Chapter Twenty-Three

Dawn came. The villagers placed those that were unable to move inside the carts. The hunters that have regained a bit of their strength would pull it as they leave for Blackstone Town.

"Elder, are you sure about this?" said one of the villagers. He was not the only one hesitant about moving towards that town. After all, they have lived in this villager their whole lives.

"It's not like we have a choice." The village Elder sighed. "If you have a way to kill those basilisks, then go ahead."

The man frowned and bit his lips. "Why did those monsters suddenly made this place their lair?" There was anger within his voice. "If only those bastards didn't come, we would have been celebrating the end of winter by now! This village that our ancestors have—"

The Elder tapped the man's shoulder. "—Lower your voice." Around them, several spectators started listening to the conversation. "Do not let the children hear you. Unlike us old men, they still have their lives ahead of them. They can still have a fresh start. We shouldn't let our attachments to this village hinder their lives. It's a pity, but we have to let go of this place." He looked at the direction where a young man with silver hair stood. "The Gods haven't abandoned us yet. Once we're out of this predicament, our tribe shall offer our prayers to the God of the Forest."

The man also looked at the young noble. He had heard of it before: it seemed that the young man was the ruler of a town east of this place, near the Endless Forest. Surprisingly, unlike most nobles, this young man was neither arrogant nor condescending. Although he held the air of a ruler, the villagers could feel his genuine desire to help them.

"Lark Marcus," mumbled the villager. "Elder, could he be part of that family?"

The Elder combed his beard. "The possibility of that is high."

The name of the Marcus family was as prominent as that of the Royal Family. Even their secluded village in the middle of the forest had heard of them.

"But what is someone with such background doing in this place? In that town?"

The Elder shook his head. "I don't know. But that's no longer important." He shouted at a couple of youngsters. "What are you doing? Bring only the necessities with you!"

The kids flinched and whispered among each other. "Hey, I told you! We can't bring these with us!"

"But maybe we could just carry it? I'm sure the Elder wouldn't mind!"

The Elder scratched his head and went towards them. "We'll need the carts to carry those that are unable to move. Aside from food, bring nothing else with you."

"But Elder!"

"Would you rather keep those toys than let Anandra comfortably sleep in the wagon?"

The question of the Elder made them immediately change their minds. 

"Of course not!"

"It's for Anandra's sake… Everyone! Listen to the Elder! Leave those behind!"

"Yeah!"

All of the kids in this village greatly admired Anandra, the strongest warrior of their tribe. Although they were young, they clearly understood that if it were not for him blocking the assault of the basilisk, they would have been dead by now.

The Elder looked at the cart where Anandra was. 'The young Lord should have finished the second part of treatment by now, right?'

The Elder decided to check on the state of the injured warrior. Just in time, upon checking the cart, the young noble stepped out.

"Ah, young Lord," said the Elder. "How's he?"

Lark wiped the sweat on his forehead. "He'll be safe now. It'll probably take several days more, maybe a week, before he regains consciousness though."

The Elder sighed in relief. "I see. I'm really glad to hear that. Thank you."

"Are the preparations finished?" said Lark. "My men and I are ready to move out any time."

"Yes." The Elder nodded. "We're just waiting for the young Lord's signal."

"Is that so?" Lark looked around. "Tell everyone to gather here. There's something I need to tell them."

"As you wish."

Soon, all of the villagers gathered before Lark. They were clearly emaciated, and fear were evident within their eyes.

"Listen," said Lark. "I'm sure everyone's aware – currently, there are two basilisks in this forest. The one we've fought before's the male. It's currently injured and it'll probably take a week or more for it to fully heal. The problem's the female. Although it seems that it rarely leaves the nest, it'll still be best to prepare for the worst circumstances."

Lark looked at them in the eye. "I'll be blunt. I need sacrifices."

Silence befell everyone.

"Right now, I'm not strong enough to protect every one of you here," said Lark. "The female basilisk is far stronger than the male. If it attacks us on our way out of this forest, there will surely be casualties."

"So you're asking some of us to hold it off as everyone escapes?" said Valak. A quiver filled with arrows was on his back. "I'll do it."

The other hunters nodded. "Me too."

"Same here."

There was a total of nine volunteers.

"The female basilisk has the ability to petrify its targets. You need to constantly move around to avoid the spell. Stay too long under its gaze and you'll turn into stone." Several villagers grimly looked at the volunteers. "All of you will probably die. You're aware of that, no?"

Valak was the first to reply. "We know."

