Chapter 43: The Direwolves’ Relentless Pursuit

For now, I’ll set aside my concerns about Bella. At the very least, her safety is assured; my only fear is that she might expose her identity.

However, given how cleverly she managed to escape when Angela arrived, I shouldn’t have to worry about her being discovered.

Just now, she mentioned someone was calling her. What exactly did she mean by that? Someone who could call out to the Demon King… surely it was just her imagination, wasn’t it?

I’ll put these questions aside for the moment, as I’ve finally remembered something crucial.

Though the reason remains unknown, it’s clear that the direwolves were being commanded by the humanoid wolf-kin.

Under their direction, the direwolves likely wouldn’t act rashly, instead lying in ambush as instructed.

However, now that the humanoid wolf-kin have lost their leader, or rather, have been completely annihilated, the gathered direwolves are bound to attack their prey.

In short, I must return to those three immediately! They have little combat strength left, and if they’re assaulted by a pack of direwolves again, they won’t survive for long.

It’s not that I acknowledge those three as my companions. I simply don’t wish for people I’ve encountered to die so meaninglessly, nor do I want the lingering impression of their unknown fate to weigh on my mind.

‘Yes, this is merely self-comfort… You three, please stay safe!’

***

Meanwhile, the direwolves, indeed leaderless, succumbed to their inherent bloodlust and began to besiege the three adventurers.

“Hmph!”

Zale swung his sword, barely managing to unleash a crescent-shaped sword qi that sliced through a pouncing direwolf, then flew backward to cut down another before dissipating. Zale stumbled, nearly collapsing to his knees.

“Damn it… will this ever end?” He cursed, fueled by frustration.

“It was so quiet just now, how did so many appear all of a sudden?” Karen, having run out of arrows, dodged nimbly, seizing an opportune moment to plunge her dagger into a direwolf’s body.

“Could this be related to the power we felt earlier?”

“Mori… if only he were still here…”

Helene shook her head, casting aside such impractical thoughts, and began chanting a spell.

She then tapped the crystal at the tip of her staff against the ground, causing four ice walls to instantly rise, encircling the trio and temporarily fending off the direwolves’ concerted assault.

“Haah—”

Seeing Helene, who had recovered a bit of her magic power, finally conjure the ice walls, Zale let out a sigh of relief. He knelt on one knee, plunging his longsword into the ground, gripping its hilt with both hands, panting heavily. He felt utterly drained.

“Where did that guy go?” Karen muttered, her guard still up. “He hasn’t returned after so long; could the direwolves have killed him?”

“No!” Helene, startled by Karen’s words, cried out instinctively, still on her knees. “Mori would never be hurt! Aah!”

Just then, several direwolves simultaneously crashed into the ice wall, frightening Helene.

This was a coordinated charge. Direwolves were not mindless beasts; they possessed a certain degree of teamwork.

However, the ice walls were sufficiently robust and did not shatter. Yet, creating such high-hardness ice walls had left Helene with precious little magic power remaining.

“Right! Of course he’s fine!” Zale’s anger flared at the mention of Mori. “He just sensed danger and ran off by himself! Of course he’s fine!”

“No! Mori isn’t that kind of person! He just… he just…”

“See? You can’t even say where he went. He definitely ran away!”

“Impossible! He’ll definitely come back!”

“Tsk… Helene, you need to think clearly. That guy isn’t your brother, and you don’t even know what he looks like! How can you be sure he wouldn’t run? He just bears a slight resemblance to your brother, don’t keep— ugh!”

Before Zale could finish, Karen kicked him in the back. As he fell, his face narrowly missed being grazed by his sword.

“What was that for!”

“Shut up, you idiot! Can you use your brain when you speak? Is your emotional intelligence in the negatives? Can’t you consider other people’s feelings before you open your mouth!”

Both of them looked towards Helene. She stood with both hands gripping her staff, supporting herself on the ground, her lips pressed together, eyes closed, tears welling at the corners.

