Just then—

“Sir Werner!”

An urgent shout came from a knight positioned ahead.

“A wolf pack has appeared!”

Blair’s entire body went rigid with tension. She was suddenly reminded of the riding competition, when she and Kalintz had stumbled into a predator’s territory and found themselves surrounded by wolves.

“Of all the times—!”

Ernst grimaced and quickly drew his bow. Rashid and the other knights fell into combat positions in an instant.

Low growling was already coming from every direction.

“Your Highness, get on your horse now! You need to get clear of here with the mercenaries!”

She had barely swung herself into the saddle when—

“Aaaargh!”

One of Ariela’s mercenaries screamed. A wolf had burst from the undergrowth and sunk its teeth into his left leg.

“D*mn it! Everyone, ready!”

Ernst shouted as he loosed an arrow at the wolf.

At that, the snarling pack erupted from the undergrowth all at once from every direction. There were at least twenty of them, and Blair felt the blood drain from her face.

This is too bad……!

No matter how skilled these fighters were, the numbers were overwhelmingly against them. On top of that, several had already taken injuries from the fight with the mutant.

At this rate, there would certainly be deaths and serious wounds.

An idea flashed through Blair’s mind like lightning.

……It’s worth trying.

Blair looked quickly around. Not far away, a large grey-brown wolf stood apart from the others, looking every bit like the pack leader.

She took one short, sharp breath and yanked the reins hard.

Hiiiiiiigh—!

The horse reared up on its hind legs with a long cry, startled by the sharp pull of the reins. The large grey-brown wolf nearby snapped its gaze to Blair in an instant.

“Your Highness!”

“What are you—!”

Ernst and Rashid cried out in alarm at nearly the same moment.

Blair paid them no mind and spurred her horse forward without hesitation.

Grrrr-woof woof!

The large grey-brown wolf lunged at Blair with savage speed. The other wolves around her locked onto her as prey and charged at the same time.

“I have a plan!”

Blair gripped the reins tight and deliberately wove through the pack, drawing their attention.

Ernst and Rashid kept shouting something, but there was no time to worry about that now.

Blair glanced back and confirmed that six or seven wolves had latched onto her trail. Drawing the leader’s attention first had clearly worked.

Good enough.

Wolves hunt cooperatively in packs. She had learned that lesson the hard way at the riding competition, when she had nearly lost her life.

Blair gradually turned the reins. Then she spurred hard in the direction she and the mercenaries had come from.

“Your Highness! Where on earth are you—!”

Ernst’s frantic shout fell rapidly behind her.

Blair drove her horse along the narrowing path. The rough, uneven forest trail sent the whole world lurching and jolting around her.

Woof woof!

Savage snarling pressed cold against the back of her neck.

Just a little further, and there should be—

Blair clenched her teeth and pushed harder.

Then, ahead, a sunken stretch of wetland came into view, blanketed in mud and fallen leaves.

One wrong step and you’d be swallowed whole.

It was the bog the mercenary had warned her about before they found Ernst’s group, insisting they had to go around.

Blair let out a sharp cry and drove her horse at full speed. The wolves behind her followed, foaming at the mouth.

The moment the damp, fetid smell of the bog reached her nose—

“Hff!”

Blair wrenched the reins hard to the left. The horse’s hooves skimmed the surface of the bog by a hair as it veered sharply.

Grrrr—

The lead wolf, barking furiously, let out a confused growl. It sensed the danger the instant its paws touched the bog and slowed, but it had no way to stop the wolves behind it.

One after another, wet, heavy splashes followed. The wolves plunged into the mire and let out panicked yelps. No matter how desperately they thrashed, the bog only pulled them deeper.

“Hah, hah.”

Blair caught her breath and looked back at the animals flailing in the mud.

“Did it…… work?”

She kept her guard up and watched the struggling beasts when—

“Your Highness!”

Ernst’s voice came from somewhere in the distance.

“Are you all right? What on earth just—!”

