Sara quietly closed the door behind them as she and lys has come out of the room. Lady Elowen had gone back to rest in the guest room. She looked tired after eating, so they left her to sleep.

  Sara turned to Lys in the hallway. "Come with me to the yard. We need to talk."

  Lys pondered on the word, thinking what she might be asking of him!

  They walked outside. Sara stopped near the gate and crossed her arms. "Lys, What were you doing in the forest last night? It was late, and dangerous. Most people stay inside after dark."

  Lys thought quickly. He did not want to mention the quest or the system. So he answered with what he had came up with earlier, for this type of situation.

  "I was near the village gate. I couldn't sleep, so I went for some air. The guard was not there. So, I got curious and peeked outside to look for him. Then I heard wolves growling and the sound of swords clashing. I ran toward the noise and found Lady Elowen."

  ‘Forgive me joren, one of us had to get caught. And it isn’t gonna be me.’ He prayed for joren’s job, while ratting him out to Sara.

  Sara looked at him for a long moment. Her eyes showed she was not fully sure about his story. "No guard at the gate? That's strange. And you just ran into the forest alone, without a weapon or torch? That sounds very risky. Why would you do that?"

  Lys shrugged. "I know it was stupid. But I heard screams. And I couldn't just ignore it. By the time I got there, the wolves were about to attack her. We fought together, and of course, you know the rest."

  Sara sighed. "Yeah, You're lucky you didn't die, you know. But at least because of you, Lady Elowen is alive. So I'll let it go for now. Just be careful next time, okay? This village already has enough problems without you running into wolves every week."

  "Thanks, Sara. I will be careful," Lys said.

  ----------

  Sara called two servants who were working nearby. They were strong women who often helped with heavy work. So she felt at ease to leave the restoration of lady Elowa’s knighs to them.

  "You two, go with Lys to the forest. The place is near the big rock by the river bend. Bring back the bodies of the knights and their belongings. Be quick and careful."

  The servants nodded. One of them asked, "Should we bring weapons, miss?"

  "Yes, take swords and ropes," Sara said. "And a cart too, if you can pull it."

  Lys spoke up. "Sara, can I take the wolves' pelts for myself? I defeated them after all. Morever, They are just animal skins. I won't touch the caravan or the knights' things."

  Sara thought for a second. "Sure. Wolf pelts have some value. You can have them. Just leave everything that belongs to Lady Elowen or her knights. We can’t risk anything with nobles."

  "Thank you," Lys said.

  --------

  The two servants got ready fast. They took swords, ropes, and knives. Lys led the way.

  They walked out of the village and into the forest. The path was the same one Lys had run on last night. With his hunting skill and last night’s blurry memories, it wasn’t very hard to find the spot where they fought the wolves.

  Trees stood tall around them. The ground was still muddy from the bloody-fight.

  When they reached the spot, the scene looked bad. Four dead wolves lay on the ground. Blood had dried on their fur. The knights' bodies were farther away, near some broken wood from the caravan.

  The servants looked surprised. One said, "Four wolves? That's a lot. You really fought all of them?"

  Lys nodded. "Yeah, With Lady Elowen's help. She used fire to scare the wolves, while I slayed them."

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  The servants were stunned at first, but quickly started their work first, not wanting to stay in the forest more than necessary.

  They carefully moved the knights' bodies and collected armor, swords, and bags, then tied the items together to carry later.

  Lys asked one servant, "Can I borrow a knife?"

  The servant gave him a sharp knife. "Be careful. Wolf skin is tough. Don’t cut your fingers."

  Lys started with the first wolf. He turned the body over. The fur was thick and gray. He made a cut around the legs first, then along the belly. The knife worked through the skin slowly.

  It was hard work. Blood and smell rose up. He pulled the skin off carefully so it did not tear. It took time though. His hands became slippery with fat and oil.

  The second wolf was bigger. Its neck had a deep cut from his sword. Lys worked around the wound. The skin came off in one piece. He rolled it up and tied it with rope. The servent’s were watching skin the wolves him with awe eyes, like they haven’t watched anyone do it before.

