Chapter 61: Stray Hunt – Part II
Theme: Loyalty and the Pack
Aftermath of the Battle
Moonlight bathed the scorched earth at the edge of the Agares estate, painting the battlefield in cold silver.
Ash and embers danced lazily in the air as Kuroka dragged the last disintegrating corpse of a stray devil away from the ward's boundary.
Her breathing was steady, despite the blood staining her claws and the torn sleeves of her training gi.
She dropped the body onto a smoldering pile and wiped a bit of ash from her cheek, expression unreadable.
But her aura—once feral and unsteady—burned with calm clarity now, like a hunter in control of her territory.
Volundr Steps In
The sound of deliberate footsteps broke the silence behind her.
Volundr approached slowly, arms folded, his gaze sharp. "You didn't wait for backup."
Kuroka glanced over her shoulder with a faint smirk. "Didn't need it. Besides…" She turned back to the cooling corpses.
"I don't wait for orders when something threatens our den."
Her words weren't boastful—just matter-of-fact, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Volundr's Evaluation
He walked past the smoldering remains, inspecting them.
"Two slipped past your southern flank. You corrected fast, but if they had been smarter…"
"They weren't," Kuroka interjected coolly.
Volundr gave her a sideways look, then smiled faintly.
"Still. You acted like a Knight. Or a Queen."
Kuroka arched an eyebrow.
"Are you assigning me already, Lord Volundr?"
He chuckled, shaking his head.
"Just recognizing the instincts. The way you took initiative, directed the magical barriers to corral their movement… it was clean. Tactical."
Quiet Moment Between Them
Kuroka stretched, tail flicking lazily behind her. "Nah," she said. "I'm still just a stray cat with good instincts."
Volundr took a few steps closer, the silver glow of the moon catching the edges of his cloak. He met her gaze, serious now. "Even strays find homes. Or build them."
She blinked once—caught off guard, just slightly—then looked away with a small scoff. But the tips of her ears turned pink.
Reinforcement
Later that night, Volundr stood beneath the stars, weaving new protective layers into the estate's magical wards.
Intricate sigils shimmered along the boundary lines, reacting to his aura with subdued pulses of light. Beside him, Kuroka watched, arms crossed.
He looked to her. "From now on, you'll oversee perimeter alerts. Your instincts are… effective."
Kuroka's tail twitched. "You're giving me real authority now?"
"I'm giving you what you've already earned," he replied.
A short while later, she sat cross-legged on the roof of the training hall, eyes half-lidded, watching the stars scatter across the night sky.
"This is starting to feel like mine, too…" she murmured softly, her voice nearly lost to the wind.
But the warmth in her aura said enough.
End of Chapter 61