CHAPTER 51: MISTY MOUNTAIN

TWO DAYS LATER

VALKARIE PALACE HELENA'S ROOM

"My liege, I have prepared your disguise… but are you sure I do not need to prepare a teleportation scroll?"

Grace asked Helena in a concerned tone. She could not understand why her liege would not use the teleportation scroll that would allow them to get to the secret base in seconds, but instead wanted to run to the secret base.

*CREAK* *DOOR OPENING*

"The teleportation scroll would be faster, but I need to check something out."

Helena said as she walks out of her bathroom. After coming out, she sees the disguise Grace prepared. It was a brown-colored cloak with rough patches, and she noticed a magic spell of concealment on it.

"Hmm… the disguise is great, but it still needs a little touch."

Helena said as she stretches her hand forward before saying.

'DEN'

A portal leading to her universe opens, and she walks into it.

"It's that black hole again. I wonder where it leads to."

Grace said as she walks closer to the portal, observing it. After observing it for a while, she became curious and tried touching it.

*TING*

As her hand got closer her werewolf instinct for danger kicked in.

*WHOOSH*

*BAM*

"Grrrrrr…"

Grace growled after jumping away from the portal. Her eyes glowed gold and her claws and fangs came out.

*BAM*

Helena jumps out of the portal in her new look and sees Grace staring at the portal with killing intent.

"Huh, Grace, what are you doing?"

Helena asked curiously. Snapping Grace out of attack mode.

"I- I am sorry, my liege. I didn't know what came over me."

Grace said as she bows on one knee in respect.

"I am not angry. I am just curious."

Helena said.

"Well, after my liege entered that black hole, I tried touching it, but I blacked out and the next thing I noticed was my liege calling my name."

Grace explained truthfully.

"I see… her werewolf instinct to survive must have kicked in after it sensed danger. I guess the senses of a werewolf are really sharp. If she had touched the portal without me taking her in, it would have turned her into ash. I should be more careful where I open the portal to people close to me don't get hurt."

Helena thought in her mind. Reflecting on her mistake.

"Well… it is my fault for not telling you how dangerous it was. I am sorry."

Helena apologized.

After hearing her liege apologize, Grace panicked and bowed with both knees and slams her head on the floor.

*BANG*

"P–please don't apologize, my liege. It is my fault for trying to touch something I know nothing about. I am sorry, my Liege!"

Grace said.

"... Why is she apologizing when she almost got killed because of my mistake? And looking at her reaction, it will not be easy to convince her that it's my fault. Ha…"

Helena thought as she sighed.

"Ok, I have heard your apology. Now, can you get up from the ground?"

Helena said to Grace.

"... yes, my liege."

Grace replied as she stands from her bow, and looks up to see a brown-haired girl who looked to be in her twenties. It took aback her at first, but she noticed something.

"Sniff… sniff… my liege, how did you age so fast?… and your hair looks different, too."

Grace asked.

"What!? How were able to recognize me that easily?"

Helena asked in a surprised tone. She could not believe that even after changing her appearance, Grace could still identify her.

"Hehe… of course my liege, I can tell from your scent. And we are the only ones in your room."

Grace said as her cheeks turn red.

"Huh? What do you mean by smell? What smell? Sniff… sniff, why can't I smell anything?"

Helena questioned. Trying to figure out why she can't smell any aroma coming from her body.

[IT'S NO USE TRYING TO FIND THE SCENT BECAUSE IT'S NOT REAL.]

Alpha said in Helena's mind.

[What do you mean? Are you saying Grace is lying?]

Helena asked.

[NO… SHE CAN SMELL A SCENT ON YOU BUT IT'S NOT A PHYSICAL SCENT BUT A BLOODLINE SCENT. THE DROP OF BLOOD YOU USED TO TURN HER INTO A WEREWOLF IS STILL ABLE TO SENSE THE IT SOURCE WHICH IS YOU.]

Alpha explained.

[Hmm… so what happens when Grace turns someone else into a werewolf? Would they also be able to pick up the bloodline scent?]

Helena asked, with a curious tone.

[YES, BUT THE RANGE THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO PICK UP YOUR SCENT IS REDUCED. FOR EXAMPLE, GRACE AS A FIRST-GENERATION WEREWOLF CAN PICK UP YOUR SCENT WITHIN A 60-MILE RADIUS WHILE A SECOND-GENERATION WEREWOLF WOULD BE ABLE TO PICK UP YOUR SCENT FROM WITHIN THIRTY MILES AND SO ON.]

Alpha explained.

