Chapter 2: The Aftermath and the Path Forward

The mercenary’s arrogant and authoritarian demeanor was unpleasant, yet Hay offered no protest.

It was common practice to borrow from others when one was short-handed.

Renki, with his round green eyes, waited for Hay’s command. After all, he wasn’t lending Renki out for free, and Hay would receive payment for Renki’s labor. Though, being a s*ave’s labor, it came cheap.

“Renki, go help the others.”

Even if they weren’t slaves, the gravity of the situation demanded that everyone roll up their sleeves. By a rough estimate, the number of dead seemed to exceed half of those mobilized for this journey.

“Yes, Master.”

Renki replied courteously and headed towards the people who had begun clearing the bodies. He had a severe limp in one leg, an impairment Renki had possessed since Hay purchased him. The sight of the young boy limping stirred a fresh pang of concern in Hay.

‘It still feels strange being called ‘Master,’ though.’

Despite being called that for three months straight, every time he heard the title ‘Master,’ he felt an unsettling unease, as if insects were crawling on his skin. This, too, was likely due to Han Tae-hyun’s memories. In ‘Han Tae-hyun’s’ world, slavery had long been abolished, and the very concept of a s*ave was considered ‘wrong.’

“Where are the two of them?”

Hay rose from his spot and asked the mercenary. The mercenary, with a displeased expression, glared at Hay before pointing towards a specific area. There stood a relatively intact carriage, belonging to the caravan master. Hay made his way towards it.

In front of the carriage, several exhausted-looking superiors were gathered: the caravan master of the Foren merchant guild, his son, and two key members of the Camburn mercenary group, including their captain.

“We can’t turn back. I told you, we have to keep going!”

“This is already the second attack! And today, it was none other than Asteria’s Wolves! How can you even suggest we continue when we don’t know what more dangerous magical beasts might emerge next? Look how many people have died!”

It seemed a disagreement had erupted regarding their future itinerary. The caravan master and Captain Camburn raised their voices.

Captain Camburn, looking pale with exhaustion, sighed and ran a thick hand over his oily face before spotting Hay.

“Styles, you’re here! I heard you took a hit from a wolf, are you alright?”

His eyes gleamed as if he had found a savior who could resolve any problem.

“Thanks to the Vice-Captain. I’m truly sorry about what happened to him.”

Hay expressed his condolences impassively, recalling the man who had died at his feet. At this, Captain Camburn’s face visibly darkened.

“Yes, I saw his back torn to shreds, falling away.”

Captain Camburn mumbled dreamily, his voice devoid of life.

Then, as if startled back to reality, he flinched, grabbed Hay by both shoulders, and thoroughly inspected him.

“What about you? Are you injured anywhere? Shouldn’t you be treated first?”

“Nothing but a bump on my head. Looks like the Grim Reaper just kissed me goodbye.”

“Well, if you ever meet the Grim Reaper, you’ll have to thank them for not taking you today.”

Captain Camburn, meanwhile, let out a hearty laugh, cracking a joke. It wasn’t amusing.

“Captain, the survivor count is complete.”

A young man approached the group of superiors, speaking. He bore a long, horizontal scar across his face. This was Hooch Edmond, a member ranked immediately below the Vice-Captain. If Hay’s conjectures were correct, he would likely assume the Vice-Captain’s role from now on.

“Report.”

“Including the caravan master, nine merchants survived. Ten porters, including the s*ave, are alive. And thirty-four mercenaries survived, including Mr. Styles.”

‘Fifty-three in total, then.’

At Hooch’s report, the superiors gasped. Hay’s own face darkened. Considering they had started with fifteen merchants, thirty porters, and eighty mercenaries, truly more than half had perished. Even accounting for the two porters and three mercenaries lost in the magical beast battle five days prior, this was an absurdly fatal loss.

That previous encounter, involving only three C-grade magical beasts, had ended without significant casualties. However, these ‘Asteria’s Wolves’ were different. This species of magical beast was first known as the familiars of Demon Lord Asteria, thus earning the name ‘Asteria’s Wolves.’ Though classified as B-grade in danger, they were treated as quasi A-grade. Six such magical beasts had appeared. It was fortunate they hadn’t been completely wiped out.

“This is severe.”

Hay stated.

“What do you think? The caravan master believes we should return to Meziton, but I think we should press on.”

Captain Camburn abruptly sought Hay’s opinion. He seemed to be hoping Hay would side with him.

Hay pressed his lips into a thin line, looking from the caravan master to Captain Camburn and back again. They sought Hay’s counsel because he was the only unattached freelancer, a solo mercenary, and an A-grade like Captain Camburn. Furthermore, in today’s battle, he had single-handedly dealt with three of ‘Asteria’s Wolves’ early on. He was also a Spirit User with healing abilities so potent he was dubbed a ‘walking healing potion,’ which commanded respect.

Normally, he would have simply deferred to their decision out of sheer annoyance, but this time was different. It was a matter of life or death.

Hay assessed the remaining itinerary, the time, and the distance to their destination before finally speaking.

“It took us eleven days just to get here from Meziton. Reaching Nudan will take another eight or nine days. Considering this alone, I don’t believe there’s any need to debate whether to turn back or press on.”

“Exactly! That’s what I’ve been saying!”

“Of course, there are risks no matter which path we choose. There’s no guarantee of safety whether we go forward or back. If both options are uncertain, it’s better to head to Nudan, which is the shorter distance.”

Captain Camburn nodded, looking immensely pleased.

“Mr. Edmond, it appears there are a considerable number of injured. How many are there?”

“More than ten injured require treatment. Some need immediate attention.”

Hooch Edmond replied. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he restlessly clenched and unclenched his hands.

“Which brings me to this: shouldn’t we prioritize treating the injured? It’s really urgent.”

It seemed there were indeed some critically wounded individuals.

“Mr. Edmond is right. Whatever decision we make, we must first treat the injured. It will be difficult to move with so many wounded. In any case, how about we hold out for two days, waiting to see if another merchant caravan or mercenary group passes by? If no one comes, we’ll depart on the morning of the third day.”