Wolf

One day in mid-October.

Fallen autumn leaves carpeted the courtyard. To keep arrows from getting lost in the leaf piles, Gagnor decided to sweep the leaves from the practice area before beginning that day's archery training.

However, his plan clearly fell through.

He had barely dragged the broom across the ground a few times when Priest Green approached from nearby with his hands clasped behind his back.

"My lord," Gagnor greeted him.

Priest Green smiled and nodded. "We're going into the forest to gather herbs today... Where's Raymond?"

His rare smile left Gagnor blank for a moment before he hurriedly replied, "He should be helping the townsfolk dry their grain. I'll go get him."

Priest Green said, "All right. I'll wait for you at the church entrance."

Gagnor immediately went to find Raymond. Along the way, he could not help finding Priest Green's attitude that day strange.

It was usually difficult enough to catch Priest Green smiling. Yet today, not only had Gagnor seen one, it had even been a kind and courteous smile. It was practically as if the sun had risen in the west.

Was it because he was planning to leave Driftwood Town?

From Gagnor's observations, Gerald was most likely to become the church's next chief priest. Given that the two priests did not get along particularly well, once Gerald took over as chief priest, Grimm might choose to leave Driftwood Town—perhaps to become a deacon at South County Monastery or something similar.

It was not impossible that he wanted to leave a good impression on those around him before departing, but Gagnor still found it odd. A faint trace of suspicion quietly arose in his heart.

He soon found Raymond, then met up with Priest Green, and the three of them set off for Driftwood Forest.

Once they reached Driftwood Forest, they did as they always had: venturing deep into the forest during the day to gather herbs, then resting at Grimm's cabin as evening approached.

Several days passed like this, with nothing particularly worth mentioning. Only Priest Green's attitude became increasingly strange to Gagnor—sometimes unusually kind, then suddenly returning to his usual tense demeanor, leaving Gagnor completely baffled.

Of course, this might have been Gagnor's impression alone. Raymond, and perhaps even Priest Green himself, might not have noticed that anything was wrong.

"Another Heather Herb. Today really is a good day." Priest Green took the freshly picked Heather Herb from Gagnor and said with a smile, "Gagnor, your herb-gathering skills are becoming more and more refined."

"It is all thanks to your guidance," Gagnor replied politely.

"Haha." Priest Green glanced at the sky. "It's getting late. Let's head back!"

The three prepared to return.

However, at that moment, Gagnor and Priest Green turned almost simultaneously toward a nearby thicket, their faces taking on grave expressions.

Under their gazes, the previously quiet thicket began to stir more and more noticeably. "Roar..."

"Raymond!"

Raymond's reaction was fairly quick in such a situation. He immediately gripped his warhammer and iron-rimmed round shield, rushing in front of Priest Green and Gagnor as he stared vigilantly at the thicket. "Come on!"

"Roar!" A wild howl erupted from the thicket, followed by a vicious wolf with fiery red fur leaping out!

Its striking coat made it easy to identify as a fire-element Demon Beast.

Whoosh—

An arrow flew from Gagnor's bowstring toward the Fire Wolf. Unfortunately, his archery was not yet up to par. Faced with the lunging Fire Wolf, the arrow merely grazed past it without causing any real harm.

"For the glory of the Lord!" Raymond roared as he charged at the Fire Wolf.

Bang!

Man and wolf slammed together with the shield between them, producing a dull impact.

Raymond was tall and strong, but that still did not amount to much compared to a Demon Beast. He immediately lost the clash and was knocked to the ground by the Fire Wolf, his warhammer flying away.

Fortunately, he had not lost his shield and managed to protect his vital points with it in time. Otherwise, the wolf's fangs might have pierced his throat the instant he was knocked down.

Raymond curled up, gripping the shield with both hands as he held the Fire Wolf back.

"Roar!" The Fire Wolf snarled. Then wisps of fire rapidly gathered between the four canine teeth in its mouth, forming a fist-sized fireball in the blink of an eye.

Whoosh—

At that moment, another arrow shot toward it.

This time, Gagnor's aim was excellent, and the arrow struck the Fire Wolf in the neck.

The Fire Wolf howled in pain. The fireball gathering in its mouth immediately changed direction, flashing toward Gagnor!

Gagnor had been prepared. The moment he released the arrow, he dropped sideways, narrowly evading the fireball, which was several times faster than his arrows.

Boom! The fireball struck a large tree. With an explosive crack, it blasted a charred crater roughly the size of a human head into the trunk, making Gagnor suck in a sharp breath.

If that had hit someone, they would have been ready for a funeral.

From the Fire Wolf's leap to Gagnor's fall, the entire exchange had lasted only around two seconds.

Naturally, Priest Green had not been idle during those two seconds.

Just as the Fire Wolf was about to abandon Raymond and pounce on Gagnor, a mysterious Rune formed between Priest Green's hands, composed of golden light.

His expression was stern as he formed a triangular gesture with his hands, its center aimed directly at the Fire Wolf.

With a soft shout from him, the mysterious Rune vanished instantly.

"Whimper..." The previously ferocious Fire Wolf gave a single whine and collapsed to the ground, dead on the spot.

Seeing that the Fire Wolf no longer moved, Gagnor let out a breath of relief, only to feel a little regret afterward. If he had landed the killing blow, he should have gained quite a bit of experience and leveled up directly.

But Priest Green had instantly killed the Fire Wolf with one move, leaving him no chance at all.

Still, they had won the battle without serious danger. Only Raymond had suffered a minor injury when he was knocked down.

Priest Green stepped forward to inspect the Fire Wolf's corpse, then said, "It should be a Tier 2 Demon Beast."

A Tier 2 Demon Beast!

Gagnor was astonished. Demon Beasts were scarce in Driftwood Forest, and he had never encountered one head-on before. He had not expected his first encounter to be with a Tier 2 Demon Beast.

"Take the Fire Wolf's body. We're heading back," Priest Green instructed.

"Yes, my lord!" The battle with the Demon Beast had left Raymond somewhat excited.

After returning to the cabin, his excitement did not fade. He eagerly suggested to Priest Green, "My lord, can we have grilled wolf chops tonight?"

Priest Green hesitated for a moment, then smiled. "All right. Go bring some dry firewood. Remember to bring plenty. Meat from a fire-element Demon Beast is not easy to cook through."

Raymond soon brought back a large amount of dry firewood.

The three began preparing dinner.

When lighting the fire, Priest Green took a piece of firewood and scratched it a few times with the Fire Wolf's canine teeth. The flames immediately sprang to life, making it extremely convenient.

About two hours later, the three of them ate grilled wolf chops.

"This meat is too dry." After only a few bites, Priest Green suddenly spoke. Then, smiling, he set down his utensils. "I'll get a bottle of mead. Wait here."