Enhanced in aina, I ran through the forest, my hands firmly gripping Olga and Martha. And as I ran, the animalistic wolf-grunt got louder and louder.

I wasn't being pursued by a monster or anything. In fact, I'd say it's me who is hounding something.

Hounding what exactly?

Well, monsters. More precisely, a pack of high-beasts known as FangWolves.

FangWolves are wolf-like creatures with three pairs of eyes, black fur, and fang-like tusks emerging from their ribs. Besides those, one of their most notable characteristics is their size, which is twice that of a normal wolf, so needless to say how enormous they were compared to me.

But still, it was with assurance that I chased after them.

I still remember how almost two years ago, when my first reaction upon stumbling upon those warthogs was to flee. That's quite a long way I've gone.

Ahead, a pack of nine FangWolves raced at full speed, trying to lose us, making their way deeper into the forest. And to avoid venturing too far, I decided to call it a day here.

I began picking up speed, and in no time, I had reached a distance of roughly two meters from the pack's closest fangwolf.

Using full strength, I propelled myself just above it.

I landed atop the nearest Fangwolf, using its momentum to powerfully stomp its head under my foot.

Upon hearing the bone-cracking noise coming from their comrade's skull, the wolves' heads turned in unison toward me, and with it, their flight came to a halt.

Taking advantage of the confusion caused by their rather goofy and sudden halt, I hurled Martha and Olga straight at the two closest FangWolfs.

They were killed instantly.

In rapid reaction to what had just unfolded, the three remaining six FangWolves charged at me, their teeth baring murderously.

I started to notice a change in them. Nothing visual, but still, I could feel something getting different with them as they charged toward me.

Despite the fact that my blades were no longer in my hands and the Fangwolves were charging at me with wide open jaws, I showed no fear nor concern.

The leading Fangwolf, growling, upon reaching maybe three meters away from me, leapt with the clear intent of tearing me apart, but before it could even reach me, the growls he earlier uttered were cut short by an acute dog-like cry.

The creature was blasted away by a kick, not but someone else’s.

"Syrius…"

"Throwing weapons like this, I certainly have taught such a bad strategy… Young Lord," Syrius sighed, as he, out of nowhere, appeared.

The two other Fangwolves that followed the charge of the one that was blasted away, still, despite his Syrius, magnanime entrance, charged at him.

Syrius welcomed the first with a sword thrust from the impaled Fangwolf's skull to its lower abdomen, before intercepting the second one with a kick that sent it flying upward. Unsheathing that same sword from the impaled Fangwolf’s skull, Syrius neatly cleaved the third one vertically.

With the same ease, Syrius went after the last three Fangwolves, whereas I, from the monster's skulls , retrieved Martha and Olga.

In no time, the battle, if one could call it that, met its end, and just as I was about to comment on it, I came to notice, further into the woods, a second pack of fangwolves, which I believe were attracted by our commotion, retreating deep into the woods.

I, wanting to stop them, was grabbed by Syrius by the collar’s back, "May I know where you are going, Young Lord?"

"Didn’t you notice them, Syrius." "Yes, but that... that place is off limits as we agreed upon, Young Lord. So I’m afraid you’ll have to leave them be. " He said, pointing at a sloping part of the forest leading to the three kilometers and beyond of the Iharana Greatforest.

"Hum… what a shame." I mumbled, throwing a glance at the Fangwolves' corpses.

This type of monster has been paying us a lot of visits as of late.

Perhaps it's due to evolution, but the five-kilometer rule no longer applies to certain monsters, at least not in this part of the world, I don’t if it's the case elsewhere.

The warthogs I stumbled upon more than a year and a half ago are proof of this. I thought they were just overgrown pigs, but as Syrius confirmed, they were indeed monsters, which are known as beasts. Though they were the weakest of their kind, they were still monsters nonetheless.

The five first-kilometer rules no longer apply to beasts.

That is why Syrius and I, Syrius who agreed to let me do my forestry activities as long as I accompanied him, agreed to a new rule, the three and two-kilometer rule.

Two for regular beasts and three for monsters.

For some reason we couldn’t explain, beasts like those warthogs can wander up to the two kilometers close to the barrier, while highbeasts, like those Fangwolves from earlier, instead, generally lurk on and beyond the third kilometer layer beyond the barrier.

