Chapter 163 (1/2)

Chapter of the week: 2/4 Translator: Reizenchuu Editor: Kenny Stryker

So, what now?

I asked Rouga to follow the thief who stole the old man's wallet, but soon realized that I made a mistake. I started regretting asking while watching her run, I mean, walk. She was slow; too slow. She will never catch even a walking person with that speed.

” Hey, Rouga.” ”Yes?” ”Are you really okay?” ”Yes”

She replied to my question in a depressed voice. It looks like she still has the energy to randomly answer me.

”You don't need to push yourself to catch him if you don't feel alright you know.” ”I told you I'm fine.”

You don't look fine at all.

She appeared like a salaryman who got fired from his job from behind. Her expression was so gloomy and she seemed to be depressed. She was obviously not alright. Rushing to look for the thief by ourselves started to seem like a better idea now. Even the old man was thinking the same since he came to whisper in my ear.

”Hey, is that dog really okay? At this rate, she won't find the thief before he spends that money.” ”I know.”

I don't know what is going on with Rouga, but for now, we need to focus on our current goal. Rouga comes next.

”Rouga, can't you run a little bit faster? The thief will run away.” ”Faster?”

Rouga turned to look at me as she continued walking straight.

”Okay, I will run a little faster.”

She then pumped some strength in her legs to start running. Maybe she can catch him at time, after all.

”By the way, run with a speed that wouldn't make you stand out in this crowd” ”Bye.”

Before I finished my warning, she dashed out at a tremendous speed. The moment I heard her voice that immediately faded away, she was already nowhere to be seen. The old man and I were left feeling the strong wind caused by her.

Um I did tell her to run faster, but

”That's too fast”

I unintentionally muttered those words while freezing in my place. n.o.body in the street saw her running since I could hear them wondering about the sudden strong wind that blew from behind.

”H-Hey. What happened just now?”

The old man as well didn't notice that Rouga disappeared and asked me with a dumbfounded face.

This this is really bad.

I guessed that much from seeing Rouga rushing with that speed. She's an intelligent dog, or wolf who wouldn't possibly act this recklessly in public. Something is seriously off with her. I'm sure that it's something related to her mood, but I can't tell the reason. I have no other choice but to ask Lina about it later. She may know something.

”Anyway, let's follow Rouga.”

Again, I need to focus on the current problem. I also need to erase the memories of people in this street, just in case. Even if they didn't see her moving, someone could have seen her disappear. Thinking about what I should do next, I followed Rouga's path. The old man yelled at me to wait for him and the both of us rushed in the middle of the noisy street.

We ran for a good while, but we still didn't find Rouga. We continued to half run around while looking for her.

”She is not here.” ”Where did she go?” ”I bet we would have found the thief faster than her”

The old man complained as he realized that we weren't making any progress. Did she perhaps pa.s.s by the thief without catching him?

”I'm sure she will come back to him straight if she pa.s.sed by him.”

I'm confused as well. I can't tell what's happening to her.

”Anyway, let's continue searching for her. If we find her, we'll find the thief.” ”I know.”

The old man answered me with a response br.i.m.m.i.n.g with impatience. I did notice that she wasn't looking very well before leaving the house. I don't think she is running wild, because if she were, this entire area would have turned into a sea of blood by now. The only way to fix this problem is by finding her now.

Seriously, where did she go

As I complained to myself and continued looking for her, I suddenly thought of a possible explanation.

Could it be that Rouga woke up to her instinct as a wolf?

I said this many times already, but despite her cute looks, she is still a wolf. Even if she isn't running wild, it might be that she couldn't restraint her instinct of hunting her prey. I mean, I didn't make her fight against monsters since the day I came back from the countryside. It's possible that she is thirsty for blood right now. And if she recognized the thief as her prey, then it might be too late

”Hopefully, that's not the case.”

I shook my head to take off that thought from my mind. If that were really the case, then that doesn't explain why she woke up to her instincts this late in the game.she should have shown a few signs before that happens. Casting away my poor delusions, I checked the side alleys on my way running the street and finally found Rouga inside one of them.

”Ah, Rou!?”

My voice, calling her name, halted the moment I saw her in front of my eyes. She was there, indeed. Biting on the collar of the thief and dragging him deeper inside the narrow alley.

I stiffened in my place, speechless. The sound of the man getting dragged in the ground by Rouga resounded in the quiet alley. It was as if she were taking him somewhere completely out of sight where n.o.body could see her.

I couldn't keep up with what was happening in front of me from the intense shock. I remained standing in my place watching her drag the man deeper in the dark with her bloodshot eyes and as she groaned in a low voice. She turned completely wild.

It was at that moment when I recalled the thought I had casted away only recently. Rouga is a wolf, and she finally became unable to control her instinct. If that were really the case, then, she is about to consume her prey right now!

”R-Rouga”

I called her name in a calm voice as to not provoke her. The next moment, she glared at me with her bloodshot eyes.

I'm kind of scared now

”Ah, chief~”

Contrary to my expectation, she immediately changed her expression to the usual one and approached me after letting off the thief.

”W-What were you doing?” ”I found the person you told me to look for and thought I should take him somewhere out of public gaze.”

I squatted and asked her what she has done. The man that was knocked out behind her was indeed the thief we were looking for. I didn't notice that it was him due to the shock I received from seeing Rouga act like a wild wolf.

”Why is he unconscious?” ”I tried to stop quickly when I found him, but since I was running fast I ended up blowing him away.”

So that why he got knocked out. Poor thief. For now, I will take the wallet from him.

I approached the thief while feeling a bit of sympathy towards him and searched for the wallet inside his pockets. I turned him on his face and searched his back pockets to finally find what I was looking for. A familiar long wallet.

So this is the old man's wallet

I took the wallet after making sure that it was the old man's and then dropped my shoulders while making an exhausted face.

”I was honestly shocked to see you dragging the thief like that.” ”I was taking him somewhere deserted.”

Well, her conduct of dragging him somewhere out of sight wasn't wrong.

”By the way, why did your eyes become bloodshot when you were dragging him?” ”That because I was doing my best to pull him as gentle as I could so I wouldn't tear his clothes.”

That's a fair enough reason. In her current level, she could readily tear people's flesh and clothes.

”Did someone see you?” ”I immediately brought him here when I b.u.mper on him, so it should be fine.”

She did quite the great job in taking him her before standing out in the crowd. I doubt that someone took a picture of her dragging him, but I will delete everyone's memories here just in case.

”Careful not to act recklessly.” ”Sorry~”

I mildly warned her while patting her head. I was glad that my thought didn't come to be true. I felt relieved and asked her for the reason she dashed with that tremendous speed earlier.

”Why did you rush out so suddenly earlier?”

She took a while to think for an answer while softly groaning.

”I felt some energy overflowing from within my body and I couldn't calm down. And besides, I'm feeling so lazy.”

Overflowing energy? Could it be an increas.e.m.e.nt in magic?

I wondered for a second but soon denied that possibility since her status didn't change. Rather, she didn't change in any way. I have no clue on what this energy could be.

”Hey, Yato! What are you doing there?”

The old man who was looking for me all this time finally reached this place.