Dawn came. The villagers placed those unable to walk inside the carts. The hunters that had regained some strength would pull the carts as they traveled to Blackstone Town.

“Elder, are you sure about this?” said one of the villagers. He was not the only one hesitant about going to the other town. After all, they had lived in this village 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 lip. “Why did those monsters make their lair here?” There was anger in his voice. “If only those bastards hadn’t come, we would be 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 had 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 attachment to this village hinder their lives. It’s a pity, but we have to let go of this place.” He looked toward where the 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 the young man was the ruler of a town east of this place, near the Endless Forest. 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 with his fingers. “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 a background doing 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 to 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 won’t mind!”

The elder scratched his head and went to them. “We’ll need the carts to carry those unable to move. Aside from food, bring nothing else with you.”

“But, elder!”

“Would you rather keep those toys than let Anandra sleep in the wagon comfortably?” The elder’s question changed 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 the village greatly admired Anandra, their strongest warrior. Although they were young, they understood that if it weren’t for him, they would have been killed by the basilisk.

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 went to check on the state of the injured warrior. As he approached the cart, the young noble stepped out.

“Ah, Young Lord,” said the elder. “How is 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 were gathered before Lark. They were emaciated and weak, with fear evident in their eyes.

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

Lark looked each of them in the eye. “I’ll be blunt. I need sacrifices.” Everyone was silent. “Right now, I’m not strong enough to protect all of you,” said Lark. “The female basilisk is far stronger than the male. If it attacks us on our way out of the 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 to stone.” Several villagers looked grimly at the volunteers. “All of you will probably die. You’re aware of that?”

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 families was something he had seldom seen.

“Let’s just hope the female doesn’t attack us,” said Lark. “Avoid making too much noise as we leave the forest. Our goal is to reach the main road before the day ends. Everyone, get ready. We’re moving out.”

Several carts pulled by men and women began leaving the village. Upon reaching the forest, wooden wheels struck the root-covered ground and the carts rattled.

The morning passed quickly. Noon came and everyone stopped to recuperate. They had traveled a fair distance, a good distance away from the lair of the basilisks.

“Elder, can’t we eat before we get to the main road?” said Arthus. “Aunt’s been groaning with hunger for quite some time now. 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 told us not to open the bags of rations. He doesn’t want to attract the monsters. It’s unfortunate, but we’ll have to wait until we arrive at the main road.”

Arthus was not satisfied with the answer but nodded anyway. He went back to the group of kids and explained what the elder had said.

Lark clapped his hands twice. “Rest is over. Move out.”

To the villagers that had been emaciated for weeks, this journey was arduous, excruciating. If not for the feast they received last night, they wouldn’t have had enough energy to travel this far.

Their desire to survive kept pushing them forward.

Hours passed quickly and by dusk, they had reached the main road. It was surrounded by trees in all directions, but with the distance, it should be safe to consume the rations without attracting the monsters. Lark ordered the guards and 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 small area compared to the rest of the forest, but some precaution was better than none.

After making sure the area was safe, he healed more of Anandra’s injuries. By now, the stench of decay had dissipated. His breathing had normalized and the skin that had peeled off was starting to regenerate. Lark avoided using too much mana on the treatment since there was still the risk of the caravan being attacked by the basilisks.

After everyone had been fed, Lark instructed the guards to take turns keeping watch. Two hours passed and, to everyone’s dismay, he once again ordered them to move out. Still, no one openly complained; they knew it was for their safety.

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

Lark was really glad the female basilisk had not given chase. They had 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 his eyebrows. “You can read?”

Including Melody and Silver Claw, this old man was the third person he had met who knew how to read.

The elder scratched his beard. “Just a little. This old man has lived for over seventy years. I visited numerous cities in my youth. I was a daring young man back then, you see.” He chuckled. “Learned a few things here and there, and reading’s one of them.”

Perfect, thought Lark. The hunters are really good with bows, and this old man knows how to read. They’ll be great additions to the town.

Lark suppressed his excitement. “Gaston’s my butler. Show that to him and he’ll understand. 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 nodded. “I see. We’re just grateful 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 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. The symbols engraved on it were unknown to him.

“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 to bring it with him was simple.

“Understood.”

The stone tablet was imbued with Lark’s mana. With it, the Guardians he had created would not attack them upon entering the town. It was a small precaution to avoid an accident. 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 had been made, the two groups parted ways on the plains. One headed toward Blackstone Town, the other toward Lion City.