Silence filled the lodge.
Not normal silence.
The deeply uncomfortable kind.
The kind that happened when everyone collectively sensed danger but nobody wanted to be the first person to scream.
The enormous red bird perched proudly atop the lodge roof, feathers puffed up as though pleased with itself.
Beside it stood the woman it had brought.
Long silver-white hair spilled down her back like moonlight woven into silk. Her skin looked almost unnaturally pale beneath the lanternlight, smooth and flawless in a way that did not feel entirely human.
But it was her eyes that made everyone uneasy.
Sharp jade green.
Not soft.
Not gentle.
Predatory.
Ancient.
They swept calmly across the gathered residents without the slightest trace of nervousness despite the dozens of weapons now subtly pointed in her direction.
Even the mudwolves had gone still.
The Ghastlies hid behind Jemina's legs.
Which honestly felt deeply insulting considering they usually attacked everything without fear.
Jemina blinked at the woman.
The woman blinked back.
"…So you're finally back," the woman said calmly.
Jemina pointed at herself.
"Me?"
"Yes."
"…Should I know you?"
The woman studied her for a long moment before answering.
"I am Cyrinne."
"Well, Cyrinne…" Jemina gestured vaguely toward her. "Please put on some clothes before half the lodge dies from secondhand embarrassment."
Without a word, Raisa grabbed one of the spare dresses hanging nearby and threw it toward her.
In a single blur of motion,
Cyrinne caught it.
And by the time everyone blinked,
she was already dressed.
Jemina stared at her in complete awe.
"That is incredible," she whispered. "I would absolutely pay to watch that trick in a circus."
Cyrinne tilted her head slightly.
Raisa rubbed her temple.
"So," she said flatly, "would you mind explaining who exactly you are? Briefly, if possible."
"I am the white wolf," Cyrinne answered calmly. "This is my human form."
Jemina froze.
Lucas suddenly stepped away from Rosaline, who had still been covering his eyes moments earlier.
His expression changed instantly.
Not fear.
Worse.
Recognition.
"…A Primarch."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Lucas's hand moved toward his sword.
The mercenaries stiffened.
Several lamias hissed quietly beneath their breath.
Rosaline looked completely lost.
"…What is a Primarch?" she whispered.
Raisa answered without taking her eyes off Cyrinne.
"Ancient beings older than most kingdoms."
Rosaline blinked.
"…Oh."
"…Some are worshipped as gods, but above all, the only known existing primarch is the one married to the demon king. " Raisa added flatly.
Rosaline paled.
"…OH."
Jemina stared at Cyrinne again.
Then slowly pointed at her.
"…You."
Cyrinne calmly stared back.
"You were fluffy."
The Primarch actually looked mildly caught off guard by her out of place comment.
"…I can still transform into my wolf form," Cyrinne replied after a pause. "I simply chose this shape for now."
"Why?" Raisa asked immediately.
Cyrinne's gaze shifted toward Jemina.
Everyone followed it.
Jemina pointed at herself again.
"Oh. Is this because of me?"
"Yes."
"Oh. Thanks I guess?"
"JEMINA," Raisa snapped.
"What?"
"Stop accepting dangerous situations so casually!"
Jemina looked genuinely confused.
"She does not seem to be a danger to us."
"You are too trusting! She is still the wife of the demon king."
Jemina stared at Cyrinne more carefully now.
Then,
something clicked.
The goddess.
The dream.
The white wolf.
If Cyrinne had appeared here,
then she had most likely been sent to be protected by her.
Or guided.
And if she was no longer with the Demon King,
then there was only one conclusion.
Cyrinne spoke before anyone else could.
"I am no longer with the Demon King."
Silence fell heavily across the lodge.
"I wish to remain here," Cyrinne continued calmly. "In the village you are building."
Jemina blinked.
"…I didn't realize I was building a village."
"You are," Raisa muttered tiredly.
Jemina immediately smiled brightly.
"Then you are absolutely welcome to stay with us!"
"JEMINA!"
Raisa's voice echoed across the platform.
"What?" Jemina asked defensively.
"That is a Primarch!"
"Yes?"
"She was married to the Demon King!"
"Yes?"
"She could destroy this entire lodge!"
"…But she hasn't," Jemina pointed out reasonably.
Raisa stared at her in exhausted disbelief.
Then sighed.
Because unfortunately,
that logic was difficult to argue against.
"But," Jemina added suddenly while raising a finger dramatically, "everyone living here must contribute something."
Cyrinne looked mildly curious.
"What kind of contribution?"
Jemina immediately turned toward Raisa.
"Can you handle that part?"
Raisa looked personally betrayed.
"You decided this without consulting me, and NOW you are assigning me paperwork?!"
"I came from an aristocratic family," Jemina declared proudly. "My selfishness emerged organically."
Silence.
Everyone stared at her.
Lucas blinked.
"…You're a noble?"
Rosaline looked shocked.
"A real noblewoman?"
One of the mercenaries dropped an entire plate.
The crash startled everyone back to reality.
Raisa looked deeply offended.
"I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS."
"Later," Jemina said quickly. "Right now, we are welcoming our new resident."
