Chapter 79

Besides those numerous erratic howls, I also heard some growls, roars, and screech mixed in amongst that chaotic sound. And based on its sheer intensity and volume, it seemed as if a ragtag army of monsters were marching towards us. Luckily enough, I didn’t feel the presence of the Cerberus with them so at least we didn’t have to worry about that thing for now. Though to be honest, this turn of events wasn’t in any way better than if the Cerberus had appeared. But considering that it could get much worse, I guess I should be thankful that the monster army wasn’t accompanied by that Cerberus for now.

“Hey! Ye’ said that it was a three-headed canine monster, right?! If so, then what the heck is this sound?! Its sure sounds like a monster parade to me!!” The Flame Wolf asked in a fluster.

Monster parade? Well, that does sounds fitting for this one, isn’t it? Hehehe… I laughed dryly.

“Oi! I’m asking ye’ a damn question! Answer me!”

Tsk! You just can’t get a clue, huh?! And if it isn’t already obvious, I also have no idea, okay?! I didn’t expect this to happen! So, do you get it now?!

“If that’s that case, then what are ye’ even here for?! Ye' useless coward!”

Well, forgive me for not being a damn prophet, dumb bastard!

“What prophet?! How is that even related to any of this?!” The Flame Wolf inquired. But this time, there was a clear glint of both suspicion and hostility in his eyes.

Tsk! I could only curse at myself for making such an obvious mistake. Like seriously, how could I forget that these wolves didn’t know the concept of a prophet?

“So, what’s yer’ excuse this time?”

From his body language, I could tell that the Dumb Wolf was seriously considering how best to attack and dispose of me. But since his thought process was too obvious to read, I even started to doubt if all of it was just an act. I mean, his behavior was just too straightforward and not very fitting for an alpha of a hunter species. Although considering that I just made an obvious mistake myself, then I guess I couldn’t fault the Dumb Wolf for that.

Fortunately, I had another trick up my sleeve, and it’s called transferring the burden of responsibility! Excuse? Don’t make me laugh. Why do I have to take responsibility for something that you are ignorant about? Blame yourself for not knowing enough, not me! Since they all somewhat knew that I came here from another area, then I could just claim that I have some knowledge that they don’t know anything about. In essence, you could say that this was another perk of my cover as an outsider.

As I expected, my dirty tactic worked against the dumbass wolf like a charm. “YOU!! USELESS COWARD!!” The Dumb Wolf raged. But before he could even get the jump on me, the Lightning Wolf and Tempest Wolf stood to block his path.

“Don’t stop me! That one is dangerous! We must put him down now while we still can!” The Dumb Wolf argued.

“I’m afraid we can’t.” The Tempest Wolf replied then set his eyes on me and the Gigarillon. “We need him and that other one especially now in this crisis.”

“Shut up! I’m not talking to ye’, backstabbing bastard!”

My ears perked up when I heard the Dumb Wolf said that. In my mind, all sorts of questions and speculations popped up. Among them, one particular question stood up. To be exact, I was curious what sort of circumstance led the Dumb Wolf to call the Tempest Wolf with that. I mean, as straightforward as he was, it wasn’t like the Dumb Wolf would just go around calling anyone by that specific nickname. In short, there should be some kind of history behind that.

“Calm down… Tempest is… right…” The Lightning Wolf followed up.

“So, yer’ really siding with him now, huh?!”

“It’s not… like that…”

“Then what is the meaning of this?!”

With a heavy sigh as a start, the Lightning Wolf calmly clarified. “I’m doing… this for… our survival…” He sincerely proclaimed.

Faced with such overwhelming resolve, even the short-tempered Dumb Wolf could only back down. But since even I felt a little moved by the Lightning Wolf’s resolve, I really couldn’t blame the Dumb Wolf for reacting like that. After all, it was clear from the Lightning Wolf’s action that he would be willing to die for that cause. And to be honest, it was an attitude that I couldn’t help but respect and admire.

At the same moment that the Dumb Wolf backed down, I heard a rumbling sound created by numerous monsters’ footsteps. Along with that, I heard the roars and war cries of what seemed to be an assortment of monsters as they entered the forest from the west. And when the local monsters of the forest felt the threat of that disturbance, they all didn’t hesitate to scurry away for their lives. As a result, chaos and mayhem started to spread around like a wildfire.

“This is different from what I expected…” The Tempest Wolf muttered under his breath.

In response to that, the Lightning Wolf added, “Looks like… we have… to proceed… earlier than… planned…”

“… I really don’t like where this is going…” The Dumb Wolf said with a defeated sigh.

***

After bearing witness to the situation on hand, the three alpha wolves finally agreed on a temporary truce and ceasefire. Furthermore, the alphas also managed to convince the Gigarillon to join our ranks. But considering that pretty much every living creature in this forest would be caught up in the battle that was about to come, it was more like the Gigarillon had no other choice but to fight. The problem was, even in between monsters, the language barrier was a thing. And because the Gigarillon had no relation to the wolf species, that means that we could only communicate with him through gestures and body language, in the same way, that the alphas did so with their subordinates.

Once we found a much more suited spot, all five of us began discussing our course of action and plan. But since the Gigarillon wouldn’t really be able to add much, he could only watch our discussion from the sidelines. And much to my dismay, the Lightning Wolf informed me that I should be the one to explain the important parts to the ape once everything was done.

Of course, I wanted to decline. But upon looking around, I realized that I was the only candidate for the job. After all, unlike me who had some history with the ape, these alphas had only met the Gigarillon for the first time today. And though it looked like the Ape and Dumb Wolf had some mutual respect, they still barely knew one another to be able to communicate as required. That was why even though I was quite reluctant to accept such a role, I had no other choice but to nod in response.

“So, are we really going to leave? Wouldn’t it be better if we just make use of our Authority and defend our territory?” The Flame Wolf started after we had settled down.

“That won’t… work…” The Lightning Wolf replied in a snap.

“That’s right.” That Lightning Wolf concurred. “You should have already noticed it. Something is blocking our access to its effects.”

“Tsk! That sounds very convenient, doesn’t it? Tell me, backstabbing bastard, is everything going according to yer’ plan?”

Without batting an eye, the Tempest Wolf denied. “I already told you. This is beyond even my expectations.”

“How can we make sure that yer’ telling the truth? For all I know, ye' might be working together with that Useless Coward.” After saying that, the Flame Wolf shot an accusatory glance in my direction. Clearly, he still saw me as an enemy and possible collaborator of the Tempest Wolf at that.

We wouldn't get anywhere if you kept on doing that… I said with an exasperated sigh.

“Anyway…” The Lightning Wolf interjected. “Can you… explain your… plan…?” He continued before shooting the Tempest Wolf a glance.

“Well, the general plan is to lead our respective packs past the spot full of those things.” At that, the Tempest Wolf turned his head and looked to the northmost side of the forest. “Using those, we should be able to slightly hinder the advance of the monster parade.”

When I heard his explanation, I found myself utterly confused. Wait. What do you mean by ‘those things?’”

Hearing my question, the Lightning Wolf’s ears perked up. “Oh… that’s right… you still… don’t know… about that…”

At that same moment, the Tempest Wolf glanced in my direction. “Essentially, that area was full of things that can transfer anyone to a particular place upon contact.” He calmly explained.

Upon processing that information, I immediately realized what it was. Oh, you mean like a teleportation trap? I blurted out. At the same time, a scene from my memory played out in my mind. And in that memory, a certain young wolf had mistakenly stepped on that trap. As a result, he was teleported to an unknown place, and that was how all of these began.