Chapter 361: Scarlet

After walking through the long, noisy indoor corridors, Ryan pushed open the heavy double doors and finally stepped out into the spacious outer courtyard of his castle.

He advanced with slow, calm steps, feeling the freezing high-mountain wind hit his face directly.

Ryan followed the path leading to the very edge of the precipice. Right there, next to a massive, solitary tree growing on the mountain’s boundary, stood Helen.

The black-haired warrior stood completely silent, her back to the castle.

She kept her gaze fixed on the landscape below, watching the small town sprawling beneath the imposing mountain with extreme attention.

The wind blew fiercely, whipping her dark hair around, but she seemed lost in her own thoughts, completely oblivious to the sound of her leader’s approaching footsteps.

Ryan stopped a few meters away from her and decided to break the courtyard’s tranquility.

"What are you doing here?" Ryan asked in a serene tone.

Hearing his voice behind her, she immediately turned around to face him.

"I heard you in the bath with the wolf, so I came out because I didn’t want to interrupt," she replied in a very casual tone, shrugging slightly.

As she spoke, Ryan quickly looked her over. He immediately noticed that she didn’t have her weapon, which was quite unusual. She was, however, wearing her usual combat armor.

’Is she not angry?’ Ryan thought, analyzing her pale face and relaxed body language for any trace of jealousy or annoyance.

But she actually looked quite calm under the cold outdoor light, as if the intimate matter with Alisa didn’t bother her in the slightest.

"I see," Ryan said shortly, accepting her excuse.

However, as he uttered those words, he clearly noticed that the strange energy particles were still active in that specific spot of the courtyard.

They were tiny, reddish magical traces suspended in the air, right near the branches of the tree where Helen was standing.

Ryan sharpened his senses to analyze that unknown presence, but no matter how much he concentrated, he didn’t feel any kind of hostility coming from it.

"Don’t you feel something strange in this place?" Ryan asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the empty space in front of them.

Helen frowned slightly upon hearing his question.

She turned her head from side to side and suspiciously sniffed the cold mountain air.

"Aside from a stinking smell of lizard and wet wolf, I don’t notice anything particularly strange," Helen grumbled, crossing her arms tightly.

Her voice was laden with heavy sarcasm and an undeniable annoyance that she didn’t even try to hide from him.

’She is angry,’ Ryan thought immediately, confirming his earlier suspicions.

The biting comment about the wet wolf smell was a direct and obvious complaint about Alisa’s presence in the castle.

Ryan didn’t respond immediately to her jealous remark.

He remained silent for several long, tense seconds, letting the loud sound of the wind fill the space between them.

"Go ahead, say what’s on your mind," he said in a calm tone, giving her the space she needed to vent completely.

Helen let out a long, loud sigh upon receiving his direct permission.

Her shoulders slumped, and her initially relaxed posture gave way to deep frustration.

"It’s about the demons who just joined us. They asked to be Alicia’s subordinates, and most of them got jobs inside the castle. I was hoping to have a subordinate, and I even offered to train them, but they refused. I think they’re afraid of me."

’And I wonder why that could be,’ Ryan thought ironically, knowing perfectly well the rough and aggressive temperament the warrior usually displayed toward strangers.

’But she isn’t upset about Alisa, then. That’s a good thing, I guess,’ he thought with a slight sense of relief, realizing that the real problem was her lack of a leadership role.

Ryan looked her straight in the eyes and nodded slightly.

"Yes, they might be a little afraid of you," Ryan confirmed with total sincerity.

"Hey!" Helen grumbled instantly, her eyes widening at his lack of tact.

"That’s why. Being a little nicer to others wouldn’t hurt, you know? You only show your rough side all the time, which is why they keep their distance. Plus, you don’t know how to hold back."

Helen puffed out her cheeks in clear indignation at her leader’s direct scolding.

She pressed her lips tightly together and averted her gaze to the stones on the ground, feeling unfairly attacked.

"But I do hold back, believe me. Besides, it’s not my fault. I mean, I was born in a border town near demonic territory. We were required to be tough and distrust everything. I can’t afford to lower my guard, or they’ll see it as weakness."

Helen spoke very quickly, justifying her harsh personality based on her dark past of survival in a constant war zone.

She moved her hands as she spoke, trying to make him understand that her attitude wasn’t just a whim, but a defense mechanism forged by years of danger.

Ryan listened closely to her words and understood the great weight her history placed on her shoulders.

"I understand you to some extent. But being kind to your allies isn’t a weakness. And you can always rely on your comrades. They’re strong too, you know that, don’t you?"

Helen remained completely silent for a moment, processing the advice under the cold mountain breeze. Finally, she nodded, accepting that he was right and that she was no longer alone in that old border town.

Her harsh facial expression softened noticeably as she understood his point.

"I’ll try to do it. If I succeed, will you let me have a subordinate?" Helen asked, looking at him with a hint of genuine hope in her eyes.

"Absolutely not," Ryan replied dryly, without hesitating for a single second.

"Huh? But why, right after what you just told me?" Helen grumbled, frowning in utter confusion at the sudden, blunt refusal.

Ryan raised his right hand and pointed his index finger directly at her.

"That’s because you’re supposed to be my escort. You stay by my side. You don’t have time for that. If you recall, it was a position you chose yourself. Or don’t you remember?" Ryan explained firmly.

Upon hearing that irrefutable logic about her duties, Helen immediately averted her eyes.

A slight but obvious flush of embarrassment covered her pale cheeks as she remembered that she herself had demanded to always be by his side to protect him.

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered under her breath, accepting her defeat in the argument and looking out toward the distant mountains.

Ryan let out a sigh, seeing that the conversation had finally calmed down and that she understood her place in the group.

However, that strange peace in the cold outer courtyard was short-lived.

Suddenly, the peculiar magical particles floating in the air reacted violently.

The scarlet energy quickly began to concentrate in a single, specific spot above their heads.

All the dense, glowing mana gathered right on the thick branch of the nearby tree.

And almost in an instant, the empty space abruptly tore open before their eyes with a soft sound.

A massive dimensional rift with jagged edges opened up, illuminating the stone floor of the courtyard with an intense reddish light.

From that dark rift, a woman with long, bright pink hair stepped out with complete tranquility.

She immediately settled onto one of the tree branches, sitting cross-legged with an unmistakably arrogant air.

"Well, were you waiting for me? This is certainly interesting."

Ryan took a step forward and looked up with great seriousness on his face.

"Irnina, what are you doing here?" Ryan asked, evaluating the fire dragoness’s sudden appearance in his domain.

Upon hearing that voice and seeing her face up high, Helen clenched her fists tightly, instantly recognizing the intruder.

Irnina looked down from her comfortable position on the branch, focusing her contemptuous gaze directly on the black-haired warrior.

Helen wrinkled her nose with a clear expression of disgust on her beautiful face.

"Disgusting. She really is identical to Janina. I knew this place smelled strongly of lizard."