Chapter 269

“It got pretty chaotic after successfully cursing Silfi.”

Unlike the rather gloomy Silfi, Noa was sporting a bright smile. She had finally secured a guide for the desert.

As the conversation wrapped up, she asked, “So, is everything settled then?”

“Yes, thank you for your cooperation, Count.” Istan said, and Noa politely bowed her head. However, at that moment, the silent blonde girl suddenly stepped forward.

“Huh? Ivella?” Noa questioned in confusion.

But there was no response.

Ivella just marched over to Silfi with a stern expression.

“Silfi.”

“Wh-what is it, Ivella?”

“I heard everything. You’re a cultist, and you’ve come here for some kind of purpose.” Her calm voice floated in the air.

However, her eyes were ablaze with complicated emotions. After a deep breath, she squinted and asked, “But since I heard this from someone else, I’ll ask you directly.”

“Th-that is…” Silfi stammered.

“Is what you said earlier true?” Ivella calmly pressed on, her gaze compelling.

Feeling the strange pressure weighing down on her, Silfi could only nod in pale silence.

“…I see.” It was indeed strange.

The first time she felt the unease was during summer break when Istan abruptly asked Silfi to deliver a letter saying, “The Rudrik house has quite a connection since our time in the desert.”

Back then, she simply assumed Silfi’s family was in the desert. But thinking deeper, it didn’t make sense.

After all, only Count Deorg’s household was guarding the border by the desert. Sighing, Ivella looked at Silfi.

“So, the approach to me and Ulan was all part of the plan from the beginning?”

“I-it’s not like that! Absolutely not!” Silfi hastily denied.

Ivella instinctively glanced at Delia, who silently nodded, confirming that Silfi was indeed telling the truth.

Feeling somewhat relieved, though her heart remained heavy, Ivella almost said something but decided against it, turning her body away.

“Sorry for suddenly butting in.” Ivella said.

“Uh, it’s fine.” Noa shook her head.

Noa understood why Ivella had intruded. They had developed quite the close relationship that round.

‘But…’

Silfi being a cultist—a long-standing enemy of the Empire—was naturally concerning. It was no surprise if she felt a sense of betrayal.

So, Noa kept her mouth shut.

Suddenly, a voice broke the awkward silence.

“One last question.”

It was Ulan.

Usually oblivious to the atmosphere, he looked at Silfi casually, as if nothing was wrong.

“What are the Minions of Rudrik?”

“Ah, that…” Silfi started to explain.

“I’ll explain instead.” Istan interjected, quickly summarizing what he knew about the Minions of Rudrik.

Listening intently, Ulan murmured, “Interesting. I didn’t think there were more than two.”

At that moment, Silfi jolted, her shoulders twitching.

Just based on that response, it sounded like Ulan had seen the Minions of Rudrik in person. So, she cautiously asked, “Um, just checking, but have you actually seen them?”

“I have.” Ulan replied.

“What? R-really?!” Silfi exclaimed, astonished.

Noa was equally surprised.

So far, the known Minions of Rudrik were the Monster Bird, the Poison Snake, and the White Wolf.

Both the Monster Bird and Poison Snake resided in the desert, and yet Ulan claimed he had never been there.

‘Then…’ The only answer was clear.

It meant he had seen the White Wolf, which was said to be sealed at the Academy. Immediately, Istan’s face hardened.

“When? Where did you see it?”

“I saw it yesterday in the dormitory.” Ulan replied without hesitation.

That absurd answer made Istan frown, thinking he was joking.

“In this situation, that’s not the kind of joke…”

“It’s not a joke. If you don’t believe me, call it.” Ulan shook his head and raised his foot, stomping on the ground while addressing the air.

“Come out.”

His calm voice echoed in the air.

Perhaps he was taken aback by the situation? Silfi let out an incredulous laugh.

“Hah, quit messing around! The White Wolf hiding in the fog isn’t like your neighbor’s dog—it won’t just come out when called…”

But then Silfi fell silent.

A thick fog suddenly enveloped the forest. Moments later, the howls of dozens of wolves echoed from beyond the mist.

“…Huh?” Silfi’s eyes widened in shock.

It was understandable.

Records stated that the White Wolf always appeared with fog and the sound of wolves howling.

And at that moment…

[Grrrrr!]

A massive white wolf emerged from Ulan’s shadow—a being once referred to as Rudrik’s dog by the Lords of the Abyss.

It was none other than the White Wolf of Mist.

“…!?” Upon seeing it, Silfi’s eyes bulged.

She was so shocked her mouth fell open, and there was no sign of it closing. The White Wolf in front of her was a perfect match with the records.

“Is this… really real?! No, how…?!” Silfi stuttered, unable to form coherent words.

Meanwhile, Istan instinctively recognized that was indeed one of Rudrik’s Minions. His curiosity took over.

‘The King of Monsters.’

It’s said that unless one was a Master, engaging in battle with it was impossible. Remembering this, Istan glared at the White Wolf with intense murderous intent.

Instantly, a reaction came.

[Grrrrrr!]

The enormous eyes of the White Wolf narrowed at Istan.

It responded to his murderous intent without any sign of being intimidated—in fact, it seemed to scoff at it, which made Istan raise an eyebrow.

