His Breeding Obsession

It was coarser and less shiny than the fine salt she had seen in the imperial palace, but there was no spice more precious to them.

 “I think it’s ready.” 

Donnie handed the golden-cooked fish to Mirania.

 “You first.” 

I pulled a bit of the flesh away with my hand, and the deepest part was transparent.

 “It looks undercooked.” “That’s okay, it’s just the low heat… it’s still flavorful.” 

Donnie bared his incisors and took a bite out of the fish. He chewed like a fool, gagged, and spat out the spikes.

 

He nods that it tastes good, but when Mirania follows suit and tears off a bit of flesh to taste it, she grimaces.

 “It tastes fishy, you’re used to eating this stuff.” “Don’t you like it?” 

Mirania let the skewer dangle down and held out her hand to Donnie.

 “Give it to me.” “What?” “Come on.” 

Blinking, Donnie handed Mirania the fish skewer he was about to bite into.

 

Mirania took the skewer in both hands and stirred the flames.

 

This magic, known to wizards as elemental magic, was effortless for Mirania, and in the blink of an eye, the fish was cooked to a crisp.

 

Mirania snapped her index finger. Donnie quickly reached into his pocket for the salt. She crushed the salt grains and sprinkled the finely ground salt over the fish.

 

Offering the salty, savory-scented skewer, Donnie took it with a gulp.

 “Eat.” 

He stared down at the fish blankly.

 “Are you a wizard?” 

His voice quavered thinly.

 “Something like that.” 

Donnie bit into the fish carefully. The flesh fell off cleanly. Donnie’s grubby eyes widened.

 

At that moment, the door swung open.

 “Huh? What is it, this smell?” 

It was Donaty.

 “You traitor!” 

He lunged at Donnie and bared his teeth.

 “You humans have no loyalty, can’t you wait for me?” 

Glaring at Donnie, Donaty grumbled as he quickly held up two skewers with a quick flick of his hand.

 “I’m starving after being harassed by a gang of thugs.” “I knew you would be, and I prepared a meal ahead of time.” “I saw you eating it.” “I just made sure it was cooked.” “Oh, really?” 

His eyes widened as he bit into the fish.

 “What does this taste like? It’s salty… it’s… it’s so savory!” 

He didn’t slow down as he continued to marvel. The three of them each grabbed their fish skewers and devoured their share of the fish.

 

It wasn’t long after they finished that the sun fell, and night fell quickly in the house, which lacked enough oil for lanterns.

 “Take the bed over there. It’s unused, so it’ll be clean.” 

Donnie’s considerate words made Mirania blink at the smell of dust that rose to her nostrils as she lay down on the bed in the corner.

 

After a while, the dust settled, and she laid her head back on the pillow.

 

‘My mouth feels like it’s burning.’

 

My mouth, which had only been rinsed with water, tasted like fish.

 

The conditions were harsh. The bed, stuffed with worn straw, was not fluffy, and the hardness of the wooden base hurt my back.

 

I shook my head to distract myself, remembering the comfort of my bed in the imperial palace.

 

Thinking of the palace made me think of Grecan.

 

The full moon rose high outside the small window.

 

Mirania rolled over to face the window and gazed into the distance at the blue moon.

 

There was a shuffling sound behind her. It was Donnie’s bed.

 

Donaty had the widest bunk, and from that side of the bed came the sound of snoring and a small shuffling.

 “…” 

Mirania closed her eyes.

 

A moment later, Donnie stirred. His gaze seemed to reach out, and Mirania froze, nervous.

 

Donaty’s snoring was the only noise to break the silence. Satisfied that everyone was asleep, Donnie moved stealthily. 

 

A rustling sound echoed faintly.

 Click— 

The door closed, and Mirania threw back the covers and sat up.

 

There was no movement in the darkened house, lit only by the moonlight, except for Donaty’s weak flailing of his arms.

 

Sliding down, she walked to the door.

 

‘Oh, come on, now.’

 

Seeing Donaty’s impassive face, she opened the door and stepped out.

 

The ruined city was no different at night, and if anything, it was even more eerie.

 

Shards of broken glass glittered faintly in the moonlight. Donnie had moved so quickly, there was no sign of him.

 

Mirania moved slowly.

 

Having embedded her magic, the path of Donnie’s travels was as clear as if she’d left the lights on.

 

She walked without a sound.

 

‘I thought it was strange.’

 [Are you a wizard?]

 

Well, he said he’d read books, so he might have known wizards existed. Like a child, believes in monsters or angels.

 

But Donnie’s wobbly eyes gave me pause.

