NOVEL NEXT Chapter 363: Is It Pig Mating Season Already?
The sun was already dipping low in the horizon, painting streaks of orange and violet across the sky as the forest path stretched endlessly ahead of them. The air was still, the faint rustle of leaves brushing through the trees being the only sound besides the clopping of hooves.
Julie rode on one side, her chin propped lazily on her palm, reins hanging slack as her horse trotted at a steady pace. Skadi was in front of her, her posture anything but dignified, slouched over the saddle, tail dragging like a defeated banner, ears twitching with irritation. Aisha was slightly ahead, back straight as always, though her expression betrayed the same dull weariness.
All three of their faces looked the same, tired, bored, drained. Like they'd rather be anywhere else but here.
It wasn't that the journey itself was unbearable; they'd traveled alone like this plenty of times before. But the absence of one person made it hollow.
Cassius.
The last few days had been filled with his antics, his stupid jokes, his ridiculous stories that sometimes made them laugh and sometimes made them groan, and his constant habit of butting into conversations he had no business being part of.
Even the boring, endless horse rides had turned into something fun, lively, something that didn't feel like a burden.
Now, without him, silence pressed heavily over them. Even when one of them tried to speak, the words would fizzle out quickly, the conversation dying almost as soon as it began.
And the reason he wasn't with them was...strange.
That morning, instead of seeing his face, they had found a folded letter neatly left behind with his unmistakable handwriting.
He wouldn't be returning for now, it said. He was off to do something and would meet them later, telling them to keep following the forest path and not to stray. There was no need to hunt for bandits today, he insisted, as though he knew what was waiting for them, and that there was nothing to worry about.
The letter hadn't explained much more. It only left them with questions.
Julie had read it twice over, frowning, muttering how suspicious it sounded. Aisha had stood silently, heart racing, because she already suspected why. And Skadi had rolled around on the grass groaning, complaining that "Master's words don't make sense!"
Now, hours later, the three of them were still riding, still waiting, still thinking.
Finally, unable to take it anymore, Skadi threw her head back and let out a frustrated cry that echoed through the trees.
"I'm bored! I'm hungry! I can't take this anymore!"
Her stomach growled loudly as if to prove her point, and she clutched it dramatically. "I swear I'm going to collapse if I don't get something to eat right now!"
From ahead, Aisha groaned and rubbed her temple.
"Are you kidding me? I literally just watched you eat an entire roasted chicken we found this morning. You devoured everything except the bones, Skadi. How can you possibly be starving already?"
"I can't help it!" The wolf girl puffed her cheeks, tail shaking as she whined. "When Master was here, he was always talking with me, making me laugh, teasing me, keeping me busy, I didn't even notice the time go by! I didn't feel hungry at all!"
Her ears drooped and she cast a forlorn look around as though expecting Cassius to suddenly emerge from behind a tree.
"But now that Master's gone, and everything's quiet and boring, I can't help it. I feel bored...and whenever I feel bored, I feel hungry too!"
She pouted, crossing her arms.
"And all my snacks are in Master's storage ring! I can't even munch on those to pass the time!" Her voice lowered pitifully, and she whimpered. "I want Master back. Where did he go? I want to eat snacks with him again…"
"Honestly, I can't blame you, Skadi." Julie sighed but couldn't keep the corners of her lips from twitching. "Even though I'm not hungry, I'll admit it's way too boring without him around."
She stretched her arms behind her back and winced.
"And in all honesty, he might not be a noble at all...maybe he was born to be a jester instead. He really does know how to entertain people and make them laugh, smile, or just get annoyed enough to forget their boredom."
"...With him around, the usual tiring horse rides never felt this long."
Julie rubbed her sore lower back, muttering.
"Especially now...ugh, my back hurts again. I hadn't noticed it for days, and suddenly it's back the moment he's gone."
Her lips pushed into a pout. "And I can't even practice knitting with him! I had so many questions I wanted to ask, so many things I wanted him to teach me...What am I supposed to do now?"
She then turned her head sharply toward Aisha, eyes narrowing.
"Hey. Just tell us already, Aisha. Where exactly did he go? What's with all this secrecy? Don't keep us in suspense."
Aisha stiffened in her saddle, reins tightening in her grip. "Why are you asking me, Captain?! What do I have to do with this?" She twisted back to glare at Julie, her cheeks flushing as she snapped.
"Because you're the one who told us Cassius might be preparing some kind of birthday gift." Julie arched a brow, her voice calm but sly as she leaned a little toward her sister. "You're the one who admitted that the two of you had a private talk last night, and you said he told you something about wanting to get you a gift."
"...So of course I'm going to ask you about it, Aisha. Who else would know?"
"That's—!" Aisha stammered, her ears twitching furiously. "That's true, but that doesn't mean I know where he is right now!" She turned her head sharply, hiding half her face as she muttered. "He said it was supposed to be a surprise, or something...I don't know where he went, I really don't…"
Skadi, who had been leaning dangerously far out of her saddle to watch a bird fluttering overhead, tilted her head with innocent curiosity.
"A birthday gift, huh…" she murmured aloud, her silver tail flicking behind her. "I wonder what exactly it is. Must be something really big if Master left us for the whole day just to prepare it."
