Game Master in Another World

Juliana, take us back to Captain Grisham.

Juliana quickly banked in the air and flew back toward the convoy. It was completely stalled, with half the terrified drivers having already abandoned their carts to flee. This mission is falling off the rails fast.

We found Grisham bloodied and limping, but furiously barking orders at the remaining drivers, desperately trying to get the caravan moving again.

We landed heavily next to him. The sudden, thudding appearance of a massive beast caused several nearby villagers to panic and bolt. Captain Grisham just let out an exhausted sigh.

“I am sorry, Lady Juliana, but please consider your current terrifying form when you land next to civilians.”

We need to keep this form. Pick Grisham up and show him the approaching wolves.

Juliana leapt back into the air, gently but firmly grasping Captain Grisham by the shoulder plating of his armour with her massive talons. We carried him up and swept low over the fields, hovering just out of reach of the feral wolf pack that was rapidly sprinting toward the vulnerable caravan.

We quickly carried Captain Grisham back and dropped him off, landing heavily beside him.

His face was pale with grim realization. “Can you unsummon those beasts?”

Somehow, I already knew the horrible answer. I briefly seized control of our feathered, avian head and firmly shook it.

“I thought as much,” Grisham gritted his teeth. “Can you please herd the scattered villagers toward me here? We need to formulate a defence. We are going to lose horses, but the key priority is mitigating civilian casualties. We need a solid defensive ring.”

Juliana nodded her large beak.

Juliana, can you please scare the straggling villagers toward Captain Grisham?

Juliana mentally agreed. We took off, climbing high above the caravan to a distance a few hundred metres away, before aggressively swooping down on the stragglers.

Several villagers screamed in sheer terror as they began to flee down the line of wagons, sprinting straight toward the village. We continued to dive and screech, deliberately instigating a full rout in the right direction.

Below us, the wolf pack had begun to splinter. A hunting group of twenty had broken off and was rapidly closing in on the fleeing villagers.

We swooped down and viciously swiped at two of the wolves with our front talons, tearing deep, fatal gashes into their bodies. Without losing momentum, we snatched up a third wolf, carried it high into the air, and callously dropped it to the earth.

We dove again, but this time the pack was ready. Several wolves leapt up snapping at us, and one managed to lock its jaws securely around our back leg. We rapidly beat our wings, pulling the heavy, snarling beast up into the sky. The sensation of the wolf's teeth desperately trying to tear through our feathered flesh sent blinding waves of pain through our body.

Screeching, we reached down and swiped at the attached wolf with our free claw, tearing into its side until it lost its grip and plummeted to its death.

Further down the line, several wolves had already reached the draft horses and begun to slaughter them, eagerly feasting on their dying bodies. Ahead of us, four wolves were chasing down a cluster of straggling villagers. We swooped low, snatching two of the wolves in our talons and using their dangling bodies like a battering ram to smash into the other two.

We flew up again, dropping the crushed wolves from a lethal height.

We relentlessly dove on the remaining beasts, using our razor-sharp claws to cut through their spines. The terrified villagers did not stop to thank us; they just screamed and kept running toward safety as quickly as their legs could carry them.

The main wolf pack was already swarming the barricade, circling the terrified civilians and snarling menacingly. Many of the defenders were visibly shaking, their white-knuckled grips trembling on their makeshift weapons.

We swept down and struck several wolves. Several more leapt up, their snapping jaws narrowly missing our wings.

This is not going to work in our current form. We need spells that will cause massive area-of-effect damage.

Juliana, can you dismiss this form and turn into a fire elemental?

Juliana mentally agreed. We swooped down into the centre of the defensive ring. Several civilians looked up in utter terror as our griffin form dissolved, violently bursting into a towering pillar of pure, roaring flame.

Terrified by the sudden explosion of intense heat, the defenders nearest to us broke formation. The wolves immediately found the weakness and charged through the gap.

Juliana raised an arm of pure magma and sent a devastating cone of fire into the breach, instantly incinerating several wolves to ash.

Over the roar of the flames, I could hear Captain Grisham desperately shouting. “It is Lady Juliana! Hold the line, or perish!”

But several more wolves charged through. The civilians managed to stab a few with their pitchforks, but they were quickly overwhelmed and dragged to the ground with blood-curdling screams.

We rushed to the breach and unleashed another wave of flame, successfully killing the beasts—but tragically catching several of the dying civilians in the blast as well. The sickening, sweet smell of burning human and wolf flesh filled the air.

The spot we had just left was now being exploited by another pack. We spun around to see several more defenders being pulled apart. Juliana lashed out, using our liquid-fire body like a whip, burning the beasts currently ravaging a fallen man on the ground.

A brave, feral wolf leapt directly at us, trying to bite our blazing torso. It passed straight through our incorporeal form, its fur instantly igniting as it landed on the other side, scorched and burning alive. We whipped the beast again, silencing its agonizing howls as it died.

The pile of bodies—wolf and human alike—was growing at a terrifying rate. There was now no way to move around the tight barricade without stepping on the dead and the dying. And every time our elemental feet touched a corpse, the searing heat began to audibly cook the meat.

