Cale quit the arena with Choi Han.

“Hans, Ron. Guide the two still in the Arena.”

Cale had Hans and Ron, waiting outside the first-floor entrance, take care of Rosalyn and Lock while he returned to his room with Choi Han.

The table, laden with the now-cold food from earlier, sat between them as Cale began to speak.

“Tell me.”

“Yes.”

The two of them got straight to the point, without beating around the bush. Choi Han straightened up as he began to speak.

“Everything was fine until I met Rosalyn.”

“Continue.”

“I arrived at the city Cale-nim mentioned. Once there, I found the merchant guild heading for the capital, as you described. Well, it was just a small brigade of five people rather than a guild.”

That small group was better described as a merchant party rather than a merchant guild.

“They happened to be looking for two mercenaries to guard them. Their usual guard was injured.”

Choi Han and Rosalyn became the two mercenaries. That’s how it went in the novel.

“That was where I met Rosalyn, who looked just as you described.”

Breck Kingdom lay across the northwestern border of the Roan Kingdom. Rosalyn was originally traveling from Breck Kingdom to the Magic Tower in the Whipper Kingdom, located beneath the Roan Kingdom, when someone attempted to assassinate her as she crossed into Roan Kingdom.

She had concealed half her magical abilities until that point and escaped the danger using all her skills. Thinking it wiser to seek information from the Information Guild in the Roan capital rather than returning directly to Breck Kingdom, as she knew nothing of her attackers, she caused quite a stir upon her return to Breck Kingdom.

Choi Han, having just mentioned meeting Rosalyn as a mercenary for the merchant party, continued.

“She was also heading to the capital. Since we were going to the same place, we were quite friendly with each other.”

“Huh?”

“Hmm? Friendly?”

“Yes.”

Choi Han spoke as if embarrassed.

“I’m generally not one to talk to people unless they talk to me, but I thought we might as well be friendly.”

“Not really. Just be yourself.”

Cale had a concerned expression on his face. In the novel, Rosalyn and Choi Han didn’t become close until they met Lock. Rosalyn, wary of people after the assassination attempt, didn’t readily seek friendship. Similarly, after the incidents in Harris Village, Choi Han wasn’t the type to approach people to become friends.

Choi Han nodded at Cale’s words, then smiled and added,

“It definitely wasn’t something I’d normally do, but I wanted to do things properly since this was my way to repay you.”

Ha. Cale let out a sigh and shook his head. Choi Han seemed to have expected it, brushing it aside and continuing with a stiff expression.

“That group planned to stay at the village Cale-nim mentioned, where I would find Lock, for a few days before continuing their journey.”

That was indeed the case. That small merchant party of five was assembled by someone aided by the Blue Wolf Tribe. The injured guard was actually a warrior from the Blue Wolf Tribe.

The merchants deliberately chose the long route from Puzzle City to the capital to deliver daily necessities to the Blue Wolf Tribe and receive medicinal herbs in return.

Of course, it was extremely difficult and time-consuming to venture deep into the mountains to the Blue Wolf Village. That’s why they met at a small village nestled beneath the mountains. The merchant, now sixty years old, had maintained this partnership for the last thirty years.

“But something happened once we arrived at that small village.”

Cale became alert. The story was crucial from here.

“Right around when we arrived at the village, I learned that the guard was a Beast Person. I also learned that the village they planned to meet the Blue Wolf Tribe member to trade with was the village Cale-nim had mentioned.”

Cale nodded at Choi Han’s words. He knew Choi Han would easily recognize that much.

“That’s why I believed I just needed to follow the tribe member who was going to show up at the village to find Lock.”

“But that tribe member probably never showed up.”

“But nobody showed up for the trade. When that happened, the merchant asked us for some extra help.”

Cale considered the request.

“Go to the Blue Wolf Village with the injured Blue Wolf Tribe warrior.”

“And you agreed?”

“Yes. I agreed. Rosalyn agreed as well.”

It followed the original story until this point. Just what could have changed?