Ernst arrived nearby and stood there with his mouth hanging open at the scene before him.

“How did this……”

“You led them here on purpose.”

Rashid followed close behind and murmured in quiet admiration at the wolves stuck helplessly in the bog.

“I remembered passing this bog earlier. Fortunately it worked.”

“Good heavens. All those swift ones, every single one of them……! Shouldn’t you be commanding cavalry at this point?”

“Your horsemanship is extraordinary.”

Blair felt a little embarrassed at the praise from Ernst and Rashid.

“It’s because Ariela found such a good horse. More importantly, what about the rest of the wolves?”

“The other knights will be handling them.”

Ernst brushed off the marks from the fierce fight and said,

“It’s thanks to you drawing these ones away. Especially that big leader over there…… hm?”

Ernst turned his gaze toward the bog, and a look of confusion crossed his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Where did that big one go—!”

The moment Ernst’s expression twisted—

“Your Highness!”

Rashid’s shout rang out sharp and clear. At the same instant, savage barking exploded in Blair’s ears.

It was the lead wolf, its entire body caked in bog mud.

Hiiiiiiigh—!

Blair’s horse, sensing the threat, reared up in a panic.

Blair gripped the reins on instinct and clamped her thighs tight. The very next moment, the horse kicked out hard with its hind legs.

The lead wolf took the full force of the hooves and went flying with a yelp. At the same time, Blair’s horse lost control and bolted.

“Ngh…… wait!”

The horse had been pushed to its limit by the chase with the wolves and had panicked completely. Ernst and Rashid’s alarmed shouts fell rapidly away behind her.

Blair lowered herself and pressed as close to the horse as she could. She eased the tension in her grip on the reins and moved her legs in rhythm with the horse’s stride.

She kept at it, guiding the horse as naturally as she could for a long while.

The horse gradually calmed, its gait evening out, and at last it slowed to a stop.

“……Haah.”

Only then did Blair let out a long, shuddering breath and press her hand to her chest. But the relief lasted only a moment. She looked around and swallowed.

She had no idea which direction she had gone or how far.

❀❀❀

“Haah……”

Kalintz leaned against a tree and drew ragged breaths. His side was soaked through, dark with blood.

That damned boar.

A spear through the eye, a severed tendon, and even a fall off a cliff, and it was still alive. None of it made any sense.

Kalintz cursed inwardly and tore a strip from his cloak to press hard against the wound.

He had shaken it off for now, but the creature seemed to find him no matter what.

Alchemy, then.

Willer Brienne had clearly put considerable effort into this one.

“Tch.”

Kalintz finished the rough attempt at stopping the bleeding, tore another strip from his cloak, and bound it tightly around his waist before pulling his leather armor back on.

Looking at where the monster’s tusk had torn through it like nothing, he let out a short, humorless laugh.

What now.

To deal with a mutant like that, he needed an alchemist on his side. Ariela might have something like an antidote.

But he couldn’t leave the forest with that thing still on his trail.

Because Blair was down below.

‘I’ll be waiting, Kalintz.‘

He closed his eyes and let himself hear the words she had said before he entered the hunting grounds. He held onto the sound of her voice, the look in her eyes, the warmth against his cheek.

After a long, still moment, Kalintz slowly opened his eyes. He rose quietly to his feet.

He had to deal with that beast somehow and get back.

She said she would wait for him.

❀❀❀

“Ow.”

Blair winced as she splashed cold water on her face, stinging where a branch had scratched her forehead during the frantic ride.

She rubbed her face dry with her sleeve.

I found the stream, at least. Now what.

Blair tied her horse to a tree trunk to let it drink and thought it over. Moving carelessly from here was a bad idea.

There was no guarantee she wouldn’t run into another beast, and more than anything, the horse needed rest right now.

“Haah.”

The dense forest was utterly still, not even a breath of wind.

Blair slumped against a tree and sat down. She had been resting there for some time when—

The horse’s ears pricked up, and a rustling came from the undergrowth.