Chapter 97

Chapter 96: Annie Verroca's Secret

"Ow—!!"

Seeing this scene, whether it was Liss, who had yet to stand up, or Marin, who was watching from the side, or Sylia and Serek, who had just pulled their weapons out of the dead Death Knight's body, or even Kudra and the others, they were all stunned in place.

Rod was no exception. He stood up, looking at the giant wolf howling with its head raised in the wilderness, his heart filled with shock.

At this moment, he also knew Annie's true identity.

A half-beast!

Just like how angels and humans, humans and elves, and demons and humans can produce offspring through mixed blood, high-level magical beasts can also transform into human form and mate with humans to produce offspring. However, compared to half-angels, half-elves, or half-demons, who are relatively more accepted, half-beasts are a very rare race. After all, magical beasts are different from humans; only those with the power of a dominion-level lord can transform into human form. If we use the mythological legends of Rod's homeland as an analogy, it would be like an animal needing to cultivate for a thousand years to transform into a human form. Dominion-level lord magical beasts are extremely rare and powerful; a single dominion-level lord could easily handle dozens of ordinary swordmasters like Serek, who is only level forty. Moreover, although they can transform into human form, their true form is still a beast. Unless they have lived in human society for a long time, they generally do not choose humans as mating partners—just like how your dog, no matter how well it treats you, will still go out to find a mate of its own kind when in heat... Hmm, this analogy might not be quite right.

Rod had seen half-beasts before; in the game, several powerful figures were half-beasts. However, apart from being unusually strong, Annie didn't seem to have any other noticeable differences. So Rod never thought in this direction. But now, what should he do?

Looking at the giant black wolf, Rod's heart sank to the bottom.

"I never thought..."

Serek also drew a sharp breath and came to Rod's side.

"This little one actually has such a secret. What should we do now?"

What should we do?

Rod raised an eyebrow but did not answer. He was quickly recalling all the information and quests about half-beasts from his memory, trying to figure out how to handle the current situation. Based on Rod's experience, Annie transformed because she was too injured to maintain her human form, a form of self-protection. However, this also meant that her rationality had likely completely disappeared, leaving only the instincts of a beast.

So...

Rod shook his head, reined in his thoughts, and then sighed.

"Leave it to me."

He waved his hand and then stepped towards the black giant wolf.

"Mr. Rod?"

Seeing Rod's actions, Marin and Liss couldn't help but call out. In fact, their feelings were very complex. After all, no one could easily accept that a girl they had lived with for several days could turn into a wolf. Although, as a mage, Marin was not unaware of such things, seeing it in a book and witnessing it in person are very different. Not to mention, it was someone she had been with for several days...

At this moment, Marin looked at the black giant wolf in the distance, her feelings were very mixed. She didn't know what Rod was planning to do, but Marin knew that half-beasts had no place in human society. Although theoretically, they were the truly noble-born, as both half-angels, half-elves, and half-demons have both sides in human form. However, the other half of a half-beast is a true magical beast. In terms of power, anyone with half-beast blood is much stronger than other races. However, perhaps due to human preconceptions, they can accept other mixed races but always have a排斥 attitude towards half-beasts.

Marin had read in many books that those with half-beast blood could live quietly like ordinary people as long as their identity was unknown. But once their identity was exposed, they were ostracized and had to leave and start a new life in a place where no one knew them. In some cases, half-beasts were even captured, tortured to death, or burned alive...

What would Rod do?

Watching Rod slowly approach the black giant wolf, Marin didn't know what to say or what to do. Although she hadn't known Annie for long, she didn't dislike her at all. Moreover, there were several half-beasts in the magic academy, and she wasn't afraid of them just because they were unfamiliar. However, what choice Rod would make, Marin really didn't know.

She didn't think Rod would be like those ignorant and backward people who would kill Annie out of fear, but now, what could he do with her in this form?

Sensing Rod's approach, the black wolf arched its body and stared at him with a wary gaze. Its eyes, which glowed with a green light, showed no friendliness.

This is troublesome.

Sensing the black wolf's gaze, Rod frowned. He was sure that Annie's rationality was now "asleep," and she was acting purely on instinct. If possible, he didn't want to take a risk. But Annie had risked her life to save them, sacrificing herself to save everyone here. Of course, her decision to act without his orders wasn't commendable, but now... Rod shook his head and didn't say more.

"Liss, prepare a healing spell for me in a moment."

Without turning his head, Rod gave a command that left Liss puzzled. Then he approached the black wolf and extended his right hand.

"——!"

Almost instinctively, the black wolf suddenly opened its mouth and bit down on Rod's palm.

This sudden turn of events made Serek's expression change, and even the angel girl gripped her long sword with a serious look. Liss covered her mouth in surprise, forcing herself not to scream.

How ruthless!

Feeling the intense pain in his palm, Rod gritted his teeth. He could feel the giant wolf's sharp teeth completely piercing his hand, and with a little more force, it might even tear off his entire hand! But he didn't retreat or react. He was taking a gamble, betting that Annie had no hostility towards them.

