"Is that you?
Black Wind … "Claude rushed towards the big black wolf.
The big black wolf whimpered and crouched down, ready to attack. It was only when Claude took off his raincoat and revealed his face that he let down his guard.
Seeing that it was Claude, the big black wolf arched its back and leapt back into the forest.
However, it only took a few steps before it looked back at Claude and whimpered non-stop. Its two front paws dug into the mud anxiously.
"You want me to follow you?"
Claude's heart sank. It seemed that something had really happened to the magus. Otherwise, the big black wolf wouldn't have come looking for him in such a hurry.
"Lead the way," Claude said.
The big black wolf was truly intelligent. It seemed to understand Claude's words and turned around to run. As it ran, it looked back at Claude. It was clear that it wanted Claude to follow it up the mountain.
It wasn't too bad in the forest. Most of the rain was blocked by the leaves and branches, so the rain didn't feel too heavy and they could still see the scenery in front of them.
But when they got out of the forest, the heavy rain made it hard for them to keep their eyes open. Even though he was wearing a raincoat, it didn't take long for the rainwater to soak his clothes. Wearing a raincoat was no different from not wearing one at all. The only thing it could do was block the cold wind in the storm.
The mountain path was difficult to traverse, especially on such a rainy night. He couldn't see anything more than ten steps away. Claude cast a Luminous Pearl in his hand and barely managed to light up the path ahead.
As expected, the big black wolf was leading him to the Witch Forest where the magus was.
The Luminous Pearl, which could illuminate the place for one and a half to two hours, gradually dimmed in less than half an hour until all of its mana was gone.
It wasn't that Claude didn't have enough mana. Instead, the mana that formed the rune formation dissipated quickly under the heavy rain. It was as if the elemental photons that formed the mana imprint were being washed away by the rain, dissolving and dissolving at a faster rate.
Had it not been for the big black wolf leading the way and letting out occasional howls to remind Claude of the path ahead, he wouldn't have made it to the Witch Forest even if he ran for an entire night.
Entering the mountains on such a rainy night was the most likely way to get lost.
Claude had lost count of how many times he had fallen. Most of them were from slipping on mud.
He rolled on the ground a few times and was covered in mud. But after walking a few dozen steps, he was washed clean by the rain.
He only breathed a sigh of relief when he finally reached the top of the hill. The Witch Forest was right in front of him.
He almost rolled down the hill in a wretched manner. Quite a bit of the rainwater went into his mouth.
After spitting a few times, he came to the edge of the forest and naturally cast Appraisal Eye.
But after using the spell, he found that the forest he was in was no different from other forests. It was completely dark and devoid of any mana imprints.
He slapped his forehead and felt that he was overthinking things. There was no way the magus would set up any traps in the forest during the rainy season.
Since the Mana Imprints had been washed away by the rain, it was impossible to store any Magic Traps. Just like the Light Pearl that he had cast, there was no need to set up a Magic Trap that would disappear in a short period of time in such a heavy rain.
The impatient whimpers of the big black wolf could be heard from the depths of the forest. He didn't know when it had run into the forest.
Claude cast another Luminous Pearl in his hand and rushed deeper into the forest.
Soon, he passed through the forest and reached the muddy clearing. Just as he expected, the shack under the oak tree was completely dark and silent. However, the smell of blood grew stronger the closer he got to it.
Claude kicked open the wooden door of the shack and tossed the Luminous Pearl into it. The scene inside the shack's interior shocked Claude.
The wooden wall with a broken table and a small window on the left side of the shack had completely collapsed. It was no wonder the big black wolf was able to get inside even though the door was closed.
On the ground was a huge black bear wrapped in green vines. Blood flowed from the bear's body and mixed with the rainwater in the shack. The stench of blood assaulted his nostrils.
The young mage was lying on the wooden bed, her body covered in blood. She was motionless.
The big black wolf stood beside her and lowered its head to nudge her, as if trying to lift her off the bed. However, she didn't react at all. The big black wolf looked up at Claude with a pleading gaze.
He kicked the bear on the ground and found that it was completely dead. Its muscles were all stiff.
Claude breathed a sigh of relief and stepped on the bear's carcass to the side of the bed. He first touched the magus' forehead and felt that it was a little warm. He leaned down and placed his ear on her chest to listen. Fortunately, he could hear a faint heartbeat.
Only then did he relax a little. He took a closer look and found that the magus' chest was still bleeding.
Claude couldn't care less about the difference between a man and a woman anymore. He reached out to take off the clothes she was wearing that were made from the fur of various small animals.
After taking it off, he realized that she was still wearing the linen underwear he gave her. However, the greyish-white underwear had been dyed red by blood.
There were three deep claw marks on his undershirt, probably left behind by the dead bear he had stepped on. Fresh blood was seeping out from the marks.
You're a female magus. Why are you fighting with a bear? Claude shook his head and tore off the tattered underwear, revealing the magus' fair and smooth body.
On the left side of his chest, there were three claw marks that extended from top to bottom. They were about half a foot long. His skin was split open and his flesh was split open. Fresh blood kept flowing.
He subconsciously touched his pockets, but it was a pity that he didn't bring his backpack with him. All he had on him was a bayonet and nothing else.
Now, the magus was unconscious from the blood loss and couldn't be woken up. He didn't know if there were any medicine in the shack.
He stood up and looked around on the broken table. Apart from food, there wasn't anything that looked like medicine. He remembered that there used to be a shelf on the wooden wall with five or six bottles of medicine on it. Just as he was about to reach for it, he realized that the wooden wall had collapsed and the shelf was nowhere to be found.
The huge black bear on the ground was the culprit behind the collapse of the shack. However, it had already used its life to atone for its sins.
