My lady was busy the following days, trying to mug up four years worth of syllabus in close to a month. The Academy had given them winter vacation for twenty days, which was nothing less than a preparatory break for the final years, so she stayed cooped up in her room throughout the day. Mostly it was a break for those who hadn’t earned the commendation letter yet, but not for my lady and her two friends. They had already earned it, and they had skipped most of the sessions in the Academy. She had barred my entry to her room, except in the mornings and at night. This harmless undead didn’t let her focus on her books, or so she had said.

Lady Beth and Lady Casey stayed over for the first week, following which my lady was left on her own. She had grumbled about the unfairness of the situation for a couple of days until she resorted to serious studying again. We slept together a few nights, as she was used to feeling my warmth, and I didn’t have particular qualms about it. As much as I hated to admit it, I slept peacefully beside her, the reason my undead brain could not unearth. Maybe it was due to her scent or something else, but I was far from the answer.

Yule was the most unhappy among us, so he accompanied me to my lady’s room, sleeping close to the door with much obedience. Sometimes, when I preferred the hardness of my cot, she moved over to my room with her sheets and books and fell asleep while reading. Though, always deep in the night. The next morning she would get freaked out so badly that I would be forced to cradle her in my arms.

Those were the regular days. But I was free most of the morning and the afternoon, so I decided to go on a quest on another chilly day when my lady had buried herself in worthless books. She had strangely acquiesced without any rebuke and sent me off after her morning peck on my cheek. That, too, had become a regularity, and I had gotten used to it.

Yule and I were at the mercenary guild, the dog obediently waiting outside as I searched the list for a mission that would land me back home within the evening. I was a lousy hunter, so I decided to hone my hunting skill and walked to counter one. It took some time for the line to clear up without Garlan, but I managed to reach the counter without any interruptions. My bread lad had gone out on a different mission. I didn’t quite know his whereabouts at the moment. He had managed to break through to the Progressive stage after learning external casting in the last fifteen days and had come to brag about it a couple of nights ago. The critical news that he would be on a mission for close to a week followed after he had rambled enough about his achievements.

I appreciated his gesture because I would have wasted my time looking for Garlan today if it wasn’t for his heads-up.

“Mission?” the lady said without glancing at me through the glass separating us.

“Hunt for Tasmut,” I said, and my voice forced her to look up.

“Oh,” she smiled sweetly and accepted my guild card. “Going alone, young man?”

“With my dog, mor… lady,” I said, almost slipping up.

“How do you know my name?” she raised her eyes, and by now, I had come to ascertain the gaze as a flirtatious glance. My lady had asked me to beware of other women, and she called them vixens, who would poison me with their eyes alone. “I’m Mor,” she smiled again, “Mortane, though most call me Mor.”

I sighed. Mortals and their delusions weren’t anything to me. Did they think they were worthy enough to be remembered by this undead?

“I don’t,” I said flatly and handed her eight shins with much hesitance. That was my quest fee, and she touched my glove as she accepted the money.

“I get off work in a few minutes,” she said as she placed her palm over the guild card and turned the inscription’s blood red. “If you wait for a while, we can go on the task together. If you don’t have a party, it’s a hard quest.”

“I already have one,” I moved slightly, my large backpack earning me a grunt, “but many behind me would be keen to take the offer.”

I didn’t look back and walked out after colliding with a couple of sturdy men who pushed me out of the way with ease.

Yule was staring at the assiduous commuters when I reached the entrance.

“Grr,” it shook its head in disapproval.

“Tasteless?” I laughed and patted its head. “Does my lady look tasty?”

“Grr,” it snorted proudly. “Gwar Gwar Grr,” it continued.

I didn’t understand the latter portion, so I just nodded with a smile. Maybe it meant that she would make a soup out of it if Yule dared to bite her.

No, honestly. I am not making things up. Just try talking to your dog, and you’ll understand how right I am. Anything you say becomes the absolute truth.

We tramped toward the northern gates after refilling my coat pockets with fresh bread. The winter was fading with each passing day, but the weather hadn’t grown any warmer. The sun still cowered behind the dark clouds, and the commuters continued wearing thick clothing that warded off the chill of the dawn. Nevertheless, some shopped for groceries, others for edibles, some kids just roamed the streets of the capital, and some drunkards returned home–if they had one–after sleeping the night on the streets.

