Bloodfang wiped away the tears of laughter at the corners of her eyes, steadied her breath, and finally said:

  “In truth, Bloodaxe is not my real sister. Our blood ties are quite distant, but we met when we were young, and our bond grew no different from that of true siblings. Yet because of what befell her, we were eventually forced apart.

  “That day remains vivid in my memory. Had I not heard the elders of our family speak with my own ears, I might never have known the kind of infuriating disgrace festering within our lineage. One of our elder relatives—harboring some old resentment toward Bloodaxe’s parents—devised a plot against them.

  “To achieve his twisted goal, that madman even sacrificed his own son, just so he could pin the blame on Bloodaxe’s parents, giving himself an excuse to ‘accidentally’ kill them. And he succeeded. Bloodaxe lost her parents, was expelled from the family, and left with her younger siblings in tow.”

  When she finished, Glenn asked at the right moment, “You uncovered all of this yourself?”

  Bloodfang, exhausted, gave a weary smile. “No—she told me before she left. Once I learned the truth, I was furious. I confronted the elders… but they reacted as though it were nothing new. Because they already knew.”

  “How could that be?” Glenn asked, though he already had a guess, but still played along.

  “Yes, how could it?” Bloodfang let out a bitter laugh. “I demanded answers, but they only said that precisely because they knew the truth, they had let Bloodaxe and her siblings go. Otherwise, they would have been killed.”

  “It truly makes one furious!” Little Leaf burst out.

  Bloodfang glanced at her, and seeing her adorably angry expression, couldn’t resist scooping her up and planting a kiss on her cheek.

  Little Leaf struggled wildly, wiping her face as she cried, “Ew! Let me go! You smell awful!”

  Children spoke without restraint. Bloodfang blinked, sniffed herself, and found that she did smell rather strong. But instead of letting go, she hugged Little Leaf even tighter, purposefully pressing her with her scent.

  Little Leaf’s face scrunched up in agony as she called desperately for Glenn to save her.

  Glenn chuckled at the pitiful display, but intervened at last: “All right, don’t bully her.”

  Bloodfang finally set the girl down. Little Leaf immediately darted behind Glenn, glaring at her with wary eyes. Little Mushroom had already hidden behind Glenn long ago, terrified she too would be seized.

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  “Are they your sisters?” Bloodfang asked with curiosity.

  “We are all apprentices of the same teacher. They actually began learning magic before I did,” Glenn explained.

  Bloodfang nodded.

  Then Glenn continued the earlier topic. “From what you’ve described, your family seems rather… dark.”

  “You could say that. My poor sister is one of its victims.” Bloodfang sighed.

  Grrr—

  A loud rumble sounded from her stomach.

  “Sorry, the food we brought ran out long ago. We’ve been hungry for quite some time,” she said, scratching her head.

  Glenn was about to reply when someone tugged his clothes. He looked down and heard Little Mushroom murmur, “I’m hungry…”

  Glenn glanced at the many people present. He had enough food to feed them, but they were far from any settlement—there was no place to resupply.

  Seeing his hesitation, Bloodfang smiled. “Don’t trouble yourself. We can endure a few days of hunger.”

  Then she suddenly realized something. Glenn hadn’t yet given his name. “So—what should I call you, sir?”

  “Just Glenn will do.” He answered casually, then walked toward the deer grazing nearby.

  Under everyone’s watchful gaze, he retrieved several pieces of raw meat wrapped in special parchment and returned.

  “This is all the help we can offer. Share the rest among yourselves.”

  He tossed the bundle to Bloodfang, who caught it with both hands.

  “You didn’t have to help us like this…” Bloodfang looked down at the weighty parcel, her voice wavering.

  She had seen every sort of treachery in the world and trusted almost no one but her own companions. Even Ailium and the others—who had seemed reliable—not only betrayed her but nearly cost her life.

  That had changed something inside her. Her cheerfulness when she met Glenn had been a pretense, a tactic born from knowing she wasn’t his match. Only after hearing he knew Bloodaxe did she soften and reveal her family’s disgrace.

  But now, this man—whom she had met only moments ago—was offering her aid freely.

  Just as she struggled to find words, Glenn said:

  “I choose my friends by instinct. If I feel someone is worth knowing, I’ll treat them as a friend—and help them as much as I can. No deeper reason needed.”

  The words were simple, yet they warmed Bloodfang more than she expected.

  “I…I can’t put my feelings into words. But still—thank you.”

  She nodded deeply to Glenn.

  He accepted it without fuss.

  After a moment, he asked, “That man who framed Bloodaxe—what became of him?”

  Bloodfang’s expression twisted in disgust. “What else? His life only improved. The family has no intention of punishing him.”

  “And you’ve done nothing?”

  “I’ve wanted to, but the elders watch me constantly. They know how close I was to Bloodaxe. They’re afraid I’ll do something… irreparable.”

  Her teeth clenched as she spoke.

  “If you ever get the chance, you’d best eliminate him,” Glenn advised. “A man that cunning and vicious is always suspicious—and he might already be plotting against you.”

  At Glenn’s words, Bloodfang frowned and shivered. What he said made too much sense. She hadn’t heard news of that man in some time—who knew what new schemes he was weaving?

  “Thank you, Glenn. We should go. I’ll remember your kindness.”

  Bloodfang signaled her attendants, who slung the bruised noble youths over their shoulders. They were still alive, and because they were nobles, she couldn’t kill them—doing so would cause serious trouble for her family.

  “You all still look badly injured. Are you sure you can travel? This place is dangerous,” Glenn asked with clear doubt.

  Bloodfang waved dismissively. “I know this region well enough. As long as we avoid certain areas, we won’t encounter anything we can’t handle.”

  And so the group left—worn out, but driven urgently by the shadow of the enemy Bloodfang feared most.