Gather the corpses and burn them with the settlement—leaving the bodies in the open will only attract wild beasts and Spirits, which would pose a threat to nearby villages after feasting on the remains.
As snow began to fall, Malin halted the team’s onward journey, retreating with several dozen goblin younglings. One of the summoned Earth Elementals was lost, so Malin ordered Clovis to cancel the summoning, and had his own summoned Earth Elemental carry some goods chests that had been found in the settlement—these chests certainly bore evidence of attacks on small human caravans; otherwise, where would such non-goblin-style chests come from?
Returning these chests to the city and handing them over to the merchant guild should fetch a substantial reward while also clearing the caravan’s name—a mercenary’s death by the hand of another race is better than the stigma of having fled with the goods.
"Speaking of which, it’s already spring, so why is it still snowing?" Last year, when Malin had just arrived, it was cold but not snowy, so he wasn’t sure whether this weather was abnormal or normal.
"It’s quite normal, Carterburg can have snow as late as April, and in the battlefields to the North, it can snow even in June. The Chaos invasion is affecting the weather of several kingdoms in our region. If you cross the plains eastward to enter the Kingdom of Sal, they’re probably able to wear single layers now," said the Dwarf walking ahead of Malin, tightening his collar. "My grandfather mentioned that Carterburg used to be quite warm, and people didn’t wear winter clothes even in winter."
It seemed the Chaos invasion was indeed fatal; the kingdom to the North hadn’t resolved the issue yet, and the fifth great destruction that had started from who knows where gave Malin a headache.
On the way back, Malin encountered a group of Light Cavalry, who said they came to notify the Apprentice hunting team to retreat to Carterburg—as the weather forecasted, snowfall would continue for the next week. In such conditions, without needing Apprentices to fight desperately, the Spirits would cannibalize each other for food.
"You all took out a nest of goblins?" The chief Light Cavalry eyed the goblin younglings bound with ropes behind the team, "Where is their settlement?"
"East, in the hillsides east of Sherla Village. If you go now, you should still see the smoke from our burning," Malin glanced at the Light Cavalry.
"Let’s let it keep burning then; we’re off, gentlemen. You’ll have to make your way back on foot, take care." The Light Cavalry showed no unusual reaction and after bidding farewell to Malin, left with their comrades.
"I’ve always been fond of steam locomotives, but with the weather so cold, the steam engine needs preheating, and sometimes it simply won’t start; horses are better after all," a team member exclaimed.
"I still prefer steam locomotives; horses need feeding, but a locomotive doesn’t. I can even kill a plant, and my father says I’m not fit to care for living things," expressed another team member, offering a different perspective.
As the snow fell heavier, Malin had his first experience with this world’s extreme weather. No one had dressed too warmly when they’d set out, so he had to go around casting protective Spell Formations against the severe weather on them.
Because of this, he fell behind the group. In the snow, the goblin younglings were supervised by a team of Dwarves. Malin cast the Spell Formation on the Dwarves, then, after a thought, took blankets from the Earth Elemental’s back, cut them with his sword, and distributed them to the little ones.
The team stopped for five minutes because of this.
"I sense... you seem to regard younglings very... highly," Jessica said, looking at Malin.
"We fought to the death against their elders because the world is too small, and a life-or-death decision between us is necessary. But they’re just children. The Church of Justice has more than one goblin Paladin. I suppose even goblins aren’t born as villains with sores on their heads and pus oozing from their feet," Malin said as he watched the goblin younglings.
"What if some of them choose to continue being our enemies after they grow up?" a team member asked somewhat displeased.
"I will kill it myself. Everyone must pay the price for their choices," Malin finished speaking and moved to the front of the team. "Tell those little ones that they can eat if they return to the human city with us. If they don’t want to come back, I can release them here and now. Drop the blanket, and they can go!"
"...You’re being too merciful!" a team member complained, only to be elbowed by his comrade. "In such cold weather, a goblin walking outside is no different from committing suicide."
"So your mercy also has its price," Faye observed, smiling at Malin.
"Yes, mercy has its price. That Paladin paid the price to save us, Sara paid the price to complete her mission, just like I said, here, the price of freedom is death," Malin looked back at Faye. "Some may call me heartless, but you have to understand, there are differences among people, let alone between humans and other races. I am not their nanny, nor their Savior. If they desire a way to live, I give it, at the cost of their freedom; if they want freedom, I also give it, at the cost of their life. It’s like Alchemy, all just a standard exchange of equivalent value."
"In your eyes, can everything in the world be clearly priced?" a young girl asked Malin with confusion and doubt.