Chapter 49: The Dragon's Wrath Ignites Flames, Leaving Not Even Bones of the Mane Wolf

"Around the Red Dragon Mountain Range, there is a species of social monster known as bristle wolves, possessing an extremely strong territorial awareness. Individually, these monsters are merely D-rank with very low offensive power, but when acting in groups, adventurers generally default to treating them as an A-rank monster disaster. When several hundred of them attack together, it becomes quite a headache."

Under the candlelight, Roxy was imparting knowledge about the monsters of the Central Continent. Normally, the group should have gone straight to rest after watching the fireworks, but Sylphie did not want to sleep, leaving Roxy with no choice but to tell another story.

"That sounds so terrifying..."

Roxy looked at Sylphie and Rudeus, who were already dozing off with their heads resting on the table. Although extremely sleepy, neither showed any intention of returning to their rooms just yet.

"Indeed. Furthermore, once their territory is invaded, regardless of who the intruder is, they will relentlessly tear the enemy to pieces. They will even attack monsters that are vastly superior to them in strength—such as a solitary S-rank Red Dragon that has strayed from its group to forage. They behave the exact same way."

"...Would the Red Dragon eat them?"

"Uhm... Not really. Red Dragons generally have no interest in these monsters, whose hides are too tough for even their teeth to pierce. To them, a bristle wolf's bite feels no more irritating than a mosquito sting."

"Then... do the Red Dragons just let them harass them endlessly? Won't the Red Dragons get angry? And when they get angry... what happens then? Do those... bristle wolves... run... away?"

Hearing Sylphie's childish inquiry delivered in a soft, drowsy voice, Roxy could not help smiling.

"The dragon's wrath stirs up blazing flames, and as the flames sweep through, not even the bones of the bristle wolves remain."

She looked at the closed eyelids of Sylphie and Rudeus, softly murmuring the final sentence.

"They never stood a chance to run away..."

Lifting her gaze, Roxy looked toward Allen, who was sitting upright in a chair nearby. He was squinting at a map in his hands, wearing an inscrutable smile as if pondering something. Noticing Roxy's gaze, he turned to look at Rudeus and Sylphie.

"They've fallen asleep. Shall I carry Rudeus back to his bedroom?"

Roxy nodded.

"I'll help."

Allen rolled up the map, tucked it into his pocket, and lifted Rudeus. Roxy looked left and right, realizing there was nothing for her to assist with. Instead, she picked up Rudeus's magic textbook and followed Allen to Rudeus's room.

Allen gently laid Rudeus down on the bed, only to hear a soft, hesitant inquiry whispered beside him.

"You... were you serious?"

Allen, while in the midst of removing Rudeus's shoes, looked up in confusion.

"About what?"

Roxy's eyes darted left and right before finally coming to rest on the black leather bucket bag with a corner peeking out from under the bed.

"Being certain... that we will meet again in the future..."

Allen's hands paused mid-motion.

"Well..."

As she spoke, Roxy's hands unconsciously picked up the bucket bag from the floor, absentmindedly pinching and pulling at the leather of the terminated boar.

"If you were lying, it doesn't matter... Even if it was just a comforting white lie to appease Rudeus and Sylphie, it was quite effective..."

Allen blinked and broke into a grin.

"We will meet again."

Roxy remained silent.

Allen placed Rudeus's shoes by the bedside and added,

"As for the timing... it might be tomorrow... or perhaps years from now, who can say? But one thing is certain—"

Roxy still said nothing. Allen looked up at her and finished his sentence.

"We will definitely meet—??!!!!!!"

Allen froze the moment he saw Roxy's expression, the final word catching in his throat.

Right in his line of sight, Roxy's eyes were wide with a mixture of bewilderment and utter shock as she stared at what she held within the shrine...

His very own pair of unworn, pristine underwear.

Allen swallowed hard in sheer terror, their eyes locking in that exact instant.

The next second, the entire shrine, complete with the boar hide, was slammed squarely onto Allen's face. He hastily caught it using Sword God Style techniques and looked up at Roxy.

The latter, flustered and panicked, clutched the underwear to her chest and bolted out of Rudeus's room with heavy, rapid footsteps, leaving behind nothing more than a retreating figure.

***

Allen stood there with his mouth agape, looking in utter helplessness from the open door to the serene sleeping face of Rudeus. The boy's eyelashes fluttered slightly, looking as though he was about to be startled awake by the commotion of Roxy's hasty exit.

That was fast!

Allen's Sword God Style exhibited astonishing application at that very moment!

In a single flash, he darted over to the wardrobe, pulled out a pair of Rudeus's own white underwear, and shoved them into the shrine. He then thrust the shrine back into the bucket bag, kicked it under Rudeus's bed with a swift motion, and unceremoniously delivered a slap across the face of the little pervert on the bed.

Rudeus jerked his eyes open.

Allen hurriedly patted his arm.

"Ah! Having a nightmare? Go back to sleep, go back to sleep. It's fine, it's fine. I'll definitely wake you up before Roxy leaves. Sleep now~"

Rudeus rubbed his cheek in a daze.

"Has... has the teacher... left yet?"

"Still early~ Go