Two figures wandered across the dry, ash-covered land.
As Eren had predicted, it was clear that Vaelzara had taken charge of the mission. She walked ahead of Rowan, deciding which routes they should take and which they should avoid.
Beyond the dry forest lay an expanse of cliffs and rocky ridges. One moment, they would be walking across relatively flat ground; the next, they would find themselves climbing a rough ridge where a single careless step could send them stumbling down the uneven slope.
Ash covered everything. The farther they travelled, the thicker it became, gathering in shallow hollows and settling between the rocks.
Occasionally, they passed scattered trees. Some were completely dead, their dry branches ready to be used as firewood, while others remained barely alive, their twisted trunks and brittle branches clinging to the faint hope of rainfall that might one day awaken them.
Vaelzara observed everything along the way, quietly taking note of the terrain and its surroundings.
Rowan noticed her doing so, but he was far too nervous to comment. Walking alongside someone like her was already enough to make his stomach churn. He had heard countless stories about the Crimson Calamity, and even though she was now part of Eren’s territory, that knowledge did little to ease his uneasiness.
"The land. It is cursed."
Vaelzara finally broke the silence. She spoke so casually that it sounded as though she were making an observation to an old friend.
Rowan immediately raised his head.
"Right," he replied.
Vaelzara glanced at him and furrowed her brows.
"Why do you think it is cursed?"
Rowan froze.
He had only agreed because she had said it first. Now that she was asking him to explain, he suddenly realized he had no answer.
’Did I really think the land was cursed, or was I just trying to agree with her?’
’And why is she asking me that? Was she trying to bait me when she said it?’
’Does she... want to find a decent reason to kill me?’
His mind filled with questions, each one making him more uncomfortable than the last.
"Because..." He hesitated before answering. "You said so."
Vaelzara stared at him for a moment before letting out a quiet laugh.
"Because I said so?" She repeated, as though she found his answer amusing. "Interesting."
’What is so interesting about that?’ Rowan swallowed.
He wanted to ask, but he quickly dismissed the thought. There were some questions a man was better off keeping to himself, especially when the person standing before him was a former Demon Queen who had earned the title of the Crimson Calamity.
"Never mind," Vaelzara said, turning away. "Let’s continue."
Rowan released a quiet breath and followed her.
For a while, neither of them spoke. The only sounds were the crunch of ash beneath their boots and the occasional whistle of wind sweeping through the barren land.
Then, without turning around, Vaelzara spoke again.
"Tell me something, Rowan. Are you afraid of me?"
His steps faltered at once.
The question had come so casually that, for a moment, he wondered whether he had heard her correctly.
"Afraid of you?" He repeated.
"Do I need to ask twice?" Vaelzara stared.
"No," Rowan answered quickly. He straightened his back and forced himself to meet her gaze when she finally turned around. "I’m not afraid of you."
Vaelzara raised an eyebrow.
"Then why are you behaving as though I’m going to tear your head off?"
Rowan’s mouth opened, but no words came out immediately.
He could hardly tell her that walking beside the Crimson Calamity was enough to make his heart pound against his chest. Even if she had been summoned by Eren himself, that did little to erase the stories he had heard about her.
Still, he had a reason for accepting the mission. Maybe, because he was basically the one who was assigned for it.
"Because Lord Eren isn’t afraid of you," he finally responded.
Vaelzara’s expression changed slightly as she looked at him.
Rowan had to continue before he could lose his courage.
"Lord Eren summoned all of you, and he treats you as members of the same team. If he can trust you enough to have you work with us, then I shouldn’t act as though you’re our enemy." He paused, then added, "We’re all on the same side now, aren’t we?"
For several seconds, Vaelzara said nothing. Rowan began to wonder whether he had made a terrible mistake.
But then, the Demon Queen soon smiled.
It wasn’t the sort of smile that immediately put a person at ease. There was something almost unsettling about how calmly she regarded him, as though she could see every thought passing through his head.
"That was a decent answer."
Rowan’s shoulders relaxed a little after hearing that.
His shoulders stiffened again, but Vaelzara turned and resumed walking.
"You may tell yourself that you’re not afraid of me, but your body seems to disagree. Your breathing changes whenever I speak, and you’ve been careful not to walk too close to me since we left the territory."
Rowan stared at her back in awe, wondering how she had been observing him all those time.
’Does she have eyes on the back of her head?’
"Tell me, how much have you heard about me?" Vaelzara then asked.
This time, Rowan hesitated for an entirely different reason.
He knew the answer. The problem was deciding whether speaking honestly would offend her.
While he was still hesitating, Vaelzara glanced over her shoulder.
"Go on. I’m listening."
"I was told that you nearly destroyed the entire Human Faction during the Great War."
"Ah."
Her response was so casual that Rowan almost wondered whether she had misunderstood him.
Then she sighed.
"I’m already tired of hearing that time and time again. I know I did that, but it wasn’t just me. Those two bitches were part of the atrocities too."
Rowan blinked. He didn’t need to ask who she meant.
There were only two other women in Eren’s territory who could possibly be the subject of that remark.
Elena Snow, the Frozen Calamity.
And Hela Mountain, the Winged Calamity.
The thought of those three legendary figures sharing a battle was enough to make Rowan’s imagination run wild. If even half of the stories surrounding them were true, the Great War must have been a nightmare for anyone unfortunate enough to stand in their way.
"Still," Rowan said cautiously, "the records say you were the one who made the greatest impact on the war."
"Right," Vaelzara replied with a deep smile, nodding like she had expected it.
