Chapter 12 – Werewolf I

“Let’s go!”

After confirming Aurel was seated at the back, I energetically pedaled forward.

That’s when it happened.

The sudden shift in balance made my jaw drop.

How do you ride a bicycle again?

The sudden question left my mind in turmoil.

I knew how to ride a bicycle. It was something I had learned by doing.

But my body, Charlotte’s body, seemed to have forgotten how to ride.

Riding a bicycle should come as naturally as breathing.

I knew it in my head, but my body didn’t follow.

It was like a sudden freeze, a complete halt in movement.

As a result,

Crash-

“Ugh!”

“Ah!”

Aurel and I tumbled to the ground together.

A body that felt no pain from minor injuries.

Rolling on the ground from a bicycle fall didn’t hurt.

But the embarrassment made it impossible to lift my head.

I had made such a fuss about riding a bicycle, only to end up crashing.

I couldn’t face Aurel, who had trusted me enough to sit at the back.

As I trembled with embarrassment, Aurel jumped up and approached me.

“Gasp… Charlotte! Are you okay? Is there something wrong with the bicycle?”

Aurel naturally assumed there was a problem with the bicycle.

Anyone would think the same if someone who eagerly suggested riding a bicycle suddenly fell over.

“Hmm, hmm…”

I stood up with a calm expression and dusted off my clothes.

Then I pretended nothing happened, maintaining a composed facade.

Aside from my slightly flushed face, my expression was fine.

I took a small breath and spoke to Aurel.

“Aurel.”

“Yes?”

“It seems the chain needs oil.”

“Oh… that’s why…!”

A lie that slipped out without hesitation.

And Aurel believed it without a hint of doubt.

Seeing her sparkling eyes made my heart ache a little.

In the end, I led the bicycle out of the building with both hands.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity.

I had prepared everything to ride the bicycle, but I couldn’t ride it.

Of course, with some practice, I might be able to ride it like before.

Even though I looked like a small girl, my body was that of a vampire.

An idea suddenly struck me.

I would have to lie to Aurel again, but so be it.

I licked my lips and spoke.

“Aurel.”

“Yes?”

“Can you get some oil for the chain?”

“Oh… leave it to me!”

Aurel answered enthusiastically.

She ran off before I could stop her.

Now was the time.

I climbed onto the bicycle with a determined look.

I needed to make my body understand the knowledge in my head.

I looked down at my pale, soft hands and nodded.

“Let’s do this…!”

As soon as I lifted my foot off the ground and pedaled, my body tilted again.

Crash.

I fell to the ground.

I quickly got up and grabbed the bicycle again.

I repeated the process of falling and getting up several times.

The more I fell, the longer I managed to ride the bicycle.

Aurel wandered around the entire area.

She entered one building, searched inside, and if she didn’t find oil, she’d leave with a dejected expression and run to another place.

In the end, I learned to ride the bicycle faster than Aurel could find the oil.

“Aurel!”

I called out to Aurel as she ran towards the next building.

Seeing her stop what she was doing and run to me made me feel like I was raising a big puppy.

No, she was definitely not like a puppy.

She looked cute and harmless, but we didn’t know what she used to be like.

I raised my guard again as I spoke.

“The bicycle seems to be fine now.”

“Really? We don’t need the oil?”

I nodded silently.

It was finally time to leave.

I got on the bicycle and pointed to the back seat without a word.

Aurel promptly hopped on.

She pretended to be casual as she placed her hands on my waist.

I felt a subtle warmth from her hands, showing she was holding on carefully.

Her small hands fidgeted as she held onto my clothes.

“Don’t hold too tight…”

“Okay!”

I turned my gaze away from Aurel.

And thus began our first proper bicycle ride.

Riding with Aurel was slightly more challenging than riding alone, but after a few wobbles, I quickly figured out how to balance.

The bicycle moved smoothly.

We zoomed forward quickly.

Even though broken cars were scattered across the road, it wasn’t a problem.

After riding for a while, enjoying the cool breeze, we eventually entered Seongnam City.

“We’re almost there.”

“It’s really fast!”

