Chapter 3: Everyone Has a Plan Part 2

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

I always hated it when someone called out my name like that.

It meant that something had gone wrong.

I hurried towards the rear.

Could it be that someone had died?

At the place I went to, I found a particularly large shadow wolf lying in a pool of blood.

"What's the matter? It seems like it's already been taken care of…"

"No, no, no! Look at this!"

One of the mercenaries pointed at the shadow wolf, or more precisely, at its belly.

– Wriggle!

– Wriggle! Wriggle!

The swollen belly of the shadow wolf was wriggling ominously.

Karl, who was looking at it with a serious face, said to me.

"You know a lot about wild beasts Theodore, don't you?"

"..."

"What do you think? Could it be the plague? We need to prepare firewood immediately…"

"No."

Apart from being covered in blood, the shadow wolf's body was clean.

Can't be a plague.

If it were a plague, the entire pack of shadow wolves would have shown similar symptoms.

Like a foul smell, dirty fluids, or bloodshot eyes.

But except for the black gem implanted in their napes the health of the shadow wolves was fine.

I drew my dagger without hesitation.

The task ahead required delicacy and caution.

I touched the swollen belly that was bulging out.

As if trying to shake off my hand, the belly of the shadow wolf continued to wriggle violently.

"Be-be careful…!"

"I am being careful. Step back."

At my command, the mercenaries hesitated and then stepped back.

They never deal with monsters and are always swaggering without properly facing anything. They would naturally be scared by something like this.

I placed the sharp blade of my dagger against the wolf's belly skin and began to cut very carefully and slowly.

– Fwoosh!!!!

Blood inevitably spurted out.

I continued to cut through the belly skin and got drenched in the shadow wolf's blood.

Then…

– Squeal!

What had terrified the mercenaries finally revealed itself.

"Haah!"

Surprised gasps could be heard from behind me.

It was understandable.

"...."

Silver fur that shone brightly even after being covered in its mother's blood.

It meant that this shadow wolf cub was a chosen one.

This wolf cub resembled Ayla from the legends, a descendant of Nemeya.

…Though it's probably just a mutant.

I took out a cloth, moistened it with clean spring water, and wiped off the blood and other matter from the shadow wolf cub before cradling it in my arms.

– Kiin…!

As if seeking warmth, the cub burrowed deep into my embrace.

"Mr. Theodore, that is…"

"Yes, as you can see, it's a wolf cub."

"Um, um…"

Karl's eyes continued to hover around my arms. To anyone observing, it was clear that he coveted this shadow wolf cub.

"Theodore."

"Yes?"

"Strictly speaking, this mother wolf is what we…"

Such greedy bastard.

I looked at Karl with a cold expression.

"Had it not been for me, you would have burned her alive, wouldn't you?"

"Well, but still…"

"The growth of a shadow wolf is incredibly fast. In a week, it will reach near adulthood, and in a month, it will be fully grown. This one will grow larger than its mother within a month."

"Then all the more reason!"

"Do you think you can handle it?"

I couldn't help but let out a sly laugh.

It was ridiculous to see Karl harboring such ridiculous greed.

"This guy is going to attack you within a month. Do you think you can handle that?"

"Th-that's."

"Attacking you is a best-case scenario. What if it ends up killing its owner after being sold off…"

"..."

"What will you do then?"

Karl was probably planning to sell this precious silver shadow wolf to someone of high standing.

But what if, in a month, it turns on that someone of high standing and bites his throat?

Merely imagining the scenario seemed to send a shiver down Karl's spine and his face turned pale.

"Wolves are different from dogs."

Just as Karl and I are different.

I put the whining wolf cub into my pocket and picked up my dagger again.

"… I understand."

"I'll take care of this little one."

Realizing there was no profit to be made, Karl backed off easily.

"Then we will handle the shadow wolf's hide."

"…Very well."

A greedy bastard and a stupid talk.

But acquiring the silver shadow wolf meant it wasn't a losing deal.

Insisting that I also get the hide right now would only provoke them and they wouldn't stand idly by.

It was better for both of us if I took a step back at this point.

I agreed readily and left the scene.

My body was sticky and uncomfortable from the blood of the shadow wolf but I couldn't wash it off.

To foster a sense of kinship with the cub, it was better to keep the same scent.

I had been in need of a beast to accompany me, and this turned out to be a fortunate occurrence.

I must raise it properly to become a strong companion.

"Your name will be 'Ayla' from now on."

I named the creature after the Moon Goddess Nemeya's cherished legendary Silver Shadow Wolf.

– Kiiin.

While I was hand-feeding goat milk to the squirming cub who couldn't even open its eyes, the mercenaries and servants began cleaning up the mess and preparing for camp.

Perhaps because I was covered in blood, no one asked me for help so I was able to feed Ayla goat milk in peace.

However, why would Shadow Wolves attack a caravan here… Moreover, involving a heavily pregnant one in the hunt? It's ridiculous.

Wolves have a nature of treasuring their pack, family, and offspring.

