Monsters Uprising

Nightfall came, and a bonfire illuminated the area while the carriages provided protection against the cold wind. Sief's back was covered with the fur of a wolf, still stained with blood, and Milo stood beside him.

"I see, so somehow you ended up in Forta Village, which is quite far from here," Milo said, gazing at the bonfire. Around them, he noticed the adventurers looking confused, each lost in their own thoughts, reacting in their own ways. "That, coupled with your sister's transformation... if it was something about her, wouldn't you both end up in the same place? Are you sure she's not a mage or something?"

"I am. I only learned to use mana the way the swordsman taught me; there was no one else to teach us, and I doubt she could hide that from me for so long... I've lived with her since we were young," Sief sighed, turning back to the fire. He noticed an iron cauldron emitting a fragrant smoke that caught his attention. "Besides, she was physically very weak. The worst-case scenario is her being far from me now. She must be somewhere; otherwise, the attack would have reached her too. I remember hearing her voice calling me when I woke up."

"Teleportation isn't common. In fact, besides the Story Teller, I don't know anyone capable of it..." Milo turned to the adventurers who seemed to be discussing among themselves, but soon the healer spoke up. "Do any of you have any thoughts on this?"

When Sief looked at the adventurers again, he saw that the groups were clearly divided.

What should have been four groups was actually one group consisting of twelve members—five women and seven adult men—who awkwardly chuckled at the healer's question, until the bald man with the hammer extended his hand.

"It's just a difficult story to believe... I mean, this boy is about twelve?" He scratched his head awkwardly and continued, "He hasn't even gone through awakening, but somehow he and a friend got past alphas? And is this really the fur of a young Silver Lycanthrope?"

"He can use a bit of mana, so it's not hard to understand that he's awakened and not as young as he looks," Milo smiled faintly and concluded with a sigh. "And there's no greater proof than the fur of a Lycanthrope. Adventurers wouldn't leave such a valuable drop, or how else would he manage to steal from a group of capable adventurers, right?"

When questioned, the adventurers didn't know how to react, lowering their heads or staring at the assassin who continued to gaze at the cauldron.

Seeing this, Milo smiled faintly and approached the cauldron, grabbing some simple vessels beside it. He then took a ladle to lift the lid, serving the boy first while continuing to speak.

"Perhaps if it was teleportation, the Story Teller could help you. He's the only mage we know who can use teleportation magic on a small scale." He extended the vessel with a meat and vegetable soup that Sief stared at, swallowing hard as the aroma caught his attention. He then left it on his lap to cool the contents with breaths. "Just the fact that there's someone else who can teleport, he'll want to know about it."

"But is it that easy to get in touch with the Story Teller?" Sief took a spoonful and blew on it while watching the healer serve everyone with a smile. "You seem... gentle... I thought you'd be a bit more arrogant or showy for being a hero."

Upon hearing this, Milo froze and turned, still trembling as he said, "Is that being gentle? How cruel to say that out loud..." Sief raised an eyebrow, but the healer sighed with a smile, finishing by serving his own vessel and saying, "It's just that it's quite easy to talk to anyone nowadays; you just have to write their name and if Kujura knows and has heard, that person will receive it. Especially if they're associated or famous like the Story Teller. Our mage used to receive numerous marriage proposals, so much so that he has a certain rivalry with Kujura and the Story Teller himself... it's somewhat... amusing..."

"It's quite... straightforward..." He blew one last time and brought the spoon to his mouth, concluding. "So, if I send him a letter, and it reaches the guild, he'll meet with me?"

Sief tasted the soup and felt the flavor, his eyes widening. He took another spoonful, blew on it quickly, and ate hurriedly, surprising the adventurers with this change in behavior.

"It's just my guess from what little I know; your friend said he's a greedy guy, but I'd say the right word is eccentric..." Milo smiled as he watched Sief devour the soup and vegetables quickly, approaching the cauldron to take another ladle and serve him again, which Sief accepted gratefully. "I think he'll meet with you. After all, even if you were lying, you wouldn't gain much from meeting him in person."

"Does the hero group know the Story Teller?" The hammer-wielding man asked with a slight smile. "What's he like? I mean... in appearance, I can't imagine."

