Chapter 24

The inn’s room was locked, and the march of many wolfkin warriors would be impossible to ignore. Thus, the three decided to just go to sleep. They were all tired. For some reason, Meline looked even more exhausted compared to before entering the bath. When she saw him last night, her cheeks went red, and she immediately averted her gaze. Kade could guess what they talked about.

This morning, Meline had recovered. They had two options.

“We can teleport straight back to the castle, or we can investigate.”

Something was amiss in the wolfkin village.

“Is it even safe for us to go out?” Kade asked. They hadn’t been attacked last night, that’s for one.

“Do they know you can teleport?” Linda asked.

“I don’t hide it, but we at the castle don’t have any wolfkin servants. Someone might tell them that, however.”

Meline’s teleportation ability wasn't a secret. It wouldn’t be surprising if a wolfkin asked their friend who worked at the castle, and that friend told them about it. Talking about it wasn’t banned.

“What if they thought we teleported away?”

“... They'll be more lax?”

If they’ve thought that Meline had teleported away, they should be able to go around freely. The wolfkins knew that they were disguised as arakins, but even in their short time here, they’ve seen a couple of other arakins. Meline was also confident in her act. It was safe to assume that the reason someone recognized them was thanks to being too close. The archiver must have noticed and called the ambush after that. To think she was working against them…

“If they think we’ve teleported, would they lower their guard?”

“I have no idea.” Meline shrugged. “This is difficult, I tell you.”

Even now, they didn’t know what they would be looking for. Knowing something existed or that something wasn’t right didn’t help with solving the issue. It just told them that they need to start working.

Kade tried taking a peek through the window. The scenery outside looked no different than yesterday. A bunch of people were going about their business. He even saw a group of four arakins walking by. They looked very similar to them.

“Couldn’t we just try going out?” Linda asked. “I mean, if they surround us, we can just teleport, right? Besides, doesn’t being attacked give us a reason to bring in troops?”

If Meline was attacked, they could deploy troops under the guise of security reasons. It should be a valid reason to deploy soldiers.

“Let’s not,” Meline said. “Even if we have a good excuse, they can still take it the wrong way.”

“Or maybe, we walk around, then when someone attacks us, we teleport them with us to the castle.”

“Wouldn’t they think of us as abducting one of their members, then?”

“We could bait them somewhere.”

Due to the way the buildings were built, there weren’t many alleyways in this village. It still has some secluded spots, however. If they could plan their route carefully, then they should be able to bring people away without anyone seeing.

“Maybe…”

Meline teleported away, leaving Kade and Linda alone with each other.

“So, what did you think of your-”

Meline returned, a map in hand.

“-Future wife?”

“... I haven’t even left for a minute!”

Meline set down the map. It was an old map of the village. At a glance, Kade could already tell that there were differences. But…

“... How about this well over here?”

It was a secluded well between two buildings, two of the few buildings that weren't built into the mountainside.

“That could work.”

“We'll need to bait some high-ranking official away.”

If they captured a low-ranking officer or a regular warrior, then the person might not have any essential information. Even if Meline resorted to underhanded tactics, they couldn't tell them something they themselves don't know.

“But, how do we differentiate between their ranks?” Linda asked. Meline pointed to her left shoulder. “They should have a marking here. Proudful race, they are.”

“Alright, we'll keep an eye out.”

After studying the map and planning their escape route, they left the inn.

•••

The condition outside was just like yesterday. Most of the wolfkins seemed casual, speaking among themselves and not bothering the group. Kade, Meline, and Linda looked around. wolfkin warriors tend to use their armor wherever they go, much like human adventurers. They wouldn't be hiding themselves.

They could see some warriors patrolling the village. When they saw them, they didn't react. They passed a different group of arakins. No reaction from them, either.

“Maybe they've forgotten about us?” Linda asked.

“Maybe...”

If they assumed Meline had teleported away, there would be no reason for them to keep their guard up. At the same time, Meline could return just as easily.

“Excuse me,” someone called out. Meline glanced in the direction of the voice. A wolfkin warrior, but a low-ranking one. He had clean armor, none of the markings the more senior members would have had.

Still, a wolfkin warrior calling out to an arakin was rare. Meline and the rest tensed up.

“Which village did you come from?”

That was the cue.

“Why did you ask?” Meline feigned ignorance. Kade could see an extra set of eyes gazing at them. Several warriors hid throughout the village. There was a tense atmosphere. The regular villagers seemed confused, signaling that they didn't know about this.

The wolfkin didn't expect her to ask back, and the three of them could see him struggling for an answer. One of his superiors must have pushed the issue to them.

Meline wasn't the kind of person who would take the issue out on a regular person. She must find the superior.

“... Sorry for disturbing your day.” To their surprise, the warrior backed down and left. He'll be back, no doubt about it. Unable to figure out what was going on, they continued their walk around the village. At some point, it turned into a date featuring Linda.

Meline showed them around, promoting wolfkin culture. She showed them shops, treated them to delicious food, and even brought them to places with good views. Any spot that they hadn't visited before, she showed it to them. All while certain people observe them.

As they were walking, Kade noticed some hushed whispers. “Man… the current demon lord is really a weakling.”

The three of them went to a small alleyway, close enough so they could hear the conversation.

“... Are you sure that was the demon lord?”

The wolfkin shrugged. “It’s what those guys said.”

“So the demon lord hadn’t disappeared?”

“Not sure. But, she lost to a human. Embarrassing."

“I know, right? Peace with humans? What a joke.”

They were in a wolfkin village, and wolfkins didn’t like Meline. Maybe that was why they could speak ill of the demon lord without fear.

“What should we do, Meline?” Linda asked.

“... Leave them alone. I’m not here to change opinions.”

“Well, alright then.”

They continued going around the city. Not all the wolfkins cared, though. Strangely enough, some warriors didn't even glance their way. They didn't look like they were pretending. Chances are, they really didn't know. It made sense for certain people to be left out. If that person didn't align with their goals, they might report it to the nation.

Thus, the day ended without issue, or at least that's what they thought.

“Let's head back-” Right as Meline said this, a group of arakins surrounded them. They attacked with their daggers. The strike came from an unexpected foe, and they were too close. Meline was forced to teleport them away.