Chapter 8: Characters

In the realm of Erdrit, anyone who pays attention to current events and politics must be familiar with the surname Klingental. Granted by the former Duke of Ensbas, it carries the meaning of “brave and noble” and is the human surname of the alpha of the Wilds (Vednis) werewolves.

In Neo’s view, this surname is merely another symbol of human victory. Along with the widely circulated passionate speeches of the former Duke of Ensbas, it serves as strong proof that the werewolf clan bowed their heads, submitted, and were shackled. Claims of humans and werewolves living in harmony to build a glorious future are nothing but excuses used by humans throughout their history of expansion.

With humans now holding dominance over the continent of Aemera, the Wilds werewolves are neither the first nor the last alien race to submit. The actual situation is far more complex than what is shown.

As far as Neo knows, there is a Klingental Command Palace in the city of Sanvest, a luxurious residence granted by the Duke of Ensbas to the alpha of the Wilds werewolves. “Commander” is indeed a prestigious title. Yet in reality, the alpha has never lived there; instead, it is occupied by the current alpha’s three sons and two daughters.

To Neo, who is familiar with history and has an interest in politics, this situation easily brings to mind one word: hostages. Provide them with good food, drink, and treatment, and ideally cultivate a group of useless weaklings to support them in seizing the alpha’s position. Once in power, they can overthrow the puppet alpha, thus truly controlling this alien race at their will. This strategy has shone brightly throughout human civilization for thousands of years, proven effective over time.

Applying this broader concept to the current situation, Neo easily identifies four key elements: the alpha’s children held as hostages, hidden treasures, the West Wind War Guild, and the Olivier family.

In Neo’s eyes, these four elements combined create a messier and more troublesome quagmire than ever. Even if Xavier Manmoris and Sayer Srod were to enter, it would be utterly devoured, leaving not even a trace.

Although he himself risks his life every day and should be the least afraid of such a quagmire, the presence of Gladith in this situation still makes things quite tricky.

“Hey? It’s the lady from the Klingental family—from the House of Heroes!” Dick exclaimed excitedly from a distance.
“Mm, the Vednis werewolves—one of the four guardians of our duchy!” Chebman also looked over with an expression as if seeing a celebrity.

Hearing Dick and Chebman’s words, Gladith quickly formed an idea about Neo and the others’ backgrounds. She adjusted her hair slightly, becoming even more dignified, her aura as that of a noble lady slowly resurfacing. “Hello, Mr. Neo. I hope to receive your help and that of your brave team. I promise generous rewards in the name of Vednis and Sanvest.”

“Tribes, duchies—trying to fool whom? Do you think a pampered hostage like you has that much influence?” Neo could only grumble inwardly; unless he was ready to confront her immediately, offending this woman brought no benefits.
“Kill her right away and charge her with impersonation?” Neo struggled with himself.
The best time to silence her had passed. Acting now would cast an immeasurable shadow over his team members, causing unpredictable trouble. More importantly, he couldn’t convict and cruelly kill someone based on events that hadn’t yet happened. He couldn’t allow himself to become a tyrant or dictator at the very beginning of his climb to power—that wasn’t the way of a wolf king; it was the hallmark of a dog king.
Sometimes, major life decisions are decided in an instant, like now.
“All we have here is a guerrilla squad made up of the people of Edrith,” Neo said, giving Gladith a warrior’s salute. “Miss KlingenTaltar, we’re willing to help you as much as we can, but you first need to prove your identity.” He chose another path: to be a proper hero in times of refuge, at least on the surface.
In that case, all preconceptions about races, along with emotional attachments and biases, had to be set aside. He had to focus on the facts—right now, he was the captain of the Swift Squad under the Thures-Mathuya Migration Group.
“Prove it, of course!” Gladith wiped the ring on her right index finger, and a faint magical glow emitted, projecting a vivid image onto the snow—a scene from her coming-of-age ceremony, blessed by royal authority, using magic to record this important moment in her life.
“Amazing magical power. Miss KlingenTaltar, once again, it’s an honor to meet you. How may I assist you?” Neo showed due respect, perfectly fitting the image of a humble lower-ranking member in Frey’s hierarchy.
“Although the KlingenTaltar family is great, in such critical times, I prefer to be called Miss Lys, to avoid unnecessary trouble. What do you think?” Gladith began to regain her sense of superiority. Though her words were polite, her tone and demeanor already placed her above others. That was the invisible authority granted by the system.
“As you wish, Miss Lys.”
“Hmm. Please prepare some cleaning supplies and a coffin for me. My brother Bratsk died bravely in battle against the barbarian tribes. I want to cleanse his body myself. He will rest here temporarily before being returned to his homeland for a proper burial.”
Neo nodded. Although what Lys said was simply human custom, what did it matter? Let her have her way. Since he didn’t use the already strained pack animals to carry the coffin, it didn’t cross his limits. After all, given that he had died fighting the barbarians, asking for a coffin wasn’t excessive—warriors deserved proper honors wherever they were.

