Kumodesu

After the groups were clearly divided, the research team, along with Squad Two and Squad Three, would take the route through the Wolf King's territory. The remaining forces would head southwest.

Everyone assigned to the Wolf King's path carried doubt in their eyes, but no one gave them an explanation.

Understandable.

The Commander had only given a brief explanation before leaving them to sort things out on their own—it was no wonder they were worried.

At the break of dawn, both groups set off.

Due to the unique nature of this mission, I wasn't traveling with the research group this time. Instead, I walked alongside Charlot.

I hoped Seryl, who remained behind, would be safe.

The captains of Squads Two and Three brought up the rear as rearguard. Altogether, we had over two hundred people.

"Nervous?" Charlot's voice startled me slightly.

I sighed and replied, "I really shot myself in the foot this time."

Charlot gave me a pat on the shoulder and said, "Worst case, we just flee to the Garat Empire. With your talent, I'm sure you'll find work there."

I glanced at her with a suspicious look. "Don't tell me you're a spy?"

"I'm not. But life in the Garat Empire is really good. Who wouldn't want that? During one of our missions, they even tried to recruit me. I'm still thinking about it," she said with a laugh—though I wasn't entirely sure whether she was joking.

I thought for a moment and asked, "Is the Kingdom really that disappointing to you?"

I knew Charlot's usual indifference wasn't intentional—it stemmed from her deep disappointment in Lubberia. Though born a noble, she had never felt pride in it. I had often seen her sitting alone at taverns, complaining about Lubberia's corruption.

She sighed without answering.

"The Garat Empire is far worse than you imagine," I continued.

"Behind all that prosperity are countless lives exploited to death. No matter where you go, things don't really change."

I knew because I was originally from Garat. But there was nothing left for me there, so I came to Lubberia, hoping to start a new life.

"I don't want to change anything… I just want…" Charlot suddenly spoke, but then hesitated and didn't finish her sentence.

"Being selfish isn't a bad thing," I replied.

Whether it's for the people or for oneself, either reason is valid. But for someone like Charlot, a soldier, saying something like that would be seen as disgraceful.

"Do you think I'm a hypocrite?" she asked.

"You're just too small to change anything," I replied. "Wanting to protect others is noble. But if your power is limited, just being able to protect yourself is already good enough."

Charlot looked at me and asked, "What about you?"

I bowed my head and thought.

"The number of people I can protect is limited. I only do what I can. Take this caravan for example—if something happens, even if everyone else dies, I just want to protect one person."

Charlot laughed and said, "So I'm not part of that one, huh?"

I paused, then said, "Then make it two."

"Thank you," Charlot said with a soft smile before turning her attention back to the road.

Seeing she didn't intend to say anything more, I stayed silent as well.

After two days of travel, we reached the Wolf King's territory.

Charlot signaled for everyone to stop.

"Even though I trust you, what now? We can't just march through here like it's nothing," she said.

She was right.

"I'll scout ahead," I offered.

"You sure you can go alone?"

I shook my head.

"Well, be careful."

I nodded and activated my [Stealth] skill.

"Wait," Charlot called out.

She cast some sort of skill on me.

"This might save your life."

I was a little surprised. "You should use it on yourself."

"This skill can target two people."

I didn't know what skill it was, but anything that could save someone's life was incredibly valuable. I felt a bit guilty that she used it on me.

"…Thanks."

I nodded and quietly stepped into the territory.

Before long, I had reached the center of the wolves' territory. There must've been at least a thousand wolves here, with over a dozen mutated ones. Most important of all—was the Wolf King.

As I moved closer, I suddenly felt a piercing gaze lock onto me.

The Wolf King.

I steadied my nerves and raised my hands in a peaceful gesture.

The Wolf King continued to watch me.

Fortunately, I had a skill that allowed me to communicate with other creatures.

"I am Loyral Amarest," I said aloud.

There was no reply, but I knew it heard me.

"Our group would like to pass through your territory to reach the valley. We promise not to cause any trouble."

Still, no response.

I thought for a moment, then pulled something from my bag.

"This is the horn of a mutated Gatisor. If you would accept it, consider it a token of goodwill."

The Vice Director had given it to me—though I wasn't sure for what purpose—but it served well now.

The Wolf King's eyes shifted from me to the horn.

It stared for a while before pulling its gaze away.

Was that a yes?

A mutated wolf stepped forward. Understanding its intent, I placed the horn on the ground. It picked it up in its jaws and ran off.

"Thank you for your consent," I said.

Sensing no hostility from the Wolf King anymore, I turned and headed back.

I didn't expect it to go so smoothly. Judging by the Wolf King's attitude, it had no desire for conflict. Was it injured, or perhaps going through some kind of special cycle?

Well, it didn't concern me. I needed to report back quickly.

I gave Charlot a quick summary, and we resumed our journey.

As the whole group entered the wolves' territory, countless eyes watched us, terrifying everyone—but the wolves merely stood along the sides, silently observing.

We didn't dare slow down and moved as quickly as we could. After two days, we had finally exited the Wolf King's domain.

Only then did I allow myself to relax.

