Chapter Twenty-Two

Night came. Everyone was busy preparing the food that have been handed out by Lark. Numerous cauldrons were filled to the brim with soup and meat. Lark instructed his guards to take turns surveying the surroundings. Although they have stoppered the wooden wall that enclosed the entire village, it would not stop the colossal serpent from entering inside.

"T-Thank you, young Lord," the village Elder bowed his head low. "With this, we'll be able to save everyone."

"It's fine." Lark waved a hand. "More importantly, there's something I want to know."

"As long as it's within my capability, this old man shall answer the young Lord's inquiry."

Around them, the group of hunters from before started feeding the villagers that were unable to move. It was amazing that the effect of being fed was almost instantaneous. After taking a sip of soup and taking a bite of meat, the villagers regained their strength and were able to move their limbs after just a few minutes.

"How did you do it?" said Lark. "How did you drive away the basilisk back then?"

When Lark fought the basilisk, he consumed more than half his mana just to inflict fatal injuries to it. In the end, when the colossal serpent started fleeing, Lark decided not to pursue it. It would have been too dangerous to fight it inside the forest when his mana was at its lowest. He could not see anyone here who appeared strong enough to drive away such monster.

"Ah." The old man averted his gaze. "Anandra. He's the one that fought the beast to a stalemate." He looked at a cabin far from them. "He's inside that house. It's been weeks since he lost consciousness. We've treated all his wounds but he still refuses to wake up."

Lark's curiosity was piqued. He wanted to see the warrior strong enough to fight that basilisk.

"Can I see him?"

The elder hesitated for a moment. "It should be fine… but the wounds… the Young Master might not like what he would see."

"It's fine," said Lark. "Lead me there."

The two of them went towards the cabin where the warrior was recuperating. Upon entering the room, he saw an elderly woman and the hunter from before. The two of them sat next to a man lying on the floor.

What's his name again? Valak?

Lark's gaze went from the elderly woman, to Valak, then at the injured warrior. He creased his brows upon seeing the state of the one who fought the basilisk. The entire body of the man was wrapped in bandages. The nauseating scent of decay permeated the room. If not for the slowly rising and falling chest of the warrior, people would have mistaken him for a corpse.

"Ah, Young Master!" the elderly woman got up to her feet. Valak, on the other hand, remained sitting. His gaze clearly said: what the hell is he doing here?

"He's Anandra?" said Lark.

The village Elder nodded. "Yes."

I don't have much mana remaining right now. This new body's far too weak. My former self would have easily killed that basilisk in the blink of an eye. It'll be hard, but I need to apply my remaining magic to heal this guy. It'll be such a waste to simply let a strong warrior die.

"Take off the bandages for me," said Lark. He then turned to Valak. "And you, go tell one of my guards to bring the medicinal herbs from the carts."

Valak did not budge. "What are you going to do? Anandra's in a dangerous state. If we remove the bandages, his wounds will open and he'll die."

"He's been bitten by the basilisk, right?" Judging by the expressions of the villagers inside the room, his guess was spot on. "It's amazing that he's still alive, but if we don't remove the poison, he'll die soon. A day or two at most."

Valak, the woman, and the Elder looked at each other. Eventually, the Elder spoke, "None of the herbalists were able to cure him. This might be our only chance to save Anandra."

Valak bit his lips then stood up. "Medicinal herbs from the cart, right? How much do you need?"

"Half a barrel. I've exhausted most of my magic. We'll have to compensate with those herbs somehow."

After Valak left, the elderly woman started removing the bandages carefully. Lark was stunned for a moment after the entire body of Anandra was revealed. Calling him injured was clearly an understatement. Lark could not even believe he was still alive.

Half of his body was rotting, corroded by the poison from the basilisk. Numerous pustules were scattered along his skin, while several ribs protruded out of his chest. The skin on his left thigh had come off entirely, revealing all the muscles.

The Elder went out of the room and vomited on the ground. The elderly woman closed her eyes in agony.

Despite the putrid stench that filled the room, Lark remained unmoved. His mind was filled with various thoughts of how he should manage this dying warrior. With very little mana left, his main goal was only to make sure this warrior does not die within the next few days. At the very least, give him enough time to recover by himself.

Just in time, Valak finally returned, carrying a barrel filled with herbs. "The guard told me that you plan on selling this to Lion City. Are you sure about this?"

"Stop with the pleasantries," spat Lark. "Soak those herbs in water. Grind it using your hands. We're running out of time."

Valak and the elderly woman did as they were told. The village Elder, on the other hand, simply stood next to the door. Lark could see that he was trying his best not to vomit.

Lark breathed in.

Let's do this.

He channeled mana into his fingers and pushed the ribs back to their proper places. Anandra flinched and a groan escaped his lips. Lark applied healing magic and forced the broken bones to attach back to each other.

Damn it. I'm almost out of mana.

"The herbs."

Quickly, Valak handed him a basin filled with herbs and water. Lark poured the water out slowly onto the wounds on Anandra's body. The warrior groaned in pain, his entire body twitched for a moment, and his fingers curled up into a fist.

"H-Hey, is this really alright?" asked Valak, nervously.

"It's fine," said Lark. "I need more. Quick."

