Webtoon: Noblesse

(Y/n)'s POV

The quiet rustle of the leaves and the soft chirping of the birds filled the tranquil silence in the deserted forest. The sky was as blue as I had imagined it to be, save for the dark clouds hanging low in the distance.

With a quiet sneeze, I lay down beneath the wide sky and stared at the shapeless clouds. The view was breathtakingly beautiful, an anomaly in this cruel, corrupted world.

With my hands behind my head and my leg crossed over the other, I let out a content sigh. Suddenly, a man towered over me with a raised eyebrow. A slight blush crept onto my cheeks as I took in his features.

Shirtless, toned muscles and a face too good to be true...was I dreaming? Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes and stared at the man with a confused expression.

"Yo," he greeted.
"W-who are you?"
"I'm Muzaka."
"Mu...zaka?"
"You might know me by the lord of the werewolves."

My eyes widened. I immediately stood up and bowed, dropping my gaze to the ground, afraid to meet his eyes. To my surprise, he lifted my chin up and grinned.

"There's no need to do that. What's your name?"
"(Y/n), the noblesse's younger sister."
"He has a sister?!"
"Do you know him, my lord?"
"*laughs* You're an odd one. We probably have similar ranks so there's no need to address me like that. Even if there was, I don't care about any of that stuff."
"O-oh, I see."
"Anyway, your brother's a good friend of mine...although I'm surprised he didn't tell me about you."
"I-I'm not anyone important. I-I'm barely noticed so people don't talk about me."
"Don't say that. Everyone has someone who cares for them."

I blushed bright red when I realised that he still had his fingers under my chin. I quickly forced myself to look away from his gaze, making him drop his hand.

"Heh, you're cute," Muzaka suddenly exclaimed.
"*blush* My- I mean, Muzaka- I mean- mister!"

He burst out in laughter, making me pout and bite my lip. A large grin graced his face as he calmed down from his laughing fit. My cheeks were still heated to the point where I thought I might explode.

Without warning, he rushed towards me, pinning me to the ground as a bullet whizzed past. My breaths came out short and staggered, shocked that someone had tried to take my life now.

Although Muzaka was looking elsewhere, I couldn't stop the heat rushing to my cheeks. His body was pressed against mine with his elbows propping it up to keep himself from crushing me.

"There are 10 men. Why are they targeting you?" he asked softly.
"...my brother's too strong for them so they've changed their target to me. They want my blood...for power."
"Tch."

He got up but I grabbed onto his arm, fear in my eyes. He smiled gently before taking my hand in his.

"D-don't kill them."
"I can't promise you that, (Y/n). You'll be fine, don't worry."

With that, he let go of me and disappeared. I stumbled backwards until my back hit a tree trunk. They'd make him their next target because of his power...what if they used me to threaten him? What if-

A scream...too similar to Muzaka's. Without a second thought, I rushed off in the direction he had headed before. I didn't have to travel far before I saw the men surrounding him.

Blood dripped down his chin, wounds were visible on his body but he didn't look the least bit worried about his condition. Just as they raised their weapon again, I appeared in front of Muzaka and got out my own.

"Oh, there she is," exclaimed the leader.
"What are you doing here? They'll kill you!" Muzaka said worriedly.
"...I know but I'll be devastated if you die before they kill me. We don't need another sacrifice-"
"Sacrifice?! This isn't about sacrificing anyone!"
"Are you two done with your little chat?"

Rai's blood formed into wings but mine was different. I could manifest it into any weapon of choice. What they didn't know was that it had the same properties as my brother's so if that weapon didn't work on him then it wouldn't work on me either.

"(Y/n), move!" Muzaka yelled.
"Put your weapon down."

I complied to my brother's command and let him deal with the weapon's blast. He deflected it without any effort and destroyed it in one shot.

Muzaka coughed behind me, blood appearing on his hand. Who...made this weapon? It even weakened the werewolf lord to this state? They were...unforgivable...they didn't deserve my pity anymore.

A hand on my shoulder made me flinch. The ten men were all gone. I looked up to see Rai looking at me with concern in his eyes. I shook my head, telling him that I had no wounds.

"M-mister, we need to get you treated."
"The look in your eyes before...don't ever do that again. I don't want to see you turn into someone like me," he exclaimed before coughing.
"Mister!"
"Just Muzaka is fine."
"(Y/n), your blood," Rai said.
"What's wrong with her blood?" asked Muzaka.
"It can heal to some extent but the more you take it, the weaker its effect will be."

I made a cut on my arm and caught the blood in a small glass vial. Seeing Muzaka's expression was all I needed to know that he wasn't keen on drinking it. With a sigh, Rai took it from my hand and forced it down his throat.

He coughed before wiping his mouth. I clutched my hands together, hoping desperately that it would work on him. The effects would be neutralised if it were my brother.

A relieved sigh escaped my lips as the wounds started to heal, leaving only a pink scratch where it once was. I leaned against my brother for support, feeling tired and exhausted.

~Some time later~

I woke up to find myself in my bed, a wet towel on my forehead and both Rai and Muzaka asleep on the armchairs. The door opened ever so quietly, revealing Frankenstein on the other side.

He held a finger to his lips before coming in with a glass of water and some medicine. After making sure I had taken it, he smiled before taking his leave.

"Geez, you nearly gave me a heart attack when you just fainted like that," Muzaka exclaimed.
"S-sorry."
"Are you feeling okay now?" asked Rai.
"Y-yeah, thank you."

I got up, making the two stand up out of worry. I waved it off as nothing before feeling for Muzaka's pulse. His blood was normal, no side effects taking place.

"What are you doing?"
"She's checking for side effects. Some people heal but get a fever or cold straight after," Rai explained.

I felt Muzaka's hand on my head, making me look up and blush slightly. He smiled brightly, making me smile too.

Muzaka, you've got to stop doing these things because if this continues...I think I might fall for you.