"Wait a damn second, this isn't a husky?"
Duke squatted down and studied the wolf-dog in front of him, blurting out,
"Where did you even find this thing?"
"From Freljord!"
Tahm slapped his big belly, then corrected Duke,
"And, Boss, this fella here is a winter wolf, a creature unique to Freljord!"
"An adult winter wolf can hunt even Behemoths in packs."
"This one's still a little small, probably because it hasn't reached adulthood yet."
Tahm smacked his lips as he carefully looked over the wolf-dog he had dragged back, recalling its taste.
"Mmm… but there's a trace of dog blood in him."
"How strange."
"What's strange about it? This thing doesn't look fierce in the slightest."
Duke frowned at the half-dead husky lying on the ground, his mind drifting back to the one he once kept himself.
At first, it had been clever and obedient, but the older it grew, the naughtier it became.
Scold it, and it would bark right back like it was cursing you out.
The worst was that one time it leapt into the family's fish tank and wrecked the arowana his father had raised for three years.
That tank was something Duke had built with his own hands. Heaven only knew how the husky managed to get in.
When the family returned home, they were greeted by the sight of the dog thrashing in the water, howling at the top of its lungs.
His father nearly stewed the husky alive on the spot after seeing the ruined arowana.
"Brother Duke, he looks like he's in so much pain!"
Lux knelt down before the husky, reaching out a gentle hand. Even on the verge of death, the dog let out a low growl, its eyes still wary.
Light bloomed softly from Lux's palm as she whispered, "It's alright now, you're safe."
Feeling the warmth seeping from her touch, the husky's eyes fluttered half-closed, yet in the next instant, it lunged, its jaws snapping for her throat.
"Beast!"
Tahm reacted at once. His tongue coiled around its waist and yanked it into the air. Lux gasped, stumbling back in fright.
"Sorry, Boss. This one's too violent. I'll get you another instead."
But Duke's eyes stayed locked on the husky. Even broken and battered, even at death's door, its gaze still burned with defiance and a fury words could not contain.
Staring into those eyes for a long moment, Duke suddenly broke into laughter.
"What an interesting little fellow."
"Forget it, we'll keep him."
"Maybe he'll surprise me in ways I can't yet imagine."
Duke opened the Beast Casket, locking his target on the husky and sealing it inside.
As light swallowed the creature, Duke turned to Lux and extended his hand.
"Lux, did you learn anything from what just happened?"
"I… don't quite understand, Brother Duke."
"Kindness is a virtue. But you must make sure you're safe first, only then can you afford to show kindness."
Helping her to her feet, Duke dusted off her clothes.
"Go on, back to your studies."
"Mm."
Even as she walked away, Lux couldn't help but glance back at the Beast Casket again and again.
Duke, meanwhile, examined it closely.
"…Fifteen days?"
His eyes widened. Even Ciceria's dragon-bird had only required three days of reconstruction, yet this husky demanded fifteen, three times as long.
"Looks like I really picked up a treasure this time."
Duke's gaze lingered on the countdown timer before flicking to Tahm.
"Where exactly did you find this husky?"
"Somewhere on the Freljord icefields. I caught the scent of pain and rage and followed it. I don't feed on such things, but I can sense them clearly."
Duke glanced at the blood on the ground, slid a sample onto a glass slide, and said,
"Go investigate this husky's origin thoroughly. There's something in him that intrigues me."
"Alright, Boss, but I…"
Tahm's eyes darted to the bottle holding Nocturne, temptation flickering in his gaze.
Duke tossed it over without hesitation.
"Five minutes. After that, get back to work."
"Only five minutes?" Tahm muttered, though a sly smile already curled his lips as he looked at Nocturne.
"Still, more than enough."
"I'll make those five minutes count."
Leaving Tahm to his amusements, Duke entered the tent, set the sample under his microscope, and invoked his Vision to observe.
Half an hour later, he lifted his head, his expression shaken.
"…A creature born of snow and ice, yet its blood carries the power of fire and molten lava?"
"Incredible."
"Fire and lava…"
He rose to his feet, pacing the tent.
