As the company walked along the forest path, their cheerful chatter made them forget the looming danger for a moment.
"A good maid's duty is to tear bandits apart!" Ironclaw declared proudly, twitching her wolf ears.
"No, that's the job of hounds!" Noelle protested. "Maids do something completely different!"
Christina shook her head with a smile.
"You're quite the worldly bunch. I like you all."
"Once we've defeated the Blue Ogre, you should visit us in Wolfwood more often," Andras said. "You could have another beer‑filled evening with my mother, Carla. I think she already misses you."
"That sounds nice," Christina replied. "But Bandorn surely wouldn't be pleased."
"Oh, we'd just tell him it was joint training to prepare for the war against the demons," Andras shot back.
"If the Hero is announced, then such joint training will truly be necessary," Christina nodded. "The more the Silver and Wolf Knights grow accustomed to fighting together, the better they'll stand in battle against the demons."
"You could also teach Andrea a few things, as a female Knight Captain," Andras added.
"Yes!" Andrea said eagerly. "My dream is to become Captain of the Wolf Knights! My grandfather believes I have a good chance."
"Not just him!" Anita interjected. "You're already as strong as I am. In a few years, I'll be the one chasing after you."
"I still have much to grow before reaching my grandfather's level," Andrea replied modestly.
"Which of the two captains do you think is stronger—Arpad or Christina?" Anita asked curiously.
"It may sound formal, but I believe we are equally strong," Christina answered. "Though we've never dueled to prove which of us is stronger. But one thing I can say for certain: the strongest Knight Captain is the Captain of the Royal Knights, John Scarlett."
"And the Hero will be stronger even than him," Andras remarked.
"What do you think, Young Wolf—will the Hero be a boy or a girl?" Andrea asked.
"I hope the Hero is a girl," Andras replied. "Then I won't have any trouble with her."
"Why would it be trouble if it were a boy?" Christina asked.
"Because then he'd seduce Andrea and take her away into the Heroes' Company," Andras said half‑joking, half‑serious.
"I would never leave you!" Andrea protested.
"I get it!" Anita laughed. "Andrea leaves us for the Hero, but that's fine. I'll be your personal knight instead!"
"I would not!" Andrea flared up.
Noelle's violet eyes sparkled with laughter.
"Hahaha! They're just teasing you, don't believe it!"
"But it's true!" Anita continued playfully. "I'll be the Young Wolf's new bodyguard! I'll protect every single part of his body. Hahaha!"
"Where exactly are you looking?!" Andrea burst out.
"I was only glancing at the Young Wolf's Sacred Sword," Anita answered with an innocent face.
"His sword is on his back!" Andrea protested.
Noelle giggled and interjected:
"That's not the sword she meant…"
"You're all so improper!" Andrea blushed, and the company's laughter filled the forest.
As the company moved deeper into the forest, their conversation was at once serious and playful. The shadow of the coming battle hung over them, yet they kept their spirits high, as if drawing strength from their laughter.
"I swear, you all make me nervous," Christina laughed, though her voice carried a trace of gravity. "No one would think we're about to face a deadly monster in a life‑or‑death fight."
"With the Wolf Knights, morale is always high!" Anita replied proudly.
Andras's tone grew more serious.
"What happened to the Silver Knights the Blue Ogre killed? Did you recover their bodies?"
Christina's eyes darkened.
"No. We left them to the Ogre. As long as it feeds on their flesh, it won't attack the nearby villages."
"Even in death, they protect the people," Andras said with respect. "May their souls rest in peace."
Christina nodded gratefully.
"Thank you. I'm glad you understand my decision."
One of the Silver Knights spoke up, tension in their voice.
"Some of our comrades didn't agree with the Captain's choice. They said we should have honored them, so their families could bury them."
"It isn't that simple," Andras replied. "A leader sometimes has to make very hard choices. Sometimes there is no good decision—only bad, or worse."
"And between those two, it's clear which is the better choice," Anita said firmly.
"How many Silver Knights fell in battle against the Blue Ogre?" Andrea asked.
