Yarin's POV:
As we continued to chat, the somewhat strained relationship between Lily and me had completely healed. She never mentioned those few years when I disappeared, seemingly accepting my lame excuse that I had been studying abroad. She genuinely believed that was what I had been doing.
Lily now lived in a coastal city in Jasper, and with both countries opening up to each other, human attitudes toward werewolves had shifted from initial curiosity, suspicion, and fear to familiarity.
She was now a freelance designer, providing design sketches for fashion stores and jewelry brands. She jokingly called it 'a foreign monk chanting scriptures'. Her design work wasn't extraordinary, but the werewolf style hadn't saturated the market yet, and her werewolf identity added a novel aspect in the eyes of outsiders.
Lily showed me some of her design sketches, and I must say I wasn't particularly into fashion, but her creations genuinely resonated with me as beautiful.
I never knew Lily had such talent in fashion, but then again, I had few opportunities to get to know her. Our interactions were always rushed, and our meetings and farewells were hasty.
Speaking of which, Lily was still just a young woman. She was an adult now, but her adulthood was limited. Many people her age were still in school, and it was hard to imagine how much adversity she must have endured while struggling in a foreign place for so many years.
When I suggested using the resources of the royal family to provide her with some assistance in her career, I was a bit anxious, afraid that she might feel psychologically burdened.
But Lily accepted it very naturally and easily noticed my nervousness. She reassured me, saying, "Accepting help is not shameful. Sometimes, we all need someone to lend a hand in this world. And this help is coming from my hometown, from my friend. You can't imagine how important this is to me."
She looked somewhat melancholic. "When I first left home, I thought I would never regret it, but only after leaving that land did I realize the weight of my hometown. I'm glad we can still be in touch, Yarin. I've made many new friends in Jasper, but the feeling of home is still unique. Without my hometown, I'm just a wanderer wherever I go."
I couldn't help but say, "Perhaps... you can return to your hometown to visit? More and more ports are open to the werewolves now, and you don't necessarily have to go through Silver Moon Pack."
"Maybe," she replied, "But not now. I will return when I can let go of everything from the past." She brushed over the matter and suddenly turned serious. "More importantly, I have something more important to tell you, Yarin. I don't know when it started, but the influence of the Lily of the Valley in Jasper has been growing.
"When I first came to Jasper, the Lily of the Valley was just a small player. While it had a strong presence in the border cities, it only made a few ripples inland, usually during terrorist attacks. The people in Jasper only saw it as a victim.
"But in just a few years, the influence of the Lily of the Valley has grown enormously. It's not that they've expanded their criminal activities nationwide, but they've been using a more subtle method-capital.
"Just last month, I discovered that the Lily of the Valley acquired a fashion company I've been working with. The ready-to-wear samples they sent me had the Lily of the Valley's wreath emblem embroidered. This isn't isolated; fast food, toys, cosmetics, entertainment, books, and many other industries have received Lily of the Valley investments.
"I don't think this means those cult lunatics are transitioning into business. It can only mean they're continually expanding their influence, eating away at Jasper from all sides, and silently spreading their cult doctrine.
"Regarding that fashion company, the owner has already started wearing the wreath ring. This means that the Lily of the Valley is recruiting more individuals with access to significant social resources to become followers of Azazel. Their ambitions are grand!
"I can't contact the Queen, so I can only tell you about these things. I hope it's just my overthinking, but all the evidence suggests that the Lily of the Valley is planning a comeback. This time, it's likely not just small disturbances targeting Silver Moon Pack. If friction arises between the two countries, we all know the ultimate outcome."
War. I did not doubt that those cult lunatics would use Jasper to incite a war against the werewolves.
But did Azazel really need a nation? Or was this just Linda's way of fulfilling her ambitions?
In any case, I immediately informed Mom about Lily's discovery.
In fact, Mom had also noticed the signs of this. The werewolves had been vigorously developing many industries in Jasper for more than just profit.
Aunt Carolyn hadn't returned home to inherit the family business until now because she had taken on the mission of going undercover in Jasper. On the surface, she became the royal family's agent in Jasper's industry, but she collected all the information related to Azazel and the Lily of the Valley.
And, no wonder I hadn't seen Spil since waking up. He had gone with Aunt Carolyn. 'Well, buddy, I won't say anything now. I wish you success.'