Abe the Wizard

Chapter 27 Wolf Cavalry

Half an hour's journey from Harvest City, Abel and Master Bensham were discussing forging experience. In reality, it was mostly Master Bensham guiding Abel. Although Abel had become a master forger very quickly, his experience still paled in comparison to Master Bensham’s.

As they chatted, the carriage suddenly came to a stop. Abel couldn't help but lift the curtain and ask, "What's going on?"

The coachman replied with a startled voice, "There's something wrong ahead. Seems like there's trouble in the village."

Abel turned to Master Bensham and said, "Master, you stay in the carriage. I'll go take a look."

Master Bensham chuckled, "I'm also a Level 5 warrior, no need to worry about me."

Abel was skeptical of Master Bensham's combat abilities. Even a marshal knight had to adhere to daily training to maintain and improve their fighting capabilities, but Abel had never seen Master Bensham practice martial skills since he met him.

However, Abel didn't insist and walked out of the carriage with Master Bensham. They saw columns of black smoke rising from the distant village.

"I'll go ahead and take a look," Abel said as he retrieved the ice magic greatsword he had forged at the blacksmith's guild. The sword hadn't been decorated yet and looked quite ugly, but it didn't affect its defensive functionality.

"Be careful," Master Bensham cautioned.

Abel waved his hand to show that he understood and then proceeded towards the village.

As he neared the village, Abel felt that something was seriously amiss. It wasn't just a small fire; the entire village seemed to be ablaze.

When he arrived at the village, the scene before him stunned Abel. The ground was littered with the bodies of villagers, some of which appeared to have been mauled by animals, rendering them incomplete.

Even more horrifying, Abel also saw many children's corpses scattered throughout the village. The bodies of adults and children were spread across every corner of the village. It was clear that this was an unequal m******e, orchestrated under circumstances where one side had an absolute advantage. In the history of the world as Abel knew it, even in the case of invasions by foreign forces, such civilian massacres were rare.

Abel circled the village but found no survivors. It seemed that the perpetrators were very experienced or had some special method; all the hiding places had been breached, and those inside had been killed.

Abel had never felt so oppressed. While this wasn't his family's knight territory, as a human being, he empathized with the profound sadness of the situation.

"God, what is this?" Master Bensham, seeing that Abel hadn't returned for a long time, became concerned and hurried over. When he saw the scene before him, even he was shocked.

Master Bensham carefully examined the mangled bodies and, with a solemn expression, said to Abel, "It's the work of orcs. This was done by orcs."

Pointing at the wounds on the bodies, Master Bensham continued, "These are bite marks of direwolves. There have been wolf cavalry here."

Wolf cavalry was the main military force of the Orc Empire. Comprising both orcs and direwolves, the wolf cavalry boasted exceptional mobility, speed, and agility, making them one of the best cavalry units on the continent. The direwolves of the wolf cavalry could endure harsh environments, and in continuous combat, they could sustain the wolf cavalry’s operations by consuming the bodies of slain enemies.

"Quick, go back and inform the Marshal Knight!" Realizing that wolf cavalry had appeared here, Master Bensham knew that all nearby villages and castles would be in danger due to the cavalry’s speed.

Abel and Master Bensham quickly returned to the carriage, and with the coachman driving at full speed, the carriage raced towards Harry Castle.

...

Simon was a werewolf, more specifically a wolf cavalryman, and his companion was a she-direwolf named Blackwind.

Simon's home was in a barren plain, where his family owned two hundred acres of land. He had nine siblings, and he was the second oldest. The food produced from the two hundred acres was not enough to sustain their family. Simon had the potential to become a wolf cavalryman, so his parents allocated a significant amount of resources to him, eventually enabling him to become a wolf cavalryman. However, his other siblings still couldn't get enough to eat.

In order to secure sufficient land for his family, Simon made a decision—to participate in the Trial of Death. Every year, warriors who participated in the Trial of Death and returned alive received grants of land, and those who returned were laden with riches. The spoils from the trials, including gold and gems, were enough to acquire a lot of land.

Simon felt unlucky. Before crossing the Budapest Mountains one night, he placed Blackwind in the military camp's stable. There were many direwolves in the stable that night, and he didn't know which male direwolf had gone into heat.

After flying over the Budapest Mountains on a flying beast, Simon, along with a squad of ten wolf cavalrymen, began a series of attacks. They avoided towns and only targeted small villages. Although the gains were not substantial, the consecutive victories filled Simon with confidence regarding his trial.

Until one day, Simon discovered that Blackwind was pregnant. Direwolves were exceptionally loyal creatures, and their loyalty to their owners surpassed that of any other mount. Only the first creature they saw upon birth could become their owner.

Pregnancy should have been a joyous occasion, as it could have meant finding a master for her offspring or trading this privilege for substantial resources. However, this was the human world. Simon was constantly engaged in battle, and Blackwind's pregnancy greatly affected his combat prowess. During a previous village attack, although they encountered no resistance, the intense activity caused Blackwind to experience pregnancy discomfort, making it impossible for her to keep up with the squad's movements. The other wolf cavalrymen in the squad were also unwilling to put themselves at risk for Simon, as their speed was crucial for their survival in the human world.

Left behind, Simon stayed with Blackwind, afraid to enter open areas. He could only hide in the forest, awaiting Blackwind's childbirth.

Every day, Simon carved a line on a tree, marking the days. At present, all he wanted was to spend the next two months safely in the forest, then rendezvous with the others and return to the Orc Empire.