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“Someone wants to kill me?” Liana was stunned. “But I haven’t done anything bad at all.”

“That has nothing to do with whether you’ve done anything bad,” Lilith said. “It’s far more likely related to your identity.”

Lilith looked at her with barely concealed schadenfreude, showing no panic at all despite being surrounded by demonic beasts. “Didn’t you say earlier that your father is a clan head? That’s probably the main reason.”

“But Father doesn’t even like me,” Liana said softly.

“Whether he likes you or not doesn’t matter. Just having that identity is enough.” Lilith shrugged. “Of course, this is only my guess. You don’t have to take it too seriously.”

“I… I see.”

After realizing that the Shadow Wolves might have been deliberately released to kill her, Liana’s mood visibly sank. She still could not understand why someone would target a cripple like her, someone who had already lost everything.

Still, given their current predicament, she quickly forced herself to pull it together.

“Mountain Ghost, please fall back for now. Leave this to me.”

“Huh?” This time, Lilith was the one who froze. “You? Don’t you have no magic at all? Can you really deal with those demonic beasts?”

“Don’t worry,” Liana said calmly. “You still need to save my mother. I can’t let anything happen to you. Besides, Shadow Wolves are only first-tier demon beasts. Even without magic, I still have something that can handle them.”

As she spoke, Liana reached into her bag and pulled out a pitch-black… submachine gun.

Lilith had never seen that particular model before, but there was no doubt about it. It was a submachine gun. A freaking submachine gun. ‘What the hell is this? Isn’t this supposed to be a fantasy world? Where are the spells? The flying swords? Why am I only seeing high-tech stuff?!’ Lilith screamed internally.

“I’m going!” Liana shouted crisply. She flicked off the safety, chambered a round with practiced ease, aimed at the leading Shadow Wolves, and opened fire. The rapid rattling burst from the muzzle tore through the night in a relentless staccato.

As expected, the hides of first-tier demon beasts were not tough enough to ignore firearms. Several Shadow Wolves that Liana focused on were torn apart in sprays of blood and flesh, howling miserably as they scattered in panic.

The remaining Shadow Wolves, however, showed no sign of retreat. The scent of blood only drove them into a greater frenzy. Several Shadow Wolves suddenly flanked from the side and lunged straight at Liana.

Already prepared, Liana slid forward in a clean, sharp slide, narrowly evading their pounce. Her gun swung with her motion, the muzzle tracking their exposed bellies as the gunfire resumed in a furious burst.

The ambushing Shadow Wolves were quickly shredded and dropped lifelessly to the ground. Even so, more Shadow Wolves continued to close in. Without hesitation, Liana pulled out a round object from her bag. A… grenade?

She pulled the pin, threw it, then swiftly swapped magazines while the explosion shocked the wolf pack.

Then she resumed firing.

More than a dozen Shadow Wolves on the front line were actually suppressed by Liana alone. Under her continuous fire, they were forced back step by step, several already collapsing under her gunfire.

‘She even has freaking grenades?’ Lilith felt as if her understanding of the world was quietly falling apart. “Well, I’ve already seen phones and guns. I guess grenades aren’t that strange anymore.”

The frontal assault was temporarily under control, but… Lilith turned her head. Behind them, even more Shadow Wolves had silently crept closer.

Standing atop a massive boulder behind Lilith was an especially large Shadow Wolf, gazing down at them. Its eerie green eyes carried an unmistakably human-like cruelty and icy malice.

The frontal attack was nothing more than a feint. The main force was behind them. And with this formation…

“It’s a dead end, for Liana.” Lilith murmured quietly.

Someone had deliberately set up a perfect killing trap. Dozens of Shadow Wolves had been deployed just to ensure the absolute death of a little girl with no spiritual power at all.

Against such numbers, even with guns and grenades, Liana stood no chance. Unless she could suddenly pull out a giant mecha, there was no escaping death.

“If… I weren’t here, that would indeed be the case.” Lilith rolled her neck and smiled with mild annoyance. “I just wanted to step out for a casual stroll, and somehow I got dragged into this mess. I wonder whose luck is worse, mine or Liana’s.”

She sighed lightly. “Well, whatever. It’s not really troublesome.” No matter which version of herself it was, these first-tier demon beasts were nothing more than ants in her eyes. Cleaning them up did not even qualify as trouble.

“Perfect.” Lilith locked her gaze onto the largest Shadow Wolf, her smile gradually growing unrestrained. “As an ordinary pretty girl, I really don’t feel like walking right now. Especially not through mountain paths. I just happen to need a mount.”

She raised her hand, and darkness began to rise and coil within her palm.

***

“The magazine count is down to three, and there’s only one grenade left.” Liana assessed her remaining ammunition while rapidly evaluating the situation.

“There are still at least five Shadow Wolves on the front. Five are manageable, but the real problem is if the others circled around from behind. Right now, I don’t have the spare capacity to watch my rear. In this situation… retreat is the only option.”

So while maintaining suppressive fire, Liana shouted without turning her head toward Lilith behind her. “Mountain Ghost, be careful. There might be Shadow Wolves coming from the rear!”

“Oh.”

The reply sounded rather absent-minded. Liana grew anxious. At such a critical moment, how could she sound so relaxed? “I’ll tear open a gap in a moment. Mountain Ghost, you retreat first. I’ll cover the rear!”

“Eh? But I don’t really feel like retreating.”

“Don’t feel like it? Mountain Ghost, this isn’t the time for that.” After driving the Shadow Wolves back once more, Liana seized the chance to turn around and shout anxiously. “Please—”

Her words cut off abruptly.

Liana stared in shock at what was behind her, the gunfire unconsciously stopping as well.

Because right there, a Shadow Wolf far larger and more robust than any she had been fighting was behaving like an ordinary house dog, wagging its tail furiously at the girl before it. It even rolled over, exposing its soft, vulnerable belly, allowing the girl to do whatever she pleased.

And in those once-cold, merciless eyes, there was now nothing but… fear?

Not ordinary fear either. It was the kind of terror one might have after watching their entire family be slaughtered in an instant, only to be forced to sell their own body and suffer brutal humiliation afterward.

“Oh? What did you just say?” Lilith, who was happily ruffling the dog, lifted her head and asked, “I didn’t quite catch that.”

“I…”

Covered in grime and soot, Liana glanced at the small gun in her hand, then at the massive Shadow Wolf that was clearly impervious to gunfire. She blinked once, then decisively tossed the gun aside and threw herself at Lilith, clinging tightly to her leg.

“Wuuuh… big shot, please carry me.”

Lilith looked at her with open disdain. “Didn’t you just say you’d handle it?”

“Hehe, that was before I witnessed Mountain Ghost’s overwhelming might,” Liana said with a sycophantic grin. “It’s not too late to see the light now, right?”

“Heh.” Lilith patted the enormous Shadow Wolf beside her and spoke lightly. “Go on. Go take care of your little ones. You wouldn’t want to wipe out your own bloodline, would you?”

The Shadow Wolf nodded furiously, as if terrified Lilith might change her mind.

Then it rose to its feet and turned toward the Shadow Wolves whose attention had been fixed on Liana the whole time, leaving them unaware of what had just happened. With the authority of an alpha, it raised its head and roared.

“Woof!
Woof!
Woof woof woof woof woof!”¹　

The Shadow Wolves froze.

Liana froze as well. She blinked in confusion, turned to Lilith, and asked, “Shadow Wolves… sound like that?”

“Who knows,” Lilith said, stroking the massive Shadow Wolf’s head with a smile. “Maybe it’s just like you now. Lost its way, came to its senses, and decided to be a good dog again.”