If one is lucky or unlucky enough, depending on one's mindset when venturing through these parts of the woods, one might even come across one of these Fangwolves between the third and second kilometers. Which is exactly what happened to us the first time we stumbled into our first Fangwolf. Well, to be exact, it was Syrius who first, before we did together, stumbled upon one. It happened while he was scouting the forest, curious about what exactly was going on with the barrier or the forest. Almost two years have passed since, and I could say with unyielding assurance that we pretty much lived with it.

If we see a Fangwolf, we kill it. If we see Fangwolves, we kill them.

If we see a warthog, we slaughter it. If we see warthogs, we slaughter them.

Pretty self-explanatory, I believe.

A high beast can go as far as the first three kilometers for hunting.

"I think that's it for today," Syrius said, handing me a handkerchief, before sheathing his sword.

It was still early afternoon, yet I couldn’t agree more. Especially with winter approaching, this afternoon was chillier than usual.

Winter is merciless and extremely harsh for our forestry activities, not only because of the icy temperatures, but also because of the footprints I leave in the snow when fleeing from the manor. For two months last year, I had to stop going to the forest because of that. And I, from the cold already introducing itself, had the impression it would be the case this year too.

This winter wasn't there yet, yet it feels particularly cold in comparison to what the climate should be at this period of the year. I wasn't the only one saying and thinking so. Maa and Syrius too.

I have a feeling this winter will be the coldest I've ever seen.

Aaaaaaaa~

Breathing warmly into my hand, I and Syrius made our way home to appreciate the gentle warmth of a fireplace.

Unlike what I earlier said, we didn’t immediately go back to the manor, or at the very least I didn’t. Instead, just as we use to, Syrius went first, and I was to follow some times after.

So after we parted ways upon passing through the barrier, I leisurely placed my backpack in its usual hiding place. I, after making sure I had given Syrius thirty or so minutes, made my way to the manor domain’s fences.

Since it was still early in the afternoon, I couldn't rely on the evening twilight to conceal my infiltration; so I had to, instead, be extra cautious that no one on the other side was there to witness me breaking into my own home's domain.

Stealthily glancing toward the manor, from atop the fence, "Lucky!" I exclaimed upon noticing no one around in the backyard.

I just, as usual, jumped with ease over the fence and dashed to the manor, which, once reached, I noticed was different from usual.

It simply felt too quiet in the manor.

Entering, I immediately released the sketchy absence of Matheo, something that, in almost two years of sneaking through this kitchen, never happened.

This time I was certain something was off.

Just as I was about to make my way to the entrance hall through the living room, I heard, from the latter, heavy and familiar approaching footsteps.

The dining room’s door opened and I witnessed plumpness incarnate come out of the room.

"Ah, Monsieur ?!" Matheo said, visibly surprised to see me here.

"Hi, Matheo."

"What brings-ah no, Madame Mathilda and Monsieur Syrius are looking for Monsieur right now," he stuttered.

Several footsteps could be heard approaching from the same dining room, which were unmistakably the housemaids.

"Did something happen?" I asked, curious.

He leaned in close and concealed his mouth, as if about to reveal a scandalous secret.

"We have a guest, and certainly a prestigious one. Each of us was summoned to greet him when he came out of his carriage," he whispered.

A guest? Here in the Rosetta Manor? A guest?"

Indeed, it was something groundbreaking.

I wonder who it could be?

"Do you know who it is?"

"No, but I think it’s someone Madame Mathilda and Monsieur Syrus are very familiar with. It might be someone from Monsieur’s family. "

"I see… and, where might this prestigious guest be right now ?"

"Syrus and Mathilda are welcoming him in the living room."

Hearing these words, I couldn’t thank Heaven enough that I didn't sneak in through the living room window.

"I see... I’m going to check it myself." With that said, I made my way to the living room.

I passed through the dining room, through the housemaid to reach the entrance hall, from where I immediately noticed the three fancy carriages waiting in the courtyard. Each of which was surrounded by four armed guards.

The manor security guards were nothing compared to these guys.

Matheo was right; whoever this visitor was, he was a big deal.

It was as I was about to make my way up the stairs that I was called out by a Syrius, who was clearly, from upstairs; waiting for me.

He hurriedly approached me and smelt me around before pulling out of nowhere a perfume, which he gently vaporized on me.

Smelling around again,"there you go." he said, sighing relievedly.

Putting aside whatever that was, just now, I asked, "What’s happening, Syrius?"

"There is someone we'd like to introduce you to, Young Lord."

"May I ask who it is?"

He immediately shook his head.

"He’s in the living room. "Why don't you ask him personally, Young Lord?" Syrius said in a voice I'd never heard him use before.

It seems I’ll have to find that myself then.