After leaving the city and taking the marked path, the pair made their way into the countryside.
The dirt road stretched clear before them, and the sunlit hills unfurled in quiet, peaceful waves.
"Ahhh… finally, some fresh air."
Violet drew in a deep breath, savoring the scent of lush grass and the wildflowers scattered across the landscape.
"I'm glad we left the city for a bit. We really needed a calm walk in nature. Right, Nainai?"
She turned toward her companion, who followed silently—
and immediately noticed something unusual in his expression.
A strange tension. Almost… worry.
"Is something wrong?"
Nainai looked uneasy.
Weird… I've never seen him like this…
"Are you feeling sick? Did you not eat enough?"
It wasn't often that Nainai showed such clear discomfort so openly.
"Tonight, when we get back to the inn, I'll ask Mela to make her meat casserole," Violet said, tilting her head toward him with a half-smile.
"You like that too, don't you?"
But the dwarf's expression didn't change.
Violet studied his face for a moment, unable to understand the reason for his anxiety.
He's always loved Mela's casserole…
Shrugging, she turned forward again and kept walking.
It had been some time since they arrived in this town.
At first, she'd wanted to run away—but now things weren't going so badly.
And honestly… that was a relief.
The inn had become an essential refuge, and Mela—now someone Violet trusted deeply—had proven to be a true friend.
Still… why is her inn always empty…?
The question echoed in her head, lingering with her as they followed the path.
After walking for a while and distancing themselves from the city, the road began to change—becoming rougher, more uneven—leading toward a wide clearing.
Strange… At this hour we should already be there…
Violet came to a stop, her expression turning serious.
In the distance, beyond the open space, the tree line was clearly visible—marking the edge of a deep forest.
And beyond that, faint silhouettes of mountains cut the horizon.
"But I'm sure we're close…" she murmured, checking the map again and glancing at Nainai.
His expression had grown even more troubled.
"I don't get it… By now we should be walking between the vineyards. There's nothing here! This map is completely useless!!!"
She was still muttering to herself, complaining and swearing at her own luck, when a sudden shiver ran down her spine.
She stopped.
Instantly.
Without realizing it, she had wandered deep into the clearing—following the path far more than she'd intended.
Now she stood almost at its center, swallowed by silence and dwarfed by a vast, cloudless sky.
Everything suddenly felt… threatening.
Damn it. This is bad!
Violet looked around, panic tightening in her chest.
Being exposed, out in the open with no cover, was the one situation she feared the most.
Of all the unexpected things that could happen, this was the one that rattled her to the core.
"Come on, Nainai. We need to reach the trees, quickly. We're way too vulnerable here!"
She pushed forward, heading straight toward the treeline, gripping her staff tightly.
Another shiver shot up her back.
It happened in a heartbeat.
A sharp hiss—something cutting through the air at tremendous speed.
It came from ahead.
No—above.
Violet instinctively lifted her gaze, catching only the silhouette of something blocking out the sun for a split second—
—and then slamming into the earth just a short distance in front of them.
The impact boomed across the plain like an explosion.
A huge cloud of dust burst upward, expanding and swallowing everything in a blinding haze.
"What the hell is happening now?!"
The thick cloud billowed outward, rolling over them and momentarily blinding Violet.
Then—
a flicker.
Through the swirling dust, she glimpsed two slitted, glowing shapes.
Eyes.
Staring at her.
Shining with a cold, predatory light.
"Well, well… Looks like today is my lucky day."
A woman's voice. Deep, confident, unshakably sure of itself.
The dust began to settle.
Violet saw heavy armored boots.
Steel greaves wrapped around long, powerful legs.
Then, as the haze dropped away, the whole figure came into view.
Violet froze, trembling as her eyes climbed to the woman's face.
No… No no no…
She knew that face.
She had seen it countless times—on the wanted posters pinned all over the city walls.
That's… Thelvaria? The Wolf-Woman?!
How—how is she here?!
Whitefang stood before them, gazing at the pair with a sharp, predatory focus…
and an unsettling smile curling on her lips.
"A child and a dwarf strolling through the open fields?
What an unusual sight."
Thelvaria, the wolf-woman, towered over them.
