01. Little Red Riding Hood
In my past life, I was a person with niche tastes.
Why? Aren't there popular keywords? Sweet romances, healing stories, therapeutic stories. Things like that.
Strangely enough, my heart couldn't react to that keyword.
With my extremely niche tastes, I wandered in search of other novels. Countless depressing stories brushed past me.
'It's so boring. Isn't there anything a bit more exciting?'
While wandering around looking for something to eat, I discovered this novel.
19+, Dark, Melodrama, Female Dominant, Male Submissive.
Little Red Riding Hood, a fairy tale featuring a wolf-human male protagonist rolling around.
I loved how the male protagonist, who kept refusing, saying "No, no," eventually ended up clinging to the female protagonist.
Having been completely captivated by the story, I couldn't help but fall deeply in love with it.
The setting of the novel is as follows.
They lived in a world where humans and beastkin coexisted.
The Beastmen region was divided into four zones based on the cardinal directions, and among them, the wolves of the north and the dragons of the south had a very bad relationship.
It was because of the legend that a wolf had stolen the dragon's heart.
A dragon that undergoes a second awakening comes to have two hearts.
It offers one of those hearts to its companion. It was to share the overflowing power.
A dragon that does not take a mate is tantamount to attempting suicide.
It is said that the dragon, which had its heart stolen by a wolf and was unable to find a mate, left these words before it died.
"I will find that wolf again. No matter what, without fail."
It was not explained in detail how the wolf stole the heart. Many dismissed it as just a legend and a mere anecdote.
However, there were more people who believed in the legend.
However, the dragons were practically the kings of the beastman world. How could beastmen possibly defeat dragons?
As a result, the two tribes had a very, very bad relationship. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they hated each other.
Against this backdrop, the heroine of the novel, Little Red Riding Hood, was the dragon chief's only younger sister.
Red Riding Hood, with hair as black as the night sky and eyes as red as rubies.
How did she end up becoming someone who wields a whip and commands obedience?
The cause was the death of her older brother, the leader.
Her brother was born with a single heart, like the dragon in legend whose heart was stolen by a wolf.
"You really reappeared to kill that wolf!"
"Then is the war between the North and the South starting again?"
The beastmen whispered among themselves that the legendary dragon had returned to kill the wolves.
The leader, the subject of the rumors, thoroughly hides the fact out of concern that his younger sister might worry.
He trains endlessly to control his overflowing power, and eventually even puts on a magic restraint like a dog collar to control his magic power.
However, the tragedy was bound to be revealed.
Little Red Riding Hood, who was pure and innocent like other fairy tale protagonists, ends up witnessing her brother's death with her own eyes.
He was destroyed because he could not overcome the power of fire he possessed.
It was only natural that Little Red Riding Hood's heart turned black at the death of her only family member.
'I will kill all the wolves.'
Red Riding Hood wanted to completely remove the abdomen where the plants had settled.
And so, the war between the North and the South began. The wolves died helplessly at her hands.
It was around the time when the winter forest was melting into the flames.
A boy was trembling before someone's charred corpse.
The boy looked neither a complete wolf nor a human.
A hybrid of human and werewolf, a mongrel heard only in rumors.
The mongrel trembled and pleaded.
"S-save me."
"...Are you a mongrel?"
"Please, please don't kill me. I beg you... No, it's fine if you kill me, but please, just spare my sister's corpse...."
Little Red Riding Hood did not dislike the sight of the pleading boy. She made the mongrel wolf her own.
To be precise, she made him her pet.
And she began to tame him to her liking.
You would know what that 'taming' meant without her having to say it.
'That's it! This is exactly it!'
In my past life, I let out a cheer while reading that novel. After all, anything stimulating was always thrilling.
I even applauded the author's imagination for reinterpreting the classic fairy tale *Little Red Riding Hood* like this.
'Author, you're the best! Little Red Riding Hood is the best!'
...I clearly said Little Red Riding Hood was the best, I didn't say the wolf was the best.
I like the dragon better, you know.
Besides, I certainly didn't say I wanted to become the male lead's older sister.
No, I did say something similar.
It was in the scene where I realized that my body, battered by her, and my heart, which I had been denying, had finally reached Little Red Riding Hood.
A beautiful young boy is shedding tears.
Wow, what a perfect sentence this is. Best, perfect, 500 rounds of applause, the male lead crying prettily is the best.
'I want to see it in person!'
...I wished for it, and I was reincarnated as his sister. And in the role of a corpse burning to death, haha.
If a wish could come true this easily, I should have just wished to become rich. Damn it.
'You crazy author.'
I gritted my teeth as I looked at my mother's swollen belly.
My mind went blank at the thought of a future where my unborn sibling would be rolling around in a sexual sense.
And to think it's already the ending!
No matter what, that had to be stopped.
