TRWVPS 30

Chapter 30

“Erin!”

Ferdin grew anxious. Where on earth had she gone in this situation?

He frantically scanned his surroundings and then turned pale as his eyes fell on the direction of the thick woods.

He could see Erin, deliberately luring the wolf-tribe deeper into their own territory.

It had happened while the other knights were fleeing.

“Ferdin, what are you doing! Hurry up! What the hell, why is Erin Lysus over there again? Is she crazy? Has she decided she wants to die?”

Derek grabbed Ferdin’s arm, looking horrified as he stared at where Erin was headed.

There was a stark difference between stepping into wolf-tribe territory and staying outside it.

Once inside, that was the end.

The wolf-tribe was infamous for never letting a human leave alive once they trespassed into their land.

“Ferdin, on your shoulders rests the lives of many. I’m sorry to burden you with such a weight. But promise me—no matter how unbearable life becomes, you must survive.”

Those were the words his mother had once told him.

It was one of the reasons Ferdin had endured his hellish life up to now.

If he fought a group of wolf-tribe warriors head-on, there was no guarantee he’d return alive.

Worse, he might even be captured as a hostage, becoming a thorn in the Empire’s side.

And if that happened, the Emperor would relish the chance to tear him apart even more.

It was foolish. Ferdin knew in his head that this was something he mustn’t do.

Would anything change if he followed Erin into that land?

No. Nothing would change. Just as his life hadn’t changed no matter how he struggled to escape fate.

But mother… I have a strange feeling. If I don’t go now, I’ll regret it forever.

His hesitation was brief. Ferdin grasped the simple pendant around his neck.

Then, shaking off Derek’s grip without a shred of doubt, he dashed straight into the wolf-tribe’s domain.

“…I hate you.”

Erin recalled the past.

Not long after Ferdin had died, Lilia had come to see her.

At the time, Lilia had left Ferdin’s knight order, saying she could no longer bear to see Erin, and was now making her name as the youngest 5th-circle mage of the Tower.

Her future had been dazzling with promise.

Erin had always thought that one day, Lilia would come back to take revenge on her.

So she had waited quietly for that day.

After Ferdin’s death, Erin had lost all meaning in life. But she couldn’t bring herself to end her own.

Ferdin’s last words, telling her to live happily, had remained in her heart, shackling her to life.

So when Lilia came that day, Erin had felt a flicker of hope. Finally, I can escape this hell. If I die, maybe I’ll see Ferdin in heaven.

“I thought about it dozens of times. How should I kill you? How can I ease my hatred?”

Lilia had spoken those words as her hand closed tightly around Erin’s throat.

But Erin hadn’t resisted. She only wished her end would be swift, with as little pain as possible.

Yet in the end, Lilia hadn’t tightened her grip. She had simply stared at Erin for a long time, then turned away.

The next day, word spread: the youngest 5th-circle mage had taken her own life.

Instead of killing Erin, Lilia had chosen to kill herself.

Erin’s eyes burned red at the memory. Her steps slowed unconsciously.

The emotions choked her, making it hard to breathe. But she couldn’t afford to stop now.

Closing her eyes, Erin focused on the presence surrounding her. The wolf-tribe warriors were close on her heels.

She had purposely lured them into their own land, knowing how obsessively they guarded their territory.

At that moment, her brows furrowed.

Ferdin?

She felt a presence that shouldn’t be here.

Why was he here?

Erin was baffled. But there was no time to be distracted.

The five wolf-tribe warriors seemed to have noticed Ferdin too. They paused, clearly debating whether to chase her or target the newcomer.

A moment later, they shifted toward Ferdin.

How dare they…

Erin’s eyes hardened coldly.

In a flash, she leapt forward—her speed on another level compared to when she had merely been running.

“You—!”

One of the wolf-tribe warriors tried to cry out, but Erin’s blade was faster, slicing through his throat before he could finish.

Blood sprayed across her face as the warrior collapsed.

Immediately, she drove her sword deep into another who had attempted a sneak attack, piercing his abdomen.

With two more swift strikes, the remaining warriors were felled without so much as a scream.

“Wh–who are you? Human—no, are you really human?”

The last warrior trembled, realizing instantly that the woman before him was far beyond his ability to fight.

Erin had planned to lure them quietly until she reached Lilia’s location. But now, the situation had changed.

“I won’t kill you. Someone has to deliver my message.”

Her words made the wolf-tribe warrior stumble back, but her killing aura suggested she might cut him down at any moment.

Fear seized him.

The ones she had slain were among the tribe’s strongest. Yet they had fallen in the blink of an eye to this human woman.

The wolf-tribe lived by strength. And this woman radiated it. His body shook instinctively.

Her eyes were terrifying—as if darkness itself dwelled within them.

“Tell your chief this: if you lay a hand on the kidnapped humans…”

Erin pressed her sword against his throat. The edge dug into his skin, drawing a line of blood.

The murderous aura froze his breath.

“You’d best be prepared.”

“Ferdin.”

Running frantically, he turned at the sound of his name.

There was Erin, standing atop a tree, looking down at him.

For a moment he was startled, then relief washed over him.

Thank goodness—she hadn’t been captured. Somehow, she had shaken off the warriors chasing her.

“How are you here?”

“Sir Erin, the real question is—why did you come here?”

At his words, Erin fell silent. She had no excuse.

How could she tell him she planned to take down the wolf-tribe alone and rescue Lilia and Amon?

Instead, she dropped down from the tree, landing before him, and stared into his face.

Why is Ferdin here? Did he… follow me?

That couldn’t be. Smiling bitterly at her own thought, Erin said flatly:

“Go back.”

Her calm tone made Ferdin’s expression harden.

“And you?”

“I have something I must do.”

“Don’t tell me you came all this way to rescue Lilia and Amon—alone?”

Erin had no reply. She was never good at lying, and when forced, she chose silence instead.

Ferdin studied her for a long moment, then stepped up beside her.

“If there’s something to do, we’ll finish it together. Don’t even think of going alone.”

Erin frowned, troubled. She hadn’t expected him to say that.

Ferdin didn’t know she was a Sword Master.

To anyone else, her entering wolf-tribe territory would have seemed sheer madness. She’d thought Ferdin would demand they flee immediately, and she’d have found a way to send him back while staying herself.

But perhaps this was better.

As contradictory as it was, even in the heart of danger, the safest place for him… was right beside her.

With that thought, Erin turned and started walking. Ferdin silently followed.

She stayed alert, never losing track of the wolf-tribe presence she had spared.

Without hesitation, she parted the undergrowth with practiced hands and pressed forward.

At last, as the sun began to set, Erin halted.

“Let’s rest a little before moving on. We need to preserve our strength.”

Her body was still far too weak. To be ready for the battle ahead, even a short rest was necessary.

Ferdin nodded in agreement.