Chapter 48………………………………………
Arsen whispered to Ivelina.
“I’ll draw the Winter Wolf’s attention and cut off its tail. Ivelina, please destroy the Winter Wolf’s core.”
“…Okay.”
Ivelina nodded firmly.
“Be careful.”
“You be careful too, Ivelina.”
She glanced at Arsen with worry, then quickly moved.
As Ivelina moved, the wolf’s eyes followed her.
Arsen rushed at the wolf to draw its attention.
His sword carved a long gash across its body.
The wolf shrieked and growled.
The wound, dripping with bright red blood, was sluggishly beginning to heal, but that didn’t mean it felt no pain—it was clearly hurting.
But instead of calming down, it grew even more frenzied, saliva dripping from its jaws.
When Arsen tried to sever its tail, the wolf dodged nimbly.
He clicked his tongue and stepped back.
…Its focus isn’t on me.
He had a bad feeling.
The wolf was looking at Arsen, but it kept glancing toward Ivelina.
The wolf swung its massive forepaw.
Arsen deflected it lightly with his sword and moved toward its tail.
Blue light swirled around his blade.
He aimed to cut the tail—but the wolf was faster, swinging its tail and knocking him away.
Its fur was tough; a loud crack sounded as Arsen rolled across the ground.
While he scrambled to get up, the wolf charged toward Ivelina.
Ivelina, who had been about to hide among the trees like before, turned her head at the heavy pounding behind her.
The wolf was racing toward her at high speed.
Ivelina bit her lip hard, stopped running, and faced it.
It’s fine. I can do this.
The wolf leapt, jaws wide open.
Its sharp fangs looked ready to tear her to pieces at any moment.
But Ivelina did not run.
She quickly cast a defensive spell.
A thin barrier appeared, and the wolf slammed into it with a heavy thud.
Ivelina layered an additional barrier on top.
Angered, the wolf rammed its body against it with all its strength.
It never blinked.
Its yellow eyes stared at her as though it would devour her whole.
A chill ran down Ivelina’s spine.
Just then, the wolf howled in pain and staggered.
“Hoo…”
A deep, low breath sounded.
Arsen stood with his blue eyes blazing.
At his feet lay the severed tail of the Winter Wolf.
Ivelina immediately aimed her arrow at the wolf.
Using attack and defense magic at the same time was draining her mana quickly—she felt it clearly and it was exhausting.
But her focus did not waver.
Calmly, she infused her arrow with wind magic.
Winter Wolves didn’t have a specific weak point; instead, she had to send the arrow flying fast enough to pierce through the tough fur in one powerful strike.
Aiming for the wolf’s heart, Ivelina released the bowstring.
The arrow shot forward at high speed, pierced the Winter Wolf’s heart in one hit, and shattered its core.
“Kyaaaa!”
The Winter Wolf let out a chilling scream and collapsed sideways.
Ivelina exhaled sharply.
Her heart was pounding wildly.
Arsen strode over and pulled her into a tight embrace.
His body was trembling faintly.
After hesitating, Ivelina lifted her hand and gently patted his back.
“I’m fine. See? I’m perfectly okay.”
Arsen spoke quietly after a moment.
“…I learned today what it means for your mind to go completely blank.”
His voice was low and thick with emotion.
It almost sounded like he was about to cry.
But when Arsen looked at Ivelina, there were no tears in his eyes, so she thought she must have imagined it.
Ivelina forced a bright smile and spoke lightly.
“I told you I trained hard. I don’t die that easily.”
At that, Arsen finally let out a small laugh.
By then, the remaining wolves had been dealt with and the knights approached.
Alexis wiped the blood from his sword and said,
“Thanks to you, Your Grace, we finished much faster than usual.”
“Oh… truly?”
“Yes. Perhaps during the next beast hunt, you could also—”
Alexis abruptly shut his mouth.
Arsen was glaring at him with a frosty expression.
But Ivelina had already heard everything.
Her eyes sparkled as she smiled brightly.
“Of course! Let’s go together. I’m really glad I could help.”
Being acknowledged by others made her incredibly happy.
Arsen glared at Alexis as if he intended to incinerate him on the spot.
Meanwhile, Alexis looked unfairly accused.
Ivelina’s skill was far greater than he had expected, and with her abilities, the beast-hunting period would clearly be much shorter.
Which meant they could leave the Winter Forest sooner—hardly a disadvantage.
Grinding his teeth, Arsen said,
“…It’s getting dark. Let’s return to the cave.”
