I had confidently declared that I had solved the mystery, but to be honest, I wasn’t the only one who figured it out.

Frankly speaking, the circumstantial evidence was just too obvious. When I turned to Ethan with a triumphant expression, as if I had uncovered the truth, he already wore a face that said he had reached the same conclusion long ago.

“Ed, do you know what’s going on?”

“I think the girl’s grandmother might be a werewolf. There are some werewolves who can switch between human and wolf forms. She must have been hiding it until she was exposed the night before last.”

“…You knew already?”

“The torn clothes were probably caused by her transformation into a werewolf, causing her body to expand. She told Cat she would return in two days, but the fact that she hasn’t come back yet means something must have happened to her.”

“…”

“And the reason she disappeared once a month must have been to avoid the full moon. Even if a werewolf can take on human form, they are forced to transform on the night of the full moon. The timing fits, as she disappeared around a full moon about two weeks ago.”

“…That makes sense.”

I hadn’t thought about the full moon cycle at all. In fact, just two nights ago was the new moon, so it made sense that two weeks prior would have been a full moon.

I admired Ethan’s insight, but honestly, anyone else could have figured it out as well. It wasn’t exactly a hard mystery, even I had been able to solve it.

In my previous life, the way I played Luminor Academy was less about brilliance and more about brute-forcing through the game. So it’s not like my mind was particularly sharp in unraveling mysteries of this level.

As I quietly dealt with the feeling of emptiness creeping over me, Cat looked up at me, her wide eyes gleaming.

“Did you figure it out, big sister?! Can you find my grandmother now?!”

“…Probably.”

“Where is she?! Where’s my grandmother?!”

“Well, we still need to investigate a bit more…”

One thing I was sure of was that Cat’s grandmother, her only living relative, was alive. That alone was a relief. Although, given that she was a werewolf, I did wonder if Cat was truly her biological relative.

Since it wasn’t the wolf that took her grandmother, but rather the grandmother was the wolf, she was actually in no real danger. Even if a real wolf appeared, a werewolf, being a superior species, could easily take care of it.

However, there was still the heavy truth that I had to tell Cat.

‘It’s definitely easier than telling her her grandmother was eaten by a wolf…’

But even so, it was still difficult to say. If I wasn’t careful, it could lead to issues like hidden parentage or something of the sort.

Besides, there was probably a reason her grandmother hadn’t told Cat the truth about being a werewolf. Ethan and I blurting out “Your grandmother is a werewolf” felt inappropriate.

In the end, I couldn’t come to a clear conclusion, so I decided to delay answering her.

“Your grandmother will probably return tomorrow morning. If you wait patiently at home, Cat.”

“And if she doesn’t come back?”

“Well… I’m sure she will. At least, I’m certain she wasn’t killed by a wolf…”

“How do you know that, big sister? Huh?”

“…”

“Big sister, how do you know my grandmother will come back tomorrow? What did you figure out? Tell me!”

…Sigh, how am I supposed to answer that?

This is why dealing with kids was exhausting. They’re full of curiosity, and you can’t always give them straightforward answers without getting into trouble.

While I was struggling to find the right words, Ethan stepped in, unable to watch me flounder any longer.

“If your grandmother doesn’t return by tomorrow morning, I’ll have the Blackwood family conduct a thorough search for her.”

“Huh?”

“Wait, Ed. Is that really okay…?”

“…Probably.”

…Probably?

It was the first time I’d seen Ethan hesitate like this when making a decision. Maybe it was because the issue involved family, and his emotions were getting the better of him.

But I wasn’t sure if Cat even understood what he meant by having the Blackwood family conduct a search. Her ability to comprehend such things might not be up to the task…

“…Okay, big brother.”

“Huh?”

“If grandmother doesn’t come back tomorrow morning, you’ll find her for me, right?”

“Yeah, that’s about right.”

“I’ll wait patiently because a handsome big brother said so.”

“…”

…This girl.

When I spoke, she kept pestering me with questions, but now that Ethan says something, she just believes it because he’s “handsome?”

I couldn’t help but feel a bit concerned about Cat’s future. She was already learning how to flirt with nobles at such a young age.

