Morning light crept across the gray limestone battlements. Orek leaned against a slightly cracked crenellation, gazing down at the street below.

An oak prison cart rumbled over the cobblestones. Inside the cage, disheveled werewolves huddled, their limbs bound by thick iron chains.

What is this?

Where are they taking these werewolves?

Suddenly, a sharp jabbing pain shot through Orek's lower back. A sudden spasm arched his spine, and his knuckles dug deep into his palm.

It hurts!

He bit down on his lip, forcing himself to endure the discomfort.

Thankfully, the pain faded quickly, and his body returned to normal. He let out a quiet sigh.

That white wolf's explosion last night was completely unexpected!

The Seer had an old injury in his lower back. When the spy white wolf detonated himself, the scorching shockwave sent Orek crashing into a hard wooden beam—even with Fito's protection, he'd avoided direct flames, but the impact had reawakened his old wound. Though the safflower oil Shana had given him had eased the pain, occasional spasms still plagued him.

The white wolf's explosion had taken many secrets with it.

But luckily, Yun had arrived just in time to save the critically injured Ali. From Ali, Orek had learned the rough outline of the white wolf's origins, and combining that with his own information, he'd finally pieced together the full truth of the matter.

Hidden Wolves are so hard to identify. No wonder it could hide in the Frostwall for so many years…

"Boss!"

Rapid footsteps echoed up the stone stairs. Orek turned to see Guard Fito hurrying toward the battlements.

"Boss, I found out! Wilder plans to send all these werewolves to the Academy." Fito panted.

"Send them to the Academy?" Orek's brow furrowed.

"According to the Rat Knight, Wilder intends to sell the werewolves to the Academy for their special research."

"What a joke!" Orek's anger flared. "How dare he do this!"

The Seer knew exactly what "special research at the Academy" meant. He'd long heard rumors of unethical scholars there conducting research into *Necromancy*. During his tenure as Frostwall Commander, he'd been repeatedly approached about handing over captured werewolves to the Academy for study.

Orek abhorred the idea of experimenting on living beings; he saw it as a desecration of the gods, even if the subjects were werewolves. He'd sooner have the werewolves beheaded than turn them over to the Academy.

"I know you hate this idea, but…" Fito hesitated. "After all, these werewolves are their prisoners…"

The unspoken message: You have no authority here.

Orek shook his head and sighed. "Even if I ignore the morality of the trade, the risk of transporting them makes this a terrible idea."

Awakening City was thousands of miles from the Academy. Transporting such a large pack of werewolves would be fraught with unpredictable dangers.

"Boss, I just saw Wilder's personal guard heading toward the north gate. They're probably coming to find you. You should talk to him about this later."

"We do need to have a talk." Orek's voice was calm.

And it won't be just about this one thing.

"Boss, uh… where's Ali? I haven't seen him since last night."

"Ali took the witch's antidote and is already recovering. He carries a secret mission from the Archbishop, so his identity is extremely important. I'll use a special channel to send him to the capital to meet the Archbishop. Until then, he shouldn't meet anyone else. I hope you understand."

Fito nodded, tapping his silver round shield. "I just wanted to thank him in person—after all, he saved my life. But if you have other arrangements, I get it." He slowed his pace, walking beside Orek along the battlements. "Boss, I still have a question. How did that white wolf hide in the Frostwall for so many years without anyone noticing?"

"It's a Hidden Wolf, the most adept at camouflage among werewolves. Hidden Wolves can seal their demonic essence, making them indistinguishable from ordinary humans—even a Seer using Holy Light power can barely detect anything amiss. The only way to identify them is through tiny flaws in their words and actions." Orek paused, sighing. "In fact, if it hadn't taken the initiative to kill people, it could have hidden forever."

"Years ago, the elder of Silver Hour Village told me about these strange wolves. I thought it was just a tall tale from an old man. I didn't know they actually existed!" Fito exclaimed.

"Hidden Wolves do exist, but they're extremely rare—one in a thousand among the wolf clans. According to Ali, this one was Watt the White Wolf King's second son, Yin. He was supposed to be the wolf clan's rising star, the heir to the throne. But ten years ago, Wil seized the Wolf King's throne through treachery, and Yin disappeared mysteriously into the snowfields. His disappearance caused a split between the Black and White Wolf Clans; the White Wolf King left Wolfhold with his followers, and the two clans have had no contact for ten years."

Fito realized, "So Yin fled to the Frostwall after losing the throne battle, using it as a refuge?"

"The exact truth died with the white wolf's explosion, but that's what it looks like on the surface."

"But how did he become a scholar in the Frostwall Legion?"

"I suspect he was hiding in a village in the Northern Marches when he encountered the real Rui. He killed Rui, took his identity, and infiltrated the Legion as a scholar."

"Hidden Wolves can evade a Seer's detection, and with the scholar disguise, no wonder every previous Commander was fooled! Luckily, you outsmarted him with your clever plan and rooted out the evil wolf!"

"Alas." Orek shook his head, a bitter smile on his face.

He knew Fito was trying to defend him—after all, he'd only been at the Frostwall for two years, so failing to notice the Hidden Wolf wasn't solely his fault.

But Orek knew his own negligence could never be excused.

No matter what, the Frostwall fell during my tenure. That's a stain of shame I'll never erase.

The Seer's gaze drifted past the weathered battlements to the Queen's Road in the distance.

The wide road, which carried countless stories and dreams, stretched north from Awakening City.

Its end was supposed to be the peak of glory. Now, there's only a broken hole left.

Orek let out a heavy sigh.

"Boss, I have one more question."

Please, no more questions…

"Did that Hidden Wolf really have the strength to kill Magician Peter and Dreamweaver Shu? They were Holy Light-tier mages!"

The Seer's body jolted. A tall figure came into view.

Count Wilder of Awakening City had climbed the battlements without him noticing, and now stood directly in front of him.