Her muscular, powerful build was wrapped in armor that barely covered what it needed to, leaving very little to imagination.
Her abs were perfectly sculpted and fully exposed, and her large chest—tightened beneath the steel breastplate—looked as if it could burst out at any moment.
From her head flowed white, wild hair, from which two black wolf ears protruded forward, alert. Behind her, at the height of her hips, a long, thick, dark tail swayed slowly—betraying her calm confidence.
On her sharp, predatory face rested a mocking grin.
"Th–Th… Thelvaria!"
Violet forced the words out, fully aware of the immense danger standing right in front of them.
The wolf-general stepped forward, brushing dust off her armor, still surrounded by the last drifting traces of the impact.
"You know me?
How flattering…"
Thelvaria's smile widened with satisfaction. Violet, pale as a sheet, felt her legs turn to water, struggling just to stay upright.
"You two certainly have courage, coming this far east. Wandering into the Demon King's territory isn't what I'd call an accomplishment for… people like you.
Are you lost?"
Thelvaria's eyes roamed over the strange pair standing before her.
"Cat got your tongue? Can't speak anymore?"
Violet jolted.
What? How did we get this far east?!
Thelvaria repeated, leaning in ever so slightly.
Her piercing stare froze Violet's blood.
Think, Violet. Think! I can't stay here—I have to say something, anything—
"I–I… yes! Yes, we're lost! But if this is a problem, we'll just… leave! Right away!"
She instinctively stepped back—only to bump into Nainai behind her.
"Stop.
Where do you think you're going?"
Thelvaria's expression shifted—cold, emotionless.
"You've stepped into the Demon King's territory.
And, more importantly… you've wandered straight into my hunting grounds.
I don't care whether you're lost. From the moment you crossed this land, you became my prey."
Werewolf folk were known for their territorial, violent nature—once they set their eyes on something, they never let it go.
I have to convince her to let us go. I can't fight her. There's no way…
"Let us go!" Violet pleaded. "We haven't done anything to you! We're here by mistake—we're not looking for trouble! Just let us leave and we won't ever come back!"
Violet's words fell on deaf ears.
As she listened to the girl's desperate pleas, Thelvaria did not soften—she thrived.
The wolf-woman's jaws parted in a wide grin, revealing sharp predator fangs. Her eyes lit up with a crazed delight.
"Begging… despair… fear!"
Her breath quickened—chest rising and falling faster and faster.
"It's all just so… exhilarating."
She looked like she was about to burst.
Her muscles tightened, swelling beneath her armor, thick veins beginning to throb visibly beneath the skin.
Violet, watching that monstrous excitement build, understood instantly.
Running is pointless. She's too fast. Too strong. And if I turn my back… Nainai won't stand a chance.
Fine. I'm not dying while crying. If I can't escape… I'll buy us time.
Violet straightened her posture, planting her feet, raising her staff and shielding Nainai with her own body.
"Stay behind me!"
Her voice rang clear.
Thelvaria locked eyes with her, reading the resolve burning in them.
"So, you do understand…
Good."
The commander of the Demon Army reached behind her back, fingers closing around a massive hilt.
With a scrape of steel, she drew an enormous blade—then aimed it straight at Violet.
Violet stared at it, frozen.
That wasn't a sword.
It was a monstrous white fang, sharpened to a lethal curve and reforged into a weapon.
"Oh? You like it?"
Thelvaria's grin widened. She could smell Violet's terror.
"This is Fang of the Eastern Wind. Passed down through generations of wolf-chieftains.
It devours the wind's magic…"
She slid a finger along the curved tip.
"Get ready to taste its fury."
With one arm, Thelvaria raised the massive weapon above her head.
Violet barely had time to react.
"Wind Blade!"
The sword flashed—
Wind spiraled violently around the length of the blade, gathering at the tip—
Then the strike fell.
Violet threw up a barrier, heart pounding.
The blade cut through the very air, unleashing a crescent of compressed wind magic that shot toward her at impossible speed.
Impact.
The blast slammed into her shield like a lightning strike, nearly shattering it on the spot.
Violet held on by sheer will, her boots carving a trench in the dirt as she was pushed back, struggling not to be thrown.
Damn it!
One strike and she nearly shattered my barrier… She's really that strong!?