"It seems like a card that offers a last-ditch chance," Noah remarked.
"In most cases, if only one wolf and one good player remain, the wolf would win automatically. But with this card, there's a glimmer of hope for a comeback."
In the family games of Werewolf that Noah had played, the good side could only eliminate wolves through voting or by utilizing special roles' abilities. So, most of the time, if one wolf and one good player were left, the wolf could easily win.
However, this interactive game differed from traditional Werewolf.
With so many clue cards and item cards available, the game encouraged strategic maneuvering, making it more immersive and suspenseful for the players.
"Then, Noah, you should keep this card," Helena suggested. "As the [Princess], your role is crucial. Our tasks revolve around protecting you, so you must survive until the end. And if a wolf remains in the end, you can use this card to try to turn the tables."
"Exactly, big sister, you should hold onto it," Muwen agreed.
Noah nodded and stored the [Cycle of Desperation] card safely. "Alright, let's keep searching for more clues."
"Okay."
The three young dragon girls set off once more.
The next few tasks they completed yielded relatively insignificant clues, mostly filling in background details about each character's role.
The hints were vague, like thin strands that, even when grasped, didn't lead to any substantial insights.
They spent the entire evening moving from task to task.
With two hours left until the 8 PM meeting, Noah suggested they return to their rooms for a quick meal before continuing.
Muwen and Helena agreed without hesitation.
But as the little dragons were preparing to return, a sudden NPC announcement sounded from Helena's Memory Stone:
"[Guard], you have been killed; [Guard], you have been killed."
The voice echoed through the corridor, like the chime of a death knell.
One moment, the Melkvey sisters had been cheerfully discussing dinner. The next, they were frozen in shock.
Though Muwen wasn't new to witnessing "crime scenes," she instinctively hid behind Noah the moment the chilling notification sounded.
Noah's pupils dilated as she stared at her friend in disbelief.
Helena, equally stunned, seemed unable to process what had just happened.
"I... I've been killed?!"
"But how could this be... We've spent the entire afternoon completing tasks without seeing anyone else. How could you have been killed..."
Noah rarely got frightened, especially in a game.
But for Helena to be killed, right after Aurora had been, and under such mysterious circumstances...
It felt as though a ghostly wolf lurked nearby—unseen, unpredictable.
Moments later, a staff member arrived.
"Miss Helena, you have been eliminated. Please follow me to the Divine Observation Room for a break."
Obeying the rules, Helena left with the staff.
As she reached the corridor's end, she looked back at Noah.
"Forgive me, Your Highness. I can't protect you any longer."
Noah gave her a bittersweet smile. "Your duty is complete, my guard."
Helena smiled, nodded, and waved goodbye before disappearing around the corner.
After Helena left, Muwen tugged on Noah's sleeve.
Noah took her little sister's hand.
"Big sister... What do we do now? It feels like that wolf could kill us at any moment."
Noah frowned, biting her lip.
After a pause, she said, "Let's call an emergency meeting. We can't wait until 8 PM, or someone else might be killed."
"Okay."
---
Ten minutes later, everyone gathered in the conference room once again.
"So... Helena was the latest to be killed?" Claudia immediately noticed her daughter's absence.
Noah nodded. "Yes, I called the emergency meeting. All afternoon, Helena, Muwen, and I were completing tasks together, without encountering anyone else. But just now, Helena, like Aurora, was inexplicably killed."
"As I suspected, the wolf does indeed have long-range kill capabilities," Leon Cosmodeous commented.
Claudia rested her chin on her hand, pondering. "But since both Aurora and Helena were killed with Muwen present, is it possible that..."
"It wasn't me, Aunt Claudia! I was doing my tasks diligently the whole time," Muwen protested, her voice earnest but childish.
But she was just a kid, and no one had the heart to interrogate her relentlessly.
Leon eventually spoke for his daughter, "Muwen is part of the [Friends Group] and a member of the good side, so she couldn't have killed Aurora or Helena."
Claudia nodded. "True."
Isha's gaze swept over the group before she spoke.
