“I told you it was stupid!” Alexander excimed as he and Bruno walked away from the vilge in the middle of the night, accompanied by Irina, who was back in her armor. Alexander had his ‘Extension’ on his arms as well. “Not just the pn, but you fighting with anyone who spoke ill of us!”

  “I couldn’t help it!” Bruno snapped back, scratching his head furiously. “Did you even hear what they were saying? I couldn’t just stand there and listen calmly.”

  Alexander groaned. “Just…let’s put it aside for now. We have something more important at hand.”

  “Agreed,” Irina said. “I, too, think you should’ve controlled yourself.”

  Bruno wanted to argue further, but he decided against it. “You’re right. We must focus on finding the Draconivores and getting Maki back.”

  “Unless they find us first.” Alexander sighed, rubbing his temple. He eyed the trees around them for a moment. “It will be extremely dangerous no matter how we encounter them. We must stay vigint.”

  Bruno nodded. “True.” He turned to Irina. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”

  Irina waved her hand. “Don’t mention it. I couldn’t let you two go out there on your own while knowing fully well what awaits you. Besides, it’s the least I could do after…failing so many times.” She turned her gaze to the ground.

  Bruno sighed, touching the spear on his back. “At least Maximus let me have this. Better than nothing, I guess.”

  Irina chuckled. “You’re lucky that the only smith in the vilge wasn’t mad at you like so many others.”

  “We should find a pce to set camp for the night,” Alexander said. “Preferably somepce hidden.”

  “How about…aunt Zoey’s cave?” Bruno suggested.

  Alexander stopped walking for a moment;Irina’s expression grew somber.

  “Perhaps. But I’m afraid it’s not hidden enough.” Alexander scanned the trees around them one more time. “In the meantime, I need to work on getting back in shape, and you must prepare for a fight at any moment.”

  Bruno scoffed, sticking his nose up. “No need to tell me twice.”

  “I know I have only been unconscious for a week, but have you awakened your magic yet?”

  Bruno looked away from his father. “No. But I will, soon. I have to.” He clenched his fists. “Danger is eyeing us from every direction. I can’t keep thinking ‘it will happen eventually’; I must become able to use magic properly as soon as possible.”

  Alexander nodded. “That’s the spirit.”

  Before deciding whether to rest at Zoey’s cave or somewhere else, they first headed to the old house, partly to check on it and partly to pick up anything they might have needed. Irina stayed close to the door to keep watch.

  “Someone was here before us,” Alexander stated, walking out of the basement. “Raksha’s sword is gone, among other things.”

  “I hope it was her who took it and not someone else.” Bruno moved the dining table aside, then gnced at his father. “This reminds me, how did you and mother meet? She mentioned undergoing Yeger training but never becoming a Yeager. So what exactly happened?”

  Alexander looked annoyed, gncing between Bruno and Irina, who now had her attention partially with them. “Do you really want to hear that now?”

  Bruno smirked, crossing his arms. “Absolutely.”

  Alexander sighed. “I guess it won’t hurt.” He continued talking while rummaging through their belongings. “I was a fully fledged Yeager by the age of seventeen. One day while visiting Jagerheim, my eyes fell upon a…certain new trainee.”

  “And it was love at first sight,” Bruno teased, smiling smugly. He could hear a stifled giggle from Irina.

  “Boy…” Alexander growled, looking unamused, although the tip of his tail was swishing slowly. “Well, you’re not wrong. Let’s just say she caught my attention. I wasn’t the one training her, but I would always take the opportunity to give her instructions or spar with her. You know, a chance to hang out and talk. We grew closer, but I was still…hesitant to tell her how I really felt.” He averted his gaze, his tail gaining speed.

  Bruno grinned devilishly. “It’s kind of amusing thinking about you as a smitten young wolf, unable to confess your feelings.”

  “Alright, mister adult, when are you going to confess your feelings to Mira?”

  Bruno’s tail stood up straight and so did his fur, his nose and ears instantly getting warmer; Irina was giggling audibly. “W-W-What are you talking about?!”

  Alexander smirked. “You just said it yourself: I was a smitten young wolf one day, so I know one when I see it, especially when it’s my own son.” He waved his paw dismissively. “Anyway, as her final exam drew near, I couldn’t help but feel concerned, but I didn’t let her know. Yeager exams are no trifling matter. It’s not unheard of for trainees to get scarred forever or even lose their lives during the final exam. And that was how your mother got her scar, on top of failing. I took care of her until she made a full recovery, then accompanied her back to her vilge and, afraid that she might attempt the exam again, kept telling her to abandon that idea. That was when I mustered up the courage to not only confess, but propose as well.”

  Bruno mouthed a silent ‘Oh’. “Now we’re talking.”

