TEB Ch 97

“Ah” 

Rowena was amazed to discover the strategy and was impressed. Of course, it was like a gamble with no guarantees. 

Still, it was an action based on the judgment that, as long as Renard protected him, there would be nothing to lose. The fairy’s pranks only served to deceive people, not actually attack people or chase them. It was a matter of whether the fairies would fall for his trick or not, it was something he would have to try first, and he was fortunate to have made a profit in the end. 

“It’s not that impressive of information. Perhaps our next destination is “Pistel Mountains.” Does anyone know where that is?” 

He had never heard of this name before. Different countries had different names for the same mountain, so it could be a place he already knew or not. When he asked his companions, who might know the local geography better, they all shook their heads. 

“Well, I’ve never heard of that name before.” 

“Me neither.” 

“Maybe it’s a nickname only used in that area?” 

First, they decided to go back to the village and ask the residents. It was concerning that they still hadn’t found the werewolf’s home base, but if it hadn’t been discovered yet, it meant it was far away from the village. They would stay in the village until they uncovered the identity of Pistel Mountain and helped with the reconstruction, waiting for the werewolves to attack again. Everyone gathered their belongings and began to dismantle the temporary base. 

“We put a lot of effort into making this, it’s a shame to destroy it.” 

“But there might still be traces of those soldiers from earlier, so it’s better to erase any traces.” 

But just in case, it was better to be prepared. They packed up their belongings and were about to head back to the village when Albert noticed something strange. 

“Wait, isn’t that a signal fire?” 

He was the first to sense something odd and report it to everyone else. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Let’s hurry for now!” 

As everyone stopped and looked up at the spot that Albert gestured at, they could see faint smoke rising from the edge of the village. 

“What’s happening?” 

“Let’s hurry for now!” 

It was impossible to fly away with everyone in tow, as the thick forest surrounded them from all sides. While Renard could fly with one or two people in his arms, it was physically impossible to hold onto this many people and fly. Eventually, Renard decided to fly with him in his arms, while the rest of the group had to run alongside them. 

“Renard, can you see what’s happening ahead?” 

As I asked in surprise, without any time to be frightened by the fast-paced scene that passed by in an instant, Renard responded with a grim expression. 

“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like there’s a problem inside the village. They locked the door. But the problem is…” 

“…!” 

Renard furrowed his brows before he could finish his sentence. What was going on? It was strange how he, who usually remained calm and collected, was now hesitating to speak. Instead of answering, Renard let out a roar that could be heard larger than the radius of the village. 

“…!?” 

What the hell? was taken aback by Renard’s sudden change in behavior without explanation. He carried him to the watchtower of the castle and pointed downward. 

“I’m glad we’re not too late.” 

In the direction Renard pointed, there were guards desperately wielding their spears to protect a panicking child from the monsters. In front of them, the same monsters from illusions were gathered in an organized line.

“Ha, hah, go away!” 

Despite being terrified, the guard was determined to protect the child. But it didn’t seem to have much effect, though. Thanks to Renard’s roar that caught the attention of the monsters, the monsters threatening them became confused, no longer knowing what to do. 

“I’ll go down there.” 

As he saw the situation in the direction Renard pointed, he jumped down under the watchtower as if he knew what he wanted to do without being told to do so. The monsters, finally realizing the identity of the threat from above, started to change their formation in order to run away. Watching this from above, Liev shouted to Renard with a sense of unease. 

“Wait for a sec! Don’t attack them yet!” 

Why do I have such a bad feeling about this? Something was bothering me, but he couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was. There were a total of eight wolf monsters. Each one was large, bigger than the average calves. The one in the front was probably the leader, followed by a female, and then the others in order of their strength and hunting abilities, regardless of gender. Normally, the hunting abilities are proportional to the size, so it was safe to assume that they were arranged in order of size. But these creatures were different. 

The one in the front seemed like the leader, but behind it were smaller creatures lined up in a row, followed by what seemed to be the strongest female and male in the last row. Did the woman give birth? But if that were the case, they wouldn’t have included him in the attack on the village. Although it was a bit of a stretch, pregnant individuals were valuable resources to both animals and monsters and had to be protected at all costs. 

So, the only possible explanation was… Liev suddenly started jumping up and down and shouting to his companions from afar. 

“Check from the right side based on the direction you are currently facing! I have a feeling there is something lying in ambush!” 

There was only one thing that could be suspected. There must be something they need to protect over there. Upon Liev’s request, the group ran in the direction, and the wolves, who had been trying to attack the child and the guards just a moment ago, now ran towards the group all at once to stop them. Renard, the biggest threat, didn’t seem to care and just left them alone. 

“……” 

Renard looked at Liev with an expression as if asking what he was up to, but Liev quickly responded, 

“I’ll explain later! Let’s focus on that direction for now.” 

And as if there was something in that direction, Katrice, the most agile member of the group, took a big leap forward among the group and started running. The monsters followed behind them. Liev was about to ask Renard to follow, but he hesitated when he noticed two people shivering behind him. 

“Ah…” 

Considering the size of the group and the skills of the heroes, it did not seem like a big threat. And with Sigrid there, there shouldn’t be any problems, even if more enemies joined in. 

“What do we do now?” 

Renard asked, looking at Liev. Liev, who had come down from the watchtower, approached the two people to check on their condition. 

“Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?” 

The child, who looked around eight years old, started crying and hugged Liev. The child, who could only reach his waist, was sobbing. As he patted the child’s shoulder to comfort them, he noticed that even the guard standing was laughing awkwardly with a relieved expression.

“Ha, haha. We’re alive.” 

The guard finally snapped out of it and thanked Liev. 

“Thanks to you, we’re alive! I felt like I could see the afterlife right in front of me, wondering if I was really going to die. Thank you so much!” 

As he spoke, it seemed like his face was in shock, and he couldn’t seem to relax. 

“Are the people in the other village okay?” 

The guard nodded his head slowly. 

“Luckily, we closed the village gates right away, so there shouldn’t be any damage inside. Would you like to go inside and check it out together?” 

Liev nodded in agreement with the guard’s suggestion. 

“Yes, there’s no need to worry about that side. They’re with the best warriors in the kingdom.” 

There’s no way something could happen to the main character. Liev thought, recalling Sigrid’s characteristic cheeky but relaxed smile. The village was surrounded by very old walls and was larger than expected. Everyone had locked their doors and hidden because of the monsters. However, it was a cold and eerie sight with no signs of life except for a few scars and scratches left from previous attacks that had not been fully healed.