“What did you just say, little girl!?” Kennedy, from Chapman’s squad, glared at Leya, his voice laced with fury.
Feeling utterly bewildered, Leya reiterated, “I said, release that Wolf King and let me handle it. Is there a problem with that?”
“You… you scoundrel!—” Kennedy roared suddenly, appearing on the verge of lunging towards Leya.
However, in the nick of time, Jim, who stood nearby, intervened. “Calm down, Kennedy! What are you doing?!”
“What am I doing!? I want her to kneel and apologize to Daina and Jason!”
Leya: ‘…………’
“You… that’s enough, Kennedy! She’s just a child!—”
Leya: ‘…………’
‘What on earth is this?’
‘Why do they immediately resort to violence if I say something they dislike? What have I done wrong? These creepy old men are truly terrifying!’ Leya thought, feeling utterly vexed.
It wasn’t just Leya; Angela, standing beside her, also furrowed her brows in palpable anger.
Though she had lost all confidence in this battle upon seeing the corpses of Daina and Jason on the ground, she couldn’t simply abandon them. Moreover, retreating now would be a tremendous loss of face. If news of it spread, the entire Adventurers’ Guild would surely cast them out.
But still! Although Leya’s previous words had been quite “presumptuous,” Angela couldn’t help but feel that these grown men were being overly petty with a little girl, even going so far as to utter such threats. Wasn’t that a bit much?
Just then, finding the perfect excuse to flee, she seized the opportunity. She declared righteously,
“Miss Leya, let’s go. Given their attitude, they truly deserve whatever comes to them!”
“Go?” Leya shook her head, pointing towards the distant depths of the forest, the direction from which the wolf howls emanated. She spoke with grave seriousness, “I still need to slay the Wolf King. How can I leave?”
“Uh, well…”
‘She didn’t even know where to begin to retort! Were her earlier words not just a joke? She actually intended to do it!’
“Hey!—You two little girls over there!”
Suddenly, a voice rang out from not far away. It belonged to the young, blonde spearman, Jim, who was now holding Kennedy back with all his might, shouting with desperate urgency:
“This is no place for you two Lv1s to mess around! If you truly want to help, you’d better get far away and find us some reinforcements!”
Leya: ‘…………’
‘I clearly said to leave the Wolf King to me. They truly are a bunch of insensitive oafs, that guy just now and this one too…’
“Um, Miss Leya, perhaps we should listen to him…”
Angela, for her part, wholeheartedly agreed with Jim’s suggestion.
It was evident to Angela that if an Lv2, A-rank adventurer squad couldn’t resolve this, then she and Miss Leya, merely an Lv1 healer and a mage, would be rushing to their deaths.
Moreover, the targets of the attack were the captain’s enemies, weren’t they? If not for Leya remaining rooted to the spot, Angela would have long since fled.
“Listen to him? I why should I listen to him? I came to slay the Wolf King, not to merely watch!” Leya grew increasingly impatient, listening to their dismissive remarks. ‘What was with everyone looking down on her like this?’
“Angela… how about this? Since that’s the case, you stay here and hide, or go back to fetch reinforcements. How does that sound?”
“But… what about you, Miss Leya?”
“Me?” Leya scoffed lightly, then tilted her head back at a forty-five-degree angle, gazing at the sky, and smiled with unwavering confidence.
“Need you even ask? Of course, I’m going to slay the Wolf King!”
Angela: ‘…………’
‘It… it looks so cool, though! Her dress swept through the air in a graceful arc with the breeze, possessing an indescribable, almost boyish, heroic beauty!’
‘But… but… what on earth was Miss Leya thinking, to challenge the Netherworld Wolf King, capable of instantly killing Lv2 warriors, with only Lv1 strength?!’
“Alright then… System, begin transformation!” Leya, sensing the opportune moment, spoke these words internally.
[Ding-dong—Command received. Intermediate Character Transformation Card successfully used. Transforming into Artoria… Transformation commencing…]
“Hehehe… The real show… the game of hunter and beast has begun!—”
****
“Damn it! Let go of me, Jim! Do you know what you’re doing?!”
“It’s precisely because I know that I won’t let you act recklessly! Kennedy, please, calm down!”
Yet, amidst the chaos, the argument over Leya continued unabated.
“You scoundrel! She’s insulting Daina and Jason! No matter her reasons, as a mere Lv1, she has no right to utter such words! This is an insult to the valiant spirits of fallen warriors, a provocation to our entire squad… I will make her apologize to Daina and Jason, so let me go!—”
Kennedy, at that moment, was a raging beast, his face flushed and neck bulging as he glared at Leya, looking as if he wanted to devour her whole.
Jim, however, held onto Kennedy’s body with a death grip. As a spearman who had long practiced martial arts, it was true that Kennedy appeared more formidable in stature. Yet, when it came to sheer strength, Kennedy, who specialized in archery, lagged far behind Jim.
Despite the situation, they couldn’t just leave these two to their squabble. Especially with the wolf pack now less than a few dozen meters away from their group.
For now, the mysterious Wolf King’s presence kept them from attacking, but there was no telling how long this eerie peace would last.
Undoubtedly, a dispute among themselves at this juncture would be the most foolish decision imaginable.
Chapman’s expression hardened, his words carrying an undeniable authority. “Everyone, stop this! Look at yourselves! What a pathetic sight! Ridiculous, truly ridiculous. You’re making a fool of me, Chapman!”
