Night came. Everyone was busy preparing the food handed out by Lark and his men. Half a dozen large cauldrons were filled to the brim with soup and meat, each simmering over a low fire. Lark instructed his guards to take turns keeping watch. Although they had shored up the wooden wall enclosing the village, it could not stop the colossal serpent from entering.

“Thank you, Young Lord.” The village elder bowed his head. “With this, we’ll be able to save everyone.”

“It’s fine.” Lark waved a hand. “More importantly, there’s something I want to know.”

“As long as it’s within my capability, this old man shall answer the young lord.”

Around them, the group of hunters fed the villagers that were unable to move. It was amazing; the effect of being fed was almost instantaneous. After taking a sip of soup and a bite of meat, the villagers regained their strength and were able to move their limbs after just a few minutes.

“How did you do it?” said Lark. “How did you drive away the basilisk?”

When Lark had fought the basilisk, he consumed more than half his mana just to inflict fatal injuries. In the end, when the colossal serpent started fleeing, Lark had to choose not to pursue it. It would have been too dangerous. No one here appeared strong enough to fight such a monster.

“Ah.” The old man averted his gaze. “Anandra. He’s the one that fought the beast to a stalemate.” He looked at a cabin on the other side of the village. “He’s in that house. It’s been weeks since he lost consciousness. We’ve treated all his wounds but still he cannot wake up.”

Lark’s curiosity was piqued. “Can I see him?”

The elder hesitated for a moment. “It should be fine… but the wounds… the young master might not like what he will see.”

“It’s fine,” said Lark. “Lead me there.”

The two of them went to the cabin where the warrior was recuperating. Entering the room, Lark saw an elderly woman and one of the hunters. The two of them sat next to a man lying on the floor.

What’s his name again? Valak?

Lark’s gaze went from the elderly woman, to Valak, then to the injured warrior. He creased his brow upon seeing the man who had fought the basilisk. His body was wrapped in bandages. The nauseating scent of decay permeated the room. If not for the warrior’s slowly rising and falling chest, he could have been mistaken for a corpse.

“Ah, Young Master!” The elderly woman got on her feet. Valak, on the other hand, remained sitting. His expression said: what the hell is he doing here?

“He’s Anandra?” said Lark.

The village elder nodded. “Yes.”

I don’t have much mana remaining. This new body’s far too weak. My former self would have killed that basilisk in the blink of an eye. Now, it will be hard, but I need to apply my remaining magic to heal him. It would be such a waste to let a strong warrior die.

“Take off the bandages for me,” said Lark. He then turned to Valak. “And you, go tell one of my guards to bring the medicinal herbs from the carts.”

Valak did not budge. “What are you going to do? Anandra’s in a dangerous state. If we remove the bandages, his wounds will open and he’ll die.”

“He’s been bitten by the basilisk, right?” The villagers confirmed his guess. “It’s amazing he’s still alive, but if we don’t remove the poison, he’ll die soon. A day or two at most.”

Valak, the woman, and the elder looked at each other. Eventually, the elder spoke. “None of the herbalists were able to cure him. This might be our only chance to save Anandra.”

Valak bit his lip and stood. “Medicinal herbs from the cart, right? How much do you need?”

“Half a barrel. I’ve exhausted most of my magic. We’ll have to compensate with herbs.”

After Valak left, the elderly woman started carefully removing the bandages. Lark was stunned for a moment as the whole body was revealed. Calling him injured was an understatement. Lark could not believe the man was still alive.

Half of his body was rotting, corroded by the poison from the basilisk. Numerous pustules were scattered along his skin; several ribs protruded from his chest. The skin on his left thigh had come off entirely, revealing the muscles.

The elder left the room and vomited on the ground. The elderly woman closed her eyes in agony.

Despite the putrid stench filling the room, Lark remained unmoved. His mind filled with thoughts of how he could manage this dying warrior. With very little mana left, his main goal was only to ensure this warrior did not die within the next few days. At the very least, Lark wanted to give him enough time to recover without magic.

Just in time, Valak returned, carrying a barrel filled with herbs. “The guard told me that you plan on selling this to Lion City. Are you sure about this?”

“Stop with the pleasantries,” spat Lark. “Soak those herbs in water. Grind them using your hands. We’re running out of time.”

Valak and the elderly woman did as they were told. The village elder, on the other hand, simply stood next to the door. Lark could see he was trying his best not to vomit.

Lark breathed in.

Let’s do this.

He channeled mana into his fingers and pushed the man’s ribs back in place. Anandra flinched and a groan escaped his lips. Lark applied healing magic and forced the broken bones to reattach to each other.

Damn it. I’m almost out of mana.

“The herbs.”

Quickly, Valak handed him a basin filled with herbs and water. Lark poured the water slowly onto the wounds on Anandra’s body. The warrior groaned in pain, his body twitched for a moment, and his fingers curled into a fist.

“Is this really alright?” asked Valak, nervously.

“It’s fine,” said Lark. “I need more. Quick.”