It’s true that Ethan was handsome, even from a child’s perspective, so I couldn’t deny that part. Still, it left me feeling a bit sour.

“Well then, trust us and wait patiently, little lady.”

“Okay!”

In order to keep Ethan from getting too entangled with this girl, it was clear we needed to find Cat’s grandmother soon.

It wasn’t jealousy or anything. I mean, she was just a little girl, barely ten years old.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“Lily, are you sure this is the right path?”

“…I found it using the Saintess’s power, so I’m pretty sure.”

About 30 minutes after leaving Cat and her grandmother’s cabin, Ethan and I were hiking up a mountain on the outskirts of the capital, searching for traces of the werewolf.

Using the Saintess’s power, it wasn’t too difficult to find someone who was missing. One of the abilities granted to a Saintess is the power to find the owner of a lost item. This ability allowed me to track the owner of any lost object, as long as it held deep sentimental value to the owner.

Of course, it couldn’t be used on just any object; it had to be something precious to the owner. The power was designed to reunite people with things they cherished.

Among the grandmother’s belongings, there was only one item that had enough emotional attachment to use the ability. So, we were simply following where that item was leading us.

“But, hey, Lily.”

“Yes, Ed?”

“Do you always have to hold the item in your hand for the Saintess’s power to work?”

“…Yes.”

“I see… Well, I guess there’s no other choice, haha…”

“…”

“At least it doesn’t really look like anything obvious. You can’t even tell what it is from the side.”

“…”

“Maybe it’s a good thing we’re out in the mountains. If we were in the city, people might get the wrong idea about you carrying ‘that’ around…”

“Ed.”

“Yeah?”

“Shut your mouth. I’m already stressed enough.”

“…”

I couldn’t hold back my irritation this time, and I snapped.

But how could I not? I was walking around holding what looked like a random strip of cloth—actually, it was part of the grandmother’s undergarment—while trying to track down its owner, and here he was, making snide remarks.

Feeling like I was doing some kind of dowsing ritual, I trudged forward, holding the torn cloth that was pointing us in the direction of Cat’s grandmother.

After about ten minutes of hiking deeper into the forest with Ethan, we finally reached a spot where the cloth started changing direction. Soon enough, we came across a small cabin that looked like it had signs of recent human activity.

“That must be the place.”

“…Seems like it.”

It was surprisingly close for a hideout. If we looked down from the mountain, we could probably see Cat’s house. It was hidden well by the trees and bushes, making it the perfect spot for someone who wanted to stay close while remaining out of sight.

“I hope it’s nothing too strange.”

“Well, if she’s the kind of person who hides her werewolf nature from her granddaughter, she’s probably quite thoughtful.”

“Maybe…”

The fact that a woman of grandmotherly age was still wearing “this kind of underwear” was a little questionable, but honestly, it was a personal matter.

Considering that she had hidden in a place where she could still keep an eye on her granddaughter, it seemed that, despite her odd preferences, she wasn’t a bad person. With that thought, I knocked on the cabin door a couple of times.

-Knock, knock.

“Yes! Just a moment~!”

‘…Huh?’

What was that cheerful voice?

It was a much younger-sounding voice than I expected from a grandmother. Could it be someone else’s house?

Or was there someone else living here? But the cloth I was holding was still pointing directly at this cabin.

Maybe she had a roommate. After all, Cat’s grandmother couldn’t be the only woman hiding her werewolf identity from her family. And judging by the size of the cabin, it seemed a bit too big for one person.

As I was pondering these possibilities, the door finally opened, revealing the owner of the voice.

To my surprise, a woman in a tight, form-fitting dress—the kind you’d call a “bodycon dress”—stood in the doorway, and I couldn’t help but be taken aback.

“Welcome~!”

“Hello…?”

…Welcome?

“The door was open, you could’ve just come in! Are you looking for something?”

“Looking for… something?”

“…Is this your first time visiting our shop?”

“…S-shop?”

I had thought it was just a small cabin in the mountains, but… a shop?

Glancing at the sign next to the door, I realized a beat too late that it wasn’t just a nameplate; it was a shop sign.

The Wolf’s Scent

…I could only hope this wasn’t some kind of shady business.