217 Let's Go Home (1)

"Alt-nii, wait! This doesn't make any sense! That's definitely not Clavis... Right?"

I quickly shifted my gaze to Alt-nii and spoke with a trembling voice. No, I wasn't trembling because of the cold. I was trembling because of the terrifying possibility...

Alt-nii stayed quiet for a moment before he said with a calm voice--or it was more likely a voice that he forced to be calm, "Look carefully, Lyra. Isn't that Clavis' clothes over there?"

Alt-nii then pointed out to a spot near the wolf beast. And sure enough, I narrowed my eyes to see what seemed to be a boy's clothes. It wasn't that obvious because the color was almost the same with the snowy background.

"..."

I remained silent after seeing what Alt-nii seemed to have seen before he arrived to that conclusion.

It was a definitive evidence.

Unless we were to think that the wolf beast ate Clavis... No, no, I think it's better to think that the wolf beast was really Clavis rather than that!

But the wolf beast's condition was odd.

It was clearly Alt-nii and me, yet why did Clavis roar at us like that if it was really him?

It didn't make any sense to me.

"Ruru...," Rurune lowered her head and growled in a low voice.

"...I can only say that based on my intuition, it's really Clavis. And the logical reason behind this incidence is that Clavis is actually a werebeast all along instead of just a normal beastman...," Alt-nii muttered.

"I-I know the differences between beastmen and werebeasts, but Clavis was always a beastman all his life, wasn't he? And yet..."

"Perhaps... It only manifested just now?"

"...? Is it really how it works?"

"Who knows," Alt-nii shrugged his shoulders before he continued, "but we have one mission right now. That is, to bring Clavis back."

Alt-nii then looked at the wolf beast with a serious look and eyes full of determination.

I gulped. Things were really getting out of hands.

Alt-nii walked slowly towards the wolf beast. Rurune was floating at the same spot, observing both

Alt-nii and the wolf beast. Meanwhile, I was frozen on the spot, not knowing what to do.

As Alt-nii approached the wolf beast without any hesitation, the wolf beast roared once more, as if preventing Alt-nii from taking a step closer.

Alt-nii halted at the wolf beast's roar.

"You're Clavis, right? I know it, I can tell, and I'm sure of it. What are you doing, roaring here at me?"

Alt-nii said with a calm voice.

"Grrr," the wolf beast only growled again at Alt-nii.

As I thought, the wolf beast really wasn't Clavis...?

Look at the wolf beast roaring at Alt-nii.

If it were Clavis, surely he won't do that, right?

However, Alt-nii was still convinced it was Clavis.

Is it because of the bond they have?

Or is Alt-nii in a denial because we couldn't find Clavis?

"Clavis... Let's go back," Alt-nii said in a firm tone as he approached the wolf beast steadily.

In response to such Alt-nii... The wolf beast still growled but it stepped back instead.

"What's wrong? Why are you retreating? Not going home? Your mother is worried sick of you."

Yet, Alt-nii didn't give up.

I wasn't sure what triggered it, but the wolf beast seemed to be angry as it roared.

"Why are you getting angry? Feeling agitated? Because I mentioned your mother? You should have taken a look at her face when she came to our house. Why are you doing this to her?"

The distance between Alt-nii and the wolf beast was close now and...

Suddenly, the wolf beast roared and aimed his sharp claws at Alt-nii!

"Ruru!" Rurune quickly floated to Alt-nii as I also shouted.

"Alt-nii, watch out!"

I ran as fast as I could towards Alt-nii's direction. But I couldn't make it on time.

My heart was thumping so hard as I watched the wolf beast trying to attack my brother. My mind went blank--although I knew I should do something!

Deep inside my heart, there was still a deep-rooted disbelief that was conflicting inside. This conflicting thought caused my inability to react.

That is definitely not Clavis! Clavis wouldn't hurt Alt-nii, right?

Thankfully, Alt-nii's reflex was so good that he managed to set up a Void shield in an instant as he dodged.

"Alt-nii, that definitely isn't Clavis... Right?" I shouted the question that had been bugging my mind.

"...Clavis. Were you trying to say, [you wouldn't understand] just now? So, you're angry at me right now, aren't you?"

