"Of course they're unhappy—it's mostly a mindset issue. When life was difficult, they didn't have the strength to care about dignity. Now that they have time and money, they've gone a bit stupid... suddenly finding the energy to think about things like personal integrity..."
Leonard's voice was cold, but before he could finish, Claudia stuffed a strawberry-filled chocolate ball into his mouth. Seeing her pure smile, he reached up and rubbed the small horn on her head. His mood lifted, and his tone softened.
He glanced toward Midgard—only to realize she had fallen asleep at some point, though her face was still tense with worry.
"Big Sister fell asleep," Claudia whispered when she saw Midgard's expression. "Leonard, speak quietly. Don't wake her. Big Sister hasn't been sleeping well lately."
"Not sleeping well?" Leonard muttered under his breath, his gaze tightening on Midgard's face. Then he looked back to Claudia and answered softly, "Mm. I'll be quiet. What about you, Claudia? Are you sleepy?"
Although the two looked the same age on the outside, Leonard couldn't help using a tone one would use with a child when speaking to her.
"Claudia? Claudia is a little sleepy," she said, raising her arms in a small stretch before curling up obediently in Leonard's lap. "Then… Claudia will sleep for a bit too. Leonard, don't go, okay?"
Watching her close her eyes, Leonard gently patted her, coaxing her into sleep, his own expression turning contemplative.
Things were definitely not as simple as Midgard made them sound. That "trouble" was absolutely not just about "a few little wolf pups."
Marcus was Midgard's top enforcer—capable and without selfish motives. With him handling most issues, very little ever needed Midgard's personal involvement.
But some matters could only be handled by the pack's leader—the role of unifying the clan.
If something had Midgard so overwhelmed she couldn't sleep, then the problem had to be huge. At least a third of the werewolves must have joined in.
If the number was that high, it wasn't only Fenrir's old followers involved. There were surely plenty of the werewolf wizards who originally supported Midgard as well.
As for the cause… Midgard definitely wasn't lying. It stemmed from the rumors surrounding Lucius Malfoy's death.
Voldemort has returned.
Leonard was certain many werewolf wizards were already pressuring Midgard to take a stance. Fenrir had once served Voldemort and had been given some vague promise like "werewolves will one day walk freely in the sunlight."
That promise had been passed down to his old followers, and from them to Midgard's own subordinates—those who had sought equality but found only rejection. And now, they were going mad over it.
It wasn't really their fault. It was inevitable—when people gain physical comfort, they naturally reach for emotional and spiritual fulfillment.
After gaining wealth, they wanted equal treatment. When that failed, they became susceptible to manipulation, driven toward unpredictable extremes.
Worse still, their shift in attitude had caused a fracture in the werewolf-wizard faction itself. They weren't satisfied—they even wanted to force their leader to take their side.
And although many werewolf wizards still supported Midgard, the pressure was devastating for someone like him—a leader who cared deeply about the clan. No wonder he couldn't sleep.
In Leonard's view, they were simply asking for punishment. Someone like Fenrir would deal with them properly. Unfortunately, Midgard wasn't that sort of leader. He couldn't do those things.
But that didn't make Leonard feel any less murderous.
A violent flicker crossed his eyes—he suddenly felt like dragging the whole lot of them off to feed the Chomping Cabbage.
His unrestrained killing intent made the Claudia in his arms tense. A faint pallor appeared on her small face, and her breath caught.
Leonard immediately realized his mistake. He forced himself to calm down and protectively wrapped his arms around her, letting her feel safe again.
Caring for one was caring; caring for two was still caring.
He glanced at the sleeping Midgard, then carefully adjusted Claudia in his arms. Quietly, he slipped off his own cloak and draped it over Midgard.
Winter nights were bitterly cold. Even a werewolf could catch a chill sleeping like that.
Technically, with movements that obvious, Midgard should have noticed. Under normal circumstances, her senses would never miss something like that.
But she lay there, motionless on the sofa, deeply asleep in a way she probably seldom experienced…
She must have been exhausted. Leonard couldn't imagine how she'd been taking care of Claudia in this state.
He sighed and remained seated, watching over both Claudia and Midgard.
Neither of them ever made his life easy.
Midgard slept for a long time.
Night fell, and light snow began drifting through the air. Thick clouds veiled the moon, and the faint moonlight made the falling flakes look even clearer.
Snow landed on the surrounding plants. Those strengthened with dragon-related materials gave off enough heat to melt the flakes before they touched. The ordinary, living plants shook their own snow away and even brushed snow off their immobile neighbors.
The Unicorns had gathered again.
Their peaceful aura slowly surrounded the two sofas, and they quietly lay down around them, drifting into a serene sleep.
Snow settled on their coats, making their silver-white fur appear even more crystalline.
Leonard brushed snow from Claudia's head, looked at her peaceful sleeping face, then glanced at Midgard. With a snap of his fingers, he conjured an umbrella. Another snap—four in total—transformed it into a large parasol that shielded the three of them.
Even though Leonard moved carefully, Midgard still stirred awake. He glanced up at the colorful parasol glowing faintly in the dim light, his mind pausing for a moment before clarity returned.
"I actually fell asleep?" Midgard rubbed his face and sat up. Seeing the cloak draped over him, he paused, then took in the fully darkened surroundings and let out a wry smile.
"You should've woken me," Midgard said. "Your body can't compare to us Werewolves."
"It's fine. Claudia's very warm," Leonard said with mock seriousness.
"Tch." Midgard turned away, seemingly unable to look at him. "By the way, isn't it a problem for you to be outside the school this late? I heard Hogwarts has a curfew."