[09] NEW ALLY, OLD GRAVES

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They reached the last cell, the only one illuminated.

They stopped in front of it, and the brothers’ eyes widened. The enormous silver wolf lay sleeping on the sheets.

“WHOA… THAT’S HUGE?!” Kaelen said.

“Right. Even for an alpha, it’s too huge for a wolf. Nalia, are you sure this is a wolf?” Rhys said, doubting his sister.

Nalia? Cris thought silently from his corner.

“Hmm. It is indeed very different from the ones sold in illegal auctions,” Marcus observed.

“How should I know? The System was the one who told me to save it,” Lia said.

Marcus side-eyed Cris, who just looked confused but not suspicious of their bizarre talk.

“Anyway, maybe it’s a mutant? Abnormal?” Rhys suggested.

“Hmm, maybe it’s just obese…” Kaelen mused.

“That’s offensive.”

“What’s offensive about that, you jerk?” Kaelen snapped at Marcus, who stood next to him looking bewildered.

“What’s your problem, airhead?” Marcus retorted.

“Playing dumb?!” Kaelen shot back.

They turned to the three in front of them, who looked dazed, staring at the wolf. Especially Cris, who looked like all the blood had drained from his face.

“H-hey… what’s wrong?” Kaelen asked.

“T-that… animal just spoke,” Lia said, still dazed.

“What?!” Marcus exclaimed. “Are you sure you’re not delirious from your wounds?”

“It really did speak…” Rhys confirmed, his voice low.

“Human, why did you save me?” the wolf spoke again, its voice a low, resonant rumble that vibrated in the stone chamber.

“AAAAHHH! MONSTER! MONSTER!” Cris cried, grabbing onto Lia’s shoulder. She groaned as the sudden shift jolted her injured ribs.

“Fuck… calm down!!” Lia gritted out.

“MONSTER? HOW DISRESPECTFUL,” the wolf said, its eyes glowing with a menacing light.

“HE’S GOING TO EAT ME! YOUR GRACE! WAAAH!” Cris wailed.

“Seriously? Is this guy serious right now?” Kaelen said, looking at Cris in disbelief.

“Should I punch him?” Rhys murmured.

“Enough,” Marcus commanded. He turned to the wolf, his stance shifting to something more guarded. “You. Why are you speaking, you mere wolf? Are you a monster?”

“MERE WOLF? MONSTER?” The wolf’s murderous aura grew, feeling suffocating even in its weakened state. “YOU IGNORANT PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW, BUT WE ARE DESCENDANTS OF THE GREAT SUN.”

“Great Sun?” Lia echoed. “Hmm, the god? So the god is a wolf?”

“Is he?” Rhys quipped.

“FOOLISH. WERE YOU THE GUARDIANS OF THE NORTH? YOU USELESS SUBJECTS OF THE GREAT SUN.”

Lia looked at the wolf with a matching menace. “Watch your mouth. You should be grateful I picked you up, you ungrateful piece of shit.”

The wolf’s eyes suddenly filled with a mad, sorrowful light. “It is because I was running from the leader of the metal-skin giant centipedes…”

“W-what? There’s a monster like that out there?” Cris questioned in disbelief.

“Indeed. I’ve never encountered it,” Eliana said, making Cris even more confused—she hadn’t even been in the North for weeks.

“There is. Because of their metal-skin, swords can’t penetrate them,” Kaelen said, his face twisting into something dark and furious, like he had an old score to settle.

“That’s right,” Havec confirmed. “We were able to survive in that rotting forest thanks to our ancestors securing a safe zone… yet the border around it weakens, and the Void Rot slowly advances into our territory. That’s when the stronger monsters started to appear.” Havec looked pained. “We barely survived the food shortage, but we managed… until those damned centipedes attacked. While we were protecting the young and old wolves during our escape, I got separated fending off the one chasing us. I must have wandered far if you found me around here.”

“Hmm, I see. You’re worried about your pack?” Lia asked, as if she knew exactly what he felt.

“I am. I am so worried… Human, I know you are good people. From the moment you entered this place, I felt no ill intent—even if you have filthy mouths—”

“What the fuck did you just say?!” Kaelen snapped.

“I plead with you… please save my pack. I may not be able to offer anything now… but I promise, in the name of the Great Sun, Solaria… I will repay you.”

Lia looked troubled. She saw herself in him—that same desperate, hopeless resolve.

“Even if we wanted to… we’re struggling ourselves, short on manpower… No one dares to go beyond the walls,” Eliana said, her voice heavy with reality.

Then, a sudden holographic system message appeared, visible only to the siblings:

[NEW QUEST: RESCUE THE SILVER WOLVES TRIBE SURVIVORS]
[AWARD: 200,000 EXP, 15,000 SP]
[REJECTED: -100,000 EXP]
[TIME: ONE WEEK FROM NOW]

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” the four siblings yelled in unison.