“Cap—Captain! I…” Kennedy’s words caught in his throat.
“Silence! Especially you, Kennedy!” Chapman roared, his voice booming.
“Ignoring orders, disregarding discipline—do you even see me as your captain anymore!? Or are you saying you’d rather abandon seeking revenge on the Netherworld Wolf King than let go of a grudge against this half-grown girl!?”
“I… but…” Kennedy’s eyes were filled with a mixture of unwillingness, fury, and resentment.
“Enough! There are no ‘buts’! She is still a child. We’ll discuss this later. Now is not the time for petty grievances, do you understand!?”
“I… yes…”
Hearing Kennedy’s reluctant reply, Chapman nodded in satisfaction, though he knew Kennedy remained unyielding in his heart.
‘But could he, himself, truly let it go?’
Chapman clenched his fist tightly.
‘That girl… first, her unwarranted sarcasm, and now, to utter such words right in front of him…’
‘What a joke! How dare a mere Lv1 speak with such arrogance! Especially right after Daina and Jason had just died… Wasn’t this an insult to the spirits of the fallen heroes!?’
“Cap—Captain… she, she, she… she’s here!” It was Kenneth, the healer’s, voice.
“She? Who is she? The Wolf King? Perfect, hahahahaha—the chance for revenge is upon us! I’ll kill it!”
“No, Captain… not the Wolf King. I mean… she, it’s her… that silver-haired girl!”
“Hm?” Chapman was momentarily stunned.
Indeed, following the direction Kenneth pointed, Chapman too beheld that… sight.
W-O-C! ‘What happened to the silver-white hair?! Why is it a golden light mass?!’
Whoosh—
‘And that speed! Holy crap! Are you sure she isn’t cheating?!’
Instantly, even Chapman’s face revealed an undisguised astonishment.
Chapman, after all, was an Lv3 warrior! He was among the elite few who stood at the pinnacle of human martial artists.
Yet, even he could barely keep up with the trajectory of Leya’s light mass!
This unprecedented sight brought an immense psychological shock to Chapman—no, it utterly astounded him and his companions!
“Captain… she!” Even Kennedy couldn’t remain calm, stammering as he pointed at the fleeting golden streak of light in the distance.
“Uh… could this be…?”
“What is it, Captain?” Even Jim grew curious. After all, as a spearman, or rather, as a proficient martial artist, Jim, like most, harbored an innate and intense reverence for the strong.
‘But how could Leya, who was clearly Lv1 in magical ability just moments ago, suddenly display such extraordinary power? This couldn’t be explained by common sense anymore, could it? Even a miracle wouldn’t be this absurd! Jim was incredibly intrigued!’
“A Sacred Relic… a Sacred Relic related to movement speed! Yes, it must be!”
Stroking his not-so-long beard, Chapman, in the manner of an otherworldly master, began to hypnotize himself and the others.
****
Ignoring the increasingly absurd “tea party” that was unfolding there for now.
Leya, meanwhile, was diligently using the moments before her transformation’s light fully dissipated to escape everyone’s sight.
From the current outcome, Leya glanced back at the dense forest with satisfaction. Surely, with the trees as cover, she wouldn’t be easily discovered.
Of course, this wasn’t a strict requirement. It was merely a precaution, as Leya truly didn’t want to expose herself as Saber while the Guild of Roseland incident remained unresolved.
“Awoo!————”
“Oh? Have I been noticed?” Leya’s delicate brows furrowed slightly.
As that familiar wolf howl echoed through the forest once more, Leya, utilizing Saber’s combat instincts, could clearly sense an increasing number of wolf packs closing in on her.
‘Ah… a failure! I should have used a different Intermediate Transformation Card! Saber isn’t particularly skilled in stealth operations!’
‘Though, it’s not as if I ever intended to be stealthy, hehe…’
Rustle—Rustle—
‘Finally, they’re here?’
“Hmph—” Leya took a deep breath, simultaneously tightening her grip on the Sword of Promised Victory.
Judging by the absence of black aura so far, it seemed not all Netherworld Wolves possessed it. In fact, as Leya charged through, she noticed that very few wolf packs had the black aura.
‘In that case… locating the Wolf King will be incredibly easy!’
Leya’s eyes gleamed with intensity as she stared directly at the exaggerated black aura hovering above the jungle. A playful smile curved her lips.
“Awoooooooo—!”
Suddenly, as if igniting a barrel of gunpowder, a small male wolf, identical to the other Netherworld Wolves with its mysteriously powerful white stripes, roared and lunged at Leya!
Hum—
The sharp, whistling sound of the Sword of Promised Victory cutting through the air required no reaction time from Leya. Instinctively, subconsciously, she swung it towards the unfortunate wolf.
The creature responded instantly, cleaved cleanly in two.
But it was not destined to be alone. Immediately after, hundreds of Netherworld Wolves surged forward, charging at Leya from the tall grass, the paths, and even from the trees (a thick mist obscuring their exact origins).
“Tsk… if I’d known this would happen… I should have just used my ultimate move to clear the area. Well, this will be fun, hehe…”
Despite her words, her body moved with honest delight. Leya wore a visibly cheerful expression as she brandished the Sword of Promised Victory and dashed towards the source of that black aura.
Hum—
She charged forward to kill.