In “The Birth of a Hero,” Choi Han and Rosalyn arrive at the Blue Wolf Village with the guard warrior, only to find the village destroyed and the secret organization’s assassins trying to leave. Choi Han, recalling Harris Village, immediately attacks them. The guard warrior also goes berserk, killing assassins. He is further injured and dies.

“That is when Rosalyn learns of Choi Han’s strength.”

Rosalyn, who had been concealing her strength and posing as a novice mage, learns of Choi Han’s strength and officially asks him to escort her back to Breck Kingdom. Of course, the compensation she offered him was substantial.

“They then find Lock hiding in that destroyed village.”

The cowardly wolf boy, Lock. Until Choi Han found him, Lock had been hiding as the chief had instructed. At that point, Lock is very much a coward, a weakling, and somewhat slow. In short, Lock easily embodies the character readers found frustrating.

However, his natural abilities and physical strength rise to the top five in the novel after his first berserk mode transformation.

“Cale-nim.”

“Yeah?”

“But why would the timing of the transformation be pulled forward by a year?”

“I saw something familiar there.”

“What did you see?”

Choi Han nodded at Cale’s question. The cold food lay between them, but the tension in the air could probably heat it up. Choi Han began to speak.

“A red star and five white stars.”

Cale’s expression hardened. He felt his heart sink. Choi Han was saying that, instead of the assassination team, official members of the secret organization had appeared at the Blue Wolf Tribe. Cale couldn’t understand why. In the novel, the Blue Wolf Tribe was the target of assassination.

Choi Han looked at Cale’s cold expression, recalling the past for a moment. He subconsciously clenched his fists, his fists trembling with anger.

The houses in the mountain village were simple and small. But all were destroyed. Most importantly, the corpses of the Wolf Tribe were completely black, as if burned to a crisp on the floor. The smell of burnt flesh, the blood still pouring from their open wounds, and the sight of most Wolf Tribe members dying with their eyes still open.

“The mountain village was already destroyed when we got there. Many of the Wolf Tribe members were dead as well.”

The Blue Wolf Tribe was known for their strength, so how did the secret organization kill them?

Wolves prioritize their family, herd, and friends.

Weak members who hadn’t experienced their first berserk mode transformation. The secret organization used these weak members as hostages, weakening the adult wolves with divine items. After killing the adults, they then killed the young hostages. A few adult wolves tried to attack in frenzy, but the secret organization had Holy Water to use against them.

The secret organization was a very powerful organization, even possessing access to divine items. They exploited the Wolf Tribe’s disavowal by the gods to their advantage. These cruel individuals had no qualms using young children as hostages to kill their mothers, fathers, and the rest of the tribe, while the poor children watched in horror.

“The novel didn’t say which of the divine items they brought.”

If Cale knew what the divine item was, he would be closer to the secret organization’s identity. Unfortunately, the novel only described how the divine item weakened the Wolf Tribe. He had no way to determine the secret organization’s identity.

Cale slowly asked.

“Were they all dead?”

Choi Han shook his head. Cale’s expression hardened again. Choi Han observed Cale’s expression as he continued.

“They were trying to capture the young children.”

“Capture? Originally, they killed them all. Why would they want the young Wolf Tribe children?”

Cale’s mind raced. Choi Han met Cale’s gaze.

“The chief was dying when we arrived at the entrance of the Blue Wolf Tribe’s village.”

There were fewer than 100 members of the Blue Wolf Tribe.

“And they were trying to take 10 children with them.”

“…This is becoming too different from the novel.”

“And the moment the chief was about to fall, a young boy got in the way of the people trying to take the children.”

“…Lock?”

“Yes. It was Lock.”

“Why would Lock show up this time? In the novel, he had stayed hidden, even when the children were killed. Did he think killing and kidnapping were different? Was it his instinctual need to protect his family members and younger siblings, who were weaker than him? What would have made Lock’s natural wolf instincts flare up?”

“I stopped the assassins. No, I tried to kill them.”

Choi Han said, looking back at Cale. Cale showed no emotion, urging Choi Han to continue.

“Keep going.”

“…I realized that the people without stars on their clothes used the same black power as the assassins I killed at Harris Village.”

Cale asked, shocked.