  Alexander squinted at him. “You’re having a bst listening to how your mother nearly died?” He shook his head.

  Bruno snickered briefly. “I’m gd you told me this, dad. But there’s another thing bothering me.” He motioned at Alexander’s hands. “Are these bracelets your ‘Extension’?”

  Alexander paused his search to gnce back at Bruno. “Correct. Well, a prototype, to be exact. Since I was leaving Jagerheim for good and ‘retiring’, I wasn’t allowed to take the final version of my Extension with me.”

  “What does it do, exactly?”

  “It gives me greater control over my fur, and allows me to rotate it, among other things. Although since it’s just a prototype, I could break it if I push it past its limit.” Alexander smiled, pulling a broadsword from behind the cabinet. “I guess it really was your mother who came here before us, because she left me my sword.” He swung it in the air a few times before hanging it on his hip. “I think we’re done here.”

  “Do you really need a sword, though?” Bruno asked. “I mean, you seemed to do well with your magic alone…until you nearly bled to death, that is.”

  Alexander chuckled, walking towards him. “One can always use a sword. Magic can’t always be the answer.”

  “I wish I had magic,” Irina commented, still keeping an eye out. “Maybe then I could’ve…”.

  Bruno approached her. “Irina-”

  “I know,” Irina interrupted quickly. “I know what you want to say. Still, I truly think it was my fault. I…should never have become an adventurer. When I was young, my biggest dream was to become one. But when I actually became one, it quickly dawned on me just how dangerous and difficult this path is. I was, and still am, too weak for it. But there was no going back; being an adventurer was all I knew, it was all I had ever prepared for while growing up. So in order to minimize the risks, I only took on simple escort missions.” She tightened her grip on her sword, shaking her head. “Stupid me. In the end, a simple escort mission made my path cross with a dragon, and all of you, and all the dangers that followed. And I was just…not cut out for it. I failed to protect Lily. It was pure luck that Onyx showed up that day. Then Zoey…lost her life protecting me. Then I failed to keep Maki safe.” Irina’s hand shook, and a glimpse of tears could be seen in the corner of her eye. “I thought my incompetence would eventually harm me, not others. I wish it was the former.”

  Bruno gently smacked her on the back, interrupting her.

  “Bruno!” Alexander scolded.

  Irina looked back at him quizzically. “What the hell was that for?!”

  “To stop you from talking,” Bruno answered, his expression bnk. “I’ve heard enough.”

  Irina wiped away her unshed tears, then raised an eyebrow at him.

  “I don’t want to hear anyone wish they were dead just because something bad happened to me,” Bruno continued. “Irina, don’t give up on your dream. You are an adventurer. The fact that you’re here with us now means you still have that spirit in you. You’re only counting your failures. Tell me: how many escort missions have you successfully completed? How many times have you saved others? Even when you ‘failed’ to protect Maki, you saved me. Doesn’t that count?” He looked her in the eye, sporting a goofy grin. “So lighten up!”

  Irina stared at him silently for a while, then tried, and failed, to stop herself from ughing. “You…are unbelievable. You and your whole family.” She puffed her chest. “I may regret all my failures, but I will never regret crossing paths with you. Even Zoey.” She raised her clenched fist to her face. “She gave her life so I might live. I should be ashamed that ever thought of wasting that.” She paused, unsheathing her sword and facing away from the house. “You felt that, didn’t you?”

  Bruno, Alexander and Irina stepped out of the house.

  “I did,” Bruno said.

  “We’ve got company, at st,” Alexander added.

  Standing there in front of them was a familiar fox cloaked in bck, the hood obscuring his face, although he looked slightly taller than the st time.

  “Pleasure to meet you again,” the fox spoke, smiling. “Yeager. I’m surprised you lived. Now, I hope you’ve learned your lesson. I’d hate to bleed you dry in front of your son…again.”

  Alexander snarled. “You bastard! What more do you want?! Onyx is no longer with us!”

  “Oh, I am aware of that,” The fox stepped closer to them. “Perhaps having you with me will lead me to him faster. Don’t you wish to meet him again, too?”

  “You…” Irina spoke shakily, raising her sword. “I will never forgive you for what you did! Because of you–”

  “Ah, correct,” The fox interrupted. “I overheard your whole pathetic self-reproach. Lucky for you, you’re not needed, so if you wish, I can send you to meet your bat friend right now.”

  Irina gred fiercely. “How dare you!”

  “Hold on right there!” A familiar voice came from the trees. Stepping out of the darkness was none other than the wolf Draconivore they had encountered in the vilge. “They are mine.” he addressed the fox. He stood there and sighed. “I had hoped our paths would not cross, but I guess it was inevitable. Still, perhaps we can still come to an agreement and avoid…unnecessary conflict.”