He gently wrapped his hand around Ivelina’s shoulder and pulled her close.
He did not forget to shoot Alexis one last murderous glare.
Judging by that look, Alexis would be dragged to the training grounds for a full day of sparring once the hunt ended.
Seeing Alexis’s resentful face, another knight approached and lightly tapped his shoulder.
“Captain, you really have no awareness.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“It’s obvious His Grace treasures Her Ladyship dearly, yet you said something like that.”
“…”
“Well… it would be better with Her Ladyship around, but His Grace clearly doesn’t like the idea.”
Alexis looked as though he had suddenly realized something profound.
Then, still not fully understanding, he asked,
“But wouldn’t it be better for His Grace too if Her Ladyship came along? They’d be together more.”
The knight gave him a cold stare, shook his head, and walked past.
“No wonder you’ve never been in a relationship…”
“What? Hey!”
Alexis shouted and chased after him.
And thus, the first day of the hunt came to an end.
Before long, it was the final day of the hunt.
Thanks to Ivelina, they were three days ahead of schedule.
Arsen wiped the blood from his sword.
Ivelina hurried over and took a handkerchief from her clothes.
“Here… there’s blood on you.”
Some must have splattered on his face.
Ivelina carefully wiped the blood with the handkerchief.
She had wiped blood so many times that the cloth was already stained red.
Seeing it, Arsen spoke gently.
“When we return, I’ll buy you a new handkerchief.”
“Huh? But I have plenty—”
“You used it for me. So naturally, I should be the one to give you a new one. I hope you’ll accept it.”
His expression was quite earnest.
Ivelina felt that refusing would be rude, so she nodded softly.
She glanced around.
The Winter Forest was peaceful, as if nothing had ever been there.
But next year, it would surely be full of monsters again.
After checking the surroundings one last time, Arsen said,
“Let’s return to the estate.”
The knights’ faces brightened.
They hadn’t been able to bathe properly for days.
There was a pond in the cave, but it naturally belonged to Ivelina.
They quickly left the Winter Forest.
Upon exiting, they could feel the fresh air.
The Winter Forest had always felt damp and suffocating, and the contrast was so stark it was almost jarring.
“Once we arrive, wash up and rest. For dinner, everything will be dishes you like, Ivelina.”
“You don’t have to go that far…”
“We had nothing but jerky and such in the forest. It can’t be helped. It pains me to see that you’ve lost weight again.”
Arsen looked genuinely distressed.
Ivelina rolled her eyes and smiled awkwardly.
To him, she looked as if the slightest touch would knock her over.
“Just a little more. We’re almost there.”
“Yes.”
They rode through the falling snow toward the estate.
The cold reddened Ivelina’s cheeks.
Before long, the massive mansion came into view.
As they drew closer, they saw someone pacing near the front gate.
At first they thought it was Noel, but upon closer look, it was Karina.
Looking slightly anxious, Karina brightened and smiled wide when she saw Ivelina.
“My dear!”
“Mother…?”
The unexpected sight made Ivelina widen her eyes.
But Arsen looked unsurprised, as if he had expected this.
Ivelina quickly dismounted and approached Karina.
“It’s cold—why are you outside? If you’d waited inside, Noel would’ve told you I arrived.”
“I stepped out for some air, and it just happened that you arrived. I’m glad the timing worked out.”
Karina smiled warmly.
Her eyes held pride and affection.
She gently pulled Ivelina into a hug.
“Welcome home, my dear. You worked hard.”
“…Yes, Mother.”
For some reason, Ivelina felt emotional, as though tears might spill.
It was wonderful to have a place to return to—and someone waiting for her.
“Get plenty of rest for now. We’ll talk more at dinner.”
Karina then fussed, realizing how tired Ivelina must be.
Noel handled the cleanup, and Ivelina and Arsen followed Karina inside.
As soon as they entered the warm mansion, fatigue washed over her all at once.
She reflexively let out a small yawn—and immediately locked eyes with Arsen.
Embarrassed, Ivelina shut her mouth and looked away.
Of all things… why a yawn right in front of him?!
And she probably looked terrible after the hunt.
Arsen’s lips twitched.
Contrary to what she thought, he found her yawning incredibly cute.
Pretending not to notice, he spoke.
“Then we’ll head upstairs first, Mother.”
“Yes. You… also worked hard.”
Karina awkwardly patted his arm twice.
Seeing the two getting along better made Ivelina smile brightly.