A pregnant female wolf should naturally be in her den and be safely taken care of by the other wolves.

But to think she traveled from the distant Dark Forest to the Barak Empire to attack a merchant caravan?

To reach here from the Dark Forest, one must cross the land of the elves in Lysette and pass through the Republic of Solen, home to wizards.

How did she manage to safely traverse Lysette which was teeming with skilled hunters, and Solen, infamous for its cruel wizards, to specifically attack this merchants' caravan?

And why?

The Shadow Wolves were not even starving.

This meant there was no need for them to leave their usual habitat.

This was an incident that made no sense on many levels.

Could it be that the merchants are hiding something from me?

However, considering the importance of the task it seemed unlikely. The leader of this caravan, Colin, was just an ordinary merchant without much influence.

And if it had been some important mission, he would have hired people of a higher rank than Karl's mercenary group.

"Haah…"

I pushed aside my unease and settled under a giant oak tree.

Ayla, having finished an entire can of goat milk, was already sound asleep.

I need to get safely to the capital…

As darkness fell, I took a moment to catch my breath.

***

Damn it, who the hell is that guy!

Pavel, who had been observing the attack from not too far away, gritted his teeth in frustration.

Karl's mercenary group hired by this merchants' caravan had only operated on the golden road for a long time. While they might have once faced barbarians and monsters in Roshan, they were now a shabby group of mercenaries that comprised only of old ones who were on the verge of retirement or young folks who were just starting out

It was only natural that they would be easily annihilated by the shadow wolves' attack under the control of the "Black Worm".

But the current situation was the opposite.

An unknown druid had single-handedly decimated the pack of Shadow Wolves.

While the mercenaries managed to take down a few, it was almost entirely the druid's doing.

If it weren't for that guy, I would have already had <it > in my hands…!

<it >

On the surface, this merchants' caravan was in the midst of transporting "tea leaves" imported from the distant eastern land of Niram.

Niram's tea leaves were quite popular in the empire, but the most important thing lay in the "Black Opium" hidden and transported within the heaps of these leaves.

Black Opium was needed to grow Black Worms; these were worms that could take over and control the will of others.

When dried and processed, Black Opium was virtually indistinguishable from tea leaves.

Therefore, Pavel's organization resorted to smuggling Black Opium using this method.

This was because if it were just over tea leaves, even if the caravan were attacked, it wouldn't arouse much suspicion.

"Things are getting out of hand."

Since there was a major flood in Niram last time, Black Opium was very rare and expensive.

But was that all?

If the caravan were sent as is, the fact that a large quantity of Black Opium had been smuggled would become known to the empire.

Then, not only the empire but also those wizards obsessed with Black Opium would certainly rush in with crazed fervor.

Such thing had to be avoided at all costs.

Tonight, I must kill them, even if it's a forced move.

Pavel gritted his teeth once more as he gazed at the caravan's campsite.

"Damned druid, you will surely die by my hand."

***

"Ah! Owow! Isn't that too tight?"

"Don't be so dramatic."

Whenever injured mercenaries or servants came seeking treatment, I would either administer first aid or use the [Nature's Healing] skill depending on their condition.

Unlike divine power, magic, or potions, [Nature's Healing] was a skill that helps recovery by improving the target's vitality and healing power, so it helped in recovery without limitations, side effects, or significant pain, making it particularly favored by the mercenaries.

"Theodore, you were really amazing today, weren't you? To subdue so many Shadow Wolves in one go!"

"I often had to confront wild beasts in the place where I lived."

There were many young mercenaries in Karl's band and they seemed to hold me in high regard.

I applied a salve made from herbs to the forearm of a young mercenary bitten by a Shadow Wolf and wrapped it in bandages.

"Go to the temple when we reach the city. Just in case, to avoid any chance of contracting the Wolf's disease."

"Thank you, Theodore."

The young mercenaries looked at me with sparkling eyes.

"Why are you still sitting here after receiving treatment? Move along."

The young mercenaries stood up from their seats at the booming voice.

It was Jamil, the action captain of Karl's mercenary group.

Jamil, the most severely injured, was my last patient for the day.

"Tsk, these youngsters make too much fuss over nothing."

Jamil muttered as he looked at the backs of the young mercenaries who had left the scene as if running away.

"That's a nasty wound. You should have come earlier."

I clicked my tongue as I examined Jamil's ragged thigh.

"It's not bad enough to kill me."

"..."

"It's very fortunate that I reacted quickly."

Jamil added with a grin.

I placed my hand over Jamil's wound and murmured a simple spell.

A pale green energy gathered in my palm and then spread out smoothly.

I then carefully applied a salve made from grey claw grass, which I had prepared earlier, over the wound and wrapped it in bandages.

"Be careful for a while, if that's possible."

"With a Druid here, there's nothing to worry about."

It almost felt like I would break out in hives from too much praise.

I took the coins without responding back, then leaned against a tree and closed my eyes for a moment to end this eventful day in peace.

– Thud!

But the peace was short-lived.