Chapter 23: I Witness, I Remember, I Conquer

"Can we leave now?"

Hermione looked up from the piles of stone slabs scattered across the floor, her eyes filled with pleasant surprise. Ouroboros, lean and gaunt, paused mid-motion as he carried and organized the slabs.

Amanises, her face veiled in black, nodded. "Having received the 'King's' permission, no one will stand in our way."

The permission of the "King of Demon Wolves"...

Hermione had realized that Amanises was an incredibly cautious person. To be precise, while she was bold and even imaginative when planning, she was meticulously careful during execution. For instance, when she had "picked up" Hermione, it had clearly been premeditated, yet she had steered the outcome to appear as a "gift" from the King. It was the same this time; by grasping the behavioral patterns of the "King of Demon Wolves," she had guided the entity to make the very choice she desired.

It was no wonder that in the video comments of her past life, whenever the "Evernight Goddess" was mentioned, amidst a sea of "my wife" comments, there were always strange tags like "old schemer" or "Mother Night" interspersed.

"We can really leave now..."

Perhaps because she had stayed in this dwelling for so long, Hermione felt a wave of emptiness wash over her amidst the joy. When she was first rescued by "Misfortune," this vast space had been cold and desolate—less a home and more the den of a lone wolf. Over the past six months, however, they had crafted and added furniture and utensils with a human touch, filling the space with the scent of life and the warmth of humanity.

It was a pity to leave behind the various handmade furniture... though at least there was no need to repair the collapsed sections anymore.

Amanises, standing to the side, sensed this subtle shift in her mood. Her clear, beautiful voice carried a soothing power: "Hermione, once we reach the human tribes, I will need your help to conceal my identity. The demon wolves will no longer pursue us for leaving the kingdom, but I am, after all, a demon wolf—the enemy of all other races."

Indeed, Amanises' identity was a major complication. No matter how much she identified as human, in the eyes of other races, the "Goddess of Misfortune" was a subordinate deity of the demon wolf clan, an evil villain attempting to corrupt the entire world.

Hearing this request, the complex emotions in Hermione's heart faded. Her mind turned to how she could best help Amanises settle into a human tribe and spread her faith.

Of course, sensing the tranquility that followed the goddess's comfort, Hermione realized that this request was, in fact, the goddess's subtle way of looking after her. It wasn't just the dwelling; Amanises herself was slowly shedding the cold, indifferent protective shell she had worn at the beginning.

Although there was a sense of nostalgia for the many items in the dwelling, there was little to actually pack. Beyond essential clothing, food, and a few handmade survival tools, nothing else needed to be brought along. The stone slabs in the study were destroyed and pulverized. The progress made on her manuscript for creating a writing system had all been committed to Hermione's memory; many pathways and sequences possessed the ability to enhance memory.

As the "Spectator" pathway advanced in sequence, memory and cognitive speed were constantly reinforced—a trait particularly suited for Hermione’s research. This was why, in this dark era, the leaders of human tribes were almost exclusively Beyonders; beyond the power to protect their tribes, they possessed comprehensive enhancements to their own capabilities.

Due to Amanises' ability to conceal and carry objects, she took on the burden of the vast majority of their supplies. Hermione and Ouroboros carried only small amounts of essential food, a precaution against the extreme scenario of being forced to separate.

Amanises lowered her veil. Her features were deep and exquisite, possessing a classical beauty. Perhaps aware of how much this beauty would draw attention among the pan-human races, she draped herself in a layer of hidden power, making her appear much more ordinary to the eyes of others.

"Let’s go."

Standing on a small hill, Hermione cast one last look at the dwelling she would likely never return to, and followed in Amanises' footsteps alongside Ouroboros.

This journey, guided by Amanises—a subordinate deity of the demon wolf clan—was neither the tragic, ragged experience of Hermione's capture, nor the turbulent path Ouroboros had taken, relying on "lucky guidance." Amanises, ever thoughtful, deliberately chose a route that avoided other demon wolves, bypassing those blood-soaked, hellish landscapes where the packs were active.

Yet, encountering chilling scenes remained unavoidable.

The remains of various races, including humans, could be found at intervals throughout the demon wolf kingdom. But when Hermione truly saw a Fog Demon Wolf using its "Spirit Body Threads" to toy with a captured "prey," watching the half-mutated, half-human monster perform in agonizing pain, she couldn't help but clench her fists.

...

The Fog Demon Wolf became a corpse, and the mutated, "living" victims were comforted by Amanises before she ended their tragic lives in a painless manner.

Watching Hermione bury the remains of the mutated humans, Amanises said in a low voice, "Hunting demon wolves is something even I cannot do too often."

Hermione pursed her lips and nodded; she understood this all too well. Amanises, living in the demon wolf kingdom, must have seen such scenes often. It was not hard to guess that in most situations where it could not be hidden, Amanises would not intervene.

Amanises was not the type to be a saint. It was unclear whether she was naturally a person who prioritized reason over emotion, or if the environment of surviving alone among the demon wolves had gradually rendered her cold. Perhaps it was a mix of a naturally rational temperament exacerbated by the environment.

Hermione still remembered the later stages of the "Gods' War" when the "Fool ascended to godhood"—while the other deities were stunned, only the "Evernight Goddess" had relied on instinct to make the first move to protect herself. That posture was a conditioned reflex formed during Amanises' early days in the demon wolf kingdom.

This was a true era of the law of the jungle, a time when such tragedies played out every day. It was the dark age of chaos and misery for all species and beings before the Ancient Sun God slew the ancient gods, conquered everything, and established a glorious civilization.

Power...

Hermione sighed in her heart. In this moment, the life of "Hermione" seemed to be overlapping with the carefree life of "Zhou Mingxiang." In this instant, whether it was Hermione or Zhou Mingxiang, they finally seemed to have truly merged into one.

During the remainder of the journey, such encounters remained inevitable. Amanises would occasionally kill those mutated humans—who were being cruelly toyed with and could no longer be saved—under the guise of "stealing food," but she did not move against the demon wolves who fled in terror.

"There is no need to take another detour..."

I will remember all of this...

Having repeated this kind of behavior once more, Amanises looked curiously at Hermione, who was whispering to herself.

Then, seeing a certain change in the mentality of the person before her, she nodded gently. "Very well."