"Is this a dog hole? No, this is more than just a dog." Estelle led Laine to the corner of the village wall, where several mercenaries were already standing. The deputy leader of the Blood Axe Mercenary Corps, Viert, was there too, along with Banda, who still had his arm hanging in a sling on his chest. Upon seeing Laine arrive, both nodded in acknowledgment—Viert because of Laine’s formidable strength, and Banda because Laine had saved his life.
Mercenaries tend to lean toward chaos; compared to rules, they place more value on loyalty and camaraderie.
At the corner of the wall, a large hole had been dug through the foundation beneath, with bricks and earth excavated by some creature, leaving a hole big enough for two people to crawl through.
"We can’t find enough materials to fill it, and if this thing can bite through the foundation, whatever we stuff in there would be useless." Viert said with a worried tone.
"Moreover, we found this." Estelle led some people around the wall and discovered a pile of foul-smelling rot not far outside the wall.
"Some kind of large creature?" Laine asked curiously.
"It should be. Judging from the shape of the excrement, it must be a considerably large creature." Viert made his judgment. As a Great Swordsman and long-time mercenary, he was experienced.
"Let’s assign two people to keep watch here tonight!" Laine felt there was no other way. The forest stretched from afar to the mountainside, and sending people into the woods to search for this fierce beast’s traces would be like offering them fresh meat.
"Also, I just saw a flash of fire about five hundred meters deep in the forest from here, and I suspect there are bandits on the mountain!" Estelle whispered to Laine.
"Can you be certain?" Laine became alert. According to the Guard Commander Lauritz’s previous statements, bandits and robbers indeed frequented the vicinity of Hodalen Mountain.
The half-elf’s Dark Vision ability was reliable, and if he claimed to have seen firelight, then it certainly was there.
"I’ll go check it out myself!" Laine nodded. There is no way to defend against thieves every day; if bandits are on the loose, the best solution is to eliminate them.
During the winter, Nord’s days grew dark early. They arrived at this abandoned village at four-thirty, and it was not yet six. Laine returned to the main house at the center of the village and found Rost directing his men to continue reinforcing the house’s facilities: "You guys, block up this gap. Yes, bring those planks over, nail them down, and then tie them up with canvas!"
Rost heartily smiled as Laine approached, "Mr. Laine, you’re early. We’re still setting up the stove to boil water. It’ll be a while before dinner. If there’s nothing urgent, Mr. Laine, feel free to wander around or chat with Mr. Oliver. The lads will handle the heavy lifting. Also, Mr. Billger has returned. I suppose you’d be interested in hearing about his findings."
"I need to step out for a while and scout the surroundings. I’ll be back soon." Laine casually remarked, then turned to find the female sorcerer standing right behind him: "What’s wrong, Teresa? It’s cold outside, you should stay indoors."
"I’m no pampered invalid, Laine. Are you planning to go on a reconnaissance alone? Have you forgotten we’re teammates? Or are you saying that if we can’t be partners, you don’t even want to be teammates anymore?" Teresa’s silver eyes were filled with a dangerous aura, and Laine believed that if he answered poorly, the sorceress might really give him a hard time.
"Let’s check out the spot we’re assigned first." Laine noticed many people eager to watch the drama unfold, so he spread his hands to show he meant no harm.
As the two most powerful and honorable members of the team, Laine and Teresa were assigned a standalone cabin, just a few steps away from the main house. The cabin was a one-bedroom layout; the sorceress chose to stay in the room while the living room was left for Laine to rest.
"Hmm~ This hole isn’t too big; the wind at night shouldn’t be too severe, hahaha~ Don’t you think?" Laine noticed that although the small cabin had no leaks from the roof, the walls in the living room were damaged. Looking at the haphazardly nailed boards and wrapped canvas, he felt that having such an environment at night was already quite fortunate.
"What was that earlier, what happened? Can’t reconnaissance tasks be delegated to those mercenaries? Why do you have to go out?" Teresa opened her door. She had already arranged her room with a carpet and camel wool blanket.
"I volunteered to go out for a bit, see if I can find any game." Laine briefly explained, "In such cold weather, I want to stay active and, at the same time, gather some meat."
"Are all men this restless? My father..." Teresa folded her arms, starting to speak impatiently, but quickly realized she said something she shouldn’t have, so she changed her tone: "Fine, you go. I’ll wait here for your return. I’m not joining the outdoor gathering."
About ten minutes later, the Kingdom Knight was walking alone in the dim Black Forest. The snow had just stopped, yet the sky remained overcast with thick clouds. Most of the tree trunks exceeded a man’s arm span, and the heavy white snow occasionally bent the branches, falling to the ground and muffling Laine’s footsteps.
As he cautiously advanced, Laine pondered the female sorcerer’s words. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel•fire.net