Chapter 2: Everyone Has a Plan Part 1

– Neighhhhhh!!!!

The noisy clamor of the carriage horses echoed loudly.

"What's going on?"

It was natural for people to be curious.

This was the <Golden Road>, one of the safest roads in the Barak Empire.

The trade with the Echaits Union was carried out only through this road, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that if you were lucky enough, you could reach the royal capital without encountering a single monster or bandit.

The Empire took great care of it and the merchant guilds hired mercenaries for safety, so it was relatively safe.

Yet why did I sense the sharp premonition of danger on this very golden road?

I've always been told I have good instincts.

I instinctively reached for the dagger at my waist.

And then I slowly moved towards the front of the caravan.

The horses were in complete chaos, drooling and stamping their feet in agitation.

"Mr. Theodore! Please do something!"

The coachman who spotted me cried out for help.

While traveling with the caravan, the others discovered that the horses responded well to me as a Druid.

I gestured to them to calm down and then approached them.

The carriage was on the verge of tipping over. I needed to soothe the horses quickly.

– Neighhhhhh!!!!

I gently grabbed the reins of the nearest horse and pulled softly.

A warm energy spread from my hand along the reins, and the horse, which had been foaming at the mouth and rolling its eyes in panic, began to breathe more evenly.

This was thanks to the use of my [Affinity] skill.

"There, there, good boy."

– Prrrrrr!

"Calm down. You're safe."

The horse looked at me with innocent black eyes, still frightened but calmer than before.

After calming the other horses in turn, I turned my attention to the bushes that continued to frighten them.

The bushes looked utterly ordinary. There was nothing visibly alarming about them. Yet the horses' excessive agitation suggested otherwise…

"Jamil!"

I immediately shouted towards the rear, but the "thing" beyond the bushes was faster.

Whoosh!

What burst from the bushes was none other than a shadow wolf.

Not just one, but twenty of them.

Why are shadow wolves here?!

Shadow wolves were creatures that could only be encountered if one traveled past Lysette and into the Dark Forest.

This was the land of the Barak Empire. The environment itself was different from the Dark Forest, making it a place where shadow wolves couldn't live.

Besides, shadow wolves were nocturnal.

All their activities, including hunting, occurred at night.

They grow stronger in the moonlight and darkness.

But it was broad daylight now.

I tried to use [Affinity] to calm them, but it was ineffective.

That made sense.

Behind me, the startled mercenaries and servants were brandishing weapons or anything that could serve as one.

[Affinity] is a skill that imparts to beasts and other non-human entities the impression that I am not a threat, thereby fostering a sense of familiarity and closeness.

But it wasn't a cure-all.

In an aggressive atmosphere like the one at that moment, my [Affinity] skill proved ineffective.

Not all monsters and beasts were fools after all.

"Damn it."

Realizing it was already too late, I pulled out the bow and arrows from my back.

It was a precious bow, hand-carved from an oak tree that had grown by drinking blessed spring water and basking in the moonlight.

The bowstring was made from the tendons of a maple bear, and its shooting power was good enough to pierce even thick leather without difficulty.

– Swiiiiish!

– Keng!

A shadow wolf that was about to charge at one of the horses was struck by an arrow deep in its paw.

It was so deeply embedded that the shadow wolf's paw was fixed to the ground, making it impossible to pull back.

– Growl! Grrrrr!

The wolf's snarling and baring of teeth were brief.

– Psssh!

As vines began to grow from the arrow.

They rapidly entwined around the shadow wolf, binding it like a mummy. The shadow wolf struggled but as more and more thick vines wrapped around its body tightly, it could not do anything and fell down.

Even as it lay fallen, the wolf tried to bite through the vines but they grew faster than it could tear them away and they eventually bound its snout as well.

This was my specialty, the [Magic Arrow].

To use the [Magic Arrow], certain conditions had to be met.

First, the bow and arrows had to be handmade.

Second, the bow and arrows needed to be blessed with the spirit of nature.

Third…

Uh, there was no such third condition. Two conditions were sufficient.

Anyway, for my [Magic Arrow], I took time to take care of my bow and arrows after work every day.

Thanks to my diligence in sharpening them while on night watch the previous day, I was able to use them in this situation.

There was a total of twelve arrows left in my quiver.

However, there were twenty wolves in front of me.

Considering the possibility of missing, it meant that at least ten of the wolves would need to be handled by the mercenaries…

The problem was that the mercenaries assigned to escort this caravan were only accustomed to working on the Golden Road and had likely not faced monsters or beasts in a very long time.

"Arrrgh!"

Sure enough, as the shadow wolves surrounded the area and started attacking, screams began to erupt from various directions.

The hides of the shadow wolves, which had grown under the moonlight, were so thick that they couldn't be cut with a normal blade.

The mercenaries' swords were no better than clubs in this case.