"But if it'll save the lives of my wife and kids…" said another hunter.

Lark was starting to really like this tribe. Unlike most people, this group held honor highly. Their resolve to protect their fellow villagers and family was something seldomly seen in this day and age.

"Let's just hope that the female doesn't attack us," said Lark. "Avoid making too much noise as we go out of the forest. Our goal is to reach the main road before the day ends. Everyone, get ready. we're moving out."

Numerous carts pulled by men and women started leaving the village. Upon reaching the forest, rattling sounds were heard as the wooden wheels struck the root-blanketed ground.

Dawn quickly passed. Noon came and everyone stopped to recuperate. They have travelled a fair bit of distance by now, a good distance away from the lair of the basilisks.

"Elder, can't we really eat anything until we get to the main road?" said Arthus. "Aunt's been groaning from hunger for quite some time now inside the cart. Big sister's like that too. Surely, we can take some of the roasted boar and feed the people."

The Elder sighed. "I understand, young one. But the Lord clearly told us not to open the bags of rations. He didn't want to unnecessarily attract the monsters. It's unfortunate, but we'll have to hold it in until we arrived at the main road."

Arthus was unsatisfied of the answer but nodded regardless. He went back to the group of kids and disseminated what he heard from the Elder.

Lark clapped his hands twice. "Rest is over. Move out."

To the villagers that have been emaciated for weeks, this journey was arduous, almost excruciating. If not for the feast they received last night, they would have no energy to travel this far. At the very least, their desire to survive kept pushing them forward.

Hours quickly passed and by dusk, they finally reached the main road. It was still surrounded by trees in all directions, but with such distance, it should be fairly safe to consume the rations.

Lark ordered the guards and the hunters to distribute the food. The kids started making a campfire.

Every now and then, Lark would use magic to scan their immediate surroundings. It was a very small area when compared to this large forest, but it was better than nothing. After making sure that the area was safe, he would then proceed to heal the injuries of Anandra. By now, the stench of decay from the warrior had dissipated. His breathing normalized and the skin that have been peeled off started to regenerate. Lark avoided using too much mana on the treatment since there was still the risk of being attacked by the basilisks.

After everyone have been fed, Lark instructed the guards to take turns taking watch. Two hours passed and to everyone's dismay, he once again ordered them to move out. Still, no one openly complained. They all knew that this was for their sake.

The group continued walking, and by the next morning, they finally reached the end of the forest. The plains and the Prey River were in sight.

Lark was really glad that luckily, the female basilisk did not give chase. They have avoided the worst and did not sustain a single casualty.

"Here, take this." Lark handed the Elder a scroll.

The Elder opened it. "This is… a letter to a person called Gaston."

Lark raised a brow. "You can read?"

Including Melody and Silver Claw, this old man was the third person to know how to read.

The Elder scratched his beard. "Just a little bit. This old man has lived for over seventy years. I've been to numerous cities back in my youth. I've been a daring young man back then, you see." He chuckled. "Learned a few things here and there, and reading's one of them."

Perfect. These hunters are really good with bows, and this old man knows how to read. They'll be really good additions to the town.

Lark suppressed the excitement from showing on his face. "Gaston's my butler. Show that to him and he'll understand eventually. The eastern part of the town's still under construction, so it might take some time before we'll be able to give settlements to everyone."

The Elder understandingly nodded. "I see. We're just grateful that you're willing to go that far for us, young Lord." He bowed his head low. "Since you're giving me this…"

"That's right," said Lark. "This is where we part ways. I still have to visit Lion City. We'll meet at Blackstone Town in a week or two."

Lark called one of the guards over.

"Yes, Young Master?"

"Accompany them to the town." Lark leaned over and handed him a palm-sized stone tablet. "Make sure you carry this with you on your way inside."

"This is?" the guard stared at the tablet. There were unknown symbols engraved on it.

"An entry pass," said Lark. "Be sure not to lose it. It's a sign of your group's identity."

The guard did not fully understand what the Young Master was trying to say but he nodded regardless. The instruction of bringing it with him to the town was very simple, after all.

"Understood!"

The stone tablet was imbued with Lark's mana. With it, the 'Guardians' he had created would not attack their group upon entering the town. It was a small precaution to avoid such accident. After all, it would be easy for the Guardians to mistake their group as hostile forces with such numbers. Lark wanted to avoid that at all costs.

After the necessary preparations have been made, the two groups parted ways in the plains. One was headed towards Blackstone Town, the other towards the Lion City.