"Eight in total," Christina replied. "They attacked the Ogre all at once."
"The forest is the monsters' territory," Andras said. "Against such an enemy, it's better to send a specialized monster‑hunting unit than knights."
"Indeed," Christina nodded. "Ironclaw's nose and beast instincts will give us a great advantage."
"He'll smell the Ogre from far away," Andras remarked.
"I'm the strongest! After my master!" Ironclaw shouted proudly.
Andras smiled.
"I'm glad you're so eager, but this Blue brute will make even you sweat. Don't worry—if your arm or a few ribs break, Noelle will patch you up."
"Is that Blue brute really so strong?" Ironclaw asked, suddenly uncertain.
"Our strongest opponent yet," Andras answered gravely.
"Stronger even than you, master?" Ironclaw looked at him.
"Even stronger than me," Andras nodded. "But don't worry—it has even less brains than you!"
The company burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!" Anita laughed.
"Hahaha!" Noelle joined in.
"And there will be eleven of us against it," Andrea said hopefully.
"As for that," Andras said, his voice tinged with mystery, "I have another plan."
Christina turned toward him curiously.
"What do you mean, Young Wolf?"
"How much time do we have before reaching the cave?" Andras asked.
"Half an hour, then we'll be there," Christina replied.
"Good," Andras nodded. "Then let's rest now. I'll explain my plan in the meantime."
The monster‑hunting company stopped to rest. The Blue Ogre's cave was only half an hour's walk away, but after two and a half hours of marching they needed one last pause before the battle. The five female Silver Knights spread out, taking watch posts in every direction, listening to the sounds of the forest.
"There's no need to watch the surroundings so closely," Andras said calmly. "Ironclaw will sense anything approaching long before you notice it."
"You heard the Young Wolf," Christina said firmly. "Leave the watch and come rest as well."
"Understood! Then we'll rest too," one of the Silver Knights replied, returning to sit with her companions.
"We've been in the forest for a while now, but haven't seen a single wolf," Anita remarked. "Are there no wolves here?"
"Wolves dislike the scent of Silver Trees," Christina explained. "That's why they're rarely found in the Silver Forest."
"In exchange, all the wolves dwell in our Forest of Wolves," Andras added. "Which isn't necessarily a bad thing for us."
"If there are many wolves, then there must be fewer deer, right?" Andrea asked.
"Since there are no wolves here, we have plenty of deer," Christina answered. "But there are also many goblins."
"Exactly," Andras nodded. "In our lands, the wolves cull the goblins, and as long as they do, the goblins don't attack the villages."
"Indeed," Christina sighed. "Here, without wolves, it falls to the knights to deal with every goblin."
"Goblins are disgusting little beasts!" Anita burst out. "If there's anything I hate more than bandits, it's goblins!"
"Why?" Andras asked. "In truth, goblins and bandits share many traits."
"Other than being our enemies?" Andrea interjected.
"Yeah," Anita continued. "Both bandits and goblins kidnap women and defile them."
"At least goblins don't discriminate," Andras said grimly. "They'll even take ugly old women. Bandits only care about the beautiful ones."
"In that sense, goblins are better than bandits," Noelle remarked with irony.
"Spoken by a pretty half‑elf girl," Anita shot back. "You'd be the first they'd kidnap."
Andrea laughed.
"Hahaha!"
"I can take care of myself!" Noelle declared firmly. "I'd sooner blow myself up than let some filthy goblin or bandit defile me!"
"All right, calm down!" Anita soothed. "The Young Wolf wouldn't let you be taken anyway."
"Have you killed goblins before?" Christina asked curiously.
"More than a few!" Anita replied proudly. "Andrea and I even compete to see who can cut down more at once."
"Luckily, most goblins we've faced numbered no more than ten or twelve," Andrea added.
"What about hobgoblins?" Christina asked.
"I haven't had the chance to face one yet," Anita answered, and for a moment the company fell silent, as though they all sensed that before the Blue Ogre, even hobgoblins were but the antechamber to the true danger.
Deep in the forest, the company paused to rest, but their talk soon turned to recent battles.