"Perhaps I truly did stumble upon a treasure this time. Maybe the prototype of the Third Sin can be determined at last. Still… more research, much more research will be needed."
Six days later.
On the road to Mithril City.
The thunder of hooves rolled past a shabby carriage drawn by an old horse. Laughter rang out as mounted youths raced ahead toward the distant city.
At the reins sat a hooded girl, head bent over a heavy tome. From time to time she scribbled notes into a smaller notebook.
Beside her lounged a young man with a cigar clenched between his teeth, arms folded as he gazed up at the clear blue sky.
Golden strands peeked from beneath the girl's hood, swaying with the motion of the carriage. But her eyes never left the page.
"We're almost at Mithril City, aren't we?"
Flicking away the stub of his cigar, Duke turned to Lux. Her talent truly needed no praise, after he gave her the first test problem, she had solved it perfectly by noon the next day.
Before his very eyes, she had assembled a pair of clockwork boots, and as a reward he had reforged them himself. Now they encased her feet.
Every challenge he set afterward, she dismantled with ease. Already, she was moving on to the foundations of Hextech.
"We're close, Brother Duke!"
Lux finally looked up from her tome. The city's silhouette shimmered faintly on the horizon. She then jabbed at a problem in the book.
"Why do rune circuits need to account for energy leakage rates? A little leakage shouldn't matter, right?"
"Oh? You've gotten that far already?" Duke leaned over and answered casually,
"Imagine blowing up a balloon. As you blow, air keeps seeping out. What happens in the end?"
"Twice the effort… half the result?"
"Exactly. Same principle. If you don't control the leakage, not only does efficiency plummet, it can also trigger domino effects and dangerous chain reactions."
"I see!"
Enlightenment dawned on Lux's face. Duke's explanations always cut straight through the fog.
"Mithril City's almost here."
Duke straightened on the carriage, legs crossed, gazing ahead.
As the city came into view, the first thing to catch his eyes were two massive dams. Torrents of water roared through arched spillways beneath them, a spectacle both dangerous and magnificent.
The city's buildings clung to the mountainside, crowned by a castle at its peak.
Slender white bridges arched between towers and spires like strands of interwoven silk.
Blue triangular pennants snapped in the thin mountain air, making the city seem closer to the heavens themselves.
"Not bad at all," Duke remarked, watching the city draw near.
"Not bad? This is Demacia's second most prosperous city!" Lux protested.
He ruffled her hair with a chuckle.
"I've been to plenty of places. Compared to some, this one really is not bad."
Indeed, though Mithril City sat on highlands, it was the second most bustling hub in Demacia.
Perched in the northwest on rocky cliffs near the Shimmering Mountains, the city owed its fame to rich silver veins mined from the range, the very origin of the name "Mithril."
Within its walls dwelled not only Lux's own Crownguard family but also other noble houses of Demacia. The Durand family, who once forged the colossus Galio, made their home here. Naturally, it was here the great statue still stood.
The Justicar's Statue loomed downstream, at the edge of the forest beyond the dam.
Their carriage soon rolled off the muddy road and onto the wide stone causeway.
Merchants, travelers, and peasants alike thronged the road, all heading for the gates.
The roar of the water filled Duke's ears, and he blinked thoughtfully. A hydroelectric plant here would be perfect.
"Brother Duke, where are we going first?"
"Shall we see the Justicar?"
Lux's voice grew bright and eager now that she was nearing home. She tugged at his sleeve, chirping non-stop. Duke only laughed and patted her head.
"Sure, let's go see the Justicar. I've heard plenty about it myself."
Just then, the chatter of fellow travelers drifted into Duke's ears.
"Have you heard? Another one had their heart and liver torn out!"
"I've lost count. How many is that now?"
"Too many. The whole city's in a panic. People have been gathering outside the Crownguard estate demanding answers."
"They'd better catch that killer soon. I can't sleep at night knowing folks keep turning up dead in their own homes."
"And the strangest part? Even with their guts ripped out, every corpse wears a blissful smile."
…
Hearing this, Duke stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"…That sounds like the Widow's handiwork."
End of chapter....
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