

Holding his trembling body firmly in both arms, Talia began retracing her steps.

The head maid, who had been waiting some distance away, approached with a puzzled expression.

"Are you already finished with your walk?"

"Khan seems a little off. I want a healer to examine him."

The head maid looked down at him.

Having raised three children and cared for countless animals, she immediately realized there was nothing particularly wrong with the wolf.

But knowing the Grand Duchess's sensitive temperament all too well, she simply nodded quietly.

"I'll bring one right away."

"I'll be sitting over there. Bring them to me."

Without waiting for a reply, Talia headed toward the marble pavilion standing in one corner of the garden.

A short while later, a healer dressed in flowing robes crossed the garden.

He quietly stared at the expressionless middle-aged woman.

She had undoubtedly died in an accident the previous year.

Yet there she was, perfectly alive, bowing respectfully before Talia as though nothing had ever happened.

"I was told you summoned me. Has the pain in your leg returned?"

"It's not for me. It's Khan. Check on him."

The healer's brow creased ever so slightly.

It was obvious she found being summoned over such an insignificant magical beast rather irritating.

Talia, however, seemed too focused on him to notice the woman's displeased expression.

"I fed him raw meat for the first time today. Could that have upset his stomach?"

"I'm no expert on magical beasts."

The healer answered with a faint sigh.

"But I do know that dire wolves possess extraordinarily strong vitality. There's no need to worry."

"You never know! Stop talking and examine him."

At Talia's sharp command, the healer reluctantly placed a hand atop his head.

He endured the unpleasant touch without resistance.

A warm current soon seeped into his body.

She appeared to be channeling mana through him to assess his condition.

"This wolf is healthy. He's somewhat weakened, but not to a concerning degree."

"Weakened?"

"He barely ate anything and slept for nearly ten days. Naturally his strength declined. Feed him adequately and gradually increase his activity. He'll recover quickly, so there's no cause for concern."

Only after hearing the healer's calm explanation did Talia's expression soften.

At last, he realized she had become overly anxious about his health because of the child she had once lost.

Drawing him close between her neck and shoulder, she whispered affectionately,

"I'm sorry, Khan. I'll make sure you eat properly from now on."

"I'm more concerned about Your Grace's health than the wolf's."

The healer spoke in a rather stiff voice before extending one hand.

"Since I'm here, I'll examine you as well. How has the pain in your leg been?"

"It's much better."

Talia casually placed her hand atop the healer's and answered absentmindedly.

"I still toss and turn every night, but the severe pain isn't nearly as bad as it used to be. It seems the ointment you made is working."

"Did you apply it this morning as well?"

Talia nodded.

After examining her for quite some time, the healer reached into the satchel tucked beneath her arm and withdrew a small glass bottle.

"If the pain becomes severe tonight, take this."

Talia eyed the clear bottle suspiciously.

"What medicine is it?"

"A new painkiller. Its effects should last much longer than the one you've been taking."

Accepting the bottle, Talia uncorked it and sniffed cautiously.

Apparently finding nothing unusual, she sealed it again.

"I'll take it before bed."

Satisfied, the healer rose to her feet.

Talia set him back on the ground and resumed walking along the garden path.

He hurried after her on all fours.

Her golden hair swayed gently in the breeze, painting his vision with breathtaking beauty.

Etching that sight deep into his memory, he silently recited the prayer he had repeated thousands upon thousands of times.

Dear God... if all of this is only a dream... then please, while I sleep, take away my breath, so that I may never awaken again.

If only he could remain in the same reality where she still lived and breathed, he would gladly spend the rest of eternity trapped inside the body of a helpless beast.

He prayed with all his heart that this strange dream would never end.

* * *

By sunset, drowsiness came over him once again.

He struggled desperately to stay awake, but there was no stopping his eyelids as they slowly grew heavier.

He kept his eyes stubbornly fixed on her as she leaned against the headboard reading a book.

At some point, however, he lost consciousness as abruptly as though he had fainted.

When he awoke again, darkness had already swallowed the world outside.

His mind was much clearer than before.

The first thing he did was turn toward her.

Apparently she had fallen asleep while reading.

Still leaning against the pillow, she breathed softly in peaceful slumber.

He stared at her as though spellbound.

Then, using his tiny teeth, he tugged at the blanket until it covered the leg exposed beneath her rolled-up skirt.

Even that simple task left him breathing heavily.

After painstakingly pulling the blanket all the way up to her shoulders, he paused to catch his breath before leaping off the bed and padding toward the fireplace.

The maids must have lit it while they slept.

Flames flickered behind the folding screen.

He cautiously stretched one forepaw into the fire.

A searing pain struck him instantly.

He jerked his paw back and examined it.

The soft flesh of his paw pad had turned bright red from the burn.

As if confirming the pain once more, he rubbed the injured paw against the floor before walking behind the folding screen in the corner of the room.

Standing before the mirror leaning against the wall, he found himself staring at the reflection of a young beast covered in pale ash-gray fur.

He remained motionless for a long time.

Finally, he forced himself to face the reality before him.

If none of this was a delusion or hallucination...

...then he had returned to the past, before her death.

And he had done so by borrowing the body of the beast she cherished most.

How could such a thing even be possible?

He glared at the wolf in the mirror as though demanding an answer.

Suddenly, he remembered the earnest gaze of the beast he had seen in the instant before his own death.

Could that wolf have sent him into the past to save her?

It was an absurd hypothesis.

Yet he could think of no other explanation.

To begin with, this entire situation lay far beyond the realm of logic.

There was little point in wondering what principle had caused {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} it.

What mattered was what came next.

If he had not completely lost his mind, then he had been granted a miraculous chance to save her.

But...

What was he supposed to do?

He slowly looked over his own body with helpless eyes.

He had grown a little since opening his eyes for the first time.

Even so...

...he was still nothing more than a powerless beast.

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