Hambart sat in a corner of the hall, sipping wine, cup after cup. Though his heart still burned with resentment, he tried his best to look calm on the surface. He’d just been released from the Deephold’s dark dungeon, and he had no desire to go back.

Those days in the dungeon had been unbearable. Around him, there was only silence, as if time had stopped. Endless darkness pressed down like ink, suffocating him. Loneliness and fear had filled him with despair, leaving only one thought:

The Long Night has come.

Looking at the raucous feast hall, Hambart’s chest felt tight, as if he’d stepped into another world.

The Shieldhold’s hall steamed with heat, filled with loud chatter and the scent of roasted meat and flatbread. Three massive banners hung on the walls. On the left, the golden banner of the Golden Knights—the Ten Swords Unite Banner. On the right, the red banner of the Sorceress Academy’s Mandala Palace—the Mandala Bloom Banner. And on the wall directly ahead, the black-and-white battle flag of the Frostwall Legion—the Nightwatch Banner.

That morning, a sorceress contingent from the royal capital had arrived at the Frostwall. The Legion had thrown a grand welcome feast, and Hambart had learned of it as soon as he left the dungeon, so he’d joined in.

Hambart had always respected sorceresses. He’d heard Kammon say that Seers were the kings of mages, while sorceresses were their queens—they wielded both the power to heal and the power to poison.

This was his first time seeing sorceresses. He didn’t know how powerful their magic was, but each of them had the face of a moonlit flower and a graceful, curvy figure.

The arrival of the beautiful sorceresses had brought a splash of vibrant color to the cold, monotonous Frostwall.

Hambart noticed his fellow legionnaires had perked up. They clustered in groups around the sorceresses, laughing and drinking, their noise filling the entire hall.

Unlike the others, Hambart didn’t go to flirt with the sorceresses. He just sat quietly in the corner, drinking. He didn’t have the heart for it. He’d just been released from confinement, Kammon had died only days ago, and for a moment, he’d thought of his late wife…

The more beautiful a woman is, the more you must guard your heart.

Hambart drained his cup and slammed the brass goblet down on the table.

Orek! Have you forgotten the killer is still at large? Is this feast appropriate?

Hambart stared at the Commander, who stood in the center of the hall. His eyes were filled with anger and venom.

Tonight, Orek was surprisingly alert. He held a wine cup and stood beside a beautiful sorceress, his face wreathed in smiles. Though faint dark circles still lingered under his eyes, he talked animatedly, showering the sorceress with attention.

What a fake smile!

Hambart could see Orek was trying to ingratiate himself with her. The sorceress looked barely twenty, wearing a shimmering crimson robe. Her face was as delicate as a painting, her lips curved in a faint smile, her eyes as deep as night—she exuded an indescribable sorceress charm.

Though she kept smiling, Hambart sensed her smile was only out of politeness. Standing together, Orek looked like her servant.

Orek, you don’t deserve her!

“Her name is Shana.” Someone sat down beside him. Hambart looked up to see Du Sanyuan, the Frostwall’s top marksman.

He picked up the large wine jug on the table and filled his own cup. “She’s the leader of this sorceress contingent. Look at those curves!” Du Sanyuan let out a sharp whistle, but it was drowned out by the hall’s noise.

Get lost.

Hambart didn’t want to see him. They’d been on good terms as fellow archers, but the other day, when Du Sanyuan had pointed a crossbow at him, Hambart’s opinion of him had changed.

We’re not friends.

Hambart shifted to the side, putting distance between himself and Du Sanyuan.

“Brother, I had no choice that day. If you were in my shoes, what would you have done? You were confronting the Commander.” Du Sanyuan patted his shoulder firmly. “You talked back to him, and he only locked you up for three days. You’re out now—let it go. Be smarter from now on, okay?” He raised his cup, wanting to clink it with Hambart’s.

Hambart moved his cup away.

This can’t just be swept under the rug.

Hambart said darkly, “It’s not about getting even. If we don’t find the hidden wolf, Kammon won’t rest in peace, and more people in the Legion will die!”

“Brother, you’re really misunderstanding. No one has forgotten Kammon’s revenge. The day before yesterday, the Commander held a solemn funeral for him. Orek personally laid his remains in the Divine Kindred Mausoleum in the Snowwood, letting Kammon rest alongside mages and warriors, bathed in the sunrise and snow. That’s the highest honor a commoner can get.”

Just showmanship.

“After the burial, Orek swore in front of all the Frostwall Legion and Golden Knights, on his honor as a Seer, that he would find the real culprit and avenge Peter, Shu, and Kammon.”

Just a way to win people over.