Even if I told Mom about Little Red Riding Hood or whatever, she wouldn't believe me. In the end, I decided to resort to my last resort.
At dawn, before the darkness had lifted, I picked up the axe my father used. And I tore down the house myself. It was a house we had worked hard to build together.
I told a lie to my surprised mom for the first time.
"Mom! The wolves destroyed our house! They said they would kill everyone if we didn't leave!"
The crying child's lie worked well.
And so, Mom and I hid ourselves deep in the forest. Deeper, deeper, and deeper.
Mom gave birth to Zion safely, but her physical condition worsened because she gave birth without anyone's help. After all, there were no wolves to assist with the birth of a mixed-breed.
Desperate, I gathered whatever food I could find. I even dug up herbs using the only herbal guide my father left me and sold them myself. Of course, I did so while keeping my identity completely hidden.
"You're so young, yet you're only interested in money!"
I was also beaten a lot by those who disapproved of even that.
But I held back. Because it was the only thing I could do.
However, Mom's condition showed no signs of improving.
That day was the day my mother left my side.
Mom took my hand while breathing heavily. Even as her life was fading away, she was smiling faintly.
"Eve, blessings come to children who do good deeds. You must be a good child."
"Mom..."
"...I'm sorry, my daughter."
With those last words, Mom closed her eyes.
"Mom..."
Only then was I able to cry with peace of mind.
That day, I held the soundly sleeping Zion tightly in my arms and resolved to survive no matter what. It was a day when a fierce snowstorm was raging.
***
Even though I had been reincarnated in a novel, for me now, it was reality. I had to protect my family and my future at all costs.
But to think I brought that red cloak myself.
And to think I even treated her myself!
It was practically the same as planting a dead flag yourself.
'Of all times, Mom's last words just came to mind... !'
'I focused so much on the word 'fairy tale' that I forgot this novel is a dark and depressing story.'
'No, no.'
I shook my head vigorously.
The story hadn't started yet. There was still a chance.
I could not obediently walk down the path of ruin.
"Sisyer? What's wrong?"
Hearing a short scream, Zion approached. Then, the gaze of the Red Riding Hood fell on Zion.
“Oh. No!”
I sprang to my feet. Then I quickly hid Zion behind my back. I couldn't let the Red Riding Hood see Zion.
"...Sister?"
Zion peeked his head out, but I desperately moved my hand to block his view.
'No! Don't look!'
At my desperate gesture, Red Riding Hood blinked a few times.
Then, she slowly raised her upper body and sat up.
'...Huh?'
I stopped moving due to a slight sense of strangeness.
The Red Riding Hood in front of me looked so young.
'Since she did such and such with Zion in the novel, she should at least be an adult...'
No matter how I looked at it, this appearance seemed to be the same age as Zion. At most, perhaps around eight years old? Moreover, the Little Red Riding Hood in the novel was a person who suspected people and could not easily trust them.
However, nothing like anger or murderous intent was visible in the child's red eyes.
'Is there still a possibility to change the future...?'
I cautiously approached the girl in the red cloak. The girl's red eyes reflected me.
“...Are you okay there?”
At my question, the child blinked silently.
An unwavering gaze looking at the other person without avoiding—it was exactly as described in the novel. I swallowed hard and continued speaking.
"I found you collapsed in the woods, so I brought you back. It looked like you were in really bad condition....."
I feigned a gentle voice and placed my hand on the child's forehead. I could feel the stinging heat.
As I let out the little bit of cold air, a warm heat returned. I frowned slightly.
'This isn't heat, it must be the dragon's power, right?'
It made sense that neither herbs nor magic worked. Just as I was about to pull my hand away, nodding in quiet agreement, it was then.
A small hand suddenly grabbed my hand.
“I’m surprised. I’m surprised.”
I flinched at the strong grip that was uncharacteristic of a child.
"..."
The child was looking up at me with sparkling eyes.
'...I have a bad feeling about this.'
A deep sense of anxiety was creeping up inside me.
"You..."
Red Riding Hood blinked her big eyes and opened her mouth.
"Did you save me?"
"Well, somehow it just happened...?"
“Why?”
"...?"
Why? Is there a reason for saving someone who is sick?
I trailed off and smiled awkwardly. As gently as possible. Gently!
"Because it’s only natural to treat someone who is sick...?"
"..."
The child silently clamped her mouth shut. Was my answer strange?
'Is she hurt because she was treated by a wolf?'
I waited for the child's answer with a nervous heart.
"...In that case."
The child slowly raised her head and looked at me. Her cheeks flushed shyly.
"You are my benefactor."
"Well, if you really want to be, I'm a benefactor... No, wait a minute."
Suddenly, I got goosebumps. Forgetting that I was standing right in front of the child, I gaped.
A benefactor?
I was certain I had 'seen' the words this child had uttered before.
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