Chapter 181 – War in Two Directions
Ivaline’s shift came quickly.
The warmth of the fire.
The corn.
The quiet understanding with Selvara—
—all of it folded away as she rose.
“I’ll go,” she said.
Selvara waved lazily. “Don’t die.”
Ivaline only smiled faintly and made her way toward her assigned section of the wall.
Vaelis was already there.
The moment she spotted Ivaline—
“Ivaline?!”
She ran. Not walked. Not dignified. Ran.
And wrapped herself around Ivaline’s arm without hesitation.
“Un. I’ve come.”
Adventurers who had not witnessed the duel earlier stared.
Knights who had heard whispers of the “Silent Edge” exchanged uncertain glances.
The rumors painted her as something terrifying—
A monster beneath a swordswoman’s skin.
A blade without emotion.
But the girl clinging to Ivaline now?
She looked hopelessly in love.
And she did not hide it.
Vaelis pressed her cheek lightly against Ivaline’s shoulder.
“How?”
“Good.”
“Prob?”
“None.”
“Do?”
“Watch.”
“All?”
“All.”
“….”
The nearby adventurers stared in growing distress.
What language was that.
They looked like lovers.
They sounded like malfunctioning pigeons.
What actually happened:
Ivaline asked how the situation was.
Vaelis replied it was good.
Any problems?
None.
What did you do?
Watched.
Is that all?
All.
Report complete.
The scene was adorable.
If one ignored the monstrous growling beneath the walls.
Outside—
Howl!!
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Clang! Clang! Clang!
Beasts struck their weapons against stone, teeth bared, eyes glowing in the dark.
They intimidated.
They tested.
They waited.
The knights were visibly strained.
Some hadn’t slept properly in two nights.
“They haven’t attacked yet…” someone muttered.
As if the night heard it—
HOWLLLL!!
“They’re climbing!”
…Wonderful timing.
The Wall Ignites
Hooks bit into stone.
Claws scraped.
Arrows rained down.
Firebolts burst.
Wind blades sliced air.
Still—
Some reached the top.
Vaelis loosened her grip and stepped forward.
“I’ll take this.”
“Then I’m this.”
Back to back.
Perfectly aligned.
A beast snarled as it vaulted over the edge.
“Ha! Human woman?”
“Late-night snack!”
Slash.
Its head separated cleanly.
The body stood for half a breath before collapsing.
The head rolled once.
Its expression remained confused.
“Watch out! Blue hair— invisible slash!”
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
They blocked the follow-up strikes in time.
But fear had already seeped in.
“Take the other one!”
They rushed Ivaline.
She didn’t step back.
She stepped forward.
“Gale Impact.”
[BOOM.]
The air detonated outward.
Beasts were launched backward like torn leaves.
[AAAAAAGH!?]
Some were thrown off the wall entirely.
Silence.
Then shock.
Knights stared.
Adventurers blinked.
“Again?” one whispered.
Vaelis didn’t waste the opening.
Aura blades flashed.
Wind blades answered.
Slash.
Slash.
Slash.
Blood painted stone.
The beasts howled and charged again—
“Left,” Vaelis said.
“…?”
The charging beast never finished turning.
The air cracked.
White light swallowed its vision.
BOOOOOOM.
One strike.
One whip of thunder.
Nothing remained.
“Shit! It’s Selene!”
“Lightning Whip!”
Momentum shattered.
The beasts leapt back down.
The army beneath dispersed into the dark.
Only the wounded remained, screaming below.
Aftermath on the Wall
Selene landed lightly, lightning fading from her eyes.
“This again?”
“What again?” Ivaline tilted her head.
“They climb. Cause damage. Retreat. Repeat. They’re exhausting us.”
A knight nearby nodded grimly. “Sleep deprivation tactics.”
“That’s why Selvara told the Margrave to enforce rest rotation,” Ivaline murmured.
Selene glanced at her.
“Also— infiltration from secret passage earlier. Sealed now.”
“… The water was poisoned, right?”
“Yes. As predicted. We stored enough beforehand.”
Another warning proven correct.
At this point, anyone aware of Selvara’s existence should be reassured.
But reassurance is not the same as certainty.
And certainty is not trust.
The Other Side of the Fort
Where shadows were thicker.
Where fewer guards passed.
Where the noise of battle barely reached.
Selvara stood in a narrow alley.
Wind slid between buildings.
A heavy shape landed silently behind her.
A werewolf.
“You’re late.”
“Not easy to sneak in,” it growled.
Selvara puffed her cheeks playfully and nudged him.
Behind her—
A body.
An unfortunate adventurer who had followed her earlier, thinking himself clever.
He would not follow anyone again.
Selvara - Chameleon Assassin.
“Progress?” the werewolf asked.
She handed him a rough map of Fort Westmarch.
Guard rotation.
Weak points.
Blind spots.
“I’ve fulfilled my part,” she said, folding her arms beneath her chest. “What next?”
Technically—
She had not lied to Ivaline.
She was not their enemy.
She had harmed no one directly.
She was not under command.
It was merely a request.
Rough surveillance.
Information gathering.
Intent to harm?
None.
If harm happened later?
Not her blade.
Not her order.
Clean hands.
The werewolf handed her a small parchment.
Inside—
One line.
‘Kill the mage capable of flight magic.’
…
Selvara’s fingers tightened.
She knew exactly who that meant.
The wife Ivaline spoke of earlier.
Seraphine.
The one who would blast her away with a windstorm and shout profanity.
Selvara’s face did not change.
“Problem?” the werewolf growled.
“No.”
She burned the parchment in a nearby lamp.
Ash drifted.
The werewolf melted back into shadow.
Selvara remained.
Looking toward the barracks.
Toward the section where Ivaline stood laughing lightly with Vaelis.
“No hard feelings, little Ivaline…”
Her voice was soft.
“I do this for my freedom.”
She stepped back.
Skin shimmered.
Form blurred.
The chameleon dissolved into night.
Behind her—
The corpse in the alley cooled.
Tonight…
She would kill.