"You're lucky, cat, your birthday just happens to land while Master's around, and now you're even getting some massive gift only he could prepare." Her voice dropped to a dramatic whine. "I wish I had that kind of luck…"
"She's right, you know. You really did luck out."
Julie's eyes glimmered with mischief as she leaned forward in her saddle, adding with a teasing lilt.
"Not to mention how sneaky you are, Aisha...Sneaking into his tent last night just to make sure he wished you a happy birthday first thing…"
"W-What?! It wasn't like that at all!" Aisha's blush deepened all the way down her neck.
But Julie ignored her, her smile widening.
"You know, it reminds me of how you used to be when we were younger. Back then, on every single one of your birthdays, you'd come to my door at dawn with that pouty little face, waiting for me to say 'happy birthday' the moment you opened it."
"You'd stand there in silence until I finally gave in. That was your little ritual, and it was so cute, no matter how much you tried to act aloof about it."
Her tone shifted into sadness, her eyes narrowing in exaggerated betrayal.
"But now? Now it seems the moment a boy shows up in your life, you've completely abandoned poor old Julie. The older sister who took care of you all these years has been tossed aside...traded for another man."
She let her shoulders sag pitifully, her voice dripping with melodrama.
"Oh, how cruel...how heartless…"
"Don't be so dramatic!" Aisha burst out, her tail lashing angrily behind her. "It's not like that at all! I just happened to wake up in the middle of the night and noticed Cassius wasn't asleep either. That's the only reason I spoke to him, nothing more! It wasn't some big, sneaky thing!"
Julie gave her a flat look, the corner of her mouth twitching upward.
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say, Aisha." She leaned back and let out a sigh, her eyes glinting. "The child I knew has really grown up...from standing outside my door for a birthday greeting, to sneaking into another man's tent in the middle of the night. Truly remarkable."
Aisha gritted her teeth, wanting nothing more than to slam her forehead into the saddle horn.
"I should've never told you about last night or the birthday gift…" she muttered bitterly under her breath.
But just as relief began to settle that Julie didn't know everything that had happened last night, her sister tilted her head and said casually.
"Speaking of last night...while I was sleeping, I thought I heard some strange noises nearby. Sounded like...I don't know...a pig in heat, maybe?"
"It was really loud and obnoxious squealing. It went on and on. Honestly, I thought it must be pig mating season. I struggled to sleep through all that noise."
"...But is it really mating season already? Isn't there still a few more months left?"
Aisha's eyes widened, her face igniting like fire as she whipped around in her saddle. "Wh-Wh-What did you just say?!"
Her tail fluffed out, her voice rose an octave higher, and her entire body trembled with fury and embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Skadi nearly fell off her horse from how hard she was trying not to laugh. Her shoulders shook, her sharp teeth flashing as she smothered giggles behind her hand.
Julie blinked at her, confused. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?"
Skadi couldn't hold it anymore. She burst into laughter, ears twitching wildly as she leaned forward, her voice dripping with teasing glee.
"Captain, you're right, it was some animal mating season...Some creatures really were going at it last night like crazy."
Aisha's face turned bright red and pale at the same time, her ears flat against her head as she shot her a murderous glare.
But Skadi only grinned wider, her voice sweet as honey as she said, "But...it wasn't pigs. No, no, definitely not pigs. It was more like...a cat."
Julie tilted her head, eyebrows rising. "A cat? What do you mean—"
Before she could finish, Aisha exploded.
"Shut up! Shut up! There's no need to talk about that anymore! Even animals need privacy!" She jabbed a finger toward Skadi, eyes blazing. "And if you say one more word, wolf, I swear I'll jump off this horse right now and slap that smug look off your face!"
Skadi stuck out her tongue and blew a loud raspberry, unbothered. "Bleeeh."
Julie was still looking between them in utter confusion, her lips parted and seizing the chance, Aisha huffed and turned the conversation sharply.
She fixed her gaze on Julie, her eyes narrowing. "You keep saying I've changed since Cassius came around, that I'm different now, Captain. But what about you, Julie? You've changed too."
Julie blinked in surprise. "Me?"
"Yes, you." Aisha snapped. "Ever since Cassius came along, you've opened up to him so much. You're always finding excuses to talk to him, to spend time with him."
"You butt into our conversations constantly, even though you used to act so cautious around him, like you thought he was some lecherous noble you couldn't trust...And now? You're practically glued to him whenever you get the chance."
Julie didn't falter. She straightened her back, stuck out her chest proudly, and smiled with calm confidence.
"Of course. Cassius is my teacher. He's the one who's been teaching me so many new things I never had the chance to learn before. Things no one else could have taught me. Naturally, I respect him. And because I respect him, I stay close to him."
Her smile turned gentle, her eyes flicking to Aisha knowingly.
"That's all there is to it."
Aisha ground her teeth, fighting the urge to argue back, but then a thoughtful look softened her features. She let out a small sigh, almost absent-mindedly murmuring,
"Still...it is true. Cassius really is an amazing teacher. Sometimes I wonder if he could teach anything at all, no matter what it is."
That line caught both Julie and Skadi's attention, and Julie in particular perked up from where she was fiddling with her knitting needles, two strands of yarn pulled tight between her fingers.
"Not to mention the fact that he even managed to teach you how to knit, Captain. That alone is a miracle. And then there's cooking…" She shook her head slightly, still incredulous. "That's the most unbelievable of all."