“You’re always like this. No matter how difficult the situation, you’ve never run away. You’ve always faced it courageously, more bravely than anyone else.”
The Dean paused for a moment, then spoke to me in a trembling voice.
“But being so stiff and unyielding will eventually lead to breaking. What use is it if everything ends after your death?”
I never expected such kind words from the Dean.
Unexpected comfort made my heart waver.
But at times like this, I had to hold myself together.
Only by doing so could I protect the people I cherished.
“…But there’s no other choice. I’ve always wanted to be an honorable person. This is not just for me, but for the protection of the Slimela family as well.”
“I knew it. You stubborn fool. You’ve never once listened to my advice.”
With a deep sigh, the Dean took something from his pocket.
“When it becomes truly desperate, break this. It’s a smoke bomb. It won’t last long, but it’ll give you enough time to escape.”
The pouch he handed me was quite heavy.
It felt as heavy as the concern the Dean had for me.
I clutched the pouch to my chest and bowed my head to him.
“Thank you for taking care of this troublesome student. Please, take care of yourself too, Dean.”
“…Take care of yourself as well,” he replied.
It might have been our last farewell.
I turned away quickly, not wanting to show my face, fearing that seeing him might make me falter.
Now, it was truly time to face the wolves that had come for me.
***
The steps I took alone felt especially heavy.
The savage wolves would have no intention of listening to me and might try to kill me instantly.
I had to remind myself several times to calm the fear that threatened to take over.
“Don’t run, Mayhen. You have to remember what you’re fighting for.”
With the light of the stars above guiding me, I moved toward the boundary of Medderland.
There, I saw the golden wall that shone in the night.
According to historical records, the god Bria, who loved the Medderlandian goat-beasts so much, created this barrier to protect them.
It was said to keep the many dangers beyond the wall at bay.
Only the strong, who had completed their missions as problem-solvers and received the blessing of the god, could pass through the wall.
“But this… This isn’t how I wanted to leave Medderland…”
Still, since I was recognized as a problem-solver, there was no issue passing through the barrier.
The problem was that I wasn’t happy about it at all.
As I walked further, I began to spot towering figures in the distance.
“These are really the wolves. All these people came to Medderland just to catch me…”
I carefully observed their figures from afar.
The image of the cruel and vicious wolf-beasts matched the descriptions.
They were committing terrible and cruel acts, beyond anything I had imagined.
“What… What is this…?”
There was a single tree in the wide space next to the barracks, and they had tied a person there, tightly bound.
But what was shocking was what happened next.
They placed an apple on the person’s head and began shooting arrows at it, as if using him as a target.
Whoosh, thud!
The arrow that flew struck the spot where the person’s head had been tied, just in time before the man’s head would have been pierced.
Fortunately, he had managed to turn his head at the last moment and narrowly avoided death.
“Ah, that was close. It was just a mistake, Walton. You know I meant no harm, right?”
The tied man struggled desperately, trying to speak, but his mouth was gagged, making it impossible to understand his words.
“Mmm, mmm! Mmm mmm…!”
“Don’t get mad. You’re not dead, are you? So, who’s next?”
“It’s my turn! You all have no idea how badly I wanted to shoot the arrow, but you kept stealing my turn!”
A person suddenly rushed forward, grabbed the bow and arrows from the one who was about to shoot, and took them for themselves.
Their large, pointed red ears fluttered in excitement.
The one who had been about to shoot was shoved aside, looking surprised as they turned to the others.
“Hey, wasn’t Kris the one who sent someone to the afterlife with a shot last time?”
“Yeah, probably.”
“This time, it’s over for poor Walton. Let’s all pray for him, at least.”
“To die so young without even getting married… what a shame.”
“Mmm, mmm…!”
Just watching was enough to make my mind spin with confusion.
Right beside me was a massive man, the size of a bear, who had been knocked to the ground, his body surrounded by dark, reddish blood, so much so that I couldn’t even bear to look closely.
“How can they be so cruel…!”
They were devils.