“I know he’s not my brother, but…”

But what, Helene herself couldn’t articulate.

A mage’s mental state was incredibly important. Intense negative emotions could severely impair spellcasting. Setting aside emotional issues, Zale’s argument with Helene at that moment was indeed a grave mistake.

“…Listen carefully, you fool.” Karen continued to keep watch on the perimeter, where direwolves were now repeatedly ramming the same section of the ice wall, attempting to shatter it with brute force.

“Mori never said he would help us. We were the ones who sought him out. We were never his companions, so don’t foolishly assume he betrayed us. His intervention earlier was already a great kindness!”

“…” Zale had no retort.

“Furthermore, don’t forget, it was you who told Helene, ‘There’s someone who looks a lot like your brother.’ You need to take responsibility for your own words.”

“…You don’t need to tell me! I will!”

Zale stood up, re-gripping his longsword, and faced the section of the ice wall the direwolves were attempting to breach.

Initially, when Zale told Helene that ‘someone would be joining us,’ she had been somewhat reluctant. It was only when he added, ‘He’s the same kind of person as your brother, no need to worry!’ that Helene felt a little reassured.

And indeed, when they met, he did bear a strong resemblance.

Normally, as an adventurer, one shouldn’t easily trust a stranger. However, Zale, seeing that Mori hadn’t registered as a proper adventurer, had assumed he was all show.

Besides, he himself was a Black Iron-rank adventurer and possessed excellent combat skills, never believing he would lose to an unranked newcomer. But now, it seemed his thinking had been far too simplistic.

Regardless of Mori’s strength or his resemblance to Helene’s brother, it didn’t change the fact that Helene was heartbroken at this moment.

And regardless of whether that guy acknowledged the three of them as companions, he had indeed abandoned them to their fate and fled alone – Zale’s conviction on this point remained unshaken.

“That coward… I, Zale, truly misjudged him!”

“Your judgment has always been terrible, you idiot.”

“Stop calling me an idiot, alright!”

“Then let this be a lesson for you.”

In truth, Karen didn’t fully trust Mori either. It was merely her intuition telling her that he harbored no ill will, and her intuition had always proven remarkably accurate.

It must be said that Mori’s powerful assistance earlier had indeed made the three of them somewhat reliant on him. The thought, ‘We’ll rely on him for this adventure!’ had certainly crossed their minds.

But now… they couldn’t acknowledge it, nor could they deny the idea that Mori had fled alone.

Though they didn’t want to admit it, they had to accept it as such. In this critical moment, baseless hope would only lead to their demise.

*Crack!*

“—!”

Finally, after numerous impacts, cracks began to appear in the ice wall. Its breach was inevitable, but the trio was too exhausted to fight. Their only option was to flee.

“Zale, in a moment, grab Helene and jump into the trees. I’ll figure something out afterward.”

“Alright! Come, hold on tight.”

“Mm…”

Helene stood up and hugged Zale’s waist tightly. Zale, sheathing his longsword, naturally embraced Helene in return.

Helene was finally willing to be close to him. Though delighted, Zale understood this was not the time for excitement.

“Get ready…”

Smash!

The defense had been breached, and direwolves swarmed in… yet Karen didn’t give the signal to jump. As the ice wall shattered, a new pack of direwolves leaped from above,扑向 the trio.

It felt as if they had deliberately waited for this moment, intending to intercept the trio from directly above as they jumped, ensuring a perfect capture.

Fortunately, the weary Karen was a beat too slow, or perhaps the direwolves were too eager, pouncing ahead of schedule.

“This…!”

“Are direwolves really that smart!”

“Prepare to fight!”

Easier said than done; it was already too late. Gaping maws were inches away, and they had no strength left to resist, only awaiting the brutal tearing of their bodies in the next second.

However…

“…Eh?”

Helene unconsciously looked upward. Behind the direwolves, higher still, there seemed to be a muscular figure.

“That… is…”