...I just learned that my big brother had this unyielding side to him.

"Lyra, he is really Clavis. I heard his voice just now," Alt-nii said without turning over here.

"...Alt-nii, stop talking nonsense!"

"Ruruu...!"

Oddly, Rurune floated in front of me and growled in disagreement.

"What, Ruru? Are you telling me it's Clavis, too? But..."

"Ruru... Ru!"

Suddenly, Rurune shot two magical beams. One was towards me, while the other one was towards Alt-nii.

Then, a telepathic voice could be heard inside my mind, and perhaps inside Alt-nii's mind as well.

[With my current power, this is the only thing I can do. Listen.]

"...!"

The voice was calm, majestic, and beautiful.

Was it Rurune's voice...?

Rurune could do such a thing...?!

I saw Alt-nii's body shuddered a bit—it seemed that it was his first time listening to Rurune's telepathic voice, too.

And then, as the wolf beast growled once more, I heard another voice in my mind. This time, it was a familiar voice, yet at the same time, it felt unfamiliar.

{HOW CAN I GO HOME LIKE THIS?}

The voice was full of anger... And agony.

It was Clavis' voice that was mixed with a beast's voice...

No way...

So... The beast is really...?!

...deep down, I also had a hunch.

But I was denying it too much as it didn't make sense, but look...

[That's the beast's voice. I just used my power to let you humans listen. Now, my magical spell is at its limit, so...]

The voice--Rurune's telepathic voice turned distant as it finally faded away.

"...I know, Rurune. You don't have to worry. Clavis and I have a special bond. It lets me understand what he's trying to say, even in this form. ...at least, that's what I believe."

"... I... This..."

"Ruru!" Rurune said in an affirmative voice.

Really, compared to her majestic telepathic voice, this cute and growl of hers...

How to say it? Ah yes, it doesn't match at all!

However, it seemed that Alt-nii and I didn't really mind about Rurune's sudden telepathic voice and such matter...

Now that we've confirmed that it was really Clavis (as per Alt-nii's belief)...

"How did you become like this, Clavis?"

I looked straight at Clavis' glowing red eyes and gulped. I clenched my hands so that I could brace myself more.

"Grrr..."

However, it was no use. Now that Rurune's magic had faded away, I could no longer understand Clavis' beastly language.

"Well, I'm not sure about it myself, Lyra, but Clavis and I have talked about werebeasts before and...," Alt-nii seemed to be thinking.

Then, Alt-nii extended his hand to me, a magical circle floated from the hand before a tiny magical light was fired towards me.

"...?" As the magical light gently touched my forehead, a memory popped up in my mind.

Alt-nii's voice felt like it was so distant as I drifted into the memory.

"It's faster to convey it like this. For now, I've got my hands full with... Clavis."

"Eeeh? So you're telling me that werebeasts and beastmen are different? Aren't they, like, similar?"

"No, Altaire. Beastmen is a race, and among beastmen, there are those that we call as werebeasts."

"Heee?"

A young Alt-nii and Clavis.

"Listen. Even beastmen feared werebeasts. Werebeasts are like beastmen, but they can transform into a monster beast form."

"Wait, isn't that cool instead?!"

"No, no, no. Listen, they are fierce and they said that beastmen who became werebeasts would lose control of themselves."

"...Really?"

"Yeah. Well, they could control themselves but it's hard. Or so they said. That's why, we all say werebeasts are the cursed beastmen."

"Cursed..."

"In some places, they are even banished."

"Eeeh? Poor them..."

"Well... Imagine if even beastmen are afraid of them, what about the other races? I heard they were powerful, too..."

"Do you want to meet one of them?"

"Hmmm... Interesting, but I'm not sure, haha!"

"Hahaha!"

Then, the two children were laughing.

Yes, they still didn't know anything.

So... the only explanation I got was that... Clavis got 'cursed' and became a 'werebeast'?

But how in the hell did that happen?

On what basis one could get that werebeast curse?

And... banished... being labelled as 'cursed'...

{HOW CAN I GO HOME LIKE THIS?}

Clavis' words earlier...

Now I understand.

What he's thinking, what he's feeling inside.