SWNOVELS
Chapter 461 Chapter462-An Old Friend
"Shall we... go take a look?"
"The right decision!"
Nula blinked and quickened her pace, leading the way for Howard.
"This... is what you meant by my 'old friend'?"
In the small courtyard where Nula was temporarily staying, Howard was introduced to his so-called old friend.
"Are you joking? While this white dog does seem quite extraordinary, when did I ever become its old friend?"
With a twitch in his eye, Howard gazed at the large white dog in the middle of the courtyard, which stood over a meter tall even while crouching, and he sighed.
"What's its name?"
Howard noticed the white dog looking at him with a puzzled expression, as if pondering and hesitating over something, revealing a semblance of thoughtfulness.
"White, that's the name given by its owner."
Howard took a couple of steps forward and called out, "White."
The large white dog started to back away.
Is it that timid?
With a disappointed expression, Howard turned back to Nula, "This is the 'old friend' you mentioned? I can be certain, I've never seen it, and it definitely hasn't seen me."
"Perhaps you've changed too much, and it didn't recognize you? To it, all humans look more or less the same, indistinguishable."
Nula spread her hands, "Besides, it wasn't me who said it's your old friend, but its owner. I'm just taking it out for a walk."
So, this creature is essentially like a pet, huh?
Howard had secretly speculated whether this creature might be some high-level spellbeast in disguise. contemporary romance
"I'll remove its disguise, and you'll see its true form. You might remember then. Lilia said you two had quite the camaraderie. Recognizing it would surely be interesting."
After speaking, Nula wore a mischievous smile.
Without waiting for Howard to react, she had already completed the spell.
With a raise of her hand, several runes glowing with a faint white light fell upon the white dog.
A sudden gust of wind arose!
Aowuu—
A mournful wolf howl echoed through the wind!
Enveloped in white light, White's body began to grow, its shape unchanged but its size doubling in just a breath.
Standing over 1.6 meters tall at the shoulder, a blue-purple vertical stripe on its forehead flashed like lightning.
Its pale yellow eyes, filled with wisdom, landed on Howard, prompting an immediate realization.
This was the white wolf king!
The "white devil" of the Silverwind Prairie.
Having suffered at its paws, Howard had once considered dispatching troops to eliminate it but refrained for fear of sparking a war.
This truly was an old friend.
And indeed, they had shared quite the camaraderie.
Howard, fully on guard, began to slowly back away.
"Nula, do you have any means of controlling it? If not, you might need to find somewhere else to stay."
It wasn't just Howard who recognized the white wolf king.
After Howard adopted a defensive stance, the white wolf king recognized him too.
This was the human who had grievously wounded it on the prairie!
It was because of him that it had fallen into that woman's hands!
Baring its teeth, the white wolf king dug its front paws into the ground, its hind leg muscles tensing, its gaze locked on Howard.
Aowuu—woo—woo—wang—
Wang?
Wang!
The white wolf king's howl, followed by barks, left both people and the wolf in the courtyard stunned.
That sound...
Seemingly trying to salvage its dignity, the white wolf king scratched the ground, letting out several more sounds.
Aowuu—
Wang!
Aowuu—
Wang!
Wang!
Gone was the last bit of its wolfish howl.
Where was the blood and spirit expected of a wolf?
Howard looked towards Nula with a drooping gaze, "Have you been feeding it something strange?"
The once majestic white wolf had been turned into... what, exactly?
Faced with Howard's stare, Nula seemed a bit embarrassed, scratching her face, "I've been feeding it dog food lately. It seemed to enjoy it, so I didn't change its diet. I mean, I didn't know it was a wolf."
Dog food.
Howard's view of the white wolf king completely changed.
Seeing Howard's eyes filled with a mix of pity, the white wolf king grew even angrier.
Never before had any creature dared look at it with such a gaze, for those who did, met their demise.
With a low howl, its four paws propelled it forward, turning the white wolf king into a gust of wind!
Howard could barely track the white wolf king's swift movements, but that didn't matter.
Just as the white wolf king had undergone a significant change, he was no longer the Howard of old!
In the midst of a metallic slicing sound, sharp as a whip crack, the straight sword was drawn from its sheath.
If sight was insufficient, then touch, hearing, and mana perception would compensate.
