After applying fifteen Least healing potions, Wolf treated his wounds. Then, he faced a choice. He could mend his uniform or make his sword whole. Unfortunately, there was no way for him to really fix the silver-hilted blade. It was an enchanted weapon. Even if Wolf gathered all the shards and made it whole once more it would just be the outward appearance.

The blade was too thin. While this allowed for a greater cutting power, in the end this sharp design coupled with replica’s inferior materials revealed its fatal flaw.

Even if I enchant it properly, this sword won’t do when fighting Ninth Order Monster Beasts without an Internal Energy enhancement. Eventually it will break. Thinking that, Wolf restored the weapon instead of his clothes.

It’s like a corpse. The youth shuddered, then stored the sword into his Ring of Holding, resolute never to use it again. Even if it was a hollow shell, it was still his first sword, the one he got while adventuring with his father, and Wolf believed he should keep it as a memento.

Having resolved the imminent crisis, Wolf thought long term. He faced a pressing problem. He had no clue where to find a replacement sword. I can’t forge one, and I don’t know whether there are any high-quality weapons up for sale.

He lacked information. The only place he knew that could have items of the level he needed was the Artificers’ Guild. But even that was uncertain.

Healing, gathering the weapon shards and fixing the sword took an hour. Taking a moment to confirm he’d handled everything, Wolf changed his clothes then left. He madly dashed through the forest, skipping gnarled roots and following the trail of broken twigs and trampled grass. After two hours of running, Wolf caught up with his friends.

The Endurance’s effect faded, and they now panted while stumbling forward. Their speed had halved. Otherwise Wolf would’ve needed another hour to catch up.

Seeing the gang drenched in sweat and stumbling forward Wolf called out to them.

“Hey, guys, you look worse than I do.” Wolf had enough energy to chuckle as he leisurely jogged next to Anna.

‘Wolf!’ That’s what Anna wanted to shout, but what came out of her mouth was a muffled “Ugf”.

Wolf smiled, ignoring the grunt. He focused on Anna’s eyes, which sparkled with happiness and relief.

“I think we can slow down to a walking pace,” Wolf suggested. “Then, after a couple of minutes, you guys can sit down. I’d tell you to sit down right away, but I’m afraid you’d have a stroke or some kind of seizure. What do you think?”

While Wolf spewed nonsense, Anna finally noticed that he had replaced his uniform with an adventuring getup.

“Take off your shirt,” she mumbled barely intelligibly while gasping for air.

“We’re in public,” Wolf tried to joke, but Anna almost broke into tears.

Fine. Wolf lifted his shirt, grimacing awkwardly. He exposed his slender torso for everyone to see. Four strips of fresh tender skin, as wide as a thumb, revealed the seriousness of his wounds. Anna also saw caked blood on his chin, meaning Wolf had spewed blood at least once.

In her shock, the young lady tripped. Luckily, a pair of reliable arms, as strong as the world itself, caught her. Wolf helped Anna walk with a loving expression, while the woman had gone from pale to deathly white.

“I’m fine. Really,” Wolf assured her loudly enough for everyone to hear. “I’ve healed up before running after you. Don’t worry. That Pureflame Salamander won’t chase after us any longer. You just have to walk a bit, then we can take a break. After you all recover for a couple of hours, we’ll discuss our next steps.”

The party finally slowed down. Wolf telling them they could walk was an immense relief. The young Mages still tottered on the verge of collapsing, but they did it at a safer pace now.

“Those two bastards can’t fly above the treetops,” Wolf said. “Something would eat them if they did. Their flying speed is fast compared to people on land, but they can’t escape flying Monster Beasts. If they have to fly around trees and avoid branches, they aren’t much faster than us. And once Greater Flight ends, they will have to walk.”

Wolf considered this while catching up with everyone. He still didn’t want to let go of Tommy and had to take back those Salamander eggs.

“We don’t know where they went. But they have to get to their carriage, unless those fat-assess plan to walk back home.”

Wolf tried to sound motivational and funny, but all he got to hear in response was wheezing and dry heaving.

“Oh, come on guys,” he said, finally unable to endure the pathetic display. “This is just a tad of running. I think I went on my first forced march back when I was three or four. Just running a couple of hours should be nothing at our age.”

“We are Mages,” Barbara growled, trying to shout. “The most taxing thing… we’re expected to do… is move books!”

“Um, mate, not everyone is a freak like you, going around, talking a Seventh Order Monster Beast into committing suicide. Just about everything about you is abnormal.” Wayde agreed with Barbara, albeit with considerably less panting.

“I think you just don’t get enough exercise,” Wolf said, disregarding the protests. “How about we do daily runs with weights once we get back to the academy? Running with extra weight is good for your stamina.”

“We’re girls!” Anna whined, while Barbara was much more direct.

“I’ll smother you… if I ever catch you sleeping,” she said between deep breaths while concentrating on not tripping.

Fortunately, everyone slowly recovered. After several minutes of walking, Wolf finally told them they could stop. The four dropped to the ground, gasping for air. They lay on their backs, their arms spread. Their eyes were closed, and they focused on breathing.

“You do realize that you survived being chased by a furious Ninth Order Monster Beast and that the biggest problem you’re facing is that you’re out of breath?” Wolf asked. “Tell me, how much bragging material do you think you have there?”

“If I mention this to Daddy, I’m going to get a beating,” Barbara said after taking a moment to understand what Wolf was saying.

Matilda nodded. “Papa would ground me ’til I turn fifty. I’d ground myself too if I was him. In fact, I want to ground you.”

