Andras laughed at Anita's passionate outburst.
"Well… I'm only six years old," he said with a playful shrug. "Maybe the wickedness of nobles hasn't had time to corrupt my heart yet."
Anita immediately leaned forward and poked him firmly in the chest.
"Then I'll protect your heart from that wickedness!" she declared with a seriousness surprisingly convincing for a sixteen‑year‑old girl. "I'll be your female knight! I'll protect you from the cruelty of nobles! That way you'll stay kind and good‑hearted forever, as long as I'm there to guard you!"
Andras burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! If every noble had a female knight like you, maybe our Kingdom really would be a better place."
Anita's eyes sparkled, and she instantly ran with the idea.
"Hehehe! You really think so? Maybe we'll be the new Heroes! We'll eat pizza and fight for justice! Anita, the Wolf Knight… and her lord, Young Wolfwood! No, wait! Even better… Young Wolf!"
Andras repeated the name thoughtfully.
"Young Wolf, huh? That's a pretty cool name. Much better than 'young lord' or 'young master.'"
"You like it?" Anita asked proudly. "I came up with it."
"As a reward, you'll get more of my pizza next time," Andras said.
Anita's eyes lit up like stars.
"Really?!"
"If you're this obsessed with pizza," Andras grinned, "maybe you really were born to be a Hero. Hahaha!"
Their laughter blended with the evening sounds of the training yard.
The sun was already sinking, and among the long shadows stretching across the grass, a bond was born — one that would shape both of their lives forever.
End of flashback
Returning to the present, the roar of the Arena once again filled the air. On the eastern stands, the Wolf Knights and the childrens had just finished the Wolf‑song. Their voices still echoed off the stone walls when Anita raised both hands and waved at them with a wide smile.
The crowd answered with a thunderous cheer.
Then she turned and waved toward the royal box as well — specifically in the direction of House Wolfwood. Her gesture was both respectful and playful, as if to say:
"See? I'm still keeping my promise. I am Young Wolf's knight — and today I'll show you what I can do."
Sunlight glinted off her armor, and Anita stood there like a born hero, ready to step into the storm.
On the eastern stands, the last notes of the Wolf‑song faded just as Princess Anabella clenched her fists.
"I can't believe this! I brought three hundred Royal Knights here to cheer for Eris… and the Wolf Knights sing such a beautiful song for their female Wolf Knight. Young Wolf is one step ahead of me again. Bite my pastry! The chocolate‑cream one!" she fumed inwardly.
The crowd roared again as the western gate opened and Eris Scarlett, the Hero, stepped out.
The Royal Knights immediately jumped to their feet and began chanting loudly:
"Go Eris! Go Eris! Victory to the Hero! The Hero is the best! Go Eris!"
Eris paused for a moment and nodded toward the crowd. The cheering warmed her heart — but her gaze drifted, almost involuntarily, toward the eastern stands.
"I appreciate the cheering… but that Wolf‑song was beautiful. It would've been nice if someone had sung a song like that for me…" she thought with a hint of envy.
The two competitors now stood on opposite sides of the battlefield.
On the left: Eris Scarlett, pride of the Royal Knights — the Hero.
On the right: Anita, the Windstorm, the female warrior of the Wolf Knights.
The crowd watched them in breathless anticipation.
Anita stepped forward with a mocking half‑smile.
"Have you already defeated the Demon King, that you call yourself a Hero?"
Eris answered without a twitch in her expression.
"Your provocation won't work on me."
"Oh? Am I supposed to be scared of you now?" Anita leaned forward slowly, like a predator preparing to pounce.
The referee raised his arm.
"Let the duel begin!"
The two women locked eyes. Neither moved. The air between them vibrated, as if even the wind itself were holding its breath.
Eris broke the silence.
"What's wrong? Go ahead and use that technique of yours. I want to see your full strength. At your current level, you're no match for me."
Anita laughed — but beneath the laughter, something feral stirred.
"Someone's arrogant today. Do you like wild women that much? Fine, have it your way. Hahaha! Feral Mode!"
A heartbeat later, the familiar, chilling beast‑roar tore through the Arena.
The spectators jumped to their feet — this was the moment they had been waiting for.
Anita's eyes darkened, her pupils dilated, her muscles tightened.
The Windstorm had gone feral.
She was the first to move.
Like a lightning strike, she lunged at Eris. A short sword flashed in her right hand, a knife in her left — her attacks were so fast that most of the audience saw only blurred streaks.
But Eris blocked every strike. Effortlessly. Confidently. As if she could see each of Anita's movements before they happened. The Hero's eyes tracked the lightning‑fast blows — exactly as one would expect from her.
The clash of steel echoed through the Arena, and the crowd erupted.
The storm had begun.
The rhythm of clashing blades grew faster and faster as Anita and Eris circled each other across the battlefield. The spectators watched the duel of the two female knights in breathless silence.
Eris suddenly spoke, deflecting another of Anita's lightning‑quick strikes with ease.
"You're fast, I'll admit that. The fastest opponent I've ever faced. Your reaction speed is even better than my father's. You've earned the name Windstorm."
Anita bared her teeth in a wild grin.
"Keep talking, and I might accidentally cut your tongue out."
In the next instant, Anita aimed for Eris's neck. The movement was so fast that most of the crowd saw only a silver flash. But Eris blocked it without flinching, then countered with a strike meant to throw the Wolf Knight off balance.
Anita leapt back just in time.
"Damn, that was close…" she thought, panting.
"I barely dodged that. I could feel the heat from her flaming sword. This Hero‑girl doesn't have a single weak spot."