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Volume 2 Chapter 4 Part 5

Frantz honestly had no idea what is going to happen if the Demon Lord was going to be awakened from its sleep.

Franz and his friends eventually escaped from the gloomy Forest of Eternal Darkness. The sky ahead was beginning to brighten, as dawn was fast approaching. The red moon has already disappeared and the stars were twinkling normally.

However, that sense of relief was short-lived, and from the other side of the darkness, they saw a group of people running towards them at tremendous speed.

「Werewolves! 」

One of the heavy knights shouted with a frightened voice and tried to prepare his heavy crossbow, but…

「Don’t… 」

Franz subdued the heavy knight and stopped him from doing that.

「If they are here right now, the it means that it was our destiny for things to end up this way, so let us not resist in vain. 」

It was clear that they would not be able to win even if they chose to actually fight the Werewolves now, they could probably take a few of them down, but nothing more than that. It would be like fighting an utterly lost battle, and besides, right in this very moment, Frantz’s desire not to kill anymore was stronger than his desire not to be killed.

(Lady Marine, I sincerely apologize for not being able to return the Crest that you have entrusted to me back to you…)

After bowing his head to the northwest where Waldrind is, Frantz threw down his own crossbow and slowly raised his hands. Other heavy knights soon followed his example.

After a while, they were completely surrounded by Werewolves. Among them is the figure of the Werewolf girl whom Frantz let go earlier. Seeing that she was safe made him feel lighter for some reason.
「My name is Ion. I am Queen Clara’s eldest son…」

A young man called out to them with a trembling voice. It was evident that he had been informed of the Werewolf Queen’s death by her daughter.

「I am Frantz, the vice-captain of the heavy knights of Waldrind’s Elmer Squad. We surrender ourselves to you and choose to be at your mercy. 」

「Our anger is fierce, and sorrow is great. Even if I were to tear you apart here and eat your bones, it would not be nearly enough to quell it… that being said, I heard from Emma, my sister, herself that you were the ones who saved her and let her go. She is my dearest younger sister, and our mother the Queen paid with her life for trying to save her… but even so, Emma respects the kindness that you have shown her and does not wish to see you killed. However, do not feel compelled to rejoice just yet, because we cannot allow you to go free just yet, because there are things that we want to ask you.

「I will not thank you for sparing our lives then, but I will tell you all that I know. 」

Franz answered while puffing out his chest pridefully. Like the son of the Werewolf Queen said, he should not be feeling relieved at having escaped death for the time being, but he was simply happy that his life seemed to be back on the right track for the time being.

* * *

At dawn that day, Emma’s twin sister Luna ran through the night from the Werewolf village all the way to the castle of Baron Eugen Niklae. As soon as she got there, she requested to see Theo, who was staying at the Baron’s castle for the time being, and then she proceeded to tell him about everything that happened: about Emma being captured by the heavy knights of Waldrind, about their mother, Werewolf Queen Clara coming alone to rescue her and the Vampire King was seemingly collaborating with the enemy.

Hearing Luna’s story, Theo’s complexion paled instantly.

「So the Vampire King was their collaborator all along… 」

Theo muttered dumbfoundedly.
Siluca was now on her way to the castle of the Vampire King as a messenger, so that means…

(Please, stay safe!)

Theo screamed in his heart.

「I hope mother is going to come back soon… 」

Luna said while crying her eyes out.

「of course she is going to! 」

Theo said emphatically . Right now, they don’t have much of a choice but to believe in the Queen’s words and her strength.

「If we don’t help Siluca, she will end up getting sucked out of all of her blood… 」

「She will be fine. She is strong and smart after all, so there is no way that she is going to let herself be captured by the enemy so easily. 」

Theo tried to encourage Luna, but he knew better than anyone else that when it came to Siluca, nothing could ever be guaranteed.

(I have to go rescue her somehow…)

That was the initial thought that popped into Theo’s head, but then he realized that this could only be achieved u der the assumption that the other party would be willing to let go of her. If the Vampire King was willing to let her go, there would be no need for Theo to go pick her up, but if he did not have the slightest intention of letting her go, then there would probably be nothing that he could do even if he were to go to his castle right now.

However, simply waiting for Siluca to hopefully come back on her own was not an option.

there was no option to wait for her return here.

Just then as he was thinking that, Irvin showed up out of nowhere. Theo remembered Siluca’s words that a first-class Chamberlain always shows up when he is needed the most.

(If I remember correctly, then Siluca ordered him to act together with Ion and the other Werewolves…)

If he is here right now, then maybe that means that the Werewolf Queen has already managed to rescue Emma and the two of them have already joined back with the others and they are already heading back this way?

「May I have your attention for a moment, Lord Theo? 」

Irvine discreetly tried to lure Theo out of the castle. Luna tried to follow after them, but when Irvin politely asked her to stay behind, she only nodded timidly and remained quiet.

(That does not bode well for the news that he is carrying…)

Theo had a bad feeling about this, and as it turned out, his premonition was correct, because Irvin informed him that Emma was indeed saved, but Werewolf Queen Clara ended up dying in battle against the heavy knights of Waldrind as a result, and while most of the surviving heavy knights left the Forest of Eternal Darkness, the heavy knight captain Elmer has returned to the castle of the Vampire King together with the Black Witch in order to achieve their goal.

Irvin then elaborated on how In the battle with the Werewolf Queen, many of Waldrind’s heavy knights lost their lives, and those who managed to survive the encounter with Clara broke up with Elmer in order to return to their homeland, but while on the way there, they ended up encountering a group of Werewolves led by Ion and surrendered themselves to him without showing any signs of resistance. And because the captured heavy knights actually protected Emma from being killed by the heavy knight captain and the Black Witch, the Werewolves decided that they are not going to kill them for the role that they had to play in the Werewolf Queen’s demise.

「How should I tell Lady Luna about Queen Clara’s passing? 」

「I will speak to her about it first. Although I can already see that this is going to be a tough and unpleasant talk. 」

Luna will definitely be deeply saddened about her mother’s death, but no matter how painful that is going to be for her, she will have to accept it if she wants to move on with her life.

「Actually, while we are on the topic of unpleasant talks, I have something else to inform you about… 」

Theo then proceeded to tell Irvin that Siluca has gone to the castle of the Vampire King as a messenger.

「I wondered if something has happened to her because she did not show up when I returned, but who would have thought… 」

Even Irvin could not hide his shock. Then, as if something had come to his mind, he looked down at his own shadow, and following after him with his eyes, Theo immediately noticed that as well. The shadow at Irvin’s feet was moving, and moments later, His Highness Balgary, the Cait Sith from the world of Tir na Nog emerged out of it when Irvin called out to him.

「How can I help you? 」