She didn’t sound offended. Neither did she seem particularly interested in defending herself.
That, somehow, made Rowan even more curious.
There was clearly more to the story than the records revealed, but he had no intention of asking questions that might ruin the surprisingly peaceful atmosphere between them.
Besides, he had a mission to complete.
And he would much rather return to Eren with useful information than become another unfortunate name in the history books.
They continued along the rocky terrain, passing between two low ridges where the wind had swept the ash into shallow hollows.
But then, Vaelzara suddenly stopped.
Rowan nearly walked into her before coming to a halt.
"What is it..."
He caught himself before finishing the question.
The Demon Queen was staring at the ground.
Several deep impressions marked the ash ahead of them. They crossed the narrow path and continued toward the base of a rocky slope, where more footprints appeared between the scattered stones.
Vaelzara crouched, as Rowan’s expression immediately grew serious.
He had spent years learning how to read the land. Tracks, broken branches, disturbed soil, and the smallest changes in the environment could reveal the presence of creatures that a careless traveler might never notice until it was too late.
And these tracks were unmistakable.
"Wolves..." He muttered.
Vaelzara brushed a thin layer of ash away from one of the impressions with her fingers.
"Ashfang Wolves," she said. "One of the deadliest Wolf-type monsters in this region."
Rowan crouched beside her, examining the tracks without touching them.
The impressions were deep, with several sets overlapping one another. Whatever had passed through here, it hadn’t been a lone creature.
"There are quite a few of them," he observed. "And these tracks seem to be heading in the same direction."
"Indeed."
Vaelzara rose to her feet and followed the trail with her eyes.
The footprints continued across the open ground before disappearing behind a tall rocky ridge. The ridge rose above the surrounding landscape, its uneven surface broken by sharp stones and narrow ledges. From where they stood, it was difficult to see what lay beyond it.
Vaelzara studied the formation in silence.
Rowan followed, keeping his eyes on the ground. As they approached the ridge, he noticed more tracks pressed into the ash near its base.
Vaelzara stopped beside them. She didn’t need to touch these ones.
The edges of the impressions were still distinct, and the loose ash displaced by the creatures hadn’t yet settled back into place. A few stones had also been pushed aside along the trail.
She looked toward the ridge again, then back at the direction from which they had come.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"How long do you think these tracks have been here?" She asked.
Rowan examined them more closely.
"Not very long. The ash hasn’t covered them yet, and the edges haven’t been worn down by the wind." He paused, considering the terrain. "I’d say they passed through recently."
"Good."
Vaelzara straightened and looked beyond the ridge.
The creatures had crossed this stretch of land and continued toward the open expanse on the other side. From there, the terrain descended toward the direction of...
Lord Eren’s territory.
She climbed a few steps up the ridge, finding a position where she could see farther across the barren landscape. Rowan followed her, stopping a short distance behind.
For a moment, Vaelzara simply observed the ground below.
Then she noticed something else.
The tracks weren’t scattered randomly across the landscape. They followed a consistent route, passing through the natural gap between the ridges before continuing down the slope. Beyond that gap, the terrain opened into a long stretch of ash-covered ground that led cunningly toward the area they had come from.
The territory of course.
Vaelzara’s expression turned serious.
"Rowan."
"Yes?"
"Look at the direction of those tracks."
He followed her gaze. His eyes widened slightly as he traced the route from the ridge to the distant stretch of land.
"They’re heading toward our territory..."
"Not just toward it." Vaelzara pointed toward the gap between the ridges. "Look at the terrain. This is the most direct route through this section of the frontier. The tracks lead into it, and the ground beyond slopes in the direction of our settlement."
Rowan examined the area again, this time with a scout’s full attention.
She was right.
The terrain offered few alternative routes through the ridges, and the wolves had followed the easiest passage. Their tracks continued along the same course, leading away from the rocky slope and toward the region where Eren had established his territory.
The fresh impressions confirmed that the pack had passed through only recently.
And unless the creatures changed direction, their current route would bring them dangerously close to the settlement.
"Could they be hunting something?" Rowan asked, his expression growing tense.
"Possibly. But that doesn’t change where they’re going."
Vaelzara turned to him.
"These tracks are fresh, the route is clear, and the direction matches the location of our territory. We have enough evidence to conclude that the pack is heading our way."
Rowan’s stomach sank, as he heaved a deep sigh.
The territory had barely been established. They had no proper walls, no sturdy buildings, and no reliable defenses against a pack of deadly monsters.
If the Ashfang Wolves reached the settlement before they could prepare, the consequences could be disastrous.
"We need to warn Lord Eren," Rowan said immediately.
"Exactly."
Vaelzara didn’t waste another moment. She turned away from the ridge and started back along the route they had taken. The straight direct route that will definitely lead them back to the territory on time.
"Let’s return. Master needs to know that a pack of Ashfang Wolves is heading straight for his territory."
"Ah, it’s a shame that we would have to move our bodies a little bit tonight. Honestly, I would have preferred a peaceful first night of resurrection," Vaelzara added.
"You could get a peaceful second night," Rowan looked at her and said as they hurried.
However, Vaelzara could only look at him and chuckled after shaking her head.
"In the Ashen Frontier?" She asked.
"Even Lord Eren himself doesn’t understand what he has gotten into."
"And what... do you mean by that?" Rowan had to question in curiosity.
Vaelzara sighed.
"When I said the land was cursed, I wasn’t making a riddle, Rowan..."
"The Ashen Frontier is... Hell."