"Tch."

I quickly reloaded and shot arrow after arrow.

-Swiiiiiish!!!!

– Geh!

– Gawk!

– Geng!

As expected, one-shot kills were still out of reach at my level.

While the wolves hit by my arrows were entangled and immobilized by the vines, those merely grazed by them limped on one leg but growled even more fiercely as they glared at me.

"The carriage, the carriage is!"

The screams of the merchants and their servants echoed loudly.

This was because failing to properly guard the merchandise-laden carriage would be tantamount to a death sentence.

The horses that I had managed to calm down started running wild again, rendering my efforts in using [Affinity] in vain.

Damn, I took this escort quest because I thought it'd be safe.

Instead of shooting at the shadow wolves, I aimed my remaining arrows at the carriage.

One arrow per carriage.

The arrows that struck the carriages sprouted vines that grew rapidly, tightly binding and anchoring the entire carriage to the ground.

This way, at least the worry of losing the goods was gone.

The merchants inside the carriages should be safe as well.

Now, I had six arrows left.

From this point on, I needed to be strategic.

I still can't hit two of them with one shot.

Therefore, it was crucial to wait for the moment when the creatures nearly brushed against each other to take my shot.

– Grrrrr…

Unlike the ones facing the mercenaries, the shadow wolves in front of me hesitated and faltered in their attack.

This was likely because they had witnessed the power of my [Magic Arrow] with their own eyes.

Shadow wolves were among the most cunning of beasts.

I could anticipate their strategy.

They recognized me as the leader, the one commanding this group and so they would target me first.

Like in a hunt, they would herd together, and the strongest among them would attempt to cut off my breath.

– Awoooooo…!

That was the signal.

I pulled my bowstring hard against the shadow wolves that began to circle me and waited.

The tension in the air intensified as neither the wolves nor I relaxed our guard.

-Tatat!

-Tat!

The wolves whirled, steadily tightening their encirclement.

Just what I was hoping for.

-Swiiiiiish!!!!

The arrow flew and grazed between the wolves.

It missed its mark.

The shadow wolves noticed it too.

Believing that my momentum had been broken by the missed shot, they growled more fiercely, lowering their stance in preparation to pounce.

I pulled the bowstring once more.

And fired.

-Thump!

The arrow missed again.

– Grrrrrrr…!

– Grr! Grr!!!

The wolves were ready to charge.

– Boom!

– Pop!

– Pop! Pop! Pop!

However, instead of rushing at me, they hesitated and started growling in place.

-Grr! Grr!

– Grr!

-Grrrrrrrrr!

-Aoooooo!!!!!

It was inevitable.

Currently, the wolves were blinded.

This was all because red-eyed flowers bloomed from the missed arrows and exploded with pollen.

The red-eyed flower's pollen was poisonous; inhaling or touching it temporarily paralyzes the senses.

The most affected were the senses of sight and smell.

Severe exposure could even lead to blindness, so it must be handled carefully, but it's a useful plant when applied correctly.

I was fortunate to have the wind at my back.

I drew my dagger and approached the shadow wolves who were yelping and moving erratically among themselves.

As I raised my hand high, the tip of the dagger sparkled in the light.

[Beastly Strength]

I activated a skill that temporarily gave me strength comparable to that of a beast.

The hides of these beasts were tough and thick, so they couldn't be pierced without a good weapon or skill.

I don't have a good weapon yet.

So I had no choice but to rely on brute force.

-Thud!

With a dull sound, the dagger plunged into the neck of a shadow wolf.

O Goddess Nemeya, grant mercy to these fallen.

The shadow wolves were beasts famously cherished by Nemeya, the goddess of the moon.

As I prayed to the goddess, I swiftly ended the life of the shadow wolf.

-Clang!

At the same time, I felt something hard break upon contact with the tip of my dagger.

A vibration so strong it made my hand tingle.

What's this?

I reached my hand into the torn wound of the shadow wolf.

-Ughhh!!!

Some were so appalled by the sight that they vomited, but that was none of my concern.

I thrust my hand into the still-warm flesh, tearing it apart to extract what was inside…

"This is…?"

It was a shattered black stone, no, a gem.

It's not a magic stone.

That was to be expected. Beasts were different from monsters. So, magic stones could not be obtained from beasts.

If it's not a magic stone, then what is it?

I could feel no energy emanating from the now-crumbled object.

"..."

But I knew.

This must have been what controlled the shadow wolves.

Black gems were found in the napes of the other shadow wolves as well.

Most were crushed in the process of killing them but I managed to retrieve one in its whole form.

I'll have to find out what this is.

I pocketed the black gem into my pouch of valuables.

That was when it happened.

"M-Mr-Mr. Theodore!!!"

A terrifying tearing scream echoed through the air from the rear that should be guarded by the mercenary leader Karl and his men.