“Then again, what if Madam really doesn’t like the food?”

The young maid’s question was met with knowing remarks from the world-weary older maids.

“If that were true, do you think she’d be leaving so quietly? She’d have turned this place upside down.”

“And she always adds ‘in my opinion’ when she says it. That means Madam hasn’t actually said anything like that.”

“Exactly. She’s just giving herself an out.”

“Oh…”

The young maid nodded, as if gaining some insight into the ways of the world.

Benjamine hurriedly set out to find Cecilia. Out of breath, she rushed down the hall to the bedroom and looked around, only to find the corridor was silent.

‘This way? Or maybe that way? Ugh, it’s unnecessarily big in here.’

She was flustered. It upset her that Cecilia was now wandering on her own without her. Until they’d come to Lagos Castle, they’d hardly been apart.

In her haste, she wasn’t watching her step. Her foot slipped into empty air. She found herself momentarily airborne before tumbling down a short staircase.

Fortunately, it was a short flight of stairs. Her senses quickly returned.

“Aaagh!”

Trying to get up, she let out a loud scream and fell back down. The sound brought the maids running.

“Elder Missus! Are you alright?!”

“Quick, fetch the doctor!”

 

❖ ❖ ❖

 

The hunters began their indefinite wait.

Two days later, the wolves sent out a scouting party. The hunters, perched in the trees, watched as two wolves passed below. After waiting two days, they were itching to move. Holding back the urge to kill the wolves was harder than the wait itself.

Then, early the next morning, a pack of about a dozen wolves finally appeared.

The main feature of mutated wolves was their abnormal size. Anyone from the continent who encountered one would be frozen in terror.

At the back of the pack was the leader, twice as large as the others.

The hunters held wooden blowpipes to their lips. When the wolves reached the marked distance, each hunter aimed at a wolf and blew.

A small, thin needle shot out with a soft hiss. The needle tips were coated in poison—not lethal, but enough to cause slight paralysis.

It wasn’t a tool just any hunter could use. Only the best hunters, skilled in magic, could wield it.

Empowered by magic, the needles pierced the wolves’ thick hides, embedding in their hind legs and backs. Feeling only a slight prick, the wolves didn’t notice.

Moments later, the wolves began to stagger, their ranks breaking as the paralysis took effect. The hunters seized the moment of confusion.

They launched themselves from the trees, landing on the wolves’ backs and holding on tight.

Graaaar!

The wolves snarled, thrashing furiously to shake off the humans clinging to their backs.

Uwoooo!

At the back of the pack, the leader let out a deep, echoing howl that reverberated through the forest.

This leader, One-Eye, had a hollow eye socket, and he bared his teeth as his hackles rose. The beast crouched, about to leap forward to help his pack.

Russell landed directly in One-Eye’s path.

“Your fight is with me.”

Russell drew a dagger from his waist, and a shimmering light surrounded the blade. One-Eye’s single remaining eye flickered with recognition and wariness.

It was this very glowing blade that had taken his eye.

One-Eye hesitated, then suddenly lunged forward with his teeth bared. Russell rolled aside, and the wolf’s jaws snapped together in the empty air with a sharp clack.

The wolf swung his front paw with claws extended, producing a menacing whoosh. Russell ducked, avoiding the blow, and swung his dagger toward the wolf’s chin, aiming for an opening.

Sensing the threat, One-Eye dodged, causing the dagger to only slice along the side of his muzzle, leaving a long cut.

Smelling his own blood, One-Eye felt a rising sense of danger. This shimmering metal was sharper and deadlier than any beast’s claws he had encountered.

With a low growl, One-Eye sidestepped, and not wanting to expose his back, Russell moved in the opposite direction.

They circled each other slowly, each watching for an opening.

Russell intentionally stepped on a loose stone, feigning a stumble to make himself appear vulnerable.

One-Eye seized the chance, starting to lunge, but then…

The wolf abruptly turned and sprinted in the opposite direction, disappearing into the forest.

“Hah.”

Russell let out a short, disbelieving laugh and raised his arm to whistle sharply.

From a perch high in a tree, a falcon with blue feathers took flight, swooping down and grabbing hold of Russell’s arm with its talons, lifting him off the ground.