If Annie were a rational person, Rod would never take this risk. Rational people often hide their emotions, and no one knows their true thoughts except themselves. Such a person, once they lose their rationality, could do anything. But Annie was different; she always lived by her intuition. Rod could sense that she liked Liss and Marin and was close to him. This intuition was likely linked to her instincts... If so, it would be for the best. If not, he would have to knock her out. In any case, Rod couldn't bring himself to kill her.

After all, she had done so much for the team.

Enduring the pain, Rod extended his other hand and gently placed it on the black wolf's head.

"——!!"

Sensing Rod's action, the black wolf growled low in its throat, but soon its eyes narrowed, and the mouth that had been tightly clamped on Rod's hand began to relax.

There's a chance!

Feeling the change in the black wolf's attitude, Rod felt relieved. He continued to gently stroke the black wolf's head, then reached down to stroke its cheek and touched its cold nose. The black wolf didn't try to avoid him; instead, it rubbed against Rod's fingers affectionately, then carefully released his hand, took a few steps back, and licked the back of Rod's injured hand. It tilted its head, looking at him with a hint of unease, then slowly sat down. It wasn't clear if it was trying to apologize or was afraid. But after Rod patted its head again, the black wolf nodded contentedly, closed its eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

Soon, the massive body began to shrink, the thick fur and tail disappeared, and in a moment, a naked girl appeared before Rod again. This time, her body was unscarred, and she was in a deep sleep.

"Phew... ..."

Only then did Rod let out a sigh of relief. He shook his injured right hand and turned to look at Liss, who was hurrying towards him.

"Please heal me."

After this unexpected incident, everyone finally relaxed.

The Death Knight was thoroughly killed, and there were no other undead creatures nearby. As long as they walked out, they would be victorious. The only thing that made Rod a bit depressed was the equipment on the Death Knight. Although the Death Knight had some good equipment, such as the "Cursed Ring" that could apply poison and the "Death Gaze" that granted dark vision, these items, which were already tainted with evil, were completely destroyed by Sylia's holy flames. Looking at the messy corpse, Rod could only feel helpless, but he still held out hope and asked Marin to search the body, hoping her "Red Hand" aura might salvage something...

It had to be said that Marin's hands were indeed covered in blood—though that might not be the right way to put it, but she did manage to find a small spatial pouch from the Death Knight's large armor. As a magical item, it was not destroyed by the holy flames. This was the only thing Rod could get from this encounter. He didn't plan to open it in front of Serek; he would examine it later when they returned.

Then, Rod and Liss, along with the others, dragged their tired bodies to meet up with the rest. As they approached Kudra and the others, a black shadow suddenly ran out from the crowd and blocked Rod's path.

"What do you mean by this!"

The half-elf girl glared at Rod with angry eyes.

"What do you mean?"

Facing the half-elf girl's question, Rod asked expressionlessly.

"That woman!"

The half-elf pointed at Annie, who was lying on Old Walker's back, wrapped in a cloak, still unconscious.

"You actually let a mixed-blood half-beast protect us! What are you thinking? Don't you know those half-breeds are dangerous? What if she goes berserk and attacks us? You must have done this on purpose!"

Hearing this, Liss and Marin's faces immediately turned sour. Behind the half-elf girl, the spirit mages from the Mercenary Guild also looked displeased. Although they hadn't known Annie for long, she had protected them throughout the journey. While the revelation that Annie was a half-beast was a shock, it wasn't something they couldn't accept. Therefore, they were very uncomfortable with the half-elf insulting their savior in front of them. Serek and Old Walker also looked stern, their eyes filled with disapproval.

"Hey!"

Even Kudra, looking embarrassed, called out. Not to mention, the mercenaries around him felt the same. After all, Annie had saved them, and whether the mercenary group had half-beasts was their own business, not theirs. Why bring it up?

"Dangerous?"

Rod didn't speak, but Marin sneered. She had always found the crude and vulgar mercenaries distasteful, and now, hearing the half-elf's words, she was even more angry.

"If it weren't for Annie's help, you might not have made it here safely. Instead of being grateful, you're biting the hand that feeds you? Truly rude and low, disgusting."

"You... don't think I'm afraid of you just because you're a mage."

Faced with Marin's sarcasm, the half-elf girl's expression faltered but quickly recovered.

"Besides, what has she done? She just hid at the back like a coward the whole way. What did she do? Hmph, I think these half-breeds are all..."

The half-elf girl's words were cut short because at that moment, Rod's fist had already struck her face.

The unprepared girl was knocked to the ground, but before she could lift her head to say anything, Rod kicked her in the stomach, causing her to clutch her abdomen, curl up, and start vomiting on the ground. Only then did Rod pull back his foot and expressionlessly dust off his hands, making Kudra's face turn awkward.

"Mr. Rod... ..."

"Because she insulted my subordinate, I was annoyed, so I dealt with her. Now that I've dealt with her, I feel better, so we're even. You don't need to apologize to me, or I'll feel like I owe you."

Rod interrupted Kudra, then turned to his companions.

"The mission is over. Let's leave this place."

...