Eggshell on the Butt, Corpse on the Cart
The female Wolf Knight stepped out of the mage's house. Lazuro and Fireburp had already noticed from afar that the sounds of battle had faded, and they instantly knew the fight was over. Both of them hoped Anita would be the one to emerge victorious.
The dragon girl rushed to her immediately. Anita's face was pale—partly from the exhausting use of her ice‑demon power, and partly because she had recently emptied her stomach all over the laboratory floor.
"I could drink an entire barrel of beer right now," the Wolf Knight grumbled, wiping her mouth. "My tongue tastes like vomit. Good thing I'm not sleeping in Young Wolf's bed tonight."
Fireburp raised an eyebrow. "How many points did you get for that monster?"
"Five points for its head. Or its blood… or its soul… I have no idea what my Dark Sword counts as demon essence," Anita waved dismissively.
"Your own sword, and you don't even know how to use it properly?" the dragon girl teased.
"Oh, right, because you can take on your Golden Dragon form all by yourself? No? Didn't think so. Then don't act tough while the eggshell is still hanging off your butt."
"There is no eggshell on my butt!" Fireburp protested indignantly.
Lazuro burst out laughing. "That's what we say about kids who are still too young and inexperienced. But I'm glad you were the one who came out victorious. That demon was huge. Just what one would expect from the she‑wolves of Wolfwood."
"You and that bard are real buddies," Anita remarked. "Next time you're drinking together, tell him about our little adventure. Maybe he'll write another song about the she‑wolves."
"Say no more," Lazuro grinned. "I saw that beast with my own eyes. I'll never forget that abomination as long as I live. Are all demons that disgusting?"
"No, this one wasn't a demon," Anita replied. "It was the mage himself—Watered Marek."
Lazuro stared at her, stunned. "What? The mage was the monster?"
"An idiotic experiment gone wrong," Anita sighed. "By the way, Fireburp, do you have the mage's book?"
"Yes, right here. I brought it with me," the dragon girl nodded.
"Good. That's all we need."
"Then let's get out of here before the villagers show up," Lazuro suggested. "With the noise you two made, they probably heard it all the way to the village."
"We're five miles from the village. No way they heard it," Anita replied. "But still, better if we leave immediately. Though before that… Fireburp, since you love burning things so much… let's see how fast you can set the mage's house on fire."
"You want to burn the house down? Why?" Lazuro asked.
"Watered Marek was experimenting on demons. Better if the Royal Mages never find out. I've grown fond of this village—let them stay out of this mess. This is the last favor I'm doing for that idiot mage."
"I see," Lazuro nodded. "Then Fireburp should fly us back to our cart first, and after that she can burn things to her dragon heart's content."
"I don't know why," Fireburp said, her eyes gleaming dangerously, "but now I suddenly feel the urge to set this whole house ablaze."
"You'll end up a bigger pyromaniac than Wildfire ever was," Anita smirked.
Fireburp carried the female knight and the adventurer across the mage's estate one by one, carefully avoiding every magical trap. Once both of them were safely outside, she flew back to the house—and set it thoroughly ablaze. The mage's home was packed with flammable materials he used for his experiments, so the flames spread across the building in seconds. By the time Fireburp left the estate, the chain reactions of unknown substances had detonated the entire structure.
The group was already sitting on their cart, staring wide‑eyed as a massive fireball rose into the sky where the estate once stood.
"Now that the whole village definitely heard," Lazuro remarked.
"I said burn it, not blow the whole damn place up!" Anita snapped.
"What did you expect?" Fireburp shrugged. "Dragonfire is way stronger than natural flames. Though… even I didn't expect this much."
"Alright, let's get moving—preferably in the opposite direction of the village," Lazuro urged.
By the time the village guards arrived, the mage's estate was already engulfed in towering flames, and the culprits were long gone. The group made a wide detour around the village so no one would see them or even suspect they had been nearby.
By morning, the fire had burned itself out. Only thin trails of black smoke drifted up from the ruins. The tall stone wall surrounding the estate had thankfully contained the blaze, preventing it from spreading further.
The villagers, of course, immediately blamed the demons. And so the rumor spread: the wicked mage had been slain by demons, who then burned his house to the ground. The story traveled all the way to the capital—reaching even the ears of the Hero.
Royal Whitefort — Council Chamber
After the King's death, the new council gathered once more in the vast, vaulted chamber of the Royal Castle. The Princess had taken over the rule of the Kingdom, and at her side stood the royal archmage, Master Albert. Among the council members sat the Captain of the Royal Knights, John Scarlett, and his daughter, the Hero, Eris Scarlett.
Master Albert was the first to speak, his tone grim.
"A rather unpleasant rumor is spreading among the people. In a nearby village, demons killed a water mage and burned down his estate."
John frowned. "Are we certain the villagers actually saw demons?"
