Early morning, just as the sky began to brighten, outside the castle.
"It's cold outside, go back in," Lucas called out to Annie, Helen, and the others. "Take care of the house—I'll be back soon."
"Mm!" Annie's eyes shimmered with mist as she nodded firmly. Her voice was slightly choked as she called out, "We will! We'll wait for you to come back."
She had been at the castle for five months now, always together with Mina, Nicole, and Lucas. But now, the three people she was most familiar with were leaving for several days. She wasn't used to it—she felt deeply lost, as if she were being abandoned.
"Be good, don't cry." Lucas grinned and patted the fox-eared girl's head, comforting her. "A temporary separation is just for a better reunion next time."
"Mm, I know... it's just…" Annie bit her lip, but in the end, she couldn't hold back her tears. She lowered her head and sobbed, "I just can't bear it… I'll miss Nicole's cooking, I'll miss you, Young Master, I'll miss Mi—no, Mina I can bear to part with."
"Huh?" Mina's eyes widened slightly. She had just been feeling touched, but Annie's words instantly shattered that feeling. She shouted, "Annie, can you bear to part with me? You little fox girl! And here I was missing you!"
"Hmph, it's better if you leave! Otherwise, you're always teasing me." Annie turned away proudly, wiping away her tears.
"Honestly..." Mina sighed as she looked at Annie, whose eyes were also starting to glisten with moisture. Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around the fox-eared girl and whispered teasingly in her ear, "When you come back, you can be with the Young Master..."
"Sh-Shut up!" Annie's fox tail fluffed up instantly. She broke free from Mina's arms and leaped two meters away, her face turning bright red. She stammered, "Mina, y-you…!"
"Me? What about me?" Mina smirked mischievously, her cat tail swaying playfully as if daring Annie to finish her sentence.
"You… you pervy cat!" Annie shouted, her face burning. Without another word, she spun around and dashed back into the castle. The sadness she had felt earlier had completely disappeared, replaced only by flustered embarrassment.
Just as the fox-eared girl stepped through the castle gates, she spotted Amelia standing in the shadows, gazing coolly toward the entrance. The sight made her pause for a moment.
"You can go see him off," Annie said gently. "He'd be really happy to see you."
Amelia glanced at the tear stains at the corner of Annie's eyes but said nothing. Instead, she turned and walked toward the back courtyard of the castle.
"Uh…" Annie stood frozen for a second before quickly wiping her eyes and chasing after her. "That was just the wind kicking up dust! I wasn't crying!"
Lucas, watching from outside, smiled faintly. Even that withdrawn girl wouldn't come to see him off, huh? He withdrew his gaze from the castle gates and turned to look at Helen and the others. "I'll miss you all too."
"Master, please stay safe," Helen said with a forced smile, though her hands nervously tugged at her rabbit ears. She wasn't sure why she felt so down—yesterday, she hadn't felt this way at all.
"I will," Lucas nodded, his voice gentle. "The school will be in your hands—it'll be hard work, but I trust you."
"This is my duty." Helen replied with a slight curve of her eyes, trying to hide her emotions.
"Then I can rest easy," Lucas said with a reassuring smile. He then turned to the wolf-eared girl beside him, his expression becoming serious. "Freya, I'm leaving the safety of everyone in the castle to you."
Of course, keeping the entire castle secure was too much for Freya alone. Lucas had already stationed a squad of veteran soldiers around the perimeter. What he truly meant by 'safety' was the personal protection of the beast-eared girls—and for that, Freya was the best choice.
"Master, you can leave the castle's safety to me," Freya said seriously. She was clad in armor, a greatsword strapped to her back, exuding an air of unwavering determination. "I will protect everyone."
The night before, she had gone to Nicole to request this set of armor and the greatsword. With Lucas away from Sedona City, she had decided she would remain in full gear, keeping strict watch over the castle.
"Make sure to take care of yourself too." Lucas said softly.
"Huh?" Freya was briefly stunned before turning away, feeling a little flustered. Why would the Master say something so strange? There was no way anything would happen to her.
"Young Master, it's time to go," Nicole called from the carriage window. Her eyes were slightly red—she must have been crying in secret.
"Alright."
Without looking back, Lucas reached out and patted Ayesha's shoulder before turning toward the carriage. His voice carried a hint of laughter. "Ayesha, take care of the house. If anyone causes trouble, just knock them out."
"Huh?" Ayesha blinked in confusion, watching as Lucas climbed into the carriage. It took her a second to process what he had said…
"Young Master! Don't forget to bring back some good food!" She planted her hands on her hips, her purple eyes flashing as she pursed her lips and shouted, "I want enough for ten people!"
"Master! I-I want food too!" Hazel stood on her toes, waving her hands excitedly as she adorably called out, "I—I want lots and lots of delicious food!"
"Hehehe… Hahaha…"
Laughter filled the air, lightening the farewell with warmth and liveliness.
Everyone burst into laughter at Hazel and Ayesha's comments. That little deer-horned girl was always thinking about food, as if having something to eat could erase all sadness.
"Alright, no problem. I'll bring back enough for a hundred people," Lucas said, sticking his head out of the carriage window. Then, he gave Ayesha a serious reminder, "And don't eat food from strangers."
"Oh!" Ayesha responded, scratching her head in frustration. For some reason, she felt inexplicably annoyed by the Young Master's departure.
Clip-clop, clip-clop…
The carriage, driven by Chris, started heading toward the port. The seven members of the War Wolves accompanied the journey, leaving one behind to train the new recruits.
Before dawn, all supplies had already been loaded onto the ship. Lucas and his group were the last to set off—Dahlia had been at the port watching over the cargo since before sunrise.
Of course, Catherine wasn't that diligent. At this moment, she was standing outside the pizza shop, saying goodbye to Elisa.
"Catherine, when you get back to the royal capital, remember to write to me," Elisa reminded her. "If things become too difficult, send me a letter—I'll come get you."
"Alright." Catherine forced a smile, gently holding Elisa's hands. In a soft voice, she said, "You're the one who needs to be careful. Don't expose your identity."
"Don't worry," Elisa chuckled. "If I get exposed, I'll just go to the royal capital and make you all take care of me."
"I wouldn't mind taking care of you." Catherine replied with a smile.
Clip-clop, clip-clop…
The sound of hooves echoed in the air, drawing the attention of both women.
"The City Lord is here. You should go," Elisa said, pressing her lips together. She urged softly, "Don't keep them waiting too long."
"Mm-hmm!" Catherine pouted slightly, reluctant to part. She reached out and hugged Elisa tightly, holding on for a long moment before finally letting go.
"I'm off!"
With that, she turned and hurried toward the approaching carriage.
Catherine bit her lower lip and quickly jogged toward the carriage, afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would start crying.
The royal capital and Sedona City were far apart—too far. For ordinary people, saying goodbye might as well mean saying farewell forever.
Luckily, she was not just an ordinary person.
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