After Uriel's words, silence settled over the Celestial Island.
Even the wind seemed to fall quiet, as if the heavens themselves were mourning the tragedy of the Wolfwood house.
Eli finally spoke, her voice soft, weighed down by the story.
"And three years later…
the White Witch killed everyone in Wolfwood.
Janos as well."
Sakura Dry turned pale.
"Then… the Wolfwood house and the Wolf knightly bloodline both went completely extinct."
Uriel nodded.
"That's right.
In the Evil Future, the name Wolf vanished from the world forever."
Fireburp's Tragic Fate in the Evil Future
Eli closed her eyes, as if the next part was difficult even to recall.
"And Fireburp?
What happened to her?"
Uriel drew a slow breath.
"Her fate… unfolded very differently.
By the time she arrived in the Forest of Wolves, the Bear Beast was already dead.
And the Wolfwood region had become a den of bandits."
Sakura Dry shook her head in disbelief.
"The Wolf Knights? None survived?"
"There were a few survivors," Uriel said.
"Those who happened to be patrolling outside Wolfwood City during the White Witch's madness.
When they returned, the castle lay in ruins, and the city had no survivors."
Eli's eyes darkened.
"Horrible…"
Uriel continued.
"The knights were left in a desperate situation, but they had been raised to always move forward.
Rumor spread that the legendary sword, Wolf Fang, was lodged in the Earth‑Stone Bear's magical armor.
No one had ever been able to pull it free."
Sakura Dry nodded.
"Wolf Fang… the symbol of the Wolfwoods."
"The knights believed," Uriel went on,
"that the Bear Beast's corpse might have decayed enough that the sword could finally be removed.
If they could retrieve it and present it to the Lady of the Greenwoods, they hoped she would accept them as her knights.
A new purpose. A new life."
Eli let out a bitter laugh.
"Hope can be worse than despair."
Uriel continued, her voice steady but heavy.
"The sword, of course, still could not be pulled out.
It was lodged so deeply in the Earth‑Stone armor that they couldn't even make it budge.
That was when a dragon hatchling appeared before them."
Sakura Dry's eyes widened.
"Fireburp…"
"Yes.
She was eight years old.
Nameless.
And she couldn't even breathe fire yet."
Eli clenched her fists.
"And the knights…?"
Uriel nodded sadly.
"They decided to abandon the sword.
Instead, they chose to slay the little dragon and present her head to Floralys Greenwood.
They believed that would be enough to earn their place as her knights."
Sakura Dry's voice trembled.
"A child…"
"She posed no challenge to them.
At eight years old, nameless, she died by the blades of the last Wolf Knights."
The Fire of Vengeance
Uriel's voice deepened, as if she herself felt the weight of what came next.
"The knights' grief was replaced by a brief moment of joy.
They had obtained the 'gift' they needed to travel to Greenwood."
Eli lifted her head sharply.
"But they never made it there. Right?"
Uriel shook her head.
"No.
A massive Fire Dragon burned the Forest of Wolves to the ground.
She roasted the knights alive."
Sakura Dry went pale.
"Firestorm…"
"Yes.
She sensed that her little sister had died.
The pain and fury that struck her were so overwhelming that nothing could stand in her way.
After the forest, she flew toward the castle.
But the castle was already in ruins.
The city was wiped out."
Uriel closed her eyes.
"Firestorm had no way to release her rage.
So among the ruins, she swore an oath to destroy all of humanity."
The wind rose again, as if the world itself shuddered at the tale.
Uriel finished the story.
The air around them seemed to freeze, as if even the heavens were holding their breath.
Eli was the first to break the silence.
"Hold on!
So you're telling me Firestorm became humanity's enemy because her little sister died…
and that's how she ended up as one of the Demon Generals?!"
Then she glanced sideways.
"And why are you crying so hard, Saku?!
Wait— when did you start drinking brandy?
And why is half the bottle gone?!"
Sakura Dry answered with red eyes and a trembling voice.
"The Evil Future is full of such tragic fates!
I couldn't listen to it without something strong!
I'm just so happy my precious student prevented all of that!"
Uriel nodded.
"Indeed.
Our agent from Earthworld, Andras — even if unintentionally — has rewritten countless bloody destinies.
He has already done more for this world than a Hero, and he hasn't even defeated a single demon yet."
Eli laughed.
"If things keep going well, Firestorm won't become a Demon General.
Which means the Demon King will lose not only the White Witch, but Firestorm as well."
Uriel raised a cautious finger.
"I hope that's how it turns out.
So far, things have gone almost too well."
Sakura Dry suddenly jumped to her feet, clutching the half‑empty bottle.
"My student is the best!
I want to see him!
I want to train with him!"
Eli massaged her forehead.
"Great.
I think I'll down a few shots too, because I'm not dealing with drunk Saku's whining while sober."
Uriel burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!
Just don't create some stupid magical device while drunk and blow up half the Celestial Island again."
Eli snorted indignantly.
"I never make the same mistake twice.
I always learn something new.
If something goes wrong next time, the entire island will explode.
Boom!"
Uriel smacked her on the head.
"Ow!
Why did you hit me?!"
Uriel glared at her.
"Do you have any idea how much work it would take to recreate the entire Celestial Island?"
Eli rubbed her head, sulking.
"I was just joking… you didn't have to hit me."
Sakura Dry fell back laughing.
"Hahaha! You deserved it!"
Beneath the Good Mood, Darkness Approaches
The mood on the Celestial Island was cheerful.
Laughter, teasing, and the smell of brandy filled the air — all signs that their Earthworld agent's mission was progressing almost flawlessly.
But the world below was no longer so peaceful.
Because the moment had come when the first demon would appear in the Wolfwood region.
Fate moved once more.
And the next chapter of the story would not be so lighthearted.
Riel Kingdom, Wolfwood
Three weeks had passed since Fireburp joined the Wolves.
Outside the walls of Wolfwood Castle, on the mages' training grounds, four figures stood side by side:
Master Florian, Noelle, Andras, and the little dragon girl — who now moved with growing confidence even in her human form.
The air smelled of burnt wood; the training dummies had long since failed to keep up with Fireburp's pace of improvement.
The Master — Soberer Than Ever
Noelle glanced sideways at Florian.
"Well, well… it's been three weeks since I last had to cure your hangover, you wrinkled old fossil.
In fact, Marta asked me this morning why she hasn't had to carry a single empty brandy bottle out of your bedroom for weeks.
Are you sick or something?"
Florian straightened proudly.
"Right now, dragon magic is what intoxicates me, my little fairy blossom."
Andras nodded.
"It really is impressive.
Fireburp can conjure a fireball three times larger using only a third of the mana you need, Master."
Noelle raised an eyebrow.
"Hm… and she said she had no talent."