After pouring the medicinal herbs onto the body, Lark would potentiate its effect by applying a little bit of his mana to it. If he had a full mana pool, the process would have been far swifter. But with the current circumstances, he had no choice but to excessively consume the herbs to compensate in the process.

It was gradual, but results started showing eventually. The pustules on Anandra's skin started subsiding, and the parts that have been corroded by the poison started regaining its color. The repaired ribs successfully remained in place.

Lark felt wobbly after consuming too much mana. Reaching the bottom of his mana pool, he had the urge to throw up, close his eyes, and sleep. Still, he fought off the urge. "We'll repeat this tomorrow morning. I'll be able to recover a little bit of mana by then. For now, cover the body with bandages."

The elderly woman swiftly moved and bandaged the injured warrior. Although he still looked like a corpse, his breathing was somehow more stable now.

Valak stared at Lark.

"We don't have much right now, but we'll return this favor someday," said Valak. He pulled out a dagger and handed it to Lark. The sheath was made of bronze, with numerous spiral patterns engraved on it. "Sell this at Lion City. It should be able to give you a fair bit of money. It's supposed to be a twin dagger, but the other one's with Jalak right now."

"Valak! That's your family heirloom isn't it?!" said the old woman.

"It's fine." Valak shook his head. "Anandra's life worth more than this. If he hadn't stopped the serpent back then, we would have all been dead by now."

Lark stared at the dagger for a moment. It looked really old, with numerous scratches here and there. Although it was considered an heirloom, it would probably not give him much even if he sold it at the Lion City.

"Keep it," said Lark. "You might still need it once we try to get out of this village. The journey to Blackstone Town would take several days by foot from here."

By cart, it would take around one to two days to get to the town. But considering the number of the villagers, they would have no choice but to go there by foot. And that was if they eventually decide to leave this village and live in his domain. Lark decided not to coerce them whichever their decision was. If they decided to stay here and die fighting, he would respect that.

"Think about it thoroughly. Give me your answer by tonight," said Lark. "If you agree with my suggestion, we'll immediately depart once the sun rises."

The Elder said to Valak. "Son, what is this about?"

"Well…" Valak looked at Lark then at the old man. After he shared his part of the story, the village Elder approached Lark.

"We accept your offer," said the village Elder.

The sudden declaration took Lark by surprise. A small smile floated on his face. Somehow, this old man was quite interesting.

"Are you sure you're deciding just like that?" chuckled Lark.

The old man smiled. "Living this long made me see things in different lights. The path you're offering is the salvation of this village. What use would this village be if we're all dead? The people are the village."

The old woman beside the village Elder nodded affirmatively.

"Don't worry about the kids," said the Elder. "I'll take care of all the oppositions. After all, it's not like we have a better alternative right now. If what you've said is true and there is indeed a female basilisk out there, then quick decisions like these would save the lives of my fellow villagers."

Lark thought that this old man was quite wise despite his senile-looking face.

"I need to recover some of my mana, so I'll have to sleep early." Lark said to Valak, "But before that, I need to talk to you in private."

Valak shot a quizzical stare. "What is it?"

"Come."

With Lark leading the way, the two of them went out of the cabin. Lark led him to a place devoid of people.

"That dagger," said Lark. "You said it has a twin, right?"

"Yes. The other one's with my brother." There was a hint of grimness within his voice. "We got separated in the forest back then, but I'm sure he's still alive. He promised me that he'll return safely."

Lark breathed in and sighed. He paused then slowly took out a similar dagger. "Is it this one?"

Valak opened and closed his mouth upon seeing it. A groan, which somehow reminded Lark of a pig being slaughtered, escaped his lips. His eyes shook as he fell down his knees.

"W-Where? Where did you get it?" he said, voice trembling. "Jalak, where is he? Did he give it to you? How's he?!"

"He's dead," said Lark, bluntly. "We found his body in the forest."

Valak swallowed and made a croaking sound.

"I thought you're quite familiar, and I now understand why," said Lark. "You're twins, right? You look really similar to the owner of this dagger."

It took Lark some time to realize the similarities since the corpse of Valak's twin had been mutilated by the basilisk. But after seeing the dagger, everything finally fell into place.

"Y-You're lying!" Valak shouted. "Damn you! Jalak's not dead! He promised me that he'll come back here! That he'll just lure the monster away!"

Several men came into the place where Lark and Valak were. They silently stood and listened curiously.

"I don't have time to comfort you for your loss," said Lark. He tossed the dagger to Valak. "Here. Take it. I know the feeling of losing a loved one, but now's not that time for that. Once you're safely out of this forest, you can grieve and mourn all you want."

Although cruel, this was reality. Lark knew that if they were not careful, several more lives would be taken away by the basilisks. Things would have been a lot simpler if he had more mana in his arsenal, but with the current state of things, he had no choice but to evacuate these guys to his town.

Lark turned to the spectators. "I've spoken with your village elder. We'll leave this place at dawn. Prepare the carts and rations. Those that are capable of moving will pull the carts. Bring only the necessities with you. Our priority is the life of the villagers."

The villagers, under the fierce stare of Lark, were silent.

"Sleep," said Lark. "Regain your strength. We depart tomorrow."

He turned around and disappeared from their sight.