She turned back toward Cyrinne with a bright smile.
"Welcome home."
Lucas pointed lazily toward the white-haired woman.
"…You basically just adopted a dangerous stray dog."
Jemina glanced toward Cyrinne.
For one brief second,
she could almost imagine wolf ears on top of her head.
"…I did, didn't I?"
Naturally,
Jemina decided this called for a celebration.
"I survived near death!" she announced dramatically while standing atop a table. "Rosaline is free from a creep.The mercenaries survived emotional trauma! And apparently, we now have an ancient Primarch divorcee living with us!"
"…I feel like running away," Lucas muttered.
The lamias, however, had already become excited for entirely different reasons.
"The liquor is finished," one announced proudly.
Immediate cheering erupted across the lodge.
Raisa looked alarmed instantly.
"…Wait."
Too late.
Large clay bottles were carried into the center platform while villagers gathered excitedly around the tables.
The liquid inside shimmered faintly gold beneath the lanternlight.
"It smells sweet," Rosaline said softly.
"That is how it tricks you," Raisa replied darkly.
Jemina immediately grabbed a cup.
"To survival!"
Everyone raised their drinks.
"To survival!"
Lucas drank first.
Then paused.
"…That's actually good."
Five minutes later,
the world collapsed into chaos.
Absolute chaos.
One mercenary was currently attempting to arm wrestle a mudwolf.
The mudwolf looked deeply insulted by the challenge itself.
Another mercenary was loudly crying over roasted mushrooms.
A Ghastly stole someone's grilled fish and triggered a village-wide chase.
And Jemina,
was very drunk.
"I LOVE ALL OF YOU!" she declared while aggressively hugging Raisa around the shoulders.
"You are strangling me."
Jemina suddenly burst into tears.
Jemina immediately collapsed face-first onto the table.
Still holding her drink.
Raisa shook her desperately.
Nearby, Cyrinne sat quietly observing the chaos with a cup in hand.
Perfect posture.
Perfect composure.
Completely elegant despite the screaming villagers surrounding her.
One of the mercenaries pointed toward her.
"…You're handling this weirdly well."
Cyrinne glanced toward him calmly.
"I once attended a banquet where six monarchs attempted to poison one another simultaneously."
Silence.
"…Fair enough," he admitted.
Meanwhile,
Rosaline quietly slipped away from the noise.
Lanternlight glowed softly through the bridges behind her while distant laughter echoed across the trees.
A few moments later,
footsteps approached.
Lucas.
"You disappeared," he muttered.
Rosaline smiled faintly.
"It became loud."
"That's because Jemina drank something capable of removing all human restraint."
"…And you didn't?"
"I have a high tolerance."
At that exact moment,
Lucas walked directly into a hanging lantern.
CLANG.
Rosaline gasped.
"…Are you alright?!"
"…I'm fine."
Rosaline laughed softly into her hand.
Lucas rubbed his forehead with deep personal offense.
The quiet settled comfortably after that.
Rosaline leaned lightly against the railing.
"…Thank you," she whispered.
Lucas glanced sideways at her.
"For what?"
"For going after Jemina."
He frowned slightly.
"Well, it hardly mattered since she came back on her own."
"Of course it matters. You still went even with how dangerous it was. You really did not have to so why?"
Rosaline looked down.
Lucas looked genuinely confused by the question.
"…Because she matters to you," he answered slowly. "And you matter to me."
Rosaline's breath caught softly.
Her cheeks turned bright red almost instantly.
Lucas stared at her awkwardly.
Then quietly removed his coat and draped it over her shoulders.
"You looked cold," he muttered.
Rosaline held the coat tightly.
"…Thank you."
"…Don't mention it."
They stood there quietly after that.
Close.
Not touching.
But no longer distant.
Above them,
lanterns swayed gently in the night breeze.
And somewhere deeper inside the lodge,
Jemina's drunken voice echoed loudly through the forest.
"THAT FILTHY BARON IS GONE NOW! MAY HIS STINKY SOUL FIND PEACE! NOW LUCAS AND ROSALINE CAN FINALLY FALL IN LOVE!"
Lucas nearly choked to death.
Rosaline covered her burning face immediately.
"THAT DRUNKARD!" Lucas shouted furiously.
Back near the celebration,
Cyrinne quietly rose from her seat.
Truthfully,
the Primarch was also extremely drunk.
She simply hid it better than everyone else.
She picked up an entire bottle calmly.
Then walked toward the edge of the platform.
"Oh?" Ayine asked while returning with more food. "Where is Cyrinne going?"
"Who knows," Raisa muttered while pushing Jemina's sleeping face away with one finger. "Maybe she saw this idiot's drunk expression and decided returning to the Demon King was preferable."
Jemina snored loudly.
The red bird answered with a screech.
Then,
without warning,
Cyrinne transformed.
Silver light burst briefly through the trees.
And suddenly,
the enormous white wolf leapt into the night sky.
Gone in seconds.
The villagers continued partying.
Laughing.
Drinking.
Completely unaware,
that allowing an ancient Primarch to become heavily intoxicated was probably going to become everyone's problem very soon.