The four figures continued through the desolate wilderness, their footsteps leaving shallow impressions in the ash-covered ground.
The farther they travelled from the settlement, the more unfamiliar the surroundings became. Dead trees grew increasingly sparse, giving way to rocky ridges and stretches of uneven terrain. Occasionally, they encountered enormous boulders partially buried beneath the ash, their surfaces weathered by centuries of exposure.
There was no sign of civilization.
No roads, no buildings, no settlements.
Only the endless wilderness of the Dominion Expanse.
Eren walked beside Vaelzara, occasionally glancing at the Demon Queen as she surveyed their surroundings. She seemed remarkably comfortable in the harsh environment, showing none of the discomfort that might have been expected from someone who had supposedly spent thousands of years dead.
Rowan led the group, following the tracks he had discovered during his previous expedition. Lyra remained toward the rear, her bow within easy reach in case anything approached them.
For a while, nobody spoke.
Until, eventually, Vaelzara broke the silence.
"Master, there’s something I’ve been wondering about."
Eren glanced at her.
"What is it?"
"Why were you sent to a place like this?"
He looked around at the barren landscape.
"You mean the Ashen Frontier?"
"Precisely." Vaelzara gestured toward the dead trees and ash-covered ground. "I’ve seen territories in worse conditions, but this place hardly looks suitable for human settlement. Your people must have known that sending someone here would be difficult."
Eren let out a quiet sigh.
"Honestly, I have no idea why I was sent this far away from the nearest settlement. I was given my territory, some basic supplies, and instructions to survive. That was practically everything."
Vaelzara turned her crimson eyes toward him.
"And you accepted?"
"What choice did I have?"
"An interesting answer."
She looked ahead again, her expression becoming thoughtful.
"You humans are really something, you know. Filled with greed, envy, and competition."
Eren raised an eyebrow. "That’s a rather broad generalization."
"Is it?" Vaelzara asked, a faint smile appearing on her face. "Your civilization has spent thousands of years expanding throughout the Dominion Expanse. Your people compete for territory, resources, influence, and recognition. Even when you have enough to survive, you always seem to want more."
She paused briefly.
"Relentless, too, I’ll add that."
Eren couldn’t entirely disagree.
Even on Earth, people competed for wealth, power, and status. The Dominion Expanse had simply given humanity a much larger stage on which to pursue those ambitions.
Still, hearing such words from the former Demon Queen was an experience in itself.
"Is that why you waged war against them?" He asked.
Vaelzara looked at him.
For a moment, he expected her to offer some elaborate explanation or perhaps defend the actions attributed to her in the history books.
Instead, she smiled.
Her answer was so calm that Eren almost thought he had misunderstood her.
Then she continued.
"They did."
Eren’s footsteps slowed.
"What?"
Vaelzara didn’t immediately respond. She simply continued walking, her expression composed as though she had said nothing particularly remarkable.
But Eren couldn’t dismiss her words so easily.
His entire understanding of the Great War rested on a very different account.
According to the history taught in human institutions, the Veyrath Demon Kingdom had initiated the conflict by launching attacks against human settlements in the western lands. Those attacks had supposedly escalated into a full-scale war, forcing humanity to mobilize its armies and defend its territories.
Vaelzara Veyrath, the Demon Queen herself, had been portrayed as one of the greatest threats humanity had ever faced.
Her ambition, cruelty, and desire for conquest had been repeatedly emphasized in the historical accounts.
Yet she had just claimed that humanity started the war.
Eren studied her face, searching for some indication that she was joking.
There was none.
"You’re saying the Human Faction started the Great War?" He asked.
"I’m saying what I said."
"Then what about the attacks on human settlements? The history books say your kingdom attacked the western territories first."
Vaelzara glanced at him.
"And you believe everything written in those books?"
Eren fell silent.
"History is written by the people who survive to tell it, Master," she continued. "And sometimes, those who survive have very good reasons to ensure that certain truths never come to light."
Her voice remained gentle, almost conversational.
That somehow made her words more unsettling.
Eren had expected the Demon Queen to be arrogant, perhaps even eager to justify the actions of her former kingdom. He hadn’t expected her to challenge the very foundation of what he had been taught about the Great War.
He wanted to ask more questions.
Who had attacked first? What had actually happened in the western lands? And why would the Human Faction falsify the history of a war that had supposedly been fought for humanity’s survival?
But before he could continue, Rowan’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
"My lord. Over there!"
Eren turned toward him.
Rowan stood on a slightly elevated ridge, pointing toward a distant formation of dark rocks.
At first, Eren saw only a cluster of enormous boulders jutting out from the barren landscape. But as he moved closer to Rowan, he noticed a large opening beneath the rocky formation.
A cave.
Its entrance was wide enough to accommodate several large creatures, and the surrounding rocks were stained dark with what appeared to be years of accumulated ash.
"Is that where the tracks lead?" Eren asked.
Rowan nodded.
"Yes. I followed the trail from the ridge, and the tracks become much more concentrated in this direction."
"Could the wolves be inside?"
"That’s what we’re here to find out," Rowan replied.
Eren approached the ridge and examined the cave from a distance.
Something about the place made him uneasy.
The entrance was too large to be an ordinary crevice, and the surrounding terrain offered several concealed approaches. If a pack of Ashfang Wolves occupied the cave, it would provide them with shelter and a natural defensive position.
It could also explain why the wolves had been roaming the region in such numbers.
Before anyone could suggest moving closer, a notification appeared before Eren’s eyes.
[Location identified.]
[Location: Ash Rock Cave.]
[Inhabitants: Ashfang Wolves.]
[Monster Tier Range: Tier 1–9.]
Eren’s eyes narrowed.
The notification confirmed that the cave was inhabited by Ashfang Wolves, although it didn’t reveal their exact number. The Tier range also matched what they had encountered during the previous day’s battle, just that there are stronger ones here as expected.
However, the presence of a larger population remained an expected possibility.
He knew that every wolf inside wouldn’t be as weak as the ones his people had already killed.
Eren looked toward Vaelzara.
"Any thoughts?"
The Demon Queen studied the cave for several seconds.
"We shouldn’t rush inside. If the wolves have established their den there, they’ll know the terrain far better than we do. Charging through that entrance would give them the advantage."
"Agreed," Rowan said. "We should observe the area first."
Lyra adjusted the strap of her quiver.
"And if there are too many of them?"
Eren looked at the cave again.
They had travelled this far because the settlement needed food and resources. Turning back without even investigating the situation would accomplish nothing.
But he wasn’t going to sacrifice his people for a piece of drops, either.
They needed to be cautious, observant, and ready to retreat if the situation became dangerous.
Eren drew a slow breath before turning toward his companions.
"Listen carefully. We’re not here to prove who’s the strongest, and we’re not going to throw our lives away just because we found what we were looking for."
His gaze moved from Rowan to Lyra before settling on Vaelzara.
"We came here because our settlement needs resources. If we can hunt these wolves without taking unnecessary risks, we’ll do it. If the numbers are beyond what we can handle, we’ll withdraw and find another way."
He paused, allowing his words to settle.
"But we’re not leaving without understanding what we’re dealing with."
Eren looked toward the dark entrance of Ash Rock Cave, his expression hardening.
"We’ve spent our first day fighting to survive. Today, we’re going to take the next step."
He tightened his grip on his utility knife.
"Let’s find out exactly what’s waiting for us in there."