Hambart sneered. “If he really wanted to find the wolf, he wouldn’t have thrown me in the dungeon!”

Du Sanyuan shook his head. “You suspect Orek is the wolf, but you have no evidence, and it doesn’t make sense! Half a year ago, Orek led the human army to take Wolfhold, the wolves’ stronghold. Now you’re insisting he’s a wolf—who would believe you?”

Hambart was speechless. He felt wronged, but he couldn’t think of a way to refute him.

Du Sanyuan sighed and nudged Hambart’s arm. “Hey, you can’t get stuck on this. It’ll only make you miserable. If you can’t figure it out right now, stop thinking about it. Look at these beautiful women—the Frostwall hasn’t been this lively in ages.” He whistled at a red-haired sorceress nearby, who turned and blew him a kiss.

Hambart said flatly, “Has the Frostwall never had women before? Rae’s been here for half a year, and you weren’t this enthusiastic about her.”

“Rae… well, she’s not bad-looking, but her personality is as hard as an iceberg on the tundra. She’s so cold no one can get close to her. Sometimes you forget she’s a woman, heh…”

“A woman is a woman—how can you forget that?”

“Not all women are the same.” The conversation finally flowed between the two men. “Look over there—”

Hambart followed Du Sanyuan’s gaze and saw Rae talking cheerfully to a woman in leather armor.

“That’s Ashan, a Demon Hunter. Do you see the difference between her and Rae?”

Wait, this was supposed to be a sorceress contingent—why is there a Demon Hunter?

The thought flashed through Hambart’s mind, but he was quickly drawn to Ashan’s figure. She wore rust-colored leather armor beneath a dark violet cloak, her eyes large and bright. Her full curves exuded sexiness and wildness. Hambart’s gaze lingered on her body, reluctant to look away.

“Brother, see the difference?”

“What difference?”

“When you look at Rae, you only think she’s a knight. When you look at Ashan, you think, ‘What a sexy woman!’” Du Sanyuan licked his lips.

Hambart did notice the difference. A curvy woman really stirs a man’s desire to conquer. Compared to her, Rae was… flat…

Since his wife died, Hambart hadn’t been close to any woman. Now, his long-dormant heart seemed to ignite.

“How do you know all their names?”

“I was in charge of welcoming the sorceress contingent outside the Wall. I got their list early and watched them.” Du Sanyuan seemed to read Hambart’s mind. “Ashan has the best figure of all these women. So don’t even think about it—she’s already taken.”

Hambart’s newly awakened enthusiasm was doused by a bucket of cold water. He felt a surge of anger.

Taken? What does that mean?

A name flashed in his mind.

Feto!

Of course, it had to be him! In the entire Legion, only that pretty-faced noble would use his status to seduce women into bed.

There’s no doubt about it.

If he saw a woman this sexy, he’d do anything to have her.

“Where’s Feto?” Hambart clenched his fists and asked in a low voice.

That bastard is so good at teasing women!

I won’t let him get there first tonight!

An inexplicable jealousy burned in Hambart’s heart. He saw Ashan as a battlefield for a duel, with Feto—the guard he’d always disliked—as his imaginary enemy.

He was part of the reason I got thrown in the dungeon. I’ll settle that score first!

He found a noble excuse for himself.

“He’s by the stone window, helping Old Ray.”

Hambart looked in the direction Du Sanyuan pointed and froze.

By the hall’s stone window, Feto was helping Scholar Old Ray and two sorceresses treat wounded legionnaires.

A long line of soldiers waited for treatment—men who’d been grievously injured in the last wolf war. Some were lame, some missing arms, some with a third of their skulls gone. They’d survived, but they were disabled.

Under Feto’s arrangement, they took turns sitting on a bench in front of Old Ray. The two sorceresses, who looked only teenagers, wore light red silk gowns and carried linen pouches at their waists. They pulled small red vials from the pouches and placed them on a wooden table, which already held rows of vials—some full, some empty.

Old Ray examined each soldier’s wounds, then gave them vials to drink or apply to their skin. After treatment, the soldiers seemed like new men. Their gloomy faces lit up, and they thanked Old Ray, Feto, and the sorceresses before joining the feast with newfound energy.

Hambart had thought Feto would be drinking and flirting, showing off his so-called charm. He never expected him to be helping heal the wounded.

Was I wrong about him?

“The real reason the sorceresses came was to bring healing potions for our brothers. That’s why the Commander held the feast, and why everyone’s so happy.” Du Sanyuan picked up a roasted meat patty dripping with black pepper sauce from the wooden plate and took a big bite, making a crisp crunching sound.

Hambart suddenly realized that sometimes, his thoughts were too biased.