Wolves of Hader

Chapter 60

At the break of dawn.

We began our descent from the mountain.

It had taken us much longer than expected.

I had thought it would take about fifteen days to return to the capital, but already fourteen days had passed.

So, if we descended from the mountains and traveled to the capital again, it meant the journey would take a month.

And then, it would take another fifteen days to go from the capital to the fortress.

During that time, the fortress could be assaulted.

I believed Russell would be able to hold it, but one could never be certain.

There might be hidden forces within the Syren family.

Hence, I decided to confirm the news in the capital first.

If something had happened, I would judge what to do then—either settle things in the capital or return to the fortress as quickly as possible.

So, I asked Urendo if there was a shortcut, and fortunately, he said there was a faster route.

We were now descending by a different path than the one by which we had ascended.

"If we go this way, will we be closer to the capital? Wouldn't it be faster to ride through the wasteland as we did on the way here?"

"If we're headed for the capital, there's no need to head into the wasteland. If we go down from here, we'll reach the capital in three days."

"In three days? There's nothing but mountains around here."

"Trust me and follow. It's a little dizzying, but it's much faster than climbing over mountains."

Trusting Urendo's words, we silently made our way down the mountain.

No matter how far we went, all we saw were more mountains.

The vast tributaries of the great western mountains spread everywhere.

We trekked for another four hours like that.

Judging by the sun's position, we continued eastward instead of going south.

Of course, after heading east, if we turned south, we would reach the capital.

At last, we exited the region of rocky mountains and entered a dense forest.

While walking through the trackless woods, we suddenly heard the roar of water.

So, all of us hurried toward the sound and found a rather large waterfall—the source flowing from upstream in the western mountain range.

"We've arrived. If we take a boat from here, we'll soon reach the capital. This waterway connects all the way to the river in the capital."

"Sounds good."

"But, there's a problem."

"What problem?"

"As we go, we'll hit several rapids. There are three waterfalls, but once we pass the last one, we'll be on a great river."

"Waterfalls?"

"Isn't that fine? We're people who don't die even when falling off cliffs."

I couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.

After all, even if we met waterfalls, it seemed unlikely anyone would drown.

"Where's the boat?"

"Wait a moment."

Urendo climbed up toward the waterfall.

He skillfully clambered up the rock face beside it, then slipped into the waterfall through the rushing torrent.

It seemed there was a secret hideout of the Dran there, perhaps a long cave beneath the mountains that connected to the Dran village.

After a short while, a strangely shaped boat suddenly appeared and fell below the waterfall.

Urendo jumped down right after, grabbed the overturned boat, and approached us.

"What are you standing there for!"

Our members jumped in and righted the overturned boat.

It was quite an excellent vessel, capable of holding around twelve people.

"Watch carefully. I'll show you where the rapids and waterfalls are."

Urendo drew a rough map in the dirt.

After marking our current position and the capital, he traced the water route, indicating the locations of rapids and waterfalls.

"As you can see, we're still quite far north. This waterway continues east for a while, then meets this waterfall and turns south."

"I see."

"I didn't bring any rowing oars. You can just row with your greatswords. That's all I need to do."

"Thanks, Urendo."

"No need for thanks. Have a good trip. The last waterfall is very big—it'll be a bit scary. Enjoy the thrill."

With a wide grin, Urendo returned to the waterfall.

We boarded the boat at once.

Riding a boat was far more comfortable than riding horses. And since there were rapids, it might even be faster than traveling by horse.

"Four of you will row."

Four men in the back started rowing.

To be honest, there wasn't really any need to row. The current was fast.

As soon as we left the waterfall area, we hit rapids.

It was a long gorge, and with so many jagged rocks, the boat was in danger of being smashed at any moment.

There was no time to relax—we had to control the boat at every turn.

At least the greatswords were long, so we could push off the rocks before colliding with them.

After battling the rapids for two solid hours, just as we thought we could finally rest, even rougher rapids came.

"The boat's spinning!"

"Don't crowd to one side!"

"Rocks to starboard! Push off!"

"Too late! Hold on!"

Thud-crash—

The boat was swept along by the current, grazed a rock, and spun around again.

"Is the boat intact?"

"The bottom stern is badly scraped! Any more and it'll give way!"

"If it starts taking on water, plug it with anything! We just started; we can't sink already!"

"Captain!"

At a shout from one of the men, everyone turned to the front.

At the end of the even faster-flowing stream, water spray billowed upward.

"It's the first waterfall!"

KWAHHHHH—

Urendo had called it a small waterfall, but it was anything but. Mist hung thick, and the sound was thunderous.

Nobody said a word. Even though we were mighty warriors, we weren't used to water. Everyone was weighed down by their armor and weapons, too.

I stepped forward.

"If even one man is missing, abandon the boat! We can retrieve weapons and backpacks later!"

"Yes, young master!"

"Hold on tight, everyone!"

"Here we go!"

While we cried out, the boat was already dropping over the waterfall. It was far higher than I had expected—truly dizzying.

We could not help but scream!

"We're falling!"

"Ahhhhhh!"

As the boat plunged, everyone found themselves floating in the air. The boat flew off to one side, while the people tumbled straight down.

Even then, some of them chuckled aloud. So, despite thrashing about as we fell, everyone burst into laughter.

"Hahahahaha!"

Urendo had said to enjoy the dizzying thrill, and now I knew what he meant.

Who would have thought we'd laugh in a situation like this?

SPLASH—

My body sank instantly.

Only after I hit the water did I realize being weighed down was actually a blessing.

