It didn’t take long for Arthur to check the situation inside the cave and his expression was rather peculiar.
“My lord, there’s nothing dangerous inside the cave, but we have a little problem,” Arthur muttered with a troubled look.
Hearing this, Alaric raised an eyebrow. “What did you see in there?”
“I think it would be better for you to see it yourself, my lord.”
Alaric furrowed his eyebrows.
Just what did he see in there for him to be so hesitant to speak of it?
“Alright.”
Alaric gave a hand signal to the remaining warriors as he urged his horse to move towards the cave.
Although Arthur said that the cave was safe, Alaric didn’t let down his guard. His dominant hand was resting on the hilt of his sword.
Upon reaching the mouth of the cave, Alaric smelled the distinct scent of animal animal urine. It was faint, but it didn’t escape his enhanced sense of smell.
A territorial mark?
Most wild animals and monsters mark their territories by spraying their urine on specific areas. This was to delineate the boundaries of their territory and to communicate their presence to other creatures.
“Hold on tight, Yvanna,” Alaric whispered.
The elf reacted to his words by tightening her grip on his waist.
“Please excuse my rudeness,” Alaric muttered as he grabbed her legs.
The elf jolted in shock at the unexpected touch.
Before she could say anything, he slowly lifted her and delicately got down the horse to make sure that he was careful enough not to aggravate her wounds.
Ah… So he just did it to bring me down from the horse.
“You can release me now, Yvanna.” Alaric’s voice resonated in her ears.
“Ah, yes!” The elf loosened her grip with a flustered look.
Alaric removed the rope he had tied earlier and turned to look at her. “Can you walk on your own?”
Although he couldn’t see her complexion right now because of the mud that he had smeared on her face, he could tell that her face looked paler at this moment.
Yvanna didn’t dare look at him. “Y-Yes. It should be fine.”
Alaric knew that she was just acting tough, but he didn’t expose her. “You don’t need to push yourself. Just hold on to me if you feel like you’re about to collapse.”
Elves are truly prideful.
It must have been a really difficult decision for her to trust a human that she just met.
“Mn.” She hummed in response.
Alaric was in no hurry to check what was inside the cave. He walked slowly to match the elf’s pace.
The warriors were aware of her condition so they also considerately slowed down their pace.
As soon as they entered the cave, the smell of ammonia became thicker. Even the normal warriors were able to detect the scent.
It was then that the distinct cries of an animal drifted into their ears, but it didn’t end there. They heard more sounds which made them realize that there wasn’t just one creature.
This sound… It’s a cub! And there’s more than one!
Alaric finally understood the meaning behind Arthur’s words.
The former mercenary, Rigor, approached and whispered to his ears.
“My lord, there are cubs inside this cave. I think this is a dwelling of a monster or a wild animal. It might get troublesome if the parents of the cubs are nearby.”
“Let’s take a look at what kind of creature they are first before making a decision.” Finding another cave in this kind of weather would be troublesome.
Arthur must have thought of this as well so he left the final decision to me.
“Alright.” Rigor nodded.
A moment later, the group finally arrived at the den where the cubs were hidden.
“Saber-fanged Wolves?” Alaric’s eyes widened upon seeing the white cubs rolling over their den.
These creatures usually lived in the cold regions of the north and the one feature that stood out from them was their fangs that looked like sharpened sabers.
From birth, they were already classified as Fatal-grade because of their high affinity with mana. When they reach adulthood, they start to develop the ability to manipulate ice, making them even more fearsome monsters.
Ordinary Knights would be helpless against them. Even Elite Knights would have to group up when they meet an adult Saber-fanged Wolf. That was also the reason why they were classified as Disaster-grade monsters upon reaching maturity!
“Alaric, we need to get out of this place as quickly as possible!” Charles couldn’t stay still anymore when he identified the wolf cubs.
The warriors were similarly nervous, but they patiently waited for Alaric to make the final decision.
“Hold on, Uncle.” Alaric raised his hand, indicating for him to wait.
He beckoned to Henry and told the old man to watch over Yvanna. “Please keep an eye on her for me, Sir Henry.”
The old man nodded. “Yes, my lord.”
Alaric approached the wolf cubs while observing them.
They look thin and almost malnourished. Their fur is also very dirty.
From these small details, Alaric was 60% certain that their parents must have left for a while, but this made him confused.
From his knowledge, Saber-fanged Wolves were very caring towards their cubs and they didn’t leave them alone for a long time.
Based on this, he came up with a possibility.
Their parents must have died outside or probably had an accident.
Thinking about this, Alaric took out a meat jerky from his leather pouch.
The smell of the jerky made the cubs turn in his direction. Although slightly wary of the stranger, they still approached him because of the smell of food.
As if to show their excitement, the cubs raised their tiny heads and howled.
Awoo! Awoo!
Their cute howling sounds echoed within the cave, giving the warriors quite the scare.
Charles in particular had an ashen look. If it weren’t for the presence of the other warriors, he would have already left the cave.
Is that bastard planning to lure the big wolves here?!