Outside the White Cat Royal Castle.

  Three drunk men stumbled along, with their arms around each other’s shoulders, heading toward the castle.

  The guards who saw this all showed expressions of disgust.

  They had witnessed this scene many times before. Because of these three, the royal castle’s reputation seemed to have deteriorated.

  But the three acted as if they didn’t notice the stares and swaggered into the castle.

  When they reached a square inside the castle, a small figure blocked their path.

  "Huh? Who are you? Get out of the way—scram, you brat——!"

  Seeing the figure standing on the steps ahead, Rajas—who was already irritable and further intoxicated—shouted angrily.

  "It’s you three, isn’t it? I have something to ask you."

  "Ah——？！"

  "Kid, can’t you understand words?! I told you to scram!"

  "Sigh~!"

  Hulim shook her head and sighed.

  "I thought whoever represented the White Cat Clan in the tournament would be some kind of strong warriors. I didn’t expect you to be just this level."

  As soon as she said this, the three’s expressions changed instantly.

  Chills flickered in their eyes.

  "Kid...... How dare you call us weak? Are you looking for death?! "

  Faced with Rajas’ threat, Hulim remained expressionless.

  "No, I’m not belittling you. I’m just—stating the facts."

  In an instant, the anger in the three’s hearts erupted.

  "Die——!"

  Boom——!

  Rajas raised his huge fist and punched directly at Hulim.

  The powerful gust of wind shattered the steps in front of him.

  But when the dust settled, Hulim was nowhere to be seen in front of the fist.

  Looking closely, Hulim had already moved three meters away without anyone noticing.

  "Something’s wrong with this guy......"

  James sensed something was off.

  "Let’s attack together!"

  With that, he drew his sword and charged at Hulim. Odo reacted a beat slower but followed instinctively. As for Rajas, he was already consumed by rage.

  The three attacked Hulim from different directions simultaneously.

  "Stop——! What are you doing?! "

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Guards rushed over upon hearing the commotion.

  James’ eyes turned cold, and he said quickly: "Ignore them—finish this fast!"

  Instead of stopping their deadly attacks, they struck at Hulim even faster.

  "Bastards——!!!"

  The arriving guards were furious, but it was already too late to stop them.

  Just as they thought Hulim would be killed, an astonishing scene unfolded.

  Boom——!

  Everyone present felt a sudden shockwave sweep across the entire square.

  When they regained their balance and looked at the scene of the conflict again,

  only one person was still standing.

  The Bear Beastman Rajas was stuck headfirst into the stone floor, half his head buried in the ground, motionless. The Wolf Beastman Odo was lying flat on the ground like a pancake, his eyes rolled completely back, his mouth misaligned, and his tongue sticking out—also motionless.

  The only one still conscious was James, the human. But his head was being pressed firmly against the steps by a small foot, rendering him completely immobile.

  James struggled to move his eyes, catching a glimpse of the only standing figure out of the corner of his eye.

  "Y-You...... Who are you? Who sent you?! "

  "No one sent me."

  Hulim replied calmly.

  "It’s just...... you did something you shouldn’t have."

  Did you really think I’d do nothing after my friend was bullied like that?

  James’ pupils contracted sharply, his face filled with shock.

  "Y-You...... Could it be you already......"

  He closed his mouth and didn’t continue.

  "......You win! We miscalculated this time. We didn’t expect you to have such a backup! We concede defeat!"

  "?"

  Hulim tilted her head.

  What was this person talking about?

  "Hey, you three——!"

  The guards finally remembered to intervene.

  "Fighting randomly in the castle and damaging public property—come with us!"

  Hulim slowly lifted her foot off James’ head.

  James suddenly felt the mountain-like pressure disappear from his head.

  Without hesitation, he scrambled away from Hulim on all fours.

  Then he went over, picked up the unconscious Rajas and Odo one on each shoulder, and dragged them toward the castle gate.

  "Stop right there! Where are you going? Come with us first!"

  The guards tried to stop him.

  "Out of my way!"

  James shouted sharply, shoving the blocking guards aside.

  At the same time, he yelled loudly:

  "We voluntarily withdraw from the tournament—we’re out!"

  "What——"

  The guards looked shocked.

  "What are you saying?! Stop right there——!"

  But instead of stopping, James walked even faster. Even with two people on his shoulders, he moved swiftly.

  After a symbolic attempt to stop him, the guards let him leave.

  "You saw it~, I tried to stop him, but I couldn’t."

  The guard captain shrugged, saying "helplessly"—though the satisfaction in his eyes was barely concealed.

  "Haha~, we saw it, we saw it! Captain, you were so brave! We can all testify!"

  The guards laughed heartily. They didn’t feel any loss at the three’s departure—on the contrary, they were just as delighted as the captain.

  "Ahem, alright, let’s get back to business!"

  The guard captain turned to Hulim, his eyes filled with a hint of respect, and said politely: "Please come with us. Don’t worry, we won’t make things difficult for you."

  "Okay."

  Hulim replied flatly.

  Then she followed the guards to be questioned.

  Well...... An "investigation" conducted in a warm, bright, and comfortable room, with tea and pastries, and no actual questioning......

  "Are you satisfied with these pastries? They’re our local specialties. We heard you like sweet things, so we specially bought them."

  "Thank you. I’m very satisfied."

  Looking at the Royal Castle Guard Captain in front of her, Hulim suddenly felt a little curious.

  "Do you really dislike those three that much?"

  When the three were mentioned, a trace of disgust for them appeared in the captain’s eyes.

  "I guess you could say that......"

  "I’ve wanted to drive them away for a long time. It’s not just their behavior—I also feel they’re hiding some ulterior motive. But......"

  "Sigh~!"

  The captain sighed.

  "But the White Cat Clan’s situation is delicate right now. This isn’t the time to worry about their character, so I couldn’t act......"

  "To be honest, I feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders now that you’ve driven them away. I have no other way to thank you, so please accept these pastries as a small gesture."

  "Um~, correction——"

  Hulim swallowed a piece of pastry and said:

  "I didn’t drive them away. I just beat them up. They chose to leave on their own."

  "Hehe, let’s just say that’s how it is!"

  The captain smiled.

  Then his expression turned serious.

  "But the fact remains that they left because of you. Their departure has disrupted the White Cat Clan’s plans. You might be held accountable by the Elder Council for this......"

  "Mm, I’m mentally prepared."

  Hulim replied calmly.

  "Really? Don’t worry—no matter what decision the Elder Council makes, all of us royal castle guards will stand by your side!"

  "Uh...... Then I...... thank you?"

  ......