TVCWB Chapter 35

Chapter 35 

Twenty minutes earlier—
When the giant Moreta suddenly burst out of the ground with a loud roar, Ray clicked his tongue in annoyance.

The first thing he did was check if Theo and Perea were safe. Once he confirmed that, he ran straight ahead.
It was lucky that the Moreta was a solitary monster—at least he only had to focus on one enemy.

Up ahead, the wolf beastmen were in total panic.
The gazelle beastwoman they were guarding was crying and trembling between them.

Seeing five escorts completely useless made Ray frown.

The Moreta, which had just surfaced in an unfamiliar environment, seemed hesitant as it looked around.
Normally, these creatures lived in the desert border regions—hiding underground to escape the burning sun and sandstorms.

That brief hesitation was what saved the wolf beastmen and the gazelle woman.

Ray grabbed Dia’s wrist, pulling her out from among the panicking wolves.

Startled, Dia screamed—then stopped when she recognized the familiar black cloak.

Unlike the confused guards, she quickly understood and didn’t waste time asking questions.

“Run to the carriage where Perea is,” Ray ordered. “It’s the safest place. Don’t look around—just go.”

“Y-Yes!”

Dia nodded hard. The wolf beastmen, who had been cowering, hurriedly moved aside so she could pass.

Dia ran without looking back.
Maybe because she was a gazelle beastwoman, her long legs carried her swiftly across the ground.

When Ray saw her reach near the carriage, he turned back to the wolf beastmen.

If these had been his own subordinates, they would have already formed formation before he even spoke.
Unfortunately, these city-raised wolf knights looked more like frightened puppies than trained soldiers.

They were overwhelmed by the size and presence of the monster.
At least they weren’t trying to disobey—just trembling and barely moving.

The one who looked like their leader tried to whip the others into action, forcing them to form up somehow.

“Moretas can’t see,” Ray said, lowering his voice. “They use hearing and smell instead. So when you approach—hide your presence as much as possible.”

The wolves had been about to answer, but quickly shut their mouths, afraid even their voices might attract the monster.

Still, they weren’t knights for nothing—the fear slowly faded from their eyes, replaced by focus.

After assigning them their positions and checking that the formation held, Ray stood in front of the Moreta.

He hadn’t fought these things often—they were too deep underground, hard to find—but that didn’t make it dangerous to him.

‘It’s still just a Moreta,’ he thought.
A monster with clear weaknesses wasn’t much of a threat.

Ray drew his sword.
Sensing the monster’s aura, the blade gave off a faint vibration.
It seemed almost excited—like it was happy to meet another worthy opponent so soon after the Wulphira.

Ray smirked, tapping the hilt lightly as if calming a restless pet.
Then he kicked the ground hard and leapt forward.

The Moreta, still confused, froze for a moment.
Ray shouted loudly—his voice echoing even louder than the surrounding noise.

The creature twitched its whiskered snout and swung one of its thick arms toward him.

Whoosh!

The massive limb sliced through the air, wind howling around it.
Its sharp claws grazed the edge of Ray’s cloak.

“Ugh!”

“Ah!”

The wolves who were supposed to be covering him screamed in fright.

Ray sneered under his hood.
‘They’re panicking over a single missed swipe?’ he thought. ‘These city knights really are pathetic.’

But facing the Moreta here—away from its home terrain—made it even easier to handle.

He climbed quickly onto the monster’s back and targeted its ears first.
Each time his blade stabbed into one, the Moreta screamed and shook violently.

If he’d had his usual subordinates, they’d have immediately attacked its limbs, but these wolves were too busy dodging falling branches and wild strikes.

At least they weren’t getting in his way, which was something.

Bit by bit, Ray cut into its ears, whiskers, and claws—until the Moreta’s movements began to slow.

‘Now’s the time,’ he thought.

“Fall back!” he shouted.

As the wolves scrambled away, Ray channeled his aura into the sword.
A brilliant blue light flooded the air.

His lips curled in satisfaction—finally, he could use his full strength.

Without hesitation, he thrust the sword straight into the monster’s chest.
The tough hide tore open; the blade pierced its heart.

The Moreta let out a final, piercing scream, and the sword hummed joyfully in response.

Moments later, the massive body collapsed with a thunderous crash.

Boom!

A wave of dust and sand blasted through the area, covering everything in a brown haze.

“Cough, cough!”

Coughs echoed all around.
Ray lowered his hood slightly to cover his nose.

‘A Wulphira appeared in Lium Forest where no monster should exist,
and now a desert monster like Moreta shows up near the sea?’

The pattern felt strange—unnatural.

‘I’ll have to check in Eclit if there have been other incidents nearby,’ he thought.

Just then—

“Sir Ray!”

A small hand suddenly grabbed his arm.

“…!”

Even though his heartbeat had stayed calm during the fight, it now raced uncontrollably.
He almost jumped, but barely managed to stay still as he turned.

“Perea.”

“Are you alright? Did you get hurt—ah, wait, come here.”

Perea started to remove his cloak while looking around for a quieter spot. Then she gently pulled his arm, leading him away.

Ray looked down at her pale hand gripping his sleeve but didn’t say anything—just followed.

Like a woman walking an obedient dog, she led him with quick steps.

As they walked, Perea spotted an empty market stall abandoned in the chaos.
She made sure no one else was nearby before removing his cloak completely.

Silver hair, shining like moonlight, fell free.
Blue eyes, calm as a deep lake, met hers.
And the faint curve of his lips—so composed and self-assured—made her heart skip.

After days of seeing him hidden beneath a dark hood, his face looked brighter, sharper—almost glowing.

Ray, meanwhile, swallowed hard.
Now that her gentle figure filled his full view without shadow or blur, he suddenly felt breathless.

For a few seconds, they stared at each other, caught in silence.
Then, both quickly turned their heads away in embarrassment.

“Sir Ray… are you sure you’re not hurt anywhere?” Perea finally asked, breaking the quiet.

She looked him over carefully from head to toe.
It seemed impossible to fight a monster that size and not get a single scratch.

But his body was completely uninjured.

“I’m fine,” Ray said calmly. “Moreta’s big, but it’s not fast or strong.”

As if agreeing, the sword inside its sheath gave a soft hum.

“Really? What about your left shoulder?”

“It healed long ago. Of course I’m fine. Or—” He smirked, ears twitching slightly, “—were you hoping I’d praise your stitching skills?”

His teasing tone made her blush.
Normally, she would’ve found it annoying—but today, for some reason, his words sounded oddly sweet.