บท 75: She's Out of The Frying Pan, But...

The night, thankfully, remained uneventful after such an exciting day. But that morning was almost just as exciting. When the sun rose, the people in the camp realized that they had been surrounded by direwolves.

The wolves stood, or lay down in a circle around the campsite, making sure to keep about 50 feet away from the perimeter. But, Robin noticed that the wolves were showing none of the attitude that indicated they intended to fight. While Robin didn't exactly understand a wolf's language, she could tell they were not hostile to them.

So, when Sir Raymond consulted Sir Daniel about whether they should engage the direwolves in combat, Robin held up a hand to stop them. Then she walked forward towards the largest of the direwolves, who stood six feet tall, and four feet wide.

The largest came out from the ring of wolves to meet her in between the two camps. Robin tilted her head to the side, expressing her confusion over their presence. The direwolf turned his head towards the pile of bones left over from dismantling the wyvern. When he turned back to her, in an unhurried manner, he dipped his nose down, and back up, like a royal, giving a nod of approval.

Robin opened her hand, and waved them at the wolves, then at the bones, and nodded.

Both retreated back to their camps.

"What was that?" Christian asked, not quite believing Robin's seeming conversation with the beast.

"They were thanking us for ridding them of their pursuer. So, they guarded the camp, last night." Robin replied. "Leave the wyvern bones and the offal for them."

"But those can be made into weapons!" Gerard objected.

"You know that all the best ones are already packed away in my storage bracer. Besides, if we give them the bones and leftovers, they won't have reason to follow after us." Robin pointed out.

"Anyways, it's best to leave while they are still in a friendly mood. Let's pack up the camp, we've already wasted too much time, here." Robin decided.

"Let's do as you say." Christian nodded. They quickly packed up all the tents and utensils, stiring them in Robin's storage bracer. Then the knights climbed on their horses, and the nobles in their carriage.

"Ponzu, let me ride up front for a bit." Robin asked. "I want to be ready just in case something unfortunate happens."

Ponzu happily gave up his seat to Robin, and went inside the wagon.

"Which way?" the driver asked.

"The way back to the road." Robin said.

"But that's past the leader!" The driver explained.

"I know. Just drive." Robin said.

The wolves didn't move, even when the carriage was almost three feet away. The driver stopped, not daring to draw closer.

The leader blinked up at them.

Robin looked into his eyes, them turned to look at the wyvern bones. The great direwolf looked at the bones, too. Then both turned to look at each other again. Robin nodded.

The direwolf also nodded, and uttered a low howl. The knights, startled, put their hands on their swords, ready to draw them at a moment's notice. But paused, when they saw the direwolves part in front of the carriage.

Then, the leader uttered another long howl, which reverberated in Robin's bones. The wolves retreated away from the carriage, and headed in an unhurried manner towards the pile of bones.

"It should be fine now." Robin told the driver, who spurred the horses to move their fright-stiffened legs. Once they had reached the road, Robin turned her head to look back as another long howl sounded out in the forest, this time, with all the direwolves joining in.

Robin chuckled at this. "You're welcome!" She called back. The carriage followed the road, soon disappearing from that neck of the woodlands.

Long after they'd gone, hunters would tell tales of a pack of direwolves that would save those in trouble, or lost in the forest, and dissappear soon after leaving them at the roadside.

And, twenty years from that time, heading into the forest to greet the forest guardian with the first-killed game became a tradition among local hunters. The most prominent among hunters were those who became a wolf's companion, meeting in the forest, and hunting together. But that is a story for another time.

A little before noon, Robin's carriage rode into the next town, a hearty stockade, with walls built of stone. When they arrived, they were surprised to be greeted by a small crowd.

"A carriage! With knights! We are saved!"

"Please, sir knight! Please save ny daughter!"

"Please rescue my Lotty!"

"My darling Floss was taken away! Please help us!"

Robin looked at the crowd in confusion, then turned to the soldier who had opened the stockade doors.

"What is all of this?" She asked.

"Young girls have begun to disappear in the woods. From the corpses we've been able to find...we suspect it's goblins." The soldier's face faltered, and he choked a bit as he explained.

"Why has no one been sent to the capital to inform the guards?"

"We have, but the person who was sent out, only his horse returned. Did you meet anything on the way here?"

Robin shook her head. "Nothing that would eat the man and leave the horse to run free. And there has been no word on the way here, or else we'd have probably gone a different route."

The soldier's shoulders shuddered at the news. "T-then Finn?"

"Either dead, or incapable of finding help, currently." Robin surmised. "If he makes it out safely, it would be a miracle."

"What's going on?" Christian called out from the carriage door. Robin turned back to the carriage.

"Milord, it appears that this town is troubled by goblins." Robin explained.

"Milord? Robin you-" He was about to ask about her changed speech, when he realized Robin was not wearing the hero's mask. Since Robin was not acting as the hero, of course, she would treat him like a noble.

"Right, you go see about getting us several rooms at the inn. We'll need to ask the person in charge about the details." Christian said, after clearing his throat.

"As you wish, milord." Robin jumped down from the carriage, and headed towards the inn, which was visible from the entrance. The inn was almost completely empty, and heartily welcomed the company of Robin's group, setting them up with the best rooms in town, even nearly refusing to receive pay for it.

"Look here, sir. Milord will begin to doubt me, and suspect me of embezzling money if I say that you refused to receive payment for the rooms. How about giving us a discount, and charging the same as your regular rooms? That way, milord will see your kind intentions without taking away from your livelihood?" Robin explained.

While the innkeeper was about to object, his wife pinched his side hard, causing him to bite back his retort.

"Of course! In that case, it will be four coppers per room, breakfast and dinner are free." The innkeeper's wife replied, and Robin quickly handed over the coins, lest the innkeeper refuse once more.

Then, after inquiring for directions, she made her way to the mayor's residence. Next to the mayor's place were the soldiers barracks. And, in front of the soldiers barracks sat the carriage.

When she was about to enter, she was blocked by two guards.

"Halt! What business have you in here?" The guards asked.

"Do you see this carriage? I am one of the men belonging to the owner's company. If you don't believe me, someone can go ask Retired General Keith if he knows someone named Robin. I am willing to wait here." Robin said.

"Robin?" The guards looked at each other, then stepped back. "That is unnecessary. Your company is waiting for you inside. Apologies for having to stop you. Several people have already tried to enter, claiming they were part of the noble's party."

"No offense taken. You were simply doing your job." Robin replied as she entered the barracks.

Little did Robin know that she was being observed. A figure whose face was covered in a talismanic mask gazed into a magic ball, that clearly transmitted Robin's actions.

"So? What do you think?" A figure behind a red curtain asked.

"He does not seem to be completely hostile. Look at how he befriended the Direwolf clan. As a man who is supposed to be the demons worst enemy, shouldn't he have slaughtered them?"

"Aye, but remember, he also slaughtered the wyvern, earlier." the voice reminded.

"That disobedient bullying little prick? He deserved it. If that man hadn't killed it already, then I would have!" The magic ball holder snorted. "Upsetting the balance and boundaries all for a game of cat and mouse, when he didn't even need to eat. That blockhead is better off dead!"

"And what about the goblins?"

"If he gets scared just because of a few numbers, then he's not worth our time." the talisman masked figure replied.

"...Very well, continue observing him." The figure behind the curtain ordered, before echoing footsteps signalled that the superior was leaving.