"We need to get out of here. The seraphim might have retreated, but as long as it has a shred of its original intelligence, it will try to get us from behind."

Shanks explained while his body was giving out a calm blue light.

"Don't use that presence erasing skill anymore."

He added looking at the remaining four wolves.

Yes.

Four.

Not five.

During a fight with the cherubim, another wolf got killed by the flaming sword.

Cherry, the first wolf who stepped up to protect the Dandelions.

Cherry didn't even directly engage in a fight.

During a fight, where the long-clawed wolf ripped cherubim's throat open, nearly decapitating it, the towering monster used the one-shot kill skill in panic and threw the flaming sword seemingly at random.

But there was nothing random about it.

The burning blade pierced right through Cherry's skull, killing it instantly, and the mana that got transferred to the cherubim allowed it to regenerate enough to pull off a breakneck escape.

"Thrones and Cherubims are one thing, but a seraphim can see the distortion in the flow of mana in the air when a powerful skill affects the outside of the user's body."

The rat-faced man explained while the shadow fangs were mourning their fallen pack members, watching as their remains crumble into ash.

"We should change our original plan a bit. Make sure to properly secure all the crates that that damned angel-class hoarded. We'll be returning to the collection point for today to drop the collected crates - and we'll be going back together with them. There's no way in hell that we're staying out here with a seraphim who can still think clearly enough to use battle strategy... At least not with our current forces."

"Sir, yes sir!"

A choir of voices responded in unison.

"That's not what I meant..."

Shanks hung down his head and sighed, sitting down on the wagon where the young Sloth soldiers and the two Dandelions were putting all the crates with supplies collected through the day.

"Is my proposition making sense for you?"

He asked looking back at his companions.

"Eh...?"

Lairs, who up until that point was focused on healing the scrapes, bruises, and broken bones that some of the Sloth soldiers suffered during the close encounter, flinched and let out a cute confused noise.

"...?"

Similarly, Uresha and Rotte, looked at each other shocked.

"You're asking us for our opinion?"

Uresha tilted her head in confusion.

"Of course I am! We're in this mess together and we're a team... for the love of system, the skills that have been unsealed are only affecting the people who share the Acedia! Why are you three acting like Sloth soldiers too?"

The rat-faced man shook his head and clicked his tongue in disbelief.

"...fuck me... this is awkward... I just... got swept with the mood, I guess...?"

Lairs blushed and looked away, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Same..."

Rotte nodded, staring at his feet.

"It just... feels natural to obey you."

"Wha?! Whoa, so Ure-ure and Shan-shan are like that during their lovey-dovey time?"

Uresha fidgeted and muttered which caused Lairs to whistle and snicker mischievously, mindful of her tongue.

"Lairs, stop being a pervert! You know that not what I meant! The children are listening!"

The large woman undoubtedly got completely red under her helmet and scolded the black-haired elf.

"...ah...!"

Lairs gasped, suddenly remembering her position, and glanced at all the young Sloth soldiers, patiently waiting for their turn to be healed by her.

They were all looking at the elven mage with eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Raa...!"

The lighthearted atmosphere got ruined by the angry bark of the long-clawed wolf.

It was glaring hatefully at the two women while baring its fangs.

"Wh-what is its fucking problem...? Are we about to be fucking attacked?!"

Lairs flinched, breaking her polite act, and looked over her shoulder, assuming that the wolf was growling at something hidden in the mist.

"No. There's nothing in a mile radius. I think she's just angry because you're laughing."

Shanks shook his head, dismissing the elf's fears with a shrug.

"Oh, so this one's a she. Okay. Why does she have against... oh... I'm sorry...."

At first, Lairs was ready to call out the tamed wolf's rather rude upbringing, but then the realization dawned on her, making her feel really awful.

After all, if somebody was joking around and laughing not even two hours after her friends died, she would also like them to shut the fuck up.

"I was very insensitive. Again, I'm sorry."

The black-haired elf apologized to the short-jawed, long-clawed wolf.

"...raa..."

The wolf snorted and returned to her pack to stay with the remains of their fallen comrades as long as they could.

"Shadow fangs are a bit like elves. They value their family over anything else."

Shanks spoke, looking at the backs of the black wolves sitting by the ashes.

"I feel like fucking shit already, you don't need to fucking add on to my guilt, Shan-shan..."

Lairs made a face as if she was holding back tears and hurriedly started healing the Sloth soldiers who needed help.

"Back to the main topic. Does anyone disagrees with my proposition, or maybe has a better plan?"

Shanks looked around but everyone was either shrugging or shaking their heads.

"..."

Then his eyes ended up on the four wolves.

They all stood up and their bodies were shining brightly with skills.

That included their eyes, ears and noses.

"...before you'll do something stupid. Let me ask you - would the two who died wanted you to risk your own lives and the lives of the people they tried to protect?"

"...!"

Shanks asked and the wolves flinched.

"Since even Lairs apologized, I also have something to seek forgiveness for. It was because of my mistake that two of your pack have died. I'm sorry."

He bowed his head just as Lairs did a minute ago.

"The Seraphim had no right to be in this particular area. That's why I confused it with a throne or a cherubim - which has a much higher chance to wander around this sector of the sea of mist. My skill, Sophia, connects me to the system's database, but it doesn't just hand me the correct answer - it just hands me the most probable one, based on the circumstances. I knew that the monsters started traversing the sea of mist in a completely irrationally manner, but even so, I haven't accounted for that even a bit..."