Seongnam City was no different from the other cities we had passed through.

As we entered the city and looked around, a strong scent carried by the wind caught my attention.

The scent of werewolves.

Judging by the direction of the scent, they were heading towards us.

I stopped the bicycle in a suitable spot and waited for the werewolves to appear.

“Are werewolves coming?”

“Yes. It seems they have business with us.”

Just as vampires are sensitive to smell, so are werewolves.

They must have caught our scent in their territory.

I waited for the werewolves without much concern.

After all, vampires and werewolves were allies.

After some time, the scent of the werewolves grew stronger.

At that moment, a small girl appeared on top of a half-collapsed building.

With sparkling silver eyes and messy brown hair, and wolf ears perked up, she was undoubtedly a werewolf using partial transformation.

I frowned and examined the girl closely.

She wore a white tank top and tight hot pants, with cheap slippers on her feet.

Her slightly exposed armpits and white thighs were quite striking.

The werewolf girl placed her hands on her hips and shouted.

“Stop!”

Who was she talking to?

Aurel and I already stopped.

I looked around to see if there were other people nearby, but saw nothing.

The werewolf girl nodded in satisfaction.

She seemed pleased that Aurel and I were staying still.

As we remained silent, the werewolf girl jumped down from the building and approached us.

She sniffed the air repeatedly, confirming our scent.

With her ears perked and nose twitching, the werewolf girl nodded and stopped.

“A new scent… and the smell of human blood… I finally found you…!”

The werewolf girl’s demeanor suddenly changed.

Her messy hair stood on end, and veins bulged on her arms.

She was instantly ready for battle.

It seemed she was mistaking us for someone else.

I pushed Aurel behind me and spoke to the werewolf girl.

“Wait, there’s a misunderstanding.”

“Shut up!”

She didn’t listen.

With her eyes wide open, the werewolf girl raised her sharp claws in a threatening pose.

She looked cute on the outside, but considering the strength of a werewolf, it was a very dangerous situation.

She seemed ready to fight immediately.

I frowned and spoke.

“You’ll regret attacking.”

“The regret will be yours! How dare you invade our territory and steal our food…!”

With those words, the werewolf girl began her attack.

A wide swing of the right hand.

Sharp claws cut through the air, creating a threatening sound.

Swoosh!

At that moment, shadows rose in response to the werewolf girl’s hostility.

A wide shadow barrier spread out to protect my body.

It was an attack from a small, cute girl.

So, of course, it could be blocked.

Or so I thought.

Crack-!

With a chilling sound, a hole was punched through the shadow barrier, and a pale hand struck my chest.

Thud!

A loud impact echoed.

My whole body shook, and I was sent flying by the powerful force.

“Charlotte!”

Gulp-

Blood spurted from my mouth.

A sharp pain rose from within.

As my spinning body fell to the ground, the werewolf girl’s attack didn’t end there.

She charged at me as if to finish me off.

Raising both hands high, she seemed ready to tear my body apart with her claws.

I urgently reached out to the shadows.

At that moment, a katana shot out.

As soon as the katana’s handle touched my palm, I swung it with all my might.

Clang!

As the katana’s blade struck the werewolf girl’s claws, small sparks flew into the air.

The werewolf girl looked surprised, as if she hadn’t expected her attack to be blocked.

Her hands were raised high.

Her upper body was exposed.

Time to repay the favor.

They say a disobedient dog needs a firm hand.

I adjusted my grip on the katana and reversed the blade’s direction.

Then, I swung my arm with all my might.

Swoosh!

Thud!

From top to bottom.

A powerful downward strike.

“Ah!”

The werewolf girl, hit on the head with the back of the blade, was slammed to the ground.

She looked like a flattened frog.

“You, you…!”

The werewolf girl looked up at me with teary eyes, clearly in pain from the blow to her head.

Her gaze was still threatening, indicating she hadn’t come to her senses yet.

I struck the girl’s head again.

Thud!

Ah!!!

NOTE : The new adventure began with a rival so what will happen next time ? Will there be more allies to be found or will be captured and rivalry will go on ?