Volume 3 Chapter 118 The Decline Of Silverwooloo I
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Kian, Sarah, Serena, Ninini, and Rean—the group of five—left the forest campsite an hour after breakfast. Serena and Sarah, along with Ninini and Rean, rode horses in pairs, while Kian traveled on foot.
Their destination was an ancient temple located somewhere at the base of the Dacia Mountains.
Their route involved heading north through the Great Forest, crossing the marshlands, and then exiting at the base of the mountains, where they would follow the boundary between the snowy landscape and the marshlands.
Essentially, Kian and Ninini were responsible for keeping watch, but Kian, who could use bats for aerial surveillance, effectively handled all scouting duties.
After passing through the Great Forest and heading north through the marshlands, they entered an area where the Bloodsucking Kind ran rampant. However, by then it was around ten in the morning, and the fog over the marshlands had cleared, significantly improving visibility. The Bloodsucking Kind seemed to have returned to their nests, with only small groups of five or six visible occasionally. Nevertheless, if discovered, they would be relentlessly pursued and stalked until consumed. Far more tenacious than wild bears, once they began to stalk their prey, they would not stop until they had devoured it. Occasionally, they had no choice but to engage in battle, but Kian’s charm magic would render the Bloodsucking Kind immobile, allowing Rean to finish them off with his magic sword.
It was hard to believe they were walking through a dangerous area as they smoothly made their way through their journey.
As the wind over the marshlands grew colder and the white peaks of distant mountains came into view, the first day of their trip came to an end. Before the predators of the marshlands became active, Sarah cast a barrier around them and used earth magic to quickly construct a makeshift rock shelter for camping.
Serena and Ninini were in charge of starting the fire and cooking.
Kian and Rean went hunting for nearby monsters.
Since Rean’s magic sword could absorb the bodily fluids of the creatures it slashed, after massacring a large number of monsters, he allowed his sword to drink their blood. This reduced the number of Bloodsucking Kind drawn by the scent of their kin’s blood.
When about fifty Bloodsucking Kind had been cut down unresistingly, the Bloodsucking Kind began to avoid Kian and Rean. Just like when Kian committed mass slaughter before, they had some intelligence despite being monsters. It was understood that if they contacted Kian and Rean, they would be killed without a chance to fight back, and they instinctively avoided the magic power waves emitted by the two.
The hunting with Rean was almost done silently and monotonously.
Even if there were words exchanged, it was just a few routine phrases.
Of course, there was hardly any unnecessary chatter, and even the necessary communication was minimal, covering only essential topics like each other’s armament and magic power consumption.
Rean seemed interested in Kian’s charm magic and his ability to command bats, and Kian wanted to ask about the truth behind Rean’s sudden rampage, which led to the disbandment of ‘Lion’s Companion’ and the recovery of Rean’s condition.
However, since Rean had been consistently cold toward Kian and had been banished from ‘Lion’s Companion’ once, they couldn’t enter into a deep or complicated conversation at this point.
As Sarah had mentioned, the troubles Rean carried were about ‘Lion’s Companion’ and not Kian’s issue. Though he could vaguely imagine that he had some mysterious contract involving the spirit of Black Onyx—specifically a magic contract linked to the souls of Lyritisse and Vestacia—the obligation to interfere deeply and fix things was not theirs. Rean himself would dislike an outsider like Kian intruding too much into their matters.
When the Bloodsucking Kind had almost vanished from around the camp area, Kian and Rean returned to Sarah’s barrier area. After bathing in a bath created by magic and having dinner together, they decided on who would keep watch and then took a rest.
Kian and Sarah had become bodies that hardly needed sleep, but unlike Ninini and Serena, they decided to take a rest. From their perspective, Kian and Sarah had been working almost non-stop, and it was surprising that they could move around normally during the day.
Since sleep was not a problem, they decided to leave the watch to Ninini, Serena, and Rean. After sleeping soundly all night, they woke up just before dawn the next day.
Serena, who was on watch, opened the door to wake Kian, and Kian’s eyes snapped open.
”Did something happen?”
”The Wolfmen warriors have arrived.”
”What?”
”Calm down. They say they are Yelmar’s subordinates. They came to support us at Yelmar’s instruction.”
Kian took only the Windsong Blade and went outside.
Stepping over the door, the cold, damp air stimulated his nostrils.
It was still dark outside, and the stars were shining.
His breath turned white.
Kian walked up to the group of Wolfmen gathered around a bonfire.
The group numbered about twenty.
They were all armed with leather armor and spears, and each had their mouths covered with cloth.
