Vanor glanced at the treatment room and shifted his gaze to Hope. He smiled lightly and spoke, "Thank you for coming all this way and having a change of heart."
Hope smiled and waved her hand with a slightly awkward smile, feeling a little guilty because of her ulterior motives.
Lady Silk, who was watching from the sidelines, sighed internally and thought to herself: Vanor's feelings are clear as day; however, Hope doesn't feel the same way. It's a… pity.
She shook her head and let out a dry cough, catching their attention. She gestured and asked, "Are you two done?"
Vanor nodded and said, "I came here not only to check up on the current situation but also to invite you to attend the Hunters' Gathering."
"And since when was I a Hunter?" Lady Silk glanced at the beds and slowly walked towards a nearby window.
Vanor's smile widened slightly, and he continued, "That's true, but with your influence, you could bring about change."
Lady Silk looked out the window and saw several Hunters moving about with various weapons on the ground. She paused and fell into contemplation: He's being genuine. Strange, something about how he worded it pissed me off. Forget it, it's more beneficial for me if…
She turned around and silently followed him out. But before taking her final step out, she glanced at Hope. Their eyes met, and for a moment, a hint of understanding crossed their minds. She withdrew her gaze and continued to follow him out.
After seeing them depart, Hope found a seat and closed her eyes, quickly falling asleep. Strands of her long red hair were blown by the wind across her face and slowly started to conceal it by accident.
Outside, Vanor was talking to Lady Silk when he suddenly asked, "Is there something wrong?"
Lady Silk glanced at him and shook her head, causing Vanor's pupils to shrink.
This is suspicious. How could she have convinced Hope to help? Knowing her, there would be little reason to change her mind unless… she had ulterior motives. Which means that Sophia knows this and is letting it slide. Vanor silently deduced as he led the way.
Noticing Vanor's sudden silence, a chill ran down Lady Silk's spine. She bit her lip and decided to play along.
After a bit, Vanor suddenly asked, "Are you a Holder?"
Underneath her mask, Sophia's eyes narrowed. She sneered and spoke confidently like it's matter-of-fact, "You know the answer already. What's the point of asking?"
"It's a possibility. A possibility that you're still hiding more than I can see." Vanor spoke softly and glanced at her, paying careful attention to the subtle shift under her dark cloak.
Sophia rolled her eyes and waved her hand in annoyance, dismissing him entirely as she countered, "If I were, wouldn't I be sent to the battlefield?"
Vanor laughed lightly and affirmed, "I didn't think about that, but I would do that. Good choice."
Sophia couldn't help but roll her eyes again, and although it was under her mask, it felt like Vanor noticed this time.
"You're fun to read." He commented lightly.
After hearing him, Sophia bit her lip and clenched her fist, her annoyance reaching the edge between annoyance and anger.
…
Not even a minute after falling asleep, a new batch of patients came in and woke up Hope. She gently rubbed her eyes and walked over, carefully examining the patients.
A second later, she pointed at some empty beds and started treating them one by one. Fortunately, she wasn't alone, as there were also other "doctors".
She and the others took their time, wrapping wounds and applying herbs. As for those who had lost a limb or two, Hope would take a deep breath before amputating them. Miserable screams would have echoed across the room, if not for the fact that the patients would have cloth in their mouths. Beads of sweat poured down as rain, and blood rushed rapidly. After an unknown amount of time, Hope and the others finished and let out a sigh.
After several grueling hours, she sat back down again, ready to fall asleep, but the door suddenly moved, and another batch came in.
Hope glanced at the others and saw the clear black layer underneath their eyes. She shook her head and started treating the injured.
After they finished, she sat back down and fell asleep, and fortunately for them, no one else came.
Several hours passed, and when she finally woke up, it was already the middle of the night. She rubbed her eyes lazily, but a loud shout from outside startled her.
She looked out the window and saw a crowd of Hunters arguing.
One Hunter, a middle-aged man, spoke firmly, "This is ridiculous! How are we supposed to fight against an endless horde of wolves?!"
"You!" Another jumped in, his eyes ferocious and filled with killing intent.
