Wolves of Hader

Chapter 65

Loki raced down the mountainside in a frenzy. Even though it was a steep slope, the wolves darted ahead without any hesitation.

After passing a massive goblin dwelling and running for about another day and a half, I saw it—a light sparkling like a star on the southern ground, which should have been dark.

That light was fire, and its location was near our fortress. Though I was already exhausted and the night was deep, I couldn't stop.

I pushed even harder, speeding all the way to the fortress.

When I got closer, the fire wasn't that large.

The crash of battle thundered from the barracks, and outside the fortress's back gate, residents were evacuating.

That meant our knight order was being pushed back.

Just how many troops needed to invade for our knight order to retreat?

The thought that the knights, or Russell or elder brother Ross, might be dead or wounded made me throw away all the plans I'd formed as I'd run.

I had crossed the point of no return.

There would be no more negotiation with Count Urada.

There was no longer any reason to talk of blame for the war.

We would trample their territory, and the house of Urada would be annihilated.

From that moment, I broke into a full sprint.

I didn't head for the fortress, but turned toward the rugged rocky mountain to the right.

It was so steep, but not impossible to climb.

When I crossed straight over the mountain and saw the front of the fortress, I thought my heart would explode.

So, this was what it meant for one's eyes to turn upside down.

"Donnie, block the enemy's retreat with four others!"

"Yes!"

"The rest, rescue the knight order!"

WAAAAAA—

Our knight order was letting out a battle cry. Swallowing the heat rising in my chest, I gripped my greatsword.

"Loki! Will you join me in my cause?"

As if in answer to my shout,

Loki kicked off the rocks and leaped powerfully. In a single bound, he jumped from rock to rock and then entered the open field.

With massive wolves suddenly appearing, the enemy must have panicked.

When we reached the field and rushed straight at them, only then did Urada's soldiers hastily spread out to both sides.

But the wolves charged into the spreading soldiers left and right, trampling and striking at random.

At the same time, the berserkers and I swung our greatswords like madmen.

As the enemy fled, our knight order also began their assault.

Especially, I saw Russell and the strike squad burst through the encirclement at once.

They were chasing after the fleeing Urada knight order. I ran up fast alongside Russell.

Russell shouted like an accusation,

"Sir! We must capture the mages!"

"Mages?!"

Before I could get an answer, Lok charged straight at those wearing crimson cloaks.

Four of them stood out in particularly strange attire.

They really were mages.

Mages who should only exist in the empire, acting solely in its interest, had been deployed in an affair between houses.

"Capture the mages!"

"Understood!"

The Syren family's knights ran toward the stables behind the encampment.

But the horses were rearing in a frenzy because of the wolves, so the knights quickly changed direction.

Loki caught up to the escapees in no time.

Perhaps thinking they had no chance, the Syren family's knights quickly formed ranks and drew their swords.

Loki jumped straight at them. Some of the knights tried to stab his belly as he fell from above, but Loki's forepaws smashed into them first.

PUH-PUH-PUH-PUH—

As four or five knights were sent flying to the left, I jumped from Loki's back and unleashed [Vertical Sword Line], slashing down with my sword.

KUKWAKWAKWANG—

A compressed beam of magic power pierced straight through the Syren family's knights, who were lined up in formation.

Soon, a straight blood line was drawn across their bodies.

CHUWAAAA—

Their bodies split open, blood spraying out.

One had his upper body severed diagonally. Another lost his right arm and leg all at once.

One had only his left head and shoulder sliced off.

For those still standing, I immediately unleashed Whirlwind, charging in without delay.

This was a top-level Whirlwind. I had to kill them.

With consecutive leaps and Whirlwinds, I truly swept them away. I single-handedly caught more than 20 fleeing enemies and left the rest to the Berserkers.

The Berserkers also jumped from their horses and fought the Syren knights, but in the background, I noticed a strange scene.

While our knight order was fighting the retreating Urada forces, Urada officers were stabbing fallen soldiers with their swords.

At the shout of a high-ranking officer, they too began to flee.

It looked like they were silencing witnesses.

There were too many to silence, and realizing they would die too, they seemed to give up and run.

Does Urada's force have some sort of weakness?

Or, could these be soldiers from another house?

This whole battle was abnormal, so surely something lay beneath.

They probably didn't expect they'd need to silence their own men.

I'd find out eventually.

I turned my gaze to capturing the mages.

But Loki was already on it. He'd already knocked out two and was chasing the other two.

"Aaaagh! Spare me!"

Loki quickly caught up with the fleeing mage, gave a light tap to his head with his forepaw—thunk.

Out cold in one hit.

I looked back over the field.

The Berserkers rampaged through the enemy encampment, and the Berserkers who went with Donnie thoroughly hunted down the escapees.

The wolves did even more.

Angry from being stabbed by human spears, they were completely running wild.

Maybe the elementals had sent them some message.

The wolves trampled and tossed the fleeing soldiers, then chased down those who ran far away, batting them aside with their paws.

There was no hiding from a wolf's nose.

Russell and the strike squad were fighting Urada's knights, and just seeing Russell drive his opponents made it clear how furious he was.

I tied up the unconscious mages with rope.

Meanwhile, loki picked up the unconscious mages by the feet and laid them at my feet one by one.

I stroked Loki's body silently.

It was my way of thanking him for staying with us and understanding my will.

I loaded the unconscious mages onto Loki's back, one by one, and headed toward the embattled barracks.

Only our injured knights were left in the barracks. Ross, Urald, and others were running out from the castle to heal the knights.