"So, we can be sure now that this wolf has the ability to kill from a distance. We have no way to counter it, nor do we have any concrete leads on their identity, right?"
The remaining little dragons shook their heads.
Claudia's silence was an answer in itself.
Leon and Rossweisse exchanged a glance, communicating in subtle gestures—like a silent team code.
Isha noticed their exchange. Her red dragon eyes narrowed but moved on.
"Actually, Rossweisse and I previously found a clue regarding the [Queen]," Leon began.
"Me?" Claudia asked neutrally.
"Yes. That clue card mentioned that while the Queen loves her daughter, she seems to have an ulterior motive," Leon explained calmly. "Then, after completing a three-person task with Muwen and Aurora, we obtained another clue card that said, 'That thing is a curse. It must be destroyed.'"
"That thing most likely refers to the Black Sacred Stone."
"And according to the background story, besides the deceased King and the Princess, the one most familiar with the Stone would be the Queen."
"So, this line is likely something the [Queen] would say."
"Given the clue also mentions the [Queen] having an ulterior motive... I have reason to suspect, Claudia, that you may be aligned with the wolves."
Leon didn't directly accuse Claudia of being a wolf—there wasn't enough evidence. But with two good players dead, they had to share everything.
Everyone turned to look at Claudia.
The elegant woman remained calm. After a pause, she replied with measured tone:
"If this wolf indeed has a long-range kill ability, then I no longer need to be so cautious."
"First of all, I am not a wolf—but I'm also not strictly on the good side."
"Leon, that clue card you and Rossweisse found mentions that the [Queen] has an ulterior motive. But it also says she deeply loves the Princess."
"I am on the Princess's side and want to retrieve the Black Sacred Stone."
"However, once we find it, I have a hidden task of my own—to destroy it."
"To the [Queen], the Black Sacred Stone is a generational curse. It causes conflict, and even her beloved daughter may one day be harmed by it."
"So, if the [Queen] finds the Stone first, and uses a card to [destroy] it, she wins alone and receives the ultimate game reward—a 'Black Sacred Stone' crafted from Dark Spirit Crystal."
"My task card specifies this:
If I help the [Princess] retrieve the Stone, we all win and I get a reward.
If I destroy it, I win alone—but the good side still wins and gets rewarded."
Claudia sighed, looking at Leon with a faint smile.
"So yes, I have a hidden task. But I don't have to complete it. If Noah wins, I win too."
Leon blinked. His deduction was right, but her alternate victory path was beyond what clue cards could've revealed.
"Alright, I misjudged you, senior," he admitted.
Claudia smiled lazily. "Not really a misjudgment. I couldn't reveal my whole task from the start, could I?"
She turned to Noah with a wink. "Well, Princess? You know now. Are you going to vote me out?"
Noah met her gaze—steady, thoughtful.
After a moment, she said, "I won't vote you out, Aunt Claudia. With two good players gone, we can't lose another key role like the [Queen]. And... your task could help us win in the end."
Claudia snapped her fingers playfully and leaned over to pinch Noah's cheek. "Smart little one."
"So, we still haven't identified the wolf," Rossweisse noted.
"But we've narrowed it down," Noah said. "If it's not Muwen or Aunt Claudia, then the wolves must be among Dad, Mom, and Aunt Isha. Three choices. Two wolves."
"It's not hard," Isha said lightly, "but don't blindly trust Claudia either."
"Understood, Dad," Noah replied.
"At least we've got a smaller suspect pool. Better than before," Isha added with a smile.
"For now, we'll leave it at that. If someone else is killed, we'll call another emergency meeting."
Leon noticed her tone.
Why did it feel like Isha enjoyed these meetings?
Was she a natural leader—or was there another reason?
"Alright then."
Everyone slowly left the room.
With two good players eliminated, everyone became more cautious.
Not that it would help.
If the wolf wanted to kill, there was no stopping them.
But as Leon had said, a power like that had to have a cooldown or limit.
He had to find it.
Only then could they have a chance.
Leon remained in the hall, alone.
He glanced up at the grand clock.
"6:30... Less than two hours until the next full meeting."
"We need to find that wolf before then."