 

They were too real to believe in the existence of a vague fantasy.

 

Donnie was literally asking. A human wizard. He was asking about the existence of

‘wizards’

that actually existed 100 years ago.

 

It’s an attitude that wouldn’t be possible to take unless one knew something.

 [I’m only 15 years old.]

 

At such a young age, knowing the world as it was 100 years ago?

 

How could I not be suspicious?

 

‘You like books?’

 

Mirania snorted lowly.

 

‘In a world so broken, do you think there are any books left that describe the world a hundred years ago?’

 

And even if they did, where would they find them?

 

Books are the records of advanced human civilization. Not a common item in a world scorched by the fall of the human race.

 

Not the kind of thing a boy who lives in poverty and stares at an unresponsive fishing pole all day could afford.

 

‘Nor is magic.’

 

A time when wizards were said to have disappeared.

 

The tall, skinny figure behind her stood out like a sore thumb. Mirania sped up her slippery steps.

 

Donnie, carrying two fish for storage, was entering an alleyway barely wide enough for one person.

 Tap. Thud! 

Mirania followed Donnie’s echoing footsteps into the darkness.

 

Soon, a ramshackle warehouse appeared.

 

The straw-roofed house was unremarkable from the outside, like the abandoned houses that lined the neighborhood.

 

Donnie stopped outside the entrance and looked around sharply.

 

Using her natural assimilation skills, she avoided Donnie’s clumsy search.

 

Soon, he moved. She stopped and followed.

 

As her lungs breathed in, she sensed an uncomfortable flow of energy everywhere.

 

‘There are quite a few of them hiding.’

 

The lodge was larger than it looked, with a dual structure.

 

Passing through a landscaped garden with a mossy fountain, Donnie ran up to the front door and rapped on it a couple of times with the doorknob.

 

Someone inside mumbled inaudibly. Donnie lowered his voice to a whisper and answered.

 “…It’s me, sir.” Squeak— 

The door swung open. 

 

A middle-aged man with graying hair stood inside. His face had only the slightest wrinkles compared to his graying hair, creating a strange incongruity.

 

The man, who was imposing and harsh, surveyed Donnie’s surroundings and pushed the door open a little further.

 “Welcome back, Donnie. You’re a little late today.” “I’m late because I’ve been keeping an eye on people. But I brought some fish, just two. I hope Teacher Wigenia will like them.” “I’m sure she will, but there won’t be enough for you to eat.” “That’s okay, I caught more than usual because we have company tod

ay.”

 

As Donnie started to walk toward the house, Mirania moved.

 

At the same time, the middle-aged man whipped his head around.

 “Who is it!” 

‘Oho.’

 

Quite a sensitive feeling.

 

Mirania hesitated for a moment before fully revealing herself.

 

Donnie’s eyes widened to the point of tearing.

 “Wi, witch?” “You’ve been followed, Donnie.” 

The middle-aged man stared at Mirania with sharp, alert eyes.

 “Do you know her?” 

Donnie nodded, his face pensive.

 “Yes, she’s the lady I told you about, I met her today, and, uh, how did we end up here…” 

The middle-aged man frowned.

 

A few more furrowed wrinkles stretched as deep as furrows, giving him a rather gaunt appearance.

 “What did I say about suspicious people?” 

Donnie snapped back reflexively.

 “Be alert and suspicious.” “Don’t forget that. We’ll talk about the rest later.” 

A sharp glare turned to Mirania.

 “Deal with the suspicious first.” 

Mirania stood still in the center of the garden, in the middle of a patch of yellow floating weeds.

 

It was difficult to move, as her space was within the range of the spear blades.

 

Spears were pointed at her at regular intervals.

 

‘You’re very vigilant.’

 

The middle-aged man’s wary glance at her caused the sensation of panic in the garden to move quickly.

 

Mirania looked around.

 

It looked like an abandoned house, and the interior was far from clean, but they seemed to have taken security seriously.

 

More like a hideout than a home.

 Squeak— 

The two humans who’d slipped out earlier entered.

 “We’ve searched the place. No one’s following us, no one’s hiding.” 

Mirania spat out, looking around leisurely.

 “What are we doing here?” “…” 

The middle-aged man shut his mouth and looked at Mirania.

 

Instead of getting an answer from him, Mirania created a breeze.

 

‘Gentle breeze that brings sound.’

 

Mirania listened to the sound of the wind.

 […] […] […Never mind, look at your books…] [Today’s lesson is…] 

A mysterious golden eye flashed by.

 “Oh, you’re teaching academics, aren’t you?” 

The air suddenly changed.