"They heard them," Albert replied. "I knew the mage. He was one of my former students—Watered Marek. An arrogant little nobody obsessed with experimenting on humans. Despite that, I'm not pleased about his death. Because of the enormous damage and countless casualties caused by demons lately, I had decided to give him another chance… but that will no longer happen."
Eris leaned forward. "Is it possible the demons are deliberately hunting water mages?"
"We cannot rule it out," Albert said with a nod. "We still know far too little, but the investigation is underway."
John shifted the topic. "What about the three Royal Knights we found dead in the alleys?"
"The autopsy confirmed it," Albert said darkly. "They were killed by demons as well."
The Princess clenched her fists. "Wonderful. Demons have infiltrated the capital, and we're forced to watch helplessly as they slaughter our people one by one!"
"Please, calm yourself, Princess," John said. "These demons are likely assassins. They work alone, and tracking them is nearly impossible."
Albert cleared his throat awkwardly. "At my favorite place… I mean—slip of the tongue. At the most popular brothel, the Honey Pear, they also killed the most beloved girl."
The Princess sighed. "Let me guess: demons again."
"We found demonic traces in her room," John confirmed. "The entire place was covered in demon‑claw slashes."
"We must double the city guard," the Princess declared. "At night, our people's dreams must be guarded more vigilantly than ever."
"I agree," John said. "Reassuring the people is our top priority."
Master Albert added his own decree. "And I will recall every mage to the Royal Mage Academy. No mage may remain on their own estate—otherwise each of them will end up dead by the filthy hands of demons. The only exceptions are the mages of the four great noble houses: the Greenwood house's earth mage, Lady Floralys; the Redwood house's water mage; the Silverwood house's wind mage; and the Wolfwood house's fire mage—my dear old fool of a friend, Master Florian."
"And of course Young Wolf and Noelle," the Princess added.
"Indeed," Albert nodded. "The point is: we must not panic, and we must not rush. Assassins like these demons can only be caught with patience—and well‑laid traps."
On the Road to Wolfwood
While the council in Royal Whitefort was busy hunting for an invisible enemy, Anita and Fireburp were already on their way toward Wolfwood. In the back of their cart lay the corpse of the succubus, and beside it the mage's secret spellbook. Lazuro, the adventurer, no longer traveled with them—he had stayed behind in the capital and returned to the Ironclaw Inn.
The female Wolf Knight and the dragon girl were halfway to Wolfwood's border when a patrol of Royal Knights approached from the opposite direction. They were still far away, but close enough to be clearly visible. Anita glanced sideways at Fireburp.
"Not a word of unnecessary chatter," she warned. "I'll handle it. You just keep quiet."
"I'll be silent, just like when Young Wolf reads a book in front of me," Fireburp replied.
"Good."
The Royal Knights reached the cart. Their leader walked toward Anita, while the others headed to the back to inspect the cargo.
"I am the female Wolf Knight of Andras Wolfwood," Anita introduced herself. "Here are my papers."
"No need," the knight replied. "I know who you are. Anita the Whirlwind. Fall back, boys! This cart is clean."
The knights immediately abandoned the inspection and gathered around Anita instead.
"I saw you at the tournament," their leader said enthusiastically. "You were the first to draw blood on the Hero's face. What a duel that was! Shame they don't hold a special match for third place. I would've loved to see you fight Christina Silverwood. Between us… who do you think would've won?"
"I see I'm dealing with a true duel expert," Anita smiled. "I'd gladly cross blades with Christina. As for who would win… only the Goddess knows."
"Sorry for stopping you," the knight continued. "From afar we couldn't tell who was riding the cart."
"It's fine. I'm a knight too," Anita replied. "You're just doing your duty."
"Don't even get me started," the knight sighed. "We're practically doing double shifts. A few knights were killed in the capital, and some prostitute too. Then one of the mages was executed. Supposedly demons."
"Demons in the capital? That's terrible," Anita said with just the right amount of concern.
"Yeah. Ever since the Greenwood massacre, they could be anywhere. But I won't keep you any longer. Be careful out there. May the courage of the knights be with you."
"Good luck with the patrol," Anita said as they parted.
The Royal Knights rode off, and Anita and Fireburp continued toward Wolfwood.
"That demon mark of yours is something else," Fireburp remarked. "I still can't smell the corpse. It's frozen solid."
"Yeah. Without it, the stench would've been so bad I'd have had to cut down those poor knights," Anita replied.
"How lucky they are."
"Don't jinx it," Anita warned. "They might actually run into demons while patrolling."
"Do you think we'll get some kind of reward from Young Wolf?" Fireburp asked. "You know… for the succubi demon's corpse and the mage's book?"
"He'll be happy, sure," Anita said. "But don't expect too much. Right now he's busy with that cursed evil dragon necklace he got from Wildfire."