“All right, all right,” Wolf said and waved his hands in defeat. “I see you can breathe now. Rest for a bit, then drink water, maybe eat some dry rations. We’ll discuss our plan while on the move. Our priority is to find some place where we can wash this stink bomb off of us.”

Barbara’s and Matilda’s comments amused Wolf. He asked himself what would Archibald do, if he’d heard about the Pureflame.

Probably toss me at the Salamander, saying something like ‘Gotta do it eventually, so might as well start now.’ Wolf thought with a fond smile.

“Why are you grinning?” Anna asked, but he just waved his hand.

“I just remembered something,” Wolf said, recalling the warm memories of his father taking him out for their grand adventure.

These tiny missions he and his friends took were hardly any different from a stroll in comparison. The journey of his childhood was an epic, spanning two empires and the Beast-lands. Some of his memories were fuzzy, especially the earliest ones, but they still filled Wolf’s heart with joy. The only thing he really got wrong was believing his father laughed jovially as his son engaged in slaughter and challenges.

In reality, Archibald was a man pressed for time. He wanted his son to survive and thrive in this cruel world. If possible, he would’ve sheltered Wolf more than Marquess Thonburi doted on his daughter.

After resting for an hour and a half, the company of five started moving again. They walked briskly, heading towards the pond they had passed a couple of days prior. There they could rid themselves of Tommy’s putrid gift.

On the bright side, at least he hadn’t used a Monster Beast attractant.

“That pond shouldn’t be too far away now.” Wolf encouraged his friends to press on. They may have rested a bit, but their frantic escape took a great toll on their bodies.

“So, what should we do about those two?” he asked, changing the subject. “I think we should just kill them. We may end up failing the mission, but who cares? We can give an account that we followed them into the heart of Mirkwood, which is true. After that their stupidity and greed killed them, but only after we completed our mission, which is also true. What do you think?”

Wolf spoke cheerfully, not bothering to hide his desire to kill the Alchemists.

“Wolf! You can’t kill them!” Matilda was the first to speak up, but Wolf didn’t let her finish.

“Sure I can,” Wolf exclaimed. “On paper they are Sixth Order Mages, but it’s obvious their combat ability is crap. I don’t think they stand a chance.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Matilda shot Wolf a dark look. “You probably have the ability to kill them. But if someone comes to investigate, they will find out what you did and then you would become an outlaw. Those two come from Highseat, and based on how they acted they have a strong background. So, no you can’t just kill them. They aren’t roadside bandits you can casually wipe out in passing.”

“Fine,” Wolf grumbled unhappily.

If he revealed his True-Namer status, he had enough evidence to execute those two on the spot. Their crime being plotting to kill a higher tier noble. As long as someone’s aristocratic titles was lower than his, attempt of murder was a capital offense.

“Can I give them a beating?” Wolf asked after a moment.

He’d already read through the Imperial law, but Matilda and others were certainly better versed in it than he was.

“I wouldn’t advise it.” Wayde smiled mirthlessly.

“But, even if there is a punishment for that, it should be considerably lighter than for murder,” Barbara chirped in, not wanting to let those two old sleazes off lightly. “Especially considering them trying to kill us.”

Matilda hesitated for a moment, but nodded. What Barbara and Wayde said was true.

Matilda might be able to sue these two, but she wasn’t the Marquess, nor the heir. Even her father, lord Thonburi, wouldn’t pursue this matter, aside from seeking some minor benefits. Barbara’s and Anna’s parents wouldn’t even dare ask for compensation, especially when the girls are safe and sound.

Wolf grumbled, but said nothing. Instead, he led the way towards that pond. After several minutes he moved some shrubs and pointed towards the small body of water.

“Here’s the pond,” he said. “Girls go first. Remember to wash your clothes as well, or use spare outfits.”

Four people gave Wolf dubious looks. Who in their right mind would put on smelly clothes after taking a bath? A moment later they guessed who had made that mistake at least once.

Seeing the weird looks, Wolf cleared his throat.

“I’ll change my clothes there,” he mumbled and walked into a bush. He had put on clean clothes onto his stinky body.

Once everyone got rid of the putrid powder, the group continued their journey. Exploring the depths of the danger zone took a dozen days, while leaving Mirkwood took only two. The party followed the path they had previously made, and Wolf didn’t allow them to take any breaks, fearing the two Alchemists would escape.

Unsurprisingly, they spotted no trace of Alfred and Tommy. The already explored path was the one Mage Academy students were bound to take, so the two Alchemists avoided it.

Finally, after an arduous trek, Wolf and the gang walked out of the dark forest.

“We’re out! What now?” Barbara asked excitedly.

She'd had enough adventuring for a long while, and there was still the return trip to Silver city.

“I’ll open a folded space for you to rest up in,” Wolf said. “Then, I’ll monitor the Alchemists’ carriage. They have to get back there, eventually.”

Wolf already had a plan. Two days of forced march left his friends exhausted, and they needed to sleep. He, however, wasn’t even fatigued.

“Just make sure not to kill them, or their servants. Murder is still a crime within the borders of the Empire,” Matilda warned in a not-so-subtle manner.

“Yes, yes, I know. We already discussed this,” Wolf said, rolling his eyes. “Let’s find a place near the Alchemists’ camp to make the folded space. Remember that someone has to be on guard, because I’ll have to leave the door open…”

Wolf whispered contingencies and various unlikely scenarios while searching for a good place for the folded space. Finally, he took the hint and left without covering all next to impossible scenarios.

Everyone kept on yawning and looking at him with barely open eyes. Even Wolf could tell a blanket was more desirable than he was at the moment.