Then suddenly,

Thwack!

With a heavy sound, the White Wolf’s head turned away. Ulan had swiftly swatted the White Wolf’s head with his palm.

[Grrr! Grrr!]

The White Wolf protested as if feeling wronged.

However, without Fertisha around, Ulan had no way of understanding it.

Eventually, the White Wolf sulkily laid on the ground, appearing almost tamed by Ulan, leaving Silfi in a daze.

“Well, this is certainly surprising.” Istan muttered softly, clearly impressed.

To him, it seemed Ulan had completely tamed the White Wolf. Out of curiosity, he turned to Ulan and asked, “Care to share the story of how that happened?”

“Sure.” Ulan replied readily.

The story was not difficult to tell.

Ulan explained the first time he encountered the White Wolf, and during this, it was revealed that Silfi was the one who had pulled the stake to release it.

“So, that was you pulling the stake back then…” Ulan remarked.

Silfi was at a loss for words again. It felt like her carefully laid out plan had been snatched away. And the fact that she had simply pulled the stake out with brute strength made her feel even more baffled.

“…Hahaha.” Silfi let out a hollow laugh as the thought of Rudrik’s Minions, the White Wolf hiding in the fog, crossed her mind. With her goal at the Academy now looming in front of her, she chuckled emptily, and as time went by, her laughter gradually morphed into sobs.

“Ugh, ugh! Hic, waaaah!” 

Silfi collapsed on the ground, crying bitterly like an unfair child. Her sorrowful wails lingered in the forest for quite a while.

After a little while, Ulan and the others, along with Istan, returned to the Academy with the completely dazed Silfi.

When they tossed Silfi into the dormitory, a figure appeared in front of the building, waiting for Istan—it was none other than his loyal subordinate.

“Your Excellency, we’ve finished preparing to depart.” The subordinate, holding the reins of two horses, bowed respectfully.

At the mention of departure, Noa and Ivella both wore surprised expressions. Ulan asked back, appearing somewhat taken aback.

“Huh? Are we heading back right away?”

“Yes, now that a new cult leader has emerged, we can’t leave the battle line unattended.” Istan explained.

The growing troops of monsters and the gathering cultists due to the new leader meant the desert situation was nothing short of a storm brewing.

“So, what about the fight?”

“Sadly, we have to postpone that till next time.” Istan sighed heavily.

That was a natural reaction. He wanted nothing more than to duel with Ulan, but right now, more pressing matters awaited.

As a knight of the Empire, his duty was to protect the Southern Battle Line. Fulfilling Count Deorg’s mission was paramount. Just as he was about to mount, he suddenly turned to Noa.

“By the way, you mentioned you’d be leaving after winter break?”

“Yes, I thought that would be best.” Noa nodded silently.

While she wanted to leave immediately, there was much to prepare for. Plus, there was a reason for delaying the departure regarding Ulan.

“There’s still something else to settle.”

“Huh? What is that?”

“The surveillance eyes.”

Last week during the student council election, Iris and Kamila had both felt some mysterious stares. And Ulan still hadn’t figured out who they belonged to.

“We need to uncover that.” Ulan said, his eyes burning with determination.

Meanwhile, Ivella and Delia exchanged puzzled glances.

“But that issue…”

“I already said it’s been resolved.” Ulan replied.

The mysterious gaze they had sensed for quite some time was concluded to be from none other than the rival candidate, Elvin. After Elvin’s arrest, the suspicious gaze had disappeared.

“Still, it troubles me.” Ulan mused.

It was, in a sense, his instinct as a warrior.

Before departing for the desert, he felt a need to uncover the truth behind the looming gaze.

While he was still stubbornly at it, Noa interjected with a bright smile.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that.” She sounded like she had a solution.

“I’ve already prepared a way to tackle it.”

“Really?”

“Yes, by the time the final exams are over, you’ll understand what I mean.”

She wore a meaningful smile that blossomed on her face.

Though she didn’t elaborate on what the solution was, Ulan felt no need to pry. He simply nodded in silence.

“Okay then, I’ll trust you.”

After all, it was Noa’s words he was taking to heart.

As their discussion around the mysterious gaze wrapped up, Istan mounted his horse and finished preparations to leave.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.” He said.

After exchanging parting glances with Ivella, he turned his horse away but then suddenly recalled something he had forgotten.

“When the time comes for the journey to the desert, make sure to stop by the Southern Battle Line, even if just for a moment. I’ll prepare supplies for the trip.”

“Yes, thank you for your kindness.” Ulan replied.

“And…” A pause lingered as he looked at Ulan, wearing a smile.

“When that time comes, let’s have a duel.”

“Anytime is welcome.” Ulan also smiled wide.

With that exhilarating farewell, Istan rode off toward the main gate. Watching his swiftly disappearing figure, Noa’s eyes sparkled.

‘Now the desert side is settled.’

She had heard what she wanted from Silfi and secured her as a guide.

Moreover, she had gained Istan’s cooperation as well.

With that, preparations for the desert journey were nearly complete.

‘Now the only remaining issue is…’

Resolving the situation surrounding Fertisha, who had not arrived due to Rimer Yen Lapis’s summoning, Ulan gazed contemplatively toward the western sky—the direction where Fertisha’s accommodation was.