I sank straight to the bottom, but with my feet touching ground, I could just crawl out.

Following the slope of the riverbed, I swam forward and quickly broke the surface.

The others simply walked out with a stoic air.

Everyone sat by the water and laughed helplessly. Not one person lost their weapons or backpacks.

It was amusing to think we had ever worried about such a simple matter.

What was even more fortunate—

Our boat, caught in the waterfall's swirling plunge, had finally drifted free and was now floating away downstream.

One of our men, who had spotted it first, immediately dashed after it to grab it.

We all laughed again seeing how clumsy he looked as he hurried after the boat.

When we heard the shout that the boat had been secured, everyone sighed in relief and lay down on the spot.

Donnie and the men all looked visibly more relaxed—a sentiment I shared.

Perhaps we were all thinking the same thing.

After days of climbing mountains, then plunging headlong into the water like that, it felt as though something lingering in our hearts had been washed away.

Donnie's face made that clear.

He was truly refreshed.

"Shall we rest here for a while?"

"Sounds good."

The men smiled and lay down.

In front of me, the soldiers always kept purposely expressionless. But now, they all looked as innocent as boys.

They probably never imagined, before this, that they would become warriors and go through such an adventure—or, at least, something so close to one.

All of them had experienced their first true bloodshed.

As human beings, there was no way that wouldn't linger in their hearts.

Donnie seemed to have a light heart precisely because he understood that.

My Berserkers had intentionally been made to suppress emotion and their own individuality.

This was Russell's will. He said if not, emotion and personal matters would become involved in assignments.

I understood his intention, so I never spoke with the soldiers privately.

But, of course, I know their individual traits and personalities. Each has a different role.

The assault unit: Raji, Mont, Arjan.

The defense unit: Solto, Jerin, Nabak.

And the squad leader, Hans.

Hans was twenty, two years younger than Donnie; the others were about the same age as myself.

That's why, whenever Donnie asked something, Hans usually replied. Hans was as clever as Donnie; that's why Russell chose him.

All I knew was that everyone was a former fisherman or miner—their backgrounds hidden when Russell recruited them.

Russell didn't want me to grow attached to them emotionally.

But now, I think Russell's will was right.

Gradually, a natural human bond would develop. It's best to make sure their foundation and initial state are solid.

Indeed, the men always maintained a consistent attitude in front of me, never crossing a line no matter the situation—never acting independently.

When together, though, I'm sure they joke and laugh among themselves.

You could see that from how suddenly laughter erupted while falling from the waterfall—sometimes, laughter just bursts out.

At any rate, I am proud of them.

I want to give them the best treatment possible, whether with status, honor, or even money.

"Uh, captain."

"What is it?"

Donnie looked at Hans, who had called him. Hans was pointing to a large rock beside the waterfall.

As soon as I turned, we were all surprised.

It was a Hader wolf.

It wasn't the only wolf I had met before. Behind it stood several other wolves of similar size.

"It seems they've been following us."

"Looks like it. Amazing."

Is this area also part of their territory?

It seemed Father had also encountered a Hader wolf, though I did not know what happened afterward. I couldn't guess why these wolves came after us either.

"Will they keep following?"

"If they have a reason, they will. If not, maybe they're just seeing us off."

"We should get going soon."

"Let's."

We boarded the boat again.

As soon as we started drifting downstream, the wolves vanished.

Again, we leisurely continued by boat. This time, the stream had only a gentle current, so we could relax.

"They're still following."

"So they are."

Through the forest along the riverbank, we could see the wolves running in a line.

Despite their size, they were incredibly fast.

Even the birds on the branches scattered in fear, likely because the wolves were divine beasts.

The wolves alternated between running and walking, matching our boat's pace, following us.

///

We spent the entire day on the boat.

As night fell, we could no longer continue, so we lit a campfire in the woods and got ready to camp.

While we sat around the fire, eating tea and dried bread, the wolves reappeared.

All through the darkness, they kept an eye on us, their eyes glowing menacingly, but showing no intention to harm.

So, we all lay down near the campfire, wrapped ourselves in blankets, and tried to sleep.

Monsters could attack, but it somehow felt reassuring, as if the Hader wolves would protect us.

How long had I slept?

All at once, I felt the elemental surge and woke up. I wondered if a wolf had come close, but that wasn't it.

A red glow emanated from the backpack by my pillow. It was the light from the red metal talisman given by the Dran elder.

I wondered why it was glowing, why the elemental was in turmoil.

But the moment I picked up the talisman!

A vision appeared.

A blurred image, as if reflected on water!

What was this?

A battle was taking place.

Fortress wall. Fields. Knights on horseback.

A boy firing arrows.

Lok?

What on earth was this?

Clearly, Lok was shooting arrows.

And then, a rush of urgent emotion!

A sense of urgency, a prompting to hurry!

I realized instantly.

It was a signal from the elemental!

An elemental in the fortress, signaling to the one with me—through this very talisman!

Just then.

I was about to wake the men, but suddenly, a Hader wolf appeared before me—as if it had been waiting for this very moment.

And it wasn't alone.

The wolf I had met before stood in front of me, and behind it, eleven more wolves lined up. Then, they all looked at me.

Meanwhile, Donnie and the others, sensing the mood, woke one by one. All of us silently watched this strange scene.

I had no way of knowing why the wolves appeared before us at this moment.

If this wasn't a coincidence, there could be only one reason. In that case, perhaps...

"Will you go with me?"

The Hader wolf looked at me—and slowly sat down on the spot. Then, it shook its head twice, as if to say, "Climb onto my back."