Advancing in a lunge, with both hands on the sword, the blade traced a straight arc from the lower right, moving upwards and to the left.
Within the tempest, a booming sound erupted!
Howard accurately blocked the white wolf king's assault.
This was far from merely evading; compared to human proportions and combat styles, the white wolf king's attacks were even harder to predict and block.
But Howard succeeded.
Though the weight of the white wolf king left him with no room to retreat, he was not limited to just one blade!
Releasing his grip suddenly, Howard advanced instead of retreating.
His right hand formed an empty grip, supported by his left hand behind it, directly targeting the vulnerable abdomen of the white wolf king.
The sudden disappearance of force from the blade caused the white wolf king to lose its balance momentarily.
Although this moment was brief, it was all Howard needed.
Mana concentrated in the palm of his right hand, dispersing in a dazzling display of incandescent electric light that emitted a sharp whistling sound.
"Thousand Birds Spike!"
With a fierce shout, Howard thrust his hand, now bursting with electric light, towards the white wolf king's abdomen.
A powerful current coursed through the white wolf king's body in that instant.
Three seconds later, the white wolf king collapsed, its eyes rolling back, its body emanating a burnt scent.
Nula's gaze towards Howard was cold.
"That dog isn't mine."
"It attacked me first; I was merely defending myself," Howard stated boldly, without a hint of guilt.
"It was electrified before and still ended up lively. Don't worry, electrotherapy is beneficial for physical and mental health. In my original world, there are even therapies focused on electrical shocks with remarkable results."
"Hmph."
Nula chanted a spell and raised her hand; a rune fell upon the white wolf king.
Enveloped in a faint white glow, the white wolf king's size reduced, transforming back into White.
With a hint of weariness on her face, Nula rubbed her temples and walked towards the largest room in the courtyard.
"We'll set off tomorrow. Let's rest here for today."
"And White?"
Nula glanced at White lying on the ground and waved her hand dismissively, "Let it sleep here."
Watching Nula's retreating back and then glancing at White still showing whites of its eyes on the ground, Howard sighed at the coldness of the world and the indifference of hearts before turning to leave.
Nula assigned the small single room next to her own to Howard, then, yawning, returned to her room, the transformation spell apparently having taken its toll on her.
Although the single room was small, it was well-stocked with essentials.
Observing the signs of life in the courtyard shared solely between Nula and White, it seemed clear that she had been planning to bring Howard here all along.
After tidying up the room a bit and storing his straight sword in his space ring, Howard turned and went back to the courtyard.
By this time, White had awakened, though it seemed to still be suffering from the aftereffects of the electric shock, its face twitching occasionally as if it were having a seizure.
After Howard's electrifying encounter, even the white wolf king recognized that Howard was not to be trifled with, and could only bare its teeth at him in response.
"White!" Howard called out from the other side of the courtyard, crouching down.
The wolf king glanced up, remained silent, then turned and dragged a blanket out from another room with doors wide open, meticulously spreading it on the ground before lying down on it, facing the courtyard gate.
Howard's expression fell; even gatekeeping had such a high standard of living.
Looking at the room behind White, which was obviously much larger than his own small single room, Howard sighed.
He pulled out a pocket watch to check the time, finding it was nearing dinner.
Having eaten little at noon, Howard was now extremely hungry.
Sitting under the eaves, Howard looked at the lazily sprawled white wolf king in the courtyard and jokingly asked, "Hey White, got anything to eat around here? Even raw stuff is fine, I can cook it myself."
He didn't expect White to offer any sort of reply.
After all, it was still a spellbeast, possessing some intelligence, yes, but likely incapable of understanding human language.
However, what happened next was somewhat unexpected for Howard.
White actually lifted its head, looked at Howard seriously for a moment, and then let out a bark towards a small, separate room within the courtyard.
Does it understand what I'm saying?
Watching White's actions, Howard scratched his head and stood up, walking towards the small room.
Inside, Howard found a kitchen, its cabinets stocked with quite a variety of ingredients.
Exiting the kitchen to squat in front of White, the creature instinctively raised its head, eyeing Howard with a wary gaze.
Is this guy going to electrocute me again?
Though White couldn't speak, Howard could clearly read this question in its eyes.
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