Claude didn't know why the magus and the big black wolf were hiding in the forest, but he could clearly see the hostility and wariness in the magus' eyes.
Even though he managed to subdue the magus effortlessly, he didn't have any intention of delving deeper into the matter. He had to get to the bottom of it.
Claude, who had transmigrated to this world, still retained the basic morals of his past life, which was to respect the privacy of others.
Since the magus wasn't willing to communicate with him, he wouldn't force her to leave behind the food he brought with him. He only wanted to help the magus without asking for anything in return.
He understood how difficult it was to live alone in the forest without interacting with the outside world. What he saw in the shack was proof enough.
He turned around and saw that the magus had already untied the ropes binding the big black wolf. The two of them were staring at him blankly.
Claude smiled and waved at the magus before leaving amidst the wolf's howl.
Perhaps he could ask the village elder about the magus' origins. The villagers of Squirrel Village hid the fact that the magus was hiding in the forest, so they should know something about it.
Now that he had seen the magus and the big black wolf, the village elder wouldn't hide anything from him anymore.
Claude headed straight for Squirrel Village instead of taking the same path he came from.
In fact, from this direction, they only needed to climb over a small mountain ridge and two mounds to reach the hillside with a small forest behind Squirrel Village. If they followed a small path down the hillside, they would reach Squirrel Village. They were halfway there.
It was around nine at night when he reached Squirrel Village. Looking at the dilapidated houses and shacks in the dark, he figured that the villagers were already asleep.
He planned to have a chat with the village elder the next day before heading back to camp to get some food.
After making something in the kitchen on the first floor, he went upstairs.
The moment he went upstairs, his expression darkened. All the furniture in his bedroom was placed in the hallway. Mazik was still standing in the empty room with a frown. "Where in the world did he hide it?"
"What are you doing?"
That bastard is a little too bold. He actually emptied the entire room just to look for the two bottles of good wine I hid. It seems I have to teach him a lesson.
"Ugh …" Mazik froze for a moment before noticing that Claude was standing in front of him with a dark expression. He hurriedly snapped to attention. "Sir, the rainy season is coming and I was worried that your room would be too stuffy. So, while you were out today, I moved all the furniture out to ventilate the room and spread some insect repellent powder to prevent mold from forming."
"So you're saying that I should thank you?"
This bastard, he was obviously looking for the two bottles of good wine that he had hidden, but he had to make such an honorable excuse. It was obvious that he had thought of an excuse before coming to his room to make a move.
"You're welcome. It's a subordinate's duty to serve his superior." Ma Keqi, this bastard, was still trying to climb up the pole.
"Haha, Ma Keqi, you bastard!"
Claude laughed in exasperation and poked him in the chest. "You and I both know what you're trying to do.
But your excuse is great and I can't punish you.
Now, I'll give you ten minutes to restore my room to its original state.
Let me tell you something. I had Myjack and Gum go to battalion HQ this morning and have them buy some more wine in town.
If someone makes me unhappy, I don't mind banning him from drinking during the rainy season so that he won't be able to drink a single drop of alcohol … "
"Understood, Sir. Don't worry, I'll restore your room to its original state right away."
Ma Keqi immediately ran downstairs, and then with a loud voice, he ordered the two signalmen who lived in the storeroom to immediately go upstairs and help him move the furniture.
He knew that he wouldn't be able to move the heavy furniture back to its original state within ten minutes.
Perhaps I've been too lenient with this bastard … Claude was still reflecting on his actions even as he lay on his bed. However, Mazik was a sergeant major and the jarl of his platoon.
Apart from the platoon, there were only two cannon crews, ten soldiers, a signalman, Myjack, and Gum who were directly under Claude's command.
Mazik was the second-in-command of the camp and Claude really couldn't do anything to him. Especially when it came to official matters, Mazik was someone Claude couldn't find fault with. He also respected Claude a lot.
After thinking about it for a long time, he realized that he really couldn't deal with the veteran. After all, the bastard only wanted to steal two bottles of Claude's wine collection because of his alcohol addiction. That would only make him a laughingstock in public.
"Forget it, this bastard. I'll deal with him when I get the chance."
Since he couldn't think of anything, he decided not to think about it at all. Claude was also tired from the long day of climbing and quickly fell asleep while hugging his pillow.
The next day, Claude woke up and went to the old wooden house of the village elder.
In the entire village, the village elder's house was the only one that didn't look like a shack. Even so, it was still rather old.
The village elder and his wife were at home and were collecting firewood in the yard.
The twenty-day-long rainy season was about to arrive and firewood was an important reserve. If they lacked fuel during the rainy season, they would have to eat raw food.
Claude sat down on a broken wooden stump and got straight to the point. "I went up the mountain yesterday and saw the big black wolf and the —"
The firewood in the village elder and his wife's arms fell to the ground and interrupted Claude's words.
The two of them stared at Claude in awe, dumbfounded.
"Wait, why are you two looking at me like that?" Claude asked curiously.
The village head glanced at his wife, and the old woman understood tacitly. She hurriedly ran to the entrance of the courtyard to see if anyone was eavesdropping. Then, she nervously closed the broken wooden door.
"Sir, did you really go up the mountain and see the witch?" the old man asked in a hushed voice.
