The domains of the Eternal Village were vast and unfathomable. Ice ran for an indeterminate amount of time, soon distancing himself far enough from the village that he could no longer hear the noise of the animals. He pressed on, feeling the scent of blood grow stronger as he navigated through the night.

Who would dare defy his Master and defile these lands with blood? The villains behind this needed to pay for their arrogance!

He was determined to make them pay when he spotted the troublemakers in this peaceful territory.

At the sight of a human group with a carriage, Ice slowed his pace upon seeing armed men. Three men on horses surrounded the old wooden carriage, stopped a kilometer ahead of the white wolf. The animal noticed blood marking swords and a spear, discerning the situation of the malicious men and a group of women crying in terror on the ground, kneeling.

‘Humans?’ He narrowed his eyes, growing more concerned. He had expected to face beasts, but found humans who dared to disrespect the sacred ground of his Master’s realm.

His Master had always taught him not to act rashly against humans and not to harm them. But before him were three wicked men who certainly wouldn’t respect his Master’s rules.

Hatred formed in his eyes, his fangs appearing larger, and his claws more menacing.

Silently, Ice ran with the wind in his favor, opening his mouth aggressively as his fur bristled, making him appear even larger. Within moments, the white wolf had closed the distance between him and his enemies.

The three vicious humans were truly arrogant. They spilled blood on foreign lands but didn’t bother to keep their guard up.

Ice reached his preys four seconds after spotting them, targeting the one closest to the women first. He leaped from four meters away, aiming to attack the mounted man.

Everyone in this unusual situation realized they were not alone in this desolate area. Looking at the source of the sudden angry growl, the armed and mounted men felt chills run down their spines.

‘Wolf?’

Two of them moved backward, but the man under attack had already missed his chance to defend himself.

Ice soared above the level of the horses’ backs, reaching the nearly defenseless man armed only with a sword and simple armor, lacking any visible metal plates. But it wouldn’t have mattered if he had been wearing heavy armor with thick plates. As Ice knocked the enemy off the horse, he landed with his forelegs pinning the man’s arms. His claws penetrated deeply, forcing a sudden cry of pain.

But Ice wasn’t merciful. Driven by his own sense of justice, he advanced toward the evil enemy’s unprotected throat.

Who but a diabolical scoundrel would act against women? His Master always treated women and the elderly with great respect. How could these men disrespect them?

Ice felt no pity, no fear of punishment from his Master for his rash decision!

He bit down hard on the man’s neck, smearing his mouth with dark red blood, tasting something he hadn’t tasted for months. For a moment, his stomach rumbled, and he felt something inside him grow. But the sound of armed and mounted men rushing toward him prevented him from losing focus in this critical battle.

As he pulled his jaws away from the now motionless, bleeding enemy, Ice opened his eyes and looked at one horse.

The brown-furred creature saw death and planted its hind legs on the ground, raising the front of its body, doing its best to avoid the white monster.

The man riding the horse screamed in surprise, losing his grip on the reins and falling backward onto the ground, losing the spear he carried in his right hand. His luck lay in the movement of his last companion, who attacked the wolf by rushing past the opposite flank Ice was focused on.

Ice ignored the fallen man to dodge the enemy, seeking his back.

‘Coward!’

But he expected nothing less from a group capable of acting against women. The wicked were capable of anything.

His opponents’ misfortune was that one of Ice’s most advanced traits was his ability to react. With a vertical leap, the white wolf sprang off the dead enemy, bravely confronting the attacker, who was wielding a silver blade that shone in the moonlight.

This time, Ice extended one of his forelegs, using his claws to counter the enemy’s move.

The human nearly spat in shock at the wolf’s unexpected maneuver, losing all the advantage he had gained by attacking from behind. As the white wolf closed in, fear filled the human’s heart. The strength of an animal that size far surpassed the strength of human arms!

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Ice saw his enemy’s fear and confidently curled the corners of his lips.

‘This is just the beginning!’ The creature channeled its mana to its paw, a second after meeting the enemy’s weapon.

The clash between human and wolf didn’t last long. One second was enough for the human on the gray horse to lose his grip, and his weapon slipped from his hands. The clawed paw lunged at him, reaching for his chest, protected by a metal plate.

“Aaaagh!”

Even with a metal barrier in his way, Ice felt something wet his claws as he knocked the human off the horse, frightening the creature into fleeing.

But as he landed back on the ground, ready to finish yet another of his Master’s foes, Ice felt a sudden burning sensation in his back. For a moment, he experienced a pain like no other, almost crying out in surprise, and calling for his fellow villagers who were surely on their way here.

The enemy who had fallen from his horse showed a spark of courage in his black eyes. His spear, already stained with human blood, had pierced the white wolf’s flesh.

