The water blade struck its leg, drawing blood.

The wound seemed fairly deep, and there was a considerable amount of bleeding, yet the wolf showed no sign of retreating, even as it dragged its injured leg.

Given the numbers and the severity of the injury, it should have backed off.

"Grrr..."

"Do not come."

As the wolf prepared to lunge again without giving up, Cari moved to send another blade flying, when suddenly—

"Whine... whine..."

A soft and pitiful cry came from behind the wolf.

It seemed to be the wolf’s pup.

The small creature staggered forward unsteadily before collapsing.

When he looked at it closely, Qiong Xing saw that it was bleeding from its abdomen.

"It looks like it is injured."

"Mama, I will protect you."

Seeing how emaciated the parent wolf was, it was likely that it had come in search of food.

Qiong Xing stopped Cari who was still wary and about to use magic again.

"Why?"

Cari looked surprised at being stopped, but Qiong Xing only smiled and slowly began to approach the wolf.

He did not avert his gaze and moving step by step while listening to its low growls.

There was no telling when it might attack.

Still, he chose to take that small chance.

"You want to save your child, do you not?"

He did not know if it would understand human language like Mayo did, but he spoke as gently as he could.

"It is alright. I will only touch it for a moment. I want to help."

The pup was still breathing, but it was shallow and barely hanging on.

Since it was still bleeding, he knew he needed to stop it as soon as possible.

As he spoke and reached out his hand toward the fallen pup—

"!!!"

"Mama!?"

"—Qiong Xing!"

The parent wolf’s sharp fangs sank into his shoulder.

He closed his eyes against the surging pain.

He endured it and reached out with a trembling hand, gently touching the pup.

"...It is alright. Okay?"

"Whine... whine..."

Once the bleeding stopped and its injuries healed, the pup slowly got up and licked his hand as if to say thank you.

The blood flowing from his shoulder continued to drip, staining the ground red.

"It is alright now. You were trying to save your child, were you not?"

At the sight of its pup now crying energetically, the wolf’s bite loosened, yet it still did not let go, likely because Albe and the others were poised to attack.

It was waiting for an opening, even if it meant dragging Qiong Xing into it.

"Rui, Yue."

"...Mama."

"...Mama."

"Stay back with Albe and Cari. You can do that, right?"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

Good replies.

Even if he had told Albe and the others directly, those two would not have listened.

After confirming that the four of them were retreating, almost being pulled along, Qiong Xing struggled to hold onto his fading consciousness and looked up at the parent wolf.

"I am sorry for startling you. It must have hurt, right?"

He somehow raised his bloodstained hand and healed the injured leg that Cari had struck earlier.

Perhaps surprised that its wound had been healed, the wolf suddenly released its fangs.

Without the support, Qiong Xing’s body collapsed heavily onto the ground.

"...Good child."

As he lay there without strength, the parent wolf began licking his blood-covered hand.

It felt almost like a dog, and despite the situation, Qiong Xing found himself smiling.

This was bad, he thought, but he was certain that he could heal himself.

"Yue, can you come over here?"

Yue ran over quickly, and with her help, he began healing the wound from the bite.

He nearly lost consciousness several times along the way, but each time, Yue and the wolves roused him.

"Mama, does it not hurt?"

"Yes, I am fine now. Thank you for helping me."

Once the wound had fully closed, he tried to stand up, but while the injury had healed, the blood he had lost had not returned, and his legs wavered unsteadily.

"Qiong Xing!"

"Mama!"

As Qiong Xing nearly collapsed again, something soft and fluffy slipped between him and the ground just before he hit it.

"Hehe, thank you."

When he gently stroked the nose that nudged his fingertips, it pressed closer as if asking for more.

Cute.

It was very cute, but...

"My blood has made quite a mess, has it not?"

It might have already been dirty to begin with, but the wolf’s mouth that had bitten him and the nose he had just been petting were now stained with his blood.

To anyone else, it would look quite horrifying.

It would not be strange if someone thought it had just torn something apart.

"We should wash it off. Is there a place with water— whoa."

Before he knew it, the wolf had grabbed him by the collar and lifted him onto its back.

"This is more comfortable than riding Iseul."

Iseul, being a dragon, had a body covered in scales, which made for a very rough surface.

In contrast, the wolves were covered in fur, making them much more comfortable to ride.

"Will you take me to some water?"

He tried asking, thinking there was a chance it might understand.

The wolf let out a low bark and immediately began running at full speed.

Qiong Xing quickly glanced back in concern for the others and felt relieved when he saw Albe and the rest following behind.

"Yue, and... are you alright?"

"Yes."

"Woof!"

In front of him, Yue and the wolf pup sat steadily, showing no sign of falling.

If anything, Qiong Xing was the one at risk of being thrown off due to the speed, so he apologized inwardly and grabbed onto the wolf’s long fur to hold on.

After being carried like that for about ten minutes, they came upon a small lake, and he was let down there.

"I tried horseback riding once before, but it was not this exhausting..."

He laughed at his trembling thighs.