After listening to Alpha's explanation, Helena could not believe she let such a hidden danger go unchecked.

"I plan to create a werewolf army, but if someday one of them betrays me, it is possible to track me down using them, which is unacceptable…"

Helena thought in her mind with a serious expression, even after knowing that the sired werewolf couldn't betray her.

And even if they did, she could not get hurt, even if the planet exploded. But She cannot ignore anything that could endanger the people close to her.

To find the bloodline scent, she closed her eyes and concentrated her mind. After a while, she noticed a golden-like scent emanating from her body, so she sealed it from coming out.

After sealing it, she opens her eyes to see Grace's devastated expression.

"Huh, Grace, what's wrong?"

Helena asked after seeing Grace's expression.

"N–Nothing…"

Grace said as her lips and eyes quivered.

"I have failed you, my liege. I cannot smell your beautiful scent anymore. is it because I am not deserving?"

Grace panicked in her mind.

—-----------------------------------------------

TEN MINUTES LATER.

OUTSIDE THE CAPITAL CITY

MISTY MOUNTAIN.

*WHOOSH*

"RRROOOOAAARRR…"

The resounding roar of a beast reverberated throughout the mountain.

"Kuheok!... I told you we shouldn't have believed that crazy old man."

Henfrey yelled while running beside Anna.

"Talk less, run more…"

Anna replied while running.

"Who would have thought that the only clue we got about the golden-eyed beast would lead us into the misty mountain and we also had to run into a 'Drake kin'? I have to find a way to throw it off our tracks."

Anna thought in her mind while thinking of a way to escape the beast's pursuit.

*CLOMP* *CLOMP*

"...!?"

Henfrey heard the Drake kin's footsteps getting closer and closer, so while still running, he looked behind and saw the Drake kin running behind them with just a few meters between them.

"Damn it... we cannot outrun this beast. We can only run for a few more minutes... and if we keep running like this, we will both get killed by it... I guess that is the only option left."

Henfrey thought in his mind as she turns his gaze to Anna and smiles.

"Anna, I have an idea."

Henfrey said as they continued running.

"... What idea?"

Anna asked as she turns her gaze to Henfrey.

"The Drake kin is known as a persistent beast that never lets up on his prey, so no matter how long we run it would keep coming after us… so, I think you should keep running and I would hold it off for a while."

Henfrey said in a serious tone.

"Are you crazy!? You would get yourself killed."

Anna reacted quickly to Henfrey's words with a serious tone.

"... Well, I knew you would not agree, but I wasn't asking for your permission."

Henfrey said.

"... What do you mean b–"

Before Anna could reply to his words, Henfrey pulls out his sword, turns around, and dashed towards the beast.

"Arrrrrahhhhh!!!"

Henfrey yelled as he charged at the Drake kin with a terrified expression. And the only thing that allowed him to continue charging forward was his determination to protect someone very dear to him.

As Henfrey got closer, the Drake kin opened its enormous jaws, showing its razor-sharp teeth, ready to kill its prey.

After seeing the Drake kin's jaw open, Henfrey thought.

"I guess this is the end of my life, huh? I still haven't accomplished my dream of becoming a grandmaster knight. And I still haven't told the girl I like how I feel... so this is what it feels like to have your life flash before you... It's quiet."

Henfrey thought in his mind as he looks behind and sees Anna running towards him with a desperate expression and tears running down her face.

"R.U.N."

Henfrey's lips gestured.

*SQUELCH*

*BAM*

"NOOOOOOO!!!"

Anna yelled in a pain, and with a devastated expression as she watched Henfrey get torn to shreds by the Drake kin's jaws.

*BANG*

Anna fell to her knees, trying to understand what had just happened.

"THIS HAS TO BE A DREAM OR AN ILLUSION, YES, IT'S NOT REAL. THERE IS NO WAY HENFREY DIED."

Anna said, trying to deny what was happening.

*CRUNCH*

While trying to swallow its kill, Henfrey's decapitated head fell to the ground and rolled down in front of Anna.

"..."

After seeing the decapitated head of her friend, Anna fell into shock while staring at the head.

"It seems the show has come to its conclusion."

An unfamiliar feminine voice said.

"It would seem so, my liege."

Another feminine voice replied.

"..."

After hearing two unfamiliar voices, Anna snaps back to her senses as she looks up to see two figures standing on a tree branch right above her. Even though she could not see their faces, she could see the color of their eyes.

"... Gold… purple."

Anna said as collapsed to the ground, but before she passed out, she saw one of the hooded figures slice the Drake kin in half with just a swipe of their hands.