"Well, he's quite unique. The few times I've seen him, he wore loose clothes with strange colors, and he always has a hat..." Milo scratched his neck and smiled awkwardly, saying, "But he's quite... cheerful... yet extremely serious when it comes to his work. I think he's also someone they can describe as a prodigy, after all, he's never hunted in his life..."

The other adventurers made surprised noises, until finally, Sief placed his empty bowl in front of him, even after having seconds.

Everyone turned to the boy, who was sweating slightly and took a deep breath, exhaling warm air into the cold night, even dropping his wolf fur blanket.

"Thanks, Milo. This will help if I need to find out what happened, but..." He took a deep breath and looked back at the fire. "I've already said what was needed. Fighting monsters in the dark is difficult, so I won't leave tonight, but tomorrow I intend to follow the path you said you'd teach me... I need to know."

"I know. Can you open your map? It's easier for me to show you." He shook the ladle while Sief spread out the map on the ground, and Milo pointed to Dokkel, tracing a path. "The ideal route would be to go through these regions. They're all light green, and halfway you'll find a village where you can rest, and we've confirmed it's monster-free. It's also a place about to become a city, which is a great spot to pass through before heading to the central city; there are good blacksmiths there who can make weapons for anyone."

"But this is the longest route; it would take three days through territories, and finally, you'd reach the central city only on the 6th day." Sief crossed his arms, his brow furrowed, and concluded. "And I don't have money for weapons..."

"I always carry some coins, so I can give you some if you take this path. It won't be safe..." Milo sighed and squinted, saying, "But it's much better than going through dark green, especially alone. If they hadn't called us to Filian, I would have found a way to send someone with you, but I don't know what they need there..."

"I can't accept your money or your help, and I have no way to thank you." He raised his head and said, "I'm going to find my sister. I can't disrupt others' lives with this, but that's not what matters... but isn't this the way?"

"No..." Milo lowered his head for a brief moment and sighed, using the other side of the ladle to indicate a path that Sief followed, the ladle beginning to glow and an emerald aura forming a path as if drawing on the map. "This path is not shorter, but there are no alphas there on ordinary days because there's little mana and human traffic..."

Sief looked surprised to see the mark and used his mana on the map, seeing the traces near the flame extinguish, causing him to quickly move away.

"I'm from Dokkel and created this path to reach the central city without encountering monsters... even though I can handle some, I couldn't handle them all and would end up exhausted halfway..." He sighed and withdrew the ladle, saying. "With this, you'll be able to avoid the alphas and save some time, especially if you run. But there's a catch; this path doesn't exist in the strong green zone. If you want to gain all possible time, you'll have to follow this path."

"A region you can pass through without encountering alphas..." He squinted slightly and looked back at the healer. "How long did it take you to find this out?"

"It's an anomaly; it's not common for something like this. You pass near the edge of the maps, and stopping to think, it's the longest way, but if you run, you can save some time." Milo lifted his head again and said. "That's a territory near Revaria, the village I mentioned. I'd like you to take the path I mentioned from Revaria. You'll still arrive there on the fourth day, so it's still a shorter route. You'll arrive rested and with new equipment. In the end, there are two options, but I think I know what you'll choose..."

Hearing that, Sief gave a faint smile and leaned against the carriage, looking satisfied, but something quickly descended against his head, making a dry sound as wood struck something.

Sief grunted and covered his head in pain, but widened his eyes looking at Milo, who had a furrowed brow, causing the assassin to mutter.

"What... the hell was that!?"

"I ask that; why don't you listen to your elders who only want what's best for you? You're so stubborn that I was worried about breaking my scepter!"

"And you needed to hit me?"

"I think I did, to see if you'd think better after the blow."

"I'm lucky I can still think!"

They stared at each other, seemingly irritated, while the other adventurers laughed calmly until Milo weighed his gaze and said.

"If you're going to do this, do whatever it takes to stay alive." He picked up the scepter and lowered his head, gathering the vessels. "If you want to thank me, do that."

"..." Sief stared at the healer and finally leaned against the carriage, crossing his arms and finally nodding. "I'll survive... I guarantee that..."

The healer gave a faint smile and sighed, standing up with the vessels, until he heard.

"Is there any more stew left?"

"Only if you go by the path I directed."

"Are you really a hero?"