“It was the same power as the people who destroyed Harris Village?”

“Yes.”

“…This.”

Cale grasped his head, sighing. He was acting as if hearing this for the first time. Of course, it was all an act.

“Among them, there was only one person with the red star and five white stars on their chest. That person was the one who killed the guard.”

Choi Han began to weep.

“And that human trash was drinking the Wolf Tribe’s blood.”

Cale closed his eyes.

The blood-drinking mage. He was the crazed lunatic who would lead the terror incident in the capital. He kept his eyes closed as he heard the rest of Choi Han’s report.

“In the end, I couldn’t capture or kill them. The ones I captured committed suicide, while the rest disappeared when the person with the stars used teleportation magic.”

“Why would the blood-drinking mage, a top-tier mage and bloodthirsty maniac, try to kidnap the Blue Wolf Tribe children instead of killing them all, as in the novel?”

Cale couldn’t figure it out.

“Did something change drastically because I saved the dragon?”

The only thing Cale could think about were the changes he had made to the original story.

“This is what the mage said.”

Choi Han continued, his voice bitter and angry.

“How disappointing. They were perfect as seeds. These young ones probably have even tastier blood.”

Seed. Cale didn’t know what the mage meant by seed, but he kept the word in mind as he opened his eyes and asked.

“And the children?”

The guard, chief, and the rest of the adult Wolf Tribe were dead. The only ones left were the ten children and Lock.

Choi Han avoided Cale’s gaze. This was the first time he had done so since they sat down. Cale instantly understood, as Choi Han reported quietly.

“They are at the inn.”

“I knew it.”

Choi Han opened and closed his mouth a few more times before finally adding,

“We came together with Rosalyn’s magic.”

“…It’s going to be a real problem.”

Cale felt a headache coming on. Choi Han should have left the children with the merchant. Although the merchant lacked power now, he was a capable merchant.

“Cale-nim. That merchant is also at the inn.”

“Is this how the story will go?”

That’s what Cale was thinking. Cale observed Choi Han, who seemed finished, and leaned back in his chair, sighing.

Seeing Choi Han like that, Cale asked,

“You must be curious.”

Choi Han looked at the cold food and answered,

“Yes. I am curious.”

He didn’t need to say what he was curious about.

Who they were.

Why they were doing such terrible things.

And why Cale knew about them.

Choi Han was curious about all of those things. Cale observed Choi Han’s pupils, focused on the cold food, and began to think.

“This punk is really angry right now.”

The anger wasn’t directed at Cale. Choi Han was sharpening his anger toward the secret organization, like a sharp blade. Harris Village, the tortured dragon, and the Blue Wolf Tribe incident. Choi Han’s path was one of confrontation, not avoidance.

Cale picked up a cold, but still delicious, piece of bread and bit into it.

“I plan on telling you two things.”

“…But not everything?”

“Correct.”

Cale didn’t care that Choi Han was staring at him. He stood up, bread still in hand. The chair scraped back silently on the carpet.

“Stand up.”

“…Are we going somewhere?”

Cale checked his watch, noticing it was long past evening, heading toward night. The place would shine even brighter as the night deepened.

Cale walked toward the door, answering Choi Han’s question.

“The Temple of the God of Death.”

Cale planned to go with Choi Han to the brightest place at night, the Temple of the God of Death.

There was a special type of priest at the Temples of the God of Death found nowhere else on the continent.

The deaf priest.

They couldn’t hear anything you said. That’s why the believers of the God of Death sought them out. Although Cale wasn’t a believer, he planned to visit, like most nobles.

Cale turned around at the door. Choi Han was still standing by the table. Cale smiled.

“I plan on telling you two truths.”

Though he smiled, the next words were not light.

“With my life on the line.”

Choi Han’s pupils flickered. However, Cale still smiled as he turned back.

“Follow me.”

Choi Han slowly moved from the table, heading toward the door. His eyes were calmer, but his face remained stiff. Cale turned the doorknob, repeating himself.

“I will tell you the truth with my life on the line.”

Cale and Choi Han headed toward the Temple of the God of Death.