A vagrant, huh?
Charles raised his eyebrows as he stared at the figure who was almost covered from head to foot.
Only her eyes and a small portion of her face were visible.
I can sense mana from that woman’s body. Is he hiding something?
Charles’s lips curved upwards as he stood up. He then approached Alaric and reminded him with a stern gaze.
“My nephew, you should prioritize our task. Bringing that woman would only delay us. Besides, we don’t know what kind of person she is. What if she is a thief or a criminal?”
His voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough for everyone to hear.
Alaric glanced indifferently at him and responded. “I understand your concern, Uncle. I will take full responsibility for her actions and I will make sure that our trip won’t be delayed. You can rest assured.”
Charles stared deeply at him and shrugged his shoulders.
“Alright. I won’t say anything more. Just keep an eye on her.”
Alaric nodded without saying anything.
Seeing that he had no intention to chat, Charles awkwardly tapped Alaric’s shoulder and went to a spot closer to the bonfire.
There is definitely something about that woman.
I don’t think my dear nephew would take in some random stranger, but what is special about her?
Charles thoughtfully watched as Alaric brought the woman closer to the bonfire.
Unlike Charles, the warriors and the Knights showed no interest in the vagrant woman. They were common outside of Vale and some would even find their way to North Pine Town.
After casting curious glances at her, they quickly lost interest. They trusted Alaric’s decision so no one questioned him or expressed any disagreement.
After laying her down near the fire, Alaric beckoned to his cousin, Josephus.
Josephus was a bit surprised by his sudden call, but he immediately came to his side and asked. “What can I do for you, my lord?”
“Form a small team to hunt a big game. Make sure that it’s big enough for everyone.” Alaric instructed.
Hearing this, Josephus nodded his head. “Yes, my lord.”
“You may leave.”
Josephus turned around and left. Although it was just a minor hunting task, he was happy that he finally had something to do.
While his cousin was hunting their next meal, Alaric busied himself with making a nutritious medicinal extract for the wounded elf.
He learned the concoction method from his superior who was a Transcendent Knight.
When he recalled that grumpy old man, his lips curved upwards.
I wonder what you are doing right now, Marquis Tyrone Agalsitar.
Just like Lucas, Tyrone was also an expert in the Astanian Dragon Leaderboard. Despite his advanced age, no warrior dared to underestimate him.
At this moment, the injured elf opened her heavy eyelids and found herself in an unfamiliar environment surrounded by humans.
More humans?!
Her eyes dilated as she felt a surge of anxiety.
“Just stay down and relax. I didn’t tell anyone about your identity so you will be safe for the time being.” A familiar voice drifted into her ears.
It’s him!
She turned with difficulty and it was then that she found out that her head was wrapped in a cloth. Furthermore, she also felt a weird sensation on her face, as if something was smeared on it.
Looking at her uncomfortable expression, Alaric muttered. “Just bear with it. I need to hide your features so I covered your face in mud and wrapped your head with a cloth. Don’t move around too much if you don’t want your ears to be exposed.”
The elf didn’t say anything and just lightly nodded her head.
“Those people are my subordinates, but not all of them are loyal to me so you need to be careful not to expose your identity.” Alaric reminded in a stern voice.
“Thank you…” A weak voice came out of her mouth.
Alaric nodded and moved closer to her. In his hand was a bowl filled with the medicinal extract he had concocted earlier. “You need to drink this. It can help you increase your vitality.”
The elf glanced suspiciously at the foul-smelling liquid inside the bowl.
This is medicine? It’s not poison, right?
Alaric saw through the disgust in her eyes.
That was the same expression he showed when he first tasted this medicinal extract.
“If you want to recover quickly, then you better drink this. Now open your mouth and don’t make this difficult for me.”
Alaric grabbed a wooden spoon and dipped it into the medicinal liquid.
After taking a spoonful of the liquid, he brought it to her lips.
The revolting smell made her flinch, but under Alaric’s cold, watchful eyes, she could only reluctantly open her mouth.
Gulp.
She held her breath as she swallowed down the so-called medicine.
It was bitter and even a bit spicy- a taste that almost made her throw up.
Alaric helped her sit up to make her more comfortable. “You need to drink all of this. Don’t even think of spitting a single drop.”
“Mn.” She hummed in response.
A moment later, Josephus’s small hunting group finally returned with a huge wild boar.
“Good, job!” Alaric praised him, making the latter smile in embarrassment.
Alaric then asked someone to make a soup using the wild boar’s meat.
Surprisingly, Arthur volunteered for the task, but it was a tough job for one man so Alaric asked for two more volunteers to help him in skinning the boar.
The skinning and the cooking process took more than a few hours, but everyone patiently waited. Who wouldn’t want a hot soup in this kind of freezing weather?
Soon, the hot boar meat soup was finally served.
“Hey! This is your share. Eat it while it’s still hot.” Alaric handed a bowl of the boar meat soup to the elf.
The elf took the bowl and muttered.
“It’s Yvanna, not ‘hey’.”
“Hm? What did you say?” Alaric glanced at her in surprise, pretending like he didn’t hear her.
The elf ignored him and blew air into the soup to make it less hot.
Alaric chuckled and watched her quietly.
Yvanna… That’s not a bad name.