The Most Satisfied Reincarnate

While Desmond diligently attended to his soiled garments, Selena lay sprawled on the ground, her eyes fixated upon him, a mixture of disbelief and a tinge of fear visible within her gaze. The pallor of her skin betrayed her weakened physical state, still recovering from the consequences of Desmond's earlier actions. The weight of fear seemed to cloud her thoughts, leaving her in a state of disarray.

"This boy has deceived us!" Selena's inner voice erupted with conviction. "He possesses the prowess of a seasoned First-Class Swordsman. And that raw strength he displayed earlier...undeniably at its zenith!" Her mind raced with the realization that Desmond intentionally concealed his true abilities, evading the keen observation of the Guardian.

"But I...I witnessed it," she muttered under her breath. "There's more to this..."

Selena shifted her gaze towards Laura, the seemingly unassuming female servant who now wore a sly smile. In Laura's hands, Selena detected a faint trace of natural energy, signaling her affinity as a Witch. The revelation struck Selena like a bolt of lightning, her shock intermingled with the pungent stench emanating from the goblin corpses nearby.

A Witch serving as a maid was beyond her imagination, and the energy radiating from Laura rivaled her own, suggesting a similar or even higher level of mastery.

Her mind became a chaotic whirlwind, struggling to process the recent revelations. The memories of the preceding events flickered through her thoughts, reminding her that Desmond was, after all, just a boy. Despite the gentle breeze drying her perspiration and the serene beauty of the surrounding scenery, tranquility eluded her grasp.

Tremors coursed through her trembling hands, and she unconsciously recoiled, imprinting her hand onto the ground and knocking aside nearby objects.

A faint squeak escaped her as she inadvertently pressed a dry leaf, setting her heart pounding wildly. Slowly, she turned her head only to be met with the maid's menacing glare. Her voice caught in her throat, paralyzed by the eerie voice that emanated from the unsettling boy before her. Panic surged within her, as she grappled with the implausibility of his knowledge.

"He's just a boy...he couldn't possibly know," Selena screamed internally, her gaze locked onto Desmond's expressionless face.

"And what, pray tell, should I do to you?" Desmond's voice cut through the tense silence as he finished tidying his clothes. His gaze fell upon Selena, who quivered with a mixture of trepidation and horror.

* Howl! *

Suddenly, a chilling howl pierced the air, causing Selena to shudder involuntarily and turn her gaze towards the source. Emerging from the depths of the surrounding bushes, a pack of wolves materialized, encircling Desmond's group.

"Hmm..." Instead of succumbing to panic, Desmond maintained a composed demeanor as he meticulously assessed the situation, taking stock of the number of wolves and their strategic placement. "These are no ordinary wolves," he mused aloud, prompting a nod of confirmation from Laura, who stood by his side.

"Young master, these are Direwolves, the same breed you employed as an alibi on a previous occasion," Laura informed him. Surprisingly, she exuded a sense of calmness as she studied each wolf in the encircling pack.

The Direwolves distinguished themselves with their larger physique, boasting thick, gray fur. At the corners of their mouths, formidable fangs, roughly the size of a human fist, protruded menacingly. Standing at a height of about two meters, they commanded a formidable presence.

Desmond nonchalantly uttered the words "Direwolf," fully aware of the cunning nature exhibited by all wolves, even those hailing from the Beast Race.

With Desmond and Laura positioned back to back, their focus honed on the encircling predators, Selena stood nearby, her legs trembling in trepidation.

As both sides cautiously assessed each other, the fact that Desmond had dispatched a Goblin with ease served as a testament to his capabilities, putting the wolves on high alert.

However, Desmond knew that this standoff would not endure for long. A sudden realization dawned upon him as he noticed Selena's vulnerable position.

Harnessing his inherent advantage of spellcasting without the need for verbal incantations, Desmond silently activated his magic.

*Sprout!*

"Ahh!" Selena let out an involuntary cry as she discovered tree roots tightly binding her legs. She looked down in astonishment, witnessing more roots sprouting and ensnaring her body, rendering her defenseless before the Direwolves.

Desmond wasted no time. Even before Selena could react, additional roots swiftly coiled around her, stretching her out helplessly in front of the predatory creatures.

The result unfolded precisely as Desmond had anticipated.

"ARGHHHH!" Witnessing the sight of Selena's helpless form, the Direwolves pounced without a moment's hesitation, tearing into her flesh. Selena, now at the mercy of her captors, screamed in agonizing pain. Some wolves gnawed at her head, while others targeted her stomach, their fangs perilously close to her heart.

Confusion initially gripped Selena as she struggled to comprehend Desmond's motives. However, her memories flashed back, recalling the words she had adamantly denied earlier, aligning with the warnings issued by her leader.

Lea....der....he...lp...

Before Selena could manage to send a complete message to her leader, one of the wolf's fangs managed to pierce and penetrate part of her brain, making her stop thinking, and her vision began to fade.

From a distance, Desmond saw this in disgust. Not only did the wolf really 'devour' her body, they even regurgitated Selena's eyeballs onto the ground.

"I think this is enough to erase any traces." Apart from the [Master Witch/Wizard], no one could accuse Desmond and Laura of being the main perpetrators of Selena's murder.

Also, because Desmond wanted to keep his powers and his maids hidden for a while, Selena had been becoming an obstacle for him since the beginning.

As for the sudden sensation of circulating energy from her, he thought it must be her last attempt to contact her leader.

"Now, the situation here is clear." Not only was Desmond attacked, when he looked at the system map, he also found many red dots gathering in the village square.

But one thing is sure, Desmond felt strange about these Direwolves. Even though they were a bit cunning and intelligent, their intelligence level would not have reached the point where a [Goblin] had to act as bait.

Maybe there is a Hob Goblin?

Thinking of this, Desmond shook his head and commanded the system.

system, find the information about the Hob Goblin from the database and display it on the screen.

[Processing Host Command...]

[Searching for data using the word 'Hob and Goblin' as the main keyword...]

While waiting for the system, Desmond approached one of the closest corpses of Direwolves, "Hmm... if what system says is true, then maybe this could speed up the growth of my strength..."

On the other hand, he looked around and found all the dead Dire Wolves lying on the ground with identical wounds; they had a large hole on each of their heads.

"Well done, Laura." Desmond complimented while looking behind, where Laura was cleaning and changing her bloody gloves.

"Thank you, young master is." Laura smiled, but she failed to hide her smile, which also contained a sense of disgust due to the Direwolves' blood splattering on her gloves.