Lia massaged her temple. “Ha… seems like we don’t have a choice. Damn Admins.”

[ADMIN A: THIS IS BEYOND OUR POWER! THE SYSTEM AND ADMINS WORK IN DIFFERENT AREAS!]
[ADMIN B: DON’T BLAME US!]

The siblings twitched, their lips pressed into identical, pissed-off lines.

“We’ll save your pack, to the best of our ability. But can you wait a week? We need time to prepare. We have few soldiers and can’t leave the fortress defenseless,” Marcus said.

“That is fine with me… I am beyond grateful,” Havec replied.

“I’ll go,” Lia said. “After all, you need an assault soldier, right?”

“What are you talking about? You’re injured!” Marcus argued.

“T-that’s right, Your Grace… and I don’t understand everything, but going out into the Void Rot forest?! Are you trying to meet the Great Sun early?!” Cris stammered.

Trust me. I’ve already died twice and never ended up there.

“Didn’t we bring high-quality potions? I’ll drink those three days before we leave. I’ll let my body get accustomed to this pain first,” Lia insisted.

“I will go as well. If it is a week, I will be fully healed by then. We Silver Wolves have fast recovery,” Havec said.

“Then I’ll go too. I’m the vanguard, after all,” Kaelen added.

Marcus sighed deeply. “Let’s take this talk upstairs. Havec, you will not try anything, will you?”

“What do you take me for? I have little interest in humans,” Havec scoffed.

“Very well.” Marcus moved to unlock the cell.

Cris immediately hid behind Eliana.

“Seriously, dude? You’re the only one I know who uses their boss as a human shield,” Kaelen said, looking at Cris clinging to his sister.

“B-but I-I’m s-scared…” Cris whispered, peeking out from behind Lia’s shoulder.

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏

The siblings decided to let the night pass before discussing the expedition to save Havec’s pack.

Havec was settled in a vacant guest room, still under treatment for his external wounds. The servants were terrified of approaching him, convinced he was a monster, and deliberately avoided the entire wing where he was kept.

“W-what d-do y-you mean I’m the one responsible for Sir Havec’s food?!” Cris bawled at the siblings in the study.

“You already know him. Stop acting like a bitch,” Kaelen said, crossing his arms and looking bored.

“Even sooo! I was afraid of him behind bars—how much more now that he’s upstairs?! My Grace!” Cris clutched desperately at Lia’s coat.

“‘My Grace’?” Rhys raised an eyebrow. “I’m going to assign you to bathe him, too, if you keep refusing. How dare you disobey your boss’s orders.”

The three looked at him with identical twitchy expressions. “Yeah, I know, I just sounded like a boomer. Tsk,” Rhys muttered.

“Anyway, Cris. Havec won’t eat you. It’s obvious you’re not to his palette,” Eliana said drily.

“And this wolf seems like a devotee of the Great Sun. He won’t do anything to sully that name,” Marcus added, placing a steadying hand on Cris’s shoulder. “Besides, if he tries anything funny… his entire pack’s survival is in our hands.”

“We know only you can do it, Cris. After all, you held this dukedom together after we abandoned it, and at such a young age… You’re commendable,” Kaelen added with an encouraging smile.

“That’s right. Cris is the man,” Eliana agreed, smiling as well.

“Right… you’re the man, bro,” Rhys gave a thumbs-up.

Cris: sniffle hic “My Lordships… Your Grace! WAAAH!” He wiped his eyes. “You’re right! I am the man! I shouldn’t cry after you lot abandoned us and I still managed to survive!”

“Should I punch him?” Kaelen whispered to Marcus, still smiling.

“Hold it,” Marcus murmured back.

“Right. Check if Havec’s food is ready and take it to him,” Lia instructed.

Cris struck a fighting pose. “Alright! Please excuse me!” He bowed and sprinted toward the kitchen.

“What’s that called?” Rhys asked once he was gone.

“Lying?” Kaelen offered.

“It’s called encouragement. Tsk. I’m going to rest first—my body’s been screaming at me,” Eliana announced.

“Alright, me too,” Rhys said.

“What do you mean? Lia, you rest well. You two, stay. We’ve got a lot to finish,” Marcus said, making the other two pout.

“Not fair!” Rhys and Kaelen complained, but they were already slouching back to their tasks.

“See you, losers,” Eliana said, and left the room, still limping slightly.

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THE NEXT DAY…

「Javier Castle, Meeting Room」

As usual on a Northern morning where the sun was nowhere to be seen, the meeting room held the people who occupied important positions in the North Fortress.

Commander Gareth sat stiffly. Cris hovered, as ever, just behind Eliana, who was seated at the center of the table. The three brothers completed the human side of the assembly, and the source of the palpable tension—Havec—sat directly across from Eliana.

