OPDSP 25

It resembled a gray wolf, but it was a horrific, monstrous creature with its flesh and skin hanging loosely from its bones. When it bared its teeth, it almost seemed like it was smiling.

“A ghost wolf pack.”

“It seems we’re surrounded.”

Six or so ghost wolves circled around Aeryl and his group slowly. Their movements were those of predators stalking their prey, closing in little by little. It felt as if they were slowly tightening their grip.

This is dangerous.
It seemed like the creatures would pounce at any moment. The soldiers gripped their weapons tighter, looking around anxiously.

“There are five of them. Too many. It’ll be hard to fight.”

“If we want to escape, we’ll have to break through the encirclement.”

“If we all rush in, we’ll be fine. But then, our backs will be exposed.”

Just from their conversation, Aeryl could tell how serious the situation was.

“What should we do, Innis?”

“If you ask me… sigh.”

Innis seemed like she was about to say something but sighed and opened her mouth again.

“They won’t follow us too far because there’s a baby with them. First, we’ll break through with formation number 4. I’ll handle the rear.”

Innis skillfully gave the orders and then grabbed Aeryl’s arm, pulling him along.

“Get on.”

“Huh?”

Aeryl was forcibly placed onto the cart.

‘Whoa!’

His feet were off the ground, and he couldn’t get back up. The cart was small, so his bottom was squeezed tightly. This didn’t seem right. Aeryl couldn’t even say anything.

“Formation number 4!”

Innis shouted while holding onto the cart handle. The soldiers immediately formed a ‘ㄷ’ shape, holding up their shields and spears. The shields were arranged like a sturdy wall, and the spear tips pointed threateningly in all directions.

“Let’s break through!”

“Break through!”

Innis and the soldiers rushed forward as one, as swift as if they had been shot out of a slingshot. The ghost wolves didn’t stay still. They dodged the spears and lunged. The shields were firm, and the spears, gaining speed, were quite threatening.

The soldiers pushed forward with all their strength, with Inis following behind. The problem was with the rear. They had cleared the encirclement in the front, but the back was left exposed. The ghost wolves that had been bounced off the shields rose again and charged at their backs.

One of the ghost wolves leaped toward Innis, its mouth wide open, aiming for her back, which was completely unprotected.

“Ahhh!”

Aeryl screamed, flailing his limbs wildly. He wasn’t even close, but it was just his frantic struggle. At that moment, when it seemed like a terrible end was inevitable, a huge shield-like shape appeared behind Inis.

A shield so massive it could belong to a giant. The ghost wolf was struck and sent flying.

What is this? Magic?

Aeryl’s eyes widened. But he was the only one surprised. The others, as if they had expected this, didn’t even worry about their backs and kept charging forward.

***

Aeryl had once asked his teacher after seeing a healing spell.

“How can one use magic?”

His teacher responded with his usual disgruntled expression.

“Learn and practice until you die. Then it might happen… or it might not.”

It was a careless response, but it also pierced to the heart of the nature of magic.

The first recorded mage was the wife of a poor farmer. To contribute to the household, she sewed every day, and at some point, she was able to make the thread and needle move without touching them.

In this way, magic naturally occurred when one became truly engrossed in an action and repeated it. Doctors had magic to heal wounds, blacksmiths gained magic to control fire. However, not everyone could acquire magic, as it was a power that naturally imbued itself.

Nowadays, some forms of magic had established training methods, and there were people who became known as mages after mastering many spells. They even used magical stones and spells to create useful tools.

In this sense, the fact that Innis could use magic was unusual but not entirely impossible.

‘The shield form… It was definitely a defensive magic.’

It seemed like a spell that would naturally develop in someone who was frequently attacked. Furthermore, it had the distinct shape of a shield, something that would be used specifically in combat.

Considering the nature of the magic and how the soldiers treated Inis, Aeryl guessed that Innis probably held a high rank among the soldiers.

‘Why would someone like that be working as a porter…’

From the way she stubbornly refused treatment and vomited upon seeing healing magic, Aeryl could only guess that there was a problem related to it.

‘The most accurate way would be to ask her directly.’

Aeryl and his group escaped the ghost wolves and quickly returned to the main camp. They had sprinted so fast that everyone except Aeryl collapsed at the entrance of the camp. Since Aeryl was relatively unharmed from riding in the cart, he went to report the situation to the commander in place of the others.

By chance, the combat unit had arrived a little earlier, so the Grand Duke was also present in the commander’s tent.

“What happened?”

The commander asked. The Grand Duke was examining the map spread out on the desk, but Aeryl could feel his attention was on him through pheromones.

“We encountered monsters while gathering herbs.”

Aeryl explained how he had come across the ghost wolves. Upon hearing this, the commander’s expression turned thoughtful for some reason.

“Ghost wolves, you say?”

Why is he so serious? Ghost wolves are creepy and scary, but there were only about five of them. The combat unit had fought against much more dangerous and numerous monsters.

“Exactly where was it?”

The Grand Duke asked. Aeryl approached the map and pointed to a spot that seemed roughly correct.

“This area.”

“This is an area that’s already been cleared. It’s not a place where ghost wolves are known to appear.”

“I see.”

The Grand Duke, with his usual unreadable expression, looked at the commander’s face, which was definitely tense.

“Is this really a problem?”

Aeryl asked, and the commander signaled for him to leave.

“This is not a question for you. Leave now.”

Aeryl was about to say something but the Grand Duke interrupted.

“It’s fine. If he doesn’t know, he can ask.”

The Grand Duke lightly scolded the commander and turned to explain to Aeryl.

“Ghost wolves usually reside deeper in the forest. It’s rare for them to come this far out.”

If it was just a group of adults, they might have ventured out for hunting or scouting. But Aeryl had also found a cub.

“There’s only one reason why they would be moving with cubs. They’ve been driven out of their original habitat and are looking for a new place.”

“Driven out?”

“Monsters also have territorial disputes.”

“Something must have caused a sudden surge in a pack or a powerful monster to appear there. Something unexpected on our side. We don’t know how far the effects of this will spread.”

The fact that the monsters had started moving meant that the purge unit would likely encounter more dangerous monsters as well.

“Should we turn back?”

The commander asked. The Grand Duke thought for a moment before answering.

“Increase reconnaissance and observe the situation further. If we withdraw now, the nearby villages won’t survive the winter.”

“Understood.”

The Grand Duke gave the order, then turned to Aeryl.

“You, follow me.”

“Me?”

Aeryl was surprised as he hadn’t expected to meet the Grand Duke in the daytime. The Grand Duke left the commander’s tent, and Aeryl discreetly followed behind.

The Grand Duke and Aeryl walked slowly inside the camp. Aeryl, sensing the Grand Duke’s mood, spoke up.

“Is it okay if we’re seen together?”

“It’s not for medical treatment. And at this point, it’s about time people see me looking out for you.”

It seemed like there was some complicated arrangement involved.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

“That’s usually the case.”

The Grand Duke replied casually. Aeryl gave up trying to figure out his intentions but thought that the Grand Duke wasn’t simply bringing him along for appearances.

“What is it you want to say?”

“You’re quick on the uptake. You don’t seem like it, though.”

“I hear that a lot. People say blondes are dumb.”

“You’re not blonde, though.”

‘Oops, I dyed my hair brown now.’

“I mean, that’s what people say. They just assume I’m dumb based on my face. So, what do you want to say?”

Aeryl naturally steered the conversation away.

The Grand Duke paused for a moment, looked down at Aeryl, then began walking again. After a moment, he slowly started speaking.