"Gyeol-ah!"
I called out Gyeol's name, half in joy, half in relief, but that feeling soon turned to anxiety. Gyeol emerged from the shadows, part of the belt of his robe soaked in blood.
"You, you're hurt? Are you okay..?"
I ran to grab Kyeol, who was momentarily staggering. Tears welled up in his eyes as he relaxed.
"Seol-ah, can I still trust you..?"
I had to hug Kyeol-i silently.
"The people were sent away, my wife left a few days ago, and now I only have my children by my side, but even they have been lost. What should I do now...?"
After leaning on my shoulder and shedding tears for a long time, Gyeol-i lost consciousness and collapsed. It was already late, and night soon fell. Gyeol-i, asleep, had fully transformed into his wolf form. I barely managed to lift Gyeol-i, now a gray wolf, and made my way back to the village.
Under the pretext of recuperating, I was fortunate enough to have found a home near the wolf tribe's village, where I could hide my fate. Even for a high-ranking person, this was a dream I couldn't have dreamed of, but since I held the highest priestess's trust, the temple granted me special permission. A wolf tribe member in such a home... If this were revealed, it would be a grave act of treason, punishable not only by my own actions but by my entire family's. But it was my fate, wasn't it? It was wartime, and all the servants were away.
Having suffered a fatal abdominal wound, Gyeol-i had to undergo treatment every morning and evening. During the remaining time, he would search the forest for children at Gyeol-i's request. Perhaps because he was such a strong warrior, Gyeol-i's resilience was extraordinary. Furthermore, as his wounds healed, Namjoon gradually began to conceal his true nature and live in human form.
My actions were clearly desertion from the military, but from the third battle in the forest onward, the human camp suffered numerous fatalities, leading to numerous missing persons. It seemed they didn't bother to look for me. I, too, reported to my superiors that I was lost and, using injury as an excuse, took leave.
Shortly after the third battle began, the Gray Wolf tribe, having lost their chieftain, suddenly vanished, leaving behind an empty village. I assumed they were among the refugees from the recent war, but I didn't bother reporting them. I didn't want to see any more beastmen die.
The humans who took over the empty village of the gray wolves beyond the Black Forest celebrated their victory, oblivious to their sacrifices. The High Priestess rejoiced at the elevation of her temple's status, and ignored the sacrifices of the young priestesses. Many young people were sacrificed, but the people quickly forgot about them.
Every night, Kyeol, who stayed in my saga, seemed to have nightmares. In his dreams, he saw his children beside his wife's grave, which he had to bury in the black forest, or his children lying beside his dead wife. Every time, Kyeol would wake up and sharpen his poor knife. He would silently grind it down until the charcoal stone was worn away. I wanted to save Kyeol, no matter what. To do that, I had to find my children.