The wolf was not on the floor. He was seated—on a large, reinforced chair someone had dragged in, his forepaws resting on the tabletop. It was a profoundly disorienting sight.

“So… Your Lordships and Your Grace are telling me this wolf…” Gareth gestured weakly at Havec, “…speaks?”

“I do,” Havec rumbled, his voice vibrating the dust on the table. “And I have a name. Use it.”

Gareth flinched, his hand dropping instinctively to where his sword hilt would normally be. He wasn’t a man easily spooked, but this defied every law of nature he knew. “B-by the Sun…”

“He is a descendant of the Great Sun, apparently,” Marcus stated, his tone as dry as a tactical report. He adjusted his spectacles. “More pertinently, he is the pack leader of the Silver Wolf tribe, survivors within the Void Rot forest. His pack is under imminent threat. We have accepted a… contractual obligation to assist.”

“Assist? Contract?” Gareth’s eyes darted from the composed brothers to the regal, impatient wolf, then to his Duchess, who looked tired but utterly unfazed. “Your Grace, with all respect… we have barely a hundred soldiers fit to hold the wall. We cannot mount an expedition into the Void. It’s a death sentence.”

“We’re not sending soldiers,” Kaelen cut in, leaning back in his chair. “We’re going. The four of us. Maybe a small scout team if we can spare two people who won’t piss themselves and can run fast.”

“Alone?” Gareth’s voice rose in disbelief. “My lord, that is insanity! The Duchess is still recovering!”

“My recovery is my concern, Commander,” Lia said, her voice quiet but slicing through the room. “And Kaelen’s right. A large force would be a liability where we’re going. We move fast, strike hard, and extract. It’s the only way.”

Rhys unrolled a crude map on the table, weighing it down with a mug and a dagger. “Havec has given us a rough location of their safe zone, here. Based on his description of his flight path, we can extrapolate the centipedes’ likely hunting grounds, here and here.” He tapped the parchment with a grease-stained finger. “The primary objective is evacuation, not extermination. We get the wolves out, back to the fortress.”

“And then what?” Gareth asked, aghast. “We house a pack of giant, talking wolves inside the walls? The people will riot!”

“They will be guests,” Marcus stated, his voice brooking no argument. “Under our protection. They are not monsters, Commander. They are… refugees. From an enemy we share.”

Havec’s ears twitched at the word ‘refugees,’ a low growl building in his chest, but he said nothing. The insult was swallowed for the sake of his pack.

“This is… unprecedented.” Gareth ran a hand over his face. The logistical, political, and sheer existential nightmare of it was giving him a headache worse than any hangover. “The supplies… the risk…”

“The supplies from our wagons will cover the immediate need,” Marcus said. “As for the risk, it is calculated. The potential reward is a secure alliance with a native force that knows the Void. Their knowledge alone is worth a hundred soldiers.”

Cris, who had been silently trembling behind Lia’s chair, finally squeaked, “B-but Sir Gareth is right! What if… what if they eat someone?”

Havec turned his massive head slowly towards the young lord. His golden eyes narrowed. “You are still on that? Human, you are skin, bone, and fear. You would give me indigestion.”

Cris made a small, terrified noise and ducked fully behind Lia.

“Enough,” Lia sighed. “The decision is made. We depart in six days. Gareth, your task is to hold the fortress. Double the watches. If anything larger than a goblin sniffs the wind, you signal. Understood?”

It was an order, not a question. The voice of the Black Ops Captain, not the Duchess.

Gareth looked at the resolute, bizarre group before him—the noble siblings with their otherworldly calm, the mythical beast holding court at their table. He saw the grim set of their jaws, the same look he’d seen on the wall when they faced down the wyverns. It was the look of people who had already accepted the mission parameters, no matter how insane.

He was a soldier. He knew when a battle plan, however mad, was locked in.

He straightened in his chair, his professionalism slamming back into place over his shock. “Understood, Your Grace. The fortress will hold.” He glanced at Havec, a new, wary respect in his eyes. “And… we will prepare quarters for your… guests.”

“Good. Open the doors to the outer cells of the Dark Corner from the outside. That will be their temporary shelter while we arrange more suitable quarters,” Marcus said, standing to signal the meeting’s end. “You three, follow me.” He turned to the wolf. “Havec, you will work with Cris to outline everything you know about the terrain, the centipedes’ behavior, and the condition of your pack. Every detail matters.”

As the room erupted into motion, Gareth lingered for a moment, watching the wolf rise from the chair with a powerful, graceful motion and pad over to a still-petrified Cris. He heard the wolf mutter, “Stop shaking. The parchment will tear.”

The Commander of the North walked out into the grey morning light, the taste of impending, unimaginable change sharp on his tongue. They were no longer just defending a wall. They were stepping into the myth that had been eating their world alive. And for the first time, they were going to punch back.

–TO BE CONTINUED…–