There were twelve seriously wounded.

I hurried over and started casting [Heal] on those whose lives were most in danger.

My hand glowed white, and that light began to seep into the soldiers' wounds.

With five knights in critical condition, there was no time for greetings with my comrades.

Ross and Urald were busy staunching bleeding. Wundbark was pressing on the chest of a knight whose heart had stopped.

"When did he stop breathing?!"

"Just now!"

"Let me try for a moment!"

When Wundbark stepped back, I placed my palm on the lifeless knight's heart.

At the same time as I channeled my magic power in, I pressed in with striking force.

THUD—

The knight's body jolted up from the recoil.

When there was no response after a second try, I summoned both flame and cold from the necklace's subspace.

My hand began to glow fiercely with red energy. It was my secret, but saving lives came first.

I pressed my rage-charged hand to the knight's heart and gave one more pounding shock, about to do it even harder when—

A faint pulse stirred against my palm.

I quickly grabbed a recovery potion from my backpack and dripped it into the mouth of the now-breathing knight.

Then I laid my hand on his heart and cast Heal.

Ross and Urald were just as frantic.

Even after barely saving a critically ill knight's life, there was much to do. Urald shouted,

"Still waiting on the knights' own blood?!"

"Still thawing! It just came out of the icehouse, so it'll take a moment!"

"Set up cots inside the barracks! Move the severed arms to the barracks as well! So we can suture right away!"

"Yes, sir!"

"The physician is coming!"

An old man rushed in with the knights. Ross called out urgently,

"Physician! Four knights have severed arms! Please suture them together!"

"Uh, my lord head. I can't guarantee they'll be as good as before, even if they're reattached—"

"Do it anyway! It's better than having no arm at all!"

"Elder brother Ross! If I help, it'll work out. There may be some inconvenience, but they'll be able to live normal lives!"

"All right!"

"Move the wounded to the building!"

With Ross, I helped carry the severed limbs into the barracks. We couldn't operate on the dusty ground.

The other severely wounded needing emergency surgery or transfusion were soon brought in as well.

"Bellen! Disinfect the severed arms with spirits and store them in an ice tub!"

"Understood. Uh, but—"

"If you have something to say, hurry!"

At that moment, Wundbark spoke up.

"Would it be all right if I sew them up? I played doctor in the southern Dran village! Also, Bellen's elemental has healing powers!"

I had forgotten Bellen's elemental was a forest elemental. That's why I'd wanted to raise her as a mage and buffer.

"Let's do that! Bellen! Leave Lok for now, and help Wundbark!"

"All right!"

Tables were lined up in the barracks building and makeshift operating tables were quickly prepared.

The townspeople ran back and forth bringing things.

The physician started operating first.

It would be a long process, but if Bellen and I helped, the chance of successful reattachment was high.

Forest elementals possess natural healing powers.

The elementals working with me and my knight order were forest elementals, and so was Bellen's.

The healing power of those elementals is transmitted via buff equipment containing restorative and amplifying substances, manifesting as the [Heal] skill.

In my case, I don't need extra equipment.

Furthermore, the natural healing power also possesses a restoring force that aims to return things to their original state—a force that straightens what is bent.

Healing itself is restorative power.

Thus, if Bellen's and my elementals provide power throughout the operation, it greatly helps.

As long as the nerves reconnect, the surgery should be a success.

/ / /

I walked out of the building.

The surgeries were over.

All the severed arms had been properly reattached, but it was unknown how things would turn out later.

Within the midst of the barracks where our knight order had been surrounded stood Russell, the strike squad, and the knight order, all lined up.

I didn't need to see to know why they stood so solemnly.

As I approached, Russell and the knights bowed in respect. No one spoke. It had been their first battle.

"I didn't think you'd arrive so quickly."

"I should have found Wolves of Hader sooner."

I stood where the knights stood.

The fallen were lying there.

Three had died.

They had been beheaded or stabbed through the heart, so neither Buffer's healing nor recovery potions could save them.

If not for the Syren family's knights, they would have lived.

Those with wounds on the shoulder or flank had mostly healed and stood normally, but those with neck and heart wounds lay there.

In front of Russell lay a fallen knight in armor marked with a bear symbol.

Judging by the wound through his neck, he was killed by Russell.

"Who is this man?"

"This is Macco Urada. He was Count Urada's cousin."

"Did Count Urada not come?"

"No, Macco Urada was the commander."

"How many did they bring?"

Russell looked around the field and said,

"Easily over 2,000. In the past three days, there have been so many deserters it's hard to say precisely."

"And the Urada knights?"

"All of Urada's thirty-odd knights died here. Aside from the few surrendered soldiers, the rest were wiped out."

"Looks like House Urada threw everything they had to defeat us."

I looked again at the dead.

Their families were embracing them and weeping.

An elderly mother, a young wife, a delicate girl.

What could I say to these families who had lost a son, a husband, a brother? If only they'd invaded a year later, maybe this wouldn't have happened.

I moved on.

Russell fell in step beside me.

"Commander Russell."

"Yes, sir."

"Order that the fallen knights' lifetime annuities be paid to their survivors."

"I will do so."

"As heroes of House Hader, we'll also pay them monthly pensions. Especially, for the elderly mother who lost her son, make sure we do everything possible for her. We can't truly comfort her, but do all we can."

"We will do our utmost."

"The entire knight order will be generously rewarded. And one week from now—"

Russell looked at me.

"We strike Urada."

Russell silently regarded me, then nodded.

The Urada territory would now be ours to govern.

No matter what anyone said.