Hope shook her head and let out a heavy sigh. A second later, Vanor came to mediate, "Everyone, this is not the time to think it over. A decision has been made, and if we give up now, wouldn't we have lost to mere monsters?"
Hope stopped listening and returned to sleep, but a sudden knock caught her attention. She walked over, opened the door, and saw Lady Silk, or in other words, Sophia.
The moment she saw her, her thoughts clicked as though they were puzzle pieces: This must have been started by her.
Sophia gestured over and started leading the way silently.
On their way, a guard saw their two silhouettes. Sophia noticed the sudden shift in the guard's body and quickly pulled Hope and hid.
The guard headed over, but after looking around, he muttered to himself, "Was I hallucinating?"
He shook his head and returned to his position, and after he left, the two immediately went past him and continued on their way.
Once they arrived at the foot of Mount Lorebale, Sophia looked seriously at her and spoke, "Whatever you and Young Lord are about to do is something I'm entirely uncertain of, but I can have faith. I… hope it goes well."
Hope paused, nodding her head, and spoke solemnly, "Thank you. I… tried to blackmail you, and I apologize."
Sophia fell silent as Hope quickly left, leaving her alone. Lady Silk sighed deeply and left, but above her, on a branch lay a young man–Schizel.
He looked down lazily and silently followed Hope.
On Hope's way up the mountain, she encountered several corpses. Whether it be human or not, they were bleeding and rotting. A strong scent wafted through the air and caused Hope to pinch her nose in disgust. She quickened her pace and dodged as many corpses as possible.
Suddenly, she heard rustling sounds, and she jumped towards a nearby bush and hid herself.
Howl!
A loud howl echoed across the mountain as the figure of the Wolf Lord appeared. Countless wolves followed after it, and it completely ignored Hope's presence.
It looked up and saw Schizel's figure hidden among the branches. Hope's heart sank at the sight. Unknowingly, she stood up and rushed out, but a few wolves noticed her and followed her fiercely.
She ran as fast as she could, but time seemed to have slowed down. If it were a joyous moment, perhaps she would have cherished it, but it was a matter of life and death. The sounds of wolves rushing behind her made her body tremble, her hands clenching.
However, her luck fell short, as she tripped over a corpse. The tug of gravity pulled her and made her fall. She quickly got up, but it was more than enough time for the three wolves to lunge at her, their fangs wet with saliva.
Her pupils shrank as she closed her eyes in acceptance. But beyond her expectations, the black cat came out of her bag and jumped towards the wolves.
The wolves were startled and halted their tracks. They observed the cat for a moment before choosing to attack.
Hope quickly got up and grabbed the cat, making a run for it. The cat told her, "Use me."
Hope shook her head, replying, "I don't know how to!"
The cat suddenly transformed into black liquid that took the form of a gourd. In the matter of seconds, it returned to its original form, a brown gourd.
Hope bit her lip and opened the gourd, waving it around, but nothing happened. Her heart sank even further as the wolves slowly closed in. She nearly screamed but managed to get a hold of herself and continued to run.
Soon enough, a wolf closed in and lunged forward, its jaws wide open. Hope's mind went black, closing her eyes in fright.
But nothing happened.
Nothing happened.
Nothing.
When she opened her eyes, her pupils shrunk even more at the sight. A tiny green light came from the wolves and kept them floating. The light slowly moved like a wave and entered the gourd. As more light came out and was sucked by the gourd, the wolves' bodies became thinner and thinner, as all signs of life were dissipating. A moment later, the last bit of light entered the gourd, and the wolves plopped to the ground, their bodies thin and as dry as sand.
Hope also plopped to the ground, her mind processing what had just occurred. She took a deep breath and slowly composed herself; however, her hands were still trembling. She grabbed the gourd and glanced at the dried corpses. She reached out and poked a finger, and when she did, the corpse collapsed into dust, and a sudden soft breeze blew the dust away.
She sealed the gourd tight, and a second later, it transformed back into a sleeping black cat. She sighed, placed it inside her bag, and made a run for it when she noticed the silhouettes of wolves closing in.