Every word that exposed the truth about the Kruger family had been laid bare in an instant. After only a few days in this other world, Aya had to face one revelation after another without a moment's peace.
She felt as if everything was over. She was ready to give up. But in a heartbeat, everything changed.
Suddenly, her vision was obscured by a warm, sticky liquid splattered across her face.
"Sticky... what is this?" Aya murmured in a daze. She was half-conscious, her vision blurring, her head throbbing with a dull ache. Yet, she felt herself being moved to a different place.
"Don't look this way. Just sleep if you have to," Ficky's voice commanded.
As if his words carried a spell, Aya fell into a deep slumber instantly.
Meanwhile, Ficky stood his ground, his long, razor-sharp claws still pointed toward their attackers. Una's hand had been severed, and her feral, savage face was contorted in a mask of agony. She shielded Reen, who cowered behind her.
"Una! Your hand!"
"I'm fine!" Una hissed, glaring at Ficky. "This wolf is dangerous. He's almost on the same level as that killer. Without Aguyaga, we can't counter him."
"Aguyaga? You mean that big oaf?" Ficky scoffed. "He's already down. What exactly were you expecting from him?"
Aguyaga, the brute who had initially attacked Ficky, now lay motionless and pathetic, far from the chaotic scene.
"Listen, dog-kin! You can't defeat a wolf that's far more vicious than you'll ever be. We might be similar, but we are not the same. And don't worry—I have no interest in fighting the weak!"
Ficky leaped from one shadow to the next, weaving through the small town before scaling the back wall of a high tower. He reached the summit, where he could overlook the entire expanse of the city.
By the time he reverted to his human form, his clothes were ruined. He looked less like a bodyguard and more like a vagrant in tattered rags.
Inside the Clock Tower.
"Wake up. We have work to do. You said you wanted to go home, didn't you?" Ficky said, flicking Aya's forehead.
Aya's eyes snapped open. Startled by her sudden reaction, Ficky reflexively took a step back.
"Ah... I'm alive," Aya breathed.
"Of course you're alive. I saved you, didn't I? Though, you might have a broken rib or two," Ficky remarked dryly.
He wasn't wrong. The relief Aya felt was short-lived as the pain finally caught up to her. It wasn't her ribs, but her arm that felt shattered. Tears began to flood her eyes.
"Huwaaa! Dad! Mom! My arm! My arm!" she wailed like a small child.
"Hey, stop crying! It's just an arm. At least you can still stand," Ficky said, panic rising in his voice.
Her sobbing quieted as she heard Ficky's awkward attempts to soothe her. She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Stop crying, you big baby! How old are you, anyway? You must have been incredibly spoiled back home."
He was right. Everything he said was true. She had been pampered by her parents—who were often away—and by her grandmother and neighbors. She couldn't deny it. She fell silent, her mind drifting back to Una's words about her parents.
"Hey, it's just a sprain. Not broken after all," Ficky said, inspecting her arm while she was lost in thought.
"Ficky... did you know what I was all this time? Because Una... she said I was a fox," Aya asked softly.
Unbeknownst to her, Ficky was already expertly binding her sprained wrist. "I didn't know. And frankly, I don't care."
"Cold as always. But if what she said is true, then how could I live in the human world?"
"What do you mean?"
"Una said no beast-kin can survive in the human world for long. But I'm the result of... fox parents? I don't know the details, but they said I'm a full-blooded fox."
Ficky looked out over the city. From this height, the view was breathtaking, and the cool breeze was refreshing. They were finally alone.
"I'm not going to comment on that. The point is, you still want to go back to your world, right?"
Aya nodded. Her goal hadn't changed just because she'd discovered her heritage. If she could go home now, she would go back and demand the truth from her parents herself.
"I'll warn you one more time, weakling. Do not trust anyone here. Not even your own bodyguard."
A gust of wind howled through the tower, almost swallowing Ficky's words. Aya stared at him in confusion.
"I told you already. If we don't trust anyone, how can we expect them to trust us?" Aya argued.
"You can still say that after people tried to kidnap you?"
"Everyone has their reasons. People fight over treasures that aren't even theirs all the time. It can be talked through."
"If that's your principle, fine. But remember—I am nothing like you," Ficky stated firmly.
Aya stood beside him, trying to see his eyes behind those dark sunglasses. Ficky remained guarded, adjusting his glasses to ensure they stayed firmly in place.
"I'm still shocked that I'm a fox. But what about you, Mr. Wolf Bodyguard?"
CLANG!!! CLANG!!!
The clock tower bells began to chime violently. Reflexively, Aya and Ficky covered their ears against the deafening sound. The city below stilled as every eye turned toward the tower.
As the wind swirled around them, Aya caught a glimpse of something—a bushy, thick brown tail near her waist.
"Eh?"
As the tolling stopped, a white bird with a black beak flew in, a small scroll tied to its leg. It landed squarely on Ficky's head.
"Stupid bird!"
Aya was distracted, frantically looking behind her for the tail she thought she saw, but it was gone. She turned back to Ficky and took the bird off his head.
"There's a message. It might be from the King."
Ficky knew exactly who it was from. King Gorgeous had sent his orders. The letter stated that the ritual at the Sacred Altar was about to begin, along with the altar's location.
"Ficky, there's something I need to tell you. About how we get home. Besides the King's way... the Queen mentioned another path at the Adventurers' Guild."
"A mention isn't an answer. Besides, we already made a deal with the King," Ficky cut her off.
"So you still want to go? To get the answer from him?"
"Yeah. We'll just compare them later. And see which answer is the truth."