Nio personally carried a basin and cloth to the inner hall of the village hall. Setting them down gently, Nio bowed and said, “Miss Lais, the armor is heavy, and some fastenings require tools—I might be able to help.”
“No!” Lais refused firmly almost immediately. Seeming to realize her words were too harsh, she added softly, “Please forgive the rudeness of a woman who has just lost her loved one. My brother sacrificed his life to protect me, and all I can do now is to prepare myself one last time.”
“I understand your sorrow. Please take care of yourself. Someone is waiting at the door; just call if you need anything.”
“Thank you.”
Nio turned and left. Once she was sure he was gone, the sorrow on Lais’s face was instantly replaced by coldness and anger. “Damn you, Bratsk! Where exactly did you hide the map Oliver gave you?” Lais roughly searched the dead werewolf…
Half an hour before Nio entered Ratno, Lais flew low to the ground, enveloped in a purple humanoid glow, and arrived at the small village. The situation there shocked her, and she searched frantically until she found Bratsk in the village hall.
Most leaders of werewolf clans possessed a family-specific technique. The Wild Werewolves’ clan used the “Life Prolonging Art,” which allowed them to buy time before death to await rescue. By the time Lais arrived, Bratsk wasn’t dead yet, but instead of rescue, he faced interrogation. Lais awakened Bratsk from his slumber, first indirectly and then directly, with only one goal in mind: the location of the treasure.
After waking up, Bratsk was surprised to see Lais alone there. Even more surprising was that she had awakened him from his slumber without proper treatment—she clearly didn’t care if he lived or died! In Bratsk’s memory, Lais had always been the most detached of her siblings, never getting involved in power or money. But the Lais before him was utterly strange, as if another person had taken control of her will!
Bratsk died, and Lais still failed to obtain the information she wanted, even though she used cruel methods that neither humans nor beasts could resist.
Just as she planned to search Bratsk’s body more thoroughly, her special sense detected Nio’s arrival.
“A werewolf…” Lais thought this werewolf was either Bratsk’s confidant or someone connected to the treasure. Her failed attempts with Bratsk made her realize that a woman should use her greatest asset to achieve her goals. So she quickly tore off her clothes and awakened her ancestral powers, going even further than pretending to be insane—truly going insane! So far, this tactic had never failed, proving that even the somewhat clever Nio couldn’t see through it!
While the pitiful Lais, who possessed special abilities but couldn’t use them effectively, clung to Bratsk as her last clue to prevent others from getting it, Nio had already identified Bratsk’s main locations in Ratno Village through scent traces and found the treasure.
Time returned to the present, then advanced by about 90 minutes.

Using wooden planks taken from civilian houses along with nails, none ofNeo’s men were skilled carpenters, but being a nailer wasn’t difficult. Thus, a coffin that looked ugly but was quite practical was already placed outside the village hall. Meanwhile, dinner had long been prepared, waiting only for Miss Lais, who was dawdling, to finish her mourning rituals.

Lais was extremely disappointed—she hadn’t found what she wanted, even if it meant tearing open Bratsk’s stomach. She turned her disappointment into anger, once again successfully leadingNeo and the others to misunderstand her intentions.

During Bratsk’s burial, Lais did whatNeo considered a clever thing: instead of burying her brother in his fancy armor, she removed it and, along with a sharp but clearly infrequently used knight’s sword, gave it toNeo. “Warriors need it more than the resting,” she said. “I hope someone can inherit my brother’s bravery and strength.”

Not far away, Dick whispered to Chebman beside him, “Listen to that! Truly, she’s worthy of the Klingental family!”

Borglem said, “I doubt it’s that the lady is afraid we’ll destroy the body for its treasure.” By treasure, he meant Bratsk’s armor, which was indeed valuable to ordinary people.

“That’s also the deposit to hire us,” Mah added. “It’s all talk, nothing concrete.” Ever since that deal withNeo, Mah had become more active, deliberately changing the team’s perception of him by showing off his talents and increasing his influence.

“Wow, so many opinions. Will the captain accept it?” Dick, who wasn’t very attentive to such matters, often seemed careless—perhaps because of his difficult childhood, he still retained a relatively happy heart.

Barrett, as usual, remained calm. “I think he will. After repairs, the captain will reward it to those who perform well.”

Mah added, “Separately. This armor is too heavy for any of us, and so is the glory that comes with it.”

Borglem glanced at Mah and said, “Makes sense.”

Barrett also nodded in agreement with Mah’s view.

