Chapter 59
Kaon’s strange sensation seemed to register with Yvonne and Morris as well; the expressions on both their faces suddenly stiffened.
The heavy snowfall and the sharp drop in temperature created a harsh environment not only for people but also for animals. And in the forest, where light was already scarce, conditions were naturally even worse.
“Sir Kaon, this is…”
“Yeah. It’s a monster.”
It had been quiet for the past few days—quiet enough to think nothing would happen—but of course it couldn’t just end like that. It seemed the creatures had been waiting for the blizzard to pass before beginning their hunt.
“Everyone, get into formation!”
“Stay sharp and keep your eyes open! Archers, fall back behind the knights!”
Morris and Yvonne barked their orders to the men while drawing their swords. It was hard to believe these were the same two who had been whining or acting lazy just moments ago—now their faces were all business.
Kaon, sword already drawn, kept his guard up and positioned Alessia within his protective range. She, too, had gained enough experience by now that she moved into place without panic.
The forest, already dim, was now filled with a hazy fog, making visibility even worse. Focusing his senses to sharpen them, Kaon caught sight of multiple pairs of glowing red eyes in the darkness.
“Wolves!”
The moment he identified them, he called out to his companions. He had already suspected as much, but that didn’t make it good news.
Shapeshifted monsters often carried over the traits of the animals they imitated. Bears, for instance, tended to be scarce in winter because the real animals hibernated.
Wolf-type shapeshifted monsters were the most dangerous kind to appear in winter. Like real wolves, they traveled in packs, making them difficult opponents.
Still, many knights preferred them over bear-types; individually, they were easier to handle.
“Grrr…”
As if assessing the knights’ strength, the wolf-shaped monsters didn’t immediately attack. A low, menacing growl rolled through the forest, deepening the already chilling atmosphere.
It was hard to tell how long they had been in a standoff when—
“Awoooo!”
The monsters tilted their heads toward the sky and let out eerie howls. Kaon thought they were about to charge, but still they didn’t move.
The prickling on the back of his neck grew worse. Forcing himself to ignore the strange sense of foreboding, Kaon’s vision seemed to sharpen. The scattered red eyes in the dark appeared… to have multiplied.
Watching intently, his eyes widened in realization—it wasn’t his imagination. Dozens more pairs of glowing eyes were now fixed on the knights.
“…They called for reinforcements?”
“That can’t be. They don’t have that kind of intelligence,” Yvonne replied at once. Even to his own ears, the words sounded uncertain, so to the others they would have sounded even less convincing.
“Right. Normally, they shouldn’t…”
Yet the growing number of lights in the darkness was undeniable. It was as though the creatures were gauging exactly how many they needed to guarantee victory before striking.
This was unlike the mindless imitation of animals that monsters had always displayed. These ones seemed to be acting with intent.
“We can’t give them time.”
Kaon decided to strike first to break their momentum. In a situation he’d never faced before, the priority was to figure out the enemy’s intentions.
The simplest way to read an opponent’s tactics was to restrict their actions—if you disrupted their plan, they would have to reveal themselves in their attempt to salvage it.
“Understood. Frontline, hold the defense! Archers, loose your arrows!”
At Yvonne’s command, a volley of arrows shot upward, raining down on the enemy like a storm. Every time a heavy arrowhead pierced a monster, a pained howl rang out—so eerily real it sounded exactly like a dying animal.
At that moment, several broke from the pack and charged forward. While some knights protected the archers and Kaon stayed by Alessia’s side, the rest engaged the oncoming monsters, cutting them down one by one.
“Rrragh!”
Kaon saw one wolf-shaped monster slipping in from the side. Without hesitation, he swung his blade, severing its head cleanly.
This is… a monster?
The instant its head hit the ground, Kaon froze. A gnawing sense told him something was wrong.
Keeping Alessia in sight, he stepped toward the fallen creature—and was stunned by what he saw.
…This is a real wolf.
