Chapter 89: Chapter 88: The Wolves Are Coming, Suffering from Injustice

The tavern in Nomu Village.

As the only decent public place in the village, at this critical juncture with the wolf pack circling, it had become the unspoken gathering spot for the villagers.

Ever since the first day Basque gathered the village Hunters to head into the mountains and search for the wolf pack, the women and children had been living here together to avoid being picked off by the wolves if they were alone.

Now, the Hunters who had gone into the mountains had all returned, every one of them with a worried expression.

As the group with the most authority in the village at the moment, their low spirits naturally spread a sense of unease among the women and children in the tavern, and the sounds of suppressed sobs and whispers quietly filled the air.

But no one was paying them any mind right now. The Hunters and guards were gathered together, discussing the village’s future.

"Captain Basque, what do we do now?"

A one-eyed old Hunter took a drag from a hand-rolled cigarette, his face etched with worry.

"The village chief isn’t here. We want to go to the neighboring villages for help, but there’s no way..."

Another, shorter Hunter clearly disagreed with the old Hunter’s words.

"What’s the use of asking other villages for help? Didn’t you see? Those beasts have made their den on that mountain ridge!"

He scanned the crowd, his tone firm and certain.

"If you ask me, we need to get Adventurers! Or have the Viscount send a squad of armored guards with crossbows!"

As the short Hunter finished speaking, the others all sighed.

’It wasn’t as if they didn’t understand this simple logic.’

’But given Nomu Village’s current situation, hiring Adventurers was clearly a significant expense. Even if every household pitched in, it would be difficult to afford.’

’And getting the Viscount’s personal guards to come to a remote little village like this to deal with wolves, during a blizzard no less?’

’That was just wishful thinking...’

Finally, the guard captain, Basque, who had been listening quietly to the Hunters’ discussion, made the final decision.

"Enough of this useless chatter. I, Old Basque, still have some pull in Birch Town. I can’t guarantee a Knight, but I can probably get a few of the Viscount’s personal guards to come help."

"Old Batty and Baldy Alan have already gone to Birch Town to post a request and to find the village chief to explain the situation."

Then, the sallow-faced man stood up, slammed his hand on the table, and scanned the crowd.

"Until they get back, we must defend this village!"

"From now on, all men who aren’t Hunters will join the patrol team to protect the village from wolf attacks!"

"I’ve already spoken with Old Sutton. He’s going to rush an order of caltrops and Thorny Fences. Your job is to use the village’s existing buildings to set these up around the perimeter, control the routes the wolves can use to enter, and Uriel will lead you in this."

As he spoke, the perceptive, powerfully built guard under Basque stood up and solemnly pounded his chest.

"Yes, boss!"

The powerfully built guard then turned to the village loafers, a savage grin spreading across his face.

"Listen up, none of you are getting out of this! If anyone dares to slack off or try to get clever, you won’t have to wait for the wolves. I’ll skin you alive myself!"

The loafers who fell under Uriel’s gaze clearly cowered.

’They had no qualms about bullying the meek, but to go up against the man who was once the village’s biggest ruffian? They really didn’t have the guts for that...’

Basque paid no mind to his subordinate’s threats toward the villagers, instead turning to the Hunters seated around the circular table.

"As for you, your job is to take turns going into the mountains in small teams to monitor the pack’s movements and set traps. We’re not trying to kill a large number of them, but we need to delay their expansion as much as possible. It would be best if you could lead a portion of them in another direction."

"It’s true we’re the closest village to this wolf pack, but the threat they pose can’t be shouldered by Nomu Village alone."

The old soldier said these words—meant to drag others into their mess—without a hint of guilt.

But after hearing this, the crowd was surprisingly even more convinced.

’Captain Basque is right! That’s how it should be!’

’How could they be expected to face such a severe crisis all by themselves?’

The Hunters all responded in agreement, with no one voicing any objection.

’There was no getting out of a duty like this. Even if they had thoughts of backing down, they couldn’t show it in front of everyone.’

’Just as Uriel had said earlier, at a critical time like this, if anyone tried to run, they wouldn’t have to wait for the wolves—the other villagers would probably kill them first!’

Seeing his plans proceeding smoothly, Basque nodded in satisfaction and casually patted the young guard sitting on his other side.

"Alek, you’ll be in charge of the supplies for the Hunters."

The young man, who still had fuzz on his upper lip, clearly hadn’t expected to be given such a "heavy responsibility" and jumped to his feet.

"Ah! Yes, sir!"

His green appearance naturally drew laughter from the crowd, and the gloomy atmosphere in the tavern lessened slightly.

But just as everyone was beginning to move, one of the loafers hesitantly raised his hand.

"I say, Captain Basque... what about that Calam..."

Before the man could get the next word out, the tall, brawny, and fierce-looking Uriel let out a low "Hmm—?" and raised his eyebrows!

Seeing this, the man quickly corrected himself.

"I... I mean Jon! Jon!"

"Captain, didn’t you say he was the first to discover the wolves’ tracks? He should be part of this operation too!"

"It’s not right for him to be hiding away while everyone else is working!"

At these words, the others who had started to move also slowed down.

’Although nobody liked that "Calamity Star" on a normal day, at a time like this when everyone had a job to do, Jon alone got to do nothing. What was that about?’

’Besides, the kid was able to hunt a wolf and bring it back, so he must be pretty capable, right?’

’If that’s the case, shouldn’t he go into the mountains too and help share the Hunters’ burden?’

Basque watched the man quietly, his expression unreadable, and did not answer immediately.

’He knew this was a sensitive issue. One wrong answer could affect everyone’s morale, including the Hunters, and cast doubt on how much of his plan would actually be carried out.’

’Therefore, he couldn’t answer too harshly and lose the people’s trust, nor could he appear too weak and risk undermining his authority.’

So Basque simply stared at the man until beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Only then did he look away and speak lightly.

"Jon was injured when he killed that wolf he brought back. That, combined with the merit of his warning, is why I told him to rest for a few days. As for whether he can participate in this operation, that will depend on the extent of his recovery."

"I can’t very well force an injured man to face a pack of wolves."

With that, he turned his head toward two men cowering on the other side of the tavern, their own injuries not yet fully healed.

"Hotte, Harlow, you two are with me! We’re grabbing some things to go see Jon, and you’re going to apologize to him!"

"The rest of you, stop wasting time! Get moving!"

The crowd voiced their assent.

What Basque said was reasonable and didn’t favor anyone, so no one could really object.

However, the villagers still had their own calculations in mind. They would just have to see how things developed.

This was inevitable.

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