Ice endured the searing pain and refused to cry out!

This was his test, and he refused to fail!

The Eternal Village was counting on his strength and protection. With his Master far away, he had to fight to the death against these vicious humans.

He kept his paws firmly on the ground and attacked once more. But instead of charging directly at the man with the spear, he circled his enemy. He used his speed to his advantage, searching for an opening in his opponent’s defense.

The man with the shallow cut on his chest struggled to rise from the ground. His expression was ghastly and pale. But he restrained himself after the initial scream, clenching his teeth as he stood up and reached for his weapon.

The women watched, kneeling on the ground, while the only warrior among them suffered from a cut on her abdomen and both arms, immobilized by pain and weakened by bleeding. She remained conscious, however.

“Attack…” A thin, weak voice came from the warrior’s dry lips, drawing the attention of the women crying on their knees.

The three women outside the carriage and near the woman in simple leather armor looked at her in fear, hesitating to advance. But each of them had pocketknives hidden in their legs.

“Attack, or we’ll all die…” The wounded woman struggled to encourage her companions, as the man finally had his sword in hand and turned his attention back to the white animal.

The hatred of being attacked almost completely clouded his senses. The pain in his chest subsided as he advanced against the wolf circling his ally.

Ice attempted his first attack but was thwarted when the spear-wielding human dodged and counter-attacked, forcing him back. He tried again, but his opponent had a formidable command of the spear and knew how to defend his space.

For the first time in this fight, Ice saw his enemies as more than just vicious cowards who acted from behind or against women. These men knew how to fight.

When the swordsman joined the spearman, the white wolf’s situation worsened, putting them in a stalemate.

Ice cursed his weakness for allowing himself to be wounded in the back. If not for his injury, he would have ended this fight swiftly.

For a moment, he felt ashamed of himself. The feeling of failing his Master filled his heart with bitterness, and he thought it wouldn’t be unfair if he died there.

Perhaps Annabelle and Mimosa were indeed better suited for his Master. Perhaps even Phantom would prove to be a more reliable wolf.

‘Fair.’

His death wouldn’t be unfair. Failing to fulfill a simple mission like protecting his Master’s domains could only be remedied by his death.

Devoid of the fear that all living beings have, Ice charged at the two armed enemies, investing all his strength in a move that would at least take down one of them before his own demise. He aimed his claws at the neck of the spear-wielding opponent, resolved to bring down the one who had wounded him. He had to kill the one who had weakened him.

That shame would not accompany him to his grave!

The two men counterattacked as best they could, with the swordsman stepping to the side, ready to deliver a deadly blow aimed at the white wolf’s head. The spearman, having little choice, placed his weapon in front of his body, too close to the enemy to attempt anything beyond defense.

At the critical moment of the battle, one woman mustered all the strength left in her body and leaped up with a pocketknife in her right hand. She surprised not only the men but also Ice, displaying an agility and steadiness that was hard to believe from someone who had been crying just moments ago.

This was what Ice needed!

The look in his eyes changed as he focused on the man trying to defend himself with a spear. But it was foolish to think one could protect oneself from a mana user. With his paw covered in all the mana he had left, Ice knocked the weapon aside and reached the neck he so fiercely wanted to tear open.

His paw became even bloodier as a splash of blood erupted from his horrified opponent’s neck.

The attack aimed at Ice’s head never came. As Ice turned toward his ultimate foe, he saw the woman drive her pocketknife into the back of the sword-wielding man.

“Bitch!”

Her attack was not deadly. Even with a pocketknife jammed in his back, the man turned around and knocked the woman down with a single movement.

“Aaagh!” She fell to the ground, screaming from the blow to one of her arms.

Ice seized the opportunity created by this brave woman. He got close enough to the man and bit one of the man’s legs, using his strength to drag the foe along the ground and make him lose his weapon.

The man still tried to use a small dagger against him, but Ice skillfully disarmed his opponent before biting the man’s face.

At that moment, Phantom finally appeared there, followed by Eliot, Petyr, and surprisingly, Annabelle.

The beast looked toward the bloodied and wounded wolf and saw the bodies of the village’s enemies. She noticed the presence of the seemingly harmless women.

‘It’s all settled.’ With a look of approval on her face, Annabelle nodded to Ice and returned to the village as quickly as she had arrived.

Ice smiled at Annabelle’s expression. She wasn’t a warrior, but as the oldest beast in the village, he respected her. With her approval, he had now secured his position as the head guardian of the Great Eternal Village, entrusted with upholding the faith of his Master’s main beast to keep the village standing in his Master’s absence.

Ice closed his eyes, finally relaxing his body on the ground, a special feeling of accomplishment filling every fiber of his being.