  The third wolf had burn marks from the fire sword. The skin was damaged in places, but still useful. Lys cut around the burned parts and saved the good fur.

  The fourth wolf was the one without a tail. He skinned it last. His arms felt tired now. The muscles in his leg started to hurt again from sitting too long. But he finished all four pelts.

  One servant whistled. "Whoah, You did a good job, boy. Most people can't skin wolves this clean and fast."

  Lys smiled weakly. "I learned a little from hunting." (PUN INTENDED)

  They tied the pelts together. Lys carried two over his shoulder. The servants carried the knights' things and the other two pelts. The load felt heavy. Lys's legs shook on the way back. His body still had not fully recovered. Each step made his muscles burn.

  They entered the village. The streets were full of people now. Women washing clothes stopped and stared. Two man carrying tools from the fields turned their heads. Some elderly started talking, eager to know his identity, so whispered to each other.

  "Whoa, Look at that!" an old woman called out. "The boy is carrying wolf pelts! Four of them!"

  A woman with a hoe on his shoulder stopped to talk with Lys. "Are those real wolf skins? How did you get them, lad?"

  Lys kept walking, breathing hard. "Fought them last night. They attacked a lady in the forest."

  The woman’s eyes went wide. "You? Alone? Gods, you must be strong."

  A group of women was gathered near the well. One of them, a young girl with a bucket on her hand, said, "Oh, my. He looks tired but he’s carrying them like it’s nothing. What a treat for my eyes this early in the morning."

  Lys felt their eyes on him the whole way. The pelts were heavy on his shoulders. Blood from the skins dripped a little on his shirt. His leg hurt more with every step, but he did not stop. Seeing how people kept talking about him. It made him feel important all of a sudden. So he kept walking dispite the aching from his whole body, screaming for rest.

  "Look, it’s Lys, Elara’s boy!" a middle aged woman shouted. "He killed wolves?!"

  Her friends cheered. "Boy, Tell us how you did it! Did you use a sword? Does Elara know?"

  Lys gave a small smile but kept walking. "Don’t tell mom, okay. She’ll beat my ass, haha. See you later, maam. I need to get home first."

  The attention from his mother’ acquaintaces made his ego boast more than it already was. He wanted to talk to them some more, but seeing the quest didn’t gave him any new quest, even when he found them very attractive, made him focus on his primary goals first. He can have as many pussy as he wants, but only after he secures some wealth for his family to be happy. Otherwise it will be harder for him to conquere his SS and S ranked targets. So this gets more priority.

  An old farmer clapped him on the back. "Good job, son. Those pelts will sell well. Your family will eat better this month."

  Lys nodded. "I hope so."

  By the time he reached his hut, sweat ran down his face. His arms burned from the weight. He put the pelts down near the door. His head spun. His legs gave way, and he collapsed on the ground.

  The other servent who came with him to drop the other two pelt. She was not that tired, even after this long walk with almost 50 KG weight on her shoulder. It made Lys doubt his own eyes. After all no woman he knew back on earth personally who could do this almost imposible job and yet stay not muscular like men.

  After droping the pelt, she just turned around as if Lys didn’t even existed. The whole way and even in the forest she was the only one who was just silent. He hasn’t seen her talk a single word till now. So he guessed she might be introverted or have any problem with her voice. So he also didn’t call her back to rest a little or something.

  -------

  Mira came running out after hearing the THUD sound of something dropping.

  "Brother! What happened? Are you hurt?" She saw the four big wolf pelts. Her eyes went wide. "Oh, my. Where did you find these? They look so fresh and big!"

  Lys lay there, huffing hard to catch up his breath. "I’ll tell you later. For now, go bring Mom from the market. We need to work on these pelts. Clean them, dry them, and prepare them for selling. Only they can bring good money."

  Mira nodded quickly. "Okay, I’ll get her right now. You sit down first."

  She helped Lys inside and made him sit on the mat she made. Then she ran to find Elara. Lys looked at the pelts outside. They were dirty but valuable. With the money from selling them, life could get a little easier for his family.

  He closed his eyes for a moment. The regeneration skill was already working again, easing the pain in his muscles.