I could not see a way out of this. The sheer number of wolves was simply too great, and the civilians completely lacked the stats and training to survive the onslaught.

Over the roaring din of battle, the sudden, rhythmic drumming of thundering hooves shook the earth. Then I saw them: reinforcements from the city.

The heavy cavalry crashed into the rear of the pack, their lances and swords instantly slaughtering dozens of wolves. The charging line broke through to our dwindling defence, creating a protective wall of armoured horses. The commanding officer pulled his mount to a halt, while the rest of the cavalry rode past, relentlessly chasing down the fleeing beasts.

“Good to see you, my friend,” Captain Grisham rasped, his voice utterly exhausted.

The commander dismounted and clasped Grisham’s hand firmly. “You look like you’ve had a rough time of it. We were told to expect Forlinth soldiers, but we get feral wolves instead?”

“Yes, well, we can thank Lady Juliana for that. Though, I think I prefer wolves to human soldiers,” Grisham sighed, collapsing heavily onto the tailgate of a nearby cart.

Juliana dismissed her elemental form, the roaring heat instantly evaporating as she shifted back into her tall Nhalyri body.

“An honour to meet you, Lady Juliana. Thank you for saving Captain Grisham. I am Lieutenant Hobbs.” He held out his gauntleted hand.

Juliana took it and shook politely. “The pleasure is mine. However, I would much rather kill humans than wolves. Humans actively choose to do evil. These wolves are blameless; they merely needed to eat,” she responded, her voice unnervingly flat, her serene smile completely missing from her face.

Hobbs blinked, slightly taken aback by her bluntness. “Well... thank you all the same for summoning them to save the caravan.”

“I actually did not—”

I aggressively seized control of our vocal cords. I could not let Juliana reveal the true nature of my powers to the city's military command.

“—want to risk the lives of so many innocent animals, but unfortunately, I had no other choice,” I finished smoothly, forcing a humble nod.

Juliana was in a foul mood. Her movements were noticeably stiffer than usual, and a deep, uncharacteristic scowl had settled over her normally serene face.

She came across a villager suffering from a massive bite wound on his leg. Juliana leaned over and cast a healing miracle, the magic washing over the flesh and completely removing any sign of the gruesome injury.

“Thank you kindly, Lady Juliana. May Solvarn’s grace look kindly upon you,” the man breathed, trembling in the mud.

Juliana’s scowl only deepened as she noticed a dead wolf lying on the ground nearby, likely killed by that very villager's blade.

She continued to walk up the line of the caravan, taking in the horrific sight of the slaughtered and dying draft horses. She came across one large beast lying on its side, its hind legs torn to absolute shreds.

Kneeling in the dirt, she laid a hand on the mangled legs and cast another miracle, causing the fatal wounds to seamlessly vanish. The horse scrambled upright and neighed in relief.

Juliana’s dark mood seemed to lift a fraction, yet she still looked profoundly upset.

“Why, Geoff, did you have to summon wolves?” she asked quietly.

I suddenly realised the true source of her displeasure. With my bizarre administrative power, I likely could have summoned absolutely anything, but I had mindlessly chosen wolves.

I briefly seized control of our voice to answer. “Because I had done it once before, and I suspected that it would likely work again.”

I released control back to her.

Juliana’s shoulders began to tremble, and she started crying. “You created me, though! Couldn’t you have created something with free will? Like goblins?” She angrily wiped away a tear. “Then, at least, I would not have had to witness the slaughter of so much innocent wildlife... or be forced to kill them myself just to protect humans.”

The fresh soldiers worked quickly, getting the blood-stained caravan moving again. Dead draft horses were unhitched and swiftly replaced with armoured warhorses. We watched as the grim task of clearing the road began. Wolves, horses, and humans alike were dragged aside and piled up on the verges like macabre banks of snow.

Juliana watched in silence, her dark demeanour warding off anyone from approaching us.

Sitting in the back of my own mind, I began to reflect. Staring at the sight of so many killed and wounded, I had to ask myself: was this really the right thing to do? This carnage was likely only a fraction of the two thousand wolves I had summoned. The surviving beasts were still out there, now prowling the fields looking for food, making the surrounding land incredibly dangerous for anyone.

But if I had summoned other creatures... wouldn’t it have been the exact same disastrous result?

Eventually, the last cart began moving through the ruined village. We climbed onto the back of it, taking a slow, silent ride toward the city.

As we finally passed through the main gates, the townspeople erupted into cheers, celebrating the arrival of the vital food supplies. Yet, even this adulation did not lift Juliana’s mood. I never imagined she was even capable of suffering this level of profound sadness.

We dismounted in the courtyard and spotted Toby anxiously looking around for us. When he saw us, he immediately came running.

He slid to a halt, his relieved smile vanishing the second he took in our appearance. “What happened?” he asked, a deeply worried expression taking over.

“I had to murder many innocent animals just for the sake of these humans,” Juliana said bleakly.

We walked back to the inn together in silence, firmly holding Toby’s small hand. Our bloodied, soot-stained clothes and hollow eyes were a grim testament to exactly what we had been through today.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!