Firewolf is a wolf-shaped demon whose entire body is covered in red fur.
　They spit fire breath, not fire, and are good at hunting in groups.
　They are resistant to fire and heat, but not to water, ice or cold.

It's not cold in Lübeck village or this area in winter, and there are no big ponds or lakes, but it's not hot either. It's true that it's a bit strange to have a fire wolf out there, isn't it, Anne?

　It was Tanya who said.
　She asked her fellow sorceress.　

'Yes,'

　The beautiful sorceress called Anne, with her blue hat and blue robes, nodded and gave her opinion.

'So maybe that's why you've been chased by more powerful demons.

'In that case, I was told not to take it easy and to run away as soon as I felt something was wrong.

　Tanya looks unhappy.
　It's like they don't trust their own abilities.

'Roy is so overprotective of Tanya, isn't he?

　Lily, the petite bowman who had been listening in silence until then, teased her.

'You really do,'

　The one who ministered briefly was Beth, a tall swordswoman for a red-haired woman.

'Even Beth would do such a thing,'

　Tanya puffed out her cheeks and protested.
　Just as Lily was about to say something to her, a stern looking Ann quickly warned her.

'Guys, that's the end of the story. There are ten signs of a demon about thirty meters away.

　Anne's detection magic is the lifeblood of this party.
　The soothing look from all of them disappeared and turned into a group of warriors.

''Can I see them as Fire Wolves?''

I'm sorry. My detectors can't tell that much.

　Anne apologizes for Tanya's question.
　She had honed her detection magic to improve the survival rate of her companions, but she was still far from being proficient.

''It's okay, we'll get stronger together.

　Beth balks with a smile and Tanya says, too.

'That's right. If Anne gets too strong, I won't have a chance.

　She was the scout.
　It was their role to make sure that she could see with her naked eye where Anne had detected them.
　They moved closer together in the direction Anne had indicated, confirming the presence of a pack of red-furred firewolves.
　It was a combination of seven adults and three children, and the ratio of males to females was impossible for Tanya to discern.

(I knew something was wrong.)

　Tanya thinks.
　It's said that firewolves prefer places with a lot of shielding, and it's strange to see them moving in packs through the streets between towns like this.
　And it was unnatural for them to be with their children.
　She returned to her companions to report back to them, careful not to be distracted by the firewolves.

'There they are. A pack of firewolves. Three children.

What, you have a child with you?

　Lily rolls her eyes, Beth giggles, and Anne sighs.

'It's tricky. Firewolves with children are getting fierce and tricky to get rid of. And they usually don't move until the children are older: ......

What do you think, Anne?　The guild's request is to fight off the firewolves and investigate why they showed up.

　Tanya asked Anne, who was also the leader of the party, to make a decision.

'We can't get rid of a firewolf with a child on our own. At least if there are two or three more of us: ......

Maybe it's time to consider adding more members, as Roy says.

　Beth murmurs in response to her answer.

'If we get out of there alive, that is.

　Lily blurts out, and Tanya frowns.

'Hey, stop being so sinister. Besides, now that they haven't noticed you, you can get away with it.

　Her opinion was adopted and the four of them chose to run away instead of fight.
　The girls weren't slow in their decision, but that was just the normal response.
　The firewolves, forced to move reluctantly with their cubs, were more sensitive to the enemy than they were to their knowledge.
　When one of them barked hostilely, they sensed the danger.

''Oh no!''

　If there was a good sorcerer, he would have used transfer magic to escape, but Anne was not capable of such a feat.
　If she had that kind of competence, she wouldn't have thought of running away from the firewolf with her child in the first place.　
　Tanya and the others ran out, but Anne wasn't that fast and soon the distance opened up.

'Just run away from me,'

　She can relay that to her companion with a look of determination.

'Fool!'

　What came back was Tanya's angry voice and Lily and Beth's accusing glances.

'When we die, we'll be together ...... that's our friends, right?'

　Beth stops and pulls out the sword she was carrying on her back and releases it.
　She's not sure if the attack will hit the firewolf, which is said to move fast like a wolf type, but she hopes it will arouse her vigilance.

'I'll go with my usual formation!

　Beth stepped forward at the sound of Tanya's voice, she stood next to her, with Anne and Lily behind her.

'Firewolves are inherently wary. They won't come all at the same time, and if two or three of their friends take damage, they'll retreat.'

'Seven adults don't stand a chance, but if you want to give two or three headaches a painful experience, go to ......'

　Tanya and the others see a ray of light at Anne's suggestion.
　As she pointed out, only four of them have their fangs on the four, and the other three are in a position to protect their children.
　One of the firewolves jumped at her, and Anne stopped it with the belly of her sword.
　If it was a stronger demon, it would shatter the sword and inflict a fatal wound on her, but the Fire Wolf didn't have that much power.
　However, it dodged both the dagger aimed at Tanya's stomach and the arrow aimed at Lily's eye with a nimble body movement.
　Two of them attacked Beth and Tanya at the same time as one of them fell back.
　They might have thought they could win if it was one-on-one, but then Anne's magic comes flying in.

''【Ice Stone】''

　It was a sorcery that created a stony block of ice and hit the enemy.
　Firewolf was quick to dodge again, but he took a bit of distance due to the ice flying at him, which he was not good at.

''The attack doesn't hit ......''

　Lily growled in frustration.
　In order for the firewolf to hit the attack, it would require both speed and precision.
　It's a tough one for the girls right now.
　However, they are also able to prevent the Firewolf's attacks.
　It was hard to be optimistic, but it wasn't a hopeless situation.
　As if to sneer at Tanya, the two adults left the children's side to join their friends.
　Perhaps they decided that they could not be a threat to the children's people.
　It was frustrating for Tanya because she was right, but even more so because she was almost devastated by the overwhelming disadvantage she was at.

(Sorry, Roy: ......)

　Tanya apologized to her lover in her mind.
　He had said that if the demon was behaving in an unusual way, he should ask the stronger adventurers to ensure a little more safety.
　But now the top adventurers were busy, and she was the one who said they could at least do the investigation themselves.

(If you listen to him: ......)

　It was too late to regret it.
　Surrounded by five firewolves, there was no way for them to escape.