Claude almost didn't hear what he was saying.
"Sir, you sure are brave. That witch looked so scary and you weren't afraid at all?" the old woman asked.
Claude suddenly recalled the ugly mask hanging on the wall of the broken shack the magus lived in. Perhaps the villagers didn't know that the witch they were talking about was the magus.
"She's a witch?
I didn't think too much about it. I just thought she was an old, ugly, crazy woman. But it's true that she had a big black wolf by her side.
I spoke a few words with her and asked her where Squirrel Village was, for I had lost my way in the mountains. It was already getting dark, and I happened to run into her.
She didn't say anything and only pointed in the direction of the village. Then, I came back. "
Claude purposely played along with their conversation and casually explained how he met the so-called witch.
"Wow, you're so lucky, Sir. You just happened to run into the witch when she was sober and nothing bad happened," the old woman exclaimed.
"Sober?
What do you mean? Are you saying that she's crazy? "Claude asked.
"She's not crazy. She can turn into a big black bear.
She'll get really violent in her bear form. If we run into her, who knows what terrible things might happen, "the village elder said confidently.
Turning into a big black bear was nothing more than the magus wearing a bear pelt. It was enough to scare the ignorant villagers.
"I'm telling the truth …" The village elder saw the disbelief on Claude's face and hurriedly gave him an example. "Back then, our lord brought some people out to hunt in the mountains. His servants were attacked by a black bear that was transformed from a witch. Three of them died and one was injured. The lord was so frightened that he ran back with his friends in the middle of the night. He didn't go hunting in the mountains for the next few years.
"I saw the three servants' corpses with my own eyes. They were covered in wounds caused by the bear's claws.
The lord forced us to collect the corpses. Fortunately, we didn't run into the witch. "
Something doesn't seem right. Claude thought about the age of the magus and felt that she should have been a child a few years ago. There's no way she could deal with those strong servants.
"How many years has it been since you heard about this witch?" Claude asked.
"About that?"
The village elder gave it some thought and said, "It should be around 20 years. She even saved my life once.
I was still young then, only in my thirties. The lord's butler came to the village to ask for violet sun grass, so we had no choice but to look for it in the mountains.
"I stayed in the mountains for four to five days and finally found it on a cliff. However, I accidentally rolled down the cliff and before I fainted, I saw a big black bear pouncing at me.
"I thought I was dead for sure, but when I woke up, I found myself lying under a tree. My wounds were all bandaged and I even had some medicine applied on me. I felt really refreshed.
"Most of the things around me were still there. The violet sun grass was fine, but some salt and two wheat biscuits were taken away.
"She even left some words on the ground, telling us to trade salt and food with her when we get sick.
"Sir, the green ointment was actually obtained from the witch. It's not that we didn't want to sell you the recipe, but we didn't know about it.
"The green ointment isn't for external injuries. The witch had a black ointment that's very effective for external injuries, but she said that she ran out of black ointment in the past two years. She only has the green ointment for colds and fevers."
The village elder's words revealed many clues and allowed Claude to confirm that the witch he spoke of wasn't the same person as the magus. She was probably the magus' elder, but for some reason, her elder wasn't around, leaving the magus to pretend to be her elder and survive alone with the big black wolf in the forest.
"The witch didn't harm any of your villagers, did she?" asked Claude.
"No, Sir.
The village elder said, "Everyone in the village knows that the Witch Forest behind the mountain ridge is her territory. We won't go near there.
First, it's too far away. Second, it's close to the mountains and there are many black bears there. Our villagers are active around there, cutting firewood and harvesting goods.
Also, the green ointment we got from the witch has become a specialty of our village. Even the merchants come here to trade with us. "
Claude nodded. "No wonder you guys told me not to go to the back of the mountain when I said I wanted to. So you're afraid I'll find out about this secret."
"Sir, please forgive us.
If you're from our village, we wouldn't be worried. Even if you run into the witch, you'll be fine.
But you're an outsider and the witch doesn't know about it. She might hurt you. That's what we're afraid of. "
"It's fine.
Claude smiled. "I won't disturb her peace, nor will I blame you for hiding the secret of the mountain witch.
I'll help you keep it a secret and won't tell anyone.
Come to think of it, I should thank her for showing me the way in the mountains. Otherwise, I might end up walking around in circles and not be able to find my way out.
Since she needs salt and food, I'll bring some to trade with her in two days. You won't blame me, right? "
"Ah, we won't, Sir," the village elder said, "In fact, we're all grateful to her. Her ointment allows us to trade with the merchants for daily necessities.
It's just that our village is too poor and we can't provide her with better food and necessities.
If you're willing to help us, we'll be eternally grateful. How could we blame you? "
"Alright, it's settled then.
I'll be taking my leave. Oh, Myjack and Gemma will be buying some resources and rye wine from the town in two days. If you need them, you can trade them for mountain goods. "With that said, Claude stood up and headed for the door.
"Ah, thank you so much for your care, Sir."
The village elder and the old woman thanked him profusely. Now that the lord was gone, the products the villagers harvested became their own income. It wasn't a bad idea to trade them with Claude's group. After all, they had to travel quite a distance to get to town. It would be no different from a long journey.