Eris still stood a little awkwardly in the middle of the wolf den, but Young Wolf's calm voice slowly pulled her back to reality.
Andrea watched her with folded arms, waiting for the Hero to finally collect herself.
"I understand what you're saying," Eris began quietly, "but what if I can't find the right people?"
Young Wolf answered as if she had asked something completely ordinary.
"There has never been a Hero who failed to gather their own party. Besides, when the final battle against the Demon King comes, we'll be there with you — whether you have a team by then or not. Because only the power of Light can defeat the Demon King."
Andrea nodded, as if this were the most obvious truth in the world.
Young Wolf continued:
"But until then, we'll walk separate paths. I built my team specifically to stand against a Demon General. If I gave you Andrea, we'd have no chance — Wolfwood would be destroyed. That would be suicide."
His voice grew more serious.
"I hope you understand how selfish it would be to keep insisting on taking her."
Eris lowered her gaze.
"I… didn't think of it that way."
Young Wolf smiled warmly.
"Relax. You'll find strong people who can join you without causing trouble for anyone."
Eris slowly nodded.
"Where do you think I should start looking?"
"You can't just wander aimlessly," Young Wolf replied.
"We have to wait until the Demons make their first move. When they appear, you'll know exactly where to go to save lives. Until then, calm down and live your life as you have so far. It's that simple."
Eris took a deep breath.
"You're right. I guess I just got too excited after fighting Andrea. That excitement made me impatient. I'm sorry for barging in here and disturbing all of you."
Young Wolf waved it off.
"Don't worry about it. One day we'll be comrades anyway. Getting to know each other a bit never hurts. Have you tried Noelle's scones?"
Eris's eyes lit up.
"Not yet. They smelled wonderful."
"I bet they did," Young Wolf grinned.
"Noelle makes the best scones in all of Wolfwood. Come on, eat with us."
Eris gave a small, shy smile.
"Thank you. If it's all right, I'd love to try Noelle's scones."
The wolves exchanged glances, then made room for her at the table with wide smiles.
The Hero finally relaxed.
The morning began peacefully —
and perhaps a new friendship was born.
Young Wolf sat quietly while the others chatted in the kitchen, nibbling on scones.
His gaze drifted off, and his thoughts wandered far — far beyond Wolfwood, far beyond the borders of the Kingdom.
"Hmm… if I remember correctly, in the Evil Future the Hero actually had a good party."
The thought formed slowly, clearly.
"I don't know their names, but I know this much: alongside Eris Scarlett, the Hero's party included an Elven Paladin, a Dwarven Rune Mage, a Frost Dragon, and a Beastkin from the Empire."
Young Wolf smiled to himself.
"It's best if Eris finds those warriors on her own. Andrea Wolf definitely wasn't part of her team in the Evil Future. Maybe she wasn't strong enough… or maybe the others were just far stronger. Doesn't matter. The point is, I don't need to give Andrea to Eris."
His eyes drifted to Andrea, who was happily munching on Noelle's scones.
"Naturally, I wouldn't want anyone taking my teammates either. Saving the world comes first — but my own team needs to be strong too."
His thoughts sharpened.
"One thing's certain: I need a Dragon as well. If Eris had a Frost Dragon, then I'll get myself a Fire Dragon."
A spark lit in his eyes.
"And the Hero had a Beastkin from the Empire. I need another Beastkin too — preferably someone on Ironclaw's level."
Ironclaw burst out laughing at something Anita said.
Young Wolf smiled.
"The Empire is huge. The chance we'd pick the same warrior is tiny. And Eris… well, knowing her personality, she definitely won't buy herself a battle slave."
His thoughts continued with cold logic:
"So if I buy one, it won't be a problem. And with my magic eyes, I can pick the strongest battle slave available."
His gaze drifted again.
"And then there's the warrior maiden similar to my Master… maybe Eris simply never reached the far eastern island of the Empire."
Sakura Dry's image flashed in his mind — razor‑sharp eyes, lightning‑fast movements.
"Doesn't matter. The warriors from that island are free to choose from. If Eris didn't want them, I'll gladly pick a warrior maiden from there. If she's even half as strong as my Master, I'll be set."
Young Wolf nodded slowly.
"Good. Let the Hero assemble her own original party. And I'll assemble mine."
His eyes shifted to Noelle, who was pulling another tray of scones from the oven.
"With Noelle, one of the Demon Generals already belongs to me. That leaves the Demon King with only three Generals instead of four."
The thought soothed him.
"If my team can defeat at least one more, then the Hero's party will only need to defeat two Demon Generals before facing the Demon King."
Then he remembered the White Witch's curse.
"Without the White Witch's curse, the Hero will be able to fight at full power. Yes… I'll create such a good chance for her that even Eris won't be able to mess up saving the world."
Finally, he leaned back and let out a satisfied sigh.
"I still have five years left on my mission. If I succeed… then I can finally enjoy the easy life I deserve. Hahaha!"
His laughter was quiet, but confident.
The future no longer seemed so dark.
Young Wolf knew perfectly well that in the Evil Future, Eris had her own party.
That was why it had been so easy to guide the Hero toward the conclusion that she could not take Andrea Wolf with her.
Wolfwood needed her — and in the end, Eris understood that.
Although she left the Wolf Knights' lodging with clear disappointment in her eyes, at least she had tasted Noelle's legendary scones.
And deep in her heart, she knew:
One day, she would fight alongside Andrea Wolf against the Demons.
The Royal Knight Tournament had ended.
The capital celebrated, then slowly grew quiet.
The adventures in this place had come to a close.
Return to Wolfwood
Young Wolf and his team returned to Wolfwood together with the Wolf Knights.
They continued to secretly support the two slum districts of the capital — the northern and southern quarters.
Life improved day by day, and order was maintained by adventurers who also worked under the Wolf Knights.
Little Daisy began working at the Ironclaw Inn under Bella's supervision.
Bella was determined to turn her into the best innkeeper in the capital.
And Daisy soon became the wolves' ears in Royal Whitefort.
One day, she would become Wolfwood's greatest spy in the capital —
but that is a story for another time.
A Shadow in the Forest
While Wolfwood lived in peace, something moved between the trees.
A Fire Dragon had wandered far from its own territory.
Its scales glowed with heat, its eyes burned like embers, and its stomach growled loudly.
It was heading toward the Forest of Wolves.
And with that, the next great adventure began.