However, before Orion could answer, the rush of what sounded like large birds taking flight echoed from the distant mountain forest.
Orion's expression suddenly darkened. He pursed his lips and whispered to Evangeline, "You should go."
Evangeline paid him no mind, her gaze fixed on the approaching Soot-Owl Beastmen. They were jet black, their feathers gleaming with a cold, hard sheen. They drew near, circling above the cliff face and letting out defiant shrieks.
"Is that Holly?" Evangeline raised a brow, her eyes on the female sitting atop the lead beastman's back.
'After she returned from the ship, Holly was nearly driven mad by the ordeal. To think she's recovered after returning to Norfell. She's even found other males and comes over every now and then to humiliate Orion. Heh, she's certainly living a carefree life.'
Orion's lips parted, a flicker of helpless self-deprecation in his eyes.
'How did I fall so low?'