The big black wolf growled softly and whimpered. Claude turned around and saw that it was already lying beside the magus with blood all over its body.
He thought it was rainwater and didn't notice it since it was completely soaked.
Now that there was a Luminous Pearl on top of the shack, Claude noticed that there were similar claw marks on the wolf's head and body.
"Blackwind, do you know where the medicine is?" Claude had no choice but to ask the wolf for help.
The big black wolf whimpered as it stood up and looked at the table. Then, it lay down again.
Well, that means there's no medicine at all.
With no other choice, he found a clean set of underwear he gave her and tore it into strips to bandage the wound on her chest. Then, he wrapped it tightly with the blanket on the bed and wrapped it around her with his raincoat. Finally, he found some rope to tie it on his back.
"Blackwind, I don't have a choice. I have to bring your mistress back to treat her.
Can you still hold on? If you can, come with me. I can treat your wounds too, "Claude said to the big black wolf as he held another Luminous Pearl in his hand and prepared to leave the room.
The big black wolf stood up again and let out a low growl before scurrying out of the shack and standing in the rain once more.
Claude grit his teeth and charged out as well.
The journey was much more arduous than when he came. Fortunately, the rain had lessened a little and he could vaguely see further ahead. He carefully avoided the puddles and puddles on the ground and tried his best to balance himself. After all, he wasn't alone. He was carrying the unconscious magus on his back.
Her wounds were only roughly bandaged and weren't treated. Claude was worried that the journey would worsen her injuries.
But no matter how careful he was, he couldn't avoid falling. All he could do was try his best not to let the magus suffer any more damage.
The front of his clothes was already a mess of mud, as if he had rolled in a muddy puddle.
When he finally made it back to camp, the sentries in the wooden hut at the entrance had already changed shifts. The new soldier widened his eyes before he finally recognized Claude. "S-Sir, why did you go out in such a heavy rain? Y-You … there's a … a wolf behind you …"
The soldier hurriedly grabbed his gun and aimed it at the big black wolf. Unfortunately, the small wooden hut and his nervousness made it impossible for him to aim his gun horizontally. By then, the big black wolf had already walked to Claude's side.
"Don't panic. This is my friend's wolfhound. It's helping her hunt.
The one I'm carrying now is my friend. She was attacked by a black bear and I brought her back to treat her injuries.
Open the door. Also, go find Mazik tomorrow morning to receive your punishment. The first reason is that you didn't follow the rules and didn't place your gun horizontally when you were on sentry duty. As a result, you weren't able to aim quickly enough.
The second reason is that you didn't light the match. If you're attacked, you won't be able to fire back. You're risking your life and everyone's safety! "
Claude's reprimand made the soldier's face turn ashen. "Yes, Sir. It's my fault. I'll go find Sergeant Mazik tomorrow for my punishment."
The soldier opened the door and Claude carried the magus inside. "Black Wind, follow me."
The big black wolf couldn't be left outside. It would be best to bring it back to the room. Otherwise, the soldiers would get a huge fright when they woke up early in the morning. They might even think that they were attacked by a wild wolf and start shooting.
Also, the big black wolf was injured and he had to treat it himself. It would be best to leave it in the room with the magus.
Claude's hurried footsteps startled Myjack. He opened the door and shuddered. "Wolf … wolf …"
Only then did he see Claude.
Claude didn't beat around the bush. "Myjack, go get two bottles of medicine for external injuries and one for internal injuries. Don't use the military ones. Just use the high-quality ones you bought from town.
Oh, and some bandages and ointment. "
Myjack looked at Claude blankly and at the human figure he was carrying on his back. He watched as Claude kicked the door open and the big black wolf the size of a calf followed him in.
Myjack snapped out of his daze. "Yes, Sir. I'll bring it to you right away."
Claude untied the magus on his back and removed the raincoat and blanket from her body before tucking her under the blanket on the bed.
He touched her forehead and felt that it was a little hot. But as long as she wasn't dead, that was good.
He pointed at the fireplace and the big black wolf obediently lay down in front of it.
Footsteps approached and Myjack's voice came from outside the door. "Sir, can I come in?"
"Come in," Claude said.
Myjack came in with a first aid kit. He looked at the big black wolf in front of the fireplace and the magus on the bed.
"She's the daughter of a hunter and lives in the mountains. She raised this big black wolf since it was young. Her name is Blackwind.
I met her the last time I went up the mountain. This time, her house was attacked by a big black bear. She was injured, and Hei Feng came to find me. I heard the howling of the wolf, so I went out to have a look. Hei Feng took me to the place where she lived. I found that she was injured and unconscious, so I brought her back for treatment.
Do you have any other questions? "
Claude made the first move. It was all an excuse he came up with on the way back.
"B-but, Sir, I heard from the villagers that there's a witch living in the back mountain," Myjack stammered.
It seemed that the kid had gotten some information from the villagers.
Claude's expression darkened. "Does she look like a witch?
That's because the villagers don't know much about her.
She and her family came to the mountains to hide from the baron. As she knows how to gather herbs to make medicinal ointments, the villagers don't know about it and think she's a witch. Not to mention, she raised a wolf cub and had Blackwind help her trade the ointments for food. The villagers only believed that they were dealing with a witch.
That's how rumors come about. Do you understand now? "
"I … I understand." Myjack handed the first aid kit to Claude blankly.
"Alright, you can go now. Prepare a bathtub for me in the guest room next door and boil some hot water. I'll take a bath after treating her and Blackwind.
When you're done, go to the kitchen and cook a few beef bones for Blackwind. That fellow doesn't eat raw, only cooked food, "Claude instructed.
"Yes, Sir," Myjack replied.