The adults weren’t exaggerating when they said such things.
Why did I have to get involved with these terrifying beings?
No matter how hard I tried to remain calm, with death so close, my legs began to tremble as if there were an earthquake beneath me.
I wanted to run away immediately.
But I couldn’t.
I forced my heavy legs forward, one step at a time.
My teeth clenched tightly, and I felt as if I would burst into tears if I let my guard down.
“I can do this, Mayhen. I can’t back down!”
At the moment Kris was about to shoot, the wolves, who had been praying with their eyes closed, turned around at the unfamiliar sound of movement.
They looked at me with confused expressions, as if they couldn’t understand why I was coming toward them with such unsteady steps.
“What’s that?”
“Did she get lost?”
“She’s coming toward us…?”
By the time I reached them, I could barely breathe from fear.
What if that arrow was aimed at me next?
My mouth went dry, and I couldn’t speak properly.
My throat felt like it was closing up.
“I… I’m here.”
My voice, so small it was barely audible, seemed to go unnoticed.
“What’s she saying?”
“I don’t know. Is she a mute or something?”
The large men looked down at me with troubled expressions, and the sheer terror of standing in front of the wolves overwhelmed me, leaving me almost unable to stand.
Then, from behind, I heard a sharp voice shouting.
“You fools! Of course, she can’t speak properly, looking at your scary faces!”
A large hand suddenly appeared from behind and shoved the men aside.
The person who stepped forward was a middle-aged man, his face marked with a large scar that ran from his left eye to his mouth.
‘And you’re the one with the scariest face here…’
He cleared his throat loudly, then smiled, stretching the corners of his mouth up to where his cheekbones were, revealing sharp fangs in the wide grin.
His eyes gleamed dangerously, with too much of the white showing, giving off the eerie glow of madness.
This was the face of a lunatic murderer.
It was the kind of face that would haunt you in nightmares for a month if you saw it in your dreams.
“Ack…!”
The man, like a psychopath, paused for a moment at my scream, but he kept his expression unwavering.
Then, he put on an overly cheerful, fake tone and spoke to me.
“Hey, kid! What are you doing out here alone at this hour? It’s dangerous! You’re not lost, are you?”
“Don’t you know?”
It was a grotesque combination of everything strange.
If I were any younger, I would have surely burst into tears by now.
But I hated being misunderstood like this, receiving such uncomfortable attention.
I clenched my trembling fist and shouted at the top of my lungs.
“Everything’s wrong…! I’m not a lost child. I’m the assassin from the rumors!”
Unfortunately, my voice was so loud that it echoed all the way over the Meaderland ridge.
The wolves, startled, exchanged glances with each other.
The man who looked the most fearsome, like a murderer, scratched his head with a bewildered expression.
“Really, you’re the assassin? The one who infiltrated Hamilton to kill the Emperor?”
“I didn’t try to kill him, but… if you’re asking about the person who infiltrated the residence in the middle of the night, that was me.”
“Isn’t anyone calling themselves an assassin these days? Maybe you’re being paid to send someone else here, huh?”
The man in front of me wasn’t easily convinced.
His suspicious eyes scanned me, and he threw sharp questions at me, like he was interrogating me.
“Then prove it. When did you break into Argon’s chambers?”
It had been hard enough just to get here, and now I had to prove I was an assassin?
It was ridiculous.
Even if I tried to deny I was an assassin, it wouldn’t be enough.
But there was no choice.
I had to think back to the day I first received the mission.
“It was a week ago, in the dead of night.”
“Describe Argon.”
“He has blue eyes and silver hair.”
With my unhesitating answers, the wolves murmured again.
But the man at the front still didn’t relax his stern face.
“You never know. Anyone could have gathered this information. I can’t just believe you based on this.”
“I swear! Why would I lie about something I didn’t do? Or…”
What else could I say?
There had to be something, some decisive detail that only someone who had seen him could know.
Then, suddenly, one thought popped into my mind.
If I said this, maybe it would immediately clear their suspicions.