DLBF Chapter 15

Chapter 15 – Wolf at Dawn

Chapter 1, Part 5.1

Novel Title: ルーデンドルフ公と森の獣 (Duke Ludendorff and the Beast of the Forest)

Author：かわい有美子 (Kawai Yumiko)

Illustrator: 周防佑未 (Suoh Yuumi)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: 藤森賢士 (Kenji Fujimori -MC), ユリアン ルーデンドルフ (Julian Ludendorff -ML)

*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

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As dawn approached and the sky began to lighten, Fujimori suddenly woke up. It was unusually a bit humid, causing him to sweat lightly.

Even in summer, it tends to get quite chilly from night to dawn. So he usually sleeps with the window closed. But this morning, he wanted to refresh the air in the room and opened the window. However, the air outside was also slightly damp. It might be about to rain.

Hoping for a somewhat cool breeze, Fujimori lifted the collar of his T-shirt, which he was using as sleepwear. He waited for a while.

The garden, which Fujimori had never seen in the early morning before, was draped in a light mist, with everything still in a pale blue tone. The Western-style garden design added to the scene, making it seem like something not typically seen in Japan.

It was a dreamy sight that Fujimori couldn’t tear his eyes away from. ‘This estate isn’t so bad in the early morning…’ Fujimori thought to himself as he gazed absentmindedly at the garden.

Suddenly, something dashed across the garden.

It was a somewhat whitish shadow.

However, it was far too large and heavy to be a dog or a fox. Fujimori followed the shadow with his eyes. Yet, its smooth, lively running made it unlikely to be a wild boar.

‘A wolf?’ That was his immediate thought.

The white shadow dashed across the garden with such speed and motion that it was as big as a wolf.

‘I have to tell Julian…’, Fujimori thought in his half-asleep state.

He wondered if it was a wolf. But strangely, he didn’t feel afraid.

He just thought it was a beautiful, powerful creature brimming with vitality. So he felt the need to tell Julian that it had run through the garden this morning.

Julian might be happy to know, given that he’s more of a romantic than he appears.

Fujimori recalled hearing that wolves, bears, and lynxes were hunted as pests that attacked livestock in Germany’s forests and had almost gone extinct around a hundred years ago.

So even though Germany is a country with many forests and is the origin of fairy tales featuring wolves, like ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ and ‘The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats’, wolves can no longer be seen there nowadays.

Yet, in Japan, some were referred to as ‘Nihon Ookami’. They weren’t as large as typical grey wolves.

Fujimori, still half-asleep, mused that Julian might be happy to know that wolves were roaming the forest surrounding his estate in a faraway land like Japan.

As the surroundings gradually brightened, the mist grew denser. The thick mist, much like the morning fog, slowly began to creep into the room through the window.

Fujimori, thinking it wouldn’t be good for the entire room to fill with this whitish mist, eventually closed the window beside his bed and buried his head into the pillow once again.

***

“A wolf? At dawn?”

At breakfast, when Fujimori told Julian about the event, Julian seemed more surprised than pleased.

“Yes, probably,” Fujimori nodded while digging into a perfectly cooked soft-boiled egg with a spoon.

“There was once a species of wolf called the Nihon Ookami in Japan. It’s said they were crepuscular, meaning they hunted and were most active during the twilight hours of dawn or dusk. People called them Yamainu too.”

Fujimori gestured with his hands to show the size, indicating they were about the size of a medium-sized dog. “They say that these Nihon Ookamis went extinct around the Meiji period. But there are still reports of sightings across Japan. In Hokkaido, there was also a slightly larger wolf known as the Ezo Ookami, which is said to be a subspecies of the grey wolf.”

“You know a lot about this, don’t you?”

Julian, appearing intrigued, paused his meal. He rested the hand holding the knife against his chin as he asked.

“When I went to investigate buildings from the Hokkaido pioneer era, I heard stories about wolves from the locals. I became interested after that and did a bit of research. Although this has nothing to do with my field of study.”

“I see,” Julian nodded thoughtfully, and asked a rather interesting question. “Would you like to see it again?”

“The wolf from this morning?” Fujimori asked, a bit puzzled by Julian’s earlier words. He wondered if he had misheard his German

“Yes, I was just wondering if you wanted to meet the wolf again.”

“I wonder if what I said counted as wanting to ‘see’ it again, but yeah I would like to see it again. Don’t you want to see it too, Julian?”

Julian turned his gaze toward the window, as if contemplating the idea.

“Well, who knows? It might be dangerous.”

“Dangerous is just a perception humans have created. Real wolves are intelligent and quite timid creatures,” Fujimori responded.

“You sound like a spokesperson for wolves,” Julian remarked, teasingly but with a playful smile.

Julian continued, “In mediaeval Europe, it’s said that the Christian Church used werewolf legends to eliminate local pagan beliefs and spread Christianity further.”

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*Translator’s Note: I just noticed that I missed publishing Chapter 6 to this novel. It’s up now. Sorry for that, guys. -K

*GLOSSARY: 

• Nihon Ookami = Japanese wolf

• Yamainu = mountain dogs 

• Ezo Ookami = Hokkaido wolf

Next update: 2024.11.04

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