Sarah was already awake and standing in front of them with her arms crossed, listening to the conversation.
”Kian, you finally woke up.”
”These people are the collaborators Yelmar has sent over.”
”Yes.”
”Hello, everyone, I’m Kian.”
He extended his hand for a handshake to the sharp-eyed warrior at the head of the group.
The warrior shook Kian’s hand in return.
”We received instructions from Yelmar to safely escort you to the ancient temple.”
”It’s quite a ceremony to meet before dawn. Were you tracking us all night?”
Rean, who had already woken up, leaned against the wall of the rectangular makeshift dwelling (Kian’s bed), casting a sharp gaze.
He had been stabbed in the abdomen by a Wolfmen warrior and bound before.
He was captured because he was in poor health, but even in his current healthy state, Rean did not seem to be letting his guard down at all.
The man from the Wolfmen (perhaps the leader of this group?) turned toward Rean and opened his mouth.
”Thanks to you guys hunting those monsters in such a flashy way, the pursuit was easier than expected. Almost no combat. From the Great Forest, all we had to do was run straight here.”
”Did you come on foot?”
Kian asked, and the warriors nodded.
”We’re Wolfmen. Running this kind of distance is nothing for us.”
”Kian, what do we do? Should we bring these people along?”
”Well, more strength is better, so I think it’s fine to take their help…”
”But will they demand something in return? We’re already calculating for five people in our food supply, and if we add twenty-three more, we might not have enough.”
”──There’s no problem with the food.”
The man from the Wolfmen said.
”We’ll handle our own food. Don’t worry about it. But we do want something in return. ──Oh, don’t make that face. It’s not like we’re trying to take your money.”
”What’s your goal?”
Sarah asked coldly, her expression suggesting she could easily kill them all depending on the answer.
”Evidence.”
”What kind of evidence?”
”Evidence that Barghest is conducting illegal human experiments.”
The man from the Wolfmen explained.
”A few months ago, a member of our Yelmar faction was disposed of by Barghest. Well, not really disposed of, but he sneaked into Glen’s wife Harriet’s tent, stole a golden tankard, and sold it to a merchant… Anyway, that guy, Yorlund, was exiled by Glen, and then he was brought bound to Barghest’s research tent and disappeared. There’s a rumor that Barghest’s scumbag turned Yorlund into a biological weapon and sold him off somewhere through the ‘Storm Herd.’”
”So, what will you do if you have proof that Barghest is conducting illegal human experiments? Are you going to report them to the Hairkin Races’ council of chiefs?”
Perhaps suddenly interested, Rean slowly stepped out from the shadows.
The Wolfmen warriors seemed to sense some kind of intimidation when facing Sarah, Kian, and Rean, each slightly bristling the hairs on their tails.
They are a straightforward race.
”…That’s right.”
”Barghest leads the ‘Storm Herd’ as a representative of the chieftain and participates in the alliance of Hairkin Races, but by exposing Barghest’s misconduct at the chief’s meeting, they aim to undermine their position.”
”If they get hold of convincing evidence, there’s no room for excuses. The chief’s meeting will probably sever the ‘Storm Herd’ from the alliance. The main house that is gloating after expelling us will be unable to secure jobs and will spend winter freezing.”
”Hehe… I just imagine it, and it’s amusing.”
The young warriors grinned roughly.
Sarah nodded, saying, “Understood.”
”Just to confirm, you are not acting on your own authority, but are being driven by Yelmar’s will? Gathering evidence of Barghest’s inhumane experiments in the ancient temple is also part of your official operation, right?”
”Yes.”
”Then, we’ll procure supplies on our own from here.”
”You’re persistent, little sister. You don’t need to worry about us. Just silently search the ancient temple. We’ll guard you, and if we can seize the evidence there, that’s all that matters.”
”Kian, what do you think?”
Sarah asked again, pushing the matter.
Kian looked at Ninini, who had gotten up, and at Serena and Rean standing nearby.
None of them seemed opposed to being taken along.
”Understood. Sorry, but I can’t guarantee your safety. If you fall into danger, we won’t hesitate to abandon you. If that’s acceptable, come with us.”
”Heh, we’re part of the ‘Storm Herd,’ you know? We’re not here to guarantee your safety. Actually, it’s the other way around. We’ll be the ones guarding you.”
Though they looked rough and seemed to have no regard for discipline, their mannerisms and muscular build showed they were trained properly.
At least, comparable to Ninini.
It seemed they could definitely fight at a higher level than Serena.
While there would be no problem hunting Cain species in the swamp with Kian and Rean, their help might be necessary if there were defense golems set up in the ancient temple.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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