The one he’d killed wasn’t a monster at all, but an actual animal.
The Monster Forest might have been infamous for its creatures, but it was still a forest, home to many ordinary animals as well. These animals generally avoided both humans and monsters, their fear heightened by the monsters’ evil aura, which was why they rarely showed themselves during monster encounters.
Yet here, real wolves had mixed into the ranks of the shapeshifted ones—and even answered each other’s howls.
Communication between monsters and real animals? He’d never seen it happen, nor was it recorded anywhere. A deep unease settled over Kaon, and he tightened his grip on his sword.
“Real wolves are mixed in with the monsters! Frontline, be careful!”
Wolves were dangerous, yes, but far easier to handle than monsters. And that was exactly why they needed to be careful—using monster-level force on a wolf would be a waste, but attacking a monster with just enough to take down a wolf could be fatal.
“Yvonne! Morris! Identify the ones charging and report!”
“Yes, sir!”
Moments later, Morris shouted first, followed quickly by Yvonne.
“They’re animals! All animals!”
“Same here!”
Kaon kept his eyes on the unmoving red glows in the distance. Was it really coincidence that the wolves had charged first? The situation was too suspicious to dismiss so easily.
Cooperating with wolves? But if they think of wolves as allies, sacrificing them like this would be pointless…
He’d never encountered anything like this before, and his thoughts raced. Monsters weren’t supposed to have intelligence—yet all the hard-earned knowledge of countless battles was now crumbling away.
“Kaon, shapeshifted monsters react to life force, right?”
“That’s right.”
Still puzzling over it, Kaon turned to Alessia, who calmly continued.
“I think they’re using the wolves as bait—to boost their own power with the wolves’ life force, and to wear us down at the same time.”
“…What?”
Kaon could hardly believe what he’d heard.
The monsters are intelligent. They’ve deduced that they grow stronger in proportion to the life force they absorb. So they’ve deliberately lured real animals to see if consuming them will make them more powerful.
If true, it would overturn everything they knew about monsters.
But there was no more time to think. Even as the knights fought the last of the wolves, shapeshifted monsters emerged from the darkness.
Their forms were distorted, unnatural. Watching the knights still busy with the animals, they seemed to exchange some signal—then lunged all at once.
Bounding forward with terrifying speed, they leapt high, teeth bared. They were faster and stronger than any wolf-type monsters Kaon had seen before.
Knights who tried to fight them as they would normal shapeshifters were thrown back by sharper fangs or sent sprawling by massive forepaws. Only the most skilled—Morris, Yvonne, and a handful of others—were able to adapt after a few tries.
But many knights, already exhausted from fighting dozens of wolves, were being pushed back by these even stronger monsters.
Fighting while protecting those behind them drained their stamina even faster. And with their numbers deliberately kept low to limit the monsters’ exposure to life force, the disadvantage grew.
“Alessia, can you target only the monsters locked with the knights?”
“…No, I can’t.”
Kaon had hoped for precision fire, but Alessia shook her head. The magic through her ring wasn’t something she could freely control like a typical mage.
The battlefield was falling into chaos—formation breaking, knights injured, uncertainty in the air. Kaon could no longer stand by.
“If I cut the monsters so their core is exposed, can you hit it?”
“That, I can do—if there’s no one in the way.”
Alessia’s face was tense, but more resolved than before. Kaon checked her position again.
She was in the very rear, well shielded by the knights ahead. The flanks were also clear—no hostile intent from that direction.
Decision made, Kaon shouted to the men:
“I’m going forward! Rear guard, protect the mage!”
“Yes, sir!”
Then he locked eyes with Alessia. His steel-grey gaze radiated a conviction that made others believe. Somewhere in the shadows, the trembling red eyes seemed to steady, as if recognizing his resolve.
Kaon didn’t miss the moment.
“We can do this. Don’t be afraid—just watch me. You can do this.”
Alessia’s eyes widened briefly, then returned to normal. For the first time in her life, confidence shone within them.
