Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Traitor Within

“Roar!”
The soldier in charge of the command shouted, and as though receiving a signal, dozens of archers immediately raised their bows, nocking arrows and drawing their weapons to the fullest extent. Their aim was locked onto the chaotic pack of wolves ahead.

“Fire!”
A thunderous cry rang out once more, and in the next instant, dozens of arrows shot forth, tearing through the silence and whistling straight toward the wolves. Each arrow was over a meter long, and combined with their ferocious force, every shot could pierce a Storm Howl Wolf, pinning its corpse firmly to the ground. Some arrows even passed through two wolves in succession, sending sprays of crimson blood like snowflakes into the air, while the wolves’ wails echoed mournfully and incessantly.

When the first volley ended, the ground at the front of the wolf pack was littered with bodies, their forms twisted and pierced by arrows. The rear was even more chaotic, with blazing red fire rising into the night, dazzling to the eye. After three volleys, the archers suddenly cast aside their longbows, drew the swords at their waists, and quickly formed a defensive ring, withdrawing to the side to open a path. Then, the cavalry, who had grown impatient, let out a roar. Dozens of warhorses neighed loudly, and like the wind, surged forward into the midst of the wolves.

“Kill!”
The cavalry charged, all clad in uniform armor, wielding gleaming sabers. Like a massive blade, they swept straight through the wolf pack, slaughtering as they went. The wolves, already in disarray, now faced a fresh onslaught; the vast pack was instantly scattered by the cavalry. The screams of the wolves, the battle cries of the cavalry, and the thunderous pounding and neighing of the warhorses intertwined in a cacophony, making one’s blood boil and chest tighten, stirring an impulse to join those warriors in their fierce struggle and bellow alongside them.

Dozens of cavalrymen charged back and forth six times among hundreds and thousands of Storm Howl Wolves. When they returned, their bodies were splattered with vivid blood. Many had lost their helmets to the wolves’ ferocious bites, some bore terrifying wounds from their claws, and some had perished amidst the fray.

Storm Howl Wolves were cunning, low-level magical beasts. After suffering repeated heavy losses, and with their leader slain (the one killed by Veil), only about six hundred remained of the original thousand. Most were wounded to some degree. After the final cavalry charge, the surviving Storm Howl Wolves scattered in panic. Without the command of their chief, they fled the battlefield in disarray.

Watching the Storm Howl Wolves flee into the forest, everyone broke into triumphant cheers. Even the usually dour, plump Charlesburg managed a rare smile, though he soon gathered his soldiers and whispered a few instructions to his personal guard.

“Count, are you preparing to leave at once?”
Semili saw Charlesburg assembling the troops and assumed he intended to return to the imperial capital as quickly as possible. After all, anyone would want to leave a place after being attacked by such a massive wolf pack.

“I do plan to leave, but there’s something even more important I must do first.”
Charlesburg replied calmly, watching Semili’s puzzled expression with a hint of a cold smile at the corner of his mouth. “Mr. Semili, you’re a mage; you should know the habits of Storm Howl Wolves?”

“Yes, Storm Howl Wolves are low-level wind-element magical beasts, famous for their speed and savage temperament. They live in forested areas, and like most magical beasts, they are solitary and do not favor group living, preferring to act alone.”
Semili did not understand Charlesburg’s intentions, so he simply recited all the information he knew about the Storm Howl Wolves.

“Indeed, you are thorough!” Charlesburg seemed very satisfied, clapping lightly. His eyes suddenly flashed with something strange. “Since these beasts are not fond of living in packs, why did I encounter such a large number today? Semili, as a mage, you should know ways to deliberately attract large numbers of Storm Howl Wolves, right? I mean, numbers like today’s.”

“It’s not difficult. Storm Howl Wolves are extremely bloodthirsty, nearly obsessed with anything bloody. Though solitary, they are very united and will never tolerate seeing their kind hunted by others. So, to intentionally attract many Storm Howl Wolves, all you need is to kill some near their territory, using their blood and flesh as bait…”
As he spoke, Semili’s expression suddenly changed. He finally understood why Charlesburg was gathering the troops—not to hastily leave this dangerous place, but to hunt for a traitor.

“Hmph!”
Seeing Semili’s expression, Charlesburg knew he had guessed the truth. He snorted coldly, and just then, the guard who had left earlier returned hurriedly and spoke quietly to Charlesburg: “Count, we’ve discovered the culprit. Someone deliberately hunted Storm Howl Wolves for food upon entering this area. Not only that, they collected their blood and scattered it along the way…”

Although Charlesburg had suspected such a possibility, hearing it confirmed filled him with fury. He gritted his teeth and asked sharply, “Where is that person?”

“He’s dead!”
The guard replied, seeing Charlesburg’s grim face and hastening to add, “It was suicide!”

“Order a squad to scout ahead and report every half hour. Everyone is to march back to the imperial capital through the night!”
After quickly issuing several commands, Charlesburg turned to look at Semili. Thanks to the firestorm wrought by Veil among the wolves, the Count’s view of mages had improved considerably. Though his expression was no longer so dark in front of Semili, his brows remained furrowed: “Mr. Semili, we’ve run into trouble. In these last few hours, we may be attacked by many bandits, so I must ask for your help if necessary.”

“Of course, Count!”
Semili gave a formal salute and nodded in agreement.