Chapter 82: Fenrir (2)

Still in Fenrir's Point of View

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I already woke up from my sleep as soon as Arthur left the building. It was better that way, since he would ask me again to join his war if he knew I was still awake. And now that I have some free time, I wanted to snoop around the village.

The villagers already left their homes, considering the war happening in this town. It all happened when the king let out his greed and ordered to transfer all potions to his disposal, without sharing them with the town.

I, who had enough, violated the king's orders. I attacked the castle without hesitation, just to instil dominance against the king. And now that the situation ejaculated quickly, Arthur and Merleen were on their way to fight against an army.

It was not my battle, so I did not have any reasons to help them. And I never enjoyed helping some unnamed village without gaining something in return.

What would happen if another unknown town disappeared from the map? Nothing.

As I strolled the darkened alley, eight men entered the building. When I got myself closer to the crowd, the group of mercenaries entered my sight while talking to a recognizable man.

"We're here to get everyone out of here, Galehaut." the mercenary said to the old man named Galehaut. "We still have time. If we gather the injured ones on a bed, maybe we could."

"We could do what, Green? You collected those who could walk and guided them away from this village. Now that you secure your route, do you want to gather the injured ones next? Right after you abandoned them?" the chief exclaimed. "Arthur is over there, fighting for our village. You... You lots, what did you do! Every single one of you ran away from the village and left the immobilized villagers. Since they couldn't walk like the rest of them, you guys thought these people would slow you down."

I turned my back around from these two factions arguing with each other. Hearing Galehaut and the eight mercenaries talk would make me deaf if I was not careful. And I had countless things to do besides idle around in a place like this.

However, my feet stopped moving when my ears heard Galehaut's voice. Those words pierced through my heart like a thorny rose.

"I don't care about your silly gimmicks! We will not leave this place because you told us! I will only listen to Arthur, who is defending this town right now! That guy even knows that we can't return the favour he's doing for us! But he still rushes in front of those soldiers, fighting for our freedom…. If Arthur loses this fight, so do we. If Arthur wins, we will win together!"

If I remembered correctly, Galehaut was the chief of this village. He was also the one who provided Arthur with the promised stable and few coins. Beside him was his family, listening to their conversation. Galehaut's son wrapped his hands around his father, shivering after hearing those blaring words.

Those in front of Galehaut were the eight mercenaries who attacked my puppies. Each of them widened their eyes upon hearing those sentences. Despite listening to the old man, none of them had hatred inside their hearts. All I could sense inside of them was…. about their regret for abandoning their people.

Since Arthur's team killed their leaders, I was not on good terms with them. These mercenaries assaulted my puppies, so I had to return the favour. The fight ended with Merleen killing those two people using her light.

I remembered it since I did not leave the vicinity.

And I still firmly believed that humans would never change their ways! The best example was these mercenaries fighting against Galehaut, who wanted nothing more but to protect Arthur from these mercenaries.

Green, the temporary leader of the mercenary group, lowered his head in shame. Since they were the ones at fault, Green and his lackeys refused to retort. They could not say anything, even if they had the chance to speak.

After hearing those words, Galehaut returned to the shelter without saying his goodbyes. The mercenaries could only watch the chief walk away before their eyes. They could not even digest the words Galehaut mentioned to them, considering what they did to Arthur.

I finally realised that Arthur was the same as me. Arthur was just a kid who could barely defend himself against all odds. However, despite these disadvantages, he wanted to prove himself as a dependable hero that everyone would need.

Although I did not want to admit it, Arthur played a vital role in defending my puppies. If Arthur had not stepped in to protect them, the mercenaries would have badly injured my puppies.

The eight mercenaries fell back towards the woods, never to see again. I, who wanted to know more about the story, entered the shelter. If there was a chance to meet Galehaut, I would like to meet him in the flesh.

My wish came true as the man himself stared in my direction as if waiting for me to enter the room. I glanced at his hand and noticed a blade hidden behind his sleeves, ready to attack me if I would have attacked.

"You could drop the weapon. I am not in the mood to fight," I confessed, and opened my arms.

Humans could only arm themselves if they think they are in danger. I did not have the energy to fight anyone. I wanted to prove myself to this man.

Something enchanted me about Galehaut, but I could not place a finger on it. It was as if he had all the answers all along that I found difficult to understand. And since he was the only one who believed in Arthur, maybe I could learn something about him from this guy.

Even though I never liked the man, Arthur still saved my puppies. He was also a replica of myself, after all, when I left my pack.

"Good. If you leave me no choice, I would have shot my spells at you without thinking. Those mercenaries claimed you attacked them with no reason. But since you're with Arthur, I wanted to give you a second chance," Galehaut said, while placing his staff on the table. "Don't worry. You're safe here. Nobody would attack you even if these villagers tried."

I did not know the meaning behind his words, considering that all humans were greedy creatures, like the king. However, Galehaut's firm response told me otherwise as we trod towards another room.

Upon entering the room, hundreds of injured villagers welcomed my eyes, all groaning in pain. Some of them even had yellowish secretions bursting out from their abdomens, while other civilians had arms amputated from them.

The scene woke me up from reality, telling me that these people were still inside an arena. They were fighting a losing battle without having the chance to defend their lives. There was a war happening outside this shelter, with only Arthur and Merleen protecting this place. The rest of the villagers had already escaped with the help of those mercenaries.

And that was the fundamental problem of this occurrence. The chief did not like the mercenaries' actions after abandoning and saving the ones who could walk.

It was as if the experience went on to repeat. However, the situation was not on me, but in this village Arthur kept protecting.

"As you can, Fenrir, these people cannot walk or run. They were unlike those who had already fled this place. And the only one protecting this shelter was Arthur. If he had not shown up, these people would have died... because of me."

Galehaut invited me to stay near him while walking towards the aisle of wounded people. Each of their faces presented pain and agony, with the rest of their family staying beside them. The ones giving out orders was Merchant. He was the one we protected when we first infiltrated the citadel.

"Those mercenaries mentioned that Arthur and his troops killed their leaders. It was unnecessary for you to point their fingers at you. But you're one of his teammates. Of course, the mercenaries would also hunt you down. However, that was not the end of your story. Since Arthur saved you instead of those people, there might be something that I wish to understand," Galehaut said, while maintaining his gaze at the people lying on their deathbeds.

Some of them even died as we spoke, considering the lack of sanitation of this place. These people did not know any medical advice or interventions, unlike Arthur, had in their world.

As soon as I heard Galehaut's voice, I told him everything. I narrated all that had happened to me when I was still the Alpha's daughter. Even though Galehaut was a stranger in my eyes, there was something that drew me in.

Within that moment, my heart burst into tears, claiming something different. The fog that came from humans drifted from my eyes, replacing it with a light that paved my way to empathy.