  Alexander’s gaze darted to the wolf, his eyes wide. “They do know each other!”

  The wolf appeared to be confused, taking a step back. “What?”

  The fox started giggling with a feminine voice, standing up much taller than before, then leaped out of the cloak, closing the distance between him and the wolf in an instant, and revealing that ‘he’ was, in fact, Kumiko.

  “Peek A-boo!” Kumiko blurted to the wolf’s face, before swinging her sword at him. The wolf quickly transformed his arm to that of a dragon’s to block the blow, and the sword sshed into it, spraying blood in the air.

  Bruno groaned in frustration. “Kumiko! Dad! You dropped the act too early! This is unforgivable!”

  Alexander rubbed his neck, his ears dropping. “I’m sorry.”

  “But you didn’t,” Bruno said to Irina, then embraced her. “Thank you!”

  Irina blushed deeply. “Oh-HEY! Control yourself! We’re still in danger!”

  “Apologies, sweetheart,” Kumiko said, her sword locked with the wolf’s dragon cw. “It was just too much fun watching this fool fall for your trickery…again.”

  The wolf’s face contorted in rage. “You…little…RATS!” He pushed against the sword and tried to run away, only to find Akira in his face.

  “Missed me?” Akira smmed his sword against him, hurling him into the ground so hard that his body dug into the soil. “I missed you.”

  Another Draconivore, this one a human woman, emerged from the woods, aiming at Akira, only to be stopped by Kumiko.

  “In a hurry, are we?” Kumiko unleashed a quick flurry of attacks at the human. Despite trying to block it, she still received several cuts to her arms and chest, and the force was enough to push her back.

  The wolf Draconivore was trying to stand up again, when Alexander quickly wrapped his fur around him, binding him completely and forcing his muzzle shut. “Sorry, but you’ll have to sit this one out.” He said mockingly, with an indifferent gaze.

  A third Draconivore, this one a tiger, charged at Bruno and Irina from behind, swinging his dragon cws at them.

  “Watch out!” Bruno shouted, pointing his spear at one cw while Irina prepared her sword to block the other.

  The spear went through one cw, while Irina’s bde sank into the other. However, the tiger appeared unfazed. He was smiling, even.

  “Is that it?” the tiger spoke with a gruff voice. He continued to push forward despite the weapons digging into his palms, slowly pushing Bruno and Irina back.

  “Not this time,” Irina mumbled, slipping her sword out of the tiger’s palm and ducking just in time to avoid being hit, then sshing at his ankle, forcing him to drop to one knee.

  Bruno took the opportunity to yank his spear out then stab at the tiger’s chest, but the tter grabbed it fast enough to prevent it from sinking in too far.

  Suddenly, something flew above them and struck the tiger with incredible force, sending him crashing into a tree. It was the wolf Draconivore, still wrapped in Alexander’s fur. He looked like he was trying to scream, but was muffled. Alexander quickly pulled him back towards him, keeping a tight grip around him.

  “Bruno! Irina! Stay close to me!” Alexander commanded.

  Bruno and Irina obeyed, wasting no time.

  The human Draconivore was falling back under the pressure from Akira and Kumiko, trying to take any chance to flee. Eventually, she managed to take into the air, but not before Kumiko delivered one more quick ssh at her, severing her right arm from the elbow. She screamed, holding what was left of her arm.

  “You…you will regret this!” The human excimed before flying away.

  Kumiko yawned. “You’re not the first to tell me that, hon, and I doubt you will be the st.”

  Bruno’s eyes darted back to where the tiger was supposed to be, but he was gone as well. He took a deep breath and sighed. “I think we’re clear.”

  The captured wolf was still struggling, mouthing muffled curses. He looked like he was about to pop from rage, desperately trying to conjure up dragon parts.

  “That’s enough,” Alexander said, smashing the pommel of his sword into the wolf’s nape, rendering him unconscious.

  “We did it…” Irina muttered while catching her breath. She smiled at Bruno. “We did it! Your pn worked!”

  Bruno smiled smugly, raising his nose high and pointing his thumb at his chest. “Of course it did! Among all the rabble, I, Bruno–”

  Akira stood behind him and patted him on the back with enough force to nearly tumble him forward. “Don’t let it get to your head, boy. Now, let’s head back to the vilge quickly. This is only one step forward. We still have much to do.”

  “Well, our friend here can’t walk,” Alexander said, kicking his prisoner. “So I don’t know how fast we can go.”

  “No worries!” Kumiko said, quickly lifting the wolf, pcing him over her shoulder and moving forward effortlessly. “Damn, I’m really getting too old for this!”

  Alexander and Bruno stared at her in awe, then at each other, and shrugged.