I had felt like I was sitting on a pile of explosives those past two days. Even though we had a deal, if the Wolf King had chosen to turn hostile, we would've been finished. Luckily, it turned out to be a very trustworthy wolf.

"Let's rest here," Charlot announced.

We found a relatively open area and rested. For two days, we had barely eaten or slept, and everyone was thoroughly exhausted.

"There shouldn't be any danger ahead, but I still feel uneasy," Charlot said, sitting by the fire.

"You're worried about the other group?"

She nodded.

"Judging by our pace, we've probably gotten far ahead of them," she added.

"When we reach the valley, we can send a team back to assist," I suggested.

"That's the best we can do," she agreed.

After a few hours of rest, we continued on. The valley was now about two days away. While we expected no danger, it never hurt to be cautious.

I glanced back at a wagon not far behind.

Seryl was sitting in it. It had only been a few days, but I already missed her.

…

After another day's journey, a problem suddenly arose.

"Why are those Poison Dart Frogs here?" Charlot muttered.

Even I hadn't anticipated this. A species so toxic shouldn't have shown up here.

"From the looks of it, they must've just migrated here."

They seemed unfamiliar with the terrain, and the nest they'd built was clearly new. It was safe to say they had only just arrived.

"They even dared build a nest in the Wolf King's territory?" Charlot asked, puzzled.

"Their old habitat probably suffered a disaster or got attacked. They must've come here out of desperation."

"Doesn't matter. How do we get through this? There are so many—someone's bound to get poisoned."

Faced with this unexpected issue, I didn't know what to do at first.

Then I thought of the wolf pack and said, "This is their land. Let them handle it."

Charlot clapped my shoulder approvingly.

"Alright, I'll make a quick trip."

I ran back toward the rear and explained the situation to the captains of Squads Two and Three before rushing off again.

Once more, I stepped into the wolves' territory. Thousands of eyes locked onto me, but I didn't feel the Wolf King's gaze. Perhaps it was asleep or away—but that didn't matter.

A mutated wolf stepped forward and stood before me, waiting for an explanation. I quickly relayed the situation with the frogs, exaggerating a bit to make the wolves more inclined to act.

The wolf turned to its kin, and soon, a team of them headed out.

I followed closely behind.

After nearly a day of running, I returned completely exhausted.

"You've done well," Charlot said, helping me up.

"Did anything happen while I was gone?"

"Some people wandered into the frogs' territory and got killed by their darts," she replied with a weary tone.

I… felt nothing. They were dumb. They deserved it.

The wolves charged in without hesitation and began the assault. The frogs were prepared—they had known trouble would come and had set traps accordingly.

Several wolves were killed by poison darts early on, but this only fueled their bloodlust. The mutated wolf was locked in battle with a mutated frog.

The frog was large and agile. Its darts were fast, and the wolf was clearly struggling. It had already been hit several times but kept going without slowing.

"We need to join the fight," I suddenly said.

Charlot looked at me, confused.

"First, the frogs currently have the upper hand. If the wolves lose, we can't proceed. Second, helping now earns their favor—it'll make our return easier."

Charlot thought for a moment, then nodded.

She called a few people to join the fight—just a dozen or so.

I activated [Stealth].

My target was the mutated frog—it was strong, and if the mutated wolf lost, nothing would be able to stop it.

I didn't want Charlot to take that risk, either. The frog's poison darts were too dangerous.

I waited for an opening.

From my observations, the mutated frog could launch eight darts at once. Its skin was highly elastic, meaning we needed a powerful strike to pierce it.

Each dart volley took four seconds to fire. After landing or hitting a target, they disappeared after three seconds. The frog then needed three more seconds to reload.

That three-second window was my chance.

The seventh dart hit the wolf's leg, causing it to falter. The eighth missed.

The frog tried to leap in and bite.

My chance had come.

I unleashed two chains to bind its legs.

The frog panicked, not knowing where the attack came from. It tried to release poison to dissolve the chains, but before it could finish, my blade was already at its throat.

One clean stab silenced it with a scream—but it wasn't dead yet.

Before it could recover, the wolf struck, its claws tearing into the wound at its neck.

The frog shrieked but couldn't fight back—my chains held it tight. If it had been a little more determined, it might've broken free. But it was too scared.

In the end, the frog died under the wolf's claws.

With the biggest threat gone, I turned to help the others.

Charlot, with her speed, easily avoided the regular frogs' darts. With the wolves' support, they were quickly wiped out.

It seemed I didn't need to do much.

Those Charlot brought with her were all injured, but fortunately, no one had died. In contrast, the wolves had lost over a dozen of their own, yet they looked extremely proud after driving off the invaders from their territory.

"Don't touch that!"

I shouted at someone who was about to pick up one of the frog corpses.

Startled, the person quickly pulled their hand back.

"That's the wolves' spoils of war. If we take it without permission, it'll only provoke them."

The wolves then began gathering the bodies of both their fallen and the frogs. The mutated wolf approached me and dropped the head of the mutated frog at my feet.

Only the head remained.

I understood immediately and nodded, picking it up.

"Looks like they've acknowledged you," Charlot said, stepping over to examine the head.

"Quit joking around. Let's get moving," I replied.

The rest of the journey was incredibly smooth, and just half a day later, we arrived at the mouth of the valley.