After pouring the medicinal herbs onto the body, Lark could increase their effect by applying a little of his mana. If he had a full mana pool, the process would have been far swifter. But with the current circumstances, he had to consume the herbs as quickly as he could to compensate.

It was gradual, but results started showing little by little. The pustules on Anandra’s skin started to subside, and the parts corroded by the poison started regaining color. The repaired ribs remained in place.

Lark felt wobbly after using too much mana. Reaching the bottom of his mana pool, he had the urge to throw up, close his eyes, and sleep. Still, he fought off the urge. “We’ll repeat this tomorrow morning. I’ll be able to recover a little mana by then. For now, cover the body with bandages.”

The elderly woman moved quickly to bandage the injured warrior. Although he still looked like a corpse, his breathing had grown stable.

Valak stared at Lark.

“We don’t have much right now, but we’ll return this favor someday,” said Valak. He pulled out a dagger and handed it to Lark. The sheath was made of bronze, with spiral patterns engraved down the length. “Sell this at Lion City. It should earn you a fair bit of money. It’s supposed to be a twin dagger, but the other is with Artemas.”

“Valak! But that’s your family heirloom!” exclaimed the old woman.

“It’s fine.” Valak shook his head. “Anandra’s life is worth more than this. If he hadn’t stopped the serpent, we would all be dead by now.”

Lark stared at the dagger for a moment. It seemed old, with some scratches here and there. Although it was an heirloom, it probably wouldn’t sell for much even in Lion City.

“Keep it,” said Lark. “You might still need it once we try to leave the village. The journey to Blackstone Town will take several days by foot from here.”

By cart, it would take around one or two days to get to the town. But with this many villagers, they would have to travel by foot. And that was if they decided to leave their village and live in his domain. Lark would not pressure them; if they decided to stay here and die fighting, he would respect that.

“Think about it thoroughly. Give me your answer by tonight,” said Lark. “If you agree with my suggestion, we’ll depart once the sun rises.”

The elder said to Valak, “Son, what is this about?”

“Well…” Valak looked at Lark, then at the old man. After he shared his part of the story, the village elder approached Lark.

“We accept your offer,” said the village elder.

The sudden declaration took Lark by surprise. A small smile shone on his face. This old man was quite interesting.

“Are you sure you’re deciding just like that?” Lark chuckled.

The old man smiled. “Living this long has made me see things in a different light. The path you’re offering is the salvation of this village. What use would our village be if we were all dead? The people are the village.”

The old woman beside the elder nodded.

“Don’t worry about the kids,” said the elder. “I’ll take care of all the opposition. After all, it’s not like we have a better alternative. If what you’ve said is true and there is indeed a female basilisk out there, then quick decisions like this could save the lives of my fellow villagers.”

The old man seemed quite wise.

“I need to recover some of my mana, so I’ll have to sleep early,” Lark said to Valak. “But before that, I need to talk to you in private.”

Valak shot him a quizzical look. “What is it?”

“Come.”

With Lark leading the way, the two of them exited the cabin. Lark took him to a spot where they could be alone.

“That dagger,” said Lark. “You said it has a twin, right?”

“Yes. The other one’s with my brother.” His tone was grim. “We got separated in the forest, but I’m sure he’s still alive. He promised me he would return safely.”

Lark sighed. He paused then slowly took out a similar dagger. “Is it this one?”

Valak opened and closed his mouth without saying anything. A groan, reminding Lark of a pig being slaughtered, escaped his lips.

His knees shook and he fell to the ground.

“Where? Where did you get it?” he said, voice trembling. “Artemas, where is he? Did he give it to you? How is he?!”

“He’s dead,” said Lark, bluntly. “We found his body in the forest.” Valak swallowed and made a croaking sound. “I thought you seemed familiar, and I now understand why,” said Lark. “You’re twins, right? You look similar to the owner of this dagger.”

It took Lark some time to realize the similarities since the basilisk had mutilated the corpse of Valak’s twin. But after seeing the dagger, everything fell into place.

“You’re lying!” Valak shouted. “Damn you! Artemas is not dead! He promised me he would come back! That he would just lure the monster away!”

Several men came to where Lark and Valak were. They listened curiously.

“I don’t have time to comfort you for your loss,” said Lark. He tossed the dagger to Valak. “Here. Take it. I know the feeling of losing a loved one, but now’s not that time for that. Once you’re safely out of this forest, you can grieve and mourn all you want.”

Although cruel, this was reality. Lark knew if they were not careful, the basilisks would take several more lives. Things would have been a lot simpler if he had more mana in his arsenal, but with the current state of things, he had no choice but to evacuate these people to his town.

Lark turned to the spectators. “I’ve spoken with your village elder. We’ll leave at dawn. Prepare the carts and rations. Those that are capable will pull the carts. Bring only the necessities with you. Our priority is the life of the villagers.”

The villagers, under the fierce stare of Lark, were silent.

“Sleep,” said Lark. “Regain your strength. We depart tomorrow.” He turned and disappeared from their sight.