Chapter 153: How About a Fur Coat?

When Rhodes and Elfman brought the two children back home, aside from Hunter's torn coat and some scary-looking bloodstains, he was more or less fine. Now, Mrs. Weiss hugged her two children, crying with relief.

Rhodes had given a concise summary of what happened—he was quite good at focusing on the key points.

Once he was done, the siblings also recounted what had happened on the mountain in bits and pieces. Jimmy emphasized how scared she was, and how amazing the two big brothers were, while Hunter described how painful it was and how "the red magic" was so miraculous.

Mrs. Weiss still felt shaken.

"Thank you, thank you so much. If anything had happened to them, I really don't know what I would have done."

"It was just something we did while completing the mission. Besides, it looks like your daughter actually completed the mission for us."

Rhodes thought he might feel embarrassed to take the reward this time. "You should have the doctor take a look first."

"Yes, I'll go right away!" Mrs. Weiss took a couple of quick steps, but then returned and hugged her children once more.

"Mom..." Jimmy remembered what the fierce big brother had said to her on the way back. "I was wrong; I shouldn't have gone up the mountain on my own."

Hunter followed suit and admitted his mistake: "Me too."

"The most important thing is that you're safe," Mrs. Weiss said gently. "I'm proud of your courage and your love for your family."

The children's faces lit up, but then Mrs. Weiss let go of them, her expression turning serious.

"But from now on, you must never, ever do anything this dangerous again!"

"Yes!" they both said in unison.

It was hard to say whether the children truly understood, but Elfman certainly seemed to have taken it to heart.

By the time the doctor arrived, he was still muttering, "Courage, and love for family..."

Rhodes let Elfman have his quiet contemplation while he himself went to check on Mr. Carrut's condition.

The doctor examined the herbs that Jimmy had brought back and immediately began preparing the medicine, which he then gave to Mr. Carrut.

The effect wasn't enough to fully heal him, but he soon regained consciousness.

"Can lung disease really be treated this quickly with just a dose of medicine?" Rhodes muttered to himself. He didn't know much about medicine, but perhaps the potion here was particularly special.

Watching Mr. Carrut being helped up, leaning against the headboard as he spoke, Rhodes could feel Mrs. Weiss's joy.

He also thought Mr. Carrut looked somewhat familiar. Where had he seen him before?

"You are... cough, cough... the wizard who..."

Mr. Carrut was a bit emotional, and Mrs. Weiss quickly helped him catch his breath. "Yes, it's this wizard and his companion who brought Jimmy and Hunter back."

"No, no... I mean... cough, cough... the one who can turn into a wolf!"

"Oh, it's you!" Rhodes suddenly remembered. "You're that, that miserly merchant's driver, the one who'd do anything for money!"

Mr. Carrut himself was quite unremarkable, but the merchant had left a lasting impression on Rhodes, one that made him feel sorry for the driver back then. That was why he finally remembered him.

Seeing that Rhodes recognized him, Carrut smiled and didn't mind any of the adjectives Rhodes used for his former employer.

The merchant was indeed a miserly guy who'd do anything for money.

If anything, Carrut thought his illness might even be partly the merchant's fault.

Barney, the merchant, chose routes based solely on distance, disregarding potential dangers. He always chose paths that others typically avoided.

He often boasted that taking routes others were too scared to use was how he got rich.

Carrut sighed and said, "Once again, you've saved me."

"To be precise, it was the doctor and your family who saved you," Rhodes said sincerely. "You have a wonderful wife and two great kids."

Carrut looked at his wife and took her hand with his rough, emaciated hand.

At that moment, Carrut could feel the toll these past days had taken on his wife. He mouthed "thank you," though no words came out.

Mrs. Weiss smiled gently and shook her head.

All she wanted was for him to get better.

"Doctor, is Mr. Carrut's condition okay now?" Rhodes asked, eager to finish and head back.

"No, it's just temporarily stable," the doctor said. "Because the illness had progressed for too long, he'll need at least one more dose of the medicine tomorrow."

"At least one dose?" Rhodes asked. "What about full recovery?"

"If he rests well, he can fully recover over time," the doctor said hesitantly. "But if there were more of the herb, recovery would be faster. Unfortunately, there isn't enough."

Rhodes nodded. "That can be arranged. We'll just make another trip later."

Mrs. Weiss looked at the bloodstains on her son's clothing and couldn't help but say, "Mr. Rhodes, the Gallantus Snow Mountain is far too dangerous. Are you really going back again?"

"Yes, yes... cough, cough... I can recover slowly too..." Mr. Carrut added weakly.

"This is our job," Rhodes said. "Oh, and since Jimmy found most of the herbs, there's no need to pay us the reward."

He could probably make that decision for Elfman too... probably.

And if it didn't work out, he'd just owe Mira.

"Mr. Rhodes..."

Rhodes waved his hand dismissively and walked out of the room, leaving behind an elegant silhouette.

"Elfman, can you still fight?"

"No problem." Elfman had calmed down. "Is something wrong?"

"We need more herbs, so we're heading back up."

"Alright, but are you okay?"

"I've been resting for a while now. We'll take it slow on the way, and by the time we're up the mountain, I should be fine," Rhodes said. "Plus, we'll try to avoid fighting this time."

If it weren't for searching for the kids, Rhodes would never have rushed up the mountain last time, charging straight into a bunch of beasts.

The mission was to find herbs, not to exterminate wild beasts.

The two set off again, wearing their heavy coats, and made it back to the village before dark.

When there was no one tagging along to mess things up, following Rhodes' plan, their efficiency was remarkable.

Not only did they bring back a large bundle of herbs, but they also dragged two Labons down with them on their way back.

Rhodes figured they might be suffering from heatstroke, so he planned to bring them back, skin them, and let them cool off. Then they could warm up in a hot bath or near the fire.

"Elfman, what do you think about making a fur coat from this?" Rhodes asked.

"A coat?" Elfman touched the Labon's fur. "The quality seems pretty good. If we gave it to Sis, she'd probably love it."

Rhodes nodded. "Exactly, I think so too."

"I'm the one giving it to her!" Elfman glared at him.

Rhodes nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, you can give it. I'll keep mine for myself."

Anyway, they were both taken down by us, and it was my suggestion. If you give it, it's still half my contribution.

And besides... hehe.

Elfman felt like something was off.