As the team members discussed,Neo did accept the armor and planned to distribute it through reforms—though not right away.

Along with all the team members,Neo held a simple yet solemn funeral for Bratsk. Setting aside the messy details, a warrior’s farewell was still meaningful to everyone. From ideals and morals to faith and beliefs, one of Bratsk’s precious legacies—spirit!—was passed on to those attending the funeral, though the extent to which it was inherited varied from person to person.

For dinner, Lais, like everyone else, ate soup made from human and beast meat. However, she didn’t know that the “delicious meat” the team members spoke of was actually human and beast meat; she thought it was the meat of animals like deer or bears.

While they enjoyed their meal in a relatively comfortable and warm atmosphere, Bichir and the other nine Mathuya militiamen were suffering greatly.

The Blue Ghosts, also known as the Rockbeast Men, discovered Quian at dusk. Bichir and the others, who had rested for half a day and were preparing dinner, were forced back against the thick walls and sturdy doors of the fort by just a squad of scouts.

Not long after, when the militia members saw the large group of Blue Ghosts approaching from the fort’s watchtowers, they were nearly desperate. At that moment, Bichir found a secret passage in the kitchen, and the group managed to temporarily escape the Blue Ghosts through the narrow tunnel.

The Blue Ghosts rummaged through the fort, unable to figure out the mechanisms. Though they knew humans had fled through amouse hole, they couldn’t find the entrance. Without an entrance, they couldn’t use tactics like smoke or flooding. As night fell, there was a risk that those humans might escape!

The Blue Ghosts’ chief priest said, “The cunning rabbits’ nests have multiple exits, but none can be larger than that meadow, nor can they stay hidden forever…”

Thus, the Blue Ghosts’ leader realized what to do—he ordered his troops to stay at Quian. The hill where Quian was located wasn’t very large, so more patrol riders would suffice. When it came to patience, the Rockbeasts had never lost to anyone.

In a stone chamber connected to the secret passage, Bichir and the militia members were heartbroken. Everyone was alive, but all their belongings, including the tents, were gone. Two of them didn’t even have their weapons left. What to do next became the most urgent question for them.

“Brothers, we only have one way out now—go find the captain and the others!” Bichir finally gave in.

“I’m afraid they’ve already gone far!” one of the militia members said sadly.

“That’s right!” Bichir stopped pretending. He said, “The captain and the others are in good condition, and they’re going after the main group. So they’ve probably traveled 25 kilometers or more in one afternoon. But this is our only chance. If we can’t find them tonight, we’ll freeze to death in the snowstorm by morning.”

“Should we leave now?”

“That’s impossible. The beastmen are very active now. They know we’re here. Once discovered, we can’t outrun four-legged creatures.”

“You mean we leave later tonight?”

“Yes!” Bichir nodded.

“What if they’re still patrolling by then?” another militia member asked.

Bichir sighed. “Then we’ll have to fight desperately!”

After much thought, the militia members came up with no better solution and agreed to Bichir’s plan. They traveled to the other end of the secret passage—somewhere on the back hill where Quian was located—and found a relatively sheltered spot. The ten of them huddled together, forcing themselves to sleep to conserve energy for a desperate escape in the early hours of the morning.

That night was the easiest for the team on Nio’s side in days. Aside from drying leather, their only task was to work together to build sleds No. 3 and No. 4. There were no trees around Ratno Village, but there were enough houses to dismantle. No special processing was needed—the wooden planks were already available, and once the necessary iron parts were brought in, it took just over an hour to create two new sleds.

After that, Nio ordered that the supplies be rearranged, with the goal of keeping the load on the four sleds as even as possible once the team set off. Most of the team members didn’t understand why this was necessary, though Boglem and a few others could vaguely guess it was related to insufficient carrying capacity, but they couldn’t figure out the exact reason. Since the carrying capacity hadn’t increased, yet the amount of supplies on the vehicles had, how could even distribution solve the problem? Nio didn’t explain either; if necessary, he preferred more vivid on-site lessons, as that helped people remember better. While the team members were busy outside, Lys was bathing inside. The villa belonging to the Marsa family was quite well-equipped, featuring a stone bath large enough for three people to lie comfortably in at the same time. Right now, the house was being heated using firewood, which kept the bath water at a pleasant temperature and warmed the entire villa like spring. This made everyone, including Lys, feel very comfortable, especially when contrasted with the howling cold wind outside. Lys slowly stroked her skin with one hand while playing with the water in the bath with the other. She thought about Nio, “Unperturbed by beauty, showing a high level of self-discipline, and yet capable of using such extraordinary powers. Such a werewolf is truly special…” Coincidentally, Nio was also thinking about Lys at that moment. “The remaining scent suggests she’s more of a seeker… But her identity is real, as is her previous frenzied behavior. This is really interesting…”