I picked up Yule in my arms as it struggled to avoid the swarms of commoners and unexpected wheels of the carriages. After much resistance, it perched on my shoulder, and I supported it with my hand. The guards at the northern gates were wearing thick hide armor that differed from the metal ones, which would leave them freezing in the winter. The metal armors were packed in the quarters beside the portcullis, ready for action should an assault break out.

“That’s the smallest dog I have ever seen,” the guard took a closer look at Yule, and I let him. Yule would bite his nose if he tried something funny, and I smiled at the thought. “Perches like a bird. But that’s one reddish butt.”

He laughed, and Yule jumped from my shoulder and bit the man’s neck. Thankfully, he was wearing armor that covered his neck, or else I would have been forced to slaughter the entire garrison.

“Fuck!” the guard screamed and almost slammed Yule to the ground when I stopped him.

“Just a hound, chief,” I picked up Yule from his shoulder. “It doesn’t like mor.. people who tease it.”

“Then warn me, asshat,” the guard glared at both of us and motioned for us to continue onwards. “Never gonna tease a hound again,” he mumbled under his breath.

A short walk across the plains landed us in Besuck wood, which was no longer as lush green as it was during our first visit. Nevertheless, the trees had persisting leaves, unlike the rest of the capital, and the forest was much warmer thanks to the neverending heat emanating from the cave within. Yule was vigilant as we reached closer to the central woods that adorned almost lush green trees.

The bark of the trees was thick and cracked, so I used my breadknife to make markings as we walked deeper. Tusmat was a winter boar, so I doubted we would find it in the central portion. Once past the outer perimeter, I didn’t know if it was winter or summer because the heat was forcing me to sweat. Rabbits were in plenty, and so were various birds that were squealing around us. A few perched on branches and preened their features, their inquisitive glances scaring the newcomers.

“Grr,” Yule barred its small fangs toward the pith of the forest, the location of the cave.

“First,” I smacked its head, “is the mission. Then we will explore the cave if you want. My eight shins are at stake. I can buy a loaf of bread with that many shins.”

“Gwar grr,” it glared at me, and another smack made it more obedient than ever. Yule was a clever demon hound. The usual hounds wouldn’t listen even if I stabbed them with multiple knives. I was grateful that just smacks worked on this brat.

We tramped through the ground covered with freshly fallen leaves, in and around the forest, moving from one clearing to the next, from warmer zone to cold zone. We occasionally stumbled on other mercenaries on quests, who just gave us wary glances and returned to their odd jobs. May it be carrying their hunts for the day or just resting under foliage in the warmth of the forest.

Luck wasn’t on our side, as even after the entire morning, we didn’t find a single Tusmat. No tracks either, despite its oversized paws and enormous tusk that quite resembled a sharp pike. One stab and a mortal wouldn’t live to see the next day, even with a mediocre healer at their service. Tusmat boars were dangerous predators that wreaked havoc should they enter through the portcullis. It would have been better if its tusk had grazed a couple of barks, so my task would have become much easier.

Yule had gone hunting as I reveled in the usual taste of bread in a small clearing that had the lingering fresh scent of the forest. It returned with a rabbit in its mouth, covered in blood that dripped out of its mouth and stained the grass below that had survived owing to the abundant heat.

“Grr,” Yule groaned, nuzzling against my folded legs.

“You want me to eat it?” I asked in surprise.

“Gwar Gwar!” It stood before its prey protectively and glared at me.

“Should I roast it?” I tried again, and it bobbed its head as it sat on its rosy butt. “Then bring me a few sticks.”

Yule nodded and disappeared behind the shrubs surrounding us. I broke off a twig from the nearby shrub and waited patiently, glancing at the dark clouds above. They moved toward the capital, reminding me of my lady and her ardent zeal to pass the courses. Maybe, just maybe, she might be able to learn [Undead].

Yule returned soon and pulled me away from the thoughts of my lady. I roasted the rabbit for a while, without any spices, and placed it before the hound. It paused and looked at me with a pitiful gaze.

I smiled and rubbed its head. The gesture reminded me of my lady’s pout and her smooth black hair. “I won’t eat your food, Yule. I already had some bread while you were hunting.”

It nodded and munched down the meal happily. Yule was a glutton, so it hardly took one minute for the roasted meat to disappear. After a short rest, we resumed our search for Tusmat.